Dash attack
A dash attack (ダッシュ攻撃) is an attack performed by pressing the attack button while dashing. Most dash attacks come out quickly, but have noticeable ending lag and are predictable, making them very easy to punish (particularly using a shield grab). Dash attacks typically use the momentum behind the dash to pull off some sort of attack, like a sliding kick. In Brawl and Smash 4, another less common way to perform dash attacks is to tilt the C-Stick down (with it set to either Smash or Attack) after initiating the dash; this can be more useful as it allows the player to instantly use a dash attack during the first frames after tapping the Control Stick to dash, without accidentally performing a forward smash.
In Brawl, certain dash attacks can be interrupted by performing an up smash, which is known as a dash attack canceled up smash (abbreviated as DACUS). While this is often used to increase the distance of up smashes without actually hitting with the dash attack, some characters such as Falco have fast enough dash attacks that can hit the opponent before being canceled into the up smash; connecting with both is known as a Gatling Combo. A dash attack can also be grab canceled, leading into a boost grab.
Skilled players generally avoid using the majority of dash attacks by themselves to approach (with the exception of a few of the more useful ones that can also be used in combos), as they are usually predictable and can be easily punished, as mentioned above. However, many players use dash attacks to perform cross-ups, which place the user behind their opponent, putting them in a less vulnerable position. The DACUS is also a good approach option, because it sends the user a further distance and leaves them in a less vulnerable position to be punished.
Dash attacks in Super Smash Bros.
Character | Description | Damage |
---|---|---|
Captain Falcon | Does a shoulder tackle. | 12% |
Donkey Kong | Lifts up foot and slides on his other foot, has considerable ending lag. | 12% |
Fox | Leaps a bit off the ground and slides forward, sticking foot out. Very fast and has low ending lag. | 10% |
Jigglypuff | Trips and slides into opponents. | 10% |
Kirby | Does a slide tackle. | 10% |
Link | Sticks his sword straight out and stops, good range and speed. | 16% |
Luigi | Swings his arms in a flurry of "sissy-fight"-like punches. | Six hits, 2% each |
Mario | Does a slide tackle like in Super Mario 64. | 12% |
Ness | Puts both hands in front of him, low ending lag. | 10% |
Pikachu | Does a running headbutt, has considerable ending lag. Commonly considered Pikachu's second worst attack. | 12% |
Samus | Shoulder tackles foe similar to her Shinespark in Super Metroid. | 12% |
Yoshi | Rams forward with his head. | 12% |
Dash attacks in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Character | Description | Damage |
---|---|---|
Bowser | Charges forward, bad starting and ending lag. | 11% |
Captain Falcon | Does a shoulder tackle. | 10% |
Dr. Mario | Same as Mario's, but has slightly more range. | 9% |
Donkey Kong | Kicks in front, has considerable ending lag. | 11% |
Falco | Same as Fox. | 9% |
Fox | Runs forward and sticks foot out. | 7% |
Ganondorf | Does a shoulder tackle. | 14% |
Ice Climbers | Leaps and swings hammers forward. | 17% if both climbers hit |
Jigglypuff | Trips and falls head first. | 12% |
Kirby | Runs forward on fire. Kirby's movement will not stop if he reaches the edge of a ledge while during the dash, a property unique to this dash attack. | 8% |
Link | Brings sword down in front of him. | 12% |
Luigi | Dashes forward and attacks with a flurry of punches. | Five hits, 2% each |
Mario | Does a slide tackle like in Super Mario 64. | 9% |
Marth | Does a quick upward diagonal slash. | 10% base, 13% tip |
Mewtwo | Holds out arms while sliding, inflicting damage with shadow energy. | 9% |
Mr. Game & Watch | Puts on a footbal helmet and charges forward. | 9% |
Ness | Uses PK Brainshock, which releases 3 bubbles of PSI. | 12% |
Peach | Lunges forward and splits her hands apart, low ending lag. | 12% |
Pichu | Sticks its head out and trips mid-dash. | 8% |
Pikachu | Jumps forward, headbutting. | 8% |
Roy | Slashes in front of him. | 12% |
Samus | Does a shoulder tackle. | 13% |
Sheik | Spreads her arms apart and stops running, good range and speed. | 10% |
Yoshi | Rams forward with head. | 8% |
Young Link | Slashes in front of him and slows down, high knockback. | 10% |
Zelda | Shoves her hands in front, with magic sparks coming out of them. | 13% |
If either of the Shield Buttons are pressed repeatedly right after attempting a dash attack, the attack will be cancelled and turned into a dash Grab.
Dash attacks in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Character | Description | Damage |
---|---|---|
Bowser | Charges forward and falls onto his stomach. Good range and knockback, but has considerable ending lag. | 11% (clean), 8% (late) |
Captain Falcon | Rams his shoulder into the opponent. Quick, but extremely unsafe on shields due to lack of shieldstun and high ending lag. | 8% (clean), 6% (late) |
Charizard | Slides forwards and raises one leg for a sliding kick. Has considerable ending lag. | 11% (clean), 9% (late) |
Diddy Kong | Does a cartwheel from the Donkey Kong Country series. The first hit of the move spikes opponents, making it easier to land all three hits. | 3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3) |
Donkey Kong | Skids to a halt while doing a side-kick. Has considerable ending lag. | 11% (clean), 9% (late) |
Falco | Similar to Fox's dash attack but deals more damage. | 9% (clean), 6% (late) |
Fox | Jumps slightly off the ground and performs a running kick. Has good comboing potential. | 7% (clean), 5% (late) |
Ganondorf | Shoulder-charges at the opponent. Can KO at high percentages, surprisingly fast, and sends the foe skyward. Second strongest dash attack in the game. | 15% (clean), 10% (late) |
Ice Climbers | Leaps forward and swings their hammers in front of themselves. | 6% (leader), 4% (partner) |
Ike | Swings Ragnell upward after charging forward. Launches opponents upward if they hit Ike. Great range. | 7% (blade), 8% (tip) |
Ivysaur | Slides along the ground, headbutting foes. Good power, can KO around 100% on lighter characters. | 12% (clean), 10% (late) |
Jigglypuff | Jumps forward and does a quick headbutt. Can be used for dash attack canceling to compensate Jigglypuff´s slow ground mobility. | 12% (clean), 8% (late) |
King Dedede | Trips and face-plants forward. A powerful dash attack, capable of KOing most fighters at low percentages. Strongest dash attack in the game. | 16% (head), 14% (body) |
Kirby | Does a breakdancing spin on his head similar to his Yoyo kick from Kirby Super Star. Hits multiple times. | 2% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6) |
Link | Does a downward strike with his sword while running to a stop. Can be dash attack canceled. | 12% (blade), 10% (tip), 11% (arm & body) |
Lucario | Does a running jump kick. Aura is not involved in this attack. | 10% (clean), 7% (late) |
Lucas | Lunges forward, sending forth a burst of PSI energy. Deals more damage closer to Lucas. Has considerable starting and ending lag. | 12% (sweetspot), 10% (sourspot) |
Luigi | Swings his arms in a flurry of "sissy-fight"-like punches. Multiple hits, with the last hit having better knockback than the previous hits. | 1% (hits 1-6), 2% (hit 7) |
Mario | Does a sliding kick from Super Mario 64, sending foes diagonally upwards. Has a rather long duration. | 9% (clean), 7% (late) |
Marth | A quick upward sweeping diagonal slash. Decent range, but has some startup. | 9% (body), 10% (blade), 12% (tip) |
Meta Knight | Does a forward thrust kick while braking into a stop. Only non-throw move of Meta Knight's that doesn't require Galaxia. Deals more damage if the foe hits his body. | 6-8% |
Mr. Game & Watch | Slides his head along the ground while wearing a helmet. Has high ending lag, but the hitbox lasts a long duration, having sex kick properties. Originates from Helmet. | 11% |
Ness | Sends three PSI sparks out in front of himself, with the third spark knocking the opponent up into the air. If all hits connect, it can be followed up by an aerial attack. | 5% (hit 1), 4% (hits 2-3) |
Olimar | Does a forward cartwheel. Has vertical knockback. | 7% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2) |
Peach | Strikes with both arms extended forward, then quickly spreads her arms out. Deals two hits. | 4% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2) |
Pikachu | Does a running headbutt. Good knockback but has considerable ending lag. | 7% |
Pit | Steps forward and slashes one of his blades horizontally in front of himself. Deals below average knockback. | 11% (body), 12% (arm), 9% (blade) |
R.O.B. | Thrusts both his arms forward. Launches opponents diagonally upwards. | 6% (arms), 5% (arms tip) |
Samus | Dashes using her jet boosters and hits the opponent with her left shoulder. Deals horizontal knockback. | 10% (clean), 6% (late) |
Sheik | Dashes forward and swings both her arms apart. Good range and speed, can be used for dash attack canceling. | 7% (clean), 5% (late) |
Snake | Does a somersault forward. Great knockback and moves Snake a great distance forward. Can be dash attack canceled. | 11%/9% (clean), 8%/6% (late) |
Sonic | Curls into a ball to rush at any opponent in front of him. Very quick startup but has some endlag. | 6% (clean), 4% (late) |
Squirtle | Turns around while jumping, hitting opponents with the back of its shell. Knocks opponents behind Squirtle if hitbox connects. | 9% (clean), 7% (late) |
Toon Link | Slashes directly in front of himself while running forward. Deals diagonal knockback. | 10% (blade), 8% (tip) |
Wario | Trips and falls flat on his face, sliding a small distance forward. Very fast startup but has considerable ending lag. Can be dash attack canceled. | 7% (clean), 5% (late) |
Wolf | Does a back-flip, kicking forward. Only dash move that doesn't utilize forward momentum. The trajectory of the opponent depends upon the part of Wolf's body they collide with. | 9% |
Yoshi | Rams forward with head. Good range, speed and knockback. | 9% (clean), 7% (late) |
Zelda | Pushes forward with magical sparks tipping on her hands. Any foes caught in the sweetspot of the move will be zapped and knocked upwards. | Clean: 12% (body), 9% (hands) Late: 8% (body), 7% (hands) |
Zero Suit Samus | Does a sliding kick forward with her leg extended. Can lock if buffered right. | 7% (clean), 5% (late) |
Stalled dash attack
A stalled dash attack is essentially a dash attack that is performed at the last possible frame of the characters' running animation, similar to dash dancing in Melee. The character will perform their dash attack while they appear to stand still instead of their basic neutral attack. This is most notable when used by Snake, Luigi, and Donkey Kong.
Dash attacks in Super Smash Bros. 4
Most dash attacks in SSB4 have high base knockback, but low knockback scaling. As such, most are useful for throwing the opponent off, but are ineffective KO tools for anything other than Sudden Death, Horde Battles in Special Orders, or other lightweight scenarios. Exceptions are listed below.
Character | Description | Damage |
---|---|---|
Bayonetta | Lunges toward the enemy with an extended gun. The Bullet Art version fires both guns in front of her. Based off of her Stiletto technique in her home series. | 10% (clean), 8% (late) |
Bowser | Does a running dropkick. The move now has less lag, making it more versatile. | 12% (clean), 10% (late) |
Bowser Jr. | The Junior Clown Car slashes multiple times forward with a Grinder. Harder for all hits to connect at higher percentages. | 1.5% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6) |
Captain Falcon | Crashes into his opponent with his right shoulder forward. | 10% (clean), 6% (late) |
Cloud | Slashes his opponent with an outward slash right his right arm, resembling bunting. | 11% (clean), 8% (late) |
Corrin | Leaps forward and thrusts the Omega Yato while airborne, drilling into them multiple times. This resembles Corrin's child Kana's critical hit animation. | 2% (hits 1-5), 3% (final hit) |
Charizard | Slides forwards and raises one leg for a sliding kick. | 11% (clean), 8% (late) |
Dark Pit | Identical to Pit's. | 11% |
Diddy Kong | Does a cartwheel from the Donkey Kong Country series, and ends it with a ground-slap with both hands. Only the last hit deals knockback. | 2% (hits 1-2), 3% (rhit 3) |
Donkey Kong | Performs his trademark roll attack from Donkey Kong Country. Deals less damage towards the end. | 10% (clean), 8% (late) |
Dr. Mario | Identical to Mario's, except it always sends foes straight up. | 8.96% (clean), 6.72% (late) |
Duck Hunt | The dog slides forward, with the duck attacking by thrusting its beak. | 10% (clean), 7% (late) |
Falco | Similar to Fox's, but is slightly slower and more damaging. | 9% (clean), 6% (late) |
Fox | Jumps slightly off the ground and performs a running kick. | 6% (clean), 4% (late) |
Ganondorf | Shoulder-charges at the opponent. Similar to Captain Falcon's, but much more damaging. Good KO move at high percentages. | 14% (clean), 10% (late) |
Greninja | Does a running spin-kick with one leg. | 7% |
Ike | Swings Ragnell upward after charging forward. Decent KO potential at high percentages. | 14% (clean tip), 11% (clean blade), 9% (late) |
Jigglypuff | Jumps forward and does a quick headbutt. Decent knockback. Can overpower weak projectiles. | 12% (clean), 8% (late) |
King Dedede | Trips and falls face-first into his opponent, akin to his move in early Kirby games. Slow start-up, but great knockback, capable of KOing at moderately low percentages if hit clean. Most powerful dash attack in the game. | 16% (clean), 13% (late) |
Kirby | Does a spinning handstand, hitting with his feet extended, akin to the Yo-Yo dash move in Kirby Super Star. Only the last hit deals knockback. | 1% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6) |
Link | Link performs a leaping downward slash (his "Jump Attack" from Ocarina of Time). Deals horizontal knockback when tipped and vertical knockback when hit close, and will KO at early damages. | 12% (base), 14% (tip) |
Little Mac | Slams his left fist swiftly into the ground in an arc. Fast with good KO potential at an edge, although notorious for being one of the most punishable dash attacks against a shield due to skilled opponents being able to gimp Little Mac with aerials after a shield grab. | 10% |
Lucario | Does a running jump kick. Damage and knockback scale up as Lucario takes damage, making it a good KO move if both players are heavily injured. | 8% (clean), 6% (late) |
Lucas | Charges forward and releases a PSI hexagon from his hand. Has a sourspot on his arm. | 13% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot) |
Lucina | Similar to Marth's, but damage is even throughout. | 9.975% |
Luigi | Runs forward, flailing his arms over his head repeatedly, "sissy fight" style. Only the last hit deals knockback. | 1% (hits 1-6), 2% (hit 7) |
Mario | Does a sliding kick from Super Mario 64, sending foes diagonally upward. Has a rather long duration. If it hits late, the opponent is sent backwards. | 8% (clean), 6% (late) |
Marth | A quick upward sweeping diagonal slash. | 9% (body), 10% (blade), 12% (tip) |
Mega Man | Top Spin: Spins while moving forward, dealing multiple hits. Based on Top Man's weapon from Mega Man 3. | 1% (hits 1-7), 3% (hit 8) |
Meta Knight | Does a swift flying kick, then lands on his feet. Possesses a disjointed hitbox, making it quite a safe approach option and combo starter. Deals vertical knockback. | 6% (body), 5% (foot) |
Mewtwo | Extends its arm and summons dark energy while sliding. Large disjoint with the ability to combo off the late hitbox. | Clean: 10% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot) Late: 6% (sweetspot), 4% (sourspot) |
Mii Brawler | Jumps and does a running kick forward. | 11% (clean), 6% (late)* |
Mii Gunner | After a slight pause, performs a swinging punch with the arm cannon, blasting the enemy with flames. Good knockback. | 10%* |
Mii Swordfighter | Lunges forward and stabs horizontally with their sword. | 10% (clean), 6% (late)* |
Mr. Game & Watch | Slides his head along the ground while wearing a helmet. Has high ending lag, but the hitbox lasts a long duration, having sex kick properties. Originates from Helmet. | 10% (clean), 6.5% (late) |
Ness | Ness skids to a stop as he sends out three small bursts of PK energy ahead of him, all of which hit if Ness does this attack close enough. The first burst launches airborne opponents upwards. The last hit has notably long range. | 3-4% (hit 1 grounded), 7% (hit 1 aerial), 2% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3) |
Olimar | Does a quick cartwheel forward. | 7% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2) |
Pac-Man | Transforms into his retro form and chomps at his opponent three times, while covering decent ground with little to no startup or endlag. The last hit deals stronger knockback than the first two hits, that deals weaker knockback. | 2% (hits 1-2), 5% (hit 3) |
Palutena | Bashes the enemy with her shield. The shield can block attacks due to the Palutena having some intangibility frames. | 9% (clean), 5% (late) |
Peach | Pushes her hands forward, dealing magical damage at her palms. Only the last hit deals knockback. | 4% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2) |
Pikachu | Does a running headbutt. It's a KO move at high percentages if it hits clean. | 10% (clean), 6% (late) |
Pit | Dashes forward does a quick horizontal slash with his bow. | 11% |
R.O.B. | Dashes forward and thrusts both his arms forward. | 7% |
Robin | Lunges forward and stabs with the Bronze Sword. High knockback makes it a good KO move at high percentages, although it carries risk due to its high ending lag. | 10% (clean), 6% (late) |
Rosalina & Luma | Rosalina: Dives downward and creates a cosmic dust that does a effect similar to a headbutt to the opponent from below. Luma: Performs a ramming attack. Ideal for surprising opponents and can reposition Luma to make her advance in good distance. |
Rosalina: 3% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2) Luma: 3% |
Roy | Roy leaps forward briefly before dealing a low-angle horizontal slash to the left. Has good KO potential if sweetspotted. | 13% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot) |
Ryu | Performs a leaping sidekick. Higher than average knockback. Based off of his original jumping medium and heavy kick in the Street Fighter Alpha/Zero games. | 12% (clean), 8% (late) |
Samus | Dashes using her jet boosters and hits the opponent with her left shoulder. Can KO at high percents As of 1.1.5, Samus can hit opponents at point-blank range. | 10% (clean), 6% (late) |
Sheik | Dashes forward and swings both her arms apart. Has good range and speed. | 6.5% (clean), 4.5% (late) |
Shulk | Lunges and swings the Monado horizontally. Punishable on shield due to its ending lag, and should not be used excessively. | 11% |
Sonic | Curls up into a spiky ball and rolls a short distance before ending with a dropkick. Hits multiple times. Based on a failed/uncharged Rocket Accel from Sonic Heroes. | 1% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4) |
Toon Link | Slashes directly in front of himself while running forward. Decent diagonal knockback. | 6% (arm), 8% (blade) |
Villager | Falls over and drops a pot forward, which flies a short distance and shatters on the ground. The pot can be reflected or pocketed, and can be thrown off cliffs similar to Timber and his/her side smash. | 10% (clean), 6% (late) |
Wario | Quickly slams his face into the ground and skids. The late hit will send opponents backwards and trip them. | 7% (clean), 4% (late) |
Wii Fit Trainer | Does the Gate pose while sliding forward. Has a lingering hitbox. | 6% |
Yoshi | Runs and does a flying kick with his left foot, then spins back into position. | 9% (clean), 6% (late) |
Zelda | Dashes forward and delivers a magical pulse with both arms ahead. A good KO move at an edge if the sweetspot hits. | 12% (clean sweetspot), 9% (clean sourspot), 6% (late) |
Zero Suit Samus | Dashes forward with her jet boots and strikes with the right knee, covering significant distance. | 8% (clean), 5% (late) |
* This assumes the Mii's default height and weight.
Notable dash attacks
- Luigi's dash attack in the original Super Smash Bros. is the only one that hits multiple times. This trait is soon shared among Ness by Melee, Kirby and Diddy Kong by Brawl, and Bowser Jr., Mega Man, Sonic, Pac-Man, and Corrin by Smash 4.
- Kirby's dash attack in Melee is the only one that can go off edges.
- In Melee, Mewtwo's dash attack with battering items involves spinning the item in front of it, hitting opponents multiple times.
- Falco, Jigglypuff, Link, Sheik, Snake, Sonic, Wario and Wolf all receive a great momentum boost when using a DACUS in Brawl.
- In Brawl, Pit's dash attack with battering items hits opponents twice.
- King Dedede's dash attack is well known for its power and large hitbox duration. In Smash 4, it is more powerful than a majority of smash attacks.
- Link's dash attack in Smash 4 is similar to King Dedede's in that it has slow startup, but considerably high knockback especially when hitting with the tip, working as a reliable KO move at high percentages. Its animation is reminiscent of the Jump Attack used in several Zelda games, including Twilight Princess.
- Villager's dash attack is, so far, the only one that is a projectile, and thus the only one that can be reflected.
- Mario's dash attack is based off the sliding kick from Super Mario 64, but when he's holding an item, the animation is replaced with the slide tackle from that same game.
- Meta Knight's dash attack in Smash 4 is famous for its speed, range, and follow-up potential. It can combo into up tilt, up smash, all aerials, Mach Tornado, and Shuttle Loop at varying percents, with the most well-known combo involving multiple up aerials and finishing off with a high-altitude Shuttle Loop, KO'ing at low percents, and as a result the move is among the best combo-starters and is widely considered to be the best dash attack in the game.
- Wario's dash attack in Ultimate is his iconic Shoulder Tackle. Its high knockback combined with its startup being a mere 5 frames makes it one of Wario's most devastating tools, working as a combo starter on the late hit against tech chases and a powerful KO move on the early hit, especially when combined with the comboability of his down tilt.
Trivia
- Kirby has a different dash attack in the first three games, being the only character to hold this trait. However, Kirby's dash attack in Super Smash Bros. 4 is visually the same as his dash attack in Brawl, and in Ultimate, it was changed back to his dash attack from Melee.
Gallery
Attacks in the Super Smash Bros. series | |
---|---|
Standard ground attacks | Neutral attack · Dash attack |
Tilt attacks | Forward tilt · Up tilt · Down tilt · Crouching attack |
Smash attacks | Forward smash · Up smash · Down smash |
Aerial attacks | Neutral aerial · Forward aerial · Back aerial · Up aerial · Down aerial · Grab aerial · Glide attack |
Throws | Grab · Pummel · Forward throw · Back throw · Up throw · Down throw |
Get-up attacks | Floor attack · Edge attack |
Special moves | Neutral special move · Side special move · Up special move · Down special move · Command-input move · Final Smash |