An up smash (abbreviated u-smash) (上スマッシュ攻撃, Up/upper/above smash attack) is a smash attack performed by any character by tapping the control stick upward and pressing A, or, outside of Melee's single player modes, by pressing up on the C-Stick.
Since Super Smash Bros. Melee, all smash attacks can be charged by holding down the A button for up to one second, multiplying damage and knockback by up to 1.4. In Ultimate, these charges can be held for up to 3 seconds (or 180 frames), but the attack stops increasing in strength after the 1-second mark.
Up smashes have more flexibility than forward smashes and down smashes in terms of when they can be used. A jump may be canceled into an up smash, enabling it to be used out of shield immediately and during any part of a character's dash animation, except the skidding animation when they stop running. From Brawl onwards, jump-canceling to perform a running up smash is unnecessary, and the turn-around animation can be jump-canceled into a reversed up smash. In Ultimate, jump-canceling is not required for up smashes out of shield, and can now be done instantly.
List of up smashes
Character | Description |
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Banjo & Kazooie | Performs the Bill Drill; Banjo spins on the ground while Kazooie jabs upward with her beak. |
Bayonetta | Uses her Wicked Weaves to summon Madama Butterfly's fist for an uppercut in front of herself. |
Bowser | Hops up with his back facing upwards to strike with his shell. |
Bowser Jr. | Performs a handstand, then activates the Junior Clown Car's propeller to strike with it. |
Byleth | Swings the Sword of the creator in its whip form above themself to hit multiple times. |
Captain Falcon | Performs a spinning uppercut with his elbow. Throws an upwards 540 kick. |
Charizard | Slashes upwards with its leading wing, then its following one immediately after. |
Chrom | An upward thrust with Falchion, which releases a stream of razor-like magic from it, ending in an outwards burst. |
Cloud | Performs an upward-arcing swing in front of himself with the Buster Sword. |
Corrin | Crouches and braces their arms on either side of their head before transforming them into draconic lances and stabbing straight upwards. |
Daisy | Jabs her hand upwards while twirling. |
Dark Pit | Spins while slashing above himself three times. |
Dark Samus | Unleashes a front-to-back arc of five Phazon blasts from her arm cannon above herself. |
Diddy Kong | Performs a pair of spinning punches leading straight into a jumping uppercut as he completes the spin. |
Donkey Kong | Claps his hands together above himself. |
Dr. Mario | Plants his feet and headbutts strongly above himself from back to front. His head is granted intangibility for a short while |
Duck Hunt | The duo crouch while the unseen gunman fires off a combo of three shots directly above them. |
Falco | Performs a quick backflipping kick. Throws a modified upwards butterfly kick. |
Fox | Performs a quick backflipping kick. |
Ganondorf | Throws an upwards butterfly kick. Leans back and performs a straight-upwards stretch kick. Swings the SpaceWorld 2000 sword in a wide front-to-back arc above himself. |
Greninja | Jabs two water blades upwards in a backwards grip followed by a downward slash for a second hit. |
Hero | Stabs straight upwards with his sword. |
Ice Climbers | Swing their hammers in an inwards arc above themselves. |
Ike | Swings Ragnell in a large arc over his head, slamming it onto the ground behind him. |
Incineroar | Performs an upward double ax-handle. |
Inkling | Swings an Ink Blaster upwards to strike with its barrel, setting up for a close-range explosion of ink. |
Isabelle | Blows a whistle and erects a stop sign in front of herself. |
Ivysaur | Plants its feet while releasing an explosion of pollen from the bulb on its back. |
Jigglypuff | Headbutts above itself. |
Joker | Performs a jumping inward slash with his knife. |
Ken | Performs a crouching uppercut. |
King Dedede | Swings his hammer in a front-to-back arc above his head. |
King K. Rool | Hops straight upwards to strike with his head, then falls back down belly-first into a comical plank before he gets back up. |
Kirby | Performs a quick backflipping kick. |
Link | Performs a three-hitting combo of spinning, arcing slashes with his sword. |
Little Mac | Crouches briefly before throwing a fierce swinging-inwards uppercut. There is a sweetspot on frame 1 that has a flame effect |
Lucario | Crouches, then thrusts its palms straight upwards alongside a blast of aura. |
Lucas | Holds his arms together, then swings them apart from himself while releasing an enormous upwards-traveling PSI spark. |
Lucina | Stabs straight upwards with Parallel Falchion. |
Luigi | Plants his feet and headbutts strongly above himself from back to front. |
Mario | Plants his feet and headbutts strongly above himself from back to front. |
Marth | Stabs straight upwards with Falchion. |
Mega Man | Transforms both hands into electrodes and touches them together above himself, releasing a large electric spark. |
Meta Knight | Performs a three-slash combo above himself while dramatically flipping. |
Mewtwo | Holds its palm upwards, unleashing a swirl of powerful dark energy for multiple hits. |
Mii Brawler | Performs a quick backflipping kick. |
Mii Gunner | Unleashes five fiery cannon blasts in a front-to-back upwards arc. |
Mii Swordfighter | Jumps up and performs a set of spinning slashes. |
Mr. Game & Watch | Dons a heavy scuba-diving helmet and headbutts above himself with it. |
Ness | Swings his yo-yo forwards, then performs an "around the world" with it. |
Olimar | Points upwards, commanding his leading Pikmin to perform a jumping full-body tackle straight upwards. |
Pac-Man | Performs an uppercut, then immediately opens his palm to release Inky. |
Palutena | Raises her staff to project a colossal beam of light straight upwards. |
Peach | Jabs her hand upwards while twirling. |
Pichu | Headbutts above itself. |
Pikachu | Performs a backflipping tail-flick above itself. |
Piranha Plant | Stretches its stem outwards and chomps above itself. |
Pit | Spins while slashing above himself three times. |
R.O.B. | Performs a handstand and unleashes a large upwards blast of fire from his thrusters. |
Richter | Cracks the Vampire Killer straight upwards for a very long-ranged attack. |
Ridley | Performs a frontflip and rakes above himself with his claws as he lands from it. |
Robin | Swings the equipped blade into an upwards position. |
Rosalina & Luma | Rosalina: Leans forwards, then gravitationally swings herself backwards for an arcing headbutt. Luma: Throws a quick one-foot backflipping kick. |
Roy | Jabs the Binding Blade upwards while releasing a stream of flame from it, ending in an explosion. |
Ryu | Performs a crouching uppercut. |
Samus | Unleashes a front-to-back arc of five plasma blasts from her arm cannon above herself. |
Sheik | Holds her hands upwards together, then fiercely swipes downwards and outwards with them. |
Shulk | Slams the Monado onto the ground pommel-first and then releases its light blade for a follow-up attack. |
Simon | Cracks the Vampire Killer straight upwards for a very long-ranged attack. |
Snake | Slams a mortar onto the ground in front of himself and then fires a long-ranged upwards bomb from it. |
Sonic | Jumps up and turns into his ball form to strike multiple times. |
Squirtle | Fires off a pair of watery geysers, covering its body. |
Terry | Performs a crouching uppercut. |
Toon Link | Jumps and swings his sword in a wide upwards arc. |
Villager | Crouches while detonating a fountain firework. |
Wario | Inflates his head and spins around to strike upwards with it multiple times. He inflates his head and performs a headbutt. |
Wii Fit Trainer | Performs the tree yoga pose, striking upwards with a double spear hand. |
Wolf | Swings his legs outwards around himself, then performs a jumping scissor kick for a second hit. |
Yoshi | Headbutts upwards. Performs a quick backflipping kick. |
Young Link | Performs a three-hitting combo of spinning, arcing slashes with the Kokiri Sword. |
Zelda | Waves her hand back and forth above herself while unleashing a stream of magic from it for several hits. |
Zero Suit Samus | Spins while twirling her plasma whip upwards in a tornado-like fashion. |
Notable up smashes
- From Melee onwards, but not in Smash 4, Ness's up smash can hit opponents while charging as the yo-yo comes to rest on the stage in front of him. This is especially dangerous in Ultimate, where the yo-yo can fall and hang off of ledges and hits multiple times (it cannot be charged off ledges in Melee or Brawl), allowing it to lead into the attack proper. It is the only up smash to have a hitbox while charging. Its power does not increase in Melee or Brawl if charged but it does in later games. Ness's similarly-functioning down smash is the only down smash to have such a distinction, while Corrin possesses the only such forward smash.
- Bowser's up smash has protection on his shell during his attack – in Melee it is intangible, but from Brawl onwards it is fully invincible – which makes the attack dangerous to trade with, especially from above.
- Mr. Game & Watch's up smash grants head invincibility while its hitbox is active (although in Smash 4, it gains invincibility much sooner and in Ultimate, Mr. Game & Watch's entire body is intangible). It has high startup lag but great KO power (especially in Brawl) and very low ending lag, making it notoriously difficult to intercept.
- Snake's up smash has several unique properties. For one, the charging interval begins after Snake slams the mortar down in front of himself, making it the only smash attack to have a hitbox before it starts charging. It is the only up smash to be a projectile. Charging the attack also does not affect the damage or knockback of the projectile, but instead greatly increases the velocity at which it is launched, and thus the height it reaches. The attack is also notable in Brawl for enabling the furthest-traveling DACUS in the game.
- Inkling's up smash covers opponents in ink.
- King K. Rool's up smash, after his initial hop, protects him for a handful of frames with his characteristic Belly Super Armor. It also has a small hitbox as he begins to fall which spikes, which makes it one of only three smash attacks to spike – the others being a sourspot on Roy's up smash in Melee, and Bayonetta's down smash.
- Throughout the series, but especially in Melee, Fox's up smash has been considered especially effective due to its high power and near-instant startup.
- In Smash 4, Mario's up smash is considered the best in the game due to its power, range, speed, and the intangibility it grants on his head.
- Also in Smash 4, Ganondorf's up smash, despite his bottom tier placement, is usually ranked among the best in the game as well. Despite its enormous power, it has deceptively low ending lag, making it very difficult and dangerous to punish.
- Palutena's up smash is notable for having the highest vertical range of any non-projectile attack in the series. In Ultimate, it is notorious for its long duration being able to punish dodges, landings, sidesteps, and edge options with excellent power.
- In Ultimate, Zero Suit Samus's up smash is a reliable combo starter at low to mid percents, leading into all of her aerials except down air, while still possessing respectable kill power at high percents. This combined with the move's long vertical range, long-lasting hitbox, and rather low endlag makes it commonly considered among the best up smashes in the game.
Gallery
See also
Attacks in the Super Smash Bros. series | |
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Standard ground attacks | Neutral attack · Dash attack |
Tilt attacks | Forward tilt · Up tilt · Down tilt · Crouching attack |
Smash attacks | Forward smash · Up smash · Down smash |
Aerial attacks | Neutral aerial · Forward aerial · Back aerial · Up aerial · Down aerial · Grab aerial · Glide attack |
Throws | Grab · Pummel · Forward throw · Back throw · Up throw · Down throw |
Get-up attacks | Floor attack · Edge attack |
Special moves | Neutral special move · Side special move · Up special move · Down special move · Command-input move · Final Smash |