Editing Flame Choke

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'''Flame Choke''' ({{ja|炎獄握|Engoku'aku}}, ''Flame Prison Grip'') is [[Ganondorf]]'s [[side special move]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', replacing [[Gerudo Dragon]] from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''.

When used, Ganondorf charges at his opponent, similarly to Gerudo Dragon, but instead of uppercutting them he grabs them by the head and attacks them with a dark pulsing explosion, before the opponent is quickly slammed into the ground upon the explosion occurring. In mid-grab and while holding his opponent in his grip, Ganondorf has [[super armor]], allowing him to, for example, snag a passing Wario off his [[Wario Bike]] while also preventing it from being interrupted; however the armor for mid-grab is removed in ''Smash 4''. As a grab move, Flame Choke bypass [[shield]]s and [[counter]]s. Grounded Flame Choke also functions as a weak [[meteor smash]], causing the opponent to weakly bounce upward and allow follow-ups such as Ganondorf's [[neutral attack]] (only on very large characters such as Bowser, Donkey Kong, and King Dedede), [[forward tilt]], [[down tilt]], and [[down smash]] (only on Olimar); however in ''Smash 4'' grounded Flame Choke is [[tech]]able which can potentially negate follow-ups, though Ganondorf can still act very quickly out of Flame Choke and perform [[tech-chase]]s.

When the move is used mid-air, both Ganondorf and the grabbed foe will plummet directly towards to the ground, which can cause a [[Suicide KO]] known as "Ganoncide". In ''Brawl'', if Ganondorf performs this move in the air while going through a soft platform (half body above platform and half below) then he will grab the opponent and plummet below the platform (however, he has no knockback resistance in the air); however in ''Smash 4'', aerial Flame Choke lifts him and his opponent upward a bit before descending, making the two land on the platform. Unlike the grounded version, the opponent is immediately floored instead of bouncing and the move has some ending lag, making it difficult to follow up, though the aerial deals more damage and in ''Smash 4'' it cannot be teched.

Also, when Ganondorf does the move in the air, he can slightly alter its path, slamming the foe more to the left, or more to the right. This makes it difficult to chase him off the edge, because as a last resort, he takes the opponent down with him; in ''Brawl'', Ganoncide causes a [[Sudden Death]] or a loss, which can be negated if Ganondorf is a stock/point up, but in ''Smash 4'', Ganonciding with one remaining stock on both characters will give Ganondorf the win. Note that Ganonciding an opponent in ''Smash 4'' does not count as KOing them; credit for the KO goes to the last person to hit the victim.

Using this move on the ground with the opponent near the edge of the stage can meteor smash the opponent straight down off of the edge. However, this is not very useful as it has set knockback and is too weak to prevent most characters from recovering with their [[up special move]], and they will also grab the ledge if possible. On the other hand, with ''Smash 4'' altering ledge mechanics, using Flame Choke on someone during their standard get-up option will cause them to miss their ledge grab.

If Ganondorf correctly predicts his opponent's get-up option after a grab, or uses [[mindgame]]s to predict where his opponent will end up, he can re-grab his opponent, allowing the possibility of an infinite [[chain grab]]: this makes Flame Choke one of Ganondorf's most reliable ways of comboing his opponent, as it will setup for the same strings at any percentage. In particular, at low percentages Ganondorf can follow with a down tilt and knock the opponent in the air, and then jump and catch them in another Flame Choke, and at high percentages, it will KO outright.

Unlike [[Captain Falcon]]'s [[Raptor Boost]], this move does not cause Ganondorf to trip and fall if he misses on the ground. It does, however, still put him into a [[helpless]] state if he uses it in the air. Similarly, if Ganondorf is too close to an edge when he uses the move on the ground, he will instantly go into a helpless state and fall. However, unlike Captain Falcon, Ganondorf has a chance to move towards the ledge and grab it (if it can be grabbed) before he falls to his death.

In [[Home-Run Contest]], the move will fail if used on the [[Sandbag]]: Ganondorf will pass through the sandbag just like any other grab-related special on any other item. Enemies in [[Smash Run]] are not blasted downwards by the move, but instead away at a typical horizontal angle.

{{CustomSet|Ganon|Side|name1=Flame Choke|desc1=Rush forward to grab an enemy. Grabbed enemies will be thrown straight down.|name2=Flame Wave|desc2=Dash forward to grab an enemy and blast them into the air into other enemies.|name3=Flame Chain|desc3=Dash forward and strike enemies repeatedly rather than grab them.}}

Ganondorf performs a similar rushing move in ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess}}'' that kills one of the sages who impaled him, though lacking the dark flames; notably, the actual animation in ''Twilight Princess'' closely resembles the ''Melee'' version of [[Warlock Punch]]. In the GameCube version of ''Twilight Princess'', Ganondorf uses his right hand, which is inscribed with the [[zeldawiki:Triforce|Triforce of Power]], whereas in ''Brawl'', he uses his left hand. Ganondorf's slight ambidextrous capabilities in ''Brawl'' are likely due to the mirrored Wii version of ''Twilight Princess''. Ganondorf holding the opponent in the air is reminiscent of him holding [[zeldawiki:Tetra|Tetra]] up by her throat in ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker}}''. When using the Flame Choke mid-air, the consequential slam is very reminiscent of his ground-pound move from ''{{s|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time}}'', making the reference twofold.

FlameChoke-Origin1.jpeg|Ganondorf killing the water sage in ''The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess''.

FlameChoke-Origin2.png|Ganondorf holding Tetra in ''The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker''.

<gallery widths="200x200" heights="150">File:Flame Choke.png|The initial pose Ganondorf does before he rushes forwards in ''Brawl''.

File:Ganon_link_flamechoke.jpg|Link falls out of the choke at the move's conclusion in ''Brawl''.

File:Ganondorf Flame Choke Meteor Smash Brawl.png|The move used as a meteor smash in ''Brawl''.

File:FlameChokeSSBB.jpg|Ganondorf uses Flame Choke on [[Marth]] in Brawl.

File:SSB4_Flame_Choke_Charge.jpg|Ganondorf rushes forward in {{For3ds}}.

File:SSB4_Flame_Choke.jpg|Ganondorf uses Flame Choke on [[Kirby]] in {{For3ds}}.

File:Flame_Choke_SSB4.jpeg|Ganondorf uses Flame Choke on [[Link]] in {{forwiiu}}.

*Unlike some other side special grabs such as [[Force Palm]], the player can't escape from Flame Choke even if the victim is giant. The whole screen shakes when Flame Choke is used on the victim.