Down throw

Zelda performs her down throw on R.O.B.

A down throw, commonly abbreviated as d-throw, is a throw performed by pressing down on the control stick after having grabbed the enemy. Most of them throw the foe into the ground and bounce them at different angles depending on the character, and set up combos better than other throws. Some also work as meteor smashes, such as Fox's in Melee and Mr. Game & Watch's in Brawl.

These throws are typically used to set up combos or tech-chase moves in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl by following their DI and predicting an air dodge or jump. Some such as Sheik's down throw in Melee and King Dedede's in Brawl are also notable for their chaingrabbing potential similar to some up throws, allowing a zero-to-death against some characters. In Super Smash Bros. 4, while chaingrabs do not exist, most characters' down throws are notorious for being able to set up true combos into aerial attacks against foes until mid-high percents (depending on rage), particularly those of Diddy Kong (prior to patch 1.0.6) and Luigi (prior to patch 1.1.1).

Of the four types of throws, down throws generally have the weakest knockback scaling, with the exception of some like Lucas's in Brawl and Squirtle's. Down throws do not exist in the original Super Smash Bros..

List of down throws in Super Smash Bros. Melee

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Throws his foe on the ground and lands on them with tremendous force. Has a very weak knockback growth, not KOing even at 999%, so it is believed by most players to have set knockback. It is better used for racking up damage.	12%.
Captain Falcon	Takes foe and violently bashes them to the floor. Easily leads into his side special, a tactic often used by CPUs. At low percentages, following his down throw and side special, an up smash or tilt is possible. At high percentages, it can follow into a neutral aerial or whatever, depending on the foe's DI reaction.	7%.
Donkey Kong	Violently shoves the enemy to the ground.	7%.
Dr. Mario	Looks to the front of the screen and slams his foe into the ground, flipping in the air and passing him/her through his legs.	6%.
Falco	Throws the opponent into the ground and shoots 4 times with his blaster. Can set up an up-tilt of predicted foe reaction an counter-attack is possible. It can also be used to start a shine combo. Like Fox, his down throw is not too useful due to it being easy to tech out of. Meteor smashes over a ledge if Falco grabs his opponent at the very edge of a platform, and the shots have the same properties as Fox's, though making foes flinch.	5 hits, 4% total.
Fox	Throws the opponent into the ground and shoots 4 times with his blaster. Does not make opponents bounce off the ground like other down throws (except Falco) because it is a meteor smash. Not useful due to being able to tech out of it, but it has tech chase potential. Can lead into up-tilt or his Reflector. Meteor smashes over a ledge if his body is partially overlapping it, and in this case the shots also come at downward angles, though not dealing any knockback, and can also be reflected or absorbed.	5 hits, 4% total.
Ganondorf	Takes foe and violently bashes them to the floor. Can set up juggling. It can also chain throw a variety of characters at low percentages and can chain throw fastfallers up to high percentages.	7%.
Ice Climbers	Takes foe and slams them harshly into the ground. Only the lead Ice Climber attacks, though the foe is usually knocked right in front of the IC, leading into many quick combos.	6%.
Jigglypuff	Grinds foe with itself on the floor.	6 hits, 10% total.
Kirby	Throws the opponent on the ground, then stands on the opponent, rapidly hitting the enemy many times with his feet. Only the final hit does damage. Has vertical knockback with weak growth, so it can lead into an up tilt, or up aerial for a KO.	8%.
Link	Brings foe down and tackles. Leaves foes wide open for a combo, such as his Spin Attack or up tilt.	2% then 4% (6% total).
Luigi	Looks to the front of the screen and slams his foe into the ground, sending the enemy upwards and slightly to the side, depending on the target's DI. Does not stun the opponent long enough to combo or chain grab.	7%.
Mario	Looks to the front of the screen and slams his foe into the ground, flipping in the air and passing him/her through his legs. Can be a good chainthrow on certain characters.	6%.
Marth	Hooks arm and drags to the floor sending the opponent backward. Sets up tipper forward smash at low percentages.	5%.
Mr. Game & Watch	Juggles the enemy as a ball, then bounces opponent into the floor.	8%
Mewtwo	Throws its enemy down and hits with its tail. Can chain grab.	6% then 5% (11% total).
Ness	Throws the opponent downward, and hits the enemy with PK Fire. Has a decent amount of followups.	6 hits, 9% total.
Peach	Puts opponent down and sits on them. Can chain grab floaty characters, heavyweights, and fast fallers at high percentages. Other nearby enemies will be weakly meteor smashed by the throw, though strangely not receiving damage.	7%.
Pichu	Places the opponent on the ground, then jumps on and zaps them. No recoil damage to Pichu, even though it has an electric effect.	4% then 6% (10% total)
Pikachu	Places the opponent on the ground, then jumps on and zaps them. This is good for lower percent lightweights, as it will sometimes lead to an up smash; against fastfallers, it has chainthrow potential. More easily DIed than the up throw.	4% then 6% (10% total).
Roy	Hooks arm and drags to the floor sending the opponent backward.	6%.
Samus	Violently picks foe up with her Grapple Beam and slams them to the ground. Almost 100% of the time can use up tilt to punish nearly any opponent. This attack has a set knockback.	6%.
Sheik	Punches enemy to the ground. In the NTSC version, Sheik can chain grab or tech chase many characters to high percentages. When compounded with a forward tilt, the throw can also chainthrow Fox or Falco at or to high percentages.	5% then 3% (8% total).
Yoshi	Spits the foe downwards, forcefully slamming him/her into the ground.	4%.
Young Link	Very suddenly grounds the foe and tackles them.	2% then 4% (6% total).
Zelda	Drops foe and zaps them, then sends foe behind her with weak knockback.	5 hits, 9% total.

List of down throws in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Body slams the opponent. Has set knockback.	12%.
Captain Falcon	Slams opponent to the ground. A tech-chasing move by predicting their DI/jump/air dodge.	7%.
Charizard	Charizard uses Flamethrower on opponent giving 5 small 1% hits and a last hit of 3%. Can KO at higher percents.	9% total.
Donkey Kong	Violently slams opponent to the ground. Sets up a forward tilt and can chain grab at lower percents.	4% then 3% (7% total).
Diddy Kong	Jumps and throws opponent on the ground.	9%.
Falco	Throws enemy to the ground and shoots 4 times. It is an unescapable chain grab at lower percents, most characters can be chain grabbed until 42% with walking grab, dash grab, and boost pivot grab (the last one at usually the 1st 2 throws), but it is significantly shorter on floaty characters and only walking grab works on them. To finish it Falco can either Dash attack canceled up smash combo or down aerial them to set up an edge guarding (though some characters can always survive it or SDI the down aerial's knockback back onto the stage). After chain grab range, it is a tech-chasing move.	5 hits, 9% total.
Fox	Throws enemy to the ground and shoots 4 times.	5 hits, 9% total.
Ganondorf	Throws his opponent violently on the ground. Good tech-chasing move at lower percents.	7%.
Ice Climbers	Spins and then throws the enemy to the ground. Can be used to chain grab infinitely with good timing if both Ice Climbers participate.	6%.
Ike	Throws opponent to the ground and then stomps on them. Can KO at very high percents.	4% then 2% (6% total).
Ivysaur	Ivysaur's vines throw the opponent to the ground.	10%
Jigglypuff	Rolls on its opponent.	4% then 6% (10% total).
King Dedede	Slams opponent on ground and sits on them looking front. Arguably one of the best chain grabs in the game: can grab all chaingrabbable characters in walls or even if it isn't a chaingrabbable character, it is instead a great tech-chasing move by predicting their rolls/tech rolls.	5% then 3% (8% total).
Kirby	Performs Suplex's Fury Stomp move from Kirby Super Star. Delivers 9 1% kicks leading up to him stomping. Can chain grab fast-fallers at low damages.	12% total.
Link	Throws opponent to the ground while doing a spinning body slam, then jabs opponent with his elbow. Can be used to chaingrab at lower percentages.	3% then 4% (7% total).
Lucas	Places opponents down on ground with PSI powers. Opponents will then suffer pretty powerful vertical knockback. Strongest down throw in Brawl.	10%.
Lucario	Throws opponent to the ground.	10%.
Luigi	Slams opponent to the ground.	6%.
Mario	Slams opponent to the ground.	6%.
Marth	Throws opponent to the ground.	5%.
Meta Knight	Fury Stomps the opponent 8 times for 1% each kick, then performs a finishing stomp. Can tech-chase by predicting the opponent's DI.	11% total.
Mr. Game & Watch	Juggles opponent, then throws him/her straight down. A great tech-chasing move by predicting the opponent's rolls, and a successful read can lead to a regrab or one of Mr. Game & Watch's powerful smash attacks for a KO. While it is a great tech-chasing move, the move can be teched as soon as the throw has ended, unlike Snake's down throw, which sends the victim directly into a fallen position, giving Mr. Game & Watch less time to react to his opponent's actions.	6%.
Ness	Uses PK Fire on opponent with 5 1% hits and an ending 4%.	9% total.
Olimar	The Pikmin that grabbed the opponent will slam him on the ground.	Yellow Pikmin: 8%, Red: 9%, Blue: 12%, Purple: 8%, White: 6%. All do 1% at first, then the rest as another hit.
Peach	Sits on opponent. Can be used to chaingrab on lower percentages.	7%.
Pikachu	Slams the opponent. A notable chain grab.	4% then 6% (10% total).
Pit	Slams opponent to the ground, then slashes.	5% then 1% (6% total).
R.O.B.	Drills the opponent to the ground.	10%, no damage is done until the release.
Samus	Slings opponent over her head then slams them down.	6%.
Sheik	Throws the enemy down to the ground and flips into an axe kick at the enemy's midsection.	4% then 2% (6% total).
Snake	Slowly puts the opponent down to the ground, leaving the opponent immobilized for a while. One of the best tech-chasing moves in the game. While lying on the ground, the opponent has five options: roll behind, which can be punished on reaction if Snake is standing; roll away; get-up without attacking; get-up attack; or stay on the ground. Every option the opponent has is risky and can set up dangerous moves like forward tilt, regrab or up tilt (which can also hit after shielding their get-up attack) that can deal a lot of damage, lead to another tech-chase, or a KO. The tech-chase is even more dangerous near the edges or on a small platform where the victim can't roll away as far from Snake. The effectivity also depends on how good the opponent's rolls and get-up attacks are. If used near the edges the opponent will fall, and if the opponent doesn't do anything it can set up a knee hit of forward tilt or an up tilt	12%.
Sonic	Spin Dashes on opponent first dealing 3 separate 1% hits then ending it with a 5%	8% total.
Squirtle	Sits on opponent. Second strongest down throw in the game in terms of knockback, can KO at fairly low percents for being a throw.	4% then 3% (7% total).
Toon Link	Throws opponent to the ground doing a spinning body slam afterwards jabbing opponent with his elbow. Can be used to chaingrab at lower percentages a bit faster than links.	7%.
Wario	Sits on opponent looking to the front of the screen. Can be used to chaingrab characters like Donkey Kong and Falco, but it is extremely hard to master because it requires a turn-around grab buffering has set knockback.	4% then 3% (7% total).
Wolf	Throws opponent to the ground and delivers a scratch. A tech-chase move at lower percents and at higher percents it is a semi-spike that can set up an edge guarding with the opponent at a low angle (he can tech the throw though).	7% then 3% (10% total).
Yoshi	Spits opponent into the ground.	4%.
Zelda	Throws opponent on the ground and shocks them with magic. Can be used to set up a Lightning Kick. It can also stage spike certain characters, such as Falco, King Dedede, Ganondorf, and Lucario. Even if they survive or tech out of stage spike, she can set up an early edge guard.	5 hits, 10% total.
Zero Suit Samus	Slams opponent on ground and stomps on them with one foot.	5% then 2% (7% total).

List of down throws in Super Smash Bros. 4

Character	Description	Damage
Bayonetta	Stomps on the opponent.	3% (stomp), 5% (throw)
Bowser	Body slams the opponent, sending them in a horizontal angle.	12%.
Bowser Jr.	Drills opponent on the ground. 8 small hits that give 1% every 2 hits, then a 4% finishing blow. Prior to update 1.0.4 in Smash 3DS it dealt 2 more hits (10 in total), resulting in more damage.	8%.
Captain Falcon	Slams opponent onto the ground.	6%.
Charizard	Charizard uses Flamethrower on opponent giving 5 small 1% hits and a last hit of 3%. It used to be a kill throw. From version 1.0.8 onward, the knockback was significantly reduced, now it can combo into an up smash (at low percentages) or forward air. And since the update 1.1.0, it can combo into up air or Fly at kill percentages.	9% total.
Cloud	Forcefully slams the opponent onto the ground, sending them behind him. Low base knockback and Cloud's primary combo throw, as it can lead into a reversed tilt or Cross Slash until middle percents. Surprisingly, this is also his strongest throw at high percents due to high knockback growth, although it cannot KO until 215%.	7%.
Corrin	Throws the opponent to the ground and assumes his dragon form, body-slamming them and reverting back to human form.	6.5% (body slam), 3% (throw)
Dark Pit	Same as Pit's.	2% then 4%.
Diddy Kong	Jumps and throws opponent on the ground. Can infamously follow up with up air, or other aerial attacks such as forward air. As of version 1.0.8, though, its followup potential has been reduced.	7%.
Donkey Kong	Violently slams opponent onto the ground.	4% then 3% (7% total).
Dr. Mario	Visually the same as Mario's, though it has higher base knockback and a less horizontal angle, allowing better followups into aerials.	6%.
Duck Hunt	Slams opponent into the ground.	5%.
Falco	Holds the enemy on the ground and shoots them once, launching at a horizontal angle. Can lead into an up smash for KOing or a dash attack if the enemy doesn't tech.	2 hits, 5% total.
Fox	Holds the enemy on the ground and shoots 4 times. Can lead into a forward air or up air depending on the foe's reaction.	4 hits, 7% total.
Ganondorf	Throws his opponent violently on the ground. Can true combo into neutral air, up air or Wizard's Foot.	7%.
Greninja	Throws opponent onto the ground with one hand, launching them at a low height in front of Greninja. In version 1.1.0, this move has reduced ending lag, giving it some more followups (though not true combos) depending on the foe's reaction.	5%.
Ike	Throws opponent onto the ground and then stomps them. Can combo into Aether at low percents, as well as neutral air and up air until mid percents.	4% then 2% (6% total).
Jigglypuff	Rolls on opponent.	4% then 6% (10% total).
King Dedede	Violently slams his opponent on the ground with one hand. Can combo into neutral or forward air.	6%.
Kirby	Performs the Suplex ability's Fury Stomp move from Kirby Super Star. Delivers 9 kicks of 1% damage each, finishing with him stomping.	10.2% total.
Link	Throws opponent to the ground while doing a spinning body slam, then falls on the opponent with his elbow. It used to launch foes behind Link, but from version 1.0.8 onwards it instead throws them at a straight vertical angle, allowing him to combo into an up tilt at low percentages.	2 hits of 3% (6& total).
Little Mac	Slams opponent's head into ground with both hands. Can combo into Rising Uppercut until ridiculously high percents if the opponent doesn't DI, upwards of 200% on some characters.	4% then 5% (9% total).
Lucario	Lifts the opponent up into the air before slamming them back into the ground. Damage and knockback scale with Aura.	4% (0%), 7% (50%), 8% (100%), 10% (150%), 11% (190%+).
Lucas	Psychokinetically throws the opponent into the ground. It causes much less knockback than in Brawl, no longer being a KO throw, but providing many new combo options, leading into up tilt or any aerial except back air. The throw now shows foes as being buried before releasing them.	6.5%.
Lucina	Same as Marth's.	5%.
Luigi	Ground-Pounds the opponent. Notorious for being one of the (if not the) most powerful down throws in Smash 4 in terms of combo potential, being able to combo into up tilt, up smash, any aerial, Luigi Cyclone or even Super Jump Punch; even at high percentages it can lead into an up air or Luigi Cyclone for KOing. It also enables Luigi to perform a pseudo-chaingrab in certain characters by hitting them with his forward air twice, causing them to land on the ground, then grabbing them again and repeating the process.	6%.
Mario	Slams opponent to the ground. Has quite low base knockback in comparison to other down throws. This move can infamously combo into a multitude of up tilts, followed up by two up aerials and a Super Jump Punch if the foe's DI is read properly. Even though some characters can land and shield after some up tilts, Mario can grab them again, down throw and continue the combo. At mid to high percentages it can still combo into an up aerial or Super Jump Punch.	5%.
Marth	Throws opponent into to the ground, launching them upwards. Can combo into back air or tipped up air at low percentages, depending on the foe's reaction.	5%.
Mega Man	Throws opponent into the ground using Super Arm. Can combo into forward air.	4%.
Meta Knight	Fury Stomps the opponent 8 times for 0.5% each kick, then performs a finishing stomp that deals 3%. Can combo into Shuttle Loop as well as all of his aerials, pivot Forward Smash, Up Smash, Mach Tornado, and Drill Rush at low percents.	7.5% total.
Mewtwo	Throws the opponent down and hits them with its tail.	4% then 5% (9% total).
Mii Brawler	Drags the opponent towards the screen, then karate chops them. Can combo into any of the Mii Brawler's aerials except down air, and into any of his/her up specials: notably, Helicopter Kick can KO foes at early percentages if the throw is used near edges.	6%.
Mii Gunner	Throws opponent onto the ground with one arm, similarly to Marth's down throw.	5%.
Mii Swordfighter	Slams opponent onto the ground, then stomps on them, similarly to Ike's down throw. Can combo into up air.	4%.
Mr. Game & Watch	Juggles opponent, then throws them straight down. One of the down throws with the strongest followup potential, being able to combo into almost all of his moves except down smash, depending on the foe's falling speed and weight: it can also be followed up with a number 9 Judge or full Oil Panic to KO at surprisingly early percentages.	6%.
Ness	Jumps and throws PK Fire on opponent with 5 hits of 1% each and a final one dealing 4%. Can combo into forward or up air.	9% total.
Olimar	The Pikmin that grabbed the opponent slams them on the ground. Can combo into neutral or forward air.	Yellow: 8%, Red: 9%, Blue: 12%, Purple: 8%, White: 6%. All do 1% at first, then the rest as another hit.
Pac-Man	Shoves opponent to the ground and bites them in his classic Pac-Man form, launching the foe horizontally for tech-chases. Follows up into a dash attack if the foe doesn't tech.	3 hits of 1%, then 6% (9% total).
Palutena	Shoves opponent onto the ground with one hand. An easily guaranteed followup into forward air starting at 0% damage, and can then combo into up air at higher percents.	5%.
Peach	Sits on the opponent, sending them behind Peach. Can combo into forward tilt or Peach Parasol at low percentages.	1% then 7% (8% total).
Pikachu	Slams the opponent. Can combo into up air.	4% then 6% (10% total).
Pit	Slams opponent onto the ground, then slashes. Can combo into up smash at low percents, then into forward or up air.	5% then 1% (6% total).
R.O.B.	Drills the opponent on the ground. Can notoriously combo opponents into up air even at high percents.	10%, no damage is done until the release.
Robin	Moves his/her hand towards the ground, throwing the opponent onto it using magic. As of version 1.1.0 its base knockback has been reduced, allowing it to combo into an up tilt.	6%.
Rosalina & Luma	Slams opponent onto the ground using gravitational power.	9%.
Roy	Slams the opponent onto the ground. Can combo into forward or up tilt at low percentages, then into an aerial attack or Blazer (the latter being more dependant on the foe's reaction).	5%.
Ryu	Punches opponent onto the ground with his fist. Can combo into up air.	5% then 4% (9% total).
Samus	Slings opponent over her head then slams them down. Can combo into forward air or up air.	6%.
Sheik	Throws the enemy down to the ground and flips into an axe kick at the enemy's midsection. Can combo into any of her aerials except down air, depending on the thrown character: notably, up air allows Sheik to perform a pseudo-chaingrab by using the down throw, landing all hits of the up air except the last hit, then grabbing the foe again for another down throw as they are launched down.	4% then 2% (6% total).
Shulk	Holds the opponent on ground, then thrusts the Monado into them, launching them at a semi-spike angle. Becomes the strongest down throw in Smash 4 with the Smash Art activated.	3% then 4% (7% total).
Sonic	Spin Dashes on the opponent, hitting them repeatedly, then sends them at a low semi-spike angle, allowing tech-chases into a dash attack or Spin Dash/Charge.	7% total.
Toon Link	Throws opponent to the ground doing a spinning body slam afterwards falling on his opponent with his elbow.	7%.
Villager	Hits his net against the ground, throwing the opponent.	6%.
Wario	Pounds the opponent looking to the front of the screen, sending them behind him.	4% then 3% (7% total).
Wii Fit Trainer	Slams opponent into ground with both hands through her legs.	7%.
Yoshi	Spits opponent into the ground. Can true combo into up air by instantly using Yoshi's two jumps.	4%.
Zelda	Throws opponent on the ground and burns them using Din's Fire. Can combo into neutral air.	5 hits, 6% total.
Zero Suit Samus	Slams opponent on ground, lifts one leg up and steps on them. Can combo into up smash, forward air, back air, up air or Boost Kick.	5% then 2% (7% total).

Notable down throws

• Wolf's down throw sends opponents in a semi-spike trajectory. At low percentages it is a useful tech chasing move, while at high percentages it is a deadly throw near a ledge.
• Lucas and Squirtle's down throws are the strongest in Brawl and are some of the strongest throws in the series.
• King Dedede's down throw in Brawl is notable for its chain grabbing ability, it is the only throw that can chain grab at any percentage due to it having set knockback. It also allows wall infinites.
• Falco's down throw in Brawl is also notable for the ability to chaingrab, as it can chain grab almost every character in the game.
• Snake's down throw is arguably the best tech chasing move in Brawl.
• Mr. Game & Watch's down throw in Brawl meteor smashes opponents on the ledge and isn't too far behind Snake's for tech chasing.
• Sheik's down throw in the NTSC version of Melee is also notable for its chain grabbing ability, as it can chain grab most characters in the game. She can chain grab some characters from zero-to-death.
• Most characters' down throws in Smash 4 easily allow true combos into aerial attacks from low to mid percentages.
• Diddy Kong's down throw in Smash 4 is notable for being a direct combo into his up air or other aerials, even at high percents, on nearly any character. This potential to easily both combo and KO opponents has caused much controversy over the character. This combo became known as the "Hoo-Hah", due to StaticManny shouting the phrase whenever it happened to Hungrybox in a set vs. Player-1 at Paragon Orlando 2015. However, patches 1.0.6 and 1.0.8 nerfed Diddy Kong's down throw and up air, decreasing its power and damage and increasing his down throw's knockback respectively so that it will be harder to perform the "Hoo-hah" combo.
• Luigi and Mr. Game & Watch in Smash 4 have the down throws with the best combo potential, giving them a large amount of combos in comparison to most other characters: Luigi's down throw can combo into up smash, any of his aerials, Luigi Cyclone and even Super Jump Punch to KO, while Mr. Game & Watch's can combo into jab, up tilt or up smash at low percents, then into any aerial, Judge, Fire or Oil Panic.
• While Shulk's down throw has little notability without any Monado Arts activated, it becomes a very damaging combo throw at 0% with Buster active, being able to chain into a forward tilt, forward smash or forward aerial; a Buster-boosted down throw to forward smash can rack up as much as 35% in 2 moves. With the Smash Art active, this becomes the strongest down throw in the game, even more so when using the custom Hyper Monado Arts.

Trivia

Exploiting a CPU with Snake's down throw

• In the NTSC version of Melee, Bowser's down throw does no damage to Jigglypuff and Mr. Game & Watch. This was changed for Melee's PAL release and for Brawl. In Brawl, Jigglypuff is in a similar way unaffected by the first hit of Link's d-throw.
  • Similarly, when Ness uses his down throw against Mr. Game & Watch in Melee, only the last hit deals damage, so he only receives 4% damage.
• No matter the level, a CPU attacked by Snake's down throw will always roll to the nearest ledge, instead of choosing another option. This makes it possible to infinite them using the move, or get a very easy KO with an up tilt.
• In Melee, as the first nine hits of Kirby's down throw are meteor smashes, KOing with it awards the Meteor Smash bonus, as well as other related, even though neither the final hit nor the throw itself are a meteor smash.
  • In spite of this, the first hit of Peach's down throw is a meteor smash, but KOing a nearby character with it doesn't award the bonus.