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Captain Falcon's taunt in SSB4
Mario's side taunt in Brawl.

A taunt, previously refered to as a finishing pose, is a move designed to provoke, annoy, or mock opponents, or to just celebrate a succesfully excecuted move or combo. Up until Super Smash Bros. Brawl, there was a limit of one taunt per character (with the exception of Pichu and Captain Falcon in Melee); in Brawl, however, each character has at least three different taunts. In Super Smash Bros. 4, Mario and Luigi have been demonstrated using their three taunts from Brawl. To use a taunt, in Super Smash Bros. one must press the L button, and in Super Smash Bros. Melee up on the Directional pad (or "D-pad"). In Brawl, the direction one pressed on the D-Pad (or the buttons on the Wii remote) influences which taunt is used.

While predominantly only for show, eight taunts in the series can affect gameplay outside moving the character's hurtboxes: all of Snake's taunts (which equip him with a weak projectile), Luigi's down taunt (which can meteor smash opponents), all of Kirby's taunts (which make him lose his copy ability), and Samus's up taunt (during which if the player repeatedly presses the taunt buttons will change her into Zero Suit Samus). Some characters also have a Smash Taunt; a more specific and character-involving taunt that can be done on specific stages.

In Smash 64, there was only one taunt animation, so characters that taunted would either face the screen or face away from the screen depending on whether they were facing left or right. This was changed in Melee so characters that turn towards the screen have slightly different animations, making sure they never face away (unless they are Caped). Using this functionality, Pichu and Captain Falcon had taunts in Melee that had two distinctly different animations depending on what direction they were facing. Also, Wario has an extra taunt when he is riding his bike (used by pressing any of the taunt buttons).

Each taunt is different between every character. However, taunts will always have the character doing a motion (such as dancing), and the character may also speak or yell out a battle cry. Some people take advantage of taunts where characters talk within taunt matches. Taunts can all be done on the ground only, and they also cancel if the character goes airborne or slides close to an edge, which is known as taunt canceling.

Marth is the only character in non-Japanese versions of the series that still speaks Japanese. However, some "speaking" taunts change between languages. A notable example is Jigglypuff, whose dialogue changes to reflect its name in other languages, such as its Japanese name, "Purin" or Fox in Melee, when he says "kakatte koi" ("come on").

In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, CPUs usually taunt after KOing a character. In Melee they taunt regardless of what is around them, which leaves them vulnerable to traps such as wandering Bob-ombs, stage hazards, hostile Pokémon, or even when there are other characters if they don't interrupt the CPU. In Brawl, they instead taunt only when they are on a safe spot, and if there are no foes on-stage, and on a Team Battle, other teammates may also taunt in this situation. However, CPUs in this game may taunt even if the foe self-destructs, such as by a badly timed recovery or attack, or by being KO'd by an item or stage hazard. An interesting fact is that, if a human player self-destructs on a battle against only CPUs, or is KO'd by them, they may stop and taunt all together even if they aren't teamed, instead of attacking each other, something that is frowned by most players. In the original Super Smash Bros., CPUs also taunt, but instead of when KOing an opponent, they do when launching an enemy a high distance. Depending on the attack and character, this may be harmful for them, also because they taunt carelessly like in Melee, which makes them easy to KO in free-for-alls or team battles. However, while CPUs can taunt at any AI level in Brawl, they only do at high levels in Smash 64 and Melee. They use taunts for these purposes only, resulting not only on CPU Luigis and Snakes never using their taunts as attacks, but on CPU Kirbys not removing their abilities intentionally other than after KOing an opponent.

List of taunts

 

Mario

  • Grows to a super-size, as if taking a Super Mushroom power-up, before shrinking again. This also increases his hurtbox. The size increase stacks with special matches and actual super mushrooms. In Super Smash Bros. the taunt has interruptibility, with Mario able to interrupt the taunt by shielding. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Twirls and removes his cap. Mario often does this taunt when he completes a level in some of his games, mainly New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Spins around in mid-air with his arms and legs outstretched before falling on his back. This is a reference to his death animation in the original Donkey Kong game. (SSBB, SSB4)

Donkey Kong

  • Faces the camera and shrugs his shoulders, making a confused noise. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Beats his chest. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Shakes himself, as if his fur was wet. (SSBB, SSB4)

Link

  • Performs a pose whereby he stands on one leg and holds his sword in an attack position. Similar to the pose he performs after hitting an enemy with his sword in Zelda II: Adventure of Link. (SSB, SSBB)
  • Sheathes sword, places shield on back, lets out a chuckle, then brushes back his hair as if admiring his own handsomeness. (SSBM)
  • Swings his sword, then sheathes and unsheathes it. This is a reference to his Twilight Princess "well done" sheathe. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Navi flies out in front of him, then returns. (SSBB, SSB4)

Samus

  • Holds her arm cannon upright. (SSB, SSBM)
  • Thrusts her hand behind her while the jets on her back light up. (SSBB)
  • Points her arm cannon behind her, then in front of her. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Part of her arm cannon comes out. (SSBB, SSB4)

Yoshi

  • Spins and waves his arms up and down, saying "Yoshi!" as he does so. (SSB)
  • An update of the previous taunt, Yoshi simply faces the camera and jumps up and down whilst chanting. (SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Dances around in a circle, chanting "Yoshi!" as he finishes. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Chases his tail in circles, then lifts up an arm as he finishes. (SSBB, SSB4)

Kirby

  • Waves and says "Hi!". In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the taunt's animation differs slightly, depending on what direction Kirby is facing. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Performs part of his victory dance. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Does a twirl, similar to the action he does when selected to play in Super Smash Bros. (SSBB, SSB4)

Fox

  • Crosses his arms and faces the camera, while saying "Heh!" (SSB)
  • Leans back and states "Come on!" (Japanese: Kakatte koi!) whilst waving his hand. (SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Charges up with flames, like with his Fire Fox move, and says "Here I come!" (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Throws and catches his blaster. (SSBB)

Pikachu

  • Waves at the camera, yelling "Pika, Pika!" In Super Smash Bros., Pikachu waved with both arms at once while moving his head upwards and to both sides constantly, but in later games, it would tilt his head to one side and then to another, waving an arm and then the other. In Melee, the taunt has IASA frames, as it can be interrupted by any attack when Pikachu starts the second wave. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Charges up its cheeks with electricity and glares at the screen, saying "Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Lies on the ground, curls and rolls around, saying "Pikaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" (SSBB, SSB4)

Luigi

  • Crosses his arms behind his back and performs a small, shy kick, along with a bashful "Hm" in Brawl. The kick can damage an opponent if it connects. In all games, it acts as a meteor smash; in Brawl, Luigi's taunt is the strongest meteor smash at 0%, due to its fixed knockback. However, its pitiful range and slow startup severely limits its effectiveness. It is similar to his pose when he loses a minigame in Mario Party 2. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Performs five quick poses, one after the other. When switching from pose to pose he says, "Ho Ha Hee Hay Hmm". 1st pose: Luigi flashes a V-Sign. 2nd pose: Luigi clicks his fingers imitating guns, while looking to the right. 3rd pose: Luigi takes on a thinking pose, his eyes looking offscreen. This pose is, in some respects, similar to his Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time artwork. 4th pose: Crouches down to the floor with his back turned to the player. 5th pose: Luigi assumes his trophy position from the SSE, but with his left leg slightly raised. This pose also resembles his artwork from Luigi's Mansion (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Stands straight up with hands on hips, falls forward stiff on the floor, then seems to balance himself back up again. He says something that resembles "Pow pow". This is also one of his victory poses from SSBM. (SSBB, SSB4)

Captain Falcon

  • Faces the camera, salutes and exclaims "Show me your moves!" This taunt is notable in Melee for being one of only two that has a different animation depending if the character is facing right or left; in both Melee and Brawl, Falcon will finish the taunt faster if he faces the left. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Charges himself up with fire, similar to a Falcon Punch. (SSBB)
  • Holds out his hand and challenges, "Come on!" (SSBB, SSB4)

Ness

  • Faces the camera, nods and says "OK!" (SSB, SSBM, SSBB)
  • Holds out his baseball bat. (SSBB)
  • Fires a series of sparkles in front of him, grunting. (SSBB)

Jigglypuff

  • Rocks backwards and forwards, chanting "Jigglypuff!" (SSB)
  • Spins around on one foot, then looks at the camera inflated, winking (only in Melee) and saying "Jigglypuff!" (SSBM, SSBB)
  • Twirls around many times, then poses (similar to Kirby's side taunt, except it twirls faster). (SSBB)
  • Breathes all the air out of itself and falls to the ground, flattened. It inflates itself upon contact. Similar to its fainting animation in home-console Pokémon games, such as Pokémon Stadium and Battle Revolution. (SSBB)

Bowser

  • Throws his head back, spinning it in a circle, and roars. (SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Balances precariously on one leg, similar to his teetering animation. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Snaps furiously forward five times. (SSBB, SSB4)

Peach

  • Performs a spin, then poses and winks. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, she says "S-weet!" after performing this taunt. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, she will say "Uh-huh!" instead. (SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Takes out her umbrella and twirls it above her head, saying "Sweet!" (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Dances, singing "La la la la la la" in a taunting fashion. (SSBB, SSB4)

Ice Climbers

  • Swing their hammers forward saying "Yo!" as their clothes sway to the wind. (SSBM, SSBB)
  • Put their hammers down and jump up and down, as they did when they completed a level in their game. (SSBB)
  • Jump around in a circle happily. (SSBB)

Zelda

  • Holds her hands together, as if in prayer. (SSBM)
  • Holds up one arm, magic coming from her hand. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Waves. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Puts her hands together and creates a small flame. This was also one of her victory poses in Melee. (SSBB, SSB4)

Sheik

  • Performs a threatening pose with her right hand before her face. (SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Stands on one hand. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Pulls out her whip-chord. (SSBB, SSB4)

Dr. Mario

  • Throws a pill up in the air along his arm, before catching it. (SSBM)

Ganondorf

  • Hovers in mid-air and spins before laughing menacingly. (SSBM, SSBB)
  • Slams his fist into his open palm and cracks his knuckles, creating dark flames and saying "Heh!" (SSBB)
  • Takes out his sword, looks at it, which emits darkness from the tip, and then puts it back. (SSBB, SSB4)

Falco

  • Spins on one foot, then poses with one of his arms/wings before him. In the Japanese version of Melee and both versions of Brawl, he states "Hands off my prey!" whilst doing so. In the Japanese version of Melee, he may also say "I'm not letting you escape!" (SSBM, SSBB)
  • Kicks his reflector around and says "Piece of cake" before catching it. (SSBB)
  • Holds out his hand and slowly raises it, saying "Don't try me!" (SSBB)

Young Link

  • Takes out a Bottle of Lon Lon Milk, drinks it, and then wipes his mouth. This is the longest taunt in Melee. (SSBM)

Pichu

  • Lies on the ground and rolls around, chanting "Pichu!" Has IASA frames before Pichu gets up. (SSBM)
  • Jumps up and down, chanting "Pichu!" Has IASA frames after the third jump. (SSBM)

Mewtwo

  • Crosses its arms and spins in mid-air, laughing. (SSBM)

Mr. Game & Watch

  • Rings his bell. In Brawl, he has two variations of these. (SSBM, SSBB)
  • Performs a single jump. (SSBB)

Marth

  • Swings his sword around and declares "Everyone, look at me!", in Japanese "Minna, miteite kure!". (SSBM, SSBB, SSB4)
  • Holds up his sword, emitting light from the tip. (SSBB)
  • Furiously swings his sword before resheathing it. (SSBB, SSB4)

Roy

  • Leans back and holds his sword in an attack position, shouting "Hee-ya!" as he does so.

Diddy Kong

  • Throws his cap up in the air and catches it on his head. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Jumps from one foot to the other, clapping his hands above his head. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Holds his hands in front of him, chattering. (SSBB, SSB4)

Zero Suit Samus

  • Throws and catches her paralyzer, saying "Is that all?" (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Spins her plasma whip around her body, saying "You're mine." (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Lashes out with her plasma whip and challenges "Try me!" (SSBB, SSB4)

Pit

  • Spins his swords above his head and declares "The fight is on!" (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Opens his wings and starts ascending. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Swings his swords and says "You're not ready yet!"(SSBB)/ "That all you got?" (SSB4)

Meta Knight

  • Spins around, similar to his entrance animation. (SSBB)
  • Points his sword forward, says "Fight me!" and waves it a few times. (SSBB)
  • Opens his wings and challenges "Come!". If he performs it facing left, he will look at the background instead, as characters in Smash 64 did. (SSBB)

Pokémon Trainer

  • Every time one of the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon is doing a taunt, the Pokémon Trainer himself will thrust his fist in the direction of the taunt. (SSBB)

Squirtle

  • Jumps and does a backflip in mid-air, before chanting "Squirtle, Squirtle!" (SSBB)
  • Withdraws into its shell and spins around. (SSBB)
  • Spins around in mid-air, water coming from its shell. It then says "Squirtle!" once it has finished. (SSBB)

Ivysaur

  • Shakes itself, spinning its plant. (SSBB)
  • Stands on its front legs and walks around in a circle, saying "Saur, Ivysaur!" (SSBB)
  • Throws out its vines and spins, chanting "Ivy, Ivy!" (SSBB)

Charizard

  • Faces the camera and roars. All three of its taunts are variations of this, which involve it roaring, stomping its feet and flapping its wings. Its up taunt is similar to its pose when entering a battle in Pokémon Stadium. (SSBB, SSB4)

Ike

  • Charges up his sword as wind blows into his cape, grunting loudly. (SSBB)
  • Holds out his sword and says "Prepare yourself!" (SSBB)
  • Slams his sword into the ground and grunts, before removing it. Also, wind blows into his cape. (SSBB, SSB4)

King Dedede

  • Holds up his hammer in celebration. For some reason, when done facing left, the movement and sound are played out of sync. (SSBB)
  • Spins around in a circle, chanting. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Twirls his hammer and laughs. (SSBB)

Wario

  • Laughs so hard he unhinges his jaw and has to close it using his hands. (SSBB)
  • Performs various three-fingered salutes, chanting "Wa! Wa! Wa!" (SSBB)
  • Wiggles his posterior at the screen, laughing. (SSBB)
  • Faces to the right and does his "W" sign with both hands, then picks his nose. He only does this when riding his Bike. (SSBB)

Olimar

  • Jumps up and down. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Swings his hips. (SSBB)
  • Lies on the floor and rolls around slightly. (SSBB)

Lucas

  • Trips over and shakes his head. (SSBB)
  • Holds out a sparkle and fires it behind him. (SSBB)
  • His Rope Snake comes out and talks to him. (SSBB)

Wolf

  • Leans his head back and howls. (SSBB)
  • Kneels down, slaps one hand on the ground and snarls. (SSBB)
  • Does three kicks whilst spinning on one foot, and says "What's the matter, scared?" (SSBB)

Lucario

  • Floats in mid-air and growls, emitting aura from his body. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Stands on one foot and holds one hand in mid-air. This taunt is very similar to one of Link's. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Holds one hand forward and one behind its back. (SSBB, SSB4)

Toon Link

  • Waves the Wind Waker, conducting a tune at the end, which is the same tune heard after completing a song in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Looks around uncertainly. A Fairy appears in front of him in SSB4. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Swings his sword around in a blind panic, so much so it tires him out and he gasps for breath. (SSBB)

R.O.B.

  • Faces the camera and spins his arms and head in a circle. (SSBB)
  • Faces the camera and moves his head around, firing a small laser from his eyes. (SSBB)
  • Faces the camera, moves his arms down and then moves them back up again, spinning them whilst he does so. (SSBB)

Snake

  • Hides in a cardboard box, which is a method of stealthing in the Metal Gear series. All three of his taunts are variations of this. His up taunt is fastest to cancel, his down taunt being slowest and his side taunt is between them speed-wise. The box has a damaging hitbox after Snake stands back up and trows it off himself, being notably a good edge-guarding move on Ike when he uses Aether and is below the edge. Any character can remove Snake's cardboard box and throw it in any direction, and it counts as a heavy item. (SSBB)

Sonic

  • Does a backflip and poses, tutting. The pose originates from a piece of official artwork for Sonic Adventure. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Runs in place, chanting "You're too slow!" (SSBB)/"Sonic Speed!" (SSB4) facing the camera, then gives an uncertain look. (SSBB, SSB4)
  • Performs a Windmill, chanting "Come on, step it up!" (SSBB)

Rosalina

  • Waves her wand up, similarly to when she summons Luma; Luma dances around. (SSB4)
  • Puts her hand on her hip, leans back, and waves her wand; Luma nods its head. (SSB4)
  • Rosalina and Luma lean forward and spin, like a planet on its axis. (SSB4)

Greninja

  • Stands on its hind legs and performs a pose. (SSB4)
  • Holds out its hands, faces the screen, and summons small sprays of water. (SSB4)
  • Whips its tongue side to side. (SSB4)

Robin

  • His sword and tome encircle him via magic. (SSB4)

Lucina

  • Puts on or takes off the mask she wore in Fire Emblem: Awakening when she was in the guise of Marth. (SSB4)

Palutena

  • Smiles, taps her staff on the ground twice, and her goddess icon flashes. (SSB4)
  • Spreads out her wings, similar to Pit, while showing her goddess icon. (SSB4)
  • Puts her staff down on the ground, spins around it with one leg up (like a pole dancer), and laughs. (SSB4)

Little Mac

  • Looks to the Camera and does a pose (SSB4)
  • Punches towards the screen (SSB4)

Villager

  • Faces the camera and cheers three times. (SSB4)
  • Performs the Shrunk Funk Shuffle. (SSB4)
  • Bends down and pokes the ground with a stick. (SSB4)

Wii Fit Trainer

  • Stretches her arms above her head. (SSB4)
  • Stretches her shoulders. (SSB4)
  • Sits down and stretches her legs. (SSB4)

Shulk

  • Fistpumps with his left hand. (SSB4)

Mii Fighter

Mii Swordfighter

  • Performs a pose similar to one of Link's taunts. (SSB4)

Mii Brawler

  • Moving their fists in front of them in an "X" motion, before punching downwards and swinging an open hand towards their own faces. (SSB4)

Mii Gunner

  • Hold the arm cannon with their hand and cocks it down, similar to one of Samus' winposes. (SSB4)

Mega Man

  • Warps out, then back in. (SSB4)
  • Shows off his arm cannon, then pumps his fist. (SSB4)
  • Turns his back to the screen and poses. (SSB4)

Pac-Man

  • Namco Roulette, where he summons classic items and characters from Namco games. (SSB4)
  • Lays on the ground while ghosts and music notes appear above his head. (SSB4)

Taunt messages

 
Two players displaying taunt messages.

One feature of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's With Friends mode when playing on Wi-Fi Connection is that it allows a player to assign four different taunt messages to all four taunt button combinations. If the player were to perform an up taunt on the With Friends mode, their character will display a personalised taunt message written by the player that they have assigned to the up taunt. This feature is disabled in the With Anyone for security and censorship reasons.

The function returns for Super Smash Bros. 4's online over the Nintendo Network.

Custom taunts

A custom taunt (sometimes called a "teabag") is an action that is intended to taunt opponents without using one of the taunts already available in the game. Custom taunts often involve actions that look similar to an ordinary taunt; a well-known example is King Dedede's crouch, though others include Ness's up and down smashes, where he performs yo-yo tricks, and Mr. Game & Watch's up tilt, where he waves a "#1" flag. Within taunt matches, actions that produce loud, irritating, or otherwise repetitive sounds can become custom taunts; examples include crouching as Samus and Kirby, Ganondorf's up smash, Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch, and Olimar's Pikmin Order. Others also involve showing off advanced techniques, such as DACUSing or dash dancing.

Trivia

  • One of the effects of Luigi's Negative Zone is suddenly doing a random taunt.
  • Snake and Luigi are the only characters to have a taunt that can damage other characters.
  • Bowser, Wario and R.O.B are the only characters with 'Transformation' Final Smashes that can taunt while using them.
  • Wario and Captain Falcon are the characters with the most taunts, with four each (though only Wario has all of them different).
  • Some taunts have become some sort of an internet meme, because of both the character's motion or phrase spoken, and the mocking purpose they are used for. Some infamous examples are Captain Falcon's "Show me your moves!" or Sonic's "You're too slow!". Taunt matches often involve irritating serious players with these type of taunts, and other annoying or provocative taunts have also been used frequently, such as Kirby's "Hi!" taunt or Fox's "Come on!".
  • In Smash 64, it can be seen that members of the Kirby Team won't lose their copied abilities even if they taunt. In Melee, however, the Kirbys with copied abilities in Adventure Mode never taunt, even though other CPU Kirbys do, so it is unknown whether if they lose their abilities or not.
    • In Smash 64, it can also be seen that non-playable characters (except for Master Hand) have taunts identical to their original character. For example, Metal Mario grows and shrinks just as Mario does.
  • In Melee, after a CPU KOs an opponent, if it gets KO'd, and the opponent is away just as the CPU comes out of the revival platform, it will walk a distance and apparently taunt for no reason. This can be exploited with characters that have long taunts, especially Young Link.

See Also

References