Editing Kirby (SSBU)

Kirby is currently ranked 75th out of 82 on the ''Ultimate'' [[tier list]], placing him in the D- tier and making him the lowest ranking of the [[Perfect attendance crew|perfect-attendance crew]]. This is roughly similar to his placement in the previous game, where he was ranked 49th out of 54. Kirby possesses fast tilts and low ending lag on his aerials, granting him access to quick and powerful [[combos]], while his back air and dash attack grant him strong KO options. Kirby's relatively small size and low crouch also makes him hard to hit; his crouch especially allows him to avoid most grabs and some attacks. Finally, Kirby's [[Inhale]] grants him his opponent's [[neutral special move]], which not only deals more damage than the opponent's, but can also be used to alleviate some of Kirby's weaknesses.

However, Kirby has poor endurance, as his light [[weight]] makes him susceptible to early KOs. His poor air speed and merely average ground mobility, as well as a lack of reliable projectiles and ranged attacks, presents a host of problems in [[Neutral game|neutral]] and offstage, as Kirby has trouble approaching and fighting those that can outrange him. He also has a poor set of [[special moves]] that fails to help with his weaknesses, as they are situational and suffer from high startup and/or ending lag and inconvenient attributes: Inhale has lackluster reach and high ending lag, has limited utility against projectiles and Kirby has a chance to lose his Copy Ability if he gets hit past the first 20 seconds after he got it; [[Final Cutter]] is useless out-of-shield due to its slow start-up, and the shockwave, Kirby's only projectile, doesn't become active until he returns to the ground, making it too slow to be of use; [[Hammer Flip]] is powerful and can be charged but it's too laggy to be a reliable finisher; and [[Stone]] makes him invincible to any attack below 25% of damage but he cannot act until after he transforms back, he will be forced out of the move if he gets grabbed and it has noticeable lag, especially in the air. Finally, Kirby's recovery, though far-reaching, is rather predictable, as Final Cutter grants decent distance, but it can't snap to the ledge until he reaches the peak of his ascent and lacks coverage directly above him or behind him, and his poor air speed and [[floatiness]] make him very vulnerable to edgeguarding, juggling and pressure.

Overall, Kirby is a close-range character who can rack up impressive damage at close range, complemented with his quick frame data, but struggles to make use of his strengths due to his unimpressive range, slow air speed, and built-in lightweight properties. As a result, Kirby is a rarity within the metagame. Nevertheless, he has still seen success from dedicated mains such as {{Sm|Guilheww}}, {{Sm|JeJaJeJa}}, and {{Sm|Konokururu}}.

Kirby is known for being a small [[weight|lightweight]], being tied for the eighth-lightest character in the game. True to his franchise, Kirby is a slow, yet floaty character. He has a slightly below-average [[walk]] speed (31st slowest), average [[dash]]ing and [[Dash#Initial dash|initial dash]] (42nd fastest and 43rd slowest). He also has the 5th slowest [[air speed]], above-average [[air acceleration]], 3rd lowest [[gravity]], the 5th lowest [[falling speed|falling]] and [[fast fall]]ing speeds, and above average [[traction]]. Due to these statistics, Kirby has difficulty approaching opponents. Kirby's [[recovery]] is versatile: despite his slow air speed and low jump height rendering him susceptible to edgeguarding, his five midair jumps, slow falling speed, long vertical airdodge, and [[Final Cutter]]'s decent distance give him good stalling capabilities and decent safety.

Kirby's greatest strengths are his quick frame data, high combo potential, and the versatility of his moveset. The majority of Kirby's attacks are characterized by speed, with his tilts being among the fastest in the game, while his slowest moves instead boast high power as a trade-off, while still being quite fast for their power. Neutral attack and forward tilt are fast and have decent range, allowing Kirby to quickly distance opponents, with the latter being used for tech chase setups. Up tilt's low knockback and high speed allow it to combo into multiple moves, such as itself, an aerial attack, or an Inhale. Down tilt's low power is compensated by its very fast speed and it launching opponents at the [[Sakurai angle]], which allows it to [[trip]] most opponents even over 80%. Should he trip his opponents with it, he can follow up with a variety of attacks, such as a dash attack, grab, or forward smash. Dash attack’s early hit is excellent for whiff punishing and scoring a KO, potentially KOing opponents starting at 90%, while the late hit can set up into an Inhale. His [[smash attack]]s have good range, high power, and great speed, making them excellent at scoring a KO. Kirby is also very small, making him hard to hit, and his very low [crouch]] allows him to avoid almost all grabs and several attacks. As a result, Kirby has an excellent ground and defensive game thanks to his quick frame data and evasive crouch, requiring opponents to be careful when approaching him in neutral.

The usefulness of Kirby's ground game also extends to his [[grab]] game. His grabs have short range but are among the fastest in ''Ultimate'', while his pummel's meager damage output is counterbalanced by its very fast speed. His [[forward throw]], unlike most other forward throws in the game, has combo potential, leading into aerial attacks from low to mid percentages. [[Back throw]] can be followed up by a back aerial at 0% on certain characters, can KO at high percents, and can send opponents offstage. [[Up throw]] is his strongest throw and is able to KO almost all characters around 170%, or even earlier if it lands on a platform. Lastly, while [[down throw]] has no combo potential, it is reliable for damage-racking when no other throw can yield better results.

Kirby's aerial game is also notable. Despite his poor [[air speed]], his [[air acceleration]] is high and his aerial attacks also have great versatility. [[Neutral aerial]] has a long-lasting hitbox, the clean hit is disjointed and relatively strong, very low landing lag, and good coverage, making it a safe landing option. The weak hit of neutral air can combo into his tilts, grab, or even a smash attack. It can also be used as a combo finisher and as a KO move at high percents. Due to the move lasting longer compared to his other aerials, it can safely pressure shields. [[Forward aerial]] is Kirby’s most reliable approaching tool. Despite its moderately slow startup, it has disjointed hitboxes on Kirby’s feet, has a long lasting hitbox that can lead to a wall of pain at low percents, the final hit can lead to a KO at high percents, and has very little landing lag, which makes it very safe on shield and hard to punish. [[Up aerial]] has good vertical knockback, low landing lag and a fairly quick [[auto-cancel]] window, allowing for several potential follow-ups and even opportunities to KO when near the upper blast line. [[Back aerial]] has decent range, high knockback on the clean hit, and is Kirby's fastest aerial, making it one of his strongest options overall. Lastly, [[down aerial]] has considerable startup, but has multiple hits that drag opponents downward before the final hit [[meteor smash]]es them and has low ending lag, making it a deceptively powerful [[edgeguarding]] tool as well as a reliable combo starter with follow-ups on grounded opponents.

Kirby's [[special move]]s can provide some unique strengths. {{B|Inhale|Kirby}} is his most notable example; it allows him to either [[List of Copy Abilities|copy]] the [[neutral special move]] of any character he inhales, or spit them out as a weight-dependent [[projectile]]. Depending on what character he inhales, the copy ability can give Kirby a move that helps him in matchups to various degrees, such as useful projectiles to counter-camp his opponent ([[Needle Storm]], [[Charge Shot]], {{SSBU|Wolf}}'s {{b|Blaster|Wolf}}), powerful punish options ([[Giant Punch]], [[Homing Attack]]), a reflector ([[Nayru's Love]]), or other benefits ([[Monado Arts]]). In addition, Kirby's version of the opponent's neutral special has a 1.2× damage multiplier. Kirby can also inhale projectiles; smaller projectiles will be swallowed, allowing him to heal himself, while larger ones (such as a fully-charged Charge Shot) can be stored in his mouth and spat out, essentially giving Kirby a reflector. The spat projectiles can be used to punish opponents at mid-range and can launch them away with high knockback. Inhale can also be used to [[Kirbycide]] or spit the opponent out offstage, although the opponent can escape by [[mashing]]. [[Hammer Flip]] is very powerful, especially when fully charged, and Kirby can move and jump while charging. However, its high startup and endlag, along with its short range and Kirby's already-sluggish movement being further slowed when charging, makes it difficult to land outside of a [[shield break]], covering ledge options, or after a jab lock. Outside his jumps, Final Cutter is his primary means of [[recovery]], granting good vertical distance, as well as a disjoint in front of him during his ascent and descent. It also emits a shockwave projectile upon landing, making it difficult to [[punish]] if the opponent is not behind Kirby. Lastly, [[Stone]] causes Kirby to turn into an object and ignore up to 25% damage. It is also a strong attack, especially in the air, and can be canceled shortly after Kirby begins his descent, although these benefits are limited by its slow startup and ending lag, and Kirby is still vulnerable to grabs while transformed. It can also be used on the ground, where it has faster startup due to creating a shockwave and it launches at a semi-spike angle.

Kirby's most notable flaw, however, is his poor approach. Characters who have high mobility or who can camp with projectiles can wall out Kirby, such as {{SSBU|Sonic}} and {{SSBU|Samus}}. Kirby's lack of reliable burst options makes his approach in these matchups problematic and sometimes predictable. In addition, characters with long [[disjointed hitbox]]es such as {{SSBU|Cloud}} can outrange and wall out Kirby since his range is short relative to the cast. Final Cutter's projectile has decent range and moves quickly, but has somewhat slow startup due to it requiring Kirby to perform the entire rising and falling portions of the move beforehand, and he lacks other projectiles outside of spitting inhaled projectiles/opponents, or from a copy ability. This requires conscientious use to avoid punishment. Despite having great air acceleration, Kirby's air speed is also too slow for him to take advantage of it, hindering his aerial approach and recovery despite possessing five midair jumps. Kirby also has several KO moves, but some can be hard to land without a setup due to their short range. [[Rage]] further compounds these issues, as Kirby will be launched even further by a high-damage opponent, and his low weight means he will sometimes not survive long enough to take advantage of his own rage.

In addition, Kirby also has poor endurance. While being light and floaty can help him escape combos from other characters, this also means he risks getting KOed earlier. He is also vulnerable to [[juggling]], due to his aforementioned slow falling and air speeds. This imposes as a risk in approaching opponents in the air, while also preventing Kirby's aerials from being used effectively when in a disadvantage state, often forcing him to rely on his jumps, Stone, or neutral aerial to escape and return to the ground or ledge.

Overall, Kirby tends to run hot and cold. He can inflict an impressive amount of damage if he gets close to his opponent thanks to his excellent frame data and potent combo game, but doing so is challenging for him due to his poor approach. As such, Kirby functions well with a bait-and-punish playstyle, although being unprepared for an opponent's approach can be hazardous due to his low survivability.

Near the end of ''SSB4''{{'}}s metagame, Kirby had been considered a low-tier character due to a combination of lackluster attributes and underwhelming moveset despite its power. Likely owing to this, Kirby has been granted a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to ''Ultimate'', being overall buffed, though not enough to raise his standing on the tier list.

Kirby's buffs lie in the increased utility of his moveset as a whole, with overall improved frame-data and KO power on his finishers. The first two hits of his [[neutral attack]] can now [[jab lock]] and connect better into the looping hits (albeit at the cost of reduced damage output), while [[forward tilt]] is a stronger poke and KO option due to its reduced endlag and its increased knockback. His [[dash attack]] has been mostly reverted back to its ''Melee'' iteration, however, it is significantly faster, stronger, has less startup, far longer duration compared to his previous dash attack in ''SSB4'', can cross-up on shields, covers more ground, and is more reliable for catching opponents thanks to only consisting of a single, long-lasting hitbox—these changes make it a stronger punish tool and a much more versatile move overall. His [[smash attack]]s are now stronger punish options, with [[forward smash]] having much more range, [[up smash]] having faster start-up, and [[down smash]] regaining its semi-spike angle, restoring its utility at edgeguarding. His smash attacks also have improved KO power, with forward and up smash dealing more knockback, and down smash's altered angle KOing earlier at the edge despite its reduced knockback. Several of Kirby's attacks, such as up tilt and all his aerials (except for up aerial) also have more range, partially alleviating one of his weaknesses from ''SSB4''.

The universal reduction to [[landing lag]] has also greatly benefited his aerials, which already had among the lowest landing lag in ''SSB4''; his aerials are not only safer, but now capable of leading into followups, with [[forward aerial]]'s first two hits now being able to follow up into a grab or forward smash. His neutral aerial (being one of his most situational attacks) is now faster, has more range, has less endlag, and deals more knockback (the clean hit being one of the strongest neutral aerials in ''Ultimate''). Up aerial received many of the same buffs as neutral aerial and both it and forward aerial deal more damage, regaining some of their lost KO power from ''Melee''.

For Kirby's special moves, [[Inhale]] has been significantly buffed with faster startup, less ending lag, a much longer grace period in which Kirby cannot lose his Copy Ability, a lower probability of losing said ability after this period has ended, and a new 1.2× multiplier to his copied [[neutral special]] compared to his opponent (albeit without a corresponding increase to knockback), giving him a greater incentive and a higher reward from inhaling opponents. Furthermore, he can now eat the projectiles he swallows to heal himself (and store certain ones in his mouth as well, enabling him to spit them out as stars). [[Hammer Flip]] now renders Kirby nigh-impossible to stop for a longer time as long as he's grounded. [[Final Cutter]] is faster, snaps to the ledge slightly sooner, and its landing hit is much more powerful, which improves its utility. And [[Stone]]'s aerial variant now has super armor during its startup, making it more difficult to interrupt Kirby out of the attack, as in previous ''Smash'' games he could be interrupted even when he fully transformed.

However, Kirby has also received several noteworthy nerfs. The most notable were to his [[grab]] game: his already mediocre grab range has been worsened (most notably on his pivot grab), and [[forward throw]] has him jump up higher after the throw, which runs the risk of possibly landing on top of a soft platform, negating all follow-ups when it happens too early (although following up neutral air or up aerial can allow more follow-ups), while [[back throw]] has lost most of its combo setups due to changes to the animation. Altogether, this grants Kirby a less effective combo game off of his grabs overall. Other nerfs include: Stone no longer hitting shielding opponents twice, reducing its shield pressure considerably; [[back aerial]] deals less knockback (although it has more range and the clean hit now lasts for slightly longer to compensate); and [[down aerial]], one of his most reliable combo starters in ''SSB4'', has more range on the looping hits, but slightly less on the final hit and is less advantageous on landing due to the removal of [[frame cancel]]ing, reducing the effectiveness of its follow-ups since its landing lag was not reduced enough to compensate properly. Furthermore, Kirby still retains many of the same issues that plagued him in ''SSB4'', with mediocre range, sluggish aerial mobility and a high susceptibility to being camped.

Universal changes to the game's mechanics both benefit and hinder Kirby. The revamped [[air dodging]] mechanics have significantly improved his innate ability to [[edgeguard]] opponents more effectively, and directional air dodges have also given him a secondary recovery option, but this also makes him more susceptible to juggling and edgeguarding as well, due to his short-ranged aerials, predictable landing options, and his air dodges being among the slowest in the game. The changes to downwards velocity KOing opponents faster from the bottom [[blast line]] now render Final Cutter as a significantly more deadly edgeguarding and [[sacrificial KO]] option, further improving its utility. The increased [[shieldstun]] and increased startup on shield grabbing notably benefits Kirby's safety on hit, due to his moveset's naturally high damage and low ending lag, making him harder to shrug off and punish accordingly. Conversely, the changes to grabs' ending lag make Kirby's own grab riskier to throw out, as their ending lag can prove more punishable. The increase in mobility is a mixed bag for Kirby, as while his mobility has improved overall relative to the cast (most notably his aerial mobility), his problems with camping from the previous incarnation remain, exhibited with the increased prevalence of zoners. Overall, his edgeguarding and defensive options have been improved at the cost of his range issues becoming even more prevalent than in ''SSB4''.

In the end, Kirby's changes now render his punish game much more deadly, make him much harder to shake off once he gains the advantage, and allow him to seal stocks at much more varied percentages, but the universal changes to the game's engine have made it slightly easier for opponents to keep him away and have rendered said punish game slightly more inconsistent. Because of this, Kirby is agreed to have not significantly improved from his appearance in ''SSB4'', which, combined with several veterans being buffed to varying degrees, has resulted in Kirby being in a similar position overall, despite several game updates handing Kirby a myriad of buffs.

Kirby has been buffed once more in update 8.0.0, strengthening a handful of his finishers such as down smash, back aerial, and [[Stone]], with the former having decreased start-up, alleviating the nerfs they initially received in the transition to ''Ultimate''. Dash attack had its clean hit's knockback increased and its previously high endlag reduced, with cross-ups now being much safer and as well as giving the late hit follow-up potential. Although forward aerial's increased damage output and knockback on the final hit makes it harder for him to follow up with his combos at low percents, it is an overall benefit since it renders his finishers to be more potent, while indirectly giving his other combo tools more flexibility. Update 13.0.1 added a minor buff/bug fix of Kirby's version of [[Lightning Buster]] less ending lag to match {{SSBU|Mythra}}.

|utiltdesc=A scorpion kick. Although its damage output is low, it is a very useful combo starter at low percents, due to it coming out on frame 4 and having both very minimal ending lag and disjointed range which also reaches in front of him. It also renders Kirby's foot [[Intangibility|intangible]] throughout its duration, which can give him protection above him and allows it to be used as an anti-air tool despite its rather poor range.

|dtiltdesc=A crouching shin kick. It is fairly spammable due to coming out on frame 4 and having minimal ending lag. It also moves Kirby marginally forward when using it. When coupled with its [[trip]]ping potential, and the fact that Kirby's crouch allows him to dodge many attacks with high hitboxes, it can be a very useful set-up option, especially after a crouch.

|dashdesc=The Burn attack from the {{s|wikirby|Burning}} ability from ''Kirby's Adventure''. It has decent startup at frame 9 with a long-lasting hitbox that grows weaker over time. Its clean hitbox is one of the strongest dash attacks in the game, KOing middleweights at around 100% from the edge of Final Destination, though it is extremely punishable on shield due to its endlag. Unlike ''Melee'', it does not slide off of edges.

|fsmashdesc=Based on the Spin Kick from the Fighter ability from ''Kirby Super Star''. Due to becoming active at frame 13, it is quite fast for a forward smash. It can be angled, moderately moves Kirby forward, and the clean hit is slightly disjointed, giving it deceptively good range. Its clean hitbox also deals respectable damage and has very high knockback growth, which makes it a powerful and reliable KOing option. While near the edge of Final Destination, it KOs middleweights starting at around 70%. However, its late hitbox lacks reliable KO potential due to its high base knockback at the expense of very low knockback scaling. The hitbox also has a deceptively short duration, and it has noticeable ending lag (29 frames), making it unsafe on shield and punishable if not used correctly. A powerful punish option that is also capable of 2-framing reliably if angled downwards.

|usmashdesc=A bicycle kick. It can hit behind Kirby, while its clean hitbox deals respectable damage and has very high knockback growth akin to forward smash, KOing middleweights at around 100% from anywhere on Final Destination. Kirby's foot is also rendered intangible throughout its duration. Has moderate startup and ending lag, coming out on frame 12 and having 27 frames of ending lag, which gives it the fastest interruptibility of Kirby's smash attacks. Its middle hit is noticeably weaker, but still has surprisingly respectable KO power for an up smash and launches at a more favourable angle, KOing middleweights at around 120% from anywhere on Final Destination. The late hit has extremely low knockback, not KOing opponents even at Sudden Death percentages, and the move has a sourspot at the tip of Kirby's foot that deals less damage.

|dsmashdesc=A spinning split kick. It hits in front of and behind Kirby, and its clean hitbox deals respectable damage and has very high knockback growth like his forward and up smashes. Comes out on frame 7, with the fastest startup of his smash attacks. It semi-spikes with above average power, with its clean hitbox KOing middleweights starting at around 100% from the edge of Final Destination, and is additionally a reliable 2-framing option that is very useful for edgeguarding as a result. It also renders Kirby's feet intangible starting from frame 3 until the clean hit ceases at frame 11. However, its late hitbox has significantly lower KO potential due to its lower damage, not KOing middleweights on the ledge of Final Destination until around 140%. Due to it having 31 frames of ending lag, it has the highest ending lag of Kirby's smash attacks, and combined with its long duration, it's very punishable if shielded or whiffed.

|nairdesc=A cartwheel that also appears in the {{s|wikirby|Smash Bros.}} ability. Its very low landing lag makes it a decent set-up option at low percents or a tool for shield pressure when short hopped, while its very high knockback growth makes it a decent anti-pressure option. In addition, on Final Destination, it can KO middleweights under 160% at center stage and at around 110% at the ledge if landing the clean hitbox, making it one of the strongest neutral aerials in the game, which also makes it a powerful [[out of shield]] option. It has large hitboxes that cover Kirby's body, especially at the beginning, giving good protection and coverage around him, and it can also edgeguard. It has properties of a [[sex kick]] and autocancels in a full hop. Due to coming out on frame 8, it has the second fastest startup of Kirby's aerials, although this also makes it slower in comparison to other sex kicks.

|fairdesc=A series of three consecutive aerial kicks. Due to coming out on frame 10, it has the second slowest startup of Kirby's aerials. The first two hits have low knockback, which allows them to connect reliably into the third hit; however, they are notably inconsistent and the first hit doesn't use the [[autolink angle]], meaning that it might experience fallouts as a result. Its low landing lag also allows the first or second hit to be used as set-up options into other moves, such as an up smash or forward smash at high percents. A versatile aerial that is good for combos and edgeguarding, it is capable of connecting into itself for a [[wall of pain]] in certain instances. As of update 8.0.0, it deals the highest damage of Kirby's aerials and, while this makes it more difficult to connect two forward aerials at low to mid percents, is able to KO middleweights near the edge of Final Destination around 130% or 170% near the center. It can also be used as an out-of-shield option if Kirby is too far away to hit the opponent with neutral aerial or up aerial, and its multiple hits can pressure shields when retreating. It auto-cancels in a full hop.

|dairdesc=A diagonal corkscrew dropkick. A decent combo starter on grounded opponents due to its low ending lag. The final hit is a weak meteor smash, which makes it useful for edgeguarding and allows it to gimp characters with short recoveries. It can even lead into a [[footstool jump]] on fast-fallers and heavyweights. While it has the highest amount of start-up lag out of Kirby's aerials due to coming out on frame 18 and can't auto-cancel in a short hop, it has landing hitboxes, giving Kirby a decent window to safely land. The landing hit has low fixed knockback, giving it some combo potential. While possessing a rather good auto-canceling window and being good for edgeguarding, its usage offstage is only serviceable against characters with slow or exploitable recoveries, as the final hit cannot reliably KO characters even as high as 180% offstage due to its weak damage output. It has the highest landing lag of of Kirby's aerials and, despite its low endlag, it's unsafe on shield due to the final hit's low damage output, making it punishable when used recklessly.

|grabdesc=Reaches out with one hand. Based on the startup animation of the Torrent Lariat from the Suplex ability from ''Kirby Super Star''. It's one of the fastest grabs, but has somewhat short range.

|pummeldesc=A punch. Fast but weak.

|bthrowdesc=A back throw resembling the backwards dive from the Backdrop ability from ''Kirby's Adventure''. Despite habing an average damage output and very low base knockback, it has very high knockback growth. As a result, it has decent KO potential. While near the edge of Final Destination, it KOs middleweights at around 140%.

|uthrowdesc=The Air Drop from the Ninja ability from ''Kirby Super Star''. Like {{SSBU|Meta Knight}}'s up throw, it can damage and launch bystanders upon landing. It is weaker than his back throw when used at the edge, but it is consistently strong regardless of where it is used on the stage. Great knockback, KOing middleweights at around 160% from anywhere on Final Destination without rage, though it is extremely susceptible to [[DI]] due to the long duration. Because Kirby jumps up to perform it, he can land onto platforms above him upon descending, which enables it to KO even earlier.

|floorfdesc=Performs a spinning kick before getting up.

|ssdesc=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. When it is used in midair, Kirby will swing his hammer twice, with each hit being equally powerful. While near the edge of Final Destination, uncharged Hammer Flip KOs middleweights at around 65%. Fully charged Hammer Flip KOs middleweights at around 6%. Although weaker, aerial Hammer Flip nevertheless possesses impressive KO potential. While near the edge of Final Destination, it KOs middleweights at around 86%. Its fully charged version KOs them at around 33%. When fully charged and on the ground, it makes Kirby invincible from frame 2-10 and gives him super armor from frame 11-17. To counteract its power, it has long startup and endlag, making its usage in competitive play very limited outside of shield break punishes or covering get-up options from ledge.

|usdesc=The attack of the same name from the {{s|wikirby|Cutter}} ability. It weakly meteor smashes any opponents he comes into contact with upon descending, which is somewhat useful as a sacrificial KO or to edgeguard opponents who run out of ledge invincibility, though not to the extent of similar moves like [[Aether]]. 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]]. Solid vertical recovery distance and has serviceable horizontal distance when angled. Can also punish improper aerial approaches, but overuse will render Kirby vulnerable to punishment due to the high start-up. Because the attack doesn't have hitboxes covering Kirby when ascending and he cannot [[sweetspot]] the edge until the peak, he is vulnerable to edgeguarding. If the platform beneath Kirby disappears or if he is pushed off while he is still in the landing animation, he will be rendered [[helpless]].

|dsdesc=The Stone Change (while Kirby is on the ground) and the Stone Smash (while Kirby is in the air) from the {{s|wikirby|Stone}} ability. While transformed, Kirby gains armor that can withstand at least 25%, though he can be grabbed while transformed. Stone Smash also grants super armor during startup (frames 19-28), and can also be canceled in midair by pressing the special button, which can be used for [[mindgame]]s. Thanks to its high damage output, Stone Smash KOs middleweights at around 100% and deals considerable [[shield damage]]. Although Stone Change is considerably weaker, it is still a relatively potent [[semi-spike]] and comes out much faster thanks to its shockwave (frame 11 instead of 29). Stone's usage include combating juggles, or being used as a landing/edgeguarding tool; however, due to its high overall lag and predictability, it is not often used in competitive play.

|fsdesc=The {{s|wikirby|Super Ability}} of the same name. Kirby wields a gigantic sword to repeatedly slash the opponent before enlarging the sword and then concluding with a powerful downward slash. While near the edge of Final Destination, it KOs middleweights at around 15%.

*'''Side taunt''': Spins around playfully, then says "Nyum!" while standing on one foot. Based on his "character chosen" animation in the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''

*Turns to face away from the screen, then turns back.

*'''Left:''' Moonwalks to the left, twists, slides to the right, and jumps into a pose where he stands on one foot. Based on Kirby's dances in ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land'' and ends with a pose similar to his ''Brawl'' render and his character select animation in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', albeit much more subtle.

*'''Right:''' Jumps twice, shuffles backwards, performs a breakdance, and poses. Based on Kirby's dances in ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land'', with the ending pose also appearing in said game.

*{{Sm|Guilheww|Mexico}} - One of the two best Kirby players in the post-online metagame, being the only solo Kirby player to ever be ranked in the top 100 of a notable global ranking, ranking 93rd on the [[LumiRank 2024.1]]. His 13th-place finish at {{Trn|S Factor 11}} is the highest placement for a Kirby player at a major event. In addition, he won the superregional {{Trn|Trick or Fortune}}, the first Kirby player to win a superregional.

*{{Sm|JeJaJeJa|USA}} - One of the two best Kirby players in the post-online metagame, having placed well at many events, including 33rd at the supermajors {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2022}}, {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2023}}, {{Trn|Collision 2024}}, and {{Trn|Riptide 2024}} as well as 17th at {{Trn|Port Priority 7}}. He is the first Kirby player to win a ranked event, doing so at {{Trn|Afterburner 2024}}, and has also won the superregional {{Trn|Ring Out}}. In addition, he was ranked 115th on the [[LumiRank 2024.1]], the second-highest Kirby player ranked on a global ranking.

*{{Sm|Jesuischoq|France}} - Considered the best Kirby player in the early metagame. Prior to his inactivity, he regularly placed highly at European events, including 2nd at the regional {{Trn|Smash4Glory - Ultimate Edition}} upsetting {{Sm|Glutonny}}, and 13th at the superregional {{Trn|VCA 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Konokururu|Japan}} - One of the best Kirby players in the world in the post-online metagame and the best Kirby player in Japan. Although his placements have been less consistent than JeJaJeJa and Guilheww, he has placed well at several supermajors including 17th at {{Trn|Kagaribi 7}}, 33rd at {{Trn|Kagaribi 9}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Kowloon 12 with Kagaribi}}.

Kirby later received many significant buffs in balance patches, more than almost every other character, especially in patches 6.0.0 and 8.0.0. These patches greatly improved his overall frame data, KO power and versatility to many of his attacks, allowing him to be more consistent in closing stocks and starting combos. In addition, although Kirby's representation remained rather small and was often in the bottom 10, he began seeing more success both online and offline from players such as {{Sm|Guilheww}} and {{Sm|JeJaJeJa}}, who were able to achieve strong results with him in national tournaments and in majors. These small positives were enough to raise opinions on Kirby's viability slightly. As such, although Kirby continues to have little impact on the metagame, he is usually not thought of as a candidate for the worst character in the game. This is reflected in Kirby's placement on the first tier list, where he is ranked 76th as a low-tier character. Although he only rose one spot to 75th on the second tier list, gradually improving results from dedicated players had led some players to believe Kirby should be ranked higher thanks to his improved advantage state.

|5||{{CharHead|King K. Rool|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Kongo Jungle]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Mangrove Cove}}''

After [[Galeem]] absorbed all of the Master Hands during the opening cutscene, he began to unleash beams of light that vaporized all of the fighters and later imprisoned all of them. Kirby was the sole survivor after escaping on his [[Warp Star]], barely warping away from the beams before they could engulf him. Despite being the sole survivor, Kirby is still seen as a puppet in a few areas of the mode. It was later explained that Galeem had analyzed Kirby at some point during the story and was able to make puppet fighters in his image without needing Kirby himself.

**Ironically, Kirby has the most spirit battle appearances of all characters, with 64 total.