Oil Panic

Mr. Game & Watch is holding the bucket.

When fully charged, Oil Panic can be used to throw oil at an opponent.

Oil Panic is Mr. Game & Watch's Down Special Move. It is a very unique move in the sense that it can be held for as long as the player decides. Any energy-based attack and projectiles (such as PK Flash or a Ray Gun shot) will be absorbed. Three attacks can be absorbed, and then Mr. Game & Watch will put the bucket away. The oil gathered can be used later as an attack with the potential for very high damage (around 3 times the combined power of the absorbed attacks). The damage is determined by adding up how much damage each of the attacks absorbed would have done had they connected. It's all more powerful on the ground than in the air. Hence, this move could be very powerful if it absorbed 3 fully-charged PK Flashes, but it would be very weak if it simply absorbed three shots from Fox's Blaster. Unlike most other chargeable attacks, Oil Panic's "charges" last across lives; If Mr. Game & Watch is KO'd with two units of Oil, he will still have those two units when he respawns. Oil Panic will not absorb non-energy based attacks (with the exception of his own Chef move, where it will absorb the food). In Brawl, Game & Watch can absorb Master Hand's Bullets, and other bosses' bullets in Boss Battles.

There is a glitch in Melee using this attack.

In Brawl, the attack has a bit of lag afterward when Mr. Game & Watch puts away the bucket.

One interesting tactic to note in Brawl is that G&W is able to use the Bucket to save himself from killing knockback from other attacks, a technique known as Bucket Braking. If G&W is hit by knockback that is barely able to KO him, it is possible for him do a N-air (his fastest aerial attack) to escape hitstun, and then use the Bucket (as long as it is not completely filled) will cancel G&W's momentum completely. A video guide to this technique can be seen here at about 1:15 of the video.

Ness and Lucas have a similar special move that absorbs energy-based attacks, but it is used to heal themselves instead of temporarily use them as a powerful attack.

Origins

Oil Panic was a Game & Watch game, taking place at a gasoline station, where one would attempt to catch oil (leaking from the pipes on the ceiling) in a bucket. Once the bucket was full, one would have to pour the oil out the window to be caught by an awaiting assistant (making sure he's actually there, first). If he wasn't, you would miss, causing the oil to splash over a customer waiting below.) Oil Panic (specifically, its bottom screen) is one of the games that appear in the Flat Zone 2.

Oil Panic absorption list

Here's a list of all projectile, attack and hazard that Oil Panic can absorb.

SSBM

• Fireball (Mario and Luigi's)
• Fire Breath
• Blaster (Fox's and Falco's)
• PK Flash
• PK Fire
• PK Thunder
• Thunder Jolt
• Thunder
• Final Cutter (Only the shockwave)
• Ice Shot
• Blizzard
• Din's Fire
• Shadow Ball
• Megavitamins
• Great Fox Blaster
• Arwing Blaster
• Wolfen Blaster
• Staryu
• Charizard
• Starmie
• Cyndaquil
• Super Scope
• Fire Flower
• Ray Gun
• Master Hand's bullets

SSBB

All attacks and hazards from SSBM that could be absorbed still apply.

• Flamethrower
• PK Freeze
• Lucas's PK Fire and PK Thunder
• Blaster (Wolf)
• Chef
• Paralyzer
• Aura Sphere
• Robo Beam
• Palutena's Arrow
• Force Palm (projectile, not grab)
• Waddle Doo's beam
• Duon's pink energy blasts (but not the blue lasers)
• A Gamyga's lasers
• A Scope Primid's shots
• Curry Breath
• Super Scope
• Fire Flower