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 (e.g. Captain Falcon's "Show me your moves!") 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

 * 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.
 * D.K.: Holds his hands up and shrugs
 * Link: Holds up one leg while pointing his sword out
 * Samus: Holds up her arm-cannon and beeps
 * Captain Falcon: Salutes and says "Show me your moves!"
 * Ness: Nods and says "Okay."
 * Yoshi:Waves at the player and says "Yoshi!"
 * Kirby:Waves and says "Hi!"
 * Fox: Folds his arm and looks to the side arrogantly.
 * Pikachu:Waves and says "Pika pika!"
 * Jigglypuff: Wiggles side-to-side and says "Jigglypuff"

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 can function as an exceedingly weak attack (1% damage, set knockback), though if he hits with the bottom of his foot, it is a meteor smash with moderate knockback.
 * 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.
 * Pichu's taunt can be used to dodge incoming attacks.
 * Link and Young Link can fool opponents into being hit by a Boomerang by firing the projectile and then taunting. The boomerang can then strike on its return.
 * Falco and Fox have a hidden taunt which can be performed on any Star Fox stage in SSBM. This taunt is done by tapping down on the directional pad for 1 frame. It randomly plays clips from a set of phrases spoken by the Star Fox Team. All of the possible phrases can be found in the Sound Test.

List of taunts

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

Trivia

 * Young Link has the longest lasting taunt.
 * 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. The "attack" does nothing, and could be considered a sort of taunt.
 * Luigi's taunt is the only taunt to do damage. When timed correctly, his taunt can even be used as a meteor smash.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Taunts
Each character will have 3 taunts, which can be activated by pressin A on a single Wii-mote, or by pressing the D-pad in a direction on a Gamecube controller, a Wii Classic controller, or a Wii-mote w/Nunchuk controller. Along with the standard taunts, during Wi-Fi Multiplayer mode, players will be able to use the D-pad to send short messages to their opponents.
 * Bowser
 * Taunt 1: Roars.
 * Taunt 2: Blows puffs of smoke 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 The Rock style and says "Come on!".
 * Taunt 3: Salutes and says "Show me ya moves!"
 * DK:
 * Taunt 1: Pounds his chest
 * Taunt 2: Shakes his body all over
 * Taunt 3: Shrugs
 * Diddy Kong
 * Taunt 1: Throws his hat up in the air. It lands back 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: Bounces his reflector around like a hacky sack.
 * Taunt 2: Swings his arm and raises it dramatically, then waves dismissively.
 * Taunt 3: Spins around saying "You are my target."
 * Fox:
 * Taunt 1: Poses and yells "Let's go!", 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: Slides his hand across his sword.
 * Taunt 2: Puts his sword over his shoulder.
 * 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 cirlce
 * 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 pointing his sword at his opponent
 * Lucario
 * Taunt 1: Does a power-up pose.
 * Taunt 2: Makes a Kung-fu pose.
 * Taunt 3: Makes a Crane-styled pose.
 * Lucas
 * Taunt 1: Taunts 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 quick poses
 * Mario:
 * Taunt 1: Takes off his hat and twirls around.
 * Taunt 2: Grows into Super Mario briefly before shrinking back down.
 * Taunt 3: Spins in a complete circle and lands on his back with his legs in the air
 * Marth
 * Taunt 1: Holds his sword up high. It shings.
 * 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 inside his cape.
 * Taunt 2: Says "Let's fight!"and swings his sword, pointing it at his opponent.
 * Taunt 3: Flaps his wings at the player.
 * Mr. Game and Watch
 * Taunt 1: Rings his bell high.
 * Taunt 2: Rings his bell low.
 * Taunt 3: Does a short jump.
 * Ness
 * Taunt 1: Nods and says "OK!"
 * Taunt 2: Holds his bat out, Babe Ruth style.
 * Taunt 3: Waves his arms 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 with her parasol and says "Sweet!"
 * Taunt 2: Sings tauntingly while dancing
 * Taunt 3: Spins around, winks and poses saying "All right!"
 * Pikachu:
 * Taunt 1: Does a pose and emits electricity.
 * Taunt 2: Waves at the screen saying "Pika pikaaaa!"
 * Taunt 3: Lies on his back and rolls around.
 * Pit
 * Taunt 1: Spins his swords and crosses them together above him, saying something.
 * Taunt 2: Slashes his swords, and says "It's not over!"
 * 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 and poses.
 * Taunt 2: Jumps into his shell and spins around.
 * Taunt 3: Spins on his tail while emiting 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 screen, 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: Does a quick arm chop as the boosters on her back flare up.
 * Taunt 2: Holds up her arm cannon, showing its inner workings.
 * Taunt 3: Aims to one side, then aims to the other.
 * Sheik
 * Taunt 1: Does a cool one handed handstand.
 * Taunt 2: Does a fighting pose.
 * Taunt 3: Makes a ninja pose.
 * 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!"
 * Snake: Hides under his cardboard box, which can be removed by another player
 * 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: Turns and waves to the player saying "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 "Mmm hmm."

Note: The secret taunt for Fox and Falco makes its appearance in the classic Corneria stage.