Ping
A ping is the sound effect used for very powerful attacks, and is most often associated with the Home-Run Bat. In Brawl's trophy description for the Home-Run Bat, the sound is described as "KREEEEENG!", while the Smash Bros. DOJO!! variously described it as "PWANG!", "PING!", or "Pwaaaang!". It can be described as a sharp ascending high-pitched sound overlaid with a trailing impact sound. The sound is impossible to miss, and hearing it usually means that a player just got hit by a very powerful attack.
In Super Smash Bros.
Compared to the rather generic attack noises for other attacks (especially outside of the NTSC-J versions of the game), the ping is very distinct. It is also used in the opening cutscene. The attacks that use the ping sound effect are;
- Home-Run Bat
- Ness's forward smash
- Luigi's Fire Jump Punch (when sweetspotted)
- Jigglypuff's Rest (when the foe is hit)
All of these attacks, with the exception of Ness's forward smash, continue to use the ping sound in the successor installments. Luigi's Fire Jump Punch and Jigglypuff's Rest also did not use the ping sound effect in the Japanese version.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Melee, attacks were given more realistic and varied sound effects. However, Melee did introduce some new attacks that use the ping sound effect, those being:
- Mr. Game & Watch's Judgment #9.
- The Freezie
- Some other ice-based attacks such as Judgment #8 use a slight variation of the ping to indicate a hit.
- Luigi's Super Jump Punch now only makes the sound when it sweetspots while on the ground.
The ping is also heard during the cutscene where Giga Bowser emerges from the defeated Bowser's trophy in Adventure Mode.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Brawl changed sound effects for certain items and attacks.
- The only ice-based attack to now ping is Judge #8, as the Freezie now uses its traditional sound effect from Mario Bros., and all other ice-based attacks use a more realistic sound.
- Ness's forward smash has been changed to a wooden "crack", sounding more like a real bat.
- Luigi's down taunt now pings as well, most likely to make it more noticeable. This could be considered a joke, in that most ping attacks are excessively powerful, but the taunt only does 2% damage and moderate fixed knockback; however, the move can potentially one-hit KO when used as a meteor smash.
- The Dragoon makes a ping sound effect when it attacks, with added echo, regardless of whether the Dragoon strikes or not.
- In addition to the previous changes from the original and Melee, one new move, Light Arrow, also produces the sound.
In Super Smash Bros. 4
New items and attacks that use the sound effect include:
- Daybreak
- Dark Pit Staff
- The Dragoon no longer pings if it misses.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Zelda and Sheik's new Final Smashes, Triforce of Wisdom and Sheikah Dance, unlike Light Arrow, use unique sound effects instead of the ping. Additionally, while Link's Ancient Bow and Arrow is fundamentally similar to Light Arrow and Dark Pit Staff, it also uses a unique sound effect sound instead.
In addition to all existing instances of the ping, Ultimate introduces the Final Zoom, coined by Masahiro Sakurai and his team. The Final Zoom occurs when a player takes a hit which can KO them on their last stock in a stock match or when they run out of HP in a Stamina match. When it occurs, a variant of the ping very similar to the main version is played. Furthermore, most returning attacks that play the ping also receive their own Special Zoom as well, making these attacks more dramatic.
