Back aerial
A back aerial attack (後空中攻撃, Rear/back midair attack; commonly abbreviated as bair or B-Air, and referred to as AttackAirB internally) is an aerial attack that can be performed in midair by pressing the attack button and tilting the control stick in the direction opposite to which the character is facing. Its official term varies between titles; it is known as a back midair attack in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and a back air attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl onward. The majority of these attacks are kicks, and tend to be considerably stronger and/or faster than a fighter's other aerial attacks; some are notable for being their fastest and most reliable KO moves, such as those of Ike and Zero Suit Samus, and can be used to approach with a technique known as a reverse aerial rush.
List of back aerials
Unless stated otherwise, all back aerials are aimed behind the user.
Character | Description |
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Banjo & Kazooie | Kazooie performs an aerial Rat-a-Tat Rap 3 times. |
Bayonetta | Performs a back kick at a high angle. |
Bowser | Leans back and thrusts his shell spikes. Performs a dropkick. |
Bowser Jr. | Deploys a wrecking ball from the Koopa Clown Car and swings it in a straight line. |
Byleth | Stabs Areadbhar behind himself. |
Captain Falcon | Throws out a vertical back-fist behind himself. |
Charizard | Swings one wing horizontally, followed by its tail. Swings its tail in an upward arc. |
Chrom | Slashes in an upward arc, turning Chrom around after its use. |
Cloud | Slashes horizontally with the Buster Sword. |
Corrin | Sprouts dragon wings and thrusts them backward, hovering slightly and propelling himself forward. |
Daisy | Thrusts her rear, generating a flower particle from it. |
Dark Pit | Separates the Silver Bow and stabs with both blades simultaneously. |
Dark Samus | Performs a back kick. |
Diddy Kong | Performs a roundhouse kick. |
Donkey Kong | Performs a dropkick. Performs a back kick. |
Dr. Mario | Performs a dropkick. Performs a spinning dropkick. |
Duck Hunt | The dog thrusts his lower back backward to propel the duck, who performs a turning peck. |
Falco | Performs an outstretched back kick, hitting to both sides. Performs a quick back kick. |
Fox | Performs an outstretched back kick, hitting to both sides. Performs a roundhouse kick. |
Ganondorf | Jabs at a diagonally downward angle. |
Greninja | Performs three consecutive kicks at different angles. |
Hero | Slashes in a delayed heavy upward arc. |
Ice Climbers | Swing their hammers horizontally. |
Ike | Slashes horizontally with Ragnell. |
Incineroar | Performs a roundhouse kick. |
Inkling | Jabs with the Splattershot. |
Isabelle | Fires a pellet from a slingshot. |
Ivysaur | Swings one vine after the other in a downward arc. |
Jigglypuff | Performs a roundhouse kick. Turns Jigglypuff around in Ultimate. |
Joker | Slashes in an upward arc. If active, Arsene chops in a downward arc, causing the duo's attacks to interlock with each other. |
Ken | Performs a roundhouse kick. |
King Dedede | Performs a back kick. Swings his hammer in an upward arc. Swings his hammer horizontally. |
King K. Rool | Punches in a downward arc from a turnaround. |
Kirby | Performs a dropkick. |
Link | Kicks twice with one leg after the other. |
Little Mac | Weakly throws out a spinning backhanded punch. |
Lucario | Extends one arm and unleashes a blast of aura. |
Lucas | Performs a somersaulting kick in a downward arc, emitting a PSI spark from his foot. |
Lucina | Slashes in an upward arc, turning Lucina around after its use. |
Luigi | Performs a dropkick. Performs a spinning dropkick. |
Mario | Performs a dropkick. Performs a spinning dropkick. |
Marth | Slashes in an upward arc, turning Marth around after its use. |
Mega Man | Uses the Slash Claw, generating three crescent-shaped energy swipes from his hand. |
Meta Knight | Performs three consecutive horizontal slashes at different angles. |
Mewtwo | Swings its tail in an upward arc. |
Mii Brawler | Performs a back kick. |
Mii Gunner | Unleashes a fiery blast from their arm cannon. |
Mii Swordfighter | Slashes horizontally. |
Mr. Game & Watch | Holds a turtle behind himself that bites opponents, hitting multiple times. Possesses a landing hitbox. |
Ness | Performs a dropkick. Performs a dropkick, releasing a PSI spark from his feet. |
Olimar | Grabs his leading Pikmin by its stem and swings it in an upward arc. If no Pikmin are following Olimar, he still performs the move, but it has no effect. |
Pac-Man | Performs a dropkick. |
Palutena | Bashes her shield. |
Peach | Thrusts her rear. Thrusts her rear, generating a heart particle from it. |
Pichu | Performs a series of belly turns. Performs a series of belly turns while discharging electricity around itself, hitting multiple times. Causes recoil damage to Pichu. |
Pikachu | Performs a back kick. Performs a series of belly turns. Possesses a landing hitbox. Performs a series of belly turns, hitting multiple times. Possesses a landing hitbox. |
Piranha Plant | Spits out a fiery blast. |
Pit | Separates the Palutena Bow and stabs with both blades simultaneously. |
R.O.B. | Points his base behind himself and activates his thrusters, propelling himself forward. |
Richter | Whips horizontally with the Vampire Killer. Can be angled diagonally up or down, and function as a tether recovery. |
Ridley | Performs a roundhouse kick. |
Robin | Stabs at a diagonally downward angle. Can use either the Bronze Sword or the Levin Sword. |
Rosalina & Luma | Rosalina: Performs a dropkick, releasing a miniature spiral galaxy from her feet. Luma: Performs a dropkick. |
Roy | Slashes in an upward arc, turning Roy around after its use. |
Ryu | Performs a roundhouse kick. |
Samus | Performs a back kick. |
Sheik | Performs a back kick. |
Shulk | Stabs at a slight upward angle with a double grip. |
Simon | Whips horizontally with the Vampire Killer. Can be angled diagonally up or down, and function as a tether recovery. |
Snake | Performs a dropkick. |
Sonic | Performs a roundhouse kick. |
Squirtle | Jabs with its tail. Jabs with its tail and spins horizontally, hitting multiple times. |
Terry | Spins around and kicks behind himself. |
Toon Link | Slashes in an upward arc. |
Villager | Fires a pellet from a slingshot. |
Wario | Leans his full body back, hitting with his head and arms. |
Wii Fit Trainer | Assumes the Cobra pose to perform a dropkick. |
Wolf | Performs a back kick. |
Yoshi | Performs a dropkick. Swings his tail repeatedly in vertical arcs. |
Young Link | Kicks twice with one leg after the other. |
Zelda | Performs a magically infused lunging kick that is extremely powerful if it hits near Zelda's foot, but extremely weak otherwise. It is known as the Lightning Kick. |
Zero Suit Samus | Performs a roundhouse kick. |
Notable back aerials
- Marth, Lucina, Roy, and Chrom's back aerials turn them around in midair, unlike any other aerial attack in the series. In Ultimate, Jigglypuff's back aerial also has this property.
- R.O.B. and Corrin's back aerials propel them forward. R.O.B. covers more overall distance, while Corrin travels faster.
- Simon and Richter's back aerials have two unique distinctions from every other in the series: they can be angled up or down much like forward tilts and forward smashes, and function as tether recoveries. Their forward aerials also have these properties.
- The back aerials of Villager and Isabelle are projectiles, and as such, can be reflected and Pocketed.
- Pikachu's back aerial in Ultimate is infamous for being able to combo into itself multiple times at low percentages.
- Lucas and King K. Rool's back aerials are the only ones in the series that can meteor smash.
- Bowser's back aerial in Brawl and Palutena's back aerial are the only two in the series that provides invincibility (as opposed to intangibility), specifically on Bowser's shell and behind Palutena from her shield, allowing them to safely cancel out any projectile and win trades with opposing aerial attacks. Palutena's in Ultimate is particularly effective due to its solid power and difficulty to punish.
- Zelda's back aerial is one of her Lightning Kicks, and deals very high damage and knockback at high percents when sweetspotted, but is extremely weak when sourspotted. It is the strongest back aerial in every game it appears in. It is particularly powerful in Melee, but its utility has been reduced in later games due to the removal of L-canceling, its sweetspot being smaller and lasting less time as well as receiving much more ending lag and a less favorable auto-cancel window starting in Smash 4.
- Samus's back aerial is the strongest in Smash 64 due to its unusually high knockback scaling. In addition to this, it is also one of the fastest back aerials in the game. In later games, the move would become slower, harder to land and weaker although it still remains a powerful KO move.
- Falco's back aerial in Smash 4 and Ultimate is similar to Samus' in Smash 64 (although it is not quite as powerful) having no base knockback but very high knockback scaling if its clean hit is landed which makes it one of the strongest. It is additionally one of the fastest back aerials in Smash 4 coming out on frame 4 although in Ultimate, it does not come out until frame 9.
- Jigglypuff's back aerial in Melee and (to a lesser extent) Brawl is used for the highly effective wall of pain. In Smash 4, it has increased lag and knockback, losing its wall of pain ability, but KOing much more reliably at high percents.
- Ganondorf's back aerial is one of the strongest in all its appearances. In Melee, it is the second strongest back aerial, surpassed only by Zelda's.
- Charizard's back aerial in Smash 4 and Ultimate deals 16% damage and is notorious for its high disjoint and power, being the second strongest back aerial in both games.
- Mr. Game & Watch has the only back aerial in Melee that cannot be L-canceled, due to being coded as a special move. This oddity is also present in his neutral aerial and up aerial.
- Kirby's back aerial is an effective back aerial in every Smash game being a fast and solid KO move (especially in Smash 64 and Smash 4) and it can be used to perform the "fence of pain". It also has great range and very low landing lag especially prior to Smash 4.
- Dr. Mario's back aerial in Melee is a semi-spike with high base knockback, making it effective for edgeguarding.
- Fox's back aerial in Brawl is a powerful semi-spike when sweetspotted, and is very safe to use from a short hop due to its nearly immediate auto-cancel window after its hitboxes cease. From Smash 4 onward, the move has lost its sourspot hitboxes giving it less range and utility and it is considerably weaker compared to the sweetspots in Brawl. It also gained a worse auto-cancel window in Ultimate.
- Bowser's back aerial in Smash 4 and Ultimate deals a tremendous 19% damage and is one of the strongest in both games.
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 |