Blaster (Fox)


 * For the other neutral special moves of the same name, see Blaster (Falco) and Blaster (Wolf).
 * For the neutral special used in SSB, see Blaster Shot.

Blaster (, Blaster) is Fox's neutral special move since Melee.

Overview
The attack consists of firing shots from a laser gun to damage far away opponents.

The current version of Blaster was introduced in Melee, and is quite different compared to the original in Smash 64; it has a faster rate of fire and traveling speed is drastically increased, but it also has no knockback or hitstun and does 1%-3% damage per shot (the lack of hitstun/knockback also applies to the Blaster being used in Fox's up, down and back throws). This is one of the few moves in the game that can never provide a KO except by stealing other players' KO's or by depleting HP in Stamina Mode. It is mainly used from long range (as short hop lasers or short hop double lasers) to camp and bring up damage for an up throw&rarr;up aerial combo or up smash. It should be avoided while standing as there is ending lag. Its spammability gives it a more indirect function in unstaling the rest of Fox's moves, particularly reliable KO moves such as up aerial and up smash, without being heavily impacted by staleness itself.

In Brawl, Fox's Blaster has once again changed: the range of the Blaster now travels roughly half of its previous distance. His blaster inflicts 3% per shot before move decay sets in. Fox is also now capable of a short hop triple laser, allowing him to inflict more damage on opponents falling to the stage. It is similar to Melee in extent to its use for camping. It is also used after auto-canceled aerials to reduce landing lag and after forward aerials usually or after jumping from the ledge.

Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:


 * 1) Blaster: Default.
 * 2) Impact Blaster: Nearly identical to Smash 64 and 's version. More damage than the basic shot (4% when fresh and 2% when stale), and also produces hitstun, but cannot be constantly fired in rapid succession.
 * 3) Charge Blaster: Charges for half a second, then shoots a large shot that deals 10.5% damage, has large hitstun, and decent knockback for a projectile, having limited KO power.

Throws
From Melee onward, Fox uses his Blaster in his back, up, and down throws. The shots from the Blaster have the same properties as the ones used in his neutral special, and will not cause opponents to flinch.

In Melee, during his down throw, Fox will throw his opponent to the ground, and shoot them with the Blaster. The throw meteor smashes the opponent into the ground, which allows Fox to tech chase, possibly leading into Shine combos. Fox's down throw overall deals 4% damage. In Brawl, the throw deals more damage, dealing up 9% damage, but the launch angle is drastically altered, no longer meteor smashing thrown opponents. Fox's down throw sends the opponent diagonally upward with high base knockback. In SSB4, it is semi-reliable in starting combos into a forward aerial, back aerial, or up aerial. In Ultimate, its combo potential was weakened due to the faster knockback physics and reduced hitstun for higher knockback values.

In Melee, for his back throw, Fox will turn around and throw his opponent backwards toward a horizontal trajectory, while simultaneously shooting them rapidly with the Blaster. The throw deals 7% damage. In Brawl, Fox's back throw inflicts 8% in damage. The throw inflicts high base knockback, but extremely low knockback scaling, preventing it from ever being able to KO.

Fox's up throw involves throwing the opponent up, while then following up with rapid Blaster shots. In Melee, Fox's up throw deals up to 7% in damage, and is highly effective at setting up aerial follow ups, particularly into Fox's powerful up aerial. In Brawl, the throw deals up to 8% in damage, but its increased base knockback and ending lag and Brawl's decreased hitstun has hindered its capability at setting up aerial follow-ups. This remains true in Smash 4 and Ultimate, even with the general increase in falling speeds and hitstun in said games compared to Brawl.

Interestingly, the lasers in all three of the throws can be reflected and absorbed, much like Mewtwo's forward throw.

Starting in Smash 4, the lasers use unique graphical effects on hit with back and down throw sharing blaster_throw_down and up throw using blaster_throw_up. The effects cause red particles to appear when a target is hit as if the laser split upon impact.

Throw damage dealt in Brawl
Fox's up, back and down throws deal damage from both the actual throw and the lasers fired after the opponent is thrown.

Origin
Fox first uses a blaster in Star Fox 64's multiplayer and is depicted with one in artwork and screenshots. Falco, Slippy, and Peppy also use blasters in the game's multiplayer while on the ground. Their blasters were not officially named Blasters in the Star Fox series until Star Fox Adventures, where Fox questions not being able to bring it to Sauria to General Pepper. In every game, Fox's blaster design seems to be identical to the one used in Star Fox 64, despite its upgraded appearance in Assault. One of Fox's Custom variants references the Assault blaster's charge capabilities.

Trivia

 * Animations left in Brawl data show Fox would have had a mechanic where overusing the Blaster would cause it to overload or misfire.
 * The firing sound for Fox's Charge Blaster is borrowed from 's Super Robo Beam.
 * In Melee, Fox uses his tail as a support while firing his Blaster, although this detail isn't present in later games.

Technical details

 * Fox (SSBM)/Neutral special
 * Fox (SSBB)/Neutral special
 * Fox (SSB4)/Neutral special
 * Fox (SSBU)/Neutral special