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Banjo & Kazooie (SSBU): Difference between revisions
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Banjo & Kazooie are ranked 62nd out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing them in the C- tier and making them the lowest ranking characters from Fighters Pass Vol. 1. The duo have some notable strengths, such as a strong projectile mixup game: their numerous projectiles such as [[Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster]] and [[Rear Egg]] grant the duo some effective setups and followup potential, with the ability to constantly knock opponents around and lead into combos if used properly. Egg Firing generates long-duration eggs that can disrupt approaches or [[gimp]] recoveries, and Rear Egg has niche ability to break out of combos or extend the duo's [[recovery]]. The duo's signature move [[Wonderwing]] is a long-duration dash with [[invincibility]] that is very powerful, has potential to be combo'd into, and can beat out almost every option other than [[grab]]s, giving them a safe recovery option and a powerful (albeit committal) reversal in disadvantage. Most of the duo's attacks feature [[disjointed]] hitboxes due to Kazooie, giving them some adequate range for close quarters. Their tilts all serve some purpose, with forward tilt being a safe poking tool, down tilt functioning as an amazing [[2 frame punish]] and [[edgeguarding]] option thanks to its long duration and range, and up tilt being a powerful anti-air and KO move, with low enough endlag to combo into itself at low percents. Their smash attacks are also adequate with forward smash having good range, up smash as a functional out-of-shield option, and down smash simultaneously hitting on both sides with equal strength. They has some solid aerials with forward air as a viable KO tool, back air as a spacing or edgeguarding option that can combo, and neutral air as a get-off-me tool. Finally, their status as a heavyweight, along with their three midair jumps and ability to extend their recovery with Rear Egg, gives the duo higher-than-average survivability, and Kazooie's dash speed grants the duo surprisingly fast long-distance movement. Overall, the pair has some solid strengths to control the flow of the game. | Banjo & Kazooie are ranked 62nd out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing them in the C- tier and making them the lowest ranking characters from Fighters Pass Vol. 1. The duo have some notable strengths, such as a strong projectile mixup game: their numerous projectiles such as [[Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster]] and [[Rear Egg]] grant the duo some effective setups and followup potential, with the ability to constantly knock opponents around and lead into combos if used properly. Egg Firing generates long-duration eggs that can disrupt approaches or [[gimp]] recoveries, and Rear Egg has niche ability to break out of combos or extend the duo's [[recovery]]. The duo's signature move [[Wonderwing]] is a long-duration dash with [[invincibility]] that is very powerful, has potential to be combo'd into, and can beat out almost every option other than [[grab]]s, giving them a safe recovery option and a powerful (albeit committal) reversal in disadvantage. Most of the duo's attacks feature [[disjointed]] hitboxes due to Kazooie, giving them some adequate range for close quarters. Their tilts all serve some purpose, with forward tilt being a safe poking tool, down tilt functioning as an amazing [[2 frame punish]] and [[edgeguarding]] option thanks to its long duration and range, and up tilt being a powerful anti-air and KO move, with low enough endlag to combo into itself at low percents. Their smash attacks are also adequate with forward smash having good range, up smash as a functional out-of-shield option, and down smash simultaneously hitting on both sides with equal strength. They has some solid aerials with forward air as a viable KO tool, back air as a spacing or edgeguarding option that can combo, and neutral air as a get-off-me tool. Finally, their status as a heavyweight, along with their three midair jumps and ability to extend their recovery with Rear Egg, gives the duo higher-than-average survivability, and Kazooie's dash speed grants the duo surprisingly fast long-distance movement. Overall, the pair has some solid strengths to control the flow of the game. | ||
However, Banjo and Kazooie have some noticeable flaws. Most of their attacks have problematic hitboxes which can make general combat quite unwieldy, such as up tilt (which does not hit in front of the duo) or neutral aerial (which has dragdown hitboxes, but is very unpredictable as to where the opponent lands). In addition, their frame data is generally unimpressive, with their landing lag also being rather high, which gives them limited attacks that can be thrown out in neutral since very few have consistent followups or good reward, and also giving them few safe KO options. Their most intricate combos usually require a lot of technical skill, with effective usage of Rear Egg and Breegull Blaster combos being quite difficult to perform. Finally, their damage output is relatively low, and when combined with the aforementioned problems usually means their gameplan is limited to neutral exchanges. Their other problems include their weight, which makes them combo food for a lot of the cast, and their general movement, which is unimpressive outside of Kazooie's dash due to Banjo's slow walk speed, low traction, and poor air speed/jump height. Wonderwing is incredibly risky despite its perks, is designed to be out-prioritized by grabs, is limited to up to five feathers per stock, and is still slow enough to be reacted to. Finally, the duo's throw game is passable, as only back throw has the ability to KO, while down throw is very inconsistent despite [[bury]]ing opponents, which is unusual for a throw of its type (such as similar throws shared by {{SSBU|King K.Rool}} and {{SSBU|Snake}}). | However, Banjo and Kazooie have some noticeable flaws. Most of their attacks have problematic hitboxes which can make general combat quite unwieldy, such as up tilt (which does not hit in front of the duo) or neutral aerial (which has dragdown hitboxes, but is very unpredictable as to where the opponent lands). In addition, their frame data is generally unimpressive, with their landing lag also being rather high, which gives them limited attacks that can be thrown out in neutral since very few have consistent followups or good reward, and also giving them few safe KO options. Their most intricate combos usually require a lot of technical skill, with effective usage of Rear Egg and Breegull Blaster combos being quite difficult to perform. Finally, their damage output is relatively low, and when combined with the aforementioned problems usually means their gameplan is limited to neutral exchanges. Their other problems include their weight, which makes them combo food for a lot of the cast, and their general movement, which is unimpressive outside of Kazooie's dash due to Banjo's slow walk speed, low traction, and poor air speed/jump height. Wonderwing is incredibly risky despite its perks, is designed to be out-prioritized by grabs, is limited to up to five feathers per stock, and is still slow enough to be reacted to. Finally, the duo's throw game is passable, as only back throw has the ability to directly KO, while down throw is very inconsistent despite [[bury]]ing opponents, which is unusual for a throw of its type (such as similar throws shared by {{SSBU|King K.Rool}} and {{SSBU|Snake}}). | ||
Overall, Banjo and Kazooie function as an unusual mix of a heavyweight and a zoner: most of their gameplan revolves around picking openings granted by their projectiles, although their general inconsistencies tend to make them considered relatively weak for their archetype. Due to their issues, Banjo and Kazooie has seen minimal representation throughout the course of ''Ultimate''’s lifespan, with most of their results coming from early during their release, such as from {{Sm|Tweek}} and {{Sm|Raito}}. In the post-pandemic era, {{Sm|Toriguri}} has brought about some of the best results and wins the duo has ever had, with some major top 8 performances worldwide and | |||
==Attributes== | ==Attributes== | ||
<!--Refrain from referring to the duo as just "Banjo" or using male pronouns.--> | <!--Refrain from referring to the duo as just "Banjo" or using male pronouns.--> | ||
Banjo & Kazooie, like {{SSBU|Duck Hunt}}, are a tag team that fight together as if they were a singular character. Together, they are a [[weight|heavyweight]], and are tied with {{SSBU|Snake}} and {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} as the 18th heaviest fighter in the game. As Banjo | Banjo & Kazooie, like {{SSBU|Duck Hunt}}, are a tag team that fight together as if they were a singular character. Together, they are a [[weight|heavyweight]] fire, and are tied with {{SSBU|Snake}} and {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} as the 18th-heaviest fighter in the game. As Banjo is responsible for the duo's [[walk]]ing, the duo's walking speed is below-average, and their initial [[dash]] and [[traction]] values are among the worst in the game. Conversely, Kazooie handles the duo's [[run]]ing, in which she uses the Talon Trot to carry Banjo. In stark contrast to Banjo's walking speed, Kazooie's run speed is very fast; specifically, it is the 12th-fastest in the game, and is only surpassed by {{SSBU|Charizard}} among heavyweights. | ||
With Kazooie hidden in his backpack when the duo are not attacking or dashing, Banjo has a relatively average height and a somewhat wide [[hurtbox]], being rather short as far as heavyweights go. Kazooie, however, lacks a hurtbox of any kind outside of dashing and the duo's up tilt. This means that all standard attacks involving her (other than up tilt) are [[disjointed]]. Similar to Charizard and {{SSBU|Ridley}}, Kazooie's Feathery Flap grants the duo a second [[double jump]]. Additionally, the duo has a fast [[falling speed]], high [[gravity]], slow [[air speed]], and average [[air acceleration]]. | |||
The majority of Banjo & Kazooie's grounded arsenal makes use of moves from their first two games, ''Banjo-Kazooie'' and ''Banjo-Tooie''. The duo have a [[Neutral attack#Choosables|chooseable neutral attack]]: their standard neutral attack is a 3-hit combo that consists of Banjo using his Claw Swipe twice and then throwing an uppercut, whereas their [[neutral infinite]] consists of Kazooie's Rat-a-Tat Rap. It should be noted that the [[hitbox]] of Kazooie's neutral infinite is large enough to sometimes hit opponents standing directly behind the duo. This can cause the opponent to be continually jabbed into the duo's rear, keeping them locked in the hitbox and causing both of the fighters to be slowly moved backwards, often amounting to extremely high percentages by the time they reach the edge of a platform. This is somewhat niche, however. | |||
Their [[forward tilt]], Beak Bayonet, involves Banjo quickly thrusting Kazooie as a makeshift bayonet. Like Ridley's forward tilt, it can be angled and has a respectable amount of disjointed range, especially for its speed, making it useful for stopping predictable or vulnerable approaches. Their [[up tilt]] consists of Kazooie quickly propping Banjo upward in order for him to perform a stretch kick. Unlike most up tilts, it is strong enough to KO reliably, especially when it is used as a follow-up from their down throw. Despite its respectable power, its low base knockback and fairly low ending lag grant it minor combo potential at very low percentages. However, it has limited horizontal range in front of or behind them, though it can still potentially hit grounded opponents. Their [[down tilt]], Beak Barge, involves Kazooie thrusting her beak forward as Banjo slides belly-first along the ground. It launches at a very low [[semi-spike]] angle, making it a very potent [[edgeguarding]] and [[tech-chasing]] option (as well as a useful option for [[2 frame punish]]es), although it is laggy overall (being the duo's slowest tilt startup-wise) and has a meager damage output. Their [[dash attack]], Banjo's Forward Roll, looks and functions very similarly to {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}'s dash attack, but differs from his by having a noticeably stronger clean hit (which can function as a situational KO option), fewer active frames, and higher ending lag. It has some combo potential (especially from the late hit) and can be used as an [[approaching attack]], but it is not as potent as Donkey Kong's. | |||
Banjo & Kazooie's | Complementing their versatile tilts, Banjo & Kazooie sport very useful smash attacks. Their [[forward smash]], the Breegull Bash, involves Banjo swinging Kazooie as a makeshift bludgeon. It is a relatively slow, yet long-ranged and powerful move that serves as a notable example of Kazooie's disjointed nature. The duo's [[up smash]] is the Bill Drill, a spinning attack with Kazooie's beak that is fairly useful as an anti-air attack and out-of-shield option, and is a reliable follow-up from the duo's burying down throw; it has the fastest startup of Banjo & Kazooie's smash attacks, but has minimal horizontal range outside of its initial scoop hitbox, and high ending lag. Their [[down smash]] is an original move, a wing-slam from Kazooie (accompanied by a simultanous floor punch from Banjo) covering both sides of the duo much like Ridley, albeit weaker and much faster, making it a useful tool for catching rolls. Notably, their forward and down smashes, especially the latter, have long-lasting hitboxes that slightly penetrate the stage downward, making them both deadly 2-framing tools at the ledge. | ||
Kazooie's | Banjo & Kazooie's aerial moveset also combines old and new moves. The duo's [[neutral aerial]] is the Twirling Wing Whack, a multi-hitting circular wing spin from Kazooie that functions very similarly to {{SSBU|Pit}}'s neutral aerial, albeit with slower startup. It can be used for dragdown combos, though such combos can be inconsistent due to the looping hits' launching angles and the move's high landing lag. Neutral aerial is also useful for edgeguarding off-stage opponents and air-to-airing airborne ones, in part due to the final hit always launching opponents forward. Their [[forward aerial]] is performed by Banjo, being a slow but powerful claw swipe in the style of an overhand punch, akin to {{SSBU|Dr. Mario}} and {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}'s forward aerials. Its clean hit is strong enough to KO reliably while near the edge, and the move is almost always a guaranteed KO while offstage. Despite its power, forward aerial surprisingly has the lowest landing lag of the duo's aerial attacks, and can [[auto-cancel]] in a short hop. It can be used to start combos at low percentages, cover the duo's approach, pressure shields, and edgeguard quite safely. | ||
Kazooie's Rat-a-Tat Rap is used as their [[back aerial]]; unlike the neutral infinite version, this version hits three times, much like {{SSBU|Yoshi}} and {{SSBU|Mega Man}}'s back aerials. This move has respectable power, and is a useful out-of-shield option as well as a reliable (albeit somewhat unsafe due to its lag) KO option offstage. Banjo & Kazooie's [[up aerial]] consists of Kazooie flapping her wings together in a scissoring motion, akin to {{SSBU|Sonic}}'s up aerial. It has decent disjoint above the duo, and its minimal startup and ending lag enable it to potentially combo into itself at medium percentages. With proper timing, it is possible to use up aerial initiate combos very soon after the duo lands on the ground. However, up aerial's minor damage output and knockback make it lackluster for juggling and almost unusable for KOing. Beak Buster makes an appearance as their [[down aerial]]; it is a [[stall-then-fall]] attack that [[meteor smash]]es opponents during its initial frames, and has a fairly large hitbox upon impacting the stage. | |||
Banjo & Kazooie's [[ | Banjo & Kazooie's [[special moves]] are fairly versatile as well. Their [[neutral special]] is [[Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster]]. Egg Firing, activated when the special button is tapped, sends blue eggs out of Kazooie's mouth that are affected by gravity in a similar manner to {{SSBU|Mario}}'s [[Fireball]], and can be used to approach, zone, camp, combo, ledgetrap or edgeguard opponents; the move also briefly stalls the duo's aerial momentum when used in the air. Holding the special button, however causes the move to transition into Breegull Blaster, in which Banjo wields Kazooie like a gun as in ''Banjo-Tooie''{{'}}s first-person shooter segments, with low damage but faster and constant projectiles, all while being able to move and jump freely in a similar manner to carrying the completed [[Daybreak]] parts. While the long-range egg hitboxes of Breegull Blaster have weak knockback and are less useful (unlike the long-range hitboxes of Egg Firing), the close-range egg hitboxes on the other hand are actually the most useful part of Breegull Blaster; close-range Breegull Blaster egg shots can combo into additional close-range egg shots for potent ladder combos, and a single close-range egg shot can be comboed into up tilt at high percentages for a guaranteed KO confirm. Breegull Blaster also has two difficult-to-perform albeit highly potent [[advanced technique]]s (smash turnaround cancel and landing turnaround cancel; also known as Kazooie Fast Canceling or KFC) that can bypass the ending lag from canceling the move and even allow it to be comboed into forward smash or Wonderwing. However, because Breegull Blaster is a "mode" that takes a moment to be entered and exited, it is sometimes occasionally difficult to use in close proximity. | ||
Banjo & Kazooie's [[side special]] is [[Wonderwing]], which involves Banjo charging forward while Kazooie shields him with her magic-infused wings. It does high damage and knockback if it connects within the first half of the distance it covers, and its full-body [[invincibility]] that lasts through the entirety of the hitbox's duration allows it to out-prioritize nearly every other move in the game (with the exception of most grabs and [[Grab#Hitboxes that can grab|hit grabs]]), as well as all [[counterattack]]s (aside from {{SSBU|Mii Brawler}}'s [[Counter Throw]] and {{SSBU|Sora}}'s aptly-named [[Counterattack (Sora)|counterattack]]). Wonderwing's duration and the size of its hitbox also allows it to act as a fantastic 2-framing option on the edge in a handful of matchups (mainly {{SSBU|Chrom}}, {{SSBU|Ike}} and {{SSBU|Pichu}}), as the duo will run in place at the edge for some time. Wonderwing can also be an easy and effective way to brute force a predictable opponent out of [[projectile camping]], though this may backfire if the opponent is [[baiting]] the move or otherwise ready for it. It also functions as an excellent recovery option with its horizontal speed, distance and invincibility, and it does not induce [[helpless]]ness either. However, the move runs on a limited stock of five golden feathers that are not replenished until Banjo & Kazooie are KOed, so its usage must be carefully considered; additionally, despite [[Cross-up|crossing up]] shields, Wonderwing's high ending lag and long-lasting singular hitbox can make it fairly unsafe in any case where the opponent can see it coming. | |||
[[Shock Spring Jump]] functions as Banjo & Kazooie's [[up special]]. It is a decent vertical recovery move that does not render them helpless and preserves their double jumps; it can be charged to increase its travel distance, and when used in the air, the Shock Spring Pad itself possesses a damaging hitbox that can be used to [[gimp]] some recoveries. Shock Spring Jump can also be used on-stage to jump higher than Banjo & Kazooie's full hop height, allowing it to come in handy when anti-airing opponents above the duo or when retreating from foes underneath. [[Rear Egg]], their [[down special]], has Kazooie lay an explosive Grenade Egg behind them. It bounces in an unpredictable fashion due to its shape and launches opponents upward. The Grenade Egg also functions as an item; it is catchable and throwable despite its much shorter fuse compared to similar explosive-related attacks. All of these properties make Rear Egg an incredibly versatile projectile that can be used for ledgetrapping, comboing, camping, and neutral game control in general. Overall, their four specials have impressive utility with both physical and projectile options. | |||
Banjo & Kazooie have a somewhat decent albeit imperfect [[grab]] game. Banjo's grab range is fairly decent, though oddly enough, his pivot grab has less range against airborne opponents. [[Forward throw]] has Kazooie kick the opponent forward with her feet; it can create space between Banjo & Kazooie and their opponent on-stage, though its utility is held back by its awkward launch angle and relatively low base knockback, especially compared to, for example, {{SSBU|Jigglypuff}}'s forward throw. [[Up throw]] sees Banjo toss the opponent upward, followed by Kazooie pecking at them; it can put opponents above Banjo & Kazooie and setup juggles, but has too much base knockback and too much ending lag to actually have any true follow-ups against most characters. [[Down throw]] looks and functions very similarly to {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}'s down throw, being a move where Banjo lifts the opponent upward with both of his hands and slams them downward to [[bury]] them; at high enough percentages, down throw has a guaranteed 50/50 setup into either up tilt or up smash in most matchups, with the former catching opponents who mash out and the latter catching ones who don't. Finally, [[back throw]] is | |||
However, the duo has numerous other considerable weaknesses to balance their strengths. Outside of their dash attack, up tilt, smash attacks, forward aerial, back aerial, down throw, back throw, close-range Breegull Blaster and Wonderwing, Banjo & Kazooie's potential to KO can be somewhat limited despite their status as a heavyweight fighter. Many of their moves are unremarkable among their weight class in terms of power, and unlike other fighters with poor KOing abilities, Banjo & Kazooie have a fairly limited combo game. The duo's range is also unremarkable, despite Kazooie's lack of a hurtbox, which means that they will sometimes have issues trading blows with conventional swordfighters. Similarly to {{SSBU|Wario}}, Banjo himself has a wide hurtbox, and the duo is susceptible to combos and juggles due to their heavy weight, slow air speed, low jump height, and lack of fast escape options. Their overall mobility is unorthodox; their excellent run speed is offset by their poor initial dash speed, which is tied for the 5th slowest, their high vertical recovery options are hampered by their low jumps, poor air speed, and fast falling speed, and their grounded mobility is hindered by their [[traction]] being tied with the {{SSBU|Mii Gunner}}'s for the lowest in the game. | |||
Additionally, the duo's special moves, while strong, have significant flaws. Egg Firing | Additionally, the duo's special moves, while strong, have significant flaws. Breegull Blaster's long-range egg hitboxes are weak and less useful for zoning than Egg Firing, while Breegull Blaster can be unsafe on shield up close unless the aforementioned difficult-to-perform advanced KFC techniques are performed; also, Breegull Blaster's eggs become weaker with repeated use, discouraging excessive use of the move, though the damage output goes back to normal after a cooldown period if Breegull Blaster is not used. If the duo runs out of golden feathers, they lose access to Wonderwing, eliminating a potent move with plenty of offensive and defensive utility; Wonderwing is also vulnerable to grabs despite its invincibility—although due to its speed, an opponent taking advantage of this is relatively rare—and it is also notoriously unsafe on shield and on whiff, further punishing heavily its misuse. Rear Egg, while being a relatively potent combo tool, can be turned against the duo as opponents can grab it and use it due to its status as an [[item]], as well as the fact that that a previously-laid grenade egg must explode or reach the blast zone before a new one can be laid, meaning the player must wait a while to try again if an egg misses an opponent; additionally, a grenade egg can be [[pocket]]ed by {{SSBU|Villager}} or {{SSBU|Isabelle}}, completely ridding Banjo & Kazooie of one of their most useful moves against those two aforementioned characters. Shock Spring Jump requires slight charge time to make their recovery reliable, and it also does not have a hitbox outside of the Shock Spring Pad itself, making it vulnerable to aggressive edgeguarding. | ||
Overall, Banjo & Kazooie are fairly unorthodox characters that can be considered to fall in the heavyweight trapper archetype, similarly to {{SSBU|Link}}, {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} and {{SSBU|Snake}}. As a result, their | Overall, Banjo & Kazooie are fairly unorthodox characters that can be considered to fall in the heavyweight trapper archetype, similarly to {{SSBU|Link}}, {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} and {{SSBU|Snake}}. As a result, their gameplan is centered on maintaining stage control with the help of their projectiles, yet also being capable melee fighters who have access to a few strong finishers (the most notable of which being Wonderwing). However, Banjo & Kazooie's capabilities fall somewhat short next to comparable characters: Rear Egg is slightly inconsistent at controlling space due to its Grenade Egg's short fuse, Wonderwing is very easy to punish if it is mistimed or read, and the duo's overall frame data and KO power are unimpressive for the heavyweight trapper archetype, limiting their potential to act aggressively. As such, they are quite versatile fighters that can adapt to multiple playstyles even over the course of a single match, though they are more adept at turtling or more methodical playstyles. | ||
==Update history== | ==Update history== | ||