Super Smash Bros. 4

Kirby (SSB4)

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This article is about Kirby's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Kirby.
Kirby
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Kirby
KirbySymbol.svg
Universe Kirby
Other playable appearances in SSB
in Melee
in Brawl
Availability Starter
Final Smash Ultra Sword
Kirby (SSB4)

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

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

Attributes

An icon for denoting incomplete things.

Changes from Brawl

Kirby was initially considered to be moderately nerfed overall in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, despite being a mid-tier character in Brawl. While Kirby retains the issues he had in Brawl (poor mobility, light weight and floatiness) in addition to having his range worsened in SSB4, many of his less reliable moves from Brawl, particularly Inhale and his down air, have been buffed and now possess much more utility, and many attacks possess less endlag. However, Kirby began to see noticeable improvement as game updates granted him a number of helpful buffs. While the buffs Kirby received initially and from game updates have improved his punishing game, KOing power and his issues with projectiles, he still has to contend with a poor approaching game, poor mobility, light weight and floatiness. As a result, Kirby is now considered, as of update 1.1.0, to be only marginally nerfed overall in comparison to how he was in Brawl.

Additionally, Kirby has seen above average tournament representation with players such as Poyo and others, but his tournament results are poor overall.

Aesthetics

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

Attributes

  • Change Kirby is slightly lighter (78 → 77), which is compensated with his slightly increased fall speed.
  • Buff Due to the universal size changes of all fighters (with larger and smaller fighters having a bigger size difference), Kirby's small stature benefits even more as he can now crouch under certain attacks (such as the majority of Ganondorf's moveset) or simply let certain projectiles fly over his head as he approaches (such as Thunder), making him much harder to hit for certain characters.
  • Nerf Kirby's feet have become smaller. As a result, most moves involving his feet have had their reach significantly reduced, such as his up tilt.
  • Nerf Kirby walks slightly slower (0.95 → 0.93).
  • Buff Kirby dashes much faster (1.371 → 1.5).
  • Nerf Kirby's air speed is slightly slower (0.85 → 0.8).
  • Change Kirby falls slightly faster (1.2 → 1.23).

Ground attacks

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

Aerial attacks

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

Throws/other attacks

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

Special moves

  • Buff Inhale has less start-up and ending lag. Additionally, Inhaling non-explosive items now heals 1% damage for Kirby.
  • Nerf Kirbycide via Inhale now KOs Kirby first, meaning Kirby will lose instead of winning or tying if he performs it when him and his opponent are on their last stocks; this also releases the opponent and allows them to potentially recover back to the stage. However, there are a set number of characters, when Kirbycided from a certain angle, will cause a sudden death to occur. A sudden death will also occur when using Jumping Inhale to Kirbycide.
  • Change The damages dealt spitting out and copying enemies with Inhale have been reversed; spitting out enemies now does 6% damage, while copying them does 10% damage.
  • Change Inhale has a whirlwind-like cone which bears a likeness to what is seen from the move in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. It also produces sound effects similar to Kirby's inhale and copy sound effects from Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby's Adventure, respectively.
  • Buff Hammer can now charge up and release a much more powerful fiery attack known as the Hammer Flip. Kirby can jump and move around while charging it, but keeping it at full charge will deal recoil damage to Kirby, similarly to King Dedede's Jet Hammer. A fully-charged Hammer gives Kirby launch resistance during part of the swing and deals significantly more shield damage to where it can nearly break full shields.
  • Nerf Hammer has more start-up even when entirely uncharged when airborne, no longer halts his momentum in the air when used, and has reduced knockback and damage unless charged, with the grounded version KOing 44% later uncharged compared to Brawl, and the aerial version KOing 45% and 52% later uncharged compared to the first and second hit in Brawl, respectively.
  • Nerf The blade of Final Cutter deals less damage and the shockwave produced goes around half the distance.
  • Buff Stone deals significantly more shield damage when performed in midair, to where it can nearly break shields.
  • Nerf Stone now KOs 8% later. Kirby now takes half damage if he gets hit by strong attacks and attacks that deal more damage.
  • Change The Thwomp of Stone now uses the design from New Super Mario Bros. Wii instead of Super Mario 64.
  • Buff Kirby's Final Smash is now the Ultra Sword from Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Compared to Cook Kirby, while it does not provide restorative items (which is flawed as they can be stolen by the opponent or completely disabled by item settings), Ultra Sword is a trapping move that deals more damage (34% → 40%) and knockback that has actual KO potential, making it vastly superior for offensive use.

Update history

Initially considered to be a sub-par character, Kirby has been notably buffed via game updates. 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. As a result, he is considered to be more viable than he was during the game's initial release.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 1.0.4

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

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 1.0.5

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.6

  • Buff Down throw deals more damage: 6.6% → 10.2%.
  • Nerf Upward angled forward smash's sourspot deals less damage: 13% → 12%.
  • Nerf Upward angled forward smash KOs 11% later.
  • Buff Up smash KOs 7% earlier.
  • Buff Down smash KOs 4% earlier.
  • Buff Inhale can be canceled earlier.
  • Buff Kirby moves faster on the ground while charging Hammer Flip.
  • Buff Hammer Flip has less ending lag.
  • Change Fire emits from Kirby after he Inhales explosive items.
  • Change Final Cutter's visual effects improved.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.0

  • Buff Forward throw sends at a better trajectory for combos.
  • Buff Forward throw KOs 24% earlier.
  • Nerf Forward throw deals less damage: 7% → 5%.
  • Buff Inhale has less 4 frames of start-up and 5 frames less of ending lag.
  • Buff Second jab connects into neutral infinite better.
  • Buff Neutral infinite's finisher comes out quicker.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.1

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

Moveset

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2% Two quick punches followed by the Vulcan Jab from the Fighter ability. Turns into a Smash Punch from the Fighter ability when ended.
3%
1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt   8% (base), 7% (tip) Kirby does a spinning roundhouse kick. Can be angled upwards or downwards. Hits on frame 5.
Up tilt   5% (clean), 4% (late) Kirby does a scorpion kick. Disjointed range, but low damage. Can combo into itself for long strings at low percents, especially on fast-fallers. Hits on frame 4.
Down tilt   6% Kirby crouches and does a shin kick. Hits on frame 4. Has a chance of tripping, which makes it often used to set up a grab.
Dash attack   1% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6) Break Spin from the Yo-Yo ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby does a running spinning headstand while kicking with his feet. Hits multiple times.
Forward smash   16% (clean), 12% (late) From the Fighter Ability. Kirby lunges forward and delivers a thrust kick that slightly moves him forward. Can be angled upwards or downwards. Clean hit at all angle can KO at 117% (no angle), 109% (up angle), 126% (down angle). Hits on frame 13.
15% (clean), 11% (late)
14% (clean), 10% (late)
Up smash   15%/14% (clean), 14%/12% (mid), 12%/11% (late) Does a backflip kick, similar to Fox's up smash (Flip Kick) and Yoshi's up smash. Front hit KOs at 105%. Hits on frames 14-19.
Down smash   14% (clean), 10% (late) Kirby does a spinning split kick. Clean hit KOs at 116%. Hits from frames 10-22.
Neutral aerial   10% (clean), 8% (mid), 6% (mid-late), 4% (late) Kirby does an aerial cartwheel. Hits on frame 10.
Forward aerial   4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 5% (hit 3) Kirby does three quick spinning kicks. First hit on frame 10.
Back aerial   13% (clean), 8% (late) Quickly does a back kick with both feet. Clean KOs at 141%, but is used more often for spacing and gimping. Hits on frame 6.
Up aerial   9% Does a bicycle kick in midair, similar to his up smash. Hits on frame 10.
Down aerial   1% (hits 1-5), 2% (hit 6), 2% (landing) Kirby does a drill kick. The final hit has a weak meteor effect. An effective combo starter on grounded opponents, and a dangerous edge-guarding move on recovering opponents. Hits on frame 18.
Grab   Most of his throws are based from the ones used by the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Has average range.
Pummel   1.55% Punches the enemy. Has moderate speed.
Forward throw   5% Pile Driver from the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby flips and then piledrives the opponent. Can lead into highly damaging combos, such as his forward aerial which can then be further followed up by another grab depending on the opponent's DI.
Back throw   8% Backdrop from the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby German suplexes the opponent.
Up throw   10% Air Drop from the Ninja ability in Kirby Super Star. Holds the foe and rapidly jumps off-screen, then rockets back down to the ground, creating an explosion. Kirby's most damaging throw and it can land onto platforms above him.
Down throw   0.8% (hits 1-9), 1% (hit 10), 2% (throw) Fury Stomp from the Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. 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.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
  7% Kirby gets up and does a spin kick.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
  7% Kirby gets up, then kicks on one side, then the other.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
  5% Kirby gets up then spins around kicking.
Edge attack
Edge getups
  7% Kirby flips over the edge and kicks.
Neutral special Default Inhale 6% (spit), 10% (swallow) Kirby sucks up his opponent, 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 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) From the Ice ability. Kirby exhales cold air, which hits multiple times and can freeze his opponent. Due to the attack only involving exhaling, he cannot Inhale anything in with this move.
Custom 2 Jumping Inhale 5% (spit), 8% (swallow) Kirby jumps forwards before inhaling. If Kirby spits out his opponent, the star will not deal damage. 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) From the Hammer ability. Kirby swings his hammer forwards in an arc, which increases in power the longer it charges. When the hammer is fully charged, it becomes aflame, gradually damaging Kirby. He can move around and jump while charging this move. Uncharged, it KOs at 127% 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) Kirby swings his hammer forwards in an arc, which sends his opponents skyward on contact. This variation does not charge, making it function almost exactly like it did in Brawl, or 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 while using Shulk's Jump Art, also this makes it to the point of surpassing the vertical distance of Villager's ballon trip distance.
Custom 2 Giant Hammer 22% (ground uncharged), 20% (air uncharged), 40% (ground fully charged), 32% (air fully charged) Kirby swings a massive hammer, which is slower but stronger than his normal one, which can KO Mario at 10%. Kirby has super armor while charging the hammer.
Up special Default Final Cutter 5% (rise), 2% (drop), 5% (landing), 6% (wave) From the Cutter ability. Kirby jumps straight up and falls straight down with a curved blade, cutting anyone he comes in contact with on the way up and meteor smashing anyone he comes in contact with on the way down, 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) Kirby jumps straight up and falls straight down, creating a shockwave that sends rocks flying outwards. The move only deals damage when Kirby lands on the ground.
Custom 2 Upper Cutter 10% Kirby jumps straight up, cutting anyone he comes in contact with. Stronger than his regular blade and goes higher, but cannot hit anything on the way down, leaving Kirby in a helpless state, but with most of his momentum.
Down special Default Stone 14% (shockwave), 18% (impact) From the Stone ability. Kirby turns into a heavy object and plummets straight down, sending enemies flying on contact. It can be cancelled midair with the special button. Kirby cannot be damaged in this form, but can be grabbed and has a set (although very high) durabilitly. Stone KOs at 108%. 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) Kirby turns into a heavy object and plummets straight down. Kirby takes longer to transform, but takes less time transforming back, and grounded enemies are buried on contact.
Custom 2 Meteor Stone 12% (clean), 10% (mid), 8% (late) Kirby turns into a heavy object and plummets straight down. Kirby takes longer to transform back, but he will meteor smash any enemies he hits while falling.
Final Smash Ultra Sword 3% (stun), 5% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-9), 16% (hit 10) From the Ultra Sword Super Ability. Kirby takes out a gigantic sword and repeatedly slashes the opponent. If the move connects, he will teleport around them while slashing at them multiple times. He finishes the move with a powerful hit from a further enlarged sword. This move is similar to Great Aether.

Taunts

  • Up Taunt: A Kirby 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!".

Idle Poses

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

On-Screen Appearance

Kirby rides in on a Warp Star and crashes down.

Victory Fanfare

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

Victory Poses

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

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character Custom sets available
Kirby (SSB4) Kirby 3231 3232 3233 1231 1131
3133 3131 2231 3221 3331

Notable Players

Down Taunt Glitches

There exist two glitches with Kirby's down taunt.

No Glowing Eyes

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

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

Pac-Maze Ω Form

If the player enters Training mode on Pac-Maze's Ω form, sets the camera to "Zoom", and performs Kirby's down taunt, Kirby's face should glitch out and "disappear". This is because, during his down taunt, Kirby leans his body away from the stage, so that his face sticks out; the zoomed in camera makes his face clip through the line of gameplay.[1] Giving Kirby a Poison Mushroom causes almost all of his body to clip through the line of gameplay.

Alternate costumes

Kirby Palette (SSB4).png
Kirby (SSB4) Kirby (SSB4) Kirby (SSB4) Kirby (SSB4) Kirby (SSB4) Kirby (SSB4) Kirby (SSB4) Kirby (SSB4)

Trophies

Kirby
Ntsc 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.
Pal 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.
Game Boy: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)
SNES: Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
Kirby (Alt.)
Ntsc 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.
Pal 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.
Game Boy: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)
SNES: Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
Ultra Sword
Ntsc 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!
Pal 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!

In Event Matches

Solo Events

Co-op Events

Gallery

Trivia

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

References