An unblockable attack (also called unblockable move or unblockable) is an attack that cannot be defended against with a shield or a counterattack. Unblockable attacks tend to be exceptionally powerful and are often grabs, Final Smashes, wielded by bosses, or moves from rare Pokémon and Assist Trophies; there are very few moves that are unblockable outside of these cases. In Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate, most characters have at least one unblockable attack if grabs and Final Smashes are counted.
Unblockable attacks can still be avoided by intangibility, such as sidestepping and air dodging, as well as Bayonetta's Witch Time in most cases. True invincibility also protects against unblockable attacks, such as that granted by a Super Star.
It is possible for a shielding character to be hit by a blockable attack and an unblockable attack on the same frame. What happens in this situation depends on the game.
- In Melee, the blockable attack hits the shield, and the shielder is hit by the unblockable attack.
- In Brawl and Smash 4, the blockable attack hits the shield and the shielder goes into shieldstun. The unblockable attack hits the shielder, but it deals no damage or knockback.
All grabs (with the exception of Isabelle's Fishing Rod) are unblockable and so will not be included in the following list.
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List of unblockable attacks by characters
| Move | User | Portion of move |
|---|---|---|
| All Final Smashes | All characters (Ultimate only) | |
| Aether | Ike (Brawl only) | Sword while loose |
| Aura Storm | Lucario | Entire move |
| Beast Ganon | Ganondorf | Entire move |
| Blue Falcon | Captain Falcon | Trapping hit |
| Critical Hit | Marth, Lucina, and Roy | Entire move |
| Diffusion Beam | R.O.B. | Entire move |
| End of Day | Olimar | Entire move |
| Focus Attack | Ryu and Ken | Fully charged |
| Galaxia Darkness | Meta Knight | Initiation |
| Great Aether | Ike | Sword while loose |
| Grenade Launcher | Snake | Entire move |
| Guard Breaker | Little Mac | Entire move |
| Kamikazee | Hero | Explosion |
| KO Uppercut | Little Mac | Entire move (grounded version only) |
| Konga Beat | Donkey Kong | Wind |
| Landmaster | Fox, Falco, and Wolf | Entire move |
| Light Arrow | Zelda and Sheik | First hit |
| Mario Finale | Mario and Dr Mario | Entire move |
| Nayru's Love | Kirby (Brawl only) | Entire move, normal move by Zelda not unblockable |
| Negative Zone | Luigi | Entire move |
| Octopus | Mr. Game & Watch | Entire move |
| Pac-Jump | Pac-Man (Smash 4 only) | Grounded version only. The move is actually blockable, but grounded opponents who touch the trampoline will instantly drop shield and jump. This technically makes the grounded version impossible to block. |
| Peach Blossom | Peach | Entire move |
| PK Starstorm | Ness and Lucas | Entire move |
| Power Suit Samus | Zero Suit Samus | Last hit pre-transformation |
| Psystrike | Mewtwo | Entire move |
| Puff Up | Jigglypuff | Entire move |
| Reflect Barrier | Palutena | The shield's hitbox |
| Rocketbarrel Boost | Diddy Kong | Loose barrels |
| Shield Piercer | Meta Knight | Entire move |
| Super Dragon | Yoshi | Fireballs |
| Super Sonic | Sonic | Entire move |
| Triforce Slash | Link, Young Link, and Toon Link | Swipes |
| Triple Finish | Pokémon Trainer | Entire move |
| Up aerial | Mr. Game & Watch | Wind |
| Vision | Shulk (Smash 4 only) | Counterattack, both versions (standard and forward-held) |
| Waddle Dee Toss | King Dedede | Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos in certain situations |
| Zero Laser | Samus | Last hit |
List of unblockable attacks by items
| Item | Situation |
|---|---|
| Banana | Stationary |
| Beehive | Bees |
| Blast Box | Explosion (Brawl only) |
| Bumper | When active |
| Daybreak | Any situation |
| Deku Nut | Any situation |
| Dragoon | Any situation |
| Freezie | When it "bursts" (Brawl Only) |
| Gooey Bomb | Any situation |
| Hothead | spark |
| Motion-Sensor Bomb | explosion (Blockable in SSB) |
| Pitfall | Any situation |
| Screw Attack | Any situation |
| Smart Bomb | Any situation |
| Spring | Any situation |
| Warp Star | Any situation |
Unblockable Poké Ball Attacks
| Pokémon | Situation |
|---|---|
| Articuno | Any situation |
| Bellossom | Any situation |
| Clefairy | All attacks |
| Electrode | Any situation |
| Entei | Any situation |
| Ho-Oh | Any situation |
| Keldeo | Any situation |
| Lugia | Any situation |
| Moltres | Any situation |
| Scizor | Any situation |
| Snorlax | descent |
| Suicune | Any situation |
| Togepi | All attacks |
| Unown | First attack |
| Weezing | Any situation |
| Wobbuffet | Any situation |
| Zapdos | Any situation |
List of unblockable attacks by enemies and bosses
- The careening state of defeated Subspace Army goons
- Bucculus
- Crazy Hand - falling bombs (the explosion is blockable, Melee only)
- Duon - wind produced by spin attack
- Galleom - wind produced by various attacks such as dual smash, single stomp, and spin attack
- Master Core - waves released 45 seconds after transforming into its final form.
- Master Giant - slash made after a split second of the arm swinging across the stage
- Meta Ridley - Megafireball, attack where it smacks the Falcon Flyer (?)
- Polar Bear - Earthquakes caused by his stomping in Smash Run
- Rayquaza - wind produced by Thunder, spiral dive
- Tabuu - Off Waves, electric shield
- Galeem - Lens Flare