Down Smash Attack

The first part of Ganondorf's Down Smash; This part of the attack hits forward.

The second part of Ganondorf's Down Smash. This part of the attack hits backwards.

Down Smash Attack (abbreviated as "D-smash" and "down smash") is a Smash Attack performed by any character by tapping the control stick downward and pressing A at the same time or by pressing down on the C-Stick. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the C-Stick could not be used in one-player mode. It is generally an attack that hits low to the ground and hits to one or both sides of the character performing the attack.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (and using the New Nintendo 3DS/XL with Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS) it can be charged by holding down the A button for up to two seconds, resulting in higher damage and knockback.

A typical attribute of a down smash is that they hit both the front and rear of the user, making them useful for spacing when facing multiple opponents, and for most characters it's faster than their side smash. Most Down Smashes will attack the front and back in an alternating fashion. One such Down Smash is Mario's, where he does a spin to kick enemies, but a few can hit both areas at the same time, such as Fox's, where he does splits to kick the area in front of and behind him in one motion. Mewtwo's down smash in Melee does not, and there are several down smashes in Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U that do not; in front of them.

List of Down Smash Attacks in Super Smash Bros.

• Mario: Mario swings both his legs around in a double-leg sweep attack.
• Luigi: Luigi swings both his legs around in a double-leg sweep attack.
• Donkey Kong: DK does a 360° spin while doing a split.
• Link: Link swiftly slashes with his sword in front of and behind him.
• Samus: Samus does a sweep kick attack that can hit on both sides.
• Yoshi: A double tail sweep that hits on both sides of Yoshi.
• Kirby: Kirby spins, attacking with his feet.
• Fox: Fox performs a slitkick attack that hits on both sides simultaneously.
• Pikachu: Pikachu performs a double kick attack on both sides.
• Jigglypuff: Jigglypuff stretches both feet out simultaneously, attacking opponents on both sides.
• Captain Falcon: Performs a sweep attack with decent range and damage.
• Ness: Sends his yo-yo backwards and "walks-the-dog" with it before pulling the yo-yo back.

List of Down Smash Attacks in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• Mario: Does a breakdancing sweep that travels very fast.

• Luigi: Same as Mario's, but has more vertical knockback.

• Peach: Spins around with her outstretching skirt slashing and sucking in opponents, like Pikachu's. Has been nerfed in Brawl.

• Bowser: Spins around very fast within his shell, slicing anybody within range. It's harder to escape in Brawl.

• Donkey Kong: Crashes his two fists on either side of himself. Very fast, great knockback.

• Diddy Kong: Similar to Luigi's. A fast breakdancing sweep with horizontal knockback.

• Yoshi: Swings his tail around on either side of himself. Mediocre horizontal knockback.

• Wario: Breakdances, but balances on his back and hits with his (large) head. Gradually gets weaker.

• Link: Slices his sword along the ground in front of himself and then behind himself. This is also used in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

• Zelda: Kicks forward and backward with incredible speed. Less than second to use, fastest down smash in the game, and small start-up lag.

• Sheik: Breakdances on her head and spins around kicking while leaping back up. Has three hitboxes, making it tough to shield.

• Ganondorf: Kicks strongly in front of him, then shifts his foot to kick behind him. If hit with first kick, the attack mostly carries opponent to second hit. Is somewhat laggy.

• Toon Link: Same as Link's only faster, and first hit usually carries into second. KO at very low percentages if only the first hit connects and the opponent has poor horizontal recovery.

• Samus: Sweeps her leg around in a circle around herself to inflict vertical knockback. Very fast, but has ending lag.

• Zero Suit Samus: Fires a close-range, uncharged paralyzer bolt at the ground in front of herself. No initial knockback, but commonly used to set up for side smash or Plasma Whip. Slightly longer than it appears, also moves Samus forward a few pixels.

• Pit: Similar to Link's. Slashes once in front, then behind.

• Ice Climbers: They swing their hammers once around themselves going about 270 degrees around.

• R.O.B.: Lowers arm unit on torso unit, and then quickly spins arms around many times for good range, multiple hits, good knockback, and a useful damage racker.

• Kirby: Feet enlarge and Kirby spins, jutting them out to the side.

• Meta Knight: Extremely quick front and back swipe. It is Meta Knight's best ground kill move and is the fastest Smash Attack in the game.

• King Dedede: Similar to Ice Climbers, only slower, more damage, knockback, range, and priority, and sends foes skyward.

• Olimar: Sends two Pikmin to leap out on both sides. Very quick, but has less knockback than his side smash.

• Fox: A long-ranged split-kick. A fast and useful move.

• Falco: A short ranged split kick. Can semi-spike occasionally while edgeguarding if hits with his front foot's heel. A good move to use as punishing a dodged or shielded attack.

• Wolf: Claws on either side of himself very fast. Arguably Wolf's best ground killer.

• Pikachu: Spins round while emitting blasts of sparks from its body. Multiple hits, short range, and good damage racker. If DI'd out of, it becomes a semi-spike.

• Squirtle: Spins around quickly in its shell. Poor range, but good in the midst of a big brawl.

• Ivysaur: Whips its two vines on either side of itself for moderate horizontal knockback.

• Charizard: Leaps up a small distance, then crashes down quickly. Causes an earthquake that pushes opponents away in a 4 player battle.

• Lucario: Pulls hands apart quickly on either side with aura imbued at the tips. Powerful, but some start-up lag.

• Jigglypuff: A split kick similar to Kirby's Down Smash. Is always a semi-spike.

• Marth: Slashes in front, then the back. Good edgeguarder and a very strong attack if tippered.

• Ike: Does an odd performance 180 degree wrist turning sword swing on either side of himself. His fastest ground attack.

• Ness: Does a "Walk the Dog" trick with his yo-yo. Hits behind, then in front with his yo-yo. Can damage while charging, but charging does not increase damage or knockback of the move on release.

• Lucas: PK Love : Blasts a huge amount of PSI-energy at his feet, but only on one side. Can still hit people behind him that are close. Great knockback and range, but huge lag. Can be a semi-spike. Strongest in the game if all the attack connects and is fully charged.

• Captain Falcon: Kicks powerfully forward, then swings his leg behind him to kick again. Laggy, but good knockback.

• Mr. Game & Watch: Swings two mallets down on either side of himself. Great vertical knockback when tippered compared to its speed, a good semi-spike if not, and comes out faster than most attacks. The tip is not hard to find.

• Snake: Plants a motion sensing mine in the ground. If Snake steps on it, it will deal damage to himself. Only one can be planted at a time, and if the platform one was on disappears, the mine blows up on first contact. The longer this attack is charged, the more transparent the mine becomes and the more damage it will cause upon explosion.

• Sonic: Darts forwards and backwards very fast (of course) as a ball. Some start-up lag, but decent power.

List of Down Smash Attacks in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U

• Mario: Mario performs a spinning break-dance kick.
• Luigi: Luigi performs a spinning break dance kick, but uses both legs instead of one like Mario.
• Peach: Spins around with her dress splayed out on each side of her.
• Bowser: Spins around inside his shell.
• Rosalina and Luma: Kicks to each side, a small galaxy appearing with each kick.
• Bowser Jr.: Slams weighted ball and chains on each side of himself.
• Donkey Kong: Pounds the ground on both sides with his fists.
• Diddy Kong: Diddy Kong performs a break-dance kick.
• Yoshi: Yoshi swipes to each side with his tail.
• Wario: Wario performs a spinning attack with his whole body.
• Dr. Mario: Dr. Mario performs a spinning break-dance kick.
• Link: Link slashes his sword to each side.
• Zelda: Zelda kicks on each side of her body.
• Sheik: Shiek spins around on her back with her legs extended.
• Ganondorf: Ganondorf kicks to one side and then the other side.
• Toon Link: Toon Link swipes his sword to each side.
• Samus: Samus swipes around each side with a sweeping kick.
• Zero Suit Samus: Zero Suit Samus fires her Paralyzer at the ground in front of her; only hits on one side but will paralyze opponents hit by it.
• Pit: Pit swipes his blades on each side.
• Palutena: Palutena slams her angel wings down on each side of her.
• Dark Pit: Same as Pit's.
• R.O.B.: R.O.B. spins his upper body around, with both arms extended to hit on each side as he spins.
• Kirby: Performs a spinning attack with both feet extended on each side of his body.
• Meta Knight: Meta-Knight slashes his sword on both sides.
• King Dedede: King Dedede spins around with his hammer extended.
• Captain Olimar: Olimar sends two Pikmin out to attack on each side of him.
• Fox: Fox performs a splits kick attack.
• Falco: Falco performs a splits kick attack.
• Captain Falcon: Captain Falcon kicks in front of himself and then behind.
• Pikachu: Pikachu spins around in place, electricity coming out of his body as he does so.
• Charizard: Charizard stomps on the ground, sending dirt flying on either side of him.
• Greninja: Greninja slashes on both sides of himself with water blades.
• Lucario: Lucario thrusts his hands out on each side of him, hitting with aura emitted from his palms.
• Jigglypuff: Jigglypuff spins around and then inflates to hit on each side of her body.
• Mewtwo: Mewtwo blasts dark energy on the ground in front of him.
• Marth: Marth slashes his sword on both sides of his body.
• Ike: Ike swings his sword on both sides.
• Lucina: Same as Marth's.
• Robin: Robin smashes the Levin Sword (or Bronze Sword if Levin Sword is unavailable) on the ground in front of him; the electricity from the Levin Sword can damage opponents behind Robin, but they must be within close range.
• Roy: Slashes with his sword to one side then the other side.
• Ness: Ness does the 'Walk the Cat' trick with his yo-yo.
• Lucas: Lucas blasts the ground in front of him with PSI-energy.
• Mr. Game & Watch: Mr. Game and Watch slams hammers down on both sides; from the game Vermin.
• Little Mac: Little Mac punches low to the ground on both sides.
• Duck Hunt: Duck Hunt fires Zapper shots on each side of him, alternating sides each time; three shots total, previous shot knocks opponent into the next one.
• Wii Fit Trainer: Wii Fit Trainer does the Leg Lift pose, hitting with her arm and leg.
• Villager: Villager digs up the ground on each side with his shovel; burrows opponents, hard to hit with but good for starting combos.
• Shulk: Shulk spins around with the Monado's blade activated.
• Sonic: Sonic performs a splits kick attack.
• Mega Man: Mega Man uses the Flame Blast weapon to unleash columns of flame on both sides of him.
• Pac-Man: Pac-Man thrusts his hands out, Pinky and Clyde appearing from his hands.
• Ryu: Does a low sweep-kick that only hits in front of him.
• Mii Brawler: Punches to one side while kicking to the other side.
• Mii Swordfighter: Slashes on each side with his sword.
• Mii Gunner: Fires an explosive blast at the ground on each side.
• Bayonetta: Sumon's the crushing foot of a demon; can also meteor smash opponents close to a ledge, only attacks on one side.
• Cloud: Cloud crouches and hits first with the hilt of his sword, which pulls the opponent into the second hit, stabbing with the blade.
• Corrin: Corrin stabs forwards with Yato Blade and stabs backwards with their leg-turned-dragon-spire.

Notable Down Smash Attacks

• Peach's down smash attack in Super Smash Bros. Melee, which is arguably the most feared of all smashes due to its priority, knockback, quick start up, and damage. It does at least 70% damage if the opponent attempted to crouch cancel. The smash has been nerfed in Brawl and it is not as useful. But if four hits connect, it will deal up to 28% damage. Even the smash has been nerfed in Brawl it can still stage-spike an opponent at the edge, long duration allows it to punish sidestepping, and has 20% chance of tripping.
• Mewtwo's down smash attack is the only down smash attack in Melee that does not cover both the front and rear of the user.
• Snake's down smash attack allows him to plant a mine, which does no damage unless stepped on (this includes Snake), and is deactivated when he plants another or is KO'd. If for any reason the mine falls from the platform it was on, it detonates on impact with anything.
• Pikachu's down smash attack in Brawl seems to be a slightly weaker version of Peach's Melee down smash attack.
• Zelda's down smash attack is the fastest down smash attack in Melee and Brawl.
• Zero Suit Samus's down smash attack only hits the area in front of her, and deals very little knockback, but paralyzes whoever is hit by it, opening up a chance for a follow up attack. The knockback is overridden by any other knockback during the stun.
• Ness's down smash attack has unique properties by which it can be charged. Rather than at the beginning of the attack, the Smash attack is charged up in the middle of the attack, but only if Ness' Yo-yo comes to rest on a flat surface. Charging the smash does not increase damage or knockback.
• Lucas's only reaches a very short distance behind him; characters must be almost touching him to be in the rear hitbox.
• Villager's Down Smash Attack involves him burying opponents on both sides of him, making it the only down smash attack that does more than just attack players.
• Bayonetta's Down Smash Attack is the only down smash to have a meteor smash effect when it connects with an opponent, making it very deadly on the edge.

Types of Down Smash Attack

Sweeping Down Smash Attacks

The Down Smash Attack of the following characters "sweeps" around them; that is to say, it hits to one side of them and then hits the other.

In Super Smash Bros.:

• Luigi
• Mario
• Link
• Samus
• Captain Falcon
• Ness
• Yoshi
• Pikachu

In Super Smash Bros. Melee:

• Dr. Mario
• Mario
• Luigi
• Yoshi
• Captain Falcon
• Ganondorf
• Ness
• Ice Climbers
• Samus
• Zelda
• Link
• Young Link
• Marth
• Roy

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl:

• Mario
• Link
• Samus
• Marth
• Luigi
• Diddy Kong
• Zelda
• Pit
• Meta Knight
• Ike
• Yoshi
• Ganondorf
• Ice Climbers
• King Dedede
• Wolf
• Ness
• Sonic
• Toon Link
• Captain Falcon

One-Sided Down Smash Attacks

The Down Smash Attack of the following fighters only hits the side in front of the fighter.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee:

• Mewtwo

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl:

• Zero Suit Samus
• Lucas

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U:

• Lucas
• Bayonetta
• Zero Suit Samus
• Mewtwo

Simultaneous Down Smash Attacks

The Down Smash Attacks of the following fighters hits to both sides of the character at the same time, making it the most advantageous type of Down Smash Attacks to clear a crowd.

In Super Smash Bros.:

• Donkey Kong
• Kirby
• Fox
• Jigglypuff

In Super Smash Bros. Melee:

• Bowser
• Peach
• Donkey Kong
• Falco
• Fox
• Kirby
• Sheik
• Pichu
• Pikachu
• Jigglypuff
• Mr. Game & Watch

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl:

• Donkey Kong
• Kirby
• Fox
• Pikachu
• Mr. Game & Watch
• Sheik
• Falco
• Squirtle
• Ivysaur
• Charizard
• Peach
• Lucario
• Bowser
• Wario
• R.O.B.
• Olimar
• Jigglypuff

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U:

• Peach
• Bowser
• Donkey Kong
• Kirby
• Sheik
• Fox
• Jigglypuff
• Falco
• Mr. Game & Watch
• Pikachu
• Charizard
• Lucario
• Wario
• R.O.B
• Olimar

Gallery

Mr. Game & Watch's Down Smash, albeit used by his shadow clone version.

Villager's unique down smash.

Peach's feared down smash in Melee.

Olimar's down smash in SSB4.

First hit of Mario's down smash.

Second hit of Mario's down smash.

First hit of Luigi's down smash.

Second hit of Luigi's down smash.

Bowser's down smash.

First hit of Yoshi's down smash.

Second hit of Yoshi's down smash.

First hit of Rosalina's down smash.

Second hit of Rosalina's down smash.

First hit of Luma's down smash.

Second hit of Luma's down smash.

Bowser Jr.'s down smash.

Wario's down smash.

Donkey Kong's down smash.

First hit of Diddy's down smash.

Second hit of Diddy's down smash.

First hit of Link's down smash; Shulk managed to get in the shot.

Second hit of Link's down smash.

First hit of Zelda's down smash.

Second hit of Zelda's down smash.

Sheik's down smash

First hit of Toon Link's down smash; leads into the second hit if it connects.

Second hit of Toon Link's down smash.

First hit of Samus's down smash.

Second hit of Samus's down smash.

Zero Suit Samus's down smash. The attack paralyzes opponents; the duration of the paralysis is proportional to the power of the attack.

The first hit of Lucina's down smash.

The second hit of Lucina's down smash.

Shulk's down smash.

R.O.B.'s down smash.

The first hit of Pit's down smash.

The second hit of Pit's down smash.

Palutena's Down Smash

The first hit of Marth's down smash.

The second hit of Marth's down smash.

The first strike of Ike's down smash.

The second hit of Ike's down smash.

Male Robin's down smash. When used with the Levin Sword, the sparks from the sword can actually hit opponents standing very close behind Robin.

Female Robin's down smash. When used with the Levin Sword, the sparks from the sword can actually hit opponents standing very close behind Robin.

Kirby's down smash.

King DeDeDe's down smash.

The first hit of Meta Knight's down smash.

The second hit of Meta Knight's down smash.

The first hit of Little Mac's down smash.

The second hit of Mac's down smash.

Fox's down smash.

Falco's down smash.

Pikachu's down smash.

Charizard's down smash.

Lucario's down smash.

Jigglypuff's down smash.

Greninja's down smash.

Duck Hunt's down smash.

The first part of Ness's down smash.

The second part of Ness's down smash.

The first hit of Captain Falcon's down smash.

The second hit of Falcon's down smash.

Wii Fit Trainer's down smash.

Dark Pit's down smash.

The second hit of Dark Pit's down smash.

Pac-Man's down smash.

Mega Man's down smash.

Sonic's down smash.

The first part of Mii Gunner's down smash.

The second part of Mii Gunner's down smash. (The Mii is Jeff from Earthbound.)

The first hit of Mii Swordfighter's down smash.

The second hit of Mii Swordfighter's down smash.

Mii Brawler's down smash.

Mewtwo's down smash.

Lucas's down smash.

First hit of Roy's down smash.

Second hit of Roy's down smash.

Ryu's down smash.

The first hit of Cloud's down smash; links right into the second hit.

The second hit of Cloud's down smash; has horizontal knockback, great for edge-guarding.

Corrin's down smash.

Bayonetta's down smash; has very large hitboxes, is the only down smash to meteor smash, making it excellent for edge-guarding.

Bayonetta's down smash extended with Bullet Arts; notice the pink glow around her feet is actually her bullets firing into the ground, making this Bullet Art extension the least useful of them all.

See also

• Side Smash Attack
• Up Smash Attack