Zelda (SSBU)/Neutral attack/Hit 1

Hitbox visualization showing Zelda's jab.

Overview[edit]

A small burst of magical energy from Zelda's palm. Unlike many jabs, at point-blank range, it has an additional low hitbox that can consistently hit prone and low-profiling opponents (e.g. in jab locks). It is her fastest attack at frame 4, which gives it use as her fastest punish and get-off-me option, as well as her safest combo finisher at low percents (e.g. from a falling down aerial or an up tilt at 0%). It consistently transitions into her rapid jab for simple, guaranteed damage, and the rapid jab finisher also has use as an emergency KO option.

On its own, jab can sometimes start combos starting at mid-high percents, especially the higher Zelda's rage and the lower the opponent's weight. It is preferred to hit grounded opponents because traction will reduce their launch distance, and because the most consistent follow-up has low hitboxes. Jab can combo most consistently into down smash at lower percents, then into dash attack at very high percents. Down tilt and up special (buffered out of a dash if needed) may also confirm, but are less reliable due to lower horizontal range; furthermore, at high percents, the two moves start to lose their combo potential, making them even less reliable.

For both the first and second hits, the inner hits push out, while the outermost hit pulls in. Jab's combo ability is contingent on the inner/push hitboxes of the second hit connecting; the outer/pull hit has much lower knockback, and will never provide sufficient frame advantage at realistic percents. In theory, many opponents can punish Zelda with a fast enough move if she tries to follow up from the incorrect hit. It is difficult to tell which hitbox connected, however, creating a scramble situation; a defensive option will be a common action out of hitstun, with some potential for mixups in a sort of rock paper scissors. For example:

Shield from the opponent will allow for an easy punish on a failed down smash. However, grab can punish opponents who hold shield out of hitstun.
Spot dodges, rolls or jumps from the opponent can cause normally untrue follow-ups to hit.
Forward air can punish opponents mashing attacks out of the correct hitbox.

It is no less difficult for the user to discern the exact hitbox either, with minimal time to react for the jab cancel; the follow-up must be inputted quick enough to true combo, but if an attack button is inputted too quickly, it will trigger the rapid jab instead. The higher the percent, the easier it will become to distinguish between the push and pull hits due to knockback scaling. It is worth noting that hit 2's push hitboxes can also rarely cause tripping for a small window (7% chance between 55 and 60 units of KB) at high percents, which will still allow combos due to the tripped opponent's high vulnerability.

Often, the first hit's innermost push hit will successfully lead into the correct second hit; at extremely high percents, the reverse will generally become true, with hit 1's pushes often sending too far, but the outer hit pulling effectively (naturally, this is harder to space). This is very generalized and not at all universal, as there are many variables that affect whether the correct hitbox ends up connecting, and/or the potential follow-up itself:

The first hit is also weight-dependent and has scalable knockback that can be affected by rage, all of which affect the launch distance.
Fighters lurch in various directions in their damage animations, causing hurtbox shifts that can even have major implications depending on which way the opponent is facing.
Hurtbox shapes and sizes vary significantly across the roster.
Traction varies across the roster, causing fighters to slide on the ground to different degrees.

All these factors in various combinations can 1) cause the wrong hitbox of hit 2 to connect, 2) make a follow-up unable to connect at all or 3) cause the second hit to whiff entirely. Due to the many potential pitfalls, jab cancels are not consistent and not an effective option to fish for. In general, Zelda can opt to simply use down smash outright; it's only 1 frame slower than jab while having better horizontal range and no consistency variables, and can often KO on its own without needing the jab beforehand.

Another way jab can start a combo is by pushing opponents off the edge of platforms, which sends them into tumble. This similarly requires the inner hits of the second hit to connect, and will work as long as they launch at a 0 degree angle (which occurs at low knockback, as per the Sakurai angle). It is not particularly difficult to tech, but if the opponent fails to react properly, Zelda can drop down with a fast-falled down aerial into a high-damage combo or kill confirm.

Jab is an unsafe -13 on shield, but it does have a fast FAF, allowing Zelda to potentially escape a punish if the opponent does not react quickly enough. It also has some mixup potential since it has a continuability window to transition immediately into the rapid jab, which can catch an attempted punish if timed correctly. However, since this forces Zelda into the laggy rapid jab and finisher, it is a highly risky option.

Overall, jab's short range gives it situational use in neutral, but it has some uses that can result in rather unique confirms.

Update history[edit]

13.0.0

Neutral attack has less ending lag (FAF 25 → 24).

Hitboxes[edit]

The second hit's ID 4 hitbox does not have a hitstun modifier specified in the scripts, unlike the rest, but it still applies to it due to a glitch.

ID	Part	Rehit rate	Damage	SD	Angle type	BK	KS	FKV	Radius	Bone	Offset			H×	SDI×	T%	Sound	Hit bits	Hit part	Hitstun
Hit 1
0	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	25	35	0	2.4	top	0.0	12.0	4.0	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	All	All	—
1	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	25	30	0	2.4	top	0.0	12.0	7.0	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	All	All	—
2	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	25	30	0	2.8	top	0.0	5.5	4.0	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	All	All	—
3	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	25	20	0	3.2	top	0.0	11.8	10.0	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	Fighter only	All	—
4	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	25	20	0	3.2	top	0.0	11.8	10.0	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	All	All	—
Hit 2
0	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	40	25	0	3.0	top	0.0	11.8	5.0	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	All	All	+2 frames
1	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	40	25	0	3.0	top	0.0	11.8	8.0	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	All	All	+2 frames
2	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	40	25	0	3.2	top	0.0	5.5	5.0	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	All	All	+2 frames
3	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	25	20	0	3.5	top	0.0	11.5	11.5	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	Fighter only	All	+2 frames
4	0	0	2.5%	0	Forward	40	25	0	3.5	top	0.0	11.5	11.5	0.6×	1.0×	0%	Magic	All	All	—

Timing[edit]

Upon reaching the continuability window, the move transitions into the rapid jab if the button has been pressed and released at least 2 times since its initiation.