Is taunting actually useful?!

[BlackCore8]

So when I had my 3DS last year, I use to be so good in for glory but then this Rosalina player who was actually the best player I have ever fought beat me up so badly that I couldn't beat them even once and we played more than 10 matches. During those fights the Rosalina player kept taunting after every kill which aggravated me to death! I all of a sudden started playing worse (kept rolling which is unlike me, ran into her jab, and missing the ledge when recovering) and kept falling for obvious moves such as Rosalina's down smash and Luma was extra annoying that day. The player left afterwards but I was salty about the taunts even though I don't taunt at all.

tl:dr: Do you usually play worse when someone taunts you disrespectfully or do you play better? All comments are appreciated!

 

[Rinku リンク]

It seems you let the player get the better of you and went on "tilt". Honestly when I encounter "BM" players such as those I leave immediately.

It's really not worth staying to play with someone who isn't going to be respectful. It just takes the fun out of the game and makes it really annoying to play.

Though personally, when someone taunts thinking they're better than me it usually encourages me to play better so I can show them that their nothing but trash talkers.

 

[KirbCider]

It's hard to say as I guess it really depends on the situation.

There's a lot of times where I just want to play for fun, whether it's in For Fun or in For Glory. When I play strictly for the sake of fun I go out of my way to use characters other than my Mains. I make it my goal to play as almost every character on the roster whether I'm good with them or not. In any case, when I come across someone that likes to taunt me like crazy while I'm in "Fun Mode" I proceed to become more serious and go directly to my Mains. Sometimes I'll wipe the floor with them and give them the same treatment.

I just want to have fun. Once you take that fun away I'm going to make sure it's no longer fun for you either.

There are other times though, where I have come across extremely good players. Sadly, since they are extremely good they think they are totally the best players ever and have to go to great lengths to disrespect you by taunting, insulting or whatever. Sometimes I stay with these players if I feel like I at least stand some kind of chance which is normally a terrible decision on my part. There's some players who can sometimes actually get me angry due to their over-use of Taunts which possibly throws me off my game as well.

So I guess you can say it's 50/50 with me. Long story short: It can get me way more serious to where I want to put them into the ground for acting cocky, but if they can actually back their taunts up and I'm stupid enough to stay then they can to me sometimes.

 

[kendikong]

Taunting definitely encourages me to wreck havok on my opponent untlil they cant take it anymore. I end up playing more seriously, and most of the time I can always fulfill my revenge.

But once in a while, there will be that guy who taunts and i cant beat him. That will absolutely set me off.

 

[Ravine]

There's always that one person who writes verbose, nonsensical posts about how taunting in it self doesn't mean anything and then goes on to say that life is inherently meaningless.
Yeah f00k dat. Next they're gonna say smash attacks aren't meant to be used for attacking. LOL? The nerve of these people!
The Japanese word for taunt is "appeal," but it loses its American context and gains a Japanese one. Omg stop harping that down our throats ppl. kthx .
Visiting Japanese websites/messageboards/skidaddles, I can guarantee you that it's annoying there as it is annoying here!


Leave girl, LEAVE! And ignore everyone who says the equivalent of saying "let them taunt, may the peace be with you and be passive and please get slaughtered and upset because it's the moral thing to do." They are obviously the ones that TAUNT to PISS you OFF and are JUSTIFYING it on SMASHBOARDS to make you RAGE.

What is more important? A sneaky, psychologically manipulative smash board troll who are most likely the ones taunting on FG or your wellbeing?
Thought so.

 

[Tino]

It's only useful if your opponent starts being disrespectful after you beat them in a previous match and then beat them again over and over until they eventually had enough and leave.

Other than that, I never taunt at all.

 

[Naulis]

On FG when I don't really feel like taking things seriously I usually bait with a taunt. More often than not my opponent will reply with a taunt and that's when I go in. Other than that if I get a taunt inclined opponent I get sort of annoyed but I don't go ham over it. Try to keep your wits about you, takes time and patience.

 

[GooberGaming]

On FG when I don't really feel like taking things seriously I usually bait with a taunt. More often than not my opponent will reply with a taunt and that's when I go in. Other than that if I get a taunt inclined opponent I get sort of annoyed but I don't go ham over it. Try to keep your wits about you, takes time and patience.

Every once and a while I'll play against someone who will do this, I just chuckle and be like "I see what you did thuuurrr" .

To answer the OP. Taunting has its uses, it can be used to tilt your opponent, and it can also be used to acknowledge a friendly match i.e taunting at the start of the match.

I normally taunt after a hype kill, when I SD, and at the beginning of the match.

 

[Kneutronic]

Taunting has its uses.

Taunting is usually there to interact with the player in response to a pretty ridiculous event that happened during a battle. That's what I do a lot. I also taunt whenever an opponent or myself SDs, particularly FG Little Macs who Side-B off the ledge.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Wow...I didn't realize taunting angered people so much. I typically taunt after taking an opponent's stock just because I can, and at the end of matches cause it looks cool when a character is putting away their weapon on the last frame you see in battle...I guess I won't be doing that anymore though.

 

[KirbCider]

Wow...I didn't realize taunting angered people so much. I typically taunt after taking an opponent's stock just because I can, and at the end of matches cause it looks cool when a character is putting away their weapon on the last frame you see in battle...

There's honestly a lot of different opinions on Taunts, actually.

Most believe they can Taunt because they can and especially since it's part of the game. A lot of people never mean any harm by Taunting most of the time but some will still take it as insulting behavior. Then you have the other side that believes no one should ever Taunt under any circumstance unless it's a Taunt greeting of sorts, otherwise you will come off as disrespectful. It's just differing opinions.

You bought the game, and you and only you can choose how you play it. If you want to Taunt then go for it, but be aware some are going to be offended by it. Unless you're Taunting constantly and even spamming them consecutively I don't think it should be seen as rude.

I like to go by this rule personally: If you Taunt then I will start Taunting. Don't and I won't. I'll return a Taunt Greeting but otherwise won't do it first. I just want to have fun and I never mean to step on anyone's toes intentionally. Just play the game how you want, especially if you consider Taunting fun and cool. Nobody can forbid you from Taunting no matter what stance they have on the matter.

Some people will still get upset by it, but there's really not much you can do about that. Just use Taunts wisely.

 

[Rawberry]

Wow... I taunt every time I kill someone from the old habit of Smash 64 single player where you get more points for finishing the match mid-taunt... Never even imagined it would offend someone! If I messed up and brain-fart-killed myself in a match I'd think it really funny if the enemy taunted as if they had done it (assuming they don't really think they did).

 

[Pokedex649]

Only if you're Greninja.

 

[Putuk]

Taunting gets under some peoples skin. Especially if you're Dedede and you have three taunts, a crouch taunt and a dance by running back and forth.

Honestly, I feel more annoyed if you think I'm not worth your taunt.

 

[Jenknee]

Falcon's down taunt is in 90% of his combos and it might as well be his entrance animation; it's a way of life, we don't have a choice here.

 

[Shogak]

Luigi's down taunt can wreck fools.

 

[Sari]

Wario's bike taunt can cause salt levels to go sky high, and can even win you the match.

(I don't usually taunt but this guy taunted me in the previous round).


On a serious note, it usually depends on the type of taunt that gets people aggravated, and when it's used. Imagine playing as Little Mac, missing your KO punch to a ZSS, only for them to say "is that all?" in the middle of battle. It's basically their way of saying "lol you suck." If someone taunts after a regular KO I don't care that much but it's usually the ones that taunt during mid-battle that get on my nerves.

 

[Arrei]

On a serious note, it usually depends on the type of taunt that gets people aggravated, and when it's used. Imagine playing as Little Mac, missing your KO punch to a ZSS, only for them to say "is that all?" in the middle of battle. It's basically their way of saying "lol you suck." If someone taunts after a regular KO I don't care that much but it's usually the ones that taunt during mid-battle that get on my nerves.

I dunno, contextual taunts like that amuse me more than anything else. Yeah, random taunts in the middle of combat means someone thinks they can leave themselves wide open and still win, and I will respond by capitalizing on said opening to my utmost, but when you can make a taunt actually fit in the situation, it's hilarious.

I'm also a big fan of Ness "Okey."-ing other taunts.

 

[Ryuki of Spiral Rhapsody]

I don't taunt online unless my opponent is being rude.

In actual tournaments, I taunt for hype. (Ryu FADC -> Down Taunt -> Shoryuken)

 

[John12346]

I know some people have mentioned Greninja's Dtaunt, since it's an actual attack, but did you know you can actually combo that taunt into Uair AT KILL PERCENTS, provided you catch them near the end of the move? In addition, it's active for so long, you might consider using it to trap ledge options where all of Greninja's other options fall short.

I know the context of the thread was directed more towards the use of taunts to get a rise out of opponents, but this is most certainly worth a tech worth keeping in mind, for sure.

 

[FamilyTeam]

When you think about it, we only have taunts because this game is still kinda aimed towards children and they probably think children like taunts.
I think taunts can be funny when used on occasion, and they can even be used to compliment or respect someone else, but using them more than once... is beyond childish.

 

[MarMarTheGreat]

To annoy and fluster the enemy it works

People become ultra offensive usually when I taunt and I take advantage of it

 

[Turrin]

I kinda wish taunting wasn't taken so offensively. I like taunting because it's a fun little way to show off your character, but I don't do it only because I know how much it throws people into a rage. If people didn't take it so negatively I'd do it all the time. I still get what it's like to be on the other end, though - I try to tell myself that other people are usually just taunting to have some fun, but let's face it, that's a pretty hard thing to believe online.

 

[VPTurnip]

I'm in the small piece of the pie in Smash 4, which is a real shame, but the reason I play Smash in the first place is because of all of the Nintendo characters I've known and loved for years.

I love being able to play a Nintendo fan-service game like this, just the idea that "You can fight each other with iconic Nintendo characters" still thrills me, as it did when I first picked up Smash 64 around it's release. The idea that these characters from games I've treasured are all together, available to play as and battle it out..~

But I'm a video game fanatic, retro, Nintendo, PlayStation, etc. So, I'm sure most people just play Smash today because:

1. They're in the competitve scene to make money.
2. They play casually with friends or on For Glory.

But to me Smash is a lot more than that. It's Nintendo fan-service, history taken from Nintendo's library, catered specifically to me. I love being able to play Smash, and I like all the characters at least a little, so I enjoy seeing them taunt, to be honest.

tl;dr I love Nintendo and it's characters and everything about them, their taunts and all.

 

[Dutch Kirby]

I taunt all the time, both at the start of a match when the opponent doesn't have any charged projectiles, and when I KO someone. Kirby has an iconic taunt, there's no way to give up on that. I never even realized it was offensive. But to be honest, I don't really care. And if opponents get offended and take too many risks, it can lead to a Kirbycide or other opportunities for me to take advantage of their recklessness.

 

[ElectroLightning]

Wario's bike taunt can cause salt levels to go sky high, and can even win you the match.

(I don't usually taunt but this guy taunted me in the previous round).


On a serious note, it usually depends on the type of taunt that gets people aggravated, and when it's used. Imagine playing as Little Mac, missing your KO punch to a ZSS, only for them to say "is that all?" in the middle of battle. It's basically their way of saying "lol you suck." If someone taunts after a regular KO I don't care that much but it's usually the ones that taunt during mid-battle that get on my nerves.

I died.

 

[Synchronize]

Depends on the situation for me.
If i did something stupid that ended up in me SDing myself (D-Air happy Fast Falling Falco here...) I'll do a taunt when i respawn as a way of kind of laughing at myself and usually they'll taunt as well which doesnt bother me. Also when i get a kill and they taunt upon respawn, it just tells me we're both having fun here (or they probably ****ed up like i did) however I always think about if should taunt back or do nothing at all since i don't want to be BMing

If they taunt after they kill me though, I'll split their (Censored for obvious reasons) a new one. Players who use their taunt just to rub salt on wounds usually aren't worth playing around for fun with so I'll just try to finish the game quickly and switch over to my main and completely destroy them. Ofc, i remember to taunt after every kill when i do so.

Also some taunts like Luigi's kick can kind of be useful (emphases on kind of) if you can manage to ledge trump someone and they grab ledge again (Assuming you can get back on stage and taunt quickly enough) to just spike them straight to the blast zone. Yes this has happened to me and now I've been practicing on my anti ledge trumping...

 

[jcx]

Luigi's taunt spike is useful for disrespect. Only pulled it off once though. Other than that, I mostly do custom taunts after Star KOs, like Villager's Up Smash. However, for Mario or Cloud, I prefer just charging up FLUDD and my Limit Break respectively.

 

[Derpnaster]

I play Greninja, so when I get a kill online with all the lag I personally think its OK to taunt, but only the up taunt to strike a ninja pose, other than that I down taunt next to the other guy to send them. And the salt to the sky.

on another note, if a Ganon gets a kill in a hype way. Side B in particular, I'm totally chill with taunts, its only the ones not earned I don't like, and well.

https://m.facebook.com/video_redire...4:2:0:1464764399:6923033294223249670&__tn__=F

 

[Darkpit54]

One taunt is DEFINITELY useful:

Two words: Meteor Smash

 

[Metalbro]

One can pull off a luigi down taunt spike if they get a ledge trump and hope that your opponent goes back to the ledge rather than jumping on stage. Its the most disrespectful jank thing a weegee can do.

 

[jcx]

One can pull off a luigi down taunt spike if they get a ledge trump and hope that your opponent goes back to the ledge rather than jumping on stage. Its the most disrespectful jank thing a weegee can do.

Sometimes, they're forced to the ledge. Yep, some characters' recoveries are just that bad.

 

[Derpnaster]

Sometimes, they're forced to the ledge. Yep, some characters' recoveries are just that bad.

RIP Doc

 

[jcx]

RIP Doc

And Mac. And Falcon. And Ganon.

 

[ElectroLightning]

I find taunts useful online. When the opponent gets salty, they usually throw out moves you shouldn't be using...

 

[Kaiduru Zeta]

Taunting has a possibility to be useful to play mindgames with your opponent to make them a little more agitated. I know it makes me more agitated. It all depends on situation though.

 

[Derpnaster]

Taunting has a possibility to be useful to play mindgames with your opponent to make them a little more agitated. I know it makes me more agitated. It all depends on situation though.

Greninja, Shadow Sneak ~> Down Taunt/Up Taunt ~> Release and laugh as you condition your foe to shield whenever you throw out a taunt.

 

[jcx]

Greninja, Shadow Sneak ~> Down Taunt/Up Taunt ~> Release and laugh as you condition your foe to shield whenever you throw out a taunt.

Oh right, that reminds me... aMSa uploaded a video in which he used Greninja's Down Taunt in a team combo (he used it to launch Mr. II's Robin to set up a high-altitude Thoron).