Smash Ball

Smash Ball
Smash Ball artwork from Brawl, though it looks different during actual gameplay.
Universe	Super Smash Bros.
Appears in	Brawl
Item class	Special

The Smash Ball (スマッシュボール, Sumasshubōru) is an item in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It allows the user to activate a powerful Final Smash attack when it breaks. It only appears in Training mode, certain Events, standard and Special Brawls, not the main one-player/co-op modes such as Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary.

The Smash Ball will reappear in Super Smash Bros. 4. However, it is currently unknown whether it will function similarly to its Brawl form or not.

Overview

To use the Smash Ball, the characters must attack the Smash Ball until it breaks. A "fresh" Smash Ball can take around 43% damage before breaking, while a Smash Ball that's been on screen a while is easier to break. The screen darkens, and the player whose attack broke the Smash Ball goes into "standby mode," in which the character's eyes turn yellow and body begins to glow a rainbow color. The Final Smash can then be unleashed at any time by pressing the input for a neutral special move. After using a Final Smash, the character is no longer in standby mode and must break another Smash Ball before using it again. If a character takes enough damage while in standby mode, there is a chance that they may lose the Smash Ball, which then begins to move about the screen again. Any projectile, including Poké Balls and Assist Trophies, can aid in collecting it.

When a Smash Ball appears, the screen blinks and the crowd gasps. The Smash Ball then moves around on its own, making it harder for players to use; it must be attacked by the players until it breaks, and whoever breaks it will be able to use their Final Smash. As an item, it can be turned off in the Item Switch option for those who wish to battle without the potential imbalance that comes from such powerful attacks.

The apparent physics of the Smash Ball tend to vary. While it will often bounce off of walls and hard platforms, it will occasionally pass through them. The amount of knockback it takes also varies; sometimes it will take an attack without even changing its trajectory, and other times an attack will send it halfway across a stage. The camera treats Smash Balls the same way that it treats characters. Smash Balls do not vanish by being forced off the stage like other items, so a Smash Ball sent off the screen can pull the camera away from the characters.

If no one breaks the Smash Ball after a long enough period of time, it flies away. However, the longer it is flying around, the easier it is to break. It can also be damaged by the stage (for example, Norfair's lava), and if nobody strikes it before it is destroyed, it is lost. Smash Balls are also affected by glancing blows; the Smash Ball will not take damage but will be pushed away. When a character is in standby mode, no Smash Balls appear until the Final Smash is used (or the Smash Ball is lost and flies away). This means that only one Final Smash can be used at once.

Description from the Super Smash Bros. Brawl instruction booklet

Destroy it and unleash a Final Smash with B.

Trophy

The Smash Ball trophy in Brawl.

This item is also available as a trophy, with random availability. It is a fairly common trophy.

Smash Ball
A mighty item. Each character has a unique secret technique known as a Final Smash that can only be used when that character acquires a Smash Ball. Use it well, and you'll be one huge step closer to victory. It can turn the battle's tide, help you put the finishing touches on a complete thrashing, or even provide a chaotic finish that's sure to leave you laughing until you cry.

: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Trivia

• When Jigglypuff is using its deflating (down) taunt when it has the Smash Ball, a glowing ball of energy will appear. This is the Smash Ball's form inside the character that broke it.
• In the Iwata Asks interview for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Masahiro Sakurai stated that he had intended to add Final Smashes since the first game in the series; in the debug menu of the first game, unused sound bites of characters can be found that were likely meant for these attacks, such as Ness shouting PK Starstorm.
• In the Smash Bros. DOJO!!, the Smash Ball doesn't appear as an item [1], instead as a how to play tutorial segment.
• In training mode, when a Smash Ball is on the field and a Dragoon Part is spawned, the Smash Ball disappears. This occurs vice versa as well, except any Dragoon Parts being held will not disappear.
• If all three Dragoon Parts are in play, a Smash Ball will not appear until they have been used to summon the Dragoon. However, if only one or two Dragoon Parts have been collected, the Smash Ball may appear and prevent the third Dragoon Part from appearing - preventing the Dragoon and Final Smashes from appearing on the screen at the same time (doing so could cause a Dragoon and Snake's Grenade Launcher to have targeting sights on the screen at the same time). The same applies to Mr. Resetti.
• Some Final Smashes take longer to load from the disc than others. If a character's Final Smash is not yet loaded and the player tries to activate it, they instead perform their neutral special move. This can cause the player to be attacked and lose the Smash Ball.
• On Yoshi's Island, as it moves about, the Smash Ball can "hit" the yellow blocks and cause them to spin just as a jump from below or an attack would.
• The Smash Ball, along with the Poké Ball, can't be swallowed or eaten by Munchlax.
• In a stamina brawl, if a character is defeated in standby mode the rainbow effect stays on the body and the screen remains dark until the body is knocked off of the stage.

External links

• Confirmation