Zero-to-death combo
A zero-to-death combo, commonly referred to as a zero-death or 0-death for short, is a particularly long and intricate combo that starts on an opponent at 0% damage, and ends with the eventual KO of the character being comboed. Zero-deaths are related to infinites, but are not the same. While an infinite can continue forever regardless of damage percent, a zero-death must come to an end as eventually the opponent will be knocked too far away to continue comboing if they are not finished before then. However, zero-deaths and infinites are functionally, and all infinites are zero-deaths as well.
While combos of some sort are relatively common in the three games, zero-to-death combos require almost perfect timing and placement in order to properly work, and even a single missed hitbox can ruin a combo; owing to the particularly high hitstun of Super Smash Bros. in comparison with Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, zero-to-death combos are most frequently seen in the first game, though their high need for technical skill makes them rare sights at tournaments and are more often seen in demonstrations or friendlies. Zero-to-death combos also vary in characteristics in the games; whereas the original game focuses on continued aerial combat, particularly with drills and similar attacks, Melee and Brawl rely on continued chain throws and jab locks.
In all three games, zero-to-death combos are a common subject of TAS speedruns; extensions of the zero-to-death combo also exist in these runs, such as having multiple characters perform the combo on one character, or making the combo have a particularly high number of glancing blows.
A rather easy to perform zero-to-death combo in a specific matchup is often responsible for creating hard counters. In Brawl for example, Pikachu hard counters all the space animals and Captain Falcon, as it possesses a simple chain throw (with its down throw) that can bring each of them from 0% to over 100%, and end with an unavoidable up smash, that if doesn't KO, can then be followed up by a Thunder that will finish them off.
Notable examples
Note: All infinites are zero-deaths as well.
In Super Smash Bros.
- Every character except Samus is capable of pulling off a zero-death in their natural combos.
- Donkey Kong's grab release chain with his forward throw (cargo hold) works on most of the cast up to the point where a simple back-throw will KO. A video demonstrating this with Kirby can be viewed here.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
- In NTSC regions, Sheik's down throw can combo into itself and then flow into her sweetspotted up smash, which is one of the strongest in the game; this combo was notable for being one of the reasons why Sheik was considered the best character in the first five years of Melee's metagame.
- Ganondorf is capable of chain throwing most, if not all characters, like Pichu, Falco, and even several floatier characters (if done fast enough), with his down throw and then following it up with an unavoidable up smash (against floaty characters) or down smash/Wizard's Foot (against fast fallers). Depending on the opponent, he may need to turn around in order to continue the combo. It can also be started with a short combo with Gerudo Dragon or a hit from Ganondorf's down aerial, depending on the victim's falling speed.
- Jigglypuff can pull off a zero-death with its up tilt against fast fallers and follow it up with Rest.
- Donkey Kong can zero-death fast fallers with his cargo hold chain throw (tilted up) and then finish the combo with an unavoidable Giant Punch or forward smash.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Wario's down throw chain throw on Bowser, where Wario can bring Bowser to KO percent and then follow up with an unavoidable forward smash.
- Meta Knight's down tilt lock on a knocked down opponent, where his down tilt causes a knocked down opponent to flop helplessly a small distance forward. Meta Knight can repeatedly use down tilt in such a situation to keep the opponent down, and when he reaches the end of the stage, he can buffer a forward roll to get behind the opponent and a subsequent d-tilt to continue to lock to the other side of the stage. Meta Knight's d-tilt is weak enough to bring the opponent to KO percent without knocking them up, where Meta Knight can then finish the opponent with an unavoidable forward or down smash. This lock can be escaped with proper SDI.
- Falco's down throw chain throw to down aerial finish on Wolf. Due to Wolf's subpar vertical recovery and his 60 frame delay in meteor cancelling, he is sent down too far to where he must rely on the ledge to recover, where he can then be easily edge hogged. Wolf has a guaranteed way of surviving this by utilising a combination of DI and SDI to land on the stage, though this requires considerable reaction and tech skill to pull off.
- The aforementioned Pikachu down throw chain throw and up smash to Thunder follow-up on the space animals and Captain Falcon.
- Marth's grab release chain grab on Ness and Lucas. While an infinite when done against a wall, Marth must move forward a little distance to continue the chain grab. However, it's possible for him to bring Ness and Lucas to a high enough percentage for his forward and down smash to KO (which are guaranteed follow ups on the grab release) before reaching the end of the stage.
