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 (51)

King Dedede (デデデ, Dedede) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His reappearance 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, the creator of the Super Smash Bros. series, reprises his role as King Dedede's voice actor, albeit via a filter being applied to his Brawl voice-clips.

King Dedede is ranked 51st out of 54 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 and is tied with his later iteration from Ultimate as his worst placement in the Smash series. Dedede's primary strength is most of his attacks possessing large, disjointed range, courtesy of his hammer. In addition, he also possesses a series of powerful attacks, such as his forward smash, down smash, back aerial and down aerial, with the latter two also functioning as good edgeguarding moves, which supplements his reowned intimidating KO potential.

Dedede also boasts arguably the greatest overall endurance in the game, being the most difficult character to KO vertically, due to possessing 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 suffers 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 mediocre in SSB4. Additionally, he retains his poor mobility and sluggish frame-data from Brawl, which impairs his neutral game as well: he has among the slowest walking and dashing speeds, while his air speed, which was the slowest in Brawl, has become even slower, hindering his ability to approach.

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 sluggish mobility and frame data 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 via inflicting at least 2% against it. Finally, Dedede suffers from disproportionately weak strength for a super heavyweight despite his high KO potential: 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 competitive perception has been extremely sparse, although is is somewhat better in the European scene. Although he was widely considered to be non-viable throughout SSB4's competitive metagame, King Dedede maintained a decent size of a playerbase that has brought about great advancements to his metagame, and has attained some degree of success due to the efforts of dedicated players, such as ZAKI, Andy and Big D prior to relegating him to a rare secondary.

Attributes

King Dedede is the third-heaviest character in the game. Like Ganondorf, King Dedede is the epitome of the archetypical heavyweight: he has a large frame, below average walking speed, the seventh slowest dashing speed, below average traction, the slowest air speed, tied for the fifth slowest air acceleration in the game, 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. Most of his attacks deal high amounts of damage and can leave opponents vulnerable to more of his attacks. 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 assist him in fending off opponents and set up edgeguards. His pummel is damaging, making it good for inflicting good damage before throwing the opponent. His forward throw can reliably launch opponents offstage for edgeguards and can KO at high precents while edgeguarding, while his back throw deals exceptional damage. Lastly, his down throw can combo into up tilt, up smash and one of King Dedede's aerial attacks excluding his down aerial, making it extrmely reliable for damage-racking and giving him combos that most fellow heavyweights lack. He also has a plethora of extremely 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 complemented by his endurance.

Another positive King Dedede possesses is his range. Unlike his fellow super heavyweights, his hammer grants a majority of his moves disjointed ranges and enables him to out-space opponents with poor range, such as Mario 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 duration, 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.

True to a super heavyweight, King Dedede is gifted with an aforementioned abundance of finishers. King Dedede's dash attack is a notable example, as it deals huge damage, and reliably KOs under 100%, while being able to KO as low as below 60% near the ledge. King Dedede's smash attacks all possess great power, great disjointed range, and transcendent priority, while possessing their own perks: forward smash can reliably KO from 60% and below in most situations, has deceptively short ending lag for an attack of its power, while also being able to deal severe shield damage, making it an intimidating shield pressuring tool; up smash reliably KOs from anywhere on-stage around 100% without rage, while covering a large space all-around Dedede; finally, down smash is his fastest smash attack in his arsenal and covers significant horizontal distance around both sides of Dedede, while easily KOing below 100% near the ledge and around 125% from center.

King Dedede's aerial game is also decent, thanks to his multiple midair jumps that allow him to stall and bait reactions from opponents. Neutral aerial is his fastest aerial due to coming out on frame 7, which can disrupt the opponent's combos, and its late hit can also set up combos for Dedede himself, such as up tilt or up air. Forward aerial has a lot of range in front of Dedede, which is good for spacing with its decent startup lag, and can lead into a wall of pain at lower percents. Back aerial is a potent KOing option with a good range behind Dedede, which is also a good option for spacing and landing. Up aerial can beat out a lot of down aerials thanks to its long range, and it also has strong KO potential. Down aerial, when sweetspotted, is a powerful meteor smash offstage, but its use in general is limited due to its slow startup and small and awkward hitbox.

King Dedede's special moveset has flexible utility as well. Inhale functions as a strong command grab that can be B-reversed for landing options against shielding opponents on the ground or on platforms above Dedede. The spit can force opponents into a recovering state by sending them offstage or even spit them under the stage, which is perhaps where Dedede is strongest. The Gordos from Gordo Throw function as powerful stage control options with KO potential in their own right at 140% and above and can set up deadly ledge traps. Lastly, Jet Hammer is an effective punishing tool with heavy armor that deals excellent damage and knockback, and with a maximum charge, it can break full shields.

However, King Dedede suffers from numerous weaknesses. His most prominent one is his underwhelming frame-data, which is among the worst in the game. This makes 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 safely land a move. However, it should be noted that King Dedede's moveset is among, if not the overall, the weakest of the super heavyweights; only a 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 extremely punishable, despite back aerial being able to auto-cancel 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 sluggish mobility, hindering his ability to approach and combat spacing and camping, as well as the prevelance of speed demons, such as Sonic and Captain Falcon, easily outrunning him. The latter problem is more serious, as he lacks useful counters against projectiles, with Dedede's projectile being ineffective and overall unreliable to combat camping altogether. His sluggish overall mobility leaves him vulnerable to getting juggled horizontally, while his extremely 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. His aforementioned sluggish mobility 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, sluggish mobility regardless if grounded or in the air, and his noticeable nerfs from game's updates (one of which has reduced his sluggish air speed, which made Dedede the slowest character in the air), which have all further impaired his 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.

Despite their flexible versatility, his special moveset also faces some issues, as it is riddled with significant drawbacks. Gordo Throw is often considered his best special move, as it can be useful as 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 several 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 performed from a safe distance. As a result of this, King Dedede's neutral game is risky due to being committal.

True to its name, Super Dedede Jump is an amazing recovery due to its considerable distance and super armor, but its usage 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 ending lag. Inhale can be used to pressure the opponent and possibly score a Dededecide, but it is telegraphed, laggy, and unsafe due to the removal of grab armor. Lastly, Jet Hammer is best useful only when attempting 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 has quicker movement, which allows King Dedede to force the opponent to react with little risk of his Gordo being useable 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 usable 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 perform Gordo-based 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 recovering option, which can ameliorate his glacial air speed.

All of his other custom moves have situational merits 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 primary platform.

Overall, King Dedede is characterized as a zoner powerhouse. King Dedede's high weight, endurance, range, and power allow him to punish his opponents with relative ease and survive for a very long time, but his poor overall mobility makes King Dedede's approach somewhat abysmal and renders his recovery somewhat predictable and over-reliant on Super Dedede Jump. Dedede players should be careful to not make a mistake, or else they might potentially risk getting heavily punished. In addition, due to his very sluggish frame-data, risky neutral game and poor approach, his optimal playstyle is a defensive combination of zoning and baiting and punishing.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

King Dedede has been ultimately nerfed 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 most 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.) at the cost of its spacing potential. 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 endurance 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.

Smash 4's adjusted mechanics have also benefited Dedede. He is now less susceptible to projectile camping due to being universally toned down (although he still arguably has the hardest time against camping), and he can benefit from the aforementioned rage extremely effectively due to his considerable endurance, which supplements his high power. The changes to hitstun canceling is also considered a double-edged sword for Dedede: when combined with his considerable size and weight, this makes him much more vulnerable to combos. Conversely, this also improves King Dedede's own combo game and allows him to perform various set-ups with his new side special, Gordo Throw. The removal of meteor canceling is also universally beneficial for Dedede, since his new down aerial is a strong meteor smash when sweetspotted, this makes Dedede's intimidating edgeguarding game more prevelant combined with Gordo Throw. Dedede is also one of the least affected characters by the loss of momentum canceling due to his aforementioned excellent endurance, and since the rest of the other characters lost the ability to momentum cancel, this allows King Dedede to acheive KOs slightly more easily without leaving them means to avoid succumbing to them, especially with the existence of rage.

However, King Dedede has received several dominating nerfs. The most significant of these came with his new down throw. One positive change down throw received is that it now launches opponents vertically that gives it greater followup potential, however, down throw no longer has set knockback, making its followups percentage-dependent, and the removal of chain grabbing has heavily impaired down throw's utility as it can no longer be useable to (infinitely depending on the character) chain grab opponents. While it is still a decent throw overall, it is nowhere near what the move's predecessor was that was so powerful that it alone completely nullified certain characters. Dedede's grabs are also slower and have less range, making it harder for him to land a grab and when he does, the reward he receives have been greatly reduced. Despite possessing a less polarized moveset than Brawl, several of his attacks have received alterations to either make them worse or grant them flaws that overshadow their benefits.

Another one of Dedede's best moves that was altered for the worse was his back aerial. The move went from a quick, powerful, and disjointed sex kick to a more powerful, but drastically laggier and more misleading reversed hammer-swing that is more difficult to land. While the move is still decent, it is no longer one of the best back aerials in the game and one of Dedede's best tools in his kit. Up tilt was also noticeably nerfed as it is laggier, lingers for less time and has much less KO power. His new moves, despite bringing nice buffs, have also brought some drawbacks as well, such as his down tilt losing its KO power and possessing worse spacing capabilities, his new forward aerial no longer auto-canceling in a short hop (despite its faster start-up lag and more favorable hitbox placement) and being weaker and Gordo Throw being able to be reflected by any hitbox that deals at least 2%, which also negatively impacts the previous anti-camping abilities the Waddle Dee Toss had in Brawl. Finally, Dedede's terrible air speed has been reduced even further (to the point that it is now slower than Shield-boosted Shulk), which is especially hindering as most other returning veterans had their air speed increased. In addition, King Dedede's improved grounded mobility still remains slow relative to the cast to compensate. Altogether, all of these changes have nerfed Dedede's approaching potential, especially in the air.

As a result of these changes, King Dedede fares significantly worse compared to Brawl, as his overall frame-data was nerfed and a lot of his moves were completely changed with his two best moves (back aerial and down throw) being altered for the worse, and he is one of the few characters who suffered more from the changes to Smash 4's mechanics than he benefited from them. He was one of the characters to have been the most drastically nerfed in his transition from Brawl, and despite having never been considered a strong character, Dedede was directly nerfed in patches, receiving nerfs to his forward aerial, down throw, Gordos and his air speed, the latter of which now renders Dedede the slowest character in the air. While this was somewhat balanced out with other top-tiers receiving nerfs, other lower-tiered characters had been buffed and DLC characters, such as Cloud and (more importantly) Bayonetta were introduced to the game, further worsening King Dedede's competitive standing relative to the cast.

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 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 even slower (0.658 → 0.63), despite being the slowest in the game by a considerable margin (to the point that it is now slower than Shield-boosted Shulk). This is especially poor as most other veterans had their air speed increased.
• As with almost all returning veterans, 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 endurance and makes him more susceptible to combos.
• Rolls have more ending lag (FAF 32 → 33).
• Spot dodge has more start-up lag with a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 4-19) and more ending lag (FAF 28 → 29).
• Air dodge has less ending lag (FAF 40 → 35) although relative to the cast, it has gone from one of the fastest air dodges to one of the slowest as its intangibility was unchanged.
• King Dedede's jumping height has been increased.
• Soft landing is faster (5 frames → 2).
• Item throw is stronger (1 → 1.063).
• The removal of chain grabbing both benefits and hinders King Dedede. It significantly improves his endurance, but removes his own chain grabs.
• The changes to hitstun canceling both significantly hinder and benefit King Dedede. It makes him much more susceptible to combos and removes his ability to momentum cancel, hindering his endurance in spite of his heavier weight. However, he still has the best vertical endurance among the cast, and it improves his own combo game like the other returning veterans, although the only moves that benefit from the changes to hitstun canceling are down throw and, to a lesser extent, up tilt and up throw.
  • Since the other characters lost the ability to momentum cancel, King Dedede can score KOs more easily without leaving the opponent means to prevent succumbing to them.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • 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.
  • The weakening of SDI makes the neutral infinite significantly more difficult to escape from.
  • Neutral attack deals less damage (6% → 4% (hit 1), 5% → 4% (hit 2), 2% → 1% (loop)).
  • It has smaller hitboxes (6u/3.5u → 2.5u (hits 1-2), 4u/5u/7u → 2u/3u/7u (loop)).
  • The second hit can no longer trip opponents.
  • 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)). This makes the first hit connect into the second hit more reliably, but makes it harder to jab lock with.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt deals more damage (6%/4% → 11%) due to consisting of five hits instead of one.
  • It has a much larger hitbox (4.5u → 8u).
  • The hitbox has a slightly longer duration (frames 12-22 → 12-23).
  • The last hit has increased knockback (20 (base)/80/100 (scaling) → 30/190), granting it KO potential at high percentages.
  • King Dedede now holds his hammer from the middle of the handle, instead of the end of it, decreasing its range and making it less disjointed.
  • Forward tilt has increased ending lag (FAF 43 → 49).
  • Forward tilt's final hit has an altered angle (65° → 50°).
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has noticeably increased horizontal range (6u → 8u) and considerably more combo potential due to its altered knockback combined with the changes to hitstun canceling/DI. Its intangibility also has a longer duration (frames 7-8 → 9-15).
  • Up tilt has received a sourspot that deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%) and the hitbox on Dedede's lower body has been removed. It also has increased startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 7-17 → 9-15) and has more ending lag (FAF 40 → 44) and it only grants intangibility to Dedede's head and left arm as opposed to his whole body. It also has significantly decreased knockback (30 (base)/120 (scaling) → 50/80) greatly hindering its KO potential.
• Down tilt:
  • 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).
  • New down tilt moves Dedede forwards, significantly increasing its range and allowing Dedede to pseudo-crawl but hindering its spacing potential and making it much easier to punish.
  • 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 (frames 7-18 → 6-13), has more ending lag (FAF 36 → 38), and can whiff if used too close to the opponent.
• Dash attack:
  • Clean dash attack now deals consistent damage as the body hitbox was removed (16%/14% → 16%) and it has increased knockback (35 (base)/95 (scaling) → 40/100) improving its KO potential. It also has larger hitboxes (5u → 7u/6u).
  • The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve dash attack's shield pressuring potential.
  • Dash attack has received a late hitbox that deals slightly less damage (14% → 13%) compared to the previous body hitbox although its knockback scaling was compensated (95 → 100). Dash attack can now also whiff if used too close to the opponent as the body hitbox was removed, hindering its safety.
  • Dash attack has increased hitlag (1× → 1.2×). This makes it easier to DI while not improving its safety on shield due to the changes to hitlag.
• Forward smash:
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • Sweetspotted forward smash has more startup lag (frame 44 → 45) and reduced knockback (55 (base)/90 (scaling) → 30/93), hindering its KO potential. However, it is still the strongest forward smash in the game. The late hit also has a shorter duration (frames 47-55 → 48-49).
  • Late forward smash has an altered angle (80° → 60°).
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has decreased startup lag with a longer duration (frame 20-24 → 17-24).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has altered angles (105°/80°/50° → 30°/361°), making it capable of semi-spiking opponents. This grants it edgeguarding potential.
  • 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).

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial:
  • 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)).
• Forward aerial:
  • King Dedede has a new forward aerial, a downward hammer swing. Compared to the previous forward aerial, it deals 3% less damage (15% → 12%) hindering its KO potential, has more ending lag (FAF 37 → 42) and auto-cancels later (frame 34 → 40). This results in it being unable to auto-cancel in a short hop.
  • Forward aerial has less startup lag (frame 16 → 13) and increased range (7.5u/4u → 8u/5u) making it easier to land.
• Back aerial:
  • King Dedede has a new back aerial, an upward hammer swing.
  • It deals 3% more damage (13% (clean), 9% (late) → 16%) and has increased vertical range (8.5u/7u → 10u), making it better for KOing compared to the previous back aerial despite its lower knockback (20 (base)/100 (scaling) → 30/88).
  • Back aerial has significantly more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 6-8 (clean), 9-25 (late) → 17-19), ending lag (FAF 33 → 38), and auto-cancels later (frame 26 → 33). It also cannot trip opponents due to its increased strength and it has lost its 30% extra trip chance. 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×), making it easier to DI.
• Up aerial:
  • 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.
• Down aerial:
  • 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. As it only has one powerful hit, 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×), making it easier to DI.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have decreased ranges. Standing and pivot grabs are larger (4u → 4.5u) but their Z positions have been moved (18/13/8 → 5 (standing), -22/-15/-8 → -6 (pivot) giving them less range. Dash grab is smaller (4u → 3.6u) and its Y and Z position have been moved (9/(15/10/5) → 7/4). Lastly, all three grabs only have one grab box instead of three.
• Standing and pivot grabs have increased start-up lag (frame 6 → 7 (standing), frame 7 → 10 (pivot)) and all grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 30 (standing), 40 (dash), 36 (pivot) → 36/45/40).
• Dash grab's animation has changed. King Dedede no longer stumbles over when he misses it.
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw deals less damage (12% → 10%).
• Back throw:
  • Back throw has increased knockback scaling (65 → 79).
  • Back throw deals less damage (6% (hit), 10% (throw), 16% (total) → 4%/9%/13%).
  • Back throw has an altered angle (45° → 60°).
• Up throw:
  • The changes to hitstun canceling improve up throw's combo potential into up aerial at low percentages.
• Down throw:
  • 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°) and Dedede releases the opponent later (frame 23 → 26), making it better for combos from low to medium percentages and overall functioning better with Smash 4's mechanics.
  • Down throw does not have set knockback like the previous down throw (80 (set)/100 (scaling) → 70 (base)/82). While this allows the throw to lead into up aerial at certain percents, this removes the throw's ability to have consistent followups at all percents and every character is put into tumble at 0% allowing heavier characters to DI the throw.
  • The removal of chain grabbing combined with the throw's altered knockback significantly hinders down throw as it removes Dedede's infinite chaingrab on most characters.
  • Down throw deals less damage (4% (hit and throw), 8% (total) → 6%).
• Floor attack:
  • Floor attack deals 1% more damage (6% → 7%), though its knockback scaling was compensated (50 → 48).
  • Floor attack has an altered angle (361° → 48°).
• Edge attack:
  • 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

• Inhale:
  • 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.
• Gordo Throw:
  • 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 less damage (22% → 14% (clean)/12.5% (mid early)/11% (mid late)/9.5% (late)), less knockback (65 (base)/70 (scaling) → 70/66) and launches opponents at a less favorable angle (70° → 60°) significantly hindering their KO potential 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.
• Super Dedede Jump:
  • 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.
  • As it buries opponents, Super Dedede Jump has less KO potential against grounded opponents and the landing hit's knockback scaling wasn't fully compensated (70 → 100/80).
• Jet Hammer:
  • 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.
  • 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.
• Dedede Burst:
  • 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. Update 1.0.4 weakened Dedede's forward aerial, which made the move even more punishable than already was. This update also strengthened his down throw, which makes follow-ups harder to perform, but adjusted its angle in order to make it less susceptible to DI. 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

For a gallery of King Dedede's hitboxes, see here.

		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. The late hitbox is a small ground shockwave. 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)	King Dedede splashes with his belly. 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 into Dedede's stomach. While they have been Inhaled, King Dedede can then walk around and spit them out as stars 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. Inhaled opponents instead take minor release damage if Dedede is struck by an attack, or no damage if they break free. Like Kirby, the star’s damage depends on the inhaled opponent’s weight.
	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. Gordo damage decreases the longer it’s out. 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, or faster if they strike something. An upward-angled Gordo has the most vertical and least horizontal bounces, and can be used to deny most options at the ledge or even all when combined with an attack. Forward angled Gordos cover the most horizontal and least vertical distance, while downward angled Gordos are moderate of each. Gordos can also stick to any surface that allows wall jumping, though this is completely random, and will not immediately vanish upon striking something in this state. It is possible for them to still latch onto walls after striking something before they disappear. 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 can’t be angled and does not go far initially, but flies forward upon bouncing. Disappears shortly after striking something or immediately upon the second bounce. Similar to Light Egg Roll, the Gordo bounces much higher if dropped from high above the ground.
	Custom 2	Bouncing Gordo	10% (hammer), 6% (Gordo)	The Gordo is weaker albeit electrified and bounces back and forth a few times, still disappearing if it strikes something. 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. It has armor all throughout the move, except during a canceled descent. Like Yoshi Bomb, it emits stars on both sides after the diving double foot stomp hits the ground, striking anyone not in range of the landing, 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), 6% (landing), 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 grounded), 8% (uncharged aerial), 24%/20% (fully charged grounded), 22%/15% (fully charged aerial)	Grants 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, it deals 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.

Stats

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump height	Double jump height
Value	119	1.4 – Initial dash 1.36 – Run	0.98	0.0484	0.006	0.63	0.01 – Base 0.04 – Additional	0.087885	1.95 – Base 3.12 – Fast-fall	6	32.849998 - Base 16.019524 - Short hop	21.76799763, 21.76799763, 16.17335093, 13.07635173

Announcer call

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article, upload it here.

• English

• Japanese/Chinese

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 three times 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

Tier placement and history

Upon the release of SSB4, players immediately noticed King Dedede's nerfs in the transition from Brawl, especially the loss of chain grabbing, though some players argued that his buffs, as well as new and improved moves (such as forward aerial, Gordo Throw, and down tilt), would compensate the severity of those nerfs in the long run. However, as the metagame progressed, King Dedede's weaknesses became more apparent, and players realized the changes to the game's mechanics not only drastically impair the character's viability, but that he had indeed lost more than what he gained from the transition. Despite good results from players such as Big D and El_Bardo, with the former notably placing 17th at Paragon Los Angeles 2015, expectations of him worsened 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, King Dedede's air speed was nerfed in update 1.1.4. Although this change seemed minor, it made King Dedede the slowest character in the air, worsening both his neutral game and recovery. As a result, opinions on him declined even further, with several players considering him one of the worst characters in the game. This negative reputation led to a drop to 52nd on the second and third tier lists. Although due to the bottom-tier being abolished in the third tier list, he has since been reassessed as a low-tier character. He would see a slight rise to 51st on the fourth and final tier list.

It wasn't until the final year of Smash 4's active competitive lifespan when opinions on King Dedede finally saw a shift. ZAKI, a King Dedede player from Japan, made his debut outside of his country, placing 17th at both Smash 'N' Splash 4 and 2GG: Hyrule Saga, notably defeating MkLeo in the latter. Although it is potentially the result of matchup inexperience, as ZAKI performed worse back in Japan, his results convinced several players such as Raito that King Dedede was not the worst character in the game, due to King Dedede's improved representation compared to other low and mid-tier characters. Nevertheless, King Dedede is seen as a shell of his former Brawl self and is considered non-viable in the competitive metagame.

Official Custom Moveset Project

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

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:King Dedede players (SSB4)

•  Andy - The best King Dedede player in Mexico. Placed 5th at True Combo and 17th at Smash Factor 5 with a win over Regi Shikimi. Formerly ranked 19th on the Mexican Power Rankings.
•  Big D - One of the best King Dedede players during the first few years of Smash 4, but has since relegated the character to a rare secondary pick. Placed 3rd at both Northwest Majors: Drop Zone and Cascade 2, 7th at Northwest Majors VIII, and 17th at Paragon Los Angeles 2015 with wins over players such as Larry Lurr, Mew2King and Tyrant. Ranked 1st on the British Columbia Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  Bryce - The best King Dedede player in the United States. Placed 13th at both Olympus and Smashadelphia 2017 as well as 25th at both KTAR XX and Royal Flush with wins over players such as Shoyo James, Vivid, and The Great Gonzales. Formerly ranked 11th on the New Jersey Power Rankings.
•  El_Bardo - Co-mains King Dedede with Sonic and is considered the best King Dedede player in Europe. Placed 9th at ICARUS III and 13th at both Tech Republic 2 and B.E.A.S.T 7. Ranked 12th on the Spanish Power Rankings.
•  ZAKI - The best King Dedede player in the world. Placed 5th at Sumabato 19, 9th at Sumabato 24, and 17th at both Smash 'N' Splash 4 and 2GG: Hyrule Saga with wins over players such as MkLeo, Charlie, and Rags. Ranked 53rd on the JAPAN Power Rankings.

Trophies

3DS Classic Mode trophy

Wii U Classic Mode trophy

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.

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 five 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)

3DS All-Star Mode trophy

Wii U alternate trophy

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 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 the Gordo, 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 trophy

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.

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

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.

• 

  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...

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  ...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.

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  "Ah--soft and squishy."

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  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.
• If King Dedede is footstooled while performing his side taunt on the 3DS version, the taunt will be cancelled, but Dedede's mouth will stay open for the same duration as the taunt usually lasts.
• Despite one of the tips for Dream Land (64) in Smash 3DS stating that Dedede cannot appear in the background when Dedede is fighting, it's still possible in the game's Training Mode for both of them to appear at the same time.