Helpless

Helpless, also referred to as free fall and special fall, refers to the state in Super Smash Flash 2 and Fraymakers of which no movement can be made by the player except for horizontal movement, fast falling, or grabbing a ledge. It often results from using a particular special move, particularly a recovery move, though certain special moves with no recovering abilities can cause this too. In Fraymakers, all characters become helpless when airdashing without canceling it into an aerial attack and landing it.

Helplessness most commonly ends upon landing on a platform or being KO'd, although it also ends early if the helpless character flinches, allowing them to attack use their recovery moves again. A helpless character is denoted by both a flickering black overlay and, in many cases, a distinct falling animation.

Characters are not able to enter a helpless state in the original Super Smash Flash, due to the game's severely limited mechanics.