Dash attack

Fox's dash attack in Super Smash Bros. 4

Dash attack is an attack performed by pressing the attack button while dashing. Most dash attacks come out quickly, but have noticeable ending lag and are predictable, making them very easy to punish (particularly using a shield grab). Dash attacks typically use the momentum behind the dash to pull off some sort of attack, like a sliding kick. In Brawl and Smash 4, another less common way to perform dash attacks is to tilt the C-Stick down (with it set to either Smash or Attack) after initiating the dash; this can be more useful as it allows the player to instantly use a dash attack during the first frames after tapping the Control Stick to dash, without accidentally performing a forward smash.

In Brawl, certain dash attacks can be interrupted by performing an up smash, which is known as a dash attack canceled up smash (abbreviated as DACUS). While this is often used to increase the distance of up smashes without actually hitting with the dash attack, some characters such as Falco have fast enough dash attacks that can hit the opponent before being canceled into the up smash; connecting with both is known as a Gatling Combo. A dash attack can also be grab canceled, leading into a boost grab.

Skilled players generally avoid using the majority of dash attacks by themselves to approach (with the exception of a few of the more useful ones that can also be used in combos), as they are usually predictable and can be easily punished, as mentioned above. However, many players use dash attacks to perform cross-ups, which place the user behind their opponent, putting them in a less vulnerable position. The DACUS is also a good approach option, because it sends the user a further distance and leaves them in a less vulnerable position to be punished.

Dash attacks in Super Smash Bros.

Character	Description	Damage
Captain Falcon	Does a shoulder tackle.	12%
Donkey Kong	Lifts up foot and slides on his other foot, has considerable ending lag.	12%
Fox	Leaps a bit off the ground and slides forward, sticking foot out. Very fast and has low ending lag.	10%
Jigglypuff	Trips and slides into opponents.	10%
Kirby	Does a slide tackle.	10%
Link	Sticks his sword straight out and stops, good range and speed.	16%
Luigi	Swings his arms in a flurry of "sissy-fight"-like punches.	Six hits, 2% each
Mario	Does a slide tackle like in Super Mario 64.	12%
Ness	Puts both hands in front of him, low ending lag.	10%
Pikachu	Does a running headbutt, has considerable ending lag. Commonly considered Pikachu's second worst attack.	12%
Samus	Shoulder tackles foe similar to her Shinespark in Super Metroid.	12%
Yoshi	Rams forward with his head.	12%

Dash attacks in Super Smash Bros. Melee

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Charges forward, bad starting and ending lag.	11%
Captain Falcon	Does a shoulder tackle.	10%
Dr. Mario	Same as Mario's, but has slightly more range.	9%
Donkey Kong	Kicks in front, has considerable ending lag.	11%
Falco	Same as Fox.	9%
Fox	Runs forward and sticks foot out.	7%
Ganondorf	Does a shoulder tackle.	14%
Ice Climbers	Leaps and swings hammers forward.	17% if both climbers hit
Jigglypuff	Trips and falls head first.	12%
Kirby	Runs forward on fire. Kirby's movement will not stop if he reaches the edge of a ledge while during the dash, a property unique to this dash attack.	8%
Link	Brings sword down in front of him.	12%
Luigi	Dashes forward and attacks with a flurry of punches.	Five hits, 2% each
Mario	Does a slide tackle like in Super Mario 64.	9%
Marth	Does a quick upward diagonal slash.	10% base, 13% tip
Mewtwo	Holds out arms while sliding, inflicting damage with shadow energy.	9%
Mr. Game & Watch	Puts on a footbal helmet and charges forward.	9%
Ness	Uses PK Brainshock, which releases 3 bubbles of PSI.	12%
Peach	Lunges forward and splits her hands apart, low ending lag.	12%
Pichu	Sticks its head out and trips mid-dash.	8%
Pikachu	Jumps forward, headbutting.	8%
Roy	Slashes in front of him.	12%
Samus	Does a shoulder tackle.	13%
Sheik	Spreads her arms apart and stops running, good range and speed.	10%
Yoshi	Rams forward with head.	8%
Young Link	Slashes in front of him and slows down, high knockback.	10%
Zelda	Shoves her hands in front, with magic sparks coming out of them.	13%

If either of the Shield Buttons are pressed repeatedly right after attempting a dash attack, the attack will be cancelled and turned into a dash Grab.

Dash attacks in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Charges forward and falls onto his stomach. Good range and knockback, but has considerable ending lag.	11% (clean), 8% (late)
Captain Falcon	Rams his shoulder into the opponent. Quick, but extremely unsafe on shields due to lack of shieldstun and high ending lag.	8% (clean), 6% (late)
Charizard	Slides forwards and raises one leg for a sliding kick. Has considerable ending lag.	11% (clean), 9% (late)
Diddy Kong	Does a cartwheel from the Donkey Kong Country series. The first hit of the move spikes opponents, making it easier to land all three hits.	3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3)
Donkey Kong	Skids to a halt while doing a side-kick. Has considerable ending lag.	11% (clean), 9% (late)
Falco	Similar to Fox's dash attack but deals more damage.	9% (clean), 6% (late)
Fox	Jumps slightly off the ground and performs a running kick. Has good comboing potential.	7% (clean), 5% (late)
Ganondorf	Shoulder-charges at the opponent. Can KO at high percentages, surprisingly fast, and sends the foe skyward. Second strongest dash attack in the game.	15% (clean), 10% (late)
Ice Climbers	Leaps forward and swings their hammers in front of themselves.	6% (leader), 4% (partner)
Ike	Swings Ragnell upward after charging forward. Launches opponents upward if they hit Ike. Great range.	7% (blade), 8% (tip)
Ivysaur	Slides along the ground, headbutting foes. Good power, can KO around 100% on lighter characters.	12% (clean), 10% (late)
Jigglypuff	Jumps forward and does a quick headbutt. Can be used for dash attack canceling to compensate Jigglypuff´s slow ground mobility.	12% (clean), 8% (late)
King Dedede	Trips and face-plants forward. A powerful dash attack, capable of KOing most fighters at low percentages. Strongest dash attack in the game.	16% (head), 14% (body)
Kirby	Does a breakdancing spin on his head similar to his Yoyo kick from Kirby Super Star. Hits multiple times.	2% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6)
Link	Does a downward strike with his sword while running to a stop. Can be dash attack canceled.	12% (blade), 10% (tip), 11% (arm & body)
Lucario	Does a running jump kick. Aura is not involved in this attack.	10% (clean), 7% (late)
Lucas	Lunges forward, sending forth a burst of PSI energy. Deals more damage closer to Lucas. Has considerable starting and ending lag.	12% (sweetspot), 10% (sourspot)
Luigi	Swings his arms in a flurry of "sissy-fight"-like punches. Multiple hits, with the last hit having better knockback than the previous hits.	1% (hits 1-6), 2% (hit 7)
Mario	Does a sliding kick from Super Mario 64, sending foes diagonally upwards. Has a rather long duration.	9% (clean), 7% (late)
Marth	A quick upward sweeping diagonal slash. Decent range, but has some startup.	9% (body), 10% (blade), 12% (tip)
Meta Knight	Does a forward thrust kick while braking into a stop. Only non-throw move of Meta Knight's that doesn't require Galaxia. Deals more damage if the foe hits his body.	6-8%
Mr. Game & Watch	Slides his head along the ground while wearing a helmet. Has high ending lag, but the hitbox lasts a long duration, having sex kick properties. Originates from Helmet.	11%
Ness	Sends three PSI sparks out in front of himself, with the third spark knocking the opponent up into the air. If all hits connect, it can be followed up by an aerial attack.	5% (hit 1), 4% (hits 2-3)
Olimar	Does a forward cartwheel. Has vertical knockback.	7% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2)
Peach	Strikes with both arms extended forward, then quickly spreads her arms out. Deals two hits.	4% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2)
Pikachu	Does a running headbutt. Good knockback but has considerable ending lag.	7%
Pit	Steps forward and slashes one of his blades horizontally in front of himself. Deals below average knockback.	11% (body), 12% (arm), 9% (blade)
R.O.B.	Thrusts both his arms forward. Launches opponents diagonally upwards.	6% (arms), 5% (arms tip)
Samus	Dashes using her jet boosters and hits the opponent with her left shoulder. Deals horizontal knockback.	10% (clean), 6% (late)
Sheik	Dashes forward and swings both her arms apart. Good range and speed, can be used for dash attack canceling.	7% (clean), 5% (late)
Snake	Does a somersault forward. Great knockback and moves Snake a great distance forward. Can be dash attack canceled.	11%/9% (clean), 8%/6% (late)
Sonic	Curls into a ball to rush at any opponent in front of him. Very quick startup but has some endlag.	6% (clean), 4% (late)
Squirtle	Turns around while jumping, hitting opponents with the back of its shell. Knocks opponents behind Squirtle if hitbox connects.	9% (clean), 7% (late)
Toon Link	Slashes directly in front of himself while running forward. Deals diagonal knockback.	10% (blade), 8% (tip)
Wario	Trips and falls flat on his face, sliding a small distance forward. Very fast startup but has considerable ending lag. Can be dash attack canceled.	7% (clean), 5% (late)
Wolf	Does a back-flip, kicking forward. Only dash move that doesn't utilize forward momentum. The trajectory of the opponent depends upon the part of Wolf's body they collide with.	9%
Yoshi	Rams forward with head. Good range, speed and knockback.	9% (clean), 7% (late)
Zelda	Pushes forward with magical sparks tipping on her hands. Any foes caught in the sweetspot of the move will electrocuted and knocked upwards.	Clean: 12% (body), 9% (hands) Late: 8% (body), 7% (hands)
Zero Suit Samus	Does a sliding kick forward with her leg extended. Can lock if buffered right.	7% (clean), 5% (late)

Stalled dash attack

A stalled dash attack is essentially a dash attack that is performed at the last possible frame of the characters' running animation, similar to dash dancing in Melee. The character will perform their dash attack while they appear to stand still instead of their basic neutral attack. This is most notable when used by Snake, Luigi, and Donkey Kong.

Dash attacks in Super Smash Bros. 4

Most dash attacks in SSB4 have high base knockback, but low knockback scaling. As such, most are useful for throwing the opponent off, but are ineffective KO tools for anything other than Sudden Death, Horde Battles in Special Orders, or other lightweight scenarios. Exceptions are listed below.

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Does a running dropkick. The move now has less lag, making it more versatile.	10% (clean), 8% (late)
Bowser Jr.	The Junior Clown Car slashes multiple times forward with a grinder. Harder for all hits to connect at higher percentages.	1.5% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6)
Captain Falcon	Crashes into his opponent with his right shoulder forward.	10% (clean), 6% (late)
Cloud	Slashes his opponent with an outward slash right his right arm, resembling bunting.	11% (clean), 8% (late)
Corrin	Leaps at their opponent and thrusts their sword while airborne, drilling into them multiple times.	Unknown
Charizard	Slides forwards and raises one leg for a sliding kick.	11% (clean), 8% (late)
Dark Pit	Identical to Pit's.	11%
Diddy Kong	Does a cartwheel from the Donkey Kong Country series, and ends it with a ground-slap with both hands. Only the last hit deals knockback.	2% (hits 1-2), 3% (rhit 3)
Donkey Kong	Performs his trademark roll attack from Donkey Kong Country. Deals less damage towards the end.	10% (clean), 8% (late)
Dr. Mario	Identical to Mario's, except it always sends foes straight up.	8.96% (clean), 6.72% (late)
Duck Hunt	The dog slides forward, with the duck attacking by thrusting its beak.	10% (clean), 7% (late)
Falco	Similar to Fox's, but is slightly slower and more damaging.	9% (clean), 6% (late)
Fox	Jumps slightly off the ground and performs a running kick.	6% (clean), 4% (late)
Ganondorf	Shoulder-charges at the opponent. Similar to Captain Falcon's, but much more damaging. Good KO move at high percentages.	14% (clean), 10% (late)
Greninja	Does a running spin-kick with one leg.	7%
Ike	Swings Ragnell upward after charging forward. Decent KO potential at high percentages.	14% (clean tip), 11% (clean blade), 9% (late)
Jigglypuff	Jumps forward and does a quick headbutt. Decent knockback.	12% (clean), 8% (late)
King Dedede	Trips and falls face-first into his opponent, akin to his move in early Kirby games. Slow start-up, but great knockback, capable of KOing at moderately low percentages if hit clean. Most powerful dash attack in the game.	16% (clean), 13% (late)
Kirby	Does a spinning handstand, hitting with his feet extended, akin to the Yo-Yo dash move in Kirby Super Star. Only the last hit deals knockback.	1% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6)
Link	Link performs a leaping downward slash (his "Jump Attack" from Ocarina of Time). Deals horizontal knockback when tipped and vertical knockback when hit close, and will KO at early damages.	12% (base), 14% (tip)
Little Mac	Slams his left fist swiftly into the ground in an arc. Fast with good KO potential at an edge, although notorious for being one of the most punishable dash attacks against a shield due to skilled opponents being able to gimp Little Mac with aerials after a shield grab.	10%
Lucario	Does a running jump kick. Damage and knockback scale up as Lucario takes damage, making it a good KO move if both players are heavily injured.	8% (clean), 6% (late)
Lucas	Charges forward and releases a PSI hexagon from his hand. Has a sourspot on his arm.	13% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)
Lucina	Similar to Marth's, but damage is even throughout.	9.975%
Luigi	Runs forward, flailing his arms over his head repeatedly, "sissy fight" style. Only the last hit deals knockback.	1% (hits 1-6), 2% (hit 7)
Mario	Does a sliding kick from Super Mario 64, sending foes diagonally upward. Has a rather long duration. If it hits late, the opponent is sent backwards.	8% (clean), 6% (late)
Marth	A quick upward sweeping diagonal slash.	9% (body), 10% (blade), 12% (tip)
Mega Man	Top Spin: Spins while moving forward, dealing multiple hits. Based on Top Man's weapon from Mega Man 3.	1% (hits 1-7), 3% (hit 8)
Meta Knight	Does a swift flying kick, then lands on his feet. Possesses a disjointed hitbox, making it quite a safe approach option and combo starter. Deals vertical knockback.	6% (body), 5% (foot)
Mewtwo	Extends its arm and summons dark energy while sliding. Good knockback.	Clean: 10% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot) Late: 6% (sweetspot), 4% (sourspot)
Mii Brawler	Jumps and does a running kick forward.	11% (clean), 6% (late)*
Mii Gunner	After a slight pause, performs a swinging punch with the arm cannon, blasting the enemy with flames. Good knockback.	10%*
Mii Swordfighter	Lunges forward and stabs horizontally with their sword.	10% (clean), 6% (late)*
Mr. Game & Watch	Slides his head along the ground while wearing a helmet. Has high ending lag, but the hitbox lasts a long duration, having sex kick properties. Originates from Helmet.	10% (clean), 6.5% (late)
Ness	Ness skids to a stop as he sends out three small bursts of PK energy ahead of him, all of which hit if Ness does this attack close enough. The first burst launches airborne opponents upwards.	3-4% (hit 1 grounded), 7% (hit 1 aerial), 2% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3)
Olimar	Does a quick cartwheel forward.	7% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2)
Pac-Man	Transforms into his retro form and chomps at his opponent three times, while covering decent ground with little to no startup or endlag. The last hit deals stronger knockback than the first two hits, that deals weaker knockback.	2% (hits 1-2), 5% (hit 3)
Palutena	Bashes the enemy with her shield. The shield can block attacks due to the Palutena having some intangibility frames.	9% (clean), 5% (late)
Peach	Pushes her hands forward, dealing magical damage at her palms. Only the last hit deals knockback.	4% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)
Pikachu	Does a running headbutt. It's a Super Effective KO move at high percentages if it hits clean.	10% (clean), 6% (late)
Pit	Dashes forward does a quick horizontal slash with his bow.	11%
R.O.B.	Dashes forward and thrusts both his arms forward.	7%
Robin	Lunges forward and stabs with the Bronze Sword. High knockback makes it a good KO move at high percentages, although it carries risk due to its high ending lag.	10% (clean), 6% (late)
Rosalina & Luma	Rosalina: Dives downward and creates a cosmic dust that does a effect similar to a headbutt to the opponent from below. Luma: Performs a ramming attack. Ideal for suprising opponents and can reposition Luma to make her advance in good distance.	Rosalina: 3% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2) Luma: 3%
Roy	Roy leaps forward briefly before dealing a low-angle horizontal slash to the left. Has good KO potential if sweetspotted.	13% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)
Ryu	Performs a leaping sidekick. Higher than average knockback. Based off of his original jumping medium and heavy kick in the Street Fighter Alpha/Zero games.	12% (clean), 8% (late)
Samus	Dashes using her jet boosters and hits the opponent with her left shoulder. Attack only hits at the end of the dash, making it possible to miss if Samus is too close to the enemy at the start.	10% (clean), 6% (late)
Sheik	Dashes forward and swings both her arms apart. Has good range and speed.	6.5% (clean), 4.5% (late)
Shulk	Lunges and swings the Monado horizontally. Punishable on shield due to its ending lag, and should not be used excessively.	11%
Sonic	Curls up into a spiky ball and rolls a short distance before ending with a dropkick. Hits multiple times.	1% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4)
Toon Link	Slashes directly in front of himself while running forward. Decent diagonal knockback.	6% (arm), 8% (blade)
Villager	Falls over and drops a pot forward, which flies a short distance and shatters on the ground. The pot can be reflected or pocketed.	10% (clean), 6% (late)
Wario	Quickly slams his face into the ground and skids. The late hit will send opponents backwards and trip them.	7% (clean), 4% (late)
Wii Fit Trainer	Does the Gate pose while sliding forward. Has a lingering hitbox.	6%
Yoshi	Runs and does a flying kick with his left foot, then spins back into position.	9% (clean), 6% (late)
Zelda	Dashes forward and delivers a magical pulse with both arms ahead. A good KO move at an edge if the sweetspot hits.	12% (clean sweetspot), 9% (clean sourspot), 6% (late)
Zero Suit Samus	Dashes forward with her jet boots and strikes with the right knee, covering significant distance.	8% (clean), 5% (late)

* This assumes the Mii's default height and weight.

Notable dash attacks

• Luigi's dash attack in the original Super Smash Bros. is the only one that hits multiple times. This trait is soon shared among Ness by Melee, Kirby and Diddy Kong by Brawl, and Bowser Jr., Mega Man, Sonic, Pac-Man, and Corrin by Smash 4.
• Kirby's dash attack in Melee is the only one that can go off edges.
• In Melee, Mewtwo's dash attack with battering items involves spinning the item in front of it, hitting opponents multiple times.
• Falco, Jigglypuff, Link, Sheik, Snake, Sonic, Wario and Wolf all receive a great momentum boost when using a DACUS in Brawl.
• In Brawl, Pit's dash attack with battering items hits opponents twice.
• King Dedede's dash attack is well known for its power and large hitbox duration. In Smash 4, it is more powerful than a majority of smash attacks.
• Link's dash attack in Smash 4 is similar to King Dedede's in that it has slow startup, but considerably high knockback especially when hitting with the tip, working as a reliable KO move at high percentages. Its animation is reminiscent of the Jump Attack used in several Zelda games, including Twilight Princess.
• Villager's dash attack is, so far, the only one that can be reflected.
• Mario's dash attack is based off the sliding kick from Super Mario 64, but when he's holding an item, the animation is replaced with the slide tackle from that same game.

Trivia

• Kirby has a different dash attack in the first three games, being the only character to hold this trait. However, Kirby's dash attack in Super Smash Bros. 4 is visually the same as his dash attack in Brawl.

Gallery

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  Kirby's dash attack from Melee.

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  Fox's dash attack in Brawl.