King K. Rool (SSBU)/Forward tilt

King K. Rool forward tilt hitbox visualizations
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Overview

King K. Rool rears back and performs a lunging clap attack, similar to Donkey Kong's forward smash. The move gains Belly Super Armor when he rears back to clap, making it an effective approach option with pivot cancelling, though a bit unsafe. Sends at a semi-spike angle and is decently fast for its power, KOing middleweights at 107% at the edge of Final Destination.

Forward tilt can be angled up and down from frames 1-10, making it a decent anti-air tool when angled up (outranging Lucina's forward aerial completely), and it is capable of hitting every character on the ledge - even 2-framing - when angled down. This gives the move a great degree of flexibility. To add to this versatility, the move has impressive range due to a massive, disjointed hitbox surrounding K. Rool's hands. This makes it even more difficult to challenge and a premier defensive option in K. Rool's kit.

It can also be safe on shield (-18 on the sweetspot, -19 on the sourspot, note the range when considering shield safety) if spaced perfectly, making it a decent approach option against characters that have poor range on their out of shield options, such as Ken. On the flip side, the armor also makes a half-decent out of shield option, with armor starting on Frame 16 considering the 11 shield drop frames. This is useful against opponents less experienced with pressuring shield. This is also effective against frame traps involving deceptively unsafe moves, particularly from swordfighter characters.

Forward Tilt can be used to end combos, usually after a forward air at lower percentages. This is considered to be slightly inferior to dash attack in terms of damage, but is far more consistent. It is also the only consistent option out of a forward air without momentum at Low%s, with dash attack tending to whiff or only get the late hit. Forward Tilt is also the best option out of a basic jab lock should dash attack be unfavorable, or if the player is less adept at doing it. This is also a very strong kill confirm due to consistent sweetspots. When used alongside down aerial locks, this is among the most consistent, high damage basic lock combos in the game, dealing well over 35%.

Forward tilt is considered to be one of the easier moves to use out of down throw, being capable of sweetspotting opponents if angled correctly (although this varies by character). A resource for this can be found here. This is considered to be suboptimal, as it has stiff competition with up tilt and dash attack for their superior consistency. Dash attack, as of 8.0.0, also KOs a bit earlier compared to the sweetspot. As such, if a player knows how to use instant dash attack, there is little reason to go for it outside of superior popout coverage when angled up. On the flip side, however, an upward angled forward tilt will always sourspot a buried opponent, making it even less optimal if the mashout doesn't happen.

However, forward tilt is not without flaws. It does suffer from moderately high ending lag, though this flaw can be partially mitigated when spaced correctly. It does however make it relatively easy to whiff punish, especially for faster opponents. K. Rool's face is also vulnerable during the attack, giving its protection a slight hole unless it is angled upwards. These are generally minor flaws in the move, but have to be noted when using it.

The combination of its range, Belly Super Armor, KO potential and ability to angle it up or down makes it not only one of the best moves in King K. Rool's kit, but also arguably one of the best forward tilts in the game.

Update History

3.0.0

Forward tilt's hitboxes on K. Rool's gauntlets were expanded, giving them more range.
- This significantly improves forward tilt as a punish out of down throw, as down angled forward tilt now hits characters that it previously wouldn't, such as Jigglypuff, Mr. Game & Watch.

Hitboxes

ID	Part	Rehit rate	Damage	SD	Angle type	BK	KS	FKV	Radius	Bone	Offset			H×	SDI×	T%	Sound	Hit bits	Hit part
Angled Straight
0	0	0	11.0%	0	Standard	64	76	0	3.0	top	0.0	9.0 to 13.0	9.0	1.5×	1.0×	0%	Punch	All	All
1	0	0	13.0%	0	Standard	64	76	0	7.0	havel	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5×	1.0×	0%	Punch	All	All
Angled High or Low
0	0	0	11.0%	0	Standard	64	76	0	5.0	top	0.0	11.0	11.0	1.5×	1.0×	0%	Punch	All	All
1	0	0	13.0%	0	Standard	64	76	0	7.0	havel	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5×	1.0×	0%	Punch	All	All