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.
In Melee, the highest knockback delivered and received by each character is given in match results, though the number lacks meaning. In Brawl, the velocity applied (in units per frame times 1000) is provided instead of the knockback value (though it's simply knockback divided by 0.03). 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 | Velocity | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 500 | One stage builder block per second |
| 33.6 | 1120 | Jigglypuff's short hop |
| 43.2 | 1440 | Jigglypuff's first jump |
| 63 | 2100 | Fox dashing (without running) |
| 102.6 | 3420 | Falco's first jump |
| 131.43 | 4381 | Sheik's footstool jump |
| 165-195 | 5500-6500 | Average KO range |
| 300 | 10000 | Jigglypuff's Shield Jump |
Other physics of knockback
- If a meteor smash is landed on a grounded opponent, they will be sent upwards with reduced knockback (20% less in Brawl).
- If a character is hit while charging a smash attack, they will take more knockback (20% more in Brawl).
- Based on type effectiveness, Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon will take more or less knockback from certain moves.
Set Knockback
Set Knockback, sometimes referred to Fixed Knockback, is a property of some attacks in the games where the attack will deliver the same knockback, regardless of outside elements, such as damage percentages, Stale Moves Negation and similar factors.
List of set knockback moves
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Super Smash Bros.
- Mario Tornado
- Fire Flower
- Mario's down aerial, when used on grounded opponents
- Luigi's sourspotted Super Jump Punch
Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Fox: Reflector
- Ice Climbers: down air
- Yoshi: down tilt
- Luigi's down taunt
- Kirby's Hammer (in the air)
- Bowser's up throw
- Young Link: first hit of forward smash
- Kirby's Final Cutter
- Roy's Blazer
- Luigi's sourspotted Super Jump Punch
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Many jabs, such as Kirby's, have set knockback.
- King Dedede's down throw
- Luigi's down taunt
- Kirby's Final Cutter (downwards stroke)
- Bowser's: up throw
- Captain Falcon's neutral air (first hit)
- Wolf's Reflector
- Isaac's Move
Knockback chart
The following is a chart demonstrating how much knockback each character sustains in Brawl. While weight is the primary attribute for determining how much knockback a character sustains, there are other attributes that factor in, such as a character's gravity. This results in some characters sustaining more knockback than lighter characters.
The knockback value shown is how much knockback a character sustains when hit with Marth's Critical Hit at 0%, arranged from least knockback sustained to most knockback sustained.
| Rank | Character | Knockback sustained |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowser | 14724 |
| 2 | Donkey Kong | 14840 |
| 3 | Snake | 14981 |
| 4 | King Dedede | 15042 |
| 5 | Charizard | 15140 |
| 6 | Samus | 15160 |
| 7 | Ganondorf | 15254 |
| 8 | Yoshi | 15261 |
| 9 | R.O.B. | 15286 |
| 10 | Wario | 15296 |
| 11 | Ike | 15399 |
| 12 | Link | 15469 |
| 13 | Captain Falcon | 15514 |
| 14 | Lucario | 15601 |
| 15 | Ivysaur | 15625 |
| 16 | Mario | 15753 |
| 17 | Wolf | 15771 |
| 18 | Luigi | 15777 |
| 19 | Sonic | 15957 |
| 20 | Ness | 15971 |
| 21 | Pit | 15984 |
| 22 | Lucas | 16032 |
| 23 | Toon Link | 16086 |
| 24 | Diddy Kong | 16098 |
| 25 | Ice Climbers | 16109 |
| 26 | Peach | 16186 |
| 27 | Marth | 16380 |
| 28 | Zelda | 16514 |
| 29 | Olimar | 16688 |
| 30 | Sheik | 16755 |
| 31 | Zero Suit Samus | 16847 |
| 32 | Falco | 16857 |
| 33 | Kirby | 16965 |
| 34 | Pikachu | 16980 |
| 35 | Meta Knight | 17008 |
| 36 | Fox | 17201 |
| 37 | Mr. Game & Watch | 17224 |
| 38 | Squirtle | 17327 |
| 39 | Jigglypuff | 17673 |
