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. Even when angled up, forward tilt tends to lose to attacks from above, and even upper-diagonal jump-ins. The sourspot also tends to be a problem, as it doesn't send into tumble until unreasonable percentages (488.2% on Mario, rounded down). As such, good spacing is necessary to make good use of the move. It is also whiff punishable like any other move, so due diligence is needed.

Hitboxes

ID	Damage	Angle type	BK	KS	Radius	Bone	Offset			H×	SDI×	T%	Sound	Hit bits	Hit part
0	10.0%	Standard	50	71	5.5	tail7	3.0	0.0	0.0	1.0×	1.0×	0%	Kick	All	All
1	10.0%	Standard	50	71	7.5	top	0.0	7.0	7.3	1.0×	1.0×	0%	Kick	All	All
2	13.0%	Standard	55	71	5.0	tail8	6.8	0.0	0.0	1.3×	1.0×	0%	Slash	All	All