Dark Dive

Dark Dive in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Dark Dive is the up special move used by Ganondorf in the Super Smash Bros. series, starting with Super Smash Bros. Melee. When used, Ganondorf leaps up into the air, like with Captain Falcon's Falcon Dive. If the move hits an opponent, he grabs them and deals multiple hits with electric damage, which can also damage other opponents, before knocking them away with an explosion, and like the Falcon Dive, the player can use the move again after an opponent is hit. Although the Dark Dive does not have as much jump height as the Falcon Dive, it is more powerful in that its knockback is stronger.

Starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the end of the move instead, has Ganondorf attacking with a punch that does not grab, but instead, deals darkness damage; the move can also now grab opponents on a ledge. Unfortunately, Super Smash Bros. Brawl also makes Dark Dive less powerful in that the knockback that it delivers to grabbed opponents is much weaker than in Super Smash Bros. Melee; this consequently, makes Dark Dive weaker than Falcon Dive.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, the Dark Dive has two unlockable custom variations:

The first of these is Dark Fists, in which instead of grabbing opponents, Ganondorf attacks with two punches, with the first punch knocking the opponent into the air at a set distance, and the second knocking them away in midair. The second punch also deals more damage and knockback than the standard Dark Dive, making it much more effective as an attack. The move does take longer to start up, and is not able to be used in rapid succession, but it gives Ganondorf super armor during execution.

The second custom variant is Dark Vault, which gives more jump height than the Dark Fists, but can only grab opponents at the beginning or end of the attack; the grab and explosion are also weaker, dealing much less damage, and the explosion deals less knockback as well. The move also offers less horizontal distance, and it lacks the uppercut that Ganondorf can perform with his standard Dark Dive.