Kirby and King Dedede swallowing barrels with Inhale.
Kirby and King Dedede swallow items using Inhale.
Usage on a large item.
Wario swallowing a crate using Chomp.

Item-swallowing is a technique in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. 4, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, performable by Kirby, King Dedede, and Wario. These characters can use their neutral special moves to eat most items. Kirby and King Dedede use Inhale while Wario uses Chomp though Kirby can also use King Dedede’s Inhale and Wario’s Chomp as well to eat items if he copies them. Additionally, Munchlax uses the same list for the items it will eat.

When an item is swallowed, it takes some time for the character to swallow it. Light items are immediately swallowed, but non-explosive heavy items like barrels have the characters briefly remain bloated with the item in their stomach, before they eventually swallow it. Explosive items that are eaten will cause about 5% damage to the consumer, and if it is eaten by using Chomp, will also deal 13% damage to nearby opponents.

Food and other recovery items (except the Team Healer), Dragoon and Daybreak parts, Superspicy Curry, Super Mushrooms, Poison Mushrooms, Warp Stars, Super Stars, Metal Boxes, and Timers take immediate effect upon being eaten.

In Super Smash Bros. 4, it has been buffed, as Kirby and Wario can restore 1% damage from eating most items. Swallowing healing items has the same effect as using them normally. For example, swallowing a Fairy Bottle will heal 1% if the character is at less than 100% damage and will heal 100% damage if above. Wario and King Dedede gain 1.5x more HP from eating food items (Kirby can copy Wario's Chomp or King Dedede's Inhale for the same effect). Wario and King Dedede can also now eat energy projectiles like Ness's PK Fire and Mario's Fireballs, but do not receive any health. Finally, eating items, projectiles from items (like the Ray Gun's projectiles), and foods will increase the Wario Waft's charge for Wario.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it has been further buffed for both Kirby and King Dedede. Kirby, upon inhaling a projectile, can either spit it back out as a star or swallow it to recover some health. King Dedede's Inhale acts as a reflecting move, returning projectiles in their original form with a 1.5× damage multiplier.

Edible itemsEdit

Super Smash Bros. BrawlEdit

Super Smash Bros. 4Edit

Projectile attacksEdit

Character Move Edible by Heals Explosive Heavy
Mario, Luigi Fireball         
Peach Vegetable           
Bowser Fire Breath         
Yoshi Egg Throw         
Bowser Jr. Clown Cannon         
Mechakoopa            
Wario Wario Bike             
Diddy Kong Peanut Popgun, Banana Peel           
Mr. Game & Watch Chef         
Link Hero's Bow, Gale Boomerang         
Bomb            
Zelda Din's Fire (Flames)         
Sheik Needle Storm         
Burst Grenade            
Toon Link Hero's Bow, Boomerang         
Bomb            
Samus Charge Shot, Missile, Bomb         
Zero Suit Samus Paralyzer         
Pit Palutena Bow         
Palutena Autoreticle         
Robin Thunder (all charge levels), Arcfire, Elwind         
Discarded Tomes and Levin Sword           
Duck Hunt Trick Shot, Clay Shooting         
Kirby Final Cutter         
King Dedede Gordo Throw         
Fox, Falco Blaster         
Pikachu Thunder Jolt         
Charizard Flamethrower         
Lucario Aura Sphere         
Greninja Water Shuriken, Hydro Pump         
R.O.B. Robo Beam         
Gyro           
Ness PK Fire, PK Thunder         
Villager Lloid Rocket, forward aerial, dash attack         
Timber (Wood chip)           
Wii Fit Trainer Sun Salutation         
Header           
Dr. Mario Megavitamin         
Dark Pit Silver Bow         
Pac-Man Bonus Fruit           
Power Pellet            
Fire Hydrant (Hydrant, water)         
Mega Man Metal Blade           
Crash Bomber, Leaf Shield, neutral attack,
forward tilt/smash, neutral/up/down aerial
        
Mewtwo Shadow Ball, Disable         
Lucas PK Fire, PK Thunder         
Ryu Hadoken         
Cloud Blade Beam         
Corrin Dragon Fang Shot         
Bayonetta Bullet Climax         

Super Smash Bros. UltimateEdit

TriviaEdit

  • When using Inhale, the player must usually stand directly next to an item. However, certain items will be actually pulled in from a greater distance.
  • Munchlax's function as a Poké Ball Pokémon is to eat all the items (except Trophies, CDs, Stickers, other Poké Balls and Smash Balls) on the stage.
  • Despite being able to eat both enemies and fruits in his home series, Yoshi cannot swallow items in Smash, making him the only character that can hold opponents in his mouth but cannot swallow items.
  • Characters who can swallow items can eat Sandbag in the Wi-Fi room, but another will reappear instantly.
  • Wario swallows items quicker than Kirby and Dedede, but still takes a while to swallow big things, such as his bike.