Shielding

Shielding is a defensive technique first introduced in Melty Blood. A form of this mechanic also exists in the Super Smash Bros series.

Shielding in Melty Blood
Executing by pressing the D button (not to be confused with ), the character will put up a small energy shield that will nullify one hit of the opponent's attack. Like blocking, some attacks can only be shielded high or low. Holding the button will continue to hold the shield up at the expense of the player's power bar. Shielding an attack just before it hits is known as EX-Shielding. Whether an attack is shielded or EX-shielded, the shielding play will gain 5% of their meter (equivalent to about 50 power in M.U.G.E.N), while the attacking player will gain none and will finish their attack animation.

Shielding in Super Smash Bros.
In the Super Smash Bros series, like in Melty Blood, shielding puts up a shield that will nullify the opponent's attacks. Unlike Melty Blood, shields in Smash Bros can absorb more than one hit as long as the button is held down, but will decrease the shield's stamina the longer the shield is held and as the shield takes damage. Shield stamina will regenerate over time. Whenever the shield's stamina is reduced to 0, the shield will shatter, causing the user to flip and become stuck in a dizzy state for a few seconds, rendering them vulnerable to attack.