Mr. Game & Watch (SSBU)/Forward aerial

Hitbox visualization showing Mr. Game & Watch's forward aerial.

Overview

Originates from Mario's Bombs Away, Safebuster, or Bomb Sweeper, Mr. Game and Watch takes out an igniting bomb, drops it downwards slightly at a horizontal distance in front of him shortly after excecution, which will then slowly descend before exploding shortly after. The move possesses several unorthodox properties for a forward aerial: The first hit deals 3% damage and has fixed minimal knockback, rendering it unable to KO at any percentage, and will only combo into the second hit at a low enough height. After the first hit, the bomb then functions as a projectile, which will either explode after 30 frames or explode before that by colliding with a platform. This explosion deals 12% damage. During the 30 frames it takes for it to explode, the bomb possesses a hurtbox which will cause it to disappear if it gets struck by any opponent's attack, including Mr. Game & Watch's attacks themselves.

Mr. Game & Watch's forward aerial's unique attributes lead it to a plethora of uses. Because the bomb's explosion is delayed, catching an opponent with it can lead to several follow-ups at low-to-mid percents, including several attacks; such as neutral aerial, grab, up tilt - and in the case that it takes it the full 30 frames to go off - even slower attacks; like up smash. This can lead to very high damaging combos, some of which can deal as much as 60% damage in total. The delayed explosion can even lead to situations where the move is safe or outright positive on block against an opponent's shield depending on when the bomb went off. Doing so can potentially guarantee Mr. Game and Watch grabs against shielding opponents.

File:G&W fair auto-cancel in a short hop.gif

Mr. Game & Watch auto-canceling his forward aerial in a short hop while edgeguarding Jigglypuff.

It is also useful for edgeguarding in some instances: Since the bomb lingers and can go below ledges, it is effective for catching opponents that are either below the stage or ledge-hanging. To add to this, the move possesses fairly strong KO potential and has high knockback scaling, allowing the move to KO from anywhere on the stage at high enough percents. Lastly, the move is a strong defensive tool, allowing Mr. Game and Watch to wall opponents effectively with a continuous string of bombs while also retreating back, making it useful for calling out opponents' approaches while providing Mr. Game and Watch with a safety net. To top the explosion's high range off, the hitbox when the bomb explodes focuses on the actual entire radius of the visual explosion more closely itself. Because of this, it is a formidable approaching and stage-controlling option. It can surprisingly auto-cancel in a short hop; even before the bomb explodes, as its high landing lag helps it auto-cancel too.

For all of its strengths, it possesses notable drawbacks. As stated earlier, during the 30 frames it takes to explode, the bomb is completely vulnerable and will disappear from even the weakest of aby attacks from the opponent; primarily due to its low priority. Combined with the first hit's abysmal range that possesses a tiny hitbox that is noticeably smaller than the bomb itself, this makes the move hard to approach opponents with directly without using it as a mix-up option between his other approaching options. Furthermore, the first hit's negligible range also prevents Mr. Game and Watch from providing immediate frontal pressure, resulting in him losing almost, if not, all trades with the opponent in the case that the opponent is attacking Mr. Game and Watch. Lastly, the move possesses high landing lag in a similar fashion to his down aerial and back aerial, which can lead to the opponent punishing Mr. Game and Watch if the explosion doesn't catch them, but the explosion's high range overshadows this.

Because of its unusual traits, forward aerial functions more as a defensive/mix-up tool than a direct approach option and is one of the most difficult - but versatile - moves to master in Mr. Game and Watch's kit.

Update History

2.0.0

Forward aerial's explosion hitbox has increased range, matching the visual explosion more closely and allowing the move to catch opponents from below the ledge or by a distance. This improves its edgeguarding and approach potential together.

Hitboxes

ID	Part	Rehit rate	Damage	SD	Angle type	BK	KS	FKV	Radius	Bone	Offset			H×	SDI×	T%	Sound	Hit bits	Hit part	Hitstun
G&W Hitbox
0	0	0	3.0%	0	Forward	0	50	30	2.0	top	0.0	9.0	11.3	0.5×	1.0×	0%	Punch	All	All	+5 frames
Bomb detection
0	0	0	0.0%	0	Standard	0	0	0	3.0	top	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.0×	1.0×	0%	None	All	All	—
Explosion
0	0	0	12.0%	0	Forward	30	101	0	10.0	top	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0×	1.0×	0%	Bomb	All	All	—