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Fireball

Mario's fireball is an example of a projectile

Projectile is an attack or other object that operates independently of the character that used it. Common examples of projectiles include the Charge Shot, Blaster shots, and thrown items. Most projectiles can be reflected, while others can also be absorbed.

A majority of characters have at least one projectile attack, while some have two or even three. It is considered a disadvantage to lack a projectile, as they can be very useful in both approaching and camping out opponents' approaches. Projectiles also cause the target to take hitlag while the user does not, which allows a few free frames of action.

As projectiles are (in general) considered indirect attacks, the vast majority of enemies in the Subspace Emissary resist them outside of any weak points they may have - in fact, only Porky, Meta Ridley, and Tabuu do not. Projectiles are also generally special moves executed with the B button, but since Brawl, some characters such as Snake, the Villager, and Mega Man have standard attacks that are projectiles.

Projectiles Used by Fighters[]

This table includes all non-Final Smash projectiles for every character, as well as some important properties of each. Note that, while a projectile may not be absorbable, that does not exclude the ability to be Pocketed.

A projectile that can neither be reflected nor absorbed can be considered a disjointed Hitbox.

Character Projectiles Reflectable Absorbable Chargeable Unique/Special Properties
Bayonetta Bullet Climax YesY NoN YesY Can be charged, fires at a slightly upwards angle.
Bowser Fire Breath YesY YesY NoN Size and length decreases as Bowser continues to breathe, releasing the move slowly recharges it.
Bowser Jr. Mechakoopa YesY NoN NoN
Abandon Ship NoN NoN NoN The Clown Car becomes a projectile after abandoned.
Clown Cannon YesY NoN YesY
Cloud Blade Beam YesY YesY YesY Charges up using a different move, Limit Charge, and has transcendent priority when it is charged up.
Corrin Dragon Fang Shot YesY YesY YesY Inflicts paralysis on opponents it hits.
Dark Pit Silver Arrow YesY YesY YesY Chargeable and slightly controllable. Can be held for a slightly limited time, and can be aimed up.
Diddy Kong Peanut Popgun YesY NoN YesY Can be charged, which increases damage and speed while flattening the movement angle, but charging too much causes the move to fail. Can be grabbed and subsequently thrown as an item.
Banana Peel YesY NoN NoN Produces a banana peel.
Rocketbarrel Boost (when the barrels come off) YesY NoN YesY Has a random trajectory. Cannot be shielded.
Dr. Mario Megavitamins YesY YesYSSBM Icon
NoNSSB4 Icon
NoN Affected by gravity, bounces on the ground.
Duck Hunt Trick Shot YesY NoN NoN Can be launched higher and/or farther by pressing B repeatedly. Explodes after a while, or if it hits an enemy.
Clay Shooting NoN NoN NoN The clay pigeon is shot if the B button is pressed. If hit by an attack (including ones that normally would reflect projectiles), then it breaks automatically.
Wild Gunman YesY NoN NoN
Falco Blaster YesY YesY NoN Follows straight trajectory. Causes flinching. The lasers are also used in his up, back and down throws (can also be absorbed and reflected).
Fox Blaster YesY YesY NoN Follows straight trajectory. Does not cause flinching (except in Smash 64). The lasers are also used in Fox's back, down and up throws in Melee and Brawl (can also be absorbed and reflected).
Greninja Water Shuriken YesY NoN YesY
Hydro Pump YesY NoN NoN Does not cause flinching.
Ice Climbers Ice Shot YesY YesYSSBM Icon
NoNSSBB Icon
NoN Bounces off shields, causing it to travel the other direction. Hugs the ground, following straight trajectory.
Blizzard YesY YesY NoN  
Joker Gun (bullets) Becomes Gun Special when the Rebellion Gauge is charged.
King Dedede Inhale (spit-out character) NoN NoN NoN Spits in straight trajectory.
Waddle Dee Toss YesY/NoN YesY/NoN NoN Affected by gravity, can be angled up or down and shortened or lengthened. Waddle Doos' Beam Whip can be reflected or absorbed, Gordos and thrown items can be reflected, while tossed Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos cannot.
Gordo Throw YesY NoN NoN Can be reflected by any attack doing over 2%.
Super Dedede Jump (stars produced) YesY YesY NoN  
Kirby Inhale (spit-out character and swallow) YesY NoN NoN The character that's been turned into a star will be shot out of Kirby's mouth in a straight trajectory in front of him if he spits that character out. If he swallows a character, the star will appear behind him with the same properties but with much shorter range. If reflected and it hits Kirby, he will keep his copy ability, but the swallow animation will stop a few frames earlier.
Final Cutter's shock wave YesY YesY NoN Produces a wave after Kirby touches the ground, hugging it and following a straight trajectory.
May copy another character's neutral special projectile.
Link Boomerang/Gale Boomerang YesY NoN NoN Tries to return to Link. Can be angled. In Brawl, produces a vacuum effect on return.
Bomb YesY NoN NoN Produces a Bomb, which acts as an item. It explodes after 7 seconds, and can deal self-damage. While the bomb itself cannot be absorbed, the explosion it creates can.
Bow/Hero's Bow YesY NoN YesY Can be charged, and held forever before releasing. The charge affects the firing speed and distance. Affected by gravity, stops moving when it hits the ground.
Hookshot/Clawshot NoN NoN NoN Can be used for Tether Recovery.
Lucario Aura Sphere YesY YesY YesY Waves up and down slightly; moves perfectly straight when fully charged. Can be held forever (damages foes who touch the Aura).
Force Palm's aura YesY YesY NoN In very close distance, acts as a throw instead.
Lucas PK Freeze YesY YesY YesY Affected by gravity and can be tilted forward and backwards.
PK Fire YesY YesY NoN Travels straight forward and disappears after about 3/8 of the way across Final Destination.
PK Thunder YesY YesY NoN Controllable.
Luigi Fireball YesY YesY NoN Follows straight trajectory.
Mario Fireball YesY YesY NoN Affected by gravity, bounces on the ground.
F.L.U.D.D. YesY NoN YesY Pushes opponents and does no damage. Can be tilted up and down.
Mega Man Neutral attack YesY YesY NoN Fires up to three shots.
Forward smash YesY YesY YesY Travels a short distance.
Up Air Attack YesY YesY NoN Pushes opponents upwards, or downwards if reflected, and doesn't make them flinch.
Down Air Attack YesY NoN NoN Meteor Smashes opponents when sweet spotted.
Metal Blade YesY NoN NoN
Crash Bomber YesY NoN NoN Can be passed from player to player much like a Gooey Bomb.
Leaf Shield YesY NoN NoN
Mewtwo Shadow Ball YesY YesY YesY Huge recoil when used fully charged. Waves up and down slightly. Can be held forever (In Melee, damages foes who touch the ball during charging). Small Shadow Balls are launched during Mewtwo's forward throw (which can also be absorbed).
Disable YesY NoN NoN  
Mii Brawler Shot Put YesY NoN NoN
Mii Gunner Forward aerial YesY YesY NoN
Charge Blast YesY YesY YesY
Laser Blaze YesY YesY NoN
Grenade Launch YesY NoN YesY
Flame Pillar YesY YesY NoN
Stealth Burst YesY YesY YesY Reflectors cannot affect the projectile as it is travelling, but they will reflect the explosion.
Gunner Missile YesY NoN NoN
Lunar Launch NoN NoN NoN
Bomb Drop YesY NoN NoN Detonates instantly upon contact with an opponent
Mii Swordfighter Gale Strike YesY NoN NoN
Shuriken of Light YesY NoN NoN
Chakram YesY NoN NoN
Mr. Game & Watch Chef YesY YesYSSBM Icon
NoNSSBB IconSSB4 Icon
NoN Random trajectory. In Brawl, the projectiles created by Kirby copying this move can be absorbed, unlike the Mr. Game & Watch version.
Ness PK Flash YesY YesY YesY Affected by gravity and can be tilted forward and backwards.
PK Fire YesY YesY NoN Creates gravity-affected fire pillar on impact, trajectory changes when used in midair.
PK Thunder YesY YesY NoN Controllable.
Olimar All of Olimar's Pikmin attacks - namely, his smash attacks, directional aerials, grabs, throws, Pikmin Chain, and Pikmin Throw - are considered projectiles due to the Pikmin being the active object, not Olimar.
Pac-Man Bonus Fruit YesY NoN YesY Effects change depending on the object thrown.
Fire Hydrant YesY NoN NoN Reflectable while airborne. Water produced by the hydrant is also reflectable.
Peach Toad YesY YesY NoN The spores produced on a successful counterattack are projectiles.
Vegetable YesY NoN NoN Produces a vegetable item, and rarely Bob-ombs, Mr. Saturns, or Beam Swords.
Pichu Thunder Jolt YesY YesY NoN Causes 1% recoil damage. Hugs the stage.
Thunder YesY YesY NoN Causes 3% recoil damage if the bolt hits Pichu.
Pikachu Thunder Jolt YesY YesY NoN Hugs the stage, can travel up walls, along ceilings, and below the edge (except in Super Smash Bros.). Has diagonal trajectory in the air.
Thunder YesY YesY NoN Cannot go through platforms above Pikachu.
Pit Palutena's Arrow YesY YesY YesY Can be held for a limited time, and be aimed upward.
Pokémon Trainer Flamethrower (Charizard) YesY YesY NoN Can be tilted up and down. Can be held forever, but fire length gradually decreases.
Rock Smash fragments (Charizard) YesY NoN NoN  
Bullet Seed (Ivysaur) YesY NoN NoN Can be held for limited time.
Razor Leaf (Ivysaur) YesY NoN NoN Can be tilted up and down, but trajectory is fairly random.
Water Gun (Squirtle) YesY NoN YesY When charged, pushes opponents and does no damage unless uncharged. Can be tilted up and down.
R.O.B. Robo Beam YesY YesY YesY Can reflect off surfaces at certain angles, can be tilted up and down. Charges automatically.
Gyro YesY NoN YesY Produces a Gyro item.
Robin Elwind YesY YesY NoN Can meteor smash opponents.
Thunder Magic YesY YesY YesY Properties change depending on charge level.
Arcfire YesY YesY NoN Bursts into a column of flame on impact.
Rosalina Luma Shot YesY NoN YesY When distanced, Luma can be called back.
Star Bits YesY NoN NoN
Ryu Hadōken YesY YesY NoN A slow, blue energy projectile. True Hadōken is larger and deals more damage. Shakunetsu Hadōken is orange, fiery, and deals multiple hits.
Samus Charge Shot YesY YesY YesY Follows straight trajectory; chargeable. In Super Smash Bros., it can go on for an infinite distance. In Melee and Brawl, it will disappear if it doesn't hit anything for a few seconds.
Missile YesY NoN NoN Can fire a homing missile or super missile.
Bomb YesY NoN NoN Detonates either instantly upon contact with an opponent (Melee/SSB) or after a set period of time (Brawl).
Grapple Beam NoN NoN NoN Can be used for Tether Recovery.
Sheik Needle Storm YesY NoN YesY Can be tilted up and down. Can be charged forever, but only six needles can be held and fired.
Vanish NoN NoN NoN Considered a projectile because the explosion and hitbox do not follow Sheik.
Burst Grenade YesY NoN NoN
Snake Hand Grenade YesY NoN NoN Can be picked up, grenade itself does not cause flinching and can be tilted forward and backwards (when tilted backwards it will fall next to Snake). Can also injure the user. Detonates after few seconds. Does not explode on contact.
Remote Missile YesY NoN NoN Controllable. Shielding against it makes the user lose control of its trajectory.
Cypher (once let go of) YesY NoN NoN  
Up smash YesY NoN YesY  
Down smash NoN NoN YesY  
C4 NoN NoN NoN  
Taunt YesY NoN NoN Affected by gravity. Can be picked up by opponents (while Snake is still inside of it), though only Donkey Kong can move around while holding it.
Sonic Spring Jump (aerial usage) NoN NoN NoN  
Toon Link Bow YesY NoN YesY Can be charged, and held forever before releasing. The charge affects the firing speed and distance.
Boomerang YesY NoN NoN Tries to return to Toon Link. Can be angled.
Bomb YesY NoN NoN Produces a bomb item. Explode after a few seconds. Can damage the user. While the bomb itself cannot be absorbed, the explosion it creates can.
Hookshot NoN NoN NoN Can be used for Tether Recovery.
Villager Forward Smash YesY NoN YesY Drops a bowling ball.
Forward aerial YesY NoN NoN Fires a slingshot pellet.
Back aerial YesY NoN NoN Fires a slingshot pellet.
Dash Attack YesY NoN NoN Can be used on-stage to hit opponents off-stage.
Lloid Rocket YesY NoN NoN Only Villager can ride it which deals more damage. If reflected and Villager is still riding on it, Villager can chose to get off or take the damage. Because a ridden Lloid Rocket deals more damage, Villager experience more knockback and may be KO'd at mid percents.
Timber (cut tree) YesY NoN NoN
Wario Wario Bike (once dismounted, can be thrown) YesY NoN NoN Can be destroyed (resulting in two tires that can also be picked up and thrown in Brawl).
Wii Fit Trainer Sun Salutation YesY YesY YesY Also heals the user when fully charged. Can be absorbed immediately after charging is finished.
Header YesY NoN NoN Shoots a soccer ball at a downward angle; acts as a melee attack in close ranges.
Wolf Blaster YesY YesY NoN Follows straight trajectory; acts as a melee attack in close ranges.
Yoshi Egg Throw YesY NoN NoN Can be tilted forward, backwards, up and down (when tilted backwards the egg will go next to Yoshi). Holding down the special button will make the egg travel further.
Yoshi Bomb (stars) YesY YesY NoN  
Young Link Bow YesY NoN YesY Can be charged, and held forever before releasing. The charge affects the firing speed and distance.
Boomerang YesY NoN NoN Tries to return to Young Link.
Bomb YesY NoN NoN Produces a bomb item. Explode after some seconds. Can damage the user.
Hookshot NoN NoN NoN Can be used for Tether Recovery.
Zelda Din's Fire YesY YesY YesY Reflectors cannot affect the projectile as it is travelling, but they will reflect the explosion.
Phantom Slash YesY NoN YesY
Zero Suit Samus Paralyzer YesY YesY YesY Stuns opponent in place. Chargeable for a limited amount of time.

Characters without projectiles[]

The following characters currently lack projectiles.

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