Thunder (Pokémon)
Thunder is Pikachu and Pichu's Down B move.
In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, only Pikachu has this move. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, both Pikachu and Pichu have it.
In Super Smash Bros., this move has infinite vertical range and thus can be used to score KO's when an opponent is near the upper Blast line. This is called thunderspiking, and can lead to much lower damage kills. As a result, Pikachu players try to implement it into their combos as often as they can, typically after an up-smash.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Pikachu/Pichu call out and a cloud appears high above them, a lightning bolt then strikes down from it, hitting either the first platform or Pikachu/Pichu themselves. If Pikachu/Pichu are hit an extra explosion of electrical energy is created that can do extra damage.
While it may seem that this move does not have a cloud, it does, but it is not very apparent unless on stages such as Hyrule Temple.
In Brawl (and possibly Melee), the thunder portion of the attack is considered a projectile and can be reflected back at Pikachu or absorbed for health. The explosion can not however. Also in Brawl, Thunder can pass through platforms that are close enough to the cloud. This is best seen in Hyrule Temple if Pikachu uses Thunder on the bottom portion of the stage. Also in Brawl (and possibly Melee), the off screen cloud portion of the thunder attack can be used as a KO hit if the player being hit is high enough in the air.
An interesting property of this is that if this attack connects with Pikachu in mid-air, Pikachu will bounce upwards a bit. Due to its startup time, it won't aid much in recovery, but is useful to Guard Break, especially against spikers. If used near the edge of a stage, the Thunder can create a wall of electricity to prevent a recovering opponent (especially if Thunder Jolts are sent out beforehand), best if the try to go for the ledge.
Pichu's version of the attack differs in that the lightning bolt is capable of dealing multiple hits, and if Pichu is hit by it, he will take a small amount of damage.
Thunder in the Pokémon games
The move is based on a similar move in the Pokémon games that is known for its high damage, but somewhat low accuracy. However, if it is raining it becomes 100% accurate and even has a 25% chance to break through the move "Protect." Even without rain, the move is capable of hitting double damage on an opponent that is in the flying stage. (After you use the move "fly" but before it strikes.) In the anime, all pokemon using Thunder sends a single, powerful explosion-like blast away from the user, as opposed to a lightning bolt towards the user. The main reason for this not being the case in the Super Smash Bros. series, is that the attack would be too hard to evade.
Thunder impale tactic
When using Thunder on a stage where your enemy is sometimes on a platform above you, like Jungle Japes, use Thunder. Keep using it and the enemy gets impaled on a spike of thunder. It is simply a damaging technique. It is better accuracy with Pichu than Pikachu, but Pikachu's is more powerful. Template:Pikachu Special Moves
