Grab: Difference between revisions

[[File:Mario Diddy Grab Brawl.jpg|thumb|{{SSBB|Mario}} grabbing {{SSBB|Diddy Kong}} in ''Brawl''.]]

All characters possess a grab as part of their standard moveset, which can be performed by pressing the [[shield]] and [[attack]] buttons simultaneously on any controller. They can also be used with a specific grab button, which behaves like a simultaneous shield and attack input (thus, it can be used for other actions involving shield or attack inputs when grabs aren't possible), and is by default:

*the [[R button]] on the [[N64 controller]]

*the [[Z button]] on the [[GameCube controller]]

*a horizontal [[d-pad]] input with the [[Wii Remote]] and [[Nunchuk]]

*the [[minus button]] on a standalone Wii Remote

*the [[ZL button|ZL]] or [[ZR button]] on the [[Classic Controller]], [[Wii U Pro Controller]], and [[Wii U GamePad]]

*the [[L button]] on the [[Nintendo 3DS]], or, on New 3DS models only, the [[ZR button]]

*the [[L button|L]] or [[R button]] on the [[Switch Pro Controller]] and dual [[Joy-Con]]s

*the [[SL button]] on a standalone Joy-Con

Depending on the game, there are different variations of each character's grab:

*'''Standing grab''' (known as '''Catch''' internally), which is the default type used when standing still or [[walk]]ing. They have the fastest [[startup]] and the lowest [[ending lag]], but they usually have the shortest [[range]]. In the original ''Super Smash Bros.'', they are the only type of grab, so they can be used even while [[dash]]ing.

*'''Dash grab''' (known as '''CatchDash''' internally), introduced in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', which is used by grabbing while dashing. Fighters move forward during the grab to give it longer range, but generally they have slightly more startup and are heavier on ending lag, making them easier to [[punish]] than other grab types if they miss.

*'''Pivot grab''' (known as '''CatchTurn''' internally), introduced in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', which is used by grabbing immediately after a [[pivot]]. This results in the character turning around and performing a grab with even longer range than the other grab types, allowing it to be used as an [[approach]] mixup. Pivot grabs tend to have more startup than both standing and dash grabs, and more ending lag than standing grabs but less than dash grabs.

Grabs cannot be [[shield]]ed, and are thus an easy way to open up a hole in an opponent's defense. Upon a successful grab, the opponent is immobilized for a certain period, and the grabbing character has access to five possible attacks: a [[pummel]] by pressing an attack or grab button (except in ''Smash 64''), which racks up [[damage]] while keeping the opponent grabbed, or any of four [[throw]]s ([[forward throw|forward]], [[back throw|back]], [[up throw|up]], or [[down throw|down]]; only forward and back in ''Smash 64'') by tilting the [[control stick]] in the respective direction, which [[Knockback|launches]] the opponent and ends the grab. Characters can only be grabbed for a certain period of time, after which they break free in a phenomenon known as a [[grab release]], so the idea is that the grabber can throw them before this happens. This grab period is extended as the victim's [[damage]] percentage increases, but can be decreased by [[button mashing]] from their part.

Several [[special moves]] are similarly able to grab and then throw opponents, which are similarly unblockable and put opponents in a unique state compared to normal grabs. These types of attacks are often referred to as '''command grabs'''.

An important property of grabs is that they cannot be [[shield]]ed, completely ignoring a opponent's shield and grabbing them out of it; in comparison to other [[unblockable attack]]s, grabs are available to the entirety of the cast in all ''Smash'' games, preventing foes from overusing their shields against any character. This, along with grabs' generally fast startup, their ability to easily [[Shield grab|punish out of shield]], and most throws allowing the player to execute diverse [[combo]]s and [[chaingrab|chain]]s, causes them to be used very prominently in competitive play, constituting the [[neutral game]] of characters as a triangle where grabs beat shields, but are beaten by attacks as they are outranged by them. Grabs also ignore moves that conceptually block attacks, such as those that provide [[armor]] and most [[counterattack]]s, though they do not work against foes [[Floor recovery|knocked down]] on the floor (with the only exception being in the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'').

 

In ''Smash 64'', grabs are notoriously fast, with more powerful throws than in other games. However, pummels, up throws, and down throws did not exist, nor did grab releases (aside from Donkey Kong's forward throw). Instead, pressing the A button or holding a grabbed opponent for more than one second automatically triggers a forward throw. Since ''[[Melee]]'', the speed and power of most characters' grabs and throws have been toned down, and the other grab mechanics introduced have since been widely understood as the series' standard. ''Ultimate'' further nerfed grabs by giving them more ending lag, and halving [[hitbox|grabbox]] sizes against airborne opponents, increasing their risk of use.

 

 

 

 

 

**From ''Brawl'' onward, grabbed opponents no longer take half damage from external attacks, and they are released if they take at least 10% damage total, rather than from a single attack. This causes them to escape much more easily, weakening the effectiveness of attacking an opponent while another character holds them in a grab. They are also no longer put in their grab flinch animation, preventing wobbling or any similar techniques.

 

*In ''Brawl'', the grab has priority over the hitbox, but the hitbox still causes damage to the grabber, instead having them [[armor]] through it.

*In ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', hitboxes outprioritize grabs; in this situation, the grabber receives full damage and knockback from the standard hitbox, while the attacker is [[grab release]]d and takes 3% damage (or more if the grab came from a special move and the grab itself dealt damage, like the beginning of [[Falcon Dive]]). In ''Ultimate'', however, a select few attacks' hitboxes are coded to be outprioritized by grabs, with the grabber taking damage but armoring through the attack like in ''Brawl''; this is the case for {{SSBU|Sonic}}'s [[Homing Attack]], [[Spin Dash]], and [[Spin Charge]], and more notably {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}}'s [[Wonderwing]] (which also causes the grabber to take 0.25× damage from the hitbox).

 

Likewise, if both characters attempt to grab each other at the same time, the situation is resolved differently in each game. In ''Smash 64'', ''Melee'', and ''Brawl'', this is determined by [[port priority]], with the character in the lower port always getting the grab. In ''Smash 4'', port priority is no longer a factor, with either character having an equally [[random]] chance to get the grab instead. ''Ultimate'' resolves both quirks by simply causing both grabs to cancel each other out, akin to a [[clang]]. This property is known as '''grab parrying''' by the in-game [[tip]]s, and results in both characters taking 1% damage and performing their rebound animation (unless they are in the air, where their grab release animation is used instead). The exact timing of when this can happen is specific to every animation of every character, and may even be assigned to actions that are not grabs.

 

From ''Melee'' onward, grabs hold the opponent for a variable amount of time, increasing proportionally to their damage percentage at the time of the grab (so it is not affected by pummeling or external damage), and decreasing with button mashing from the opponent. In ''Melee'', the formula for grab frames is <code>76 + 1.6p – 15h</code> rounded down, where '''p''' is the victim's percent at the time of the grab, and '''h''' is a handicap equal to the victim's current rank disadvantage over the grabber (for example, if the victim is placing 4th and the grabber is placing 1st, it is equal to 3). As a result, players that are currently losing will be grabbed for less time, and the minimum possible grab time without button mashing can be 76, 61, 46, or 31 frames depending on their rank disadvantage.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TROwZ4wZCdE</ref> From ''Brawl'' onward, the formula is changed to <code>90 + 1.7p</code> rounded down, removing match placing from the equation and increasing grab time overall.

 

Button mashing reduces grab time by 6 frames per input in ''Melee'', and 8 frames per input from ''Brawl'' onward (14.4 for buttons in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', but they cannot be inputted as quickly as stick inputs). However, the grab time from ''Brawl'' onward cannot be lower than 19 frames, allowing certain characters to always pummel the opponent at least once and throw them before they can escape. In ''Ultimate'', grabbed characters flash yellow when they are close to escaping (180 frames left or less, equal to 3 seconds).

|[[Link]]||{{GameIcon|SSB}}{{GameIcon|SSBM}} Fires his Hookshot forwards.<br/>{{GameIcon|SSBB}}{{GameIcon|SSB4}} Fires his Clawshot forwards.<br/>{{GameIcon|SSBU}} Simply grabs in front of himself with his free hand.||{{GameIcon|SSB}}{{GameIcon|SSBM}}{{GameIcon|SSBB}}{{GameIcon|SSB4}} Tether<br/>{{GameIcon|SSBU}} Standard

|[[Luigi]]||{{GameIcon|SSB}}{{GameIcon|SSBM}}{{GameIcon|SSBB}}{{GameIcon|SSB4}} Simply grabs in front of himself.<br/>{{GameIcon|SSBU}} Fires a Suction Shot from the Poltergust G-00.||{{GameIcon|SSB}}{{GameIcon|SSBM}}{{GameIcon|SSBB}}{{GameIcon|SSB4}} Standard<br/>{{GameIcon|SSBU}} Tether

|[[Samus]]||Whips forwards with her Grapple Beam.||Tether

===Tether grabs and extended grabs===

Some characters, instead of grabbing opponents directly, throw forward a long rope- or whip-like object in order to grab opponents. This sort of grab is known as a '''tether grab'''. The main characteristic of a tether grab is that it completely relies on a secondary model to work, allowing the model to move with the [[bone]] the grabbox is attached to, in contrast with standard grabs where the grabbox is attached to the neutral bone. This characteristic is the cause behind tether grabs not behaving properly if the [[gameplay speed]] is altered. Similarly, an '''extended grab''' is a grab that is not standard, but also not reliant on a secondary model to function; characters with such grabs include [[Yoshi]] and [[Min Min]].  

Both tether and extended grabs are renowned for their very high range compared to most other grabs, but are also much slower than standard grabs, particularly in earlier installments.

Characters with tether grabs and extended grabs are noted in the table above. In general, characters with tether grabs also have [[grab aerial]]s and can use them as a [[tether recovery]], while those with standard or extended grabs do not, however this is not universal. For example, in ''Ultimate'', {{SSBU|Luigi}} has a grab aerial that cannot act as a tether recovery, while [[Steve]] and, in ''Brawl'', {{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}} have a tether grab but do not have either a grab aerial or a tether recovery tied to a grab input. {{SSB|Link}} and {{SSB|Samus}} also have a tether grab in the original ''Super Smash Bros.'', where grab aerials did not exist.

*In NTSC versions of ''Melee'', {{SSBM|Samus}}' grab can be extended to almost two and a half times its usual length using [[Extended Grapple|a special input combination]]. When this is done, her grapple beam also homes in on enemies if the L button is held, being the only tether grab able to do so, but only grabs enemies if the A button is pressed when the tip connects, and still cannot affect aerial opponents. This affects both her normal grab and dash grab, though not her grab aerial.

*In ''Melee'', {{SSBM|Marth}}'s standing grab is notorious for its deceptively long range, reaching the farthest out of all non-extended grabs.<!--Please don't add that it outranges Yoshi's grab; it only beats Yoshi in that comparison gif because of his nose hurtbox.--> Its range has since been reduced in later games, though it remains above-average in ''Brawl''.

**Likewise, {{SSBB|Olimar}}'s grabs in ''Brawl'', despite being extended, have only as much ending lag as regular grabs, making them extremely difficult to punish while carrying comparatively much lower risk. From ''Smash 4'' onward, their ending lag was significantly increased to be closer to other extended grabs, though his pivot grab remained exceptionally quick until ''Ultimate''.

**{{SSB4|Bowser}}'s pivot grab in ''Smash 4'' is infamous for similar reasons, being capable of grabbing characters from unnaturally long distances in combination with hurtbox shifting. Its range was reduced in ''Ultimate'', though it remains one of the farthest reaching grabs in the game.

*In ''Ultimate'', {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}'s dash grab has a surprising disjoint in front of him. This is to compensate for him not moving forward during the grabbing portion of his dash grab, which would result in his dash grab having shorter range than what is typical for them.

Some [[special attack]]s function as grabs (sometimes called '''command grabs''', from the similar concept in traditional fighting games). When their [[hitbox]]es are viewed with ''Melee''{{'}}s {{SSBM|Debug Menu}}, these attacks use the same magenta hitbox color as standard grabs. Special grabs put opponents in a unique state that is manipulated by the move in some fashion, and have their own independent rules as to whether and how opponents can escape. They can also be used in midair, and can usually grab opponents in this state, giving characters with access to them another option against [[shield]]s.

In the following table, a special grab being escapable indicates it can be interrupted mid-execution and put the opponent in their [[grab release]] animation, while being mashable indicates its grab duration can be influenced by [[button mashing]]. All mashable special grabs use different duration formulas from regular grabs, with the exception of [[Force Palm]].

In ''Ultimate'', a minority of special moves utilize hitboxes that grab opponents when they hit (sometimes called '''hit grab''', also from the similar concept in traditional fighting games). Functionally, these moves have all the properties of hitboxes (damage, angle, effect, etc.), but instead of dealing knockback when they connect with an opponent, they place the opponent in a grabbed state. Practically, the most important difference from a regular grab is that they can be [[shield]]ed. Additionally, should the hitbox have non-zero knockback, it deals knockback if it connects with an opponent that cannot be grabbed. Like regular grabs, hit grabs ignore all forms of [[armor]], though they may still activate certain effects of the armor, such as with [[Rebel's Guard]]. They do not work against [[counter]]s, with certain moves triggering the counter attack, while others ignore the opponent entirely. If the moves' hitboxes are scripted as reflectable, they can also can be [[reflect]]ed, but instead of changing the trajectory of the move, they act as if a regular projectile collided with a shield, leaving both players unharmed. Interestingly, the projectile based hit grabs are the only hit grabs that do not trigger counters, though this may be coincidental.  

Hit grabs cannot be escaped, nor influenced by button mashing.

{|class="wikitable sortable"

|{{SSBU|Byleth}}||[[Sword of the Creator]]||Pulls Byleth towards the opponent and has him jump off them, throwing them behind him at low percents, and meteor smashing them at high percents.

|{{SSBU|Isabelle}}||[[Fishing Rod]]||Throws out a line, hooking and reeling the opponent in, then can use any of four throws in each cardinal direction, much like traditional grabs.

|{{SSBU|Joker}}||[[Grappling Hook]]||Throws out a line diagonally upwards, pulling the opponent in and releasing them in front of Joker. Can only grab opponents if used on the ground and if they are not in hitstun.

|{{SSBU|Ridley}}||[[Skewer]]||Briefly holds the opponent in place while impaled, then puts them in a crumpled state. Only the sweetspot has the hit grab property, and from version {{SSBU|8.0.0}} onward, it cannot cause opponents with grab immunity to crumple.

|{{SSBU|Terry}}||[[Buster Wolf]]||A [[Super Special Move]] performed with ↓ ↘ → ↓ ↘ → (alternatively ↓ → ↓ →) plus an attack or special input. Terry punches the opponent, holding them in place for a moment, then blasts them away with an explosion.

==Initial grab range by game==

{{Incomplete|Needs data on how far the grabs actually reach from the base of the character, as just looking at the hitbox size data is misleading when positioning matters a lot for how far grabs actually reach from a character.}}

These are lists that rank how long the hitbox of each character's grab is in each game. Note that hitbox length alone does not accurately reflect how far away a character can actually grab ingame, as where a grab hitbox is positioned on a character plays a large role in how far away it can effectively grab characters. For example, the size of [[R.O.B.]]'s grab hitbox is above-average in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', however most of the hitbox is positioned inside of his body, leaving so little of it extending outside his body that he has the worst reaching standing grab in both games. Conversely {{SSBU|Palutena}}'s grab hitbox is of below-average size in ''Ultimate'', but since it is a positioned in a way where most of it reaches outside her body, she has one of the farthest non-tether grabs in the game.

''Super Smash Bros.'' grab ranges as tested by SuperSqank.<ref>https://twitter.com/Zeckemyro/status/1376992258986229776</ref> Testing method is between the character's bone 0 (position) and tip of furthest grabbox. The scale is different than the scale used in later games, with the conversion rate roughly being range/30 (So Fox's range for example is 400u, which would roughly convert to 13.33u using the scale from later games)

''Melee'' grab ranges by character according to Zeckemyro and SuperSqank.<ref>https://twitter.com/Zeckemyro/status/1376977622123560964</ref> This testing is done by calculating the distance between bone 0 (the character's position) and the tip of the furthest grabbox. While Bowser and Yoshi have higher grab ranges than Marth (who was thought to have the longest non-tether grab in the game), this is only because the long range of their grabboxes was made to fit their larger bodies.<ref>https://twitter.com/Zeckemyro/status/1376911520010010628</ref> Marth has a better grab by comparison due to its better disjoint compared to his smaller size despite having less range overall (which is further complimented by its superior speed).  

''Brawl'' grab ranges by Zeckemyro<ref>https://twitter.com/Zeckemyro/status/1305541284506095618</ref> and SuperSqank.<ref>https://twitter.com/SuperSqank/status/1334254455307575296</ref> The units displayed are raw range between the character's position in 3D space (TopN bone/bone 0) and the tip of the furthest grabbox in in-game units.

|'''21'''||{{CharHead|Marth|SSB4}}||14.54u

|'''22'''||{{CharHead|Lucina|SSB4}}||14.39u

Grab ranges in ''Ultimate'' as tested by Zeckemyro<ref>https://twitter.com/Zeckemyro/status/1488287321346695176</ref> and CrimsonStarfall.<ref>https://twitter.com/CrimsonStarfall/status/1316920799522115585</ref> The number besides each position indicates the range using in-game units. Extended grabs will be followed by an asterisk (*) due to only being approximations. Their range was tested and is placed correctly. [[Jostle]] and the height of the grabboxes can affect their consistency in the midst of battle. The grabs are listed based on their raw horizontal range.

|'''5'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (W. Pikmin + 2)||35.8u

|'''6'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (W. Pikmin + 1)||33.45u

|'''9'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (R./B./Y. Pikmin + 2)||29.55u

|'''10'''||{{CharHead|Young Link|SSBU}}||29.5u

|'''11'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (W. Pikmin)||28.8u

|rowspan=2|'''12-13'''||{{CharHead|Toon Link|SSBU}}||rowspan=2|28.2u

|{{CharHead|Pac-Man|SSBU}}

|'''14'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (R./B./Y. Pikmin + 1)||27.5u

|'''16'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (R./B./Y. Pikmin)||24.15u

|'''17'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (P. Pikmin + 2)||23.9u

|'''19'''||{{CharHead|Lucas|SSBU}}||22.9u

|'''20'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (P. Pikmin + 1)||22.5u

|'''21'''||{{CharHead|Charizard|SSBU}}||21.4u

|rowspan=2|'''22-23'''||{{CharHead|Bowser|SSBU}}||rowspan=2|20.0u

|{{CharHead|King K. Rool|SSBU}}

|'''24'''||{{CharHead|Donkey Kong|SSBU}}||19.5u

|'''25'''||{{CharHead|Olimar|SSBU}} (P. Pikmin)||19.4u

|'''35'''||{{CharHead|Kazuya|SSBU}}||15.2u

|rowspan=3|'''37-39'''||{{CharHead|Marth|SSBU}}||rowspan=3|14.5u

|'''40'''||{{CharHead|R.O.B.|SSBU}}||14.4u

|rowspan=2|'''41-42'''||{{CharHead|Mewtwo|SSBU}}||rowspan=2|14.3u

|rowspan=2|'''43-44'''||{{CharHead|Roy|SSBU}}||rowspan=2|14.2u

|rowspan=4|'''45-48'''||{{CharHead|Ganondorf|SSBU}}||rowspan=4|14.0u

|'''49'''||{{CharHead|Terry|SSBU}}||13.7u

|'''50'''||{{CharHead|Lucario|SSBU}}||13.5u

|'''51'''||{{CharHead|Banjo & Kazooie|SSBU}}||13.2u

|rowspan=5|'''52-56'''||{{CharHead|Captain Falcon|SSBU}}||rowspan=5|13.0u

|'''57'''||{{CharHead|Little Mac|SSBU}}||12.9u

|rowspan=6|'''58-63'''||{{CharHead|Kirby|SSBU}}||rowspan=6|12.5u

|rowspan=2|'''64-65'''||{{CharHead|Joker|SSBU}}||rowspan=2|12.3u

|rowspan=19|'''66-84'''||{{CharHead|Mario|SSBU}}||rowspan=19|12.0u

|rowspan=2|'''85-86'''||{{CharHead|Pikachu|SSBU}}||rowspan=2|11.9u

|{{CharHead|Sora|SSBU}}

|rowspan=2|'''88-89'''||{{CharHead|Ryu|SSBU}}||rowspan=2|11.6u

|rowspan=4|'''90-93'''||{{CharHead|Meta Knight|SSBU}}||rowspan=4|11.5u

|rowspan=2|'''94-95'''||{{CharHead|Link|SSBU}}||rowspan=2|11.0u

|'''96'''||{{CharHead|Hero|SSBU}}||10.3u

|'''97'''||{{CharHead|Ice Climbers|SSBU}}||10.0u

*{{buff|The grounded-only grabboxes of the dash grabs of {{SSBU|Marth}}, {{SSBU|Lucina}}, {{SSBU|Roy}} and {{SSBU|Chrom}} were made bigger (2.6u → 3.0u) and placed higher (Y offsets: 7.0 → 7.25). This notably prevents them from missing a shielding {{SSBU|R.O.B.}}}}

*{{buff|{{SSBU|Sheik}}'s standing grab has more range (Z2 offset: 7.9 (grounded)/9.45 (aerial) → 9.4/10.95).}}

 

*{{nerf|{{SSBU|Palutena}}'s standing grab has considerably less range (Z2 offset: 11.4 (grounded)/13.2 (aerial) → 9.4/11.2)}}

*In ''Melee'', characters hanging on [[ledge]]s cannot be grabbed, but in every other game they can. This can be done if a certain character's grab animation is low enough to be able to grab a character hanging from a ledge if the latter character's head is above the ledge. An example video for ''SSB4'' can be seen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1bnkhmTbgI here].  Example for ''SSB'' can be seen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Jb8ka0SJE here].