Super Smash Bros. series
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Forward tilt

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Mario's forward tilt in Brawl.
Mario's forward tilt in Melee

A forward tilt (横強攻撃, Side strong attack), also known as an "f-tilt" or "side tilt" (the lattermost the official name as of Ultimate, otherwise called strong side prior to its release) is a tilt attack performed by holding the control stick forward and pressing the attack button while on the ground. This is distinct from a forward smash in that the control stick is only tilted, not tapped. Forward tilts are generally simple, quick, weak outwards strikes for close-quarters combat.

Some forward tilts can be angled up or down to some extent, pointing the hitbox in a diagonal direction instead of totally forward. Most attacks that are angled up are slightly more powerful than if they weren't angled, while some are weaker if angled downward.

List of forward tilts

Character Description Angled
Banjo & Kazooie Performs the Beak Bayonet, where Banjo grabs Kazooie and stabs forward once. Yes
Bayonetta Performs a straight back kick, an upwards-angled spinning kick, and then a high kick. A three-stage natural combo. No
Bowser Briefly draws his fist back before jabbing straight forwards. Yes
Bowser Jr. Deploys a pitchfork from the Koopa Clown Car and jabs forwards with it. Yes
Byleth Performs a downward slash with the Sword of the Creator. No
Captain Falcon Throws a spinning side kick. Yes
Charizard Steps forward and sweeps its tail across the ground. Yes
Chrom Slashes straight downwards in front of himself. No
Cloud Performs a two-handed downward slash. No
Corrin Slashes outwards on a slight downwards angle. No
Daisy Kicks high into the air in front of herself. No
Dark Pit Jabs both of his blades in front of himself, parallel to the screen. No
Dark Samus Throws a reverse roundhouse kick. Yes
Diddy Kong Throws a leaning double punch. Yes
Donkey Kong Super Smash Bros. Punches straight forwards.
Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Swats forwards with the back of his hand.
Yes
Dr. Mario Throws a quick side kick. Yes
Duck Hunt The dog bends down while the duck leans forwards and pecks with its beak. Yes
Falco Throws a quick side kick. Yes
Fox Throws a quick side kick. Yes
Ganondorf Super Smash Bros. Melee Throws a spinning side kick.
Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Powerfully kicks straight forwards.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Yes
Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate No
Greninja Roundhouse kicks forwards. Yes
Hero Performs a shield bash which can block attacks, then performs an outward slash. It is a two-stage natural combo. No
Ice Climbers Perform a backhanded hammer swing. Yes
Ike Briefly draws Ragnell inwards before performing a leaning outwards slash. Yes
Incineroar Throws a straight spearhand strike. Yes
Inkling Strikes with a downwards and inwards swing with the Splattershot. No
Isabelle Swings inwards with a Candy Umbrella. No
Ivysaur Leans forwards and spins its bulb's leaves in rotary fashion to slash multiple times in front of itself. No
Jigglypuff Throws a roundhouse kick. Yes
Joker Leans forwards and stabs twice with his knife. If active, Arsene simultaneously thrusts his arm forwards and then draws it back. Yes
Ken Tapped (far): Performs a forwards poking kick.
Tapped (close): Throws an inwards hook.
Held: Throws a straight jab with his following hand.
No
King Dedede Thrusts his hammer forward head-first and twirls it to strike multiple times. No
King K. Rool Forcefully claps in front of himself. Has Belly Super Armor during the startup. Yes
Kirby Throws a roundhouse kick. Yes
Link Holds the Master Sword behind himself and then slashes straight down to the ground with it. No
Little Mac Throws a snappy one-two punch combo. No
Lucario Performs two successive aura-powered palm thrusts in front of itself. Yes
Lucas Swipes his hand outwards alongside a flash of PSI. Yes
Lucina Slashes upwards and outwards with Parallel Falchion. No
Luigi Throws a quick side kick. Yes
Mario Throws a quick side kick. Yes
Marth Slashes upwards and outwards with Falchion. No
Mega Man Fires up to three Mega Buster shots while walking forwards. A three-stage natural combo. No
Meta Knight Slashes inwards and downwards, then outwards, and then upwards. A three-stage natural combo. No
Mewtwo Sweeps horizontally with its tail. Yes
Mii Brawler Throws a quick side kick. Yes
Mii Gunner Kneels slightly and fires a close-ranged laser blast from their cannon. No
Mii Swordfighter Slashes outwards horizontally. No
Min Min Extends her left ARM. Yes
Mr. Game & Watch Swings a chair downwards in front of himself. No
Ness Performs a side kick. Yes
Olimar Super Smash Bros. Brawl Dropkicks forwards.
Super Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Leans far forwards into a straight punch.
No
Pac-Man Throws a simple side kick. Yes
Palutena Releases her staff in front of herself and twirls it to hit twice. No
Peach Kicks high into the air in front of herself. No
Pichu Super Smash Bros. Melee Plants its front paws and kicks forwards with its hind legs.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Plants its front paws and thrusts its hind legs forwards while releasing an electric spark from them.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Yes
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate No
Pikachu Super Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4 Plants its front paws and kicks forwards with its hind legs.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Plants its front paws and thrusts its hind legs forwards while releasing an electric spark from them.
Yes
Piranha Plant Bites in front of itself twice. A two-stage natural combo. No
Pit Super Smash Bros. Brawl Horizontally thrusts both of his blades forwards.
Super Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Jabs both of his blades in front of himself, parallel to the screen.
No
R.O.B. Throws an inwards leaning hook. Yes
Richter Quickly whips forwards with the Vampire Killer. No
Ridley Grabs his tail and stabs forwards with it like a spear. Yes
Robin Slashes downwards and outwards. No
Rosalina & Luma Rosalina: Performs a gravity-defying two-footed roundhouse kick.
Luma: Throws a roundhouse kick.
No
Roy Super Smash Bros. Melee Slashes upwards and outwards with the Binding Blade.
Super Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Slashes downwards and inwards in reverse grip with the Binding Blade.
No
Ryu Super Smash Bros. 4 Tapped: Performs a forwards poking kick.
Held: Throws a downwards-angled, two-hitting punch with high shield damage.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tapped (far): Performs a forwards poking kick.
Tapped (close): Throws an inwards hook.
Held: Throws a downwards-angled, two-hitting punch with high shield damage.
No
Samus Throws a reverse roundhouse kick. Yes
Sheik Throws a quick, wide, upwards spinning kick. No
Shulk Slashes inwards with the Monado. No
Simon Quickly whips forwards with the Vampire Killer. No
Snake Strikes forwards with his knee, then clubs downwards with a double hammerfist. A two-stage natural combo. No
Sonic Gets down on his hands and knees while turning around, then kicks forwards with both legs. Yes
Squirtle Spins while whipping forwards with its tail. Yes
Steve Slashes his sword in front of him while walking forward. The attack can be repeated via holding down the attack button. No
Terry A middle-height kick. No
Toon Link Holds the Master Sword behind himself and then slashes straight down to the ground with it. No
Villager Strikes horizontally with a Paw Umbrella. No
Wario Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4 Draws his fist back, then punches forwards.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Throws a one-handed inwards slap.
Yes
Wii Fit Trainer Assumes the Dancer yoga pose to simultaneously strike forwards with a spearhand and backwards with a modified scorpion kick. No
Wolf Jams his claws forwards, then separates them for a second hit. Yes
Yoshi Super Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. Melee Kicks straight forwards with one leg.
Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Flicks his tail horizontally forward.
Yes
Young Link Holds the Kokiri Sword behind himself and then slashes straight down to the ground with it. No
Zelda Performs a magic-imbued outwards knifehand swipe. Yes
Zero Suit Samus Throws a spinning side kick. Yes

Notable forward tilts

  • Six characters have forward tilts that are natural combos: Snake, Piranha Plant, Hero, Meta Knight, Mega Man, and Bayonetta. The former three have two-stage forward tilts, while the latter three have three-stage forward tilts.
  • Mega Man's forward tilt, in addition to being a natural combo, is the only forward tilt that is a projectile. It can naturally flow from or into his neutral attack and neutral aerial, effectively allowing him to fire his Mega Buster while standing still, walking, or jumping.
  • Ryu and Ken's forward tilts have multiple variations, just like their neutral attack and other tilts: a 'light' version achieved by tapping the attack button for a short time, and a 'heavy' version achieved by holding the attack button for longer. In Ultimate, a third variation is added depending on their proximity to their opponent – what was previously the tapped version of their forward tilt (a poking kick) is now only used if far from an opponent. When closer up, a different attack is used (which, for both Ryu and Ken, is a hook).
    • Ryu's held forward tilt, Collarbone Breaker, is of further note. It deals high enough shield damage to break shields even near their maximum health.
  • King K. Rool's forward tilt exposes his belly for a brief time before the attack connects. As with several of his other attacks, Belly Super Armor is active during this time, and King K. Rool will take only half damage and no knockback from attacks that hit his belly. The move is also notable for being disjointed with a surprisingly long reach, outranging several sword-based attacks.
  • Sheik's forward tilt possesses low lag, hits in a wide arc, and deals vertical knockback, allowing it to reliably combo multiple times into itself at low to mid percents, and into other attacks past those percents. Particularly in Brawl, it is infamous for being able to combo into itself for much longer than usual, due to the severe effect stale-move negation has on knockback, even to the point of being able to pull off guaranteed zero-to-death combos on fast fallers such as Fox and Wolf, while still racking up a noticeably large amount of damage on the rest of the cast.
  • Snake's forward tilt is one of his most reliable close-range options, especially in Brawl, due to its fast startup (hitting on frame 4), very high damage for a tilt if both hits are used, long-range, and the second hit's ability to KO at high percents. Along with his up tilt, it is one of his fastest KO options.
  • Ganondorf's forward tilt from Brawl onward deals powerful semi-spike knockback, while also having deceptively fast startup (hitting on frame 10), making it notoriously effective near edges especially against characters with poor recoveries. It is however unusually slow compared to all tilt attacks in the entire series.
  • Pichu's forward tilt in Ultimate, while having short-range and causing recoil damage, is very quick and has a guaranteed chance of tripping opponents, making it excellent for starting combos until percents at which the opponents are lifted off the ground. Prior to update 3.1.0, the move was infamous for its KO power at high percentages along with its quick startup, minimal ending lag, and 8 active frames. In 3.1.0 the move was weakened, KOing considerably later. However, this allowed trip conversions to work at later percents.
  • Simon and Richter's forward tilt in Ultimate has a moderate startup, but the long disjointed range and notoriously low ending lag relative to it. As a result, it is one of the safest tilts in the game, and a staple of the Belmonts' neutral game. It also changes into a different move upon holding the attack button, turning into the Whip Twirl which can block weak projectiles but has no usage due to its short range.
  • Wii Fit Trainer's forward tilt is the only one in the series that has an entirely different function depending on whether the move connects in front of or behind Wii Fit Trainer. While the front hit sends the opponent away horizontally with good kill power, the back hit sends the opponent straight up and is better suited for early percent combos. It is also the only forward tilt that can hit on both sides.
  • Mr. Game and Watch's forward tilt is widely feared due to its fast startup, long-lasting hitbox, and very high power.
  • Mario's and Luigi's forward tilts in Super Smash Bros. Melee have weird properties when angled downward. The set knockback of the move is set as 1 for both of them, rendering their downward angled moves impossible to KO with, even at 999%. Luigi in Brawl will retain this property, while Mario will lose it from that game onward.