Homing Attack

> *"Rise in the air, and rush at the nearest fighter." - Smash For. Nintendo Switch's moveset booklet.*
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> *"Rise and attack the nearest fighter. Press the button again to attack more" - Smash For. Nintendo Switch's moveset booklet.*
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### Universe

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

**Homing Attack** (ホーミングアタック, Homing Attack) is Sonic's, Super Sonic's and Shadow's neutral special move and is a basic attack in many of his games.

## Overview

### **Sonic/Super Sonic**

Sonic's homing attack causes him to rise up into the air. This attack can be delayed early by pressing the special button during the rise animation, causing a weaker homing attack. It deals 8% at it's freshest and it's damage goes down by 1% for each second it's used until it's finished. Going down to 3% at it's weakest. If Sonic isn't around any opponent, Sonic will dive diagonally downwards until the attack ends, or he hits something. This is great for edge guarding and recovery, however, Sonic can't use it more than once in midair.

Homing Attack has a hitbox at the start of the ascent, which combos into the attack itself. On the ground, it’s a quicker spin-jump upward which also has a hitbox (it's like an in-place Spin Dash Jump), and the grounded version can be canceled into an aerial instead of the actual homing attack. You can use Homing Attack right out of a Spin Dash Jump (SDJ) by pressing B, as if the SDJ were the HAJ (Homing Attack Jump; the first part of a grounded Homing Attack), removing the starting lag, but making the attack much weaker.

Super Sonic's version is much faster and stronger than Sonic's. Super Sonic's doesn't need to be charged, and can be used up to 3 times in midair. Super Sonic's deals 15%, and doesn't get weaker over time.

### **Shadow**

Shadow's version of the Homing Attack is slower, but stronger than Sonic's. Shadow's also travels a much bigger range than Sonic's as well. His homing attack has a special effect, where if it hits the opponent, and if the special button is pressed as it collides with an enemy, Shadow will attack the opponent up to 5 times, with the last hit kicking the opponent away. The homing attack itself deals 10%, and weakens by 2%, up to 2% overtime.

## Customs

### **Sonic**

Special Move customization was added again in *Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo Switch*. These are the variations:

1. **Homing Attack**: Default.
2. **Stomp**: Jump into the air before slamming straight down with a meteor smash.
3. **Surprise Attack**: A faster Homing Attack with less range and power than normal. When not locked on to a target, it rises upwards slightly.

### **Shadow**

1. **Homing Attack**: Default.
2. **Chaos Attack**: A faster Homing Attack with more range, however, it's weaker and cannot be chained into more attacks.
3. **Surprise Attack**: A slower Homing Attack that creates an explosion when it hits the enemy.

## Origin

The Homing Attack made its debut in *Sonic Adventure* and became a staple move in the *Sonic* series. It is Sonic's new main method of dealing with enemies and solving puzzles. Sonic had a similar attack in *Sonic 3D Blast*, the Blast Attack, which he obtains after collecting a Gold Shield. With the Gold Shield, Sonic could home in and charge towards enemies. Unlike the Homing Attack, it does not lock on to the target. The version featured in *Super Smash Bros. Brawl* is different from the ones featured in the *Sonic the Hedgehog* games due to its start-up time, whereas in the *Sonic the Hedgehog* games it is a near-immediate attack.

One of Sonic's custom moves, the Stomp, is a reference to a move of the same name that debuted in *Sonic Unleashed*, and reappeared in *Sonic Colors* and *Sonic Generations*. As its name implies, Sonic dives downward with a double-foot stomp at a fast speed. In *Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U*, however, Sonic performs it by slamming the ground with a Spin Attack, making it more similar to the Bounce Attack from *Sonic Adventure 2*.

For Shadow, his version of the move reflects how he used it in *Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)* where he could perform the **Chaos Attack**. An attack that reflects how his move works in *Super Smash Bros. Switch.*