Super Smash Bros. series

Tumbling

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Pac-Man tumbling inUltimate.

Tumbling (orDamageFall internally fromMelee onwards) is an airborne state that a character may enter after being hit or pushed in certain ways; for example,edge slipping can cause a character to tumble. A tumbling character can easily be identified by their defensive, rotating animation. Characters may tumble after being hit through the air by an attack with strong enoughknockback,footstooled in midair, pushed off a ledge, after walking off an edge while carrying acrate or other heavyitem, or by sliding off of anedge whileshielding.

Tumbling occurs when a fighter is hit by an attack that causes 32 frames ofhitstun before any modifiers. This means that tumbling occurs at lower knockback values inSuper Smash Bros. than in later games, and modifying the game's hitstun multiplier viahacking will also affect the knockback threshold.

The benefit from tumble compared to non tumble hitstun varies from game to game. InSmash 64 andSuper Smash Bros. Melee, tumble is not beneficial because it leaves the opponent in more hitstun than a non tumble state. InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl however, tumble leaves the opponent at a bigger advantage than a non tumble state. Tumble enables the opponent to performhitstun cancelling (and subsequentlymomentum cancelling) which is not possible in a non tumble state. It also enables the opponent toDI which they cannot do from non tumble hitstun starting fromBrawl and thegravity penalty also now takes effect once the opponent enters tumble. This enables characters with high gravity (such asFox) to fly much higher once they enter tumble preventingchain grabs and strings to connect against them. InSuper Smash Bros. 4, hitstun cancelling's effect was greatly reduced making tumble less beneficial than inBrawl although it still has the same advantages besides hitstun cancelling. WithSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate homogenising the effect offalling speed and gravity against moves with an angle between 70°-110°, tumble has become less beneficial again although it still enables the opponent to DI.

Actions possible while tumbling[edit]

Tumbling is not the same state ashelplessness; afterhitstun ends, tumbling characters can carry out most normal airborne actions while tumbling:

  • They can move horizontally through the air as per normal.
  • They can perform aerial attacks, use any remaining jumps, and use any special moves, all of which end the tumbling state.
  • InBrawl,Smash 4 andUltimate,air dodging can also be performed as per normal and will end tumbling—this was not possible inMelee. It is not possible to use agrab aerial while tumbling, though, as attempting to do so results in an air dodge (aerial attack inSSB4); this was changed inUltimate, however, so any character with a grab aerial can now use said move out of tumbling.
  • InMelee andBrawl, they can end the tumble and resume their normal aerial state by tapping horizontally on theControl Stick.
  • They cantech if they are about to hit a platform. InBrawl andSSB4, if the tumbling was caused by afootstool jump, however, there is a short period during which the character cannot tech; this was changed inUltimate so that characters can always tech if they land after getting footstooled.
  • They can still grab ledges as usual. InMelee, they can tech on them if facing the opposite side, and canceling a tumbling state by grabbing a ledge awards the Life on the Edgebonus, which gives 800 points for each time this is achieved.
  • InSmash 64 andMelee, they canfast fall while in their tumbling state.

If tumbling characters hit the ground without teching, they will land into a lying position and must then use afloor recovery. Characters undergo a flopping animation upon hitting the ground before they can use their floor recovery, leaving them vulnerable for a short while. Prior toBrawl, characters in this animation were still considered airborne until the animation ended, which could cause moves with hitboxes that only affect grounded or airborne opponents to behave unexpectedly.

The tumbling animation is used after ashield jump, though no action can be performed during this time. It is also used at the end ofOlimar's Final Smash (after emerging from theHocotate Ship), but Olimar will be unable to do anything other than move horizontally.

Reeling[edit]

Incineroar reeling inUltimate.

Reeling (known asDamageFlyRoll internally) is an alternate hitstun state characters can experience if hit by a move with enough knockback to cause tumbling, denoted by their helix motion while flying. In all games, reeling has a 30% chance of occuring, and only if the target has at least 100% damage; this is checked after they get hit, so a tumble-inducing attack that brings them from below 100% damage to that amount or higher can cause reeling as well.

Reeling's differences from the usual knockback animation are only aesthetic, though due to the change in animation shifting the character'shurtboxes, it can rarely cause them to get hit by attacks that would have otherwise missed, or vice versa. The exception to this is inSmash 4, where reeling reduceshitstun inflicted on the target by one frame, and prevents them fromteching on the ground until their hitstun cancel window starts. While the former difference is negligible, the latter effectively gives characters arandom chance to be unable to avoid aknockdown, allowing for certain KO setups, such asFox'sforward tilt orneutral aerial into anup smash. However, and only inSmash 4 as well, reeling allowsCloud to tech walls and ceilings if he is hit near the apex ofClimhazzard, where teching is otherwise impossible. InUltimate, these discrepancies are removed, causing reeling's differences from the standard pre-tumble animation to be purely aesthetic again (aside from hurtbox placement), and it additionally cannot happen if a character is launched from behind.

Due to his two-dimensional nature,Mr. Game & Watch has a unique reeling animation, spinning in a cartwheeling motion instead of a spiraling motion.Steve also has a unique reeling animation, which is just his tumbling animation with his body oriented in the direction of his knockback.

Some attacks in later games are capable of forcing reeling regardless of the target's damage percentage, namely the tornadoes inHyrule Castle (fromSmash 4 onward) andPictoChat 2, as well as theMii Swordfighter'sGale Strike andKing K. Rool'sBlunderbuss throws inUltimate. TheBullet Bill item also puts characters in state similar to reeling after its use; however, it does not end naturally, and can be canceled with anaerial attack, anair dodge, or by landing.

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • The animation for tumbling is the same used in the character'sStar KO animation, as well as theScreen KO inSmash 64,Melee (right before they hit the screen) andBrawl.
  • A unique tumbling animation is used for characters who arefootstooled in midair. This same animation is also used for when characters enterdoors in midair.
  • InBrawl, wheneverWolf is in the tumbling animation, his left arm will detach from his elbow. This can be clearly seen when pausing the game. This was later fixed inUltimate.
  • Characters' facial expressions when tumbling has changed over the series, inSmash 64 andBrawl, every character will have a wincing look on their face, while inMelee,Smash 4, andUltimate characters will have a more surprised look besidesMr. Game & Watch.
  • InSmash 4, whenMeta Knight goes into his reeling animation, he will grunt twice. It was later fixed in the next game.
  • InUltimate, being hit and put in tumble will not make the victim face the attacker, and they will instead remain in the direction they were facing before the hit. This was not present in previous games.
  • InSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, a character's tumbling animation will play in reverse if they are sent into their tumbling animation after bouncing off a wall.
    • InUltimate, the same effect happens whenever a character goes into their tumbling animation from an attack from behind, a low-hitting attack, or gets meteor smashed with their damage at 100% or more.
  • Steve's tumbling animation is identical to his running animation, as a reference to the damage animations inMinecraft. As it is identical to his animation when moving laterally in the air, knowing when totech with the character can prove difficult.
  • Kirby's tumbling animation is likely a reference to his falling animation when he loses a life in his home series.