Kirby inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
Universe	Kirby
Other playable appearances	inSSB inMelee inSSB4 inUltimate
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Cook Kirby
Tier	D (20)

Kirby (カービィ,Kirby) returns as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl. He was confirmed forBrawl in the first preview shown at May 2006'sE3 show along withMario,Link, andPikachu. Of all the characters shown, Kirby appears to be almost completely unchanged graphically. He is once again voiced by Makiko Ōmoto, using some recycled voice clips fromMelee, while providing some new, slightly lower-pitched voice clips akin to his appearances in theKirby: Right Back At Ya! anime.

Kirby ranks 20th on thetier list at the top of the D tier, which is a significant improvement over his 25th out of 26 ranking inSuper Smash Bros. Melee. Kirby brings a lot of good moves to the table, with many fast and/or powerful attacks, oversizedhitboxes, and a uniquecommand grab that can copy an enemy'sneutral special and potentially negate some of Kirby's weaknesses. Additionally, Kirby possesses a stronggrab game, with above average grab range, two good combo throws, and even a kill throw, a rare luxury forBrawl fighters. This moveset grants Kirby one ofBrawl's best combo games, goodedgeguarding, effectiveledge planking, great scapping tools, and a way to take advantage of opposing utility. Kirby also has a very far reaching and generally saferecovery.

Kirby's very lowweight and poormomentum cancelling abilities give him some of the worst endurance. Kirby also suffers from slow movement speed, which when combined with his lack of a solid projectile, creates difficultyapproaching and dealing with opposing zoners. Worst of all, Kirby struggles againstair camping, as none of his aerials except for his back air are particularly useful, and none of them have good enough vertical reach to challenge opponents from above or below. This, along with his sluggish air physics, makes for bad matchups against fighters likeMarth andMeta Knight, who can dominate the air and stuff Kirby out with ease.

Overall, Kirby's generally poormatchups against high-ranking characters make him a non-viable fighter in spite of being favored against the majority of the cast, making for thoroughly unimpressive representation and lackluster results. Even so, Kirby has seen some strong results in the hands of smashers likeChuDat.

Attributes[edit]

Kirby is a small, lightweight character. His small size allows him to avoid many attacks (his initialdashing animation can go underneathPit'sPalutena's Arrow when not aimed). He is also able tocrouch underneath attacks, which can be used to his advantage against tall characters such asR.O.B. andGanondorf. His light weight is both advantageous and disadvantageous; he is less vulnerable tochain throws (includingKing Dedede'sdown throw), but he also gets launched farther when hit, making him easier to KO. He also has poormomentum canceling abilities, with slow falling speeds, and his fastest aerial attack, hisup aerial, is only slightly shorter than hisair dodge. His momentum canceling abilities, combined with his light weight, give him one of the worst survivabilities in the game. However, he makes up for this with a safe and one of the longest-reachingrecoveries, with five midairjumps andFinal Cutter to help him return to the stage. This has made Kirby a popular choice for beginners to learn with. His multiple jumps also give him goodedgeguarding potential. Kirby has above average reach in his attacks for a character of his size, with manydisjointed hitboxes, and a strongcombo ability, with hisforward throw,forward tilt,up tilt, and up aerial all being great damage rackers and setups. He also has highKO power with good finishers, with hissmash attacks,back aerial,Hammer, andStone all being able to KO opponents (although his back aerial stales quickly and his Hammer and Stone are laggy and generally require good reads to land). Kirby lacks a solid projectile, and his only projectile, the wave produced from Final Cutter, is slow and predictable. This complicates matchups againstcampy characters with solid projectiles, such asFalco and Pit. Kirby's biggest problem is his poor mobility. He has only the 25th fastestwalking speed, the 28th fastestdashing speed, the second lowest jumping height, a slowair speed, and a slowfalling speed. His poor air speed prevents him from being able to maneuver in the air well despite being an air-based character (his back aerial is his most used attack and all of his throws send his opponent upward), limiting his edgeguarding ability, and combined with his poor dashing speed and lack of a solid projectile, creates difficulty approaching and dealing with opposing camping.

One of Kirby's strong aspects is his ground game. His ground attacks have good range, start quickly, and end quickly as well. His forward tilt is a versatile ground attack that is good forspacing. His up tilt is one of the fastest up tilts in the game, has disproportionately long range, and is a goodjuggler and setup move at low percents. Hisdown tilt has a chance totrip opponents, creating additional setups. Hisforward smash delivers high knockback and has low startuplag for such a powerful attack. It is considered his best KO move, along with his back aerial. Hisup smash is also a powerful finisher. However, it has a sourspot behind Kirby that cannot reliably KO. Hisdown smash covers both sides, and delivers powerful vertical knockback. It also delivers horizontal knockback at the tips of his feet, making it good for edgeguarding.

Kirby also has a stronggrab andthrow game as well. He has a fast grab with above average range. Hispummel is very quick and can deal some extra damage before a throw. Hisforward throw can lead to combos that can deal over 40%, depending on the weight and falling speed of the character. Hisback throw is useful for getting opponents off of the stage, and hisup throw can even KO at high percents. Kirby'sdown throw is a good damage-racker, and is able tochain throwfastfallers at low percents. However, its ending lag hinders its combo and setup potential, though it is still decent.

Kirby'sspecial moves have varying degrees of usefulness. Hisneutral special move,Inhale, gives him the unique ability tocopy the neutral special moves of his opponents. He can use this to cover some of his weak areas, such as a lack of a solid projectile. However, the Copy Ability can be lost rather easily if he is hit hard enough. Kirby can also performKirbycide by walking off the stage with the opponent in his mouth. He can also spit out characters with poor recoveries below the stage, where the opponent is unlikely to recover, and Kirby, with his good recovery, can easily get back onto the stage. Hisside special move,Hammer, is a powerful attack and good finisher, but it has high startup lag. When used in the air, the first hit has less startup lag, and the second hit is a powerfulsemi-spike, making it a good edgeguarding tool. Hisup special move,Final Cutter, is his primaryrecovery move, and produces a shockwave upon landing, creating his only normal projectile. However, it can beedgehogged rather easily, it is too slow to be used effectively forcamping, and experienced players will be able to shield the wave without much difficulty. When Kirby descends from Final Cutter, ameteor smash hitbox is produced, making it useful for edge-guarding from above. Kirby can also perform "Cuttercide" by using Final Cutter in midair and bringing down an opponent, where both players will usually die. Hisdown special move,Stone, is powerful and can KO at high percents and leaves him invulnerable to attacks, but it has high ending lag, is predictable, and an opponent canpunish him with a grab. It is useful as a surprise KO move, and on stages withwater, where he can easily land a hit on swimming opponents.

Kirby's best aerial attack by far is hisback aerial, one of his most versatile and useful attacks and is a staple part of hismetagame. It has low startup and ending lag, almost nolanding lag, is a good edgeguarding tool, can be used forWall of Pain techniques, and can KO at high percents. Kirby players commonly approach by jumping while facing away from the opponent, getting closer, and using a back aerial when the opponent comes in range. Unfortunately, a wary opponent will be able to shield and punish rather easily. However, despite his strong back aerial and air-based play, the rest of his aerial attacks are poor. Outside of his back aerial, his aerial attacks suffer from a combination of high startup and ending lag, poor knockback, and poor range. Hisforward aerial is not particularly useful; all three hits will sometimes not lead into each other, depending on the opponent's position, and can beSDI'ed out of. It also has poor knockback, and the back aerial is considered superior for most uses. Hisup aerial is a decent juggler and has good combo potential, but its power wasnerfed fromMelee; it can no longer KO reliably under 150% unless near the upperblast line. It also has noticeable, albeit small, startup lag. Hisdown aerial is a meteor smash, and is useful for "dragging down" opponents recovering vertically, and Kirby can easily recover. However, it has high startup lag, and is weak for a meteor smash, so it's not very effective if Kirby does not land many hits. Hisneutral aerial is his worst aerial and is often considered one of the worst aerial attacks inBrawl. It has incredibly high ending lag, mediocre knockback, and poor range. The ending lag makes it impractical for offstage use. However, it is not completely useless; it has nolanding lag, and can be used as a air-to-ground transition, and can potentially be used as a setup for tilt attacks. Kirby can also use his side special move, Hammer, as an aerial attack, since it has powerful knockback, and the second hit is a semi-spike, making it useful for edgeguarding. However, the small hitbox is difficult to land and it leaves Kirby vulnerable if he misses. Kirby's poor air attacks outside of his back aerial, combined with his slow falling speed, make him prone to aerial juggling, and complicates matchups against characters who can fight well in the air, such asMeta Knight, and characters with good juggling abilities, such asZero Suit Samus.

Overall, a competent Kirby player can utilize his strengths, such as his great combo ability, which, when combined with moves such as his solid tilts and back aerial, make him a competent force. Despite this, Kirby has weaknesses, in particular his poor mobility and approach options, that bring him down as a character.

Changes fromSuper Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

Possibly due to being considered by many one of the worst characters inMelee, Kirby has been significantlybuffed in the transition toBrawl, and many of the flaws that severely crippled him have been addressed. Kirby has seen significant improvements to his aerial game, his recovery, his grab, and his hitboxes/range. The changes in mechanics also helped out Kirby as he still maintains a strong combo game despite the introduction ofhitstun canceling, and the introduction of tripping benefits some of his moves such as his down tilt. The changes tolocks also benefits him as he can use his jab and down tilt to lock his opponents and build up a lot of damage. Lastly, the overall slower pace of the game combined with his improved range makes it a lot harder for his opponents to zone him out.

Despite his buffs, Kirby also received a fewnerfs, mainly to his damage output as well as the frame data on some of his moves, which also affect his KO power and safety: while some moves such as his forward smash are stronger, his up smash has a much weaker sweetspot, his forward tilt is noticeably weaker and has a sourspot on the tip of his foot, worsening its edgeguarding potential, his down smash is slower, his forward and up aerials have lost their KO potential, his dash attack is slower and more inconsistent due to its multiple hits and his neutral aerial is much laggier and has a much worse autocancel window. Kirbycide can also no longer kill his victim first, makingsacrificial KOs a much larger risk at last-stock situations.

Nevertheless, Kirby has been significantly buffed overall, resulting in him going from arguably the worst character inMelee to an average character inBrawl.

Aesthetics[edit]

• Kirby has a slightly darker color scheme. His feet have a more subdued color scheme and his blushes are slightly smaller.
• Kirby makes a squeaky noise when he goes in and out of a crouch.
• Kirby's previous taunt has been moved to his down taunt and has a new voice clip. The voice clip for his old taunt is used for his Wii Remote selection sound.
• Kirby'sSound Test section has been split with his regular sounds (under the category "Kirby") and the sounds used for thecopy abilities (under the category "Kirby's copy abilities").
• Kirby's red and greenalternate costumes have been altered; the color of his feet is wine red and orange respectively, instead of maroon and dark green respectively. These changes make them based onred and green Kirbys as seen inKirby & The Amazing Mirror.

Attributes[edit]

• Kirby is considerably heavier (70 → 78).
• Kirbywalks slightly faster (0.85 → 0.95).
• Kirby'sair speed is faster (0.78 → 0.85).
  • Kirby's air speed is no longer reduced during the animations for his midair jumps.
• Kirby'sair acceleration is higher (0.06 → 0.11).
• Kirbydashes slightly slower (1.4 → 1.371).
• Kirby's traction is significantly lower (0.08 → 0.0493), especially when compared with the returning veterans, now going from the 7th highest to the 8th worst. This makes it harder for him to punish out of shield and due to the removal ofwavedashing, it provides minimal benefits.
• Kirby'sjumpsquat is longer (3 frames → 4).
• As with the returning veterans, Kirby'sfalling speed is slower (1.6 → 1.2). Compared to the returning veterans, however, Kirby falls faster, improving his endurance but making him more vulnerable to chain grabs and combos.
• Kirby'sgravity is lower (0.08 → 0.061).
• Spot dodge has a longer duration (frames 2-15 → 2-20).
• Spot dodge has more ending lag (FAF 23 → 26).
• Rolls have a longer duration (frames 4-19 → 4-20).

Ground attacks[edit]

• All tilts and smash attacks have larger hitboxes.
• Neutral attack:
  • The second hit has slightly less ending lag (FAF 17 → 16 (both)). Kirby can also transition into his rapid jab faster and he can now hold down the first hit by holding the attack button.
  • The first two hits deal less damage (3%/4% → 2%/3%) the first hit has a shorter duration (frames 3-4 → 3).
  • The first two hits have less knockback scaling (50 → 30), and the rapid jab has much more range, allowing the first two hits to more reliably combo into the rapid jab without pushing opponents out of range.
  • The rapid jab now has a sweetspot closer to Kirby which deals 2% damage per hit instead of 1%, while the sourspot deals the same 1% that the entire move did inMelee, increasing the rapid jab's damage output.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt deals less damage (11% → 8%/7%) without proper compensation on its base knockback (8 → 12) and has received a sourspot on the tip of Kirby's foot.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has a longer duration (frame 4 (clean)/5-7 (late) → 4-5/6-10) and has less ending lag (FAF 24 → 21).
  • It now grants intangibility to Kirby's foot.
  • It has an altered animation where Kirby moves his foot in a longer arc than before. Thanks to the increased hitbox duration, this increases the area around Kirby that the move covers, and gives it range in front of Kirby.
  • It deals less damage (8%/6% → 7%/5%).
  • It has reduced knockback scaling (118/114 → 102). This hinders its KO potential but improves its combo potential at lower percents when combined with its lower damage.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has less ending lag (FAF 30 → 21).
  • It deals less damage (10% → 6%/5%) and has a shorter duration (frames 4-7 → 4-6).
  • The move has reduced base knockback (40 → 30), and now uses theSakurai angle (20° → 361°). In addition, the move has been given a 35% bonustrip chance. These changes give the move true followups if the opponent trips, as well as the ability to read the opponent's trip getup for a heavier punish. Overall, the move is more rewarding on hit than the very weak semi-spike it was inMelee.
• Dash attack:
  • Kirby has a new dash attack: the Break Spin from the Yo-yo ability.
  • It deals more damage (8% → 14%), has less ending lag (FAF 60 → 48) making it a safer aproach option.
  • The last hit has higher knockback values (70 (base), 66 (scaling) to (70/90)/(70/100)) improving his KO potential.
  • It has significantly smaller hitboxes and now consists of multiple hits making it easier to escape from. It also has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 9-43 → 12-37).
  • It can no longer slide off ledges.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 13-15 (clean)/16-21 (late) → 12-16/17-21).
  • Its late hit deals more knockback on all angled variants (18 (base), 96 (scaling) → 25/(96/94) improving its KO potential especially the up angled version.
  • Unangled forward smash's clean hit deals much more knockback (24 (base), 96 (scaling) → 38/98), significantly improving its KO potential and going from the 6th weakest forward smash in Melee to a forward smash with above average power.
  • Its angles have been altered (361° (clean)/75° (late) → 38°/73°).
  • Upward angled forward smash's sweetspot deals more damage (15% → 16%) and knockback (24 (base), 96 (scaling) → 38/100).
  • Its late hit launches opponents at a higher angle (75° → 82°).
  • Its sweetspot launches opponents at a higher angle (361° → 45°) hindering its KO potential against grounded opponents.
  • Downward angled forward smash's sweetspot deals less damage (15% → 14%).
  • Its late hit launches opponents at a less favorable angle (73° → 60°).
  • Its clean hit has increased base knockback (24 → 38) and semi-spikes opponents (361° → 31°).
• Up smash:
  • Up smash's early hit's sourspot deals more damage (13% → 14%).
  • It now grants intangibility to Kirby's foot, allowing it to contest aerial approaches when the hitbox is active.
  • It has more startup lag (frame 13 → 14), the early hit has noticeably less knockback (30 (base), 118 (scaling) → 34/100) and the late hit deals less damage (13%/12% → 12%/11%) with no compensation on its knockback, hindering its KO potential.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash's sourspot has higher knockback scaling (80 → 85) improving its edgeguarding potential.
  • Its clean hit and feet intangibility have a longer duration (frames 7-9 → 10-14).
  • It has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 7-22 → 10-22).
  • It is no longer interruptible, giving it more ending lag (FAF 50 → 56).
  • Its late hit no longer deals consistent damage (10% → 11%/9%).

Aerial attacks[edit]

• • All of Kirby's aerials have decreased landing lag (15 frames → 9 (neutral/back/up), 20 frames → 13 (forward), 20 frames → 15 (down)) although due to the removal ofL-canceling, their landing lag was not fully compensated.
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has received an new early hitbox which deals more damage (10% → 12%) (this hit exists inMelee but does not correctly spawn), improving its edgeguarding and KO potential.
  • All hits except the latest hit now have bigger hitboxes (≈5u (all) → 8u (clean)/7u (mid)/6u (late)/5u (latest)).
  • Its clean and mid hits have a shorter duration (frames 10-17 (clean)/18-29 (mid)/30-34 (late) → 10-11/12-15/16-20/21-34).
  • It has significantly increased ending lag (FAF 50 → 73), making it riskier to use offstage.
  • Itauto-cancels much later (frame 38 → 56), preventing it from gaining the ability to auto-cancel in a short hop despite Kirby's lower gravity and falling speed.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial's hits connect more reliably due to the first two hits having larger hitboxes and less knockback (30 (base), 70 (scaling) → 35/50 (hit 1), 28/30 (hit 2)). It can now also auto-cancel in a short hop due to Kirby's slower falling speed and lower gravity despite auto-canceling later (frame 38 → 41). The final hit also has a much larger hitbox which now covers Kirby's whole body.
  • It deals less damage (5% (hits 1 & 2), 8% (hit 3), 16% (total) → 4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 5% (hit 3), 12% (total)) and the third hit's knockback scaling wasn't fully compensated (130 → 138). It also has more ending lag (FAF 40 → 44).
  • The landing hitboxes were removed, harming the move's safety on landing and followup potential.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial is a betterwall of pain due to Kirby's superior aerial mobility. It also has larger hitboxes (≈6.3u/≈6u → 7u/6u (clean), ≈5u/≈4.3u → 6u/6u (late)).
  • It greatly benefits from the introduction ofreverse aerial rush making it a much more viable approach option.
  • It deals less damage (14% → 12% (clean), 10% → 9% (late)) although its knockback was compensated (10 (base), 100 (scaling) → 20/105 (clean), 100 (scaling) → 110 (late)).
  • It has a shorter duration (frames 6-20 → 6-14) and more ending lag (FAF 36 → 41).
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has a much bigger hitbox making it significantly easier to land and it has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 11-13 → 10-15), which also allows the move to hit in front of Kirby.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 36 → 40) and auto-cancels later (frame 17 → 22).
  • It deals less damage (15% → 10%) and knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 20/98), improving its combo ability, but significantly hindering its KO potential. It also now launches opponents vertically instead of horizontally (361° → 70°) improving its juggling potential but hindering its edgeguarding potential.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial is more effective at meteor smashing opponents due to the changes tometeor canceling, Kirby's lower falling speed, and with the introduction of thefootstool jump, can be easily comboed into a move that sends the opponent down farther. It also has much larger hitboxes.
  • The landing hit has a longer duration (2 frames → 3), and larger hitboxes (≈3.9u/≈3.9u → 5.4u/5u).
  • Each hit of deals less damage (3% → 2%) reducing its total damage output (16% → 12%). Its knockback was also not fully compensated (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 20/107) hindering its edgeguarding potential especially at lower percents.

Throws/other attacks[edit]

• Grabs:
  • Both standing and dash grabs have less startup lag (frame 7 (standing)/frame 11 (dash) → 6/10).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel is much faster (30 frames → 9), no longer being tied with Jigglypuff and Mr. Game & Watch's as the slowest in the game.
  • It deals less damage (3% → 1%).
• Forward, back and up throws can no longer be used as asacrificial KO. This hinders their utility but increases their safety as Kirby can no longer accidentally self destruct with them. This is further complemented by the fact that opponents cannot escape Kirby's forward or back throws anymore.
• Forward throw:
  • Kirby no longer loses all of his jumps after his forward throw.
  • Opponents can no longer escape during the middle of the animation.
  • It has much more combo ability at lower percents due to the changes toDI and the inability for opponents to escape abruptly.
  • It deals more damage (6% → 8%), however this causes it to stop comboing earlier.
• Back throw:
  • Opponents can no longer escape during the middle of the animation.
• Up throw:
  • Kirby no longer loses all of his jumps after his up throw.
  • The universally decreased falling speeds restore some of up throw's KO power.
  • If Kirby uses his up throw under a platform, he will land on it, significantly improving its KO potential on stages with platforms.
  • It launches at a slightly lower angle (90˚ → 85˚), which also makes it more susceptible to DI.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw deals more damage (0% (hits 1-9)/1% (hit 10)/7% (throw/total) → 1% (hits 1-10)/2% (throw)/12% (total)) and no longer puts opponents intotumble at lower percents.
  • It has much more combo ability at lower percents due to the changes toDI. It also releases the opponent one frame later (57 → 58) with FAF unchanged, making it one frame more advantageous.
  • It has much higher knockback scaling to compensate for the reduced base damage of the throw (45 → 140), however, this results in more knockback overall, hindering its combo and chaingrabbing potential.

Special moves[edit]

• Inhale:
  • Kirby can nowB-reverse Inhale (along with many of his copy abilities).
  • Inhale can eat items and has slightly improved range with a vacuum, which also improves his defensive options on the ground and in the air.
  • Sacrificial KOs now KO Kirby and his victim at the same time, no longer allowing Kirby to escape after the opponent is KO'd. Inhale's collateral damage has been decreased across the board; many characters deal 1% or 2% less damage when spit, while Fox and Falco deal 4% and 3% less respectively. Only the damage of a spit Kirby is unchanged (though Young Link and Toon Link also deal the same damage).
  • It has one frame more startup (frame 17 → frame 18).
  • Kirby'sshrink glitch fromYoshi'sEgg Lay has been removed.
• Copy Abilities
  • When copyingIce Shot, the landing lag sustained when landing with the move in the air is now much higher than that of the Ice Climbers (16 frames → 30), due to the newly added faceplant animation being much longer than 16 frames, with no interruptibility.
• Hammer:
  • Kirby can now B-reverse Hammer.
• Grounded:
  • Hammer's sourspot is much harder to connect with as the sweetspot now takes priority over the sourspot and the sourspot deals more damage (16% → 18%) and significantly higher knockback scaling (50 → 70).
  • It has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 22-28 → 24-25), has less horizontal reach, and its sweetspot has less knockback scaling (76 → 72).
  • Its angle has been altered (60° → 55°).
• Aerial:
  • The aerial variant functions differently, being two strong horizontal swings instead of a multi-hitting vertical loop swing.
  • It deals more damage (4% (early loop), 2% (late loop) → 17%/13% (hit 1), 15%/10% (hit 2)) and knockback (40/30 (set), 100 (scaling) → 65/50 (base), 75/70 (scaling) (hit 1), 60/70 (hit 2)) giving Kirby access to an aerial KO option and a semi-spike, as well as an anti-edgeguard tool.
  • It halts Kirby's descent and briefly stalls him in the air, and no longer restricts his left and right movement, allowing it to be used to extend Kirby's recovery.
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 69 → 50).
  • It has less vertical reach and both hits of do not link into each other as reliably as before.
  • It has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 7-46 → 17-18/34-35) and more landing lag (16 frames → 27).
    • However, notably it has much less startup than the grounded version, albeit with a modest decrease in power compared to the grounded version, making it just barely reactable, and thus a viable offensive option in the air, acting as a slow but powerful sixth aerial that can be used in either direction.
• Final Cutter:
  • Final Cutter is faster, travels more horizontal distance, and no longer makes Kirby lose all jumps if knocked away, improving its recovery potential. Themeteor smash produced on descent now lasts for as long as Kirby falls, instead of just for the first few frames.
  • It requires stricter timing to be reversed. Additionally, Kirby now becomes helpless when pushed off a ledge just before the end of Final Cutter's landing animation.
• Stone:
  • Stone has higher knockback scaling (55 → 70) and produces an additional hitbox upon landing. The grounded version also now has a hitbox which is asemi-spike which deals 14% and is capable of locking and tripping opponents There is also less ending lag upon cancellation (FAF 31 → 28).
  • Kirby no longer vocalizes when exiting out of his Stone form, being replaced by a sound effect.
  • Stone cannot be cancelled as early (frame 48 → 54).
  • Stone has less HP (38 → 30).
    • However, Kirby now takes no damage when his Stone is broken rather than the amount of extra damage he took compared to his remaining HP.
• Cook Kirby:
  • Kirby has aFinal Smash:Cook Kirby. He puts on a chef hat and brings out a spatula and a frying pan, and he sucks nearby opponents, items, and projectiles into a cauldron where he then proceeds to cook them. It deals 34% damage with weak knockback and can generate moreitems.

Moveset[edit]

For a gallery of Kirby's hitboxes, seehere.

Stats[edit]

This article or section may require additional technical data. The editor who added this tag elaborates:Needs short hop and double jump heights You can discuss this issue on thetalk page oredit this page to improve it.

Announcer call[edit]

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests:Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article, upload ithere.

• English/Japanese

Wii Remote selection sound[edit]

• Makes a bouncy sound and says "Hi!", just like his down taunt. This "Hi!" sound clip is taken directly from his taunt inMelee.

On-screen appearance[edit]

• Rides in on aWarp Star and crashes down.

Taunts[edit]

When Kirby does a taunt, hisCopy Ability gets discarded.

• Up taunt: A "Kirby Dance" similar to his victory dances in theKirby games.
• Side taunt: Spins around, then stops, sticking out his left leg and saying "Eeu!". Almost identical to the "preview" animation shown when he is selected in the originalSuper Smash Bros.
• Down taunt: Faces the screen and says his signature elongated "Hi!" Unlike the game's predecessors, the "Hi!" is no longer said in a teasing manner.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses[edit]

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

Crowd cheer[edit]

Victory poses[edit]

All of Kirby's animations are variations of the Kirby Dance, performed when he completes a level in his games.

• Up: Does some flips, then holds his hand up.
• Left: Spins, then holds his hand up.
• Right: Skids to each side, then holds his hand up.

Up	Left	Right

Incompetitive play[edit]

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also:Category:Kirby players (SSBB)

•  ChuDat - Although more famed for his accomplishments inMelee, he actively playedBrawl throughout its competitive lifetime, and was considered the best Kirby main in the world. Placed 1st atCEO 2010,Glitch 2, 7th atClash of the Titans IV, and 13th atPound V. Has wins over players such asSeagull Joe.
•  Falln - Considered one of the best Kirby players in the United States, with strong regional presence in SoCal. Has wins overMikeHaze andLarry Lurr. Placed 5th atGolden Coast, 9th atForest Temple, and 33rd atGENESIS 2.
•  Y.b.M. - A Kirby main from Texas, known as one of the best Kirby players during his prime. Placed 17th atApex 2009 andWHOBO 4, as well as 33rd atPound 4.

Tier placement and history[edit]

Players almost immediately saw Kirby's improvements fromMelee, and how he was able to keep up withBrawl's slower pace. Kirby was ranked 14th on the first tier list, and then rose to 13th place on the second and third tier lists. However, due to characters of higher tiers having more prominent strengths, and the flaws of Kirby's poor endurance and susceptibility to getting camped, he dropped to 16th in the fourth one, 19th in the sixth, and to 20th in the seventh and eighth versions. Kirby’s merely average playerbase and poor matchups against top-tiers resulted in him seeing rare use in top-level play; however, Kirby’s traits were still a significant step up fromMelee, which allowed him to achieve some success duringBrawl's competitive lifespan.

In Solo Modes[edit]

Classic Mode[edit]

In Classic Mode, Kirby can appear as an opponent or ally in Stage 5 along withMeta Knight andKing Dedede onHalberd. Kirby can also appear as an opponent in Stage 11, but only if he hasn't appeared in Stage 5.

All-Star Mode[edit]

In All-Star Mode, Kirby is fought in Stage 15 alongsideMeta Knight andKing Dedede onHalberd.

Event Matches[edit]

Solo Events[edit]

• Event 3: Pink Ball Repulsion: The player controlsMeta Knight and must defeat Kirby before the platform reaches theHalberd portion of the stage.
• Event 10: All-Star Battle Regulars: Kirby is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are starters from the originalSuper Smash Bros. game.
• Event 12: Sleeping in the Eggs: The player controlsYoshi and must put both Kirby andPikachu in eggs simultaneously.
• Event 13: Dragoon Strike: The player controls Kirby, who must collect the threeDragoon parts and KO three Warios with the completed Dragoon. KOing them by any other means causes them to respawn.

Co-Op Events[edit]

• Co-Op Event 1: Two Trouble Kings:Mario and Kirby must defeatBowser andKing Dedede onDelfino Plaza.
• Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle: Both players select a character and take on the entire roster onBattlefield.

Congratulations Screens[edit]

Role inThe Subspace Emissary[edit]

Kirby inSSE.

Kirby is the deuteragonist in The Subspace Emissary. In the beginning, a trophy ofMario and Kirby are thrown into an arena, come to life, and have a friendly match. The player chooses the one they want to play as. After the battle between the two, the victor revives the fallen loser, and the two fighters celebrate and wave to the crowd when suddenly, the Subspace Army attacks the stadium.Peach andZelda, who were watching the match, and both come to their aid. After the brief battle, theAncient Minister shows up with a giantSubspace Bomb that is quickly armed by two R.O.B.s. When Mario attempts to stop the bomb, he is ambushed by a giant cannonball and is blasted away from the stadium. Meanwhile, the two princesses are captured byPetey Piranha, and are thrown into separate cages. Kirby then faces off against Petey, but only one princess can be freed. After defeating Petey,Wario appears carrying aDark Cannon, turns the princess Kirby didn't save into a trophy, and runs off with her. As Kirby and the remaining princess begin to leave, Kirby, seeing that the Subspace Bomb is about to explode, flees Midair Stadium with the princess viaWarp Star. However, they are soon chased by theHalberd and are forced to land on it. Soon after, anArwing gets shot down, blowing both Kirby and the princess off the Halberd and onto a series of ridges.

After climbing down from the ridges, Kirby notices something and runs ahead, leaving Peach/Zelda behind. She is then turned into a trophy from behind byBowser's Dark Cannon, and is copied by aShadow Bug clone of Bowser. After a fight, Mario andPit/Link andYoshi are turned into trophies, and are captured by an arm from acargo drove byKing Dedede, which also has Zelda/Peach,Luigi, andNess's trophies. Suddenly, Kirby, who had noticed Dedede hijacking the cargo from Wario, appears from behind and uses Final Cutter to sever the arm, and revives the pair's trophies in the process. When Dedede attempts to escape, Pit/Link fires an arrow at his cargo, slowing it down a little, and the five pursue Dedede to save their friends.

Eventually, they find a cave that Dedede's cargo is parked by, and after getting through, they find Dedede's hideout. Upon exploring his hideout, they see a hole in the wall and decide to enter it. They then see Bowser, who escapes to the Halberd after avoiding Mario and Pit's attacks. After the scuffle however, Kirby finds amysterious badge that fell off Zelda/Peach's trophy, which he swallows.

Some time after that, Kirby and the others pursue the Ancient Minister ina desert, trying to stop him from detonating another Subspace Bomb. Despite their best efforts, the bomb still explodes, and they barely manage to escape it (Kirby flies on a Warp Star with Pit and Link on it while Mario rides on Yoshi). Kirby and the others then aidMarth,Ike,Lucas, theIce Climbers, and thePokémon Trainer in warding off the Subspace Army troops atthe Canyon.

After defeating them, theFalcon Flyer, and the Halberd (now underMeta Knight's control) land in front of them, and Kirby and the other fighters join forces to defeat the Subspace Army. TheSubspace Gunship, commanded by Bowser andGanondorf, appears out of a large sphere of Subspace where theIsle of the Ancients used to be, and after destroying the Halberd, tries to attack four smaller ships emerging from its wreckage. Fortunately, Kirby manages to save them by destroying the Gunship withDragoon, suggesting that the Halberd and smaller ships were a distraction so he could launch this surprise attack. Kirby then follows the others into Subspace.

When they confrontTabuu, he unleashes hisOff Waves that turn everyone into trophies, including Kirby. However, Kirby is miraculously revived thanks to thebadge he found at Dedede's hideout earlier, which he had swallowed prior to Tabuu's attack (when Bowser escaped with the Peach/Zelda trophy in his Clown Car). After going through Subspace alone and reviving some of the fighters along the way, Kirby finds Ganondorf's trophy. Before he can do anything, Bowser appears and attacks Ganondorf's trophy in revenge for turning him into a trophy earlier, before throwing it aside. King Dedede then runs over to Kirby and hugs him before dragging him towards the staircase leading intothe Great Maze. Kirby then helps the others fight Tabuu and end the Subspace invasion.

Playable appearances[edit]

• Midair Stadium
• Sea of Clouds
• The Lake Shore
• The Cave
• The Wilds (Part II)
• The Canyon
• Entrance to Subspace
• Subspace (Part II)
• The Great Maze

Exclusivestickers[edit]

These stickers can only be used by Kirby or a select few including him.

• Bonkers: [Weapon] Attack +16
• Cell Phone: [Slash] Resistance +4
• Dyna Blade: Launch Resistance +46
• Gordo: [Throwing] Power +5
• Hot Head: [Flame] Attack +10
• King Dedede & Kirby: [Specials: Direct] Attack +21
• King Dedede (Kirby Super Star): [Leg] Attack +28
• Kirby (Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards): [Body, Spin] Attack +22
• Kirby (Kirby Air Ride): [Arm, Leg] Attack +17
• Maxim Tomato: Maxim Tomato Effect +50
• Meta Knight: [Slash] Attack +32
• Meta Knight Ball: Launch Power +8
• Nruff: [Body, Spin] Attack +5
• Starman: Launch Power +33
• Whispy Woods: [Weapon] Attack +4

Trophies[edit]

Kirby's main andFinal Smash trophies can be obtained by clearingClassic Mode andAll-Star mode respectively with Kirby.

Classic Mode trophy

Kirby

A round, pink ball of cuteness from a distant, peaceful star. He can inhale anything with his gigantic mouth, then spit it out as ammo. He has the handy ability to copy powers and use them as his own. His hovering ability lets him fly through the air with ease. He's so round, he's sometimes treated like a ball.

:Kirby's Dream Land

:Kirby Super Star

:Kirby's Dream Land

:Kirby's Fun Pak

Cook Kirby trophy

Cook Kirby

Kirby in chef's garb. When Kirby throws on his chef's hat, a giant pot appears in the center of the screen. All characters, items, and even long-distance weapons are sucked into the pot. Once they've simmered a bit, food items equal to the number of things in the pot appear. Characters in the mix get blasted straight up out of the pot.

Kirby in chef's garb. When Kirby throws on his chef's hat, a giant pot appears in the center of the screen. Characters, items, and even long-distance weapons are sucked into the pot. Once they've simmered a bit, food items equal to the number of things in the pot appear. Characters in the mix get blasted straight up out of the pot.

:Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Alternate costumes[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Official Artwork.

• 

  Using hisneutral attack onMario onBattlefield.

• 

  UsingFinal Cutter onDelfino Plaza.

• 

  UsingHammer onLylat Cruise.

• 

  Using hisforward smash onWario onYoshi's Island.

• 

  OnBattlefield.

Trivia[edit]

• When Kirby misses with a dash grab, he enters an animation similar to when he misses an enemy with the Suplex ability inKirby Super Star.
• Kirby's helpless animation is the same pose he takes when he falls a long distance in mostKirby games. Kirby uses this kind of helpless animation when copying and usingMeta Knight'sMach Tornado,Donkey Kong'sGiant Punch,Ness'sPK Flash,Lucas'PK Freeze, or using the Final Cutter and being moved off a platform while still in landing pose.
• When Kirby obtains and then loses certain copy abilities, he loses the ability to close his eyes. This affects blinking, sleeping and idle animations.
• Kirby is one of five fighters to reuse one of their sounds fromMelee as their Wii Remote selection sound. The rest arePeach,Samus,Bowser, andGanondorf.
• In the game's 2006 E3 trailer, Kirby is seen using his aerialHammer animation fromMelee, which was eventually changed to two horizontal swings in the final version.

External links[edit]

• Kirby's page atSmash Bros. DOJO!!.
• Kirby Character Guide on SmashBoards
• Kirby's hitbox size of each of his moves
• Kirby's Moves - History Behind Super Smash Bros. Brawl, by CrappyCaptureDevice (main video)
• (Kirby's hats)(addendum)

v • d • e Kirby universe
Fighters	Kirby (SSB ·SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Meta Knight (SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·King Dedede (SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU)
Assist Trophies	Knuckle Joe ·Nightmare ·Chef Kawasaki
Bosses	Giant Kirby ·Marx
Stages	Dream Land ·Fountain of Dreams ·Green Greens ·Halberd ·Dream Land GB ·The Great Cave Offensive
Items	Maxim Tomato ·Star Rod ·Parasol ·Warp Star ·Apple ·Dragoon ·Superspicy Curry ·Bomber
Enemies	Bonkers ·Bronto Burt ·Gordo ·Parasol Waddle Dee ·Plasma Wisp ·Shotzo ·Tac ·Waddle Dee ·Waddle Doo
Other	Gourmet Race ·Whispy Woods
Trophies,Stickers andSpirits	Trophies (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4) ·Stickers ·Spirits
Music	Brawl ·SSB4 ·Ultimate
Masterpieces	Kirby's Dream Land ·Kirby's Adventure ·Kirby Super Star

• Characters (SSBB)
• Kirby universe
• Kirby (SSBB)
• Trophies (SSBB)

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