Aren't firing a missile by first ejecting it or dropping a bomb also considered launching vertically, but vertically downwards? And I believe fighter jets can fire (some) missiles while upside down.
Yes but with that system the missile, when first ejected into the surrounding airflow, experiences an extremely high angle of attack.
Normally the released ordinance has its nose pointed roughly the same direction of the aircraft which means it’s dropped into local flow that points in also roughly the same direction, AKA small angle of attack which is good for a number of reasons: retaining the energy it got from the launch platform, making sure its control surfaces don’t stall, etc.
In the case of a vertically (as in vertical to the aircraft nose) launched missile it is dropped at effectively 90 degrees AoA which will: slow it down very very effectively; destabilize it to some degree depending on the design; make the control surfaces stall out and leaving the only effective method of attitude control as the TVC nozzle (which exacerbates energy loss as the thrust will be directed at an angle instead of pointing in the missile long axis to best accelerate it)