Back Slash

Back Slash is one of Shulk's special moves in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, used by pressing while tilting the control stick to the side. On use, Shulk leaps and slashes in front of him with his Monado, dealing moderate damage and knockback to whichever opponent he hits. As the name suggests, the move's damage and knockback increases significantly if he hits his opponent from behind. The move cannot be cancelled once it is used (unless Shulk is hit during the attack), meaning that leaping off the stage happens often. Due to the short distance covered by the leap, Back Slash can be used as a recovery move, albeit limitedly.

The move has two variants: Back Slash Leap and Back Slash Charge. Back Slash Leap has Shulk jump high into the air before slashing down, giving Shulk a much-higer vertical distance while limiting his horizontal distance. Back Slash Charge causes Shulk to leap much farther when attacking, making him immune to knockback, but he does much less damage if he does not strike the opponent's back.