Special Zoom

Ridley attacking with Skewer. Note the sweetspot causing the Special Zoom effect.

Special Zoom is a mechanic introduced in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It is an aesthetic effect designed to add drama during a match. The term was coined by Masahiro Sakurai and his development team.

Overview

File:OlimarFinishZoomOmegaBlitz.jpg

Olimar is hit by an Omega Blitz to trigger a Finish Zoom at the end of the match.

Special Zoom activates when a fighter is hit by certain attacks: the background flashes blue with dramatic "spark" effects pointing towards the action. If there are only two players on screen, the action momentarily freezes, and the camera zooms in on the point of impact. This slowdown effect only lasts for a short moment in 1v1s and even shorter in games with more than two players, and is usually accompanied by a sound effect similar to one previously only used by Little Mac's KO Uppercut in Super Smash Bros. 4. KO Uppercut, which previously had its own slowdown effect, now uses Special Zoom, as does Cloud's Limit Break special moves. During a Special Zoom, camera control is disabled.

In general, the most common attacks that trigger the Special Zoom effect are slow, hard-to-hit attacks (such as Warlock Punch or Falcon Punch). However, most other attacks that trigger Special Zoom have conditions that need to be met, such as Ridley's Skewer needing to be sweetspotted, or Little Mac's smash attacks requiring his armor to be triggered during the start-up. Certain items and stage hazards may also trigger this effect, similarly requiring special conditions in some cases.

In all cases, Special Zoom will still occur even if the knockback is negated by armor. However, Special Zoom will not trigger if the opponent is hit while under the effects of invincibility.

Similar to Special Zoom is Finish Zoom or Final Zoom, terms also coined by Sakurai and his team. Finish Zoom is used when an attack will likely result in a game-winning KO. Like the Deadly Blow mechanic introduced in Super Smash Bros. 4, this effect does not factor in DI being used to make an otherwise-deadly blow survivable. Like Special Zoom, Finish Zoom zooms in on the point of impact and briefly slows down time. However, Finish Zoom uses a red background instead of a blue one, and the sound is always the same. The sound used is also different again, being akin to a ping hit combined with the sound of slashing swords.

List of moves that trigger Special Zoom

This article or section is incomplete. You can help SmashWiki by expanding or finishing it. The editor who added this tag elaborates: Stage hazards

By character

Character	Move(s)	Conditions
Captain Falcon	Falcon Punch
Chrom	Flare Blade	If charged for at least 2.5 seconds.
Cloud	Cross Slash	Limit Break.
	Climhazzard
	Finishing Touch
Donkey Kong	Giant Punch	Fully charged.
Ganondorf	Volcano Kick	Clean hit.
	Warlock Punch
Ike	Eruption	Fully charged.
Incineroar	All smash attacks	When Revenge is active.
	Alolan Whip	When Revenge is active and the move is sweetspotted.
	Cross Chop	Explosion hitbox while Revenge is active.
Jigglypuff	Rest
King Dedede	Jet Hammer	Fully charged.
King K. Rool	Belly Super Armor	If broken by an attack.
Kirby	Hammer	Fully charged.
Little Mac	All smash attacks	When attacked during startup armor.
	KO Uppercut
Lucario	Force Palm	On grab attack when at high aura.
Lucas	PK Thunder	On last hit of PK Thunder Tackle.
Lucina	Shield Breaker	When breaking a shield.
Luigi	Super Jump Punch	Grounded sweetspot only.
Marth	Shield Breaker	When breaking a shield.
Mii Brawler	Exploding Side Kick
Mr. Game & Watch	Judge	Judge 9.
	Oil Panic	On release.
Ness	PK Thunder	On contact during PK Thunder Tackle.
Ridley	Skewer	Sweetspot.
Roy	Flare Blade	If charged for at least 2.5 seconds.
Wario	Wario Waft	Fully charged.

By item

Item	Conditions
Assist Trophy	Upon defeat. Only possible for defeatable summons.
Daybreak	When all three parts are collected.
Death's Scythe	Sweetspotted tilt or smash attack at 80% damage.
Home-Run Bat	Smash attack.
Motion-Sensor Bomb	When detonated by touch (No sound and camera moves differently but there is still a blue background).
Staff	Any hit at maximum range.

By assist trophy

Character	Conditions
Black Knight	Triggers for all attacks except a backhanded slash. Will not cause camera zoom.
Lyn

By stage hazard

Hazard	Stage(s)	Conditions
Klaptrap	Jungle Japes	On contact, which causes a one-hit KO. Camera zooms in slightly.
Odin	Midgar	When his Zantetsuken hits a fighter as it slices the stage in half (No sound and blue background but the camera can still zoom in on the player).
Red Bulborb	Distant Planet	When it chomps down on any fighter that enters its mouth.

Trivia

• If a non-cinematic Final Smash causes Special Zoom, the background will change to the stage's normal background, rather than the background for the Final Smash.