Not to be confused withhitstun.

An example of hitlag in the first hitbox ofWolf's forward tilt.

Hitlag (also known ashitstop orfreeze frames, and officially known ashitstun inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate^[1][2]) is a phenomenon that appears in all games of theSuper Smash Bros. series, which involvesattacks freezing the victim and (generally) the user in place for a certain amount of time when they hit.

If successful with most attacks, both the attacker and target are frozen in place for a certain number offrames; the attacker in the frame when they landed the hit, and the victim in the first frame of theirflinching animation while shaking. This effectively extends the duration of the attack compared to if it had missed, while the target has a short time to react before theknockback occurs. Most noticeably, attacks with a large amount of hits such asYoshi'sdown aerial take considerably less time to finish if they do not hit anything. As another side effect, the attack'shitboxes remain active during hitlag, thus extending its hit detection for targets other than the one hit; this can even be taken advantage of with damageablestage objects, such as the platforms inSkyworld, to allow attacks to hit opponents more easily.

Once hitlag has passed, both sides resume action. During hitlag, defending characters are capable of performingsmash directional influence to get out of combos or multi-hit moves, or to increase their chance for survival.

Hitlag serves two primary functions. The first is a visual indicator that an attack connects; the brief moment where both fighters freeze gives both players more time to plan their next moves. The second is to add more emphasis to the power and impact of particularly strong attacks, which usually produce a high amount of hitlag. In several other fighting games, hitlag frames are often correlated to the power level of the connecting attack, ranging from light to heavy;Smash games achieve a similar hierarchy by giving attacks higher hitlag the more damage they deal (though this is more customizable in later games).

Formula[edit]

The formula for calculating the number of frames of hitlag experienced by both the attacker and victim has been different for most of the games (⌊x⌋ means to round down):

• InSuper Smash Bros., it is⌊⌊⌊d/3 + 4⌋ * e⌋ * c⌋ in the Japanese version, and⌊⌊⌊d/3 + 5⌋ * e⌋ * c⌋ in international versions.
• InSuper Smash Bros. Melee, it is⌊⌊⌊d/3 + 3⌋ * e⌋ * c⌋
• InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl andSuper Smash Bros. 4, it is⌊⌊(d * 0.3846154 + 5) * h * e⌋ * c⌋.
• InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, it is⌊⌊⌊(d * 0.65 + 6) * h * e * s⌋ * p⌋ * c⌋
  • Whenspirits are enabled in theRules and the above formula exceeds 15 frames (10 when crouch cancelling), it is⌊⌊⌊⌊(d * 0.65 + 6) * h * e * s⌋ * 0.3 + 10.5⌋ * p⌋ * c⌋^{[note 1]}

The values correspond to the following (all apply to both the attacker and victim unless stated otherwise):

• d, the amount ofdamage an attack would deal (rounded up inSmash 64)
  • Stale/fresh damage,equipment, spirits, etc. are factored. The1v1 multiplier andshield damage are not factored.
• e,electric effect; 1.5× (for the victim only inMelee, and for both the attacker and victim in every other game)
• c,crouch canceling; 0.666667× inMelee and 0.67× inBrawl onward (for the victim only in every game exceptUltimate, where it is applied to both the attacker and victim)
• h, hitlag multiplier; defined by every hitbox and defaults to 1×
  • For example, the majority ofMarth's attacks have a hitlag multiplier of 1.25× if thetipper connects, and 0.7× otherwise.
  • Some moves are coded to deal no hitlag at all, either by being given a hitlag multiplier of 0×, or inBrawl andSmash 4, using a special parameter that disables hitlag when turned on. Examples of such moves areBowser Bomb inBrawl andFalco'sReflector inSmash 4. Starting inUltimate, a hitlag multiplier of 0× now functions like this parameter, overriding all other hitlag mechanics and setting hitlag to 0 frames, as well as enablingASDI when applied tomost projectiles.
    • InBrawl andSmash 4 prior to version1.1.0,shielding opponents were not affected by these hitlag multipliers; therefore, moves with below-average multipliers were safer on shield, while those with above-average multipliers were less safe, as the attacker experienced less or more hitlag (respectively) than the shield user. Beginning in version 1.1.0 ofSmash 4, shields are properly affected by hitlag multipliers, therefore removing the difference in shield safety caused by them.
      • InSmash 4, starting in version 1.1.0, if the hitlag multiplier of a move is higher than 1×, it is multiplied by 0.8× if it hits a shield, though without dropping below 1×. For example, the 1.25× hitlag multiplier of Marth's tippers is reduced to 1× if they are shielded. This applies only to the attacker in 1.1.0, and to both the attacker and victim from1.1.1 onward. As a result, in the former case, moves with above-average hitlag are effectively safer on shield, while in the latter case, shielding them merely reduces the usual hitlag period.
• s, shielding; 0.67×
  • Hitlag multipliers less than 1× are ignored if shielding. This is especially noticeable for moves such asCloud'sLimitCross Slash, which normally uses a hitlag multiplier of 0.3× for its linking hits; the move's hits transition considerably slower if it hits a shield. However, the electric effect's multiplier is still taken into account, which effectively raises the final multiplier to 1.005×, causing projectiles such asThunder Jolt to be safer on shield than usual. However, due to the new functionality given to 0× hitlag multipliers inUltimate, moves with a hitlag multiplier of 0× will still cause no hitlag, even whenperfect shielded.
• p, based on player count; values are listed in the table below. The exact value is based on the prior hitlag frames, scaling from almost no change below 10 frames to the listed values at 30 frames. The formula for scaling is a second-degree polynomial (following the form ax²+bx+c), but the exact formula is currently unknown.
  • Does not affect fighters hit with projectiles.
  • Based on the number of players at the start of the match.

Players	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Ultimate	1.0	0.925	0.862	0.8116	0.77464	0.752464	0.75

As shown by the formulas, the general amount of hitlag on moves is at its lowest inMelee, and has since increased throughout the series, withUltimate having the most hitlag. In all games, hitlag is higher the more damage a move deals; weak attacks such asMario'sjab have minimal hitlag, but the hitlag of strong orsweetspotted attacks can last much longer. For example, a move that deals 15% damage with no other factors would inflict hitlag of 10 frames inSmash 64 (9 in the Japanese version), 8 frames inMelee, 10 frames inBrawl andSmash 4, and 15 frames inUltimate. In addition,Brawl introduced the mechanic of hitlag multipliers, causing variance in the hitlag duration of attacks; this is in contrast toMelee andSmash 64, where the duration of hitlag was predictable.

Notes[edit]

Properties[edit]

• Hitlag has a cap of 20 frames inMelee, and 30 frames (20 for the victim if crouch cancelling) fromBrawl onward.
  • Hitlag inSmash 64 has no frame cap, however it is difficult to deal more than 19 frames (by usingSamus'Charge Shot) due to the lack of damage multipliers from items likeSuper Mushrooms.
• Hitlag only affects the object that deals the damage; all other game elements (including, interestingly enough, any particle effects the attack generated) are uninterrupted. For example, bothCaptain Falcon and his opponent sustain hitlag upon a sweetspottedKnee Smash, whileSamus' movement is not interrupted by a Charge Shot hitting someone, since it is a projectile not attached to her. Hitlag is also exaggerated if two attacks clash, or if an attack isperfect shielded; in the latter case, the attacker suffers from hitlag while the defender receives none.
• Hitlag affects the attacker as long as the attack connects, even if it deals no damage as a result of hitting opponents withinvincibility.
• If an attack deals no knockback, the target does not experience any hitlag.
• If the attack deals no damage, hitlag is always zero. Additionally inBrawl, a special sound effect plays.
• Attacks with theelectric effect uniquely increase the amount of hitlag, multiplying its duration in frames by 1.5 (rounded down), which stacks with the hitlag multiplier that the move otherwise has. For example, an electric attack with a hitlag multiplier of 1.2 deals 1.8 times the amount of hitlag.
  • Interestingly, inSmash 4 if a character is hit by an electric attack from another, and either character is affected byslowdown (such as theTimer item), then the target receives additional hitlag, while the attacker does not. This phenomenon does not occur with non-electric attacks, even those that have a hitlag multiplier.

A peculiar aspect of hitlag is how it is handled forthrows. InSmash 64 andMelee, throws inflict no hitlag when releasing the opponent, but their pre-release hitboxes still do, such as those in Captain Falcon andLink's throws. FromBrawl onward, throws can inflict hitlag on release, which only affects the opponent, effectively adding to theirhitstun and giving the user more time to follow up; this is noticeable for throws such asLuigi's down throw inSmash 4, andPikachu's down throw inUltimate. However, hitlag remains manually disabled for the vast majority of throws' releases, especially in latter games (to the pointUltimate only has it onMythra, Pikachu, andPyra's down throws), leaving it as an uncommon advantage. InUltimate, certain throws that lack hitboxes use an effect similar to hitlag before releasing the opponent, such asMarth's forward, back, and down throws; however, this effect has a set duration specific to each throw, and affects both the user and victim and makes the victiminvincible alongside the user's natural throw invincibility.

As characters originating from other fighting game series,Ryu,Ken, andKazuya have pronounced hitlag multipliers throughout a major part of their movesets, referencing the hitlag mechanics of their respective games. Ryu and Ken inflict above-average hitlag, with a multiplier of 1.5× for most attacks (1.8× forRyu inSmash 4), while Kazuya's is below-average, with multipliers from 0.2× to 0.6× for most attacks. Notably,Terry does not have such a distinction.

External links[edit]

• "Thinking About Hitstop", an article translated by SourceGaming fromMasahiro Sakurai'sFamitsu column, Volume 490-1
• "Stop for Big Moments!", a video by Masahiro Sakurai explaining the function and effects of hitlag.
• "Eight Hit Stop Techniques", a video by Masahiro Sakurai explaining specific details about hitlag inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.

References/notes[edit]

• Unofficial lingo
• Game physics