Editing Air Slash

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|image=[[File:Air_Slash_Strike_SSB4.jpeg|Air Slash|250px]]

|caption=The upward slash of Air Slash in {{forwiiu}}.

|universe={{uv|Xenoblade}}

'''Air Slash''' ({{ja|エアスラッシュ|Ea Surasshu}}, ''Air Slash'') is [[Shulk]]'s [[up special move]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

[[File:Air_Slash_SSB4.jpeg|thumb|200px|The second slash.]]

Shulk announces "Air Slash!" and propels himself into the air with a quick vertical slash in a spiraling motion. This first hit deals [[set knockback]]. By pressing the special attack button again at the end of the move, he can follow up with a second slash (an outward right-handed clearing slash) which knocks opponents away and gives Shulk a small additional amount of height. The move works similarly to [[Marth]] and [[Lucina]]'s [[Dolphin Slash]], except that it carries all the knockback on the final hit instead of at the beginning, and with the ability to hit twice. It is also slower and possesses a wider range along with variable damage and KO potential depending on Shulk's currently active [[Monado Art]]. It can also be reversed for a '''Reverse Air Slash''', though the move does not have any noteworthy difference. The attack does 11-12% damage with mediocre knockback without any arts, while doing 16% in Buster and having good KO potential in Smash mode. With the Jump Art, it can combo after a forward aerial especially if the opponent tries to jump after getting hit, which can score an early (though risky) kill offstage.

As a [[recovery]], Air Slash has the same perks and flaws as Dolphin Slash, giving good vertical height in exchange for negligible horizontal distance. Being in the Jump Art increases the total vertical height of the move, allowing Shulk to recover from almost anywhere offstage so long as he still has his second jump. Performing the second slash gives Shulk slightly more vertical distance, aiding his recovery if he performs the entire move instead of just the first slash. In addition, starting the second slash at the last second before Shulk falls helpless gives slightly more horizontal distance than performing both slashes quickly, which can be useful if Shulk is unable to reach a ledge.

Air Slash is one of Shulk's physical arts in ''{{s|wikipedia|Xenoblade Chronicles}}'', learned at level 14. The art sees Shulk briefly jump into the air and unleash a sword strike. The move having two hits may be a subtle reference to the effect of Air Slash in said game, as it has the ability to inflict two status effects on the enemy: Break (making opponents vulnerable to Topple, which causes them to fall onto the ground momentarily) and Slow (which decreases movement and auto-attack speed) if the attack hits the enemy's side (as opposed to the front or back).  The pink color of the Monado's beam is a reference to how pink is used to identify Break arts in the menus. Interestingly, the original move only hits once, with the second hit being added exclusively for the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, while the second slash's animation is similar to the actual Air Slash used in ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' albeit reversed, as Shulk performs an inwards slash instead of an outwards clearing slash in the actual game.

*In the Japanese scripts, this coincidentally shares the same name as Mario, Luigi and Dr. Mario's up aerials ('''Air Slash'''; {{ja|エアスラッシュ|Ea Surasshu}}).

[[Category:Xenoblade universe]]