Neutral special move

Captain Falcon's neutral special move, Falcon Punch, in Brawl.

Charizard's Flamethrower in Brawl.

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 may 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.

Reverse neutral special move

Mewtwo reversing its direction in midair using Shadow Ball in Melee.

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

Character	Move	Description
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.
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	Functions similarly to Roy's Flare Blade, but with no flame explosion.
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 his transformed hand in a powerful bite as the projectile leaves them. The projectile paralyzes opponents.
Daisy	Toad	Functions similarly to Peach's Toad.
Dark Pit	Silver Bow	Functions similarly to Pit's Palutena Bow, but the arrows' trajectories can barely be influenced once fired.
Dark Samus	Charge Shot	Functions similarly to Samus's Charge Shot.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Incineroar	Darkest Lariat	Incineroar spins quickly with its arms hold out to its sides, dealing a powerful blow.
Inkling	Splattershot	Inkling fires her Splattershot continuously forward as long as the button is held, consuming ink. It can be angled.
Isabelle	Pocket	Functions similarly 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.
Ken	Hadoken	Functions similarly to Ryu's Hadoken.
King Dedede	Inhale	Functions similarly to Kirby's Inhale, but King Dedede cannot copy fighters. In Ultimate, while Kirby will spit out inhaled projectiles as stars, King Dedede spits them out in their original forms.
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 box. 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. 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.
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	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	Functions similarly to Samus's Charge Shot.
Mii Swordfighter	Gale Strike	Mii Swordfighter produces a small whirlwind which flies upward in an arc.
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.
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 several 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.
Pichu	Thunder Jolt	Functions similarly to Pikachu's Thunder Jolt.
Pikachu		Pikachu's releases a small electrical projectile. If the projectile hits the ground, it travels forward a considerable distance before disappearing.
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.
Richter	Axe	Functions similarly to Simon's Axe.
Ridley	Plasma Breath	Ridley releases a stream of fireballs 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.
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 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).
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.
Squirtle	Water Gun	Works similarly to Mario's F.L.U.D.D.
Toon Link	Hero's Bow	Works similarly to Link's Hero's Bow.
Villager	Pocket	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.
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 Bow	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

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Character	Neutral Special Move	Custom Special Moves
Bayonetta	Bullet Climax	N/A
Bowser	Fire Breath	Custom 1: Fire Shot
		Custom 2: Fire Roar
Bowser Jr.	Clown Cannon	Custom 1: Piercing Cannon
		Custom 2: Air Cannon
Captain Falcon	Falcon Punch	Custom 1: Falcon Dash Punch
		Custom 2: Mighty Falcon Punch
Charizard	Flamethrower	Custom 1: Fire Fang
		Custom 2: Fireball Cannon
Cloud	Blade Beam	N/A
Corrin	Dragon Fang Shot	N/A
Dark Pit	Silver Bow	Custom 1: Piercing Bow
		Custom 2: Guiding Bow
Diddy Kong	Peanut Popgun	Custom 1: Exploding Popgun
		Custom 2: Jumbo Peanuts
Donkey Kong	Giant Punch	Custom 1: Storm Punch
		Custom 2: Lightning Punch
Dr. Mario	Megavitamins	Custom 1: Fast Capsule
		Custom 2: Mega Capsule
Duck Hunt	Trick Shot	Custom 1: High-Explosive Shot
		Custom 2: Zigzag Shot
Falco	Blaster	Custom 1: Explosive Blaster
		Custom 2: Burst Blaster
Fox	Fireball	Custom 1: Impact Blaster
		Custom 2: Charge Blaster
Ganondorf	Warlock Punch	Custom 1: Warlock Blade
		Custom 2: Warlock Thrust
Greninja	Water Shuriken	Custom 1: Stagnant Shuriken
		Custom 2: Shifting Shuriken
Ike	Eruption	Custom 1: Tempest
		Custom 2: Furious Eruption
Jigglypuff	Rollout	Custom 1: Relentless Rollout
		Custom 2: Raging Rollout
King Dedede	Inhale	Custom 1: Dedede Storm
		Custom 2: Taste Test
Kirby	Inhale	Custom 1: Ice Breath
		Custom 2: Jumping Inhale
Link	Hero's Bow	Custom 1: Power Bow
		Custom 2: Quickfire Bow
Little Mac	Straight Lunge	Custom 1: Flaming Straight Lunge
		Custom 2: Stunning Straight Lunge
Lucario	Aura Sphere	Custom 1: Snaring Aura Sphere
		Custom 2: Piercing Aura Sphere
Lucas	PK Freeze	N/A
Lucina	Shield Breaker	Custom 1: Storm Thrust
		Custom 2: Dashing Assault
Luigi	Fireball	Custom 1: Bouncing Fireball
		Custom 2: Iceball
Mario	Fireball	Custom 1: Fast Fireball
		Custom 2: Fire Orb
Marth	Shield Breaker	Custom 1: Storm Thrust
		Custom 2: Dashing Assault
Mega Man	Metal Blade	Custom 1: Hyper Bomb
		Custom 2: Shadow Blade
Meta Knight	Mach Tornado	Custom 1: Entangling Tornado
		Custom 2: Dreadful Tornado
Mewtwo	Shadow Ball	N/A
Mii Brawler	Shot Put	Custom 2: Ultimate Uppercut
		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: Blade Flurry
Mr. Game & Watch	Chef	Custom 1: XXL Chef
		Custom 2: Short-Order Chef
Ness	PK Flash	Custom 1: Rising PK Flash
		Custom 2: PK Freeze
Olimar	Pikmin Pluck	Custom 1: Hardy Pikmin Pluck
		Custom 2: Explosive Pluck
Pac-Man	Bonus Fruit	Custom 1: Freaky Fruit
		Custom 2: Lazy Fruit
Palutena	Autoreticle	Custom 1: Explosive Flame
		Custom 2: Heavenly Light
Peach	Toad	Custom 1: Sleepy Toad
		Custom 2: Grumpy Toad
Pikachu	Thunder Jolt	Custom 1: Thunder Wave
		Custom 2: Thunder Shock
Pit	Palutena Bow	Custom 1: Piercing Bow
		Custom 2: Guiding Bow
R.O.B.	Robo Beam	Custom 1: Wide-Angle Beam
		Custom 2: Infinite Robo Beam
Robin	Thunder	Custom 1: Thunder+
		Custom 2: Speed Thunder
Rosalina	Luma Shot	Custom 1: Luma Warp
		Custom 2: Power Luma Shot
Roy	Flare Blade	N/A
Ryu	Hadouken	N/A
Samus	Charge Shot	Custom 1: Dense Charge Shot
		Custom 2: Melee Charge Shot
Sheik	Needle Storm	Custom 1: Penetrating Needles
		Custom 2: Paralyzing Needle
Shulk	Monado Arts	Custom 1: Decisive Monado Arts
		Custom 2: Hyper Monado Arts
Sonic	Homing Attack	Custom 1: Stomp
		Custom 2: Surprise Attack
Toon Link	Hero's Bow	Custom 1: Fire Arrow
		Custom 2: Quickfire Bow
Villager	Pocket	Custom 1: Garden
		Custom 2: Pocket Plus
Wario	Chomp	Custom 1: Inhaling Chomp
		Custom 2: Garlic Breath
Wii Fit Trainer	Sun Salutation	Custom 1: Enriched Sun Salutation
		Custom 2: Sweeping Sun Salutation
Yoshi	Egg Lay	Custom 1: Lick
		Custom 2: Egg Launch
Zelda	Nayru's Love	Custom 1: Nayru's Rejection
		Custom 2: Nayru's Passion
Zero Suit Samus	Paralyzer	Custom 1: Blast Shot
		Custom 2: Electromagnetic Net