Reverse neutral special move

Mewtwo using a Reverse Shadow Ball in midair.

A reverse neutral special move allows a character in mid-air to use a neutral special in the opposite direction that they're facing. This requires a different method than simply holding backward and pressing the special button, as this would turn around and activate a side special move. Instead, one must tap the control stick in that direction and allow it to return to its neutral position before pressing the special button.

In Melee and Brawl, the player can perform a reverse neutral special move by tapping the control stick in the opposite direction he/she facing right after the special button is pressed.

In Brawl, this can be done on the ground as well. The technique is also pulled off in the same way as the reverse Falcon/Warlock Punch. It has a smaller window in Melee, thus is a bit harder to perform consistently.

In Brawl, when performed in the air, some characters will get a bounce in the direction the player tapped the control stick in. Because of this, characters with neutral special moves that cancel their momentum will not get the bounce, but will turn around. Other characters will only get a small, almost invisible bounce, in which the turn around-effect is also the only profit. This bounce is often called wavebouncing. It is, however, performed in a different way than regular wavebouncing, which requires the player to use the C-stick for specials. Reverse neutral special moves can also be reversed while running to attack behind the character without having to stop or turn around, most characters will also receive a small boost to whichever way the character ends up facing, some characters will also receive a notably bigger boost then other characters when turning around, namely Marth and Ike. A good example of a reverse special move and the two most popular are the Reverse Falcon Punch and Reverse Warlock Punch.

In Smash 64, while reverse neutral special moves don't exist, it is possible to turn around while performing a neutral special move by simply tilting the Control Stick left or right, as side specials don't exist in this game.