Blunderbuss
| Blunderbuss | |
|---|---|
 King K. Rool shooting a Kannonball from the Blunderbuss in Ultimate. | |
| User | King K. Rool |
| Universe | Donkey Kong |
| Article on Super Mario Wiki | Blunderbuss |
| “ | Fires an iron ball from his gun. The button can be held to suck the iron ball (or opponents) back in. | ” |
| —Description from Ultimate's Move List | ||
The Blunderbuss (パイレーツキャノン, Pirate's Cannon) is King K. Rool's neutral special move.
Overview
K. Rool pulls out a blunderbuss and shoots a Kannonball forward, donning the pirate hat he used in Donkey Kong Country 2.
When special is pressed, King K. Rool will shoot out a Kannonball and discard his hat and Blunderbuss afterwards. The projectile is slow, travels straight for 3/4 the length of Final Destination and deals 13%. After around 2 seconds, the Kannonball will disappear, allowing for another one to be shot.
If special is held directly after shooting the Kannonball or after King K. Rool discards his hat but while the Kannonball has not yet disappeared, the Blunderbuss will suck air in front of King K. Rool, creating a vortex. He will continue to suck as long as the special button is held for a maximum of 2.5 seconds. King K. Rool can drop through platforms while in this state, and while dropping a player can influence his direction as well. If the player's own Kannonball or an opponent comes near the Vacuum, the Blunderbuss will trap them inside it and King K. Rool shoots them out immediately afterwards. However, it will usually prioritize a player rather than the Kannonball. If the Kannonball is shot again, it's damage increases to 17%, and the knockback is explosive in comparison. If an opponent is shot, it will inflict 12% damage to the victim and turn them into a projectile. During this state, the opponent is invincible, making combo utility somewhat limited (although not impossible). The shot can be aimed in 3 directions; up and forward, directly up or up and backwards.
If a Kannonball hits a wall or player, it will fall down and retain its hitbox until it hits the floor, in which it disappears after around half a second. This means that one can shoot an opponent with a Kannonball, drop down while Vacuuming, and still manage to reshoot the Kannonball. However, the length of time the Kannonball is out makes overall utility with this strategy questionable. Off-stage, a falling Kannonball can be used to disrupt recovery, or a bold player could reshoot it at the opponent for a stylish KO.
Origin
This attack is based on the boss fight against K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. In the fight, Diddy and Dixie Kong had to avoid Kannonballs shot by the king, then grab them and throw them into his blunderbuss when he tried to vacuum up the Kongs; if a Kong got close to the blunderbuss as it vacuumed, they would not get sucked inside, but instead K. Rool would strike them with the butt of the gun. Throwing a Kannonball into the blunderbuss as it vacuumed would result in it clogging up and exploding, dealing damage to K. Rool in a comical manner; this also shoots the Kannonball back out at increasing speeds as the fight goes on. The explosion is absent from Ultimate, likely due to not wanting the move to inflict damage on the player.
Unlike in Ultimate, Kaptain K. Rool's Blunderbuss could shoot out Kannonballs with spikes, and at various heights and trajectories. Such as bouncing, or a spiral kind of motion. It could also be used to rocket the Kaptain across the stage, with the Blunderbuss acting as an exhaust. It could also shoot odd mists which freeze, confuse or slow Diddy and Dixie Kong.
Gallery
King K. Rool using the Blunderbuss's Vacuum feature.
