Yoshi Bomb
| Yoshi Bomb | |
|---|---|
 Yoshi Bomb in Super Smash Bros. | |
| User | Yoshi |
| Universe | Yoshi |
| Article on Super Mario Wiki | Ground Pound |
| “ | Pound enemies directly or shock those nearby with stars when you hit the ground. | ” |
| —Melee's instruction manual | ||
| “ | Jump forward and up, then slam down in a flash. Sends you straight down when done in the air. | ” |
| —Brawl's instruction manual | ||
| “ | Increase toss distance by charging. | ” |
| —Description from Smash for 3DS's foldout | ||
Yoshi Bomb (ヒップドロップ, Hip Drop) (also referred to as Ground Pound, see below) is Yoshi's down special move. When used, he smashes straight downward into the ground, releasing a star on either side, which provides minor protection against nearby enemies. If used on the ground, Yoshi will jump forward before dropping down. This move can be canceled by grabbing the ledge while dropping.
This move's drop deals 18% damage in Super Smash Bros., while the stars produce 3% each. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Yoshi Bomb was slightly weakened in damage, with the stars only dealing 1%, but it still inflicts powerful knockback. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the attack was further weakened, but the grounded version now posseses a weak hitbox during the jump that links more successfully into the second hit. In all games, the stars can be reflected and absorbed.
Name
In the original Super Smash Bros., the move is called "Hip Drop" by Yoshi's in-game character profile, which was the standard name for the maneuver in the Mario Party series at this time; elsewhere in the Mario and Yoshi series the move is known as "Ground Pound". However, the move is listed as "Bomb" in the manual, which is likely an error.
The move was then named as the Yoshi Bomb in Melee, Brawl, and SSB4. This is a bit of an unsubstantiated choice; no move has ever been known as "Yoshi Bomb" in the Mario or Yoshi series, and the Japanese name for the move remains ヒップドロップ ("Hippu Doroppu", Hip Drop).
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Yoshi Bomb | 2. Star Bomb | 3. Crushing Bomb |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Jump up quickly and slam to the ground, shooting stars out left and right." | "Deals less damage with the bombing motion, but the stars are powerful and fly far." | "A full-power slam attack. So powerful, in fact, that the stars forget to fly out." |
- Yoshi Bomb: Default.
- Star Bomb: Has less power, with little KOing ability, but creates larger stars that fly farther and deal more damage, acting as effective close-range projectiles.
- Crushing Bomb: Has more starting lag, and no longer creates stars on impact, making this move harder to hit and easier to punish, but has much more power, dealing 35% and reliably KOing at 90%-100%.
Origin
The move has become a somewhat standard move in Mario and Yoshi games, originating in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island where Yoshi could use it to pound down stakes, crush crates, slam through soft dirt, and of course, damage and defeat enemies. Yoshi's animation during the midair descent is modeled after the Ground Pound from Yoshi's Story.
When Yoshi executes the Yoshi Bomb, stars emit from the move. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door , when Yoshi performs his Ground Pound move, a star is emitted. Alternatively, as many mechanics of the Smash Bros. series are derived from the Kirby series, it's possible that the stars are a reference to how a great deal of ground-smashing attacks produce stars on impact, which Kirby can suck up and spit out.
The Japanese name for Yoshi Bomb on the other hand (Hip Drop) is a common alternate name for this type of move in several of the Mario and Yoshi-based games alike.
Trivia
- This is Yoshi's only special move (excluding his Final Smash) that is not egg-related.
- The instruction booklet for the original Super Smash Bros refers to the move as simply "Bomb", causing it to share a name with special moves of Link and Samus, both of which coincidentally are also down special moves.
- In Melee, despite CPUs rarely shielding physical attacks, they will always roll dodge or air dodge away from this attack when used in their vicinity.
Gallery
Yoshi Bomb in Melee.
Yoshi Bomb hitting an opponent in Melee.
Yoshi Bomb in Brawl.
Yoshi Bomb in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Yoshi Bomb in Smash 4.
