Up throw

Ness using his up throw against Zelda in Melee.

An up throw (上投げ, Up/above/upper throw; commonly abbreviated as u-throw or Uthrow, and referred to as ThrowHi internally) is a throw performed by tilting the control stick up after grabbing an opponent. They were introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee; in the original Super Smash Bros., there were only forward throws and back throws. In the transition to Melee, Kirby and Jigglypuff's previous forward throws became their up throws, and they instead received new forward throws.

Due to their predominantly vertical knockback and generally moderate ending lag, up throws tend to be useful for starting combos and chain grabs, especially in Melee. Some also deal high enough knockback to KO opponents reliably, with a notable example being Mewtwo's up throw. From Super Smash Bros. Brawl onward, the changes to vertical knockback and the addition of hitstun canceling have indirectly reduced their effectiveness; for a handful of characters, their up throw is their least useful throw, as it can neither start combos as effectively as their down throw (with some of them lacking any guaranteed followups), nor KO as reliably as their forward or back throw. However, some characters' up throws remain an important part of their kit, such as R.O.B.'s, Bowser's in Smash 4, and Diddy Kong's in Smash 4 and Ultimate.

List of up throws

Up throws with hitboxes consist of two or more hits on the grabbed opponent (the hitbox, then the throw), and can affect other opponents near the thrower. Additionally, some up throws may possess a collateral hitbox, which affects nearby opponents but not the victim of the throw.

Character	Description	Hitbox
Banjo & Kazooie	Banjo throws the opponent to Kazooie, who then stabs the oppoents with her peak upward.
Bayonetta	Launches the opponent with a crescent kick.
Bowser	Grinds the opponent above himself with the spikes on his shell.
Bowser Jr.	Heaves the opponent upward with the Koopa Clown Car's claw.
Byleth	Launches the opponent upwards with the Sword of the Creator.
Captain Falcon	Uppercuts the opponent.
Charizard	Headbutts the opponent above itself. Flies with the opponent to the top of the stage offscreen, then dives back down and slams them onto the ground.
Chrom	Heaves the opponent upward with one arm.
Cloud	Performs a 540 kick, hitting the opponent twice above himself before launching them.
Corrin	Turns into dragon form and raises on his hind legs to headbutt the opponent upward.
Daisy	Performs a jump set, a volleyball technique.
Dark Pit	Performs a handstand and kicks the opponent upward with both legs.
Dark Samus	Blasts the opponent above herself with electricity from her Arm Cannon.
Diddy Kong	Performs a handstand and kicks the opponent upward with one leg.
Donkey Kong	Heaves the opponent upward with one arm.
Dr. Mario	Heaves the opponent upward with both arms.
Duck Hunt	The dog kicks the opponent upward with its hind legs.
Falco	Tosses the opponent upward and fires three rapid shots from his Blaster. Tosses the opponent upward and fires one shot from his Blaster.
Fox	Tosses the opponent upward and fires three rapid shots from his Blaster.
Ganondorf	Uppercuts the opponent. Lifts the opponent above himself and strikes them with his free palm.
Greninja	Heaves the opponent upward with one arm.
Hero	Heaves the opponent upward with both arms.
Ice Climbers	Bashes the opponent above themselves with the tip of the hammer.
Ike	Plunges Ragnell on the ground and launches the opponent with a double axe handle swing.
Incineroar	Performs an Argentine backbreaker rack.
Inkling	Turns into squid form and headbutts the opponent upward.
Isabelle	Tosses the opponent upward with her net.
Ivysaur	Bounces the opponent upward with the bud on its back.
Jigglypuff	Spins once and tosses the opponent upward with one arm. In SSB, this was its forward throw.
Joker	Tosses the opponent upward with a flourish of his arm.
Ken	Kicks the opponent upward, then performs an axe kick with the raised leg.
King Dedede	Performs a jump set, a volleyball technique.
King K. Rool	Leaps high with the opponent, then falls back down and performs an Argentine backbreaker rack upon landing.
Kirby	Leaps with the opponent to the top of the stage offscreen, then falls back down and slams them onto the ground, creating an explosion. In SSB, this was his forward throw.	(collateral)
Link	Puts the opponent above himself and launches them with a crescent slash.
Little Mac	Uppercuts the opponent.
Lucario	Performs the pao choui, an uppercut-styled punch in Shaolin Kung Fu.
Lucas	Twirls the opponent above himself with PSI, then tosses them upward.
Lucina	Heaves the opponent upward with one arm.
Luigi	Heaves the opponent upward with both arms. Swings the opponent upward with the Poltergust G-00.	(collateral)
Mario	Heaves the opponent upward with both arms.
Marth	Heaves the opponent upward with one arm.
Mega Man	Heaves the opponent upward with the Super Arm.
Meta Knight	Flies with the opponent to the top of the stage offscreen, then dives back down and slams them onto the ground.	(collateral)
Mewtwo	Twirls the opponent around itself and up to the top of its head with its powers, then tosses them upward.
Mii Brawler	Launches the opponent with a palm strike.
Mii Gunner	Tosses the opponent upward and fires one shot from the arm cannon. Tosses the opponent upward and fires two shots from the arm cannon.
Mii Swordfighter	Puts the opponent above themselves and launches them with a crescent slash.
Mr. Game & Watch	Juggles the opponent as a ball from front to back, then tosses them upward.
Ness	Points his index finger upward and twirls the opponent above himself with PSI, then tosses them upward.
Olimar	The Pikmin grabbing the opponent leaps a set distance upward with them, then falls back down and slams them onto the ground. The Pikmin grabbing the opponent headbutt them above Olimar.
Pac-Man	Heaves the opponent upward with one arm.
Palutena	Telekinetically tosses the opponent upward.
Peach	Performs a jump set, a volleyball technique.
Pichu	Headbutts the opponent upward.
Pikachu	Headbutts the opponent upward.
Piranha Plant	Launches the opponent with a rising bite.	(collateral)
Pit	Performs a handstand and kicks the opponent upward with both legs.
R.O.B.	Rises a set distance upward with the opponent, then falls back down and slams them onto the ground.
Richter	Puts the opponent above himself and whips them with the Vampire Killer.
Ridley	Puts the opponent above himself and stabs them with his tail.
Robin	Tosses the opponent upward using magic.
Rosalina & Luma	Telekinetically tosses the opponent upward.
Roy	Heaves the opponent upward with one arm.
Ryu	Kicks the opponent upward, then performs an axe kick with the raised leg.
Samus	Twirls the opponent above herself with the Grapple Beam, hitting them multiple times, then tosses them upward. Blasts the opponent above herself with fire from her Arm Cannon.
Sheik	Performs a handstand and kicks the opponent upward with both legs.
Shulk	Puts the opponent above himself and stabs them with the Monado.
Simon	Puts the opponent above himself and whips them with the Vampire Killer.
Snake	Performs a suplex.
Sonic	Puts the opponent above himself and stabs them with his back quills.
Squirtle	Retreats into his shell and tackles the opponent upward. Headbutts the opponent upward.
Terry	Uppercuts the opponent.
Toon Link	Puts the opponent above himself and launches them with a crescent slash.
Villager	Tosses the opponent upward with his net.
Wario	Jumps and punches the opponent upward with both fists.
Wii Fit Trainer	Performs a jump set, a volleyball technique.
Wolf	Jumps and slashes the opponent upward from a horizontal somersault. Slashes the opponent upward.
Yoshi	Spits the opponent upward.
Young Link	Puts the opponent above himself and launches them with a crescent slash.
Zelda	Telekinetically tosses the opponent upward.
Zero Suit Samus	Launches the opponent with a backflip kick.

Notable up throws

• Fox, Falco, and Mii Gunner's up throws are the only ones to release projectiles, in the form of lasers that can be reflected and absorbed. Fox fires three lasers that cause no knockback, much like those of his neutral special; likewise, Falco in Melee and Brawl fires three lasers that cause weak knockback. In Smash 4 and Ultimate, Falco instead fires a single laser that deals much more knockback, and can be used to combo into aerial attacks at various percentages. Mii Gunner's up throw behaves similarly to Falco's, firing one laser in Smash 4 and two in Ultimate.
  • Fox's up throw in Melee is also notable for its immense combo potential, leading into an up aerial even at high percentages, which is prominently used as a KO setup. In latter games, however, it has completely lost this potential due to receiving more ending lag, as well as the changes to vertical knockback.
• Kirby and Meta Knight's up throws, as well as Charizard's from Smash 4 onward, involve quickly dragging the opponent to the top blast line offscreen, then crashing down towards the spot where the throw was initiated. This behavior results in particular side effects: the user can land on platforms above them (except Kirby in Melee) and execute the throw at a higher position, allowing them to KO the opponent earlier; additionally, if they take damage from another source while they are at the top blast line (such as from a Gooey Bomb stuck to them, or throwing Link holding a Bomb that automatically detonates), both characters can get KO'd off the top blast line mid-throw.
  • R.O.B. and King K. Rool's up throws likewise cause both the thrower and victim to leave the ground, and can be used to land on platforms above them, but they only rise a set distance upward instead of all the way to the blast line.
• Unlike other throws with hitboxes, Ryu and Ken's up throws produce their hitbox after the opponent is released; therefore, while it can affect both the victim and nearby opponents, it can never hit the former under normal circumstances. This hitbox also deals considerably more damage and knockback than the throw itself on the grabbed opponent.
• Mewtwo's up throw is the strongest in the series, especially in Melee, where it can KO characters of average falling speed under 100%. In Smash 4 and Ultimate, it can KO most characters under 150% without rage.
  • Charizard's up throw in Smash 4 and Ultimate deals more knockback than Mewtwo's, KOing most characters under 140% from ground level, although due to its angle of 70°, DI has a much stronger effect on it, causing Mewtwo's to still be stronger overall. Nevertheless, it remains one of the strongest up throws in both games.
  • In Brawl, with the absence of Mewtwo, the strongest up throw is instead Olimar's with purple Pikmin, KOing under 130%.
• Jigglypuff's up throw in Melee is used to perform the space animal slayer, a deadly low percent KO setup on Fox and Falco. In later games, it no longer possesses any guaranteed followups, except the Leaping Rest custom down special in Smash 4 if equipped.
• Marth and Roy's up throws in Melee are useful for chain grabbing and starting combos on fast fallers at various percents, while they are also among the strongest up throws in the game, KOing characters of average falling speed under 180% and 160% respectively without DI. In later games, they can no longer be used for combos or chain grabs, but retain their utility as emergency KO moves at very high percents, a trait that also carries over to Lucina and Chrom.
• Bowser's up throw in Smash 4 is a defining part of his playstyle, possessing very low ending lag compared to others (11 frames) that allows it to combo into aerial attacks at nearly any percentage, most notably a neutral aerial at low to mid percentages to rack up large amounts of damage, and an up aerial at high percentages as a KO setup. In Ultimate, its combo potential has been significantly reduced to the point it can only lead into a forward or up aerial at low percentages, but as a partial tradeoff, it deals much more damage by itself.
  • Diddy Kong's up throw in Smash 4 and Ultimate is similar, possessing deceptively low ending lag (9 frames) that gives it immense combo potential, although it deals less damage and only has KO setups if initiated on a high enough platform.
• Sonic's up throw in Smash 4 can easily combo into any of his aerials from mid to high percentages if followed up with a Spring Jump, which can also be used as a KO setup if initiated on a high platform. Aside from this, it can combo into an up aerial at low percentages. In Ultimate, however, its ending lag has been increased, which in combination with the faster knockback physics drastically worsens its Spring Jump-based followups.

Gallery of up throws in Brawl

• 

  Bowser

• 

  Captain Falcon

• 

  Charizard

• 

  Diddy Kong

• 

  Donkey Kong

• 

  Falco

• 

  Fox

• 

  Ganondorf

• 

  Giga Bowser

• 

  Ice Climbers (Popo)

• 

  Ike

• 

  Ivysaur

• 

  Jigglypuff

• 

  King Dedede

• 

  Kirby, part 1

• 

  Kirby, part 2

• 

  Link

• 

  Lucario

• 

  Lucas

• 

  Luigi

• 

  Mario

• 

  Marth

• 

  Meta Knight, part 1

• 

  Meta Knight, part 2

• 

  Mr. Game & Watch

• 

  Ness

• 

  Olimar, part 1

• 

  Olimar, part 2

• 

  Peach

• 

  Pikachu

• 

  Pit

• 

  R.O.B.

• 

  Samus

• 

  Sheik

• 

  Snake

• 

  Sonic

• 

  Squirtle

• 

  Toon Link

• 

  Wario

• 

  Wario-Man

• 

  Wolf

• 

  Yoshi

• 

  Zelda

• 

  Zero Suit Samus