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Pikachu SSB4 (4)

Thunder, Pikachu's down special move in all Super Smash Bros. games.

Down Special (also commonly referred to as Down B) is a special move performed by pressing the special move button while holding down on the control stick (or control pad on the Wii Remote). These moves are often gimmick moves, like reflectors or absorbers, or moves with unique properties when used in different ways. For example, Falcon Kick sends Captain Falcon downwards when used in the air, or Meta Knight can teleport and choose to attack if he wishes. They also usually include minimal character movement horizontal or vertically.

List of Down Specials[]

Character Down Special Description Image
Banjo & Kazooie Rear Egg Kazooie releases a grenade out of the backpack which bounces and explodes after a while.
Bayonetta Witch Time/Bat Within When an opponent attacks her, she dodges the attack and slows them down for several seconds. If activated late, she uses Bat Within, where she dodges the strike.
Bowser Bowser Bomb Leaps into the air and smashes into the ground with his bottom.
Bowser Jr. Mechakoopa Releases a Mechakoopa which walks down the stage and explodes. It can be picked up and thrown, and can hurt Bowser Jr..
Byleth Aymr Swings their axe named Aymr downwards in front of themselves.
Captain Falcon Falcon Kick Rushes forward with a flaming leg outstretched. Goes downward diagonally if used while airborne.
Charizard Rock Smash Smashes a rock with his head, dealing heavy damage to nearby opponents. Was formerly his Side Special Move until Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U.
Chrom Counter Adopts a stance and counterattacks with greater force than the received attack.
Cloud
  • Limit Charge: Charges up a Limit bar. When the bar is full, Limit Break will be active, allowing him to use a powered-up Special Move.
  • Finishing Touch: When Limit Break is active, he spins his sword around in a whirlwind motion. Deals only 1% damage, but has high knockback.
Corrin Counter Surge Takes on a defensive stance. If attacked, turns into a dragon and slams into the ground, dealing heavy damage on both sides.
Dark Pit Guardian Orbitars Projects shields on both sides of him, which reflect projectiles. Breaks after usage for a number of times.
Diddy Kong Banana Peel Throws a banana peel backward, which causes opponents to trip. Can be picked up as an item.
Donkey Kong Hand Slap Slaps the ground with his hands, creating shockwaves.
Dr. Mario Dr. Tornado Spins around with fists outstretched. Stronger than Mario Tornado, and sends opponents flying in a random direction.
Duck Hunt Wild Gunman Summons a gunman that fires a bullet. The gunman can take damage and be stopped.
Falco Reflector Kicks a Reflector forward, which electrifies and trips opponents, and reflects projectiles.
Fox Reflector Projects a stationary reflector around his body, reflecting projectiles and decreasing Fox's falling speed if used in the air.
Ganondorf Wizard's Foot Rushes forward with his foot outstretched, exuding darkness. Slower and more powerful than Falcon Kick. Goes diagonally downward when airborne.
Greninja Substitute Takes on a defensive stance. If attacked, substitutes itself with a doll and appears nearby, rushing at the attacker and kicking them.
Hero Command Selection Opens a command window that you can choose a command from. You can cancel the window by jumping or shielding.
Ice Climbers Blizzard Shoot a stream of frigid air which can freeze opponents.
Ike Counter Takes on a defensive stance. If attacked, retaliates with a slash dealing 1.2 times the damage of the original attack.
Incineroar Revenge Increases attack power by taking hits from opponents. The power is relative to the damage taken.
Inkling Splat Bomb Throws a Splat Bomb, which explodes when it hits or after time passes. Holding the button tosses it farther.
Isabelle Lloid Trap Buries Lloid in the ground. If touched by a foe, it rises up, dealing constant damage, and then explodes.
Jigglypuff Rest Falls asleep. If an opponent is caught during the initial frames, however, they will take heavy damage and a Lip's Stick will be put on their head.
Joker Rebel's Guard/Tetrakarn/Makarakarn Braces for an attack. If hit, charges the Rebellion Gauge. Press and hold to charge. While Arsene is active, counterattacks.
Kazuya Heaven's Door Grab the opponent in front of you and rise upward, then slam them to the ground. This attack ignores an opponent's shield.
King Dedede Jet Hammer Charges his hammer with a jet engine and unleashes a powerful blow. However, if charged after a certain length of time, he will start taking damage.
King K. Rool Gut Check Counterattacks with his belly. Can reflect projectiles, but it doesn't protect from behind.
Kirby Stone Transforms into a stone and falls to the ground, dealing moderate damage in the fall. Cannot take damage while in stone form, but can be grabbed.
Link Takes out a bomb and throws it. If held too long, the bomb will explode, damaging Link. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this move was replaced with the Remote Bomb.
Little Mac Slip Counter Enters a defensive stance. If attacked, he will counter with a punch of his own.
Lucario Double Team Enters a defensive stance. If attacked, he will teleport behind the attacker and kick them from behind.
Lucas PSI Magnet Creats a psychic field in front of him that absorbs energy attacks and decreases his damage.
Lucina Counter Enters a defensive stance. If attacked, will retaliate with attack that deals 1.1x the initial attack.
Luigi Luigi Cyclone Spins around with fists outstretched. Can also rise up in the air if the special move button is mashed repeatedly.
Mario
  • F.L.U.D.D.: Charges up water in the eponymous pack and sprays it out at high pressure, which pushes opponents back but does not damage them.
  • Mario Tornado: Spins around with fists outstretched. Became his down aerial starting in Brawl.
Marth Counter Enters a defensive stance and will launch a counterattack if attacked, dealing 1.1 times the damage of the original attack.
Mega Man Leaf Shield Surrounds himself with the Leaf Shield, which can be thrown.
Meta Knight Dimensional Cape Teleports a short distance away, slashing with his sword upon doing so.
Mewtwo Disable Fires a short blast which will briefly stun opponents.
Mii Brawler
  • Head-On Assault: Leaps into the air and slams headfirst into the ground, burying opponents.
  • Feint Jump: Does a backflip with invincibility frames. If the special move button is pressed again, they will kick diagonally toward the ground.
  • Foot Flurry: Rushes forward, kicking rapidly.
  • Counter Throw: Grabs opponents that strike with high attacks and then slams them down into the ground.

Mii Gunner
  • Echo Reflector: Surrounds themself in a field of energy that can reflect projectiles.
  • Bomb Drop: Shoots a small bomb from their arm cannon that explodes soon after.
  • Absorbing Vortex: Surrounds themself in a vortex which absorbs projectile attacks and decreases their damage.

Mii Swordfighter
  • Blade Counter: Enters a defensive stance and unleashes a counterattack if attacked.
  • Reveral Slash: Creates a rainbow with their slash that reflects projectiles.
  • Power Thrust: Rushes forward and thrusts their sword.

Min Min ARMS Change Min Min changes her right extendable. She has three options:
  • The Ramram has the least endlag but is the weakest.
  • The Megawatt is the strongest albeit the slowest.
  • The Dragon is the middle ground.
Mr. Game & Watch Oil Panic Catches energy projectiles in a bucket, and can fire a powerful blast of oil afterwards after absorbing three projectiles.
Ness PSI Magnet Surrounds himself in an energy field that absorbs energy projectiles and heals him. Unlike Lucas', Ness' PSI Magnet surrounds his body.
Olimar Pikmin Order Brings all his Pikmin back to him and reorders them. Gives Super Armor frames.
Pac-Man Fire Hydrant Sets a fire hydrant on the ground, which fires blasts of water that can push opponents.
Palutena
  • Counter: Enters a defensive stance and retaliates if attacked.
  • Reflect Barrier: Summons a large barrier in front of her which can reflect projectiles and push opponents back.

Peach/Daisy Vegetable Pulls out a vegetable which has varying effects depending on its face. Can occasionally pull out other items.
Pichu Thunder Hits itself with a lightning bolt, damaging nearby enemies. However, this damages Pichu unless it uses the move under a platform.
Pikachu Thunder Hits itself with a lightning bolt. Meteor Smashes opponent in 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate.
Piranha Plant Long-Stem Strike Withdraws into the pot and then pops out to bite opponents. The longer it's charged, the more range it has.
Pit
  • Guardian Orbitars: Surrounds himself with two shields that reflect projectiles.
  • Mirror Shield: Crouches down and reflects projectiles in front of him with the shield.
Pokรฉmon Trainer Pokรฉmon Change Switches between his three Pokรฉmon.
Pyra/Mythra Swap to Pyra/Mythra
  • Swap to Mythra: Swap to Mythra in the middle of the battle. Mythra is faster but less powerful.
  • Swap to Pyra: Swap to Pyra in the middle of the battle. Pyra is slower but more powerful.
Ridley Skewer Stabs forward with the sharp end of its tail. With the right positioning, this can be a debilitating blow.
R.O.B. Gyro Charges a spinning Gyro and launches it forward, which does considerable damage. Can be picked up later.
Robin Nosferatu Projects dark magic from his hand which damages any opponent caught in it while simultaneously healing Robin.
Rosalina & Luma Gravitational Pull Pulls all items in range to her. Can also be used to nullify all projectile attacks.
Roy Counter Enters a defensive stance and will retaliate if attacked, dealing 1.5 times the damage of the original attack.
Ryu/Ken Focus Attack Enters a charging state. When released or after a second, punches forward, causing the opponent to crumple if fully charged.
Samus/Dark Samus Bomb Spins into a ball and releases a small bomb that does minor damage. Samus' spinning can be used to halt downward momentum.
Sephiroth Scintilla Create a barrier of light in front of you. After some time passes or the barrier is struck, it will change into a Scintilla attack.
Sheik
  • Bouncing Fish: Flips up into the air and attacks with her heels.
  • Transform: Transforms into Zelda. Is invincible during transformation period.
Shulk Vision Enters a defensive stance. As he is about to be attacked, Shulk foresees the attack before dodging it and launching a counterattack.
Simon/Richter Holy Water Throws holy water at the ground, which engulfs opponents in fire.
Snake C4 Plants a mine on the ground which will explode by pressing the B button again or after a certain amount of time. Can be attached to other opponents.
Sonic Spin Charge Spins across the stage. Unlike Spin Dash, Sonic does not jump at first and mashing the special move button during the move can make it more powerful.
Sora Counterattack Deflect direct attacks from opponents, briefly staggering them before launching a counterattack. Projectiles won't affect you if countered.
Steve TNT Use several materials to create an explosive block. Hold the special-move button and left or right to use redstone and place a plate that can set off the block.
Terry Power Dunk Knock opponents into the air with a knee strike, then follow up with a diagonal downward punch.
Toon Link Bomb Pulls out a bomb, which can be thrown. Has a bigger blast radius than Link's.
Villager Timber Plants a sapling, waters it until it grows into a tree, and cuts it down. The tree sprouting and falling deals massive damage.
Wario Wario Waft Farts. Is initially harmless, but if not used for a long time, will grow in power.
Wii Fit Trainer Deep Breathing Heals a little damage and powers herself up for a time. If used in fast succession, the move will be much slower.
Wolf Reflector Projects an energy field around himself which reflects projectiles, similar to Fox's. However, Wolf's Reflector is pink and has a countering effect.
Yoshi Yoshi Bomb Leaps up and slams into the ground. Stars emerge from each side, dealing damage.
Young Link Bomb Pulls out a bomb similar to Link's.
Zelda
  • Phantom Slash: Charges and unleashes a phantom that slashes any opponent it encounters. Cannot be used for a certain amount of time if Phantom is damaged repeatedly.
  • Transform: Transforms into Sheik. Invincible during the duration.
Zero Suit Samus Flip Jump Flips up into the air and can follow up with a kick attack. Gains invincibility frames at the start, and Meteor Smashes if kick hits during the first frames. Buries grounded opponents in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.