Neutral attack

File:Neutral A.jpg

The first hit of Mario's neutral attack in Brawl.

A neutral attack, (officially standard attack, also known as a jab, neutral A, neutral combo or AAA), is an attack performed by pressing the A button while one's character is standing, and the control stick or Wiimote directional pad is in a neutral position. Jabs are typically fast, short-ranged, weak hits that are useful for starting combos, or breaking opponents' shields. Many jabs, such as Mario's, form natural "neutral" combos of two or three hits, the final hit usually inflicting the most damage and knockback, while others, such as Fox's, initiate rapid, continuous, multi-hit attacks that opponents must often DI out of.

The speed at which each hit in the sequence of a neutral combo is executed can be controlled through the timing of a player's button taps. In Melee and Brawl, neutral combos may be interrupted by crouching or shielding, in order to restart them, or to perform other moves quickly after canceling them.

In Super Smash Bros.

In the original Super Smash Bros, standard attacks consisting of consecutive hits, which form neutral combos, are executed by tapping A the appropriate number of times. Characters who possess a rapid jab are able to repeat it steadily and indefinitely if a player repeatedly taps A once the rapid jab is initiated.

Character	Neutral combo	Rapid jab
Captain Falcon	3 hits	launches after 3rd hit
Donkey Kong	2 hits
Fox	2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Jigglypuff	2 hits
Kirby	2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Link	3 hits	launches after 3rd hit
Luigi	3 hits
Mario	3 hits
Ness	3 hits
Pikachu	1 hit
Samus	2 hits
Yoshi	2 hits

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Similarly to the original Smash Bros, in Melee, standard attacks that form neutral combos are executed by tapping A the appropriate number of times, and characters who possess a rapid jab are able to repeat it steadily and indefinitely if a player repeatedly taps A once the rapid jab is initiated. Many CPUs use this attack often.

Character	Neutral combo	Rapid jab
Bowser	2 hits
Captain Falcon	3 hits	launches after 3rd hit
Doctor Mario	3 hits
Donkey Kong	2 hits
Falco	2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Fox	2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Ganondorf	1 hit
Ice Climbers	2 hits
Jigglypuff	2 hits
Kirby	2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Link	2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Luigi	3 hits
Mario	3 hits
Marth	2 hits
Mewtwo	1 hit	launches after 1st hit
Mr. Game & Watch	1 hit	launches on 1st hit
Ness	3 hits
Peach	2 hits
Pichu	1 hit	launches on 1st hit
Pikachu	1 hit	launches on 1st hit
Roy	2 hits
Samus	2 hits
Sheik	2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Yoshi	2 hits
Young Link	2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Zelda	1 hit

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Brawl, holding the A button has several uses when performing neutral attacks. Standard attacks consisting of consecutive hits that form neutral combos may be executed either by tapping A the appropriate number of times, or by holding A when one of the attacks connects with an opponent. Characters who possess a rapid jab are able to repeat it steadily and indefinitely if a player holds A once the rapid jab is initiated, however, tapping A repeatedly also works. Additionally, if A is held without attacking an opponent, some characters are able to repeat the first hit of their jab continuously until it does connect, after which their neutral combo will follow, a technique called consecutive jabbing. It should be noted that different characters' consecutive jabs repeat at different paces, with Fox and Snake possessing very fast consecutive jabs, and Ike and Sonic very slow ones.

Character	Consecutive jab	Neutral combo	Rapid jab
Bowser		2 hits
Captain Falcon		3 hits	launches after 3rd hit
Charizard		3 hits
Diddy Kong		3 hits	launches after 3rd hit
Donkey Kong		2 hits
Falco		2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Fox		2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Ganondorf		1 hit
Ice Climbers		2 hits
Ike		3 hits
Ivysaur		2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Jigglypuff		2 hits
King Dedede		2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Kirby		2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Link		3 hits
Lucario		3 hits
Lucas		3 hits
Luigi		3 hits
Mario		3 hits
Marth		2 hits
Meta Knight*			launches immediately
Mr. Game & Watch	-	1 hit	launches on 1st hit
Ness		3 hits
Olimar		2 hits
Peach		2 hits
Pikachu	-	1 hit	launches on 1st hit
Pit**		2 or 3 hits	can launch after 2nd hit
R.O.B		2 hits
Samus		2 hits
Sheik		2 hits	launches after 2nd hit
Snake		3 hits
Sonic		3 hits
Squirtle		3 hits
Toon Link		3 hits
Wario		2 hits
Wolf		3 hits
Yoshi		2 hits
Zelda		1 hit
Zero Suit Samus		3 hits

*Meta Knight's neutral attack is unique, as it is the only jab that functions as a rapid attack, but cannot function as a single hit attack. When A is pressed, a rapid attack is immediately launched and may be continued indefinitely. However, even if A is not held, Meta Knight will slash several times before the move ends.

**Pit's neutral attack can function as either a three hit combo, or a two hit combo that launches into a rapid attack, depending on the player's input. If A is held during the second hit, Pit performs the three hit combo, but if A is pressed three times, the rapid attack initiates and continues for as long as A is held afterwards. Pit is the only character who possesses two different types of jabs.

See also

• Jab cancel
• Jab lock