The side special move (also commonly called forward B, side B, smash B, or over B) is a special attack performed by pressing the special move button with the control stick held left or right.
Not counting Final Smashes, the side special is the only special attack to originate in a game other than the original Super Smash Bros. - namely, in Super Smash Bros. Melee. In the original, pressing the special button with the stick held sideways would result in a neutral special move. With the introduction of side specials in Melee, some characters' neutral specials were changed to be side specials, with a new neutral special taking their place.
Many side specials involve either significant sideways character movement or a projectile that has more horizontal range than the user's other projectiles. As a result, many can be utilized as approaches.
Smash special move
Some side special moves are different depending on whether or not the control stick (or pad) is tapped/"smashed" or simply tilted to the side. The side special moves affected by this are:
- Link's Boomerang: Flies a further distance and at a faster speed, also dealing more damage. Young Link and Toon Link's Boomerangs also have this property. Gale Boomerang is also affected, but its damage is not increased.
- Samus's Missiles: Instead of the regular missile, a more powerful, faster, non-homing missile known as a Super Missile is fired. The Mii Gunner's Gunner Missiles also have this property.
- Pikachu's Skull Bash: Starts off already slightly charged.
- Luigi's Green Missile: Starts off slightly charged.
- Ivysaur's Razor Leaf: Travels faster and is more powerful, but its trajectory cannot be arced as effectively.
- Diddy Kong's Monkey Flip: Flies faster and farther.
- Wario's Wario Bike: Moves faster and deals more damage.
- Duck Hunt's Clay Shooting: Moves faster and does more damage on contact. In the case of Clay Break it will never break until the 3rd hit, while in the case of Rising Clay it scales in damage faster and arcs up lower and later.
- Mii Brawler's Burning Dropkick: Starts off slightly charged.
- Mii Swordfighter's Airborne Assault: Starts off slightly charged.
- Mii Swordfighter's Chakram: Flies much farther, dealing more damage.
Reverse side special move
In Brawl, most side special moves can be reversed in the first few frames (except Bowser and Samus), although the usefulness is questionable, since any character can quickly turn around on the spot and immediately perform their side special move. The only true use for a reverse side special is while running; when running, the player cannot use their side special backwards without having to stop or turn around first. The reverse side special can be done while running and gives certain characters boosts when turning around, the most notable boosts being Donkey Kong's and Luigi's reverse side specials, where the former gets a quick boost backwards and has an unsurprising hit, and the latter will keep sliding forwards while being able to charge his move.
List of side special moves
| Character | Move | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bayonetta | Heel Slide / After Burner Kick | When used on the ground, Bayonetta attacks with Hell Slide, a sliding kick. When used in air, it becomes After Burner Kick, a diagonal diving kick that can be angled up or down. |
| Bowser | Koopa Klaw  |
A claw swipe that launches opponents near the edge of its range, and grabs opponents close by. |
Flying Slam    |
Grabs opponents with a claw swipe, then pulls them into a flying body slam. | |
| Bowser Jr. | Clown Kart Dash | The Koopa Clown Car gains wheels and accelerates forward. |
| Captain Falcon | Raptor Boost | Captain Falcon lunges forward, and if an opponent in his path, delivers a flaming uppercut. |
| Charizard | Rock Smash |
Charizard produces a boulder and smashes it with its head. |
| Flare Blitz |
Charizard rushes forward, surrounded with flames. Deals recoil damage. | |
| Chrom | Double-Edge Dance | Functions similarly to Roy's Double-Edge Dance. |
| Cloud | Cross Slash | Cloud slashes the air in front of him in a set pattern. The non-Limit version is performed one hit at a time with repeated button presses. |
| Corrin | Dragon Lunge | Corrin's arm transforms into a long lance that can pin grounded opponents in place. |
| Daisy | unnamed | Functions similarly to Peach's Peach Bomber. |
| Dark Pit | Electroshock Arm | Functions similarly to Pit's Upperdash Arm. |
| Dark Samus | Missile | Functions similarly to Samus's Missile. |
| Diddy Kong | Monkey Flip | Diddy Kong flips forward. It can cling onto opponents on contact, or the button can be pressed again to deliver a kick instead. |
| Donkey Kong | Headbutt | Donkey Kong swings his head down, burying grounded opponents. |
| Dr. Mario | Super Sheet | Behaves similarly to Mario's Cape, but Dr. Mario swings a sheet instead. In Ultimate, he swings a diploma. |
| Duck Hunt | Clay Shooting | Duck Hunt throws a clay pigeon. Pressing the button again before the projectile disappears will hit it with Zapper shots. |
| Falco | Falco Phantasm | Functions similarly to Fox's Fox Illusion. |
| Fox | Fox Illusion | Fox dashes forward from point to point at high speed, leaving afterimages in his wake. |
| Ganondorf | Gerudo Dragon |
Functions similarly to Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost. |
| Flame Choke |
Ganondorf lunges forward, grabbing an opponent in his path and launching them straight down into the ground. | |
| Greninja | Shadow Sneak | Greninja's shadow begins to move along the ground when this move is activated. When the button is released, Greninja will appear at the shadow and deliver a kick. Greninja can still be controlled while the button is held. |
| Ice Climbers | Squall Hammer | The Ice Climbers begin spinning in tandem, dealing multiple hits with their hammers. |
| Ike | Quick Draw | Ike charges in place as long as the button is held, then rushes forward, striking with his sword if an opponent is in his path. |
| Incineroar | unnamed | Incineroar tosses opponents at the ropes of a wrestling ring. When the opponent bounces back, pressing the button again with the right timing delivers a follow-up attack int he form of a wrestling move. |
| Inkling | Splat Roller | Inkling runs along the ground with the Splat Roller held out, burying grounded opponents. |
| Isabelle | Fishing Rod | Isabelle casts a fishing line, which can reel in and then throw opponents. |
| Ivysaur | Razor Leaf | Ivysaur throws a single large leaf projectile. |
| Jigglypuff | Pound | Jigglypuff slides forward with a single punch. The move can be angled in midair. |
| Ken | Tatsumaki Senpukyaku | Functions similarly to Ryu's Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, but deals multiple hits instead of one strong one. |
| King Dedede | Waddle Dee Toss |
King Dedede randomly throws a Waddle Dee, Waddle Doo, or Gordo. |
| Gordo Throw |
King Dedede throws a Gordo. | |
| King K. Rool | unnamed | King K. Rool throws his crown forward, which then returns to him along the same path. If the crown is blocked, it can be picked up by opponents like an item. |
| Kirby | Hammer |
Kirby swings his hammer horizontally. When used in midair, Kirby flips the hammer in a pinwheel motion instead. |
| Hammer Flip |
Same function as above, but gains the ability to be charged with a flame effect for increased power. | |
| Link | Boomerang |
Link throws his Boomerang forward. The projectile can be angled. |
| Gale Boomerang |
Link throws the Gale Boomerang, which has an additional windbox beyond its damaging hitbox. | |
| Little Mac | Jolt Haymaker | Little Mac lunges forward, then delivers an arcing punch. Pressing the button during the lunge causes the punch to come out more quickly. |
| Lucario | Force Palm | Lucario produces a small burst of aura in front of it. Nearby opponents will be grabbed and then launched. |
| Lucas | PK Fire | Behaves similarly to Ness's PK Fire, but deals multiple hits instead of a single strong hit. |
| Lucina | Dancing Blade | Behaves similarly to Marth's Dancing Blade. |
| Luigi | Green Missile | Luigi charges in place, then flies forward headfirst. It has a chance to "misfire," going much further and gaining in power. |
| Mario | Cape | Mario swings his cape, reversing opponents and reflecting projectiles. |
| Marth | Dancing Blade | Pressing the button repeatedly will deliver up to four sword strikes. Each one has a different pattern if angled up, forward, or down. |
| Mega Man | Crash Bomber | Mega Man launches a Crash Bomb forward, which will stick to opponents for a few seconds before exploding. The bomb can be transferred between fighters on contact. |
| Meta Knight | Drill Rush | Meta Knight rushes forward with a corkscrew motion, dealing multiple hits. |
| Mewtwo | Confusion | Mewtwo creates a psychic disturbance in front of it, reflecting projectiles and momentarily causing opponents to tumble in place. |
| Mii Brawler | Onslaught | Mii Brawler charges forward. If the rush connects, a flurry of kicks follows. |
| Mii Gunner | Flame Pillar | Mii Gunner fires a small flame projectile which bursts on contact with opponents or the ground. |
| Mii Swordfighter | Airborne Assault | Mii Swordfighter charges up then pinwheels forward with sword extended. |
| Mr. Game & Watch | Judge | Mr. Game & Watch swings his hammer, producing a number between 1 and 9. Each number causes a different effect. |
| Ness | PK Fire | Ness throws a short-ranged fire projectile which bursts on contact. |
| Olimar | Pikmin Throw | Olimar throws his current Pikmin ahead. All colors of Pikmin will latch onto the opponent and deal damage except Purple Pikmin, which deliver a single launching hit. |
| Pac-Man | Power Pellet | Pac-Man produces a Power Pellet, then turns into his iconic sprite form and rushes forward to chomp on it. The Power Pellet's path can be briefly controlled as it extends outward, which in turns controls Pac-Man's path when he moves toward it. |
| Palutena | Reflect Barrier |
Palutena produces a rectangular barrier which reflects projectiles. |
| Explosive Flame |
See neutral special move. | |
| Peach | Peach Bomber | Peach lunges in midair with hips forward, bouncing off and launching any opponent in the way. |
| Pichu | Skull Bash | Functions similarly to Pikachu's Skull Bash. |
| Pikachu | Skull Bash | Pikachu charges in place then flies forward headfirst. |
| Pit | Angel Ring |
Pit does a short dash forward, twirling his blades in a circle. |
| Upperdash Arm |
Pit lunges forward, delivering an uppercut if an opponent is in his path. | |
| Richter | Cross | Functions similarly to Simon's Cross. |
| Ridley | unnamed | Ridley grabs opponents and rushes forward, dragging them along the ground to inflict damage. |
| R.O.B. | Arm Rotor | R.O.B. rapidly spins its arms around its body like a top, dealing multiple hits and reflecting projectiles. |
| Robin | Arcfire | Robin shoots a fireball diagonally downwards over a short range. If it strikes the ground or an opponents, it bursts into a multi-hitting pillar of flame. |
| Rosalina | Star Bits | Luma shoots several Star Bits ahead over a short range. |
| Roy | Double-Edge Dance | Functions similarly to Marth's Dancing Blade. |
| Ryu | Tatsumaki Senpukyaku | Ryu flies forward a set distance with a spinning kick. |
| Samus | Missile | Samus releases a homing Missile or, if the attack is "smashes", a stronger but non-homing Super Missile. |
| Sheik | Chain |
Sheik produces a chain which can be swung back and forth in any direction. |
| Burst Grenade |
Sheik produces a grenade on a wire which detonates soon after. It can be detonated early with another press of the button. | |
| Shulk | Back Slash | Shulk does a jumping overhead sword slash. The attack is more powerful if it connects with an opponent from behind. |
| Simon | Cross | Simon throws a cross ahead as a projectile, which returns along the same path. |
| Snake | Remote Missile | Snake stays in place while directing a remote-controlled missile. |
| Sonic | Spin Dash | Sonic bounces briefly then rolls forward at high speed. |
| Squirtle | Withdraw | Squirtle retreats into its shell and begins to spin along the ground, aided by a stream of water. Squirtle can be made to change directions by incoming attacks, but it takes no damage while in its shell. |
| Toon Link | Boomerang | Functions similarly to Link's Boomerang. |
| Villager | Lloid Rocket | Villager produces Lloid as a projectile, who flies forward, exploding on contact. If the button is held, Villager will climb onto Lloid and ride him until he explodes. |
| Wario | Wario Bike | Wario jumps on his motorcycle and begins to ride it. The bike can be controlled somewhat and Wario can choose to dismount it at any time. |
| Wii Fit Trainer | Header | Wii Fit Trainer produces a green ball and launches it diagonally downward with a header. |
| Wolf | Wolf Flash | Functions similarly to Fox's Fox Illusion, but Wolf travels diagonally upward instead of straight ahead, and the move has a strong sweetspot at its end. |
| Yoshi | Egg Roll | Yoshi curls up inside an egg and begins to roll around. The egg can be controlled to turn around. |
| Young Link | Boomerang | Functions similarly to Link's Boomerang. |
| Zelda | Din's Fire | Zelda releases a small fireball which initially deals no damage, and whose trajectory can be influenced up or down. When the button is released, the fireball explodes. |
| Zero Suit Samus | Plasma Whip | Zero Suit Samus reaches out with her whip. The end of the whip is the strongest. This move can be used as a tether recovery. |
List of custom side special moves
In Super Smash Bros. 4
| Attacks in the Super Smash Bros. series | |
|---|---|
| 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 |