Up smash



An up smash (abbreviated u-smash) (, Up/upper/above smash attack) is a smash attack performed by any character by tapping the control stick upward and pressing A, or, outside of Melee's single player modes, by pressing up on the C-Stick.

Since Super Smash Bros. Melee, all smash attacks can be charged by holding down the A button for up to one second, multiplying damage and knockback by up to 1.4. In Ultimate, with some exceptions, these charges can be held for up to 3 seconds (or 180 frames), but the attack stops increasing in strength after the 1-second mark.

Up smashes generally follow several trends: they usually send opponents vertically upwards, which give them consistent KO potential on most neutral stages (such as Battlefield). They also tend to cover directly above the user, either through a wide sweeping motion with average knockback (such as Mario and Pikachu), or an upward thrust with a stronger and smaller hitbox (with some possessing grounded hitboxes to lead into the main hit, such as Marth and Steve). Prior to Ultimate, up smashes were also one of the few attacks that could be jump-canceled, enabling them to be used out of shield immediately and during any part of a character's dash animation, except the skidding animation when they stop running. As a result, some fighters have up smashes that serve as excellent out of shield punishes, while others function as precise, but powerful anti-airs.

From Brawl onwards, jump-canceling to perform a running up smash is unnecessary, and the turn-around animation can be jump-canceled into a reversed up smash. In Ultimate, jump-canceling is not required for up smashes out of shield, and can now be done instantly; additionally, all grounded moves can be canceled from a dash, which lower the utility of some out of shield up smashes.

Notable up smashes

 * From Melee onwards, but not in Smash 4, Ness's up smash can hit opponents while charging as the yo-yo comes to rest on the stage in front of him. This is especially dangerous in Ultimate, where the yo-yo can fall and hang off of ledges and hits multiple times (it cannot be charged off ledges in Melee or Brawl), allowing it to lead into the attack proper. It is the only up smash to have a hitbox while charging. Its power does not increase in Melee or Brawl if charged but it does in later games. Ness's similarly-functioning down smash is the only down smash to have such a distinction, while Corrin possesses the only such forward smash.
 * Ridley and Luma are the only characters with arcing up smashes which hit behind them, then in front; all other arcing up smashes sweep from front to back.
 * Bowser's up smash has protection on his shell during his attack – in Melee it is intangible, but from Brawl onwards it is fully invincible – which makes the attack dangerous to trade with, especially from above. In Ultimate, further protection is granted by damage-based armor during the startup of the move.
 * ’s up smash in Melee can spike when an airborne opponent is hit with the tip of the sword in its first few frames. The attack, however, is impractical for edgeguarding, as the spiking hitbox is small and has a short duration.
 * Mr. Game & Watch's up smash grants head invincibility while its hitbox is active (although in Smash 4, it gains invincibility much sooner and in Ultimate, Mr. Game & Watch's entire body is invincible). It has high startup lag but great KO power (especially in Brawl) and extremely low ending lag, making it notoriously difficult and risky to intercept.
 * Snake's up smash has several unique properties. For one, the charging interval begins after Snake slams the mortar down in front of himself, making it the only smash attack to have a hitbox before it starts charging. Alongside Olimar's, it is the only up smash to be a projectile. Charging the attack also does not affect the damage or knockback of the projectile, but instead greatly increases the velocity at which it is launched, and thus the height it reaches. The attack is also notable in Brawl for enabling the furthest-traveling DACUS in the game.
 * Inkling's up smash covers opponents in.
 * King K. Rool's up smash, after his initial hop, protects him for a handful of frames with his characteristic Belly Super Armor. It also has a small hitbox as he begins to fall which spikes, which makes it one of only two up smash attacks to spike – the others being a sourspot on Roy's up smash in Melee.
 * Throughout the series, but especially in Melee, Fox's up smash has been considered especially effective due to its near-instant startup and relatively high knockback.
 * 's up smash in Melee is known as the best grounded KO move in the game, due to high power and extremely fast startup; the hitbox comes out on frame 7, making Fox's up smash as fast as his grab.
 * 's up smash in Brawl is often considered to be the best smash attack in the game, due to its fast startup, large disjointed range, long-lasting hitbox, and high power: a Purple Pikmin up smash is capable of KOing the entire cast at under 100 percent on most stages.
 * Lucas' up smash is the only attack in the series to grant both invincibility and intangibility. Coupled with its power, this makes it a dangerous attack to directly challenge.
 * In Smash 4, 's up smash is considered the best in the game due to its power, range, speed, and the intangibility it grants on his head.
 * Also in Smash 4, 's up smash, despite his bottom tier placement, is usually ranked among the best in the game as well. Despite its enormous power, it has deceptively low ending lag, making it very difficult and dangerous to punish.
 * Palutena's up smash is notable for having the highest vertical range of any non-projectile attack in the series. In Ultimate, it is notorious for its long duration being able to punish dodges, landings, sidesteps, and edge options with excellent power.
 * In Ultimate, Zero Suit Samus's up smash is a reliable combo starter at low to mid percents, leading into all of her aerials except down air, while still possessing respectable kill power at high percents. This combined with the move's long vertical range, long-lasting hitbox, and rather low endlag makes it commonly considered among the best up smashes in the game.
 * Wii Fit Trainer's up smash is among the most powerful in both Smash 4 and Ultimate when Deep Breathing is active, has several frames of full body intangibility during startup, and, after Ultimate's update, comes out extremely quickly relative to its strength.
 * Min Min's up smash is the only one able to reflect projectiles, and one of only four non-special moves with this property (along with Ness and Lucas's forward smashes and Kazuya's Left Splits Kick).