Ranking EVERY Forward Air Animation in Smash Ultimate

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Forward airs are often really good on Smash Ultimate move tier lists, but how do their animations stack up? From Mario's classic dunk to Ryu's stiff kicking, Pikachu's electric twist to Ganondorf's giant fist, we're pitting them all against each other in this animation tier list!
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Music used:
"MockRock Is Here (Relaxed)" - MockRock
"MockRock is Here" - MockRock
"Ceaseless Gaze" - MockRock
"Marina Stadium" Mario Tennis Aces OST
"DK Rap" - Donkey Kong 64 OST
"Realm Overworld" - The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks OST
"Arven Battle Theme" - Pokémon Scarlet & Violet OST
"Luigi Theme" - Mario Strikers Charged OST
"Attack" - Fire Emblem OST (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Remix)
"Foulwater Falls" - Wario Land: Shake It! OST
"Multiplayer" - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes OST
"Training Gym" - Pokken Tournament OST
"Ryu's Theme" - Street Fighter 6 OST
"Tame A Bad Boy" - King of Fighters XIII OST
"Fodlan Winds (Inferno)" - Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes OST
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Thanks for watching!
#SmashUltimate #Nintendo #SuperSmashBros

[@MockRockTalk]

Thanks to Babbel for sponsoring today's video. Go to strms.net/babbel_mockrocktalk to get up to 60% off! And thanks to you all for watching. Had to make some particularly hard placements on this one, what did you think of the tier list? *Main channel:* kzbin.info *Twitter:* twitter.com/MrMockRock *Patreon:* www.patreon.com/mockrock *Twitch:* www.twitch.tv/mockrocktwitch *Teespring:* teespring.com/stores/mockrock *TimeBolt affiliate link* (excellent software I use to speed up editing on my videos, use code "MOCKROCK" for a discount): mockrock--timebolt.thrivecart.com/order-page/

[@The0-2DemonKing]

13:45 Wizkick.

[@NAME64879]

Is there any chance of you making rivals of aether content now or when rivals 2 relased (sorry for my poor english)

[@grunkleg.3110]

I know who they are, no need to keep babbling on about them

[@khicenapalit2041]

side-B or Down-B

[@khicenapalit2041]

side-B or Down-B or do all the airieals

[@WhyYouWahYoo]

The whole “Pits letting go of their bow” thing is present in some animations in Uprising, too, so I think it’s safe to say it’s magic of some kind

[@neog8029]

Can't use any of that magic to make the hitbox better though :(

[@theend-zm9ih]

Fr

[@Ren_Ca]

​@@neog8029💀💀💀

[@artificial844]

​@@neog8029💀💀💀

[@ONLY_RR7]

@@neog8029💀💀💀

[@raphaelchan7574]

I love how in the best animations tier list you put Rosalina as an honourable mention for forward air and then in here she’s in c tier

[@MockRockTalk]

That's what happens sometimes when you look at them in a lot more detail (although doing this series has made my standards higher in general)

[@khicenapalit2041]

@@MockRockTalk Hi Mocky are you gonna do side and down speacial or finish the airieals with N air D air U air

[@nc7718]

@@khicenapalit2041 His patrons, youtube members, and twitch subs vote on the next episode. While typing this, I read it in Mock's voice lmao.

[@khicenapalit2041]

@@MockRockTalk in your back air you said bowser jr will be in the same tier in back air

[@enrouteextras6840]

I love these videos so much, cause these tier lists are the only ones Ganon actually has a chance in

[@alexpotts6520]

To be fair most of Ganondorf's actual buttons aren't that bad; it's just the movement that sucks and drags the whole character down.

[@Srcruser]

Ganondorfs moves are really good, his movement is just so ass that he can’t utilize it

[@z-dawggog53]

@@Srcruser and the recovery

[@e.m.2168]

@@Srcruserit’s also that, even if individual moves may be decent or even good, that doesn’t mean they work well together. You could probably make a character with a lot of the best moves in the game not that good because they don’t flow with each other, or all serve the same function as each other.

[@ducklett01god]

​@@e.m.2168it's just Ganondorf doesn't have good options in neutral and almost no options in a disadvantage state

[@mettatonex7221]

I'm surprised you didn't cover the pinning aspect of Sephiroth's forward air, how he'll lodge the sword into a wall and can then jump or cancel out of it.

[@Browncow287]

Most likely case is that he did, but cut it from the video due to lack of having much to say about it. He does it a lot and it makes the videos flow better.

[@MrGameguyC]

@@Browncow287 If so, that probably explains the short-hop Steve Fair sword.

[@mettatonex7221]

@@Browncow287 I thought it would be, since there's actually some animation that goes into his push-off animation when you choose to jump.

[@kirbyofthestarsfan]

Yeah, it's like the second most notable thing on the move, so I'm not sure why it wasn't addressed. I also feel asking for the move to be a slash instead of a thrust like other swordfighters is just kinda dumb, why ask to make characters feel more homogenous? (He brought this up with Mii Swordfighter for some reason)

[@q6969]

I can explain Byleth, what's actually happening in the animation is that they are bracing the "spear" against their body in the swing for control, which requires the underhanded grip and is an actual technique with single edge bladed polearms to make them more controllable in close quarters, especially when you need the other hand for something else. (Usually for a defensive purpose, but Byleth is using it for balance)

[@nicocchi]

Also devil's advocate on the sound effect, but Areadhbar is literally a hand on a stick. I also thought it was supposed to be some sort of spear slash, but if he's hitting with the flat of the blade then he's… literally slapping you with a dead dragon god's bones. That's gotta count for something. Being funny at the very least

[@haasa2293]

​@@nicocchiI love the idea of Byleth just deciding that you are not worthy enough to be cut by areadbhar and slaps you with it. Advanced bitch slap Or Byleth disciplining students by slapping them with it

[@YounesLayachi]

It doesn't help that he is wearing huge flappy sleeves and long dark coat that hide what the tiny princess hands are doing. It's the same problem with joker, the choreography might have interesting ideas but we can't see or tell what's happening most of the time.

[@kimotokirby1601]

so this would have been fine if it was a get of me tool, maybe in their f-tilt but sense it's a kill move, it's just awful

[@cassiuspeter9673]

Missed opportunity to have bowser Jr. do his back air the first few times and see who catches it. Jokes aside, great video as always. I'm only about 2/3rds of the way through it, but it's enjoying as always to watch, and as someone who's only ever animated stick figures for a bit of fun, you can learn a surprising amount about animation from these. Also, in regards to 22:30, yes, please don't die. I live in northeast US, so I've been experiencing a similar heat wave. I don't care if you have a different shirt on for every character, keep yourself safe first and foremost.

[@JunkPrat1113]

I find it funny that in the back air video bowser jr was at A tier in that video when it was a forward air by mistake and mockrocks opinion has changed so it went all the way down to C

[@wingedbluj1674]

The back air is a single swing of the wrecking ball backwards, while the forward air has him spin it around a few times in front of him.

[@JunkPrat1113]

@wingedbluj1674 yes but in the back air video he messed up accidentally and reviewed the forward air instead of the back air and ranked it at A but the back air was still an A rank until this video where it now dropped to C

[@cassiuspeter9673]

@@wingedbluj1674 yep. This guy didn't catch it. Go watch his back air animation tier list.

[@goodname9154]

Even this “lower effort second channel” consistently has very high quality and effort keep up the good work

[@Volcanic_Rave]

Something else with DK worth noting, his fair also inspired his aerial attack in DK64. Even if it's only a reference retroactively, it's still pretty neat since it's one of only 3 attacks he has that's allowed to reference anything

[@kadabraguy9846]

Didn't those games release within a year of each other? Seems more like a coincidence than one inspiring the other

[@tumultuousv]

That's a hell of a coincidence.

[@josiahtheawkward6008]

28:45 I was waiting for this one. Easily one of my favorite animations in the entire game. It looks like something an animator on the Smash team threw in as an idea and everyone loved it so much, they kept it in. They didn’t have to do that since it autocancels, but I love that it’s here.

[@YounesLayachi]

Or sakurai said "make Luigi more goofy"

[@poggers7743]

Wow, I never realized that links fair had a spin, I always thought he swung his sword one way and then swung it back.

[@cuttsthecat6331]

Same

[@SydneyIsSleepy]

10:14 i think the way charizard looks down and away during the attack might be apart of the reason it looks weird. it's clear that it was done to compensate for how short his claw is, as his head would get in the way of the sweep otherwise, but it reads more like charizard is cowering away like he's in a slap fight, and just makes the move look frail and desperate

[@Luigiofthegods]

I remember in Smash 4 that Zard kept facing forward during the fair, which was actually a relatively prominent issue since it extended his hurtbox and made it annoying to space with, so that was probably a direct attempt to address it

[@YounesLayachi]

It's very offputting how oversized the claw effect is compared to his hand, and the stiffness makes it feel like he's hitting you with air. The hitbox appears before we can see the hand moving downwards

[@kimotokirby1601]

it's so easy to fix, just use the claw extension the anime use, it would make more sense canonicaly, themathicaly, looks cooler and would feel more impactful as well of giving the move more range.

[@EmberTheFlareon3579]

​@@YounesLayachiI was gonna say here that he could be using a move called Air Slash, but if memory serves, that's still a physical attack.

[@dysr]

@@EmberTheFlareon3579Air Slash is a special move, and generally depicted as generated wind usually from wings. Like the other reply said, it could easily be avoided by extending its claws with particle effects, perhaps similar to the ones used for Slash in the 3D games.

[@thelonelycracker8768]

in mii brawler's defense, the twisting double roundhouse kick is actually a real technique in taekwondo, known either as a double kick or wing kick. the first kick acts sort of like a feint while the second delivers the real power, so it makes perfect sense as a multi-hit. that being said, the animation is still a bit odd, it probably would've worked better if the animation was allowed to be slower or the move was grounded so it could more properly convey a launch and pivot into the second kick.

[@kicksyo2171]

When I was a kid playing Melee, I remember when me and my brother first realized that Peach was taking off her crown. It's made me love playing as her. I'm very glad to see it get the appreciation that it deserves. I also agree that it looks good on Daisy too!

[@swordsmancs]

Am I the only one that actually likes Toon Link’s sounds for his sword? To me it almost sounds like he’s whipping that thing through the air, like it doesn’t sound like a sword persay but it sounds *fast* I always love landing them fast aerials cuz it sounds like I’m smacking the shit out of people with a sword, it’s great

[@victormanuelcanizalez7446]

Yeah I have not really something against his sound. I'm just: "doesn't impress me, doesn't bother me, I'm indifferent". I would prefer less squishy but at the end of the day, I'm not complaining

[@alexpotts6520]

I love how distinctive they are.

[@YounesLayachi]

In a vacuum and if you only hear it once, yeah it's debatable. But in a match it becomes unbearably annoying and distracting

[@Noteturtle90]

48:02 "it's the least important onr just like a middle pokemon evolution" Pika and Puff: ...and I took that personally

[@sayetaroh2416]

Well to be fair they originally weren’t the middle evolution

[@ingothasnolife8040]

Small thing of note: Dedede's Forward Air is actually taken from Kirby, specifically Kirby's Dreamland 1, if you attempt to Fly while in Dedede's boss fight he will jump up into the air and attempt to swat you out of the Sky with his Hammer(which is what the smash animation is based off of), this is unlike every other game afterwards where he leaves his Hammer out and slams it onto the ground, the reason for this is likely because it makes his boss slightly easier as when he slams the Hammer onto the ground it creates a Star, which Kirby can inhale to spit at Dedede to damage him. The fact that the animation is based off of a swat rather than a true swing might explain why it feels way to quick and, overall, off, but in all fairness I don't know what else they could've done.

[@Funky_Mode]

I used Babbel to catch up on my French class. I'm really happy that more people get to know about it from this video!

[@NotlM]

In defense of Byleth hitting with the blunt side of the blade, perhaps because they are a teacher, perhaps they became accustomed to using the blunt side in mock battles with their students or something. Everything else about it is weird though lmao

[@appleando752]

Something you didn't mention with Cloud is that his F-air is actually a reference to Braver, his first Limit Break in FFVII.

[@Moss_Dude]

Based ranking on the Mario fair, I've felt they made it weirder ever since the game launched

[@Mattroid99]

Same. His old version was so much smoother

[@MoonGhostDoodles]

Just gonna copy paste my thoughts on Ridley's F-Air from your Worst Animations vid cuz I still feel this way about the move. I think Ridley's Forward Air is pretty well animated when you take in consideration the rest of his character. He isn't just a savage primal monster, he's also cold and calculated. I see that move as an extension of that personality trait. Holding back his tail to hit multiple times and try a different approach, since his other moves already cover more space and hit harder, a precision multi hit strike like that makes sense to have in his kit.

[@RPGGOD1]

I agree, I do understand some of his misgivings, but I feel for what the move is trying to do I don't agree that it's a bad choice and that should be replaced with something else as he said in the previous video. Ridley is supposed to be cunning, and the move is meant to serve as a combo extender, so it makes sense he's not going for his big claws or teeth but rather using his tail to hold back on his strength and keep the pain going. Plus, one of Ridley's most defining traits is his tail, that's what he uses most prominently alongside his Fireballs, so removing it for a generic claw swipe would arguably be worse for him since he's losing a move that's more identifiable to him.

[@MoonGhostDoodles]

@@RPGGOD1 Exactly. If anything the one move I’d agree doesn’t capture his essence is his D-Air. Like many have pointed out, the “pogo tail” would have been perfect.

[@YounesLayachi]

It's like a pecking bird xD

[@ryanwall5760]

His forward air should be his tail swipe from Super Metroid. It’s kind of derpy but lovable and I would love that reference. Make it come out pretty quick so you can do multiple sweeps just as he does in the game

[@localnekonia6830]

Its funny because Charizards forward air in Pokken (Dragon Claw) Really really shows how huge his claws are and its almost the same animation aka same lean into it and recovery

[@MagillanicaLouM]

For K.Rool, i don't think it's that his feet are off center, it's just his gut is so large that it makes his "center" look lower than it is in this specific animation. Also normally I get on your case hating on my girl Wii Fit, but yeah I don't really like her fair either lol. Pretty much for the reasons you stated. Though i still think you gotta wise up to her dedication to form eventually lol

[@gengarisnotinsmash...]

I think part of what made rosa feel wierd is that it almost looks like it's accounting for hitstop. You didn't show how it looks on hit in the video, but from my memory the added hitstop makes the circle go at a very consistent pace. But this means that on wiff the animation has to be slightly faster when hitting, which is probably what caused that slight jerk you noticed. Just look back at it, she is rotating noticably faster while the move is out and slows down the moment it ends.

[@gabedelvalle4309]

I LOVE Banjo's Fair because it's so simple but perfectly captures his personality. The exaggerated wind up sells he's bumbling country bumpkin-ness and the smile after the punch says "I did it, Guh Huh!"

[@saigesmart4167]

And ill say it every time, I LOVE toon links fair sound effect, feels sooo satisfying to connect

[@Leet-iz2fz]

I feel like the idea behind Toon Link's slash sound effects is they were trying to make a cross between a sword slash and a wind whoosh and ended up with something that barely sounds like either.

[@luxordgaming5531]

Sounds like someone is punching a wet sponge

[@froogy666]

1:07:39 I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating

[@Rainbow_Matrix]

I just assumed that youtube had glitched on my phone, and had tried to start playing a Family Guy Funny Moments short.

[@insanekirby1]

Hypnotized by the way ROB’s shoulders bounce during his normal landing.

[@Dante...]

My problem with Mario's fair is the way his momentum just stops for a second durring the follow through and then just continues as if nothing happened. I definitely prefer the old fair animation.

[@jules2438]

I really like mii swordfighters forward air, it's a nice distinction from arching moves to go for a more fencing-based move that smash doesn't have many of.

[@guacodile2528]

Holy I though I was the only one, his kit feels so generic that It feels nice seeing a move concpet that hasant been done before lol

[@ellie8272]

Corrin's helmet, Toon Link's hit effects, and Incineroar's legs, you have some odd things you dislike about characters haha

[@OlmiOP]

Unrelated to forward airs but I actually really like seeing the different ways you can segway into different batches of characters. Big forward arc character? Add more to finish out the batch. Next 2 are from the same franchise? May as well finish the franchise out The way you group things together is always satisfying to me for whatever reason, good job :)

[@The0-2DemonKing]

You know what I just realized? Remember how little mac's arms are different sizes in Ultimate? Mac's grounded moves are done with his big arm and his aerials are done with the smaller one. Even his multi hits have his bigger arm as the launcher.

[@YounesLayachi]

Good point

[@genuineangusbeef8697]

It doesn't seem like you noticed just how big Incin's legs puff up to be during the animation. It kinda hides the tiny legs thing (which also happens with the other 3 kicking aerials)

[@grimsdol4665]

I feel like Corrin's is so bad is the lack of smeer making it like an arch, and how the opponent is launched in quite litterally the opposite direction the animation conveys which is something we make a mental note of

[@namelessdragon330]

Now that I've actually had some practice with swordplay, I'm coming to really like the more "cramped" animations, since it's just common sense during a duel. Keep your blade close to you in order to hold your guard.

[@oopsalldeoxys5060]

Right, it doesn't make sense to put your whole body weight into every swing, especially with quicker moves

[@sirpikapika1129]

I like how Cloud's goes from "Head and legs as far back as possible" to "head and legs as far forward as possible", i think that's why it retains some sense of power despite how jerky and fast the swing itself is

[@ChrisLiusamus]

Late but WFT's fair is quite useful lol. Can be used for comboing and KOing (especially with Deep Breathing) and combos into itself. The back hit isnt actually that situational. In terms of spiking, it can catch your opponent off guard because it comes extremely quickly for a spike and hits behind WFT. It also can be used to cross up your opponent and since it spikes on the ground it can combo, lead to a tech chase, or even lead into a KO move like Bair or a smash attack.

[@claudevonrunningman]

They really snuck a dab in with Corrin

[@SlogDog545]

They should give Gannondorf’s foreword air a landing hitbox with a magic shockwave effect to look like is OoT ground pound

[@WolfBergMenace]

Mewtwo's Fair is actually what made me want to pick him up, it just feels so nice to land especially a rising one out of a double jump. Also imo it should be Psycho Cut, not Shadow Claw.

[@TheRkyeet]

Strange that the hit effect wasn't covered, that's the best part about it.

[@YounesLayachi]

@@TheRkyeet yeah the purple darkness and the strong hitstop really emphasise the pose well

[@gameyfirebro9645]

Reminder that Mario's appears in the Mario Movie.

[@LevelsOTT]

Wait really? I don't remember seeing it lol, which scene?

[@LloydTheZephyrian]

@@LevelsOTT I dunno if it's in the final version of the film, but I think the trailer showed Mario jumping at DK with the forward aerial and missing.

[@blackout4655]

Multiple, multiple times.

[@joelnub9547]

I do want to note that jr has a landing hitbox on his fair which might explain a lil bit of weirdness on landing

[@ThisAintGood.]

I feel like moves that use their head automatically get bumped down due to how much more the have to limit themselves while using it. At least compared to an arm or leg

[@cms_bb8817]

Surprised you never talked about sephiroth fair sticking into walls, I feel like that’s a pretty potent part of its animation

[@davidii4452]

23:54 To be fair, with how lame the character plays already, I don’t think giving Sonic an aerial that strong as your simple follow-up attack would be too balanced.

[@aydenator2770]

8:42 huh… ive never heard someone say they hate incineroar’s kick attacks. thats… strange. i think theyre great, well animated, feel satisfying just like the rest of his kit. thats certainly a hot take.

[@aronspiker72]

He's saying that he hate's Incin's legs themselves as an actual Pokemon/character design choice which makes sense as °that abomination was when the backlash of bidped starter Pokemon really peaked as there is no reason for it to stand on 2 cartoon stick figure legs instead of 4 well balanced tiger legs° °excerpt from the movie "Aronspiker72: World's Biggest Incineroar Hater"

[@YounesLayachi]

The only one I dislike is Bair

[@YounesLayachi]

Bair could have been a devastating butt slam like Koopa used to do before they have him the aerial side smash

[@dvdv4270]

Watching these animation tier list makes me notice more the black smoke after using the double jump(like I knew that was a thing but whenever I’m playing like on a real match I’m starting to notice it rather than just on training mode with the camera zoomed)

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Oh that's what that is. I was just wondering when these characters awakened the satsui no hado lol

[@johnjekyllson28]

It’s a good day when MossRock posts an animation tier list!

[@lasercraft32]

Banjo's forward air is just a slightly more natural looking version of Mario's forward air.

[@RPGGOD1]

K. Rool's such a fun move to me, I do agree with the animation quirks, but the way it plays out is just so fun and enjoyable that I always let it slide. It's one of the moves where I don't mind the details at all. Now Dark Samus is a weird one. I feel that this is one of the moves where being an Echo holds her back since she has to keep the full move throughout due to how it works in gameplay, so she can't really go limp or wraith-like like she should (aside from maybe the flip at the end). I feel this is a case where she should be C and a tier below Samus since there's only so much I feel they could do here, but this is definitely a case where you do miss her not being more of a semi-clone at least so she could get a more fitting move.

[@soraeatsredtireyummyyummy9603]

Jumpscare timestamps: Quagmire: 1:07:37

[@kirbyofthestarsfan]

Mii Swordfighter actually has one of my favorite F-Airs, and I think making that unique is better over giving it the same sword trail so many swordfighters already get. It's not even Link inspired since it's a triple thrust

[@saxeladude]

15:00 if the wind down of mario's was like this but rotated 90* clockwise that would look good

[@idavid8391]

List idea: Moves you love seeing in Smash (but hate getting hit by) Personal example: Ice Climber's up-air

[@alexpotts6520]

Alolan whip. I have a bit of a bad shield habit so command grabs in general but Alolan whip in particular always hurts.

[@crate_bot]

I always thought that link's fair was a swing left followed by a swing right, instead of it being a spin. My life has been changed forever

[@erikhendrickson59]

All these years later and I'm still amazed at just _*how damned good Smash Ultimate looks,* for a Switch game running @ 60 FPS.

[@MinMin4theWinWin]

5:22 wait....why is smoke coming out of yoshi? I've never seen this! :0 Edit: I've noticed it on bowser too! Apparently it does it when you run out of jumps! A super tiny detail that is easy to miss, but awesome!

[@gio_setsuna]

When you use all your jumps it happens

[@slimballs9650]

It's an indicator that he doesn't have any jumps left. Every character has this.

[@Elec.Balloon]

Demon yosh

[@kingdedede7335]

every character does this when they run out of jumps

[@AtheistJr]

I think this or something similar was in Melee, no?

[@jasomega2446]

37:56 Now We’re Talking! I could not agree more!

[@IWish2500]

I’d be a down for a fight entrance animation tier list(if it hasn’t already been done)

[@aronspiker72]

Fun fact: in the games files Byleth uses the "punch" sound effect for her forward air. Literally the generic sound effect labeled in the game code as "punch".

[@YounesLayachi]

Is it a surprise ? That sound effect is pretty much only used for weak hand-to-hand combat moves...

[@marche800]

Clouds forward air is also one for one his Braver limit break animation from FF7 so thats likely why the posing is so destinct and memorable

[@DoctorNovakaine]

"This is the middle linker hit, so it's the least important, like a middle Pokemon evolution" Ouch, I say, as someone who likes several middle Pokemon evolutions more than their final or first forms. Once again, I always like how you give a good deep look at details that I wouldn't notice without them being pointed out. Like the bizarre way Byleth's FAir is implemented, or the jank on Mii Brawler's rotation, or the odd visual effects on Rosalina's kick. Also, it feels like there's so much wrong with Diddy's, like the FAir was sped up but they forgot to adjust the animation for it or something, so the rotation particle effects come out before the turn actually starts - and on top of that, Diddy's tail feels like it's twisting in the wrong direction, like it's curled against the direction of motion rather than with it.

[@thesardonicrenegade]

As a Little Mac main, thank you for realizing that Little Mac's arials just look so jank to further enforce that feeling of "I shouldn't be using these moves" But it is hilarious to gimp someone with a forward or down air offstage

[@axolofa]

I'm also someone who noticed that Mario's Fair animation looks weird in Ultimate. I preferred the follow-through of the older animations

[@sarthakbiswal1472]

This lower effort side channel has insanely entertaining videos for what it is

[@victormanuelcanizalez7446]

1:52 Yeah its like these type of poses that sometimes characters tend to have to force something I cannot explain really. During that the old fair felt more free-to-move and thus, more powerful. During thst his new animation feels like he's forcing too much to face the camera when hitting instead of actually trying to do the move right. I even myself tried to do the move irl and was confused on which hand using since I had to face the (mirror in this case). It feels too much forcefull for nothing

[@cullenhutchison6528]

Okay, but Byleth whacking someone with the blunt side of a sword staff is hilarious.

[@Pizza_Ant]

a couple of fun facts about luigi's forward aerial 1. it was a kill move in melee but still pretty fast(you can actually still do two of them in a short hop but its slightly harder due to the move's slightly higher ending lag) 2. prior to ultimate, in melee to smash 4 luigi would always close his eyes in fear when using the move. in ultimate, he shows an angry face, similar to green missile and (i think?) his second jab also about sonic's im pretty sure is yet another reference to sonic the fighters where if you sacrifice one of your barriers you can activate "hyper mode" and all your moves have no lag, as well as gaining access to some exclusive moves, and one of these moves being the emerald dive, where, while it doesn't function the same, its a similar spinning motion, so its probably where it's from(or at least where the wiki considers it to be from)

[@cosmicfever1]

I honestly prefer the old forward air animation for Mario. It feels more powerful and more satisfying to land. Wish It could be brought back 😔

[@DylanYoshi]

Sephiroth holding back I think suits his character as well, it's more than just a gameplay thing. The fight between Cloud and Sephiroth in Advent Children (which Sephiroth seems to draw a good deal from in Smash, his trailer is basically one big reference to AC) demonstrates this pretty well, where the vast majority of the fight has Sephiroth toying with Cloud. Cloud himself is struggling to keep up with Sephiroth across nearly that entire fight, while Sephiroth is clearly not giving it his all. And that's kind of how an optimal Sephiroth is designed to be played in Smash- He's a lightweight so he's not made to be tanking hits, and a lot of his attacks are rather slow or not fully efficient, so the best way to play him is to elegantly avoid enemy attacks while pulling off moves that make the opponent look like a fool for being hit by them. Failing to use the full length of his blade just works for this character because of that.

[@alexpotts6520]

Yeah, I'd agree that some degree of "toying with the opponent" is very in-character for Sephiroth. I'd also argue the same for Ridley which was another character MockRock heavily criticised.

[@thesapphiremawile5180]

My problem is that it doesn’t really read like he’s holding back just to be cool. It feels like he needs to do this because otherwise his move might be too powerful. But I think the fact that he can use this to stab into the wall makes it work for me much more so than if it was just an awkward jab.

[@ImmaFarmerInMalaysia]

I see Bowser Jr.'s forward air dropped two tiers since the back air tier list 🥸

[@jasonramirez1064]

Before watching: Oh boy I wonder where Ridley is going........ Seeing it: Yep....

[@victormanuelcanizalez7446]

0:55 Bro (as being myself born in Canada but having a Latino family and also speaking French and English) you're doing it great! I can really tell that your actually putting the efforts! ¡Sigue así!

[@waffleman8053]

Im so used to fangames and mods, that when sonic does his forward air im always surprised its not sonic eagle.

[@braian7488]

Yeah exactly, it feels like sonic eagle is the perfect sonic fair and yet it's been 3 games where he instead uses that weird head spin

[@MySleepyHobo]

Can't say I expected to see Doobs in the Incineroar breakdown but I'm glad I did

[@Nobody45602]

Hey mock rock I’ve got a funny tier list idea for you, what if you ranked all the star KO’s?? My favorites are squirtle, young link and Roy their screams are hilarious 😂😂

[@connergoldsborough4093]

I actually like toon links sound effects 😅

[@DauntlessBlade___]

I just love cozying up and watching these videos, it's such a treat.

[@KingMatthewXV]

The breaking news thing was funny.

[@vaerix0]

Always look forward to these analyses. ..and always in agreement about how much Ridley has been shafted in the animation department.

[@gbx4858]

At least we know he'll get some love in the side b ranking video

[@vaerix0]

@@gbx4858 on the one hand, yes, invariably But there's this one flaw I have a feeling that mockrock and I will both feel unimpressed by: aerial release

[@kyrillgill9112]

I'm gonna be honest, I think Yoshi's animation is great, not S but A tier and it's because of something you've talked about before but didn't with his. The wind up. Bro kicks his feet up and plunges forward and I think that sells the power for it.

[@Splonton]

Not that it would change the placement, but ridley's fair has better sound design on the sweet spot that wasn't shown

[@DauntlessBlade___]

Ranking jump animations also sounds like a fun video I would watch.

[@atmylimitrgggh]

13:44 I actually thought it was Psycho Cut for the longest time, the more you know

[@Firethorn.gaming]

I love how 'Forward Air' can be any f-air, but everyone knows of the legendary 'Forward Aerial'

[@PureFury789]

Surprised you didn't mention how Wario's forward air clips his stomach into his chin lol. It looks very jank, idk why they just shipped it like that 🫠

[@Luigiofthegods]

Mewtwo fair isn't called "Shadow Claw" because Shadow Claw was created in Gen 4, while Melee came out 5 years earlier, meaning that Shadow Claw is really more of a Smash reference than the other way around

[@TheRealBatabii]

So you pick on people that say "Shadow Claw" instead of Shadow Scratch, yet you call Captain Falcon's forward aerial "knee of justice" instead of the actual Knee Smash.

[@nickdoermann4206]

who gives a damn

[@jademarz05]

🤓🤓

[@KingMatthewXV]

K rool’s fair always felt like Mario’s bair

[@axr1798]

And viceversa.

[@pieceofbread5311]

Time to stop paying attention to my family and start paying attention to mockrock

[@saxeladude]

14:37 I feel the non active arm would be placed better behind his tail than dug into his stomach

[@quantwomwhale5984]

Everytime when my mains get placed poorly on these lists I get very sad, can't wait to absolutely sob during the nair list!

[@silicverse2107]

27:43 I actually thought Fox's fair landing animation was a spilt kick and I honestly think that would look a lot better 😭

[@birds1062]

Considering that Zelda has other moves in SSBU where she really hurls herself into her magic attacks (Fsmash and Uair for example), I honestly find Lightning Kick to be in place for this specific Zelda. That being said, my main problem is that the Lightning Kick is bith her forward and back air. If it was up to me, the Lightning Kick would only be the back air and forward air would be some combo move, which she really needs.

[@RiDEL_Castro]

Bowser Jr's fair has the thud cause it actually has a landing hitbox

[@kaleidoslug7777]

As a native spanish-speaker, your spanish is pretty decent!

[@maugos]

Huh, I don't see Byleth a lot so I always assumed their forward air was a piercing attack, but no, like you showed, it's a weird swatting motion. How weird.