Kirby (SSBB)/Neutral special
- This article is about the hitbox visualization inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl. For the move itself, seeInhale (Kirby).
Overview[edit]
The move's name isInhale, where Kirby opens his mouth wide open and then begins tovacuum, creating a vortex of wind. The move can be used for an infinite duration as long as theB button is held down and nothing interrupts Kirby. The move can be stopped by releasing the B button, or if Kirbyflinches. Its main purpose is to suck up a nearby opponent. With an opponent inhaled and Kirby bloated by them Kirby can move around although his movement speed is low and he cannot move very quickly. If Kirby does not do anything with the inhaled opponent, they will eventually escape in a few moments and Kirby will be knocked back. Due to functioning in the same way as agrab release Kirby gains guaranteed follow ups againstNess andLucas if this happens althoughDonkey Kong can punish Kirby if this occurs.
The first option is that Kirby can copy an opponent'sneutral special move, while popping them out for 6% damage - performed by pressing the B button or by tilting thecontrol stick down. This allows Kirby to use their said neutral special move in place of Inhale, and gains a hat resembling that character (for example, if Kirby copiesMario, he will be able to useFireball, and gains a hat identical to his). There are a couple of exceptions such as withOlimar where instead of copyingPikmin Pluck, Kirby will gain a unique attack where he chucks Pikmin out of the ground. However, Kirby can also lose the copied special move and hat by either being attacked enough so that a star resembling that ability drops out of him, being KO'd, or if he decides to discarding it bytaunting. Note that if Kirby uses this option after inhaling another Kirby, he won't gain an ability or hat, unless the Kirby being inhaled has a copied ability; the inhaler would gain that ability while the inhaled Kirby would lose it. A list of copy abilities that Kirby can gain can be seenhere.
The second option allows Kirby to simply shoot out the inhaled opponent, by pressing theA button. This deals 10% and the opponent is sent in the direction Kirby is facing with decentrange. This causes the spit out opponent to become aprojectile. Any bystanders hit by the spit out opponent will be hit for 9%-18% damage depending on the spat opponent'sweight and decent to high knockback.
One infamous option that Kirby can perform is "Kirbycide", aSacrificial KO. It involves Kirby inhaling the opponent offstage so they both fall down into the lowerblast line, KOing the pair of them simultaneously. This technique can quickly remove a stock from both players as it forces Kirby to fall abnormally fast. Kirby can also potentiallyfootstool his opponent if they escape before reaching the blast zone.
Inhale has limited use in competitive play, as it is laggy, short ranged, and Kirby has better options outside of in teams. Inhale can be a decent tool off stage in order to initiate a sacrificial KO and Kirby also has some benefits when using certain copy abilities. Kirby's small size allow him to use his copy abilities lower to the ground making them harder for grounded opponents to avoid and his fall speed/short hop height can give him additional benefits while using them in the air. Notably, Kirby can make great use of thespace animals' lasers due to his aforementioned traits meaning that he can dish out more lasers while he is in the air and he can laserlock more characters withFalco'sLasers than Falco can due to his smaller size.
Hitboxes[edit]
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Timing[edit]
| Grab startup | 18-19 |
|---|---|
| Grab loop + windboxes | 20- |
| Animation length (from release) | 19 |
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Lag time | .png) .png) Loop point | .png) Flinchless hitbox | Grab |  Interruptible |
Copy ability changes[edit]
Mario'sFireballs have a shorter duration and travel a shorter distance.
Due to his lowershort hop, Kirby can useLuigi's fireballs much more effectively than Luigi can.- Falcon Punch has less range (5u/3.5u/3.5u → 4.8u/3u/3u).
Falcon Punch hits lower to the ground. This makes it harder to hit aerial opponents but makes it easier to hit grounded opponents.- Falcon Punch deals more knockback (30 (base), 93 (scaling) → 30/102 (grounded), 40/102 (aerial)). Additionally, if Kirby uses Falcon Punch in conjunction with a jump, he will gain a ton of height (much more thanCaptain Falcon does).
- Due to his lowerfall speed, Kirby can use four ofFox'sLasers or three ofFalco'sLasers in a short hop (as opposed to three and two respectively). This allow allows him toauto-cancelWolf'sLasers in a short hop. Kirby's shorter height also allows him to laserlock more characters than Falco can.
- Due to his lower fall speed, Kirby is capable of auto-cancelingLink'sHero's Bow in a short hop. It also has less ending lag (FAF 30 → 25).
- However unlikeToon Link, Kirby cannot perform aQuickdrawn arrow after using an aerial arrow in a short hop. Kirby also cannot lock opponents with Link's arrow due to their altered angle (361° → 70°).
- Nayru's Love has a greater reflection multiplier (1.2x → 1.5x).
- Naryu's Love's hitboxes go through shields, unlike Zelda's.
- Nayru's Love has less range.
- Warlock Punch hits lower. This makes it harder to hit aerial opponents but makes it easier to hit grounded opponents. The aerial version also has increased base knockback (30 → 40) but the reversed aerial version has less base knockback (40 → 30).
- Mach Tornado's loop hits have smaller hitboxes (5u/5u/5u/5u → 5u/5u/4.5u/4.5u). Some of its hitboxes also don't cause hitstun. Altogether, these changes make Kirby's version significantly easier to escape and overall much less effective.
- Mach Tornado's final hit has a larger hitbox (11u → 13u).
- The arrows fromPalutena's Bow hit lower making them more effective against grounded opponents.
- Charge Shot produces smaller projectiles.
- Paralyzer hits lower to the ground and deals more damage when fully charged (6% → 7%).
- PK Flash andPK Freeze don't reach as high vertically. This means that Kirby cannot fully charge PK Freeze if he is on the ground.
- Aura Sphere is not affected byaura so it is a consistent size and deals consistent damage (13%-26% → 18%).
- Shield Breaker hits lower to the ground and has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 36 (uncharged)/35 (charged)).
- Shield Breaker has much less range.
- Chef can beabsorbed. This hinders Kirby's version in 1v1s and free for alls but improves its utility in doubles asMr. Game & Watch can absorb Chef which he typically cannot do.
- When copyingOlimar, Kirby plucks Pikmin out of the ground and throws them. Unlike withPikmin Throw, they cannot latch onto opponents.
- Kirby shootsRobo Beam lower to the ground.
