Cloud
A tiny puff of sky that rains gentle trouble on whoever stands below.
Cloud is a small, puffy, white throwable item that has been a staple of the Super Smash Bros. series since the very first game on the Nintendo 64. Picked up and hurled by any fighter, it drifts through the air in a gentle arc before settling onto the stage floor, where it begins to drizzle a steady column of rain onto whatever poor soul is standing beneath it. It is the gentlest of the throwable items—no explosions, no lightning, just a soft, persistent pitter-patter of water that chips away at opponents in small, annoying increments.
Despite its low damage, Cloud occupies a beloved niche in the item roster. It rewards patient positioning, creates awkward spacing problems for opponents who must dodge the rain column, and gives players a slow, methodical tool in contrast to the instant chaos of a Bob-omb or the sweeping beam of a Star Rod. Fans often reach for it in casual matches as a lighthearted, almost comical choice, and its visual charm—a tiny cartoon cloud trailing little raindrops—has made it an iconic piece of Smash Bros. iconography.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Throwable item
- First appears
- Super Smash Bros. (N64)
- Damage class
- Low (rain deals small chip damage per tick)
- Primary effect
- Lands on stage and produces a column of rain
- Throw style
- Arbitrary-angle projectile
- Appears in
- N64
- Brawl
- 3DS/Wii U
- Ultimate
Lore & Background
In the sprawling, multiverse-tinged world of Super Smash Bros., items are drawn from a shared pool of game-world artifacts that have no single canonical origin. Cloud fits comfortably into that tradition: a small, sentient-looking puff of atmosphere that can be grabbed, aimed, and released like any other projectile. Its design is deliberately endearing—rounded, soft-edged, with a faint bluish underside and a few cartoon raindrops trailing behind it when it is in flight. It looks less like a weapon and more like a weather phenomenon that got shrunk down to fist-size.
Within the item ecosystem, Cloud sits at the bottom of the power spectrum alongside Poyo and the like. Where a Bob-omb detonates with a satisfying boom and a Star Rod carves a wide arc of lightning, Cloud simply… rains. The column of water it produces is narrow, persistent, and low-damage, making it more of a positional nuisance than a threat. This has led to a particular fan affection for Cloud as the "cute" item, the one you pick up when you want to be mischievous rather than destructive. In team-based or chaotic free-for-all matches, a well-placed Cloud near an edge can keep a recovering opponent hopping and sweating without ever dealing meaningful knockback.
The item's visual language—soft white fluff, gentle blue rain, a rounded and approachable shape—echoes the broader aesthetic of the Smash Bros. franchise, where even the most absurd objects are rendered with a warmth and playfulness that makes them feel like toys rather than weapons. Cloud is the item equivalent of a lighthearted joke: not the punchline, but the chuckle that keeps the mood light between the bigger hits.
Reader's Guide
Pick up Cloud and throw it in any direction using the standard item-throw inputs. It follows a gentle parabolic arc and, once it touches the stage surface, it stays in place and begins emitting a narrow column of rain. Each rain tick deals a small amount of damage—low enough that it will never produce meaningful knockback, but persistent enough to chip a recovering opponent or punish a player who is camping in one spot. The rain column is narrow, so positioning matters: a well-thrown Cloud near an edge or in front of a platform can create a small zone of discomfort that forces the opponent to reposition.
In competitive play, Cloud is rarely a primary tool. Its damage is too low to be a threat in a 1v1, and its rain column is easily avoided by a simple jump or dash. However, in team battles, free-for-alls, or any mode with multiple opponents, a Cloud dropped near a recovery path can add just enough pressure to make a risky back-attack feel safer. It also serves as a mind-game item: because it looks harmless, opponents may ignore it, and the slow, ticking rain can rattle a player's composure in a way a big hit cannot.
Spawn-wise, Cloud appears in the standard item pool and is not weighted heavily toward any particular mode. It is a low-priority spawn in most item tables, meaning you will not see it constantly, but it is a reliable presence in the rotation. New players should treat it as a fun, low-stakes tool; veterans will appreciate it as a subtle spacing and pressure device that rewards patience over power.
Did You Know?
- The rain it produces deals damage in small, repeated ticks rather than a single hit, meaning it can slowly chip an opponent's health over several seconds if they stand in the column.
- Cloud's damage and knockback are among the lowest of any throwable item in the franchise, placing it well below items like Bob-omb, Star Rod, or even Poyo in raw offensive output.
Elsewhere in Super Smash Bros
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