Thunder (Sora)

Thunder, also referred to by the Smash Flash DOJO!!! as Thundaga , is one of the three possible outcome attacks for 's down special move, Command Deck, in Super Smash Flash 2. Prior to that, it was originally his sole down special move prior to Beta, replacing Magic Swap.

Command Deck
When performed, Sora points his Keyblade straight up into the air while shouting "Thunder!" as he summons a lightning bolt from the Keyblade, pushing him back a bit in doing so. The bolt is fired diagonally upward and hits opponents on contact with 15% electric damage and relatively strong knockback.

Thunder has high priority and is mostly used for edgeguarding, as well as at the end of Sora's combos. It also has decent range, though it suffers from a slight amount of lag as well a general lack of mobility and knockback. However, it is able to go through platforms. If Sora uses this move in midair at any point, he will stop almost completely, slowing down Sora's falling speed for about a second. This move can also be used to block projectiles.

Down special move
As a down special move, Thunder functions similarly to how it does in Command Deck. However, the lightning bolt was not summoned from Sora's Keyblade, instead falling from the above in front of Sora. The move would only deal 10% damage to opponents hit, as well as weaker knockback. The move also had much more startup lag, though the lightning bolt stayed out longer before disappearing.

Origin
Thunder is a recurring spell in the KINGDOM HEARTS series and the first spell to appear in the series, originating in the first game in the series. The spell also has two more powerful counterparts, with the first being Thundara and the second Thundaga. This series of magic unleashes lightning bolts from the sky to rain down on enemies, dealing Thunder-type damage.; however, the specific execution of the spell differs between games. The spell used for Sora's down special move in SSF2 is based most closely on Thundara's KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days iteration, where the caster holds their Keyblade straight into the air, causing a single bolt of lightning to fall after a delay. The Command Deck variant, however, has no clear direct inspiration.

Trivia

 * Prior to v0.8a, Thunder was one of three spells used with Magic Cast, Sora's standard special move at the time. As the setup with Magic Cast and Magic Swap was thought by the developers to be crammed and uninspired, the three spells were separated into the rest of his moveset, with Thunder becoming his down special move.
 * The animation for Sora summoning Thunder does not last the start-up lag it takes for the actual lightning bolt to hit the ground.