Helpless

A frame from Mario's helpless animation in Super Smash Bros.

Helpless (also known as freefall, special fall and various other names, and called "fallspecial" in game data) is a state in which characters are unable to take any action, with the exception of grabbing a ledge, manoeuvring left/right, fastfalling, or climbing a ladder, until they land on the ground or pass a blast line. Helplessness is typically associated with just having used one's recovery move(s), namely the up special, though some other special moves that provide additional movement also incur this state. Before Ultimate, many special moves involving controllable projectiles (such as Ness's PK Flash and Zelda's Din's Fire) caused helplessness as well.

Some special moves are programmed to transition to helplessness early upon contact with a platform. In the case of soft platforms, holding down to drop through them will result in the player becoming helpless before the move is usually over, though it can also be seen if the user breaks the platform it landed on with the landing potion of the attack (where applicable), or if blown off the platform with a move that deals no hitstun.

Helplessness most commonly ends upon landing on the ground or being KO'd, although it also ends if characters flinch, allowing them to attack or re-use their triple jump. A helpless character is denoted by both a flickering black overlay and a distinct falling animation.

A state similar to helplessness exists in falling after having one's shield broken and then being stunned.

Curiously, the helpless state gives characters an extra ability in Super Smash Bros.: the ability to fall through soft platforms without landing on them. Starting in Melee, this can be done at any time (not just when a character is helpless).

Moves that invoke helplessness

Character	Move	Type	Games	Notes
Sora	Aerial Sweep	Up Special		Sora can input Sonic Blade at the apex of the move for an additional boost to his recovery.
Ike	Aether	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until Ike lands on the ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Ike has landed on disappears or something causes him to slide off while he is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), he will become helpless.
Pichu	Agility	Up Special
All	Air dodge			Melee only.
Shulk	Air Slash	Up Special
Mii Swordfighter	Airborne Assault	Side Special		In Ultimate, a half-second window is granted after the move's usage to execute other actions before the helplessness is inflicted.
Mii Gunner	Arm Rocket	Up Special
Villager, Isabelle	Balloon Trip	Up Special		Can happen sooner if balloons are popped by opponents. Villager's helpless animation is based on that of the "defeated" animation from Balloon Fight.
Ice Climbers	Belay	Up Special
Sephiroth	Blade Dash / Octaslash	Up Special
Roy	Blazer	Up Special
Zero Suit Samus	Boost Kick	Up Special
Sheik	Burst Grenade	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Mii Gunner	Cannon Uppercut (SSB4)/Cannon Jump Kick (SSBU)	Up Special		Functionally identical to one another, with only the animations being any different.
Cloud	Climhazzard	Up Special		If the follow-up attack is executed, Cloud will fall rapidly; normally, he will plummet until he either hits solid ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Cloud has landed on disappears or something causes him to slide off while he is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), he will become helpless. Additionally, in exceptionally tall stages (such as a custom stage or Smash Run), Cloud enters helplessness after one full second.
Wario	Corkscrew	Up Special
Incineroar	Cross Chop	Up Special		Incineroar will only enter helplessness if it fails to hit solid ground again upon rebounding after using the move.
Daisy	Daisy Parasol	Up Special		Daisy only enters helplessness if she decides to fastfall (which retracts the parasol) after using the move — she can also end the helplessness and resume parachuting by pressing up (re-opening it). Additionally, Daisy will automatically enter helplessness after eight full seconds of floating.
Ganondorf	Dark Dive	Up Special		If the move's grab connects with an opponent, Ganondorf does not become helpless and can use the move again.
Meta Knight	Dimensional Cape	Down Special
Zelda	Din's Fire	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Marth, Lucina	Dolphin Slash	Up Special
Corrin	Dragon Ascent	Up Special
Meta Knight	Drill Rush	Side Special
Duck Hunt	Duck Jump	Up Special		In Ultimate, the duo can cancel the move into an attack or an air dodge, after which they will still become helpless.
Yoshi	Egg Roll	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in SSB4 and Ultimate.
Steve	Elytra	Up Special		In addition to normal helplessness when the move ends, Steve can also cause his glide to stall if he climbs too far.
Lucario	Extreme Speed	Up Special		If Lucario hits a wall during the move, it will wall cling instead of becoming helpless. However, it cannot use the move again.
Falco	Falco Phantasm	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in SSB4 or Ultimate.
Captain Falcon	Falcon Dive	Up Special		Like Dark Dive, if the move connects with an opponent, Captain Falcon does not become helpless and can use the move again.
Zelda	Farore's Wind	Up Special
Kirby	Final Cutter	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until Kirby lands on the ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Kirby has landed on disappears or something causes him to slide off while he is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), he will become helpless.
Mr. Game & Watch	Fire	Up Special		Only causes helplessness in Melee.
Falco	Fire Bird	Up Special
Fox	Fire Fox	Up Special
Wolf	Fire Wolf	Up Special
Ganondorf	Flame Choke	Side Special		If the move connects with an opponent, Ganondorf does not become helpless, although he (and his victim) will fall until he hits the ground or bypasses the lower blast line. If the opponent mashes out of the move before hitting the ground, Ganondorf does not become helpless.
Charizard	Fly	Up Special
Fox	Fox Illusion	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in SSB4 or Ultimate.
Ganondorf	Gerudo Dragon	Side Special		Melee only.
Donkey Kong	Giant Punch	Neutral Special		Does not cause helplessness in SSB or Ultimate.
Meta Knight, Charizard, Pit	Gliding			If the user has used all their double jumps, they are put into helplessness once the glide ends (either by stalling or by attacking). Brawl only.
Samus	Grapple Beam	Grab aerial		Melee only.
Mii Brawler	Headache Maker	Side Special
Wii Fit Trainer	Header	Side Special		Only causes helplessness if the user airdodges during the move.
Mii Brawler	Helicopter Kick	Up Special
Mii Swordfighter	Hero's Spin	Up Special
Link, Young Link	Hookshot	Grab aerial		Melee only.
Greninja	Hydro Pump	Up Special
Little Mac	Jolt Haymaker	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Palutena	Jump Glide	Up Special		Attacking while under the move's effect cancels the glide and triggers helplessness.
Rosalina & Luma	Launch Star	Up Special
Villager	Lloid Rocket	Side Special		Villager only enters helplessness if he rides then jumps off of the Lloid Rocket, does not hit an opponent during the ride, or if Lloid is destroyed. Based on defeated animation of Balloon Fighter.
Mii Gunner	Lunar Launch	Up Special
Meta Knight	Mach Tornado	Neutral Special
Robin	Nosferatu	Down Special		Robin only enters helplessness after Nosferatu finishes dealing damage to an opponent in mid-air or over a temporary platform that is no longer active.
Mii Brawler	Onslaught	Side Special
Pac-Man All	Pac-Jump	Up Special		All jumps trigger helplessness for Pac-Man. When the trampoline is red, both Pac-Man or any other character who lands on it will instantaneously enter helplessness.
Peach	Peach Parasol	Up Special		Peach only enters helplessness if she decides to fastfall (which retracts the parasol) after using the move — she can also end the helplessness and resume parachuting by pressing up (re-opening it). However, if Peach is under the effects of items that make her shrink or grow while she fastfalls, she will become helpless, as her parasol disappears once she's back to normal. In SSB4 and Ultimate, Peach will automatically enter helplessness after eight full seconds of floating. The Parasol item allows any character to do this in Melee.
Mythra	Photon Edge	Side Special
Olimar	Pikmin Chain	Up Special		Normally, Pikmin Chain makes Olimar helpless after the move is used in the air. However, if he uses grounded Pikmin Chain and the platform he's standing on disappears (such as falling off a conveyor belt), or he uses ground Pikmin Chain while the stage is rotating, he will become helpless. Brawl only.
Piranha Plant	Piranhacopter	Up Special
Mii Brawler	Piston Punch	Up Special		Only available in SSB4.
Ness	PK Flash	Neutral Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Lucas, Ness	PK Freeze	Neutral Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate. Ness's variant is accessible via SSB4 customs only.
Lucas, Ness	PK Thunder	Up Special
Pit, Dark Pit	Power of Flight	Up Special
Pyra	Prominence Revolt	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until Pyra lands on the ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Pyra has landed on disappears or something causes her to slide off while she is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), she will become helpless.
King K. Rool	Propellerpack	Up Special		Normally, when King K. Rool uses the move, he will enter a slow fluttering state when it ends. However, if he fastfalls during this state, he will enter the helpless animation. While K. Rool is not technically considered helpless during the fluttering state, he cannot perform any action during it.
Pikachu	Quick Attack	Up Special
Ike	Quick Draw	Side Special		In SSB4 and Ultimate, a half-second window is granted after the move's usage to execute Aether. Otherwise, Ike will be sent into a helpless state.
Captain Falcon	Raptor Boost	Side Special		In Ultimate, hitting an opponent with this move won't cause helplessness and Falcon can use the move again.
Mythra	Ray of Punishment / Chroma Dust	Up Special
Terry	Rising Tackle	Up Special
Little Mac	Rising Uppercut	Up Special
Palutena	Rocket Jump	Up Special
Diddy Kong	Rocketbarrel Boost	Up Special
Diddy Kong	Rocketbarrel Barrage	Final Smash		Does not cause helplessness in SSB4.
Jigglypuff	Rollout	Neutral Special	(contact )	Only causes helplessness in Melee, as in the later games, Jigglypuff will keep rolling and won't be able to move if it hits while mid-air (making it literally helpless until it lands or takes knockback).
Samus, Dark Samus	Screw Attack	Up Special
All	Screw Attack (item)	Item		When this item is thrown at opponents (Melee only), they will involuntarily execute a Screw Attack and thus become helpless.
Ryu	Shin Shoryuken	Final Smash		Ryu becomes helpless after he executes the final attack, whether it connects or not.
Meta Knight	Shuttle Loop	Up Special		In Brawl, while the initial execution of the move does not make Meta Knight helpless, he does become helpless if the glide ends. In SSB4 and Ultimate, gliding does not exist and Meta Knight is made helpless after the move concludes.
Ryu, Ken	Shoryuken	Up Special		The helpless animation starts after Ryu/Ken falls below his starting point. Before that, Shoryuken is unique in that it allows none of the usual maneuvering after executing it (making Ryu/Ken literally helpless).
Mii Swordfighter	Skyward Slash Dash	Up Special
Mii Brawler	Soaring Axe Kick	Up special		Normally, the move does not end until the Mii Brawler lands on the ground, grabs the edge of the stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform that the Mii Brawler has landed on disappears or something causes them to slide off while they are in the landing animation (Such as falling off the conveyor belt) they will became Helpless. In Ultimate, helplessness is only inflicted if the downward attack is not executed. If downward attack is executed and they fall during the endlag they will become helpless.
Chrom	Soaring Slash	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until Chrom lands on the ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Chrom has landed on disappears or something causes him to slide off while he is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), he will become helpless.
Sora	Sonic Blade	Side Special
Link, Young Link, Toon Link	Spin Attack	Up Special		Normally, Spin Attack makes Link, Young Link, or Toon Link helpless after the move was used if in the air. However, if he stands on a platform while using a grounded Spin Attack and the platform disappears (such as falling off a conveyor belt), or he used grounded Spin Attack while the stage is rotating, he will become helpless.
Donkey Kong	Spinning Kong	Up Special
Ice Climbers	Squall Hammer	Side Special
Mii Gunner	Stealth Burst	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Mii Swordfighter	Stone Scabbard	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until Mii Swordfighter lands on the ground or grabs the edge of a stage. However, if the platform Mii Swordfighter has landed on disappears or something causes them to slide off while they are still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), they will become helpless.
King Dedede	Super Dedede Jump	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until King Dedede lands on the ground. However, if the platform King Dedede has landed on disappears while he is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), he hits a ceiling while using the move, or the move is cancelled by the user, he will become helpless.
Wii Fit Trainer	Super Hoop	Up Special
Inkling	Super Jump	Up Special		Despite lacking the flashing effect helplessness normally leaves on a character after using a specific action that causes it, Inkling cannot perform any other moves until she lands or grabs a ledge. There is a hitbox upon landing from this animation.
Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario	Super Jump Punch	Up Special		Their helpless animations are based on the Mario Bros.' death sprite in games such as Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 (in Luigi's case, this applies only in SSB and Melee).
Mii Brawler	Suplex	Side special		Only available in Ultimate.
Mewtwo	Teleport	Up Special
Mii Brawler	Thrust Uppercut	Up special		Only available in Ultimate. Replaces Piston Punch from SSB4.
Mii Brawler	Ultimate Uppercut	Neutral Special		Only available in SSB4.
Simon, Richter	Uppercut	Up Special
Sheik	Vanish	Up Special
Ivysaur	Vine Whip	Up Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Shulk	Vision	Down Special		Shulk will only become helpless if he uses the reverse-inputted variant of the attack, and if the platform he’s on disappears before the animation is finished. However, Shulk is granted a brief window of time to execute any other action before the helplessness is inflicted.
Palutena	Warp	Up Special
Squirtle	Waterfall	Up Special
Bowser	Whirling Fortress	Up Special
Ridley	Wing Blitz	Up Special
Olimar	Winged Pikmin	Up Special
Pit	Wings of Icarus	Up Special		Pit can also avoid becoming helpless by using an aerial attack when using this move. Brawl only.
Joker	Wings of Rebellion	Up Special		Can only access this move if Arsene is summoned via Joker's Rebellion Gauge.
Wolf	Wolf Flash	Side Special
Hero	Woosh / Swoosh / Kaswoosh	Up Special		All three stages of this move cause helplessness.

Landfallspecial and "superdashtechnique"

As a unique animation is used for falling while helpless, characters enter a different animation than usual once they land on the ground. This is called "landfallspecial" internally in Melee. Because air dodging enters this state and wavelanding involves air dodging into the ground, when wavedashing is performed, Melee's debug menu shows "landfallspecial" as the character state. This originally led some players to believe that the "landfallspecial" designation was specifically designed for wavedashing and that developers intentionally put wavedashing in the game, further fueling the various debates over wavedashing's legitimacy. At one point, the myth morphed to where, instead of just "landfallspecial", there was purportedly another debug mode designation — cited as "superdashtechnique", "superdashattack", or other supposed variants — created solely for the wavedashing animation. All incarnations of this story have been proven false, and should not be themselves taken as evidence that wavedashing was intentionally put or left in Melee.

Freefall Carryover Drift

In Ultimate, if a fighter uses a special move which will put them into freefall, but they land before entering freefall, they may enter a glitched state if the special move's ending lag doesn't transfer from an airborne to a grounded state. Upon entering this state, the next time the character enters the air, they will initially adopt their normal air speed, but after a few frames will revert to the air speed they would have when entering freefall from the special move used, which is usually lower than their normal fall speed. This will persist until they double jump, grab a ledge or land on the ground again.

Gallery

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  Fox's helpless animation in Melee.

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  Fox's helpless animation in Brawl.

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  Fox's helpless animation in Super Smash Bros. 4.

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  Fox's helpless animation in Ultimate.

Trivia

• The moves Fire, Robo Burner, Spring Jump, and Cypher do not cause helplessness in Brawl, although they do restrict the user's choice of moves until they land - Mr. Game & Watch and Snake simply cannot use the recovery move again, while Sonic cannot use any special moves and R.O.B. cannot air dodge. Through a programming oversight, this condition prevents them from using their recovery move again if grabbed and released without pummeling before touching the ground (except for R.O.B.).
• If Kirby copies a move that causes helplessness, he will be affected just as the original character would be. These moves are Giant Punch (Melee through Smash 4), Mach Tornado, PK Flash (until Ultimate), PK Freeze (until Ultimate), and Rollout (only Melee).
• In all games except Melee, some characters are unable to become helpless through their own moveset. These include Yoshi, Jigglypuff, Mr. Game & Watch, Snake, Ivysaur (in Ultimate), Sonic, R.O.B., Mega Man, Bowser Jr., Bayonetta, Banjo & Kazooie, Byleth, Min Min, Pyra and Kazuya.
  • R.O.B. is not programmed to have a helpless state in Brawl, and attempting to see it via hacking causes the game to crash. All other characters in the game have a helpless state, even if they cannot enter it without hacking.
  • Moves like Final Cutter, Stone Scabbard and Prominence Revolt do put their respective characters into a helpless state, but only when landing on the ground, making this mechanic unnoticable in normal gameplay. If the character is somehow pushed off the stage before exiting landing lag, they will retain their helpless state and fall to their deaths.
  • Smash 4 and Ultimate introduced Pac-Man's Pac-Jump, which automatically triggers the helpless state to characters that touch the red trampoline. This is the only way to see the helpless animations of the aforementioned characters in normal gameplay.
  • Jigglypuff's Rollout puts Jigglypuff in a similar state where they are unable to perform any actions but drift. This is not technically helpless.
• In Brawl, since Jigglypuff's and Mr. Game & Watch's air dodge animations carry over from Melee, pausing just before the animation ends allows the player to see their helpless state.
  • Additionally, whenever Link, Samus, and Toon Link perform a grab aerial, it's possible to see their helpless animations by pausing just before the end of the animations.
• Meta Knight is the only character whose entire set of special moves leaves him helpless.
  • Meta Knight is also the only character with two different helpless animations; one with his wings, and one without.
• Donkey Kong is the only character to have a move not result in a helpless state in the first game (being Smash 64), then having it result in a helpless state for the next games (from Melee to Super Smash Bros. 4), then reverting back to not resulting in such (being Ultimate). In this case, Giant Punch.
• The unique animation caused by landing while helpless is the cause of the landing lag glitch.
• Melee is the only Smash game in which all characters can become helpless through their own moveset.
• Kirby's helpless pose in each game is the same pose he makes when falling in his home series. Unlike his own games, Kirby only does this pose in Smash Bros. when using a move that causes helplessness, not by falling normally.
• Every game in the series except Smash 64 and Brawl has a method in which a character can become helpless as a result of someone else:
  • Melee has the Screw Attack, which can be thrown at someone to make them perform a move similar to Samus's Screw Attack, leaving them helpless after it.
  • Smash 4 and Ultimate have Pac-Man's trampoline, which will make a character helpless if they bounce on it while it is red.