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
Tier	F (33)

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, who provided new voice clips that changed Kirby's inflections somewhat compared to the previous games in the series.

Kirby ranks 33rd out of 56 on the tier list, placing him in the F tier and thus making him the second highest ranked low-tier character. This is a slight downturn for Kirby, as he was a mid-tier character in Brawl due to being ranked 20th out of 38. Kirby possesses a great combo game, courtesy of his up tilt and his up aerial's excellent juggling abilities, as well as good frame data throughout most of his moveset. Despite his size, Kirby also has great KO potential due to his powerful up throw and guaranteed KO set-ups off of his down aerial on floatier characters. His crouch is also very useful, allowing him to avoid many moves from a variety of characters, along with a number of grabs from taller characters.

However, Kirby retains many of his flaws from Brawl, the most notable of which is his poor survivability as a result of his floatiness and extremely light weight. When this is coupled with his predictable recovery, Kirby is left prone to either getting KO'd off of the blast zones early or being edgeguarded early. His mobility is also poor, leaving him prone to being zoned out by many characters, though his crouch can help alleviate some pressure against projectiles that are not affected by gravity. Kirby's range has also been nerfed, due to his feet being smaller. Because of these flaws, Kirby is seen as a below average character in SSB4 and is barely seen in tournaments, although he does have a couple notable results at top level tournaments.

Attributes

Kirby is tied for the fifth lightest character in the game, being small, having slow walking speed, average dashing speed, the fourth lowest falling speed, the third lowest gravity, the fourth lowest air speed, below average traction and average air acceleration. Despite having the second weakest jumps, he can jump a total of six times, making up for that flaw.

Kirby's greatest strength is the versatility of his moveset. Almost all of Kirby's moves are characterized by speed, and those that are not have very high power instead. Neutral attack and forward tilt are fast and have decent range, allowing Kirby to quickly fend off opponents. Up tilt is notorious for its combo capabilities, being very quick and having the ability to consistently combo into itself or an aerial attack. Down tilt is very fast, with its very low power being compensated by the Sakurai angle, allowing it to trip opponents even at percentages as high as 270%. His smash attacks have good range and high power while not being particularly slow, making them excellent at ending an opponent's stock. His aerial game is also powerful. Neutral aerial lasts for a long amount of time, and its very low landing lag grants Kirby a lot of protection and allows him to take full advantage of buffering. Forward aerial is powerful, chains fluidly and can allow additional follow-ups at low percentages. Up aerial has vertical knockback and low landing lag, allowing many potential follow-ups. Back aerial has long range, lasts for a decent amount of time and is Kirby's fastest and strongest aerial, making it a very good all-purpose aerial attack. Lastly, down aerial drags opponents downwards before meteor smashing them, making it a deceptively powerful edgeguarding tool. It also benefits considerably from frame cancelling, allowing Kirby to instantly throw out an attack upon landing.

His grab game is also useful. His grabs are either fast or have good range, making up for the lack of the other. Despite dealing little damage, his pummel is very fast, allowing Kirby to rack up damage quickly. His forward throw, notorious in Brawl for its highly damaging combo options at 0%, has been improved even further, now possessing follow-ups even at medium percentages, including down aerial to re-grab. Back throw can be followed up by a back aerial at 0% on certain characters, tech-chase fastfallers and KO at high percentages. Up throw is his strongest throw and is able to KO almost all characters at 170%, or even earlier if it lands on a platform. Down throw, despite being near useless, can rack up plenty of damage when no other throw can yield better results.

His special moveset has some interesting options. Inhale is Kirby's signature move, allowing him to either copy the neutral special move of any character he inhales or spit them out as a weight-dependent projectile. The latter can be used to Kirbycide or put the opponent below the stage, almost eliminating their chances of recovering. The former, depending on what character he inhales, can give Kirby a small help (Falcon Punch and Homing Attack) or massive benefits (Monado Arts and Needle Storm). Hammer is extremely powerful, especially when fully charged. Its low speed, however, makes it very difficult to use outside of edgeguarding or after a shield break. Final Cutter is Kirby's primary move for recovery and is decent at that, granting good vertical and horizontal distance, as well as decent protection on the way up and on the way down. It also releases a beam upon landing, making it difficult to punish if not at point-blank range. Finally, Stone causes Kirby to plummet straight down and ignore damage by any move that deals less than 30%. It is also very strong and can be cancelled at any time, making it useful for playing mindgames.

However, Kirby has noticeable flaws. As mentioned before, Kirby is known for his poor mobility, giving him significant trouble approaching and pressuring opponents. It also gives him trouble against fast characters (such as Sonic) or those with disjointed hitboxes (like Marth). In addition, despite being very long, his recovery is extremely slow, making aggressive edgeguarding and gimp-oriented moves (such as F.L.U.D.D. or meteor smashes) detrimental to him. Kirby's range is also mediocre at best, and his strongest moves happen to be his slowest, making it difficult for him to KO opponents outside of edgeguarding or without a set-up. His most prominent weakness, however, is his endurance. Being light and floaty, Kirby cannot survive strong hits at high percentages. He is also very vulnerable to juggling, due to the aforementioned slow falling speed and slow air speed. The introduction of rage further compounds these issues, as Kirby will get sent flying even earlier, and will usually not last long enough to take advantage of it.

Kirby can benefit significantly from custom moves. Jumping Inhale is slower and lacks the vacuum, but moves Kirby forward, often putting opponents at very bad positions. Hammer Bash is almost identical to Hammer in Brawl, being much faster and, due its vertical knockback, almost as powerful, at the cost of the default's immense strength. Upper Cutter immediately cancels at the apex, removing the descending hitbox and the beam, but is faster, stronger and grants much more height and momentum, making it much better for recovering, as well as granting Kirby a reliable out of shield option. Grounding Stone is much weaker and has more startup, but it buries grounded opponents and has much less ending lag, allowing for follow-ups, safer mindgames, and acts as a potential anti-juggling tool.

Overall, Kirby, like Luigi, tends to run hot-and-cold. He can inflict serious damage if he gets close to his opponent, but doing so is difficult in the first place. He has seen above average tournament representation with players such as MikeKirby, Poyo and others, but his tournament results are poor overall.

Changes from Brawl

Kirby has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, but was slightly nerfed overall. While he retains the issues he had in Brawl, he also suffers from having his range worsened in SSB4 due to his feet becoming smaller and his standing and dash grabs' ranges decreased. However, some of his less reliable moves from Brawl, particularly Inhale and his down aerial, have been buffed and now possess much more utility. The removal of hitstun cancelling also benefits Kirby more than harming him, as it enables him to chain combos together much better.

Aesthetics

• Due to the generally brighter aesthetic used in SSB4, Kirby's overall coloration is now brighter. Additionally, his skin appears to have much more diffuse shading, with reduced difference in brightness between the lit and shaded sides of his body.
• Kirby is more expressive compared to Brawl. When performing moves such as his grab, pummel, throws, smash attacks, Final Cutter, Hammer Flip and most of his Copy Abilities, he will now sport a stern look, similarly to how he did in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. His facial expressions when being attacked are also more exaggerated now and he even sports two different expressions when he is Screen KO'd. He will either have teary eyes, his mouth closed and the right side of his face pressed against the screen or have wincing eyes, his mouth open and his whole face pressed against the screen. Both are based on his expression when an attack slams him against the screen in Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
• Sidestep's animation has changed.

Attributes

• Due to the universal size changes of all characters, which is especially noticeable among characters typically depicted as large or small in their respective series, Kirby's small stature further improves his evasiveness and makes him much harder to be hit. Notable examples include Robin's Thunder and the majority of Ganondorf's moveset, which he can simply let fly over his head as he approaches or simply crouch under certain attacks, respectively.
• Kirby's feet have become smaller. As a result, most moves involving his feet, such as his up tilt, have had their reach significantly reduced.
• Kirby is heavier (78 → 79).
• Kirby walks slower (0.95 → 0.93).
• Kirby dashes faster (1.371 → 1.568).
• Kirby's air speed is slower (0.85 → 0.8).
• Kirby falls faster (1.2 → 1.23).

Ground attacks

• Neutral infinite now transitions into a finisher, which is the Smash Punch from the Fighter ability.
• Dash attack deals 5% less damage (14% → 9%) with its knockback compensated.
• Up tilt now renders Kirby's foot intangible.
• Up tilt deals less damage (7%/5% → 5%/4%) with its knockback compensated.
• Forward smash has decreased cooldown.
• Forward smash has increased start-up (frame 12 → 13), less reach and reduced base knockback on all angles (38 → 30).
• Up smash has slightly more knockback growth (100 → 104), has reduced cooldown and Kirby's feet are now intangible during the attack.
• Down smash is stronger overall (30 (base)/100 (growth) → 25/110), has reduced cooldown and Kirby's feet are now intangible for 10 frames during the attack. Its lingering hit also lasts 1 frame longer.
• Down smash's hitboxes now launch opponents vertically instead of semi-spiking them, effectively removing its edge-guarding potential.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, up, down, and sourspotted back aerials deal less damage (12%/10%/8%/6% → 10%/8%/6%/4% (neutral), 10% → 9% (up), 12% → 9% (down) 9% → 8% (back)). Only neutral and down aerials had their knockback compensated.
• Forward aerial's hits connect together better, have increased knockback growth (138 → 148) and decreased landing lag (15 frames → 13).
• Sweetspotted back aerial deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%) with its base knockback compensated.
• Back aerial's landing lag has noticeably increased (9 frames → 17).
• Down aerial's hits connect together better and the landing hitbox produces less knockback, allowing for follow-ups. Its meteor hitbox also has increased knockback growth (107 → 110).

Throws/other attacks

• Grab's animation has changed. Kirby now swings his arm sideways instead of upward.
• Standing and pivot grabs have decreased cooldown.
• Dash grab comes out faster (frame 10 → 8).
• Standing and dash grabs' had their ranges decreased.
• Pummel deals 0.55% more damage (1% → 1.55%) and is faster, now being the third fastest pummel in the game.
• Forward throw deals 3% less damage (8% → 5%) with its knockback somewhat compensated.
• Forward throw's reduced damage output also decreased its knockback. When combined with its new launching trajectory and the removal of hitstun canceling, it is now a reliable combo starter.
• Back throw's knockback has been altered (80 (base)/50 (growth) → 30/120), which allows it to KO at high percents near the edge. 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's knockback has been increased (70 (base)/70 (growth) → 75/74).
• Down throw deals 1.8% less damage (12% → 10.2%). Its knockback has been increased (10 (base)/100 (growth) → 60/180) and its angle has been altered (90° → 63°). This not only weakens any follow-ups, but also made it lose most of its utility aside from damage racking or hitting surrounding opponents.

Special moves

• Inhale has decreased start-up and ending lag. Additionally, Inhaling non-explosive items now heals Kirby by 1%.
• Kirbycide now KOs Kirby first, meaning Kirby will lose instead of winning or tying if he performs it when he 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. A sudden death will also occur when using Jumping Inhale to Kirbycide.
• Inhale's copying and spitting damage outputs have been reversed (6% → 10% (copy), 10% → 6% (spit)).
• Inhale's animation has slightly changed. It now has a whirlwind-like cone in front of Kirby's mouth, which bears a likeness to the move in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. It also produces sound effects similar to the Inhale and copy sound effects from Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby's Adventure, respectively.
• Hammer Flip can now charge up and release a much more powerful fiery attack. Kirby can jump and move around while charging it. A fully charged Hammer Flip gives Kirby launch resistance during part of the swing and deals significantly more shield damage, to where it can nearly break full shields.
• Holding a fully charged Hammer Flip will deal recoil damage to Kirby, similarly to King Dedede's Jet Hammer. It has reduced knockback and damage unless charged. The grounded version KOs 44% later uncharged compared to Brawl, while the aerial version KOs 45% and 52% later uncharged compared to the first and second hits respectively in Brawl. It no longer has transcendent priority Hammer Flip has more startup even when entirely uncharged in midair and no longer halts his momentum in midair when used.
• Final Cutter's shockwave's range has been decreased by half.
• Stone deals more shield damage when performed in midair, to the point of nearly breaking shields.
• Stone now KOs 8% later. Kirby also 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 has a new Final Smash, Ultra Sword. Compared to Cook Kirby, it does not provide restorative items, which itself is flawed as they can be stolen by the opponent or completely disabled by the item settings. Instead, Ultra Sword is a trapping move that deals 6% more damage (34% → 40%) and knockback that has actual KO potential, making it vastly superior for offensive use.

Update history

Kirby has been noticeably buffed via game updates, addressing many flaws that he had in the initial release. Update 1.0.6 saw his KOing ability being 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, the second jab now connects into his neutral infinite better and his jab finisher comes out quicker, and his forward throw is effective for punishes and now sets up opponents for combos better, which is very useful for Kirby due to his previous lack of a throw that he could combo into. He also benefits from the new shield mechanics in 1.1.0 and 1.1.1, as it lets him break shields easier thanks to his down aerial's multiple hits and Stone's high damage output and hitlag. Update 1.1.3 has brought about even further buffs; all of his smash attacks, his forward and back aerials, and all variations of Hammer Flip are slightly stronger, while his up throw is much stronger. He also dashes slightly faster. Update 1.1.4 brought out another buff, hard tripping now grants him five frames of invincibility. He has been buffed again in update 1.1.5, all of his smashes and all variations of Hammer Flip had their knockback slightly increased again. As a result, he is effectively better than he was during SSB4's initial release.

1.0.4

• Copy Abilities whose base character's neutral special was altered by the update have been altered in the same way.
• Many behaviors, such as Final Cutter and all variations of Stone, have been adjusted.

1.0.5

• Fixed a glitch where Kirby could hover after using Silver Bow.

1.0.6

• Down throw deals 3.6% more damage: 6.6% → 10.2%.
• Sourspotted upward angled forward smash deals 1% less damage: 13% → 12%.
• Upward angled forward smash also KOs 11% later.
• Up smash KOs 7% earlier.
• Down smash KOs 4% earlier.
• Inhale can be canceled earlier.
• Inhale's animation slightly changed. Fiery effects emit from Kirby after he Inhales explosive items.
• Hammer Flip's ending lag decreased.
• Kirby moves faster on the ground while charging Hammer Flip.
• Final Cutter has improved visual effects.

1.1.0

• Forward throw's launching trajectory altered and has 3 frames less ending lag, improving its combo potential.
• Forward throw KOs 24% earlier.
• Forward throw deals 2% less damage: 7% → 5%.
• Inhale's start-up and ending lag decreased by 4 and 5 frames, respectively.
• Neutral attack's second hit connects together better with neutral infinite.
• Neutral infinite's finisher comes out faster.

1.1.1

• Ice Breath's hitboxes were moved forward.
• Ice Breath's farthest hitbox's size increased: 7.0 → 7.5.
• Ice Breath's angle altered.: 40° → 30°.
• Aerial Hammer Bash's weight-based knockback increased: 20 → 50.
• Hammer Bash's sourspot hitbox now takes priority over the sweetspot, effectively making the sweetspot smaller.

1.1.3

• Because of his eating habit, Kirby is slightly heavier: 77 → 79.
• Kirby dashes faster: 1.50 → 1.568.
• Forward smash's knockback growth increased: 99 → 100 (clean), 66 → 67 (late).
• Up smash's knockback growth increased: 102 → 103 (clean), 96 → 97 (mid), 50 → 51 (late).
• Down smash's knockback growth increased: 108 → 109.
• Forward aerial's knockback growth increased: 145 → 148.
• Forward aerial's hitlag multiplier increased: 1x → 1.2x.
• Back aerial's knockback growth increased: 102 → 104 (clean), 110 → 112 (late).
• Up throw's knockback growth increased: 63 → 74.
• All variations of Hammer Flip have had their knockback growths, hitbox sizes and durations increased.

1.1.4

• Hard tripping now grants 5 frames of invincibility.
• Fixed the glowing eyes glitch.

1.1.5

• Forward smash knockback growth: 100 → 102 (clean), 67 → 69 (late).
• Up smash knockback growth: 103/103/97 → 104/104/99 (early), 97 → 98, 51 → 52 (late).
• Down smash knockback growth: 109 → 110 (early).
• All variations of Hammer Flip knockback growth: 76 → 78.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Two quick punches followed by the Vulcan Jab from the Fighter ability. Turns into the Smash Punch from the Fighter ability when ended. Like most neutral attacks, this move is an effective landing or out of shield option due to its quick start-up.
			3%
			1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt			8% (base), 7% (tip)	A spinning roundhouse kick. Can be angled.
Up tilt			5% (clean), 4% (late)	A scorpion kick. Disjointed range, but low damage output. Can combo into itself for long strings at low percents, especially on fast-fallers. Kirby's foot is intangible as long as the hitbox remains active.
Down tilt			6%	A crouching shin kick. Fairly spammable and has a chance of tripping, which makes it often used to set up a grab.
Dash attack			1% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6)	The 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 and is difficult to SDI out of the move. The last hit has high knockback.
Forward smash	↗		16% (clean), 12% (late)	A thrust kick that slightly moves Kirby forward. It is very fast and can be angled. Can KO uncharged from center-stage at 107% (no angle), 99% (up angle), 116% (down angle) when clean. Based on the Spin Kick from the Fighter ability.
	→		15% (clean), 11% (late)
	↘		14% (clean), 10% (late)
Up smash			15%/14% (clean), 14%/12% (mid), 12%/11% (late)	A backflip kick, similar to Fox's and Yoshi's up smashes. Kirby's foot is also intangible as long as the hitbox remains active. KOs uncharged at 101% when clean.
Down smash			14% (clean), 10% (late)	A spinning split kick that launches opponents upward. Kirby's feet are also intangible during the start-up and the clean hitbox of the attack. KOs uncharged at 112% when clean.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 8% (mid), 6% (mid-late), 4% (late)	A cartwheeling attack, hitting with his arms and legs. A decent option for warding off the opponent's pressure or as an out of shield option. Very low landing lag.
Forward aerial			4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 5% (hit 3)	Three quick spinning kicks. The first two hits deal weak knockback to lead into the last hit. Low landing lag allows the first or second hit to be used as a set-up into other moves. Can connect into itself for a pseudo-Wall of Pain in certain instances.
Back aerial			13% (clean), 8% (late)	A double footed back kick. Functions as a sex kick. The move has very low start-up lag and good range, with a slightly disjointed hitbox. One of Kirby's most useful aerial attacks, as it is very good at edge-guarding, and can perform Wall of Pain techniques. KOs at 131% when clean.
Up aerial			9%	A backflip kick, similar to his up smash. Mainly used for juggling or continuing a combo due to its low landing lag.
Down aerial			1% (hits 1-5), 2% (hit 6), 2% (landing)	A drill kick. The final hit has a weak meteor smash. An effective combo starter on grounded opponents, and a dangerous edge-guarding move on recovering opponents. Low ending lag makes it relatively safe to use off-stage.
Grab			—	Most of Kirby's throws are based from the ones used by the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star, and two from his Backdrop and Ninja abilities.
Pummel			1.55%	Punches the enemy. A very fast pummel. It is the third fastest pummel in the game, and one of the best pummels overall.
Forward throw			5%	The Pile Driver from the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby flips and then piledrives the opponent. Can lead into highly damaging combos, such as down aerial to re-grab, depending on the opponent's DI.
Back throw			8%	The Backdrop ability from Kirby's Adventure. Kirby German suplexes the opponent. Can lead into back air at low percents on certain characters and can KO at an edge around 140% on most characters.
Up throw			10%	The Air Drop from the Ninja ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby holds the foe and rapidly jumps off-screen, then rockets back down to the ground, creating an explosive slam. Because Kirby jumps up, it can land onto platforms above him. This is his strongest throw as of update 1.1.3, KOing even Bowser at 165%, depending on DI.
Down throw			0.8% (hits 1-9), 1% (hit 10), 2% (throw)	The Fury Stomp from the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby throws the opponent onto the ground, then rapidly stomps on them several times, and then finishes with a jumping double foot stomp. The stomps also damage nearby opponents. Good for racking up damage when no other throw will do and is Kirby's most damaging throw.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Gets up and does a spin kick.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Gets up, then kicks on one side, then the other.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Gets up then spins around kicking, similarly to Captain Falcon's front floor attack.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Flips over the edge and kicks. Surprisingly good range, compared to many other characters' edge attacks.
Neutral special	Default	Inhale	10% (copy), 6% (spit)	Sucks in his opponent, which has a grab hitbox and can be held. He can walk around slowly or short hop once a character is inside him (although it can be button mashed out of), and then can press the attack button to exhale them as a star to deal damage, or press down or the special move button to 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)	The attack comes from Kirby's Ice ability. Kirby exhales cold air, which hits multiple times and can briefly 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)	Jumps forward before sucking in the opponent. If Kirby spits out his opponent, the star will not deal damage. When used to Kirbycide, it causes a Sudden Death.
Side special	Default	Hammer Flip	19% (ground uncharged), 15% (air uncharged), 35% (ground fully charged), 27% (air fully charged)	The attack comes from Kirby's Hammer ability. He swings his hammer forwards in an arc, which increases in power the longer it charges. When the hammer is fully charged, it ignites, gradually damaging Kirby. He can move around and jump while charging this move. When it is used in midair, Kirby will swing his hammer twice. Uncharged, it KOs at 127% while grounded and 162% in the air. When 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)	This variation does not charge, making it function almost exactly like it did in Brawl or when used on the ground in Melee. 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 after copying Shulk's Jump Art.
	Custom 2	Giant Hammer	22% (ground uncharged), 20% (air uncharged), 40% (ground fully charged), 32% (air fully charged)	A massive hammer that is much slower but much stronger than his normal one, which can KO middleweights at 10% when fully charged. Kirby has super armor while charging the hammer.
Up special	Default	Final Cutter	5% (rise), 2% (drop), 5% (landing), 6% (shockwave)	The attack comes from Kirby's 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, causing a shockwave, which is Kirby's only projectile besides using Inhale. A good vertical recovery move and has decent horizontal distance when angled. When landing, Kirby creates a shockwave projectile that moves forwards quickly. Cannot sweetspot the ledge until he starts to fall, and if the platform beneath him disappears (or if he is pushed off) while Kirby is still in the landing animation, he will enter a helpless state.
	Custom 1	Wave Cutter	15% (blade), 10% (projectile), 5% (Kirby)	Creates a shockwave that sends rocks flying outwards, but the move only deals damage when Kirby lands on the ground.
	Custom 2	Upper Cutter	10%	The rising slash is stronger and the move in general grants Kirby greater vertical recovery, but it cannot hit anything on the way down, leaving Kirby in a helpless state with most of his momentum.
Down special	Default	Stone	14% (shockwave), 18% (impact)	The attack comes from Kirby's Stone ability. Kirby turns into a randomly selected heavy object and plummets straight down, sending enemies flying on contact. It can be cancelled in midair with the special button. Kirby cannot be damaged in this form and a set durability, but he can be grabbed. KOs at 108% and can almost break a shield when used in midair.
	Custom 1	Grounding Stone	6% (shockwave), 10% (impact on grounded opponents), 12% (impact on airborne opponents)	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)	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)	The attack comes from the Ultra Sword Super Ability. Kirby takes out a gigantic sword and repeatedly slashes the opponent. If the move connects, he will rapidly move around them while slashing at them multiple times. He finishes the move with a powerful hit from a further enlarged sword.

On-screen appearance

• Rides in on a Warp Star and crashes down.

Taunts

• Up taunt: A dance similar to his victory dances in the Kirby games.
• Side taunt: 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 taunt: Faces the screen, waves his arms, and says his signature elongated "Hi!".

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

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

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Kir-by!	Kir-by!
Pitch	Group chant	Female

Victory poses

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.

• 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 or defeats a boss in his games.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

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

Notable Players

Active

•  Ken109
•  Markus
•  MikeKirby
•  Poyo
•  Spanky
•  Triple R
•  Twomix

Inactive

•  SmashG0D

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!

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  Classic (3DS)

• KirbyAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Ultra Sword

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.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  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. His mouth opens wider for his down taunt in the final game.

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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 Flip 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 Flip 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

• Kirby cannot copy custom special moves, though his side custom affects his Olimar Copy Ability, as the attack changes to match the variant of Pikmin Throw.
• The ability to charge Kirby's Hammer was intended for Super Smash Bros. Brawl as shown through unused animations found via hacking.
• Kirby has unused voice clips for all of Palutena's neutral specials, suggesting that at one point in development he was planned to be able to copy Palutena's customs, or that Palutena's default neutral special move was undecided.
• Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first game in the series where Kirby's dash attack has not changed, as he retains his dash attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Kirby has the most sound clips of any character, totalling 77, rivalled only by the Announcer.
• Kirby's alternate trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS shows his gray alternate costume as having blue eyes instead of gray eyes.
• Kirby's blue palette swap depicts him as having a red mouth on the character selection screen and during his normal expressions, but appears blue while inhaling.
• Kirby's Screen KO resembles his Screen KO in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. His pose in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS more closely resembles his in that game, but his facial expression on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U more closely resembles his face in that game.
• A glitch existed where if Kirby copies either Mr. Game & Watch, Donkey Kong, Falco, or Wii Fit Trainer, breaks the Smash Ball, and performs a down taunt while in standby, his eyes will no longer glow. Interestingly, when Kirby copies the ability again after using the Final Smash or self-destructing (excluding Mr. Game & Watch), his eyes will be glowing. This was fixed in 1.1.4.