Bumper

Bumper
A Bumper from Super Smash Bros. 4.
Universe	Super Smash Bros.
Appears in	SSB Brawl SSB4
Item class	Throwing/Trap

“	Hit an opponent with this item for a little pinball action - but be careful, because the bumper just might bump you!	”
—Super Smash Bros.'s instruction manual

The Bumper (バンパー, Bumper) is an item in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. 4. It acts as a combination of a throwing item and a stage hazard in all of its appearances.

Operation

As an item

The Bumper can be picked up and thrown by players; if it hits opponents, it deals some damage, with its knockback properties varying on the game. In Super Smash Bros., it deals weak, set knockback, but in Brawl and Smash 4, the item's knockback scales, and it can potentially KO opponents at mid-range percentages, at about 60%.

Upon being thrown, the item's behaviour varies on the game in question:

• In Super Smash Bros., the item will continue flying through the air until it lands on a floor; upon doing so, it will adhere to the surface, and any players who touch it will be sent back in the direction from which they hit the item. In addition, every time the item is hit, it will move back away from the opponent, and it can potentially jump off platforms.
• In Brawl and Smash 4, the item will either stop in midair or stop upon hitting a flat surface; in both cases, the Bumper will send players flying to either the right or left if they touch it, though it will stay in place when it does so.

In all cases, the Bumper will disappear after about ten seconds have passed.

As a stage hazard

A floating Bumper appears above Peach's Castle, moving side to side. Acting as a dynamic barrier, it can potentially prevent players from getting Star KOed. Of note is that in the game, Bumpers cannot be placed in the air, making the Bumper on Peach's Castle unique compared to the item. In Super Smash Bros. 4 this Bumper also keeps its old design.

Damage

Action	SSB	Brawl	Smash 4
Collision	1%	0%	0%
Stationary throw	6%	7%	6%
Forward tilt throw	6%	7%	7%
Up tilt throw	7%	8%	8%
Down tilt throw	1%	9%	9%
Dash throw	8%	9%	9%
Forward smash throw	9%	10%	10%
Up smash throw	9%	11%	11%
Down smash throw	1%	13%	13%
Aerial drop	9%	1%	3%
Aerial forward tilt throw	8%	7%	7%
Aerial up tilt throw	9%	8%	8%
Aerial down tilt throw	9%	9%	6%
Aerial forward smash throw	9%	7%	7%
Aerial up smash throw	9%	8%	8%
Aerial down smash throw	9%	9%	6%

Note: A Bumper cannot be dropped when on the ground; instead, the Bumper will be thrown by a standard throw.

Origin

As outlined on its relevant Brawl trophy, the Bumper is based on bumpers found within real-life pinball machines. In these machines, pinballs that hit bumpers will be quickly sent in the opposite direction from where they hit it; a majority of such bumpers also have a "starburst" decal applied to them, which was carried over their appearance in Brawl.

Trophies

Brawl trophy

The Bumper item appears as a trophy in Brawl. It is received by hitting a total of 5,000 metres or 15,000 feet with all fighters Home-Run Contest records.

The Bumper trophy in Brawl

Bumper

An item that originally appeared in Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64. After many years, it now makes its triumphant return. Bumpers are used in pinball to send balls flying, and they perform the same role in Smash Bros. They react to anything that touches them, including the people who set them. As they can also be set in midair, using them requires good tactics.

: Super Smash Bros.

: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Smash 4 trophy

The Bumper trophy in for 3DS

The Bumper trophy in for Wii U

Bumper

Ah, pinball... What a fun game. And with this item, you can add a bit of pinball wham to the battlefield. Once thrown, this item will bounce anything that comes near it violently away. Just don't get careless and walk into a deployed one yourself, or you'll get bounced too!

You might recognise this from a pinball machine. Just like the metal balls do, touch one of these and you'll go flying! You can throw them, but we'd suggest affixing them strategically so that they hit just the right people and send them soaring into the distance. Job done.

: Super Smash Bros. (04/1999)

: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Gallery

• BumperSSB.jpg

  The Bumper from Smash 64.

• 

  Bumper artwork from Brawl.

• 

  Toon Link and Olimar trapped between bumpers.

• 

  The bumper stationary, with Fox and Pit being knocked back.

• 

  Mega Man alongside the new Bumper.

• 

  The underside of the Bumper's new design in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Trivia

• Set Bumpers can be reflected in Smash 64. As a result, if the platform is small enough (such as the top of the right structure on Hyrule Castle or the pipes of Mushroom Kingdom), Fox can reflect a Bumper repeatedly until his Reflector breaks, at which point the super-reflected Bumper will deal extreme damage (but still set knockback). (example video)
• When thrown on a platform that disappears or shrinks, the bumper will bounce when the platform does either.
• In Brawl, when a Bumper is placed in midair, it can be picked up while rotating into place before it is fully set. With luck, a player can attack an opponent with a bumper and grab it again. (example video)

See also

• Flipper