Traction
- "Friction" redirects here. For aerial friction, seehere.
Traction is a measure of how long it takes for a character to stop moving from a sideways force when grounded. Characters with low traction slide farther than others after walking, dashing,wavedashing, being hit by an attack while grounded, and so on. Traction is measured in negativeunits/frame².
Having high traction affords greater ground control over a character, so high traction is generally an advantage. Characters with low traction generally require more precise movement across the ground and cannotpunish attacks as effectivelyout of shield since they will get pushed further away from the opponent. However, there are cases where low traction is useful: low traction is necessary for a longwavedash inSuper Smash Bros. Melee and a longdash pivot cancel inBrawl, and there are cases where sliding away from a shielded attack can help escape multiple hits. InSuper Smash Bros., characters with lower traction get pushed further away when being attacked when in shield, which makes follow-ups and potentialshield breaks harder.
Luigi is well-known for having the least traction of any character in all games exceptSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate; this originates from his low traction in most of theMario platformers in which his abilities differ from those ofMario, which balances out his higher jumping in such games.
Traction is also affected byterrain. For instance, nearly all characters have decreased traction on slippery surfaces such as ice. However, theIce Climbers uniquely have their traction completely unaffected by slippery surfaces.
Traction rankings[edit]
Super Smash Bros.[edit]
| Rank | Character | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 |  Fox | 2 |
 Link | ||
 Ness | ||
 Pikachu | ||
 Samus | ||
| 6 |  Captain Falcon | 1.8 |
| 7 |  Donkey Kong | 1.7 |
| 8 |  Yoshi | 1.6 |
| 9 |  Mario | 1.5 |
| 10 |  Kirby | 1.4 |
| 11 |  Jigglypuff | 1.1 |
| 12 |  Luigi | 0.7 |
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
During certain character states in Melee, the traction applied is doubled if the character's horizontal velocity exceeds theirWalk Speed (maximum). For example: Peach has 0.1 traction and 0.85 walk speed. So if her velocity is 1 it becomes 0.8 on the next frame (1 - (0.1*2) = 0.8). This does not apply duringDash or RunBrake, but it does during landing states. This includes "LandingFallSpecial", which means thatWavedash & Waveland can go further the higher Walk Speed you have.
| Rank | Character | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 |  Link | 0.1 |
 Peach | ||
 Pichu | ||
 Zelda | ||
| 5-6 |  Jigglypuff | 0.09 |
 Pikachu | ||
| 7-13 |  Captain Falcon | 0.08 |
 Donkey Kong | ||
 Falco | ||
 Fox | ||
 Kirby | ||
 Sheik | ||
 Young Link | ||
| 14 |  Ganondorf | 0.07 |
| 15-23 |  Bowser | 0.06 |
 Dr. Mario | ||
 Mario | ||
 Marth | ||
 Mr. Game & Watch | ||
 Ness | ||
 Roy | ||
 Samus | ||
 Yoshi | ||
| 24 |  Mewtwo | 0.04 |
| 25 |  Ice Climbers | 0.035 |
| 26 |  Luigi | 0.025 |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
| Rank | Character | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lucario | 0.0736 |
| 2 |  Jigglypuff | 0.0718 |
| 3-6 |  Sonic | 0.07 |
 Wario | ||
 Wolf | ||
 Zero Suit Samus | ||
| 7-8 |  Ganondorf | 0.068 |
 Peach | ||
| 9 |  Falco | 0.065 |
| 10 |  Link | 0.064 |
| 11-16 |  Fox | 0.06 |
 Mario | ||
 Mr. Game & Watch | ||
 Olimar | ||
 R.O.B. | ||
 Sheik | ||
| 17 |  Pikachu | 0.0596 |
| 18 |  Samus | 0.0585 |
| 19 |  Bowser | 0.0577 |
| 20-22 |  Charizard | 0.055 |
 Marth | ||
 Meta Knight | ||
| 23 |  Toon Link | 0.0547 |
| 24 |  Ness | 0.0546 |
| 25 |  Snake | 0.0542 |
| 26 |  Zelda | 0.054 |
| 27 |  Ivysaur | 0.0532 |
| 28 |  Donkey Kong | 0.0529 |
| 29 |  Pit | 0.0505 |
| 30 |  Captain Falcon | 0.05 |
| 31 |  Kirby | 0.0493 |
| 32-33 |  Diddy Kong | 0.0484 |
 King Dedede | ||
| 34 |  Lucas | 0.045 |
| 35 |  Ike | 0.044 |
| 36 |  Yoshi | 0.0426 |
| 37 |  Squirtle | 0.042 |
| 38 |  Ice Climbers | 0.035 |
| 39 |  Luigi | 0.022 |
Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]
| Rank | Character | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lucario | 0.0736 |
| 2 |  Jigglypuff | 0.0718 |
| 3-5 |  Little Mac | 0.07 |
 Wario | 0.07 | |
 Zero Suit Samus | ||
| 6-9 |  Ganondorf | 0.068 |
 Palutena | ||
 Peach | ||
 Rosalina & Luma | ||
| N/A | Giga Bowser | 0.067 |
| 10-11 |  Corrin | 0.065 |
 Falco | ||
| 12-13 |  Link | 0.064 |
 Mii Swordfighter | 0.064 | |
| 14-24 |  Fox | 0.06 |
 Mega Man | ||
 Mr. Game & Watch | ||
 Olimar | ||
 R.O.B. | ||
 Roy | ||
 Ryu | ||
 Sheik | ||
 Sonic | ||
 Villager | ||
 Wii Fit Trainer | ||
| N/A | Wario-Man | 0.06 |
| 25 |  Pikachu | 0.0596 |
| 26 |  Samus | 0.0585 |
| 27 |  Bowser | 0.0577 |
| 28-33 |  Cloud | 0.055 |
 Bayonetta | 0.055 | |
 Lucina | ||
 Marth | ||
 Meta Knight | ||
 Robin | ||
| 34 |  Toon Link | 0.0547 |
| 35 |  Ness | 0.0546 |
| 36 |  Zelda | 0.054 |
| 37 |  Donkey Kong | 0.0529 |
| 38-39 |  Dark Pit | 0.0505 |
 Pit | ||
| 40 |  Captain Falcon | 0.05 |
| 41 |  Kirby | 0.0493 |
| 42-43 |  Diddy Kong | 0.0484 |
 King Dedede | ||
| 44-52 |  Bowser Jr. | 0.045 |
 Dr. Mario | ||
 Duck Hunt | ||
 Greninja | ||
 Lucas | ||
 Mario | ||
 Pac-Man | ||
 Mii Brawler | 0.045 | |
 Mii Gunner | ||
| 53-54 |  Ike | 0.044 |
 Shulk | ||
| 55 |  Yoshi | 0.0426 |
| 56-57 |  Charizard | 0.04 |
 Mewtwo | ||
| 58 |  Luigi | 0.024 |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
InUltimate, traction has been significantly increased across the cast, with even the lowest traction values being higher than the highest traction values inSSB4. This allows for every character to slow down faster on the ground after moving horizontally, and most notably benefits characters with low traction (such asLuigi andCharizard), as shielded attacks now push them back a much shorter distance, and it is therefore easier for them to punish out of shield. However, the increased traction also results inslide smashes covering less distance than inSSB4 as well. Unlike in previous games, Luigi no longer has the least traction, nor is he even in the bottom twenty; the characters with the least traction are now the Mii Gunner and Banjo & Kazooie.
