Super Smash Bros. Ultimate/Glossary

AI

AKA:	Artificial Intelligence
Summary:	A computer-controlled character
Definition:	Actions done by the computer to control a character, mimicking a player. Used for CPU players, as well as the secondary Ice Climber when separated.
See Also:	CPU

Auto Turnaround

AKA:	Auto Turn, Autocorrect, Aimbot
Summary:	A mechanic where a character always faces the opponent in 1-on-1 battles.
Definition:	A mechanic shared by Ryu, Ken, Terry, and Kazuya intended to mimic fighting game movement by having them always face the opponent by default as long as it's a 1v1. This means that they can walk backwards, but still face forwards, and some moves inputted at certain times will automatically correct to face to where the opponent is. Because of this, characters with the mechanic have an easier time dealing with cross ups. Auto Turnaround will be temporarily overridden if a move is inputted in the opposite direction, the character is airborne, or if they input a run backwards.

Armor

Summary:

A state where a character takes damage but not knockback.

Definition:

A type of protection in which a character takes damage but no or reduced knockback from a move while active. The primary counterplays to armor are either waiting for it to end, or grabbing through the armor. There are multiple types of armor: * Super Armor stops all knockback and cannot be broken. * Heavy Armor stops all knockback, but can be broken. What must be done to break the armor depends on the move, but most commonly a character must either take enough knockback, damage, or hits. * Subtractive armor reduces the knockback taken by a set amount. This is only seen in Yoshi's double jump, which reduces knockback by 120 units.

Bread & Butter

AKA:	BnB
Summary:	The simplest and most useful combos of a character.
Definition:	Bread and Butter refers to the most important combo starters and kill confirms your character uses against most of the roster. They tend to be very important to playing well with your character so you are able to combo and kill more consistently.

Burst Option

Summary:

A fast & un-reactable attack, especially those which cover a large distance.

Clone

Summary:

A character considered to be fundamentally similar to or derived from another.

Definition:

A clone fighter is an unofficial term used to describe characters that have a moveset so similar to another that they were likely created from the moveset/model template of that character. Over time, clone characters have gotten significantly less obvious as characters gain their identity across titles, but some still remain, such as Ganondorf being Captain Falcon's clone and Dr. Mario being Mario's clone. Certain clones in Ultimate are officially designated as Echo Fighters as well. Many clones usually follow wildly different gameplans despite this, though some of them are noticeably more similar. Certain clones with less derivative movesets, such as Falco and Ganondorf since Brawl, are considered semi-clones instead. A few of them, like Lucas and Wolf, are even less derivative and are actually considered to be pseudo-clones.

CPU

AKA:	Computer Player
Summary:	A character controlled by artificial intelligence.
Definition:	CPU, short for "central processing unit," is a computer controlled character or entity that attempts to make dynamic decisions as a player would.
See Also:	AI

Cross Up

AKA:	Cross-Up, Crossup
Summary:	Timing your attack such that your character moves past the opponent and attacks them from behind.
Definition:	A technique used to end up in the opposite place where a shielding opponent expects you to end on. Most commonly done with Dash Attacks, but is also possible with Short Hop Aerials. They make counter attacks (e.g OoS) that start from the front like Shield Grab miss, allowing the attacker to be safer. Bear in mind however that some attacks strike from behind first, making the technique risky.

DACBG

AKA:	Boost Grab
Summary:	Dash Attack Cancel Boost Grab. Adds extra distance to a dash or pivot grab.
Definition:	Canceling a dash attack with a grab using the shield or grab button for extra distance. It can be performed during a run or initial dash whenever a dash attack is possible. The grab input must be pressed between frames 2 and 4 (Melee/Ultimate) or between frames 2 and 3 (Brawl/Smash 4) in order to cancel a dash attack. This technique cannot be performed in Smash 64.

DACUS

AKA:	Dash Attack Cancel Up Smash
Summary:	Dash Attack Cancel Up Smash. Cancelling the startup of dash attack into an up smash for more distance and momentum.
Definition:	Canceling a dash attack with an up smash input before the dash attack comes out. It can be performed during a run or initial dash whenever a dash attack is possible.

DI

AKA:	Directional Influence
Summary:	Influence on launch angle, performed by holding a direction while being hit.
Definition:	The mechanic allowing one who's about to be launched to slightly influence where/how far they're launched.

Disjoint

Summary:	An attack or animation whose hitbox/appearance is disconnected from its hurtbox.
Definition:	An attack or animation that appears or is disconnected from its respective hurtbox. Characters that use a sword are a common example of this.
See Also:	Hitbox \ Hurtbox

Echo Fighter

AKA:	Echo, Echoes
Summary:	Clone officially designated by Ultimate.
Definition:	Echo fighter is an official term in Ultimate used specifically for seven of the game's clone characters (most of them being newcomers, with the exception of Lucina and Dark Pit) based on the fact that they were derivative characters developed using another character as a base with extremely minimal development time needed. It is possible to stack them on the character selection screen in that game. On an objective level, this term is very loose and undefined, due to some clones not being considered echoes by the game and all echoes being clones. While Lucina, Chrom and Ken all have significant enough gameplay differences from their bases to the point where they are treated as distinct characters by the competitive playerbase, Daisy, Richter, Dark Samus and to a lesser extent Dark Pit are much closer to their bases and are usually grouped together with the originals by players.
See Also:	Clone

Edgeguard

Summary:	Using various means to prevent an opponent from recovering to the stage.
Definition:	Using various attacks and techniques to prevent an opponent from recovering to the stage. This may include going offstage to intercept a recovering opponent, typically with aerial attacks, and oftentimes with meteor smashes or spikes. It can also be done on-stage as well, often involving large disjoints and/or projectiles.

Effect

AKA:	Status Effect, Attribute
Summary:	A broad term used to describe attributes given by certain moves.
Definition:	A broad term used to describe attributes given by certain moves. This includes inconsequential effects like the coin on Super Jump Punch, to effects like freeze, sleep, fire, electric, reverse, and more.

Empty Land

Summary:	Landing without using an aerial or attacking, typically near an opponent to mix them up.
Definition:	Empty landing is the act of landing (usually near an opponent) without attacking or using specials in order to mix up one's timing or offensive options. Also known as a "Tomahawk", especially when done into a grounded grab.

Ending Lag

AKA:	Endlag
Summary:	The time after a move before a character can act.
Definition:	The time after a move before a character can act. In most fighting games, this is called "recovery". However, in Smash, "recovery" instead refers to a character's ability to return from offstage.

Fadeback

Summary:	Drifting away from an opponent.
Definition:	Doing an attack while moving away from an opponent in order to either catch hasty approaches or make a move more safe at the cost of stage control.

Final Smash

AKA:	FS
Summary:	A competitively illegal super move in Brawl, Smash 4 and Ultimate
Definition:	A "super move" that any playable character in Brawl, Smash 4 and Ultimate can perform, usually after breaking a Smash Ball (or filling up the Final Smash Meter in Ultimate). The effects of each Final Smash differs, but most involve dealing damage or killing very early. Under most competitive rulesets, they are banned.

Footsies

Summary:

A term referring to the battle to control the space in front of your character, often through the use of pokes.

Definition:

A complicated, often nebulous term that refers to the battle for controlling the space in front of you, often by using good pokes. In essence, you are trying to get to a range you like, while trying to deny your opponent getting to a range that they like. How you do this varies wildly based on the game, but it often involves using long-range attacks to pester your opponent as they are trying to walk around. This dance of playing mind games with your feet is the source of the term's name.

Footstool

Summary:

A mechanic introduced in Brawl where fighters can gain an upward momentum boost by simply jumping directly on top of their opponents.

Definition:

A mechanic present in Brawl, Smash 4 and Ultimate where fighters can gain an upward momentum boost by simply jumping directly on top of their opponents. While grounded opponents are merely stuck in lag after getting footstooled, airborne opponents are placed in a special tumble situation while falling downward. In Brawl and Smash 4, footstools done on airborne opponents cannot be teched by the victim, which can lead to guaranteed combos. However, footstools against airborne foes can be teched by the victim in Ultimate. Additionally, footstools done against opponents who are in the middle of an attack (excluding landing lag from aerial attacks) or certain other special animations/statuses will not affect the victim; such footstools are called "phantom footstools".

Frame Trap

Summary:	String that allows an escape option while also catching that escape option's lag.
Definition:	A type of string (see also: {{{2}}}) which can punish an escape option, such as jumping or airdodging, by continuing the string in a different way.

Gravity

Summary:	Downwards acceleration when falling.
Definition:	A character's downward acceleration in the air. Each frame, this value is subtracted from a character's vertical speed until they reach their maximum fall speed.

Helpless

AKA:	Freefall, Special Fall
Summary:	An unactionable state some specials cause, lasting until the character lands, is hit, or grabs ledge.
Definition:	During this state, a character is completely inactionable until they touch the ground again, grab the ledge, or get hit. This most often happens after specials used for recovery.

Hitlag

AKA:	Freeze Frames, Hitstop, Hitpause
Summary:	Period of time where both attacking and defending characters are frozen in place after a hitbox connects.
Definition:	The time during getting hit when a player is frozen in place. This applies to both characters usually, and the amount of hitlag depends on the power of the move in most cases. Hitlag allows the attacker to confirm whether their move hit and react accordingly, as well as allowing the victim to react to the hit with DI and/or SDI.
See Also:	DI \ SDI

Hitstun

Summary:	The state a character is put in after getting hit where they're unable to act for a period of time.
Definition:	The time after getting hit when a character cannot perform an action. If another move connects during this time, it is known as a "true" combo.

Hurtbox

Summary:	The invisible collision box of a character that decides whether an attack's hitbox connected.
Definition:	An invisible collision box attached to each character's body that serves as their "real" body for hit detection purposes. A move is considered to connect if the attack's hitbox overlaps with a target's hurtbox. Hurtboxes typically follow a character's body through an attack (such as covering a character's legs during a kick), though are not explicitly bound to an attack's hitbox (e.g. a sword having a hitbox but no hurtbox).
See Also:	Hitbox \ Disjoint

Hurtbox Extension

Summary:	An animation, typically during an attack, that causes a character's hurtbox to move in a way that is more vulnerable.
Definition:	An animation that causes a character's hurtbox to become more vulnerable. This is a type of hurtbox shifting, but while hurtbox extension is often used when the animation causes an attack to hit when it otherwise would not, hurtbox shifting is often used when the animation causes an attack to miss.
See Also:	Hurtbox \ Hurtbox Shifting

Hurtbox Shift

Summary:	An animation that causes a character's hurtbox to move a significant amount.
Definition:	An animation that causes a character's hurtbox to move a large amount. Often, hurtbox shifting is used when the animation's movement causes an attack to miss, while hurtbox extension is used when the animation causes an attack to hit when it otherwise wouldn't.
See Also:	Hurtbox

Instant Double-Jump

AKA:	IDJ
Summary:	A technique where one Double Jumps as low to the ground as possible.
Definition:	An Instant Double Jump is using your Double Jump as fast as possible after inputting Jump. The uses of this technique can vary, between performing Rising Aerials low to the ground, using Aerials with increased vertical height, and more.