Banjo & Kazooie (SSBU)
- This article is about Banjo & Kazooie's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the characters in other contexts, see Banjo and Kazooie.
| Banjo & Kazooie in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
|---|---|
 
| |
| Universe | Banjo-Kazooie |
| Availability | Downloadable |
| Final Smash | The Mighty Jinjonator |
| “ | Banjo-Kazooie are Raring to Go! | ” |
| —Introduction tagline. | ||
Banjo & Kazooie (バンジョー&カズーイ, Banjo & Kazooie), formatted in their reveal trailer as Banjo-Kazooie, are a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and are the first third-party fighter from Microsoft. They were revealed alongside Hero during the E3 Nintendo Direct on June 11th, 2019 as the third downloadable fighter from Fighters Pass Vol. 1. Banjo & Kazooie were released as part of Challenger Pack 3 on September 4th, 2019 and are classified as Fighter #73.
Chris Sutherland reprises his role as both Banjo & Kazooie, with his portrayals from across the Banjo-Kazooie series being repurposed for Ultimate in all regions.
Attributes
Banjo & Kazooie, like Duck Hunt, are a tag team that fight together as if they were a singular fighter. Together, they are a heavyweight, and are tied with Snake and R.O.B. as the 18th heaviest fighter in the game. As Banjo handles the duo's walking, his walking speed is below-average, and his initial dash and traction values are among the worst in the game. Conversely, Kazooie handles the duo's dashing, in which she uses the Talon Trot to carry Banjo. In stark contrast to Banjo's walking speed, Kazooie's dashing speed is very fast; specifically, it is the 11th fastest in the game, which is nearly unrivaled among their fellow heavyweights.
Banjo is somewhat short for a heavyweight due to having a relatively average height. Like Wario, however, his hurtbox is fairly wide. Kazooie, however, lacks a hurtbox of any kind outside of the Talon Trot and up tilt; as a result, all standard attacks involving her are disjointed. Like Ridley and Charizard, Kazooie also grants the duo two midair jumps with her wings. Additionally, they have a fast falling speed, high gravity, slow air speed, and average air acceleration.
The majority of Banjo & Kazooie's grounded arsenal makes use of moves from their first two games, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. Banjo's Claw Swipe and Kazooie's Rat-a-Tat Rap comprise their neutral attack. The former serves as a 3-hit gentleman jab, while the latter is a standard rapid jab. It should be noted that the hitbox of Kazooie's jabs is large enough to sometimes hit opponents standing directly behind the duo. This can cause the opponent to be continually jabbed into the duo's rear, keeping them locked in the hitbox and causing both of the fighters to be slowly moved backwards, often amounting to extremely high percentages by the time they reach the edge of a platform. Their forward tilt, Beak Bayonet, is a quick stab with Kazooie's beak, functioning similarly to Ridley's forward tilt. It can be angled and has a respectable amount of disjointed range, especially for its speed, making it useful for stopping predictable or vulnerable approaches. Their up tilt, a powerful upward kick from Banjo as Kazooie lifts him up from underneath, is an original move, and functions similar to Pac-Man's up tilt. It has barely any hitbox towards the duo's front or rear, making it very situational, but it hits through most platforms and can be a reliable follow-up from down throw. Their down tilt, Beak Barge, is a low-to-the-ground slide that launches at a very low semi-spike angle, making it a very potent edgeguarding and tech-chasing option. Their dash attack, the Forward Roll, is very similar to Donkey Kong's dash attack, but has more kill power and has fewer active frames.
Complementing their versatile tilts, Banjo & Kazooie sport very useful smash attacks. Their forward smash is Breegull Bash, a slow but powerful, good-ranged move that highlights a comical maneuver in their home game. The duo's up smash is the Bill Drill, a spinning attack with Kazooie's beak that is fairly useful as an anti-aerial and out-of-shield option, and is a reliable follow up to the duo's burying down throw, as the move is deceptively fast with a 7 frame startup. Banjo & Kazooie's down smash is an original move, a wing-slam from Kazooie on both sides of them much like Ridley, albeit weaker and much faster, making it a useful tool for catching rolls. Notably, their forward and down smashes, especially the latter, have long-lasting hitboxes that slightly penetrate the stage, making them both deadly 2-framing tools at the ledge.
Their aerial moveset also combines old and new moves. The duo's neutral aerial is the Twirling Wing Whack, a multi-hitting circular wing spin from Kazooie that is functionally very similar to Ivysaur's and Piranha Plant's neutral aerials. This move has respectable amount of combo potential, as well as being an easy way of scoring KOs offstage against fulnerable opponents. Their forward aerial, an original move, is a slow but powerful haymaker punch from Banjo, much like Dr. Mario's and Ganondorf's forward aerials. The move's clean hit is almost always a guaranteed KO offstage; additionally, his hand is intangible during the active frames, making the move great for covering the duo's approach, pressuring shields and edgeguarding. Rat-a-Tat Rap makes a second appearance as a back aerial that hits three times, similarly to Ridley's forward aerial. This move has respectable power, and is a good out-of-shield option as well as a reliable (albeit unsafe due to its lag) KO option offstage. Banjo & Kazooie's up aerial is a two-hit move that has Kazooie close her wings together in a scissor motion that weakly launches opponents upwards, allowing the move to be chained into itself, but its awkward knockback direction combined with its weak power doesn't allow it much juggling or combo utility. Beak Buster makes an appearance as their down aerial; it is a stall-then-fall attack that meteor smashes opponents during its initial frames, and has a fairly large hitbox upon impacting the stage.
Banjo & Kazooie's special moves are fairly versatile as well. Their neutral special is Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster. Egg Firing, activated when the special button is tapped, sends blue eggs out of Kazooie's mouth that are affected by gravity in a similar manner to Mario's Fireball, and acts as their primary edgeguarding tool and gimping option; the move also briefly stalls the duo's aerial momentum when used in the air. Holding the special button causes the move to transition into Breegull Blaster, in which Banjo wields Kazooie like a gun as in Banjo-Tooie's first-person shooter segments, with low damage but faster and constant projectiles, all while being able to move and jump freely similar to holding items such as the completed Daybreak parts. This can be used to pressure enemies in a similar manner to Mega Man's neutral attack, and even start ladder combos, though because the move is a "mode" that takes a moment to be entered and exited, it is often difficult to use in close proximity. Wonderwing has Banjo charge forward while Kazooie shields him with her magic-infused wings. It does high damage and knockback if it connects within the first half of the distance it covers, and its full-body invincibility that lasts through the entirety of the hitbox's duration allows it to out-prioritize nearly every other move in the game (exceptions include grabs and command grabs such as Buster Wolf). Wonderwing's duration and the size of its hitbox also allows it to act as a fantastic 2-framing option on the edge, as the duo will run in place at the edge for some time. Wonderwing can be an easy and effective way to brute force an opponent out of projectile camping, though this may backfire if the opponent is baiting the move or otherwise ready for it. It also functions as an excellent recovery option with its horizontal speed and distance and does not induce helplessness either. However, the move runs on a limited stock of five golden feathers that are not replenished until Banjo & Kazooie are KO'd, so its usage must be carefully considered; additionally, despite crossing up shields, Wonderwing's high ending lag and long-lasting singular hitbox make it fairly unsafe in any case where the opponent can see it coming. Shock Spring Jump makes an appearance as their up special. It is a decent vertical recovery move that does not leave them helpless and preserves their midair jumps; it can be charged to increase its travel distance, and when used in the air, the Shock Spring Pad itself possesses a damaging hitbox that can be used to gimp some recoveries. Rear Egg, their down special, has Kazooie lay an explosive Grenade Egg behind them. It bounces in an unpredictable fashion due to its football-like shape and launches opponents upward. The egg also functions as an item; it is catchable and throwable despite its much shorter fuse compared to similar explosive-related attacks. All of these properties make Rear Egg an incredibly versatile projectile that can be used for ledge trapping, comboing, camping, and neutral in general. Overall, their four specials have impressive utility with both physical and projectile options.
Banjo & Kazooie have an unremarkable grab game, with below-average reach. While each of their throws have vastly different functions, only in very specific situations are they useful outside of getting the opponent away from them (with the exception of their back throw). Forward throw is only really useful for putting opponents off-stage, with its awkward angle and high base knockback making it useless for combos while its nearly nonexistent knockback growth prevents it KOing. Up throw is useful for setting up juggles with up air, but has too much end lag to actually have any true follow-ups. Down throw buries the opponent, leading into various guaranteed follow-ups at very high percentages, although it is generally inferior to King K. Rool's similar down throw due to less bury time. The only one of the duo's throws that has consistently good usage is their back throw, a spinning throw almost identical to Mario's but more powerful, and is an extraordinary KO option at the ledge at high percentages, while its damage and trajectory allow for powerful follow-ups or edgeguarding in other situations. As a whole, for Banjo & Kazooie, grabbing is a high-risk, low-reward undertaking that usually only sets stocks when their opponent is at a very high percentage; at other times, the best that their throws can do is to rack up damage and put distance between them, only subtracting from their options for getting out of the disadvantage.
Alongside their grab and throws, the pair have other considerable weaknesses to balance their strengths. Outside of their smash attacks, Wonderwing, and offstage aerials, Banjo & Kazooie's potential to KO is somewhat limited despite their status as a heavyweight fighter. Most of their moves are unremarkable among their weight class in terms of power, and unlike other fighters with poor KOing abilities, Banjo & Kazooie have a very limited combo game. The duo's range is also unremarkable, despite Kazooie's lack of an hurtbox, which means that they will generally have issues trading blows with conventional swordfighters. Similar to Wario, Banjo & Kazooie have a wide hurtbox, and they are susceptible to combos and juggles due to their heavy weight, fast falling speed, slow air speed, low jump height, and lack of fast escape options. Their overall mobility is unorthodox; their excellent run speed is offset by their poor initial dash speed, which is tied for the fifth-worst, their high vertical recovery options are hampered by their low jumps, poor air speed, and fast falling speed, and their grounded mobility is hindered by the lowest traction in the game alongside Mii Gunner. Additionally, the duo's special moves, while strong, have significant flaws. Egg Firing has a slow firing rate on its own, and weak power when the pair transitions to Breegull Blaster; also, Breegull Blaster's eggs become weaker with repeated use, discouraging excessive use of the move. If the pair runs out of golden feathers, they lose access to Wonderwing, eliminating a potent move with plenty of offensive and defensive utility; Wonderwing is also vulnerable to grabs despite its invincibility, although due to its speed, an opponent taking advantage of this is relatively rare, and is notoriously unsafe on shield and on whiff, further punishing heavily its misuse. Rear Egg, while being a relatively potent combo tool, can be turned against the duo as opponents can grab it and use it due to its status as an item, as well as the fact that that a previously-laid grenade egg must explode or reach the blast zone before a new one can be laid, meaning the player must wait a while to try again if an egg misses an opponent. Shock Spring Jump requires slight charge time to make their recovery reliable, and it also does not have a hitbox outside of the Shock Spring Pad itself, making it vulnerable to aggressive edgeguarding.
Overall, Banjo & Kazooie are a fairly unorthodox character, but can be considered to fall in the heavyweight trapper archetype, similar to Link, R.O.B. and Snake, being centered on maintaining stage control with the help of a powerful explosive item, while at the same time being capable of fighting melee and having access to a strong finisher in Wonderwing. They are a quite versatile fighter that can adapt to multiple playstyles even over the course of a single match, though they are more adept to turtling playstyles. However, their capabilities fall somewhat short next to comparable characters; Grenade Eggs are not as good as they could seem at controlling space due to their limited lifetime, and the duo's overall frame data and KO power is unimpressive for this archetype, limiting their potential to act aggressively.
Initially, Banjo & Kazooie were met positively, attracting the attention of players such as Brood, Raito and Tweek, the latter of which placed 5th at Glitch 7 with them shortly after their release. The enthusiasm however quickly faded as their flaws became more apparent, and Banjo & Kazooie now see only sparse representation and results at top level play. Their low representation led to further skepticism from professionals, with the majority arguing that they are a mid tier character at best and some even claiming them to be low or bottom tier. Though their viability and definitive placement is still heavily debatable, they're generally agreed to be among the weakest downloadable fighters introduced in Ultimate.
Update history
Banjo & Kazooie were buffed slightly via game updates. Their only noteworthy buffs were knockback increases for their up tilt and forward smash via update 12.0.0, slightly improving the moves' already respectable KO potential. Due to the other changes they received being strictly quality-of-life adjustments, Banjo & Kazooie's competitive reception has remained virtually unchanged since their release.
Edge attack's hitbox stretches much farther backward (Z offset: 12u—2u → 12u—-2.5u), allowing it to hit behind the duo and fully cover the edge.
- Rapid jab and its finisher have transcendent priority, preventing them from being canceled out by weak attacks.
Changed the length of vulnerability when crumpling to be consistent with other fighters.
- Up tilt has more knockback scaling (114 → 119).
- Forward smash has more knockback scaling (94 → 97).
- Back aerial's third hit launches at a lower angle (46° → 41°), but has less knockback scaling to compensate (144 → 136).
Moveset
- Banjo & Kazooie, specifically Kazooie, can perform 2 double jumps, both of which are based on the Feathery Flap. Aesthetically, Banjo's animation in the duo's backwards jump is based on the Flap Flip, although it also resembles a "recoil" animation from Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie that is usually seen when the player activates a point of interest below the duo or after hitting an enemy with a weak attack.
- As opposed to Banjo & Kazooie's standard walking and initial dashing which are handled solely by Banjo, in the duo's dash animation he flips onto his back and Kazooie takes over the run, performing the Talon Trot. Kazooie gains a hurtbox while she runs, but otherwise her taking over the dash has no gameplay repercussions.
- The majority of Banjo & Kazooie's moves are inherently disjointed, as Kazooie does not possess a hurtbox outside of the duo's dash and up tilt.
For a gallery of Banjo & Kazooie's hitboxes, see here.
Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.
| Name | Damage | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral attack | Claw Swipe / Rat-a-Tat Rap | 2.2% | A combination of Banjo's Claw Swipe and Kazooie's Rat-a-Tat Rap. If the button is held, Banjo will perform two alternating Claw Swipes and then throw an uppercut. If pressed repeatedly, he will Claw Swipe twice before crouching on all fours in order for Kazooie to perform the Rat-a-Tat Rap that concludes with Kazooie performing a headbutt. The first hit starts at frame 4, making it the duo's fastest ground attack. The third hit of the regular neutral attack launches opponents vertically, which can allow it to set up juggles due to its reasonably low ending lag. Forward aerial and up aerial are consistent followups, especially if opponents miss a tech on platforms, though this can be air dodged out of. Unlike most neutral attacks, Banjo will not repeat the first hit if the attack button is held down. It has a very meager damage output for a neutral infinite, although this can be mitigated if an opponent is hit extremely close to the duo while they perform the infinite, specifically around where Banjo's backpack is. This can result in the opponent being pushed back alongside the duo while they attack, allowing the move to rack up large amounts of damage. | |
| 2.2% | ||||
| 3.7% | ||||
| 0.4% (loop), 1.6% (last) | ||||
| Forward tilt | Beak Bayonet | 9% (beak), 7% (close) | The Beak Bayonet. Can be angled and has a sweetspot on Kazooie's beak. It has a decent range and quick startup (7 frames), making it a useful spacing option, as well as being a good way of halting vulnerable or predictable approaches. | |
| Up tilt | 10% | Kazooie props Banjo up in order for him to perform an upward roundhouse kick. It is somewhat slow on startup for a tilt attack (11 frames), but it has impressive knockback, being able to KO most grounded opponents under 140%. The move also has a fairly large hitbox above Banjo's body, which makes it effective as both an anti-air and as a follow-up from down throw for a KO confirm, although it has barely any hitbox towards the duo's front or rear, strictly limiting its usage to the aforementioned scenarios. Despite its respectable power, it has fairly low ending lag; when combined with its vertical launch angle, this can allow it to set up juggles, with it following into itself against some heavyweights at low percentages. Unlike their other attacks, Kazooie possesses a hurtbox during this move. | ||
| Down tilt | Beak Barge | 6% (beak), 5% (close), 3% (late) | Kazooie's Beak Barge. It is a semi-spike with good range and decent duration, all of which make it a good tool for onstage edge-guarding. It lowers the duo's profile to an even greater extent than their crouch, enabling them to duck under some moves like Wolf's Blaster shots. As a launched opponent will usually tumble onto the stage, this move often allows for read-dependent followups such as neutral aerial, down smash, or another down tilt; its disjoint distance also makes it a great tech-chasing option in other situations, although its power and speed are somewhat poor, being the duo's slowest tilt attack at 12 frames. Finally, it acts as a pseudo-crawl and can cross-up against shields when performed close enough to their opponent. | |
| Dash attack | Forward Roll | 12% (clean), 8% (late) | Banjo's Forward Roll. Hits on frame 9 and sends the duo a respectable distance, allowing it to punish distant attacks. Its clean hit makes it fairly strong for a dash attack, as it can KO Mario at 152% on Final Destination. Conversely, the late hit can be used for set-ups due at low to medium percentages, thanks to its launching angle and much lower strength. However, it is equally punishable as it has large ending lag, and only the front of the duo is covered by the hitbox, leaving the entire move decently vulnerable. | |
| Forward smash | Breegull Bash | 16% | The Breegull Bash. This move is moderately slow (19 frames) and has high ending lag, but is very powerful, KOing at around 100% from center stage. Its speed and the size of its hitbox makes it mainly useful for punishing short-ranged attacks and catching rolls. Its hitbox is wide enough to hit aerial opponents diagonally above the duo, making it particularly useful for catching opponents on platforms, such as Dream Land and Pokémon Stadium. Additionally, similar to down smash, its large amount of active frames make it deadly for 2 frame punishing at the edge (although this move is more powerful and lasts shorter). | |
| Up smash | Bill Drill | 1% (hit 1), 1.5% (hits 2-7), 3.5% (hit 8), 13.6% (total) | A grounded, vertically inverted version of the Bill Drill. Hits multiple times and is powerful enough to KO at around 110%. It comes out decently fast (frame 9) and can act as a decent anti-air, though it has a very high ending lag and mediocre horizontal range. Generally a consistent follow-up after down throw at high percentages. | |
| Down smash | 15% | Banjo slams one fist downward while Kazooie slams both of her wings downward on both sides, similarly to Palutena, Charizard, and Ridley's down smashes. Deals the same amount of damage and knockback throughout the move. Hits on frame 13 and has the fastest interruptibility out of the duo's smash attacks while having good power despite its speed, being able to KO at the edge at around 85%. As a result, it is the duo's most reliable smash attack for quick punishes. Its long-lasting, constant hitbox also makes it reliable as a deadly 2 framing tool, alongside forward smash (although this move is less powerful and lasts longer). | ||
| Neutral aerial | Twirling Wing Whack | 0.8% (hits 1-7), 4.1% (hit 8) | Kazooie's Wing Whack. Functions similarly to Ivysaur and Piranha Plant's neutral aerials, covering all around the duo and hitting multiple times. Deals decent damage, but has a rather slow startup (frame 10). It has immense utility for approaching and interrupting vulnerable recoveries, as well as being arguably the duo's most reliable combo tool. Its looping hits can drag opponents downwards to follow into most of the duo's grounded moves, although this can be difficult due to the move's high landing lag (15 frames) and the looping hits' unpredictable launching trajectory; the move itself is also a very reliable followup from up or down throw. Autocancels from a full hop. | |
| Forward aerial | 15% (clean), 12% (late) | Banjo throws a delayed overhand punch. It is tied with down aerial as the duo's slowest aerial attack with 15 frames of startup and has high ending lag. However, it has a slightly disjointed hitbox on his fist, autocancels from a short hop, has the lowest landing lag of Banjo & Kazooie's aerials (11 frames), is moderately safe on shield, and is very powerful, being able to KO Mario at 89% from the edge of Final Destination, while a clean hit offstage is an almost guaranteed to KO. Due to these strengths, it is great for pressuring shields, covering the duo's approach, and setting up combos. It can be followed up from neutral attack, up throw, or down throw. | ||
| Back aerial | Air Rat-a-Tat Rap | 1.6% (hits 1-2), 4.8% (hit 3) | An aerial version of Kazooie's Rat-a-Tat Rap. The first hit comes out on frame 8. It has a good overall range and startup, making it a reliable aerial for edgeguarding. The first two hits use the autolink angle; while it has extremely high landing lag (18 frames), making combos from the first two hits read-dependent, forward tilt is a decently reliable followup on most fighters. Autocancels from a short hop. | |
| Up aerial | 1.6% (hit 1), 5.8% (hit 2) | Kazooie flaps her wings upwards in a scissoring motion, similarly to Sonic's up aerial. Hits twice, with the first hit leading to the second. Has a wide hitbox with good range, with the first hit being able to hit grounded opponents if performed while the duo is falling. Additionally, it is fast in general (frame 7) while also being interruptible extremely early; this allows the duo to perform up to four up aerials while using their jumps, similarly to Meta Knight's up aerial strings. Easily juggles into itself at low percentages, and can even lead into other aerials such as forward air. Even further boosting its utility is that its first hit can set up KO confirms into forward smash, forward aerial and Wonderwing on landing. However, it has very low hitstun due to its low damage, making the move easily escapable. The first hit may also occasionally launch opponents away from the second hit, and the move is extremely weak, having almost no KO potential even at extremely high percentages. | ||
| Down aerial | Beak Buster | 10% (dive), 2% (landing) | Kazooie's Beak Buster. It is a stall-then-fall that meteor smashes at its beginning, with the later hitboxes dealing vertical knockback. The move has a very weak landing hit that has little use apart from granting minimal protection. The move lasts for an extremely long time, usually making offstage use an inevitable self-destruct, though it is possible to recover if it is used from high enough. It is mostly useful for returning to stage quickly, as the non-meteor smashing hitbox is unable to KO past realistic percentages. However, the meteor smashing hitbox can be used for follow-ups on grounded opponents at high percentages and can act as a powerful sacrificial KO offstage. | |
| Grab | — | Banjo reaches out. | ||
| Pummel | 1.4% | Kazooie pecks the opponent's head. | ||
| Forward throw | 5.4% (hit 1), 3% (throw) | Banjo faces away and Kazooie performs a double-footed stretch kick. Very low knockback growth even at very high percentages, making it mostly used for sending opponents off-stage. Overall, it is the duo's least useful throw. | ||
| Back throw | 11.4% (throw), 8% (collateral) | Banjo performs a giant swing, similarly to Mario's back throw. Deals collateral damage to nearby opponents. The duo's only throw with KO potential, it is very powerful, KOing at around 105% at the sides of the stage. | ||
| Up throw | 5.4% (hit 1), 3% (throw) | Banjo throws the opponent overhead and Kazooie pecks them upwards. It allows for more consistent follow-ups when down throw would otherwise be ineffective, most notably at very low percentages. Can combo into neutral and up aerials, although its high ending lag limits its true combo potential. | ||
| Down throw | 5.6% | Banjo performs a powerbomb. It buries an opponent and functions similarly to King K. Rool and R.O.B.'s down throws: it is ineffective and easily escapable at very low percentages, but grants a read-dependent followup based on the opponent's reaction at medium percentages, and guaranteed KO confirms at extremely high percentages, such as into up smash and up tilt. Its combo potential, however, is somewhat limited if the opponent mashes well due to the low base burying time; generally, forward and up aerials are the most reliable follow-ups. | ||
| Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge |
— | — | ||
| Techs | — | — | ||
| Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front) |
7% | Banjo kicks behind and then in front of himself before getting up. | ||
| Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back) |
7% | Banjo kicks around himself before getting up. | ||
| Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip) |
5% | Banjo claps behind and then in front of himself. One of the only attacks to use a "slap" sound effect, with the others being Pound and Peach and Daisy's neutral attacks. | ||
| Edge attack Edge getups |
10% | Banjo pulls himself up before performing an inwards swipe. | ||
| Neutral special | Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster | 5.4%-3.8% (egg), 2.4% (Breegull Blaster hits 1-6), 1.6% (Breegull Blaster hits 7-12), 0.8% (Breegull Blaster hits 13+) | For Egg Firing, Banjo gets down on all fours while Kazooie spits out an egg. These eggs will obey gravity, bounce off the ground and linger for quite some time (around the length of half of Final Destination) before breaking on their own, and become weaker as time passes. It is rather slow to fire, making the projectile mostly suited for stage control. If the special button is held, the duo will instead perform the Breegull Blaster, where Banjo takes Kazooie out of his backpack and uses her in a manner similar to the Super Scope. In this mode, pressing either attack button will cause Kazooie to quickly fire smaller and weaker eggs that travel in a straight line and as far as a third of Final Destination's length; subsequent eggs gradually deal less damage. These smaller eggs cause minimal flinching at long range and weak vertical knockback at close range. Banjo can move and triple jump freely while in this mode, and can turn around (the latter is not possible while firing). Crouching or shielding will put Kazooie away, which has minimal ending lag; this allows Breegull Blaster to start aerial combos. Due to the mechanics of this move, Egg Firing can only be done repeatedly if the player button mashes, since holding the button transitions into the Breegull Blaster. On a side note, Banjo's walk speed is 10% faster than normal when he's using the Breegull Blaster. | |
| Side special | Wonderwing | 22% (clean), 16% (late) | Kazooie covers Banjo with her magic-infused wings while he charges forward at high speed. It is only usable up to 5 times per stock, which is denoted by the amount of Golden Feathers above their heads. Each successful use consumes 1 Golden Feather, although interrupting the move before the hitbox begins will not use up a feather. To compensate, it has a large amount of strengths: the move grants full invincibility from the start of the dash (frame 18) to the end, including immunity to almost all Final Smashes that do not grab the opponent, the clean hit deals a high amount of damage, shield damage, and knockback, and can KO at the edge at 60%, while the late hit is still powerful and can KO effectively offstage or catch options of edge-hanging opponents. It works very well as a horizontal recovery option, as it does not cause helplessness and travels an excellent amount of horizontal distance. However, the move is specifically designed to be out-prioritized by grabs, and grabbing the duo out of the move causes it to only deal 0.25× damage to the grabber. Its high startup and ending lag also makes it punishable if it misses or is shielded, which is compounded by the move's reduced shieldstun, especially on the late hit. If they attempt to use it without any feathers remaining, they simply stumble over; an aerial use will cause them to fumble in midair, and using it close to the ground will cause Banjo to land face-first in his floored animation. The number of Golden Feathers available will vary in Stamina Mode depending on starting HP. | |
| Up special | Shock Spring Jump | 3% (Shock Spring Pad) | Banjo & Kazooie spawn a Shock Spring Pad beneath them to propel themselves upward. The longer the special button is held, the more height they gain. Slows the duo's descent upon starting up if used in the air. Midair jumps and air dodges are still usable, as the duo are not rendered helpless. In the air, the pad itself acts as a projectile after its use like Spring Jump's spring, which can gimp recoveries; unlike that move, however, a grounded Shock Spring Pad cannot be reused by opponents or the duo. | |
| Down special | Rear Egg | 9.22% | Banjo bends over and Kazooie appears out of Banjo's backpack to lay a Grenade Egg from the backpack's rear flap behind the duo. The Grenade Egg has a fixed timer of ≈2 seconds and has a floaty, slightly unpredictable bouncing trajectory that varies based on where the egg lands when it hits the ground. Only one Grenade Egg can be fired at a time; if the move is used while a Grenade Egg is already active, Kazooie will pop her head out from Banjo's backpack and shake her head to indicate her inability to lay another one yet. It can be picked up, thrown, and Z-dropped like an item, similarly to Hand Grenade. Grenade Eggs do very little knockback, although their short fuses allow for creative item play. Using the move in midair will stall the duo slightly and makes it easy to catch an airborne Grenade Egg, and can be used to stall in midair similarly to C4. | |
| Final Smash | The Mighty Jinjonator | 10% (initial hit), 54.3% (total) | The duo summons the Mighty Jinjonator statue in front of them, dealing damage to anyone it hits. A cutscene then shows Banjo & Kazooie watching the Jinjonator burst from the statue before the opponent is tackled multiple times by it, followed by a final tackle that is accompanied by multiple Jinjos. Notably, it can only catch one opponent in the cutscene despite the initial hit from the Jinjonator being able to hit multiple opponents. | |
On-screen appearance
- Banjo hops out of a dark Jiggy silhouette with Kazooie visible, and then the duo both bow twice. The silhouette, the appearance of which is accompanied by a slide whistle-like descending sound, is a reference to the cutout wipe seen as the player moves from one area to another in the Nintendo 64 games, and the bows refer to the second half of the animation seen when all 10 Jiggies in a world are collected or when a Note Door is unlocked in Banjo-Kazooie.
Banjo & Kazooie's on-screen appearance
Taunts
- Up taunt: Banjo stretches and Kazooie appears out of his backpack, yawning. Based on an idle animation from Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
- Side taunt: Kazooie pops out of Banjo's backpack and the duo looks at each other, then Banjo strikes a thumbs up while Kazooie happily opens her wings. Based on their introductory pose in the opening sequence of Banjo-Kazooie.
- Down taunt: Banjo bows twice, saying his signature "Guh-huh!" each time. Identical to the latter half of the animation seen when all 10 Jiggies in a world are collected or when a Note Door is unlocked in Banjo-Kazooie. Unlike the other two taunts, Kazooie is not present.
Banjo & Kazooie's up taunt.
Banjo & Kazooie's side taunt.
Banjo & Kazooie's down taunt.
Idle poses
- Kazooie pops out of Banjo's backpack, rests her wing on his head as she looks around, then retreats back inside. Banjo looks at Kazooie while she is out.
- Kazooie playfully pecks Banjo on the head twice. Banjo rubs his head afterwards. It is similar to an idle animation seen in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie.
Banjo & Kazooie's first idle pose
Banjo & Kazooie's second idle pose
Crowd cheer
| Cheer (English) | Cheer (Japanese/Chinese) | Cheer (Italian) | Cheer (Dutch) | Cheer (French) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheer |   | ||||
| Description | Ba-Ba-Ba-Ban - jo! Ka-Ka-Kazoo - ie! | Ban - jo! (high voices) Ka - zoo - ie! | Bannnn - jo! Kazoooo - ie! | Bannnn - jo! Kazoooo - ie! | Ban - jo! (high voices) Ka - zoo - ie! |
| Cheer (German) | Cheer (Spanish) | Cheer (Russian) | Cheer (Korean) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheer | |
|||
| Description | Bannnn - jo! Kazoooo - ie! | Bannnn - jo! Kazoooo - ie! | Ban - jo! *claps 3 times* Ka - zooie! *claps 3 times* | Banjo - Kazooie! |
Victory poses
- Left: Banjo throws a Jiggy in the air, catches it, jumps, and poses. This references his brief dance scene when he collects a Jiggy in Banjo-Kazooie. Afterward, Banjo gives a thumbs-up while performing his signature "Guh-huh!", similar to the beginning of Banjo-Kazooie's intro movie.
- Up: Banjo marches in place briefly before bowing twice, saying "Guh-huh!" both times, ending with Kazooie poking out of his backpack. The animation is almost identical to that seen when all 10 Jiggies in a world are collected or when a Note Door is unlocked in Banjo-Kazooie.
- Right: Both dance around while playing their respective instruments, and then end in a pose referencing the ending of Banjo-Kazooie's intro movie. Their poses are also identical to the ones they assume in their reveal trailer (save for Kazooie's expression).
In competitive play
Banjo & Kazooie were initially met with a mildly positive reception due to their strong and flexible moves (such as forward aerial, forward tilt, smash attacks, Wonderwing, and Rear Egg), their ability to zone and edge trap effectively, and their versatile recovery. Their viability was strengthened with Tweek's 5th place at Glitch 7 - Minus World. However, the duo's flaws, including their below-average speed, problems with juggling and scoring KOs, fairly noticeable lag on their moves, and a barely adequate grab game, quickly became a problem. Despite their flaws and Tweek dropping the duo almost immediately after Glitch 7, opinions on Banjo & Kazooie's viability remained somewhat positive, as they garnered a sizeable playerbase that included huto, Raito, and Trela, the latter of whom defeated VoiD at The Big House 9. As a result, the early consensus among professionals, such as Mew2King and ESAM, was that the duo was between mid tier and the lower end of high tier.
However, ever since the end of 2019, Banjo & Kazooie have seen a decline in both results and reception, with several players such as the aforementioned 3 dropping them. Many players believe that they are only at their strongest in an online environment, while others believe that they are low tier overall. While Banjo & Kazooie are generally considered a respectable fighter, their viability as a solo main is widely disputed due to their competitive results being quite lacking compared to metagame-relevant fighters.
Most historically significant players
See also: Category:Banjo & Kazooie professionals (SSBU)
Brood - Placed 3rd at POP-OFF, 33rd at Umebura SP 7 and 65th at EVO Japan 2020 with wins over players such as Abadango, Aiba, and Banku-. Currently ranked 20th on the Japan Player Rankings.- huto - The best solo Banjo & Kazooie player in Japan but has since dropped the fighter. Placed 5th at both Waseda Festival 2019 and Seibugeki 4, 25th at Umebura SP 7, and 33rd at Umebura SP 6 with wins over players such as shky, Umeki, and yuzu. Currently ranked 35th on the Japan Player Rankings.
- KR - Placed 2nd at EVISUMA x Gifusuma 2019, 9th at Mēsuma, 13th at both Karisuma SP 5 and Karisuma SP 7, and 33rd at Maesuma TOP 4 with wins over DoubleA, Jogibu, and Uto.
Moke - One of the best Banjo & Kazooie players in Europe. Placed 9th at Manchester Conquest 6 and Super SmashPoint 3 as well as 25th at Syndicate 2019 with wins over players such as CurryGovernor, Loading..., and TripleAAA. Currently ranked 7th on the Northern England Power Rankings.- OwlBBs - Known for using multiple characters and is considered one of the best Banjo & Kazooie players in Europe. Placed 3rd at BIG LAB: Awakening, 5th at UKIE Ultimate Circuit Finale, and 7th at Invasion with wins over Streakz and RobbieAK47. Online, placed 1st at The Quarantine Series: Europe Edition!, 2nd at Coca-Cola Breakpoint Ultimate - Finale, and 33rd at SWT: Europe Ultimate Online Qualifier, beating Mr.R, quiK, and Bloom4Eva.
Wolfen - One of the best online Banjo & Kazooie players. Placed 4th at Chill in Smash 2, 5th at Chill in Smash, 9th at The Box: El Jugo Box, and 13th at SWT: Central America South Ultimate Online Qualifier. Offline, placed 4th at First Hit!. Currently ranked 5th on the Gameshow Legends Rankings.
Classic Mode: Perfect Partners
Banjo & Kazooie's Classic Mode comprises opponents featured as a duo, akin to themselves being partners. Several of the music and stage combinations reference various worlds from the first Banjo-Kazooie game.
| Round | Opponent | Stage | Music | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Duck Hunt |
Spiral Mountain | Main Theme - Banjo-Kazooie | Duck Hunt's color scheme references Banjo & Kazooie themselves. |
| 2 |  Rosalina & Luma |
Tortimer Island | Treasure Trove Cove | References Treasure Trove Cove. |
| 3 |  Ice Climbers |
Summit | Freezeezy Peak | References Freezeezy Peak, with the Ice Climbers matching its polar climate. |
| 4 |  Link and  Zelda |
Mushroomy Kingdom | Gobi's Valley | References Gobi's Valley. |
| 5 |  Fox and  Falco |
Luigi's Mansion | Mad Monster Mansion | References Mad Monster Mansion. Fox and Falco's color schemes are likely meant to resemble a wolf and a raven respectively, which are animals that would appear in a typical haunted setting. |
| 6 |  Diddy Kong and  Donkey Kong |
Jungle Japes | Donkey Kong Country Returns | References the Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country series' shared origins, both having been created by Rare Ltd., as well as Banjo and Diddy Kong's friendship being mentioned in Diddy Kong Racing.[1] |
| Bonus Stage | ||||
| Final | Master Hand and Crazy Hand | Final Destination | Master Hand / Crazy Hand | Much like Banjo & Kazooie, Master Hand and Crazy Hand work together as a duo. Additionally, they bear a resemblance to Motzand, a disembodied hand who appears in Mad Monster Mansion. Both Hands are fought in any difficulty. |
Note: Every stage until Round 6 plays a track from the Banjo-Kazooie universe, no matter what universe the stage originates from
Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Banjo & Kazooie has Spiral Mountain accompany the credits.
Role in World of Light
Due to their status as downloadable content, Banjo & Kazooie do not have a legitimate role in World of Light. Instead, they are unlocked for use in the mode after freeing 10 fighters from Galeem's control. If loading an existing save file that meets this condition prior to downloading Banjo & Kazooie, they are immediately unlocked.
However, in Sephiroth's reveal trailer, they are shown amongst the many fighters facing Galeem, which suggests that they too canonically face Galeem and Dharkon in World of Light.
Spirit
Banjo & Kazooie's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Banjo & Kazooie have been downloaded. Unlocking Banjo & Kazooie in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Their fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with their artwork in Ultimate.
1,337. Banjo & Kazooie
In Spirit battles
As a minion
| Spirit | Battle parameters | Inspiration | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Image | Name | Series | Enemy Fighter(s) | Type | Power | Stage | Rules | Conditions | Music | Character |
| 1,338 |  |
Tooty | Banjo-Kazooie Series | •Diddy Kong  •Banjo & Kazooie 
|
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3,500 | Spiral Mountain | N/A | •Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy shields often •Magic attacks aren't as effective against the enemy |
Main Theme - Banjo-Kazooie | Banjo & Kazooie |
Alternate costumes
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Reveal trailer
Gallery
Banjo & Kazooie's splash art.
Celebratory pose at the end of their character trailer.
Banjo & Kazooie's unlock notice after downloading them from the Nintendo eShop.
Banjo & Kazooie's amiibo
Dashing on Yoshi's Island (Melee).
Jumping on Summit.
Using Egg Firing on Garden of Hope.
Banjo & Kazooie, King K. Rool, Mario and Duck Hunt on Spiral Mountain.
About to be grabbed by Villager on Tortimer Island.
Performing their side taunt on Spiral Mountain
Running on the track of Big Blue.
Popping Villager's balloons with their forward tilt in Town and City.
Crouching with Duck Hunt on Windy Hill Zone.
Using Egg Firing, with Mumbo Jumbo visible in the background.
Pivoting on Summit.
Banjo & Kazooie alongside all the fighters in the 1st Fighters Pass.
Trivia
- Banjo & Kazooie are referred within the game files with the codename "buddy", likely due to the fact that the duo is almost always seen paired with each other when they make appearances. Additionally, files that pertain to Kazooie specifically often refer to her with the codename "partner".
- According to Masahiro Sakurai, Banjo & Kazooie were highly-requested in the Fighter Ballot following Sora.[2]
- Banjo & Kazooie were created by British video game company Rare Ltd., making them the first DLC fighter that was created outside of Japan. They were followed by Steve, created by the Swedish company Mojang.
- Coincidentally, both companies are subsidiaries of Microsoft.
- Their introduction tagline is a reference to their aforementioned company of origin.
- The picture revealing Banjo & Kazooie's second alternate costume on Summit is a nod to Freezeezy Peak, the fifth level in Banjo-Kazooie, with the Super Launch Star in the image referencing the star on top of the Christmas tree in said level. The picture featuring Banjo & Kazooie's fifth alternate costume on Summit may also be a nod to said level, with the costume and Polar Bear both referencing Boggy.
- Not counting ports and cameos, Banjo & Kazooie's inclusion in Ultimate marks their first physical appearances in almost a decade, since the Xbox 360 version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, released in 2010.
- It also marks their first physical appearance on a Nintendo console in 14 years since Banjo-Pilot was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2005.
- In Banjo & Kazooie's battle portrait, Kazooie leans in slightly closer to Banjo than she does in their full artwork, in order to make her face fully visible. The Ice Climbers are the only other fighter with such an edit.
- On their victory screens, their name will only take up one line in the American and PAL versions of the game while it takes up two lines in the Asian versions. Excluding Olimar, whose character name is changed to "Pikmin & Olimar" in the Japanese version, they are the only character with this distinction.
- Banjo & Kazooie, when KO'd by reaching 0 HP during their last stock in Stamina Mode, use a unique voice clip (uttered by Banjo) not taken from either their KO or high damage voice clips, though it is difficult to hear under normal circumstances due to extremely low volume. Joker and Byleth both share this trait, although only in the Japanese language for the latter.
- Additionally, their stamina KO voice clip unusually does not begin with a slight pause. They share this oddity with Erdrick.
- When Banjo & Kazooie successfully parry an attack, Banjo assumes a flexing pose resembling both the Extra Life statues from Banjo-Kazooie and an idle animation from Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
- Banjo & Kazooie, Meta Knight, Inkling, Hero, Sephiroth, Pyra, Mythra, and Sora are the fighters who use their walking animation when navigating through the map in World of Light.
- Banjo & Kazooie and Hero are the only fighters that only appear as a minion puppet fighter. Piranha Plant, Terry and Sephiroth do not appear in any Spirit Battles, and the rest of the fighters appear as the main opponent.
- Banjo & Kazooie, the Ice Climbers and Pyra/Mythra's routes all share the same theme, having dynamic character duos as opponents.
- They also share the same boss, that being Master Hand and Crazy Hand, no matter the difficulty level.
- Due to Banjo & Kazooie's dash involving Banjo facing backwards while Kazooie runs forward, the flames of the Superspicy Curry shoot backward when they dash (because Banjo is the one eating the curry).
- However, the frantic expression caused by Superspicy Curry (where the character's pupils shrink and mouth opens) applies to Kazooie as well as Banjo, despite Kazooie not eating the curry or breathing fire.
- Uniquely, instead of being supported by a clear stand on their amiibo, Banjo & Kazooie are instead supported by a large plastic Jiggy underneath Banjo's raised leg, which is not present in their official render. The only other characters to have such a distinction present in their amiibo that is not present in their official artwork are Mr. Game & Watch (interchangeable poses), Ridley (plastic impact effect), the Ice Climbers (plastic iceberg support), and Joker (plastic flame support).
- During the brief time that Masahiro Sakurai plays as Banjo & Kazooie in Mr. Sakurai Presents "Byleth", Banjo's nose does not protrude out of his damage meter like it does in the released game.
- Banjo & Kazooie are the first playable characters to be from a formerly second-party Nintendo franchise.
References
- ^ DK Vine on Twitter: "According to the Diddy Kong Racing instruction manual, Diddy met Banjo and Conker in adventures with Donkey Kong. Needing to recruit associates outside of the Kong clan for his covert mission to Timber's Island, he sent Squawks to their homes with a letter of request. #DKUFacts"
- ^ https://twitter.com/PushDustIn/status/1455931229564387332
 Banjo-Kazooie universe
| |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Banjo & Kazooie (SSBU) |
| Stage | Spiral Mountain |
| Other | Jinjo · The Mighty Jinjonator |
| Spirits | Spirits |
| Music | Ultimate |
