Hitstun: Difference between revisions

{{ArticleIcons|series=y|unofficial=y}}

:''This article is about the mechanic known by the community as hitstun. For the mechanic known officially as hitstun, see [[hitlag]].''

'''Hitstun''' (known as '''DamageFly''' internally) is a period of time after being hit by an attack that a character is unable to act outside of [[directional influence]] or [[tech]]ing. It is directly dependent on [[knockback]], so at a same damage percentage, an attack like [[Falcon Punch]] will have more hitstun than one like [[Thunder Jolt]]. Each ''Smash'' game has a programmed value that is multiplied by the amount of knockback received to determine the amount of frames a character is locked in hitstun after being hit; for example, ''Melee'' has a hitstun multiplier of 0.4 frames per unit of knockback, so a hit that deals 100 units of knockback will leave the target in hitstun for 40 frames.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''==

The amount of hitstun in the original ''SSB'' is much higher than in the subsequent ''Super Smash Bros.'' games, being equal to 0.533× of the inflicted amount of knockback. The multiplier is so high that long, highly damaging combos are commonplace, with competitive matches being heavily centralized around them. [[Zero-to-death combo]]s are not uncommon in ''SSB'', as every character in the game except {{SSB|Samus}} is capable of performing a zero-death using their normal moves.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''==

The amount of hitstun in ''Melee'' is a significantly lower 0.4× multiplier, making ''Melee'' a less combo-oriented game, and zero-to-death combos a rarity. However, with the increased falling speeds, and generally faster and more varied movement, combos remain frequent, though generally more difficult to pull off consistently.

A peculiar property of hitstun in ''Melee'' is how it is handled for characters landing when taking knockback below [[tumbling]] range. In ''Smash 64'', the character simply remains in their flinching animation on the ground, and the hitstun proceeds as usual. In ''Melee'', however, if the character's launch speed higher than 0.5 (equal to 16.67 units of knockback) when touching the ground, they go into their landing animation, and the hitstun is overriden by their 4 frames of normal landing lag (slightly higher for some characters). Combined with [[ASDI]] allowing characters to move from the air to the ground (which is forbidden for standard [[SDI]]), this property allows characters to "tank" attacks at low percents to punish them more effectively, and is likewise the main factor behind [[crouch cancel]]ing's defensive utility. Hitstun carrying over to the ground as in ''SSB'', on the other hand, is generally uncommon, and the launch speed required is too low for any individual attack to benefit significantly from it; however, [[knockback stacking]] can cause a followup attack to inflict a noticeable amount of hitstun while lowering a character's launch speed to under 0.5, making it relevant for certain characters' combos. The most notable example is {{SSBM|Falco}}'s [[pillar]]ing combos on platforms, where he can [[spike]] the opponent close enough to them after a [[shine]] and have them remain in hitstun instead of landing, as both moves' launch speeds end up mostly canceling each other out, but the [[down aerial]] carries all the hitstun.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

''Brawl'' has the same hitstun multiplier ''Melee'' has. However, when hit by an attack that causes [[tumbling]] (or [[reeling]]), characters can now [[air dodge]] after 13 frames of hitstun, or use an [[aerial attack]] after 25 frames, regardless of the actual amount of hitstun they sustained. This new mechanic, known as [[hitstun canceling]], drastically reduces the effective hit advantage granted to the attacker, especially at higher knockback values. For example, a character taking 100 units of knockback in ''Melee'' would invariably sustain 40 frames of hitstun, but in ''Brawl'', they will only be in actual hitstun for 13 frames if they air dodge, or 25 if they attack; if this knockback value is doubled, the ''Melee'' character would sustain 80 frames of hitstun, while the ''Brawl'' character will still only be in true hitstun for 13 or 25 frames.

The much slower falling speeds, loss of [[L-canceling]] with most aerials not having their [[landing lag]] fully compensated, and generally slower movement also reduce the amount of possible combos, though the effect of these is minuscule compared to the ability to act so early out of hitstun.

Conversely to hitstun canceling, ''Brawl'' also no longer allows characters taking knockback below tumbling level to land during hitstun, with the character instead remaining in their flinching animation and not landing until the hitstun is over. In combination with crouch canceling no longer reducing knockback taken, this weakens characters' defensive options at percents before hitstun canceling is possible.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==

In ''Smash 4'', hitstun has a very slightly altered formula: by default, the result is decreased by one frame compared to ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'', but if the character is sent tumbling (''not'' reeling) or launched by an [[electric]] attack, one more hitstun frame is added, with both factors being able to stack. For example, if a character that sustains 100 units of knockback is sent reeling, they will be in hitstun for 39 frames, but if they are sent tumbling by an electric attack, they will be in hitstun for 41 frames.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''==

''Ultimate'' retains the 0.4× multiplier used since ''Melee'' to determine the base amount of hitstun, but always reduces the result by one frame, even if the target is sent tumbling or hit by an electric attack, unlike in ''Smash 4''. More significantly, however, hitstun is affected by the new speed-up effect used for tumbling knockback (commonly dubbed "balloon knockback" by the community), which causes characters to be launched faster as they take higher knockback. As a result, after [[tumbling]] starts happening, the effective hitstun frames increase at a slower rate in comparison to previous ''Smash'' games. For example, 90 and 145 units of knockback, which would inflict 36 and 58 frames of hitstun (respectively) in ''Smash 4'', inflict 33 and 41 frames in ''Ultimate''. Oddly, [[reeling]] can sometimes cause an extra frame of hitstun at tumbling percents, but the cause for this is unknown.

|{{SSBU|Ice Climbers}}||Neutral attack (Popo, hit 1)||2

|-

|-

|{{SSBU|Inkling}}||Rapid jab||2

|{{SSBU|Link}}||Up smash (hits 1-2)||3* (9.0.0 onward)

|-

|-

|{{SSBU|Lucas}}||Neutral attack (hit 2)||2

|-

|{{SSBU|Sonic}}||Neutral attack||8 (hit 1)<br>4 (hit 2)

|-

|rowspan=3|{{SSBU|Steve}}||Neutral attack||rowspan=3|-10* (no weapon)<br>-7/-5* (Stone/Gold)<br>-5/-3* (other)

|[[Plasma Whip]] (held final hit)||4

|}

==See also==

*[[Shieldstun]]

[[Category:Game physics]]

[[Category:Gameplay]]

[[Category:Techniques (SSBB)]]

[[Category:Techniques (SSB4)]]