- "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 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. In Smash Run in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Chandelure appears to be capable of absorbing flame and darkness attacks to power up its own attacks, but absorbs all attacks with these effects, including non-projectile attacks.
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. This essentially hindered the effectiveness of moves with absorption properties in doubles as they were initially quite potent in Brawl and earlier versions of Smash 4.
List of moves with absorption properties
| User | Move | Absorption multiplier | Max absorbable damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas | PSI Magnet | 2.5   |
30 |
2 
| |||
| Mii Gunner | Absorbing Vortex | 1.2 |
30 |
| 1.4
| |||
| Mr. Game & Watch | Oil Panic | 1.5 (+5)  |
500
|
| 2.8 |
60
| ||
| 2 |
48
| ||
| Efficient Panic | 2 | 24 | |
| Panic Overload | 2.5 | 45 | |
| Ness | PSI Magnet | 2  |
—
|
| 1.6 |
30
| ||
| Forward PSI Magnet | 1.2 |
List of absorbable attacks
| By Characters[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| User/Item | Move | Part of Move | Games |
| Banjo & Kazooie | Rear Egg | Explosion | 
|
| Bowser (Giga Bowser) | Fire Breath | Entire move |
|
| Byleth | Failnaught | Entire move |
|
| Charizard | Flamethrower | Entire move |
|
| Flare Blitz | Explosion[2] |
| |
| Cloud | Blade Beam | Entire move |
|
| Corrin | Dragon Fang Shot | Energy Shot |
|
| Daisy | Toad | Spores |
|
| Dark Pit | Silver Bow | Entire move |
|
| Dark Samus | Bomb | Explosion |
|
| Charge Shot | 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 |
|
| Hero | Frizz/Frizzle/Kafrizz | Entire move |
|
| Command Selection | Sizz, Sizzle, Bang, Kaboom, Snooze, Whack, Thwack, and Hocus Pocus (when using before mentioned moves) |
| |
| Ice Climbers | Blizzard | Entire move |
|
| Ice Shot | Ice block |
| |
| Inkling | Splattershot | Entire move |
|
| Splat Bomb | Explosion |
| |
| Jigglypuff | Wakie Wakie | Entire move |
|
| Joker | Eiha/Eigaon | Entire move |
|
| Ken | Hadoken | 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 | Explosion |
|
| Remote Bomb | Explosion |
| |
| Forward smash | Sword Beam |
| |
| 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 |
|
| Forward aerial | Bomb |
| |
| Ness | PK Fire | Bolt only (SSB), entire move (Melee onwards) |
|
| PK Flash | Entire move |
| |
| PK Thunder | Projectile only |
| |
| Pac-Man | Dire Hydrant | Explosion |
|
| Palutena | Autoreticle | Shots |
|
| Explosive Flame | Entire move |
| |
| 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 |
|
| Richter | Holy Water | Entire move |
|
| Ridley | Plasma Breath | 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 |
| |
| Simon | Holy Water | Entire move |
|
| Snake | Hand Grenade | Explosion |
|
| Remote Missile | Missile |
| |
| C4 | Explosion |
| |
| Forward smash | Entire move |
| |
| Up smash | Shell |
| |
| Terry | Power Wave | Entire move |
|
| Toon Link | Bomb | Explosion |
|
| Villager | Lloid Rocket | Explosion |
|
| Wii Fit Trainer | Sun Salutation | While charging; entire move |
|
| Volatile Breathing | Entire move |
| |
| Wolf | Blaster | Shot |
|
| Yoshi | Yoshi Bomb | Stars |
|
| Young Link | Bomb | Explosion |
|
| 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 |
| |
| Rage Blaster | Shots |
| |
| Ray Gun | Shots |
| |
| Staff | Shots |
| |
| Star Rod | Stars |
| |
| Steel Diver | Shots |
| |
| Super Scope | Shots |
| |
| Superspicy Curry | Flames |
| |
| By Assist Trophies | |||
| Guile | Sonic Boom |
| |
| Krystal | Ice Blast |
| |
| Mother Brain | Rinkas |
| |
| Phosphora | All attacks |
| |
| Starman | PK Beam |
| |
| Zero | Genmu Zero |
| |
| 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 |
|
| Vulpix | Fire Spin | Fireball |
|
| By Stage Hazards | |||
| Corneria | Shots fired from Arwings and Wolfens |
| |
| Shots fired from Great Fox |
| ||
| Pyrosphere | FG-II Graham Unit shots |
| |
| Saffron City | Electrode | Self-Destruct |
|
| 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 |
| |
| Dracula | Hellfire, Magic Orbs (Red) |
| |
| Duon | Scattershot |
| |
| Galeem | Fireballs from Tri-Eye Attack |
| |
| Gamyga | Lasers |
| |
| Magikoopa | Spells |
| |
| Marx | Ice Ball |
| |
| Master Edges | Sword projectiles |
| |
| Master Hand | Finger bullets |
| |
| Monoeye | Energy Shot |
| |
| 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. For example, in Smash 4, for certain bomb attacks the explosion is the only hitbox, so if the explosion is absorbable it is listed as "Entire move" for this list. 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 prior to Ultimate 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.