'Smash Brothers' Community Rocked By Its Own Version Of 'The Slap'

There are some staple freakouts in every "SALTIEST GAMER MOMENTS" compilation on YouTube. A controller spike is a must, occasionally you'll get a table flip, and rarely, you'll see the full destruction of a TV monitor or a gaming console. But one thing you'll almost never see is a violation of the cardinal rule of gaming: You do not ever strike your actual human opponent.

Italian Super Smash Brothers Ultimate player Oro crossed that line in a recent tournament, standing up and slapping his opponent, BestMario, after losing a Losers Quarters match 3-0.

Très content de savoir que ce BARJO a été banni définitivement. On rappelle qu'il a tarté son adversaire après avoir perdu 3-0. https://t.co/9K25coPvEB pic.twitter.com/e5dOXw9cL6

— Walid (@LiberezWalid_) January 15, 2023

Oro and BestMario are rivals in the Tuscany region of Italy, placing No. 2 and 3 in the region's third PR season. Oro was 1-1 against BestMario heading into Sunday's fateful match.

It's unclear what, if anything, caused Oro to strike BestMario other than frustration at his loss. Whatever the case may be, the Smash Bros Italia organization banned Oro from attending future tournaments indefinitely.

English translation (from the Google Translate app) pic.twitter.com/5Xsn3rdU1K

— Professor (@ProfessorSSB) January 16, 2023

As the clip went viral in the wider Smash community, many agreed with Smash Bros Italia's decision, understanding it's never okay to physically assault your opponent in any circumstance. With that agreed upon, it was time to bust out memes of the moment.

Slap so hard that Mario himself got on the mic 😭 https://t.co/yTGZ5pH3qr

— eightbit 💎 (@8BitTheWitch) January 17, 2023

mf just went villain god mode on that one 💀 https://t.co/59OaB8zULs pic.twitter.com/QNf4xfZZ3Q

— Samu 💕👍 (@samurawr) January 16, 2023

Bro thought he was doing Daisy Jab irl 💀 https://t.co/Ii5fql0DGJ

— LG | Maister (@Maister_SSB) January 16, 2023

Smash has certainly been in a bit of a dark place recently, with its competitive scene in very uncertain times and multiple top players announcing they're quitting the game. Still, perhaps the most surprising thing about the clip is that it happened to a Mario player instead of, say, a Steve or Kazuya.