Down throw

Mythra performs her down throw on Byleth in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Zelda performs her down throw on R.O.B. in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

A down throw (下投げ, Down/lower/under throw; commonly abbreviated as d-throw or Dthrow, and referred to as ThrowLw internally), is a throw performed by tilting the control stick down after having grabbed the opponent. They were introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee; in the original Super Smash Bros., there were only forward throws and back throws. In the transition to Melee, Captain Falcon's previous forward throw became his down throw, and he instead received a new forward throw.

Down throws typically depict the user slamming the victim onto the ground, bouncing them off at diverse vertical angles, and possess low knockback to the point of not KOing even in Sudden Death, as well as having low ending lag. Because of this, they are excellent combo starters for several characters throughout all games, acting as the go-to throw when the opponent is at low to medium percentages or even high percentages depending on the specific down throw's combo potential. In Melee and Brawl, many down throws can also be used for chain grabs, most notably Sheik's in Melee and King Dedede's in Brawl, even leading to zero-to-death combos against some characters. However, despite their vertical launch angle and low knockback, some down throws possess too much ending lag to allow for any true combos, such as Toon Link's, Zero Suit Samus's in Ultimate, and Duck Hunt's, while still failing to KO at realistic percentages; such throws are generally considered useless and ignored in favor of the characters' other throws.

List of down throws

Down throws with hitboxes consist of two or more hits on the grabbed opponent (the hitbox, then the throw), and can affect other opponents near the thrower.

Character	Description	Hitbox
Banjo & Kazooie	Banjo slams the opponent into the ground, burying them.
Bayonetta	Stomps the opponent with one heel.
Bowser	Performs a belly flop.
Bowser Jr.	Deploys a drill from below the Koopa Clown Car and rotates it onto the opponent on the ground, hitting multiple times.
Byleth	Slams the opponent into the ground with a downward swing of the Sword of the Creator.
Captain Falcon	Lifts the opponent overhead and slams them onto the ground with one arm.
Charizard	Breathes fire at the opponent on the ground (akin to Flamethrower), hitting them multiple times.
Chrom	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Cloud	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Corrin	Turns into dragon form and stomps the opponent with his front legs.
Daisy	Toad jumps and headbutts the opponent onto the ground.
Dark Pit	Puts the opponent on the ground and stabs them with the Silver Bow.
Dark Samus	Lifts the opponent overhead with the Grapple Beam extended, then slams them onto the ground.
Diddy Kong	Throws the opponent onto the ground with a leapfrog-like maneuver.
Donkey Kong	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Dr. Mario	Slams the opponent onto the ground with both arms.
Duck Hunt	The dog slams the opponent onto the ground with his mouth.
Falco	Slams the opponent onto the ground with both arms and fires four rapid shots at them from his Blaster, releasing them afterward. Puts the opponent on the ground and fires one shot at them from his Blaster, releasing them afterward.
Fox	Slams the opponent onto the ground with both arms and fires four rapid shots at them from his Blaster, releasing them afterward.
Ganondorf	Lifts the opponent overhead and slams them onto the ground with one arm.
Greninja	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Hero	Performs a horizontal somersault and slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Ice Climbers	Lifts the opponent overhead and slams them onto the ground with one arm. Faces the screen and lifts the opponent overhead with both arms, them slams them onto the ground.
Ike	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm, then performs a knee drop.
Incineroar	Performs a chokeslam.
Inkling	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Isabelle	Slams the opponent onto the ground with her net.
Ivysaur	Slams the opponent onto the ground with its vines.
Jigglypuff	Puts the opponent on the ground and rolls on them.
Joker	Slams the opponent on the ground with a flourish of his arm.
Kazuya	Performs the Stonehead.
Ken	Puts the opponent on the ground and punches them down.
King Dedede	Sits on the opponent. Jumps and slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
King K. Rool	Performs a piledriver.
Kirby	Puts the opponent on the ground and repeatedly kicks them at an extremely fast rate.
Link	Puts the opponent on the ground and performs an elbow drop.
Little Mac	Performs a double axe handle swing against the ground.
Lucario	Lifts the opponent overhead and slams them onto the ground with both arms.
Lucas	Piledrives the opponent onto the ground using PSI. Piledrives the opponent onto the ground using PSI, aesthetically burying them before they are released.
Lucina	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Luigi	Slams the opponent onto the ground with both arms. Performs a Ground Pound.
Mario	Slams the opponent onto the ground with both arms.
Marth	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Mega Man	Slams the opponent onto the ground with the Super Arm.
Meta Knight	Puts the opponent on the ground and repeatedly kicks them at a fast rate.
Mewtwo	Slams its tail down on the opponent from a somersault.
Mii Brawler	Puts the opponent on the ground and performs a karate chop.
Mii Gunner	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Mii Swordfighter	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm, then performs a knee drop. Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Min Min	Puts the opponent on the ground and performs an axe kick.
Mr. Game & Watch	Juggles the opponent as a ball from front to behind, then launches the opponent towards the ground. Juggles the opponent as a ball from back to front, then drops them on the ground, which launches them upward.
Mythra	Puts the opponent on the ground and stabs them with the Aegis.
Ness	Puts the opponent on the ground and unleashes fire on them from his index fingers (akin to PK Fire), hitting them multiple times.
Olimar	The Pikmin grabbing the opponent slams onto them. The Pikmin grabbing the opponent leap a short distance upward with them, then fall back down and slam them onto the ground.
Pac-Man	Puts the opponent on the ground and bites them three times in his Classic Form.
Palutena	Telekinetically slams the opponent onto the ground.
Peach	Slams her butt down on the opponent. Toad jumps and headbutts the opponent onto the ground.
Pichu	Slams its tail down on the opponent from a somersault.
Pikachu	Slams its tail down on the opponent from a somersault.
Piranha Plant	Puts the opponent on the ground and bites them twice.
Pit	Puts the opponent on the ground and stabs them with the Palutena Bow.
Pyra	Puts the opponent on the ground and stabs them with the Aegis.
R.O.B.	Turns the opponent upside down and drills them onto the ground.
Richter	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Ridley	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Robin	Slams the opponent onto the ground using magic.
Rosalina & Luma	Telekinetically slams the opponent onto the ground.
Roy	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Ryu	Puts the opponent on the ground and punches them down.
Samus	Lifts the opponent overhead with the Grapple Beam extended, then slams them onto the ground.
Sephiroth	Telekinetically slams the opponent to the floor.
Sheik	Puts the opponent on the ground and performs an axe kick from a somersault.
Shulk	Puts the opponent on the ground and stabs them with the Monado.
Simon	Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Snake	Slowly puts the opponent on the ground, leaving them knocked down.
Sonic	Rolls onto the opponent on the ground, hitting them multiple times.
Sora	Rears back and slams the opponent onto the ground.
Squirtle	Sits on the opponent.
Steve	(No Anvil) Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm. (Anvil) Slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm and drops an anvil on them.	(No Anvil) (Anvil)
Terry	Leaps and performs a neckbreaker throw.
Toon Link	Puts the opponent on the ground and performs an elbow drop.
Villager	Slams the opponent onto the ground with his net.
Wario	Sits on the opponent.
Wii Fit Trainer	Slams the opponent onto the ground between both legs.
Wolf	Puts the opponent on the ground, then somersaults backward and slashes them forward with one hand. Jumps and slams the opponent onto the ground with one arm.
Yoshi	Spits the opponent against the ground.
Young Link	Puts the opponent on the ground and performs an elbow drop.
Zelda	Puts the opponent on the ground and kicks out magic energy at them, hitting multiple times.
Zero Suit Samus	Puts the opponent on the ground and performs an axe kick.

Notable down throws

• Fox, Falco and Steve's down throws are the only ones to release projectiles, with Fox and Falco doing so in the form of laser shots, and Steve doing so by dropping an anvil on the opponent; these projectiles can be reflected and, in the case of Fox and Falco, absorbed. Unlike other projectile throws, the projectiles for these down throws are fired at point-blank and before the opponent is released (rather than after), making the throws always fully connect, although this still means a thrown opponent wearing a Franklin Badge (or Hero with Bounce activated) will cause the projectile to hit the thrower instead of the opponent, though Fox won't be interrupted since his laser shots cause no hitstun, similar to his neutral special. Steve's down throw will only use an anvil if he has enough iron, behaving like a normal throw and doing less damage otherwise.
• In Melee, Fox and Falco's down throws also meteor smash opponents onto the ground with extremely high base knockback, making them useful for tech-chasing, and allowing them to KO opponents off the edge if they fail to meteor cancel. In Brawl, they instead launch at a horizontal angle, and the meteor smash property is possessed by Mr. Game & Watch's down throw, which is an even more effective tech-chasing option. From Smash 4 onward, no regular characters' down throws can meteor smash.
• Snake's down throw uses a unique "down" effect, laying the opponent down on the ground immediately after the throw with no knockback. It also has very low ending lag, and thus functions as an extremely potent tech-chasing option, most notably in Brawl where Snake can grab repeatedly the opponent and repeatedly use the throw. In Ultimate, how long the opponent lays down on the ground before they can get up is proportional to their percentage, giving it guaranteed KO setups at very high percents.
• Ryu and Ken's down throws have 50 extra shield damage on their hitboxes, which causes them to instantly break shields of nearby opponents. Along with Marth and Lucina's fully charged Shield Breaker, as well as the tipper of Ganondorf's Warlock Blade, they are the only moves that deal 50 extra shield damage.
• King K. Rool's and Banjo & Kazooie's down throws, as well as R.O.B.'s in Ultimate, are the only throws in the series that bury opponents. This gives them a different followup dynamic from other down throws, which largely depends on how fast the victim mashes to escape. Lucas' down throw in Smash 4 and Ultimate also buries opponents, but only during its animation; they are launched normally afterward.
• Sheik's down throw in the NTSC version of Melee is notable for its chain grabbing ability, which works on most characters in the game up to high percentages, and can even lead to a zero-to-death against fast fallers, although it requires proper tech-chasing and following the opponent's DI. In the PAL version of the game, it launches at a more horizontal angle, severely hindering its chain grabs.
• Falco, King Dedede, and Wolf's down throws in Brawl are all notable for their chain grabbing potential. Falco and Wolf's can chain grab the entire cast from low to mid percents (more so the former), while King Dedede's possesses set knockback, allowing it to chain grab a large part of the cast at any percentage and even possessing wall infinites.
• Lucas and Squirtle's down throws in Brawl are some of the strongest in the series, and among the few down throws that can KO reliably, doing so under 170% even with proper DI. In later games, they deal drastically less knockback that removes their KO potential, but the changes to hitstun canceling enable them to start combos at various percents.
  • Shulk's down throw in Smash 4 is the strongest in the series with the Smash Monado Art activated, KOing at around 110% at the edge and 180% from center stage. In Ultimate, however, it has been greatly nerfed, no longer KOing at the edge until around 170% even with the Smash Art's increased knockback multiplier.
    • Ivysaur's down throw in Ultimate is the strongest in the game when Shulk Smash Monado Art was nerfed. His down throw can KO opponents around 160%; at lower percents, it can also combo efficiently.
• Diddy Kong's down throw in Smash 4 is notable for easily comboing into aerial attacks against nearly any character, even at high percents, which originally allowed for a guaranteed KO setup into an up aerial. This ability to easily both combo and KO opponents initially created controversy over the character in competitive play and the KO setup was infamously known as the "Hoo-Hah", due to StaticManny shouting the phrase whenever it happened to Hungrybox in a set vs. Player-1 at Paragon Orlando 2015. However, updates 1.0.6 and 1.0.8 severely nerfed Diddy Kong, decreasing his down throw's combo potential and his up aerial's KO potential, effectively removing the setup.
• Luigi and Mr. Game & Watch in Smash 4 have the down throws with the best combo potential, giving them a large number of combos in comparison to most other characters: Luigi's down throw can combo into up smash, any of his aerials, Luigi Cyclone and even Super Jump Punch to KO, while Mr. Game & Watch's can combo into jab, up tilt or up smash at low percents, then into any aerial, Fire, Oil Panic, or Judge - the last of which can lead to a one-hit KO if it rolls a #9.
  • In Ultimate, Mr. Game & Watch's down throw was nerfed, receiving slightly higher knockback and endlag, although it still remains a reliable combo starter at low to mid percents and can one-hit KO into a #9 from Judge.
  • In contrast to Mr. Game & Watch, Luigi's down throw was actually overall buffed, having slightly less endlag and knockback, and when combined with his faster jumpsquat, buffed aerials, and combo game, has become notorious for its ability to set up highly damaging combos and occasionally a zero-to-death, as well as gaining several KO setups at high percents.
• Zero Suit Samus's down throw in Smash 4 is notable for comboing into aerial attacks against nearly any characters until high percent. Particularly at certain percent it can lead into a potential low percent KO setup with her ladder combo, which is two up aerials into her Boost Kick depending on the stage and DI. In Ultimate, the move deals more knockback and has much more ending lag, eliminating all of its combo and setup potential and making it go from one of her most useful moves to arguably her least useful, as it lacks any utility whatsoever.
  • Mario's down throw was similar to Zero Suit Samus's case as well. He can lead to combos like up-tilt in lower percent. If there any platforms there, he can do follow-ups like 2-4 up aerials finishing into his Super Jump Punch. This combo was used infamously in the Smash 4 meta; which in Ultimate reduced his combo to become much harder to follow-up into up-tilt, although his combo potential into up-aerial from Smash 4 is still a viable tool in the Ultimate Meta.

Trivia

Exploiting a CPU with Snake's down throw

• In NTSC versions of Melee, Bowser's down throw deals no damage to Jigglypuff and Mr. Game & Watch. This is because the throw is weight dependent, and its hitbox (which deals all the damage) is only active for one frame. The throw plays at a certain speed against Jigglypuff and Mr. Game & Watch (who both have a weight value of 60) where the frame the hitbox becomes active is completely skipped, causing the hitbox to never come out. The throw was made weight independent in the PAL version of the game, to prevent this issue from occuring.
  • Link's down throw in Brawl has an identical issue, with the move's hitbox being skipped against Jigglypuff and Zero Suit Samus, due to their weight values (68 and 81 respectively) making the throw play at a speed where the frame the hitbox comes out is skipped. The throw only deals 4% damage to them, rather than 7%.
  • Ness' down throw in Melee also has an issue where its multi hits whiff against Mr. Game & Watch, although this is simply due to the fact that the hitboxes are too small to hit Mr. Game & Watch.
• In Brawl, regardless of level, a CPU attacked by Snake's down throw will always roll to the nearest ledge, never choosing another option. This makes it possible to infinitely use the move on them and set up an easy KO afterward.
• In Melee, as the first nine hits of Kirby's down throw are meteor smashes, KOing with it awards the Meteor Smash bonus, as well as other related, even though neither the final hit nor the throw itself is a meteor smash.
  • In spite of this, the first hit of Peach's down throw is a meteor smash, but KOing a nearby character with it doesn't award the bonus.