Kirby (SSB4)

Kirby in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Kirby
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Ultra Sword

Kirby (カービィ, Kirby) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was confirmed on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct. He was also among the first wave of amiibo figures that are compatible with SSB4.

Kirby is again voiced by Makiko Ōmoto, whose new voice recordings give Kirby a much higher-pitched voice.

Changes from Brawl

Kirby has been nerfed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4 despite being a mid-tier character in Brawl. Kirby's effective grab game, range and power have all been toned down and many of his attacks deal less damage, with little compensation for those nerfs.

However, recent game updates have granted a number of buffs to Kirby. In update 1.0.6, his down throw gained an increased damage output, making it an effective move to rack up damage without having to render his up throw stale. His KOing ability was also improved, with his up and down smash attacks dealing more knockback and the latter being more effective if his down aerial is used to combo into it. Hammer Flip had its ending lag reduced, thus making it slightly less punishable as well. Update 1.1.0 brought about further buffs, with Inhale having its start-up lag reduced, which makes it more likely to suck in an opponent, and can now combo out of some of his moves, such as his down air and up tilt. The second jab now connects into his neutral infinite better and his jab finisher comes out quicker. Lastly, Kirby's forward throw now sets up opponents for combos at lower percents, which helps his damage racking ability due to his previous lack of a throw that he could combo into. Overall, these buffs have made Kirby more successful than in the initial release of SSB4 and have brought him somewhat closer to how he was in Brawl.

Aesthetics

• Due to the generally brighter aesthetic used in SSB4, Kirby now has a brighter appearance. Additionally, his skin appears to have much more diffuse shading, with reduced difference in brightness between the lit and shadowed sides of his body.

Attributes

• Kirby is slightly lighter (78 → 77), which compensated with his slightly increased fall speed.
• Kirby's feet have become smaller. As a result, most moves involving his feet have had their reach significantly reduced, such as his up tilt.
• Kirby walks slightly slower (0.95 → 0.93).
• Kirby dashes much faster (1.371 → 1.5).
• Kirby's air speed is slightly slower (0.85 → 0.8).
• Kirby falls slightly faster (1.2 → 1.23).

Ground attacks

• Neutral infinite now transitions into a finisher.
• Neutral infinite's finisher is the Smash Punch from the Fighter ability.
• Dash attack (14% → 9%) and up tilt (7%/5% → 5%/4%) deal less damage with their knockback compensated.
• Kirby's foot is intangible during up tilt.
• Forward smash has increased startup (frame 12 → 13), less reach and reduced base knockback on all angles (38 → 30).
• Forward smash has reduced cooldown.
• Up smash is slightly stronger (knockback growth 100 → 102), reduced cooldown and Kirby's feet are now intangible during the attack.
• Down smash is stronger (30 base/100 growth → 25 base/108 growth), reduced cooldown and Kirby's feet are now intangible for 10 frames during the attack. Its lingering hit also lasts one frame longer.
• Down smash now hits vertically on all hitboxes, instead of having semi-spike hitboxes at the toes, effectively removing its edge-guarding potential.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral air (12%/6% → 10%/8%/6%/4%), back air sourspot (9% → 8%), up air (10% → 9%) and down air (12% → 9%) all deal less damage, with only neutral air and down air having proper knockback compensation.
• Forward aerial links more reliably, has increased knockback growth (138 → 145) and less landing lag (15 → 13 frames).
• Back aerial's sweetspot deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%), although its base knockback was reduced to compensate.
• Back aerial landing lag has been increased considerably (9 frames → 17 frames).
• Down aerial's hits link together better and the landing hitbox produces less knockback, allowing for follow-ups.
• Down aerial's meteor effect has slightly more growth (107 → 110).

Throws/other attacks

• Kirby has a new grab animation.
• Standing grab had its range reduced moderately and dash grab had its range reduced significantly.
• Standing grab and pivot grab have reduced cooldown.
• Dash grab comes out slightly faster (frame 10 → 8).
• Pummel has been sped up and deals slightly more damage (1% → 1.55%).
• Forward throw deals less damage (8% → 5%) (knockback somewhat compensated).
• Down throw deals less damage (12% → 10%), has drastically increased knockback (10 base/100 growth → 60 base/180 growth), and sends at 63 degrees instead of 90 degrees, weakening any follow-ups. It is now considered among the worst throws in SSB4 despite receiving a damage increase in update 1.0.6.
• Back throw is significantly stronger (80 base/50 growth → 30 base/120 growth) and it can also be cancelled out of much sooner, allowing for mix-ups, low percent follow-ups, and tech chasing on certain characters.
• Up throw is weaker (70 base/70 growth → 75 base/63 growth).
• Kirby has a new sidestep animation.

Special moves

• Inhale has less start up and end lag.
• Inhale does more damage when used to copy abilities.
• Kirbycide via Inhale now KOs Kirby first, meaning Kirby will lose instead of winning or tying if he performs it when him and his opponent are on their last stocks; this also releases the opponent and allows them to potentially recover back to the stage. However, there are a set number of characters, when Kirbycided from a certain angle, will cause a sudden death to occur. Spitting out inhaled enemies also deals less damage to them.
• Inhaling non-explosive items now heals 1% damage for Kirby.
• Inhale has a whirlwind-like cone which bears a likeness to what is seen from the move in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. It also produces sound effects similar to Kirby's inhale and copy sound effects from Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby's Adventure, respectively.
• Hammer can now charge up and release a much more powerful fiery attack known as the Hammer Flip. Kirby can jump and move around while charging it, but keeping it at full charge will deal recoil damage to Kirby, similarly to King Dedede's Jet Hammer. A fully-charged Hammer gives Kirby launch resistance during part of the swing and deals significantly more shield damage to where it can nearly break full shields.
• Hammer has more start-up even when entirely uncharged when airborne, no longer halts his momentum in the air when used, and has reduced knockback and damage unless charged, with the grounded version KOing 44% later uncharged compared to Brawl, and the aerial version KOing 45% and 52% later uncharged compared to the first and second hit in Brawl, respectively.
• The blade of Final Cutter deals less damage and the shockwave produced goes around half the distance.
• Aerial Stone deals significantly more shield damage to where it can nearly break shields.
• Stone now KOs 8% later. Kirby now takes half damage if he gets hit by strong attacks and attacks that deal more damage.
• The Thwomp of Stone now uses the design from New Super Mario Bros. Wii instead of Super Mario 64.
• Kirby's Final Smash is now the Ultra Sword from Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Compared to Cook Kirby, while it does not provide restorative items (which is flawed as they can be stolen by the opponent or completely disabled by item settings), Ultra Sword is a trapping move that deals more damage (34% → 40%) and knockback that has actual KO potential, making it vastly superior for offensive use.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Two quick punches followed by the Vulcan Jab from the Fighter ability. Turns into a Smash Punch from the Fighter ability when ended.
			3%
			1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt			8% (base), 7% (tip)	Kirby does a spinning roundhouse kick. Can be angled upwards or downwards. Hits on frame 5.
Up tilt			5% (clean), 4% (late)	Kirby does a scorpion kick from behind. Disjointed range, but low damage. Hits on frame 4.
Down tilt			6%	Kirby does a crouching low kick. Hits on frame 4.
Dash attack			1% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6)	Break Spin from the Yo-Yo ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby does a running spinning headstand while kicking with his feet. Hits multiple times.
Forward smash	↗		16% (clean), 12% (late)	From the Fighter Ability. Kirby lunges forward and delivers a thrust kick that slightly moves him forward. Can be angled upwards or downwards. Clean hit at all angle can KO at 117% (no angle), 109% (up angle), 126% (down angle). Hits on frame 13.
	→		15% (clean), 11% (late)
	↘		14% (clean), 10% (late)
Up smash			15%/14% (clean), 14%/12% (mid), 12%/11% (late)	Does a backflip kick, similar to Fox's up smash (Flip Kick) and Yoshi's up smash. Front hit KOs at 105%. Hits on frames 14-19.
Down smash			14% (clean), 10% (late)	Kirby does a spinning split kick. Clean hit KOs at 116%. Hits from frames 10-22.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 8% (mid), 6% (mid-late), 4% (late)	Kirby spins around in the air. Hits on frame 10.
Forward aerial			4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 5% (hit 3)	Kirby does three quick spinning kicks. First hit on frame 10.
Back aerial			13% (clean), 8% (late)	Quickly crouches in midair then kicks his legs behind him. Clean KOs at 141%. Hits on frame 6.
Up aerial			9%	Does a flip kick in midair, similar to his up smash. Hits on frame 10.
Down aerial			1% (hits 1-5), 2% (hit 6), 2% (landing)	Kirby does a downward drill kick. The final hit has a weak meteor effect. An effective combo starter on grounded opponents. Hits on frame 18.
Grab			—	Kirby's grab range is average. Most of his throws are based from the ones used by the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star.
Pummel			1.55%	Punches the enemy. Has moderate speed.
Forward throw			5%	Pile Driver from the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby flips and slams the opponent in a piledriver-like maneuver. Can lead into highly damaging combos.
Back throw			8%	Backdrop from the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Quickly flips backwards and slams opponent head-first into the ground.
Up throw			10%	Air Drop from the Ninja ability in Kirby Super Star. Holds the foe and rapidly jumps off-screen, then rockets back down to the ground, creating an explosion. Kirby's most damaging throw.
Down throw			0.8% (hits 1-9), 1% (hit 10), 2% (throw)	Fury Stomp from the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby throws his victim into the ground, then stomps on them several times quickly, and then finishes with a jump attack. The stomps also damage nearby opponents.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Kirby gets up and does a spin kick.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Kirby gets up, then kicks on one side, then the other.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Kirby gets up then spins around kicking.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Kirby flips over the edge and kicks.
Neutral special	Default	Inhale	6% (spit), 10% (swallow)	Kirby sucks up his opponent. He can exhale them as a star to deal damage, or copy their neutral special attack. Some characters will give him an alternative special move due to mechanics that would not work properly when copied over, like Olimar's Pikmin Pluck.
	Custom 1	Ice Breath	2.4% (nearest), 1.2% (near), 2.4% (far), 6% (farthest)	From the Ice ability. Kirby exhales cold air, which hits multiple times and can freeze his opponent. Due to the attack only involving exhaling, he cannot Inhale anything in with this move.
	Custom 2	Jumping Inhale	5% (spit), 8% (swallow)	Kirby jumps forwards before inhaling. If Kirby spits out his opponent, the star will not deal damage.
Side special	Default	Hammer Flip	19% (ground uncharged), 15% (air uncharged), 35% (ground fully charged), 27% (air fully charged)	From the Hammer ability. Kirby swings his hammer forwards in an arc, which increases in power the longer it charges. When the hammer is fully charged, it becomes aflame, gradually damaging Kirby. He can move around and jump while charging this move. Uncharged, it KOs at 127% grounded and 162% aerial, fully charged it KOs at 37% grounded and 71% aerial.
	Custom 1	Hammer Bash	21% (ground head), 18% (ground handle), 4% (air hit 1), 17% (air hit 2 head), 15% (air hit 2 handle)	Kirby swings his hammer forwards in an arc, which sends his opponents skyward on contact. This variation does not charge, making it function like it did in Melee and Brawl. Using this move in midair causes Kirby to rise slightly, which makes it possible to reach the top of Palutena's Temple from the bottom platform while using Shulk's Jump Art, also this makes it to the point of surpassing the vertical distance of Villager's ballon trip distance.
	Custom 2	Giant Hammer	22% (ground uncharged), 20% (air uncharged), 40% (ground fully charged), 32% (air fully charged)	Kirby swings a massive hammer, which is slower but stronger than his normal one. Kirby has super armor while charging the hammer.
Up special	Default	Final Cutter	5% (rise), 2% (drop), 5% (landing), 6% (wave)	From the Cutter ability. Kirby jumps straight up and falls straight down with a curved blade, cutting anyone he comes in contact with on the way up and meteor smashing anyone he comes in contact with on the way down. When landing, Kirby creates a shockwave projectile that moves forwards quickly.
	Custom 1	Wave Cutter	15% (blade), 10% (projectile), 5% (Kirby)	Kirby jumps straight up and falls straight down, creating a shockwave that sends rocks flying outwards. The move only deals damage when Kirby lands on the ground.
	Custom 2	Upper Cutter	10%	Kirby jumps straight up, cutting anyone he comes in contact with. Stronger than his regular blade and goes higher, but cannot hit anything on the way down.
Down special	Default	Stone	14% (shockwave), 18% (impact)	From the Stone ability. Kirby turns into a heavy object and plummets straight down, sending enemies flying on contact. Kirby cannot be damaged in this form, but can be grabbed. Stone KOs at 108%.
	Custom 1	Grounding Stone	6% (shockwave), 10% (impact on grounded opponents), 12% (impact on airborne opponents)	Kirby turns into a heavy object and plummets straight down. Kirby takes longer to transform, but takes less time transforming back, and grounded enemies are buried on contact.
	Custom 2	Meteor Stone	12% (clean), 10% (mid), 8% (late)	Kirby turns into a heavy object and plummets straight down. Kirby takes longer to transform back, but he will meteor smash any enemies he hits while falling.
Final Smash		Ultra Sword	3% (stun), 5% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-9), 16% (hit 10)	From the Ultra Sword Super Ability. Kirby takes out a gigantic sword and repeatedly slashes the opponent. If the move connects, he will teleport around them while slashing at them multiple times. He finishes the move with a powerful hit from a further enlarged sword. This move is similar to Great Aether.

Taunts

• Up: A Kirby Dance similar to his victory dances in the Kirby games.
• Side: Spins around, then stops, sticking out his left leg and saying "Eeu!". Almost identical to the "preview" animation shown when he is chosen in the original Super Smash Bros..
• Down: Faces the screen, waves his arms, and says his signature elongated "Hi!".

On-Screen Appearance

Kirby rides in on a Warp Star and crashes down.

Victory Fanfare

A remix directly from Brawl. Originally debuting in Kirby's Dream Land, it is a remix of the short recurring theme that plays when Kirby completes a stage or defeats a boss. It is shared with King Dedede.

Victory Poses

• Spins and holds his hand up.
• Does some flips, then holds his hand up.
• Skids to each side, then holds his hand up.
  • All of Kirby's animations are variations of the Kirby Dance, performed when he completes a level in his own games.

Idle Poses

• Sleeps for a while, then shakes his head and wakes up again.
• Hops a bit to look back, then hops again returning to normal position.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Kirby	3231	3232	3233	1231	1131
	3133	3131	2231	3221	3331

Notable Players

•  AkaruiPoyo
•  MikeKirby
•  Smash G0D
•  Triple R

Down Taunt Glitches

There exist two glitches with Kirby's down taunt.

No Glowing Eyes

If the player enters Training mode and selects certain CPUs, copies the opponent, gathers a Smash Ball, and performs a down taunt, Kirby's eyes should no longer be glowing. This works with:

• Mr. Game & Watch
• Donkey Kong
• Falco
• Wii Fit Trainer

Interestingly, when the player copies the ability again after using the Final Smash or self-destructing (excluding Mr. Game & Watch), Kirby's eyes will be glowing.

• 

  Kirby with the Final Smash aura, but no glowing eyes

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  Kirby with glowing eyes, but no Final Smash aura

Pac-Maze Ω Form

If the player enters Training mode on Pac-Maze's Ω form, sets the camera to "Zoom", and performs Kirby's down taunt, Kirby's face should glitch out and "disappear". This is because, during his down taunt, Kirby leans his body away from the stage, so that his face sticks out; the zoomed in camera makes his face clip through the line of gameplay. Giving Kirby a Poison Mushroom causes almost all of his body to clip through the line of gameplay.

Alternate costumes

Trophies

Kirby

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.

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.

: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)

: Kirby Super Star (08/1996)

Kirby (Alt.)

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.

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.

: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)

: Kirby Super Star (08/1996)

Ultra Sword

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!

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!

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• KirbyAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Ultra Sword

Update history

1.0.4

• Copy abilities whose base character's neutral special was altered by the patch have been altered in the same way.
• Many behaviors, such as Stone and its custom variants and Final Cutter, have been adjusted.

1.0.5

• Kirby Silver Bow hovering removed.

1.0.6

• Down throw deals 3.6% more damage.
• Upward angled forward smash sourspot deals 1% less damage, from 13% to 12%, and KOs 11% later.
• Up smash KOs 7% earlier.
• Down smash KOs 4% earlier.
• Inhale can be canceled earlier.
• Kirby moves faster on the ground while charging Hammer Flip.
• Hammer Flip has less ending lag.
• Fire emits from Kirby after eating explosive items.
• Final Cutter visual effects improved.

1.1.0

• Forward throw sends at a better trajectory for combos.
• Forward throw KOs 24% earlier.
• Forward throw deals less damage, now dealing 5% instead of 7%.
• Inhale has less startup lag.
• Second jab connects into neutral infinite better.
• Jab finisher comes out quicker.

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Regulars: Kirby is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are starter characters from the original Super Smash Bros. game.
• Kirby's Crazy Appetite: Kirby must heal his damage by eating the food on the stage. 3 King Dededes will try to hinder his progress.

Co-op Events

• A Fairy Nice Trip: Four Kirbies will try to stop Link and Pac-Man from surviving until the stage reaches Fairy-Land.
• Food Fight: A damaged Kirby and King Dedede must defeat Wario, Yoshi, and Pac-Man.
• Getting Healthy: Kirby and Pac-Man must be defeated by Wii Fit Trainer and Little Mac.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Viral Visitors: 4 Kirbies must be defeated by Dr. Mario and Peach.
• Visiting Onett: Kirby is one of the six opponents Ness and Villager must defeat.

Gallery

• 

  Kirby in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

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  Kirby's amiibo.

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  Kirby's appearance during E3 2013.

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  Kirby's appearance in the 3DS version of the game.

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  Kirby using Final Cutter in the 3DS version of the game.

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  Kirby using Hammer in the 3DS version of the game with Bowser on Battlefield.

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  Kirby using his down aerial on Fox in the Wii U version of the game.

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  Kirby using Final Cutter on Mario in the Wii U version of the game in Town and City.

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  Kirby using his neutral attack in the Wii U version of the game.

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  Kirby using Hammer while airborne in the Wii U version of the game.

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  Kirby getting meteor smashed by Mario's forward aerial.

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  Kirby with Toon Link and Pikachu.

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  Sonic kicking Fox and Kirby on the Spirit Train.

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  Kirby fighting Mario, Samus and Toon Link.

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  Taunting with Mario and Luigi.

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  On the Spirit Train stage with Pikachu.

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  Ducking under Samus' Missile with Mario.

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  Being hit by Villager's down aerial.

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  In the Boxing Ring with King Dedede.

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  With the Wii Fit Trainer on Wii Fit Studio.

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  Forward aerial with Luigi and a Smash Ball on Pyrosphere.

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  Kirby wearing an Ability Hat with Charizard.

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  Kirby charging Hammer Flip.

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  Kirby riding Dragoon.

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  Kirby with a new palette swap with Charizard and Meta Knight on Halberd.

Trivia

• The ability to charge Kirby's Hammer was actually intended for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as shown through unused animations found via hacking.
• Kirby cannot copy custom special moves, even if he swallows a character that has them equipped.
  • Despite this, he has voice clips for all of Palutena's available neutral specials, suggesting that either he was able to copy customs at one point in development, or that it was not yet decided which of Palutena's moves would be the defaults.
• Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first game in the series in which Kirby does not have a different dash attack, as he retains his dash attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Kirby's alternate trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS shows his gray alternate color as having blue eyes, but it has gray eyes in-game.
• Kirby has the most sound clips of any character, totalling 77, rivalled only by the Announcer.
• Kirby's Screen KO in the Wii U version of the game has a very similar appearance to when he is slammed into the screen on his own game, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, on Nintendo 3DS.