Dashing

Dashing is a form of ground movement faster than walking. It is performed by tapping sideways on the control stick. The player's character enters his or her initial dash animation and then proceeds to his or her running animation. In Brawl, a character attempting to dash can Prat Fall instead. The Bunny Hood item increases a character's running speed.

Initial Dash
The initial dash is the first part of a character's dash during which a character can change directions with very little lag. The concept of the initial dash is vital to many forms of ground movement, such as dash dancing, fox-trotting, and pivoting.

Running Speed
Running Speed is the rate at which a character can run.

SSB Rankings
Taken from Antdgar's Frame Data

SSBM Rankings
Source
 * A ">" means that the character to the left of the ">" accelerates to his/her top speed quicker than the character to the right of the ">."
 * A "=" means the two or three characters between the "=" have the same exact acceleration.

SSBB Rankings
Note: Several slow runners have a dash attack to move a far distance quickly, and some characters have a DACUS to increase mobility.