Buff

An example of a buff, involving slightly increased hitbox sizes in Captain Falcon's down air.

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

Notable Examples

Smash 64 to Melee

• Jigglypuff's back and forward aerials were ironically nerfed in terms of power and knockback; these nerfs, however, provided a significant buff to Jigglypuff's aerial game, due to the Wall of Pain becoming easier and safer to perform. Buffs to its attack speed and air speed provided further strength to Jigglypuff's air game; buffs to Rest's knockback and the addition of several new set-ups for the attack also gave Jigglypuff more powerful KO options compared to her Smash 64 counterpart. A mid-tier character in Smash 64, Jigglypuff is now considered among the strongest characters in Melee.
• Luigi was buffed by the addition of wavedashing to the game, improving his previously unreliable and unsafe ground approach from his poor traction; improvements to knockback on his grounded attacks, such as his down smash, and faster aerials, such as his forward air and neutral air, also made Luigi gain a variety of new, powerful options to both start combos and continue them. Considered the worst character in Smash 64, Luigi jumped to the mid-tiers in Melee and commands a sizeable playerbase.

Melee to Brawl

• Kirby: To ail his status as the worst character in Melee, the changes in physics reduces Kirby's vulnerability to combos, and several of his moves have higher priority, damage, and KO power. The ability to grab ledges from behind via double jumps also aids Kirby's recovery, significantly reducing the already low difficulty of him returning to the stage. His air speed is also faster.
• Pikachu's ground approach, manuverability, and getaway options were all significantly improved by the introduction of Quick Attack cancelling. Furthermore, buffs to Pikachu's forward and down throws gave them powerful chain-grab potential, especially against fast-fallers; adding to this, Pikachu's grab range was buffed from Melee, where it had commanded among the lowest grab ranges. Initially a high-mid tier character in Melee, Pikachu is considered a high-tiered character in Brawl.
• Mr. Game & Watch's defensive options were significantly buffed in Brawl, with a larger shield, increased falling speed relative to the cast, higher weight, and new access to momentum cancelling via Oil Panic. Initially suffering one of the worst survivabilities in Melee, Mr. Game & Watch is surprisingly difficult to KO in Brawl; coupled with improvements to his ground game, Mr. Game & Watch went from a bottom tiered character in Melee to a solid high tier character in Brawl, with early tier lists ranking him as among the best characters in the game.

Brawl to Smash 4

• In the transition, most veterans were notably buffed to varying degrees, largely due to universal gameplay changes, such as the changes to hitstun, reworked ledge mechanics, and removal of chain-grabbing.
• Captain Falcon was significantly buffed by the removal of hitstun cancelling, restoring his previously powerful combo ability in Melee, including set-ups into his Knee Smash. Along with this, buffs to the distance granted by his dash grab also grant Captain Falcon a variety of new combo starters; general increases to his range also made Falcon's approach safer in Smash 4 compared to Brawl. The reworked ledge mechanics also buff his recovery, which was previously considered among the worst in Brawl. Considered one of the worst characters in Brawl, Captain Falcon currently ranks 23rd on the Smash 4 tier list.
• Ness was buffed due to Smash 4's physics changes, which benefitted his ability to setup and finish combos, most notably through PK Fire and his down tilt. Ness's aerials also saw major improvements, as all of them are now viable finishing moves to secure KOs. However, his grab and throw game were arguably buffed more than any of his other assets, since he now has one of the fastest pummels and the strongest back throw in the game, which can KO even the super-heavyweights at as low as 104%. The removal of the extra ten frames of hitstun Ness suffered from grab-releases in Brawl also removed many grab follow-ups that could previously be performed on the character. A low-mid tiered character in Brawl, Ness is now considered a mid-tiered character in Smash 4, with a 24th place finish on the tier list.
• Sheik's KO potential was significantly buffed to the addition of Bouncing Fish, her new down special as a result of Zelda becoming a separate character. The removal of hitstun cancelling also allows Sheik to combo into this new finisher, a significant buff compared to her poor KO ability in Brawl. Sheik's combo potential was also buffed by her higher air speed, while her recovery also became safer. Initially a low-mid character in Brawl, Sheik is widely considered one of the best characters in Smash 4, ranking fourth on the tier list.

Smash 4 game updates

• Marth was significantly nerfed from Brawl, with less effective range (despite it being increased slightly in the transition; other characters range increases were more significant), poorer frame data, poor approaching options, and a weakened grab game, resulting in a preciptous fall from the top tier in Brawl to the bottom tier in Smash 4. Updates however, slowly begun to improve Marth's standing in the competitive community, with said updates improving his frame data, granting him more interruptibility in his attacks to make his approach safer, and improving his range further. With these improvements, Marth's previously small playerbase has grown, and his standing in the metagame is more positively considered, with Dabuz even claiming the character was now back in the top tiers; in the second tier list, Marth ranked 19th compared to his previous 41st finish, and by the third tier list, Dabuz's prophecy would come true, as Marth was finally ranked as a top tier once again, ranking in the lower end of the top tier, at 10th place.
• While Mewtwo received some buffs in Smash 4 compared to Melee, such as improved strength and consistency in its aerial and special moves and speedier movement, Mewtwo was still initially considered a low-tier character in Smash 4, due to its poor approach in comparison to Melee; furthermore, one of Mewtwo's biggest flaws in Melee, its poor combination of being light, floaty, and large, was made worse in Smash 4. Updates, however, have improved Mewtwo's standing in the metagame, with its approach becoming safer and its survivability having been improved; initially 21st in Melee and 37th in the first Smash 4 tier list, Mewtwo jumped to the tenth position in the second Smash 4 tier list.