Aerial attack
An aerial attack (空中攻撃, Midair attack) is any move that is performed in midair that is not a grounded attack or special move. Their official terms vary between titles; they are known as midair attacks in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and air attacks in Brawl, Smash 4 and Ultimate. Most aerial attacks deal moderate damage (9%-14%). Aerial attacks can be L-cancelled in SSB and Melee.
The types of aerial attacks are listed below, with a list of their typical uses:
- Neutral aerial: Usually fast, weak moves that are good out of shield, starting combos, or for interrupting enemy attacks; some are sex kicks that deal less damage as time passes.
- Forward aerial: Tend to have large hitboxes, making them good for edgeguarding and combos; several throughout the series are notorious for their high utility in general combat.
- Back aerial: Often the fighter's strongest aerial, compensated with a small hitbox or long startup lag. Some combine speed and power to make them a reliable aerial KO move.
- Up aerial: Many are useful juggling tools with good chainability and a wide range, being a big part of many fighters' aerial combos.
- Down aerial: Almost always a multi-hit, stall then fall, and/or meteor smash, making them capable tools for offstage edgeguarding.
Certain characters with a tether grab also possess a grab aerial, which is used by pressing the grab button. Similarly, characters who can glide possess a glide attack, which is used when attacking out of a glide.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U digital manual description[edit]
"Press 
while airborne to perform air attacks. Tilting 
in a direction and pressing will trigger different moves."
Trivia[edit]
- Since Melee, a number of select aerial attacks have a small spark effect akin to smash attack; the aerials that possess such special effects often change from game to game.
| Attacks in the Super Smash Bros. series | |
|---|---|
| Standard ground attacks | Neutral attack · Dash attack |
| Tilt attacks | Forward tilt · Up tilt · Down tilt · Crouching attack |
| Smash attacks | Forward smash · Up smash · Down smash |
| Aerial attacks | Neutral aerial · Forward aerial · Back aerial · Up aerial · Down aerial · Grab aerial · Glide attack |
| Throws | Grab · Pummel · Forward throw · Back throw · Up throw · Down throw |
| Get-up attacks | Floor attack · Edge attack |
| Special moves | Neutral special move · Side special move · Up special move · Down special move · Command-input move · Final Smash |
