Propellerpack
| Propellerpack | |
|---|---|
 Propellerpack in Ultimate. | |
| User | King K. Rool |
| Universe | Donkey Kong |
| “ | Rises up into the air wearing a propeller, damaging any opponents caught in the attack. | ” |
| —Description from Ultimate's Move List | ||
Propellerpack (フライングバックパック, Flying Backpack) is King K. Rool's up special move.
Overview
When he uses the move, King K. Rool puts on a pack with a propeller attached to it, activates it, and starts to rise in the air. The move lasts a deceptively long time and covers an impressive distance, granting him superior recovery power unusual for characters of his weight class. The propeller boasts a hitbox, allowing him to hit enemies above him with slight knockback; this grants him some protection from gimps and spikes when returning to the stage, and can be used to carry opponents past the upper blast line. However, the move cannot be canceled manually - if he fails to snap to the ledge, K. Rool will continue to rise for the duration of the move, leaving him vulnerable to attack. While K. Rool flaps his arms, a player can press down to make him enter a helpless animation (where fast falling is also an option), reducing landing lag by a single frame (29 compared to Propellerpack's 30). This also makes it slightly less punishable.
Origin
This attack is based on the boss fights against Baron K. Roolenstein, K. Rool's alter ego in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble!. In both fights, Dixie and Kiddy Kong must attack his pack with barrels in order to damage him. In Ultimate, K. Rool's animations for this move are similar to those in DKC3 — his helpless animation, for example, resembles the way he flapped his hands in the air upon being hit. In Donkey Kong Land III, Baron K. Roolenstein would attack with bolts of lightning as well.
