Final Cutter

Kirby's Final Cutter in Melee

Kirby's Final Cutter in Brawl

Final Cutter is Kirby's Up B and triple jump. Kirby draws a silver blade, similar to a scimitar, jumps into the air a bit less than the height of Falco's full jump, and falls quickly, releasing a blue "wave" projectile forward if he lands on a solid surface, travelling the distance of a Falco Phantasm. Generally hits best on the way up, and at the very end of the attack. Although it lost much power and use in the transition from SSB to SSBM, it is still quite useful to skilled players. It should also be noted that the move as a whole can be moved much further horizontally when used on the ground as opposed to in the air. In Brawl, the Final Cutter is stronger than in Melee.

Players using this move should take note that if knocked out of it (except for in Brawl), they lose all their jumps.

The descent of the move delivers a heavy Meteor Smash, which is easier to use over a pit. This can develop into a technique known as Cuttercide/Kutterkaze. When your opponent is trying to recover you can use Final Cutter to intercept them and spike them downward, killing yourself and most of the time your opponent as well (beware that the player using Cuttercide will pass the blast line first so do not attempt this when both players are on one stock each.)

Unlike most other third jumps, Final Cutter does not throw Kirby into helpless; when the ascent is finished, Kirby falls quickly and retains the hitbox. However, Final Cutter can cause helpless by landing at the edge of a platform and being pushed off by wind, conveyor belts, F.L.U.D.D. or Squirtle's Water Gun while Kirby is still in his ground-slam animation; Kirby will quickly slide off into his helpless form.

Origin

Final Cutter debuted as a special move seen in Kirby Super Star. If Kirby had the Cutter ability and was close enough to the enemy while attacking, the normally ranged Cutter technique would become a rapid slashing combo attack, ending in the Final Cutter. The "Final Cutter" move has more recently been used by Kirby's Sword ability in games such as Kirby and the Amazing Mirror. In Kirby and the Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Squeak Squad, coincidentally, the input for that move is Up-B.

Trivia

• The Final Cutter attack is similar to Ike's Aether Combo but Kirby's sends a projectile unlike Ike's.
• Players who use Ness or Lucas can use the "shockwave" as a means to heal themselves with PSI Magnet. Similarily, Mr Game and Watch can absorb it using his Oil Panic.