Glossary

This is a page of various terms used within the game and its community, referring to various game mechanics, abilities, and techniques.

Game-Specific Terms

 * ARMS - The name of the very game in question, as well as the various gloves each fighter can be equipped with.


 * ARM Weight - There are three levels of weight: Light, medium, and heavy. When two ARMS hit each other while extending, the lighter one gets knocked down. Both are knocked down if they have the same weight.


 * ARM Attribute/Element - An additional effect to an ARM's punch that is activated while a fighter has charge. Some ARMS have no specific attribute, and their properties while charged are totally unique.


 * Insta-Counter - A counter move performed by pressing the dash button immediately after an attack hits a guarding player. This allows the player to very quickly move forwards or backwards, and has a small duration of invincibility.


 * Rush Farming - Repeatedly punching or charging without engaging the enemy, in order to build rush meter.


 * Rush Juggle Using a rush attack to keep the opponent in the air and vulnerable to continued attacks for an extended period of time.


 * Dash Hop - Jumping during a dash, using the momentum of the dash to increase distance.


 * Tap Dash - A partial dash where the button is released early, causing the fighter to gain no charge and travel less distance but exiting out of the dash sooner and causing their ARMS to lag behind less.


 * Yabuki Combo - A combo initiated by grabbing an opponent, throwing them onto a trampoline, and then hitting them with a Rush. This technique can only be done on two stages, Spring Stadium and Mausoleum, as they are the only stages to have trampolines. This combo is named after ARMS creator Kosuke Yabuki who performed it at the ARMS Open Invitational.


 * ARM Cancel


 * Extension - The period in which an ARM is moving toward its target. This speed varies based on the ARM used.


 * Retraction - The period in which an ARM comes back to its user. This speed varies based on the ARM used.


 * Charge - A resource gained after holding the dash button, landing after a jump, or guarding for short period of time. Charge depletes over time, and grants the player's ARMS a boost in performance and damage, as well as activating their specific attribute or element.


 * Constant Charge - When a fighter's ARMS are being continuously charged by one of their abilities, typically a self-buff or special stance.


 * Perma-Charge - A state in which a fighter's ARMS are charged for the rest of the round.


 * Heavyweight - Any character with this property is capable of resisting flinching from any attack without an automatic knockdown. This does not apply to rush attacks.

Character-Specific Terms

 * Shockwave/Deflect - When a character produces a wave of energy around them that knocks any incoming ARMS down. An example is Spring Man's dash ability.


 * Warp/Smoke Out - Ninjara's unique ability. He teleports away if dashing in the air or if an ARM is attempting to hit him while shielding, makes him teleport away.


 * Actress Aura/Starstruck - Twintelle's dash ability that slows down incoming ARMS for a counter attack, as well as farming the rush gauge.


 * Tower Mode - Holding the jump button as Helix stretches his body upwards. In this state, Helix's ARMS are always charged and he can dodge punches by moving in different directions. Despite being able to dodge incoming attacks, Helix is unable to walk during Tower Mode. Releasing the jump button will return Helix to normal.


 * Puddle - Holding the dash button as Helix squishes his body into a puddle close to the ground. In this state, Helix's ARMS become charged after holding it for a short period of time and he can duck under punches if timed correctly. Releasing the dash button will return Helix to normal.


 * Big Bang/EMP - Springtron's signature ability, a huge blast that comes out after fully charging. This disables all extending ARMS within its radius, and grants Springtron a ten second buff of constant charge and increased movement speed and distance. This ability takes a full second to activate and afterwards Springtron is left completely vulnerable for half a second.

General Terms

 * Hitbox - A technical term for an area of collision for any attack that causes damage to a fighter who touches it.


 * Hurtbox - An area of collision attached to the fighter that causes them to take damage and enter hitstun when touching a hitbox.


 * Frame - A unit of time based on the internal clock a game runs by. As an animation plays, it changes a frame at a time.


 * Active Frame The point of time during an animation in which a hitbox is capable of interacting with other areas of collision.


 * Recovery Frame - A period of time after a hitbox is no longer active in which the player must wait for the move's animation to finish before using it again.


 * Punish - When a player uses an advantage gained from a whiff/misstep to deal basically free damage to an opponent.


 * Guard/Block - A defensive state that heavily reduces damage and prevents hitstun from attacks, in exchange for being unable to perform any action.


 * Parry - See Insta-counter.


 * Grab - An attack with special properties that bypasses a block and allows the user to force their opponent into a new position.


 * Knockdown - Certain attacks cause fighter to become knocked to the floor, interrupting all action but also making them temporarily incapable of taking damage.


 * Wakeup - After getting knocked down, a fighter must eventually stand back up and return to neutral. The player can decide to roll to change their position and avoid attacks as they get back up.


 * Okiseme/Oki - An action performed when a character is getting up from a knockdown state, designed to pressure them and/or restrict their options.


 * Meaty


 * Unblockable


 * Guard Break


 * Anti-Air - An attack that specifically succeeds in preventing an opponent from excelling in the air or simply knocks them out of the air.


 * Trade - When attacks occur in an equal or almost equal frequency between two players. i.e. players landing attacks in an alternate fashion.


 * Clash - When two active hitboxes collide, canceling each other out.


 * Hitstun


 * Invincibility Frames/I-Frames


 * Armor/Super Armor - Extra damage absorption that does not lead to a knockdown.


 * Turtling - The tactic of staying hyperdefensive, usually when a clear-cut lead is present.


 * Neutral


 * Mixup - When you perform an action out of the norm, or out of a pattern, intending to catch an opponent off guard.


 * Pressure - Applying a series of attacks against an opponent intending to not let them have time to breathe/reset/think.
 * Rushdown - The tactic of maintaining heavy pressure on an opponent in order to gain advantageous position.


 * Zoning - The tactic of keeping an opponent at a certain distance to maintain advantage.


 * Whiff - When an attack misses its intended target.


 * Chip Damage - The damage sustained while an attack hits a shield.


 * Juggle


 * Poke - A light attack meant to keep an opponent in check, very similar to pressuring but utilizing lighter attacks at a lesser frequency.


 * Magic Pixel - An instance in which one's health bar appears to be empty, but they are not yet KO'd.


 * Buffer


 * Tech - Advanced Techniques found by players that grants a character or ARM addition tools in battle.


 * Buff - Improving a character or an ARM's move or an attribute in some way in updates.
 * Nerf: The opposite of a buff, weakening a character or an ARM's move or attribute in updates.