Super Smash Bros. series

Dash

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Mario dashing in Melee
Mario dashing in Brawl
"Run" redirects here. For information on the CPU mode in Brawl, see List of CPU modes.

A dash is a form of ground movement faster than walking. It is performed by tapping sideways on the control stick. The player's character enters his or her initial dash animation, in which they change directions with very little lag, and then proceeds to his or her running animation. In Brawl, a character attempting to dash can trip instead. In Smash 4, dashing off a platform will cause the character to perform a short flipping animation, and landing on another platform while continuing to hold the control stick in that direction will allow them to continue dashing. While dashing, characters can also perform their dash attack, shield, or jump. The Bunny Hood, Superspicy Curry and Super Mushroom items increases a character's running speed.

Other terminology

The initial dash is the first part of a character's dash, during which a character can change directions with only 1 frame of lag. The concept of the initial dash is vital to many forms of ground movement, such as dash-dancing, fox-trotting, and pivoting. However, from Brawl onwards, the window for turning around during an initial dash does not last for the entire dash, making dash-dancing much harder, and fox-trotting is also not entirely dependent on the length of the initial dash. The best example of this is Sheik and Roy, who have nearly identical fox-trots despite Roy's initial dash being over twice as long as Sheik's (17 frames to her 8 frames).

The turn-around animation plays when the character attempts to change directions after their initial dash. Unlike in an initial dash, attempting to turn around during a run can take as long as 51 frames (Marth in Melee), and before Smash 4, it can only be cancelled with a jump (and therefore up smash and up special) or reversed side special. However, from Brawl onwards, cancelling the jump with an up smash or up special also reverses its direction, and in Smash 4, the turn-around animation can be cancelled with a reversed forward tilt or forward smash.

A stutter step is the term for when a character begins to dash but stops almost immediately, often used for positioning and mindgames. Along with merely stopping, characters can also dash cancel via a variety of other methods.

The skidding animation plays when the character stops running after their initial dash and attempts to stop their momentum. The length of this animation varies between characters, but it can also vary depending on the speed the character is running at relative to their maximum running speed. Shorter skidding animations are preferred, particularly in Smash games where dash cancelling is impossible. For example, in Smash 4, Bowser, Charizard, Ganondorf, and Lucario have extremely short skidding animations even after stopping at maximum speed, which effectively allows them to do any attack out of their runs with little lag in between, or even seamlessly begin another dash in the opposite direction. This animation can only be cancelled with a jump, or with an item pick up if one is nearby. Its first few frames can also be cancelled into any special move.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Initial dash

Because the initial dash animation translates into the running animation much later than in Brawl, it is a vital tool for movement in general and dash-dancing in particular. During the initial dash, the following actions can be used:

  • Altering the speed of the dash with the control stick, most notably backwards to Moonwalk.
  • Turning around by mashing the control stick in the opposite direction. Turning around takes one frame during which the character is standing and can do all ground attacks except neutral B. If the control stick stays in a neutral position after this pivot frame, the character will keep standing.
  • Pressing A or C-Stick forward/backward during the first 3 frames to do a small step forward smash. This is only possible after dashing forward, not backward.
  • Pressing A after the first 3 frames to do a dash attack.
  • Pressing L or R to shield. During the first two frames of a forward dash, L/R always trigger a roll. On frame 3, they trigger the shield, but with 1 frame delay.
  • Pressing L+A, R+A or Z to do a dash grab.
  • Jumping and jump cancelling.
  • Using forward special.
  • Pressing forward again to enter run break animation. From here you can crouch immediately and do any move. This can be used for a quick dash into dtilt, or a non JC down special.

Run

During the run — the later part of the dash — different options are available:

  • Pressing down to crouch. (Spending 1 frame in the RunBrake animation is necessary before the crouch can start.)
  • Turning around by mashing or pushing the control stick in the opposite direction. Turning around takes very long, up to 51 frames (Marth). During the turnaround animation, only a jump can interrupt it.
  • Pressing A or C-Stick forward/backward during the first 3 frames to do a small step forward smash. This is only possible after dashing forward, not backward.
  • Pressing A to do a dash attack.
  • Pressing L or R to shield.
  • Pressing L+A, R+A, or Z to do a dash grab.
  • Jumping and jump cancelling.
  • Using special moves.

Running speed

Running speed is the rate at which a character can run.

Super Smash Bros. rankings

The Japanese version was taken from Antdgar's Frame Data

Super Smash Bros. Melee rankings

Rank Character Initial Dash Run Speed Dash Frames Acceleration
1 Captain Falcon 2.16 2.30 15 +.16
2 Fox 2.02 2.20 11 +.12
3 Pikachu 1.80 1.80 13 +.00
4 Sheik 1.80 1.80 7 +.00
5 Pichu 1.72 1.72 13 +.00
6 Marth 1.56 1.80 15 +.06
7 Young Link 1.72 1.60 13 -.08
8 Samus 1.80 1.40 8 -.06
9 Falco 1.82 1.50 11 -.08
10 Donkey Kong 1.60 1.60 15 +.00
11 Roy 1.47 1.61 15 +.07
12 Yoshi 1.43 1.60 13 +.10
13-14 Mario, Dr. Mario 1.50 1.50 10 +.00
15 Mr. Game & Watch 1.50 1.50 8 +.00
16 Mewtwo 1.40 1.40 18 +.00
17 Ice Climbers 1.40 1.40 13 +.00
18 Kirby 1.40 1.40 12 +.00
19 Ness 1.36 1.40 13 +.06
20 Ganondorf 1.35 1.35 15 +.00
21 Luigi 1.34 1.34 10 +.00
22 Peach 1.30 1.30 15 +.00
23 Link 1.30 1.30 12 +.00
24 Bowser 1.06 1.50 13 +.06
25 Jigglypuff 1.31 1.10 13 -.09
26 Zelda 1.10 1.10 15 +.00

Source

Super Smash Bros. Brawl rankings

Rank Character Speed
1 Sonic 3.5
N/A Wario-Man 3.5
2 Captain Falcon 2.18
3 Fox 2.08
4 Zero Suit Samus 1.93
5 Sheik 1.92
6 Meta Knight 1.847
7 Charizard 1.8
8 Pikachu 1.765
9 Diddy Kong 1.721
10 Marth 1.7
N/A Giga Bowser 1.7
11 Yoshi 1.68
12 Toon Link 1.65
13 Donkey Kong 1.622
14 Pit 1.583
15 Mr. Game & Watch 1.553
16 Bowser 1.527
17-20 Ivysaur, Lucas, Mario, & R.O.B. 1.5
21 Samus 1.445
22 Falco 1.432
23 Lucario 1.414
24-25 Olimar & Wolf 1.4
26 Ness 1.393
27 Ice Climbers 1.388
28-29 Ike & Kirby 1.371
30 Squirtle 1.37
31-33 Peach, Snake, & Wario 1.35
34 Luigi 1.34
35 Link 1.328
36 Zelda 1.224
37 King Dedede 1.22
38 Ganondorf 1.16
39 Jigglypuff 1.1

Note that several slow runners can use their dash attack to travel a far distance quicker, and some characters have a DACUS to increase mobility. The most notable case of this is Snake, whose DACUS gives him much more stage control and ability to evade opponents.

Super Smash Bros. 4 rankings

Rank Character Speed
1 Sonic 3.5
N/A Wario-Man 3.5
N/A Giga Mac 2.8
2 Captain Falcon 2.32
3 Little Mac 2.24
4 Fox 2.184
5 Zero Suit Samus 2.1
N/A Mii Brawler (lightest) 2.0984
6 Greninja 2.08
7 Mewtwo 2.05
8 Sheik 2.016
9 Charizard 2.0
N/A Giga Bowser 2.0
10 Cloud 1.97
11 Roy 1.95
12 Meta Knight 1.9
13 Palutena 1.888
14 Yoshi 1.86
15 Pikachu 1.85325
N/A Mii Swordfighter (lightest) 1.83
16 Diddy Kong 1.824
17 Bowser 1.792
18-19 Lucina & Marth 1.785
20 Toon Link 1.7325
21 Mii Brawler (default & Fighting Mii Team) 1.72
22 Donkey Kong 1.7031
23 Wii Fit Trainer 1.696
24-25 Dark Pit & Pit 1.66215
26 Rosalina 1.632
27 Duck Hunt 1.63
28-30 Bayonetta, Mario, & Ryu 1.6
N/A Mii Gunner (lightest) 1.586
31 Kirby 1.57
32 R.O.B. 1.568
33 Lucario 1.55
34 Mr. Game & Watch 1.5264
35-36 Pac-Man & Shulk 1.52
37 Samus 1.504
38-42 Ike, Lucas, Luigi, Mii Swordfighter (default & Fighting Mii Team), & Wario 1.5
N/A Mega Lucario 1.4847
43 Falco 1.472
44 Olimar 1.47
45 Ness 1.46265
46 Mega Man 1.456
47 Corrin 1.45
48 Bowser Jr. 1.424
49 Peach 1.4175
N/A Mii Brawler (heaviest) 1.4104
50 Link 1.3944
51 King Dedede 1.36
N/A Mii Gunner (Fighting Mii Team) 1.35
52 Dr. Mario 1.328
53-54 Mii Gunner (default) & Zelda 1.3
55 Villager 1.27
N/A Mii Swordfighter (heaviest) 1.23
56 Ganondorf 1.218
57 Jigglypuff 1.155
58 Robin 1.15
N/A Mii Gunner (heaviest) 1.066

Update history

1.1.3
  • Buff Kirby's dash speed: 1.5 → 1.57
  • Buff Lucario's dash speed: 1.4847 → 1.55
  • Buff Mewtwo's dash speed: 1.696 → 1.9
1.1.5
  • Nerf Corrin's dash speed: 1.5 → 1.45
  • Buff Mewtwo's dash speed: 1.9 → 2.05

See also

Trivia

  • There are some strange inconsistencies for some characters' running speeds:
    • While generally being faster (and having been confirmed faster) than Mario in the Mario games, Luigi has been slower in every Smash to date.
    • Wolf and Falco dash slower than Fox, despite being faster than him in Star Fox: Assault.
    • Ike is a generally slow character in the Smash games, despite having good speed stats in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.
    • Lucario dashes significantly slower than Pikachu and Ivysaur despite the former having the same base Speed stat and the latter being slower in the Pokémon games.
      • Also, in Pokémon, Mega Lucario gets a slight speed increase, but does not in Smash.