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Knockback Evasion

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In games where damage flings a character around, stuns them or knocks them to the ground, there is often a way to prevent this. In action games, it's usually done by hitting a certain key while being hit or Blown Across the Room. In fighting games, this is known as "teching", or more rarely with the Japanese term "ukemi".

Note that this trope is not about temporary or intrinsic immunity (see Immune to Flinching for that), but about actively blocking a stunning attack or stabilizing yourself after being knocked back.

In some cases, the Defend Command can block or reduce knockback even if it doesn't reduce the damage taken.

This may or may not prevent (or provide) Mercy Invincibility.

In many games, knockback is stopped if you hit a wall or object. In this case, fighting knockback-inflicting enemies near walls can be used for this.

See also Press X to Not Die.

As another way to get back in the fight, compare Recovery Attack. — Examples only count as this if it does not avoid all damage (like dodging does), but just prevents the Knockback.

Examples

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     Action Adventure  

  • In some video games, hitting or shooting an enemy at just the right instant allows you to glitch through it without getting hit (and hence avoid knockback). This works, for instance, in Super Metroid.
  • Iji has the Hidden Skill "Teching" that bypasses the ordeal of lying helpless on the floor for a few seconds, by tapping the "interact" key just as you're being hit by a knockback-inducing attack. There's also a special powerup which does this automatically for a short period of time.
  • The Zombie Officer soul in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow allows you to stop knockback.
    • In some Castlevania games, knockback can be avoided by crouching.
  • Most Viewtiful Joe installments have this as an ability you can buy, specifically called Ukemi. If you zoom in right when you hit the ground, you'll flip back up and negate the damage, even though you already saw it subtracted from your lifebar. It won't help against hits that don't knock you back, though, and doesn't always recover all your health if the attack is badly damaging. But if it is used miraculously, it can forgive that one mistake that might stop you from getting a perfect Rainbow V rank.
  • The Wonderful 101, from the same director, also has Ukemi. If you press jump button exactly the moment when you touch the ground after you've been hit — you negate the damage and get a few seconds of invincibility to show you recover animation.
  • Asura's Wrath also has this as a major mechanic, complete with the (partial) life recovery from Viewtiful Joe seen above. Unlimited Mode makes it automatic for as long as it lasts, although since Asura doesn't take any damage during it, it only serves to allow him to resume attacking quicker.

     Action Role Playing Game 
  • A staple mechanic in the Tales Series known as Recover, which lets you press the Guard button (or anything at all) to flip upright after being sent flying or knocked down, though one has to be mindful of knowing when it's safer to not do it, such as during times when its safer to take advantage of the invincibility of being knocked down or using the distance given to you from moves with large knockback. Some enemies are able to do this as well, which can be used to your advantage.
  • A regular part of the Kingdom Hearts series starting with Kingdom Hearts II is an ability known as Aerial Recovery which lets you regain control after being launched. Some bosses and enemies in the series are capable of it as well, and knowing when to use yours and when they'll use theirs is an important part of getting through the higher difficulties.

     Beat Em Up  

     Fighting Game  
  • Super Smash Bros. allows you to do a quick recovery when you're knocked into a wall or the floor, either flipping or rolling to your feet when hitting the ground, or keeping yourself from smacking into a wall. If your character can wall-jump, you can use that to recover when hitting a wall.
  • Soul Calibur IV allows you to Ukemi or Just Ukemi as you are knocked to the ground in order to instantly stand up or roll.
  • In the Touhou Project fighting game spinoffs, you can airtech by airdashing or flying.

     MMORPG  
  • In Final Fantasy XIV, melee DPS and tanks get a job action called Arm's Length, which causes them to be temporarily immune to knockback effects, so they don't break position from them.
  • One class in Ragnarok Online - The Swordsman and its variants - has a skill that does that, and it makes lots of sense, with the sheer amount of mobs rallied in one train, or adds following the MVP boss.
  • DC Universe Online lets you use Breakout to stop being knocked back and grant yourself a brief control immunity. Unusually for this trope, this is not without cost - Breakout costs valuable energy.
  • The Just Reversal skill in Phantasy Star Online 2 lets you quickly somersault to your feet instead of landing face down on the floor if you hit the jump key right before touching the ground after you're sent flying. However, it's not always better to do this, as the Mercy Invincibility provided from doing a faceplant can let you avoid attacks that the aforementioned skill wouldn't.

     Third Person Shooter  
  • [PROTOTYPE] lets you purchase the ability to do just that with a quick tap of the jump button. Alternately, you can just air-dash.
  • You can recover from being knocked to the ground faster in Kid Icarus: Uprising by pressing the attack button the moment you land. There's also an ability you can get on weapons that will do this automatically.

     Other Video Games  
  • Clonk
    • In mage fights, a Good Bad Bug allows you to stop tumbling by casting a spell you started aiming before being hit by an attack.
    • In the Eke Reloaded pack, using a jetpack cancels tumbling.
  • In Final Fantasy XII, many enemies including bosses have a passive ability that allows them to ignore knockback from your attacks and it's usually justified due to their size and mass.
  • In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, some very high-level opponents can use the "Unrelenting Force" Shout to send you flying, just as you can do it to them. However, any of the "Ward" spells can block the Shout. So can the shield "Spellbreaker" that you get as a reward for one of the daedric quests. You just need a few seconds to prepare...

     Tabletop RPG  
  • Mutants & Masterminds has the ability to spend a Hero Point to nullify Stun, which normally results in Knockback. Players can also use Acrobatics to avoid the Prone status after knockback.
  • Champions: Naturally, the game that gave us the Knockback term has ways to counter it. The superpower Knockback Resistance subtracts from Knockback inflicted on the character, and the skill Breakfall lets one "roll out" of being knocked to the ground. Characters that have neither can always use a combat action to brace against Knockback (using either their Strength or, if they have it, their Flight as a counter).

 
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Video Example(s):

Alternative Title(s): Re Stabilization, Teching, Ukemi

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Donkey Kong uses his up special to survive a forward smash from a Home Run Bat.

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