Aerials while holding a banana

This topic was mentioned briefly in the thread, "Fsmash while holding a bannana", but I figured it'd be better to start a new thread as to not derail that one further. There are a couple interesting ways you can do aerials instead of throwing a banana.

I was messing around earlier today against a CPU, and somehow managed to do an aerial while I was holding a banana. After looking back at the replay, I saw that the aerial happened right after I pulled out a second banana.

After looking further into it, it seems that every time you perform the down-B animation (regardless of whether or not you actually pulled out a banana or not), you can perform an aerial rather than throwing the banana once the animation is over.

The applications of something like this are limited, when considering the following:
a) You can't do this from a short hop; the animation of down-B is too long, and you hit the ground and throw a banana instead of performing an aerial.
b) This applies only in the air; trying to put an attack command after the down-B animation on the ground will only result in throwing the banana you have.
c) In many situations, it's much faster to throw the banana you have at them then aerial them, rather than do the long down-B animation.

However, being able to perform an aerial after the down-B animation rather than throwing a held banana can be somewhat (albeit situationally) useful, especially if you happen to be pulling out a second banana anyways.

From what I've been able to tell, none of the other B-moves have this same effect.


Something else also can be done that replicates the effects of performing an aerial while holding a banana. All the information that I got on this next technique I got from the Link Forums, specifically Izaw's The Art of Link (take a look at 5:40 of his video, listed in the video as ZAC (Z-Drop, A-Attack, Catch)).

What is described in his Link video is how you can drop a bomb, then immediatly use an aerial that simultaneously functions to pick the bomb back up, essentially performing an aerial while still holding the bomb.

Well, it turns out that Diddy Kong can do the same thing with a banana. As you approach the peak of your jump, press Z to drop the banana you have then immediately perform an aerial (C-stick works great). What happens is that your aerial attack picks up the banana you just dropped, performing the attack and ending with the banana in your hand. If done fast enough, you can hardly tell you dropped the banana at all (except for the sound effect of picking it back up).

However, due to the differences in Diddy's Falling speed an a banana's falling speed, this can only be done during/around the peak of the jump. Doing while Diddy is still going up will drop the banana too low for your aerial to pick it back up. Conversely, doing it after the peak of the jump will leave the banana too high to pick it back up, as Diddy falls faster than the banana.

The uses of this method of doing aerials with a banana would seem to be much greater than the previous. It works from any type of jump (short hop, full jump, or double jump), as long as it is roughly at the peak of the jump.

Hopefully this information will be useful, and I apologize if it's already known.

(All the information I got about the second technique I got from Izaw's Thread/Video in the Link forums, http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=167650. It's described at 5:40 on his video.)

The second technique seems pretty useful. Thanks, Im gonna use this in my game!

I thought this was common knowledge but I suppose it's useful for those who didn't know about it already. *thumbsup*

at first i thought it was useless when the thread started with doing aerials after downB animation, but the second method of dropping the bannana and then using an aerial to pick it up sounds like a winner

good stuffs, diddys nanner games are getting epic.

the falling speed shouldn't matter... if you were to hit the opponent with your aerial, than the banana would've hit them also, so you should be able to grab it back... right?

Scala said:

I thought this was common knowledge but I suppose it's useful for those who didn't know about it already. *thumbsup*

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I wasn't sure whether it was known already or not. Izaw's Link video was put up a month and a half ago, so it wouldn't suprise me if it was something everyone knew also worked with Diddy Kong.

On the other hand, I've never seen it mentioned on the Diddy Kong Boards. Particularly, the interest about performing aerials rather than throwing banana that was expressed in the thread about F-Smashing while holding a banana made me decide to post.

Better to post something that turns out not to be useful than to not post something that would've otherwise been useful.

But if it was all already known, then I apologize for taking everyone's time.

Edit: Ahh! More Posts!

To BrawlBro: Yeah, the first method is pretty lame, but it's better to have the knowledge of how it works out there, even if it is nigh-useless.

To ice cream man: I was mostly testing with F-Airs and B-Airs (although, I'd imagine U-Airs would be quite usable), situations where a Z-dropped banana wouldn't hit them anyways. That said, all directions of aerials will work, but the timing would possibly change if/when the dropped banana hit them.

Very interesting, situational as you said, but interesting. The second method is one we probably didn't realise I think, so kudos for bringing it up.

A little off topic. But maybe it would be worth trying to throw the banana, hitting the opponent with it, then regrabbing the banana with an aerial that also hits the opponent.

If you combined banana dropping with this kind of combo linking, you could really up Diddy's mindgames.

I think it's plausible that you could hit somebody with a banana, and follow up with a fair in the same jump since the banana doesn't have much knockback, if any. Regrab the banana during said Fair, and throw it again upon landing/in the air if you full jumped it.

Interesting. I'd extrapolated banana dropping on my own from watching Izaw's video but this is something entirely unique to the character. Given the slim timing window following the down B, it probably won't see much use, though. Even if you just happened to be dropping a banana midair, the stars would have to allign perfectly for that window to coincide with your opponent's approach. Still, it's an interesting quirk.

EDIT: It's also important to note that your opponents can Z-drop Attack/Catch with your errant bananas, so this is another technique a good player may use against you.

Note this is at a first glance; I will try this tomorrow.
Right now, it doesn't seem to be like a big asset to Diddy's banana techs, as a matter of fact very situational. I don't think there are many moments when I was holding a banana in the air and I wanted to do an aerial instead. I throw bananas in the air to bait my opponent into air dodging while recovering, then going in for the spike after their invincibility frames wear off.
Like I said, I'll give it a shot.

Thanks for the aerial info. I'm going to practice that. I've known the second technique since the games been out though

Yeah, both are situational. The first one isn't so much a technique as it is an explanation why someone might randomly get an aerial instead of throwing a banana.

For example...pulled from the "F-Smash While Holding a Banana" Thread:

AlphaZealot said:

Nice, I wonder if this explains why I sometimes accidentally do air attacks without throwing a banana I'm already holding...

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I agree about the second one being situational as well. Speaking for myself, I would rarely want to do an aerial rather than throwing a banana (especially since throwing the banana can be followed by an aerial anyways). I don't think either one is going to be important at all, but it's still good to have information out there.

Xaile said:

Yeah, both are situational. The first one isn't so much a technique as it is an explanation why someone might randomly get an aerial instead of throwing a banana.

Pulled from the "F-Smash While Holding a Banana" Thread:




I agree about the second one being situational as well. Speaking for myself, I would rarely want to do an aerial rather than throwing a banana (especially since throwing the banana can be followed by an aerial anyways). I don't think either one is going to be important at all, but it's still good to have information out there.

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I think the first one can be useful to me. I can definitely find use in that. Can you do it while you have a banana in your hand? Like down b while holding it?

~^.NoiR.^~ said:

I think the first one can be useful to me. I can definitely find use in that. Can you do it while you have a banana in your hand? Like down b while holding it?

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Yeah, that's precisely what it is, down-B while holding a banana will let you do an aerial afterwards without throwing the banana you have. It actually doesn't matter if you actually pull out a banana with down-B (like if you already have 2 bananas out), as long as you do the animation, you can do an aerial afterwards instead of throwing your held banana (don't know why you'd want to do the down-B animation when you already have 2 bananas out, though.)

Situational, hardly useful, but interesting to know none-the-less.

I already was using it some time ago, but i didnt knew it how its works, tnkz for the info, but for end it, after pick the banana u just do kicks and aerial atacks as same, for trow the banana at the air u necesary need use the Z, that can give more options atacking at the air, hope it can be useful for u.

Haha i knew this before you guys found out. I mean its something fun to know, but i dont think itll be applyed in game.

i already new this cause Link was my previous main then went to Diddy but thanks for informing every1 :D

AlphaZealot said:

This happens to me all the time.

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Seriously lol...I do this at least once a match.

AlphaZealot said:

This happens to me all the time.

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Yeah. Now that I'm more aware of the fact that aerials = picking up items I've been doing this alot more. I've found lately I've only been using the bananas to prevent myself from being predictable, favoring fair spacing-spam.

(I've been playing brawl since it came out in the US (Around the time it took to import it) but haven't had it in my possession, my friend had it and I had only been playing it every couple of weeks for a few hours at a time, it's only for the last 3 weeks that I've been able to sit down and play it every night after the game came into my possession).

lol.

Either way, banana control is as important to Diddy as Turnip tech was to Peach in melee. In fact, moreso since the bananas are easily used against you.

ive been using this XD