Mario using his forward smash in Melee
Mario using his forward smash in Brawl.

A forward smash, abbreviated f-smash and officially known as a side smash attack (横スマッシュ攻撃), is a smash attack that any character can perform by tapping the control stick in a horizontal direction and pressing the attack button immediately afterward or simultaneously, or by tilting the C-Stick in a horizontal direction (except in Melee's single-player modes). Starting in Melee, forward smashes can be charged for a maximum of one second (or 60 frames), resulting in up to 1.4× the damage and knockback. In Ultimate, they can be held for an additional two seconds (120 frames) upon reaching full charge.

After tapping the control stick forwards, there is a 3-frame window wherein a forward smash can be performed. If the attack button is pressed too late, a dash attack will be performed instead. Pressing the attack button on the last possible frame results in a small step forward smash. In all games except Super Smash Bros. Brawl, forward smashes can be pivoted.

Like forward tilts, certain forward smashes can be angled in up to 3 directions; a select few forward smashes in Smash 64, however, can be angled in up to 5 directions. In Smash 64 and Melee, the control stick or c-stick must be tapped in the desired angle at the start of the move to angle it. From Brawl onwards, however, the attack can be angled by holding the control stick or C-stick in the desired angle as the move's charging period ends.

List of forward smashes

Character Description Angled
Banjo & Kazooie Performs the Breegull Bash, where Banjo grabs Kazooie and slams her on the ground in front of him.  
Bayonetta Creates a portal just behind her to summon Madama Butterfly's fist for a forward punch.    
   
Bowser    Rears back and then swings his head downwards, horns-first.
   Jumps and attacks with a two-footed dropkick.
 
Bowser Jr. Deploys two drills from the Koopa Clown Car and closes them in on the area in front of himself, hitting several times.  
Captain Falcon   Throws a flaming side kick.
    Leans into a forward elbow thrust.
  Assumes a wide stance and slams his forearm forwards.
 
Charizard Performs a powerful swinging headbutt.  
Chrom A two-handed, downward slash.  
Cloud Performs a series of three fast slashes with the Buster Sword.  
Corrin Transforms his arm into a draconic spear hand and performs a long-ranged forward stab.  
Daisy Swings upwards and inwards with either a golf club, tennis racket, or frying pan.  
Dark Pit Performs a simple two-hitting combo of slashes.  
Dark Samus Thrusts her arm cannon forwards alongside a burst of phazon.  
Diddy Kong Throws a pair of spinning backhands, one immediately after the other.  
Donkey Kong   Reels his hand back and thrusts it forward.
     Leans forwards and claps his hands together.
   
      
Dr. Mario Thrusts his palm forwards and unleashes an electric explosion.  
Duck Hunt The unseen gunman fires off three consecutive shots of increasing distance from the dog and duck, who comically try to dodge them.  
Falco   Throws a jumping cartwheel kick.
    Swipes downwards with both wings.
 
Fox   Jumps forwards while performing a spinning dropkick.
     Throws a jumping cartwheel kick.
 
Ganondorf     Leans into a forward elbow thrust.
  Pulls out his sword and slams it onto the ground in front of himself.
     
   
Greninja Performs an inward reverse-grip slash with a water blade.  
Hero Attacks with a two-handed, downward sword slash.  
Ice Climbers Slam their hammers on the ground.  
Ike Lifts Ragnell over himself and slams it onto the ground.  
Incineroar Performs an inward one-footed dropkick.  
Inkling Swings an Inkbrush forwards.  
Isabelle Cracks a party popper, causing an explosion of confetti in front of herself.  
Ivysaur Plants its vines onto the ground and uses them to vault itself forwards for a full-body tackle.  
Jigglypuff Throws a jumping-forward side kick.  
Joker Swings his knife downwards in front of himself while leaning forwards. If active, Arsene swings both his arms downwards in an X-shaped slash.  
Ken Performs an inwards roundhouse kick.  
King Dedede Lifts his hammer up and slams it onto the ground in front of himself.  
King K. Rool Dons a boxing glove and punches straight forwards with it.  
Kirby Throws a jumping-forward side kick.    
      
Link   Swings the Master Sword straight downwards to the ground.
     Swings the Master Sword inward with both hands, then outward with one. A two-hit natural combo, with the second slash requiring the A button to be pressed again.
 
Little Mac Throws a cross, a downwards body blow, or a wide-angled uppercut, depending on the angle.  
Lucario Leans forwards and performs a double palm thrust, blasting aura outwards alongside it.  
Lucas Swings inwards with a stick.  
Lucina Swings Parallel Falchion straight downwards in a wide arc from behind her onto the ground in front of her.  
Luigi   Throws an enormous punch, inflating his fist.
     Throws a straight horizontal spearhand.
 
Mario   Throws an enormous punch, inflating his fist.
     Unleashes a fiery explosion via a palm thrust.
 
Marth Swings Falchion straight downwards in a wide arc from behind him onto the ground in front of him.  
Mega Man Grips his Mega Buster, then charges and fires a shot from it.Its range and damage increases with the charge, and Mega Man can hold the move at full charge for a few seconds before automatically firing.  
Meta Knight Draws Galaxia in, then performs a near-instantaneous outward slash with it.  
Mewtwo Unleashes a blast of darkness from its outstretched palms.     
   
Mii Brawler Unleashes a powerful straight punch.  
Mii Gunner Rapidly fires a stream of shots from the arm cannon.  
Mii Swordfighter Slashes downwards and inwards with their sword.  
Mr. Game & Watch Swings downwards with a flaming torch.  
Ness Swings inwards with a baseball bat. It can reflect projectiles if timed correctly  
Olimar Commands his leading Pikmin to perform a spinning, leaping full-body tackle. The damage and knockback depends on the Pikmin commanded  
Pac-Man Swings his palm forwards, summoning Blinky to perform a tackle.  
Palutena Summons a pair of ethereal wings and claps them together in front of herself.  
Peach Swings upwards and inwards with either a golf club, tennis racket, or frying pan.  
Pichu Unleashes a multi-hitting electric spark from its cheeks.  
Pikachu Unleashes an electric spark from its cheeks.  
Piranha Plant Transforms its head into that of a Prickly Piranha Plant and performs an inward-swinging headbutt.  
Pit Performs a simple two-hitting combo of slashes.  
R.O.B. Fires a laser blast from his eyes.  
Richter Leans far forwards and performs a tremendously long-ranged whip crack with the full length of the Vampire Killer.  
Ridley Leans forwards and explodes a ball of plasma in his open mouth.  
Robin Slashes upwards, ending with their blade in a forwards position.  
Rosalina & Luma Rosalina: Leans forwards and unleashes a small galactic blast from her wand.
Luma: Delivers a strong straight punch.
 
Roy   Swings the Binding Blade straight downwards in a wide arc from behind him onto the ground in front of him.
   A two-handed, downward slash with the Binding Blade.
 
Ryu Steps forwards and performs a powerful lunging side kick.  
Samus     Thrusts her arm cannon forwards.
   Thrusts her arm cannon forwards alongside a burst of flame.
 
Sheik Performs two quick jumping kicks, moving slightly forwards.  
Shulk Stabs forwards with the Monado, then opens up its physical blade to stab a second time with the light beam hidden within it.  
Simon Leans far forwards and performs a tremendously long-ranged whip crack with the full length of the Vampire Killer.  
Snake Takes out an RPG-7, aims it at the ground in front of himself, and then detonates a rocket at his feet.  
Sonic Rears back and then delivers a powerful straight punch.  
Squirtle   Retreats into its shell and performs a jumping tackle.
  Swings its head inwards while spitting a jet of water to strengthen the blow.
 
Terry Unknown
Toon Link    Swings the Master Sword inward with both hands, then outward with one. A two-hit natural combo, with the second slash requiring a second press of the A button.
  Leans forwards and slashes upwards in reverse grip.
 
Villager Leans forwards while holding a large bowling ball, then drops it to strike the area beneath.  
Wario   Bashes the area just in front of himself with his shoulder.
   Performs a dramatic fist-inflating backhanded punch.
 
Wii Fit Trainer Steps forwards, assuming the warrior pose to strike with a spearhand.  
Wolf   Charges forwards amidst a claw thrust, then abruptly stops while twisting his claws.
  Plants his feet and performs a forward palm thrust.
 
Yoshi Rears his head back and then performs a powerful forwards headbutt.  
Young Link Swings the Kokiri Sword inward with both hands, then outward with one. A two-hit natural combo, with the second slash requiring a second press of the A button.  
Zelda Leans forwards and unleashes a sparkling burst of magic, striking many times.  
Zero Suit Samus   Swings her plasma whip forwards.
   Throws a spinning side kick and immediately follows it up with a straight one.
    
   

Notable forward smashes

  • From Super Smash Bros. Melee onwards, Link, Young Link, and Toon Link (except the latter in Ultimate) possess the only forward smashes that are natural combos.
    • Furthermore, the first hit of Link's forward smash in Ultimate is capable of launching a unique sword beam projectile when Link is at 0%. This projectile travels quickly over a long distance, and its size and damage output are greatly increased by charging the attack. It also substantially increases the damage output of the attack when used at close range.
  • Mega Man, Olimar, and Villager's forward smashes, as well as Link's aforementioned Ultimate sword beam, are the only four forward smashes which are projectiles. Of those two, Mega Man and Link's projectiles are the only projectiles to increase in hitbox size as the attack is charged. Villager's is one of the only projectiles that falls downwards instead of traveling forwards. Mii Gunner's forward smash may appear to be a projectile, but is technically not, as its shots do not act independently of the Mii Gunner.
  • Ness's forward smash is able to reflect projectiles. This property is shared with Lucas's very similar forward smash, as well. They are the only two non-special attacks with this property.
  • For her forward smash, Peach is capable of using three different weapons, each of which have different properties. In Melee and Brawl, it is entirely random which of the three is used for the attack. In Smash 4, the attack cycles from tennis racket to golf club to frying pan, making its use more consistent. In Ultimate, it was changed again to be angle-dependent (neutral for golf club, up for frying pan, down for tennis racket). Daisy, as her Echo Fighter, inherits those properties for her forward smash.
  • In Brawl, Wario's forward smash has both transcendent priority and super armor, a combination which makes it nearly impossible to intercept when combined with its high speed.
  • In addition to possessing three different variants based on angle, Little Mac's forward smash is the only other forward smash to possess super armor. The latter property is shared with all of his smash attacks.
  • Palutena's forward smash has a reasonably powerful windbox just beyond the reach of the main portion of the attack, allowing it potential usage for niche edge-guards and gimps.
  • While charging a forward smash, Corrin holds Omega Yato forwards to grind enemies at close range with its teeth for several potential weak hits. This makes it the only forward smash to have a hitbox while charging.
  • The pattern of the gunshots in Duck Hunt's forward smash, as well as the angles at which they launch, are slightly randomized. They will also become spaced further apart, and thereby reach further, if the attack is charged.

See also