Neutral special move
The neutral special move (officially referred to as standard special move prior to Ultimate, also known as neutral B, standard B, B move, or simply B) is a special attack performed by pressing the special move button without holding a direction on the control stick. As the original Super Smash Bros. lacks side special moves, neutral specials can also be used if the stick is tilted sideways; with the introduction of side specials in Melee, some characters' neutral specials were changed to be side specials, with a new neutral special taking their place.
The majority of neutral specials are either a projectile or a strong single-hit attack that might be chargeable (and sometimes both). If a character has a single projectile, it is most likely to be their neutral special. Neutral specials also tend to not move the character, though a few force the character to move or give them the option to.
Reverse neutral special move[edit]
A reverse neutral special move allows a character in midair to use a neutral special in the opposite direction that they're facing. This requires a different method than simply holding backward and pressing the special button, as this would activate the side special move. Instead, one must tap the control stick in that direction and allow it to return to its neutral position before pressing the special button.
In Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4, the player can perform a reverse neutral special move by tapping the control stick in the opposite direction they are facing right after they press the special button. This can be done on the ground and in the air, although some characters will not reverse even when doing the input or have extreme difficulty doing so, such as Samus.
List of neutral special moves[edit]
Character | Move | Description |
---|---|---|
Banjo & Kazooie | Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster | Banjo lies face down, Kazooie comes out and shoots eggs. Pressing and holding the special move button turns it into Breegull Blaster, where Banjo can freely walk and jump while Kazooie shoots eggs. |
Bayonetta | Bullet Climax | Bayonetta charges and then fires her guns. |
Bowser | Fire Breath | Bowser breathes fire as long as the button is held, but the range and strength of the flames gradually decreases. |
Bowser Jr. | Clown Cannon | Bowser Jr. charges and then fires a large, slow cannonball projectile. It flies straight before dipping downward, retaining its hitbox. |
Byleth | Failnaught | Byleth charges up and then fires an arrow. The attack charges in two stages, the first of which can be cancelled. |
Captain Falcon | Falcon Punch | Captain Falcon readies this attack for about one second, then unleashes a powerful punch engulfed in flames in the shape of a falcon. Tapping the opposite direction during the startup will cause Captain Falcon to turn before unleashing the punch; the reversed punch is more powerful. |
Charizard | Flamethrower | Functions similarly to Bowser's Fire Breath. |
Chrom | Flare Blade | Identical to Roy's Flare Blade, but lacks the flame effect. |
Cloud | Blade Beam | Cloud launches a crescent-shaped projectile from his sword. The Limit version hits multiple times on contact. |
Corrin | Dragon Fang Shot | Corrin charges and then releases a large water orb projectile, closing the jaws of the transformed hand in a powerful bite as the projectile leaves them. The projectile paralyzes opponents. |
Daisy | Toad | Identical to Peach's Toad, except that it uses a blue Toad instead of using Toad himself. |
Dark Pit | Silver Bow | Functions similarly to Pit's Palutena Bow, but the arrows are stronger and faster at the cost of their trajectories being barely controllable once fired. |
Dark Samus | Charge Shot | Functions similarly to Samus's Charge Shot, though with a different charging animation; it fires at a lower height as a result. |
Diddy Kong | Peanut Popgun | Diddy Kong fires a peanut in arc. The move can be charged, but charging it for too long causes the popgun to backfire and damage Diddy. In Brawl, the peanuts stay on the field as food items. |
Donkey Kong | Giant Punch | Donkey Kong swings his arm to charge up the Giant Punch, a single powerful blow directly ahead. The charging can be cancelled and the move will retain its charge until it is used. |
Dr. Mario | Megavitamins | Functions similarly to Mario's Fireball, but Dr. Mario throws pills that travel in a different arc and lack flame properties. |
Duck Hunt | Trick Shot | Duck Hunt produces a tin can. It can be moved in short hops with Zapper shots via additional button presses, and will explode on contact with an opponent or after enough time has passed. If Duck Hunt or an opponent hits the can with another attack, the direction it hops in will be reversed. |
Falco | Blaster | Functions similarly to Fox's Blaster, but the shots are slower and cause the opponent to flinch. |
Fox | Blaster | Rapidly fires laser blasts ahead in a straight line. Fox's Blaster shots do not cause opponents to flinch. |
Ganondorf | Warlock Punch | Functions similarly to Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch. It is much stronger than the Falcon Punch, but it also takes much longer to charge up. The grounded version grants him super armor during startup. |
Greninja | Water Shuriken | Greninja charges and then releases a shuriken made of water, which can deal multiple hits. The longer it is charged, the larger and stronger it becomes and the less distance it travels. |
Hero | Frizz / Frizzle / Kafrizz | Hero charges fire magic to throw. Its lowest charge is Frizz, a small fireball. Charging the move further transforms it into Frizzle. Charging it fully transforms it into Kafrizz, a large, multi-hitting fireball. |
Ice Climbers | Ice Shot | Each Ice Climber releases a small iceberg projectile that slides along the ground. The projectiles will change direction if struck by another attack. |
Ike | Eruption | Functions similarly to Roy's Flare Blade, but creates an explosion all around Ike rather than mostly in front of him. In Ultimate, multiple pillars of fire will extend outward depending on the charge, with up to three pillars if fully charged. |
Incineroar | Darkest Lariat | Incineroar spins quickly with its arms hold out to its sides, dealing a powerful blow. |
Inkling | Splattershot | Inkling fires the Splattershot continuously forward as long as the button is held, consuming ink. It can be angled. |
Isabelle | Functions identically to Villager's Pocket. | |
Ivysaur | Bullet Seed | Ivysaur will rapidly shoot seeds upward in a column as long as the attack button is held, up to a maximum of a few seconds. |
Jigglypuff | Pound | Jigglypuff slides forward with a single punch. The move can be angled in midair. |
Rollout | Jigglypuff charges in place, then rolls forward at high speed. The longer the charge, the greater the distance traveled and damage dealt. Jigglypuff will bounce off when hitting opponent, ending its roll. Prior to Ultimate, ending the move in midair would cause Jigglypuff to tumble helplessly until hitting the ground or bottom blast line; in Ultimate, the player regains control after the move ends. | |
Joker | Gun / Gun Special | Joker will either fire once or multiple times, depending on if the button is held down. In the air, Joker can either fire around him or downwards, depending on the input. When Arsène is summoned, Joker uses Gun Special instead, which will make Joker fire more bullets in total. |
Kazuya | Devil Blaster | Kazuya turns into Devil Kazuya for a brief moment and fires a thin beam from his forehead in front of himself, which can be aimed diagonally up or down. The beam has a piercing effect and covers a long distance. If used in the air, he will fire diagonally downward by default. |
Ken | Hadoken | Functions similarly to Ryu's Hadoken, though it travels slower (or faster if using the Light variant), is noticeably weaker, and is shaped differently. Unlike Ryu, he can not pull off a Shakunetsu Hadoken. |
King Dedede | Inhale | Functions similarly to Kirby's Inhale, but King Dedede cannot copy fighters. In Ultimate, while Kirby will spit out certain inhaled projectiles as stars, King Dedede spits them out in their original forms. Additionally, King Dedede can inhale all projectiles and spit them out as well. |
King K. Rool | Blunderbuss | King K. Rool fires a cannonball from his Blunderbuss. The Blunderbuss sucks in air after firing, and nearby opponents can be sucked in and then launched as projectiles. |
Kirby | Inhale | Kirby will suck in air for as long as the button is held. If an opponent is sucked in, Kirby can spit them out in the form of star projectile, or he can swallow them to gain their Copy Ability. When Kirby possesses a Copy Ability, his neutral special will use that move instead of Inhale. Kirby can also Inhale items and, starting in Ultimate, incoming projectiles. |
Link | Boomerang | Link throws his Boomerang forward. The projectile can be angled. |
Hero's Bow | Link fires an arrow from his bow. The projectile can be charged. | |
Bow and Arrows | Similar in function to the above, but arrows fired will remain on the ground and can be picked up by players as items. This includes Link, who can then shoot multiple arrows at once. | |
Little Mac | Straight Lunge / KO Uppercut | Little Mac charges and then dashes forward with a powerful lunging punch. The longer the charge, the further the move travels and the stronger it is. When Little Mac's Power Meter is full, the KO Uppercut temporarily replaces Straight Lunge as his neutral special move. |
Lucario | Aura Sphere | Functions similarly to Mewtwo's Shadow Ball, but retains a hitbox while charging, which Shadow Ball lost after Melee. |
Lucas | PK Freeze | Functions similarly to Ness's PK Flash, but the move freezes opponents instead of launching them with an electric attack. |
Lucina | Shield Breaker | Functions similarly to Marth's Shield Breaker, though with a different charging animation, and lacks a sweetspot or sourspot. She takes a step forward, making Lucina’s horizontal recovery marginally better. |
Luigi | Fireball | Functions similarly to Mario's Fireball, but the green fireballs travel in a straight line instead of bouncing along the ground. |
Mario | Mario fires a small fireball which bounces along the ground, which hits weakly and disappears. | |
Marth | Shield Breaker | Marth charges and then releases a sword stab that deals high shield damage. In Melee, the attack was an overhead swing instead of a stab. Starting in Ultimate, the stab can be angled up, forward, or down. |
Mega Man | Metal Blade | Mega Man throws a circular, bladed projectile in one of 8 directions. The Metal Blade deals multiple hits as it flies. If one lands on the ground, it can be picked up and thrown like a normal item. |
Meta Knight | Mach Tornado | Meta Knight spins into a whirling tornado which deals multiple hits before launching opponents as it ends. Meta Knight can be controlled in midair during the move, and button mashing will make it rise faster. |
Mewtwo | Shadow Ball | Mewtwo charges a large ball of shadowy energy. The charging can be cancelled and the move retains its charge until Mewtwo uses it. In Melee, the ball had an active hitbox while being charged. |
Mii Brawler | Shot Put (default) | Mii Brawler tosses a shot, a black iron ball resembling a cannonball, into the air. It travels a short distance and falls quickly. |
Mii Gunner | Charge Blast (default) | Functions similarly to Samus's Charge Shot. |
Mii Swordfighter | Gale Strike (default) | Mii Swordfighter produces a small whirlwind which flies forward, launching opponents directly upward. |
Min Min | Punch | When tapped, Min Min unleashes a series of kicks. When held, Min Min punches forward with her right ARM. She can move and jump while using it. In the air, she swings her right ARM in a circle. |
Mr. Game & Watch | Chef | With each press of the button, Mr. Game & Watch uses a frying pan to launch small food items as projectiles with random trajectories. |
Mythra | Lightning Buster | Mythra raises the Aegis Sword above her head, charging light energy, before unleashing a series of slashes in front of herself, with the last hit launching the opponent. The move can be charged to deal more damage and gain additional range, and it can also be reversed if the opposite direction Mythra is facing is held before the attack is unleashed. |
Ness | PK Fire | Ness throws a short-ranged fire projectile which bursts on contact. |
PK Flash | Ness produces a green energy projectile which initially deals no damage. It slowly moves forward in arc, and its trajectory can be slightly influenced while it moves. Releasing the button before the projectile vanishes causes it to explode into a large electrical burst. The longer the button is held, the more powerful the explosion. | |
Olimar | Pikmin Pluck | Olimar pulls a Pikmin from the ground and adds it to the back of his lineup. If the maximum amount of Pikmin are already on the field, the move does nothing. In Brawl, the type of terrain Olimar is standing on influences the probability to pluck a specific color of Pikmin. |
Pac-Man | Bonus Fruit | Pac-Man begins to charge a projectile in a unique way: As he charges, the available projectile cycles from various fruit, to a Galaxian, to a Bell, and finally to a Key. Pac-Man can choose which projectile to throw by interrupting the charge before the Key appears. Each projectile is fired with a different speed and trajectory and causes a different effect upon hitting. |
Palutena | Autoreticle | Palutena produces a short-lived targeting reticle a short distance ahead of her. If an opponent is in range while the reticle is active, Palutena fires three weak energy projectiles in their direction. |
Peach | Toad | Peach summons Toad to protect her with a counterattack. If Toad is struck, he will release a cloud of damaging spores. Prior to Ultimate, Peach holds Toad out in front of her; in Ultimate, Toad stands on the ground defensively on his own rather than being held out against his will. |
Pichu | Thunder Jolt | Functions similarly to Pikachu's Thunder Jolt, but is faster and stronger. Pichu will also hurt itself slightly after using this move. |
Pikachu | Pikachu's releases a small electrical projectile. If the projectile hits the ground, it travels forward a considerable distance before disappearing. | |
Piranha Plant | Ptooie | Produces a spiked ball that can be launched to the left or right. Correct timing determines the attack distance. |
Pit | Palutena Bow | Pit fires an ethereal arrow from his bow. Holding the button down allows Pit to aim in multiple directions before releasing the arrow. While the arrow is in flight, its trajectory can be bent heavily at will, even allowing the arrows to fly in circles. |
Pyra | Flame Nova | Pyra places the Aegis Sword behind herself, charging up fiery energy, then spins the sword ablaze around herself, hitting multiple times before concluding with a powerful, fiery burst of energy. The move can be charged to up to two more levels, and Pyra can move slightly across the stage when the move is performed on the ground. |
Richter | Axe | Identical to Simon's Axe. |
Ridley | Plasma Breath | Ridley releases a stream of plasma balls from his mouth. The move can be charged. |
R.O.B. | Robo Beam | R.O.B. fires a beam light from his eyes. This move charges passively when not in use, going from a thin line to a wide beam and gaining in power the greater its charge. The beam can be angled. |
Robin | Thunder | Robin charges thunder magic. In its weakest form, Thunder is a small, weak, and short-ranged projectile. Charging further transforms it into Elthunder, a large projectile, then Arcthunder, a powerful and long-ranged attack that hits multiple times on contact, and finally Thoron, a large multi-hitting beam of electricity. The charging can be cancelled and Thunder retains its charge until Robin uses it. |
Rosalina | Luma Shot | Rosalina sends Luma barreling forward into opponents. Luma Shot can be charged to increase the distance Luma travels and the damage it deals. This move is ideal for separating Luma from Rosalina to control space and perform combination attacks. In Ultimate, Luma will become stronger when separated from Rosalina. |
Roy | Flare Blade | Roy charges power in his sword while the button is held down. Once fully charged, or when the button is released, he unleashes a single sword strike forward. The more it is charged, the greater the intensity of the flame explosion. It is extremely powerful, and deals recoil damage to Roy when fully charged. |
Ryu | Hadoken | Ryu releases a large energy projectile. It travels further before disappearing if the attack button is held. If the original Street Fighter command inputs are used instead of the neutral special input, it comes out stronger and faster. By inputting a Half-circle input, the attack becomes a fiery Shakunetsu Hadoken. |
Samus | Charge Shot | Samus charges power in her Arm Cannon to power the Charge Shot, an energy ball projectile. The charging can be cancelled and the move will retain its charge until it is used. The more it is charged, the larger the projectile is and the further it travels. Prior to Ultimate, using the move in midair would always fire it at its current charge level; in Ultimate, Samus gains the ability to charge the move in midair (and can still choose to fire it). |
Sephiroth | Flare / Megaflare / Gigaflare | Sephiroth charges up and launches a fireball, which then explodes. The longer it's charged, the shorter the range but the more powerful the explosion. |
Sheik | Needle Storm | Sheik throws slim, nearly invisible needles ahead, which travel very fast. If used in the air, the needles are thrown diagonally downward. Sheik can charge the move to throw more needles at once. |
Shulk | Monado Arts | Shulk selects one of his Monado Arts, temporary states which each power up a different character attribute (jump height, speed, damage, knockback, or knockback resistance) while weakening another. Arts can be cycled through prior to one being selected or, in Ultimate, they can be selected quickly from a wheel. |
Simon | Axe | Simon throws a heavy, slow axe in a wide arc, which passes through terrain. Its distance can be controlled by directional inputs. |
Snake | Hand Grenade | Snake pulls the pin on a hand grenade with a fuse of a few seconds, and holds onto it like an item. Once thrown, it can be picked up and thrown by any fighter. If two of his grenades are already on the field, Snake cannot produce another. |
Sonic | Homing Attack | Sonic rises into the air for a moment, then shoots forward, curving to target a nearby opponent. After bouncing off on contact with an opponent, the move can be used again as many times as desired. In Ultimate, a reticle appears on the opponent the move is about to target. |
Sora | Magic | Sora casts one of three different Magic spells in a set order. First is Firaga, wherein he fires a medium-range fireball from his Keyblade; repeatedly pressing the special move button will make Sora continuously use the attack. Thundaga has Sora lift his Keyblade upwards to summon three continuous clouds that rain down thunderbolts; when used in mid-air, its range is decreased. Blizzaga has Sora fire out a short-range icy blast from his Keyblade that instantly freezes the opponent if close, similar to Blizzard. All three spells can be deflected, absorbed, or picked up by Villager and Isabelle when using Pocket. |
Squirtle | Water Gun | Works similarly to Mario's F.L.U.D.D., but it can damage opponents. Unlike Mario, Squirtle also retains its charge even after getting KOed. |
Steve | Mine / Craft / Create Block | On the ground, Steve mines resources depending on the surface he is on. Near his crafting table, he repairs or upgrades his weapons. In the air, he creates a block that disappears after a few seconds. |
Terry | Power Wave | Terry punches the ground, sending a wave of energy that travels along the ground. It travels further before disappearing if the attack button is held. On the air, Terry will send a short-ranged shockwave in front of him instead. |
Toon Link | Hero's Bow | Works similarly to Link's Hero's Bow, but the arrows travel more slowly. |
Villager | Villager extends his hand and grabs hold of any one item or projectile in a short range. The item or projectile is then stored away until neutral special is used again. If the stored item is something Villager can hold, it will be placed into his hand. If not, it will be launched forward as a projectile. Almost any item can be pocketed, and in general, any projectile which is reflectable can be pocketed. | |
Wario | Chomp | Wario opens his jaws wide and chomps down around the head of nearby opponents. Trapped opponents receive damage for a few seconds and then are released. Items can be eaten as well, with most healing Wario upon being swallowed, and explosive items damaging him instead. In Ultimate, Wario also regains health while he chomps on an opponent. |
Wii Fit Trainer | Sun Salutation | Wii Fit Trainer charges energy to power the Sun Salutation, an energy ball projectile. The charging can be cancelled and the move will retain its charge until it is used. Using a fully charged Sun Salutation heals a small amount of damage. While charging, this move has a weak windbox and can be absorbed. |
Wolf | Blaster | Functions similarly to Falco's Blaster, with an additional close-range melee hit at the start of the attack. |
Yoshi | Egg Lay | Yoshi sticks his tongue out in a similar manner to his grab. If he catches an opponent with it, they are swallowed and trapped inside an egg which they can break out of faster by button mashing. |
Young Link | Fire Arrow | Functions similarly to Link's Hero's Bow, but the arrows have a flame effect. |
Zelda | Nayru's Love | Zelda surrounds herself with a spinning prism-like barrier which reflects projectiles and deals damage to nearby enemies. |
Zero Suit Samus | Paralyzer | Zero Suit Samus charges and releases a short-ranged energy projectile which paralyzes opponents on contact. |
List of custom neutral special moves[edit]
In Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]
Characters introduced into this game through post-launch downloadable content - Mewtwo, Lucas, Roy, Ryu, Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta - were not given custom special moves.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
Character | Default Special Move | Custom Special Moves |
---|---|---|
Mii Brawler | Shot Put | Custom 2: Flashing Mach Punch |
Custom 3: Exploding Side Kick | ||
Mii Gunner | Charge Blast | Custom 2: Laser Blaze |
Custom 3: Grenade Launch | ||
Mii Swordfighter | Gale Strike | Custom 2: Shuriken of Light |
Custom 3: Blurring Blade |
Gallery[edit]
Mewtwo reversing its direction in midair using Shadow Ball in Melee.
Lucario's neutral special move, Aura Sphere in Brawl.
Roy’s Flare Blade.
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 |