Super Smash Bros. series

Up smash

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Roy's up smash in Melee.
The Wii Fit Trainer charges her Up Smash.
Wii Fit Trainer's up smash in Smash 4, after being charged briefly.

An up smash (abbreviated u-smash) (上スマッシュ攻撃, Up/upper/above smash attack) is a smash attack performed by any character by tapping the control stick upward and pressing A, or, outside of Melee's single player modes, by pressing up on the C-Stick.

Since Super Smash Bros. Melee, all smash attacks can be charged by holding down the A button for up to one second, multiplying damage and knockback by up to 1.4. In Ultimate, with some exceptions, these charges can be held for up to 3 seconds (or 180 frames), but the attack stops increasing in strength after the 1-second mark.

Up smashes generally follow several trends: they usually send opponents vertically upwards, which give them consistent KO potential on most neutral stages (such as Battlefield). They also tend to cover directly above the user, either through a wide sweeping motion with average knockback (such as Mario and Pikachu), or an upward thrust with a stronger and smaller hitbox (with some possessing grounded hitboxes to lead into the main hit, such as Marth and Steve). Prior to Ultimate, up smashes were also one of the few attacks that could be jump-canceled, enabling them to be used out of shield immediately and during any part of a character's dash animation, except the skidding animation when they stop running. As a result, some fighters have up smashes that serve as excellent out of shield punishes, while others function as precise, but powerful anti-airs.

From Brawl onwards, jump-canceling to perform a running up smash is unnecessary, and the turn-around animation can be jump-canceled into a reversed up smash. In Ultimate, jump-canceling is not required for up smashes out of shield, and can now be done instantly; additionally, all grounded moves can be canceled from a dash, which lower the utility of some out of shield up smashes.

List of up smashes

Character Description
Banjo & Kazooie Performs a vertically inverted Bill Drill, in which Banjo rapidly spins on the ground while Kazooie jabs upward with her beak.
Bayonetta Uses her Wicked Weaves to summon Madama Butterfly's fist for an uppercut in front of herself.
Bowser Hops up with his back facing upwards to strike with his shell.
Bowser Jr. Performs a handstand, then activates the Junior Clown Car's propeller to strike with it.
Byleth Swings the Sword of the creator in its whip form above themself to hit multiple times.
Captain Falcon Super Smash Bros. Performs a spinning uppercut with his elbow.
Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Throws an upwards 540 kick.
Charizard Slashes upwards with its leading wing, then its following one immediately after.
Chrom An upward thrust with Falchion, which releases a stream of razor-like magic from it, ending in an outwards burst.
Cloud Performs an upward-arcing swing in front of himself with the Buster Sword.
Corrin Crouches and braces their arms on either side of their head before transforming them into draconic lances and stabbing straight upwards.
Daisy Jabs her hand upwards while twirling.
Dark Pit Spins while slashing above himself three times.
Dark Samus Unleashes a front-to-back arc of five Phazon blasts from her arm cannon above herself.
Diddy Kong Performs a pair of spinning punches leading straight into a jumping uppercut as he completes the spin.
Donkey Kong Claps his hands together above himself.
Dr. Mario Plants his feet and headbutts strongly above himself from back to front. His head is granted intangibility for a short while.
Duck Hunt The duo crouch while the unseen gunman fires off a combo of three shots directly above them.
Falco Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl Performs a quick backflipping kick.
Super Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Throws a modified upwards butterfly kick.
Fox Performs a quick backflipping kick.
Ganondorf Super Smash Bros. Melee Throws an upwards butterfly kick.
Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4 Leans back and performs a straight-upwards stretch kick.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Swings the SpaceWorld 2000 sword in a wide front-to-back arc above himself.
Greninja Jabs two water blades upwards in a backwards grip followed by a downward slash for a second hit.
Hero Stabs straight upwards with his sword.
Ice Climbers Swing their hammers in an inwards arc above themselves.
Ike Swings Ragnell in a large arc over his head, slamming it onto the ground behind him.
Incineroar Performs an upward double ax-handle.
Inkling Swings an Ink Blaster upwards to strike with its barrel, setting up for a close-range explosion of ink.
Isabelle Blows a whistle and erects a stop sign in front of herself.
Ivysaur Plants its feet while releasing an explosion of pollen from the bulb on its back.
Jigglypuff Headbutts above itself.
Joker Performs a jumping inward slash with his knife.
Kazuya Uppercuts in his demon form.
Ken Performs a crouching uppercut.
King Dedede Swings his hammer in a front-to-back arc above his head.
King K. Rool Hops straight upwards to strike with his head, then falls back down belly-first into a comical plank before he gets back up.
Kirby Performs a quick backflipping kick.
Link Performs a three-hitting combo of spinning, arcing slashes with his sword.
Little Mac Crouches briefly before throwing a fierce swinging-inwards uppercut. There is a sweetspot on frame 1 that has a flame effect.
Lucario Crouches, then thrusts its palms straight upwards alongside a blast of aura.
Lucas Holds his arms together, then swings them apart from himself while releasing an enormous upwards-traveling PSI spark.
Lucina Stabs straight upwards with Parallel Falchion.
Luigi Plants his feet and headbutts strongly above himself from back to front.
Mario Plants his feet and headbutts strongly above himself from back to front.
Marth Stabs straight upwards with Falchion.
Mega Man Uses Spark Shot, which transforms both hands into electrodes and touches them together above himself, releasing a large electric spark.
Meta Knight Performs a three-slash combo above himself while dramatically flipping.
Mewtwo Holds its palm upwards, unleashing a swirl of powerful dark energy for multiple hits.
Mii Brawler Performs a quick backflipping kick.
Mii Gunner Unleashes five fiery cannon blasts in a front-to-back upwards arc.
Mii Swordfighter Jumps up and performs a set of spinning slashes.
Min Min A somersault kick that can reflect projectiles.
Mr. Game & Watch Dons a heavy scuba-diving helmet and headbutts above himself with it.
Mythra Spins the Aegis Sword above herself.
Ness Swings his yo-yo forwards, then performs an "around the world" with it.
Olimar Points upwards, commanding his leading Pikmin to perform a jumping full-body tackle straight upwards.
Pac-Man Performs an uppercut, then immediately opens his palm to release Inky.
Palutena Raises her staff to project a colossal beam of light straight upwards.
Peach Jabs her hand upwards while twirling.
Pichu Headbutts above itself.
Pikachu Performs a backflipping tail-flick above itself.
Piranha Plant Stretches its stem outwards and chomps above itself.
Pit Spins while slashing above himself three times.
Pyra Spins the Aegis Sword above herself.
R.O.B. Performs a handstand and unleashes a large upwards blast of fire from his thrusters.
Richter Cracks the Vampire Killer straight upwards for a very long-ranged attack.
Ridley Performs a frontflip and rakes above himself with his claws as he lands from it.
Robin Swings the equipped blade into an upwards position.
Rosalina & Luma Rosalina: Leans forwards, then gravitationally swings herself backwards for an arcing headbutt.
Luma: Throws a quick one-foot backflipping kick.
Roy Jabs the Binding Blade upwards while releasing a stream of flame from it, ending in an explosion.
Ryu Performs a crouching uppercut.
Samus Unleashes a front-to-back arc of five plasma blasts from her arm cannon above herself.
Sephiroth Swings Masamune above himself in a front-to-back arc.
Sheik Holds her hands upwards together, then fiercely swipes downwards and outwards with them.
Shulk Slams the Monado onto the ground pommel-first and then releases its light blade for a follow-up attack.
Simon Cracks the Vampire Killer straight upwards for a very long-ranged attack.
Snake Slams a mortar onto the ground in front of himself and then fires a long-ranged upwards bomb from it.
Sonic Jumps up and turns into his ball form to strike multiple times.
Sora Thrusts his Keyblade upward, emitting a brief flash of light.
Squirtle Fires off a pair of watery geysers, covering its body.
Steve Places a magma block above him, before destroying it with his pickaxe.
Terry Performs a crouching uppercut.
Toon Link Jumps and swings his sword in a wide upwards arc.
Villager Crouches while detonating a fountain firework.
Wario Super Smash Bros. Brawl Inflates his head and spins around to strike upwards with it multiple times.
Super Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate He inflates his head and performs a headbutt.
Wii Fit Trainer Performs the tree yoga pose, striking upwards with a double spear hand.
Wolf Swings his legs outwards around himself, then performs a jumping scissor kick for a second hit.
Yoshi Super Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl Headbutts upwards.
Super Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Performs a quick backflipping kick.
Young Link Performs a three-hitting combo of spinning, arcing slashes with the Kokiri Sword.
Zelda Waves her hand back and forth above herself while unleashing a stream of magic from it for several hits.
Zero Suit Samus Spins while twirling her plasma whip upwards in a tornado-like fashion.

Notable up smashes

  • From Melee onwards, but not in Smash 4, Ness's up smash can hit opponents while charging as the yo-yo comes to rest on the stage in front of him. This is especially dangerous in Ultimate, where the yo-yo can fall and hang off of ledges and hits multiple times (it cannot be charged off ledges in Melee or Brawl), allowing it to lead into the attack proper. It is the only up smash to have a hitbox while charging. Its power does not increase in Melee or Brawl if charged but it does in later games. Ness's similarly-functioning down smash is the only down smash to have such a distinction, while Corrin possesses the only such forward smash.
  • Bowser's up smash has protection on his shell during his attack – in Melee it is intangible, but from Brawl onwards it is fully invincible – which makes the attack dangerous to trade with, especially from above. In Ultimate, further protection is granted by damage-based armor during the startup of the move.
  • Roy’s up smash in Melee can spike when an airborne opponent is hit with the tip of the sword in its first few frames. The attack, however, is impractical for edgeguarding, as the spiking hitbox is small and has a short duration.
  • Mr. Game & Watch's up smash grants head invincibility while its hitbox is active (although in Smash 4, it gains invincibility much sooner and in Ultimate, Mr. Game & Watch's entire body is intangible). It has high startup lag but great KO power (especially in Brawl) and extremely low ending lag, making it notoriously difficult and risky to intercept.
  • Snake's up smash has several unique properties. For one, the charging interval begins after Snake slams the mortar down in front of himself, making it the only smash attack to have a hitbox before it starts charging. Alongside Olimar's, it is the only up smash to be a projectile. Charging the attack also does not affect the damage or knockback of the projectile, but instead greatly increases the velocity at which it is launched, and thus the height it reaches. The attack is also notable in Brawl for enabling the furthest-traveling DACUS in the game.
  • Inkling's up smash covers opponents in ink.
  • King K. Rool's up smash, after his initial hop, protects him for a handful of frames with his characteristic Belly Super Armor. It also has a small hitbox as he begins to fall which spikes, which makes it one of only two up smash attacks to spike – the others being a sourspot on Roy's up smash in Melee.
  • Throughout the series, but especially in Melee, Fox's up smash has been considered especially effective due to its near-instant startup and relatively high knockback.
    • Fox's up smash in Melee is known as the best grounded KO move in the game, due to high power and extremely fast startup; the hitbox comes out on frame 7, making Fox's up smash as fast as his grab.
  • Olimar's up smash in Brawl is often considered to be the best smash attack in the game, due to its fast startup, large disjointed range, long-lasting hitbox, and high power: a Purple Pikmin up smash is capable of KOing the entire cast at under 100 percent on most stages.
  • Lucas' up smash is the only attack in the series to grant both invincibility and intangibility. Coupled with its power, this makes it a dangerous attack to directly challenge.
  • In Smash 4, Mario's up smash is considered the best in the game due to its power, range, speed, and the intangibility it grants on his head.
  • Also in Smash 4, Ganondorf's up smash, despite his bottom tier placement, is usually ranked among the best in the game as well. Despite its enormous power, it has deceptively low ending lag, making it very difficult and dangerous to punish.
  • Palutena's up smash is notable for having the highest vertical range of any non-projectile attack in the series. In Ultimate, it is notorious for its long duration being able to punish dodges, landings, sidesteps, and edge options with excellent power.
  • In Ultimate, Zero Suit Samus's up smash is a reliable combo starter at low to mid percents, leading into all of her aerials except down air, while still possessing respectable kill power at high percents. This combined with the move's long vertical range, long-lasting hitbox, and rather low endlag makes it commonly considered among the best up smashes in the game.
  • Wii Fit Trainer's up smash is among the most powerful in both Smash 4 and Ultimate when Deep Breathing is active, has several frames of full body intangibility during startup, and, after Ultimate's update 8.0.0, comes out extremely quickly relative to its strength.
  • Min Min's up smash is the only one able to reflect projectiles, and one of only three non-special moves with this property (along with Ness and Lucas's forward smashes).

Gallery

See also