fightcore.gg

Frame data in Smash Bros. is the frame-by-frame timing of every move: when it becomes active, how long it stays active, and how long you're stuck before you can act again. You use it to compare options, judge whether a move is safe, and decide what can punish what. This applies to Super Smash Bros. Melee specifically here, since the frame data referenced comes from FightCore's Melee dataset — the same reading method carries over to other Smash titles, but the numbers don't.

The three numbers that matter most

Every move entry on a frame data site is built from the same core values:

• First active frame — the frame the hitbox appears. A move with "first active 5" hits on frame 5.
• Last active frame — the last frame the hitbox is out. "First active 5, last active 27" means the hitbox exists for frames 5 through 27.
• Total frames — how long the entire animation lasts before you regain control.

From these you get the practical numbers: startup (frames before the hitbox appears) and recovery/endlag (frames after the last active frame until you can act).

FightCore's listings show exactly this format. For example, one character's down air is listed as first active 5, last active 27, total frames 49 — a slow-starting, long-lasting move with heavy endlag. A forward air listed as first active 4, last active 7, total frames 33 is a fast, short-lived poke.

How to judge whether a move is safe

The key comparison is between your move's recovery and your opponent's fastest punish option.

If a move has 20 frames of endlag after it hits a shield, and your opponent's fastest out-of-shield option starts on frame 8, they can hit you before you can act. That move is unsafe on shield. If your endlag is shorter than their fastest option, the move is safe — or at least safe enough to keep pressure.

This is why frame data matters more than "this move feels fast." Two moves can both look quick, but one leaves you actionable 10 frames sooner, which changes whether you get punished.

Combining frame data with hitbox data

Frame data tells you when a move hits. Hitbox data tells you where. You need both to make real decisions.

A move with a fast startup but a tiny hitbox is only good at close range. A move with slow startup but a large, disjointed hitbox can be thrown out preemptively because it covers space your opponent has to respect. FightCore pairs its frame listings with interactive hitbox visualizations for this reason — reading "first active 7" without seeing the hitbox shape only tells you half the story.

Using frame data in an actual match

Frame data is a decision tool, not a combo video. In practice you use it to answer specific questions:

1. Can I punish this? After blocking an opponent's move, count their endlag against your fastest option's startup.
2. Is my approach safe? Check your move's recovery against their likely out-of-shield response.
3. Should I contest this space? Compare your move's active frames and hitbox reach against theirs.
4. Why did I get hit there? Look up both moves and compare startup — the faster one usually wins the exchange.

For example, if you keep getting beaten when you both attack at the same time, the frame data will show which move starts earlier. That's not a reaction problem; it's a numbers problem, and you fix it by picking a faster option or spacing differently.

Common mistakes when reading frame data

• Treating frame advantage as the whole answer. A move can be frame-safe but still lose because of range or positioning.
• Ignoring the last active frame. A move with a long active window can catch opponents who try to move through it, even if the startup is slow.
• Assuming all hits of a multi-hit move share one timing. Multi-hit moves have separate active windows you need to read individually.
• Forgetting that these are base values. Stale move negation, hitlag, and shieldstun all shift the real numbers in a live match.

Frame data gives you the baseline. Distance, timing, and your opponent's habits decide what actually happens.

Frame data tells you when a move hits and how long it lasts, measured in frames at 60 frames per second. On FightCore, a move entry shows three core numbers — first active frame, last active frame, and total frames — and reading them correctly lets you compare startup speed, judge how long a hitbox stays out, and understand why some moves feel safer than others. This applies to any character lookup; the interpretation is the same across the roster.

What the numbers mean

Melee runs at a fixed 60 FPS, so one frame is about 1/60 of a second (roughly 16.7 ms). Every move's timeline is counted in these frames.

• First active frame: the first frame the hitbox can connect. This is the move's startup — a lower number means a faster move.
• Last active frame: the final frame the hitbox is out. The window between first and last active is how long the move can actually hit.
• Total frames: the full duration of the move animation, including startup, active frames, and recovery.

Reading a real entry

FightCore lists moves with exactly this structure. Take a Down Air entry from the site:

Read it as: the hitbox appears on frame 5, stays active through frame 27 (a 23-frame active window), and the whole animation runs 49 frames. So there are 4 frames of startup before it can hit, and 22 frames after the last active frame before the animation ends.

Compare that to a Forward Air entry on the same page:

Here the hitbox is only active for frames 4–7 (a 4-frame window) but the move runs 33 frames total. Same three numbers, very different feel: quick to come out, brief to connect, with a long tail.

Why this matters in practice

The gap between last active frame and total frames is where most practical decisions live.

• Startup (first active) tells you whether a move can beat or trade with an opponent's option. Lower first-active numbers win more interactions when both players commit at the same time.
• Active window (last minus first active) tells you how forgiving the move is to time. A wide window is easier to land; a narrow one demands precision.
• Total frames tells you the commitment. A move with a late last-active frame and a long total is a big commitment — you're locked in for the full duration.

For example, if you want to know whether a move is safe to throw out in neutral, compare its total frames against how fast a typical punish comes out. A move that ends quickly gives you less recovery to be punished; one with a long tail after its active frames is a bigger risk.

Where to look up per-character data

FightCore (fightcore.gg) is built for this lookup. The site provides:

• Frame data for every character, with each move's first active, last active, and total frames.
• Interactive hitbox visualizations, so you can see where a hitbox actually sits rather than just its timing.
• A crouch cancel calculator and ASDI down percentages, which relate to how moves interact with a defending character.
• A search shortcut (⌘ K) for jumping straight to a move — the site's own examples include fox upsmash, marth fsmash, peach dsmash, and rest.

The site also surfaces popular moves by view count, which is a reasonable starting point if you're new and want to see which moves players look up most.

Common pitfalls

• Confusing active frames with total duration. A move active on frames 5–27 does not end on frame 27. It runs for 49 frames. The recovery after the last active frame is often the part that gets you punished.
• Ignoring IASA and landing lag. Total frames describe the animation, but a move may be interruptible as soon as IASA (interruptible as soon as) frames, and aerials have separate landing lag when you touch the ground. The listed total is not always the full commitment in practice.
• Treating startup as the whole story. A fast first-active frame with a tiny active window can be harder to land than a slower move with a wide window. Read all three numbers together.
• Assuming frame data alone decides safety. Whether a move is safe depends on spacing, shield, and what the opponent can do out of their own state — frame data is the input to that judgment, not the answer by itself.

Once you can read first active, last active, and total frames, you can compare any two moves on the same terms and make faster decisions about what to use and when.

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.

Hitbox data is the part of Melee frame data that tells you when a move's damaging or knockback-dealing area exists, and where that area sits relative to the character. On FightCore, each move is summarized with three numbers — First active, Last active, and Total frames — plus an interactive visualization. If you want to know whether a move is punishable, whether it beats another move's startup, or how long an opponent's hitbox actually threatens a space, you read those three values together.

Hitbox data vs. general frame data

General frame data covers the whole lifecycle of a move: startup, active frames, recovery, landing lag, IASA (interruptible-as-soon-as) frames, and so on. Hitbox data is the subset that describes the hit window itself — the frames on which the move can actually connect.

That distinction matters because a move's animation can be long while its hitbox is short. A move with 49 total frames might only have a hitbox active for a handful of them, and the rest is recovery you can be punished in.

The three numbers you'll see on FightCore

FightCore's move summaries use a consistent format. Using the values shown on the site:

The gap between First active and Last active is your hit window — the number of frames the move is actually dangerous. The gap between Last active and Total frames is the tail of the move, where the hitbox is gone but the animation (and often your vulnerability) continues.

Worked examples from FightCore

These are real entries listed on the site:

• Down Air — First active 5, Last active 27, Total frames 49. Hit window: frames 5–27 (23 frames active). Long-lasting hitbox, long recovery tail.
• Forward Air — First active 4, Last active 7, Total frames 33. Hit window: frames 4–7 (4 frames active). Fast, tight hitbox, but 26 frames of animation after it ends.
• Back Air — First active 9, Last active 12, Total frames 39. Hit window: frames 9–12 (4 frames active).
• Up Smash — First active 7, Last active 17, Total frames 41. Hit window: frames 7–17 (11 frames active).
• Forward Smash — First active 10, Last active 13, Total frames 49. Hit window: frames 10–13 (4 frames active).

Notice how differently these behave. The Down Air stays out for 23 frames, so it covers a lot of time and is hard to simply wait out. The Forward Smash is only active for 4 frames but doesn't start until frame 10, so it's slow to come out and easy to react to if you're watching for it.

How to compare moves using hitbox data

When you're comparing two moves — yours versus your opponent's, or two options you're choosing between — line up the same three values:

1. Compare First active. The move with the lower First active number hits sooner. If your move starts on frame 4 and theirs starts on frame 10, yours wins the race if both are thrown at the same time from the same range.
2. Compare the hit window (Last active − First active). A wider window means the move covers more time and is more forgiving to land, but often comes with more commitment.
3. Compare Total frames against Last active. A large gap means a long recovery tail — that's your punish window if the move whiffs or gets shielded.

A practical example: if you're trying to punish a Forward Smash that ends its hitbox on frame 13 but runs to frame 49, you have roughly 36 frames of animation after the hitbox disappears. Whether you can actually punish in that time depends on your own move's First active and your position — which is exactly why you check both moves' data rather than just one.

Using the interactive hitbox visualizations

Numbers tell you when a move hits; the visualization tells you where. FightCore pairs the frame values with interactive hitbox visualizations, so you can see the actual area a move covers relative to the character's body.

This is what separates hitbox data from raw frame counts. Two moves can have identical active frames but completely different reach, height, and coverage. The visualization lets you check:

• Whether a hitbox extends in front of, above, or behind the character
• How far the hitbox reaches, so you can judge spacing
• Whether a move covers a platform, a ledge, or a specific approach angle

Use the frame numbers to know when to expect the hit, and the visualization to know where you need to be to avoid or land it.

Applying hitbox data to real decisions

Punishing

Find the move your opponent used, note its Last active frame, then note its Total frames. The difference is the window where the hitbox is gone but they're still committed. Compare that window to your fastest option's First active. If your move starts sooner than their recovery ends, you have a punish.

Spacing

Use the visualization to see the outer edge of a move's hitbox. If you can position yourself just outside that edge, the move whiffs and you get the recovery frames as a punish window. This is the core of spacing — you're playing against the hitbox's reach, not the character's body.

Trading and beating options

When two moves collide, the one with the earlier First active generally connects first. If the frames are close, the hitbox positions decide who actually overlaps whom. Checking both moves' First active and their visualized coverage tells you which option wins in a given situation.

Choosing your own options

If you're deciding between two of your own moves, compare their First active (how fast), hit window (how forgiving), and Total frames (how punishable). A move with a fast First active and short Total frames is a low-commitment poke; a move with a wide hit window and long Total frames is a commitment you use when you're confident.

Quick reference workflow

1. Look up the move on FightCore.
2. Read First active — when it starts hitting.
3. Read Last active — when it stops hitting.
4. Subtract to get the hit window.
5. Subtract Last active from Total frames to get the recovery tail.
6. Open the visualization to see where the hitbox actually reaches.
7. Compare against your opponent's or your own options using the same values.

Once you're used to reading these three numbers together, you can evaluate any move in the game — yours or your opponent's — without needing to memorize it, because the data tells you the timing and the visualization tells you the space.

Move stats are the frame-by-frame numbers attached to a single attack in Super Smash Bros. Melee: when its hitboxes first appear, when they disappear, and how long the whole animation lasts. You read them by matching three numbers — first active, last active, and total frames — to the situation you're in. On FightCore, each move is listed with exactly that set, for example a Down Air with "First active 5, Last active 27, Total frames 49," so you can judge a move's speed and commitment before you ever load the game.

The three numbers that define a move

Every move entry on FightCore is built from the same fields. Here is what each one tells you:

The gap between the first active frame and the last active frame is the move's active window. The gap between the last active frame and the total frame count is the recovery portion, where the hitbox is gone but you still can't act.

Reading a move's timeline

Take the Down Air listed on FightCore with first active 5, last active 27, and total frames 49. Read it in three steps:

1. Startup: frames 1–4 have no hitbox. If you input this move, nothing can connect for the first four frames.
2. Active window: frames 5–27 can hit. This move stays out for 23 frames, which is unusually long — it covers a lot of time and space.
3. Recovery: frames 28–49 have no hitbox but you're still committed. That's 22 frames where you can be punished if the move whiffs.

Now compare it to a Forward Air on the same site with first active 4, last active 7, total frames 33. Its startup is one frame faster, but its hitbox only exists for four frames, and it still locks you in for 33 total frames. Same character, very different risk profiles: the Down Air is a long-lasting coverage tool, the Forward Air is a quick poke with a long tail.

Comparing moves with the same dimensions

To compare moves fairly, hold the dimensions constant and change only one at a time:

• Same startup, different total frames: the move with fewer total frames lets you act sooner, so it's safer on whiff.
• Same total frames, different active windows: the move with the longer active window is more forgiving to time and covers more options.
• Same active window, different startup: the faster-starting move wins in close-range scrambles.

A concrete example: if you're choosing between two aerials to throw out as a landing option, the one with first active 4 beats the one with first active 5 in a tie, because it can hit one frame earlier. But if the frame-4 move has 40 total frames and the frame-5 move has 30, the slower-starting move may still be the better choice when you expect to miss, since you recover ten frames sooner.

Common pitfalls when interpreting move stats

• Confusing total frames with endlag. Total frames is the entire animation, including startup and active frames. Endlag is only the portion after the last active frame. A move with 49 total frames and last active 27 has 22 frames of recovery, not 49.
• Assuming first active means "hits on frame X." First active is when the hitbox appears, not when it connects. Spacing, hurtbox position, and whether the opponent is in range all still decide the hit.
• Ignoring the active window length. Two moves can share a first active frame but differ wildly in how long they threaten. A one-frame active window demands precise timing; a 20-frame window does not.
• Reading one move in isolation. A move's stats only mean something relative to the rest of the kit and to the opponent's options. A slow move can still be correct if it covers a space nothing else does.

Where to look up move stats

FightCore (fightcore.gg) presents Melee frame data with interactive hitbox visualizations and a search bar — the page suggests queries like "fox upsmash," "marth fsmash," "peach dsmash," and "rest," and lists the most-viewed moves with their first active, last active, and total frame counts. Use the search to pull up a specific move, then read the three numbers against the situations above. The site also offers a crouch cancel calculator and ASDI down percentages, which matter once you start comparing how moves interact with defensive options rather than just how fast they are.

If you want to go from "this move is frame 5" to "this move is the right choice here," the workflow is: look up the move, note startup, active window, and recovery, then compare it to the alternatives you're actually choosing between in that moment.