Nerf

A nerf is a term used to describe the weakening of a character or an aspect of a character, either through updating a game or by releasing a sequel. Nerfs are often done as an attempt to balance the roster, by weakening characters that are too strong; however, nerfs can also be inadvertently added if a character is indirectly weakened by an external gameplay change. Nerfs contrats with "buffs", which involve the strengthening of a character or aspects of a character between sequel games and game updates.

The term "nerf" is derived from the brand of toy known for its soft foam-like substance. This substance allows for safer play, as little chance of injury comes from impact with such items. In effect, a projectile is less damaging because it was "nerfed".

Notable examples of nerfs in the Super Smash Bros. series

Smash 64 to Melee

• Kirby: Kirby's walk and dash speeds were significantly reduced, leading to a poor ability to pursue opponents, and his increased falling speed, along with nerfs to Final Cutter, reduced the effectiveness of his recovery. Many of Kirby's most powerful attacks in Smash 64 were also nerfed; for example, his up tilt had its range, power, and combo ability significantly reduced, while his forward smash went from one of the strongest in Smash 64 to among the weakest in Melee. Ranked as one of the best characters in Smash 64, Kirby is considered one of the worst characters in Melee, currently ranking last on the tier list.

Melee to Brawl

• Arguably, all veterans were indirectly nerfed by a variety of universal gameplay changes made in Brawl. The loss of wavedashing negatively impacted many characters' mobility, such as in the case of Luigi and Marth, while L-cancelling nerfed many characters with slow aerial attacks, such as Ganondorf and Link. Some characters with powerful combo potential in Melee, such as Captain Falcon and Jigglypuff, were also notably affected by the addition of hitstun cancelling, which severely reduced the impact of combos.
• Captain Falcon: The addition of hitstun cancelling compromised Falcon's combo ability, which led to difficulty KOing opponents. His Knee Smash, which could no longer be reliably comboed into, also had its hitbox reduced, and the sweetspot's shorter duration made the move overall more difficult to land. A high-tiered character in Melee, Captain Falcon frequently ranked among the wost characters in Brawl, with one tier list even considering him the least viable character in the game.
• Jigglypuff: Like Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff suffered severely with the hitstun changes, weakening its previously devastating Wall of Pain. Rest's knockback was also reduced, making it a considerably less reliable and less safe attack than in Melee; Jigglypuff's up throw was also given higher base knockback, preventing it from being able to use the Space Animal Slayer. Initially top-tiered in Melee, Jigglypuff is considered among Brawl's worst fighters.
• Ganondorf: The removal of L-cancelling hindered Ganondorf's ability to use his aerials for approaching, comboing, and KOing, while his grounded moves had nerfs to their frame data, leading to Ganondorf having a considerably worse approach in Brawl compared to Melee. In addition to his nerfed approach, Ganondorf's grab game was also nerfed, with the loss of his ability to chain throw, as well as increased difficulty in comboing from a throw. A mid-tier character in Melee, Ganondorf is frequently considered one of the worst characters in Brawl, with the most recent tier list ranking him as the game's worst fighter.

Brawl to Smash 4

• Falco: Falco's Blaster fires slower, and no longer auto-cancels on landing, crippling his neutral game that had relied on the Short hop laser. His down throw can no longer chain-grab and his down aerial is much slower and weaker, removing arguably his best KO option.
• King Dedede: His new back aerial, though stronger, is much slower, and the hitbox has shorter duration, hurting his approach game. His down throw can no longer infinitely chain-grab.
• Marth: Marth's overall reach has been shortened; coupled with moves that have increased ending lag and decreased hitbox durations, such as in his down tilt and forward aerial, Marth's approach was badly nerfed in Smash 4. His throws also have much higher base knockback, removing many of his previous set-ups and ability to tech-chase. Considered among the best Brawl characters, Marth was initially considered low-tiered in Smash 4; recent buffs in updates, however, have since improved his viability in the competitive scene.
• Meta Knight: Meta Knight in SSB4 is one of the most nerfed characters in the series. His moves are laggier, especially his up aerial, deal less damage, and have lost their transcendent priority. His range has been reduced, and he can no longer glide. His falling speed and gravity have been significantly increased, and with the changes to hitstun, he is far more vulnerable to combos. Despite his heavy nerfs, Meta Knight is still generally seen as a viable character in tournaments, though he is not considered the top-tier character he was in Brawl.

Smash 4 game updates

• Diddy Kong: Diddy Kong was highly dominant in early competitive play, being very common in tournaments and typically placing highly. However, in patches 1.0.6 and 1.0.8, Diddy Kong was heavily nerfed overall. Before the patches, Diddy Kong possessed powerful aerials that could easily be comboed into, most notably down throw to one or more up aerials, which was both a powerful KOing and damage racking tool and was simple to execute. The patches greatly weakened the damage, knockback and combo potential of several of Diddy's most frequently used moves, lowering his use in competitive play significantly and putting his usage more in line with other high tier characters. While Diddy Kong is less effective after the nerfs, his neutral game has remained untouched in these updates, and he gained some buffs in other areas, allowing him to remain a highly ranked character in Smash 4.
• Luigi: Luigi was considered to be one best characters in the game after J.Miller won B.E.A.S.T 5 with him. He possessed a very strong combo game stemming from his down throw, alongside a long, safe recovery and improved mobility compared to his Brawl incarnation. Update 1.1.1 however, significantly nerfed Luigi's down throw, the previous key to his success, and changes to the game's shield mechanics further weakened him. Despite a modest playerbase, including smashers such as Poke, Boss, and Mr. ConCon, Luigi is now generally considered a mid-tier character.
• Sheik: Sheik was a particularly potent character from the beginning of the metagame, and after the nerfs to Diddy Kong, she was almost universally viewed as the best character in the game due to her excellent neutral game, unrivaled attack speed, and effective combos. While Sheik received repeated nerfs, particularly in regards to her raw attack power, her combos and KO confirms remained intact and she still remained among the best characters in the game. Sheik was ultimately nerfed by update 1.1.5, which altered the knockback of her throws to remove her most commonly used setups and make it very difficult for her to KO. Like Diddy Kong, however, her powerful neutral game remains intact, and she is still well-represented in tournaments.
• Bayonetta: Upon her release as downloadable content, Bayonetta was widely viewed as one of the best characters in the game, due to her powerful combos and ability to punish even weak moves with Witch Time. These concerns were exacerbated by update 1.1.5; while this patch did nerf Bayonetta, Sheik was also nerfed, arguably more significantly than Bayonetta. This left many players convinced that Bayonetta was now clearly the best character in the game, with some tournament scenes even considering banning her. Update 1.1.6, however, nerfed Bayonetta's combo moves, making her combos easier to escape and less capable of KOing at low percentages.