Editing King Dedede (SSBU)

King Dedede’s voice clips from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', where he was voiced by series creator [[Masahiro Sakurai]], have been repurposed for ''Ultimate''.

With the exception of the third method, King Dedede must then be defeated on [[Fountain of Dreams]].

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 third fastest [[fast fall]]ing speeds (both tied for second and third fastest respectively), overall sluggish mobility, 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.

True to a heavyweight character, King Dedede is gifted with an abundance of finishers. King Dedede's dash attack is a notable example, as it deals huge damage, pressure to shields, and the potential ability to KO middleweight opponents at around 55%. King Dedede's smash attacks all possess good damage and knockback, while having their own perks: forward smash can KO as early as 30%, has deceptively short ending lag, allowing King Dedede to quickly react, while also being able to deal immense pressure to shields with only a slight charge; up smash is able to finish opponents at mid-high percentages and sports transcendent priority, supplemented with good range and speed, while being able to reach small opponents, while dealing respectable vertical knockback; lastly, down smash is his fastest smash attack in his arsenal, KOing at 80%, also having transcendent priority, and [[Punishment|punishing]] rolling opponents.

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 stands at the lower end of mid-tier or the higher end of low-tier, since his improvements from ''SSB4'' haven't fully addressed his weaknesses. In the end, King Dedede's true viability remains questionable.

Aside from glitch fixes, King Dedede has garnered a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, but has been buffed slightly overall. The most notable nerfs were to [[Gordo Throw]]: update 2.0.0 shrunk the Gordos' hitboxes, while update 3.0.0 both lowered their shield damage output and removed the Gordo-boosted [[Super Dedede Jump]]. Moreover, King Dedede's shield pressure potential was further toned down by removing forward smash's ability to hit grounded characters twice, which removed its ability to instantly break shields.

Following update 7.0.0 enlarging his shield, some of King Dedede's kit was improved in update 8.0.0.<!--Down throw became less susceptible to DI via update 1.0.4 in SSB4--> Up tilt's damage output was increased noticeably, and down tilt's launching angle was lowered. As a result, both moves now function as strong, yet reasonably fast KO options when they are sweetspotted. Forward aerial and especially up aerial gained higher knockback, which also improved their KO potentials. Lastly, [[Inhale (King Dedede)|Inhale]]'s start-up and grabboxes were lowered and enlarged, respectively, which made it easier for Dedede to catch approaches and projectiles.

Overall, King Dedede fares mildly better than he did at ''Ultimate''{{'}}s launch, yet not as much compared to other tepidly received characters that have also been buffed via updates. Although Dedede retains a lot of his fundamental flaws, his buffs have nevertheless improved his KO potential and, to a much lesser degree, his defensive potential.

'''{{GameIcon|ssbu}} 9.0.1'''

*King Dedede can perform 4 [[midair jump]]s.

|neutralname=&nbsp;

|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.

|ftiltname=&nbsp;

|ftiltdesc=Thrusts his hammer forward while twirling its head. Very good range, though its fourth hitbox can only connect if the move lands at the hammer's head. However, its rather long ending lag makes this move unsafe if it does not connect at its farthest range. It is very useful for Dedede's ledge traps, as its speed, range, and long-lasting hitbox allows it to trap rolls and neutral get-ups, but this is less rewarding than using his smash attacks. Also good for catching landings when reversed out of a run, and can stuff out punish attempts for a landed back aerial.

|utiltname=&nbsp;

|utiltdmg=11.5% (head & neck), 9.5% (tip of head)

|utiltdesc=An upward headbutt. King Dedede's head and upper body are [[Intangibility|intangible]] while its hitbox is active. It has fast start-up lag with low ending lag. This move can combo into itself at low percents, and has KO potential at high percents. Its high knockback makes it the fourth strongest up tilt in the game, being able to KO middleweights below at 120% on Final Destination.

|dtiltname=Rolling

|dashname=Belly Flop

|dashdesc=His signature belly-flopping tackle. A slow and powerful KOing option, it is the strongest dash attack in the game and is even stronger than some of the cast's smash attacks, KOing middleweights at around 55% near the edge due to its exceptionally high knockback. The attack can be used for a hard read or setting up tech-chases. Can hit every character on the ledge after their [[Edge|ledge invincibility]] has ended. However, its high ending lag causes the attack to be very punishable when missed. Originates from ''Kirby's Dream Land''.

|fsmashname=&nbsp;

|fsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBU|16}} (head, early), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBU|25}} (head, late), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBU|18.5}} (handle),  {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBU|11}} (shockwave)

|fsmashdesc=Rears his hammer back and slams it down. The most damaging and strongest forward smash in the game (and the third strongest forward smash overall, behind {{SSBU|Lucario}}'s at max [[aura]] and {{SSBU|Hero}} with a critical hit), but has transcendent priority. It can KO as early as 30% near the edge, even when uncharged (which even the mighty {{SSBU|Bowser}} and {{SSBU|Ganondorf}} cannot do until 39% and 38% respectively). When fully charged, it is even capable of OHKOing some lighter characters like {{SSBU|Pichu}} near the edge of Final Destination and even the heaviest fighters at less than 10%. It has a very slow startup, but deceptively short endlag for its power and a long-ranged quakebox. It also deals additional shield damage, to the point the clean hit can break a full shield when fresh. Originates from ''Kirby's Dream Land''.

|usmashname=&nbsp;

|usmashdesc=An upward hammer swing. A decent anti-air option with great vertical knockback, KOing middleweights at 100%. Has good range in front and behind Dedede with consistent power throughout the duration, being able to hit short characters unlike in ''SSB4''. It also has transcendent priority.

|dsmashname=&nbsp;

|dsmashdesc=A spinning hammer swing around himself. King Dedede's fastest KO move, sending foes at a low angle and can KO middleweights around 80% near the edge. Best used for catching rolls as well as ledge attacks. It also has transcendent priority. Appears very similar to the Giant Dedede Swing from ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land''.

|nairname=&nbsp;

|nairdesc=A [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Splash|splash]]. Dedede's fastest aerial, coming out on frame 7. Functions like a [[sex kick]], but unlike the majority of them, it sends at a much more vertical angle. When coupled with a fast fall, its late hit has follow-up potential, such as an up tilt at low percents, neutral, forward or back aerial at mid percents, and up aerial at higher percents.

|fairname=&nbsp;

|fairdesc=Somersaults to perform a downward hammer swing. Has good range in front of Dedede, but is unsafe on hit at lower percents if spaced poorly (though due to this, it can also [[lock]] at lower percentages). This move does not autocancel in a short hop and has more ending and landing lag than his back aerial, but starts much earlier. It is capable of performing a pseudo [[wall of pain]] while edgeguarding, and can be used to edgeguard attempts while recovering, due to its good range reaching through ledges. It KOs middleweights at 157%.

|bairname=&nbsp;

|bairdesc=A horizontal hammer swing behind himself. One of Dedede's best moves for spacing and KOing, doing so reliably below 120%. Can be autocanceled in a short hop, and is also relatively safe on shield when spaced at max range.

|uairname=&nbsp;

|uairdesc=Thrusts his hammer upward while twirling its head. It has very good range above Dedede and can beat out numerous anti-juggling attempts. It is quite strong for a multi-hit move, being able to KO below 115% near the upper blast line. Like his forward aerial, it can hit edgeguarding opponents through ledges.

|dairname=&nbsp;

|dairdmg=15% (middle of head), 8% (edge of head)

|dairdesc=A downward hammer swing. The sweetspot is a very powerful aerial-only [[meteor smash]]. On grounded opponents, it deals high horizontal knockback, KOing at around 100% near the edge. However, its usage is limited due to its high startup, as it is Dedede's slowest aerial.

|grabname=&nbsp;

|grabdesc=Reaches out. King Dedede's grab range is average.

|pummelname=&nbsp;

|pummeldesc=A headbutt. Has below average speed, though it is quicker but less damaging than it was in ''SSB4''.

|fthrowname=&nbsp;

|fthrowdesc=Strikes the opponent forward with his hammer. It can be used to set up an edgeguard or launch the opponent into a [[Gordo Throw|previously thrown Gordo]]. King Dedede's second strongest throw, KOing middleweights at around 160% at the edge of Final Destination.

|bthrowname=&nbsp;

|bthrowdesc=Strikes the opponent backward with his hammer. King Dedede's strongest throw, but due to the fact that it launches at a very high angle, it does not KO until very high percentages; it can KO middleweights at around 148% at the edge of Final Destination with no DI, but around 30% later with good DI. It is better at damage racking due to these factors. Like forward throw, it can be used to launch the opponent into a previously thrown Gordo.

|uthrowname=&nbsp;

|dthrowname=&nbsp;

|dthrowdesc=A one-handed [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling throws#Body slam|body slam]]. King Dedede's best combo starter, it can initiate true combos into a neutral or forward aerial at very low percents and back aerial at low to mid percents. At medium percentages, down throw to up aerial is a KO combo if the opponent DIs incorrectly. It also has slight KO potential at very high percents, as it can KO middleweights at around 235% on Final Destination.

|floorbdesc=

|edgedesc=Performs a kick while climbing up.

|nsdesc={{s|wikirby|Inhale}}s the opponent. While they have been Inhaled, King Dedede can then walk around and spit them out to inflict damage. He will also receive a 0.25× received knockback multiplier, making it almost impossible to KO him while someone is inhaled. Inhale can also be used to [[Item-swallowing|swallow]] items and spit back projectiles, acting as a reflector. The reflector property is quite notable as unlike the rest of the cast, it has no reflect limit. Inhale is also a good landing mix-up to catch [[sidestep]]s and shields.

|ssdesc=Hits a bouncing {{s|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 recatch the Gordo and throw it back, though unless it has been inhaled before hand, this can be done only up to three times.

|usdesc=His signature jump. It concludes with a [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Diving double foot stomp|diving double foot stomp]] that buries grounded opponents and meteor smashes aerial ones. Like [[Yoshi Bomb]], it emits stars on both sides after the diving double foot stomp hits the ground, which can make it difficult to punish, especially against characters that lack a projectile. While it cannot grab edges during its descent, it can do so upon being canceled. However, if it is canceled too late before landing, Dedede will endure landing lag that lasts for more than a second.

|dsdesc=Activates the afterburner in his hammer to charge up a very powerful swing, which is released when the special button is released. Dedede can walk around slowly and jump once while charging. It has heavy armor during the swing (resisting up to 14%), and it can hit opponents hanging from the ledge after their invincibility wears off. The hammer will inflict the most amount of knockback if released just before the full charge. Dedede can hold the hammer out indefinitely, but it slowly does recoil damage if he holds it when fully charged up until 100%. A barely fully charged Jet Hammer can KO middleweights around 40% from center stage, whereas a fully charged Jet Hammer can KO opponents around 55% from center stage, and is able to break shields with a full charge.

|fsdesc=Strikes the opponent with his hammer, sending them into his trademark boxing ring with a cage set up. Adopting his {{s|wikirby|Masked Dedede}} persona, he attacks his opponent with a barrage of missiles, followed by a powerful spinning hammer swing. Deals 59.6% in total with considerable knockback, but can only trap one opponent at a time.

===[[On-screen appearance]]===

*Is carried in on a palanquin by four [[Waddle Dee]]s, then jumps off, scattering them.

KingDededeOnScreenAppearanceSSBU.gif|King Dedede's on-screen appearance

</gallery>

===[[Idle pose]]s===

*Puts his hammer on his shoulder, briefly tapping against his shoulder twice.

*Smacks his belly twice.

SSBUKingDededeIdle1.gif|King Dedede's first idle pose

*'''Up taunt''': Holds up his hammer in celebration, twirling it and hoisting it upwards 3 times.

*'''Left:''' Swings his hammer twice before turning to the camera and posing.

*'''Right:''' Twirls his hammer with a grimace, then activates the [[Jet Hammer]].

==In competitive play==

At the beginning of ''Ultimate'''s metagame, many professionals noticed Dedede's improvements from the previous installment, albeit still retaining some of his weaknesses. This led to most of the community considering him a lower-mid or even low-tier character. However, as professionals such as {{Sm|ZAKI}} and {{Sm|Atomsk}} began making notable impacts in major tournaments, most players' perceptions changed, citing his positive qualities such as his great edge trapping with Gordos, resilient endurance, disjointed range, and stronger KO power in comparison to ''SSB4''. This led to Dedede becoming a more popular choice among all levels of play in comparison to his release, most notably in local and regional tournaments, with the general perception casting him as an upper mid-tier or even high-tier character.

 

However, updates removing Dedede's shield break combinations as well as shrinking the Gordos' hitboxes hurt Dedede's success: ZAKI's results failed to reach his prior success, Atomsk reduced him to a co-main, {{Sm|Big D}} rarely uses the character anymore, and {{Sm|Peli}} went through a short retirement followed by a several months-long character crisis and is currently co-maining the character with {{SSBU|Palutena}}. Because of this, Dedede's representation has significantly dropped, with some players reconsidering him to be a strictly mid-tier character instead of a high-tier character or, in some instances, a low-tier character. In addition, Dedede's poor disadvantage state, inconsistent KO potential, and laggy frame data have caused him to struggle against most top-tier and high-tier characters, such as {{SSBU|Palutena}}, {{SSBU|Mega Man}}, and {{SSBU|Fox}}. Although King Dedede is seen as a better character than he was in ''SSB4'', his first definitive tier placement in ''Ultimate''  remains to be seen.

===Notable players===

<!--If you are planning to add a player you consider to be notable, please provide tournament results in some shape or form in the edit summary (be it a link to a results thread or bracket of placing high in a tournament of other notable players or a video of them beating a notable player). Winning tournaments without notable players present is generally not enough to warrant a spot.-->

''Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]] from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.''

====Active====

*{{Sm|Ariffo|Mexico}} - Placed 13th at {{Trn|ChillHouse}} and 33rd at {{Trn|Smash Fest to the Sky}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Javi|p=Smash 4}} and {{Sm|D.POLLO}}.

*{{Sm|Atomsk|USA}} - The best King Dedede player in North America since Big D's inactivity with the character. Placed 13th at {{Trn|Smashadelphia 2019}}, 25th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}, and 65th at {{Trn|GENESIS 6}}, scoring a win over {{Sm|Gen}}. Ranked 6th at the [[New Jersey Power Rankings|New Jersey Smash Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Bobby Fabulous|USA}} - Placed 7th at {{Trn|Don't Roll With It!}} and 17th at {{Trn|Clash Of The Carolinas III}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Lazyboredom}} and {{Sm|NoTag}}.

*{{Sm|El_Bardo|Spain}} - Placed 5th at {{Trn|Codec Call 4}}, 7th at {{Trn|Codec Call 3}}, 9th at {{Trn|Tizona}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Syndicate 2019}}. Currently ranked 9th in the [[Spanish Power Rankings|Spanish Smash Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Peli|England}} - The second best King Dedede player in the world. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Schism 3}}, 5th at {{Trn|Regen 2019}}, 9th at {{Trn|Valhalla III}}, 25th at {{Trn|Syndicate 2019}}, and 65th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}. Ranked 23rd in the [[European Smash Rankings]]. Has wins over {{Sm|Larry Lurr}}, {{Sm|iStudying}}, {{Sm|Meru}}, {{Sm|Antheia}}, and {{Sm|T}}.

*{{Sm|Riley|USA|p=New York}} - Placed 13th at {{Trn|ALPHA III}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Secret}} and {{Sm|PkChris}}. Ranked 4th on the [[New York Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Swamp|USA}} - Placed 25th at {{Trn|2GG: SoCal Chronicles 2020}} and 49th at {{Trn|2GG: All In}}. Has wins over {{Sm|MastaMario}}, {{Sm|Taternator}}, and {{Sm|Marvelous_Marco}}.

*{{Sm|Tati|Germany}} - Placed 13th at {{Trn|Calyptus Cup Inkstrike}} and 17th at both {{Trn|Calyptus Cup Ultimate}} and {{Trn|Smashwick 3}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Lucky|p=Germany}} and {{Sm|Yikarur}}.

*{{Sm|Triannos|Netherlands}} - Placed 9th at {{Trn|GGWP: Ultimate}}, {{Trn|TSEA Link Summer Smash}}, and {{Trn|Lightning: The New Spark}}.

*{{Sm|ZAKI|Japan}} - The best King Dedede player in the world. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 2}}, 5th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 2}}, 25th at {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}}, {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 11}}, and 33rd at both {{Trn|EVO 2019}} and {{Trn|Umebura SP 7}}. He has beaten {{Sm|Lea}}, {{Sm|Umeki}}, {{Sm|HIKARU}}, {{Sm|Lui$}}, {{Sm|Elegant}}, and {{Sm|Nicko}}. Formerly ranked 11th in the [[Japan Player Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Big D|Canada}} (#49) - The best King Dedede player in North America and one of the best in the world. Placed 4th at both {{Trn|Battle of BC 3}} and {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass 2018}}, 25th at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|GENESIS 6}}. Has wins over players like {{Sm| Captain L}}, {{Sm|MuteAce}}, {{Sm|dyr}}, and {{Sm|Pandarian}}. Now only uses King Dedede against specific matchups, and mostly uses {{SSBU|Ice Climbers}} in tournaments.

*{{Sm|DiZ|USA}} - Played King Dedede early in ''Ultimate'' and placed 2nd at {{Trn|GatorLAN Spring 2019}}. Has dropped the character in favor of {{SSBU|Piranha Plant}}, but still rarely plays him as a secondary. Currently ranked 8th on the Central Florida Ultimate Power Rankings, and was ranked 6th while solo maining Dedede.

|1||{{CharHead|King K. Rool|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Pirate Ship]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Gang-Plank Galleon}}''||

|5||{{CharHead|Bowser|SSBU|hsize=20px}} and {{CharHead|Bowser Jr.|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Find Mii]] ([[Battlefield form]])||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Mario Bros.|King Bowser - Super Mario Bros. 3}}''||

{{-}}

King Dedede's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing [[Classic Mode]]. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking King Dedede in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

==In Spirit battles==

|•Defeat the main fighter to win<br>•The floor is poisonous<br>•[[Stamina battle]]

|[[dragonquestwiki:Rab|Rab]]

===Character Showcase Video===

**Ironically, both King Dedede and King K. Rool are opponents for each other's Classic Mode route.

*In the Korean version of the game, the [[Announcer]] calls him "King Dedede", despite having a slightly different name in Korean, "Dedede Daewang", which translates to "Dedede the Great".

*In the Chinese version of the game, the Announcer calls him "King Dedede" in the Simplified version, while the Traditional version has the "Dedede!" announcement from the Japanese version.

*In the French and European Spanish versions, the name tag and voice clip from the announcer on the victory screen is slightly different from the one used on the character select screen, instead featuring a noticeable translation of "the" ('''le''' Roi Dadidou and '''el''' Rey Dedede, respectively). This trait is shared with {{SSBU|Wii Fit Trainer}}, {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}}, {{SSBU|Villager}}, {{SSBU|Ice Climbers}}, {{SSBU|Inkling}}, {{SSBU|Hero}}, and the {{SSBU|Mii Fighter}}s. Additionally, he and {{SSBU|Duck Hunt}} are only two fighters having this trait in the European version, but not in the American version.

*King Dedede is one of the only two antagonists that can be unlocked in the Light Realm, the other being {{SSBU|Bowser}}.

*King Dedede is the one of the few characters in the entire roster to have two different facial expressions when attempting different types of grabs and missing them, being his standing grab (a confused expression) vs. his dash & pivot grabs (a continuously happy expression).  

**Others include [[Pikachu (SSBU)|Pikachu]] (standing vs. dash & pivot) and [[Squirtle (SSBU)|Squirtle]] (standing & dash vs. pivot)

*Despite also having royal titles, {{SSBU|Lucina}} and {{SSBU|Chrom}} do not appear as opponents in King Dedede's Classic Mode route.

 

{{reflist}}