Editing Taunt

[[File:SSBUJokerTaunt4.gif|thumb|200px|{{SSBU|Joker}}'s up taunt in ''Ultimate''.]]

[[File:IkeSideTauntBrawl.gif|thumb|200px|{{SSBB|Ike}}'s side taunt in ''Brawl''.]]

[[File:CaptainFalcon-Right-Taunt-SSBM.gif|{{SSBM|Captain Falcon}}'s taunt in ''Melee''.|thumb|200px]]

A '''taunt''', previously referred to as a '''finishing pose''' and as '''Appeal''' internally ('''AppealL''' and '''AppealR''' in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''{{'}}s {{SSBM|Debug menu}}) and in Japanese, is a move designed to provoke, intimidate, annoy or mock opponents or to just celebrate a successfully executed move or [[combo]]. In ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', each [[character]] has only one taunt, but from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' onward, they have up to three different taunts: up, down and side taunt. To use a taunt, the player must press {{Button|N64|L}} in ''SSB'' and {{Button|GCN|D-Pad|U}} in ''Melee''. In '' Brawl'', ''[[Smash 4]]'' and '' [[Ultimate]]'', the direction the player presses on the d-pad (or the buttons on the [[Wii Remote]] and horizontal [[Joy-Con]]) determines which taunt is used.  

In ''Super Smash Bros.'', there is only one taunt animation, so characters that taunt either face the screen or away from it depending on whether they are facing left or right. This was changed in ''Melee'' so characters that turn towards the screen have slightly different animations, making sure they never face away (unless they are caped). Using this functionality, {{SSBM|Pichu}} and {{SSBM|Captain Falcon}}'s taunts in ''Melee'' have two distinctly different animations depending on the direction they are facing. While this trait stuck with Captain Falcon for his later appearances, Pichu's different taunts were mapped to different inputs. Additionally, [[Wario]] has an extra taunt when he is riding his [[Wario Bike|bike]], used by pressing any of the taunt buttons. Taunts can all be done on the ground only and are [[Taunt canceling|canceled]] if the character goes airborne or slides close to an edge during their execution.

Taunts are different between every character - even those who are direct [[clones]] of another, with the exception of Ryu and Ken’s side taunt, where they hold their fist forward, though the words they speak while performing it are different, and Ken also bumps his fists together first before performing the animation. However, taunts always have the character doing a motion (such as dancing) and the character may speak or yell out a battle cry, which is often taken advantage of within [[taunt match]]es. Taunts have variable durations between characters, some of which are very noticeable, such as {{SSBM|Young Link}}'s taunt in ''Melee'', which is the slowest in the game, taking more than three times longer to finish than {{SSBM|Kirby}}'s taunt, which is the fastest in the game. However, some characters such as {{SSB|Mario}} in ''SSB'', {{SSBM|Pikachu}} in ''Melee'' and {{SSB4|Bayonetta}} in ''Smash 4'' can [[interrupt]] their taunts noticeably earlier than the end of the animation. In ''Ultimate'', this feature is amplified to every taunt in the game except those that affect gameplay (such as {{SSBU|Greninja}} and {{SSBU|Luigi}}'s down taunts), being all interruptible on [[frame]] 50 regardless of their animation length, although several of them have faster animations than in previous games regardless.

[[Cloud]] and [[Sephiroth]] are the only characters in non-Japanese versions of the series who still speak Japanese in any of their taunts as of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. However, some "speaking" taunts change between languages. A notable example is [[Jigglypuff]], whose dialogue changes to reflect its name in other languages, such as its Japanese name, "''Purin''" or Fox in ''Melee'', when he says "{{ja|かかってこい|Kakatte koi}}" (''Come on'').

One of the intended uses of taunting is after KOing an opponent, which is implied by [[CPU]]s using them as such at all times in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl''; in the latter game, this includes the opponent [[self-destruct]]ing or getting KOed by a teammate of the CPU. Similarly, in ''SSB'', they taunt any time they launch an opponent a far distance away. In ''SSB4'', this was changed so CPUs will not always taunt, with their likelihood decreasing as their level increases: level 9 CPUs will never taunt on the whole. While CPUs usually never use taunts for other purposes (such as removing Copy Abilities as Kirby), CPU {{SSB4|Luigi}} in ''SSB4'' will, interestingly, attempt to use his down taunt against foes hanging on [[ledge]]s. Unlike in the previous titles, CPUs in ''Ultimate'' don’t taunt at all with the exception of [[Figure Player]]s. Also in ''Ultimate'', Figure Players can use their taunts during the battle, with the frequency of the taunt and which taunt they perform being able to be determined by the player as they learn.

In ''Ultimate'', taunts are disabled during online [[Quickplay]] matches, even those that affect gameplay (excluding {{SSBU|Kirby}} discarding a [[Copy Ability]]). However, they can still be performed in Battle Arenas.

The vast majority of taunts are only for show, having no direct affect on gameplay except shifting the fighter's [[hurtbox]]es during the animation. They instead serve as an integral part of mindgames. Taunting at the right time can surprise the opponent and provoke a desired reaction. Situations where a taunt can be useful include when the opponent is losing to demoralize them, when the opponent is winning to goad them into acting reckless and potentially making a mistake, during an attack to catch the opponent off guard, and when the opponent is about to lose as a form of disrespect.

 

Most taunts are completely deterministic gameplay-wise, with only a few aesthetic aspects that may be randomly determined (such as voice clips or particle effects). Certain taunts have different animations depending on which way the character is facing, and in the case of [[Captain Falcon]], his down taunt is faster when facing left than when facing right. [[Pac-Man]]'s [[Namco Roulette]] is one of the few taunts to be entirely random, summoning a sprite and sound clip from a large variety of retro [[Namco]] games, but its animation and gameplay effect is always the same regardless of which sprite appears.

 

[[File:SnakeTauntBrawl.gif|thumb|Snake's cardboard box is an example of a taunt that can be used as an attack.]]

 

Despite the explanation above that taunts are for show, a small amount of exceptions exist that do tangibly affect the game in a meaningful way. These taunts are the following:

 

*The [[cardboard box]] [[Snake]] discards at the end of all three of his taunts acts as a weak projectile. It deals minimal damage (1%-2%) and low knockback if it hits opponents but the box can be used as a niche gimping option.

*[[Luigi]]'s down taunt in all games (or his only taunt prior to ''Brawl'') deals weak damage and [[meteor smash]]es opponents. In ''Brawl'' onwards, it deals strong set knockback, being a [[one-hit KO]] if used against offstage foes, though this is very difficult to pull off due to the taunt's long startup and the attack's minuscule hitbox. It also cannot practically KO onstage opponents.

*All three of [[Kirby]]'s taunts make him lose his [[Copy Ability]]. Because of this, his down taunt (only taunt, prior to ''Brawl'') is one of the shortest in the series.

*[[King K. Rool]]'s side taunt briefly gives him [[Belly Super Armor]]. However, being attacked while taunting will also damage his armor's hitpoints.

*[[Kazuya]]'s side taunt, officially titled ''Demon's Wrath'', consists of a high-angled kick with his left leg, followed by a quick straight punch from his left fist, then a low-angled kick from his right leg, followed by a short punch in front of him that creates a burst. It is the strongest taunt attack in the game, being the only one with functional KO potential outside of edgeguarding, although it's still considered impractical to use over other attacks in his arsenal due to it being short ranged and on the slower side, and having unimpressive knockback compared to the rest of Kazuya's moveset.

In ''Ultimate'', while most taunts are interruptible, most of the gameplay-affecting ones are not. The only exceptions are Kirby's taunts.

 

The side taunt input specifically can be used as a stand-in for the button press on certain moves that have command inputs. This include all variants based on how long the button is pressed. The inputs that can be used with side taunt are the following:

 

Some fighters have unique taunts that can only be accessed on certain stages. These taunts are the following:

*Snake and [[Pit]] have personalized smash taunts on [[Shadow Moses Island]] and [[Palutena's Temple]] where they converse with characters from their series about a random opponent. Pit has unique dialogue for every non-DLC character plus [[Piranha Plant]]. Snake only has dialogue for characters that were present in ''Brawl''.

The custom message feature was taken out in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' in favor of pre-made messages, most likely so they can be translated and shown in every language and prevent any inappropriate words and phrases from slipping past the blacklist. As most taunts are disabled in Quickplay (with Kirby as the exception), taunt messages are only shown at the start of the match and at the results screen. The player can select eight taunt messages, four for use at the start of the match and four for use at the results screen. {{clr}}

[[File:SSBUWebsiteKingDedede4.jpg|thumb|200px|King Dedede’s infamous crouch “taunt”.]]

A pseudo-taunt is an action that is intended to taunt opponents without using one of the taunts already available in the game. Pseudo-taunts often involve actions that look similar to an ordinary taunt; a well-known example is [[King Dedede]]'s crouch, though others include [[Ness]]'s up and down smashes, where he performs yo-yo tricks; repeatedly spamming the start of [[Mega Man]]'s walking animation, dubbed the "Stanky Leg" by fans, due to the way his foremost leg begins moving before the rest of him, itself a reference to his original walking animation in the NES games; [[Bowser Jr.]]'s down tilt, where the Junior Clown Car licks the foe with its tongue; [[Olimar]]'s down tilt, where he appears to be doing "the worm"; [[Charizard]]'s slow-walking animation, dubbed the "Zard Walk" by fans; [[Shulk]] using [[Monado Arts]] while walking, dubbed the "Monado Walk" (which applies to Kirby as well when he copies Shulk's neutral special); many characters' crawling animations (with those of Wario and Zero Suit Samus being the most common); [[Mr. Game & Watch]]'s up tilt where he waves a "#1" flag; and slowly tilting left and right with Kirby, where he appears to do a little dance.

Within [[taunt match]]es, actions that produce loud, irritating, or otherwise repetitive sounds can become pseudo-taunts; examples include crouching as [[Jigglypuff]] and [[Kirby]], [[Daisy]]'s forward smash, [[Ganondorf]]'s up smash prior to ''Ultimate'' (and his forward smash in ''Ultimate''), [[Captain Falcon]]'s [[Falcon Punch]], the majority of [[Wario]]'s moves (especially [[Wario Waft]]), [[Shulk]]'s [[Back Slash]], [[Little Mac]]'s neutral attack, [[Olimar]]'s [[Pikmin Order]], and any of [[Inkling]] Boy's tilt attacks, where he can sometimes say "Ngyes!".

Some of [[Incineroar]]'s attacks will cause it to perform a taunting animation if they successfully connect. These moves are:

Repeatedly [[crouching]] and standing back up (i.e. teabagging) is a common form of pseudo-taunting. {{SSBU|Ridley}} and {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}'s teabags make them look like they are "{{iw|wikipedia|dab|dance}}bing". This also applies to [[Falco]]'s spot dodge prior to ''Ultimate''. Also with Falco, canceling his down taunt with down smash at the right time will make him say a phrase that phonetically sounds similar to "Hand off my cock!" In ''Ultimate'', teabagging is notoriously common on [[Quickplay]] due to taunts being disallowed, and is a widespread criticism of the mode that is considered a form of [[grief]]ing. As such, players are often advised to mentally and emotionally prepare themselves for opponents who will attempt to aggravate them.

Other examples of pseudo-taunting involve showing off [[advanced technique]]s, such as [[DACUS]]ing or [[Dash-dance|dash dancing]].

*[[Mario]] and [[Charizard]] are the only characters to have more than one taunt replaced in a later installment.

*Luigi, Snake, Greninja, and Kazuya are the only four characters to have a taunt that can damage opponents.

*Luigi's down taunt is technically a looping hitbox. However, since it is only active for one frame, it can never hit more than once.

*Prior to ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', Bowser, the Ice Climbers, Wario, R.O.B, and Luigi (in ''Brawl'' only), Rosalina, Little Mac, Bayonetta, Bowser Jr., and Lucario (in ''Smash 4'') were all able to taunt during their [[Final Smash]]es.

**Bayonetta, Ice Climbers, Rosalina, and Bowser Jr. are the only characters of this group who can taunt during their Final Smash in ''Ultimate'', however, Inkling and Snake can now do so as well.

*Some taunts have become popular on the Internet, for both the character's motion or phrase spoken, and the mocking purpose they are used for. Some infamous examples are [[Captain Falcon]]'s "Show me your moves!", [[Falco]]'s "Hands off my prey!" (often misinterpreted as "Hands off my bread!"), or [[Sonic]]'s "You're too slow!". [[Taunt match]]es often involve irritating serious players with these types of taunts, and other annoying or provocative taunts have also been used frequently, such as [[Kirby]]'s "Hi!" taunt or [[Ness]]'s "Okay.".

**Some lines were already popular within their respective communities before their addition in ''Smash Bros''; for example, [[Inkling]] Girl's side taunt (where she utters "Woomy!") or [[Morgana]]'s "Looking cool, Joker!".

**Falco’s "Piece of cake!" and "Hands off my prey!" taunts are additionally notorious in ''Ultimate'' due to them appearing as though Falco says "piece of cock" or "hands off my cock" when interrupting one of the taunts with a down smash right before Falco says "cake" or "prey".

**Coincidentally, both taunts belong to Bandai Namco characters.  

*The phrase "Come on" is the most common phrase in taunts, being used by seven characters: [[Pit]] (from ''SSB4'' onwards), [[Sonic]] (from ''SSB4'' onwards), [[Captain Falcon]], [[Fox]] (prior to ''Ultimate''), {{SSBU|Falco}} (in ''Ultimate''), {{SSBU|Chrom}}, and [[Ryu]]. Variations of "Come on" are also used by other characters: "Come at me!" is used by three characters ([[Lucina]], Chrom, and {{SSBU|Fox}} in ''Ultimate''), "Come" is used by two ([[Meta Knight]] and {{SSBU|Simon}}), and {{SSBB|Sonic}} has a unique variant in ''Brawl'' ("Come on, step it up!"). [[Terry]] also says “Hey, come on, come on!" [[Sephiroth]] says "Come after me" in Japanese.

*"Prepare yourself" is used by four characters: [[Ike]], [[Robin]], {{SSBU|Richter}}, and {{SSBU|Mythra}}.

*Starting in ''Brawl'', Captain Falcon's down taunt animation is slightly faster if he is facing left/away from the screen.

**The only exception to this is [[Kazuya]], whose up taunt is actually faster when facing the "wrong" direction.