Counterattack

Counterattacks are a type of attack present in the Mario & Luigi series. When enemies attack on their turn, it can be countered by jumping on or hammering the enemy. Almost every enemy provides a hint of which character it is going to attack (and thus which one needs to perform the counter). The counterattack's power is the same as a failed attack on the player's turn.

Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Paper Mario counterattack using their hammers and their jumping ability; in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, Bowser's counterattack moves are punching and ducking in his shell. If the player has a character's attack power increased, it will also boost their counterattack's power.

Counterattacks also appear in the giant battles of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. Super Bowser or Giant Luigi use the touch screen to use their respective abilities to counterattack.

In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, the Emergency Block / Guard was incorporated making it a lesser, but easier, alternative to counterattacks.