PK ThunderPSI Thunder PKサンダーPK Thunder
PK Thunder α inMother 3
Ranks	α (Alpha) β (Beta) γ (Gamma) Ω (Omega)
Target	Enemy
PSI category	Attack
Appears in	EarthBound Beginnings EarthBound Mother 3 Super Smash Bros. Melee Brawl For Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Ultimate
Learned by	Ana Paula Poo Kumatora Ness(Smash Bros. only) Lucas(Smash Bros. only)

PK Thunder is aPSI attack, introduced inEarthBound Beginnings. It is a electricity-based attack that summons bolts of lightning to strike random targets, with more being called down at higher stages. PK Thunder can be reflected by theFranklin Badge inEarthBound andMother 3. PK Thunder is learned byAna inEarthBound Beginnings,Paula andPoo in EarthBound, andKumatora in Mother 3.

Overview

The user causes a lightning bolt to strike an opponent for electrical damage. In EarthBound Beginnings characters with, theEarth Pendant equipped will be resistant to it, while in EarthBound and Mother 3 theFranklin Badge will reflect the lightning back at the user.

In EarthBound Beginnings PK Thunder can be aimed at any chosen opponent, unlike in its successors. This is also the only game where the Franklin Badge will not reflect the attack, as instead it reflects the lethalPK Beam γ. Oddly PK Thunder does not have an Ω tier and only goes up to γ. The reason for this is unknown.

PK Thunder was completely overhauled in EarthBound and Mother 3. The move no longer allowed the user to choose a target, instead targeting a random opponent with a chance to miss. In Mother 3, its accuracy is noticeably higher than in EarthBound. The accuracy of PK Thunder is higher when more enemies are present. The number of times PK Thunder strikes increases with each tier: PK Thunder α strikes once, β strikes twice, γ strikes thrice, and Ω strikes four times. PK Thunder will also remove anyPSI Shields that have been put up, and in Mother 3 it also has a chance ofparalyzing a target.

Learnset and damage output

InEarthBound Beginnings

InEarthBound

• The probability of Thunder hitting an enemy is calculated asNumber of foes/4, and the probability will not decrease if some enemies are defeated before the attack is finished. There is also no elemental resistance for thunder, meaning the damage will never decrease. PSI Thunder will also erasepsychic shields or psychic power shields protecting any combatants it connects with, although the effects of the destroyed shield will still be applied to the PSI Thunder strike that destroyed it.
• The "Crashing Boom Bang" attack is mostly functionally identical to PK Thunder β; it can be reflected by the Franklin Badge, however it deals damage through PSI shields, reducing them to 1 stack instead of destroying them outright.

InMother 3

• PK Thunder's accuracy against solo targets and small groups is greatly improved compared to its Earthbound incarnation.
• PK Thunder's damage is affected by the enemy's resistance to thunder according to the formula Actual Damage = (Base Damage) x (Enemy Weakness) / 100. If Kumatora uses PK Thunder α on aPigmask, which has a thunder weakness of 90, it will do between 108 and 117 points of damage.
• PK Thunder has a chance to cause numbness. Like most status ailments in Mother 3, PK Thunder has a base chance to make an enemy's body numb, modified by an enemy's inherent weakness to numbness, according to the formula Actual Success Rate = (Base Success Rate) x (Enemy Weakness) / 100. PK Thunder's base chance to numb is 15. If used on aPigmask, which has a numbness weakness of 60, the enemy will become numb 9% of the time.

In theSuper Smash Bros. series

PK Thunder isNess's up special move, available in all Super Smash Bros. games, andLucas's Up special starting with his introduction inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl. For both characters PK Thunder features a guidable ball of lightning that can move in any direction the player chooses, it will disappear after a while or if it touches a solid object. Both of their PK Thunder's are projectiles, and can be reflected with a move like Fox's Reflector

PK Rocket/PK Thunder 2

The player can redirect the ball of lightning to hit themselves and launch them like a missile. This attack has been dubbed by fans asPK Rocket orPK Thunder 2. PK Rocket is Ness and Lucas's main form ofrecovery in all of the Super Smash Bros. games, as the attack sends them a very long distance. However due to the startup, it can easily be intercepted.

Differences

PK Thunder functions slightly differently for both characters: For Ness it disappears upon hitting a character, however Lucas's doesn't. As a result Lucas's version is much safer as a recovery. Starting withSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Ness's version will not disappear until the "tail" fully appears. For PK Rocket, Ness's variant does a single blow with powerful knockback for a useful KOing option, Lucas's instead is a multi hitting attack and sends him a much greater distance than Ness's.

Customs

Ness has two extra versions of PK Thunder as custom specials in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U:

• Rolling PK Thunder: This version does not last as long and moves slower, PK Rocket also goes a shorter distance. However, it is a very powerful move with a high damage output and knockback, having strong KO potential.

• Lasting PK Thunder: Instead of disappearing when hitting an opponent, the lightning ball goes through them. PK Rocket is also a multi hitting attack rather than a single blow. It is identical to Lucas's variant, however PK Rocket doesn't travel as far in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

Because of Lucas's status as a downloadable character, he does not have custom variants of PK Thunder.

Gallery

In EarthBound

• 
  PK Thunder α and β inEarthBound.
• 
  PK Thunder γ and Ω inEarthBound.

In Mother 3

• 
  PK Thunder α and β inMother 3.
• 
  PK Thunder γ and Ω inMother 3.

Trivia

• Internally the way that thunder destroys PSI Shields is by setting the shield's number of hits left to 1 before it runs the normal shield code. The crashing boom bang attack still reduces shield strength to 1, but doesn't destroy it because it isn't a PSI attack

• PSI