Special move canceling: Difference between revisions

{{image|Gif of a cancel in action}}

'''Special move canceling''' (officially called '''attack canceling''') is a gameplay mechanic in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. It is exclusive to [[Ryu]], [[Ken]], and [[Terry]]. Certain moves can be interrupted with a special move, prematurely canceling the animation of the move.  

While there are several ways to cancel an attack animation in the ''Smash'' series, including getting hit and touching the ground, as well as the universal [[interruptibility]] mechanic, it wasn't possible to cancel an attack during its active frames with another attack prior to ''Smash 4'', as the games were simply created without said mechanic in mind. This changed with {{SSB4|Ryu}} being introduced as [[downloadable content]], where he was given move canceling to make his playstyle similar to that of his [[Street Fighter (universe)|home series]]. This extended to {{SSBU|Ken}} and later {{SSBU|Terry}} in ''Ultimate'', who are also from games that use this mechanic.

The mechanic itself is very simple to execute: the player can activate a move that can be canceled, making sure an opponent gets hit by it, then activate a special move as quickly as possible. If done correctly, the [[ending lag]] will be interrupted by the special move. A visual indicator of a successful cancel is the character suddenly changing to the new attack animation in a somewhat jarring way. This is useful for extending combos, as most cancelable moves have relatively little knockback, meaning the player can start with a series of these attacks, then cancel into the special move before the opponent exits [[hitstun]].

Along with standard special move canceling, Ryu, Ken and Terry have a separate window where they can cancel moves into their respective [[Final Smash]]es. While these are technically different mechanics, there is usually overlap between the two windows, with some starting and ending on the exact same frame.