A taunt is a move designed to provoke, annoy, or mock opponents, or to just celebrate a good move or combo. Up until Brawl, there was a limit of one taunt per character. In Brawl, however, each character has at least three different taunts (with the exception of Snake, which all are very similar, except the animation as he gets into the box). To use a taunt, in SSB, one must press the L button, or in 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. Interestingly, Luigi and Snake are, so far, the only characters whose taunts can inflict damage. Pichu and Captain Falcon had taunts in Melee that had two 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). Some characters, such as Captain Falcon (Down Taunt: Show me your moves!), Kirby (Down Taunt: Haiiii!), Ike (Side Taunt: Prepare Yourself!), Sonic (Side Taunt: You're too slow!), or Falco (Down Taunt: Hands off my prey!(many people mistakingly believe that he says "Hands off my bread") have taunts so annoying, odd, or funny that they have become internet memes.
Each taunt is different between every character. However, there is one thing certain with taunts. 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.
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 "kakate koi" ("come on").
A commonly held opinion among players is that, Kirby's, Sonic's, and Mr. Game & Watch's taunts are very annoying, especially when repeated incessantly.
Taunts
Mario
- Grows to a super-size, as if taking a super mushroom power-up, before shrinking again. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB)
- Twirls and removes his cap. (SSBB)
- 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)
Donkey Kong
- Faces the camera and shrugs his shoulders, making a confused noise. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB)
- Beats his chest. (SSBB)
- Shakes himself, as if his fur was wet. (SSBB)
Link
- Performs a pose whereby he stands on one leg and holds his sword in an attack position. (SSB, SSBB)
- Brushes back his hair. (SSBM)
- Swings his sword, then sheathes and unsheathes it. This is a reference to his Twilight Princess "well done" sheathe. (SSBB)
- Navi flies out in front of him, then returns. (SSBB)
Samus
- Holds her blaster cannon upright. (SSB, SSBM)
- Thrusts her hand behind her while the jets on her back light up. (SSBB)
- Points her blaster cannon behind her, then in front of her. (SSBB)
- Part of her blaster cannon comes out. (SSBB)
Zero Suit Samus
- Throws and catches her blaster, saying "Is that all?" (SSBB)
- Spins her plasma whip around her body, saying "You're mine." (SSBB)
- Lashes out with her plasma whip and challenges "Try me!" (SSBB)
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)
- Dances around in a circle, chanting "Yoshi!" as he finishes. (SSBB)
- Chases his tail. (SSBB)
Kirby
- Waves and says "Hi!" (SSB, SSBM, SSBB)
- Performs part of his victory dance. (SSBB)
- Does a twirl, similar to the action he does when selected to play in Super Smash Bros. (SSBB)
Fox
- Crosses his arms and faces the camera. (SSB)
- Leans back and states "Come on!" whilst waving his hand. (SSBM, SSBB)
- Charges up with flames, like his Fire Fox move, and says "Here I come!" (SSBB)
- 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, but it would wave one arm at a time in the other two games. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB)
- Charges up its cheeks with electricity. (SSBB)
- While looking cute,he lies on the floor,and rolls around, saying "Pikaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" (SSBB)
Luigi
- Crosses his arms behind his back and performs a small, shy kick. The kick can damage an opponent if it connects. It is the only spike in Brawl.(SSB, SSBM, SSBB)
- Performs five quick poses, one after the other. When switching from pose to pose he says, "Ho Ha Hee Hay Hoo". (SSBB)
- 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".
Captain Falcon
- Faces the camera, salutes and exclaims "Show me your moves!" In Melee and Brawl, it can be done faster if done while facing left. (SSB, SSBM, SSBB)
- Charges himself up with fire, similar to a Falcon Punch. (SSBB)
- Holds out his hand and challenges, "Come on!" (SSBB)
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. (SSBB)
Jigglypuff
- Rocks backwards and forwards, chanting "Jigglypuff!". (SSB)
- Spins around on one foot, then poses. (SSBM, SSBB)
- Twirls around slightly and chants "Jigglypuff!" (SSBB)
- Breathes all the air out of itself and falls to the ground, flattened. It inflates itself upon contact. (SSBB)
Bowser
- Throws his head back and roars. (SSBM, SSBB)
- Balances precariously on one leg. (SSBB)
- Snaps furiously forward five times. (SSBB)
Peach
- Performs a spin, then poses and winks. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, she says "Sweet!" after performing this taunt. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, she will say "Uh-Huh!" instead. (SSBM, SSBB)
- Takes out her umbrella and twirls it above her head, saying "Sweet!" (SSBB)
- Dances, singing "La la la la la la" in a taunting fashion. (SSBB)
Ice Climbers
- Swing their hammers forward saying "Yup!". (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. (SSBB)
Zelda
- Holds her hands together, as if in prayer. (SSBM)
- Holds up one arm, magic coming from her hand. (SSBB)
- Waves. (SSBB)
- Puts her hands together and creates a magic spell. (SSBB)
Sheik
- Holds her hand to her face. (SSBM)
- Stands on one hand. (SSBB)
- Performs a threatening pose using her right hand. (SSBB)
- Pulls out her whip-chord. (SSBB)
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 evily. (SSBM, SSBB)
- Slams his fist into his open palm and cracks his knuckles. (SSBB)
- Takes out his sword, looks at it, then puts it back. (SSBB)
Falco
- Spins on one foot whilst performing a series of punches. In the Japanese version of Melee and both versions of Brawl, he states "Hands off my prey!" whilst doing so. (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
- Drinks from his jug of Lon Lon Milk, then wipes his mouth. (SSBM)
Pichu
- Lies on the ground and rolls around, chanting "Pichu!". (SSBM)
- Jumps up and down, chanting "Pichu!". (SSBM)
Mewtwo
- Crosses his 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. (SSBM, SSBB)
- Holds up his sword. (SSBB)
- Furiously swings his sword before resheathing it. (SSBB)
Roy
- Leans back and holds his sword in an attack position, shouting "Hi-ya!" as he does so. (SSBM)
Diddy Kong
- Throws his cap up in the air and catches it on his head. (SSBB)
- Jumps from one foot to the other, clapping his hands above his head. (SSBB)
- Holds his hands in front of him, chattering. (SSBB)
Pit
- Spins his swords above his head and declares "The fight is on!" (SSBB)
- Opens his wings and starts ascending. (SSBB)
- Swings his swords and says "You're not ready yet!" (SSBB)
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!". (SSBB)
Pokemon Trainer
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. (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. (SSBB)
Ike
- Charges up his sword as wind blows into his cape. (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)
King Dedede
- Holds up his hammer in celebration. (SSBB)
- Spins around in a circle, chanting. (SSBB)
- 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 butt at the screen. (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)
- 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.(SSBB)
- Stands on one foot and holds one hand in mid-air. This taunt is very similar to Link's.(SSBB)
- Holds one hand forward and one behind his back.(SSBB)
Toon Link
- Waves his baton, conducting music at the end. (SSBB)
- Looks around uncertainly. (SSBB)
- Swings his sword around in a blind panic, so much so it tires him out and gasps for breathe.(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 lazer 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. 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 can be removed and used as a weapon, being notably a good edge-guarding move on Ike when he uses Aether and is below the edge. (SSBB)
Sonic
- Does a backflip and poses, tutting. (SSBB)
- Runs in place, chanting "You're too slow!" facing the camera then gives an uncertain look. (SSBB)
- Performs a breakdancing spin, chanting "Come on, step it up!" (SSBB)
Custom taunts
A custom taunt(sometimes called a "teabag") is an action that irritates the opponent in a manner similar to a taunt but that is not actually a taunt. For example, each time Kirby or Samus ducks, they make a noise that can annoy the opponent just as easily as one of their normal taunts can. King Dedede crouching position when facing the screen is also considered as a Taunt, as he lies on his side, supporting his head with his hand. Attacks may serve as custom taunts as well. Examples include R.O.B.'s and Mr. Game & Watch's strong up attack (rising arms and a #1 flag, respectively) and Ness's down and up smashes (yo-yo tricks) and repeatedly using loud attacks, such as PK flash.
Trivia
- Luigi's and Snake's taunts can damage opponents. Luigi's spikes aerial opponents or characters grabbing the ledge with a strengh that no other spike has at 0% (because it has fixed damage). Also, in his Negative Zone he can KO lighter characters with his taunt if they're in it. Snake's taunt doesn't have fixed knockback, and can KO in Sudden Death.
- Kirby can get rid of copy abilities by using a taunt.
- If Samus' down and up taunts are performed in rapid repetition during her up taunt she will transform into Zero Suit Samus. The timing is difficult, but it is the only way to transform mid-play without a smashball.
- Any character can remove Snake's cardboard box and throw it in any direction they want.
- Though the audio sample is of the same length, Captain Falcon's down taunt is faster when performed facing left.