Invincibility frames are the period of time (measured in frames) during which a character cannot be damaged. Depending on which kind of invincibility the character has, the attack may "hit" or "miss".
Invincibility attacks
- Ike's Counter Only 1 frame.
- Marth's Counter Only 1 frame.
- Roy's Counter Only 1 frame.
- Fox Illusion Only 1 frame.
- Falco Phantasm Only 1 frame.
- Wolf's Reflector, First frame.
- Dolphin Slash First 5 frames.
- Sonic's Up smash before the hitbox come and Spring when sonic stars to jump.
- Thunder, Beginning frames when Thunder strikes Pikachu.
- Kirby's Swallow
- Farore's Wind right before Zelda teletransports.
- Vanish right before Sheik teletransports.
- Double Team, the time when Lucario is able to strike back and when he strikes back (prevents trap final smashes).
- Rest, Approximately 20 frames after it's released, while its eyes are closing. (During the attack hitbox)
- All Final Smashes grants invincibility at least in the start of it.
Blocking Invincibility
A character with blocking invincibility will be hit by attacks (so the attacker takes hitlag), but will not take damage or hitstun. For example, characters using a Starman have blocking invincibility, as well as characters about to throw someone (this invincibility lasts 8 frames). Other examples of blocking invincibility include:
- The 2 seconds (120 frames) after dismounting a revival platform.
- The secondary Ice climber for a second when Belay is used.
- The start of Lucas' and Ness' PK Thunder 2.
- The entire duration of Squirtle's Withdraw
Dodging Invincibility
A character with dodging invincibility will not be hit by attacks. For example, a projectile will travel right through him or her. This kind of invincibility is often attributed to dodges, techs, edge-grabbing, get-up attacks and animations, and certain body parts during certain moves. Since the invincible character is not hit, a long-lasting attack (or very short invincibility time) may still hit the character once the invincibility ends.
Negative Aspects
Overall, invincibility is generally a good thing. However, one negative aspect is that on the Brinstar and Norfair stages, you will fall straight through the lava, rather than sustaining damage and bouncing back up.