King Dedede (SSB4): Difference between revisions

King Dedede is currently ranked 52nd out of 58 on the [[tier list]], placing him in the H tier. This makes him the second highest ranked bottom-tier character, which is a significant drop from his high-tier placement in ''Brawl'', where he was ranked 12th out of 38. This also gives Dedede the distinction of having the second largest tier drop from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4'' (behind [[Falco_(SSB4)|Falco]]). King Dedede's primary strength is his large [[disjointed]] range, courtesy of his hammer. In addition to his range, he also possesses some very powerful [[punish]]ing moves, such as his forward and down smash and back and down aerials, with the latter two giving him good edgeguarding potential. King Dedede also boasts arguably the greatest overall survivability 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 jump]]s 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 examples are the removal of [[chain grab]]bing and his back aerial, as well as his significantly worsened grab game, which has gone from one of the best to just below average. Additionally, he retains his poor mobility and sluggish frame data from ''Brawl'': he has one of the slowest [[dash]]ing speeds and his air speed, which was already the slowest, has become even slower; King Dedede's moveset also has among the slowest moves in the game, with his entire moveset barring down tilt, neutral aerial and standing grab being active before frame 9. These traits not only hinder King Dedede offensively, but defensively as well; alongside his large size, considerable weight and fast falling speed result, King 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. He is also no longer of camping himself due to his new side special, [[Gordo Throw]], being [[reflect]]able by any attack that deals 2% or more. Finally, King Dedede suffers from disproportionately weak strength for a super heavyweight; his fastest moves fail to KO until very high percentages, while his slowest moves are among the most punishable in the game.