Ridley (SSBU)/Forward tilt

Ridley forward tilt hitbox visualizations.
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Overview

Ridley uses his tail to stab in front of him, as if it were a lance. This move is very important for Ridley's spacing game, as the tip of the tail is a disjoint. It can also be angled. Thanks to the low FAF, this move can be seen as a low commitment to make. This move is often seen being used in neutral for these qualities, as well as the tipper's shield safety (-10 Tipper, -12 Early).

Forward tilt's main asset is the downward angle, as it can 2-frame and hit opponent's ledgehangs. This is a large asset in edgeguarding and ledgetrapping opponents. This is also useful for poking through shields. The upward angle can be used against jump-ins to get the opponent to back off as well, giving the move a great deal of versatility. Forward tilt can also be used to get tech chase situations, which Ridley can exploit well with locks, neutral aerial and more.

The move has very few flaws, but they do exist. Despite its remarkable range, it is prone to leaving Ridley vulnerable to trades with opposing attacks, due to him grabbing his tail and effectively extending his hurtboxes when he thrusts it forward. Because of this, forward tilt tends to lose to attacks from above and upper-diagonal jump-ins, even when angled up. The sourspot also tends to be a problem, as it takes priority over the stronger sweetspot and is easily punishable if shielded, necessitating good spacing in order to make good use of the move. It is also whiff punishable like any other move, so due diligence is needed.

Hitboxes

ID	Part	Rehit rate	Damage	SD	Angle	Angle type	BK	KS	FKV	Set weight	Radius	Bone	Offset			H×	SDI×	T%	Clang	Rebound	Effect	Type	G	A	Sound	Direct	Hit bits	Hit part	Blockable	Reflectable	Absorbable	Flinchless	No GFX	Heedless
0	0	0	10.0%	0		Forward	50	71	0		5.5	tail7	3.0	0.0	0.0	1.0×	1.0×	0%							Kick		All	All
1	0	0	10.0%	0		Forward	50	71	0		7.5	top	0.0	7.0	7.3	1.0×	1.0×	0%							Kick		All	All
2	0	0	13.0%	0		Forward	55	71	0		5.0	tail8	6.8	0.0	0.0	1.3×	1.0×	0%							Slash		All	All

Timing

Hitboxes	10-11
Interruptible	33
Animation length	42

Legend (1 square = 1 frame)

Lag time

Hitbox

Interruptible

Ridley's moveset

Neutral attack (1 · 2 · 3 · inf) · Forward tilt · Up tilt · Down tilt · Dash attack · Forward smash · Up smash · Down smash
Neutral aerial · Forward aerial · Back aerial · Up aerial · Down aerial
Grab · Pummel · Forward throw · Back throw · Up throw · Down throw
Floor attack (front) · Floor attack (back) · Floor attack (trip) · Edge attack
Neutral special · Side special · Up special · Down special · Final Smash