- "Energy-based attack" redirects here. For the attack type, see Energy.
- For the technique referred to as "absorbing damage" by the Twinkle Toes bonus in Super Smash Bros. Melee, see tech.
Absorption is the process of using a particular down special move to "capture" an "energy-based" projectile (or just a general hitbox in rare cases). It then provides a benefit to the character absorbing it based on the damage output of the absorbed attack. What constitutes an absorbable attack other than being labeled as energy-based is not consistent throughout the Smash series, and has no relation with move types or effects. Super Smash Bros. 4 added some explosive-type attacks that were not able to be absorbed in previous games, yet did not include all of them.
Only four characters in the Super Smash Bros. series have special moves that can absorb specific attacks, namely Ness, Lucas, Mii Gunner and Mr. Game & Watch. Ness and Lucas' absorbing special move is the PSI Magnet, Mr. Game & Watch's is Oil Panic, and the Mii Gunner's is Absorbing Vortex. PSI Magnet and Absorbing Vortex heal the user based on the absorbed attack's power, while Oil Panic stores the strength of up to three projectiles for unleashing a single attack later. Absorption is not to be confused with the likes of Villager's Pocket or any other form of collecting items.
In The Subspace Emissary in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Floows are also capable of absorbing attacks, though they do not appear to do anything with the absorbed energy.
As of version 1.1.3 in Smash 4, absorbed attack power from fellow teammates during Team Battles with Friendly Fire turned on is halved.
List of absorbable attacks
| By Characters[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| User/Item | Move | Part of Move | Games |
| Bowser (Giga Bowser) | Fire Breath | Entire move |
|
| Charizard | Flamethrower | Entire move |
|
| Flare Blitz | Explosion[2] |
| |
| Cloud | Blade Beam | Entire move |
|
| Corrin | Dragon Fang Shot | Energy Shot |
|
| Dark Pit | Silver Bow | Entire move |
|
| Diddy Kong | Rocketbarrel Boost | Explosion[3] |
|
| Dr. Mario | Megavitamin | Entire move |
|
| Duck Hunt | Trick Shot | Explosion |
|
| Clay Shooting | Explosion (from reticle shots) | 
| |
| Falco | Blaster | Entire move |
|
| Fox | Blaster | Entire move |
|
| Ice Climbers | Blizzard | Entire move |
|
| Ice Shot | Ice block |
| |
| Jigglypuff | Wakie Wakie | Entire move |
|
| King Dedede | Super Dedede Jump | Stars |
|
| Waddle Dee Toss | Waddle Doo's beam attack |
| |
| Kirby | Copy Ability | Some neutral special moves[4] |
|
| Final Cutter | Wave |
| |
| Link | Bomb | Entire move |
|
| Lucario | Aura Sphere | Entire move |
|
| Force Palm | Aura burst |
| |
| Lucas | PK Fire | Entire move |
|
| PK Freeze | Entire move |
| |
| PK Thunder | Projectile only |
| |
| Luigi | Fireball | Entire move |
|
| Mario | Fireball | Entire move |
|
| Mega Man | Crash Bomber | Explosion |
|
| Hyper Bomb | Explosion |
| |
| Danger Wrap | Explosion |
| |
| Forward smash | Entire move |
| |
| Forward tilt | Entire move |
| |
| Neutral attack | Shots |
| |
| Neutral aerial | Shots |
| |
| Mewtwo | Forward throw | Shots |
|
| Shadow Ball | Entire Move |
| |
| Mii Gunner | Forward aerial | Entire Move |
|
| Charge Blast | Entire Move |
| |
| Laser Blaze | Entire Move |
| |
| Grenade Launch | Explosion |
| |
| Flame Pillar | Entire Move |
| |
| Stealth Burst | Entire Move |
| |
| Lunar Launch | Entire Move |
| |
| Bomb Drop | Explosion |
| |
| Mr. Game & Watch | Chef | Sausages |
|
| Ness | PK Fire | Bolt only (SSB), entire move (other games) |
|
| PK Flash | Entire move |
| |
| PK Thunder | Projectile only |
| |
| Pac-Man | Dire Hydrant | Explosion |
|
| Palutena | Autoreticle | Shots |
|
| Peach | Toad | Spores |
|
| Pichu | Thunder | Bolt |
|
| Thunder Jolt | Entire move |
| |
| Pikachu | Thunder | Bolt |
|
| Thunder Jolt | Entire Move |
| |
| Pit | Palutena's Bow | Entire move |
|
| R.O.B. | Robo Beam | Entire move |
|
| Robin | Arcfire | Entire move |
|
| Elwind | Entire move |
| |
| Thunder | Entire move |
| |
| Rosalina | Floaty Star Bit | Entire move |
|
| Shooting Star Bit | Entire Move |
| |
| Ryu | Hadoken | Entire move |
|
| Samus | Bomb | Explosion |
|
| Charge Shot | Entire Move |
| |
| Sheik | Burst Grenade | Explosion |
|
| Vanish | Entire Move |
| |
| Toon Link | Bomb | Entire move |
|
| Villager | Lloid Rocket | Explosion |
|
| Wii Fit Trainer | Sun Salutation | Entire move |
|
| Volatile Breathing | Entire move |
| |
| Wolf | Blaster | Shot |
|
| Yoshi | Yoshi Bomb | Stars |
|
| Zelda | Din's Fire | Entire Move |
|
| Zero Suit Samus | Down smash | Entire move |
|
| Paralyzer | Entire move |
| |
| By Items | |||
| Blast Box | Explosion |
| |
| Bob-omb | Explosion |
| |
| Bombchu | Explosion |
| |
| Fire Flower | Flames |
| |
| Gooey Bomb | Explosion |
| |
| Lip's Stick | Spores |
| |
| Motion-Sensor Bomb | Explosion |
| |
| Ray Gun | Shots |
| |
| Star Rod | Stars |
| |
| Steel Diver | Shots |
| |
| Super Scope | Shots |
| |
| Superspicy Curry | Flames |
| |
| By Pokémon | |||
| Charizard | Flamethrower | Flames |
|
| Cyndaquil | Flamethrower | Flames |
|
| Electrode | Self-Destruct | Explosion |
|
| Fennekin | Incinertate | Non-grounded fireball |
|
| Genesect | Techno Blast | Beam |
|
| Meowth | Pay Day | Coins |
|
| Starmie | Swift | Stars |
|
| Staryu | Swift | Stars |
|
| By Stage Hazards | |||
| Corneria | Shots fired from Arwings, Wolfens, and the Great Fox |
| |
| Pyrosphere | FG-II Graham Unit shots |
| |
| Saffron City | Charmander | Flamethrower |
|
| Venusaur | Razor Leaf |
| |
| Sector Z | Shots fired from Arwings |
| |
| Venom | Shots fired from Arwings and Wolfens |
| |
| Wily Castle | Yellow Devil's shots |
| |
| By Enemies and Bosses | |||
| Armank | Energy Shot |
| |
| Chandelure | Fire Spin, Will-o-Wisp |
| |
| Duon | Scattershot |
| |
| Gamyga | Lasers |
| |
| Magikoopa | Spells |
| |
| Monoeye | Energy Shot |
| |
| Master Edges | Sword projectiles |
| |
| Master Hand | Finger bullets |
| |
| Puppit | Lasers |
| |
| R.O.B. Blaster | Beams |
| |
| Scope Primid | Shots |
| |
| Spaak | Electric ball |
| |
| Lightning bolt |
| ||
| Starman | PK Beam |
| |
- ^ For playable characters, if an attack has only one hitbox, the Part of the Move section is defined as the "Entire move" for this list. An example are certain bomb attacks in Smash 4; the explosion is indeed what is absorbable, but it is the only hitbox of the move and hence is not listed as "Explosion". If a move has multiple parts that are all able to be absorbed, it is noted as the entire move.
- ^ Must strike the stage or a different opponent first. An active hitbox will connect otherwise.
- ^ Either when the barrels are free-roaming and crash into the stage, or if Diddy rams directly into the stage. The barrels have active hitboxes before it explodes.
- ^ Kirby's version of Chef in Brawl can be absorbed while the original version cannot.
Trivia
- Every Super Smash Bros. game debuts one character with an absorption move: Ness in Super Smash Bros., Mr. Game & Watch in Melee, Lucas in Brawl, and Mii Gunner in SSB4.