King Dedede (SSB4)

King Dedede in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Kirby
Other playable appearances	in Brawl in Ultimate
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Dedede Burst
Tier	G (52)

King Dedede (デデデ, Dedede) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return to the series was announced in a Director's Room Miiverse post on January 10th, 2014, which also commemorated Kirby: Triple Deluxe being released in Japan on the same day. Masahiro Sakurai reprises his role as King Dedede's voice actor, albeit via more realistic versions of his Brawl voice clips.

King Dedede is currently ranked 52nd out of 55 on the tier list, placing him at the top of the G tier. This is a significant drop from his high-tier placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 12th out of 38. Dedede's primary strength is his large, disjointed range, courtesy of his hammer. In addition to his range, he also possesses some very powerful punishing moves, such as his forward smash, down smash, back aerial and down aerial, with the latter two also functioning as good edgeguarding moves.

Dedede also boasts arguably the greatest overall endurance in the game, being the most difficult character to KO vertically, due to having the third highest weight and the second fastest falling speed, and also very difficult to KO horizontally despite being a fast-falling character with slow air speed, which is also due to his high weight and the fact that he boasts an impressive recovery, due to his multiple midair jumps and Super Dedede Jump.

However, King Dedede's tier drop is largely due to the weakening or total removal of moves and/or mechanics that were important to his neutral game. The most notable examples are the removal of chain grabbing and his former back aerial, as well as his significantly worsened grab game, which has gone from one of the best to below average. Additionally, he retains his poor mobility and sluggish frame data from Brawl: he has among the slowest walking and dashing speeds, while his air speed, which was already the slowest in Brawl, has become even slower.

King Dedede's moveset also has among the slowest moves in the game, with only his down tilt, neutral aerial and standing grab being active before frame 9. These traits not only hinder Dedede offensively, but defensively as well; alongside his large size, considerable weight and fast falling speed, Dedede's mobility and frame data issues result in him being among the characters that are most vulnerable to rushdowns, combos, and camping, with only his moderate gravity enabling him to not be as vulnerable as other heavyweights or fast-fallers would be to them. Dedede is also no longer capable of camping himself due to his new side special, Gordo Throw, being reflected by any attack that deals at least 2%. Finally, Dedede suffers from disproportionately weak strength for a super heavyweight: his fastest moves fail to KO until very high percentages, whereas his slowest moves are among the most punishable in the game.

As a result of his glaring flaws, King Dedede's perception and results are both poor, although they are somewhat better in the European scene. While King Dedede maintains a decently sized playerbase that has brought about great advancements to his metagame, he is widely considered to be nonviable in the current metagame, to the point that he is perceived by some players as one of the worst characters in SSB4.

Attributes

King Dedede is the third heaviest character and, like Ganondorf, is the epitome of the archetypal heavyweight: he has a large frame, slow walking and dashing speeds (despite them being increased), below average traction, the slowest air speed, one of the slowest air acceleration values, the second fastest falling speed and average gravity.

Unsurprisingly, King Dedede's greatest strength is his impressive endurance, which is often considered to be the overall best in the game. His very fast falling speed gives him the best vertical endurance, while his weight and great recovery makes his horizontal endurance one of the best. In addition, he is notoriously difficult to edgeguard and gimp. Despite his very high falling speed and extremely slow air speed, he possesses four midair jumps. These help him stall his fall and cover long distances, as well as allowing him to edgeguard safely. His recovery does not end with his midair jumps. His up special, Super Dedede Jump, grants a very large amount of vertical distance and a good amount of horizontal distance. It also has super armor and can meteor smash, making it extremely dangerous to intercept, especially if the opponent uses an aerial attack.

His potent punishment game also supplements his great endurance. Almost all of his attacks deal high amounts of damage and can put opponents at a disadvantage. His most useful moves at that include, but are not limited to, down tilt, down smash and his grab game. The former is also very quick for a super heavyweight, and can help him fend off opponents and set up edgeguards. His pummel is highly damaging, making it good for adding up damage before throwing the opponent. His forward throw can reliably launch opponents off-stage, while his back throw deals very high damage. Lastly, his down throw can combo into up tilt, up smash and any aerial attack bar his down aerial, making it very reliable for damage racking and giving him combos that most fellow heavyweights do not have. He also has a plethora of very powerful moves, including his forward and down smashes, his up, back and down aerials, and Jet Hammer, all of which are capable of KOing easily if they connect. Because of these advantages, he is also one of the characters to benefit the most from rage, as it allows his powerful moves to put the opponent in a disadvantageous situation most of the time, and can allow him to initiate a comeback, which is further complimented by his endurance.

Another advantage King Dedede possesses is his range. Unlike his fellow super heavyweights, he possesses a weapon in the form of his signature hammer, which grants the majority of his moves disjointed ranges and enables him to out-space opponents with poor ranges, such as Jigglypuff and Ness. Prominent examples of this are his forward tilt, all of his smash attacks, and all of his aerials except neutral aerial, but said move's poor reach is compensated for, courtesy of its decent KO potential when clean. It should be also noted that moves that do not utilize his hammer also have long durations, such as his up and down tilts, and the aforementioned neutral aerial, which can also make him difficult to punish if the opponent stands too close to him and mistimes its punish.

However, King Dedede has numerous weaknesses, which are significant enough to outweigh his strengths. His most prominent one is his underwhelming frame data, which is notably among the worst in the game, a problem shared with Shulk, Ganondorf and Palutena. Despite their power, the majority of his moves are among the slowest, making Dedede prone to punishment, and due to his vulnerability to combos and juggles, he will have to read his opponents more often than not to land a move and avoid being punished. However, it should be noted that his moveset is among, if not the overall, weakest of the super heavyweights; very few of his moves are capable of reliably KOing before 80%, with such moves being nearly limited to back aerial, Jet Hammer, and forward smash, all of which are easily telegraphed and highly punishable, despite back aerial being able to autocancel from a short hop. His fastest moves are incapable of KOing until very high percentages, and his slowest moves are among the most predictable and most punishable in the game, with notable examples being forward smash and up tilt. These factors make said moves being easy to punish before or after they connect. While the fastest of his moves, his down tilt and neutral aerial, come out on frame 6, repeated use of them can render him a predictable opponent.

Another one of King Dedede's most prominent weaknesses is his polarized mobility. All of his attributes work against him, as they give him very slow horizontal movement, hindering his ability to approach and combat spacing and camping. The latter problem is more serious, as he has no useful counters against projectiles, with Dedede's projectile being ineffective and overall unreliable to combat camping altogether. His slow horizontal mobility leaves him vulnerable to getting juggled horizontally, while his very quick vertical mobility also leaves him vulnerable to combos, and he has a hard time escaping from them once he enters enough knockback, with a move that grants super armor, Super Dedede Jump, coming out way too slowly to render him invulnerable to heavy damage once an opponent gets a combo in. In turn, this makes it very simple for other characters with reliable combo games, such as Luigi and Bayonetta, to easily rack up damage on him.

Another flaw King Dedede faces is his approach. All of his attributes significantly hinder his ability to get close to characters safely, considering the aforementioned factors of the overwhelming start-up and ending lag on his attacks, fairly poor mobility regardless if grounded or in the air, and his noticeable nerfs from game updates, which have all decreased his already poor offensive game. Most notably, his grabs' drastically reduced ranges and the removal of chain grabbing are collectively considered to be his fatal flaw: they not only hinder his chances to rack up damage efficiently, but also almost completely remove his chances of reliably KOing his opponents or keeping his opponents at bay with his grabs.

His special moveset also faces some issues, as it is arguably half-functional. Gordo Throw is often considered his best special move, as it can be used for a KO option at high percents, can grant strong stage control if spaced and timed correctly, and can be used as a set-up into many other options if the opponent is sent toward Dedede. It can also aid his edgeguard attempts if the Gordo gets stuck on a wall or edge, allowing him to score a KO. Finally, it can be used to edge trap the opponent, giving them few options to retaliate and get back to safety. However, it has one major flaw, arguably enough to counterbalance all of the Gordo's benefits: it can be reflected by any attack that deals at least 2%, which can limit its otherwise great utility and stage control potential and renders it a risky move, even when used from a safe distance. As a result of this, King Dedede's neutral game is risky due to being so committal.

Super Dedede Jump is an amazing recovery move due to its distance and super armor, but its use is almost limited exclusively to recovering. However, the move's landing induces high shield damage, average shieldstun, and emits stars upon meeting the ground, which can make the move surprisingly difficult to punish, despite the move's high end lag. Inhale can be used to pressure the opponent and possibly score a Dededecide, but it is easily telegraphed, laggy, and unsafe due to the removal of grab armor. Lastly, Jet Hammer is best used only when trying to punish an unsafe get-up attempt or when breaking a shield.

King Dedede benefits a fair bit from his custom moves. Topspin Gordo has consistent power and moves much faster, which allows King Dedede to force the opponent to react with little risk of his Gordo being used against him, due to its high speed. However, it does not last as long, and it removes almost all combos with the Gordo itself, as it cannot be used for traps, and moving the control stick barely changes its trajectory. Bouncing Gordo is considerably weaker, but it lasts much longer, and enables King Dedede to apply stage control and gives him more time to use Gordo combos. The Gordo's trajectory changes greatly when the player tilts the control stick. Rising Dedede covers more vertical distance, maintains the default's super armor, and can even function as an (albeit risky) out of shield option due to its hitbox while ascending. However, it cannot meteor smash, as King Dedede becomes helpless at the apex of its jump, which also makes it less safe, especially if King Dedede tries to land on the stage. Dash Jet Hammer does far less damage, but King Dedede dashes forward when he attacks, enabling it to function as a mindgame tool. It can also function as a viable horizontal recovery option, which can ameliorate his glacial air speed.

All of his other custom moves have very situational advantages and are overshadowed by their disadvantages, with Dedede Storm, Taste Test, and Armored Jet Hammer being the most notorious examples. Dedede Storm has much slower start-up and ending lag than Inhale, removes Dededecide, is a multi-hitting move that cannot connect after 100%, and lacks strong hitboxes, preventing it from KOing even well beyond 200%. Taste Test spits opponents out instantly, preventing Dedede from sending the opponent off-stage, which allows them to exploit his vulnerability. Armored Jet Hammer offers super armor on charge, but causes recoil damage faster, is drastically weaker to the point where a fully charged blow is weaker than an uncharged hit by the default, and has severe ending lag to the point where one can jump from the top of Battlefield and use it and then be unable to move until Dedede lands on the main platform. His overall ineffective custom moves, mixed with his poor attributes by default, lends to him frequently being considered one of the worst character in the game when customs are enabled, alongside Zelda and Jigglypuff.

Overall, King Dedede's weaknesses outweigh his strengths. Due to his very sluggish frame data, risky neutral game and poor approach, his optimal playstyle is a defensive combination of zoning as well as baiting and punishing. The prominence of his flaws has also resulted in very low tournament representation and a poor perception despite the decent size of his playerbase, as only Big D has achieved arguably notable results in the Western scene, while El_Bardo has achieved some notable tournament results in the European scene. However, outside of their efforts, Dedede has fairly poor tournament results.

Changes from Brawl

King Dedede has been nerfed significantly in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. Several of his moves have been heavily altered or changed entirely, which has resulted in both positive and negative changes to his playstyle, though despite his buffs, his nerfs are much more prevalent due to his worse frame data and the loss of many of the traits that made him a formidable character in Brawl.

The most notable positives that these changes bring are his new down tilt, new side special Gordo Throw, and his down special, Jet Hammer. Dedede's new down tilt has faster start-up and travels a long distance, making it one of his best defensive moves (out of shield, after a smash attack, etc). Unlike Waddle Dee Toss, Gordo Throw deals a consistent amount of damage, fairly high knockback, and can even be used to "pinball" opponents by using their tumbling momentum to Dedede's advantage by trapping them between a Gordo and Dedede due to the ability to angle a Gordo's trajectory, which improves his neutral game. Lastly, Jet Hammer has been noticeably buffed in terms of range and the recoil damage, and due to the addition of rage combined with his high enduance and weight, it is a much better move both onstage and for edge-guarding. As a result, these moves are more versatile than their previous iterations in Brawl. Some of the gameplay changes brought about by SSB4 have also helped Dedede. He is now less susceptible to projectile camping due to the universal nerf to projectile camping, and he can utilize the rage mechanic very effectively due to his considerable weight, which supplements his high power.

However, the aforementioned new move alterations and changes to gameplay mechanics have also brought drawbacks that drastically outweigh the aforementioned positives, despite having a less polarized moveset than Brawl. The most notable examples are his up tilt, new back aerial, and especially his new down throw all losing their versatility due to the former losing its KO power, the second losing its fast startup and lingering hitbox (both up tilt and back aerial also lost their consistent strength), and the latter being affected by SSB4's removal of chain grabbing. Dedede's renowned grab game was also nerfed even further due to his grab range being reduced. His new moves, despite bringing nice buffs, have also brought some drawbacks as well, such as his down tilt losing its KO power, his new forward aerial no longer autocanceling from a short hop (despite its faster start-up lag and more favorable hitbox placement) and Gordo Throw being able to be reflected by any hitbox that deals at least 2%, which also hurts the previous anti-camping abilities the Waddle Dee Toss had in Brawl. The latter two points coupled with the removal of chain grabbing have all significantly nerfed Dedede's approach.

Despite zoning having been universally nerfed, Dedede still arguably has the hardest time dealing with it. His excellent recovery has also got both buffs and nerfs, as Super Dedede Jump can now grab edges, but his already poor air speed was lowered even further. The latter nerf also worsens his already poor mobility overall, despite his improved ground mobility and fast-falling speed. Lastly, the changes to hitstun canceling also significantly harm Dedede, as they weaken his vertical endurance and make him an easy victim of combos, which is further compounded by the introduction of more versatile combo throws than he has.

As a result of these changes, King Dedede is one of the characters to have been unarguably nerfed in his transition from Brawl, alongside Jigglypuff, Falco, Olimar, Marth and fellow series representative Meta Knight. However, it is important to note that the latter two have received noticeable, direct buffs over time by game updates, while Dedede has been directly nerfed in them. Due to this, and unlike these characters, he is overall seen as non-viable in competitive play.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in SSB4, King Dedede has a sleeker design, his overall color scheme is more vibrant, and his attire's fur trim is of a significantly higher visual quality than in Brawl. His pupils are also smaller. Altogether, these changes make King Dedede appear more in line with his official artwork for Kirby Super Star Ultra and Kirby Mass Attack.
• King Dedede is more expressive.
• Up taunt's voice clip is now in sync with its animation, regardless of the direction he is facing.

Attributes

• Like other large characters, such as Donkey Kong and Bowser, King Dedede's general size in proportion to the other playable characters is also greater than in previous installments. This improves his range, but makes his hurtbox larger.
• King Dedede is heavier (112 → 119). This improves his endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos.
• King Dedede walks faster (0.95 → 0.98).
• King Dedede dashes faster (1.22 → 1.36).
• King Dedede's air speed is slower (0.658 → 0.63).
• King Dedede's fast falling speed is faster (2.73 → 3.12), improving his air game and making him less susceptible to juggling.
• King Dedede's gravity is higher (0.0837 → 0.087885). This improves his aerial mobility, but hinders his horizontal endurance.
• Roll has increased ending lag (frame 32 → 33).
• Sidestep has increased start-up and ending lag (frame 27 → 28). It also has a shorter duration (frame 2-20 → 4-19).
• Air dodge has decreased ending lag (frame 39 → 34).
• Jump is higher.
• Soft landing is faster (5 frames → 2).
• Item throw is stronger (1 → 1.063).
• The removal of chain grabbing both helps and hinders King Dedede. It significantly improves his endurance, but significantly hinders his combo potential.
• The changes to hitstun canceling significantly hinder King Dedede. They make him very susceptible to combos and remove his ability to momentum cancel, and hinder his vertical endurance in spite of his heavier weight. However, he still has the best vertical endurance among the cast.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals less damage (6% → 4% (hit 1), 5% → 4% (hit 2), 2% → 1% (loop)) and has smaller hitboxes (6u/3.5u → 2.5u (hits 1-2), 4u/5u/7u → 2u/3u/7u (loop)). The second hit can also no longer trip opponents.
• Neutral attack's first hit has decreased start-up lag (frame 12 → 10). Its neutral infinite has also received a finisher, an upward hammer swing.
• Neutral attack has altered knockback (20/25/35 (set)/100 (scaling) → 50/48 (base)/25 (set)/10/100 (scaling) (hit 1), 20 (base)/50 (scaling) → 50/30 (base)/10/45 (scaling) (hit 2), 30 (base)/20 (scaling) → 60/20/2 (set)/100 (scaling) (loop)) and altered angles (361°/80° → 75°/105°/361° (hit 1), 85° → 115°/105°/100° (hit 2), 30° → 70° (loop hits)).
• The weakening of SDI makes neutral infinite significantly more difficult to escape from.
• Forward tilt deals more damage (6%/4% → 11%) due to consisting of five hits instead of one. Additionally, it has a much larger hitbox (4.5u → 8u) and a slightly longer duration (frame 12-22 → 12-23). Lastly, its last hit has increased knockback (20 (base)/80/100 (scaling) → 30/190), granting it KO potential at high percentages.
• Forward tilt has increased ending lag (20 frames → 26). King Dedede also now holds his hammer from the middle of its handle, instead of at the end of it, decreasing its range and making it less disjointed.
• Forward tilt has an altered angle (65° → 50°).
• Up tilt has noticeably increased horizontal range (6u → 8u) and considerably more combo potential.
• Up tilt has received a sourspot that deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%) and has increased start-up (frame 7 → 9) and ending lag (25 frames → 29). It also has significantly decreased knockback (30 (base)/120 (scaling) → 50/80), hindering its KO potential.
• King Dedede has a new down tilt, a cartwheeling tackle. Compared to the previous down tilt, it deals different knockback (20/10 (base)/100 (scaling) → 60/75).
• Down tilt has larger hitboxes (6u/4u → 7u/5u) and slightly less startup lag (frame 7 → 6). It also moves Dedede forward a bit, significantly increasing its range and allowing Dedede to pseudo-crawl.
• Down tilt launches opponents at a higher angle (361° → 45°), making it less effective at KOing at very high percentages compared to the previous down tilt. It also has a shorter duration (10 frames → 8), has more ending lag (25 frames → 27), and can whiff if used too close to the opponent.
• Clean dash attack now deals consistent damage (16%/14% → 16%). When combined with dash attack's increased knockback (35 (base)/95 (scaling) → 40/100), this improves its KO potential. It also has larger hitboxes (5u → 7u/6u).
• Dash attack has received a late hitbox that deals slightly less damage (14% → 13%) compared to the previous body hitbox. Dash attack can now also whiff if used too close to the opponent, hindering its safety.
• Dash attack has increased hitlag (1× → 1.2×). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve dash attack's shield pressuring potential.
• Sourspotted forward smash deals slightly more damage (13% → 15% (early), 5% → 6% (late)) and the early hit has increased knockback scaling (90 → 93), though they are still drastically weaker than the sweetspot. Sweetspotted forward smash also has a slightly larger hitbox (5.7u → 6u).
• Sweetspotted forward smash has reduced knockback (55 (base)/90 (scaling) → 30/93), hindering its KO potential. However, it is still the strongest forward smash in the game.
• Late forward smash has an altered angle (80° → 60°).
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve clean forward smash's shield pressuring potential, to the point where it can break most shields if used properly.
• Up smash has decreased startup lag and a longer duration (frame 20-24 → 17-24).
• Down smash deals 2% less damage (15% → 13%), making it weaker despite its increased base knockback (50 → 60). It also has a slightly shorter duration (10 frames → 9).
• Down smash has altered angles (105°/80°/50° → 30°/361°), making it capable of semi-spiking opponents. This grants it edgeguarding potential.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial has increased knockback (30 (base)/85 (scaling) → 40/95 (clean), 30 (base) → 40 (late)) and slightly larger hitboxes (9u → 10u (clean), 5u → 6u (late)).
• King Dedede has a new forward aerial, a downward hammer swing. Compared to the previous forward aerial, it deals 3% less damage (15% → 12%), has more ending lag (22 frames → 27) and a longer autocancel frame (frame 34 → 40). This results in it being unable to autocancel from a short hop.
• Forward aerial has less startup lag (frame 16 → 13) and increased range (7.5u/4u → 8u/5u). This considerably improves its utility, especially for combos.
• King Dedede has a new back aerial, an upward hammer swing. It deals 3% more damage (13/9% → 16%) and has increased vertical range (8.5u/7u → 10u), making it better for KOing compared to the previous back aerial despite its lowered knockback (20 (base)/100 (scaling) → 30/88).
• Back aerial has significantly more startup (frame 6 → 17), ending lag (8 frames → 20), a shorter duration (frame 6-21 → 17-19), and autocancels later (frame 26 → 33). It also cannot trip opponents. This makes it much less versatile compared to the previous back aerial. Additionally, it has much less horizontal range and far less disjointed hitboxes, hindering its spacing potential.
• Back aerial has increased hitlag (1× → 1.2×). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• Up aerial's loop hits deal 1% less damage (2% → 1%), which decreases its overall damage output by 7% (19% → 12%).
• Up aerial's last hit has significantly increased knockback scaling (130 → 150), improving its KO potential. Its loop hits also have altered angles (60°/120°/95° → 366°/90°), which makes them connect together better.
• The weakening of SDI makes up aerial significantly more difficult to escape from.
• King Dedede has a new down aerial, a downward hammer swing. Compared to the previous down aerial, it deals 2% less damage (17% → 15%) due to consisting of one hit instead of seven, has significantly increased startup lag, a shorter duration (frame 9-27 → 22-23), and has a sourspot at the hammer's handle that deals 9% less damage (17% → 8%). Altogether, these changes make it much worse at pressuring and anti-juggling compared to the previous down aerial.
• Down aerial meteor smashes aerial opponents if the hammer's whole head lands (70°/80° → 270°) and launches opponents at the Sakurai angle otherwise. This makes it a very powerful edgeguarding option and a strong, albeit situational, on-stage KOing option compared to the previous down aerial. It also has larger hitboxes (4u/5u/6.5u → 5.5u/6u/8.5u).
• Sweetspotted down aerial has increased hitlag (1× → 1.5×). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have decreased ranges.
• Standing and pivot grabs have increased start-up lag (frame 6 → 7 (standing), frame 7 → 10 (pivot)).
• Dash grab has slightly decreased ending lag.
• Dash grab's animation has changed. King Dedede no longer stumbles over when he misses it.
• Forward, back, and down throws deal less damage (12% → 10% (forward), 16% → 13% (back), 8% → 6% (down)).
• Back throw has increased knockback scaling (65 → 79), improving its KO potential.
• Back throw has an altered angle (45° → 60°).
• The changes to hitstun canceling improve up throw's combo potential into up aerial at low percentages.
• King Dedede has a new down throw, a one-handed body slam. Compared to the previous down throw, it launches opponents at a vertical angle (20° → 80°), making it better for combos from low to medium percentages.
• Down throw does not have set knockback like the previous down throw (80 (set)/100 (scaling) → 70 (base)/82 (scaling)).
• New down throw removes Dedede's infinite chaingrab on most characters due to the removal of chaingrabs and the move's set knockback, significantly harming the move's utility.
• Floor attack deals 1% more damage (6% → 7%), though its knockback scaling was compensated (50 → 48).
• Floor attack has an altered angle (361° → 48°).
• King Dedede has lost his intangible and long-ranged 100%+ edge attack, leaving him with a significantly inferior edge attack at high percentages.
• Edge attack no longer has set knockback (110 (set)/100 (scaling) → 20 (base)/90 (scaling)).

Special moves

• The removal of grab armor hinders Inhale's utility as a defensive landing option, as trades will now result in Dedede getting hit instead of Inhaling the opponent.
• King Dedede has a new side special, Gordo Throw. Compared to Waddle Dee Toss, Gordo Throw is much more consistent both as a projectile and in regard to power. Additionally, Gordo Throw's ability to bounce the Gordos in different trajectories also make it better at trapping. The hammer swing used to perform the move also produces a hitbox on the hammer that deals 12%, which can also hit opponents into the subsequently tossed Gordo. Lastly, Gordo Throw can hit twice, depending on the opponent's position.
• Gordo Throw deals 8% less damage (22% → 14%) and much less knockback compared to Waddle Dee Toss' Gordos. Unlike Waddle Dee Toss, Gordo Throw lacks anti-camping potential, due to its Gordos being reflected by any hitbox that deals at least 2%.
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun make Gordo Throw significantly better at breaking shields compared to Waddle Dee Toss.
• King Dedede can now grab edges during Super Dedede Jump's ascent as long as he is facing the stage, improving its safety. Super Dedede Jump's descent can also now bury grounded opponents.
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve Super Dedede Jump's shield pressuring potential, although its landing hit's shield damage was compensated (3 → 0).
• Due to King Dedede's faster fast falling speed, Super Dedede Jump descends faster. It is also now canceled by tilting the control stick/circle pad up, instead of down.
• Jet Hammer has a larger hitbox (7u → 7.5u). Uncharged Jet Hammer has increased base knockback (20 → 30) and decreased start-up lag (frame 29 → 27).
• Fully charged grounded Jet Hammer deals 8% more damage (30%/20% → 38%/28%), although its knockback was compensated (30 (base)/80 (scaling) → 5/66).
• Sweetspotted fully charged aerial Jet Hammer deals 1% less damage (28% → 27%) and has decreased knockback (30 (base)/80 (scaling) → 10/70), hindering its KO potential. Uncharged Jet Hammer also has a shorter duration (3 frames → 2).
• The changes to edge mechanics improve Jet Hammer's edgeguarding potential.
• Fully charged Jet Hammer's recoil damage caps earlier (150% → 100%). When coupled with the introduction of rage, its recoil damage is now a double-edged sword, instead of solely being a hindrance.
• Jet Hammer's animation has changed. King Dedede grimaces while using it, and will visibly sweat while holding it when it is fully charged. He also swings it lower when using it on the ground, and swings it in a more exaggerated motion when it is fully charged.
• Jet Hammer's visual effects have changed. It now produces more intense lighting that brightens the surrounding area, and emits a wind effect.
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve fully charged Jet Hammer's shield pressuring potential.
• Fully charged Jet Hammer now has a consistent angle (361°/80° → 361°), improving its edgeguarding potential.
• King Dedede has a new Final Smash, Dedede Burst. Compared to Waddle Dee Army, it is a trapping Final Smash with average initial range and KO potential of a standard Final Smash, making it significantly more reliable at KOing. Unlike Waddle Dee Army, Dedede Burst deals a fixed amount of damage, making it less damaging overall.
• Unlike other trapping Final Smashes, it is possible to escape Dedede Burst.

Update history

Despite his poorly regarded status, King Dedede has been nerfed in game updates, being one of the only two non-top tier fighters to have never received a single buff (the other being Jigglypuff). Update 1.0.4 weakened Dedede's forward aerial, which made the move even more punishable than already was. It also strengthened his down throw, which makes follow-ups harder to perform and did not grant it KO potential in return. The most infamous of his nerfs, however, are to Gordo Throw. The Gordos have now become slightly smaller, and require even less damage to be reflected, which is now 2%. With this change, even rapid jabs and neutral attacks are capable of reflecting Gordos. Dedede Burst was tweaked to the point that it can now be avoided by air dodging.

On the other hand, King Dedede indirectly benefits from the changes to shield mechanics brought by update 1.1.1, as his moves are safer on shield due to their high damage outputs, high hitlag and/or multi-hitting properties. Additionally, with the use of certain Gordo Throw setups or his fully charged forward smash, King Dedede can break shields or wear them down quickly. However, this does not properly compensate for his previously received nerfs.

Lastly, King Dedede was nerfed once again in update 1.1.4, with his air speed having been reduced to the point that it is now slower than Shield-boosted Shulk. As a result, King Dedede is noticeably worse than at the game's release, due to the large majority of the cast receiving major beneficial changes, while King Dedede has not received any similar changes.

1.0.4

• Forward aerial deals 1% less damage: 13% → 12%.
• Down throw's angle altered: 70° → 80°, making it less susceptible to DI.
• Down throw's knockback scaling increased: 60 → 82. This hampers its combo ability at higher percents.
• All variations of Gordo Throw require 1% less damage to be reflected: 3% → 2%.
• All variations of Gordo Throw have had their hitbox sizes decreased by 0.4 units.
• Dedede Burst's hammer hits transition into each other faster.
  • Due to the above change and the lower knockback on each hit, characters can now air dodge out of and escape Dedede Burst.

1.0.8

• King Dedede's name now takes up one line in both the character selection screen and the results screen.
• Super Dedede Jump's voice clip updated.

1.1.3

• Timing for Inhale and Taste Test modified.
• Facing restriction for Super Dedede Jump modified.

1.1.4

• Air speed decreased: 0.658 → 0.63.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			4%	A pair of hammer swings, followed by thrusting his hammer forward while twirling its head, followed by an upward swing. Due to coming out on frame 10, it is the second slowest neutral attack in the game, being surpassed only by Zelda's by 1 frame. However, King Dedede's has a largely disjointed range, with jab 2 reaching quite far and being relatively safe (although jab 1 doesn't true combo into jab 2 up close, making it unsafe on hit). It can also be jab canceled and reliably followed up with a grab, down tilt. forward tilt, and even another jab, which can all be escaped by jumping. However, Dedede can also jump and follow up with an aerial. Unlike most neutral infinites, its finisher launches opponents at a nearly vertical trajectory and has KO potential, as it KOs around 150%.
			4%
			1% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt			2% (hits 1-4), 3% (hit 5)	Thrusts his hammer forward while twirling its head. Very good range, though its fourth hitbox can only connect if the move lands at the tip of the hammer. However, its rather long ending lag makes this move unsafe if it does not connect at its farthest range. Is very useful for Dedede's ledge traps as it's speed, range, and long lasting hitbox allows it to trap rolls and neutral get ups, but this is less rewarding than using his smash attacks. Also good for catching landings when reversed out of a run, and can stuff out punish attempts for landed back air.
Up tilt			12% (body), 10% (head)	An upward headbutt. King Dedede's head and upper body are intangible while its hitbox is active. Good for reflecting Gordos back at the enemy, as the intangibility makes a trade less likely.
Down tilt			10% (clean), 6% (late)	A cartwheeling tackle. Dedede's fastest move, coming out on frame 6. It is capable of being used after most defensive options and attacks, as a good out of shield option, or for disrupting opponents. Can also lead into itself and other attacks if the opponent doesn't tech.
Dash attack			16% (clean), 13% (late)	His signature belly flopping tackle. A slow and powerful KOing option, it is the strongest dash attack in the game and is even stronger than some of the cast's smash attacks, KOing at around 80% near the edge due to its exceptionally high knockback. Can hit every character on the ledge after their ledge invincibility has ended. Originates from Kirby's Dream Land.
Forward smash			15% (early), 24% (clean), 6% (late)	Rears his hammer back and slams it down. The strongest and second most damaging forward smash in the game, with equal KO power to match, and only being surpassed by Lucario's forward smash with max Aura. It has the slowest start-up of any smash attack, however, but also good shield damage and rather low ending lag for its power, making it more difficult to punish head-on than expected. It also has transcendent priority. Originates from Kirby's Dream Land.
Up smash			14% (hammer), 9% (body)	An upward hammer swing. Relatively slow compared to his up tilt, but less situational than in Brawl. Great vertical knockback if hit by the hammer's head, KOing at around 115% (same as Mario's). However, it can miss against short characters during the move's start-up, as the attack does not possess a hitbox directly in front of him. It also has transcendent priority.
Down smash			13%	A spinning hammer swing around himself. It has more reach behind Dedede. King Dedede's fastest kill move, although it is his weakest smash attack it makes up for it in it's uses at the ledge, Sends at a low angle and can KO around 100%. Best used for catching rolls as well as ledge attacks. It also has transcendent priority. Appears very similar to the Giant Dedede Swing from Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
Neutral aerial			12% (clean), 7% (late)	A splash. Dedede's fastest aerial, coming out on frame 7. Functions like a sex kick, but unlike the majority of them, it has transcendent priority. When coupled with a fast fall, its late hit has follow-up potential, most notably a grab at 0%, up tilt at low percents, neutral, forward or back air at mid percents, and up air at higher percents. The latter works until high percents, making it one of Dedede's only guaranteed kill combos.
Forward aerial			12%	Somersaults to perform a downward hammer swing. Is unsafe on hit at lower percents. This move does not auto cancel in a short-hop and has more landing/ending lag than his back aerial, but starts much earlier. Is capable of performing a pseudo wall of pain while edgeguarding. It can also lock.
Back aerial			16%	An upward hammer swing behind himself. One of Dedede's best moves for spacing and KOing, doing so reliably below 130%. Can be auto canceled in a short-hop, and, if buffered, can be double jumped out of before Dedede lands, which can be used for tricky mix-ups. Is also relatively safe on shield when spaced at max range.
Up aerial			1% (hits 1-7), 5% (hit 8)	Thrusts his hammer upward while twirling its head. Has tremendous reach above Dedede beating out most down airs, most notably Cloud's. It is quite strong for a multiple hitting move, being able to KO below 130%. It can drag opponents down, similarly to Greninja's up aerial, however it is unreliable for mix-ups since the opponent can act before Dedede can. It is also useful for fending off edgeguard attempts while recovering.
Down aerial			15% (hammer head), 8% (handle)	A downward hammer swing. The sweetspot is a very powerful meteor smash only on aerial opponents. On grounded opponents, it deals high horizontal knockback, KOing at around 100% near the edge.
Grab			—	Reaches out. Unlike in Brawl, where it was notoriously long ranged, King Dedede's overall grab range is roughly average.
Pummel			3%	A headbutt. Moderately slow, but one of the most damaging pummels in the game.
Forward throw			4% (hit 1), 6% (throw)	Strikes the opponent forward with his hammer. Can be used to set up an edgeguard or launch the opponent into a previously thrown Gordo.
Back throw			4% (hit 1), 9% (throw)	Strikes the opponent backward with his hammer. King Dedede's strongest throw, but due to the fact it launches at a very high angle, it does not KO until very high percentages, depending on the opponent's weight and DI. It is better at damage racking due to these factors. Like forward throw, it can be used to launch the opponent into a previously thrown Gordo.
Up throw			4% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	A jump set, a technique used in volleyball. Can lead into up aerial at low to medium percentages, but down throw is generally more rewarding and consistent. Like forward throw, can be used to launch the opponent into a previously thrown Gordo.
Down throw			6%	A one-handed body slam. King Dedede's best combo starter, it can initiate true combos into a neutral or forward air at very low percents and back air at low to mid percents. At medium percentages, down throw to up air is a KO combo if the opponent DI's incorrectly.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Gets up and kicks in front of himself and then behind himself.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Swings his hammer in of himself and then behind himself while twirling the hammer's head.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Performs a kick while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Inhale	5% (release), 10% (spit)	Inhales the opponent. While they have been Inhaled, King Dedede can then walk around and spit them out to inflict damage. Can also can also be used to swallow projectiles and items, but unlike Kirby's Inhale, Dedede will not be healed upon Inhaling non-explosive items, but will still take damage for eating explosive ones. This can be a good landing mix-up to catch sidesteps and shields.
	Custom 1	Dedede Storm	2% (loop), 3% (outer hit)	Instead of Inhaling opponents, King Dedede will vacuum the opponent toward him, which hits multiple times, before exhaling them upward with the last hit. Will stop connecting reliably around the 100% range on most characters and usually cannot KO until the 200% range due to its lack of strong hitboxes throughout its duration.
	Custom 2	Taste Test	5% (release), 12% (spit)	Inhales faster and the spit deals slightly more damage, allowing it to be used slightly more effectively as a command grab. However, opponents are spit out immediately instead of being kept inside King Dedede's mouth.
Side special	Default	Gordo Throw	10% (hammer), 14%/12.5%/11%/9.5% (Gordo)	Hits a bouncing Gordo with his hammer. Its trajectory can be angled upward, forward, or downward, which can be used for mindgames. By extension, his forward and back throws can be used to launch the opponent toward a previously thrown Gordo. The Gordos disappear after almost 3 seconds. An upward-angled gordo can be used to deny most options at the ledge or even all when combined with an attack. Gordo can also stick to any surface that allows wall jumping, but this is completely random. They can also be reflected by any attack dealing at least 2%. Of further note is that Dedede can hit opponents with the hammer swing used to serve the Gordo, potentially leading into a hit by both the hammer and Gordo for a considerable amount of damage.
	Custom 1	Topspin Gordo	10% (hammer), 11% (Gordo)	Throws a Gordo that does not go far initially, but flies forward upon bouncing. Disappears after a second bounce.
	Custom 2	Bouncing Gordo	10% (hammer), 6% (Gordo)	The Gordo is electrified and bounces back and forth. Angling the move changes the Gordo's trajectory significantly. Unlike the default, Bouncing Gordos are guaranteed to stick to walls.
Up special	Default	Super Dedede Jump	15% (drop), 11% (landing), 5% (stars)	His signature jump. It concludes with a diving double foot stomp that buries grounded opponents and meteor smashes aerial ones. Like Yoshi Bomb, it emits stars on both sides after the diving double foot stomp hits the ground, which can make it difficult to punish, especially against characters that lack a projectile. While it cannot grab edges during its descent, it can do so upon being canceled. However, if it is canceled too late before landing, Dedede will endure landing lag that lasts for more than a second.
	Custom 1	Rising Dedede	15% (clean), 12% (late)	Instead of stomping, King Dedede deals damage during the jump and then descends into helplessness. If Dedede descends less distance than he ascended, he will suffer the severe landing lag he would normally receive if the default move was canceled too late.
	Custom 2	Quick Dedede Jump	10% (drop), 5% (stars)	Jumps faster, but the diving double foot stomp is weaker and lower than the default.
Down special	Default	Jet Hammer	11% (uncharged grounded), 10% (uncharged aerial), 38%/28% (fully charged grounded), 27%/16% (fully charged aerial)	Activates the afterburner in his hammer to charge up a very powerful swing, which is released when the special button is released. Dedede can walk around slowly and jump once while charging. Dedede can hold the hammer out indefinitely, but it slowly deals recoil damage if he holds it when fully charged. A fully charged Jet Hammer can easily KO opponents below 50% near the edge. At 100%, King Dedede will not receive recoil.
	Custom 1	Armored Jet Hammer	9% (uncharged), 24%/20% (fully charged grounded), 22%/15% (fully charged aerial)	Grants super armor while charging. However, King Dedede does not get any super armor if he's falling, and the swing is significantly weaker, not KOing until 150%, while also having longer start-up lag, and dealing recoil damage faster.
	Custom 2	Dash Jet Hammer	7%/6% (uncharged), 18%/16% (fully charged)	Charging pushes King Dedede backward, while unleashing it propels him forward at the expense of damage. However, while it is the least damaging Jet Hammer variant, Dash Jet Hammer does deal better knockback than Armored Jet Hammer.
Final Smash		Dedede Burst	10% (hits 1-3), 1% (hit 4), 15% (hit 5)	Inhales the opponent into place, strikes them three times with his hammer aflame, then fires a bomb out of it, launching the opponent diagonally in a spray of fireworks. It can KO at 47%, however, this Final Smash can be escaped with an air dodge halfway through, making it unreliable to use on low-damage opponents.

On-screen appearance

• Gets carried onto the stage via a palanquin held by four Waddle Dees, then jumps off, scattering them.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Hoists his hammer above his head and pumps it up and down while vocalizing. Unlike in Brawl, the voice line now plays correctly even if Dedede faces backwards.
• Side taunt: Spins his hammer and looks at it while laughing.
• Down taunt: Dances in a circle while drumming on his belly and vocalizing with each step.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Taps his hammer on his shoulder.
• Smacks his belly.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	De-De-De! De-De-De! Dedededededede!	De-De-De! De-De-De! Dedededededede!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix of the short, recurring theme that debuted in Kirby's Dream Land and which plays when Kirby completes a stage or defeats a boss.

• Slaps his belly twice with the sound of a bongo drumbeat as he leans on his hammer with one arm and a Waddle Dee stands nearby. Afterward, he continues to rub his belly with his free hand as he laughs gloatingly.
• Slams his hammer down on both sides of him, then smiles while looking towards the screen.
• Spins his hammer into the air while sporting a strained expression and then strikes a pose while sporting an angry expression that quickly adjusts to a tense expression, or an angry expression.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
King Dedede	3112	3122	3312	3322	1122
	1312	1322	2112	2122	2312

Notable players

Active

•  Andy (Mexico) - The best King Dedede in Mexico, ranking 19th on the Mexican Smash 4 Power Rankings with wins on Regi and Max Ketchum.
•  Big D - Co-mains King Dedede with Mario and Captain Falcon and is considered one of the best King Dedede players in the world along with Zaki, with wins on Larry Lurr, Mew2King and Tyrant. Ranked 1st on the British Columbia Smash 4 Power Rankings, notably above Locus.
•  Bryce - Ranked 7th on the South Jersey PR. Has wins over  James,  Vivid,  The Great Gonzales,  Biddy, and other notable players from New Jersey.
•  El_Bardo - Ranked 12th on the Spanish Power Rankings, placing 9th at Icarus III and 13th at B.E.A.S.T 7.
•  Fire
•  Girthquake - 13th place at Port Priority.
•  Jdawg - Formerly ranked 18th on the Smash 4 MD/VA/DE Power Rankings and placed 65th at Pound 2016.
•  J.T.C.
•  PWNAGEPOLICE - Best King Dedede in New England, placing 33rd at Shine 2016, Overclocked and 4th at GUMS 18.
•  Soul Train
•  Whiteout
•  zaki - The best King Dedede in Japan who is ranked 81st on the JAPAN Power Rankings. Some of his most notable placements include 17th at KSB 2017, 13th at Hirosuma: Revolution, 5th at Sumabato 19, and 17th at Smash 'N' Splash 4. Has wins over MkLeo.

Inactive

•  Hello
•  KingJames
•  Vex Kasrani

Tier placement and history

Upon the game's release, players quickly noticed King Dedede's nerfs in the transition from Brawl, most notably the loss of chain grabbing, though they also argued some of his buffs would help compensate in the long run, with players perceiving his new forward aerial, Gordo Throw and down tilt as more useful than the previous respective moves in Brawl. However, as the metagame progressed, King Dedede's weaknesses became more apparent, and players realized the changes to game mechanics not only significantly hurt Dedede, but that he had indeed lost much more than what he gained from Brawl as well. Despite the good results gained by players like Big D and El_Bardo (with the former getting 17th at Paragon Los Angeles 2015), expectations of him would become worse as time passed. As a result, King Dedede was ranked 46th on the first tier list, confirming his status as a bottom-tier character.

Despite the great advancements brought to his metagame as well as decent results, however, Dedede's air speed was nerfed in update 1.1.4. While minor, this nerf is notable in two ways: it worsened his neutral game and recovery, and it is now the slowest in the game, even slower than that of Shulk while using the Shield Art. As a result of this, Dedede's results became much worse, and as a result he dropped to 52nd on the second tier list. Since the tiers had expanded by then, it this placement drop resulted in him becoming the second highest ranking bottom-tier character, having lost his position as the highest ranking bottom-tier character to Charizard. On the third tier list, Dedede remained ranked as 52nd, although he is now assessed as a low-tier character due to the bottom-tier being abolished, and once again remains ranked at 52nd on the fourth and current tier list, though this placing is notable for confirming his status as the fourth worst character in the game, after the exclusion of Miis from the most recent tier list.

As the meta went on, the other characters in King Dedede's tier Ganondorf, Zelda and Jigglypuff have all started to earn much more impressive and consistent results than King Dedede. Due to this, some smashers such as ESAM are starting to debate that King Dedede could potentially be the absolute worst character in the game and not Jigglypuff. This however, is highly debatable.

Trophies

King Dedede

He calls himself the King of Dream Land, but he doesn't have a lot of interest in ruling. He really loves to eat, so it's no surprise he's a heavyweight fighter. Despite his size and low speed, he can easily recover with his four jumps. His Jet Hammer will leave a mark on everyone he meets.

Being a self-proclaimed king, Dedede clearly doesn't care too much about the whole "politics" thing. He's just a bit greedy. In this game, his weight and hefty hammer make him slow, but he can still jump four times in mid-air anyway, making it easy for him to get back to the stage. Fully charge his Jet Hammer for ultimate destruction.

: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)

: Kirby: Triple Deluxe (05/2014)

King Dedede (Alt.)

For the Gordo Throw side special, King Dedede sends a Gordo bouncing with a hammer strike. It bounces off walls—or sometimes gets stuck in them. After a while it'll disappear. If an enemy hits one, it'll bounce back toward you. Use the special again to whack it back at them!

For the Gordo Throw side special, King Dedede hits a Gordo with his hammer, sending it bouncing along the stage. It'll bounce off walls, or sometimes get stuck in them. Then, after a while, it'll disappear. If an enemy hits the Gordo with an attack, it'll fly back towards you. Use the special again to whack it back at them!

: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)

: Kirby: Triple Deluxe (05/2014)

Dedede Burst

For Dedede's Final Smash, he takes a deep breath, pulling his foes toward him. Once he's gotten them right where he wants them, he'll unleash blows from his giant burning hammer. Topping things off is an explosive from the end of the hammer, sending enemies flying. Could this be worse for his foes? Yes! He's invincible the whole time too!

For Dedede's Final Smash, he inhales fiercely to pull foes towards him. Once he's got them right where he wants them, he thrashes them with a giant burning hammer. Then, to top it off, he fires an explosive from his hammer, sending them blasting off. Could it get any worse? Well... yes - Dedede's invincible the entire time.

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• KingDededeAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Dedede Burst

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Brawl: King Dedede is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents debuted in Brawl.
• Kirby's Crazy Appetite: As Kirby, the player must heal by eating food on the stage while three King Dededes try to hinder his progress.
• The Final Battle: The player must defeat King Dedede, Bowser and Ganondorf.
• The King Strikes Back: King Dedede must defeat Kirby in a Stamina Battle.

Co-op Events

• Final Battle Team-Up: King Dedede appears as an opponent to be defeated.
• Food Fight: A damaged King Dedede and Kirby must defeat Wario, Yoshi, and Pac-Man.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Wrecking Bros.: Mario and Luigi must destroy the entirety of Wrecking Crew while King Dedede and Wario try to interfere.

Alternate costumes

					File:KingDededeHeadBrownSSB4-U.png

Gallery

• 

  King Dedede in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

• 

  King Dedede's amiibo.

• 

  The Pic of the Day revealing King Dedede's return.

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  Using his neutral aerial with Kirby.

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  Charging Jet Hammer on Mario Galaxy.

• 

  Using his forward smash.

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  One of King Dedede's idle poses.

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  King Dedede fighting Villager.

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  Using Super Dedede Jump.

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  Charging Jet Hammer while approaching Fox using Fire Fox.

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  Using his dash attack on Little Mac.

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  King Dedede while stunned.

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  King Dedede crouching in front of Wii Fit Trainer...

• 

  ...and then getting hit by her forward smash.

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  King Dedede performing his down taunt with Peach and Zelda.

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  "Curiouser and curiouser ..." This is a quote from Chapter Two of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

• 

  "Ah--soft and squishy." [1]

• 

  Using Dedede Burst, his new Final Smash.

Trivia

• King Dedede has the longest star KO voice clip in the game. Its duration is so long that it can still be heard briefly even after the star KO. He and Cloud are the only two characters with this quirk.
• Oddly, his damage percentage (when 1% or more) does not heal when inhaling items, unlike Kirby and Wario.