Double jump
A double jump (also called an air jump or a midair jump) is a jump that can be used once every time the user is airborne. Just like the grounded jump, double jumping is achieved by hitting up on the d-pad/control stick or hitting the jump button. Every character has at least one double jump in the Smash Bros. series, regardless of whether such an ability exists in their original series, while some characters can use up to three or five.
Overview
A character's double jump(s) are restored upon landing, grabbing a ledge, being KO'd and respawning, or being grabbed by an opposing character (even if the character being grabbed does not touch the ground). Unlike most recovery moves, double jumps are not given back to the player upon being put into hitstun. This can be catastrophic to a character trying to return to the stage if they have already used their double jump(s) and an opponent edge guards their attempt to recover.
In contrast with jumps from the ground, each character only has one height of double jump, whereas the player can control grounded jumps to be either short hops or full hops. The exception to this is with characters with more than one midair jump, as these usually decay in height with each successive jump.
Yoshi's double jump is unique in that it provides a significant amount of knockback-based launch resistance.
Animations
Double jumps are a lot more varied in animation than single jumps. Some characters twist, others flip, and some characters inflate themselves (Kirby, Jigglypuff, King Dedede) or flap their wings (Meta Knight, Charizard, Pit, Dark Pit). Like jumps from the ground, characters have a different animation if they are jumping backwards. For example, Mario spins around when performing a regular midair jump, but does rapid backward somersaults when performing a backwards midair jump. If a character flips, their collision bubble moves accordingly, though compared to the act of jumping in the first place, this does little in-and-of-itself to help evade attacks, and has no effect on the jump itself. Some characters will create a brief "ripple" effect in the air at the start of their mid-air jump.
Delayed double jumps
Most characters have their vertical speed instantly set to their given value upon using their double jump, providing an immediate height boost. Certain characters instead have double jumps that have a short pause before applying a slower and constant upwards boost, controlled by animation rather than an immediate velocity change. Depending on the game, the floatiness of such second jumps allows for several techniques such as double jump cancelling and rising aerials. This type of double jump is possessed by Yoshi, Peach, Ness, Lucas, and Mewtwo.
Multiple double jumps
Most characters can only jump once while in the air. There are, however, characters who can jump multiple times without touching the ground. Most characters cannot turn around in mid-air using their double jump, but all characters with multi-jumps can turn around when in midair by using the jump while holding away from the direction the character is facing on the control stick (Yoshi is also able to do this, despite only having a single mid-air jump). These multi-jumps become useless (or nearly useless for some) if the character is metal. Characters with multi-jumps usually have poor air speed (with the exception of Jigglypuff) and are usually light-weight (with the exception of Charizard and King Dedede). The following is a list of characters with multiple midair jumps and how many jumps they can use. Note that this value does not include their jump from the ground and that all characters not listed have one midair jump.
| Character | Jumps |
|---|---|
| Jigglypuff | 5 |
| Kirby | 5 |
| Meta Knight | 5 |
| King Dedede | 4 |
| Pit | 3 |
| Dark Pit | 3 |
| Charizard | 2 |
In Melee, Captain Falcon and Ganondorf gain another midair jump after using Falcon Kick and Wizard's Foot, respectively. In the initial release of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, a bug caused Robin and Kirby (who copied Robin) to regain his/her midair jump(s) after charging Thoron; this was removed in version 1.0.4.
Origin
Double jumping is a common mechanic in many platforming video games. Occasionally it is given as a power-up or an upgrade, while other times it is just a natural ability. Fighters who can double jump in their native games include Samus, Yoshi, Wario, and Sonic.
Gallery
Mario performing his double jump in Melee.
Mario's double jump backwards.
