Dash attack

Fox's dash attack in Super Smash Bros. 4

A dash attack (ダッシュ攻撃) is an attack performed by pressing the attack button while dashing. Most dash attacks come out quickly and function as a character's primary burst option and approaching attack, but have noticeable ending lag and contain other properties that make them highly committal, making them very easy for wary opponents to punish (particularly using a shield grab).

Prior to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, many dash attacks could be used for cross-ups due to a large amount of momentum inherited from the prior dash. Although Ultimate's reworking of jostle mechanics makes most grounded moves either more difficult or impossible to cross-up, there are still multiple dash attacks with this property.

If the grab button or either of the shield buttons are pressed repeatedly right after attempting a dash attack, the attack will be canceled and turned into a boost grab. Similarly, in Brawl, many dash attacks can be interrupted by performing an up smash in a technique labeled the dash attack canceled up smash (DACUS) to provide a large boost of momentum. Certain dash attacks are fast enough to hit before the up smash comes out, allowing for a Gatling Combo.

List of dash attacks

Character	Description
Banjo & Kazooie	Banjo rolls forward to strike with his entire body.
Bayonetta	Lunges forward with her gun extended for a pistol whip.
Bowser	Lunges forward horns-first. Performs a running kick.
Bowser Jr.	Leans back while deploying and attacking with a buzzsaw from the Junior Clown Car's mouth.
Byleth	Performs an outward running slash.
Captain Falcon	Performs a running shoulder tackle.
Charizard	Performs a running kick.
Chrom	Performs a running inward slash.
Cloud	Holds the Buster Sword diagonally and thrusts its edge forward with both hands for a running slash.
Corrin	Jumps forwards and spins in a missile-like fashion while twirling Omega Yato for multiple hits.
Daisy	Shoves her hands forwards, then separates them for a second hit.
Dark Pit	Performs a running inward slash with his bow.
Dark Samus	Floats while performing a running shoulder tackle.
Diddy Kong	Performs a cartwheel leading into a downward double-handed slap.
Donkey Kong	Performs a running kick. Rolls forwards to strike with his entire body.
Dr. Mario	Performs a low sliding kick.
Duck Hunt	The dog lowers his body and slides along the ground while the duck lunges forward with its beak.
Falco	Performs a running kick.
Fox	Performs a running kick.
Ganondorf	Performs a running shoulder tackle.
Greninja	Performs a low spinning kick out of its run.
Hero	Leaps up with his sword raised and then forcefully slashes down to the ground as he lands.
Ice Climbers	Swipe upward with their hammers.
Ike	Brings Ragnell behind him and then slashes it in front of himself into a forwards-pointing position.
Incineroar	Performs a leaping knee strike.
Inkling	Throws a lunging elbow bash.
Isabelle	Trips and drops a small pot, throwing it forward.
Ivysaur	Falls prone on the ground into a sliding headbutt. Performs a running shoulder tackle.
Jigglypuff	Falls forward out of its run to strike with its head.
Joker	Throws an upwards kick, then transitions it into reverse back kick.
Kazuya	Performs a leaping sidekick.
Ken	Performs a running kick.
King Dedede	Dramatically trips, then proceeds to slam his entire body onto the ground in front of himself.
King K. Rool	Leaps forward belly-first, attacking with his armor.
Kirby	Falls forward out of his run to strike with his head. Engulfs his body in a fireball and launches himself forward. Performs a sliding headspin.
Link	Performs a sliding stab. Slashes downward and outward. Leaps up with his sword raised and then forcefully slashes down to the ground as he lands.
Little Mac	Throws a downwards punch with a very wide arc.
Lucario	Performs a running kick.
Lucas	Briefly rears back, then thrusts a single palm thrust forwards with a PSI spark emanating from his hand.
Lucina	Performs a running outward slash.
Luigi	Throws a panicked series of punches in front of himself.
Mario	Performs a low sliding kick.
Marth	Performs a running outward slash.
Mega Man	Uses Top Man's Top Spin power, to spin around several times while forming a bladed tornado around himself.
Meta Knight	Performs a running kick.
Mewtwo	Thrusts its palms forwards with dark energy emanating from them.
Mii Brawler	Performs a running kick.
Mii Gunner	Leans far forwards and performs a leaning arm cannon punch accompanied by a burst of flame from it.
Mii Swordfighter	Leans forwards and stabs straight ahead. Performs an outward slash.
Min Min	Performs a running kick.
Mr. Game & Watch	Equips a helmet, then performs a tackling headbutt with it.
Mythra	Performs a running inwards slash.
Ness	Performs a forward double palm thrust. Thrusts his hands forwards and releases three back-to-back PSI sparks from them.
Olimar	Performs a cartwheel, attacking with his whole body.
Pac-Man	Transforms into his wedge form and performs a set of bites while moving forwards.
Palutena	Bashes her shield forward.
Peach	Thrusts her hands forward. Shoves her hands forward, then separates them for a second hit.
Pichu	Throws out a jumping headbutt.
Pikachu	Throws out a jumping headbutt.
Piranha Plant	Tackles forward with its pot.
Pit	Performs a running inward slash with his bow.
Pyra	Performs a running inwards slash.
R.O.B.	Swings his arms downwards in front of himself.
Richter	Twirls the Vampire Killer in a ring around his body while sliding forwards.
Ridley	Performs a lunging bite.
Robin	Brace the Bronze Sword close to their body for a rigid forwards stab.
Rosalina & Luma	Rosalina: Thrusts her body forwards, then swings herself upwards in a floaty fashion. Luma: Performs an upward-swinging tackle.
Roy	Performs a running outward slash. Performs an inward horizontal slash.
Ryu	Performs a running kick.
Samus	Performs a running shoulder tackle.
Sephiroth	Thrusts his palm forward with dark energy emanating from it.
Sheik	Performs a simultaneous outwards knifehand swipe with both arms.
Shulk	Slashes inwards with the Monado.
Simon	Twirls the Vampire Killer in a ring around his body while sliding forwards.
Snake	Performs a jumping-forwards somersault.
Sonic	Lunges forwards while curling into a ball. Lunges forwards while curling into a ball, then performs a flying kick for a final hit. Performs a running kick.
Sora	Slides forward and hits the opponent with his right foot.
Squirtle	Performs a jumping shell tackle. Uses its water wave to propel itself forward while kicking with both feet.
Steve	Performs a running pickaxe swing.
Terry	Performs Power Charge, a running shoulder tackle attack that appears in his home series as one of his special moves.
Toon Link	Slashes downwards and outwards.
Villager	Trips and drops a small potted plant, throwing it forward.
Wario	Holds his arms up and trips forwards, striking with his fingers and head. Performs his iconic running shoulder tackle attack from his home series.
Wii Fit Trainer	Assumes the Gate pose to perform a sliding arm strike.
Wolf	Performs a sudden backflipping kick. Throws a wide-angled forwards straight kick.
Yoshi	Headbutts forwards out of his run. Performs a running kick.
Young Link	Slashes downwards and outwards.
Zelda	Thrusts both of her palms forward with magic emitting from them.
Zero Suit Samus	Performs a running kick. Performs a jet-propelled flying knee strike.

Notable dash attacks

Roy's dash attack in Melee, showcasing its infamous hitbox.

• Roy's dash attack in Melee is infamous for not hitting properly because the hitboxes are active for the same amount of frames as Marth while being much slower. As a result, the move barely covers half of its swing animation, with most of the frames being active before Roy swings his sword. Roy gained a new dash attack in Smash 4 onwards, fixing this issue and making its sweetspot significantly more powerful, at the cost of higher ending lag.
• Kirby's dash attack, exclusively in Melee, will carry him off of platforms during its use. All other dash attacks do not allow their users to leave the platform they are standing on, including the same attack in Ultimate.
• Snake's dash attack in Ultimate is one of the best dash attacks in the game due to its fast startup, arm intangibility, high knockback, and ability to setup edgeguarding opportunities. It can KO opponents near the ledge at high percents and can easily launch opponents away from Snake even at low percents due to its high base knockback, giving Snake one of the best burst options in the game.
• Luigi's dash attack has been infamously inconsistent throughout most of the series' lifespan. In 64 and Melee, a developer oversight unintentionally left it without a stronger finishing hit, making it extremely unsafe on hit. While this hitbox was fixed in Brawl, it remained unsafe through the rest of the games due to its low shieldstun and high ending lag. Ultimate drastically buffed the move by considerably decreasing its ending lag, making its multihits connect much more reliably, and increasing its damage and knockback, granting it utility as a surprise finisher and making it significantly harder to punish on whiff.
• Wolf's dash attack in Brawl is the only one in the series to bring all the momentum from the dash to an instantaneous halt.
• Diddy Kong's dash attack in Brawl has its interruptibility come out immediately when the last hitbox ceases, giving it literally no ending lag and making it very difficult to punish. It can also be used to pick up banana peels, and possesses strong combo potential at a variety of percentages. All of this combined makes it one of Diddy Kong's best moves in Brawl.
• While several attacks throughout the series grant brief intangibility, Palutena's dash attack is one of the very few attacks in the series (and the only dash attack) to grant outright invincibility, protecting her extended arm due to the use of her shield.
• Like many of his other attacks, King K. Rool's dash attack utilizes his characteristic Belly Super Armor – in its case, for the entire duration his stomach is extended.
• Prior to Smash 4, Peach, Zelda, Pit, and Mewtwo had unique dash attacks while holding battering items, which allowed them to hit twice in the case of the former three, while Mewtwo's hits several times.
• The dash attacks of Villager and Isabelle are the only ones that are projectiles.
• King Dedede's dash attack is the strongest dash attack from Brawl onwards, being able to KO most characters at 75% from the center of Final Destination and being stronger than some of the cast's smash attacks. However, it comes out on frame 26 and has 62 frames of ending lag, which makes it the slowest dash attack in the series and effectively reserves it for hard reads and ledge-trapping scenarios.
• Sephiroth and Sora are the only sword-users that do not use a sword for their dash attacks.

Gallery

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  Kirby's dash attack in Melee.

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  Mario's dash attack in Melee.

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  Fox's dash attack in Brawl.

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  Snake's dash attack in Brawl.

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  Lucario's dash attack in Ultimate.