Up Special Move

Up Special (commonly referred to as Up B in iterations prior to Super Smash Bros. Brawl) is a Special Move performed by pressing the Special Move button while holding the Control Stick upwards.

Up Special Moves are usually working as a character's third jump or Tether Recovery (only in Brawl) used to recover from off-stage; the Up Special will often put the character into helpless mode. The only exceptions are Yoshi and Jigglypuff, neither of whose Up Specials act as jumps (with the exception of Yoshi's since Brawl). It also should be noted that in Brawl, when an Up Special is used on the ground, it provides a greater vertical movement than when used in the air; an example is Samus' Screw Attack. Moreover, for Tether Recoveries used before the midair jump is used, the character will also gain a greater vertical distance to make up for the jump not used.

List of Up Special Moves

Character	Up Special	Description	Image
Banjo & Kazooie	Shock Spring Jump	A Shock Spring Pad appears under Banjo which he uses to jump up.
Bayonetta	Witch Twist	Flies upward and spins around as magic swirls around her.
Bowser	Whirling Fortress	Retracts into his shell and quickly spins horizontally. Has fairly high damage and knockback, and quite a bit of horizontal distance. Very useful Out of Shield move.
Bowser Jr.	Abandon Ship	Ejects himself from the Clown Car and rockets upwards. Upon hitting the ground, a new Clown Car will instantly re-form around Bowser Jr. If an opponent is hit, the Clown Car will explode.
Byleth	Sword of the Creator	Whips the Sword of the Creator upwards, which can latch onto ledges and opponents.
Captain Falcon	Falcon Dive	Leaps into the air and grabs any opponent who makes contact with his body, and proceeds to launch off them with a fiery explosion. Successful contact will allow Captain Falcon to perform the move again.
Chrom	Soaring Slash	Jumps upward and then slashes down while twirling. Drops straight down and launches opponents to the ground.
Cloud	Climhazzard	Does an upward slash with the Buster Sword. If the button is pressed again, he will slam it downward. Height is increased with fully charged Limit.
Corrin	Draconic Ascent	Sprouts dragon wings and soars upward in a blast of water. Has little to no horizontal recovery.
Dark Pit	Power of Flight	Propels himself in a straight line in any direction, gaining a lot of distance. Can also be angled.
Diddy Kong	Rocketbarrel Boost	Flies upward and to the sides with the Rocketbarrel Pack. This move can be charged, but holding it too long will cause it to come off and land on the stage. If Diddy gets hit while using this move, the barrel can possibly fly off and hit any enemies in the way. He takes 5% damage when hitting a floor. Spikes opponents.
Donkey Kong	Spinning Kong	Extends both of his arms out, hands balled into fists, and spins quickly. Gains more horizontal distance than vertical.
Dr. Mario	Super Jump Punch	Does a diagonal punch upwards that hits hard once. Unlike Mario's, it gains less vertical recovery, but does more damage with more knockback.
Duck Hunt	Duck Jump	The duck grabs the dog by the tail and carries him upward for a short distance. The direction they go in can be influenced by the control stick. This move cannot be cancelled.
Falco	Fire Bird	Gathers flames around him, then erupts like a rocket, flying quickly in one direction of choice. Hits multiple times but goes a shorter distance than Fire Fox.
Fox	Fire Fox	Gathers flames around him, then erupts like a rocket, flying quickly in one direction of choice. Hits the opponent once. Gets more vertical recovery than Fire Bird.
Ganondorf	Dark Dive	Leaps into the air and grabs any opponent who makes contact with his body, shocks them with electricity, and launches off them Successful contact will allow Ganondorf to perform the move again. Uppercut does some dark energy-based damage if grab does not connect since Brawl. Bad for both vertical and horizontal recovery.
Greninja	Hydro Pump	Blasts upwards with a spout of water, and can travel in two directions, similar to Pikachu's Quick Attack. Can push opponents (like F.L.U.D.D) if angled correctly.
Hero	Woosh/Swoosh/Kaswoosh	Summons a tornado to lift you upward. The wind will cut through surrounding enemies. You can rise up higher when charged.
Ice Climbers	Belay	Sends one of the Ice Climbers far into the air, with a cord attached to the other one, which pulls it up afterwards. Can work as a tether. If Popo is alone, he only does a very short hop.
Ike	Aether	Throws his sword in the air, then jumps up, catches it, and falls back to earth. The move cannot be interrupted while Ike and his sword are separated, and Ike will be temporarily immune to flinching. Like Kirby, if it is used mid-air and Ike does not grab the ledge of the field, he will unavoidably fall to his death.
Incineroar	Cross Chop	Jumps up high into the air, then diagonally crashes down with its arms crossed creating an explosion once it hits the floor.
Inkling	Super Jump	Transforms into a squid and jumps straight up. Tilting left or right can change the angle a little.
Isabelle	Balloon Trip	Sits on a swing lifted up by four balloons.
Jigglypuff	Sing	Radiates pink waves and musical notes from its body. Any non-airborne enemy caught within these waves will be put to sleep for a short period of time. Can not be used for recovery.
Joker	Grappling Hook/Wings of Rebellion	Throws a grappling hook to grab edges and opponents. While Arsene is active, flies upward using Arsene's wings.
Kazuya	Devil Wings	Grow devil wings and rise upward. You can move slightly to the left or right. While you are rising, you can attack opponents with the claws on the wings.
King Dedede	Super Dedede Jump	Takes a great leap into the air and lands with tremendous force. Has Super Armor frames until the apex of the jump. Can be cancelled.
King K. Rool	Propellerpack	Rises up into the air wearing a propeller, damaging any opponents caught in the attack.
Kirby	Final Cutter	Extends a blade and launches straight up into the air, then proceeds to fall at a very fast speed, launching an energy wave upon hitting the ground.
Link	Spin Attack	Spins around in place with sword extended. Knocks opponents away when grounded.
Little Mac	Rising Uppercut	Spins upward, dealing a flurry of punches. Anyone caught in it will suffer a lot of damage, but it gains little vertical height.
Lucario	Extreme Speed	Pauses very briefly then moves very quickly. Distance is dependent by his Aura.
Lucas	PK Thunder	Shoots a bolt out of his head. While it is in the air, the bolt can be controlled by moving the control stick. Running the head into an opponent will cause damage. If the PK Thunder is steered into Lucas himself, it launches him in the opposite direction from the one he was hit at. While being launched, Lucas is invulnerable for a large period of time and can cause significant damage and knockback to anyone hit by his body. Is a multi-hit, and goes farther than Ness's PK Thunder.
Lucina	Dolphin Slash	Does a quick upward slash. Similar to Marth's, but deals equal damage across entire attack.
Luigi	Super Jump Punch	Does a vertical punch upwards. If used far from the opponent, 1% damage will be inflicted with no flinching. If used up close, the attack transforms into the Fire Jump Punch, dealing high vertical knockback and fiery damage.
Mario	Super Jump Punch	Does a diagonal punch upwards and hits the opponent multiple times, knocking out coins in the process. If they are at the edge of the hitbox, it will only hit for 1 or 2 percent (and coins).
Marth	Dolphin Slash	Does a quick upward slash. Provides decent vertical recovery, but very little horizontal recovery. Better kill move if used at the tip of his sword.
Mega Man	Rush Coil	Calls Rush who appears underneath him, propelling him upward, much like Sonic's Spring Jump. If used on the ground, Rush will stay for a few seconds, allowing others to jump on him.
Meta Knight	Shuttle Loop	Leaps into the air with sword drawn, and then backflips 270 degrees. Meta Knight automatically glides after this move (if he stops the glide he becomes helpless). It can be used as an offensive move if hit just after he starts to use it. But the glide was taken away in 3DS/Wii U, and never did reappear.
Mewtwo	Teleport	Vanishes and appears a fair distance away in any direction. Does not cause any damage.
Mii Brawler	Soaring Axe Kick Piston Punch (3DS/Wii U) Thrust Uppercut Helicopter Kick	Soaring Axe Kick: Flies upwards with their leg. outstretched, then falls downward quickly. A powerful attack move, but a bad recovery. Piston Punch: Punches multiple times upwards. Can move slightly to the side during the move. Thrust Uppercut: Rises into the air with an uppercut, and then unleashes a powerful punch at the end. Helicopter Kick: Repeatedly kicks while rising. Can be angled.
Mii Gunner	Lunar Launch Cannon Uppercut (3DS/Wii U) Cannon Jump Kick Arm Rocket	Lunar Launch: Fires a shot directly downward, using the recoil to blast upward. Cannon Uppercut: Blasts off with arm cannon and uppercuts with the other arm. Cannon Jump Kick: Rises up with a jet boost. Has a meteor effect if airborne opponent is hit. Arm Rocket: Flies upward with arm cannon. Does not deal damage.
Mii Swordfighter	Stone Scabbard Skyward Slash Dash Hero's Spin	Stone Scabbard: Leaps upward and does a diving stab. Skyward Slash Dash: Travels in a direction while performing a series of slashes. Hero's Spin: Spins around with sword extended, and can travel upward.
Min Min	ARMS Jump and ARMS Hook	Min Min has two Up Specials. Her grounded Up Special Move is her ARMS jump. Here, she pushes off the ground with both ARMS extendables. In the sky, Min Min does not have any solid surfaces to push off, so she uses ARMS Hook, where she reaches up with the left extendable for a tether recovery.
Mr. Game & Watch	Fire	Launches quickly upwards and deals damage, propelled by a temporary team of Game & Watch characters with a fireman's trampoline. Since Brawl, he gains a parachute, aiding in horizontal recovery.
Ness	PK Thunder	Shoots a bolt out of Ness' head. While it is in the air, the bolt can be controlled by moving the joystick). Running the head into an opponent will cause slight damage. If the PK Thunder is steered into Ness himself, it launches him in the opposite direction from the one he was hit at. While being launched, Ness is invulnerable for a large period of time and can cause significant damage and knockback to anyone hit by his body.
Olimar	Winged Pikmin (3DS/Wii U, Ultimate) Pikmin Chain (Brawl)	Winged Pikmin: Two Winged Pikmin appear and they carry Olimar and other Pikmin upward, depending on the number of Pikmin Olimar is carrying, the Winged Pikmin will carry Olimar with less distance. Pikmin Chain: The Pikmin currently following Olimar form into a chain that Olimar uses to latch onto a ledge, performing a Tether Recovery. The number of Pikmin following Olimar at the time drastically effects the distance this move can cover. Can be stopped by a player grabbing the ledge, therefore making Olimar unable to grab the ledge with this move. Moderately useful combo move.	Winged Pikmin Pikmin Chain
Pac-Man	Pac-Jump	Uses a Trampoline to jump upward in his classic form, Pac-Man will gain height for each jump. It changes color after each use, it will go from blue, to yellow, and finally to red. Other characters can jump on it, if anyone jumps on the red trampoline, it will break and the character will be in their helpless state.
Palutena	Warp	Disappears in a flash of smoke and reappears somewhere else.
Peach/Daisy	Peach Parasol/Daisy Parasol	Pulls out an umbrella and opens it, greatly reducing her fall speed and increasing her horizontal recovery range. As she is pulling it out, she is given a slight vertical boost. Tap down to go into fast fall, and then tap up again to slow descent.
Pichu	Agility	Performs a quick teleport-like action in any direction. Inputting another direction during this first teleport allows Pichu to immediately perform a second teleport upon finishing the first. Pichu will also be dealt 1% damage for the first teleport then 3% for the second. It moves more smoothly than Pikachu's Quick Attack but does no damage.
Pikachu	Quick Attack	Performs a quick teleport-like action in any direction. Inputting another direction during this first teleport allows Pikachu to immediately perform a second teleport upon finishing the first. Deals damage to opponents caught in between.
Piranha Plant	Piranhacopter	Spins leaves to fly. Can be moved left or right. Does damage if it makes contact.
Pit	Power of Flight Wings of Icarus (Brawl)	Power of Flight: Flies in a straight line in any direction. He can go a large distance with this. Wings of Icarus: Flies freely for a while. If Pit is hit while using the move, he is unable to use it again until he lands.	Power of Flight Wings of Icarus
Pokémon Trainer	Waterfall (Squirtle) Vine Whip (Ivysaur) Fly (Charizard)	Waterfall: Rides up on a wave of water and ends with a small splash. Vine Whip: Shoots a vine up, which can be used as a Tether Recovery. Fly: Flies up for a short distance. Has little to no horizontal recovery. Returns as solo Charizard's Up Special in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
Pyra/Mythra	Pyra: Prominence Revolt Mythra: Ray of Punishment / Chroma Dust	Prominence Revolt: Leap into the air and then drop quickly, stabbing downward. Upon landing, a pillar of fire will appear in front of you. Ray of Punishment/Chroma Dust: Jump with an overhead slash, and then follow up with a blast of light diagonally downward. Scatter the blast by pressing the button again before it fires.
Ridley	Wing Blitz	When triggered, Ridley pauses, and generates purple flames underneath himself, before quickly flying upward. Has meteor smash effect if angled downwards.
R.O.B.	Robo Burner	Uses a rocket thruster to boost himself into the air. Offers both vertical and horizontal recovery. It is possible to stop the move, use an attack or other move, and then resume hovering. After landing, R.O.B. must remain on the ground for a time before the move will be fully recharged.
Robin	Elwind	Shoots two blasts of wind underneath him, which propel him upwards as well as damaging anyone underneath him. The first one provides a slight vertical boost while the second one gives a larger vertical boost.
Rosalina & Luma	Launch Star	Summons a Launch Star, which launches her upward. Can be angled left or right. If angled the opposite direction she was facing when the move was started, she will go straight up.
Roy	Blazer	Does an upward slash and sets the enemy character on fire. There is no equivalent to the Reverse Dolphin Slash due to the hitbox and sweetspot layout of Roy's blade being different than Marth's.
Ryu/Ken	Shoryuken/Heavy Shoryuken	Does a powerful uppercut. The height gained is dependent on how long the button is held.
Samus/Dark Samus	Screw Attack	Quickly rolls up into a ball and launches upwards, spinning. Any enemy caught at any point within the attack will be pulled up to the top and hit multiple times for a low percent.
Sephiroth	Blade Dash / Octaslash	Input a direction with the stick, and you'll slash in that direction. Hold down the attack button to strike eight times in a row.
Sheik	Vanish	Throws a Deku Nut and disappears with a puff of smoke (deals damage in 3DS/Wii U). Sheik will then reappear a short distance in any direction from where she disappeared, but will have a much longer than usual lagtime upon hitting the ground.
Shulk	Air Slash	Does a slash upward, and will perform another horizontal slash if the button is pressed again. Distance gained dependent on Monado Art used.
Simon/Richter	Uppercut	Brings out the whip and performs an uppercut slash, rising into the air.
Snake	Cypher	Grabs his flying reconnaissance camera and flies upward. Upon use in the air, Snake will fall for a short distance as he grabs the Cypher. Snake is not left helpless after using the move.
Sonic	Spring Jump	Propels himself from a classic spring from the Genesis-era Sonic the Hedgehog games. The spring can stay in the ground and if the opponent moves quickly enough, he or she can also utilize this spring, bouncing equally as high. If used in the air, the spring will fall and damage opponents who touch it.
Sora	Aerial Sweep	Rise up into the air while twirling. Move slightly left or right by inputting either direction. You can use a side special at the end of this move too.
Steve	Elytra	Equip an elytra, accelerate with a firework rocket, and glide through the air. Adjust the trajectory by inputting up and down.
Terry	Rising Tackle	Strike against airborne threats by rising up feetfirst. Tilt the stick left or right to move slightly.
Toon Link	Spin Attack	Spins around in place with sword extended. While it has a shorter range than Link's, Toon Link gains more vertical distance, and can hit opponents multiple times on the ground.
Villager	Balloon Trip	Puts on a hat with balloons, which lifts him up if the buttons are mashed. If one balloon is popped, the Villager will lose some lift. If both balloons are popped, the Villager will automatically go into a helpless state.
Wario	Corkscrew	Spins and moves vertically slightly while hitting opponents multiple times. Goes much higher when Wario-Man.
Wii Fit Trainer	Super Hoop	Hula hoops form around the Wii Fit Trainer and she is lifted upwards while she spins. Will go slightly higher if the button is tapped repeatedly.
Wolf	Fire Wolf	Propels himself forward and kicks the opponent, hitting multiple times. Pushes the opponent in the direction that Wolf is going.
Yoshi	Egg Throw	Launches an egg upwards in an arc, which can be angled along a variety of trajectories, hitting anywhere from far horizontally in front of Yoshi to slightly behind and above Yoshi. The egg explodes upon contact or after moving along for a set air-time. It also sends Yoshi a short distance upward, but does not function much as a recovery and does not cause helplessness.
Young Link	Spin Attack	Spins around in place with sword extended. Hits multiple times, but cannot be charged.
Zelda	Farore's Wind	Flashes for a second, then invisibly teleports a long distance. Opponents caught in her disappearance or reappearance will be damaged.
Zero Suit Samus	Boost Kick Plasma Wire (Brawl)	Boost Kick: Uses her jet boots and does an kick that propel herself upward. If it hits a character, she will do another kick forward. Very good kill move and combo finisher. Plasma Wire: Flicks her whip upwards, catching enemies and launching them upwards if grounded, or Meteor Smashing them if airborne. If it connects with a ledge, it results in a Tether Recovery.	Boost Kick Plasma Wire

External Links

Example of Pikachu's invincibility frames