Kirby (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)

''This article is about Kirby's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Kirby.''

Kirby (カービィ, Kābī) had been confirmed for Super Smash Bros. Brawl since the first preview shown at E3 in May 2006. Of all the characters shown, Kirby appears to be almost completely unchanged graphically (the trailer even makes a joke at this, wherein Kirby seems puzzled at his lack of a graphical upgrade). It was speculated that Kirby's up smash may be stronger, his attacks seem to be quicker in general, and he is apparently somewhat heavier than before.

His Final Smash is Cook Kirby, which is reminiscent of the Cook ability seen in various Kirby games. In the games, Cook Kirby clashes his utensils, tosses opponents into a pot, seasons them, stirs, and finally, items pop out of the pot.

Pros:

 * Superbly versatile recovery (multiple midair jumps, up-b, hammer, and f-air).
 * Two spikes: Dair and Final Cutter, both better than in Melee.
 * Many quick aerials and tilts.
 * Useful Dash Attack.
 * Can copy other characters' Neutral B attack which adds more options in his already unique playstyle.
 * Small target.
 * Can combo very well with Dthrow, Uair, Fthrow and many other useful moves
 * Aerials, tilts, and smash attacks can be performed extremely quickly after each other.
 * Can Fence of Pain, which counts as a Wall of Pain due to his increassed midair speed.
 * Fantastic edge-guarder. (primarily off the stage)
 * Good-midair evasion (jumps, fairs, stone)
 * Can commit Kirbycide
 * Powerful Up-Smash, Side-Smash and Side B attack.
 * Can use multiple attacks in midair, giving him excellent combo ability in the air.
 * Back Aerial is fast and has great knockback, damage, and priority.
 * Surprisng range for someone of his size (usually due to the fact that Kirby has very large feet)
 * Hard to edgeguard because he houses plenty of offensive recovery options.
 * Stone Form has amazing priority, knockback, can be effective upon multiple enemies and can also be used to negate damage and avoid some Final Smashes.
 * When used right next to an opponent Stone's hitbox will still damage them just as well as if it was used in the air.
 * Inhale can spit characters straight out of the blast line or the swallowed character can be used as a short-range projectile.
 * Has quick, damage-raising attacks as well as slow, powerful finishers.
 * If used correctly in midair, Hammer can inflict tons of damage.
 * If Kirby's neutral-A combo is done to somebody while they are against a wall, it is extremely difficult for the opponent to escape from that combo, allowing Kirby to rack up high amounts of damage for a very long time.
 * Up-tilt is great for juggling opponents and reaches a good distance behind Kirby.
 * Lowest crouch in the game.
 * U-throw is a good finisher (at high percentages, 150%-200%).
 * Can keep items away from opponents by eating them.
 * Great vertical recovery, and very good horizontal recovery
 * Dash A not only combos, but does not lead into Kirbycide anymore, causing more damage to opponent.
 * D-tilt has good range and can make people trip.
 * Neutral-B has an upside in which, if Kirby inhales, for example, Ganondorf, he will be at an advantage for that Kirby is faster than Ganondorf and can use Warlock Punch more easily.
 * Fsmash is surpsingly fast and has excellent knockback

Cons:

 * One of the lighter characters in the game, making him easily knocked around. (3rd lightest)
 * Most finishers are slow. (Back aerial, Down Smash and Up Smash are exceptions, and the Forward Smash is borderline)
 * Eating big items like Crates or Party Balls give Kirby lag frames, making Kirby vulnerable at these times.
 * Somewhat slow dash
 * Floaty(but Stone can be used to shortly make him fall much faster).
 * A few attacks are short-ranged, namely the ones where Kirby either does not use his feet or does not stretch them out enough
 * Can be grabbed out of his Stone.
 * Up-Special doesn't travel that far horizontally.
 * Stone does not protect against certain high-knockback attacks. If Kirby is hit by such an attack, he will still receive the full knockback. An example is if Marth's Critical Hit strikes Kirby in Stone form. Kirby will still be killed due to the tremendous knockback. (Kirby won't take any damage however)
 * Final Smash can be easily dodged, especially with Zelda/Pokemon Trainer, others use sidestep- though it doesn't always work, and if they're far enough from him, it doesn't suck them in.

Changes from Melee to Brawl

 * Hammer in mid-air is now two full horizontal swings.
 * Dash attack is no longer "Burning/Fireball Kirby", and is instead his Break Spin from Yo-Yo Kirby in Kirby Super-Star.
 * Attacks are stronger.
 * Final Cutter is faster.
 * More Horizontal midair movement.
 * Inhale can now suck in items.
 * Hammer can help recovery because of the brief stall at the beginning.
 * F-Throw and B-Throw cannot Kirbycide anymore, neither could they be escaped from.
 * Possibly heavier. (No longer is the 3rd lightest)
 * Can no longer change the direction he's facing when using Final Cutter.
 * Hammer deals a bit more damage and always does a good hit when on the ground
 * When swallowciding, every character is a "Zero Framer"
 * Is actually better at combos in Brawl, oddly enough

Combos & Tactics
(Note: If the opponent is light or faster than you (Marth's Up-B) prepare to hold shield before the second grab. Also, if you cannot get a second grab off, it is best to use a Side-B instead of U-air.  This combo has a lot of versatility, have fun with it! ~Ryuu )
 * Gonzo Combo: F-Throw, U-Air, quickly grab, F-throw, U-air, F-Smash
 * Tactic: A big part of playing Smash is mind games.  Short hop into an F-Air just outside of hitting the opponent and DI back and forth.  This makes it look like your going to attack forcing the opponent to move or dodge predictably and leaving him readable and open to a real attack.
 * Tactic: If you are above your opponent and it looks like he is going to commit to charging an Up-Smash or has a long Up-Tilt then this is the best (and almost only) time to Brick/Bryan (Down-B).
 * Tactic: Spamming projectiles is an excellent (but cheap) "strategy" in Brawl. Having said that, Kirby is really prone to being hit by them because of the style of his jump (multiple jumps but low and predictable).  Don't be afraid to spam Up-B back at someone using projectiles, this not only stops most of them but the animation of going up and coming down can hit a projectile (cancelling it but not you) which allows the rest of the Up-B to break through to hit the opponent.
 * Tactic: Short-hopping into F-Airs and especially B-Airs is a great approach.
 * Tactic: Aerial hammers and f-airs are good choices after a f-throw. But, beware as the second aerial hammer strike will likely cause Kirby to have lag frames.
 * Tactic: Keep yourself busy in midair by juggling your opponent frequently using u-airs, down-b (and canceling it immediately), b-airs and f-airs. Do not use Final Cutter unless the enemy is knocked far from you.
 * Combo: (Note: this combo only work if the enemy its a 0-20% damage) F-Throw, followed by F-Air, quickly grab, Down-Throw, up tilt or jump and N-Air.
 * Combo: Down throw, up tilt (more than once on fast-fallers), up smash
 * Tactic: Recovery 1-Jump fair, jump fair...etc (change DI to aid in unpredictability)
 * Tactic: Recovery 2-Same as recovery 1, but upon reaching the stage's edge, (or midair opponent) use side B to attack and grab ledge.
 * This is probably considered attack spamming, but: (Note: This only works for people with 0-40% and/or heavy)D-throw, repeat until opponent knockback is too high to continue (also watch out for a Yoshi/Bowser Bomb).
 * (Only useful when opponent has low damage.) To increase loads of damage quickly, use Stone, immediately cancel out of it, then quickly use Hammer (it will be a fast aerial hammer due to the fact that Kirby is shortly in midair when transforming out of Stone).
 * Combo: Dthrow, double utilt, usmash. Only works at lower percents on all characters.
 * Combo: Back to a wall: B-throw, b-air, u-air/f-air (depending on if your opponent got knocked above you or ahead of you) F/u-tilt/smash
 * Ivy combo (only works when Kirby has Ivysaur power) D-Throw, Bullet Seed (hold until damage is to high to keep in the attack)
 * Fun: Nothing is more satisfying and impressive than using someone's Neutral-B better than them, it's always helpful to steal the good powers (which are good is controversial) and use them! It's preferable to Inhale a projectile or counter (Robo Beam, Aura Sphere, Nayru's Love)
 * Reminder: When ready to spit out your opponent after inhaling them, spit them out against a wall and prepare to use a quick up-smash, neutral a, or any other fast attack.
 * Tactic: An easy "Kirbicide"-like move is to suck in the opponent and jump backwards off the stage, then DI towards under the stage and spit them out underneath the level.  Most characters don't have good enough recovery to make it back to the edge.
 * (Strategy for slow characters) Since Kirby's spectacular recovery can make him fly around the bottom of Final Destination and Battlefield, use this once to trick opponents, then the next time go only halfway across then return to the same side jumped off from. Await the enemy with Kirby's great anti-edgeguarding aerials or a nice f-smash!
 * Combo:(Works best if opponent is at low damage)Use Kirby's U-B to drag them up with you and pull them down, then quickly U-Smash, wait for them to fall back towards you, then D-Smash.
 * Combo: Stone, then Hammer in mid-air. Stone can be used for attack or defense.
 * Tactic: When you have Kirby's final smash, jump up to the top of the stage and activate it.  If your opponent(s) are in range, they should be KOed off the top of the stage.
 * Tip: Up-throw can be used as a sort of Wonder Height Recovery, because as Kirby flies above the top of the screen, he will land on the topmost platform. Unfortunately, he can't fly through solid platforms, so use it wisely.

Role in the Subspace Emissary
In the beginning, a trophy of Mario 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! Peach and Zelda, who were watching their match, both come to their aid. After the brief battle, the Ancient Minister shows up with a giant Subspace 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 by Petey Pirahna, 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 a giant gun called the Dark 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 sees that the Subspace Bomb is about to explode! Fortunately, they flee the Midair Stadium via Warp Star. However, they are soon chased by the Halberd and are forced to land on it. Soon after, an Arwing 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 sees something and runs ahead, leaving Peach/Zelda behind. She is then turned into a trophy from behind by Bowser's Dark Cannon, and is copied by a Shadowbug clone of Bowser. After a fight, Mario and Pit/Link and Yoshi are turned into trophies, and are captured by an arm from a cargo drove by King Dedede, which also has Zelda/Peach, Luigi, and Ness's trophies. Suddenly, Kirby 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 a mysterious badge that fell off Zelda/Peach's trophy

Some time after that, Kirby and the others pursue the Ancient Minister in a desert, trying to stop him from detonating another Subspace Bomb. Despite their best efforts, the bomb still explodes, and they barely managed to escape it. Kirby and the others then aided Marth, Ike, Lucas, the Ice Climbers, and the Pokémon Trainer in warding off the Subspace Army troops that had come to face them.

After defeating them, the Falcon Flyer, and the Halberd (now under Meta Knight's control) land infront of them, and they all join forces to defeat the Subspace Army. The Subspace Gunship, commanded by Bowser and Ganondorf, appears out of a large sphere of Subspace, and after destroying the Halberd, tries to attack 4 smaller ships emerging from its wreckage. Fortunately, Kirby manages to save them by destroying the Gunship with Dragoon, and follows the others into Subspace.

When they confront Tabuu, Tabuu unleashes an attack that turns everyone, including Kirby, into trophies. However, Kirby is revived by himself, thanks to the badge he found at Dedede's hideout earlier, which he had swallowed prior to Tabuu's attack. 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 pointing the staircase to Kirby, and dragging Kirby up it. Kirby then helps the others fight Tabuu.

Event Matches

 * Event 3: Pink Ball Repulsion- The Player plays as Meta Knight and has to defeat Kirby on the Battleship Halberd before the flying platform lands.
 * Event 10: All-Star Battle Regulars- Choose your character and take on the "original 8" fighters, two at a time.
 * Event 12: Sleeping in the Eggs- The player controls Yoshi and has to use Egg Lay to put Kirby and Pikachu in eggs simultaneously.
 * Event 13: Dragoon Strike- As Kirby on Battleship Halberd, collect the Dragoon pieces and KO all three Warios with the Dragoon. You can kill one after a time, but you need another Dragoon.

Co-Op Event Matches

 * Co-Op Event 1: Two Trouble Kings- Play as Mario and Kirby against Bowser and King Dedede on Delfino Plaza.
 * Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle- Select your character and take on the entire roster on Battlefield.

Ground Attacks
Normal Smash
 * Neutral A - Two punches, followed by a rapid flurry of punches that release shock waves. Vulcan Jab from his Fighter Ability.
 * Dash A - Spins on his hands, while kicking with his feet. Multiple hits, with last hit having some knockback. Break Spin from his Yoyo Ability from Kirby Superstar.
 * Forward Tilt - A quick short ranged roundhouse kick. Can be angled upward or downward.
 * Up Tilt - Quickly raises one leg vertically from behind. A good juggling move.
 * Down Tilt - Crouches low and delivers a short ranged low kick. May trip opponents.
 * Forward Smash - Lunges forward and delivers a mid-range jump kick that moves Kirby forward. High knockback and executes quickly. In all Kirby games Kirby can use this move even without powers.
 * Up Smash - Does a short somersault while doing an upward kick. Decent range, and High knockback. If not staled, can star KO Mario at 101% if it sweet spots and Maio doesn't DI.
 * Down Smash - Splits his legs apart spins around rapidly. Good range, decent knockback.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial - Spins in place, dealing damage with his arms and legs.
 * Forward Aerial - Does three spinkick with the last kick having good knockback. Kirby could do this move with his Fighter Ability.
 * Back Aerial - Quickly crouches in midair then kicks his legs behind him. High knockback and has Sex Kick properties.
 * Up Aerial - Does a flip kick in midair similar to his Up smash.
 * Down Aerial - Mid-powered drilling attack that spikes at about 150%.

Grabs & Throws

 * Pummel - A quick punch.
 * Forward Throw - Rises slowly in the air, while flipping, then slams the opponent down. Kirby used this move in his Backdrop/Suplex Ability.
 * Back Throw - Quickly flips backwards and slams opponent head-first into the ground. Kirby used this move in his Backdrop/Suplex Ability.
 * Down Throw - Throws them into the ground, and then stomps on them several times quickly. Known as "Victory Dance".
 * Up Throw - Flies off the top of the screen, and comes back down. Kirby used this move in his Backdrop/Suplex Ability, though recent titles use it on the Fighter Ability.

Snake's Codec Message
Otacon: Snake! Watch out!

Snake: For what? That pink marshmallow?

O: That's Kirby, also known as "Kirby from Dream Land."

O: He's from another planet--in other words, an extraterrestrial.

O: He's got a powerful stomach that lets him swallow and digest anything.

O: And he also has a "Copy Ability" that allows him to mimic opponents, steal their moves, and use those moves against them.

O: On top of that, he has the power to fly around the stage, so once he's got you in his sights, there's no place to run.

S: ...Huh? Yeah, got it. I'll keep an eye out.

Costumes

 * Default - Kirby's regular pink colored self.
 * Red - A red variation of Kirby, derived from Fire Kirby form. In addition, Player 3's colors in the games.
 * Blue - A blue variation of Kirby, derived from Ice Kirby form.
 * Yellow - A yellow variation of Kirby, drived from Beam Kirby or Needle Kirby. In addition, Player 2's colors.
 * White - A white variation of Kirby, derived from misinterpreted box art. In addition, his coloration in Kirby's Dream Land for Game Boy
 * Green - A green variation of Kirby, derived from Plasma Kirby form. In addition, Player 4's colors.

Clapping Pose
Claps with hands above his head/body. Unlike most characters, Kirby smiles in this pose.

Taunts
Up: Dances, similarly from Kirby games and his Victory Pose.

Side: Spins quickly and poses with one foot sticking out and says "yo" (says the last part of his trademark phrase, "Poyo"), his only real piece of vocabulary besides "Hi" (same as his character selection pose in SSB)

Down: Waves and says "Hi!" it sounds similar to a drawn out "Hiiiiiii!" (Same animation as SSB and Melee; the "Hi!" is much less dragged out)

Note that all three of Kirby's taunts cause him to discard his current "Copy" ability.

On-Screen Appearance
Crashes down from his Warp Star and spins (similar to his neutral aerial).

Idle Stance

 * He looks around, hopping to his left.
 * He quickly falls asleep and then wakes up by shaking his head.

Victory Pose

 * Victory Theme: Kirby Victory Theme
 * Spins, holds his hand up
 * Does some flips, holds his hand up
 * Skids to each side, holds his hand up

Wii Remote Choice
A plop like he lands is heard then he says "Hiiii!". Sounds exactly like his Melee taunt.

Credits Music

 * Butter Building

Kirby Hats
Kirby has had the ability to copy any character's standard special move in all three Super Smash Bros. games. See Kirby Hats (SSBB) to see the different hats that Kirby can get in Brawl.
 * Note: When Kirby swallows Link, he shoots his bow left handed, just as Link does

Trivia

 * Kirby makes a squeaky noise when he goes in and out of a crouch.
 * If you listen carefully to Kirby when doing Jigglypuff's copy ability,it may sound like purin,Jigglypuff's Japanese name.
 * After most of Kirby's falls,a star will fall out.
 * Kirby is the only character to have a different dash attack in every Smash Bros. game. In the original Super Smash Bros., he performed his famous slide tackle. In Melee, he performed "Burning Kirby" and in Brawl he performs a spinning maneuver from Kirby Super Star.