Knockback
Knockback is a measure of how far an attack sends its target. For example, Bowser's forward smash is an attack of high knockback; it launches opponents very far, so far that at high damages it's more powerful than a Home-Run Bat's smash attack. Pikachu's neutral attack, on the other hand, has very low knockback - it hardly sends opponents anywhere, even at ludicrous damages.
Basic physics
The knockback of most attacks increases as the target's damage increases. Knockback is also affected by the target's weight, gravity, and a few other conditions (such as type effectiveness). The damage dealt by an attack is a significant factor in how much knockback it deals, but it is not the primary factor.
Each hitbox of a move has two knockback values: a base knockback and a knockback scaling. Moves with high base knockback deal high knockback under any circumstances, such as the swing of a Home-Run Bat. On the other hand, moves with high knockback scaling take less damage to reach KO potential, such as Luigi's forward smash.
Certain attacks have set knockback. These attacks will always deal the same amount of knockback, regardless of the target's damage. The most famous attack with set knockback is Fox's Reflector in Melee; other examples include Luigi's taunt, the first hit of Young Link's forward smash, and Falco's blaster. Set knockback remains affected by characters' weight and other such factors.
In Brawl, knockback is given in match results as a number measured from 0 to over 60,000. The unit is given as "mph"; while this would presumably mean "miles per hour", this is obviously not the case, as a 1,000 mph hit barely sends characters anywhere. The following table gives an idea of various knockback strengths:
| Knockback | Example |
|---|---|
| 1120 | Jigglypuff's short hop |
| 1440 | Jigglypuff's first jump |
| 2100 | Fox dashing (without running) |
| 3420 | Falco's first jump |
| 4381 | Sheik's footstool jump |
| 5500-6500 | Average KO range |
| 10000 | Jigglypuff's shield leap |
Other physics of knockback
- If a Meteor Smash is landed on a grounded opponent, they will be sent upwards with slightly reduced knockback (20% less in Brawl).
- If a character is hit while charging a smash attack, they will take slightly more knockback (20% more in Brawl).
- Based on type effectiveness, Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon will take more or less knockback from certain moves.
List of set knockback moves
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Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Fox: Reflector
- Ice Climbers: down air
- Yoshi: down tilt
- Kirby's Hammer (in the air)
- Bowser's up throw
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- King Dedede: down throw
- Luigi: down taunt
- Kirby: Final Cutter (downwards stroke)
- Bowser's: up throw
- Captain Falcon: first hit of neutral air
