Kirbycide

A Kirbycide is a technique specific to Kirby in which Kirby immobilizes an opponent and forces the victim to self-destruct. The name was coined by t1mmy and was popularized by the YouTube video 1-800-KIRBYCIDE.

Methods

Kirby can SD from a Kirbycide, though a "SD-cancel" (see SD-canceling, below) can be used in order to survive. Although there are various ways for Kirby to KO while SDing, the following are considered the only true Kirbycides:

Swallowcide

Swallowcide with Bowser in Melee.

The Swallowcide is perhaps the best-known Kirbycide. The technique has been around since the original Super Smash Bros. To execute this move, Kirby has to trap an opponent in his mouth using his neutral special move, Inhale, and be off the stage. In the original Super Smash Bros. Kirby must inhale while already airborne due to the action immobilizing him, though every game from Melee onward allows him to slowly walk and jump off the stage for some added flexibility to perform this technique. While off the stage, Kirby can either swallow the opponent to get the copy ability, spit the opponent back out, or do nothing. Depending on how much the opponent Button mashes, doing nothing will result in both characters falling into the blast line and receiving a KO. This is most effective in Super Smash Bros., as Kirby can hold an opponent for a maximum of 480 frames, with mashing reducing this by 10 frames per input. This is significantly reduced in Melee, with a maximum of 250 frames and 12 reduced frames per mash input. In both games, however, the opponent always drops downward when broken free of the Inhale, leaving them unable to attack an overhead Kirby who can simply jump away. The opponent also always gets KO'd first if sent to the blast line, allowing Kirby a fraction of a second to jump and thereby recover back to the stage, making it effective in a last stock situation.

Another variant is to jump off a stage with extremely close side blast lines, then spit the opponent out to KO them. This technique is much riskier, as the opponent can still mash out, and are in a much more advantageous position due to being much higher then the traditional swallowcide. That being said, it is a guaranteed KO at any percent if done properly, so Kirby players need situational awareness to know which technique is more effective at that moment.

Swallowcide is less effective in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as it will cause a Sudden Death. However, Kirby is given the victory when Swallowciding during Sudden Death. The move is also slightly more difficult to mash out of, having the same 250 frame maximum, but now reverting to 10 reduced frames per input. Also, the introduction of the Footstool Jump allows the player to time Kirby falling off the stage so the opponent escapes close to the bottom Blast line, then footstool them for a nearly guaranteed KO while giving Kirby some extra height for an easy recovery. This particular variant has been dubbed the Suck and Cuck, and has since overtaken the traditional swallowcide as the preferred method in most situations.

The effectiveness is reduced even further in Super Smash Bros. 4, as Kirby gets KO'd first, meaning Kirby will lose instead of winning or tying if he performs it when him and his opponent are on their last stocks, though certain characters when Swallowcided with may instead cause Sudden Death. The opponent is additionally released, allowing them to potentially recover back to the stage. The maximum amount of frames Kirby can hold an opponent is now determined by the formula 180 + 1.1t - k, where t and k are the target's and Kirby's respective percents when the target was inhaled. This means that the swallowcide is most effective when Kirby is at a low percent and the opponent is at a high percent, making the technique more situational and polarizing. However, Kirby now has a minimum 14 frames to swallow or spit the opponent, meaning Kirby has that many frames to set up a swallowcide without interruption. Button mashing now reduces the amount of frames by 12 per stick input and 21.6 per button input, though the latter cannot be registered as quickly. While a disadvantage on the surface, this actually provides some mindgames. If the opponent can easily mash out, the suck and cuck technique of footstooling an escaped opponent can be effective at an early KO. If the opponent can't easily mash out and has a bad recovery option, a traditional swallowcide can be useful to reset the battle while giving Kirby some time to position himself on the stage without interruption.

The changes to Kirby carry over to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with an additional change that mashing now reduces the amount of frames by 16 per stick input and 28.8 per button input, overall letting the opponent mash out faster and further reducing the effectiveness of Swallowcide.

Dededecide

Brawl introduced King Dedede, who has a similar Inhale move and thus can perform techniques similar to swallowcide, often jokingly dubbed the Dededecide. The main difference is that King Dedede will always automatically spit out the opponent instead of them breaking free, as well as doing more damage overall, making him slightly more effective along the side blast zones than the bottom. King Dedede can also manually spit out opponents early, but he doesn't have the mixup potential of Kirby's copy ability or the opponent breaking out, and footstooling is significantly harder by virtue of the opponent traveling a greater distance. The spitting animation lasts 30 frames and travels a fixed distance, making the Dededecide technique reliable, but predictable.

King Dedede's Inhale was changed significantly in Smash 4. While he still spits out the opponent automatically, the distance the opponent is spat out is 3.15 units per frame, the amount of frames determined by the formula 30 + 0.55t, where t is the target's damage and the result is capped at 60 frames. Unlike Kirby, King Dedede's damage is not a factor in the formula. This means that King Dedede cannot spit out an opponent more than 189 units in a perfectly ideal scenario. A quirk about this move is that its speed reduces by 0.05 units per frame, and releasing when below 0.1. However, doing this would take 63 frames, and the move being capped at 60 frames means it can never reach its minimum speed before stopping prematurely. This duration can be reduced 12 frames per stick input or 21.6 per button input. This makes the Dededecide safer to use and easier to footstool at high percents, but makes spitting them into the blast zone more difficult at high percents.

King Dedede's Inhale is mostly unchanged in Ultimate, and thus the effectiveness of his Dededecide is also unchanged.

Back throw

After grabbing, Kirby can force his victim into a SD by using a back throw at the edge of the stage. The opponent has a chance to break out of the hold even after the throw is executed, the amount of time required depends on how much time was left from the grab, and can be broken out of quickly at low damage, or in some cases even without mashing if Kirby waits too long to throw. The timing of Kirby's SD varies from character to character (and stage to stage), but Kirby often SDs after his opponent allowing this Kirbycide to be used to win a match. In Brawl, Kirby will not leave the stage when using this on the edge, getting rid of this form of Kirbyciding. Even if performed on a quickly moving platform (e.g. the large moving platforms once Frigate Orpheon flips), the throw will end at the end of its animation, like any other throw, with Kirby simply stopping even if there is no ground beneath him.

Forward throw

The method of Kirbyciding with the forward throw is the same as the back throw; grab an opponent who is near the edge of the stage and leap over the side. The forward throw is much harder to pull off compared to the back throw because the throwing animation is longer, giving the opponent more time to break free. Kirby often SDs before the opponent with this Kirbycide. Again in Brawl, this method was removed as with back throw.

Up throw (Forward in Smash 64)

Using the up throw to cause the opponent to SD requires Kirby to be at the very end of a ledge when he grabs. If the conditions are correct (that of stage chosen and victim's character) Kirby will leap up as usual, but miss the stage on his way back down resulting in both players SDing off the bottom. This Kirbycide is unique in the fact that the opponent cannot break free. However: Kirby will SD before the opponent, which ends the Kirbycide and gives the opponent a scant few frames to SD-Cancel. In Melee and Brawl, this is not as detrimental as it seems because - aside from the strict timing requirement - many characters are incapable of recovering from the very bottom of deep stages, and some stages have hazardous environments - such as Jungle Japes' rushing water and lurking Klaptrap. However, in Smash 64, the opponent will always be released just before being KO'd (while Kirby will always SD), and on stages like Dream Land, it is even possible for characters like another Kirby, Pikachu, and Luigi to recover. If used near the beginning of Rainbow Cruise or any time on Icicle Mountain, Kirby will hit one of the platforms above, causing both to die. There is also a glitch in Icicle Mountain that if the up throw is performed under a destructible ice block and there are only pass-through platforms underneath, Kirby will stop going up at the ice block, and fall through all the platforms underneath and cause both players to die. In Brawl, the usual Up throw Kirbycide cannot be performed for the same reason as forward and back throws. The falling distance is fixed after the rise, so Kirby can fall a great distance off a ledge before actually finishing the move if he is stopped by a ceiling while rising up. This means the Up throw Kirbycide can still be used on stages with some sort of ceiling over a ledge, such as the lower center platform of Skyworld and the lower area of New Pork City. It can also be used on the lower-right area of Temple. The Kirbycide is almost the same as the original Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, but the opponent dies at the same time as Kirby, preventing any SD-Canceling. Also, the up throw Kirbycide for Rainbow Cruise still exists in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but not in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, due to the upper platforms having their collision disabled when off screen. When using any type of these Kirbycides in Brawl, Sudden Death will occur. When an Up throw Kirbycide is used during a Sudden Death, the player with the greater controller priority in Brawl (P4 > P3 > P2 > P1) wins. Kirby's up throw can also be used to force both fighters into a hazard above them.

Final Cutter

Final Cutter is a weak meteor smash, but it can KO Kirby as well if Kirby is too far away from a ledge, this technique has been nicknamed Cuttercide/Kutterkaze.

In Smash 64, Kirby always wins.

After Melee, it was made more difficult to win due to a higher threshold for sufficient knockback.

In Ultimate, Kirby can also KO an opponent with up special from the ledge, by using it on a recovering opponent just under the ledge. If performed correctly, Kirby will grab the ledge and hit the opponent at the same time, resulting in a KO. However, the character can potentially recover granted that he has suffered no prior damage or at very low percents, although Kirby can quickly edgeguard the character and still emerge victorious.

Copyable moves

Chomp, Blunderbuss, and Inhale are moves which can be copied from Wario, King K. Rool, and King Dedede. These moves can function as sacrificial KO's when used by their native characters as well as when copied by Kirby, and are thus functional as Kirbycides.

Cook Kirby

A form of Kirbycide introduced in Brawl performable only on Big Blue. In order to perform, Kirby must break a Smash Ball, jump on the moving track way, then start the Final Smash. If a foe is sucked into the pot, then the opponent and Kirby will be carried off stage. Due to Big Blue and Smash Balls being Banned, this form of Kirbycide is never seen in competitive play.

SD-canceling

When using a Swallowcide in Melee, Kirby will SD a fraction of a second after his opponent. In Smash 64, Smash 4 and Ultimate, Kirby will SD before the opponent; and in Brawl, both Kirby and the opponent will SD at the same time (causing a Sudden Death when both characters are on their last stock). If the opponent has no additional lives, Kirby will survive without losing a stock. If the opponent does have a stock in reserve, Kirby must immediately recover back to the stage by jumping, or he too will SD. Another method is pressing upwards on the directional pad when the enemy is too low to recover, and then float up to safety.

The timing is rather precise, and varies with the size of the opponent - from zero to seven frames with the larger characters SDing sooner. "Zero-framers" are characters that SD approximately the same time as Kirby. This results in both characters losing a stock at approximately the same time which will lead to a Sudden Death on the last stock. If a Swallowcide is performed again (during the Sudden Death) Kirby and the zero-framer will both SD at approximately the same time again and the winner is determined by Melee's controller slot priority (P1 > P2 > P3 > P4).

This is due to the character's hurtbox remaining outside of Kirby's mouth (although invulnerable), and blast lines ignore invulnerability.

Below is the amount of frames that Kirby has to avoid his SD for each character in Melee, provided by Omnigamer.

• Bowser: 7

• Captain Falcon: 6
• Donkey Kong: 6
• Ganondorf: 6
• Samus: 6

• Marth: 4
• Roy: 4
• Mewtwo: 4

• Falco: 3
• Fox: 3
• Link: 3
• Peach: 3
• Sheik: 3
• Young Link: 3
• Zelda: 3

• Dr. Mario: 1
• Mr. Game & Watch: 1
• Luigi: 1
• Mario: 1
• Pikachu: 1
• Yoshi: 1

• Ice Climbers: 0
• Jigglypuff: 0
• Kirby: 0
• Ness: 0
• Pichu: 0

It's worth nothing that it is possible to SD-cancel vs. Kirby in training mode (PAL) and t1mmy has SD-canceled vs. Jigglypuff in an actual fight (NTSC), providing proof that SD-cancels are possible even with no frames available to jump. Such a situation is most likely dependent on the distance between Kirby and the blast line the frame before the zero-framer dies. If he is far away enough from the blast line, Kirby will survive.

External links

• SD-cancel on Fountain of Dreams
• t1mmy Kirbycides all 4 stock