Taunt

For the technique, see Taunt Canceling

A taunt is a particular animation used to showboat or provoke a response. Characters often taunt by saying some catchphrase and a movement such as waving or spinning around.

Although most taunts are for show only, very few can actually affect gameplay. In addition, taunts have a few bonuses that go with them, such as the Fighter Stance bonus, which awards 500 points for taunting at the end of a match.

All levels of computer will typically Taunt when they think they've scored a KO, even if doing so leaves them open to attacks from other characters (or counter attack in the case of very long taunts).

Super Smash Bros. Taunts
A taunt is performed in SSB by pressing the L Button.

List of taunts

 * Captain Falcon: Salutes and says "Show me your moves!"
 * D.K.: Holds his hands up and shrugs
 * Fox: Folds his arm and looks to the side arrogantly.
 * Jigglypuff: Wiggles side-to-side and says "Jigglypuff"
 * Kirby: Waves and says "Hi!"
 * Link: Holds up one leg while pointing his sword out
 * Luigi: Folds his hand behind his back and playfully kicks the ground.
 * Mario: Grows to double size briefly before shrinking down to normal size again.
 * Ness: Nods and says "Okay."
 * Pikachu: Waves and says "Pika pika!"
 * Samus: Holds up her arm-cannon and beeps
 * Yoshi: Waves at the player and says "Yoshi!"

Super Smash Bros. Melee Taunts
SSBM taunts are performed by pressing up on the D-Pad, aside from one special taunt.

While most taunts are useless strategically, some carry a fair amount of use:


 * Luigi's taunt is the only taunt to do damage. When timed correctly, his taunt can even be used as a meteor smash, which will award the Poser KO bonus.
 * Kirby's taunt will get rid of his current ability without damaging him.
 * Ganondorf's taunt makes him hover above the ground, which makes it possible to avoid Koopa shells and Bob-ombs.
 * Falco and Fox have a hidden taunt which can be performed on any Star Fox stage. This taunt is done by tapping down on the directional pad for 1 frame. If done correctly, random conversations between the Star Fox team will be played on-screen.

List of taunts

 * Bowser: Roars.
 * Captain Falcon: Salutes and says "Show me your moves!" The direction Captain Falcon is facing when he does the taunt changes the animation.
 * D.K.: Shrugs his shoulders.
 * Dr. Mario: Rolls a pill down his arm, then pops it into the air and catches it.
 * Falco: Spins, does a hook punch, and says "Heh."
 * Fox: Leans back as close to the ground as possible and waves his hand forward saying "Come on!"
 * Ganondorf: Hovers and spins on a spot while laughing maniacally.
 * Ice Climbers: Points their hammers in the air and say "Yup" while the sound of rushing wind can be heard.
 * Jigglypuff: Spins around, winks, and says "Jigglypuff". The direction Jigglypuff is facing changes which eye she uses to wink.
 * Kirby: Waves with both arms and says "Hi!"
 * Link: Sheaths his sword, brushes his hair back, and sighs.
 * Luigi: Folds his hand behind his back and playfully kicks the ground.
 * Mario: Grows into "Super Mario" briefly before shrinking back down to normal size.
 * Marth: Holds his sword up in front of him, then swings it to his side while saying "Minna, miteite kure" ("Everyone, watch me!").
 * Mewtwo: Spins around fast while laughing.
 * Mr. Game & Watch: Rings a bell.
 * Ness: Nods and says "Okay."
 * Peach: Spins, leans forward, winks, and says "Sweet!"
 * Pichu: Facing left- Hops and says "Pichu!" Facing right: Has "happy spasms" and says "Pichu!"
 * Pikachu: Waves alternately with each hand, saying "Pika pika!"
 * Roy: Does a fighter stance and says "Heeeah!"
 * Samus: Puts one hand on the knee of her Power Suit, lifts up her cannon and beeps.
 * Sheik: Does a mysterious ninja-like stance while hissing.
 * Yoshi: Waves at the player saying "Yoshi!"
 * Young Link: Drinks Lon Lon Milk and wipes his mouth along his arm when he finishes.
 * Zelda: Puts her hands together in prayer.

Trivia

 * Crazy Hand has a taunt of sorts. One of his moves, as seen when he is played as in Debug Mode, consists of sparkling and generating lightning. This taunt indicates that crazy hand and master are about to use a combined attack.
 * Pichu is the only character that has two normal taunts.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Taunts
Each character will have 3 taunts, which can be activated by pressing A on a single Wii Remote, or by pressing the D-pad in a direction on a GameCube controller or a Wii Classic controller. For the Wii Remote & Nunchuk, taunts are mapped to the 1 and 2 buttons by default.


 * Luigi's first taunt does 2% damage and fixed knockback straight up, making a "ping" sound similar to the Home-run Bat.
 * Star Fox's secret taunt makes a reappearance on the Corneria stage and is also featured in Lylat Cruise. This time, Wolf may also use it on Lylat Cruise to listen in on Star Wolf radio chatter.
 * Messages can be sent if taunts are used during Wi-Fi matches With Friends.
 * Players caught up in Luigi's Final Smash "Negative Zone" may taunt uncontrollably.
 * Snake's first taunt, the cardboard box, can be removed. The box itself will also do 2% damage if he removes it and it hits another player, thus making him only the second character who has a damaging taunt.
 * Snake has a secret taunt that can be used to get information about characters while playing on Shadow Moses Island with his codec, usually from Roy Campbell, Mei Ling or Otacon; also Slippy Toad when getting information from Star Fox-characters. To activate this taunt using the Gamecube controller, quickly alternate between the Up and Down taunt buttons on the D-Pad.
 * Bowser
 * Taunt 1: Roars.
 * Taunt 2: Bites and claws in different directions.
 * Taunt 3: Balances precariously on one foot.
 * Captain Falcon
 * Taunt 1: Clasps his hands together and emits a red aura of fire.
 * Taunt 2: Swings his arm back and holds his hand out, gesturing toward himself with his figertips and says "Come on!".(it is possible to hear this in the ssbm debug mode sound test)
 * Taunt 3: Salutes and says "Show me ya moves!"
 * DK:
 * Taunt 1: Pounds his chest
 * Taunt 2: Shakes his body
 * Taunt 3: Shrugs
 * Diddy Kong
 * Taunt 1: Throws his hat up in the air and catches it on his head.
 * Taunt 2: Does a strange fighting pose and makes a threatening monkey sound.
 * Taunt 3: Jumps around, clapping his hands above his head.
 * Falco
 * Taunt 1: Kicks his reflector around like a hacky sack, saying "Piece of cake."
 * Taunt 2: Swings his arm and raises it dramatically, then waves dismissively saying "Don't try me."
 * Taunt 3: Spins around saying "Hands off my prey."
 * Fox:
 * Taunt 1: Poses and yells "Here I come!", emitting an aura of fire.
 * Taunt 2: Spins his gun on his finger and throws it, catching it in its holster.
 * Taunt 3: Gets down on one knee and beckons for his opponent to come, saying "Come and get me!".
 * Ganondorf
 * Taunt 1: Spins around and poses, cackling madly.
 * Taunt 2: Punches his fist to his hand, squeezing dark magic from it.
 * Taunt 3: Examines his sword.
 * Ice Climbers
 * Taunt 1: Jump around in a circle
 * Taunt 2: Puts their hammers down and jump up in joy facing the screen.
 * Taunt 3: Point their hammers to the sky
 * Ike:
 * Taunt 1: Holds his sword beside him and says "Prepare yourself."
 * Taunt 2: Grasps his sword tightly and growls.
 * Taunt 3: Stabs his sword in the ground and crosses his arms.
 * Jigglypuff
 * Taunt 1: Spins around and winks.
 * Taunt 2: Spins around fast and points to the sky.
 * Taunt 3: Deflates
 * King Dedede:
 * Taunt 1: Spins his hammer in his hand.
 * Taunt 2: Spins his hammer above his head.
 * Taunt 3: Dances around in a circle
 * Kirby:
 * Taunt 1: Spins around and says "Yo!"
 * Taunt 2: Waves at the screen and says "Hi!".
 * Taunt 3: Shuffles to one side, shuffles to the other side and poses
 * Link:
 * Taunt 1: He twirls his sword twice and sheaths it.
 * Taunt 2: He gazes at his fairy, which spins around him.
 * Taunt 3: Stands on one foot while stretching his arm and pointing his sword the direction he is facing.
 * Lucario
 * Taunt 1: Stretches his arms back and faces up, doing a power-up pose.
 * Taunt 2: Makes a Kung-fu pose.
 * Taunt 3: Makes a Crane-styled pose.
 * Lucas
 * Taunt 1: Plays with his Rope Snake.
 * Taunt 2: Points his fingers to his forehead, creates some PSI sparks and holds them up.
 * Taunt 3: Trips backwards.
 * Luigi
 * Taunt 1: Freezes up and then falls forward
 * Taunt 2: Dejectedly kicks the ground
 * Taunt 3: Does a series of five quick poses: does a two-fingered peace sign, points with finger-guns, wipes nose, cowers in fear, places hands on face in shock
 * Mario:
 * Taunt 1: Takes off his hat and twirls around, saying "Hoo!".
 * Taunt 2: Grows into Super Mario briefly before shrinking back down.
 * Taunt 3: Rotates in a complete circle and lands on his back with his legs in the air
 * Marth
 * Taunt 1: Holds his sword up high. It shines.
 * Taunt 2: Swings his sword twice and then sheaths it.
 * Taunt 3: Poses with his sword saying "Everyone, look at me."
 * Meta-Knight
 * Taunt 1: Spins around in a tight ball inside his cape.
 * Taunt 2: Says "Fight me!"and swings his sword, pointing it at his opponent.
 * Taunt 3: Flaps his wings at the player, and says "Come!"
 * Mr. Game and Watch
 * Taunt 1: Rings his alarm bell high.
 * Taunt 2: Rings his alarm bell low.
 * Taunt 3: Does a short jump and cups his hands upward.
 * Ness
 * Taunt 1: Nods and says "OK!"
 * Taunt 2: Holds his bat out, Babe Ruth style.
 * Taunt 3: Waves his finger around, creating PSI sparks while doing so.
 * Pikmin and Olimar
 * Taunt 1: Jumps for joy.
 * Taunt 2: Rolls on his back and quickly stands up.
 * Taunt 3: Hulas.
 * Peach
 * Taunt 1: Spins her parasol and says "Sweet!"
 * Taunt 2: Sings tauntingly while dancing. Colored musical notes float around her head.
 * Taunt 3: Spins around, winks and poses saying "Uh huh!"
 * Pikachu:
 * Taunt 1: Does a pose and emits electricity saying "Piiiii....".
 * Taunt 2: Waves at the screen saying "Pika pikaaaa!"
 * Taunt 3: Lies on his back and rolls around saying "Pikaaaaa...".
 * Pit
 * Taunt 1: Spins his swords and crosses them together above him, saying "The fight is on!"
 * Taunt 2: Slashes his swords, and says "You're not ready yet!"
 * Taunt 3: Opens his wings and makes an angelic pose.
 * Pokemon Trainer
 * Taunt 1: Holds his Pokéball up high.
 * Taunt 2: Does a fighting pose.
 * Taunt 3: Cheers his Pokémon on.
 * Squirtle
 * Taunt 1: Does a back flip, poses, and says his name.
 * Taunt 2: Jumps into his shell and spins around.
 * Taunt 3: Spins on his tail while emitting water.
 * Ivysaur
 * Taunt 1: Spins his flower, shaking a few leaves off.
 * Taunt 2: Does a hand stand and dances around.
 * Taunt 3: Uses his vines to throw a few leaves around
 * Charizard
 * Taunt 1: Faces the sky, roars and flaps his wings.
 * Taunt 2: Faces the screen and flaps his wings.
 * Taunt 3: Stomps the ground.
 * Robot
 * Taunt 1: Faces the screen and rotates its head and midsection in alternating directions.
 * Taunt 2: Faces the screen, drops its arms, then rotates them up back into place.
 * Taunt 3: Faces the screen, its eyes begin to flash rapidly as it looks around in an arc.
 * Samus:
 * Taunt 1: Raises her arm to her visor briefly, then chops her arm downwards while the boosters on her back flare up.
 * Taunt 2: Holds up and rotates her arm cannon, showing its inner workings.
 * Taunt 3: Aims to one side, crouches and aims towards the other. (the victory pose from Super Metroid)
 * Sheik
 * Taunt 1: Does a lazy one handed handstand.
 * Taunt 2: Brings her chain out in a strangle pose.
 * Taunt 3: Does her standard Sheikah pose and makes a disappointed/arrogant huff.
 * Sonic:
 * Taunt 1: Says "You're too slow!" while doing a figure-8 peel-out dash
 * Taunt 2: Does a front flip, then crosses his arms with his left index finger pointing out.
 * Taunt 3: Does fast breakdancing kicks and says "Come on, step it up!"
 * Snake:
 * Taunt 1-3: Hides under his cardboard box, which can be removed by another player. All three taunts vary slightly in the way Snake places the box over himself.
 * Secret Taunt: Contacts his support team via codec, whom will converse with Snake about one of his opponents. Snake is also free to fight during this time. However, the codec conversation will end abruptly if Snake is KO'ed, producing humorous results.
 * Toon Link:
 * Taunt 1: Waves the Wind Waker Baton.
 * Taunt 2: Sheaths his sword and observes his surroundings.
 * Taunt 3: Flails his sword randomly, tiring himself out.
 * Wario:
 * Taunt 1: Does a three-fingered "Wario" salute.
 * Taunt 2: Shakes his butt and says "Ha ha."
 * Taunt 3: Laughs, drops his jaw and pushes it back up.
 * Wolf:
 * Taunt 1: Howls.
 * Taunt 2: Does a few kicks, and says "Something wrong?"
 * Taunt 3: Gets down on his hands and snarls.
 * Yoshi:
 * Taunt 1: Faces the player and jumps twice while waving with both hands, saying "Yoshi-Yoshi!"
 * Taunt 2: Spins around twice, apparently chasing his tail
 * Taunt 3: Dances around in a circle saying "Yoshi!"
 * Zelda
 * Taunt 1: Points above her head and creates sparkles.
 * Taunt 2: Cups her hands in front of her and creates a short burst of Din's Fire.
 * Taunt 3: Waves, as if to someone far away, in the direction she's facing.
 * Zero Suit Samus
 * Taunt 1: Throws her gun into the air and catches it, saying "Is that all?"
 * Taunt 2: Flicks her whip and says "Try me!"
 * Taunt 3: Spins her whip around her and says "You're in my way."