Editing Kirby (SSBM)

{{ArticleIcons|ssbm=y}}  

|name         = Kirby

|image       = [[File:Kirby SSBM.jpg]]

|game         = Melee

|ssbgame1     = SSB

|ssbgame2     = Brawl

|ssbgame3     = SSB4

|ssbgame4     = Ultimate

|tier         = G

|tierPAL     = H

|ranking     = 26

|rankingPAL   = 25

Currently, Kirby is ranked 26th in the G tier at the very bottom, a severe drop from his 2nd position in ''Smash 64'' and his worst placement in the series. While he has several throw options into [[Kirbycide]] and a decent [[edgeguarding]] game, Kirby's [[approach]] and KO ability are among the worst in the game; slow attacks, a low [[air speed]], an ineffective [[projectile]] in [[Final Cutter]], and numerous other flaws both on the ground and in the air prevent Kirby from easily approaching enemies, and he struggles against almost all characters as a result of this. Kirby currently has terrible overall matchups, with seven matchups that are near unwinnable, and only two positive matchups (against {{SSBM|Bowser}} and {{SSBM|Roy}}), and even these can be disputed at length.

Kirby acts as a light, weak character that is intended to outmaneuver opponents. While having an average dashing speed but terrible air speed (being tied with {{SSBM|Ganondorf}} as the 3rd worst in ''Melee''), Kirby's small size is intended to act as his primary way to approach. Owing to his low falling speed and high short hop, Kirby has a poor [[SHFFL]], while his high traction gives him a short [[wavedash]].

Despite his poor air speed, Kirby has a great edgeguarding game. With no one to edgeguard him, Kirby can easily recover due to his multiple midair jumps, while Kirby's back air can be used as a rather powerful edgeguarding technique, the [[Fence of Pain]]. Assuming Kirby can knock opponents off the edge, he should theoretically have little trouble keeping them from recovering.

Owing to his small size, Kirby also has an above-average defensive game. His small [[hurtbox]]es can potentially allow him to avoid attacks, while his small size also lends itself to a large [[shield]], making Kirby relatively safe from [[shield stabbing]]. A low crouch also makes his hurtboxes even smaller, and it can be compounded with his down tilt as a potential camping and spacing tactic, as crouching makes him able to avoid most [[jab]]s.

Kirby also has above average tilt attacks as well, as Kirby's three tilts, while short-ranged, have a variety of practical applications; his forward tilt and aforementioned down tilt can act as spacing tools, while his up tilt can potentially be used as a combo starter. Kirby also has an above average grab range, allowing him to potentially use his powerful and unusual throws to his advantage; a notable application of his up, back, and forward throws involves [[Kirbycide]], a specific type of [[Sacrificial KO]] that forces both Kirby and his opponent to lose a stock. This technique is able to KO opponents at any percentage.

Despite these benefits, Kirby's most fatal flaw, which is often cited as the reason for his bottom tier placement, is his nearly nonexistent approach. With a poor SHFFL, short wavedash, terrible air speed, short range, a laggy, predictable dash attack, and no viable projectiles, Kirby has extreme difficulty in approaching almost all of the cast; this is especially prevalent against characters with disjointed hitboxes (such as {{SSBM|Marth}}) or powerful pressure games (such as {{SSBM|Falco}}). The lack of a projectile can uniquely be rectified if Kirby uses {{b|Inhale|Kirby}} on an opponent; doing so, however, is risky, due to the attack's start-up and cool-down lag, and some characters will either fail to give him a useful projectile (such as {{SSBM|Ness}}) or a projectile in the first place (such as {{SSBM|Captain Falcon}}). Kirby's small size can also make some attacks inferior to the original character; [[Fireball]] from {{SSBM|Mario}}, for instance, has the Fireballs disappear more quickly than Mario's, as Kirby's lower height causes them to reach the ground faster and to have less kinetic energy when they finally hit the ground.

Assuming he can approach opponents, however, Kirby's various attributes also give him a lack of combo ability; a low air speed prevents him from easily pursuing enemies in the air, and almost all of his aerials (except for back air) either have long startup and cooldown periods (down and neutral air), high knockback (up air), or poor hitbox placement (forward air). Kirby's only noteworthy combos are his up tilt juggles and his Fence of Pain as mentioned earlier, and even the latter combo is inferior to Jigglypuff's [[Wall of Pain]] due to Kirby's significantly slower air speed, making it risky to use. Kirby's wild card is his aforementioned Kirbycide technique, and even this is unreliable; his up throw requires proper placement at the edge of a stage, and Kirby always loses when performed in a last stock situation. While his forward and back throws are much easier to perform and Kirby always wins when performed in a last stock situation, they are the only throws in the entire ''Smash'' series that can be potentially broken out of. As a result, if the opponent can button mash out of the grab and throw quick enough, they will remain unharmed while Kirby loses a stock.

Outside of his abysmal approach, Kirby also has trouble KOing other characters. A majority of Kirby's finishers suffer from poor range, slow start-up (such as his Hammer), weak knockback (such as his forward smash) or have small sweetspots that make them unreliable (such as his [[Hammer_(move)|Hammer]] and up smash). Arguably Kirby's only effective finishers are his down smash and his up and back aerials, which themselves require a proper read and correct timing from the player in order for them to be a low-risk attack.

==Changes from ''Smash 64'' to ''Melee''==

Kirby was known as one of the most dominant characters in ''Smash 64'', in part to to his amazing power, attack speed, range and priority on his attacks, as well as the majority of them dealing very high [[shield damage]]. In stark contrast to this, Kirby was overwhelmingly nerfed in his transition to ''Melee'': Kirby's nerfs primarily damaged his excellent finishers and good approach, courtesy of the previously fast attack speed he previously had, which was also slowed down, to the point of having some of the slowest moves in the game. Also, as a result of his slower attack speed, his already limited combo potential was also downgraded, and it is further compounded by the changes of [[L-cancel]]ing. His attacks, while still pretty damaging, also deal less damage, and even though this nerf is shared between most veterans, it arguably hurts Kirby the most due to his aforementioned limited combo potential, despite his fast attack speed in the previous game. Several of Kirby's attacks have been also changed to reflect the series of games, though the majority of them was for the worse, prime examples being his dash attack, which has slower startup and can now make him fall off ledges and platforms, and his new forward throw, which alongside his back throw, can now be escaped during its animation. Lastly, Kirby also suffers from a significantly worse survivability, as due to the faster falling speeds than in ''Smash 64'', his recovery is worse than in the previous game when coupled with his slower air speed and Final Cutter gaining less recovery distance, making him easier to gimp and KO than in the previous game.

Kirby has got some other small, various buffs, such as his throws being able to jump off a platform or the stage for what is commonly known as a [[Kirbycide]]. However, the buffs fail to address his lack of reliable combos and KO moves or significant survivability issues from the previous game, which makes Kirby not only one of the few characters to get truly nerfed from ''Smash 64'', but also unarguably the most nerfed character from that game to ''Melee'', and possibly the most nerfed one in all of the series. As a result, he is nearly non-viable in competitive play.

*{{buff|All of Kirby's midair jumps now grant height.}}

*{{change|Kirby is slightly heavier (68 → 70), improving his endurance but making him easier to combo.}}

*{{nerf|His already low [[air speed]] has been decreased even more (28 → 0.78), making his [[recovery]] much easier to [[gimp]].}}

*{{nerf|Kirby's walking (0.35 → 0.85) and dashing speeds (48 → 1.4) are significantly slower, hindering his ability to keep with opponents.}}

*{{change|His [[falling speed]] was significantly decreased (48 → 1.6), which hinders his endurance, but making him harder to combo and thus improves his recovery.}}

*{{buff|Forward tilt now deals consistent damage (11% up/10% non-angled/9% down → 11%).}}

*{{nerf|Up tilt deals significantly less damage (14% clean/10% late → 8%/6%), has more startup and ending lag, much less range (though it is still slightly [[disjointed]]), is a less reliable [[juggling]] and [[combo]] move, and can no longer be used for [[shield break combo]]s due to its lower damage output.}}

*{{buff|Down tilt deals 1% more damage (9% → 10%).}}

*{{nerf|Kirby has a new dash attack: he lunges forward in a fiery spiraling headbutt. It deals less damage (10% clean/8% late → 8%/5%), is much more laggy and no longer deals extra [[shield damage]].}}

*{{buff|Dash attack has much larger hitboxes and a longer duration.}}

*{{change|Forward smash's clean hit deals less damage (17% → 15%), but the late hit deals more (12% → 13%).}}

*{{nerf|Forward smash has much more [[startup]] and [[ending lag]], no longer being the fastest in the game, and the clean hit deals significantly less knockback, going from the strongest forward smash in ''Smash 64'' to the sixth weakest in ''Melee''. It also no longer deals extra shield damage.}}

*{{nerf|Up smash deals less damage overall (16% clean/12% late → 15%/13% clean, 14%/12% mid, 13%/12% late).}}

*{{change|Sweetspotted up smash has a [[slash]] effect.}}

*{{nerf|Clean down smash deals less damage (18% → 14%).}}

*{{change|Kirby's previous up aerial from ''Smash 64'' has been moved to his neutral aerial.}}

**{{nerf|As a result, neutral aerial has more lag and deals less knockback and damage, as well as losing its landing hitbox (15% clean/10% late/3% landing → 10% clean/8% mid/6% late). It also has a significantly shorter duration.}}

**{{buff|Neutral aerial has less [[landing lag]].}}

*{{nerf|Kirby has a new forward aerial: he kicks three times in front of him, instead of drilling in front of him. It deals less damage (20% → 5% hits 1-2/8% hit 3/≈16.83%), has less range, and its hits connect less reliably.}}

*{{buff|Due to dealing less hits, forward aerial is a much more reliable combo tool. Its last hit also deals more knockback, improving its edgeguarding potential.}}

*{{nerf|Back aerial has a different animation, removing the hitbox in front of Kirby. It also deals 2% less damage (16% clean/12% late → 14/10%), hindering its KO potential.}}

*{{buff|To compensate for his old up aerial, Kirby has a new one: a bicycle kick. It deals much more damage (10% clean/8% mid/6% late → 15%) and knockback, making it his best KO move. It also launches opponents vertically, making it usable for juggling, and has much more vertical range.}}

*{{nerf|Up aerial has more landing lag, cannot hit opponents below him, and is unusable for [[spacing]].}}

*{{nerf|Down aerial deals much less damage (30% → 18%). Its landing hitbox deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%) and the hitbox now appears even when [[L-cancel]]led, making it more difficult to combo with. The move is also laggier, making the [[meteor smash]] less reliable for [[edgeguarding]], and the first few hits also no longer deal high knockback, meaning the last hit must be landed to properly utilize the meteor smash, and the introduction of meteor cancelling hinders its reliability.}}

===Grab and throws===

*{{nerf|Kirby has a new forward throw: he suplexes the opponent forward. It is based on the Pile Driver from the Suplex ability. It deals much less damage (13% → 8%) and knockback.}}

*{{nerf|Kirby's new [[forward throw]] and back throw can now be escaped before the animation ends, leaving him vulnerable and wide open to a punish.}}

*{{buff|New forward throw is faster.}}

*{{buff|[[Back throw|Back]] and [[forward throw]]s can now [[Sacrificial KO#Grab-based sacrificial KOs|Kirbycide]].}}

*{{nerf|Back throw deals much less damage (16% → 8%) and knockback.}}

*{{change|Kirby's previous forward throw from ''Smash 64'' has been moved to his up throw.}}

**{{nerf|It was significantly weakened both in damage (13% → 10%) and knockback.}}

*{{buff|As with the returning veterans, Kirby has gained a down throw and a pummel.}}

===Other attacks===

*{{buff|All ledge attacks deal more damage (4% → 6%).}}

*{{change|Kirby has a new slow ledge attack: he does a split kick instead of a lunging headbutt. It has more horizontal range but less vertical range.}}

*{{buff|Kirby can now walk after [[Inhale (Kirby)|Inhaling]] an opponent. Swallowing an opponent to obtain its copy ability also deals slightly more damage (6% → 8%).}}

*{{nerf|A spat opponent now deals damage based on its weight rather than consistent damage independent of the opponent (17% → 8-19%), making it less reliable in doubles or free-for-alls.}}

*{{change|As with the returning veterans, Kirby has gained a side special: {{b|Hammer|Kirby}}. Kirby takes out a hammer and swings it. It has a powerful sweetspot and can be used in the air also to quickly rack up damage after a forward throw.}}

*{{buff|[[Final Cutter]] can now grab edges while Kirby is facing away from the ledge. Additionally, the move consistently meteor smashes throughout its duration.}}

*{{nerf|Final Cutter travels less vertical distance, hindering Kirby's recovery. Both the hitbox while dropping and the wave also deal much less knockback. Additionally, the former is less reliable due to meteor cancelling, while the latter no longer does extra shield damage.}}

*{{nerf|[[Stone]] deals slightly less damage (20% → 18%).}}

*{{change|Stone can change Kirby into five objects, as opposed to one.}}

===PAL differences===

Like other characters, Kirby received some changes in the [[PAL]] version of ''Melee'', which slightly buffed him overall, but are not enough to heavily affect his tournament results.

*{{buff|[[Weight]] increased (70 → 74).}}

*{{buff|[[Dashing]] speed increased (1.4 → 1.5).}}

*{{buff|A clean dash attack deals 1% more damage (8% → 9%).}}

*{{buff|Forward aerial has 2 frames less of [[landing lag]] (1 frame less of [[L-cancel]]led landing lag).}}

|neutralname=Vulcan Jab

|ftiltname= 

|utiltname= 

|dtiltname= 

|dtiltdesc=Kirby kicks forwards while crouching. Fast with decent range. Very useful since Kirby can crouch under most attacks.  

|dashname= 

|dashdesc=Kirby dashes forward with a fiery spiraling headbutt. Based on the Burning ability in his games. Uniquely, it can fall off ledges and platforms. This attack has [[transcendent priority]]. This move has high ending lag and is punishable if missed.

|fsmashname= 

|usmashname= 

|usmashdesc=Kirby does a bicycle kick. Deals more damage and knockback if the opponent is closer to Kirby's foot.

|dsmashname= 

|nairname=Twinkle Star

|nairdesc=Stretches out and spins rapidly in a somersaulting spin. Has a long lasting hitbox.  

|fairname= 

|bairname= 

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=Kirby flips in midair, kicking upwards. Great knockback, possibly Kirby's best KO move. Sends opponents sideways and can set up an edgeguard.

|dairname= 

|dairdesc=Kirby spins around, drilling downwards with both his feet. Has a somewhat long start-up, but acts as a weak [[meteor smash]]. It also has a landing hitbox that has horizontal knockback, and can stack up with the six hits. Good move to stop recoveries, it even stops Fox's Firefox.

|grabname= 

|pummelname= 

|fthrowname= 

|fthrowdesc=Kirby does a suplex, hitting the opponent on the ground. Can be used to Kirbycide. Escapable during the throw. Based on the Pile Driver from the Suplex ability in ''Kirby Super Star''.

|bthrowname= 

|bthrowdesc=Kirby flips backwards, hitting the opponent on the ground. Can be used to Kirbycide. Escapable during the throw. Based on the Backdrop ability from ''Kirby's Adventure''.

|uthrowname=Air Drop

|dthrowname= 

|dthrowdesc=Kirby throws the opponent on the ground, then stands on the opponent, hitting the enemy with his feet. Despite the animation, only the final hit does damage. Send enemies vertically afterwards. Based on the Quick Stamping from the Suplex ability in ''Kirby Super Star''.

|nsname=Inhale

|desc-us=Kir-by Kir-by!

|desc-jp=Kiiirrr-by!

|desc-2=Skids right while looking up twice, bounces across the screen, shakes away from the camera, bounces to the center, then holds his hand up.  

==In [[Competitive play]]==

===[[Character matchups (SSBM)|Matchups]]===

{{SSBMMatchupTable|kirby=yes}}

Kirby has one of the worst matchups spreads in the game. He currently has only two positive matchups (against {{SSBM|Bowser}} and {{SSBM|Roy}}), has two even matchups (against {{SSBM|Link}} and {{SSBM|Pichu}}) is soft countered by four characters, countered by ten (the 2nd most out of any character, behind Roy), and hard countered by seven (2nd most behind Pichu). Even in the early metagame of ''Melee'', Kirby suffered from his terrible approach, lack of KO ability, slow overall speed, and severe vulnerability to KOs. Due to this matchup chart being outdated, some of Kirby's matchups have changed. While he may not win these matchups, he is thought to do surprisingly well against Sheik, Falcon, and Ganondorf as he cannot be chaingrabbed by Sheik unlike most other low tier characters, plus he can crouch under many of her attacks and her grab. The same applies for Falcon and Ganon, and he is also hard to hit with Falcons knee since he is very small. Fox, Peach, and Samus are amoung Kirby's worst matchups, since Fox's upsmash KO's Kirby at very early percents, while Kirby has no other powerful attacks to counter back. Peach and Samus have great recoveries and more powerful aerial attacks than Kirby, so they trade hit at best. Overall, Kirby does best against characters he can crouch under and against characters he can gimp.

 

:''See also: [[:Category:Kirby professionals (SSBM)]]''

 

*{{Sm|Cereal Rabbit|USA}} - Best Kirby in NorCal. Placed 33rd at [[HTC Throwdown]].

*{{Sm|Triple R|USA}} - The best Kirby player in the world.

 

*{{Sm|Hack|Sweden}} - Best Kirby in Sweden. Has taken some games off of {{Sm|Ice}}.

*{{Sm|KirbyRage|USA}}

*{{Sm|KrazyKirbyKid|USA}}

*{{Sm|Nitrocidal|Canada}} - Best Canadian Kirby main.

*{{Sm|Omnigamer|USA}}

*{{Sm|t1mmy|USA}}

Kirby has historically always ranked very low on ''Melee'' tier lists; compared to {{SSBM|Pikachu}}, Kirby's [[nerf]] from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' was much more significant, removing almost all of the aspects that made him dominant in the original ''Smash Bros.'' and leaving him with considerably fewer options in both offense and defense. Players immediately noticed that Kirby was left with poor KOing power, a poor approach, and a severe vulnerability to edgeguarding and premature falls due to his light weight, low air speed and predictable, telegraphed recovery. Owing to Kirby's significant drawbacks, there have been only a few professional smashers that have developed his metagame for serious play, with a large number of them failing to place notably in large tournaments. While more prolific Kirby mains were active in the past, such as {{Sm|t1mmy}} and {{Sm|Omnigamer}}, there exist few such professionals in present-day professional ''Melee'', causing Kirby's metagame to remain highly stagnant. Additionally, even prior to the stagnation of his metagame, Kirby was seen as a fighter who relied too heavily on gimmicks and the opponent's severe lack of matchup experience to win matches.

As a result of this stagnancy and Kirby's numerous flaws, Kirby has consistently ranked as one of ''Melee'''s worst fighters. He is currently ranked last at 26th place on the current tier list, making him the least viable character in the current ''Melee'' metagame. However, some professional smashers, such as {{sm|Kira}}, believe that Kirby is not the worst character in the game, as his tournament results and playerbase have been notably better than Bowser, Zelda, or Ness.

==In [[Solo#1-P_Mode|1-P Mode]]==

===[[Congratulations_screen#Super_Smash_Bros._Melee|Ending Images]]===

File:Kirbyclassic.jpg|Classic Mode

File:Kirbyadventure.jpg|Adventure Mode

File:Kirbyallstar.jpg|All-Star Mode

==Trophy descriptions==

:'''Kirby'''

:''A denizen of the far-off, peaceful planet Pop Star, Kirby became a citizen of Dream Land after defeating King Dedede. Even though he's only about eight inches tall, Kirby is an extremely skilled technician. He has the ability to absorb the powers of his enemies, and his elastic body makes him a versatile adventurer.''

:*Kirby's Dream Land 08/92

 

:'''Kirby''' [<span style="color:#FF0000">Smash</span>]

:'''Kirby''' [<span style="color:#0000FF">Smash</span>]

:''Because of his light weight, Kirby is always in danger of being sent flying, but his ability to puff up and fly allows him to come back from amazing distances. His Final Cutter strikes on the way up and on the way down, and it sends out a beam of force upon landing. Kirby transforms into various objects and crashes down when he uses his Stone technique.''

:*Up & B: Final Cutter

:*Down & B: Stone

File:Kirby_Trophy_Melee.png|Classic

File:Kirby_Trophy_(Smash).png|[<span style="color:#FF0000">Smash</span>]

File:Kirby_Trophy_(Smash_2).png|[<span style="color:#0000FF">Smash</span>]

File:Kirby_Hat_1_Trophy.png|Kirby Hat 1

File:Kirby_Hat_2_Trophy.png|Kirby Hat 2

File:Kirby_Hat_3_Trophy.png|Kirby Hat 3

File:Kirby_Hat_4_Trophy.png|Kirby Hat 4

File:Kirby_Hat_5_Trophy.png|Kirby Hat 5

*Kirby's special moves from ''Melee'' are used in the game ''{{s|wikirby|Kirby & The Amazing Mirror}}'', through the use of the ability called ''Smash''. The moves he gets are Twinkle Star (neutral aerial from ''Melee'', although in this game it has much more range), Hammer, Final Cutter, Stone, and Vulcan Jab. He does not, however, receive Burning, which is his dash attack. He gets the ability from [[Master Hand]], who is a boss in the game.  

[[Category:Kirby universe]]

[[Category:Kirby (SSBM)]]