Plasma Whip
| Plasma Whip | |
|---|---|
 Zero Suit Samus using Plasma Whip. | |
| User | Zero Suit Samus |
| Universe | Metroid |
| Article on Metroid Wiki | Paralyzer |
- Not to be confused with Plasma Wisp or Plasma Wire.
Plasma Whip (プラズマウィップ, Plasma Whip) is Zero Suit Samus's side special move.
Overview
Upon pressing the special button, Samus shoots the Plasma Whip forward a long distance, with small knockback and damage throughout its length except for a fairly large sweetspot at the tip. The body of the whip can knock the enemy into the tip, which has large knockback (at least as large as Samus' side smash, but with longer range) and is considered her best KO move outside of her forward and back aerials. It does 19% damage (if the opponent is close to Samus because its pushed to the tip, doing two hits), but just 16% if only the tip hits. In Super Smash Bros. 4, Plasma Whip has been nerfed. The tip of the Plasma Whip is weaker, it deals less damage, and it no longer KOs at high percentages outside of edgeguarding and stage spikes. However, the move was buffed again in Ultimate, making it a reliable ranged KO tool once again. It has also gained a new effect where it launches opponents directly above Zero Suit Samus if the player holds the special button down, making it a potential combo starter.
The move is a little laggy after extending, but comes out at about the speed of a smash attack. In the air, it can be used as a tether recovery; it differs from her other tether move, the Plasma Wire, in that it has longer horizontal range, but much less vertical range, giving Zero Suit Samus several options for tethering, depending on whether she is level with or below the ledge. The Plasma Wire can also grapple ledges that are below Zero Suit Samus' level, which can be useful for varying up her recovery. There is a small blind spot in the middle of the Plasma Whip which the opponent is not hit. If spaced correctly, it can be used after a down smash.
Instructional quotes
 instruction booklet |
 |
Attack with a lash formed of plasma. This move can also be used to grab onto the stage edges. |
 case foldout |
 |
Attack foes with an energy whip. Can grab on to edges. |
 Move List |
 |
Attacks foes with an energy whip. Can also be used to grab on to edges. |
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Plasma Whip | 2. Plasma Dash | 3. Whip Lash |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Attack foes with an energy whip. Can also be used to grab on edges." | "A dashing strike with your gun. Doesn't use the whip, so it can't grab to edges." | "Knock foes toward you with the very end of the whip. The rest of the whip does nothing." |
- Plasma Whip: Default.
- Plasma Dash: A small dash forward with Samus' gun, striking multiple times. Cannot tether recover.
- Whip Lash: Ensnares an opponent and draws them in. Does not connect if Samus is too close to the opponent.
Origin
Both the Plasma Whip and the Plasma Wire are unique to Smash, and have no presence in any Metroid game but it could be a reference to the Grapple Beam which Samus’s uses in her Power Suit.
Gallery
The move in Brawl
Unused animation of Zero Suit Samus using Plasma Whip to grab an item.
Unused animation of Zero Suit Samus using Plasma Whip to throw an item.
Unused animation of Zero Suit Samus using Plasma Whip to throw an item upward.
Plasma Whip in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Plasma Whip as shown by the Move List in Ultimate.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese |
プラズマウィップ, Plasma Whip |
 English |
Plasma Whip |
 French |
Fouet plasma |
 German |
Plasma-Peitsche |
 Spanish |
Látigo de plasma |
 Italian |
Frusta plasma |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
等离子鞭 |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
等離子鞭 |
 Korean |
플라스마 윕, Plasma Whip |
 Dutch |
Plasmazweep |
 Russian |
Плазмохлыст |
Trivia
- Through hacking Brawl, unique item grabbing and throwing animations have been found for Plasma Whip. This suggests that the move was, at one point, also designed to have the ability to grab items from afar and fling them towards opponents. Judging from the animations, it also suggested that Zero Suit Samus could steal opponents' held items by using Plasma Whip against them.
