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KO

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Alba Flood (Message Wall | contribs) at 15:20, 24 February 2020. It may differ significantly from the current revision.

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A KO, short for Knock-Out or Knock-Off, is the term used to describe the situation where a player is knocked back beyond the stage's blast lines by the opponent's actions.

250px-KO

Standard KO

The KO'd player is sent to a revival platform to re-enter the match. The following may then happen depending on the type of match:

  • In a Time match, the KO'd player will lose a point, while the player who made the KO gains a point.
  • In a Stock match, the KO'd player loses a stock. If a player loses all of their stocks they will receive the following:
    • Single-player: A continuation or a Game Over (if the player doesn't have enough coins in Melee and Brawl, or chooses to quit).
    • Multiplayer: Removal from the rest of the match.
  • In a Coin match, the KO'd player loses half their coins, rounded down. SSBB prevents a player from losing more than 100 coins at once. The lost coinage will fly into play if the KO was made off the side.
  • In the Subspace Emissary, the next character in the lineup is loaded and teleported into play without a revival platform. One stock is also lost.
    • Characters can also be KO'd in the Subspace Emissary if they are crushed by moving walls, ceilings, or floors.

If a player has no stocks remaining, then they do not reappear. They are then either removed from play (multiplayer matches) or receive a Game Over (single player modes).

KO Property

In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, each character has a "KO property" which starts out empty. When a character is hit by an attack (be it a physical attack, a projectile, an item, etc.), their KO property is set to match whoever made the hit. The KO property is reset once a character lands on the ground and is no longer moving as a result of the attack's knockback. When the character is KO'd, the KO goes to whoever matches the KO property. If the property is null, the KO counts as a self-destruct. In simple terms, it goes to whoever made the last hit. Stage elements in SSB will reset the KO property to null with the exception of the acid on Planet Zebes, so for example, if a character is sent flying by an opponent's attack but is then hit by an Arwing's laser and KO'd, nobody receives the kill.

However, for whatever reason, this format was heavily altered for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In SSBB, a character's KO property is never reset during a stock. If a character is hit at any time during a stock, it becomes impossible to self-destruct; a KO will be given to whoever made the last hit. So if a character is hit by an attack and jumps off the edge, it will count as a KO, not an SD. It gives other characters free KOs when the target character dies on his/her own. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Sometimes all fighters get a Star KO or Screen KO.

Template:ArticleIcons

Super Mario Maker Icon SSBWU This section is incomplete. You can help Smashpedia by expanding or finishing it.
This article is about attacks with enough knockback to KO in one hit. For KOs that occur instantly and bypass all knockback, see Instant KO.
For the smasher OHKO, see Template:Sm.

A one-hit KO, commonly abbreviated as OHKO (also referred to as an Instant KO in Melee), is an attack in the Super Smash Bros. games with such high base knockback that it KOs an opponent at 0%. Such attacks currently exist in every installment of the series.

Definition

In general, a move is considered a one-hit KO if:

  • It is capable of KOing Mario at 0% through sheer knockback alone from the middle of the respective game's Final Destination.
  • It is not a meteor smash unless the hitboxes are also capable of OHKOing onstage (meteor smashes like those Beast Ganon are therefore OHKOs in Brawl, while Luigi's down taunt is not).
  • It deals damage and/or does not cause a KO by forcibly re-positioning the opponent (such as push effects and dragging Final Smashes). There are some exceptions, such as Jigglypuff's Puff Up in Brawl which has both sheer OHKO power and an extreme push effect, and Samus' Zero Laser in the same game, which has dragging hits before the final hit.
  • It is not extremely situational (such as the first hit of Roy's Blazer against Jigglypuff in Melee, or Jigglypuff's uncommonly high shield jump).

Another common standard is to compare the move's knockback to the smash attack of the Home-Run Bat, one of the few moves intended to be the quintessential OHKO by the developers.

Moves with the potential to OHKO are not necessarily guaranteed to do so, and may fail to OHKO under the following circumstances:

  • The opponent techs, DIs, utilizes momentum cancelling, and/or crouch cancels to reduce the knockback or alter the trajectory of the attack.
  • The opponent is flung into a wall, which absorbs enough knockback to prevent the OHKO, or successfully executes a wall tech.
  • The move's sweet spot (if any) does not land (particularly evident for sword-based hitboxes, such as Roy’s Flare Blade in every game featuring him or Lyndis' slash in Brawl).
  • The move requires more hitboxes to land but some of them fail (for example, Lugia’s Aeroblast in Melee, which can whiff if the character is hit on the edge and escapes; in Brawl it deals a single, immensely powerful hit which always OHKOs, but suffers from a smaller hitbox).
  • The stage is extremely large (e.g. Temple, New Pork City, and 75m), or the opponent is at the far edge of a stage.
  • The move was weakened previously due to stale-move negation.
  • Opponents are under an effect that makes them more resilient (such as being giant, metal, or in an event that reduces the knockback they sustain), or the player is weakened (such as being tiny or given a lower handicap).
  • The launch rate is lower than standard, reducing knockback.
  • The opponent's gravity is affected via equipment.
  • A Final Smash is executed using Final Smash Meter.

List of One-Hit KOs

This page lists the moves that can OHKO within the rules mentioned above.

Certain moves and situations are not considered to meet the definition of one-"hit" KO's:

Some stage hazards or enemies are capable of OHKOing on their respective stages, and will be listed below.

In Super Smash Bros.

Moves that KO at 0% were almost nonexistent in the original Smash. In fact, aside from the Home-Run Bat, only one move in the game is able to OHKO, under uncommon conditions:

Items

Bosses

The following will usually cause an OHKO on Very Hard difficulty only:

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Unlike in Smash 64, there are multiple moves that can OHKO in Melee. They still remain relatively rare, however.

Playable characters' moves

  • Roy's almost fully charged or fully charged Flare Blade (sweet spot).
  • Mr. Game & Watch's fully loaded Oil Panic after absorbing three strong projectiles (such as three PK Flashes).
  • Roy's Counter (sword hitbox) upon countering an extremely powerful attack (sweet spot); a hitbox that deals around 35% damage will result in an OHKO if countered (such as a smash thrown Bob-omb).

Items/Enemies

  • A smash attack with the Home-Run Bat.
  • Touching Moltres.
  • Getting caught in Lugia's Aeroblast (if most hits connect). Unlike Brawl, Aeroblast requires more hits to KO at 0%, but its hitbox is very large. Touching Lugia’s body can also lead to an OHKO if multiple hits chain.
  • Articuno’s Icy Wind (sweet spot).
  • A thrown Polar Bear (sweet spot).
  • A Green Shell gains OHKO power when reflected 3 or 4 times by two Foxes using Reflector.

Marill can push players past the side blast line, but as it inflicts no conventional knockback it is not considered a one-hit KO.

Stage hazards

Bosses

The following will usually cause an OHKO on Very Hard difficulty only:

  • Master Hand’s Finger Drill (if all hits connect) and Flying Slap.
  • Crazy Hand’s Fake-Out Slap and Power Punch.
  • Master Hand and Crazy Hand’s Crush (if all hitboxes land), Flying Punch (sweet spot), and Jetstream (sweet spot).
  • Combined Master Hand’s and Crazy Hand’s Applause (if all hits connect) and Sandwich Punch.

Others

In Cruel Melee, almost all the attacks of the Fighting Wire Frames are powered so much that they can easily OHKO every character. These moves include, for example, forward smash and up smash, but also punches, kicks, and other moves. The same strengthening, if not, even more, will be seen again in Brawl.

Video

The following video demonstrates nearly all the moves and hazards that KO at 0% in Melee:

{{#widget:YouTube|id=mb5qAONMjLs}}

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Brawl continued the trend of adding several OHKOs into the game, resulting in a huge number of them (especially in The Subspace Emissary). However, the majority are Final Smashes, items (mainly Pokéballs), stage hazards, enemy and boss attacks, with relatively few being standard moves of playable characters. On higher difficulties of The Subspace Emissary (often Very Hard or Intense), several enemy attacks are invariable OHKOs, as well as many boss attacks. Also, nearly all Tabuu's moves are guaranteed OHKOs in every situation, most of them even on the higher difficulties of Boss Battles (where the player has only one life).

Playable characters' standard moves

  • Ike's stage 8 Eruption. If Ike gets inhaled by Kirby, the latter's stage 8 Eruption loses its OHKO power (except when reversed or used in midair).
  • Mr. Game & Watch's fully loaded Oil Panic after absorbing three medium power projectiles (such as three PK Flashes) or a very strong one.
  • The following counterattacks:
    • Ike's Counter (sword and body hitboxes) upon countering a hitbox that deals at least ~40% damage.
    • Marth's Counter (sword and body hitboxes) upon countering a hitbox that deals at least ~45% damage.
  • Any counter or reflector upon countering a sufficiently strong attack or projectile, such as Zelda's Phantom Slash or a Green Shell.

Contrary to common belief, Mr. Game & Watch's Judge #9 is not an OHKO, having very high knockback but not quite enough to qualify under the required conditions (it usually KOs Mario starting from 10%). The same applies to Ike's stage 7 Eruption, which can KO Charizard as low as 8% but doesn't respect the general definition.

Final Smashes

Items

  • The Dragoon.
  • A smash attack with the Home-Run Bat.
  • Touching Moltres.
  • Lugia's Aeroblast. Unlike Melee, a single hit will OHKO the character (without trapping them), but the attack suffers from a smaller hitbox. Touching Lugia’s body can also lead to an OHKO if multiple hits chain.
  • Articuno’s Sheer Cold.
  • Suicune's Aurora Beam. The beam will not freeze at 0%, but still deals more than enough knockback to OHKO regardless.
  • Ho-oh’s Sacred Fire and Entei’s Fire Spin if most hits connect (always need the last hit to land for a KO). Midair opponents are also OHKOed by a very powerful meteor smash.
  • Deoxys's Hyper Beam or touching Deoxys, both the initial hit and the following multi-hitting laser.
  • A thrown Bonsly (sweet spot).
  • Electrode's Explosion or after being smash thrown.
  • Wobbuffet’s Counter when countering an OHKO attack or a hitbox that deals at least ~35% damage.
  • Metagross' Earthquake if all hitboxes land (bury, stomp, and upward smash). It also has a powerful meteor smash capable to OHKO nearby midair characters.
  • Dr. Wright’s highest skyscraper.
  • Lyn’s slash (sweet spot).
  • Knuckle Joe's Vulcan Jab to Rising Break attack (if most hitboxes land).
  • Waluigi's Racket Smash, sweet spotted, if all hitboxes land (bury, multiple stomps and finishing kick or blow). It can also OHKO characters by meteor smash.
  • Little Mac’s strongest uppercut (sweet spot).
  • At least two Blast Boxes or four Smart Bombs or Bob-ombs exploding at the same time.
  • If Wario runs over a buried Pitfall while riding on his Wario Bike, he will be sent flying at OHKO power. A thrown Pitfall can also meteor smash midair opponents with OHKO power.
  • When an Hothead reaches its full power for the last seconds, or after taking enough damage, any contact will be an OHKO (even touching the sparks). If an uncharged Hothead is hit by a flame-based hitbox that deals over 30% damage (such as Ike’s stage 6-9 Eruption), it will OHKO when smash thrown. Any contact while traversing the stage at this strength or with the sparks it emits will also OHKO.
  • A Green Shell gains OHKO power when countered 3 or 4 times by a Reflector (for example Fox's). This also applies to Green Shells and Red Shells obtained by defeating a Koopa Troopa in The Subspace Emissary and to Shellcreepers in Mario Bros. stage. Red Koopa Shells are usually more powerful when reflected.
  • If a Soccer Ball is launched at enough speed (after either being hit by an extremely powerful attack such as forward smash or a Home Run bat swing, or simply being launched after receiving enough damage), it will OHKO anyone it slams into.

Isaac item, Kyogre and Piplup can push players into the side blast line, but as they inflict no conventional knockback they are not considered one-hit KOs.

Stage hazards

  • The Ultimate Chimera's bite on New Pork City.
  • Dialga's Roar of Time and Overheat (or touching Dialga), Palkia's Spacial Rend and Cresselia's Psycho Cut (at full power before fading) on Spear Pillar.
  • The fastest forms of Sidesteppers (Red) and Shellcreepers (both Blue and Pink) on Mario Bros., or every other version of them when smash thrown. Touching the green Flames at high speed is also an OHKO.
  • The fastest cars on Big Blue.
  • Corneria's laser beams.
  • The energy blast shot by Halberd’s Combo Cannon if all hits connect.
  • Touching the hull of the Pirate Ship.
  • Touching the hull of the flying ship on Rainbow Cruise.
  • On Flat Zone 2, if a falling tool is launched at enough speed (after either being hit by an extremely powerful attack such as a Home-Run Bat swing, or being launched after receiving enough damage), it will OHKO anyone it slams into.
    • Other hazards are also capable of OHKOs on this stage, such as Lion Tamers.
  • Being hitten by the falling spears on PictoChat.
  • Norfair's giant magma wave if all hits connect.
  • The bomb on Bridge of Eldin.
  • The first and fourth spikes on Rumble Falls (can easily be teched).

The Subspace Army (enemies and clones)

The following will usually cause an OHKO on Intense difficulty only:

The following will cause an OHKO on both Very Hard and Intense difficulties:

The following will cause an OHKO on Normal or higher difficulties:

The following will cause an OHKO on every difficulty:

  • Multiple Floows' combined mind attack (together, if most hits connect or at full health).
  • Scope Primid's most powerful projectile.

Touching a Trowlon on every difficulty is not an OHKO in conventional terms since it simply carries the player beyond the top blast line for a guaranteed KO.

Many other enemies and several Shadow Clones or fighters are also capable of OHKOs.

The Subspace Army (bosses)

The following will usually cause an OHKO on Intense difficulty only:

  • Petey Piranha's Left or Right Cage Smash immediately after Roar (only used twice per battle when each cage reaches 1/3 HP; always noticed due to the red aura).
  • Several of Rayquaza's moves at low health (25% or less):
    • Extremespeed if most hits connect.
    • Lightning Strike if most hits connect.
    • Air Dash (third attack of the sequence, sweet spot).
  • Porky Minch's Energy Laser (if most hits connect).
  • Ridley's Slamming Rush, Loop-de-Loop (if most hits connect) and Tail Swoop (if most hits connect at very low health; always needs the last hit to land for a KO).
  • Duon's Charge, Jump Crash, Triple Slash (if most hits connect, always needs the last hit to land for a KO) and Blue Bolts or Pink Shots (contact with the bright blue / pearl sphere only, not the beams).
  • Galleom's Side Crush (sweet spot), Uppercut (sweet spot), Shockwave (first hit only), Tank Rush (only used by Tank Galleom at medium to high health) and Stomping Jump.
  • Meta Ridley's Tail Swoop if most hits connect (always needs the last hit to land for a KO).
  • Tabuu's Diving Slash (sweet spot), Explosive Teleport and Ghost Projection (clones and Tabuu's body hitbox).

The following will cause an OHKO on both Very Hard and Intense difficulties:

  • Rayquaza's Blast.
  • Porky Minch's Stabbing Flurry (if most hits connect; always needs the last hit to land for a KO) and Dash.
  • Touching the Porky Bots sent out by Porky Minch.
  • Ridley's Background Ram.
  • Duon's Head Sword Chop, Sword Blast (the hit itself, not the shockwave), and Vacuum Spin (if most hits connect or via meteor smash).
  • Meta Ridley’s Mega Fire Ball.
  • Galleom's Tank Rush & Slam (only used by Tank Galleom at very low health), Falling Body Slam and Tornado Spin (if most hits connect).
  • Tabuu's Shuriken Boomerang (both hits), Shark Blade (blade and Tabuu’s body hitbox), Pinpoint Explosion and Bullet Rain (second attack).

The following will cause an OHKO on Hard or higher difficulties:

  • Several of Tabuu's moves:
    • Golden Bracket. Due to perfectly horizontal knockback, this attack will also cause a guaranteed KO for poor recovery characters even on Easy difficulty.
    • Dragon Laser.
    • Chain of Light. If against two players, Tabuu will attempt to smash them together with the Chain, resulting in a potential double OHKO.
    • Electrical Shield (sparkles and Tabuu’s body hitbox). Due to perfectly horizontal knockback, this attack will also cause a guaranteed KO for poor recovery characters even on lower difficulties.

The following will cause an OHKO on Normal or higher difficulties:

The following will cause an OHKO on every difficulty:

  • Porky Minch's Lightning if most hits connect or Porky has low health (25% or less). Touching the electrical sphere is also a guaranteed KO.
  • Meta Ridley’s Falcon Flyer Smash and Falcon Flyer Stamp. These attacks can also drag the player past the bottom blast line for a guaranteed KO. In any case, the only way to survive is jumping.
  • Several of Tabuu's moves:
    • Rapid Chop if most hits connect (always needs the last slash to land for a KO).
    • Off Waves (sweet spot or contact with Winged Tabuu). Even the sour spot always OHKOs on Normal difficulty and above.

Meta Ridley's Falcon Flyer Pull on every difficulty is not an OHKO in conventional terms, since it simply drags the player past the bottom blast line for a guaranteed KO. The only way to survive is by jumping.

Tabuu's Bullet Rain is always a KO on every difficulty if the player is hit both by the first (high-damaging bullets) and the second attack (explosive sphere). However, since the two attacks are separated by a few seconds interval when the player is free to move, this move can't be considered an OHKO on all difficulties. The same applies to Tabuu's Electrical Shield: on lower difficulties only, when the players touch Tabuu's body they will simply flinch, although they can be sucked in repeatedly by the attack.

Other bosses' attacks are also capable of OHKOs.

Classic Mode (bosses)

The following will usually cause an OHKO on Intense difficulty only:

  • Master Hand’s Crush (if most hitboxes land), Vertical Throw and Power Punch.
  • Crazy Hand’s Squeeze (if most hitboxes land), Flying Slap and Fake-Out Slap.
  • Master Hand's and Crazy Hand’s Flying Punch and Jetstream.
  • Combined Master Hand and Crazy Hand's Sandwich Punch (guaranteed).

The following will cause an OHKO on both Very Hard and Intense difficulties:

  • Master Hand's and Crazy Hand's Finger Drill if most hits connect.
  • Combined Master Hand’s and Crazy Hand’s Applause (if most hits connect), Sandwich Punch (sweet spot) and Crush Punch.

Boss Battles (bosses)

The following will usually cause an OHKO on Intense difficulty only:

  • Rayquaza's Blast (sweet spot).
  • Porky Minch's Stabbing Flurry (if most hits connect; always needs the last hit to land for a KO) and Dash (sweet spot).
  • Ridley's Background Ram (sweet spot).
  • Duon's Head Sword Chop (sweet spot), Sword Blast (sweet spot; the hit itself, not the shockwave) and Vacuum Spin (if most hits connect or via meteor smash).
  • Meta Ridley’s Mega Fire Ball (sweet spot).
  • Galleom's Tank Rush & Slam (sweet spot; only used by Tank Galleom at very low health), Falling Body Slam (sweet spot) and Tornado Spin (if most hits connect).
  • Tabuu’s Shuriken Boomerang (both hits, sweet spot), Shark Blade (blade and Tabuu’s body hitbox), Pinpoint Explosion and Bullet Rain (second attack).

The following will cause an OHKO on both Very Hard and Intense difficulties:

  • Porky Minch's Lightning if most hits connect or Porky has low health (25% or less). Touching the electrical sphere is also a guaranteed KO.
  • Several of Tabuu's moves:
    • Golden Bracket. Due to perfectly horizontal knockback, this attack will also cause a guaranteed KO for poor recovery characters even on Normal difficulty.
    • Dragon Laser.
    • Chain of Light. If against two players, Tabuu will attempt to smash them together with the Chain, resulting in a potential double OHKO.
    • Electrical Shield (sparkles and Tabuu’s body hitbox). Due to perfectly horizontal knockback, this attack will also cause a guaranteed KO for poor recovery characters even on lower difficulties.

The following will cause an OHKO on Hard or higher difficulties:

The following will cause an OHKO on Normal or higher difficulties:

  • Several of Tabuu's moves:
    • Rapid Chop if most hits connect (always needs the last slash to land for a KO).
    • Off Waves (sweet spot or contact with Winged Tabuu). Even the sour spot always OHKOs on Hard difficulty and above.

The following will cause an OHKO on every difficulty:

  • Meta Ridley’s Falcon Flyer Smash and Falcon Flyer Stamp. These attacks can also drag the player past the bottom blast line for a guaranteed KO. In any case, the only way to survive is jumping.

Meta Ridley's Falcon Flyer Pull on every difficulty is not an OHKO in conventional terms, since it simply drags the player past the bottom blast line for a guaranteed KO. The only way to survive is by jumping.

Tabuu's Bullet Rain is always a KO on every difficulty if the player is hit both by the first (high-damaging bullets) and the second attack (explosive sphere). However, since the two attacks are separated by a few seconds interval when the player is free to move, this move can't be considered an OHKO on all difficulties. The same applies to Tabuu's Electrical Shield: on lower difficulties only, when the player touches Tabuu's body they will simply flinch, although they can be sucked in repeatedly by the attack.

Other bosses' attacks are also capable of OHKOs.

Others

  • In the Subspace Emissary, these hazards are a guaranteed OHKO on every difficulty:
    • Touching the hull of The Halberd.
    • Touching very powerful flames.
  • The Sandbag used in the Stadium for Home-Run Contest gains OHKO power when smashed with a very powerful attack (such as Ganondorf's reverse Warlock Punch). However, this item can never be used outside the Stadium.
  • In Cruel Brawl, almost all the attacks of the Fighting Alloy Team are powered so much that they can easily OHKO every character. These moves include, for example, forward smash and up smash, but also punches, kicks and a very high number of moves. Each of the Alloys has also more powerful specific attacks, such as kicks for the Blue Alloy or punches for the Red Alloy, which are both a guaranteed OHKO from the center of the stage even for Bowser. A similar type of strengthening (or slightly lower) was seen in Melee. Also, the Shadow Clones and fighters battled in the Subspace Emissary are powered up this way on the higher difficulties only.

Video

The following video demonstrates some moves and hazards that KO at 0% in Brawl:

{{#widget:YouTube|id=EpyjRINBJbk}}

This video shows some other OHKOs, including more boss attacks.

{{#widget:YouTube|id=mU6F6uHrQJs}}

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Like Brawl, SSB4 continues to add OHKOs to the game.

Playable characters' standard moves

Contrary to its name and intention, Little Mac's KO Uppercut does not KO until above about 30% damage. At 0% it falls short of the necessary amount of knockback, KOing a character as light as Jigglypuff at 12%.

Playable characters' moves (with Rage applied)

While the following moves do not, under normal circumstances, guarantee an OHKO state, with Rage they can perform an OHKO:

Final Smashes

Items/Enemies

  • The Daybreak (sweet spot).
  • The Dragoon.
  • A smash attack with the Home-Run Bat.
  • Electrode's Explosion after being smash thrown.
  • If the Hothead is powered up significantly by a flame-based hitbox (30% total or higher), it will gain OHKO power when smash thrown or emitting sparks. Unlike Brawl, Hotheads don't reach full OHKO power automatically for the last seconds or after taking non-fire damage.
  • If a Soccer Ball is launched at enough speed (after either being hit by an extremely powerful attack such as a Home-Run Bat, or being launched after receiving enough damage), it will OHKO anyone it slams into.
  • Smash attacks when boosted by the Black Knight item from Smash Tour, which occasionally turns smash attacks into OHKOs.

The Beetle and Boss Galaga items and Oshawott can carry players past the blast lines, but as they inflict no conventional knockback they are not considered one-hit KOs. The first two can also be easily escaped by button mashing at 0%.

Stage hazards

Other

While it isn't accessible in regular battles, the bomb used in the Target Blast stage apparently has more than enough power to OHKO under normal conditions.

Bosses

The following will usually cause an OHKO on 8.0 or higher difficulties:

  • These Master Core's attacks:
    • Blast Waves if the player does not defeat it in time (about 45 seconds).
  • The final explosion after unleashing the last Blast Wave (sweet spot). However, it can never truly defeat the players as they have already won by the time the hitbox lands.

{{#widget:YouTube|id=vfWVGiCxTaI}}

Video

The following video demonstrates all the moves and attacks that KO at 0% in “Smash 4”: {{#widget:YouTube|id=Dj5wW5-uFwI}}

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Like SSB4, Ultimate continues to add OHKOs to the game. Several characters also gain the ability to instant KO through Final Smashes or special moves; these do not count as OHKOs and belong in its respective page.

Playable characters' moves

Playable characters' moves (with Rage applied)

Final Smashes

Final Smashes executed using Final Smash Meter always lose their OHKO power, with Critical Hit KOing Mario at 20%.

Items/Enemies

  • A smash attack with the Home-Run Bat.
  • Electrode's Explosion when smash thrown.
  • The Dragoon.
  • If the Hothead is powered up significantly by a flame-based hitbox (30% total or higher), it will gain OHKO power when smash thrown or emitting sparks. Unlike Brawl, Hotheads don't reach full OHKO power automatically for the last seconds or after taking non-fire damage.

Stage hazards

Bosses

The following will usually cause an OHKO on Hard difficulty only:

  • Galeem's Lens Flare with weaker or no spirits (sweet spot, if most hits chain; not guaranteed).

Other

While inaccessible in a regular fashion without hacking, the gun found on the Free the Spirit screen's stage is programmed in as its own usable item, inflicting 25% damage with OHKO power. This situation is similar to Smash 4's Target Blast bomb.

{{#widget:YouTube|id=W5d-BGAls_s}}

Video

The following video demonstrates several of the moves and hazards in Ultimate that inflict enough knockback to KO at 0%, alongside some powerful moves that don't. However, it also includes a few moves and hazards that do not inflict any knockback:

{{#widget:YouTube|id=Y5IIRDd5ggY}}

Other KOs

Gallery

Trivia

  • Brawl alone features much more guaranteed OHKOs than all the other four games combined together: more than double (around 70%).
  • The Home-Run Bat is the only item (and by extension, the only attack) able to perform a guaranteed OHKO in every Smash game, at least on its sweet spot.
  • Roy’s Flare Blade and Counter are the only moves to maintain their OHKO power in every installment, always needing a sweet spot.
    • Several other sword-based hitboxes can only OHKO on their sweet spot, which is usually located on the blade's tip. Other examples are Tabuu's Diving Slash and Lyndis' slash in Brawl.
  • Marth's Critical Hit is the only Final Smash to maintain its OHKO power in every installment. Throughout all games, it is also the most powerful attack of any character's standard moveset (in terms of knockback) without any exterior factors or buffs, being impossible to survive if there is a blast line even on the largest stages of each game. In Brawl its strength is even higher.
  • While the majority of OHKOs will fail to work on characters under the effects of a Super Mushroom or Metal Box, a few attacks have such high knockback that it will still OHKO under these circumstances. Examples (in Brawl only) include Suicune's Aurora Beam, Lugia's Aeroblast, Jigglypuff's Puff Up, Marth’s Critical Hit, the Ultimate Chimera's bite and several enemy and boss attacks.
    • These attacks in Brawl have such immense knockback that it is possible for the main victim(s) to OHKO other opponents by simply knocking into them.
    • Starting from Smash 4, a few Final Smashes have hitboxes that negate the effects of such buffs, such as Marth's Critical Hit.
  • Tabuu on Intense difficulty in the Subspace Emissary has more OHKOs than every other boss or enemy in all the Smash games, with 14. His OHKOs are reduced to 11 on Intense difficulty in Boss Battles. In particular, Explosive Teleport and Ghost Projection lose their OHKO power due to being very difficult to avoid (but they are still a guaranteed KO below 20%, forcing the player to pay attention before attacking him).
    • Considering Tabuu has only 16 attacks, 88% of his moves are potential one-hit KO moves.
    • Tabuu has only one non-OHKO attack on Intense difficulty: Eye Lasers, that KOs well below 50%. Normal Teleport cannot harm the player in any way.
  • Other bosses that have a notable amount of OHKO moves include Galleom and Duon in Brawl (with 8 each), and both Master Hand and Crazy Hand in the same game (with 6 each plus 3 combined). All the other bosses in Brawl have 5 or fewer OHKOs.
    • Combined Master Hand and Crazy Hand have access to even 15 potential OHKO moves on Intense difficulty in Brawl (12 on Very Hard difficulty in Melee), although some of them need multiple hits to connect to KO at 0%. This also results in their combined attacks occasionally being two OHKO moves.
    • Every boss in Brawl (10 total) is capable of OHKOs under certain conditions, at least on Intense difficulty in the Subspace Emissary or Classic Mode. In Boss Battles, however, only 7 maintain this power.
  • The most powerful boss-related moves in the Smash series are Tabuu's Off Waves (waves and contact with his body) on Intense difficulty in the Subspace Emissary and Boss Battles, and the Ultimate Chimera's bite in Brawl. All these attacks deal 100%-200% damage and immense knockback. Off Waves are so strong that it OHKOs even on the lower difficulties of the Subspace Emissary (Easy) and Boss Battles (Normal).
  • Brawl introduced the trend of "final bosses" having extremely powerful attacks that feature waves in some form, and are usually an OHKO (on higher difficulties only, except for Tabuu). These include Winged Tabuu’s Off Waves, Master Core's Blast Waves and Galeem's Lens Flare (this one only situational).
  • Master Core’s final explosion is the only OHKO that never KOs the player since the battle is already won before the hitboxes land.

See also

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