Buff

A buff is a term used to describe the improvement of a character (or aspect of a character), either through updating a game or by releasing a sequel. The opposite term is "nerf" which means a weakening of a character between sequel games.

Characters that were poor in comparison to other characters are often buffed in sequels, for balance reasons and to make the character more popular to play. It is also common for individual attacks that were ineffective to be buffed to increase their viability in future games. An example of a character being buffed in the Smash series is Luigi in Super Smash Bros. Melee, where he has stronger attacks, along with increased reach, in strong contrast to his attributes in Super Smash Bros. where he was bottom tier.

Notable Examples

Smash 64 to Melee

• Jigglypuff: its recovery was vastly improved, with all midair jumps giving it the same height. Its weakened aerials made it easier to Wall of Pain, and its attack speed in general was improved. Rest was also given much higher knockback and more set-ups.
• Luigi: the addition of wavedashing alleviated his mobility issues, and the overall reach on his attacks was increased.
• Samus: the ability to bomb jump and wall grapple greatly improved her recovery, and her Super Missile aided her approach and camping games.

Melee to Brawl

• Kirby: To ail his status as the worst character in Melee, the changes in physics reduces Kirby's vulnerability to combos, and several of his moves have higher priority, damage, and KO power. The ability to grab ledges from behind via double jumps also aids Kirby's recovery, significantly reducing the already low difficulty of him returning to the stage.
• Pikachu: Quick Attack Cancel improves its approach, and its forward and down throws can be used for highly-damaging chain-grabs. Its grab range is longer, and its air speed is significantly faster.

Brawl to Smash 4

In the transition, most veterans were notably buffed to varying degrees, largely due to universal gameplay changes, such as the changes to hitstun, reworked ledge mechanics, and removal of chain-grabbing.

• Bowser: Bowser's agility has improved overall, allowing him to close in on opponents more efficiently and more often. Universal armor has been given to him at low percentages, allowing him to tank light hits (such as jab combos) without flinching. On top of some of his attacks dealing increased knockback, the introduction of SSB4's rage mechanic enhances it even further, and because Bowser is the heaviest fighter in the game, he can generally utilize it longer than anyone else.
• Captain Falcon: The removal of hitstun cancelling restores many of his combos, and gives him a few useful set-ups into his Knee Smash. The new ledge mechanics benefit his recovery, and his dash grab covers a longer distance.
• Falco: The removal of chain-grabbing makes his falling speed much less of a liability. Like Captain Falcon, the hitstun changes benefit his combo game. His recovery goes much farther, as Falco Phantasm no longer leaves him helpless.
• Fox: For many of the same reasons as Falco, Fox's performance in SSB4 has seen many improvements.
• Ganondorf: As he was considered by many to be one of the worst characters in Brawl, Ganondorf's damage and KO abilities were escalated further, as even his weakest moves (such as his down smash and Dark Dive) now have reasonable KO potential. The introduction of the rage mechanic only enhances his aforementioned strengths even more, giving him one of the deadliest punishing games. His Warlock Punch also gained a huge boost in utility, as the grounded version grants him super armor frames up until just before the attack comes out. Furthermore, Ganondorf now has a guaranteed win method on stock battles via an aerial Flame Choke over a pitfall, as it now always KOs the opponent first, should they both be on their last life.
• Luigi: The hitstun changes grant him a versatile combo game, with his new down throw being an excellent combo starter, and his mobility is noticeably better overall.
• Mario: Mario's agility was boosted significantly, allowing more opportunities to space his opponents. His reach, damage-racking, and KO abilities have also improved, making him much more effective than in his previous appearances.
• Ness: The physics changes benefit his ability to set and finish combos, most notably through PK Fire and his down tilt. Ness' aerials also saw major improvements, as all of them are now viable finishing moves to secure KOs. However, his grab and throw game were arguably buffed more than any of his other assets, since he now has one of the fastest pummels and the strongest back throw in the game, which can KO even the super-heavyweights at as low as 104%.
• Sheik: Bouncing Fish gives her a new combo finisher, recovery option, and KO move, and her air speed is much faster.
• Sonic: Sonic's special moves have increased utility overall, and his ability to net KOs has been significantly improved.
• Zero Suit Samus: Her new Boost Kick up special is a deadly out-of-shield and KOing option. Her new grab aerial is useful for spacing and recovering, and her forward and up aerials' reduced knockback improves her combo game.

Melee to Smash 4

• Roy: both Roy's dashing and air speeds were drastically increased, many of his moves deal more damage, and his sweetspotted attacks deal much more knockback.