Editing King K. Rool (SSBU)

:{{Cquote|King K. Rool Comes Aboard!|cite=Introduction tagline}}

'''King K. Rool''' ({{ja|キングクルール|Kingu Kurūru}}, ''King K. Rool'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was announced as a newcomer during the August 8th, 2018 [[Nintendo Direct|Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct]]. King K. Rool is classified as fighter #67.

Rather than being voiced by Toshihide Tsuchiya, who voiced the character since the 2007 title ''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast'' and the 2008 title ''Mario Super Sluggers'', both games for the [[Wii]], King K. Rool has a set of realistic crocodile roars and bellows, similar to how {{SSBU|Bowser}}, {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} and {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} emit realistic animal sounds in place of Bowser being voiced by Kenny James, Donkey Kong being voiced by Takashi Nagasako and Diddy Kong being voiced by Katsumi Suzuki.

*Clear {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} with {{SSBU|Link}}, being the 1st character in his unlock tree.

With the exception of the third method, King K. Rool must then be defeated on [[Jungle Japes]].

King K. Rool is a character that ostensibly fits the mold of a super-[[heavyweight]] (Around 2.3 meters/7'6 feet, excluding his crown), being the second-heaviest character in the game behind {{SSBU|Bowser}} (second largest reptilian character) and possessing a large array of powerful attacks with long range, but with below-average mobility. However, he has some characteristics that notably set him apart from his heavyweight peers; he has a wide variety of moves that serve multiple utilities, a great [[recovery]], and other valuable techniques that aid his playstyle, focusing on punishing mistakes and zoning against horizontal approach.

King K. Rool's greatest strength is the immense utility of his moveset. Though many of his attacks are typical of super-heavyweights, he also has attacks that lack brute strength (though most of them are still powerful) in exchange for unique attributes that contribute to his punish-focused playstyle. This is best shown through his character-specific perk, [[Belly Super Armor]]: attacks with this property gain short periods of this [[super armor]], which can block incoming attacks during their duration. This mechanic gives him an advantage that allows him to win more exchanges than he would normally. Additionally, it affects a large amount of his moves, granting more safety on moves such as his [[forward tilt]] and [[dash attack]] to break through projectiles or difficult to punish attacks. As a result, Belly Super Armor heavily helps his approach and defense.

Alongside the utility of his Belly Super Armor, King K. Rool has effective tools for ground offense. His [[neutral attack]] has good range and speed, making it reliable as a quick spacing option. It is also the most damaging in the game, and leads into a tech situation at low to mid percentages. This is especially useful out of a [[foxtrot]], which is faster than his normal dash speed, making him about as fast as {{SSBU|Inkling}}. His tilts are very effective; for example, [[up tilt]] comes out very quickly, has decent knockback especially at the beginning, and has enough range to hit platforms above K. Rool. This can also be used to anti-air or prevent approaches from characters such as {{SSBU|Lucina}} and {{SSBU|Marth}}. It is also the most reliable move out of [[down throw]], becoming a true combo from around 120% and scoring a [[KO]] on most characters. [[Down tilt]] can [[bury]] opponents or KO airborne ones, making it a potent punishment option. It also works at the ledge as a ledgehang punish or 2-frame option, and has a large shockwave hitbox that notably extends its range. His earlier mentioned forward tilt grants him Belly Super Armor as early as frame 5, has excellent range, can be angled up or down (latter which also can be used as a ledgehang punish or 2-frame option), and is a very strong kill move. Finally, his dash attack is also equipped with Belly Super Armor, has fast startup, long-lasting, large hitbox and is very powerful, being a very potent, powerful burst option that can go through variety of attacks.

All of his [[smash attacks]] are incredibly powerful, and coupled with their unique traits and the belly armor on his up and down smashes, allow for very effective punishment. [[Forward smash]] deals heavy knockback regardless of where it hits, especially if angled upwards. It also confirms out of a down tilt bury at 70%, usually killing the opponent. [[Up smash]] functions as a quick anti-air, and it also has a small [[meteor smash]] hitbox in addition to a third hitbox that punishes grounded foes. However, only the first is really useful as the other two are weak. [[Down smash]] deals massive shield damage and lifts K. Rool's entire body off the stage from frame 4, allowing it to dodge most ground-hugging moves and makes it his best hard punish option. Overall, his smash attacks are all formidable for hard punishes.  

His aerials are also fairly unique in their utility. [[Neutral aerial]] grants the longest duration of belly armor in K. Rool's moveset, making it a reliable combo-breaker or landing tool to prevent juggling. Neutral aerial also has very low landing lag, allowing it to combo into moves such as neutral attack, up tilt, or at higher percentages, dash grab and dash attack, the latter in particular being a KO confirm at certain percentages. The move's long-lasting, lingering hitbox and Belly Super Armor makes it a very effective edgeguarding tool, as it can go through a variety of recovery moves and gimp the opponent that way. His [[forward aerial]] is arguably his best move overall, being a cornerstone for his neutral game. It has amazing range, hits exceptionally hard, and because of its low landing lag, it is safe on shield and is his best combo starter at low percents. This gives the move a ton of utility as a neutral spacing tool, kill move, combo starter, decent air-to-air option against some characters, as a decent although situational edgeguard option, for catching jumps and even as an occasional punish out of his burying moves. Forward aerial also deals non-[[tumble]] [[hitstun]] at 0%, confirming a grab. Up aerial is a very unorthodox move with a surprisingly high amount of utility - it has good start-up, a very long-lasting hitbox, and excellent kill power, while also working as a good platform movement out of a short hop. This is most effective when platforms are low, such as on {{SSBU|Battlefield}}; it can also be used as a situational third jump while recovering, stalling K. Rool in the air while allowing it to potentially cancel out projectiles thrown at him. Because of the Belly Super Armor, long-lasting hitbox and the fact that K. Rool does not perform the slight jump while in hitstun, it can be used as a situational combo breaker. [[Down aerial]] and [[back aerial]] are [[meteor smash]]es, with the former coming out relatively fast, while the latter is very slow, but is also one of the strongest meteor smashes in the game. King K. Rool's back aerial also makes him create a wall of hitboxes behind as there exists a sourspout along his arm, while the sweetspot is on his fist. His up and down aerials utilize belly armor, but their utility is situational due to their hitboxes being separated from K. Rool's belly. King K. Rool's neutral, forward, and back aerials are also safe on shield, which is unusual for a super-heavyweight character. All in all, all of his aerials offer strong utility.

His [[special move]]s have a wide array of uses as well, with several efficient [[projectile]]s; the [[Blunderbuss]] is useful for edgeguarding purposes (such as forcing a situation where the opponent has to recover low, allowing for a down aerial) and throws out a Kannonball that can be sucked back in and aimed in a few directions. The Blunderbuss can also act as a command grab, sucking in opponents and shooting them out in different directions, with the forward reshoot in particular sporting very high knockback. The suction of the Blunderbuss is an effective ledge-trapping tool, especially on stages with platforms. Since K. Rool can drop through platforms while still being able to move slightly, he can limit the opponent's options to get out of the ledge. The vacuum animation can also be delayed and is very quick to come out if a Kannonball is in play, allowing K. Rool to easily mix up the timings. [[Crownerang]] is a very versatile tool that covers a large distance and grants him damage-based [[armor]] throughout the majority of its duration, and the late hit can set up combos or even straight up confirm kills into numerous moves. It has high priority that beats out most projectiles, and the armor allows K. Rool to tank numerous of attacks, making the move very threatening in some matchups. The pick-up animation also has some ways to be canceled, which can be adapted into the player's gameplan.

Furthermore, King K. Rool has immense survivability: between his extremely high weight, above-average falling speed, his Belly Super Armor on various moves and his heavy armor on Crownerang, King K. Rool has some of, if not the best longevity in the game; it is not uncommon for him to live past 200%. Additionally, his recovery move, [[Propellerpack]], goes a remarkable distance for a heavyweight and is infamously hard to intercept vertically due to its respectable disjointed hitbox. This can be used to poke opponents on the ledge, then jump up with a forward or up aerial to regain advantage. It can also situationally be used to catch opponents near the ceiling to steal a stock, most notably on high recovery routes.  

K. Rool has a very strong grab game, being one of the best in the entire game: his grabs have very long range and all have 3 active frames, and all of his throws are also very strong, heavily damaging and all of them have their utility. His [[up throw]] has him performing a jump and land over the highest platform over him. It is the most damaging throw in the entire game, dealing almost 20% if the 1v1 multiplier is enabled, making it a very effective damage racking tool. It also leaves the opponent in a juggling situation. While it also can KO at high percents, it has overall mediocre KO potential, though with help of platforms it can KO much earlier. His [[back throw]] is a very strong throw with great KO potential near the ledge, which becomes even more potent with [[rage]]. It also sends the opponent in a very low angle, setupping for potentially deadly edgeguards even when it fails to KO. At higher percents, his notorious [[down throw]] can lead into various mixups with tilts, up smash or aerials depending on mash speed. Most notably, he can create a 50/50 situation at around 80-100% with the throw - up smash covers mashing, allowing him to hit the opponent before they mash out and net a KO, or if they decide not to mash, forward smash will KO them. In addition to this, dash attack or up tilt are reliable options at higher percents, allowing K. Rool to straight up KO with the throw starting from 120-140%. [[Forward throw]] does decent damage, can help put an opponent offstage and in a disadvantageous position, and lead into a [[dash attack]] for a true combo until around 20%. Once this is out of range, it is great for setting up edgeguards. With all of this, K. Rool is always able to do a lot of damage if he lands a grab, and is able to KO with his throws earlier than practically any character in the game to the point where he gets a huge chunk of his KOs with his grabs. All of this is made even more effective with his excellent grab range; combined with his effective initial dash, this can allow for a string of grabs that strongly deters shielding.

King K. Rool has access to a large amount of [[Advanced technique#King K. Rool|advanced technique]]s. These techniques assist with movement, mixups, and even enable combos. As a result, he is a rather technical fighter that can be rewarding to a player looking for a simple character with a high learning curve. They are all somewhat practical and reward creative use, allowing players to build interesting playstyles of their own. This makes him easily accessed at a low level, while still being usable on a higher level of play. As long as the player is aware of the options that the design of these techs provide, King K. Rool will reward them for it.  

However, King K. Rool's numerous advantages are also met with several glaring and exploitable weaknesses. His below-average speed spells trouble for him in certain matchups, and can make him easier to zone. Blunderbuss Kannonballs are slow to set up, and while they can occupy space well, fast characters can ignore it if they are already remotely close. Crownerang is also slow and can backfire very hard when missed, since the crown is a fairly powerful item that opponents can use to rack up damage very quickly. [[Gut Check]] is generally inferior to other counterattacks due to having a hitbox only on his stomach, while having significantly higher endlag than most reflectors (around 30 frames if it fails), making it unreliable. This endlag makes it almost meaningless against some projectiles, such as {{SSBU|Mega Man}}'s [[neutral attack]].  

His massive weight and very large hurtbox size makes him extremely vulnerable to combos, and while his Belly Super Armor can help alleviate this, it is not completely foolproof: if K. Rool takes 36.02% of total damage to his armor over a short period of time, he will suffer a pseudo-[[shield break]] and be rendered immobile until his belly armor recovers. It also recovers at just .3% per second, making abuse quite difficult. Its limited HP punishes abuse of this mechanic if used frequently. Although it is hard to break in most matchups, it is certainly possible especially against other heavyweights with strong attacks, such as {{SSBU|Bowser}} and {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}. However, its effectiveness varies depending on whether clashing against his attacks is actually worthwhile. Additionally, due to their brief duration, his belly armor attacks are more reliable on quick, single-hit moves than long, multi-hitting attacks.

While K. Rool's ground game is good and his grab and throw game are top notch, his overall air game can be seen as mediocre. Although his aerials are generally very potent moves and have interesting attributes, including two meteor smashes and armor on some of them, all of his aerials (apart from his neutral aerial) suffer from one fatal flaw—very high ending lag in the air—making many of them somewhat situation, which forces K. Rool to land with the moves to minimize the ending lag in the air. His down aerial's meteor smash hitbox only lasts for two frames and the move itself has very high ending lag, making the potential punishes off of it very situational. His up aerial has extreme ending lag (the highest of all aerials in the game), preventing King K. Rool from acting even after a jump (though platforms can alleviate this), making it somewhat risky to use high up in the air. While his back aerial is very strong and has a lingering hitbox, it has very high start-up lag, which makes it easy to stuff out especially with its lack of armor or intangibility, and it additionally has a very weak sourspot, making it somewhat inconsistent. Additionally, none of King K. Rool's aerials autocancel in a short hop. His forward and back aerials require a full hop double jump to autocancel, while up aerial does not autocancel without being very high up. The high ending lag of his aerials makes fast-falling them offstage extremely risky, as it is possible to self-destruct before even getting a chance to recover, which depletes edgeguarding options. Due to the high overall lag of his aerials, K. Rool is unable to juggle for extended periods of time, and his aerial game is mostly constrained to a reactive playstyle. K. Rool's slow air speed and lackluster air acceleration further hampers his aerial capacity, and his massive hurtbox makes him a very easy target if in the air, giving him a limited air game, making his playstyle generally more grounded.

Though a lot of his moves have decent start-up, especially for a super-heavyweight, an equal amount of them suffer from very high ending lag, which means that King K. Rool gets easily punished if he fails to connect his attacks. Despite the wide array of tools he has at his disposal, K. Rool lacks many moves that can simply be thrown out quickly, as many of his attacks are punishable or force him to use up his belly armor. This ironically makes his [[approach]] ineffective despite the sheer amount of different, fast attacks he has; few of his attacks can maintain pressure without being exploited, and the lag can make moves like forward tilt a neutral reset at best. King K. Rool is also vulnerable to being pressured and rushed down due to a poor out-of-shield game; his up smash is hard to use out of shield in most matchups, as the headbutt (which comes out on frame 6) only hits directly above him, while then later plank hitboxes ate weak and slow to come out. His neutral aerial, his fastest reliable out-of-shield option, has poor range, especially behind him. As a result, K. Rool is particularly vulnerable to characters that can crossup his shield easily, since he effectively has no option to punish this kind of approach and has to resort to retreating or jumping away. Finally, even his amazing grab game has some flaws—his forward throw is unable to KO at realistic percentages, his up throw requires platforms to KO effectively and is too laggy to have true followups, his back throw loses a lot of its kill power if used center-stage due to its low knockback growth, and while his down throw gives him extensive mixups and even KO confirms, it requires reads to be effective. It is also affected by the [[bounce glitch]], which adds even more inconsistency to the move.

King K. Rool's recovery, while effective in theory, is very exploitable by many characters. Propellerpack is very linear, and a knowledgeable player can edgeguard him for long periods of time. It is immensely slow, and moving around with it reduces the vertical speed and leaves strong momentum, which can lead to a self-destruct if not accounted for. The hitbox doesn't entirely cover him horizontally, and as he cannot cancel the animation, he has to commit to it. He is usually forced to recover low, which is extremely dangerous due to how many characters have their own unique ways to beat him here. Characters such as {{SSBU|Piranha Plant}} and {{SSBU|Villager}} have moves ([[Ptooie]] and [[forward smash]] respectively in this case) that can also counteract the vertical hitbox. It also leaves him very vulnerable to [[stage spike]]s, though [[LSI]] greatly alleviates this and allows him to [[tech]] to unreasonable percentages. The move can be angled to try and prevent this, though K. Rool usually will not recover without taking a large amount of damage. K. Rool also has very few ledge options; his only unique one is [[forward aerial]], which requires frame-perfect precision to ledgesnap. Other than this, his ledge options are very limited—even Crownerang is too laggy to be used from the ledge reliably—and thus many characters can keep him there for a long time before finally killing him.

All in all, King K. Rool has a somewhat hard time compensating his heavy drawbacks, even though his strengths are also very potent. King K. Rool is an extremely resilient character that excels at keeping opponents out while punishing mistakes extremely hard. He enjoys playing a unique bait-and-switch playstyle, being a zoner that can switch to aggression whenever there is an opening and net a substantial punish. His damage output cannot be understated, with him often either getting a stock or leaving an opponent at kill percent. This ability to force reactions from his foe makes him unlike any other character in the cast, and creativity rewards the player with a decently versatile character. However, just like how he capitalizes heavily on mistakes and confusion, his own openings can be heavily punished as well, requiring him to play patiently. To use the full potential of his moveset, the player needs to balance their gameplay between zoning and up and personal aggression. For while K. Rool does have the advantage of switching between safe distancing via Crownerang and the Blunderbuss or pressuring lighter characters with his strong melee attacks, he does not perform well enough to use one strategy alone.  

Historically, K. Rool's competitive reception has generally been very negative, though it has been somewhat fluctuated over time. Early on considered to be a potential high/top-tier character and "broken" especially by casual players, it did not take too long for many top professionals to consider King K. Rool as one of the worst characters in the game due to his severe, heavily exploitable downsides. In Japan, his reputation was even worse, with many top professional players there universally ranking him as the single worst character in the game. This reflected in his tournament results, as they are very limited in North America and Japan (in latter, practically completely nonexistent outside of online tournaments), especially on the national level. However, thanks to dedicated players like {{Sm|Ben Gold}} and {{Sm|Muk}}, K. Rool's results in Australia and Europe respectively are significantly better. Ben Gold in particular managed to win {{Trn|Battle Arena Melbourne 11}}, the biggest ''Ultimate'' major so far in Australia. In addition, patches have given K. Rool a significant amount of helpful buffs. Although his competitive viability still remains questionable and many players still view him as a low or even bottom-tier character, the changes he received in the patches, especially the most recent ones in 8.0.0, have made a lot of top professional players question whether K. Rool really is as bad as previously thought. Some of them even believe that he might be a mid-tier character instead of a low or bottom tier character as previously thought. However, how much these buffs have actually affected his viability remains to be seen.

King K. Rool has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, but been buffed significantly overall, giving him overall much stronger and more consistent kill power, better neutral game and improving his disadvantage state.  

Update 2.0.0's changes were a mixed bag: [[Blunderbuss]]'s vacuum duration was reduced from 5 seconds to 2.5 seconds, his [[Propellerpack]]'s hitbox was slightly reduced horizontally, and his down throw's bury time scaling was changed, being less effective at low percents but more effective at high percents. While the former two are direct nerfs, they do not significantly impact his playstyle. In addition, King K. Rool arguably benefits from the changes to his down throw, as they make certain kill confirms reliable (up smash) or even guaranteed (up tilt or dash attack at 130%).  

Update 3.0.0 directly buffed King K. Rool, with his forward aerial's sweetspot being much easier to land, while his forward tilt gained new sweetspot hitboxes on his gauntlets, which allow it to hit buried opponents it previously wouldn't (such as {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}}). [[Gut Check]] and up aerial, previously notorious for their endlag, had their ending lag reduced, which makes them slightly safer, albeit still risky. Like most projectiles, [[Crownerang]] had its shield damage reduced in update 3.0.0; however, this doesn't affect the move much as it already had low shield damage and was often used in order to facilitate dash grab approaches. Additionally, the nerfs to the projectiles of other characters, coupled with a slightly safer Gut Check, have somewhat improved his matchup against characters that are more dependent on projectiles, such as {{SSBU|Samus}}.

After remaining unchanged for some time, update 6.0.0 gave King K. Rool more significant buffs. Neutral aerial's landing lag was noticeably decreased, forward aerial's clean hit was made stronger and easier to land, and his up aerial received a much longer hitbox duration with a stronger clean hit. Two of his specials were improved as well, with Blunderbuss having less startup, dealing more knockback with Kannonballs, and shooting vacuumed Kannonballs faster, and Gut Check having more range and less ending lag upon a successful counterattack. These changes greatly improved King K. Rool's neutral game and punishes compared to previous updates.

<!-- K. Rool cannot withstand a fresh Warlock Punch, so don't note it here. People misunderstood training mode, as it defaults to stale moves being off. Source: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QiWT63mHFBLbKn9594ahe1ee22Gf_aowCjrK6Heushk/edit#gid=800916990 -->

In update 8.0.0, King K. Rool was significantly buffed, most notably to the durability of his Belly Super Armor, with the belly now being able to withstand his [[Ganondorf (SSBU)/Forward smash|forward smash]] at full health. Outside of that, his dash attack has a longer-lasting clean hitbox and deals more knockback, improving both its followup potential out of forward throw at low percents, and its KO potential at high percents, notably out of down throw. His up smash also deals more damage with knockback not fully compensated, improving its KO potential as a followup out of down throw. His back throw also KOs much earlier due to now having a 35° angle; this can also [[gimp]] characters such as {{SSBU|Roy}} on its own if they are not KOed. Crownerang now has a much higher percent threshold on its armor, allowing him to armor through attacks he couldn't have previously, significantly improving the use of Crownerang as an option in numerous game states. Most notably, it can get him out of ledgetrap situations through using his midair jump from ledge, or save him from juggle or edgeguard situations.  

[[File:KingkrooldthrowSSBUgraph.png|thumb|300px|right|A graph demonstrating the differences in time scaling between King K. Rool's down throw pre-patch (blue) and after the patch (red).]]

[[File:Blunderbuss_(Kannonball_Range).gif|thumb|right|200px|Vacuum's new searchbox for Kannonballs in 6.0.0. Once it is completely stretched out, it remains as such until Vacuum is put away.]]

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

*Certain belly-based moves in King K. Rool's moveset (forward tilt, dash attack, up smash, down smash, neutral aerial, up aerial, down aerial, and side taunt) activate health-based [[super armor]] around his belly, known as [[Belly Super Armor]]. Each of the listed moves have this out for varying frames. However, taking damage with these moves cracks it, with K. Rool getting [[dazed]] upon it breaking completely after sustaining too much damage. The armor has 18.01 HP, but since the incoming damage is split 50/50 between K. Rool and his belly, it is practically 36.02 HP. It regenerates at 0.08 HP every 16 frames (about 0.3 HP per second). Attacks that hit K. Rool's belly super armor make a loud, distinct clanging sound as an audio cue, with a fixed 16 frames of hitlag. It is also possible to estimate the damage it has taken, with small cracks appearing at 11.5 HP (where 23% damage would break it) and large cracks appearing at 5.02 HP (where 10.04% damage would break it).  

|neutralname=&nbsp;

|neutraldesc=A three hit combo consisting of a sumo-esque palm strike (comes out on frame 4), a claw swipe (frame 3), then a front kick (frame 5). The first hit can be repeated by holding the attack button, and can also [[jab reset]] on big body characters specifically, allowing for some interesting situations. The second hit resembles King K. Rool's standard attack from ''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast''.

|ftiltname=&nbsp;

|ftiltdmg=11% (arms), 13% (palms)

|ftiltdesc=Rears back and performs a forceful clap, similar to his archnemesis {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}'s forward smash. Gains [[Belly Super Armor]] when he rears back to clap, making it a highly effective approach option with pivot cancelling. Sends at a [[semi-spike]] angle and is decently fast for its power (comes out on frame 12), KOing at 107% at the edge of [[Final Destination]]. It can be angled up and down, making it a decent anti-air tool when angled up, and it is capable of hitting the ledge when angled down. This move has impressive range due to a massive, disjointed hitbox surrounding K. Rool's hands. It does suffer from moderately high ending lag, though this flaw can be partially mitigated when spaced correctly. The combination of its range, Belly Super Armor, KO potential and ability to angle it up or down makes it not only one of the best moves in King K. Rool's kit, but also arguably one of the best forward tilts in the game.

|utiltname=&nbsp;

|utiltdmg=11.5% (clean), 6.8% (late, arm), 8.2% (late, fist)

|utiltdesc=An uppercut. Has a wide hitbox, covering the front of K. Rool, and starts low enough to reach prone enemies. Almost as fast as his neutral attack, coming out on frame 5, which is very fast for a move with reasonably decent KO power. Loses power the longer it is out, with the sweetspot dealing rather strong diagonal knockback, and the sourspot dealing weak, mostly vertical knockback, which can potentially lead to another up tilt or up air. This move works well out of [[down throw]] due to its combination of speed and power.

|dtiltname=&nbsp;

|dtiltdesc=A delayed sumo-esque stomp. K. Rool's foot [[bury|buries]] grounded opponents, though it cannot do damage to an already-buried enemy. Much stronger on aerial opponents, and can KO at 104% at the edge of Final Destination. The stomp causes a shockwave near his foot. This deals weak vertical knockback to nearby opponents and allowing for moves like [[forward aerial]] to be used out of it. Starts with the non-bury hitbox on frame 13, before the bury comes out at frame 14. [[Forward smash]] is true out of this from around 70%, and frequently kills at that percent range. The hitboxes can hit some opponents under low platforms (such as the left and right platforms on {{SSBU|Battlefield}}). Due to how buries work in ''Ultimate'', it is possible to "store" knockback on a buried opponent using a weak attack, forcing them to get unburied over time and sent at the angle of the weak attack; this can create long combo strings at low percents.  

|dashname=&nbsp;

|dashdesc=A belly-first lunge based on an attack from ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Land}}''. It covers a good distance and has incredibly fast start-up for its power (comes out on frame 7), but has very high ending lag. It also deals much less damage later into the attack. Has Belly Super Armor and can KO, allowing it to tank opposing hits (especially projectiles) as a risky [[approach]]. KOs at 102% at the edge of Final Destination, making it a very good move to use out of [[down throw]] through [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-mWaJuVdlo Instant Dash Attack], as it kills larger characters earlier than forward tilt.  

|fsmashname=&nbsp;

|fsmashupdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|19.9}} (sweetspot), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|17.3}} (close)

|fsmashsidedmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|19}} (sweetspot), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|16.5}} (close)

|fsmashdowndmg= {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|19.5}} (sweetspot), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|16.9}} (close)

|fsmashdesc=Dons a boxing glove, referencing his "King Krusha K. Rool" persona from ''Donkey Kong 64'', and throws a straight punch. This move has a sweetspot on the glove and a sourspot on K. Rool's arm. It can also be angled and deals more damage if angled up or down, which gives it some versatility, depending on the angle Although the move is slightly faster than forward smashes of other super-heavyweights, it still comes out slow with a short-lasting hitbox (frame 19-20), and it suffers from extremely high ending lag even for its type, making it very punishable when missed. However, the move is very powerful, with the sweetspot KO'ing at 53% at the edge of Final Destination. The sourspot on his arm deals less knockback and damage, but is still moderately powerful. The boxing glove is also disjointed, which can be used to hard punish short hop approaches in niche circumstance. It's also very effective out of down tilt, as the move is fast enough to connect and KO at around 50-70% before the opponent mashes out.

|usmashname=&nbsp;

|usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|15}} (headbutt), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|8}} (late headbutt), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|10}} (plank); {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|3}} (meteor smash)

|usmashdesc=A quick upward headbutt followed by a comical plank. The headbutt has a small hitbox, but has fast start-up (frame 6) and can KO from medium to high percents. It also has a slightly later hitbox on frame 10 that deals slightly less damage, making it somewhat inconsistent at times. The initial headbutt can be used to hit opponents on platforms above him, or as a risky anti-air move. It is King K. Rool's fastest out of shield option, though it is too situational and risky to be very effective for this purpose. It is also highly effective out of down throw, as it is able to hit opponents who mash out, being an effective kill-confirm at around 90-110%. The plank comes out later and has a big hitbox, but deals less damage and knockback, making it more suited for covering the headbutt or ledgetrapping at best. The plank animation weakly [[meteor smash]]es opponents, though this is ineffective for edgeguarding due to its low knockback. In addition, it is the weakest meteor smash in the game, failing to KO at realistic percents. It can be used to force tech situations or awkward placements off-stage, but these are highly situational and impractical. The sheer number of hits do make it useful for causing shield damage under platforms. Each hitbox is situated on K. Rool's head and body respectively, meaning it can miss entirely if used poorly. Additionally, the move has extremely high ending lag, with the first actionable frame being 72 and the last hit being on frame 23. The headbutt and plank KO at 100% and 162% at the edge of Final Destination, respectively. This move has Belly Super Armor shortly after K. Rool hops and before he flops onto the ground. There are intangibility frames on K. Rool's head when the sweetspot comes out.

|dsmashname=&nbsp;

|dsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|18}} (body), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|4}} (quake)

|dsmashdesc=A leaping belly flop, which causes a quake. Has Belly Super Armor during the leap, and deals heavy shield damage. As K. Rool physically leaves the ground when using the move, his hurtbox gets shifted into the air, allowing it to dodge ground or belly-level attacks to deal a hard punish. It is extremely powerful, being one of the strongest down smashes in the game, KOing at 50% at the edge of Final Destination. The move is very laggy overall, with its strongest hitbox coming out on frame 22, and it also suffers from very high ending lag, which makes it very punishable if used poorly. However, thanks to its initial hop and armor, the move is surprisingly hard to intercept despite its high startup. It also can be used on platforms against opponents that try to attack K. Rool from below. The quake is extremely weak, but it covers the high ending lag of the move somewhat, and it can occasionally lead to a forward tilt.  

|nairname=&nbsp;

|nairdesc= Inflates his stomach and performs a splash based on an attack from ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Land}}'' like his dash attack. Decently fast (comes out on frame 7), acts as a [[sex kick]] and has Belly Super Armor. In addition, it has very little lag in comparison to most of King K. Rool's moveset, and is his safest move on shield. Finally, it is also his fastest out of shield option that is somewhat practical, next to his neutral attack. Because of all of this, it is one of the safest and most versatile moves to use in K. Rool's kit. It can be used for landing, contesting aerials, approaching, and even gimping, as it beats out most recovery moves, even ones with hitboxes. In addition, due to its safety it can be used to pressure, and it can also combo into several moves, such as his neutral attack, up tilt, forward tilt, dash attack, grab and even situationally into down tilt, which can lead to devastating early kills.  

|fairname=&nbsp;

|fairdmg={{ShortHopDmgSSBU|15.5}} (clean, feet), {{ShortHopDmgSSBU|13.5}} (clean, legs), {{ShortHopDmgSSBU|10}} (late, feet), {{ShortHopDmgSSBU|8}} (late, legs)

|fairdesc= A dropkick, similar to {{SSBU|Bowser}}'s back aerial. Hitbox comes out on frame 11. Its sweetspot is at K. Rool's feet, which has a higher priority over the sourspot, making it easy to land. Has a very large hitbox with sweetspot being notably disjointed, giving it a very good range. The sweetspot has strong knockback, KOing around 100% near the edge of Final Destination. It deals disproportionately high damage, making it an very efficient damage racking tool. The move also acts as a sex kick, allowing it to be used for approaching or as a situational edgeguarding option. However, the move has relatively low landing lag, considering its power, huge, lingering hitbox, and relatively decent startup of 11 frames. This low landing lag combined with it's power and range makes it K. Rool's safest move in neutral when the move is being used while landing, being safe on shield, especially when spaced correctly. Its properties make it K. Rool's best combo starter at low percents, with sweetspot being able to lead into neutral attack, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack and grab at low percents. It can even confirm down tilt thanks to it being +15 on hit with good landing at 0%. The sourspot on this move lies around the torso, and can be used well with down tilt as we. It has a late hitbox with drastically weaker damage and knockback, which has some niche combo utility at mid percents, being able to lead into grabs thanks to it not sending into [[tumble]] until around 65%. However, it is very hard to land consistently. Overall, the move is considered to be among the best and most versatile moves in K. Rool's moveset.

|bairname=&nbsp;

|bairdesc=Turns around and does a delayed downward punch behind him, similar to {{SSBU|Mario}}'s forward aerial. It is very slow (comes out on frame 18), but it powerfully meteor smashes opponents if K. Rool's fist hits. Against grounded opponents, it launches them diagonally with extremely high knockback, being able to KO middleweights at 65% near the ledge, making it one of the strongest aerial attacks in the entire game. The larger, disjointed sourspot around the fist is significantly weaker, dealing rather weak diagonal knockback against both grounded and airborne opponents, failing to KO reliably until 160%. It also has a slightly lingering hitbox, making it an important tool in neutral when full hopped.

|uairname=&nbsp;

|uairdesc=A headbutt that goes straight upward. Causes K. Rool to float slightly, giving it more reach. It has extremely high ending lag, preventing K. Rool from acting even if performed out of a double jump, making it risky to use offstage and making it the laggiest aerial in the game. However, is one of K. Rool's fastest aerial attacks (comes out on frame 7), and deals less damage if hit later. In addition to this, the early hitbox is among the strongest up aerials in the game, being able to KO at around 100% and even earlier if used near the upper blastzone, giving K. Rool a possibility to pick up very early kills with the move, especially with rage. The early hit has a large, disjointed hitbox much larger than K. Rool's head, which also lingers for a disproportionately long time. The move has Belly Super Armor while K. Rool stretches his head out, ending after the hitboxes are over. When short hopped, this move can allow K. Rool to move onto a platform, allowing for some movement options, and significantly helps with the issue of the move having high endlag. Like up smash, there are intangibility frames on K. Rool's head during the attack, making it disjointed and allowing it to beat projectiles or some other even reasonably disjointed moves such as {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}'s down aerial. This move can also be used for recovering from high to mid levels, as K. Rool can be moved from side to side while using the move. <!--K. Rool's crown does not increase this move's damage, this has been tested. Remember that short hop attacks have a damage penalty in ''Ultimate''.-->

|dairname=&nbsp;

|dairdesc=Does a quick flip before performing a double foot stomp in a Superman pose. The hitbox is situated on K. Rool's legs. Decently fast (comes out on frame 14) and meteor smashes if the early hitbox connects, although the meteor smash itself is rather weak. If the opponent is hit by the early hitbox - but not meteor smashed - on-stage by this move, it confirms a wide variety of attacks. There is also a late hitbox with a sweetspot on the hip, with 20 extra stats in knockback growth, plus a sourspot on the feet. It also has Belly Super Armor after K. Rool stretches his feet out, giving it some safety.

|grabname=&nbsp;

|grabdesc=Reaches out quickly with great range. However, his dash and pivot grabs are slower than his standing grab. If K. Rool misses, his left eye comically bulges in frustration.

|pummelname=&nbsp;

|pummeldesc=Headbutts the opponent.

|fthrowname=&nbsp;

|fthrowdesc=Lifts the opponent over his head before slamming them into the ground, sending the opponent flying forwards. The slam possesses a collateral hitbox that can affect nearby opponents. Decent knockback. This combos into dash attack or a dash into neutral attack at 0%. It also has non-[[tumble]] hitstun at that point, making the combos extremely consistent.

|bthrowname=&nbsp;

|bthrowdesc=Drags the opponent on the ground and throws them behind him. KOs at 124% at the edge of Final Destination, though [[Rage]] greatly assists its kill power.

|uthrowname=&nbsp;

|uthrowdesc= Heaves the opponent over his head, leaps high into the air, and performs an Argentine backbreaker upon landing, blasting the opponent upwards. This is the most damaging throw in the entire game, but KOs late at around 180%. Stages with low upper blast lines and/or high platforms help mitigate this issue, as it carries opponents up in a similar fashion to Charizard's up throw.

|dthrowname=Piledriver

|dthrowdesc=Lifts the opponent overhead before slamming them into the ground head-first, burying them. Has the lowest damage output of K. Rool's throws, but this is compensated by its followup potential. K. Rool's most versatile throw overall, as well as one of his most versatile tools in general. Down throw follows up to numerous moves depending on the opponent's percent, including jab, up tilt, and up air at lower to mid percents, as well as forward tilt, forward and down smash at higher percents. It is also possible to infinite many fighters by throwing them, using jab while they're buried and re-grabbing them when they are released. However, most followups can be avoided if the opponent mashes out (especially since the throw itself is slow and gives plenty of time to react), making its kill setups unreliable at much higher percents. Only dash attack, forward and up tilts are able to follow up at 125% and kill reliably. However, up smash and up aerial can be used to discourage mashing and create 50/50 situations at lower percents, as the prior kills at 100% a lot of the time.  

|floorfdesc=Swipes in front of himself with one claw, then kicks behind himself with one foot.

|edgedesc=Pulls himself up from the ledge and swipes forward with one claw. Has very long range, being just short of {{SSBU|Bowser}}'s.

|nsdesc=Pulls out a {{s|wikipedia|blunderbuss}} and fires a {{s|mariowiki|Kannonball}} forward, while donning the pirate hat worn by his alter-ego "{{s|mariowiki|Kaptain K. Rool}}" in ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest}}''. Only one Kannonball can be in play at one time, with another being usable after around 2.5 seconds. After a Kannonball is fired, the special button can be held to use the blunderbuss's vacuum function, sucking in nearby enemies or the Kannonball itself (though the move will eventually cancel after several seconds), similar to {{SSBU|Kirby}} and {{SSBU|King Dedede}}’s [[Inhale]]. K. Rool can drop through soft platforms while vacuuming with his blunderbuss, and he also can move left and right as well while airborne, which is very useful for ledgetrapping. Once it sucks something in, K. Rool will immediately launch it out at a slight angle upward in front or behind him, or directly upwards, depending on the held direction. The blunderbuss "throw" KOs at 100% near the edge of Final Destination, though it deals lower knockback upwards or if reversed. A launched fighter or re-launched Kannonball is capable of KOing as early as 70%, with the Kannonball lingering while doing minor damage after the first hit.  

|ssdesc=Takes off his crown and flings it forward, similar to [[Boomerang]]. Has 12% damage-based [[armor]] while K. Rool is throwing his crown. Deals less damage when returning. Unlike Boomerang, it cannot be smash thrown. The crown will attempt to return to K. Rool while flying, though it will slowly lose altitude. Only one crown can be thrown at once. If K. Rool fails to catch it, the crown will drop as an item for anyone else to use, and will reappear on his head after 12 seconds or if K. Rool touches it again (does not count if the crown hits him as a thrown item, or if the crown is from another K. Rool). The pickup animation can be [[Crown canceling|cancelled]] through using a move or "unavoidable" animations such as jumpsquat when coming into contact. It also has a number of advanced techniques, such as [[Crown sliding]].  

|usdesc=Equips the Propellerpack worn by his alter-ego "{{s|mariowiki|Baron K. Roolenstein}}" in ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble}}'', and flies upward. Especially for a heavyweight, this recovery covers an excellent amount of distance, allowing K. Rool to fly from one end of Final Destination to the other, though changing direction is difficult. Upon reaching peak height for a moment, K. Rool will slowly drift down while flapping his arms. Pressing down will make K. Rool enter his [[helpless]] animation, falling faster and having less landing lag. The propellers above K. Rool deal multiple weak hits, protecting him from edgeguards while even allowing him to drag opponents to the top blast line, though this can be [[DI]]'d out of if it hits more than 3 times.  

|dsdmg= 1.5× (sweetspot), 1.05x (sourspot), 1.5x (reflected projectiles)

|dsdesc=Puffs out his stomach and retaliates against attacks. It works like a [[counterattack]] and can also [[reflection|reflect]] [[projectile]]s. However, the counter hitbox is centered on K.Rool's stomach, making the rest of his body vulnerable (most notably his face), much like the ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'' versions of [[Toad]]. It has a damage multiplier of 1.5x, making it tied with [[Counter Throw]] for the second highest damage multiplier out of any counterattack in ''Ultimate'', surpassed only by [[Tetrakarn]]. When reflecting, the stomach has a lingering hitbox that also scales with damage. This can make it KO at very low percentages using moves like {{SSBU|Samus}}'s [[Charge Shot]] to boost damage. This is usually seen when projectiles are reflected from close range.  

|fsdmg=3% (stomp), 10% (tackle), 25% (laser), 10% (throw)

|fsdesc=K. Rool stomps, stunning any nearby opponents, and lunges forward while catching those in his path. If at least one opponent was caught, a cutscene plays in which K. Rool sits on his throne on {{iw|mariowiki|Crocodile Isle|Donkey Kong 64}} before firing a massive laser from his {{s|mariowiki|Blast-o-Matic}} cannon. The laser then fires through {{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Island}}, destroying the island and dealing massive damage on the victims.  

*Drops from the sky with his arms crossed before chuckling. His pose is based on how he appears in ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Konga}}'', while him falling from the sky is a reference to ''Donkey Kong Country.''

*'''Up taunt''': Viciously snaps forward four times.

*'''Side taunt''': Slaps his belly once in amusement. Amusingly, this taunt also uses K. Rool's Belly Super Armor during the frames before he slaps his belly.

*'''Down taunt''': Does a sumo-esque stomp.

*Slaps his belly twice and gloats happily.

SSBUKingKRoolIdle1.gif|King K. Rool's first idle pose

SSBUKingKRoolIdle2.gif|King K. Rool's second idle pose

*'''Right:''' Belly flops on screen and rebounds with a backflip, before landing on his feet and slapping his belly with his tongue sticking out.

[[File:KRoolVictoryThemeUltimate.ogg|thumb|A flourished orchestration of the first few bars of "Gang-Plank Galleon", his boss theme from the original ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country}}''.]]

==In competitive play==

Upon ''Ultimate's'' release, many players noted King K. Rool's numerous strengths that were never seen before on a super-heavyweight character, namely two projectiles, his unique [[Belly Super Armor]] mechanic, down throw that in theory leads to very early kill confirms, rather good startup on many moves, and a very long-ranged recovery. This, in addition to his other strengths more typical to his weight class, caused the majority of top professionals to consider King K. Rool a potential high or even top tier character, while also getting a notorious reputation of being "broken" among less experienced players.

However, it quickly became apparent that King K. Rool wasn't nearly as good as players thought, as he also has some of the nastiest downsides in the entire game to counter his strengths. This includes a gigantic hurtbox, little options to break out of disadvantage, and high endlag on his moves to offset their "unchallengeable" startup and exploitable mechanics on many of his strengths, namely his extremely slow and predictable recovery; linear, laggy projectiles; his Belly Super Armor being surprisingly breakable and not scaling with the [[1v1 multiplier]]; (Although this was somewhat fixed in patch 8.0.0) and his down throw being easy to mash out until higher percents, rendering seemingly "broken" kill confirms not true until higher percents. While he can use mash deterrents and reads to "game" the system, these are inconsistent by nature and very unsafe if they fail. In addition, his two best players at that time, {{Sm|Ito}} and {{Sm|Vikerkaar}} (formerly known as KOSSismoss], both went inactive from tournament play soon after release. Compounding this, King K. Rool got nerfed in patch 2.0.0. This made his already negative perception even worse than before. Because of all of this, almost every top professional saw him as one of the worst characters in the game, which was especially notorious among the Japanese top players, many of which considered him to be the single worst character in the entire game.  

King K. Rool later received small but helpful buffs in patch 3.0.0, although they weren't significant enough to address his significant flaws, and his competitive reputation remained poor. Nevertheless, it improved his representation. While still typically ranked very low, players such as {{Sm|Ben Gold}}. {{Sm|KirbyKid}}, and {{Sm|Muk}} began to earn results that made people question his reputation as a low/bottom tier character, which was evident when Ben Gold managed to win {{Trn|Battle Arena Melbourne 11}}, an Australian B-tier tournament, with solo King K. Rool. 

He would then receive more impactful buffs later on in multiple patches. The patch 6.0.0 have also further shifted his opinions to a more positive side, as it alleviated some of his weaknesses. A lot of players still viewed him rather lowly, including many Japanese top professionals still viewing him as the single worst character in the game. However, others have shifted into a more positive view. Some of them, such as {{Sm|ESAM}}, and {{Sm|MVD}}, went so far as to say that King K. Rool is not a low/bottom tier, but a mid tier character instead. Patch 8.0.0, which brought arguably his most significant buffs, has caught more attention, as the changes to his both Belly Super Armor and Crownerang's heavy armor, especially the latter, give him new options especially in his poor disadvantage state, and his improvements to his already good grab game and dash attack has given him more consistent KO potential. Because of this, more top professional players have shifted their opinion into a more positive side, stating that K. Rool might finally have some potential now. {{Sm|Dabuz}} goes as far as saying that K. Rool is a high-mid tier character now, and even some Japanese players such {{Sm|Raito}} (who considered him to be the worst character in the game prior the patch) has stated that K. Rool might be a lot more threatening now. How much better he is after all the patches, as well as his true viability, however, remains to be seen, as some of his fatal flaws are still present even after numerous buffs.

===Notable players===

====Active====

*{{Sm|808|USA}} - The best King K. Rool player in New England. Placed 25th at {{Trn|Overclocked Ultimate II}}, 33rd at {{Trn|Overclocked}}, and 65th at {{Trn|Shine 2019}} and {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}. Ranked 4th on the [[Rhode Island Ultimate Power Rankings]] with wins on {{Sm|Raffi-X}}, {{Sm|Sharp|p=Rhode Island}}, {{Sm|DM}}, and {{Sm|Pugwest}}.

*{{Sm|Ben Gold|Australia}} - The best King K. Rool player in Australia and one of the best King K. Rool players in the world. Ranked #2 in Queensland<ref>https://ausmash.com.au/rankings/queensland%20smash%20ultimate%20power%20rankings/q1%202020 Australian PR</ref> and 7th on the [[Australian Power Rankings]]. Most notably won {{Trn|Battle Arena Melbourne 11}}, defeating top players such as {{Sm|Extra}}, {{Sm|Luco}}, {{Sm|Tru4}}, and {{Sm|Jdizzle}}. He also placed 5th at {{Trn|Phantom 2019}}, 17th at both {{Trn|Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas}} and {{Trn|Phantom 2020}}, 25th at {{Trn|2GG: Nightmare on Smashville}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Expand Gong 4}}. He also has a win over {{Sm|kameme}} from [https://smash.gg/tournament/mega-smash-mondays-219/details Mega Smash Mondays 219].

*{{Sm|Chad|Canada|p=Canada}} - The best King K. Rool player in Canada. Placed 17th at {{Trn|HABBY Birthday 2019}} and 33rd at {{Trn|The Amuka Smash Cup}}. Ranked 4th in Durham<ref>https://twitter.com/SMRAI_Esports/status/1247694440464027653 Durham PR</ref>, and formerly ranked 15th in Southern Ontario. Has wins over {{Sm|Steve From Accounting}}, {{Sm|Blacktwins}} and {{Sm|RyanDCB}}.

*{{Sm|InfernoKong|UK}} - The best King K. Rool player in the UK. Placed 9th at {{Trn|Manchester Conquest 6}} and 17th at {{Trn|Bailrigg 9}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Jaxter}}, {{Sm|Scholes}}, {{Sm|Regenix}} and {{Sm|demon_B}}.

*{{Sm|Joker|Mexico}} - Has a strong King K. Rool secondary. Placed top 2 at {{Trn|BIT MASTER MTY 8}} with mainly King K. Rool as well as 2nd at {{Trn|BIT MASTER MTY 6}} and 9th at {{Trn|Smash Vertex}} using King K. Rool as one of his characters. He has defeated players such as {{Sm|Wonf}} and {{Sm|Chag}}. Ranked #2 on the [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/170652443770617856/603042680397627393/image0.jpg Tamaulipas (Nuevo Laredo) Power Rankings].

*{{Sm|KirbyKid|USA}} - The best King K. Rool player in United States and one of the best King K. Rool players in the world. Placed 49th at {{Trn|Low Tier City 7}} and 65th at {{Trn|2GG: Kongo Saga}}. Ranked 4th on the [[Louisiana Power Rankings#Southern Louisiana|Southern Louisiana Ultimate Power Rankings]]. Has wins over {{Sm|kept}}, {{Sm|CaptainZack}}, and {{Sm|Stas}}.

*{{Sm|Raphy|Germany}} - The best King K. Rool player in Europe. Placed 7th at {{Trn|BOILINGPOINT BRAWL}}. Ranked 12th on the Southern Germany Power Rankings<ref>https://twitter.com/GermanSmashCom/status/1218163564227117056 South Germany PR</ref>. Has wins over {{Sm|Tomenimo}}, {{Sm|SkWiirrel}}, and {{Sm|Phonky}}.

*{{Sm|Tropical|USA}} - The best King K. Rool player in SoCal/Nebraska. Placed 33rd at {{Trn|2GG: SoCal Chronicles 2020}} and has a win over {{Sm|AC}}.

*{{Sm|Ito|USA}} - Considered to be one of the two best King K. Rool players in the world in the early metagame. Placed 17th at {{Trn|SoCal Chronicles}} and 97th at {{Trn|2GG: Kongo Saga}}. Has not attended since Kongo Saga, however.

*{{Sm|Muk|Netherlands}} - Was considered the best King K. Rool player in Europe before dropping him for {{SSBU|Samus}}, first relegating K. Rool as a secondary prior completely dropping him. Placed 9th at [https://smash.gg/tournament/lunarsmash-presents-dawn/details Lunarsmash Presents: Dawn], {{Trn|Heroes of Dutch Comic Con Spring 2019}}, and {{Trn|GGWP: Ultimate}}. Formerly ranked 12th on the [[Dutch Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate rankings|Dutch Ultimate Power Rankings]] using K. Rool.  

*{{Sm|Onua|USA}} - The best King K. Rool player in the Midwest and one of if not the most technical K. Rool players. Placed 33rd at both {{Trn|Standoff 2019}} and {{Trn|River Rumble}}. Consistently does well in locals and monthlies such as 9th at [https://smash.gg/tournament/sweet-spot-5-100-pot-bonus/details Sweet Spot 5], and has defeated {{Sm|Wisdom}}, {{Sm|Kwaz}}, and others. Has fully dropped King K. Rool as of version 8.0 and now mains the [[Belmont]]s and uses chracters such as {{SSBU|Byleth}} and {{SSBU|Terry}} in bracket. Ranked 10th on the current Kansas City Power Rankings.<ref>https://smash.gg/rankings/super-smash-bros-ultimate/series/kansas-city Kansas City PR</ref>.

*{{Sm|Vikerkaar|USA}} - Considered to be one of the two best King K. Rool players in the world in the early metagame. Placed 9th at {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass 2018}} with wins over {{Sm|Locke}}, {{Sm|DAMN.}}, and {{Sm|Kantrip}}. Went inactive shortly after release, but would return to competitive Smash, though he has dropped King K. Rool in favor of co-maining {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}} and {{SSBU|Mii Swordfighter}}.

*{{Sm|Yui|Japan}} - Placed 33rd at both {{Trn|Umebura SP}} and {{Trn|Umebura SP 5}}. Has defeated {{Sm|Ark}} and {{Sm|TRIGGER}} with the character.

King K. Rool's opponents are among the heaviest characters in the game. The boss of this route is [[Galleom]], likely as a reference to his hulking proportions and his postures being similar to K. Rool's arch-nemesis, Donkey Kong. Additionally, "Galleom" is spelled similarly to "Galleon", which can be a reference to the song most associated with King K. Rool, ''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Gang-Plank Galleon}}''.

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

!Round!!Opponent!!Stage!!Music

|1||{{SSBU|Charizard}} {{Head|Charizard|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[Unova Pokémon League]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Pokémon|Victory Road - Pokémon Ruby / Pokémon Sapphire}}''

|2||{{SSBU|Bowser}} {{Head|Bowser|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[Find Mii]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Mario Bros.|King Bowser - Super Mario Bros. 3}}''

|3||{{SSBU|King Dedede}} {{Head|King Dedede|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[Boxing Ring]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Kirby|King Dedede's Theme (Brawl)}}''

|4||{{SSBU|Ridley}} {{Head|Ridley|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[Brinstar Depths]] ([[Battlefield form]])||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Metroid|Vs. Ridley}}''

|5||{{SSBU|Ganondorf}} {{Head|Ganondorf|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[Bridge of Eldin]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|The Legend of Zelda|Calamity Ganon Battle - Second Form}}''

|6||{{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||{{SSB|Kongo Jungle}}||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Crocodile Cacophony}}''

|colspan="4"|[[Bonus Stage]]

|Final||[[Galleom]]||Base||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Smash Bros.|Boss Battle - Super Smash Bros. Brawl}}''

King K. Rool was one of the many fighters that fell under [[Dharkon]]'s control upon Galeem's first defeat. He can be found on a ship in the [[Mysterious Dimension]] sub-area, guarded by the spirit of fellow pirate, Risky Boots. To reach his location, the player must defeat the spirit of [[List of spirits (Castlevania series)|Trevor C. Belmont]], the right answer to a quiz question of which Spirit assisted [[Alucard]] in defeating [[Dracula]].

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"

! style="width:5%;"|No.

! style="width:5%;"|Image

! Name

! Type

! Power

! Stage

! Music

| 67

| [[File:King K. Rool SSBU.png|center|108x108px]]

| {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}

| [[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]] <center>{{color|#dc1029|Attack}}</center>

| 10,600

| [[Pirate Ship]]

| ''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Gang-Plank Galleon}}''

{{-}}

King K. Rool'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 K. Rool 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''.

Additionally, he makes an appearance as a few Primary Spirits under his alter egos from the ''Donkey Kong Country'' series.

King K Rool Spirit.png|136. '''''King K. Rool'''''

Kaptainkingrool.png|162. Kaptain K. Rool  

Baron K Roolenstein Spirit.png|163. Baron K. Roolenstein  

==In Spirit battles==

|{{anchor|Wart}}{{s|mariowiki|Wart}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Kritter}}[[Kritter]]

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Klaptrap}}[[Klaptrap]]

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Kaptain K. Rool}}[[King K. Rool|Kaptain K. Rool]]

|•{{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Brown}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Lord Fredrik}}Lord Fredrik

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|The Imprisoned}}The Imprisoned

|•Giant {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Black}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|•The enemy has super armor but moves slower<br>•Timed [[stamina battle]]<br>•Hostile assist trophies will appear

|{{anchor|Bokoblin}}Bokoblin

|•Tiny {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} Team {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Brown}} (×4)

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|{{anchor|Queen Metroid}}Queen Metroid

|•{{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Brown}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Kraid}}[[Kraid]]

|•Giant {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|{{anchor|Snorlax}}[[Snorlax]]

|•Giant {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Black}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|•Timed [[stamina battle]]<br>•The enemy prefers not to move<br>''•The enemy heals over time (*)''

|{{anchor|Wobbuffet}}[[Wobbuffet]]

|•Reflect {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}} (×2)

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Tyranitar}}Tyranitar

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Draug}}{{s|fireemblem|Draug}}

|•{{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Thanatos}}Thanatos

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Shake King}}{{s|mariowiki|Shake King}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Emperor Bulblax}}{{s|pikipedia|Emperor Bulblax}}

|•Giant {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Yellow}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Bear Hugger}}Bear Hugger

|•{{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Pink}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|King Hippo}}King Hippo

|•Giant {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Pink}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|King Knight}}King Knight

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Cetacea}}Cetacea

|•Giant {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=White}}<br>•{{SSBU|Hero}} {{Head|Hero|g=SSBU|s=20px}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|•Defeat the main fighter to win<br>•The enemy has super armor but moves slower<br>•Timed [[stamina battle]]

|[[File:Max Brass Spirit.png|center|64x64px]]

|Max Brass

|''ARMS'' Series

|•{{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Yellow}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Chaotix}}Chaotix

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Frog & Snake}}[[Sablé Prince|Frog & Snake]]

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Allen}}Allen

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|{{SSBUMusicLink|Nintendo|Worthy Rival Battle}}

|Wereboar

SSBUWebsiteKingKRool1.jpg|On [[Green Greens]].

SSBUWebsiteKingKRool2.jpg|Using his [[Blunderbuss]] on [[Pirate Ship]].

SSBUWebsiteKingKRool4.jpg|{{SSBU|Villager}} taking out K. Rool's [[Pocket|pocketed]] Crown on [[Tortimer Island]].

SSBUWebsiteKingKRool6.jpg|His pink and blue [[Alternate costume (SSBU)|costumes]] on [[Prism Tower]].

KingKRoolAndPeach.jpg|Using [[Crownerang]] on {{SSBU|Peach}}, who's standing behind [[Toad_(move)|Toad]].

King K Rool Final Smash SSBU.gif|Using his [[Blast-o-Matic|Final Smash]].

===Character showcase video===

*Outside of minor cameos and rereleases of older titles, ''Smash Ultimate'' marks King K. Rool's first physical appearance in a bit over a decade. He had last appeared in ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario Super Sluggers}}'', which released on June 19, 2008 in Japan, August 25, 2008 in North America, and was never released in Europe or Australia.

**{{s|mariowiki|DK Jungle Climber}}, released in Europe on October 12 and Australia on November 1, 2007 marked the last time King K. Rool physically appeared in these regions.

*King K. Rool is the third playable ''Smash Bros.'' character to have been created outside Japan, following {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}}, also created as part of the ''Donkey Kong Country'' series by the British developer [[Rare]], and {{SSBU|Dark Samus}}, who was created by the Texas-based {{s|wikipedia|Retro Studios}}.

*King K. Rool is the fourth of five newcomers to be announced in ''Ultimate'' that was previously featured as a [[Mii Fighter]] [[Alternate costume (SSB4)#Mii Fighter|costume]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. The other four are {{SSBU|Inkling}}, {{SSBU|Daisy}}, {{SSBU|Chrom}}, and {{SSBU|Isabelle}}.

**As a result of King K. Rool's inclusion, fans of the character issued [https://twitter.com/KRoolKountry/status/1033530396657508352 a thank you letter] to Masahiro Sakurai and Nintendo of America for including him as a playable fighter. The letter was signed by fans, and Nintendo of America [https://twitter.com/KRoolKountry/status/1059523712838459392 even wrote back] to the fans, expressing gratitude towards them for the fan letter.

**This is the first time that the English name is spoken verbally in a game. The first time it was spoken verbally was in the [[mariowiki:Bad Hair Day|pilot episode of the ''Donkey Kong Country'' animated series]], although it was alternated with the pronunciation "King Kuh-Rool" before the pronunciation of "King Kay-Rool" was dropped entirely.

*King K. Rool is the second character in the series whose [[back aerial]] meteor smashes opponents, the first being {{SSBU|Lucas}}.

**King K. Rool is also the second character who has a smash attack that meteor smashes, in his up smash, first being {{SSBU|Bayonetta}}'s down smash, though it isn't used for spiking opponents.

*During early gameplay footage released by Nintendo showing King K. Rool facing off against {{SSBU|Snake}}, the announcer did not say, "wins" after saying King K. Rool's name on the victory screen. This was later fixed.

*King K. Rool is the second character in the series with the ability to [[counterattack|counter]] attacks and to [[reflection|reflect]] projectiles in his default moveset, the first being {{SSBU|Palutena}}.

*King K. Rool is the only character in the series with a taunt that utilizes [[armor]].

*King K. Rool is the character that made the most appearances in newcomer trailers in CGI form, appearing in his own, {{SSBU|Ken}} and {{SSBU|Incineroar}}'s, and {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}}'s trailers.

*King K. Rool, along with {{SSBU|Wario}} and Incineroar, each have a Classic Mode route that consists almost entirely of super-heavyweight fighters.

**Incineroar is the only heavy character that is not encountered in King K. Rool's Classic Mode route.

*King K. Rool is the second most common opponent for Classic Mode routes, as he appears in 18 different routes, with the most being {{SSBU|Link}} with 21 different routes.

*If King K. Rool gets grabbed by a grab that uses a unique animation on capturing characters (Snake's grab, Ganondorf's Flame Choke, etc.) while using his forward smash, the boxing glove will remain on his hand until he gets released.

*King K. Rool's [https://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/detail/king-k-rool-amiibo-super-smash-bros-series/ description] from the North American [[amiibo]] website is based on his NTSC trophy description from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.