Wavedash
A wavedash is a technique/physics engine exploit in Super Smash Bros. Melee that is performed by air dodging diagonally into the ground, causing the character to slide a short distance. While it is uncommon in casual play, high-level play of Melee effectively requires proper use of the technique; the Melee community sees wavedashing as an advanced technique superior to dashing because it allows players to perform any ground action while moving horizontally on the ground. Use of the technique is especially important for the metagame of characters with poor traction, such as Luigi, Mewtwo, and the Ice Climbers, and almost every other character requires some use of wavedashing for positioning and maneuvering, particularly in combos and mindgames.
Contrary to popular belief, wavedashing is not strictly a glitch; it is more accurately a corner case of Melee's physics engine. In an interview, Masahiro Sakurai acknowledged that the dev team was aware of wavedashing during development. When air dodging diagonally to the ground, all of the momentum of the airdodge is transferred into horizontal (ground) movement, since the character can no longer fall. Additionally, performing a wavedash causes the game to recognize the character as landing from the helpless state due to air dodges causing the state. Thus, the game is not recognizing wavedashing as a specific "technique" (such as an attack or movement) but as if the character simply landed and stood still; the sliding effect is due to the "slipperiness" inherent in the game's engine.
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Wavedashing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Wavedashing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl was essentially removed due to the change in the way the physics engine handles the air dodge, in that its direction is now determined by the player's aerial momentum, rather than their analog input. Landing traction upon hitting the ground in Brawl has been reduced considerably, effectively removing any movement options brought on by the previous game's mechanics.
While wavedashing is technically removed, Yoshi has the ability to perform a pseudo-wavedash called the Dragonic Reverse, which entails canceling the double-jump animation with an attack. Yoshi's odd double jump allows him to do this because of the dip that it has in the intro frames. Ironically, characters can slide in a manner similar to Wavedashing when landing from an angled jump depending on which direction the control stick was held. This is mostly aesthetic and does not intend to improve gameplay elements among characters. Even characters with the lowest of traction and falling speed barely benefit from this, therefore proving the slide completely useless as they all slide at a distance even shorter than Peach's wavedash from Melee.
Hacking
A code for Ocarina (the free alternative for USB Gecko), released by the hacker Phantom Wings, is able to make the air dodging system similar to Melee's, thus giving players the ability to wavedash and also "fly" back onto the stage if too far from the stage to recover due to not being helpless after air dodging; however, characters will gradually descend during flight due to gravity. LeeHarris of SmashBoards posted the code online on the board. A version of this hack makes characters helpless after an air dodge, fully restoring the air dodge as it was in Melee and allowing wavedashing in Project M.
