Pokémon Trainer'sPokémon Change is an example of a down special inBrawl.

Both Samus and Link's Bombs are examples of down specials inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Thedown special move (commonly referred to asdown B) is aspecial move performed by pressing the special move button while holding thecontrol stick downwards.

Down specials are the most varied of special moves and are often the character's more "gimmicky" attack - the majority ofreflectors,absorbers,counterattacks,item-creating moves, mid-match character transformations, difficultrecoveries, andchargeable attacks are down specials. They tend to involve minimal character movement.

Certain down specials do not function in the air at all, such asPeach'sVegetable andDonkey Kong'sHand Slap prior toSSB4. Others will display unique animations in the air due to failing to activate, like the first part ofVillager'sTimber andIsabelle'sLloid Trap. Some down specials can be described as "on the ground" attacks (usually abbreviated to OTG), meaning they are specifically designed to hit opponents lying on the ground.

Reverse down special[edit]

ESAM  wavebouncing after awall jump off the lip ofFinal Destination to steer onto the stage while usingThunder so that it covers the area just next to theedge offstage toedgeguard.

InBrawl,Smash 4, andUltimate, some characters' down special moves can be reversed by pushing the control stick in the opposite direction a few frames after inputting the move. There is no animation for reversing a down special. Unlike other reverse specials, a reverse down special has a limited number of characters that can do it and fewer who will gain an advantage from it. The characters who can perform it are Bowser, Yoshi, Pit, Ice Climbers, R.O.B., Pikachu, Marth, Ike, Ness, Lucas, Fox, Wolf, and Mr. Game & Watch. Since only Bowser, R.O.B., and Yoshi have a use for a reverse down special on the ground, some characters can use it in the air to gain a boost in the opposite direction and surprise opponents like Marth, Ike, and Pikachu. The boost is most likely caused by a reverse down special having no animation and swaps the momentum around with the character.

List of down special moves[edit]

Character	Move	Description
Banjo &Kazooie	Rear Egg	Banjo crouches down and Kazooie shoots a Grenade Egg from her rear end. The Grenade Egg works as an explosive and item, able to be grabbed and tossed at opponents.
Bayonetta	Witch Time	Works like acounterattack, but instead of responding back with an attack of her own, Bayonetta slows down time for the affected attacker. Opponents with higher accumulateddamage are slowed down for longer. If the timing on Witch Time's activation is off, a secondary effect calledBat Within activates, where Bayonetta takes half damage but no knockback from the incoming attack and the attacker is not slowed.
Bowser	Bowser Bomb	Astall-then-fall ground pound attack. Starting inSmash 4, the grounded version has a small initial hit on the way up meant to place opponents in the path of the stronger descending portion of the move.
Bowser Jr.	Mechakoopa	Bowser Jr. releases a Mechakoopa which begins to walk around the stage of its own accord. The Mechakoopa will explode upon reaching a certain proximity to an opponent, or after its timer expires. It can also be picked up and thrown like anitem, and will explode on contact.
Byleth	Aymr	A slow but extremely powerful overhead axe swing. It hassuper armor during startup, can be reversed, and allows Byleth to drop through platforms while charging it.
Captain Falcon	Falcon Kick	Captain Falcon rushes forward with aflaming kick along the ground. When used in the air, it travels diagonally downward. InMelee, using Falcon Kick in midair causes Captain Falcon to regain hisdouble jump.
Charizard	Pokémon Change	Recalls Charizard and sends outSquirtle. InUltimate, Pokémon Change is much faster and can be used in midair.
	Rock Smash	Charizard produces a boulder and smashes it with its head.
Chrom	Counter	Functions similarly to Roy'sCounter, but it lacksflame properties.
Cloud	Limit Charge / Finishing Touch	Using Limit Charge slowly increases Cloud's Limit Gauge. When the gauge is full, Cloud's down special becomesFinishing Touch until the Limit Break is spent. Finishing Touch is a wide sweeping attack with lowdamage but strongKO ability.
Corrin	Counter Surge	Acounterattack which, when activated, causes Corrin to transform fully into a dragon and smash the ground, causing a surge of water that launches opponents.
Daisy	Vegetable	Identical to Peach'sVegetables.
Dark Pit	Guardian Orbitars	Identical to Pit'sGuardian Orbitars.
Dark Samus	Bomb	Identical to Samus'sBomb.
Diddy Kong	Banana Peel	Diddy Kong produces aBanana Peelitem and throws it on the ground. InBrawl, Diddy Kong can produce a maximum of two bananas at once. InSmash 4, the limit was changed to one banana peel, and the peel will disappear after being thrown once. InUltimate, the peel will disappear after being thrown twice.
Donkey Kong	Hand Slap	Donkey Kong slaps the ground with his hands as the attack button is pressed repeatedly, creating a wide shock wave that can only hit grounded opponents. InSmash 64,Melee andBrawl, this move cannot be used in the air. Starting inSmash 4, it has an aerial version where Donkey Kong awkwardly slaps with each hand once, potentiallymeteor smashing airborne opponents.
Dr. Mario	Dr. Tornado	Functions similarly to Mario'sMario Tornado.
Duck Hunt	Wild Gunman	Duck Hunt summons one of five 8-bit gunmen, who will stand still for a moment before drawing their pistol and firing a single projectile, then disappearing. Each gunman has a different delay before firing and a different damage value. The gunman can be hit by opponents before or after it fires.
Falco	Reflector	InMelee, it functions similarly to Fox'sReflector, but sends opponents upwards. Starting inBrawl, Falco instead kicks hisreflector outward and pulls it back, dealing minorknockback anddamage.
Fox	Reflector	Fox puts up areflector which, for a moment upon activation, has ahitbox at very close range which sends opponents down and away. Starting inBrawl, using it midair will stall Fox's descent; inUltimate, only one use will cause a stall until Fox touches the ground again.
Ganondorf	Wizard's Foot	Functions similarly to Captain Falcon'sFalcon Kick, but it uses thedarkness effect, and the aerial versionmeteor smashes opponents during its startup.
Greninja	Substitute	Acounterattack which, when activated, causes a Substitute Doll or a log to appear in Greninja's place while Greninja counters the attacker with a flying kick.
Hero	Command Selection	When this move is inputted, the Hero will assume a thinking position, and the player will be given a random selection of four spells to choose from. These spells are chosen each time the move is inputted, so the player can simply shield to cancel the move and input the move again to get another selection.
Ice Climbers	Blizzard	Each Ice Climber releases a blast of snowy air with short range in front of them. It hits multiple times and can brieflyfreeze opponents.
Ike	Counter	Functions similarly to Marth'sCounter, albeit with a different stance. Ike's counterattack is also stronger.
Incineroar	Revenge	Behaves similarly to acounterattack, but Incineroar does not strike back when attacked. Instead, a small burst of flames interrupts the attacker, and Incineroar's body begins to glow, indicating it has stored energy. Incineroar's next successful attack after Revenge's activation will be more powerful, and then the effect wears off.
Inkling	Splat Bomb	Inkling lobs a Splat Bomb forward, which explodes shortly after touching the ground.
Isabelle	Lloid Trap	Isabelle plantsLloid in the ground, acting like a landmine. If an opponent walks over the trap, Lloid will shoot directly upwards, dragging the opponent with him and hitting multiple times before finally exploding. Pressing the attack button while Lloid is planted will also activate the attack. If Lloid is not activated for a period of time, he will disappear.
Ivysaur	Pokémon Change	Recalls Ivysaur and sends outCharizard. InUltimate, Pokémon Change is much faster and can be used in midair.
Jigglypuff	Rest	Jigglypuff fallsasleep. While apparently useless, the move has a small but powerfulhitbox at extremely close range for a moment upon activation.
Joker	Rebel's Guard / Tetrakarn / Makarakarn	Joker will go into a defensive pose, in which all attacks that hit him will do half damage as well as help fill up hisRebellion Gauge. Once released, he'll perform a backhand, hitting nearby opponents away. When Arsene is summoned, this move becomes Tetrakarn/Makarakarn, depending on the attack that hits him. The first activates when a physical attack hits him, making him counter the opponent. The latter reflects projectiles instead.
Kazuya	Heaven's Door	Kazuya does a short hopping uppercut. If he successfully grabbing the opponent, he will fly in his Devil Kazuya form and crashes down to the ground, dealing large damage. If the Rage mechanic is activated, it turn into Rage Drive, dealing more damage and causes a Special Zoom effect. The Rage Drive is also used for Dragon Uppercut and his grab.
Ken	Focus Attack	Functions similarly to Ryu'sFocus Attack, though he performs a kick instead of a punch. The move has less range, and is weaker as well.
King Dedede	Jet Hammer	King Dedede beginscharging up his jet-powered hammer, then unleashes a wide, spinning swing. While the move is charging, King Dedede can move side to side and jump. The charge can be held for as long as desired, but King Dedede takesrecoil damage when the move is held at maximum charge.
King K. Rool	Gut Check	Acounterattack where King K. Rool puffs out his stomach and counters attacks that directly hit it. He can alsoreflect projectiles with the move.
Kirby	Stone	Kirby transforms into a rock (or other heavy objects) and plummets downward. Kirby returns to normal a few second after landing, or if the move is used again while in Stone form. While sitting on the ground in Stone form, Kirby is impervious to damage, but a strong enough attack can force him to transform back.
Link	Bomb	Link pulls out a Bomb and holds onto it like anitem. It will explode after a few seconds or on contact.
	Remote Bomb	Link pulls out and throws a Remote Bomb. After it is thrown, it can be picked up and thrown like anitem. Unlike Link's Bombs in other games, the Remote Bombs must be manually detonated by Link with another use of the down special move. They have a larger explosion radius.
Little Mac	Slip Counter	Acounterattack where Little Mac responds to incoming attacks with a dashing punch. When activated in midair, the punch causes Little Mac to travel significant horizontal distance.
Lucario	Double Team	Acounterattack where Lucario responds to incoming attacks with a flying kick.
Lucas	PSI Magnet	Functions similarly to Ness'sPSI Magnet, but Lucas holds the vortex in front of him instead of surrounding himself with it.
Lucina	Counter	Functions similarly to Marth'sCounter, albiet with a different stance.
Luigi	Luigi Cyclone	Functions similarly to Mario'sMario Tornado.
Mario	Mario Tornado	Mario spins around rapidly, striking foes multiple times with his fists. When used in midair, the user can gain height viabutton mashing.
	F.L.U.D.D.	Mariocharges up F.L.U.D.D., which can be activated to spray water at opponents,pushing then back but not dealingdamage. The more the move is charged, the more forceful the stream of water.
Marth	Counter	Acounterattack where Marth responds to an incoming attack with a sword slash that is stronger than the countered attack.
Mega Man	Leaf Shield	Mega Man summons a rotating circle of leafs which move with him, dealing minor damage to opponents and blocking projectiles. The Leaf Shield disappears after a while, or it can be launched forward with another use of the down special move.
Meta Knight	Dimensional Cape	Meta Knight swirls his cape and vanishes from sight, then reappears a short distance away, in a direction of the user's choosing. If the attack button is held as Meta Knight reappears, he delivers a strong sword slash.
Mewtwo	Disable	Mewtwo's eyes flash and a spark appears in front of it,stunning opponents who are nearby and facing towards Mewtwo.
Mii Brawler	Head-On Assault (default)	Mii Brawler leaps diagonally upwards into the air, flips upside down and heads straight to the ground, landing on its head. The grounded version has an initial hitbox that leads into the main hit. In midair, it is astall-then-fall attack. It canbury grounded opponents.
Mii Gunner	Echo Reflector (default)	Behaves similarly to Fox'sReflector.
Mii Swordfighter	Blade Counter (default)	Behaves similarly to Marth'sCounter.
Min Min	ARMS Change	Min Min cycles through three ARMS to equip on her right arm: Ramram, Megawatt, and Dragon. Each has different properties.
Mr. Game & Watch	Oil Panic	Mr. Game & Watch holds out a bucket. Any incoming projectile isabsorbed and converted into a "bar" which fills the bucket, up to three bars. When the bucket is full, using the down special move will pour out a splash of oil, which has power proportional to the strength of the three projectiles which were absorbed. InUltimate, the bucket canreflect non-absorbable projectiles.
Mythra	Swap to Pyra	Mythra swaps to Pyra.
Ness	PSI Magnet	Ness surrounds himself in a vortex of energy whichabsorbs incoming projectiles and heals Ness in proportion to the amount of damage the projectile deals.
Olimar	Pikmin Order	Olimar blows a whistle, causing any stray Pikmin to quickly jump back to him and fall in line. The move hassuper armor for a moment upon activation.
Pac-Man	Fire Hydrant	Pac-Man places a fire hydrant on the ground or, if the move is used in midair, launches the fire hydrant downwards as a projectile. When the hydrant is on the ground, it will periodically spurt water to each side,pushing fighters (including Pac-Man). If the hydrant receives enough damage, it will go tumbling away, becoming a projectile once again. It disappears after a while even if it is not attacked.
Palutena	Counter (default)	Behaves similarly to Marth'sCounter.
	Counter /Reflect Barrier	When countering a melee attack, this move behaves the same way as in the previous game. When a projectile is countered, however, Palutena's Reflect Barrier is summoned instead, eschewing thecounterattack andreflecting the projectile instead.
Peach	Vegetable	Peach plucks a turnip from the ground and holds it like an item. Turnips with different faces deal different amounts of damage, and the more powerful ones have a lesser chance to appear. Peach also has a small chance to pluck aMr. Saturn,Beam Sword (only inMelee andBrawl), orBob-omb, even without items being on.
Pichu	Thunder	Behaves similarly to Pikachu'sThunder.
Pikachu	Thunder	Pikachu calls down a lightning bolt from above, which travels straight down and can pass through someplatforms. If the lightning bolt reaches Pikachu, it strikes it and causes a large electrical burst. Starting inSmash 4, parts of the bolt have ameteor smash effect on airborne opponents, potentially dragging them down to Pikachu to be hit by the stronger bursthitbox.
Piranha Plant	Long-Stem Strike	Pots retreats into its pot charging up a long distance biting attack, this attack can be aimed in multiple directions.
Pit	Mirror Shield	Pit crouches and holds up a large shield in front of him,reflecting incoming projectiles.
	Guardian Orbitars	Pit summons the Guardian Orbitars, two ethereal shields that surround him andreflect incoming projectiles. The shields will stay raised if the user holds the button, but will be put away automatically after a certain duration.
Pyra	Swap to Mythra	Pyra swaps to Mythra.
Richter	Holy Water	Functions similarly to Simon'sHoly Water, but the flame pillar is blue, possessing theaura effect instead offlame.
Ridley	Skewer	Ridley violently stabs his tail out straight ahead. The move'ssweetspot causes opponents to crumple to the ground.
R.O.B.	Gyro	R.O.B. begins charging his Gyro. The charging can be cancelled and the move will retain its charge until it is used. When the charge is released, the Gyro is released with damage and distance proportional to its charge level. After being released, it will spin on the ground, damage opponents who touch it, but any fighter can pick it up and throw it as anitem.
Robin	Nosferatu	Robin summons tendrils of smoke in front of him that will ensnare a nearby opponent and deal continuousdamage while healing Robin.
Rosalina	Gravitational Pull	Rosalina waves her hand, creating a gravitational wave which diverts and effectively destroys incoming projectiles as well as pulling in nearbyitems. InUltimate, Gravitational Pull will automatically equip any equippable items which it pulls in.
Roy	Counter	Functions similarly to Marth'sCounter, but the counterattack is considerably stronger and has theflame effect.
Ryu	Focus Attack	Ryu enters a ready stance, preparing to deliver a powerful but short-ranged punch. Pressing the button again before the move charges fully will release a weaker punch. While in the ready stance, Ryu can be by one enemy attack withoutflinching. The strongest Focus Attack causes opponents to crumple to the ground. During the ready stance, or just after the charged move connects, Ryu can quickly cancel his stance by dash forward or backward, known as Focus Attack Dash Cancel (FADC).
Samus	Bomb	Samus enters Morph Ball form and drops a bomb which explodes moments later, damaging opponents but not Samus. If used in the air, Samus can use the explosions of the bombs to gain a small height boost.
Sephiroth	Scintilla	Sephiroth summons a barrier in front of him that bursts into damaging sparkles when hit by an attack. Unlike a traditional counterattack, it triggers even if Sephiroth is not attacked, and it can be shattered by attacks that do significant damage.
Sheik	Transform	Sheik transforms intoZelda.
	Bouncing Fish	Sheik flips forward with an arcing kick. If the kick connects, Sheik bounces off the opponent and can quickly use the move again in the opposite direction. The horizontal distance traveled can be shortened or lengthened by the user's inputs.
Shulk	Vision	Acounterattack where Shulk responds to incoming attacks with a dash and a sweeping sword strike. If the move is used but the counterattack is not activated, the counterattack window will begin to shrink with each failed usage. Shulk's currentMonado Art affects the power of the strike.
Simon	Holy Water	Simon lobs a bottle of holy water a short distance away, which explodes into a pillar offlame on contact, dealing multiple hits.
Snake	C4	Snake plants a C4 explosive on the ground. It can be remotely detonated at any time by using the down special move again, or will detonate on its own after some time has passed. Snake can also stick C4 onto nearby fighters, which can then be transferred between fighters on contact.
Sonic	Spin Charge	Functions similarly to hisSpin Dash, but he can repeatedly press the button tocharge the move in place before dashing, and there is no hop when the dash is initiated.
Sora	Counterattack	A counterattack in which Sora retaliates with an upward swing. The opponent is momentarily thrown off balance before they are hit by the counterattack. He can also counter projectiles and reflect with a 1.4x damage multiplier; however, it is unique as it deflects projectiles behind him, making it function more like a "parry" in 1v1 situations.
Squirtle	Pokémon Change	Recalls Squirtle and sends outIvysaur. InUltimate, Pokémon Change is much faster and can be used in midair.
Steve	TNT	Steve drops a box of TNT, and can also create a fuse connected to a pressure plate to detonate it from afar.
Terry	Power Dunk	Terry jumps up, then dives down with his fist at an angle. The move will carry the opponent up if it hits with the initial jump. If the command inputs are used instead of the down special input, the move becomes more powerful and gains invincibility frames on startup.
Toon Link	Bomb	Functions similarly to Link'sBomb. The explosion is larger, but deals less damage in return.
Villager	Timber	This move has three stages. When first used, Villager will plant a sapling in the ground (or, if airborne, do nothing). Once the sapling is planted, using the move will cause Villager to produce a watering can and sprinkle water on the ground. The water can be used to minimallypush opponents, but the can's real use is to water the sapling, causing it to ground into a large tree which can separate the fighters and block attack. When the tree is on the field, using the down special move causes Villager to swing an axe, which is a powerful attack in its own right, and can be used to chop down the tree, which then becomes a slow and ranged but very strong projectile.
Wario	Wario Waft	Wario farts, with differing results based the move's level ofcharge. The move charges as long as Wario does not use it. The move charges passively while not in use, and its charge is even retained when Wario isKO'd. At minimal charge, the fart does not even launch opponents, but cantrip them. At medium charge, the move causes Wario to lift off the ground, gaining an additionalhitbox as he rises. At full charge, it is very powerful and sends Wario significantly high into the air.
Wii Fit Trainer	Deep Breathing	When the move is used, a colored circle appears around Wii Fit Trainer, and a ring appears around that. The ring will move inwards towards the circle, and the user must time their button press for when the ring has lined up with the red circle. A successful activation will cause Wii Fit Trainer to recover a small amount ofdamage and become temporarily powered up. If the move is used repeatedly in succession, the ring slows down dramatically, making it unlikely for the user to have enough time to activate it before the opponent attacks.
Wolf	Reflector	Functions similarly to Fox'sReflector, but the initial hitbox is larger, and it does not slow Wolf's midair descent. The reflector is also stronger, and reflected projectiles travel more quickly.
Yoshi	Yoshi Bomb	Astall-then-fall ground pound attack. InUltimate, it can descend throughsoft platforms.
Young Link	Bomb	Functions similarly to Link'sBomb, though the bombs are smaller and hit multiple times instead of once while dealing more damage.
Zelda	Transform	Zelda transforms intoSheik.
	Phantom Slash	Zeldacharges magic before summoning the Phantom, which rushes forward and delivers a sword swipe. The more the move is charged, the further the Phantom travels and the more powerful its attack. Phantoms will block incoming attacks. InUltimate, releasing the move at partial charge causes a partially assembled Phantom to appear, doing a different attack based on the level of charge. When the move is fully charged inUltimate, Zelda is able to act much more quickly as the Phantom is released, potentially following up its attack on the opponent with one of her own.
Zero Suit Samus	Flip Jump	Zero Suit Samus flips into the air in an arc, leaving afterimages behind. If the attack button is pressed again during the jump, Zero Suit Samus will deliver a powerful kick which canmeteor smash opponents with itssweetspot. This move can be used towall jump.

List ofcustom down special moves[edit]

InSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]

Characters introduced into this game through post-launchdownloadable content -Mewtwo,Lucas,Roy,Ryu,Cloud,Corrin, andBayonetta - were not given custom special moves.

InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Marth’s down special,Counter.

• 

  Fox’s down special,Reflector.

• 

  Ness’s down special,PSI Magnet.

• 

  Zero Suit Samus’s down special,Flip Jump.

• 

  Pyra’s down special,Swap.

• Game controls
• Down special moves