Editing King Dedede (SSBU)

|tier = D+

|ranking = 80

King Dedede is currently ranked 80th out of 82 on the current ''Ultimate'' [[tier list]] at the bottom of D+ tier, making him one of the lowest-ranking characters in the game. Despite Dedede's numerous buffs, this is similar to his exceptionally low placement in ''Smash 4'' at 51st out of 54.

King Dedede has some of the best endurance out of any fighter on the roster. Dedede is tied with [[Donkey Kong (SSBU)|Donkey Kong]] as the third [[weight|heaviest]] character in the game and has one of the best vertical recoveries due to [[Super Dedede Jump]], allowing him to survive to extremely high percents. Dedede's primary strengths lie in his hammer and deadly [[Ledgetrapping|ledge traps]]. King Dedede's hammer provides him with large, disjointed [[Hitbox|hitboxes]] on many of his moves, making him one of the few super-heavyweights that can reliably [[Spacing|space]] his opponent. Dedede's hammer can also be quite powerful, as he boasts some of the strongest [[smash attack|smash attacks]] and [[Aerial attack|aerials]] in ''Ultimate''. Furthermore, Dedede's [[Gordo Throw]] combined with his various [[Tilt attack|tilts]] and smash attacks can make Dedede one of the most intimidating characters on the [[ledge]]. King Dedede's moves were largely buffed in power, frame data, and [[combo]] ability in their transition to ''Ultimate''. The most significant buff to Dedede's overall moveset is that [[Inhale (King Dedede)|Inhale]] now serves as a reflector, allowing Dedede to better fight against [[Camping|projectile camping]]. Inhale can also be used in conjunction with his [[gordo|Gordos]], giving him another way to use his sole [[projectile]] against his opponent.   

Changes made to the engine in the transition from ''Smash 4'' to ''Ultimate'' have benefited Dedede's limited combo potential and linear [[recovery]]. Universal reductions to [[landing lag]] made [[neutral aerial]] and [[up aerial]] better combo tools than in ''Smash 4''. Changes made to [[Jump|jumpsquats]] and [[Air dodge|airdodging]] enhance Dedede's [[edgeguarding]] and his poor horizontal recovery options. While airdodging was severely nerfed in ''Ultimate'', Dedede is mostly unaffected by these changes due to his multiple jumps and high vertical recovery.

However, King Dedede has severe flaws that overshadow most of his positive attributes, especially when in disadvantage. Dedede's awful mobility is the source of many of his problems, with him especially struggling in the air thanks to having the slowest [[air speed]] in the game. While Dedede's overall speed is better than in ''Smash 4'', it's still a challenge for him to [[approach]] or retreat from his opponent. Like many super-heavyweights, King Dedede has a large hitbox and few escape options, making him highly susceptible to combos and [[juggling]]. While this can be somewhat dealt with through Dedede's incredibly fast [[falling speed]], his super-heavyweight attributes only compound the issues his sluggishness presents. Dedede's atrocious air speed in combination with his fast fall speed leave him exceedingly vulnerable offstage, making it troublesome for Dedede to get back to [[stage]] safely. Despite the universal decrease in lag, the slow frame data associated with Dedede's moves make a majority of his moveset highly committal. Dedede's [[Special move|specials]] all leave him open to punishment. Inhale and [[Jet Hammer]], despite their newfound uses, still have slow ending lag. Dedede has to be careful when using Gordo Throw, as Gordos can be reflected back by the opponent with any move that does 2% or higher, causing significant damage. Super Dedede Jump is best used if Dedede can connect with the ledge, as the move has exceptionally high ending lag on stage. All of this leads to Dedede having a surprisingly hard time taking off [[Stock|stocks]], as his powerful finishers are unsafe, and his deadly set-ups are difficult to establish in [[Neutral game|neutral]].  

King Dedede's sheer amount of problems have left him with negative competitive reception. While Dedede was initially viewed as an upper mid tier, his weaknesses only became more apparent as the metagame progressed. Dedede also received notable nerfs to his Gordo hitboxes and [[shield break]] set-ups in subsequent [[List of updates (SSBU)|balance patches]], lowering his competitive standing even further. Though players such as [[Smasher:Atomsk|Atomsk]] and [[Smasher:ZAKI|ZAKI]] have seen some success with the character, many of Dedede's early mains have either dropped him or relegated him to a [[secondary]]. As such, King Dedede is seen as largely unviable.

King Dedede is tied for the third heaviest character in the game alongside {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}, making him a [[Weight|super heavyweight]]. King Dedede shares some typical attributes with other heavyweights, such as a high damage output, high KO potential, great endurance, quick [[Falling speed|falling]] and [[fast fall]]ing speeds (both tied for second and third fastest respectively), overall sluggish mobility, large size and a high susceptibility to combos. In addition to having an average initial dash and the thirtieth highest [[gravity]], he has the twenty-eighth slowest [[Walk|walking speed]], eleventh slowest [[Dash|dashing speed]], the worst [[air speed]] in the game, and the fourth slowest [[air acceleration]]. To counteract these flaws, however, King Dedede is gifted with four [[Double jump|midair jump]]s.

King Dedede was infamous for being one of the worst characters in ''SSB4'', owing to a large number of considerable nerfs he received both at ''SSB4''{{'}}s launch and via game updates while not receiving a single buff in return, and his large amount of weaknesses, including notoriously poor frame data, his moveset's lack of power despite being a super heavyweight, and his special moveset's lack of utility outside of [[Gordo Throw]]. Possibly as a result of his poorly regarded status, King Dedede has been buffed overall in the transition from ''SSB4'' to ''Ultimate''.

Among King Dedede's biggest buffs are those to his ground game. [[Neutral attack]]'s KO power was significantly improved, and it has undergone adjustments that make it harder for opponents to fall from the move as easily. [[Forward tilt]] connects much better overall, allowing it to deal its maximum damage more frequently, whereas [[up tilt]] has increased KO power (now having power comparable to its ''Brawl'' incarnation, especially with rage) and [[down tilt]]'s angle was positively adjusted while its hitbox was fixed, which when combined with the changes to [[jostling]] allows it to connect much more frequently. [[Dash attack]] now deals significantly increased knockback and has had its hitbox fixed, now making it a usable (albeit still rather slow) punish option. His smash attacks are also more useful, with both [[forward smash|forward]] and [[up smash]] dealing more damage and knockback, and his forward smash is now slightly faster.

King Dedede's special moveset has also received several miscellaneous buffs, giving him options that either he previously lacked or were outclassed. {{b|Inhale|King Dedede}} has a much larger grabbox and has gained the ability to spit out inhaled projectiles with a one-time increase to their damage, effectively giving him a [[reflection|reflector]], which helps alleviate his vulnerability to projectile camping. Gordo Throw's hitboxes are larger and more accurate and the move has less ending lag after a Gordo has been thrown. Additionally, Inhale's new ability to suck in projectiles to spit them out combines well with Gordo Throw, giving King Dedede another way to throw or re-launch Gordos at a faster speed, which gives the projectile much more utility. Lastly, [[Jet Hammer]] now deals more damage and knockback, has [[shield break]]ing potential, and it now has heavy [[armor]] before the move comes out that resists up to 14%, improving the move as a hard punish option.

Aside from direct changes, King Dedede also benefits from a few changes to universal gameplay mechanics. The universal increase to mobility has buffed his abysmal horizontal mobility (although it still remains among the worst across the series), while the streamlined jumpsquats and the new limitations to [[air dodge]] mechanics have increased the effectiveness of his aerial moveset, by giving him additional landing options when combined with the reduction on landing lag, and improving his [[edgeguarding]] ability, now making the latter more formidable. The changes to air dodging also don't affect him as much as other characters, thanks to him still boasting multiple jumps and a long-distanced recovery move.

However, King Dedede is not without a few nerfs. His [[back aerial]], despite having a visually more accurate animation, has smaller hitboxes, slightly decreasing its range. His neutral attack and up tilt deal less damage, making the former a less reliable option for racking up excess damage. He has also received some nerfs in game updates, such as his forward smash not breaking shields at once. Despite this, most of his nerfs have all been minor in comparison to his more useful buffs.

Altogether, King Dedede's entire kit has been noticeably improved from ''SSB4'', and while this doesn't change his core playstyle significantly (aside from Inhale becoming a reflector), it allows him to play to his strengths better thanks his moves gaining improved consistency and utility, allowing King Dedede to utilize his strengths better. However, it is important to note that, due to this, King Dedede still retains most of his core weaknesses from the previous game, such as slow movement speed, a lackluster disadvantage state, a vulnerability to some forms of camping, and a high susceptibility to rushdown and combos. Although King Dedede was initially considered among the best super heavyweights in the game, and remains a decent choice across all levels of play, his representation remains lackluster at top level, despite efforts from players such as {{Sm|ZAKI}}, {{Sm|Atomsk}}, and {{Sm|Peli}} achieving solid results in nationals and regionals. His vulnerabilities are also compounded by most top-tier and high-tier characters, such as  {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Palutena}}, and {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, among others. As a result, players have debated on whether King Dedede is as effective as originally imagined, with the current general consensus being that he is somewhere around mid-tier to low-tier, since his improvements from ''SSB4'' haven't fully addressed his weaknesses. In the end, King Dedede's true viability remains questionable.

|neutraldesc=A pair of hammer swings, followed by thrusting his hammer forward while twirling its head, followed by an upward swing. Unlike most neutral infinites, its finisher launches opponents at a nearly vertical trajectory and has KO potential, as it KOs around 150% without rage. It is much faster than it was in ''SSB4'' and connects more reliably.

|edgedesc=Performs a kick while climbing up.

|ssdesc=Hits a bouncing {{iw|wikirby|Gordo}} with his hammer. Its trajectory can be angled upward, forward, or downward, which can be used for [[mindgames]]. By extension, his throws can be used to launch the opponent toward a previously thrown Gordo. The Gordos disappear after almost 3 seconds. An upward-angled Gordo can be used to deny most options at the ledge or even all when combined with an attack. Gordo can also stick to any surface that allows [[wall jump]]ing, and is much more consistent than it was in ''SSB4''. They can also be reflected by any attack dealing at least 2%. Of note is that Dedede can hit opponents with the hammer swing used to serve the Gordo, potentially leading into a hit by both the hammer and Gordo for a considerable amount of damage. Dedede can also Inhale his own Gordo and spit it out at a considerable speed, or re-catch the Gordo and throw it back, though unless it has been Inhaled before hand, this can be done only up to three times.

SSBUKingDededeIdle1.gif|King Dedede's first idle pose

SSBUKingDededeIdle2.gif|King Dedede's second idle pose

*{{Sm|Peli|UK}} - One of the best King Dedede players in the world before dropping the character in favor of solo-maining {{SSBU|Sonic}}. Back when he mained the character, he was ranked 23rd on the [[European Power Rankings]] and placed 3rd at {{Trn|UKIE Ultimate Circuit Finale}}, 9th at {{Trn|Valhalla III}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Syndicate 2019}}, using King Dedede to beat European talent such as {{Sm|iStudying}}, {{Sm|CurryGovernor}}, and {{Sm|Meru}}. He also won {{Trn|VCA 2021}} and while he primarily played Sonic, it marks the only time a King Dedede player has won a major, using the character to beat {{Sm|Space}} and {{Sm|Leon}} in his bracket.

*{{Sm|ZAKI|Japan}} - The best King Dedede player in the world. His best performance to date is 2nd at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 2}} where he defeated {{Sm|Sigma}} and {{Sm|Gackt}}. He has placed top 8 at multiple other Japanese tournaments such as 5th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 4}} where he beat {{Sm|HIKARU}} and {{Sm|Kome}}, as well as other Sumabatos such as {{Trn|Sumabato SP 19}}, {{Trn|Sumabato SP 26}}, and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 30}}. He also holds the highest solo King Dedede placements at supermajors such as 25th at {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}} and 33rd {{Trn|EVO 2019}}. Currently ranked 38th on the [[Experimental Smash Player Rankings]].

**Additionally, [[Ganon]] does not does not appear as the boss in King Dedede's Classic Mode route despite also having a royal title.