Kirby (SSB4): Difference between revisions

|ranking = 50

Kirby is ranked 50th out of 55 on the current [[tier list]], thus going into the F tier. This is a big drop from his placement in ''[[Brawl]]'', where he was ranked 20th out of 38 characters, and is similar to his bottom-tier placement in ''[[Melee]]''. 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 has been considerably nerfed 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 is significantly 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).}}  

***{{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).}}  

**{{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|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|If Kirby takes 25% or more total damage while using Stone, the deciding move will launch him out of his stone form, taking half the attack’s normal damage in the process.}}

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|Bayonetta}} and {{SSB4|Cloud}}, who both had strong matchups against Kirby.

|neutralname=Vulcan Jab/Smash Punch

|fsmashname=Smash Kick

|nairname=Twinkle Star

|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.

|grabdesc=Kirby's throws are based on attacks used by the {{s|wikirby|Backdrop}}, {{s|wikirby|Suplex}} and {{s|wikirby|Ninja}} abilities.

|fthrowdesc=The Pile Driver 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.  

|uthrowname=Air Drop

|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.  

{{incomplete|Needs announcer calls from other languages.}}

{{Crowd

|char=Kirby

|game=SSB4

|desc-us=Kir - by!

|desc-jp=Ka - a - bii!

|pitch-us=Group chant

|pitch-jp=Female}}

<!--This character has a ten player limit for this section. Before adding and/or removing a player, read these guidelines: https://www.ssbwiki.com/SmashWiki:Notability#%22Most_historically_significant_players%22_guidelines .That being said, do not put Alpharad on the notable players section. He lacks the results compared with the players on here, and a YouTube channel does not help.-->

''See also: [[:Category:Kirby professionals (SSB4)]]''

*{{Sm|Jesuischoq|France}} - The best Kirby player in Europe. Placed 13th at {{Trn|talent.io}}, as well as 25th at {{Trn|Deflagration}} and {{Trn|Respawn 6}}. Formerly ranked 24th in the [[French Power Rankings]] and currently ranked 6th on the [[Strasbourg Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|K.I.D.Goggles|USA}} - Co-mained Kirby and {{SSB4|Sonic}}. Placed 9th at [[Pound 2016]] and [[Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo]], and 25th at [[Get On My Level 2016]] and [[UGC Smash Open]]. Ranked 6th on the Upstate [[New York Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Komota|USA}} - Placed 25th at [[Midwest Mayhem 8: North American Tour]] and 33rd at [[Frostbite 2017]]. Was formerly ranked 11th on the [[Michigan Power Rankings]]. Has wins over {{Sm|Ally}} and {{Sm|Darkshad}}.

*{{Sm|MikeKirby|USA}} - Considered to be the best Kirby player in the world. Placed 5th at [[KTAR XIV]]; 9th at [[KTAR XI]]; 13th at [[Glitch (tournament)|Glitch]]; and 49th at [[Apex 2015]]. Formerly ranked 10th on the [[New York City Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Poyo|USA}} - Placed 33rd at [[CEO Dreamland]] and [[The Big House 7]]; 49th at [[Shine 2017]]; and consistently achieved high placings at [[Smash @ Xanadu]] tournaments. Formerly ranked 7th on the [[Kansas Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|SmashG0D|USA}} - Placed 13th at [[Olympus]], 17th at [[Super Smash Con 2015]], 25th at Glitch, and 49th at Pound 2016 before switching to Corrin.

*{{Sm|Uto|Japan}} - The best Kirby player in Japan. Placed 5th at [https://challonge.com/Meikobura2017T Meikobura 2017] and 25th at {{Trn|Super Sumabato}}. Has taken sets off players such as {{Sm|Ri-ma}}, {{Sm|Gungnir}}, {{Sm|DIO}}, {{Sm|Compact}}, {{Sm|Tsumusuto}}, and {{Sm|Take}}.

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|Bayonetta}} 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 50th on the fourth and current tier list.

==[[Trophies]]==

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Round little Kirby lives on the peaceful Planet Popstar, in Dream Land. He can inhale things with his big mouth, either copying their abilities or spitting them out again. In Smash Bros., Kirby can inhale opponents and copy their standard specials. He gets launched easily but recovers well.''

 

::{{flag|pal}} ''A roly-poly little fella from Dream Land on Planet Popstar. He can inhale pretty much anyone or anything with that big gob of his, then spit them out or copy their abilities. He can copy opponents' standard specials in this game, too! His light weight means he gets launched easily, but with a series of mid-air jumps, recovering's not too tricky.''

 

{{Trophy games|console1=GB|game1=Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)|console2=SNES|game2=Kirby Super Star (08/1996)}}

 

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Holding the special button and left or right will charge up Kirby's Hammer Flip attack. Charging too long hurts Kirby! The hammer strikes twice in the air, but landing the single blow on the ground is more powerful. Kirby's up special Final Cutter slices up and down, firing a shock wave upon landing.''

 

::{{flag|pal}} ''Charge up Kirby's Hammer side special to unleash Hammer Flip, a move with serious launch power. Charge it too much, though, and you'll get hurt! The move hits twice in mid-air, but does more damage on the ground. Final Cutter slices up and down before sending out an energy wave. Move Kirby mid-jump to change where he lands.''

 

 

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''For Kirby's Final Smash, he swings a sword that's waaay bigger than he is. If the first swing hits, he'll keep going with a combo of lightning-fast slices, dealing tons of damage. For the last swing, the sword grows even larger and launches any victims. Make sure that first swing hits, though, or nothing else will happen!''

 

::{{flag|pal}} ''For Kirby's Final Smash, he swings around a sword that's waaay bigger than he is. If the first swing hits, he'll keep going with a combo of lightning-fast slices, dealing tons of damage. For the last swing, the sword grows even larger and launches its target. It's great, so make sure that first swing hits, or none of the rest will happen!''

 

KirbyTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)

==In [[Event Match]]es==

===Solo Events===

 

===Co-op Events===

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

*During the development of ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'', Kirby did not emote in any way.