- For the CPU Mode, see ITEM.
An item is an object, that either randomly appears on-stage during a match or is summoned by a character's special move, that can be picked up for use by characters. Many items can be wielded once picked up, while others apply an effect, and almost all can be thrown at opponents. Items are a large part of the gameplay of the Super Smash Bros. series, but problems with randomness and inconsistent risk/reward balance results in tournament rulesets universally requiring that random spawning of items be disabled using the Item Switch before starting the match.
If all recovery items are turned off in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the chance of naturally occurring items like the apples dropped by Whispy Woods on Green Greens and Chansey's eggs recovering health is eliminated; the apples will all be projectiles and the eggs will either be explosives or drop other items. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl the same is true regarding the apples (since Chansey does not appear). Additionally, the vegetables on Summit will not appear if food is turned off.
Overview
Items appear from stage-dependent designated locations at various times throughout a match based on the frequency set in the Item Switch. Characters can pick up items by standing near one and pressing the attack button; items can also be grabbed in midair starting in Melee with the grab button, or grabbed during dashes and aerial attacks in Brawl and SSB4. Characters can only hold one item at a time (if Villager's Pocket ability is discounted). If an item is left alone, it will eventually disappear, flashing briefly beforehand (Pitfall and Ore Clubs being exceptions). Items that are picked up by characters can be dropped or thrown with the grab button, and they may be dropped if the character takes a hard hit. The damage done by a thrown item depends on how fast it's moving. Most items can also be swallowed in Brawl and SSB4, and in the latter, can even heal certain characters when they do so, unless the item is an explosive.
Mechanics
In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, the chance of a character dropping their held item when hit is (hitbox damage)/60.
Thus, if a hit deals 6% damage, the chance of it causing an item drop on a given frame is 10%. Roy’s fully charged Flare Blade in Melee deals 50 damage, so it has a drop chance of 83.33%.
Types of items
Items can be grouped into several categories based on their effects.
- Container items release other items once broken open, which can be done either by attacking them or by picking up and throwing them. In general, container items have a 12.5% (1 in 8) chance of exploding instead of releasing items.
- Battering items are wielded by characters once picked up, turning their neutral attack, forward tilt, dash attack, and forward smash into an item swipe.
- Shooting items fire projectiles when used, typically replacing the neutral attack and neutral aerial of the user. They all have limited ammunition and will merely shoot blanks once it runs out. In SSB4, trying to shoot an empty item will instead simply throw it.
- Throwing items can only be thrown at opponents. Holding a throwing item means that a character cannot use most of their attacks, as pressing the attack button will simply throw the item.
- Status items apply some sort of effect to the user, often beneficial but not necessarily. Some status items only need contact to be used (instead of needing to be grabbed). The ones that do need to be grabbed can be picked up even if the character is already holding an item; no such items exist in the original Super Smash Bros.
- Recovery items decrease the damage of the user (or increase their HP in Stamina mode). Starting in Melee, recovery items can be picked up even when the character is already holding an item.
- Summoning items release an ally that fights along side you or your team when picked up.
- Collectible items do not affect the match but instead are added to the player's collection once picked up. Computer players will not attempt to pick up collectible items, but if they do so accidentally they will not count.
- Special items do not fit into the above categories.
In addition to the above, certain items can be heavy, which limits those that pick them up into walking slowly (or not at all in SSB) and throwing. Only Donkey Kong can move quickly or jump while carrying a heavy item.
List of items
Item | Type | Heavy | Notes | Universe | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apple | Throwing/Recovery | Produced by Whispy Woods on Green Greens. Each apple can be either a throwing item or a recovery item, and in rare cases may explode when thrown. | Kirby | |||||
Assist Trophy | Summoning | When picked up, once the character lands on the ground, they will perform a short animation and summon a random character to aid them in the fight. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Auroros | Throwing | Only appear in the Subspace Emissary. When Auroros dive and miss, they can be picked up and thrown at other enemies. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Back Shield | Status | Defends the wearer from attacks towards their back. | Kid Icarus | |||||
Banana Peel | Throwing | Once thrown, trips opponents that touch it. Diddy Kong can summon these by using his down special, the banana peel, leading into deadly mindgames and combo/KO setups. | Mario | |||||
Barrel | Container | When thrown, struck, or lands on a hill, may roll across the stage and damage what it hits before breaking. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Barrel Cannon | *** | * | * | Throwing | When thrown or it lands on a hill, grabs and launches the first character it hits. Disappears very quickly. | Donkey Kong | ||
Beam Sword | Battering | Starting in Melee, gets longer when swung depending on character. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Beehive | Throwing | Can be thrown at opponents. If attacked or thrown at a player, it summons bees that attack the player that attacked it or was hit by it. | Animal Crossing | |||||
Beetle | Throwing | Can be thrown towards an opponent, and the item will grab the opponent and fly off into the air with them. Can be reversed by hitting it. | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Blast Box | Throwing | Very poor throwing distance. Explodes upon taking 30% damage or a flame attack. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Bob-omb | Throwing | Very powerful explosive. If not grabbed within a few seconds of its appearance, it lights its own fuse and begins walking around, exploding on any character it meets. If it doesn't meet a character it will blow itself up after a while. Peach has a rare chance of plucking one when using Vegetable. | Mario | |||||
Bonsly | Throwing | Only appears from Poké Balls. Can be thrown to deal heavy damage and knockback. | Pokémon | |||||
Bomb (Link) | Throwing | A Bomb that can be thrown at opponents and explodes when hitting one or after a set time. Summoned by Link, Young Link, or Toon Link. | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Bombchu | Throwing | Can move up walls and across floors and ceilings. Explodes on contact with opponent. | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Bonus Fruit | Throwing | Produced by Pac-Man's neutral special move. Damage, knockback, and flight pattern when thrown vary based on the fruit used. | Pac-Man | |||||
Boomerang | Throwing | Can be thrown at and grabbed by opponents. Returns to the thrower unless intercepted. Gains power when caught. | Mario | |||||
Boss Galaga | Special | Carries foes upward to the top of the screen. Can be destroyed by attacking it. | Namco | |||||
Bullet Bill | * | * | Transformation | Transforms the user into a Bullet Bill and launches them in a specified direction, dealing big damage to anyone they hit along the way. After a set distance, the user returns to normal. Can be reflected. | Mario | |||
Bumper | Throwing | Can be placed on the stage or (in Brawl) set in midair, where it will knock away characters that touch it. If two or more are present, they can be used to momentarily trap characters by bouncing them back and forth. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Bunny Hood | Status | Increases the user's movement speed, jump height, and falling speed. | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Capsule | Container | Contains a single item. Has a chance of exploding. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Cardboard Box | Throwing | Produced by Snake's taunts. Automatically thrown once picked up, unless the user is DK, who can move around and jump with the box. | Metal Gear | |||||
CD | Collectible | Unlocks a random piece of stage music when picked up. Disappears extremely quickly. Will stop appearing in game after all music is unlocked. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Cloaking Device | Status | Renders the user mostly invisible and makes them immune to damage (but not knockback). | Perfect Dark | |||||
Cracker Launcher | Shooting | Limits the user to walking and a single jump, and automatically dropped from any flinch. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Crate | Container | Contains many items. Has a chance of exploding when thrown, or hit. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Cucco | Throwing | Can be thrown at opponents. If attacked or thrown at a player, it summons various Cuccos that attack the player that attacked it or was hit by it. | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Custom Part | Collectible | Adds customize-able parts for characters. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Daybreak | Special/Shooting | Appears in three pieces that must be collected all at once; characters can lose pieces from their possession when hit or KO'd. Once one character has all the pieces the weapon assembles in their hands, which they can then use at their discretion to fire a giant laser across the stage, almost guaranteed to KO anyone it hits. | Kid Icarus | |||||
Deku Nut | Throwing | When thrown, damaged, or after a short time (even if held), nearby characters are stunned (if grounded) or launched (if aerial). | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Dragoon | Special | Appears in three pieces that must be collected all at once; characters can lose pieces from their possession when hit or KO'd. Once one character has all the pieces the Dragoon is assembled and flown into the stage for a one-hit KO ram attack. | Kirby | |||||
Drill Arm | Shooting | Allows the wearer to fire a large drill. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Egg | Container | Produced by Chansey, Birdo and Yoshi series stages. Essentially identical to Capsules. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Electrode | *** | Throwing | Only appears from Poké Balls and can only be grabbed before it's about to detonate. Explosion deals extremely high knockback. Has a chance to be a dud. | Pokémon | ||||
Fairy Bottle | Throwing/Recovery | Recovers an excess of 100% damage, but only if the user's damage is 100% or more. Otherwise, can be thrown, but will heal anyone hit who meets the prior requirement. | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Fan | Battering | Fastest-swinging battering item. High shield damage. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Fire Bar | Battering | Causes fire damage. Grows shorter with each successful attack. | Mario | |||||
Fire Flower | Shooting | Produces a continuous stream of short-range fire. | Mario | |||||
Flipper | *** | Throwing | Once thrown, halts in the air and bops characters that run into it. | Balloon Fight | ||||
Food | Recovery | Each type of food recovers a different amount of damage. Can be produced in large numbers by Peach Blossom. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Franklin Badge | Status | Temporarily makes the wearer immune to projectiles by automatically reflecting them. Can be knocked off. | EarthBound | |||||
Freezie | Throwing | Slides across the stage, freezing characters when struck by it. Can be destroyed before being picked up. | Mario | |||||
Grass | Special | When picked up, another item appears in its place. | Mario | |||||
Golden Hammer | Special | Acts the same as the regular Hammer, though faster, more powerful and with the ability to float. May be a dud Squeaky Hammer that deals no damage at all. | Mario | |||||
Gooey Bomb | Throwing | When thrown, attaches to characters and can transfer to other characters that pass by. Explodes after a certain time or if attacked when not on a character. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Green Shell | Throwing | When thrown, attacked, or landed on, slides across the stage and damages everything it hits. Can be stopped by jumping on it. | Mario | |||||
Gust Bellows | Shooting | Blows gusts of wind at other players to push them away. | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Gyro | Throwing | Produced by R.O.B.'s down special move. Lingers on the ground and damages opponents who touch it while it spins. | R.O.B. | |||||
Hammer | Special | One of the most feared items in the game due to its range, damage, and knockback. However, it limits the user to walking and a single jump; the user cannot even choose to drop the item. May randomly lose its head and become useless. | Donkey Kong | |||||
Hammer Head | Throwing | The Hammer may sometimes lose its head; the head can be picked up and thrown for massive damage. | Donkey Kong | |||||
Hand Grenade | Throwing | Produced by Snake's neutral special move. Does not explode on contact. If Snake shields, anyone who is holding one of his grenades instantly drops it. | Metal Gear | |||||
Heart Container | Recovery | Strongest recovery item, recovering up to 100% damage. | The Legend of Zelda | |||||
Hocotate Bomb | Throwing | A bomb shaped like the Hocotate Ship that will fly off, and then crash down when "least expected". | Pikmin | |||||
Home-Run Bat | Battering | An extremely powerful item. Its forward smash is among the most powerful attacks in all four games, being a one-hit KO in every one. As a throwing item, it maintains its high knockback and is a semi-spike. In Brawl, forward smash uses a unique animation. It becomes stronger when hit on the tip. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Hothead | Throwing | Follows the contours of the stage once thrown. Grows in size and damage but lasts for a shorter time when hit by flame or electric attacks. | Mario | |||||
Key | Throwing | Only appears in specific Subspace Emissary stages. Unlocks doors when thrown at them or the holding character touches them. Returns to original spot if it remains idle on the ground. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Killer Eye | Throwing | When placed, can fire energy beams in the direction it faces. Hitting it flips it around. | Kid Icarus | |||||
Lightning Bolt | Status | When touched, shrinks all opponents. Can backfire and shrink the user or enlarge all opponents. | Mario | |||||
Lip's Stick | Battering | Flowers opponents. Has a limited supply of short-range spore projectiles produced on f-tilt or f-smash. | Panel de Pon | |||||
Master Ball | Throwing/Summoning | Just like the Poké Ball, but it is guaranteed to release a rare or Legendary Pokémon. | Pokémon | |||||
Maxim Tomato | Recovery | The third most powerful recovery item, healing up to 50% damage. | Kirby | |||||
Mechakoopa | Throwing | Produced by Bowser Jr.'s down special move. Walks around briefly before exploding. | Mario | |||||
Metal Blade | Throwing | Can be thrown in 8 directions and pierces through enemies. If thrown into the ground it will be able to be grabbed and used by anyone including Mega Man. | Mega Man | |||||
Metal Box | Status | Increases the weight and falling speed of the user, while also reducing the chances of flinching. Can be activated by pickup or by direct attack; indirect attacks will either destroy it (in Melee) or do nothing (in Brawl). | Mario | |||||
Motion-Sensor Bomb | Throwing | Attaches to the stage once thrown; characters that approach it after a short time cause it to explode. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Mr. Saturn | Throwing | Walks around the stage and can be knocked about by attacks. Deals massive damage to shields when thrown, but only minor damage otherwise. | EarthBound | |||||
Ore Club | Battering | An extremely powerful club made of stone that produces tornadoes when swung. Grants super armor when used as a forward smash. | Kid Icarus | |||||
Parasol | * | Battering | Reduces the holder's falling speed, allowing them to glide slowly left and right, potentially improving recovery. | Kirby | ||||
Party Ball | Container | Once activated by being thrown or damaged, it floats into the air and opens, dropping its items. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Peanut | * | Throwing/Recovery | Produced by Diddy's Peanut Popgun and Rocketbarrel Barrage. Can be caught and re-thrown, or left to hit the stage and possibly drop a food-like item. | Donkey Kong | ||||
Pellet | Throwing | Produced by the Pellet Posies on Distant Planet. Can be thrown into stationary Onions to produce other items. | Pikmin | |||||
Pitfall | Throwing | Embeds itself into the ground once thrown; characters that approach it after a short time will be buried or Meteor Smashed. Can also be thrown at an opponent directly for the same effect. | Animal Crossing | |||||
Poison Mushroom | Status | Slides across the stage. When touched, shrinks the character. | Mario | |||||
Poké Ball | Throwing/Summoning | Once thrown and lands on the ground, unleashes a Pokémon to aid the user. | Pokémon | |||||
POW Block | *** | *** | Throwing | When thrown, it causes an earthquake, launching all characters (including the player) straight up if on the ground. Can be used three times. | Mario | |||
Power Suit Piece | Throwing | Produced by the Zero Laser or by starting a match as Zero Suit Samus. | Metroid | |||||
Ray Gun | Shooting | Fires blasts of energy that have infinite horizontal range. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Red Shell | ** | ** | Throwing | When thrown, attacked, or landed on, slides across the stage and damages everything it hits. Aims for nearby characters and avoids sliding off edges. | Mario | |||
Rocket Belt | Status | Can be equipped and used to increase upward momentum at will, similar to R.O.B.'s up-special. | Pilotwings | |||||
Rolling Crate | Container | When thrown, struck, or lands on a hill, will roll across the stage and damage what it hits without breaking. Can be stood on. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Sandbag | * | Special | When attacked, produces items. | Super Smash Bros. | ||||
Screw Attack | Throwing/Status | Turns the holder's jumps into Screw Attacks. In Melee, applies for as long as the holder keeps the item, and a forced Screw Attack will be applied to those the item is thrown at. In Brawl, applies until the item wears off and does not need to be held in-hand once picked up. | Metroid | |||||
Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers | Throwing | Creatures that appear on the Mario Bros. stage. Can only be picked up when on their back. Color determines knockback strength. | Mario | |||||
Smart Bomb | Throwing | Produces a large explosion when thrown or attacked. Has a chance to be a dud, though it can still explode if hit or thrown again. | Star Fox | |||||
Smash Ball | Special | Flies around the stage. Characters must break in order to obtain. Once broken, player presses their neutral special button to use their Final Smash. Will fly off-stage after a short period if not obtained and used. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Smash Coins and Bills | Collectible | Only appear in coin battles. Adds to player's coin count. Bills debut in Brawl. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Smoke Ball | Throwing | Once thrown, spews smoke around its immediate area. May stick to opponents. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Soccer Ball | Special | Cannot be picked up. When attacked, it careens in the knockback direction with high damage and knockback. | Mario | |||||
Special Flag | Special | Can be held above the user's head for a long period to gain either a KO point in a timed match or a stock in a stock match. Unlike other items, this one will always be dropped if the user is hit while holding it. | Namco | |||||
Spiny Shell | Throwing | Commonly known as the 'Blue Shell'. Hovers above a player before dropping onto them and exploding. Can be dodged, or it can hit someone other than its intended target on descent. | Mario | |||||
Spring | Throwing | When idle, repels characters when touched depending on whether it is upright or sideways. | Donkey Kong | |||||
Star Rod | Battering/Shooting | Has a limited supply of long-range star shots produced on f-tilt or f-smash. | Kirby | |||||
Stat Boost | Status | Boosts the status of the character. Only appears in Smash Run and Smash Tour. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Steel Diver | Shooting | A smaller gun-like version of the Steel Diver from the self-titled game for the Nintendo 3DS. Fires a torpedo which travels slowly at first. Deals no shield damage whatsoever. | Steel Diver | |||||
Sticker | Collectible | Adds to the player's sticker collection. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Stock Ball | Special | Only appears in specific Subspace Emissary stages at lower difficulties. Adds one stock to the player's total. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Super Leaf | Status | Gives the user raccoon ears and tail. Allows the user to float in mid-air using the jump button. | Mario | |||||
Super Mushroom | Status | Slides across the stage. When touched, enlarges the character. | Mario | |||||
Super Scope | Shooting | Can shoot a total of 48 small rapid-fire pulses of energy or charge 3 large blobs of energy. | Nintendo | |||||
Super Star | Status | Bounces across the stage, and makes whoever it touches invulnerable to all damage and knockback for a short time. Users can still be KO'd if they fall off the stage with it. | Mario | |||||
Superspicy Curry | Status/Shooting | Causes the user to constantly shoot short-range fireballs and be incapable of walking slowly. | Kirby | |||||
Team Healer | Throwing/Recovery | Heals teammates when thrown at them. When thrown at opponents, can heal or damage them at random. Only appears during team battles. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Timer | Status | Slows down all opponents. Can backfire and slow down the user, or slow down the entire game. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Tortimer Fruits | Throwing/Recovery | Produced fruits on Tortimer Island, each fruit can be either a throwing item or a recovery item, and in rare cases may explode when thrown, similar to apples from Green Greens. | Animal Crossing | |||||
Trophy | Collectible | Adds to the player's trophy collection. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Trophy Stand | Throwing | Only appears in the Subspace Emissary. Causes weak or low-health enemies to turn into trophies; merely damages strong and healthy enemies. | Super Smash Bros. | |||||
Unira | Throwing | Attaches to the stage once thrown or attacked and pokes opponents that come near. Can be set or reset with a direct attack; indirect ones do nothing. | Clu Clu Land | |||||
Vegetable | Throwing | Produced by Peach's down special move. Deals varying damage depending on its facial expression. | Mario | |||||
Wario Bike | Throwing | Produced by Wario's side special move. Must be destroyed before Wario can use the move without being nearby. | Wario | |||||
Wario Bike wheels | Throwing | Produced by destroying the Wario Bike. | Wario | |||||
Warp Star | Special | Once picked up, the user flies into the sky and then crashes down with an explosion. Can be steered slightly, and if there are platforms above, will land there instead of the starting point. | Kirby | |||||
Wood chip | Throwing | Occasionally produced by Villager's down special move, Timber. Disappears as soon as it hits a solid surface, after it's first picked up. | Animal Crossing | |||||
X Bomb | Throwing | Creates a cross-shaped explosion that spans most of the screen. | Kid Icarus | |||||
Yoshi's Egg | * | * | * | Throwing | Only appears in Event 13: Yoshi's Egg. The event ends in failure if it breaks. | Yoshi |
* Appears in Smash games but not as an item.
** Appears in the Subspace Emissary and Smash Run respectively; by stomping on a red Koopa, but only functions like a green shell.
*** Appears in Smash games but as a stage hazard.
Only appears in Super Smash Bros for Wii U.
Only appears in Super Smash Bros for 3DS.
Items in Super Smash Bros. (64) | |
---|---|
Normal | Beam Sword · Bob-omb · Bumper · Fan · Fire Flower · Green Shell · Hammer · Heart Container · Home-Run Bat · Maxim Tomato · Motion-Sensor Bomb · Poké Ball · Ray Gun · Red Shell · Star Rod · Starman |
Containers | Barrel · Capsule · Crate · Egg |
Items in Super Smash Bros. Melee | |
---|---|
Normal | Barrel Cannon · Beam Sword · Bob-omb · Bunny Hood · Cloaking Device · Fan · Fire Flower · Flipper · Food · Freezie · Green Shell · Hammer · Heart Container · Home-Run Bat · Lip's Stick · Maxim Tomato · Metal Box · Motion-Sensor Bomb · Mr. Saturn · Parasol · Poison Mushroom · Poké Ball · Ray Gun · Red Shell · Screw Attack · Star Rod · Starman · Super Mushroom · Super Scope · Warp Star |
Containers | Barrel · Capsule · Crate · Egg · Party Ball |
Other | Smash Coins |
Items in Super Smash Bros. Brawl | |
---|---|
Normal | Assist Trophy · Banana Peel · Beam Sword · Blast Box · Bob-omb · Bumper · Bunny Hood · Cracker Launcher · Deku Nut · Dragoon · Fan · Fire Flower · Food · Franklin Badge · Freezie · Golden Hammer · Gooey Bomb · Green Shell · Hammer · Heart Container · Home-Run Bat · Hothead · Lightning Bolt · Lip's Stick · Maxim Tomato · Metal Box · Motion-Sensor Bomb · Mr. Saturn · Pitfall · Poison Mushroom · Poké Ball · Ray Gun · Screw Attack · Smart Bomb · Smash Ball · Smoke Ball · Soccer Ball · Spring · Star Rod · Starman · Super Mushroom · Super Scope · Superspicy Curry · Team Healer · Timer · Unira · Warp Star |
Containers | Barrel · Capsule · Crate · Party Ball · Sandbag · Rolling Crates |
The Subspace Emissary |
Key · Stock Ball · Trophy Stand |
Collectibles | CD · Coins · Sticker · Trophy |
Other | Smash Coins and Bills |