Air Slash
| Air Slash | |
|---|---|
 The upward slash of Air Slash in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. | |
| User | Shulk |
| Universe | Xenoblade |
| “ | Leap with a sword swing. Press  to swing again.
|
” |
| —Smash for 3DS's foldout | ||
Air Slash (エアスラッシュ, Air Slash) is Shulk's up special move in Super Smash Bros. 4.
Overview
Shulk announces "Air Slash!" and propels himself into the air with a quick vertical slash in a spiraling motion. By pressing the special attack button at the end of the move, he can follow up with a second slash (an outward right-handed clearing slash) which knocks opponents away and gives Shulk a small additional amount of vertical height. The first hit deals set knockback, which cannot KO even at 999%. It works in a similar vein to Marth and Lucina's Dolphin Slash, except with the ability to hit twice and being slower, possessing a wider range along with variable damage and KO potential depending on Shulk's currently active Monado Art. It can also be reversed for a Reverse Air Slash, though the move does not have any noticeable difference. The attack does 11-12% damage with mediocre knockback without any arts, while doing 16% in Buster and having good KO potential in Smash mode. With the Jump Art, it can combo after a forward aerial especially if the opponent tries to jump after getting hit, which can score an early (though risky) kill offstage.
As a recovery, Air Slash has the same perks and flaws as Dolphin Slash, giving good vertical height in exchange for negligible horizontal distance. As an added bonus, being in the Jump Art increases the total vertical height of the move, allowing Shulk to recover from almost anywhere offstage so long as he still has his second jump. Performing the second slash gives Shulk slightly more vertical distance, aiding his recovery if he performs the entire move instead of just the first slash.
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the known variations:
| 1. Air Slash | 2. Advancing Air Slash | 3. Mighty Air Slash |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Lift enemies into the air with a rising slash. Can be followed up with a midair strike." | "Slash upward and launch foes diagonally. Press again to deliver a second strike." | "A more focused version of the standard Air Slash. Sacrifices range for sheer brute force." |
- Air Slash: Default.
- Advancing Air Slash: The first slash launches enemies diagonally, with the second slash moving Shulk forward. This improves the move's horizontal distance but slightly hampers its total vertical distance.
- Mighty Air Slash: The Monado's beam during the attack is shortened to the length of the Monado itself, decreasing the attack's range, but it deals more damage to compensate. Recovery is unaffected.
Origin
Air Slash is one of Shulk's physical arts in Xenoblade Chronicles, learned at level 14. The art sees Shulk briefly jump into the air and unleash a sword strike. The move having two hits may be a subtle reference to the effect of Air Slash in said game, as it has the ability to inflict two status effects on the enemy: Break (making opponents vulnerable to Topple, which causes them to fall onto the ground momentarily) and Slow (which decreases movement and auto-attack speed) if the attack hits the enemy's side (as opposed to the front or back). The pink color of the Monado's beam is a reference to how pink is used to identify Break arts in the menus. Interestingly, the original move only hits once, with the second hit being added exclusively for the Super Smash Bros. series, while the second slash's animation is similar to the actual Air Slash used in Xenoblade Chronicles albeit reversed, as Shulk performs an inwards slash instead of an outwards clearing slash in the actual game.
