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 10th, 2014 to commemorate the release of Kirby: Triple Deluxe in Japan.

He is once again voiced by long-time Kirby producer and the creator and director of the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai, whose voice clips have been digitally altered from Brawl.

Attributes

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King Dedede, like other heavyweights such has Bowser, fits in the "slow and powerfull" archetype. His most positive trait is surely his endurance: his very fast falling speed, very high weight and his long ranged, hard to edgeguard recovery give him the ability to survive past 150% easily. Due to his survivabilty, King Dedede benefits from rage, that make his powerful KO moves even stronger. His attacks also have a very good and disjointed range, which is helped by his ability to throw gordos.

However, The royal penguin has some terrible flaws. The slowness of his moves along with his poor air speed make his approach very commital. Because of that, King Dedede Relies on reads to kill and to rack up damage and thus he is a very inconsistent character. As well, King Dedede, because of his high weight, fast falling speed, huge frame and lack of a fast move to interrupt the opponent's strings, is arguably the easiest character to combo in the game.

Overall, King Dedede cons overshadow his pros. He is considered a rather poor character.

Changes from Brawl

King Dedede has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, but he is considered to be immensely nerfed overall.

Several of his moves have been heavily altered or changed entirely for cosmetic purposes, which has resulted in both positive and negative changes to his playstyle. The most notable positives that these changes bring are his new down tilt, new forward aerial, and his new side special Gordo Toss. Dedede's down tilt has faster start-up and travels a long distance, making it one of his best defensive moves (out of shield, after a smash attack, etc). It and his forward aerial additionally have hitbox placements that are noticeably more favorable than their previous iterations. Unlike Waddle Dee Toss, Gordo Toss deals a consistent amount of damage, fairly high knockback and can even be used to "pinball" opponents by using their tumbling momentum to Dedede's advantage by trapping them between a Gordo and Dedede due to the ability to angle a Gordo's trajectory. As a result, these three new moves are noticeably more versatile than their previous iterations in Brawl. General gameplay changes brought about by SSB4 have also helped Dedede. He is now less susceptible to projectile camping due to the universal nerf to campable projectiles, and he can utilize the rage mechanic very effectively due to his considerable weight, which supplements his high power. Finally, Dedede's already excellent recovery was buffed further.

However, the aforementioned new move alterations have also have drawbacks that can drastically outweigh the aforementioned positives despite having a less polarized moveset than Brawl. The most notable examples are his up tilt, back aerial, and especially his down throw all losing their versatility due to the former losing its KOing power, the second losing its fast startup and lingering hitbox (both up tilt and back air also lost their consistent strength), and the latter being affected by SSB4's removal of chain grabbing. Dedede's renowned grab game was also nerfed even further due to his grab range being reduced. Dedede's new nerfs have also created drastic flaws. He has a fairly poor neutral game in SSB4, with moves that are among the slowest in the game (with frame data similar to Shulk and Ganondorf), most of his finishers are slower and/or weaker than the ones used by most heavyweights (with the exceptions being his dash attack, forward smash, and Jet Hammer), and he cannot keep up with a majority of the cast even though his walking and dashing speed have been increased, without having a fast approach option to compensate (like grounded Wizard's Foot). Unlike the rest of the cast, Dedede receives few benefits from his custom moves. Dedede Storm removes most of the versatility Inhale provides while Taste Test resets the opponent to a neutral position and thus leaves Dedede at a serious disadvantage. Topspin Gordo and Bouncing Gordo are not noticeably better than Gordo Throw, and Rising Dedede and Quick Dedede Jump are not noticeably better than Super Dedede Jump, along with not providing ways to properly improve his great recovery. Lastly, Armored Jet Hammer and Dash Jet Hammer (particularly Armored Jet Hammer) are much worse than their default version. Despite zoning having been nerfed, Dedede still arguably has the hardest time dealing with it, and also is arguably hurt the most by the introduction of more versatile combo throws than he has, while update 1.0.4 gave him subsequent nerfs to his forward aerial, Gordo Toss and his new Final Smash, Dedede Burst. This has resulted in Dedede being considered by some to be among the worst characters in the game, and has seen him suffer from a lack of representation as a result due to players such as Omega Tyrant dropping him in favor of a more consistent or generally better character.

Aesthetics

• King Dedede has a more cartoonish and brightly colored appearance due to the new aesthetic used in SSB4, making him look reminiscent of his appearance in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, which visually makes his pupils smaller than they were in Brawl. Additionally, Dedede's model also sports a graphical effect that accentuates the fuzz on his robes and crown.
• Dedede has even more exaggerated facial expressions.
• The sound Dedede makes during his up taunt is now in sync with the animation, regardless of the direction he is facing.

Attributes

• King Dedede is heavier (112 → 119).
• King Dedede jumps higher.
• King Dedede walks slightly faster (0.95 → 0.98).
• King Dedede dashes faster (1.22 → 1.36).

Ground attacks

• New finisher on jab infinite makes the move safer to land, as well as much more useful in general, being capable of KOing around 150%.
• Forward tilt now hits multiple times with more damage (overall dealing 3% more if all hits connect) and has increased knockback, now being able to KO at very high damages.
• Forward tilt has slightly decreased reach.
• Up tilt is significantly weaker, no longer KOing 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 slightly 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, as well as having decreased start-up, 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 decreased knockback. It can also miss if used too close to the opponent.
• 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 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, and also no longer autocancels in a short hop.
• 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 more effective as a KO move.
• Up aerial's final hit deals much stronger knockback, making it much more effective at KOing opponents above, KOing below 130% regardless of Dedede's proximity to the upper blast line. It also has significantly reduced SDI capacity, making it much harder to escape.
• Up aerial deals 7% less damage, though this nerf is overall overriden because of it having improved KO potential.
• 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 (as its maximum damage potential has been reduced from 17% to 15%).
• 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

• Dedede no longer stumbles over when he misses a dash grab.
• Dash grab has slightly less endlag, making it less punishable when whiffed.
• The reaches of all of Dedede's grabs have been reduced.
• Forward and back throws deal less damage, with forward throw now dealing 10% and back throw dealing 13% 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 with up aerial if Dedede is able to read the opponent's reaction.
• Down throw has an altered animation, with Dedede forcefully throwing opponents into the ground with an 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 significantly more risk than Waddle Dee Toss 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.
• Super Dedede Jump falls faster.
• Super Dedede Jump is now cancelled with up instead of down.
• 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% near the ledge, 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%. Additionally, with the introduction of rage, Jet Hammer's recoil is now a double-edged sword rather than a detriment.
• 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 average initial range, and KOing ability of a typical Final Smash, making it significantly more reliable at KOing opponents than his old Final Smash, Waddle Dee Army. However, Dedede Burst deals a fixed amount of damage, making it less damaging than Waddle Dee Army.

Update history

Unlike most low tiers, Dedede has not been aided at all by patches. 1.0.4 hampered him even further, while 1.0.8 only made minor aesthetic changes. However, the changes to shield mechanics in recent patches have been somewhat benefical to him as this lets his most powerful moves break shields very easily. These changes, however, do not really help him at all due to his poor frame data and punishes, and he is still considered to be a low-tiered character.

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.

1.0.8

• Super Dedede Jump's voice clip changed.
• King Dedede's name now takes up one line in both the character selection screen and the results screen.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			4%	A pair of hammer swings followed by a twirling attack that traps the opponent and finished with an uppercut swing. Can be used in a zero-death combo.
			4%
			1% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt			2% (hits 1-4), 3% (hit 5)	A spinning hammer poke. Very good range. Fourth hitbox can only connect if the move lands at the tip of the hammer.
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. Very fast start-up, can be used after most defensive options and attacks.
Dash attack			16% (clean), 13% (late)	Dedede's trademark tripping dive. A slow and powerful KOing option, it is stronger than some of the cast's smash attacks, KOing at around 50% near the edge due to its exceptionally high base knockback.
Forward smash			15% (early), 24% (clean), 6% (late)	Dedede winds up and brings down the hammer. The strongest and second most damaging forward smash in the game, following Lucario, who has the most damaging side smash in full power, with almost equal KO power to match.
Up smash			14% (hammer), 9% (body)	A vertical hammer swing. Relatively slow compared to his up tilt, but less situational than in Brawl. Great vertical knockback if hit at the top of the arc or at the end, KOing at around 110%.
Down smash			13%	A low spinning hammer attack. Dedede's weakest smash attack, but the head of the hammer is a semi-spike, making it one of Dedede's quickest reliable ground finishers, KOing under 100% near the edge.
Neutral aerial			12% (clean), 7% (late)	Dedede throws his arms and legs out to perform a belly flop. Acts as a sex kick.
Forward aerial			12%	An overhead hammer swing.
Back aerial			16%	A rear-facing hammer swing from below. Can KO reliably below 130% and autocancels after a shorthop.
Up aerial			1% (hits 1-7), 5% (hit 8)	An upwards-facing hammer spin. Very strong, rivaling Fox's, being able to KO below 130%.
Down aerial			15% (hammer head), 8% (handle)	A single downwards swing. The sweetspot is only a meteor smash on aerial opponents. On grounded opponents, it deals high horizontal knockback, KOing at around 100% near the edge.
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. King Dedede's strongest throw, but doesn't KO until very high percentages (depending on the opponent's weight and DI).
Up throw			4% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Dedede throws the opponent above his head, then pushes them upwards.
Down throw			6%	Dedede grabs the foe's head and brings them into the air, then plants them into the ground. Dedede's best way to rack up damage, scoring true combos into all aerials (except down aerial) until mid percentages, and then into up aerial until KO percentages.
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 and the spit deals slightly more damage. But, King Dedede will spit the opponent out immediately instead of keeping them inside his mouth.
Side special	Default	Gordo Throw	10% (hammer), 14%/12.5%/11%/9.5% (Gordo)	Dedede hits 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. Of further note is that Dedede can hit opponents with the hammer swing used to serve the Gordo.
	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)	Serves 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 that buries grounded opponents on impact. Aerial foes hit by the stomp are meteor smashed. This move launches out stars after Dedede hits the ground, similar to Yoshi's Yoshi Bomb. Due to the stars that fly out after King Dedede hits the ground, this move can sometimes be difficult to punish, especially against characters that lack a projectile.
	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)	Dedede leaps faster and lower than the default. The stomp is also weaker.
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 very strong, rocket-powered hammer chop which can easily KO opponents below 50% near the edge. At 100%, King Dedede will stop taking self-damage.
	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 significantly weaker, not KOing until 150%, 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 at the expense of damage.
Final Smash		Dedede Burst	10% (hits 1-3), 1% (hit 4), 15% (hit 5)	Dedede violently inhales the opponents into place, smashes them three times with his hammer aflame, and shoots a bomb out of it, sending the victims flying diagonally.

Taunts

• KingDededeUpTauntWiiU.jpg
• KingDededeSideTauntWiiU.jpg
• KingDededeDownTauntWiiU.jpg

• Up Taunt: Hoists his hammer above his head and pumps it up and down.
• Side Taunt: Spins his hammer while looking at the camera, laughing.
• Down Taunt: Dances in a circle while drumming on his belly.

Idle Poses

• Taps his hammer on his shoulder.
• Smacks his belly.

On-Screen Appearance

• King Dedede is carried in on a palanquin by four Waddle Dees, then jumps off, scattering them.

Victory Fanfare

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

Victory Poses

• KingDededePose1WiiU.png
• KingDededePose2WiiU.png
• KingDededePose3WiiU.png

• Slaps his belly twice, and rests his hand on it as a Waddle Dee stands nearby.
• Slams his hammer down on both sides of him, then looks at the camera.
• Spins his hammer into the air and finishes with a pose.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

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

Notable Players

•  Big D
•  Te-Jay
•  El_Bardo
•  El_Pitikla
•  Macha

Alternate costumes

					File:KingDededeHeadBrownSSB4-U.png

Trophies

King Dedede

He calls himself the King of Dream Land, but he doesn't have a lot of interest in ruling. He really loves to eat, so it's no surprise he's a heavyweight fighter. Despite his size and low speed, he can easily recover with his four jumps. His Jet Hammer will leave a mark on everyone he meets.

Being a self-proclaimed king, Dedede clearly doesn't care too much about the whole "politics" thing. He's just a bit greedy. In this game, his weight and hefty hammer make him slow, but he can still jump four times in mid-air anyway, making it easy for him to get back to the stage. Fully charge his Jet Hammer for ultimate destruction.

: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)

: Kirby: Triple Deluxe (05/2014)

King Dedede (Alt.)

For the Gordo Throw side special, King Dedede sends a Gordo bouncing with a hammer strike. It bounces off walls—or sometimes gets stuck in them. After a while it'll disappear. If an enemy hits one, it'll bounce back toward you. Use the special again to whack it back at them!

For the Gordo Throw side special, King Dedede hits a Gordo with his hammer, sending it bouncing along the stage. It'll bounce off walls, or sometimes get stuck in them. Then, after a while, it'll disappear. If an enemy hits the Gordo with an attack, it'll fly back towards you. Use the special again to whack it back at them!

: Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)

: Kirby: Triple Deluxe (05/2014)

Dedede Burst

For Dedede's Final Smash, he takes a deep breath, pulling his foes toward him. Once he's gotten them right where he wants them, he'll unleash blows from his giant burning hammer. Topping things off is an explosive from the end of the hammer, sending enemies flying. Could this be worse for his foes? Yes! He's invincible the whole time too!

For Dedede's Final Smash, he inhales fiercely to pull foes towards him. Once he's got them right where he wants them, he thrashes them with a giant burning hammer. Then, to top it off, he fires an explosive from his hammer, sending them blasting off. Could it get any worse? Well... yes - Dedede's invincible the entire time.

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• KingDededeAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Dedede Burst

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Brawl: King Dedede is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents debut in Brawl, and reappear in Smash 4.
• Kirby's Crazy Appetite: 3 King Dededes will try to stop Kirby from healing his damage.
• The Final Battle: The player must defeat King Dedede, along with Bowser and Ganondorf.
• The King Strikes Back: King Dedede must defeat Kirby in a 150 HP battle.

Co-op Events

• Final Battle Team-Up: King Dedede appears as an opponent to be defeated.
• Food Fight: A damaged King Dedede and Kirby must defeat Wario, Yoshi, and Pac-Man.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Wrecking Bros.: King Dedede and Wario appear to hinder Mario and Luigi's progress.

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

Trivia

• King Dedede is the only non-Pokémon character with a different name in the NTSC French version that isn't simply due to title/term translations (as with Captain Falcon and Villager) or accents added for pronunciation purposes (as with Palutena).