Flame Choke

Flame Choke is Ganondorf's side special move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It replaces Gerudo Dragon from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Although it retains some properties from the Gerudo Dragon, and by extension Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost, the move instead has Ganondorf charging forward, grabbing any nearby opponents, choking them with dark energy, and slamming them to the ground. The aerial version of the move does leave Ganondorf helpless when it ends, however. Likewise, Ganondorf enters a helpless state if he falls off a ledge while using the move. The attack's knockback is set, regardless of damage, so it's not able to KO anyone by itself, but Ganondorf can potentially make suicide KOs while using it.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Flame Choke has "super armor", meaning that Ganondorf cannot be interrupted when using it, but the armor he has mid-grab is removed in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. When used in the air, Ganondorf grabs the opponent, leaps up, and slams them to the ground; the player can also slightly alter the move's path while in the air.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, this move has two unlockable custom variations:

The first is Flame Wave, in which Ganondorf grabs any opponents in his path, and launches them into the air after grabbing them; the launched opponents can also damage others. The attack deals high damage and knockback, but its range is much shorter than that of the standard Flame Choke. If used in the air, the move operates in the same way as Flame Choke, with the exception of it dealing more damage, and having higher KO potential than the grounded version.

The second variant is Flame Chain, which no longer has the grab, but instead deals multiple hits as Ganondorf charges forward; it has a longer range, and can pass through shields, but it deals less hits when used in the air. The move also stops at ledges, which avoids putting Ganondorf at a helpless state.