What Is Melee Frame Data and How Do You Use It?

Melee frame data is the frame-by-frame timing of every move in Super Smash Bros. Melee, measured at 60 frames per second (so one frame is about 16.7 ms). You use it to answer concrete questions: when a move becomes dangerous, when it stops being dangerous, how long you're stuck, and whether you can act before your opponent can. FightCore (fightcore.gg) is a practical lookup source, offering per-move frame charts plus interactive hitbox visualizations and crouch cancel / ASDI down percentages.

The core numbers on a move chart

Every move entry is built from the same handful of values. Using the FightCore listings as the reference format:

From these you derive the rest:

• Startup = first active frame − 1. A move with first active 5 has 4 frames of startup before it can hit.
• Active window = last active − first active + 1. First active 5, last active 27 means 23 frames where the hitbox is out.
• Recovery = total frames − last active. This is the vulnerable tail after the hitbox disappears.
• IASA (interruptible as soon as) — the frame from which you can cancel the move into another action. When a chart lists it, it's often earlier than total frames, which is why some moves "end" before the animation finishes.

The FightCore excerpts show how differently moves are shaped even within one character: a Down Air with first active 5 and last active 27 across 49 total frames is a long, lingering hitbox, while a Forward Air with first active 4 and last active 7 across 33 total frames is a short, precise poke with a long commitment. Same character, opposite risk profiles.

Reading a chart step by step

1. Find first active. This is your earliest hit opportunity. If your opponent is actionable before this frame, they can beat you.
2. Check the active window. A wide window (many active frames) is forgiving for spacing and catching approaches; a narrow one demands precision.
3. Subtract to get recovery. Long recovery after a short active window is the classic "whiff and get punished" move.
4. Look for IASA if listed. It tells you the real end of your commitment, not the animation length.
5. Compare against your opponent's options. Frame data only matters relative to another character's startup, shield drop, or grab.

How frame data changes real decisions

Punish timing. If you know a move's total frames and recovery, you know how long you have to hit back after a whiff or a shielded attack. A move with 49 total frames and a last active of 27 leaves a large punish window; one with a last active of 7 out of 33 total frames leaves much less.

Out-of-shield options. To decide whether you can punish something out of shield, compare your character's fastest out-of-shield option (shield grab, up-B, aerial) against the attacker's recovery. If your option's startup is shorter than their recovery, the punish works.

Crouch cancel and ASDI down. FightCore provides crouch cancel percentages and ASDI down percentages. These tell you at what damage a crouch-cancelled or ASDI-down hit stops being survivable/escapable, which directly affects when you should stop relying on CC and start respecting the opponent's damage output.

Move selection. Comparing two of your own moves on startup, active window, and recovery tells you which is the safer poke and which is the committed kill option — the FightCore listings above are exactly this comparison, move against move.

Frame data vs. hitbox data

They answer different questions and you need both:

• Frame data = when. Timing, windows, recovery, IASA.
• Hitbox data = where and how. Hitbox size, position, and how it moves over the active frames.

A move can have great frame data and a tiny or badly placed hitbox, or a huge hitbox with terrible startup. FightCore pairs the frame charts with interactive hitbox visualizations so you can check both on the same move instead of guessing from one number.

Looking moves up on FightCore

FightCore's search supports direct move queries — the site's own examples are fox upsmash, marth fsmash, peach dsmash, and rest. Type a character plus a move, open the entry, and read first active, last active, and total frames, then expand to full data for the rest. The homepage also surfaces popular and most-viewed moves, which is a fast way to see the entries other players check most often.

Common mistakes when starting out

• Reading total frames as commitment. If IASA is earlier, the animation length overstates how long you're locked in.
• Ignoring the active window. Two moves with the same startup can behave completely differently if one stays active for 3 frames and the other for 20.
• Treating frame data as absolute. It's a comparison tool. A "fast" move is only fast relative to what your opponent can do in the same window.
• Skipping hitbox data. Frame advantage on a move that whiffs due to hitbox placement is worthless.