Thunder Jolt
| Thunder Jolt | |
|---|---|
 Thunder Jolt in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. | |
| Users | Pikachu Pichu |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Thunder Jolt |
Thunder Jolt (でんげき, Electric Shock) is Pikachu and Pichu's neutral special move.
Overview
Upon use, the user drops a sphere of electricity diagonally downwards, which can deal medium damage as it falls. If it lands on a surface, it turns into an arcing wave of electricity that hops along the terrain's surface and deals slightly less damage. The projectile will wrap around corners and snake along walls and even ceilings if the corners are not too sharp and it lives long enough; it cannot wrap around the underside of soft platforms due to there being no ceiling to latch onto. When the move is used on the ground, it essentially turns into the wave form immediately.
Like its other specials and electrically charged attacks, Thunder Jolt damages Pichu upon use, inflicting 1% damage each time. Kirby also gets the damage if using the move after having copied Pichu.
Customization
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Special Move customization was introduced in Super Smash Bros. 4. Thunder Jolt's variants are:
- Thunder Wave: Inflicts roughly half as much damage and travels much less distance, but paralyzes targets.
- Thunder Shock: Is thrown horizontally and disappears upon hitting the ground without bouncing. Initially weaker than the regular variant, but unleashes a powerful blast at the end.
Thunder Wave
Thunder Shock
Origin
Unlike most other attacks Pokémon use in the Super Smash Bros. games, there has never been an attack named Thunder Jolt in any of the Pokémon RPGs. Thunder Jolt was, however, present on the original Pikachu card as one of the many moves invented for the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG); both the English and the Japanese names on the card match the Smash move's name in the respective versions of Smash Bros.. The name of the move in the Smash Bros. games likely arose from the popularity of the trading cards at the time of Smash 64.
The move itself does show up in the Pokémon: Indigo League season episode The Problem with Paras, where Pikachu is ordered by Ash to do a very weak ThunderShock. This results in a very tiny static shot that is almost identical to the move shown in Smash.
It is worth noting that the Japanese name of Thunder Jolt translates to "Electric Shock," which is also the name of move in the Japanese versions of the Pokemon games (which is referred to as "Thunder Shock" in the English versions). Therefor it can be inferred that the name "Thunder Jolt" is merely an inconsistency that was caused by an error in translation.
Its custom versions, however, are actual moves in the Pokémon games and match their effects accurately. Thunder Wave does no damage, but always inflicts the Paralysis status unless the target is a Ground-type Pokémon, is naturally immune to Paralysis, already has a major status aliment or is protected by Substitute or Safeguard. Thunder Shock is a basic low-level Electric-type attack. Both moves can be learned by Pikachu in all main series Pokémon games.
Description from the Melee Instruction Booklet
Use this ground-hugging projectile attack while standing or jumping.
Description from the Brawl Instruction Booklet
Release a jolt of electricity that moves forwards by bouncing along the ground. Also usable in midair.
Description from the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Foldout
Fire bouncing balls of electricity.
Gallery
Thunder Jolt in Smash 64.
Thunder Jolt in the SSB instruction manual.
Thunder Jolt in Melee.
Pichu's Thunder Jolt in Melee.
Thunder Jolt performed in midair in Brawl.
Thunder Jolt following the platform it lands on in Brawl.
Prerelease shot of Thunder Jolt in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Trivia
- The version of the move in Smash 64 has a hitbox that does not match with its appearance - it tightly hugs the ground as the visual effect bounces over it. Melee reworks the attack to have a hitbox in the expected place as well as one under the arch to hit crouchers. Brawl however deletes this coverage hitbox.
- In Smash 64, an interesting glitch can occur. When the user sends a grounded Thunder Jolt over a ledge (such as the one left of the Greenhouse on Hyrule Castle) while an opponent Fox's Reflector is active (and very near but not touching the wall), the Thunder Jolt's sprite will continue through the opponent with the animation direction reversed in a sort of electrical moonwalk, making the arc appear to bounce completely vertically rather than parabolically. This is purely visual and does not affect its hitbox, speed or duration.
