Straight Lunge
| Straight Lunge | |
|---|---|
 Little Mac lunges forward in a straight direction. | |
| User | Little Mac |
| Universe | Punch-Out!! |
Straight Lunge (気合いストレート, Vigorous Straight) is Little Mac's neutral special move in Super Smash Bros. 4.
Overview
When used, he begins to charge up, and during this time he has some level of knockback resistance. Upon release, Little Mac lunges forward a considerable distance, damaging all enemies he passes through with a devastating punch. When fully charged, the move has significant endlag, but otherwise has very little. The move under regular circumstances cannot be charged fully on the air and travels very little distance when not fully charged in these conditions, however it has been proven that if the move does fully charge itself in the air, Little Mac lunges forward without falling; however, the move still ends with considerable lag, and Little Mac begins falling the moment the move's initial "lunging forward" animation finishes.
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the known variations:
- Flaming Straight Lunge: Adds a fire effect and has less charge time, but inflicts less damage, hitting multiple times.
- Stunning Straight Lunge: Stuns an opponent when fully charged, but lacks knockback resistance. It also travels farther and faster, and has less charge time.
Power Meter
- Main article: Power Meter
When Little Mac's Power Meter is full, his Straight Lunge is replaced with a single-use uppercut of considerable power named the KO Uppercut, intended to be a one-hit KO. However, its base knockback is not quite high enough to be an OHKO at 0%, instead KOing at 24%. After the bar is full, Little Mac only has a short amount of time before he is vulnerable to having the meter reset from being sent flying by any move strong enough. A KO Uppercut can't be countered.
Consistent with Little Mac's depiction as a very strong fighter on the ground and very weak in the air, the aerial version of KO Uppercut is significantly weaker, not KOing until 151%.
Kirby can use the Straight Lunge via copying Little Mac, but does not gain a Power Meter and thus can only use the standard version of the move.
Origin
The uppercut is a reference to Little Mac's signature move in the Punch-Out!! series, the Star Uppercut. This move deals considerable damage and has a higher chance of leaving Mac's opponents down for the full ten-count. The power meter originates from Super Punch-Out!! If Little Mac keeps attacking the opponent, the power meter will fill, but taking damage will cause the meter to fall, unlike in Smash Bros. When the power meter is fully charged (indicated by a glowing "S" similar to the meter in Super Smash Bros.), it'll make Little Mac's punches stronger.
Trivia
- A successful hit with the uppercut will cause the game to go in slow motion as the camera zooms in on Little Mac for about a second. It is possible, however, that the camera won't focus on Mac, though the game still slows down. This only seems to happen when the opponent is shielding or has their counterattack activated.
