Editing Kirby (SSB4)

|ranking = 49

'''Kirby''' ({{ja|カービィ|Kābī}}, ''Kirby'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. He was confirmed during the [[Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3]] [[Nintendo Direct]] on June 11th, 2013.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13D1I5s236o Nintendo Direct@E3 2013]</ref> Makiko Ōmoto returns as his voice actor with new voice clips, sounding more akin to his appearances from ''{{s|wikirby|Kirby's Return to Dream Land}}'' onward.

Kirby is ranked 49th out of 54 on the [[tier list]], thus going into the F tier. This is a significant drop from his placement in ''[[Brawl]]'', where he was ranked 20th out of 38 characters. Among his strengths are fast attacks for naturally-flowing [[combo]]s, including up tilt, forward throw, and down aerial – the latter of which is also a great KO set-up attack – and good [[edgeguard]]ing ability thanks to his versatile forward aerial and powerful back aerial. Kirby's multitude of [[jump]]s allow him to [[recovery|recover]] from long distances and mix up his landings. His small size also makes him difficult to hit, especially while [[crouch]]ing, and he can flexibly and efficiently [[KO]] opponents with his powerful [[smash attacks]] and back aerial.

Kirby's grab game is similarly effective, as he boasts a fast [[grab]], an effective [[pummel]], and a set of useful [[throw]]s. His [[forward throw]] can cleanly fit into any part of a combo and enables Kirby to set up long and highly [[damage|damaging]] follow-ups, even a [[down aerial]] into a regrab. [[Back throw]] can KO on the ledge at high [[percentage]]s, and [[up throw]] can KO even earlier off the top (especially if he lands on a [[platform]] with it. Lastly, [[down throw]], while not especially useful overall, can rack up damage when no other throw can yield better results.

Kirby has received some rather significant nerfs in the transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4''. Most of his issues in ''Brawl'' were not only retained but worsened and he also suffers from new weaknesses. Kirby's already mediocre range has been reduced further, with his feet becoming smaller and several general nerfs to hitbox sizes. This makes it even easier for opponents to wall out Kirby especially with the cast having greater range overall. Kirby's air mobility as also taken a hit as his [[air acceleration]] is lower, and unlike most returning veterans, his [[air speed]] has been decreased, which hindering both his recovery and ability to escape aerial pressure. As with his transition from each new Smash game as well as with most of the returning veterans, Kirby's damage output has been decreased. Some of Kirby's moves have also seen changes which greatly hinder their utility, with forward aerial having more ending lag and no longer autocanceling in a short hop due to a combination of its autocancel window being unchanged and Kirby's higher gravity and lower jumps, and dash attack and connecting less reliably due to its much shorter range, but the attacks that were affected the most were down throw and aerial [[Hammer Flip]], losing most of their previous utility:  the former has lost all of its followup potential due to its more unfavorable angle and increased knockback, while the latter has much more startup lag and has lost its recovery and edgeguarding potential, as to it's no longer being a semispike and now stalls Kirby's horizontal momentum instead of his vertical momentum.

Kirby has seen some buffs, however. His considerably faster [[dash]]ing speed improves his approach, while some less reliable moves like Inhale and down aerial have been given new utility, with the former being faster and the latter connecting better due to using the autolink angle and its landing hit has less knockback and launches higher, making it better for combos, and forward and back throw are also more useful for combos due to the former's new angle and reduced ending lag, and the latter also has received KO potential thanks to its altered knockback, increasing its versatility overall. Other attacks, namely his up smash, down smash, back aerial, back throw and up throw, were given more KO power – and this can be better taken advantage of in the new environment of ''Smash 4'', in the absence of momentum cancelling and the presence of rage. His Hammer Flip now can be charged, has more range, no longer has sourspots and Kirby can move and jump while charging the attack.

Overall, while Kirby still retains most of the strengths he had in ''Brawl'' including his solid combo ability and KO potential for his character archetype, his weaknesses were amplified and he gained new weaknesses most notably, his reduced range and aerial mobility. While the changes to the game's mechanics benefit him overall, they do not aid him as much as some of the other returning veterans. As a result, Kirby fares overall worse than in ''Brawl''.

*{{buff|Kirby [[dash]]es significantly faster (1.371 → 1.57), especially compared to the cast, going from the 29th fastest out of 39 characters to the 31st fastest out of 58.}}

**{{nerf|Dash attack's looping hits deal less damage (2% → 1%), which decreases its overall damage output (14% → 9%).}}

**{{nerf|Its last hit uses a single small hitbox instead three larger hitboxes(5u/5u/8u → 3u), connecting less reliably from the looping hits and significantly reducing its range.}}

**{{buff|Its angle has been altered (45° → 361°) improving its KO potential against grounded opponents.}}

**{{nerf|The late hit sends opponents lower (82° → 60°).}}

**{{nerf|Clean down angled forward smash no longer [[semi spike]]s (31° → 361°).}}

**{{buff|Up smash's clean sweetspot deals more knockback (34 (base), 100 (scaling) → 33/104).}}

**{{buff|The late hit has increased knockback scaling (50 → 52).}}

***{{nerf|This removes its ability to lock.}}

***{{buff|This improves its followup potential.}}

**{{nerf|Its initial [[auto-cancel]] window has been reduced (frames 1-8 → 1-4).}}

**{{buff|The last hit has increased knockback scaling (138 → 148), making it better for spacing  edgeguarding and improving its KO potential at very high percents.}}

**{{change|The last hit's hitlag has increased (1× → 1.2×). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.}}

**{{nerf|It has smaller hitboxes (5u/4.5u (hits 1-2)/6.5u/6.5u (hit 3) → 4.3u/4.3u (hit 1)/4.5u (hit 2)/4.9u (hit 3)).}}

**{{nerf|It can no longer auto-cancel in a short hop due to Kirby's lower short hop and higher gravity, causing its auto-cancel to fall short by one frame.}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial has smaller hitboxes (7u/6u (clean)/6u/6u (late) → 4u (clean)/3.4u (late)), now being more in line with Kirby's feet. This significantly reduces its range as it is less disjointed, it covers less of Kirby's body and doesn't fully cover his feet, especially the late hit.}}

**{{buff|The last hit has slightly higher knockback scaling (107 → 110) and a slightly larger hitbox (6u/6u → 6.2u).}}

**{{buff|The landing hit has an altered angle (30° → 60°) and lower set knockback (60 → 40), improving its combo potential.}}

**{{nerf|Forward throw deals 3% less damage (8% → 5%), with its knockback scaling compensated (100 → 125).}}

**{{nerf|Down throw deals less damage on the first nine hits (1% (hits 1-10) → 0.8% (hits 1-9), 1% (hit 10), 12% → 10.2% (total)) and the throw has significantly increased knockback (40 (base), 140 (scaling) → 60/180). Combined with the change below, this removes its combo potential.}}

**{{nerf|It launches at a lower and more unfavorable angle (90° → 63°), and combined with the removal of [[chain grab]]bing and the loss of its combo potential as mentioned above, this hinders its damage racking potential.}}

**{{buff|However, the increased knockback allow it to KO middleweights around or below 200%.}}

**{{nerf|Stone has less HP (30 → 25).}}

***{{nerf|Additionally, if Kirby's stone is broken, he now takes half the amount of damage from the attack which broke the stone as opposed to no damage.}}  

Kirby was initially perceived to be a low tier in the initial release of the game, owing to his poor range, mobility, approach option and endurance. Likely as a result, he has been buffed via game updates. Update [[1.0.6]] improved up and down smashes' KO potentials; re-purposed down throw into a viable damage racking option; and decreased [[Inhale]] and [[Hammer Flip]]'s ending lag. These changes were fairly minor however, with Inhale and Hammer only losing a couple of frames of ending lag, while down smash received a lower launch angle, which resulted in the move being worse at KOing with sufficient DI. Update [[1.1.0]] brought a few more buffs: neutral attack became more reliable, Inhale was made faster and forward throw received less ending lag and a more vertical launch angle, making it a much better combo starter. Kirby also slightly benefits from the new shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and [[1.1.1]], as they make down aerial's multiple hits and [[Stone]]'s high damage output much more reliable at pressuring shields.

Update [[1.1.3]] brought about even more buffs for Kirby: his [[dash]]ing speed was slightly improved and various moves saw an increase to their KO potential. Up throw in particular saw a substantial increase in knockback, KOing over 30% earlier, although Kirby's other moves only saw minor improvements to their knockback. Update [[1.1.4]] gave Kirby a miniscule improvement with hard tripping now grants Kirby 5 frames of invincibility. Lastly, update [[1.1.5]], buffed Kirby's smash attacks and all variations of Hammer Flip by slightly increasing their knockback. As a result, Kirby is noticeably better than he was during ''Smash 4''{{'}}s initial release, having better KO potential, a stronger combo game and having safer specials. However, he is still considered fairly weak, as most of his changes were not substantial and his weaknesses were not properly addressed, resulting in him continuing to struggle against a majority of the cast, especially considering the more substantial improvements other initial low tiers received, along with the introduction of {{SSB4|Cloud}} and {{SSB4|Corrin}}, who both had strong matchups against Kirby.

*{{nerf|Sourspotted upward angled forward smash deals less damage (13% → 12%).}}

*{{buff|Up smash's clean hit's sweetspots have higher knockback scaling (96 → 102), improving its KO potential.}}

*{{buff|Down smash has higher knockback scaling (102 → 108), improving its KO potential.}}

*{{nerf|Down smash launches opponents at a lower angle (76° → 69°). This makes the move susceptible to [[LSI]], hindering its KO potential with optimal DI.}}

*{{buff|Down throw deals more damage (0.4% (hits 1-9)/6.6% (total) → 0.8%/10.2%).}}

*{{buff|{{b|Inhale|Kirby}} has less ending lag (FAF 80 → 78).}}

*{{buff|Opponent's are launched higher when swallowed (2.8 → 3), making Kirby less punishable when copying an ability.}}

*{{buff|[[Hammer (move)|Hammer Flip]] has less ending lag.}}

*{{buff|Neutral attack's second hit has increased base knockback (8 → 15), making it connect more reliably into the infinite. Neutral infinite's finisher's start-up lag also decreased.}}

*{{nerf|Forward throw deals less damage (7% → 5%) with its knockback scaling compensated (100 → 125).}}

*{{buff|Forward throw has less ending lag (FAF 62 → 59) and it launches opponents at a higher angle (65° → 75°), improving its combo potential.}}

*{{buff|Inhale's start-up (frame 18 → 14) and ending lag decreased (FAF 78 → 73).}}

|neutralname=Vulcan Jab ({{ja|バルカンジャブ|Barukan Jabu}}) / Smash Punch ({{ja|スマッシュパンチ|Sumasshupanchi}})

|ftiltdmg=8% (base), 7% (tip)

|fsmashname=Smash Kick ({{ja|スマッシュキック|Sumasshu Kikku}})

|nairname=Twinkle Star ({{ja|ティンクルスター|Tinkuru Sutā}})

|fairdesc=A series of multiple forward kicks. The first two hits have low knockback, which allows them to connect reliably with the third hit. Its low landing lag also allows the first or second hit to be used as set-up options into other moves. Can connect into itself for a [[Wall of Pain]] in certain instances.

|bairdesc=A double-footed back kick. It functions as a sex kick, but also has the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Kirby's aerials, due to it coming out on frame 6. Its clean hitbox also deals the most damage out of his aerials, and possesses very high knockback growth, which make it a viable KOing option. While near the edge of Final Destination, its clean hitbox KOs middleweights at 115% in the ''3DS'' version, and at 105% in the ''Wii U'' version. It also boasts good range due to its slightly disjointed hitbox, which makes it a viable edge-guarding option, and allows it to partake in a wall of pain. However, the late hit has a blindspot, as its hitbox doesn't fully cover Kirby's feet.

|uairdesc=An aerial bicycle kick similar to his up smash. A very useful juggling option, it can also be used for continuing a combo due to its low landing lag.

|grabdesc=Reaches out with one hand. One of the fastest grabs among the cast, though its range is merely average. Kirby's throws are based on attacks used by the {{s|wikirby|Backdrop}}, {{s|wikirby|Suplex}} and {{s|wikirby|Ninja}} abilities.

|pummeldesc=A series of multiple punches. While its damage output is unimpressive, this is offset by its excellent speed, as it is tied with {{SSB4|Lucas}}, {{SSB4|Ness}}, and {{SSB4|Fox}}'s pummels for the third fastest in the game.

|fthrowdesc=The Rock Drop from the Suplex ability. Unlike the majority of forward throws, it possesses combo potential. Its most reliable follow-ups are neutral, forward and down aerials at low percents, and up aerial and [[Final Cutter]] at medium percents.

|bthrowdesc=A backwards dive from the Backdrop ability. Despite having an average damage output and very low base knockback, it has very high knockback growth. As a result, it has KO potential, yet can also combo into back aerial on certain characters at very low percents. While near the edge of Final Destination, it KOs middleweights at 160% in the ''3DS'' version, and at 150% in the ''Wii U'' version.

|uthrowname=Air Drop ({{ja|いずな落とし|Izuna Otoshi}}, ''Izuna Drop'')

|ssdefdesc=The attack of the same name from the {{s|wikirby|Hammer}} ability. It is chargeable and, when fully charged, Kirby's hammer will ignite and deal [[recoil damage]]. He can also slowly walk and jump while charging it, while a fully charged Hammer Flip briefly grants him 6% [[armor]] during part of the swing. When it is used in midair, Kirby will swing his hammer twice. While near the edge of Final Destination, uncharged Hammer Flip KOs middleweights at 92% and 82% in the ''3DS'' and ''Wii U'' versions, respectively. Fully charged Hammer Flip KOs middleweights at 17% and 10% in the ''3DS'' and ''Wii U'' versions, respectively. Although weaker, aerial Hammer Flip nevertheless possesses KO potential. While near the edge of Final Destination, it KOs middleweights at 128% and 115% in the ''3DS'' and ''Wii U'' versions, respectively. Its fully charged version KOs them at 44% and 36% in the ''3DS'' and ''Wii U'' versions, respectively.

|ssc2desc=Wields a massive hammer that is slightly stronger and grants unbreakable armor while charging once the hammer starts to glow, but has much higher start-up and ending lag. While near the edge of Final Destination in the ''3DS'' version, uncharged grounded Giant Hammer KOs middleweights at 76%, whereas its uncharged aerial version KOs them at 90%. Fully charged grounded Giant Hammer KOs middleweights at 7%, whereas its fully charged aerial version KOs them at 29%.

|usdefdesc=The attack of the same name from the {{s|wikirby|Cutter}} ability. It can meteor smash any opponents he comes into contact with upon descending. The sword also emits a shockwave upon hitting a solid surface, which is Kirby's only projectile aside from [[Inhale (Kirby)#Spitting characters|spitting out an Inhaled opponent]]. It does cover a decent amount of vertical distance. However, it is extremely predictable due to its high startup lag. Kirby also has poor horizontal mobility while using the move, there's a decent period of time where Kirby is rising without a hitbox and Kirby cannot [[sweetspot]] the edge until he starts to descend, all of which make it a rather exploitable recovery move. It can be used for edgeguarding but its slow speed limits its use in this area, as well as limiting its utility in other scenarios. If a platform beneath Kirby disappears or if he is pushed off while he is still in the landing animation, he will be rendered [[helpless]].

|usc1desc=When Kirby lands, he produces a shockwave with rocks flying outward. Kirby ascends faster and he stays in the air for longer before dropping, making it a better recovery move. The move does not have any hitboxes until Kirby lands however, although the landing hit and the rock shockwave are fairly strong. The rock shovewave is very large and its power overall makes it more effective than Final Cutter's wave, although the move does have more landing lag.

|usc2desc=Kirby only performs an ascending upwards slash and then enters free-fall. Kirby ascends very quickly, Kirby can grab ledges during the ascent if he is facing the ledge and he keeps his horizontal momentum once he enters free-fall. This makes the move a much better recovery move than Final Cutter. The move also has a very effective hitbox. The move comes out on frame 6 and it has great range. The move is also fairly strong, being capable of KOing Mario under 160% in the middle of Final Destination (without DI). The move does start off with a 60° angle, making it quite susceptible to DI however, the move gains a more vertical angle as Kirby ascends, with the move having a very favorable 80° angle at the top of the ascent, making it stronger and less susceptible to DI. The very fast startup, the great range and the solid power give Upper Cutter a lot of utility which Kirby lacks without it, giving him a better Out of Shield game as well as giving him an additional combo ender that can even lead into KO confirms he lacks without Upper Cutter.

 

While it does lack the falling hit Final Cutter has, Upper Cutter is overall a far superior move, being a much better recovery move and having a lot more utility in other areas, filling up holes Kirby had in his game plan with his default moveset. It is overall a clear replacement for Final Cutter and it is most likely Kirby's most valuable custom move.

!{{{name|}}}

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|Kir - by! || Ka - a - bii! || Kir - by!

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==In [[competitive play]]==

===Most historically significant players===

 

 

*{{Sm|Jesuischoq|France}} - The best Kirby player in Europe. He made strong placements as a solo-Kirby main at some of the most populated ''Smash 4'' tournaments in Europe, placing 13th at {{Trn|talent.io}}, as well as 25th at {{Trn|Deflagration}} and {{Trn|Respawn 6}}.

*{{Sm|Komota|USA}} - The best Kirby player in the world, although seldomly competed in tournaments. Despite his inconsistent activity, he performed one of the best low-tier upsets by defeating {{Sm|Ally}} at {{Trn|Frostbite 2017}} and placing 33rd overall. He also placed 25th at {{Trn|The Big House 8}}, which is the best solo-Kirby placement at a ''Smash 4'' major.

*{{Sm|MikeKirby|USA}} - Considered to be the best Kirby player in the world during 2015 to 2016. He placed top 16 at many early Tri-state events such as 5th at {{Trn|KTAR XIV}} and 9th at {{Trn|KTAR XII}} defeating {{Sm|Salem}}. He also performed decently at some larger tournaments, such as 13th at {{Trn|Glitch}} and 49th at {{Trn|Apex 2015}}.

*{{Sm|Poyo|USA}} - One of the best Kirby players in the world. While some of her results were mixed with {{SSB4|Luigi}}, she was one of the few Kirby players to hold multiple top 64s at major/supermajors, placing 33rd at {{Trn|The Big House 7}} and 49th at {{Trn|Shine 2017}}.

Kirby did not fare well after the next updates as characters like {{SSB4|Marth}}, {{SSB4|Lucina}}, {{SSB4|Duck Hunt}}, {{SSB4|Shulk}}, {{SSB4|Link}} and {{SSB4|Mewtwo}} who were initially considered to be worse than Kirby proved to not only become better than him, but proved to be very troublesome matchups as well due to them having excellent tools to prevent Kirby from approaching. The release of {{SSB4|Cloud}} and {{SSB4|Corrin}} also hurt him since they too proved to be tough matchups for Kirby. This resulted in Kirby's already scarce results to become even worse than before.

Kirby would then drop to 41st on the second tier list, and eventually to 47th on the third tier list, with the latter drop being tied with {{SSB4|Pit}} and {{SSB4|Yoshi}}'s for the second largest between the second and third tier lists. However, {{Sm|Komota}} later scored an upset by defeating {{Sm|Ally}} at [[Frostbite 2017]] and placing 33rd at said tournament. Due to this, his tier placement has been widely debated, with some players believing he should be placed slightly higher due to niche matchups against much higher tiered characters, such as {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}} and {{SSB4|Fox}}. However, due to his continually sparse results after Frostbite 2017, Kirby has since dropped to 49th on the fourth and final tier list.

Due to Kirby's meager tournament results and his glaring weaknesses some smashers claim that he should be even lower due to his overwhelming weaknesses with {{Sm|ESAM}} ranking him as the 3rd worst character in the game, putting him below {{SSB4|King Dedede}}, {{SSB4|Wii Fit Trainer}}, {{SSB4|Zelda}} and even below {{SSB4|Jigglypuff}}, who is widely considered to be the worst character in the game, as well as {{Sm|Raito}} and {{Sm|Dabuz}} claiming that he's the absolute worst character in the game. Others, however, think that he is underrated and that he should be ranked relatively higher due to his excellent combo game, good kill power and great edgeguarding.

In All-Star Mode, Kirby is fought in Stage 4 in both versions alongside {{SSB4|Fox}}, {{SSB4|Falco}}, {{SSB4|Meta Knight}}, {{SSB4|Wario}}, {{SSB4|Sonic}}, and {{SSB4|King Dedede}}.

==={{GameIcon|SSB4-U}}[[Event Match]]es===

====Solo Events====

====Co-op Events====

KirbyHammer3DS.jpg|Using [[Hammer (move)|Hammer Flip]] on {{SSB4|Bowser}}.

*Based on unused animations discovered via hacking, the ability to charge Kirby's Hammer appears to have originally been intended for ''Brawl''.

*''SSB4'' is the only game in the series where Kirby's dash attack hasn't been changed, as his break spin attack from ''Brawl'' was retained. (In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]],'' it would revert back to his prior burning attack from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''.)

*During the development of ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'', Kirby didn't emote in any way at all.