- For the technique referred to as "absorbing damage" by the Twinkle Toes bonus in Super Smash Bros. Melee, see tech.
Absorption is the process of using a particular special move to "catch" an opposing non-physical projectile, or a teammate's projectile if Team Attack is turned on. The absorber then provides some benefit to the user based on the absorbed attack.
The only two moves capable of absorption are PSI Magnet and Oil Panic - PSI Magnet heals the user based on the absorbed attack's power, while Oil Panic stores the strength of up to three projectiles in order to unleash them all at once in a single attack. Floows are also capable of absorbing attacks, though they do not appear to do anything with the absorbed energy. This means that there are only three playable characters who are able to absorb non-physical attacks; that being Ness, Lucas, and Mr. Game & Watch .
List of absorbable attacks by characters
- Bowser - Fire Breath
- Charizard - Flamethrower
- Dr. Mario - Megavitamin
- Falco - back throw (Blaster shots), Blaster
- Fox - back throw (Blaster shots), Blaster
- Giga Bowser - Fire Breath
- Ice Climbers - Ice Shot (SSBM only), Blizzard
- King Dedede - Waddle Dee Toss (Waddle Doo's beam attack), Super Dedede Jump (stars)
- Kirby - Final Cutter (wave), can copy Fire Breath, Flamethrower, Megavitamin, Blaster, Ice Shot, Aura Sphere, Fireball, Shadow Ball, Chef, PK Flash, PK Fire, Toad, Thunder Jolt, Palutena Arrow, Robo Beam, Charge Shot, and Paralyzer
- Kirby's version of Chef in SSBB allows the projectiles to be absorbed, even though the original version does not.
- Lucario - Aura Sphere, Force Palm
- Lucas - PK Freeze, PK Fire, PK Thunder
- Luigi - Fireball
- Mario - Fireball
- Mewtwo - forward throw (shadow shots), Shadow Ball
- Mr. Game & Watch - Chef (sausages, SSBM only)
- Ness - PK Flash, PK Fire, PK Thunder
- Peach - Toad, Peach Bomber (SSBM only)?
- Pichu - Thunder Jolt, Thunder
- Pikachu - Thunder Jolt, Thunder (bolt itself, SSBM and SSBB)
- Pit - Palutena Arrow
- R.O.B. - Robo Beam
- Samus - Charge Shot
- Wolf - Blaster (shot)
- Yoshi - Yoshi Bomb (stars)
- Zelda - Din's Fire
- Zero Suit Samus - down smash, Paralyzer
List of absorbable attacks by items
- Fire Flower stream
- Lip's Stick spores
- Poké Ball Pokémon:
- Ray Gun blasts
- Star Rod shots
- Super Scope shots
- Superspicy Curry
List of absorbable attacks by stages
List of absorbable attacks by enemies and bosses
- Armank - enemy shot
- Duon - scattershot
- Gamyga - lasers
- Master Hand - Finger Bullet
- Puppit - lasers
- R.O.B. Blaster - beams
- Scope Primid - both shots
- Spaak - both attacks