Self-destruct
- "SD" redirects here. For the memory card, see SD card.
- "Suicide" redirects here. For the maneuver where the attacker KOs his opponent at the cost of his own stock, see Sacrificial KO.
A self-destruct (abbreviated as SD) is when a character is KO'd without being hit by an opponent. This usually equates as jumping off the edge, but falls also count as SDs when the stage KOs someone. In time mode, self-destructs subtract one point by default from a player's score; this penalty can be changed to zero or two points only in Super Smash Bros. Melee. In bonus mode, the player's score is lowered by 500 points. If characters get defeated by their own item, it counts as both a fall and an SD, making them lose an additional point (Item Self-Destruct worth -1000). Friendly Fire also accounts for a loss of additional points. The character with the most self-destructs gets the Master of Disaster bonus (-1000), unless they have double or more the SDs of whoever has the second-most (and at least 3), in which case they get Self-Destructor instead (-2000).
Defeating a teammate counts as a self-destruct. In Super Smash Bros. however, the character that defeated the ally earns a point while the ally loses a point, similar to a regular KO.
In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, a fall counts as a SD if they are KO'd without anyone having been credited with the last hit on them, which can occur when:
- The character was standing on the ground, and went beyond a blast line, without being hit off the ground by anyone before the KO.
- The character was hit by a stage hazard and was KO'd, or failed to make it back on stage.
- The character is KO'd by their own item.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, however, a SD can only be attained if the KO'd character did not get hit by an opponent during the entire stock or for three entire minutes, as touching the ground after being hit does not reset their KO property. Therefore, a character can be hit by any attack (or even be Footstool Jumped off of), return to the stage, continue to play for a while, and KO themselves, but it will not count as an SD. This behaviour continues for Super Smash Bros. 4.
