Kirby (SSB4)

Kirby in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Kirby
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Ultra Sword
Tier	F (41)

Kirby (カービィ, Kirby) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was confirmed on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct. He was also among the first wave of amiibo figures that are compatible with SSB4. Kirby is again voiced by Makiko Ōmoto, who provided new voice clips that changed Kirby's inflections somewhat compared to the previous games in the series.

Kirby ranks 41st out of 58 on the tier list, placing him in the F tier. This is a vast downturn for Kirby, as he was a mid-tier character in Brawl due to being ranked 20th out of 38. Kirby possesses a great combo game, courtesy of his up tilt and his up aerial's excellent juggling potentials, as well as good frame data throughout most of his moveset. Despite his size, Kirby also has great KO potential due to his powerful up throw and guaranteed KO set-ups off of his down aerial on floatier characters. His crouch is also very useful, allowing him to avoid many moves from a variety of characters, along with a number of grabs from taller characters.

However, Kirby retains many of his flaws from Brawl, the most notable of which is his poor survivability as a result of his floatiness and extremely light weight. When this is coupled with his predictable recovery, Kirby is left prone to either getting KO'd off of the blast zones early or being edgeguarded early. His mobility is also poor, leaving him prone to being zoned out by many characters, though his crouch can help alleviate some pressure against projectiles that are not affected by gravity. Lastly, Kirby's range has also been nerfed, due to his feet becoming smaller. Because of these flaws, Kirby is seen by some as a below average character in SSB4, although his tournament representation is above average and he has even achieved a few results at top-level tournaments courtesy of MikeKirby and Triple R.

Attributes

As in previous installments, Kirby is a small lightweight, being tied for the fifth lightest character in the game. This is also reflected in his mobility, which is poor; he has a slow walking speed, average dashing speed, the fourth slowest falling speed, the third lowest gravity, the fourth lowest air speed, below average traction and average air acceleration. Despite having the second lowest jumps, he can jump a total of six times, making up for that flaw.

Kirby's greatest strength is the versatility of his moveset. Almost all of Kirby's moves are characterized by speed, and those that are not have very high power instead. Neutral attack and forward tilt are fast and have decent range, allowing Kirby to quickly fend off opponents. Up tilt is notorious for its combo capabilities, being very quick and having the ability to consistently combo into itself or an aerial attack. Down tilt is very fast, with its very low power being compensated by the Sakurai angle, allowing it to trip opponents even at percents as high as 270%. His smash attacks have good range and high power while not being particularly slow, making them excellent at ending an opponent's stock. His aerial game is also powerful and all of his aerials have less than 18 frames of landing lag. Neutral aerial lasts for a long amount of time, and its very low landing lag grants Kirby a lot of protection and allows him to take full advantage of buffering. Forward aerial is powerful, chains fluidly and can allow additional follow-ups at low percents. Up aerial has vertical knockback, low landing lag and has a good amount of autocanceling frames, allowing many potential follow-ups. Back aerial has decent range, lasts for a decent amount of time and is Kirby's fastest and strongest aerial, making it a very good all-purpose aerial attack. Lastly, down aerial, though it has slow start up, drags opponents downwards before meteor smashing them, making it a deceptively powerful edgeguarding tool. In addition, it is an effective combo starter with guaranteed followups on grounded opponents.

His grab game is also useful. His grabs are either fast or have good range, making up for the lack of the other. Despite dealing little damage, his pummel is very fast, allowing Kirby to rack up damage quickly. His forward throw, notorious in Brawl for its highly damaging combo options at 0%, has been improved even further, now possessing follow-ups even at medium percents, including down aerial to re-grab. Back throw can be followed up by a back aerial at 0% on certain characters, tech-chase fast-fallers and KO at high percents. Up throw is his strongest throw and is able to KO almost all characters at 170%, or even earlier if it lands on a platform. Down throw, despite being near useless, can rack up plenty of damage when no other throw can yield better results.

His special moveset has some interesting options. Inhale is Kirby's signature move, allowing him to either copy the neutral special move of any character he Inhales or spit them out as a weight-dependent projectile. The latter can be used to Kirbycide or put the opponent below the stage, almost eliminating their chances of recovering. The former, depending on what character he Inhales, can give Kirby a small help (Falcon Punch and Homing Attack) or massive benefits (Monado Arts and Needle Storm). Hammer is extremely powerful, especially when fully charged. Its low speed, however, makes it very difficult to use outside of edgeguarding or after a shield break. Final Cutter is Kirby's primary move for recovery and is decent at that, granting good vertical and horizontal distance, as well as decent protection on the way up and on the way down. It also releases a beam upon landing, making it difficult to punish if not at point-blank range. Finally, Stone causes Kirby to plummet straight down and ignore damage by any move that deals less than 30%. It is also very strong and can be canceled at any time, making it useful for playing mindgames.

However, Kirby has noticeable flaws. As mentioned, Kirby has poor mobility, giving him significant trouble approaching and pressuring opponents. It also gives him trouble against fast characters (such as Sonic) or those with disjointed hitboxes (like Marth). In addition, despite being very long, his recovery is extremely slow, making aggressive edgeguarding and gimp-oriented moves (such as F.L.U.D.D. or meteor smashes) detrimental to him. Kirby's range is also mediocre at best, and his strongest moves happen to be his slowest, making it difficult for him to KO opponents outside of edgeguarding or without a set-up. His most prominent weakness, however, is his endurance. Being light and floaty, Kirby cannot survive strong hits at high percentages. He is also very vulnerable to juggling, due to the aforementioned slow falling speed and slow air speed. The introduction of rage further compounds these issues, as Kirby will get sent flying even earlier, and will usually not last long enough to take advantage of it.

Kirby can benefit significantly from custom moves. Jumping Inhale is slower and lacks the vacuum, but moves Kirby forward, often putting opponents at very bad positions. Hammer Bash is almost identical to Hammer in Brawl, being much faster and, due its vertical knockback, almost as powerful, at the cost of the default's immense strength. Upper Cutter immediately cancels at the apex, removing the descending hitbox and the shockwave, but is faster, stronger and grants much more height and momentum, making it much better for recovering, as well as granting Kirby a reliable out of shield option. Grounding Stone is much weaker and has more startup, but it buries grounded opponents and has much less ending lag, allowing for follow-ups, safer mindgames, and acts as a potential anti-juggling tool.

Overall, Kirby, like Luigi, tends to run hot-and-cold. He can inflict an impressive amount of damage if he gets close to his opponent, but doing so is difficult in the first place. Letting the enemy approach him is also hazardous at times due to his mediocre survivability. Kirby has seen above average tournament representation with players such as MikeKirby, Poyo and others, with MikeKirby even attaining a couple of notable results at top-level tournaments with him, but his tournament results are below average overall.

Changes from Brawl

Kirby has been nerfed overall in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. He has retained most of the issues he had in Brawl, but he also suffers from new issues, such as having his range worsened in SSB4 due to his feet and size relative to the cast becoming smaller, and his standing and dash grabs' ranges getting decreased. However, some of his less reliable moves from Brawl, particularly Inhale and his down aerial, have been buffed and now possess much more utility. The changes to hitstun canceling also benefits Kirby more than harming him, as it enables him to chain combos together much better, which is further supplemented by his newly buffed forward throw, which lets him rack up damage very easily. His approach was also slightly improved due to his dashing speed becoming significantly faster. Overall though, Kirby seems to be slightly worse thn he was in Brawl.

Aesthetics

• Due to the generally brighter aesthetic used in SSB4, Kirby's overall coloration is now brighter. His skin appears to have much more diffuse shading, with reduced difference in brightness between the lit and shaded sides of his body, while his feet are now slightly smaller to match his design as of Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
• Kirby is more expressive. He now sports a stern look when performing a number of moves, similarly to how he does in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby: Triple Deluxe. His facial expressions when being attacked are also more exaggerated and he even sports two different expressions when he is Screen KO'd. He will either have teary eyes, his mouth closed and the right side of his face pressed against the screen or have wincing eyes, his mouth open and his whole face pressed against the screen. Both are based on his expression when an attack slams him against the screen in Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
• Sidestep's animation has changed. It is now based on the sidestep animation used in Triple Deluxe.

Attributes

• The general change in size between smaller and larger characters makes Kirby's hurtbox smaller than in Brawl, which is especially noticeable among characters typically depicted as large or small in their respective series. However, this also hinders his range.
• Kirby's range was further hindered due to his feet becoming slightly smaller, which is evident with most of his kicking moves.
• Kirby is heavier (78 → 79).
• Kirby walks slower (0.95 → 0.93).
• Kirby dashes faster (1.371 → 1.57), going from being tied with Ike for the tenth slowest in Brawl to average in SSB4.
• Kirby's air speed is slower (0.85 → 0.8).
• Kirby falls faster (1.2 → 1.23).
• Kirby's fast falling speed is faster (1.9 → 1.968), making him less susceptible to vertical juggling.
• Kirby's gravity is higher (0.061 → 0.06405), worsening his endurance and making him more susceptible to combos, but allowing him to reach his falling speed faster.
• Roll has slightly less ending lag (IASA 31 → 30).
• Roll provides less intangibility frames (frame 4-19 → 4-17).
• Spot dodge provides less intangibility frames (frame 2-20 → 2-17) and has more ending lag (IASA 25 → 26).
• Air dodge has less start-up (frame 4 → 3) and much less ending lag (IASA 49 → 32).
• Air dodge lasts 1 frame shorter (25 frames → 24).
• Soft landing is 1 frame faster (3 frames → 2).

Ground attacks

• Neutral infinite now transitions into a finisher, the Smash Punch from the Fighter ability.
• The neutral infinite deals slightly less damage (2%/1% → 1%). Neutral attack's first and second hits have smaller hitboxes (3.3u → 3u) and the second hit has more base knockback (8 → 15), making it slightly harder to connect with the infinite at higher percents.
• Neutral attack's first hit has an altered angle (361° → 55°).
• Dash attack's looping hits deal less damage (2%/3% → 1%), resulting in it dealing 5% less damage overall (14% → 9%). The last hit also has a smaller hitbox (8u → 3u).
• Dash attack's last hit deals more knockback (90/70 (base)/40 (set)/70/100 (growth) → 100 (base)/70 (growth)).
• Dash attack's last hit has more hitlag (1x → 2x). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• Forward tilt has less reach (5.4u → 3.3u).
• Up tilt deals less damage (7%/5% → 5%/4%) and has less reach (5.5u (clean)/4.5u (late) → 4u).
• Up tilt has more knockback growth (102 → 116 (clean)/110 (late)) and now renders Kirby's foot intangible.
• Clean up tilt has an altered angle (92° → 100°).
• Down tilt deals more damage (5%/6% → 6%).
• Down tilt has less reach (4.5u → 3.7u).
• Forward smash has less ending lag and the late hit has more base knockback on all angles (25 → 90).
• Forward smash has increased start-up (frame 12 → 13), less reach (6u → 4.2u (clean)/3.5u (late)) and the clean hit has less knockback on all angles (38 (base)/100/98/96 (growth) → 30 (base)/102 (growth)). The late hit also deals less damage (13% → 12%/11%/10%) and has less knockback growth on all angles (96/94 → 69).
• Clean and late forward smash has altered angles (45° (up)/38° (non-angled)/31° (down) → 361° (clean), 82° (up)/73° (non-angled)/60° (down) → 60° (late)).
• Up smash has increased knockback (34/30 (base)/100 (growth) → 32/30 (base)/104/99 (growth) (early), 50 (growth) → 52 (late)), and has less ending lag. The move also renders Kirby's feet intangible.
• The middle hit of up smash has less knockback growth (100 → 98).
• Down smash has altered knockback (30 (base)/100 (growth) → 25/110) and has less ending lag. Its lingering hit lasts 1 frame longer and the move also renders Kirby's feet intangible for 10 frames.
• Down smash now launches opponents vertically instead of semi-spiking them, removing its edge-guarding potential. The late hit also deals 4% less damage (14% → 10%).

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, up, down, and late back aerials deal less damage (12%/10%/8%/6% → 10%/8%/6%/4% (neutral), 10% → 9% (up), 12% → 9% (down), 9% → 8% (back)). Only neutral and down aerials had their knockback compensated.
• Neutral, back, up, and down aerials have more landing lag (9 frames → 10 (neutral), 9 frames → 17 (back), 9 frames → 12 (up), 15 frames → 17 (down)).
• Neutral aerial deals more knockback (10 (base)/80 (growth) → 30/90).
• Neutral aerial has an altered angle (361° → 46°).
• Forward aerial's first and second hits connect together better due to angle alterations (45° → 45°/80° (first), 80° → 366° (second)), while the last hit has increased knockback growth (138 → 148). It also has less landing lag (15 frames → 13).
• Forward aerial has less reach (5u → 4.3u (first), 5u → 4.5u (second), 6.5u → 4.9u (last)). It also no longer autocancels in a short hop.
• Forward aerial's last hit has more hitlag (1x → 1.2x). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• Clean back aerial deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%) and late back aerial has more knockback growth (110 → 112).}
• Back aerial has less reach (7u → 4u (clean), 6u → 3.4u (late)) and clean back aerial has less knockback growth (105 → 104).
• Up aerial has more knockback growth (98 → 100).
• Up aerial has less reach (5.5u → 4.5u).
• Down aerial's hits connect together better and its landing hitbox has decreased set knockback (60 → 40), and sends opponents at a more favorable angle (30° → 60°) allowing for better follow-ups. Its meteor hitbox also has slightly more knockback growth (107 → 110), and more reach (6u → 6.2u).

Throws/other attacks

• Standing and pivot grabs have less ending lag.
• Dash grab comes out faster (frame 10 → 8).
• Standing and dash grabs have less reach.
• Grab's animation has changed. Kirby now swings his arm sideways instead of upward.
• Pummel deals 0.55% more damage (1% → 1.55%) and is faster, now being the third fastest pummel in the game.
• Forward throw deals 3% less damage (8% → 5%).
• Due to the changes to hitstun canceling, forward throw is now a reliable combo starter due to its lowered damage output, having more knockback growth (100 → 125) and an altered angle (65° → 75°).
• Back throw has altered knockback (80 (base)/50 (growth) → 30/120), improving its KO potential at high percents near the edge. It also has much less ending lag, improving its mix-up and low percent follow-up potentials while also granting it tech-chasing potential on certain characters.
• Back throw has an altered angle (120° → 130°).
• Up throw has increased knockback (70 (base)/70 (growth) → 75/74), improving its KO potential.
• Up throw has an altered angle (85° → 78°).
• Down throw deals 1.8% less damage (12% → 10.2%), more knockback (40 (base)/140 (growth) → 60/180) and has an altered angled (90° → 63°). This not only hinders its follow-up potential, but also removes its utility outside of damage racking and hitting nearby opponents.

Special moves

• Inhale has decreased start-up and ending lag. Additionally, Inhaling non-explosive items now heals 1%.
• The removal of grab armor hinders Inhale's utility. Trades will now result in Kirby getting hit instead of Inhaling the opponent.
• Kirbycide now KOs Kirby first, meaning he will lose instead of winning or tying if he performs it when he and his opponent are on their last stocks. This also releases the opponent and allows them to potentially recover back to the stage. However, there are a set number of characters, when Kirbycided from a certain angle, will cause a sudden death to occur. A Sudden Death will also occur when using Jumping Inhale to Kirbycide.
• Inhale's damage outputs have been reversed (6% → 10% (copy), 10% → 6% (spit)).
• Inhale's animation has slightly changed. It now has a whirlwind-like cone in front of Kirby's mouth that appears almost identical to the one in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. It also produces sound effects similar to the Inhale and copy sound effects from Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby's Adventure, respectively.
• Uncharged grounded Hammer Flip deals 4% less damage (23% → 19%) and less knockback, hindering its KO potential to the point that it now KOs 44% later while grounded and 45%-52% later while in midair.
• Uncharged aerial Hammer Flip now deals consistent damage (17%/13%/15%/10% → 15%).
• Hammer Flip can now be charged to release a much more powerful fiery swing. Kirby can jump and move around while charging it. Fully charged Hammer Flip gives Kirby launch resistance during part of the swing and deals significantly more shield damage, to the point that it can nearly break full shields.
• Fully charged Hammer Flip deals recoil damage when held, similarly to King Dedede's Jet Hammer. It also has increased start-up even when entirely uncharged in midair and no longer halts his momentum in midair when used. Lastly, it no longer has transcendent priority.
• Final Cutter's shockwave's range has been decreased by half.
• Kirby now takes half the amount of damage if he gets hit by strong attacks and attacks that deal more damage when using Stone.
• Stone's animation has slightly changed. The Thwomp now uses its design from New Super Mario Bros. Wii instead of Super Mario 64.
• Kirby has a new Final Smash, Ultra Sword. Compared to Cook Kirby, it does not provide restorative items, which itself is flawed as they can be used by the opponent or completely disabled by the item settings. Instead, Ultra Sword is a trapping move that deals 6% more damage (34% → 40%) and has better KO potential, making it vastly superior for offensive use.

Update history

Kirby has been noticeably buffed via game updates, addressing many flaws that he had in the initial release. Update 1.0.6 saw his KO potential improved, with his up and down smash attacks dealing more knockback and the latter being more effective if his down aerial is used to combo into it. Hammer Flip had its ending lag decreased, thus making it slightly less punishable as well. Update 1.1.0 brought about further buffs: Inhale's start-up lag was decreased, neutral attack's second hit now connects into his neutral infinite better and his neutral infinite's finisher comes out quicker, while his forward throw became effective for punishes and had its combo potential improved, which is very useful for Kirby due to his previous lack of a throw that he could combo into. He also benefits from the new shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1, as they let him break shields easier thanks to his down aerial's multiple hits and Stone's high damage output and hitlag. Update 1.1.3 brought about even further buffs: Kirby now dashes faster, all of his smash attacks, his forward and back aerials and all variations of Hammer Flip became slightly stronger, while his up throw became much stronger to the point of becoming a viable KOing option. Update 1.1.4 brought out another minor buff, as hard tripping now grants him five frames of invincibility. Lastly, update 1.1.5, buffed all of his smash attacks and all variations of Hammer Flip by slightly increasing their knockback. As a result, he is effectively much better than he was during SSB4's initial release.

1.0.4

• Copy abilities whose base character's neutral special was altered by the patch have been altered in the same way.
• Many behaviors, such as Stone and its custom variants and Final Cutter, have been adjusted.

1.0.5

• Fixed a glitch where Kirby could hover after using Silver Bow.

1.0.6

• Down throw deals 3.6% more damage: 6.6% → 10.2%.
• Sourspotted upward angled forward smash deals 1% less damage: 13% → 12%.
• Upward angled forward smash KOs 11% later.
• Up smash KOs 7% earlier.
• Down smash KOs 4% earlier.
• Inhale can be canceled earlier.
• Inhale's animation slightly changed. Fiery effects emit from Kirby after he Inhales explosive items.
• Hammer Flip's ending lag decreased.
• Kirby moves faster on the ground while charging Hammer Flip.
• Final Cutter has improved visual effects.

1.1.0

• Forward throw deals 2% less damage: 7% → 5%.
• Forward throw's angle altered: 65° → 75° and its ending lag decreased by 3 frames, improving its combo potential.
• Forward throw KOs 24% earlier.
• Inhale's start-up and ending lag decreased by 4 and 5 frames, respectively.
• Neutral attack has been improved. Its second hit connects together better with the neutral infinite and the neutral infinite's finisher comes out faster.

1.1.1

• Ice Breath's hitboxes moved forward, increasing its range.
• Ice Breath's farthest hitbox's size increased: 7u → 7.5u.
• Ice Breath's angle altered: 40° → 30°.
• Aerial Hammer Bash's weight-based knockback increased: 20 → 50.
• Hammer Bash's sourspot hitbox now takes priority over the sweetspot, effectively making the sweetspot smaller.

1.1.3

• Kirby dash speed: 1.50 → 1.57.
• Forward smash clean hit knockback growth: 99 → 100.
• Forward smash late hit knockback growth: 66 → 67.
• Up smash clean hit knockback growth: 102 → 103.
• Up smash mid hit knockback growth: 96 → 97.
• Up smash late hit knockback growth: 50 → 51.
• Down smash knockback growth: 108 → 109.
• Forward aerial knockback growth: 145 → 148.
• Forward aerial hitlag modifier increased: 1.0x → 1.2x, making it safer on shield but easier to DI on the final hit.
• Back aerial clean hit knockback growth: 102 → 104.
• Back aerial late hit knockback growth: 110 → 112.
• Up throw knockback growth: 63 → 74.
• Various knockback growth, hitbox size, and duration increases for Hammer Flip and all of its variants.
• Kirby is slightly heavier: 77 → 79.

1.1.4

• Hard tripping now grants 5 frames of invincibility.
• Fixed the glowing eyes glitch.

1.1.5

• Forward smash knockback growth: 100 → 102 (clean), 67 → 69 (late).
• Up smash knockback growth: 103/103/97 → 104/104/99 (early), 97 → 98, 51 → 52 (late).
• Down smash knockback growth: 109 → 110 (early).
• All variations of Hammer Flip knockback growth: 76 → 78.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Two quick punches followed by the Vulcan Jab from the Fighter ability. The finisher is the Smash Punch from the Fighter ability. Like most neutral attacks, it is an effective landing or out of shield option due to its quick start-up (frame 3).
			3%
			1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt	↗		{{{ftiltupdmg}}}	A spinning roundhouse kick. Can be angled. Hits on frame 5.
	→		{{{ftiltsidedmg}}}
	↘		{{{ftiltdowndmg}}}
Up tilt			5% (clean), 4% (late)	A scorpion kick. Although its damage output is low, it is useful due to its ability to combo into itself for long strings at low percents, especially on fast-fallers, its disjointed range and having intangibility so long as its hitbox remains active. Hits on frame 4.
Down tilt			6%	A crouching shin kick. Fairly spammable and has a chance of tripping, which makes it often used to set up a grab. Hits on frame 4.
Dash attack			1% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6)	The Break Spin from the Yo-yo ability. It is a spinning handstand split kick that hits multiple times. It is difficult to SDI out of the move and the last hit has high knockback. Hits on frame 12.
Forward smash	↗		16% (clean), 12% (late)	A thrust kick. It can be angled, is very fast and slightly moves Kirby forward. Can KO uncharged from center-stage at 107% (no angle), 99% (up angle), 116% (down angle) when clean. Hits on frame 13.
	→		15% (clean), 11% (late)
	↘		14% (clean), 10% (late)
Up smash			15%/14% (clean), 14%/12% (mid), 12%/11% (late)	A backflip kick. Kirby's foot is also intangible as long as the hitbox remains active. KOs uncharged at 101% when clean. Hits from frame 14-19.
Down smash			14% (clean), 10% (late)	A spinning split kick that launches opponents upward. Kirby's feet are also intangible during the start-up and the clean hitbox of the attack. KOs uncharged at 112% when clean. Hits from frame 10-22.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 8% (mid), 6% (mid-late), 4% (late)	The Twinkle Star from the Smash ability. A decent anti-pressure and out of shield option due to its very low landing lag. Hits on frame 10.
Forward aerial			4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 5% (hit 3)	The Spin Kick from the Fighter ability. It is a series of three quick spinning kicks, with the first two hits dealing weak knockback that leads them into the last hit. Low landing lag allows the first or second hit to be used as a set-up into other moves. Can connect into itself for a pseudo-Wall of Pain in certain instances. Hits on frame 10.
Back aerial			13% (clean), 8% (late)	A double footed back kick. Functions as a sex kick, has very low start-up lag and good range due to its slightly disjointed hitbox. One of Kirby's most useful aerial attacks, as it is very good at edge-guarding and can perform a Wall of Pain. KOs at 131% when clean. Hits from frame 6-14.
Up aerial			9%	The Moon Somersault Kick from the Fighter ability. Mainly used for juggling or continuing a combo due to its low landing lag. Hits from frame 10-15.
Down aerial			1% (hits 1-5), 2% (hit 6), 2% (landing)	A diagonal corkscrew dropkick. The last hit is a weak meteor smash. An effective combo starter on grounded opponents and a dangerous edge-guarding move on recovering opponents, especially since its low ending lag makes it relatively safe to use off-stage. Hits on frame 18, and the startup frames can be auto-canceled on landing, giving Kirby a very large window to safely land while tumbling.
Grab			—	The Foe Grab from the Fighter ability. Kirby's throws are based on attacks used by the Suplex, Backdrop and Ninja abilities.
Pummel			1.55%	The punch version of the Arm Throw from the Fighter ability. It is the third fastest pummel in the game and one of the best pummels overall.
Forward throw			5%	The Pile Driver from the Suplex ability. Kirby flips the opponent around before piledriving them. Can lead into highly damaging combos, such as down aerial to re-grab, depending on the opponent's DI.
Back throw			8%	The Backdrop ability, Kirby German suplexes the opponent. Can lead into back aerial at low percents on certain characters and can KO at the edge near 170% on most heavyweight characters.
Up throw			10%	The Air Drop from the Ninja ability. Kirby holds the opponent and rapidly ascends off-screen, then rapidly descends to the ground, creating an explosive slam. Because Kirby jumps up, it can land onto platforms above him. This is his strongest throw as of update 1.1.3, KOing even Bowser at 165%, depending on DI.
Down throw			0.8% (hits 1-9), 1% (hit 10), 2% (throw)	The Fury Stomp from the Suplex ability. Kirby rapidly stomps the opponent before performing a double foot stomp. The stomps also damage nearby opponents. Good for racking up damage and is Kirby's most damaging throw.
Floor attack (front)			7%	Gets up and performs a spin kick.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Gets up, then kicks on one side, then the other.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Gets up then spins around kicking, similarly to Captain Falcon's front floor attack.
Edge attack			7%	Flips over the edge and kicks. Surprisingly good range, compared to many other characters' edge attacks.
Neutral special	Default	Inhale	10% (copy), 6% (spit)	Inhales the opponent, which has a grab hitbox and can be held. Kirby can walk around slowly or short hop once a character is inside him (although it can be button mashed out of) and can either exhale them as a star to deal damage or copy their neutral special attack. Some characters will give him an alternative special move due to mechanics that would not work properly when copied over, like Olimar's Pikmin Pluck.
	Custom 1	Ice Breath	2.4% (nearest), 1.2% (near), 2.4% (far), 6% (farthest)	The attack of the same name from the Ice ability. Kirby exhales cold air, which hits multiple times and can briefly freeze the opponent. As Kirby must exhale to perform this move, he cannot Inhale anything.
	Custom 2	Jumping Inhale	5% (spit), 8% (swallow)	Jumps forward before Inhaling the opponent. If Kirby spits them, the star will not deal damage to passersby. When used to Kirbycide, it causes a Sudden Death.
Side special	Default	Hammer Flip	19% (ground uncharged), 15% (air uncharged), 35% (ground fully charged), 27% (air fully charged)	The attack of the same name from the Hammer ability. Kirby swings a hammer forward in an arc, which increases in power the longer it charges. When the hammer is fully charged, it ignites, gradually damaging Kirby. He can move around and jump while charging this move. When it is used in midair, Kirby will swing his hammer twice. Uncharged, it KOs at 127% while grounded and 162% in the air. When fully charged, it KOs at 37% when grounded and 71% when in midair.
	Custom 1	Hammer Bash	21% (ground head), 18% (ground handle), 4% (air hit 1), 17% (air hit 2 head), 15% (air hit 2 handle)	Does not charge, making it function almost exactly like it did in Brawl or when grounded in Melee. Using this move in midair causes Kirby to slightly ascend, which makes it possible to reach the top of Palutena's Temple from the bottom platform after copying Shulk's Monado Arts and activating Jump.
	Custom 2	Giant Hammer	22% (ground uncharged), 20% (air uncharged), 40% (ground fully charged), 32% (air fully charged)	A massive hammer that is much slower but much stronger than his normal one, which can KO middleweights at 10% when fully charged. Kirby has super armor while charging the hammer.
Up special	Default	Final Cutter	5% (rise), 2% (drop), 5% (landing), 6% (shockwave)	The attack of the same name from the Cutter ability. Kirby jumps straight up and falls straight down with a curved blade, cutting anyone he comes in contact with on the way up and meteor smashing anyone he comes in contact with on the way down, causing a shockwave, which is Kirby's only projectile besides using Inhale. A good vertical recovery move and has decent horizontal distance when angled. Upon landing, Kirby creates a shockwave projectile that moves forward quickly. Kirby cannot sweetspot the ledge until he starts to fall, and if the platform beneath him disappears (or if he is pushed off) while he is still in the landing animation, he will be rendered helpless.
	Custom 1	Wave Cutter	15% (blade), 10% (projectile), 5% (Kirby)	The shockwave sends rocks flying outward, but it only deals damage when Kirby lands on the ground.
	Custom 2	Upper Cutter	10%	The ascending slash is stronger and the move in general grants Kirby greater vertical recovery, but it cannot hit anything upon descending, rendering him helpless with most of his momentum.
Down special	Default	Stone	14% (shockwave), 18% (impact)	The Stone ability, Kirby turns into a randomly selected stone-based object and plummets straight down, launching opponents on contact. It can be cancelled in midair with the special button. Kirby cannot be damaged in this form and has a set durability, although he can be grabbed. KOs at 108% and can almost break a shield when used in midair.
	Custom 1	Grounding Stone	6% (shockwave), 10% (impact on grounded opponents), 12% (impact on airborne opponents)	Takes longer to transform, but takes less time transforming back, and grounded opponents are buried on contact.
	Custom 2	Meteor Stone	12% (clean), 10% (mid), 8% (late)	Takes longer to transform back, but any aerial opponents hit will be meteor smashed.
Final Smash		Ultra Sword	3% (stun), 5% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-9), 16% (hit 10)	The Ultra Sword Super Ability, Kirby takes out a gigantic sword and repeatedly slashes the opponent. If the move connects, he will rapidly move around them while slashing at them multiple times. He finishes the move with a powerful hit from a further enlarged sword.

On-screen appearance

• Rides in on a Warp Star and crashes down.

Taunts

• Up taunt: A dance similar to his victory dances in the Kirby games.
• Side taunt: Spins around, then stops, sticking out his left leg and saying "Eeu!" It is almost identical to the "preview" animation shown when he is chosen in the original Super Smash Bros.
• Down taunt: Faces the screen, waves his arms and says his signature elongated "Hi!"

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Hops a bit to look back, then hops again returning to normal position.
• Briefly nods off, then shakes his head and wakes up again.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Kir-by!	Kir-by!
Pitch	Group chant	Female

Victory poses

A remix directly from Brawl. Originally debuting in Kirby's Dream Land, it is a remix of the short recurring theme that plays when Kirby completes a stage or defeats a boss.

• Spins and holds his hand up.
• Skids to each side, then holds his hand up.
• Performs some flips, then holds his hand up.
  • All of Kirby's victory poses are variations of the victory dances he performs upon completing a level or defeating a boss.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Kirby	3231	3232	3233	1231	1131
	3133	3131	2231	3221	3331

Notable Players

Active

•  K.I.D. Goggles
•  Ken109
•  Markus
•  MikeKirby
•  Poyo
•  SmashG0D
•  Spanky
•  SuperGirlKels
•  Triple R
•  Twomix

Trophies

Kirby

Round little Kirby lives on the peaceful Planet Popstar, in Dream Land. He can inhale things with his big mouth, either copying their abilities or spitting them out again. In Smash Bros., Kirby can inhale opponents and copy their standard specials. He gets launched easily but recovers well.

A roly-poly little fella from Dream Land on Planet Popstar. He can inhale pretty much anyone or anything with that big gob of his, then spit them out or copy their abilities. He can copy opponents' standard specials in this game, too! His light weight means he gets launched easily, but with a series of mid-air jumps, recovering's not too tricky.

: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)

: Kirby Super Star (08/1996)

Kirby (Alt.)

Holding the special button and left or right will charge up Kirby's Hammer Flip attack. Charging too long hurts Kirby! The hammer strikes twice in the air, but landing the single blow on the ground is more powerful. Kirby's up special Final Cutter slices up and down, firing a shock wave upon landing.

Charge up Kirby's Hammer side special to unleash Hammer Flip, a move with serious launch power. Charge it too much, though, and you'll get hurt! The move hits twice in mid-air, but does more damage on the ground. Final Cutter slices up and down before sending out an energy wave. Move Kirby mid-jump to change where he lands.

: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)

: Kirby Super Star (08/1996)

Ultra Sword

For Kirby's Final Smash, he swings a sword that's waaay bigger than he is. If the first swing hits, he'll keep going with a combo of lightning-fast slices, dealing tons of damage. For the last swing, the sword grows even larger and launches any victims. Make sure that first swing hits, though, or nothing else will happen!

For Kirby's Final Smash, he swings around a sword that's waaay bigger than he is. If the first swing hits, he'll keep going with a combo of lightning-fast slices, dealing tons of damage. For the last swing, the sword grows even larger and launches its target. It's great, so make sure that first swing hits, or none of the rest will happen!

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  Classic (3DS)

• KirbyAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Ultra Sword

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Regulars: Kirby is among the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents are the eight starter characters of the "perfect-attendance crew" from Super Smash Bros.
• Kirby's Crazy Appetite: Kirby must heal by eating food on the stage while three King Dededes try to hinder his progress.

Co-op Events

• A Fairy Nice Trip: As Link and Pac-Man, two players must survive against four Kirbies until reaching Fairy Land.
• Food Fight: A damaged Kirby and King Dedede must defeat Wario, Yoshi, and Pac-Man.
• Getting Healthy: As Wii Fit Trainer and Little Mac, two players must defeat Kirby and Pac-Man.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Viral Visitors: As Dr. Mario and Peach, two players must defeat four Kirbies.
• Visiting Onett: As Ness and Villager, two players must defeat Kirby, Meta Knight, Fox, Falco, Olimar and Rosalina & Luma. All opponents are outer space-based characters.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Kirby in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

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  Kirby's amiibo.

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  Kirby's appearance during E3 2013. His mouth opens wider for his down taunt in the final release.

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  Kirby's balancing animation in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Using Final Cutter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Using Hammer Flip in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS with Bowser on Battlefield, Note the lack of faceial expressions.

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  Using his down aerial on Fox in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Using Final Cutter on Mario in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on Town and City.

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  Using his neutral attack in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Using Hammer Flip while airborne in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Kirby getting meteor smashed by Mario's forward aerial.

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  Kirby with Toon Link and Pikachu.

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  Sonic using his foreward tilt against Kirby and Fox on Spirit Train.

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  Kirby fighting Mario, Samus and Toon Link.

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  Taunting with Mario and Luigi.

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  On Spirit Train with Pikachu.

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  Crouching under Samus' Missile with Mario.

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  Kirby being hit by Villager's down aerial.

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  With King Dedede on Boxing Ring.

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  Taunting with Wii Fit Trainer on Wii Fit Studio.

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  With Luigi and a Smash Ball on Pyrosphere.

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  Kirby wearing an Ability Hat he copied from Charizard.

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  Charging Hammer Flip.

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  Kirby riding Dragoon.

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  One of Kirby's new alternate costumes with Charizard and Meta Knight on Halberd.

Trivia

• Kirby cannot copy custom special moves, though his side custom affects his Olimar Copy Ability, as the attack changes to match the variant of Pikmin Throw.
• The ability to charge Kirby's Hammer was intended for Super Smash Bros. Brawl as shown through unused animations found via hacking.
• Kirby has unused voice clips for all of Palutena's neutral specials, suggesting that at one point in development he was planned to be able to copy Palutena's customs, or that Palutena's default neutral special move was undecided.
• Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first game in the series where Kirby's dash attack has not changed, as he retains his dash attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• At a total of 77, Kirby has the most sound clips of any character, with his amount of clips being rivaled only by the Announcer.
• Kirby's alternate trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS shows his gray alternate costume as having blue eyes instead of gray eyes.
• Kirby's blue palette swap depicts him as having a red mouth on the character selection screen and during his normal expressions, but appears blue while Inhaling.
• Kirby's Screen KO resembles his Screen KO in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. His pose in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS more closely resembles his in that game, but his facial expression on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U more closely resembles his face in that game.
• A glitch existed where if Kirby copies either Mr. Game & Watch, Donkey Kong, Falco, or Wii Fit Trainer, breaks the Smash Ball, and performs a down taunt while in standby, his eyes will no longer glow. Interestingly, when Kirby copies the ability again after using the Final Smash or self-destructing (excluding Mr. Game & Watch), his eyes will be glowing. This was fixed in update 1.1.4.
• During development of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Kirby did not show any facial features or emotions.
• One of Kirby's official artwork poses in Kirby: Planet Robobot is almost identical to his official artwork pose from Super Smash Bros. 4, with the only differences being his Robobot Armor helmet and a closed mouth smile.