After being knocked down, fighters have several options available to prevent further damage. Pressing up on the control stick causes you to rise normally. This also occurs if the knocked-down fighter lies for a certain amount of time. The getup animation includes a brief intangibility period, followed by a vulnerability window. Getting up in this manner is effective against an attacker waiting to punish your clear-out wake-up attack.
Wake-Up Attack
While knocked down, all fighters have some form of unique double-sided wake-up attack, performed by pressing Attack while laid out. The knocked-down fighter becomes intangible while getting up, then delivers a clear-out attack, hitting both sides. Some wake-up attacks hit both sides at once, but most of them swing first to one side, then turn and swing at the other, knocking away nearby enemies. Some fighters have different wake-up attacks depending on whether they’re lying prone faceup or facedown.
Like with ledge attacks, the game here is straightforward. If opponents try to do anything while you’re getting up with a wake-up attack, you’ll win and bat them away. But if they bait you into using a wake-up attack, then they block it or sidestep, they can score guaranteed punishment afterward.