King Dedede (SSB4)

King Dedede in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Kirby
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Dedede Burst

King Dedede (デデデ, Dedede) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was announced on January 10, 2014 to commemorate the release of Kirby: Triple Deluxe in Japan.

He is once again voiced by long-time Kirby producer, Masahiro Sakurai, who provided him with new voice clips.

Changes from Brawl

King Dedede is one of the most heavily changed veterans, having many of his moves changed to completely new moves or otherwise heavily altered. Dedede additionally received a few significant nerfs, such as losing his very powerful chain throw. However, in his design overhaul, Dedede received plenty of buffs as well to compensate for these nerfs, while making him a more balanced character. Overall, Dedede is no longer the terror he once was to heavyweights and low-reach characters, but he is much better equipped to take on the fast lightweights that dominated him in Brawl. The general nerf to campable projectiles also helps make Dedede less susceptible to projectile camping.

Aesthetics

Like most characters, he has a more cartoonish appearance in SSB4 than he did in Brawl, being more brightly colored and looking reminiscent of his appearance in the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime. He additionally has even more exaggerated facial expressions. His model also sports a graphical effect that accentuates the fuzz on his robes and crown.

Attributes

• King Dedede is heavier.
• King Dedede jumps higher.
• King Dedede dashes faster.

Ground attacks

• New finisher on his jab infinite makes the move safer to land, as well as generally makes the jab more useful.
• His forward tilt now hits multiple times with more damage (overall dealing 3% more if all hits connect), and significant knockback, now being able to KO at very high damages.
• Forward tilt has slightly decreased reach.
• Up tilt is significantly weaker, no longer KO'ing until near 150%, and it has a sourspot added on the later portion of the attack that deals 2% less damage, instead of being strong throughout. It also has less vertical reach.
• Up tilt has increased horizontal reach, especially in front of Dedede, that makes it slightly easier to land.
• Down tilt is now a roll that moves him forwards, that produces a significantly larger and longer lasting hitbox, making it more useful and versatile.
• Down tilt hits at a higher angle however without any greater knockback, making it a less effective KO move at very high damages.
• Dash attack now has a sourspot on the later portion of the attack, that deals 3% less damage and deceased knockback.
• Forward smash's sourspot is more powerful, dealing 3% more damage and increased knockback, though it is still drastically weaker than the sweetspot.
• Up smash deals slightly increased knockback, and is slightly faster in start-up and ending lag.
• Down smash now hits on a semi-spike trajectory, making it a much more effective KO move and attack in general, especially on the edge, despite dealing 2% less damage and slightly less knockback.

Aerial attacks

• Dedede has a new forward aerial, that is now a hammer swing from above, as opposed to from below. This new forward aerial has faster start-up lag, and a much more favorable hitbox placement that makes it much easier to land.
• Forward aerial deals 3% less damage and significantly less knockback, not being able to KO until damages well beyond 150% outside edge-guarding.
• Dedede has a new back aerial, that involves him swinging his hammer behind him, in a manner similar to his forward aerial in Brawl. This new back aerial has slower start-up lag and has no long lasting hitbox, losing the immense versatility and all-around usefulness Dedede's previous infamous back aerial had.
• The new back aerial deals 3% more damage and stronger knockback, making it a bit more effective as a KO move.
• Up aerial's final hit deals much stronger knockback, making it much more effective at KOing opponents above. It also has significantly reduced SDI capacity, making it much harder to escape, allowing it to consistently deal more damage despite its max damage potential being reduced by 7%.
• King Dedede has a new down aerial, where he slams his hammer below him. This new down aerial has much slower startup, and much smaller hitboxes without the long duration, losing the strong anti-juggling capabilities and general damage racking abilities Dedede's old down aerial possessed.
• The new down aerial is a very powerful meteor smash, giving Dedede access to a new potent edge-guarding tool. The move also hits grounded opponents with powerful horizontal knockback instead of a meteor smash, giving Dedede access to a new powerful KO option onstage as well.

Throws/other attacks

• The reaches of all of Dedede's grabs have been reduced.
• Forward and back throws both deal 2% less damage, now dealing 10% and 14% respectively.
• Up throw has less ending lag, allowing up air followups at lower percentages.
• Down throw can no longer chain throw, removing one of the most pivotal aspects of Dedede in Brawl. It also no longer has set knockback, and deals 2% less damage (now dealing 6% damage).
• Down throw now throws opponents at a completely different trajectory, throwing opponents vertically into the air near Dedede. This makes the throw now an excellent combo starter up to mid-high damages, with guaranteed combos into up tilt and all aerials except down aerial, with the combo options varying depending on damage, rage, staleness, and the opponent's DI. It can even occasionally lead into a KO combo with up aerial.
• Down throw has an altered animation, with Dedede forcefully throwing opponents into the ground with a single arm instead of sitting on them.
• Dedede's intangible and very far-reaching over 100% ledge attack was removed, leaving Dedede with a significantly inferior ledge attack at high damages.

Special moves

• The removal of grab armor makes Inhale slightly less useful as a defensive landing option, as trades will now result in Dedede getting hit instead of inhaling the opponent.
• Dedede has a new side special, Gordo Toss, where Dedede now takes out a Gordo and hits it with his hammer, bouncing it along the ground. While the Gordos are significantly weaker than the rare Gordos were in Waddle Dee Toss, they are still powerful yet consistent projectiles that can deal up to 14% damage with knockback that can KO under 150%, which makes them much more reliable and useful on average compared to the extremely weak Waddle Dees and Doos. The ability to bounce the Gordos in different trajectories also gives the move greater trapping capabilities. The hammer swing in the initiation of the move additionally produces its own hitbox that deals 12%, which can also hit opponents into the subsequently tossed Gordo for immense damage.
• Gordos can be reflected by any hitbox that deals at least 2% damage, giving the move significant risk if a Dedede player misuses the move.
• Dedede can now grab ledges during the rising portion of Super Dedede Jump as long as he's facing the stage, significantly improving his recovery's safety. The falling hitbox of Dedede Jump is also more powerful, and can now bury grounded opponents.
• Jet Hammer's swing has significantly improved horizontal reach and a much larger hitbox overall, especially if fully charged, allowing it to hit airborne opponents easier and now allowing to hit ledge hanging opponents (with the fully charged hitbox being able to hit any ledge-hanging character), which when combined with the new ledge mechanics, give the move newfound ability as an edge-guarder. The move is also significantly more powerful throughout all its stages, dealing up to 8% more damage fully charged and KOing below 50%, while being able to KO well below 150% and potentially under 100% even when lightly charged. Fully charged Jet Hammer additionally deals significantly increased shield damage, to where it can nearly break a full shield, and holding a fully charged Jet Hammer stops damaging Dedede at 100% instead of 150%.
• Jet Hammer produces much more intense lighting that visually lights up the surrounding areas, and Dedede now visibly sweats with a grimacing facial expression when using the move. Jet Hammer also produces a wind effect, though it is just purely aesthetic, and it has a different swinging animation when released without being fully charged.
• His Final Smash has changed to Dedede Burst, a trapping Final Smash with good initial range, and KOing ability of a typical Final Smash, making it significantly more useful than his old relatively ineffective Final Smash, Waddle Dee Army.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			4%	A pair of hammer swings followed by a triwling trapping attack, finished with an uppercut swing.
			4%
			1% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt			2% (loop), 3% (last)	A spinning hammer poke. Very good range.
Up tilt			12% (body), 10% (head)	A short hopping headbutt. Dedede's head and upper body are intangible while the hitbox is active.
Down tilt			10% (clean), 6% (late)	Dedede rolls forwards.
Dash attack			16% (clean), 13% (late)	Dedede's trademark tripping dive. A slow and powerful KO move.
Forward smash			15% (early), 24% (clean), 6% (late)	Dedede winds up and brings down the hammer. The second most damaging forward smash in the game, following Lucario, who has the most damaging side smash in full power, with KO power to match.
Up smash			14% (hammer), 9% (body)	A vertical hammer swing.
Down smash			13%	A low spinning hammer attack. Dedede's weakest smash attack, but the head of the hammer is a semi-spike.
Neutral aerial			12% (clean), 7% (late)	Dedede throws out his arms and legs. Acts as a sex kick.
Forward aerial			12%	An overhead hammer swing.
Back aerial			16%	A rear-facing hammer swing from below.
Up aerial			1% (hits 1-7), 5% (hit 8)	An upwards-facing hammer spin.
Down aerial			15% (hammer head), 8% (handle)	A single downwards swing. The sweetspot is only a meteor smash on aerial opponents.
Grab			—
Pummel			3%	A headbutt.
Forward throw			4% (hit 1), 6% (throw)	Dedede whacks the foe away with his hammer.
Back throw			4% (hit 1), 9% (throw)	Same as the forward throw, just backwards.
Up throw			4% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Dedede pushes the opponent upwards.
Down throw			6%	Dedede plants the opponent into the ground.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%
Edge attack Edge getups			8%
Neutral special	Default	Inhale	5% (release), 10% (spit)	Dedede sucks in opponents and can then walk around and spit them out.
	Custom 1	Dedede Storm	2% (loop hits), 3% (outer hit)	Instead of inhaling opponents, blows them outwards.
	Custom 2	Taste Test	5% (release), 12% (spit)	Inhales opponents faster than the default, which spits them out immediately.
Side special	Default	Gordo Throw	10% (hammer), 14%/12.5%/11%/9.5% (Gordo)	Dedede throws a bouncing Gordo forward. Its trajectory can be angled upwards, forward, or downwards. The Gordos disappear after 3 bounces. Additionally, they can be reflected by any attack dealing at least 2% damage.
	Custom 1	Topspin Gordo	10% (hammer), 11% (Gordo)	Throws Gordos that don't go far initially, but fly forwards upon bouncing. Disappears after a second bounce.
	Custom 2	Bouncing Gordo	10% (hammer), 6% (Gordo)	Throws electric Gordos that bounce back and forth. Cannot be angled.
Up special	Default	Super Dedede Jump	15% (drop), 11% (landing), 5% (stars)	Dedede performs his signature jump and launches upwards, rocketing down with a devastating stomp and burying grounded opponents on impact. Aerial foes hit by the stomp are meteor smashed.
	Custom 1	Rising Dedede	15% (clean), 12% (late)	Instead of stomping, Dedede does damage during the jump and then falls into helplessness.
	Custom 2	Quick Dedede Jump	10% (drop), 5% (stars)	Faster, weaker, and lower than the default.
Down special	Default	Jet Hammer	11% (uncharged ground), 10% (uncharged air), 38%/28% (fully charged ground), 27%/16% (fully charged air)	Dedede charges up his hammer, which damages himself if he holds it at full charge. If released at full charge, he unleashes a powerful blow very capable of KO'ing opponents.
	Custom 1	Armored Jet Hammer	9% (uncharged), 24%/20% (fully charged ground), 22%/15% (fully charged air)	Makes Dedede immune to flinching while charging, though the attack is then weaker and Dedede takes self-damage faster.
	Custom 2	Dash Jet Hammer	7%/6% (uncharged), 18%/16% (fully charged)	Charging the attack pushes Dedede backwards, while unleashing it propels him forwards.
Final Smash		Dedede Burst	10% (hits 1-3), 1% (hit 4), 15% (hit 5)	Dedede sucks in the opponent, smashes them three times with his hammer, and shoots a bomb out of it, sending the victims flying diagonally.

Update history

1.0.4

• Forward aerial damage: 13% → 12%
• Down throw angle: 70 → 80
• Down throw knockback scaling: 60 → 82
• Minimum Gordo reflection damage: 3% → 2%
• All Gordo hitboxes are smaller in radius by 0.4 units.
• Characters can airdodge out of and escape Dedede Burst.

Alternate costumes

					File:KingDededeHeadBrownSSB4-3.png

Trophies

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS trophy descriptions

King Dedede's regular trophy can be obtained by completing Classic Mode and his alternative trophy can be obtained by completing All-Star mode.

King Dedede

NA: 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.

PAL: Being a self-proclaimed king, Dedede clearly doesn't care too much about the whole "politics" things. 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.

King Dedede (Alt.)

NA: 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!

PAL: 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!

• 

  Classic

• KingDededeAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt.

Gallery

• 

  Dedede in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

• 

  King Dedede's amiibo.

• 

  The pic of the day shown during King Dedede's reveal.

• 

  Dedede landing with Super Dedede Jump.

• 

  Dedede charging his Jet Hammer on Mario Galaxy.

• 

  Dedede charging Jet Hammer while approaching Fox using Fire Fox.

• 

  Dedede using his dash attack on Little Mac.

• 

  Dedede's forward smash.

• 

  Dedede in what appears to be the ending animation of his forward smash.

• 

  Dedede performing his neutral aerial with Kirby.

• 

  One of Dedede's idle poses.

• 

  Dedede in stunned state.

• 

  Dedede crouching in front of the Wii Fit Trainer...

• 

  ...and then getting hit by her forward smash.

• 

  Dedede performing his down taunt with Peach and Zelda in the 3DS version.

• 

  "Curiouser and curiouser ..."

• 

  "Ah--soft and squishy." [1]

• 

  Dedede's New Final Smash, Dedede Burst