Meteor smash

DK's meteor smash.

Mario's meteor smash

Wolf meteor smashing Falco with Wolf Flash in Brawl.

A meteor smash is a type of attack in the Super Smash Bros. Series. A meteor smash is an attack or hitbox with a downward knockback angle. In Melee, the opponent can cancel the meteor smash by jumping or using an upwards "third jump" attack immediately after being struck. If the meteor smashed person is holding up and/or a jump button when struck by the meteor smash and the control stick and/or jump button goes back to their neutral position, that will allow them to meteor cancel too. When meteor canceling in Melee, the character will glow white, have sparkling effects, and make a wind-cutting sound. If a meteor smash connects with a grounded opponent instead, it sends them straight up with less knockback than usual.

Meteor cancels become more difficult to perform at higher damage percentages because the character flies downwards at a higher speed as their damage level increases. It's possible to meteor cancel at any time while still in the air during the character's tumbling animation, but it's advisable to do it as soon as possible.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, meteor cancels can still be performed, but can no longer be performed immediately after being hit. It's only possible to meteor cancel after falling about half of the original distance, and smashing jump buttons won't work, because after pressing the jump button, there is a period of time in which the character cannot meteor cancel, similar to techs. Double jumps, triple jumps, and tether recoveries can be used to meteor cancel, but there are exceptions, such as Pit whose up special moves and jumps cannot be used to meteor cancel. Also in Brawl, some meteors send the opponents in a slight diagonal downwards trajectory instead of straight down, similar to the spikes in Melee (their trajectories aren't as diagonal as the spike's trajectories were). Such meteors with this trajectory include the former spikes (excluding the nipple spike) and Mario's forward aerial. When these meteors connect with grounded opponents, the trajectories have a slight deviation to the left or right instead of straight up.

One important trait of meteor smashes is that they are less powerful on grounded opponents - a grounded opponent will take 20% less knockback, with more hitstun than usual, and in fact won't take any if it's below a certain amount (though they will still flinch, and possibly trip). This applies to all meteor smash hitboxes on grounded opponents. This is the reason why even though many meteors are among the strongest aerials and tilts in the game, few of them are reliable KO attacks in non-edgeguarding situations (Ganondorf's down aerial is the primary exception to this, being the only meteor capable of KOing grounded opponents under 100% in Melee and Brawl). However, while meteor smashes are often poor at KOing grounded opponents, they are often useful for starting combos on them, due to the ideal vertial trajectory they produce, the decreased knockback, and increased hitstun. Interestingly, some meteor smashes, such as the special meteors and Charizard's down aerial, produce a different hitbox on grounded opponents. And strangely, some meteor smashes can only be landed on grounded opponents, such as Samus' up tilt, and the first hit of Snake's forward tilt. These attacks produce a different hitbox on airborne opponents that do not meteor smash.

Any character in Melee and most in Brawl can meteor cancel with their second jump. Meteor smashing is useful against characters without effective triple jumps (i.e. Ike, Yoshi) who have limited use for an up special meteor cancel. (Although in Yoshi's case, one needs to make sure he still doesn't have his second jump, otherwise he could easily recover at lower %s.) Meteor canceling does not exist in the original Super Smash Bros.

A technique in Melee and Brawl called stage spike is done by hitting the opponent into stages causing them to recoil off the stage often in a downwards trajectory, similar to a meteor smash, except since the game doesn't register them as meteor smashes, they cannot be meteor cancelled.

A meteor smash is not to be confused with a spike, a attack that sends opponents downwards (often diagonally) but isn't registered by the game as a meteor smash, thus being incapable of being meteor canceled. Since no spikes in the definition of the term are known to exist in Brawl and Super Smash Bros., "meteor smash" and "spike" are often used interchangeably when referring to meteor smashes.

There is a bonus in Melee for recovering from a meteor smash (with or without meteor canceling) called Meteor Survivor.

List of meteor smashes

Not all characters have availability to a meteor smash. The characters that can meteor smash and their respective meteor smashes are listed and described here. Moltres and the streams of a Super Scope also have meteor smash properties. Spikes and semi-spikes are not listed here. An interesting property of meteor smashes in Melee is that if the opponent hits the far lateral sides of the hitbox, then the opponent gets sent diagonally downwards (although a spike's trajectory is more diagonal), but the attack can still be canceled. This property can be easily seen in down aerials like Ness' and Samus' and forward aerials like Mario's and Yoshi's.

In Super Smash Bros.

As noted above, there is no meteor canceling in the original, so some prefer the term spike for these set of moves, though they are officially called Meteor Smashes.

With the exception of Pikachu and Link, all characters have a meteor smash: their down aerial. These meteor smashes have different power levels, and can vary between being drills (in Fox's, Mario's, Luigi's, Yoshi's, Jigglypuff, and Kirby's cases) and single hit attacks (in the case of Captain Falcon, DK, Ness, and Samus). 4 characters have spikes outside of the dair; these are Mario (Mario Tornado), Yoshi (fair), Donkey Kong (fair), and Kirby (Final Cutter). Meteor smashes as a whole are much faster than their counterparts in Melee and Brawl, even considering the increased speed of the game.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Captain Falcon

Down aerial - A rather effective stomp with a decent hitbox size, decent start-up and low ending lag, and high power (fourth strongest meteor in Melee). It is often used because Captain Falcon can jump off the stage, hit with it, and recover with ease due to its low ending lag. If Captain Falcon hits with its upper hitbox (the nipples), it acts as a spike and is called the nipple spike. Is arguably the second best meteor smash in Melee, only second to Ganondorf's down aerial.
Raptor Boost (aerial) - Captain Falcon rushes forward with a downwards vertical swing that weakly meteor smashes airborne opponents. This is a very risky attack because the attack is often done off-stage and once used renders him helpless. Conversely, Ganondorf's aerial Gerudo Dragon does not produce a meteor smash hitbox.

Donkey Kong

Down aerial - A standard stomp attack with Donkey Kong. It has below average start-up with moderate to high ending lag, but has a large hitbox with above average power. It should ideally be used against characters recovering from above, due to Donkey Kong's poor vertical recovery.
Forward aerial - This is a low-accuracy meteor which hits only if the opponent is touched by Donkey Kong's hands at the end of the move. The attack has very slow start-up lag, with very high ending lag. It is the most difficult of all his three meteor smashes to perform, and is arguably impractical, as the down aerial always meteor smashes, is stronger, is faster, and is generally much easier to perform successfully.
Headbutt - Normally, this move buries opponents. But on aerial enemies, it works as a weak meteor smash. This tactic is useful for safe edge guarding as Donkey Kong can meteor smash a recovering opponent while keeping himself on the floor. However, the meteor's low power makes it easy for the opponent to recover from it.

Falco

Falco Phantasm - If the opponent is airborne while struck with this move, they will be meteor smashed weakly. It is relatively easy to meteor cancel, but can surprise a non suspecting opponent. Conversely, Fox's Fox Illusion is not a meteor smash.
Down throw - If Falco throws his opponent down near an edge which can't be passed through while facing away from the edge, the opponent will fall downwards at very high speeds.

Fox

Down throw - A weaker version of Falco's down throw. When Fox throws his opponent down at an edge which can't be passed through while facing away from the edge, the opponent will drop at a quick, considerable speed.

Ganondorf

Down aerial - Very similar to Captain Falcon's down aerial, which is a very powerful stomp, except slightly slower. The three hitboxes cover nearly all of Ganondorf's body, so it is technically possible to meteor smash someone while hitting them with Ganondorf's head. This is by far the strongest meteor smash in the game, being the only meteor smash that can reliably KO grounded opponents under 100%. It is also the most powerful aerial attack in the game when it hits an airborne opponent (even if the opponent is grounded,a few aerials hit harder, such as Bowser's up aerial). Factoring this with the fact it is easy to land and recover from due to its low ending lag, it is usually considered the best meteor smash in Melee.

Ice Climbers

Forward aerial - The Ice Climbers swing their hammers in an arc downwards, and meteor smash the opponent if landed properly. This move has some start-up and ending lag with relatively poor reach and average power. The swing from both Climbers can meteor smash.

Jigglypuff

Down aerial - Jigglypuff's hitboxes of this move have meteor smash properties, but they only work on grounded opponents. However, if the move is landed on an aerial opponent, the meteor smash sends him or her sideways.

Kirby

Down aerial - Kirby's drill has meteor smash properties. While the meteor smash is very weak, Kirby can "drag" the opponent down, increasing its effectiveness, and easily recover due to Kirby's great vertical recovery.
Final Cutter - This is a relatively weak meteor smash but can be used against characters which recover with some extra height to throw them down.

Link

Down tilt - One of the few tilt meteors. Link swipes the ground in front of him, meteor smashing airborne opponents if landed properly. A somewhat risky edgeguarding technique, as if it is not landed properly, it will hit the opponent upwards, aiding their recovery. It is generally ideal for Link to use this on an enemy that is recovering from below. Unlike Young Link, Link can not use the outermost hitbox to meteor smash, making the move difficult to land.

Luigi

Down aerial - This attack has two hitboxes. Luigi quickly spins once in the air and those he hits with the upper hitbox (located at his waist) are meteor smashed with strong knockback. If the wrong part of the attack hits, like the lower hitbox located at his legs, it results in considerable horizontal knockback, making it a great edgeguarding attack nonetheless. This move can be used on both sides of him, but his backside is generally easier to land the meteor smash hitbox with because of the angle at which he spins.
Taunt - Luigi kicks his foot into the ground. If you hit an opponent hanging on an edge, it will hit them with a meteor smash. It has weak set-knockback. This move is difficult to land due to the small hitbox and is generally ineffective because opponents can easily cancel it.

Mario

Forward aerial - Mario makes a large swinging motion with his fist, meteor smashing anyone he hits. This attack has very slow start-up lag and very high ending lag, making it a risky and difficult meteor smash to land. On the plus side, it will always meteor smash the opponent when landed. But being very weak, slow, and difficult to land, it can be considered one of the worst aerial meteors in Melee.

Marth

Dancing Blade - On the third hit of his Dancing Blade attack, if the "down" attack is chosen, Marth will spin and swing his sword into the ground. The movement produces a meteor smash hitbox. Its knockback and speed are average. It is very effective over a ledge; however, timing is very important to successfully meteor smash a recovering opponent. The tip of the sword does not meteor smash though.
Down aerial - If Marth hits with the tip of the sword, the opponent will be meteor smashed downwards at blazing speed. In the PAL version, the down aerial strikes the opponent downwards in the same way as in the NTSC version, although in the PAL version it can be meteor cancelled, making it a meteor smash. However, in the NTSC version of the game this attack isn't registered as a meteor smash and thus can't be meteor cancelled, making it a spike. If Marth does not hit with the tip of his sword, Marth will jump a little bit, and the opponent will be hit horizontally weakly.

Mewtwo

Down aerial - Mewtwo flips and stomps downwards. A weak to moderately powerful meteor smash, it has three hitboxes with sightly varying degrees of power. The meteor smash has slow start-up lag, and the overall size of the hitboxes are small, making it a difficult meteor smash to land. However, it will always meteor smash when landed, and has low risk, due to Mewtwo's great vertical recovery.

Mr. Game & Watch

Down aerial - Mr. Game & Watch pulls out a key and thrusts it below him. The first few frames of this attack strike the opponent downwards.

Ness

Down aerial - Ness' stomp has quite a bit of start-up lag. It has high knockback at 0%, but it also has very low knockback scaling, being unable to KO grounded opponents at even 200%, and is relatively easy to meteor cancel.

Peach

Down tilt - One of the few tilt meteors in the game. Peach swipes at the ground in front of her. Any airborne player hit with her forearm will be meteor smashed. If the hand connects instead of the arm, the opponents will be sent upwards. This meteor smash is moderately difficult to land on aerial opponents because of its small hitbox and can only be used effectively over a ledge to KO.

Roy

Down aerial - This attack is similar to Marth's down aerial, but Roy's down aerial is much weaker, has more ending lag, and is generally harder to pull off. Hitting with Roy's wrist just above the hilt of the sword will meteor smash. Like Young Link's down aerial, the opponent has to be above Roy for the move to meteor smash. It is perhaps the worst meteor in Melee as it is extremely weak and difficult to land, and Roy will usually self-destruct when used over the ledge due to its very high ending lag and Roy's fast falling speed. It is less risky to use at hitting opponents recovering from above so that Roy can also recover.
Double-Edge Dance - It is similar to Marth's special attack, but the third attack must be upwards instead.

Samus

Down aerial - Samus' standard meteor smash where she swipes her arm cannon downwards in an arc. It has a wide hitbox and is the fifth most powerful meteor smash in Melee. A commonly used attack due to its strong power, ease of landing, and low risk.
Up tilt - It contains two hitboxes and is a very difficult meteor smash to perform, and it only works on grounded opponents, but it is a meteor smash (evident by the fact that the player gets the meteor smash bonus for KOing opponents with it).

Yoshi

Down aerial - Yoshi's classic scuttle-kick. Each of his kicks is a meteor smash, although they are considerably weak.
Forward aerial - This attack is similar to Mario's forward aerial, but instead Yoshi uses his head to slam the opponent downward. However, it is much stronger and faster than Mario's, and is not quite as risky. It is the third strongest meteor smash in Melee and is generally one of the most effective.

Young Link

Down aerial - Young Link thrusts and holds his sword under him for a while. If the player hits the opponent with the hilt of the sword, they will be dealt fire damage and meteor smashed powerfully (sometimes referred to as the "dragon down aerial"). While this is the second strongest meteor smash in Melee, it is generally impractical due to the extreme difficulty of landing it, the fact that it will hit opponents upwards instead if the meteor smash hitbox does not land, and its high duration makes it very risky to use for edgeguarding.
Down tilt - Young Link sweeps his sword on the ground in front of him. It is similar to Link's down tilt though surprisingly more powerful and easier to land. It is ideal to use this attack on an enemy which is recovering from below. It is considered better than Link's down tilt meteor smash, considering the fact that, unlike Link's down tilt, it can meteor smash with the tip of the sword.

Zelda

Down aerial - An extremely weak meteor smash which Zelda performs by extending her leg downwards. While it is relatively fast, it is by far the weakest single hit meteor smash in Melee.
Down tilt - Zelda performs this attack by sweeping her leg. Another down tilt that can meteor smash opponents. This attack has extremely poor reach and power. Most effective when the opponent is hanging off a ledge.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

It should be noted that, with the addition of the footstool jump, all characters can perform a meteor smash in Brawl. Characters who have an attack with a meteor smash hitbox are listed here, along with each attack. Only a few characters lack a meteor smash outside of Footstool Jumping. The thrown Pitfall, a falling Warp Star, Moltres' body, Metagross, Lakitu's Spinys, Deoxys (when it is ascending), Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire and Waluigi's stomp also have this effect. Semi-spikes are not included in this list. No spikes are currently known in Brawl, so all meteors can be cancelled. However, meteor cancelling is not possible when meteor smashed while swimming. Also, meteor smashes can cause tripping on grounded opponents if their damage was too low to produce knockback.

Bowser

Down tilt as Giga Bowser - Sweeps twice with his claws along the ground. Only the first hit meteor smashes, however the first hit isn't dragged to the second hit.
Down aerial - Only if the final hit is sweetspotted. One of the most impractical meteors in the game as it is extremely weak and difficult to land, along with having high ending lag. Bowser is generally better off using his other, much better and safer edgeguard options.

Captain Falcon

Down aerial - Captain Falcon's classic stomp, but will only meteor smash if the opponent is directly underneath him with good power. If they are to the side, they will be knocked upwards at an angle, which means that the nipple spike has been removed from this. It is weaker than it was in Melee, with a smaller hitbox, which makes it more difficult to land and generally less effective.
Raptor Boost - If used in the air, Captain Falcon will leapfrog over the opponent, thrusting them downwards and himself to safety. This is generally not a safe maneuver, unless when used as a recovery. The meteor smash has high base knockback, but its low knockback scaling allows opponents to recover from it at even high percentages. Regardless, it is an effective counter-edgeguard option against careless edgeguarders.

Diddy Kong

Dash attack - Parts of the attack hit the opponent downwards.
Down aerial - Diddy Kong thrusts both fists under him, meteor smashing the opponent. It is a fast meteor with slightly below average power and a small hitbox. It is similar to Wolf's down aerial but stronger and more difficult to land.
Monkey Flip - When he catches the opponent and jumps, the opponent is meteor smashed weakly.
Rocketbarrel Boost - If an opponent is hit with this while directly under the barrels, he or she is meteor smashed very weakly.

Donkey Kong

Down aerial - Donkey Kong stomps beneath him while making a tough guy pose, meteor smashing any opponent powerfully. It has a large hitbox and will always meteor smash but has slow start-up and risky ending lag. Regardless, it is considered the best and most reliable of his three meteor smashes.
Forward aerial - Donkey Kong swings his fists together in an arc. It hits between frames 25 and 28, with frames 27 and 28 being a meteor smash. It is slightly weaker than his down aerial but is still powerful. While it has good horizontal reach, it still has very slow start-up and ending lag, but Brawl's physics make it a less risky meteor to attempt than it was in Melee. If the non-meteor smash hitbox is landed, it instead hits the opponent horizontally with powerful knockback.
Headbutt - If this hits an aerial opponent and makes contact when the head is near the bottom, rather than embedding him or her in the ground, it launches him or her downwards weakly but still has usefulness (like pivot spiking or using it in the edge).

Falco

Down aerial - First few frames meteor smashes with average power. Start-up lag wise, it is the second fastest meteor in the game (only Marth's down aerial is faster). This is generally the best meteor smash in Brawl in short-hop edgeguarding situations and is by far the best meteor at meteor smashing opponents recovering from above (this is mostly due to Falco's incredible jumping abilities). Like the other meteors that were spikes in Melee, this sends opponents at a slight diagonal angle instead of straight down.
Falco Phantasm - When used while Falco is airborne, it meteor smashes airborne opponents it connects with. However, unless used as a recovery, this is generally a dangerous maneuver that will likely result in a self destruct, and it is very weak as well, generally only succeeding at successfully meteor smashing an opponent when they're caught offguard or have a poor vertical recovery.

Fox

Down aerial - An extremely weak drill meteor smash. Like the other meteors that were spikes in Melee, this sends opponents at a slight diagonal angle instead of straight down, but this is hardly noticeable due to its extremely weak knockback. However, it does have fast start-up lag, and can "drag" opponents down, but due to its long duration and Fox's fast falling speed, this attack is risky to use for edgeguarding.

Ganondorf

Down aerial - Anyone caught in the stomp is electrocuted and sent flying downward if they are in the air, regardless of how it connects. It has rather low ending lag in the air, making it easy to recover from (just like it was in Melee), but it has slow start-up and high landing lag. It is still the most powerful meteor smash in the game and is still the only meteor that reliably KOs grounded opponents under 100%. It is also the most powerful aerial attack in Brawl when it hits an airborne opponent (like in Melee, there are very few aerials that hit grounded opponents harder, such as Link's sweetspotted down aerial). It is one of the few meteors capable of meteor smashing at 0% and is a highly effective meteor smash when meteor smashing opponents recovering from below. Ganondorf's down aerial is most notable for its extremely high knockback scaling, which is equal to Ike's uncharged forward smash.
Flame Choke - Ganondorf lifts his opponent by the head and launches them directly into the ground. If it is used over a ledge, they are sent downwards very weakly, and will grab any ledge which can be grabbed at any percentages, as it has set knockback.
Wizard's Foot - A stall-then-fall. If used in the air, the first few frames of this move meteor smashes airborne opponents. While it is one of the most powerful meteor smashes in Brawl, it is difficult to use without self-destructing, due to its high duration, high ending lag, and the fact it puts Ganondorf in a fastfall at the end of the move. Mostly inferior to the down aerial meteor as it is weaker, generally more difficult to land, and much more difficult to recover from. Like the other meteors that were spikes in Melee, this sends opponents at a slight diagonal angle instead of straight down. It is notable for being the strongest meteor smash in Brawl with a diagonal trajectory.
Beast Ganon (Final Smash) - If Ganondorf stuns his opponent, but does not hit them, they will fall straight down. Usually only performable if the opponent is on the ledge.

Ice Climbers

Forward aerial - Ice Climbers swing their hammers in an arc. While it is a decently powerful meteor smash, only the CPU partner's hit can meteor smash. Therefore, the forward aerial is unable to meteor smash as a solo climber.

Ike

Has the most meteor smashes in Brawl

Down tilt - Ike crouches and sweeps his blade forward along the ground. It is a very strong meteor smash with good reach, yet it has slow start-up and ending lag. It is by far the strongest tilt meteor smash with very high base knockback and high knockback scaling, and it is overall one of the strongest meteor smashes in Brawl. If it hits the opponent with the handle, it sends him or her horizontally instead but with the same power as the meteor hitbox, making it still deadly to recovering opponents.
Down aerial - Ike thrusts his blade below him. The entirety of the blade meteor smashes very powerfully anyone who is hit at the initial thrust with huge power. It also has a long, disjointed hitbox. It is generally the second strongest meteor smash in Brawl, being even capable of star KOing grounded opponents well under 150% as it has high base knockback and very high knockback scaling.
Aether - Meteor smashes airborne opponents with the downwards slash, similar to Kirby's Final Cutter. Unlike Final Cutter, it does not have set knockback, but its knockback scaling is extremely low, making it an ineffective meteor smash at even high percentages if the opponent is not near the lower blast line.
Eruption - This move meteor smashes if the opponent is underneath Ike and gets hit only by the tip without the fire effect. However, the meteor smash hitbox can only be landed on grounded opponents as airborne opponents are hit by the usual hitbox.
Great Aether - When Ike slams his opponent to the ground at the end of the smash, the game recognizes it as a meteor smash. However, it is impossible to actually meteor smash opponents with this without hacking.

Jigglypuff

Down aerial - First few frames have spiking hitboxes. However, these are always cancelled by the rest of the attack.

King Dedede

Super Dedede Jump - Meteor smashes airborne opponents when falling down. It can be dangerous to use unless using it while recovering. It is a very powerful meteor however, that can easily KO a careless edgeguarder if it lands.
Down aerial - The first hit is an extremely weak meteor smash that is usually cancelled by the following hits of the down aerial that do not meteor smash. As such, it is generally impractical to use as a meteor smash.

Kirby

Down aerial - A very weak drill meteor smash. Kirby can fastfall while using this move to "drag" the opponent down with him, increasing the meteor smash's effectiveness. It can be considered best drill meteor as Kirby can perform multiple meteor smashes on a recovering opponent and still recover safely, or perform a footstool jump after landing the meteor which usually results in a KO.
Final Cutter - This move meteor smashes airborne opponents with the downwards slash. Mostly it combos someone into the shock wave, but it can be used on the edge to meteor smash. However, it is a weak meteor smash with set knockback, making it generally ineffective unless the opponent is near the bottom blast line. Still, it can be used multiple times near the edge to edgeguard an opponent.

Link

Down tilt - Link sweeps his sword along the ground, meteor smashing when sweetspotted. It has very high base knockback, enough to possibly KO at 0%, along with sending the opponent on a slight diagonal trajectory. However, it has low knockback scaling, and is extremely difficult to land due to its small sweetspot near the hilt of the sword.

Lucario

Aura Storm - If an opponent overlaps Lucario in the air they will be sent down quickly. It has set knockback, though the knockback is still determined by how much damage Lucario has.

Lucas

Back aerial - Lucas sweeps a downwards arc behind him with his legs, accompanied by PSI Hexagons to increase range. The hexagons are the sweetspot and send the opponents flying away, but only the tip of his foot will meteor smash. The meteor smash has below average power even when sweetspotted, and is very difficult to land. the angle at which the opponent is sent downwards (possible deviation of about 20 degrees to either side) is also hard to predict, and this may cause the opponent to get smashed down onto the stage if the meteor smash is performed near the edge.
Down aerial - Lucas stomps downwards four times with four Psi Hexagons. The first three hits have little vertical knockback, while the fourth hit will meteor smash very weakly.

Luigi

Down tilt - Opponent must be directly under Luigi in order to be meteor smashed; the primary part of the attack (Luigi's foot) only meteor smashes on grounded opponents. It has less than average knockback.
Down aerial - Meteor smashes when Luigi's body hits as opposed to his legs. It is a meteor smash with below average power and is generally difficult to land. It does have fast start-up lag however, and its low ending lag make it generally unrisky. While it is weaker than it was in Melee, it is easier to land the meteor smash hitbox. Not landing the meteor smash hitbox still sends the opponent on a horizontal trajectory, making it useful for edgeguarding even if the meteor smash hitbox is not landed.
Down Taunt - One of the only two taunts in the game that has a damaging hitbox. Luigi kicks his foot into the ground. If it hits an opponent, it will meteor smash them with set knockback. Strongest meteor smash at 0% in Brawl, due to its extremely high base knockback.

Mario

Forward aerial - Mario swings his fist in an arc. Meteor smashes opponents when sweetspotted. Very weak for a single hit meteor smash and it has slow start-up and ending lag. Must be sweetspotted to meteor smash unlike in Melee, but due to Brawl's physics, it is less risky. Even though this wasn't a spike in Melee, it sends opponents at a slight diagonal trajectory in Brawl.

Marth

Down aerial - Large downwards arc of the blade. Anyone caught with the tip is sent downwards, meteor smashing with above average power. Start-up lag wise, it is the fastest meteor smash in Brawl, but it is also one of the laggiest as well (has high landing and ending lag). One of the more difficult meteors to land and can result in a SD, especially if the player fastfalls. Like the other meteors that were spikes in Melee, this sends opponents at a slight diagonal angle instead of straight down.
Dancing Blade - If the third attack is down (green), the move produces a meteor smash. The tip of the sword, like in Melee, does not meteor smash.

Mr. Game & Watch

Down aerial - A stall-then-fall. Stalls in the air, then falls quickly with his key extended downwards. Anyone hit in the air with the initial fall is meteor smashed with above average knockback. Is one of the safer stall-then fall aerials.
Down throw - Juggles opponent in the air like a ball then sends them down into the ground. If done close to the edge, the opponent is meteor smashed.

Ness

Down aerial - Step kick. Ness' classic stomp, with slow start-up, but a decent size hitbox and this is the 2nd strongest meteor smash at 0%. It has low knockback scaling and is incapable of KOing grounded opponents under 200%. Despite this, it is one of the deadliest meteor smashes in Brawl due to its very high base knockback, being one of the few meteors that can successfully meteor smash an opponent at 0%. As damage rises, other meteor smashes become more effective however. When sourspotted, it hits opponents with powerful horizontal knockback.

Olimar

Down aerial - Thrusts a Pikmin under him. The first few frames can meteor smash the opponent. They effect and power of the meteor smash is different depending on which Pikmin is used. White Pikmin produce a very weak meteor smash. Yellow Pikmin produce an average power meteor smash with electric damage. Blue and Purple Pikmin produce a powerful meteor smash with no special effects. The red Pikmin produces one of the strongest meteor smashes in Brawl, accompanied by fire damage. Regardless of the Pikmin, Olimar's down aerial has low base knockback, but much better knockback scaling. Due to the small hitbox and even smaller sweetspot, this is a difficult meteor smash to land, despite its rather fast start-up lag.
End of Day - If a midair opponent (opponents on the ground are submerged into the ground instead) makes contact with the Hocotate Ship when it appears, they are sent downwards very quickly.

Peach

Down tilt - Sweeps hand along the ground with fairly short reach. The sweetspot is small however, making it difficult to catch opponents in the meteor smash hitbox. It does have high base knockback, but its low knockback scaling, difficulty of landing, and the fact that when sourspotted, it sends opponents on a vertical trajectory, make it generally an ineffective meteor smash.
Down throw - The first hit is a weak meteor smash, if any bystanders is nearby.

Pit

Up smash - First swipe is weak meteor smash to set up for the second and third hit, which launch upwards. This move is difficult to use unless the opponent only connects with the first hit.
Down tilt - Sweeps his blade along the ground, meteor smashing opponents when sweetspotted. It sends opponents on a diagonal trajectory with high base knockback. However, it has low knockback scaling and is difficult to sweetspot.

Pokémon Trainer

Ivysaur
- Down aerial - Turns upside down and shoots a burst of powder from his bulb. Very situational due to its high ending lag and risk of getting edge-hogged. It is also difficult to land the meteor smashing hitbox. Looks like its up aerial, except upside down. Unlike its up aerial, it is a very weak aerial attack.
- Neutral aerial - Ivysaur spins in the air, producing a hitbox that meteor smashes on the bottom of its body. however, it is very weak, and difficult to meteor smash with because of the small hitbox. Interestingly, while not an effective meteor smash, it is the only neutral aerial meteor smash in the entire series.
Charizard
- Down aerial - Stomps beneath itself, and regardless of where it connects, it will meteor smash airborne opponents. It has slow start-up lag, but it produces a decently sized hitbox that meteor smashes with above average power, and is of relatively low risk due to Charizard's recovery. On grounded opponents, the down aerial produces a different, slightly stronger hitbox that does not meteor smash.
- Back aerial - Charizard sweeps its tail behind it. It consists of two hits, with the first hit being a meteor smash. However, it is extremely weak, and is meant to hit opponents into the second, much stronger hitbox that sends opponents on a horizontal trajectory.

R.O.B.

Down aerial - R.O.B. fires his thrusters downwards. It is a meteor smash with low base knockback and very slow start-up lag. However, it has high knockback scaling, and produces a large hitbox with a long duration. It is also has very low risk due to it giving R.O.B. a slight push upwards, and R.O.B.'s great recovery.

Samus

Up tilt - Samus lifts her leg up, and slams it downwards. It has a meteor smash hitbox, however it can only be landed on grounded opponents.
Down aerial - Samus swings her arm-cannon in a downwards sweep. The attack has fairly large hitbox and will always meteor smash, though it has slow start-up lag, and very weak base knockback. While ineffective at low percentages, it has very high knockback scaling, making it a deadly meteor smash at high percentages. Its low ending lag and Samus' floatiness also make it a very low risk meteor smash.
Screw Attack - Some hitboxes have downwards hitboxes, but they are always canceled out by the rest of the attack.

Snake

Forward aerial - Snake does an ax-heel kick, bringing his leg down from above his head to a little behind him. Anyone caught in his foot arc will get meteor smashed very powerfully. If the leg connects, it instead send the opponent upwards with slightly weaker, but still powerful vertical knockback. It is by far the strongest forward aerial meteor in Brawl, with great horizontal reach. It does have slow start-up however, and its high ending lag puts Snake at risk to be edgeguarded if he failed to hit the opponent with the forward aerial.
Forward tilt - The first hit of Snake's forward tilt is a weak meteor smash with set knockback. As such, it produces no knockback on grounded opponents and is only meant to lead the first hit into the second hit of Snake's forward tilt. It is impossible to land this meteor smash on airborne opponents as the first hit produces a different hitbox on them that sends airborne opponents on a horizontal trajectory.

Sonic

Up tilt - Part of the first kick of Sonic's up tilt can meteor smash, but like the rest of the first kick it has set knockback.
Up smash - All hits but the first and the last of Sonic's up smash can meteor smash if the opponent is in a precise position. Actually meteor smashing an opponent this way is difficult since the opponent must DI out of the attack before the last hit connects, which is made even more difficult since the hits have reduced SDI capacity and give only 1 frame of leeway.

Toon Link

Down aerial - A stall-then-fall. Stalls in the air, then falls quickly with sword thrust downwards. It has fast start-up, and produces a powerful meteor smash with the initial hitbox. But if Toon Link misses the opponent, he will almost always plunge to his demise due to the fast speed at which Toon Link falls and the very long duration of the attack. If the initial hitbox is not landed, the down aerial instead produces average vertical knockback.

Wario

Down aerial as Wario-Man - Face his head downward and drills, falling at a very fast speed. A very strong meteor smash, covers a great distance and since he can fly, he can easily land this attack off-stage without self destructing.
Throwing his Bike - When it hits his opponents in midair, it will bounce off their head. If his opponents give up, the bike will push them downwards. If his opponents keep trying to recover, the bike will continue to rack up damage til it breaks.
Down throw as Wario-Man - When used next to a stage ledge, it will very powerfully meteor smash anyone he has grabbed. It is easier to use if Wario-Man is facing into the middle of the stage.

Wolf

Down aerial - Thrusts his arms downwards quickly. It is a rather easy to land meteor smash with a surprisingly large hitbox and above average start-up lag for a meteor smash, but it has weak base knockback, making it ineffective at low percentages. It does have high knockback scaling however, making it effective for meteor smashing at high percentages. While it doesn't have high ending lag, Wolf's recovery can make this a risky meteor smash to edgeguard with if the stage lack huggable ledges.
Wolf Flash - The very end of the attack in his lower hitbox produces a decently powerful meteor smash. It is difficult to land though, and can only be feasibly used without SDing to meteor smash with as a counter-edgeguard maneuver.

Yoshi

Forward aerial - Like Mario's and Donkey Kong's forward aerials, only Yoshi swings his head in an arc. Meteor smashes at the more extended parts of his head. Much weaker than it was in Melee, but still has average power with decent start-up lag and is of even lower risk. It can be used to finish off a grab-release chain.
Down aerial - Rapidly kicks his feet under him. Most damaging drill meteor smash, with 11 hits of 3% each. It is an extremely weak meteor smash however, but being a "drill" meteor, Yoshi can "drag" the opponent down with him, increasing its effectiveness.

Zelda

Down tilt - Zelda sticks her foot out, normally popping people up. If it hits an airborne opponent and is sweetspotted, it meteor smashes them very weakly. It has very fast start-up lag, but poor reach.
Up smash - All hits but the last can meteor smash if the opponent is in a precise position. Actually meteor smashing an opponent this way is difficult since the opponent must DI out of the attack before the last hit connects, which is made even more difficult since the hits have almost no SDI capacity and give only 1 frame of leeway.
Down aerial - Zelda sticks her foot downwards, with rather low start-up and ending lag. If it hits on the first frame of execution, the opponent is electrocuted and shot downwards with high power, being one of the strongest meteor smashes in Brawl. If the move hits after the first frame, it is an extremely weak meteor smash, with a slight diagonal trajectory. The "sweetspot" hitbox cannot be landed on grounded opponents unless they are shielding.

Zero Suit Samus

Down aerial - A stall-then-fall aerial. A very weak meteor smash that nails down during the entire fall. Due to the fast speed at which Zero Suit Samus falls and the very long duration of the attack, she will almost self destruct, even if it hits, making this a rather impractical meteor smash to use unless one instead to perform a sacrificial KO.
Flip Jump - Zero Suit Samus does a flip jump. If an attack button is pressed while she performs this, she sticks out her foot pointing towards the center of the arc of the jump. Anyone who hits the tip of the foot is meteor smashed very powerfully.
Plasma Wire - This move shoots upwards, meteor smashing anyone above Zero Suit Samus down on the last hit. While the meteor smash has very low knockback scaling, its high base knockback allows it to successfully meteor smash an opponent when they're caught offguard. However, due to the fact that the opponent must be well above Zero Suit Samus for the meteor smash to land, it is only feasible to use as a meteor smash when she is being edgeguarded from above.

All Characters

In addition, all characters can footstool jump.

Meteor smash chart

The following is a chart showcasing the post-calculation data of the meteor smashes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (negligible meteor smashes and those that can't be landed on airborne opponents are not included the chart). The data shown is the data of the strongest hitbox within the attack that meteor smashes. Meteor smashes are ranked based on the knockback they produce on Mario at 100%.

Base knockback is the knockback produced at 0%, while knockback scaling is the amount of knockback increase per a percentage point.

Legend

* = Meteor smash produces a diagonal downwards trajectory instead of straight down.
(aerial) = Attack used while airborne.

Rank	Character/Meteor smash	Base Knockback	Knockback at 100%	Knockback at 200%	Knockback at 300%	Knockback Scaling
1.	Ganondorf's down aerial	2811	8528	14245	19962	57.17
2.	Ike's down aerial	2587	6869	11151	15433	42.82
3.	Ganondorf's Wizard's Foot*	2827	6869	10912	14955	40.43
4.	Ike's down tilt	2910	6714	10517	14321	38.04
5.	Zelda down aerial	2725	6578	10432	14286	38.54
6.	Olimar's down aerial (Red Pikmin)	2265	6547	10829	15111	42.82
7.	Snake's forward aerial	2505	6547	10590	14633	40.43
8.	Zero Suit Samus' Flip Jump	2931	6256	9582	12907	33.25
9.	Donkey Kong's down aerial	2393	6247	10100	13954	38.54
10.	King Dedede's Super Dedede Jump	2905	6140	9374	12608	32.34
11.	Ness' down aerial	3598	5925	8253	10581	23.27
12.	Olimar's down aerial (Blue/Purple Pikmin)	2105	5908	9712	13516	38.04
13.	Toon Link's down aerial	2327	5753	9178	12604	34.26
14.	Donkey Kong's forward aerial	2070	5710	9349	12989	36.40
15.	Peach's down tilt	2811	5658	8505	11352	28.47
16.	R.O.B.'s down aerial*	2032	5597	9161	12726	35.65
17.	Charizard's down aerial	1783	5586	9390	13193	38.03
17.	Mr. Game & Watch's down aerial	1783	5586	9390	13193	38.03
19.	Ice Climbers' forward aerial	2045	5370	8696	12022	33.26
20.	Samus' down aerial	1280	5323	9366	13409	40.43
21.	Diddy Kong's down aerial	1965	5290	8615	11941	33.25
22.	Captain Falcon's down aerial	1461	5262	9068	12871	38.03
23.	Marth's down aerial*	2199	5242	8285	11328	30.43
24.	Olimar's down aerial (Yellow Pikmin)	1910	5235	8561	11886	33.25
25.	Link's down tilt*	3398	5061	6723	8386	16.63
26.	Falco's down aerial*	1388	4952	8517	12081	35.64
27.	Wolf's down aerial	1288	4926	8565	12203	36.38
28.	Lucas' back aerial*	1810	4803	7796	10788	29.93
29.	Wolf's Wolf Flash	1562	4796	8031	11265	32.34
30.	Yoshi's forward aerial	1094	4733	8371	12010	36.39
31.	Luigi's down taunt	4725	4725	4725	4725	0.00
32.	Luigi's down aerial	1580	4666	7752	10838	30.86
33.	Pit's down tilt*	3045	4588	6131	7674	15.43
34.	Zero Suit Samus' Plasma Wire	2988	4144	5300	6456	11.56
35.	Mario's forward aerial*	1444	4117	6790	9464	26.73
36.	Olimar's down aerial (White Pikmin)	1745	4113	6482	8851	23.69
37.	Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost (aerial)	2488	3938	5429	6920	14.91
38.	Zero Suit Samus' down aerial*	1727	3213	4699	6185	14.80
39.	Ivysaur's down aerial	1267	3162	5057	6952	18.95
40.	Donkey Kong's Headbutt	1419	2925	4432	5938	15.06
41.	Kirby's Final Cutter	2902	2902	2902	2902	0.00
42.	Ike's Aether	2687	2899	3110	3321	2.11
43.	Lucas' down aerial	1055	2871	4688	6504	18.16
44.	Diddy Kong's Rocket Barrel	1405	2829	4252	5676	14.24
45.	Falco's Falco Phantasm (aerial)	1637	2583	3528	4473	9.45
46.	Kirby's down aerial	1285	2284	3283	4283	9.99
47.	Fox's down aerial*	1309	1778	2248	2717	4.69
48.	Yoshi down aerial	654	1592	2531	3469	9.38

Meteor smash

List of meteor smashes

In Super Smash Bros.

In Super Smash Bros.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

All Characters

Meteor smash chart

Legend

See also