For the CPU Mode, see ITEM (CPU Mode).

An item is an object that appears on stage that characters can use or throw. Items are a large part of the gameplay of the Smash Bros. series. They may appear at any time in designated spawning areas during a match.


List of items

The items that appear during regular gameplay and are listed under Item Switch may be broken down into several different types of items based on how they are used and their effects.

Container items

Container items can be broken if thrown or hit and will release other items when broken. Opponents hit by thrown container items will be damaged. Container items have a 25% chance of exploding, dealing greater damage than normal but at the same time not releasing any items.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Party Balls      
Capsules      
Crates      
Barrels      
Eggs      
Sliding Boxes      
Sandbags      

Note: Sandbag is not considered one of the other Containers in Brawl's Item Switch and thus has a separate switch. In addition, it has no chance of explosion, and cannot be carried, but still releases items.

Battering items

Battering items change each character's neutral A, forward tilt, dash attack, and forward smash into a damaging item swipe. They can be thrown, tilt-thrown, or smash-thrown with Z and the C-stick as well and may also have certain special effects.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Beam Swords      
Home-run Bats      
Fans      
Star Rods³      
Parasols      
Lip's Sticks      
Golden Hammers4      
Hammers²4      

Shooting Items

Shooting items are items that can fire projectiles a certain distance.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Ray Guns²      
Super Scopes      
Fire Flowers      
Star Rods³      
Cracker Launchers      

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, characters are able to move while shooting, the C-Stick can be used to fire while moving in the direction it's tilted, or throw the shooting item if it is out of ammo.

Projectile Items

Projectile items thrown at enemies, and are often explosives. They may stick to characters or surfaces, or even hang midair, but are always used by simply pressing A.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Green Shells      
Red Shells      
Flippers      
Freezies      
Mr. Saturns      
Poké Balls²      
Bob-ombs      
Motion-sensor Bombs      
Bumpers²      
Barrel Cannons¹      
Gooey Bombs      
Pitfalls      
Soccer Balls      
Banana Peels      
Smart Bombs      
Uniras      
Smoke Balls      
Deku Nuts      
Hotheads      
Springs      
Blast Boxes      

Performance Items

These items take effect the instant a character picks them up and increase or change his or her natural abilities. They wear off after several seconds, depending on the item. Some affect the user, and others work on opponents.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Starman      
Franklin Badges      
Warp Stars      
Lightning Bolts      
Dragoons      
Super Mushrooms      
Poison Mushrooms      
Screw Attacks¹²      
Metal Boxes      
Bunny Hoods      
Cloaking Devices      
Superspicy Curry      
Timers      
Smash Balls      

Recovery Items

Recovery items will reduce the damage of the character who picks them up. In Super Smash Bros., a character may not pick up a healing item while holding another item; this was changed in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Food      
Maxim Tomatoes²      
Heart Containers²      
Team Healers      

Assist Trophies

Assist Trophies (called "assist figures" in Japan) are very much like Poke Balls (called "monster balls" in Japan) in that they summon random characters, however, instead of throwing them, they are automatically activated upon pickup. They only activate when standing; a character will continue to hold an assist trophy and he can even be knocked away if an opponent hits him before it takes effect.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Assist Trophies      

Collectibles

Collectibles are items that can only be picked up in the course of game play. They do not cause any direct or immediate change to a match. Stickers can be used during The Subspace Emissary to enhance a character's abilities. CDs add to the list of songs playable during matches. Trophies (called "figures" in Japan) give some background information about various elements in the game.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
CDs      
Stickers      
Trophies      

Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary

These items are only available in the Adventure Mode of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Trophy stands (called "smash plates" in Japan) are thrown at an enemy to transform it into a trophy ("figure" in Japan) after greatly weakening it.

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Trophy Stands      
Keys      
Stock Balls      
Auroros      

Other

Other items can be produced only by certain characters, stages, or other items. These include:

Item appearance
Item SSB SSBM SSBB
Turnips      
Peanuts      
Bombs²      
Apples      
Electrodes¹      
Hammer heads      
Walking or flashing Bob-ombs      
Yoshi's Eggs      
Birdo's Eggs      
Invisible Bombsº      
Peaches      
Coins and Bills      
Power Suit Pieces      
Grenades      
Cardboard Boxes      
Gyros      
Pellets      

Enemies

The following enemies appear in Melee and will sometimes come out of containers. Some of them also appear in Brawl but they will not come out of containers.

Footnotes

1: Appears in Super Smash Bros., but not as an item.
2: Differs significantly in SSB and Super Smash Bros. Melee/Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
3: Can function both as a gun (by inputting forward tilt or forward smash) or a clobbering item (by inputting neutral A)
4: Unlike other Battering Items, these only perform one type of attack constantly and cannot be thrown.
º: Only appears as a glitch.

Reflection

 

This chart shows if an item itself can be reflected by the following characters. That means smashing Forward+Z to throw the item, not to shoot or batter.

Item reflection
Item Fox/Falco/Wolf Zelda Mario/Dr. Mario Mewtwo Ness Lucas Pit R.O.B.
Attack Reflector Nayru's Love Cape/Super Sheet Confusion Bat swing Stick Mirror Shield Angel Ring Arm Rotor
Ray Gun           ?   ?  
Super Scope           ?     ?
Fire Flower           ? ? ? ?
Beam Sword           ? ? ? ?
Home-run Bat           ? ? ? ?
Fan           ? ? ? ?
Star Rod           ? ? ? ?
Parasol         ? N/A N/A N/A N/A
Lip's Stick         ? ? ? ? ?
Green Shell           ?   ? ?
Red Shell           N/A N/A N/A N/A
Flipper         ? N/A N/A N/A N/A
Freezie           ? ? ? ?
Mr. Saturn           ? ? ? ?
Poké Ball           ? ? ? ?
Bob-omb           ? ? ? ?
Motion-sensor Bomb         ? ? ? ? ?
Screw Attack           N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hammer Head       ?   ? ? ? ?
Party Ball           ? ? ? ?
Capsule           ? ? ? ?
Crate           ? ? ? ?
Barrel           ? ? ? ?
Egg ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
  • Mario/Dr. Mario can explode a Bob-omb with the Cape/Super Sheet, but it doesn't reflect or hurt them.
  • When Mewtwo reflects with Confusion, it still counts as the thrower's item and doesn't hurt them. For example, if a character throws a Poké Ball at Mewtwo and Mewtwo reflects it, the Poké Ball will not hit the thrower when reflected. When it lands, the thrower gets the Pokémon and not Mewtwo. This applies to all items that Mewtwo can reflect (but explosives can still hurt the thrower if they land at the thrower's feet).
  • All of the question marks have not been tested yet.
  • When Fox reflects a Poké Ball in Super Smash Bros., the original thrower of the Poké Ball gets it.
  • Egg will always break when it gets reflected by anything, or explode if it was boobytrapped for that matter.

See also