Forward aerial

Captain Falcon using Knee Smash, his forward aerial attack, in Brawl.

Jigglypuff's forward aerial attack in Melee.

The forward aerial (abbreviated as "fair", "FAir", or "AFA", referred in the Brawl manual as "Front air" and as AttackAirF internally) is an aerial attack that is performed in midair by pressing the attack button and tilting the control stick/d-pad in the direction the character is facing. Its official term varies between titles, where it is known as a front midair attack in Melee, and a front air attack in Brawl and Smash 4. Forward aerials are usually not as strong as back aerials, though they have larger hitboxes most of the time, making them useful for edgeguarding.

List of forward aerials in Super Smash Bros.

Character	Description	Damage
Captain Falcon	Does two kicks. Will become Falcon's neutral aerial in future Smash Bros. iterations. First hit combos into up smash. 2nd hit has enough shield stun to forward throw out of it.	22% if both hits connect.
Donkey Kong	Punches downwards. A good spike move for edgeguarding. Combos into giant punch and into another forward aerial at middle to high percentages. Most known for its ability to be used vs. shields into a dash grab or down special.	16%
Fox	Does a drill kick in front of him. Another good aerial move of Fox's Combos into up smash and virtually all of his aerials. Good approaching and baiting tactics.	12%
Jigglypuff	Kicks in front of itself. Good range. Can "wall of pain" similar to Melee but to less of an extent. Combos into a Rest.	8-13%
Kirby	Does a drill kick in front of him. A very useful combo move. Down aerial→up tilt→short hop→forward aerial→forward smash is one of Kirby's staple combos.	20% if all hits connect.
Link	Swings his sword in front of him. Link's strongest aerial in terms of knockback. His main combo ender outside of up special move and forward smash.	20% if both hits connect.
Luigi	Luigi kicks forward while spinning. Good edgeguarding tool. Good range compared to Luigi's other aerials. Combos into the Hyrule tent into an up special.	16%
Mario	It is similar to Luigi's move. It is good versus certain characters like Jigglypuff. It has good range.	16%
Ness	Throws his hands out forcefully, knocking the opponent backwards. Similar to his dash attack.	12%
Pikachu	Thrusts its head forward, doing electric damage. Would be a very useful combo move if it was more difficult to DI out of drills. Combos into up smash and all other aerial attacks. Not as heavily disjointed as Pikachu's other aerials.	21% if all hits connect.
Samus	Bursts out fire out of her arm gun. A useful combo move. It has high damage and is good at breaking down shields. Combos into down aerial.	20% if all hits connect.
Yoshi	Thrusts its head downwards. A useful edgeguarding move and both a combo starter and a combo ender. Combos into his down special move on the ground. It can meteor smash an opponent.	18%

List of forward aerials in Super Smash Bros. Melee

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Claws forwards. Good for edgeguarding.	9-14%
Captain Falcon	The Knee Smash. Very powerful when sweetspotted.	18% when sweetspotted, 5-6% when sourspotted.
Donkey Kong	Clutches his hands together and punches down. Meteor smashes at the end of the move.	16%
Dr. Mario	Similar to Mario. Good for KOing.	17% sweetspotted, 16% sourspotted.
Falco	Similar to Fox. Five kicks in front.	27% if all hits connect.
Fox	Kicks forward five times.	17% if all hits connect.
Ganondorf	Nicknamed the "Skull Crusher." Punches downwards. Great KO move.	17%
Ice Climbers	Swings their hammer down. Meteor smashes if timed well.	10% both, up to 20%.
Jigglypuff	Kicks forward with its legs.	12%
Kirby	Kicks forward three times.	16% if all hits connect.
Link	Horizontally spins twice while slashing with his sword.	13% first hit, 7% second hit.
Luigi	A quick karate chop. High horizontal knockback and is one of his primary KO'ing aerial attacks.	12%
Mario	Punches downwards. Meteor smashes.	15%
Marth	Slashes forwards.	9% (base), 10% (middle), 13% (tip)
Mewtwo	Slashes forwards with its claw infused with darkness.	14%
Mr. Game & Watch	Swings a box forwards.	16% first few frames, 6% later frames.
Ness	Shoots multiple PSI shots out of his hands.	15% if all hits connect.
Peach	Slaps forward with her crown.	8-15%
Pichu	Similar to Pikachu. Spins forward emitting sparks.	7% damage if all hits connect. Pichu will do 4% damage to itself when using this move.
Pikachu	Twirls forward while emitting sparks.	8% if all hits connect.
Roy	Similar to Marth.	8%
Samus	Shoots with her cannon in an arc in front of herself.	23% if all hits connect.
Sheik	Does a quick karate chop. Semi-spikes.	13%
Yoshi	Swings head downwards while flipping. Meteor smashes powerfully.	17%
Young Link	Similar to Link.	12% first hit,
Zelda	The "Lightning Kick". Zelda kicks forward. Powerful if sweetspotted.	20% sweetspotted, 9% sourspotted.

List of forward aerials in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Slashes forwards. It looks like his Flying Slam (or Koopa Klaw).	13% on his hand, 12% on arm, 11% on shoulder.
Captain Falcon	Known as the Knee Smash. Very powerful when sweet spotted, which is difficult.	19% if sweetpotted, 3% if sourspotted.
Charizard	Covers himself with his wings and breaths fire outwards with good horizontal knockback and range, making it good for the wall of pain. Oddly, if the opponent is far enough away from Charizard, they will not take any knockback or hitstun from this attack - just damage.	10% if all hits connect.
Diddy Kong	Kicks out both legs and spins around. Similar to Mario's back aerial.	14% clean, 11% late.
Donkey Kong	Swings both hands down, clasped together. A very powerful but slow move that can meteor smash.	16%
Falco	Barrel rolls with his body horizontal, hitting five times with his head/beak. Has high landing lag.	11% if all five hits connect.
Fox	Five fast kicks; gives a slight hovering effect.	23% if all hits connect.
Ganondorf	Punches his fist downward, similar to Mario's forward aerial. Nicknamed the "Skull Crusher." Stronger and higher in knockback but does not spike and has a large landing lag. Also ties with Bowser's down aerial as the aerial attack with the longest duration.	17% if sweetspotted, 15% if sourspotted.
Ice Climbers	Swing hammers downward. Secondary climber's hammer can meteor smash.	12% leader, 12% partner if sweetspotted, 7% partner if sourspotted.
Ike	Swings sword downward. Has great range, but has long start up lag like most of his moves.	13%
Ivysaur	Whips forward with vines. Vertical knockback.	12%
Jigglypuff	Kicks forward with both feet. Can be used for wall of pain techniques.	12%
King Dedede	Swings his hammer upwards. Reliably KOs under 150%.	15% damage.
Kirby	Three fast foot slices forward. When combined with a jump this gives slight horizontal recovery.	12% if all hits connect.
Link	Swings sword forward and spins around, then swings it again. Its second hit is more powerful, but the first hit only comboes into the second hit at low percentages.	9% Hit 1, 12% Hit 2, up to 21%.
Lucario	Kicks forward; aura appears at the end of the foot. Inflicts little damage but can combo. It can be used twice in one short hop.	4% weakest, 7% strongest.
Lucas	Kicks forward with PSI energy at the end of his foot.	12% sweetspotted, 10% sourspotted, 8% late.
Luigi	Karate chops forward. Quick and weak though it can still KO at 150% (unless edgeguarding).	10%
Mario	Arcs his arm downward as his fist enlarges. Can be a meteor smash if the opponent is near to Mario.	13%
Marth	Swings sword downward. Can fit two in one short hop.	13% tipped, 10% untipped.
Meta Knight	Three very fast sword slashes. The first two hits can be ground-canceled, and from this, Meta Knight can lead in to almost any move.	10% if all hits connect.
Mr. Game & Watch	Swings a box forward. Powerful if hits when it comes out, but has high landing lag. If hit after it comes out, it deals a weak hit.	16% clean, 6% late.
Ness	Creates small bubbles of PSI energy for multiple hits. Good for combos.	11% damage if all hits connect.
Olimar	Swings a Pikmin in front of him.	Red Pikmin: 15%, Blue: 13%, Yellow: 12%, White: 5%, Purple: 14%.
Peach	Slaps her crown forward. Often considered her best KO move.	15%
Pikachu	Spins forward surrounded by electricity. Multiple hits available. Similar to Sonic and Falco's forward aerials.	11% damage if all hits connect.
Pit	Stabs both swords forward. Has a bit of start-up lag.	14%
R.O.B.	Pushes its hands forward in midair. Good for wall of pain.	10% if clean hit.
Samus	Creates a few small blasts with her arm cannon, slowly moving them downward. Has no landing lag.	3-4% per hit, 18% if all hits connect.
Sheik	Karate chops forward. Similar in power and knockback to Luigi's karate chop but with less range.	9%
Snake	Brings his leg upward, then ax-kicks. Slight upward boost, the foot spikes very powerully, the leg sends the opponent upwards with slight horizontal knockback as well. Strongest forward aerial meteor smash in Brawl.	15%
Sonic	Spins around headfirst very quickly. Has high landing lag. Similar to Falco and Pikachu's forward aerials.	14% if all hits connect.
Squirtle	Sticks feet forward. Similar to Mario's back aerial.	12% clean, 6% late.
Toon Link	Swings sword upward. Similar in animation to his back aerial, but a bit slower, though it is a much better finisher with high knockback.	13%
Wario	Kicks forward. Has below average knockback but lasts a very long time, good for wall of pain.	7%
Wolf	Slashes forward. Has upward knockback and is one of his best KO moves.	11%
Yoshi	Swings his head downward. Can meteor smash.	16% body, 15% head.
Zelda	Lightning Kick. Kicks forward with a powerful sweet spot on her foot.	20% if sweetspotted, 4% if sourspotted.
Zero Suit Samus	Two very fast kicks. The first kick is weaker but often cannot combo into the second hit.	6% first kick, 11% second kick, for up to 17%.

List of forward aerials in Super Smash Bros. 4

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Slashes diagonally downwards.	13%
Bowser Jr.	Swings a wrecking ball in front of himself.	7% (early) 11% (clean) 5% (late)
Captain Falcon	Captain Falcon jabs a knee forward. It has very high knockback when sweetspotted, but has a large landing lag.	19% (clean sweetspot), 6% (clean sourspot), 3% (late)
Charizard	Slices the air with its talons.	12%
Dark Pit	Spins his blades horizontally, hitting multiple times.	1% (individual hits) 4% (finish) 7% (total)
Diddy Kong	Quickly kicks his feet in front of him.	10%
Donkey Kong	Thrusts his fists in front of him, bringing them down from over his head.	16%, 15% at the meteor smash hit
Dr. Mario	Throws a powerful punch, some start-up lag.	11.2% (early), 16.8% (clean), 10.08% (late)
Duck Hunt	The dog thrusts the duck forward, who attacks with its beak.	6%, 10% (sweetspot)
Falco	Thrusts his head forward and spins, has considerable knockback with its final hit.	8% if all hits connect
Fox	Releases a flurry of several kicks.	7% if all hits connect
Ganondorf	Unleashes an overwhelmingly powerful punch, has great knockback, but a lot of landing lag.	17% (fist), 16% (arm)
Greninja	Cuts the air in front of it with a blade of water, it has some start up lag.	14%
Ike	Swings his sword in front of him, dragging it below his feet where it can also hit beneath him.	12%
Jigglypuff	Kicks its feet out in front of it.	9%
King Dedede	Swings his large hammer in front of him, dealing considerable knockback.	12%
Kirby	Quickly kicks the air in front of him.	12% if all hits connect
Link	Lashes at the opponent with two strong hits with his sword. Difficult to land both hits at high percents.	18%
Little Mac	Sends a very weak uppercut with very low knockback.	5%
Lucario	A quick frontal kick with very low end lag and knockback at low percentages. Damage and knockback scale with Aura.	6%
Lucas	Kicks in front of himself with PSI energy surrounding his foot.	11.5% (sweetspot), 8% (sourspot)
Lucina	Quickly lashes in front of her with her sword, low end lag.	8%
Luigi	Chops in front of him horizontally with his hand, has extremely low end lag, being able to use this attack twice out of his short hop.	9%
Mario	Releases a powerful punch with some startup lag. Unlike Dr. Mario's forward air, this move is capable of meteoring when sweetspotted.	12% (early), 14% (clean), 10% (late)
Marth	A fast slice with his sword, has a sweetspot at the tip of the sword unlike Lucina, which deals more damage and knockback. Other parts of the sword deal less damage and knockback however.	10% (tipper) 7% (base)
Mega Man	Chops the air with a firey sword, very little startup lag.	8%
Meta Knight	A very quick multi-hit attack with his sword.	2.2% (hits 1-2 for grounded opponents), 1.5% (hits 1-2 for aerial opponents), 3% (hit 3)
Mewtwo	Mewtwo swipes forward.	13%
Mii Brawler	Two kicks in front, similar to Zero Suit Samus.	4% (first hit) 6% (second hit)
Mii Gunner	Fires a single energy shot. The force slightly pushes back the Mii Gunner.	6%
Mii Swordfighter	Stabs forward multiple times.	11% if all hits connect
Mr. Game & Watch	Swings a box forwards.	11% (early) 12% (clean) 6% (late)
Ness	Releases a pulse of PSI power with multi-hit properties, making it excellent for linking into combos. Has very low end lag.	7% if all hits connect
Olimar	Olimar swings a Pikmin in front of him, useless without Pikmin. The purple one has the strongest knockback and most damage, with the white being the weakest overall.	6% (white) 8% (yellow and blue) 10% (red) 11% (purple)
Pac-Man	Sends a quick kick in front of him with very low end lag, being able to launch this attack twice in a short hop.	5%
Palutena	A quick, sharp kick with considerable ending lag.	7%
Peach	Peach takes her crown off her head and slaps the opponent with it, dealing a large amount of knockback and damage.	15%
Pikachu	Pikachu electrocutes its opponent.	9%
Pit	Spins two blades horizontally, hitting three times. It is identical to Dark Pit's.	7%
R.O.B.	R.O.B. chops in front of him with his arms, good combo potential and low landing lag.	7%
Robin	Uses his bronze sword or Levin sword and sweeps the area beneath him, dragging the sword up. The Levin sword has much more knockback and damage.	6% (bronze) 11% (Levin)
Rosalina & Luma	Rosalina and Luma kick forward in the air, with Rosalina creating a miniature galaxy with multihit properties.	7% (Rosalina only, if all hits connect) 5% (Luma)
Roy	Performs a downward slash in front of himself while holding his sword in a reverse grip.	11% (base), 7% (tip)
Ryu	Performs a classic Street Fighter flying kick, based on Ryu's jumping heavy kick.	15% (clean sweetspot), 13% (late sweetspot), 9% (clean sourspot), 8% (late sourspot)
Samus	Samus releases a series of fire bursts from her arm, they are very hard to link and only the final blast has considerable knockback.	11% if all hits connect
Sheik	A quick slap that deals low knockback, but has great combo potential and very low landing lag.	5%
Shulk	Shulk slices in the air with great range using his Monado.	7% (default) 6% (speed) 5% (shield) 10% (buster) 3% (smash)
Sonic	Sonic spins himself along the Z axis, hitting the opponent multiple times.	7% if all hits connect
Toon Link	A strong slash with his sword with some start and end lag.	13%
Villager	The Villager uses his slingshot while airborne, with damage decreasing as the stone travels more distance.	7% (point-blank) 4% (medium range) 2% (far range)
Wario	Wario quickly thrusts his leg out, it has very low start up lag, autocancels, and combos very well.	7% (clean) 4% (late)
Wii Fit Trainer	Performs the Single Leg Extension pose. The outstretched leg can meteor smash.	10% (arm), 6% (leg)
Yoshi	Yoshi slams his opponent with his head, the nose can meteor. This move as some start up lag.	15% (body), 14% (head)
Zelda	Zelda kicks with an extremely powerful pulse from her feet with great knockback, yet a terrible sourspot.	20% (sweetspot) 4% (sourspot)
Zero Suit Samus	Two quick kicks with her rocket heels. The second hit is difficult to chain into after the first.	12% if both hits connect.

Notable forward aerials

• In Melee, Brawl, and SSB4, Captain Falcon's forward aerial is the famous Knee Smash and has very high KO potential if sweetspotted. It is considered more useful in Melee than Brawl and SSB4.
• Ganondorf's forward aerial is nicknamed the Skull Crusher and has high KO potential, although it is not as powerful or fast as the Knee Smash.
• Snake's forward aerial is the most powerful forward aerial meteor smash in Brawl.
• Zelda's forward aerial is known as the Lightning Kick, and is a powerful finisher at high percents when sweetspotted.
• Marth's forward aerial is considered one of the best in its respective games, due to its fast startup and low ending lag, good range, its edgeguarding capabilities, and versatility.
• In Brawl, Falco's forward aerial is often considered the worst in the game, due to its poor range, high ending lag, and inferiority to similar attacks, such as Pikachu's and Sonic's. In SSB4, it was drastically buffed, given massive knockback with its final hit, reliably KOing offstage around 100% while not being particularly hard to land, making it arguably one of the best forward aerials in the game.
• Jigglypuff's forward aerial is useful in performing the wall of pain, especially in Melee.