Inhale (Japanese: Intake - すいこみ, Suikomi) can refer to either of two similar attacks, one from Kirby and the other from King Dedede.
Kirby
Inhale is Kirby's Neutral Special Move, previously called Swallow in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee. When the button is pressed, Kirby opens his mouth and begins to inhale, creating a vacuum of wind. Kirby will never stop inhaling until the button is released.
Overview
If a character comes near the vortex, they will automatically be sucked inside Kirby, who will bloat up with the person inside of him. He cannot move in Super Smash Bros., while in Melee and Brawl, he will move at extremely slow speeds, and his jumps will also be greatly reduced. By pressing B or down on the D-Pad, Kirby will copy the swallowed character's ability, also dealing some damage to the said character. If Kirby accidentally swallows the wrong character or doesn't want their ability, they can press A to launch them out for some damage. In Melee, Brawl and 3DS/Wii U, the swallowed character can break free by moving around, if Kirby does nothing within ten seconds of swallowing or if Kirby is hit by someone. Inhale can be used for "Kirbycides" (against good recovery characters) or KO's (against poor recovery characters). Similar to Yoshi's Egg Lay, the more damage taken the harder it will be for the swallowed character to break out.
When Kirby swallows the character, Kirby's appearance will also change depending on the character swallowed. For example, if Kirby swallows Mr. Game & Watch, he will have a black, 2D appearance. In addition, his neutral B ability will also be that of the said character's neutral ability. Kirby can lose the copied ability by either Taunting or by being hit too much. If Kirby swallows another Kirby with a copied ability, the former will gain the skill of the latter, while the latter will lose the ability he had. If he swallows a Kirby with no copied ability, it makes a different sound and no abilities will be copied.
| Kirby's Special Moves | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | Melee | Brawl | 3DS/Wii U | Ultimate | |
| Standard Special | Inhale | ||||
| Side Special | — | Hammer | Hammer Flip | ||
| Up Special | Final Cutter | ||||
| Down Special | Stone | ||||
| Final Smash | — | Cook Kirby | Ultra Sword | ||
| Fighter Ability | Copy Abilities | ||||
Custom Variations
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, with the introduction of Custom Moves, Kirby has 2 variations of Inhale.
Ice Breath
Ice Breath (こちこちといき) has the same properties as Ice Kirby. Kirby sprays ice from his mouth that can freeze opponents.
Strengths:
- Good range
- Freezes opponents
- Combo set-up
- Good damage
- Edge-guarding
Weaknesses:
- Loss in ability to inhale and copy opponents
The Ice Breath, despite causing Kirby to lose the ability to inhale, spit out, and copy his opponents, has many positives to it. The move freezes opponents, and unlike Mega Man's Ice Slasher, this move freezes opponents for a good amount of time, allowing for follow-up attacks and even potential combo set-ups. The move deals good damage as well, delivering between 5 and 10% before an opponent is frozen by the move. The move itself also has good range on it and using it at the edge can deter recovering opponents.
Jumping Inhale
Jumping Inhale (すいこみジャンプ) consists of Kirby jumping forwards while inhaling air into his mouth to pull opponents in and copy their abilities. If he does a Star Spit, it won't do damage.
Strengths:
- Horizontal recovery
- Off-stage kills
- Can be used from farther away
Weaknesses:
- Star spit does no damage
The Jumping Inhale is a great variation of Inhale because it can assist Kirby in horizontal recovery. When Kirby swallows an opponent, he can still copy their abilities, and the move can be used from a distance because it closes that distance between Kirby and the opponent. A recovering opponent can be easily caught in this move and then the Star Spit can launch them even farther from the edge. The Star Spit does not deal damage to the opponent or other fighters hit by it, though the Star Spit is not a commonly used option for the regular Inhale anyway, making this weakness rather insignificant.
| Kirby's Custom Special Moves | ||
|---|---|---|
| Custom 1 | Custom 2 | |
| Standard Special | Ice Breath | Jumping Inhale |
| Side Special | Hammer Bash | Giant Hammer |
| Up Special | Wave Cutter | Upper Cutter |
| Down Special | Grounding Stone | Meteor Stone |
Origin
Artwork of Kirby inhaling Waddle Dee
Inhaling and spitting has been a trademark attack of Kirby since Kirby's Dream Land, but it was not until Kirby's Adventure was he able to swallow an enemy to copy their attack. It wasn't until Kirby Super Star that Kirby also had different hats that indicated the power he copied. A single attack was usually enough to make Kirby lose his copied power. Kirby then had to quickly re-absorb the ability that turned into energy or else it would be destroyed.
Copy Abilities
- Main Articles: Copy Abilities (SSB), Copy Abilities (SSBM), Copy Abilities (SSBB), Copy Abilities (SSBWU/3DS)
King Dedede
Inhale is King Dedede's Neutral Special Move. The attack is identical to Kirby's inhale in appearance, but with slightly increased range, and no copying ability. Dedede will begin to inhale the air in front of him, creating a vortex. He will continue to inhale as long as B is held down.
Overview
If a character comes near him, they will automatically be sucked inside of his stomach, and will be trapped. When swallowed, Dedede's belly expands considerably to hold the victim, which makes him extremely slow. Dedede simply spits the character back out when A is pressed, or they break free themselves. This attack does 10% when the opponent is exhaled, and if the character-projectile hits someone, it does between 9% to 18% to that person depending on the weight of the inhaled opponent, the heavier it is, the higher damage it does.
Custom Variations
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, with the introduction of Custom Moves, King Dedede has 2 variations of Inhale.
Dedede Storm
Dedede Storm (デデデストーム) is one of King Dedede's Neutral Special Moves that can be used via customizations. King Dedede forms a cyclone from King Dedede's mouth that pulls foes in, hits repeatedly, and launches upward.
Strengths:
- Forces launched opponents to land
- Slightly more range than default
Weaknesses:
- Longer starting lag
- Longer ending lag
- Has no set-ups and doesn't directly combo into anything
- Is not a command grab
The Dedede Storm custom variation is an attack rather than a command grab, hitting opponents multiple times and then launching them upwards. Since it is not a command grab, it cannot be used on shielding opponents and cannot execute Dededecides. The move has longer starting and ending lag and launches opponents enough that these combined factors keep the move from having any set-ups or from comboing into anything directly. The move does force opponents to land after they are launched by it, and if their landing is predicted correctly it can be punished by King Dedede with one of his other attacks. The Dedede Storm has slightly greater range than the default variation of Inhale though th move acts as an attack rather than a grab, making this increased range rather meaningless.
Taste Test
Taste Test (すってはく) is one of King Dedede's Neutral Special Moves that can be used via customizations. King Dedede inhales opponents quickly, and then spits them out as stars instantly.
Strengths:
- Is a command grab
- Inhales and spits out faster than default
- Opponents are unable to mash out of the move
- Can set up for edgeguards
- Combo starter
Weaknesses:
- Cannot execute Dededecides
- Launches opponents away instantly
The Taste Test custom variation is a faster variation of Inhale that launches sucked-up opponents instantly and automatically. For this reason, opponents cannot mash out of the grab and Dedede cannot execute Dededecides. Much like the default Inhale, the Taste test is a command grab, making it useful on shielding opponents, and can set up for edgeguards an combos by launching them off-stage or into position to be hit by an aerial attack.
| King Dedede's Custom Special Moves | ||
|---|---|---|
| Custom 1 | Custom 2 | |
| Standard Special | Dedede Storm | Taste Test |
| Side Special | Topspin Gordo | Bouncing Gordo |
| Up Special | Rising Dedede | Quick Dedede Jump |
| Down Special | Armored Jet Hammer | Dash Jet Hammer |
Origin
In the Kirby games, Dedede has exhibited the ability to inhale foes or objects and spitting them back, just like Kirby can. He can't, however, copy the inhaled person's abilities.
Glitches
The Inhale explosion glitch
Dedede's Inhale has at least two glitches. When used on a mine from Snake's down smash, the explosion will go off continuously until it hits someone, Snake plants another mine, or Dedede stops Inhaling.
Another glitch happens when used on Ike in the middle of a Quick Draw. Ike will hit Dedede but continue past, often to his death. However, this is probably due to the vacuum effect created by the Inhale.
Swallowing Items
Both King Dedede and Kirby can swallow items using this move. Any item meant to be eaten will have the same effect (such as Food). Both will automatically swallow the item when it is in their mouth, meaning they can keep other characters from using it. Poké Balls, Mr. Saturn and other "live" items cannot be swallowed. If Kirby or King Dedede inhales a Crate or any other large item, they will not be able to move nor attack until it is fully swallowed. If they inhale an explosive (such as a Bob-omb), they will receive 5% damage, regardless of what that explosive was.
"Kirbycide"
In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Kirby is capable of slowly walking around the stage while carrying opponents in his mouth or swallowing a foe off stage, but not too far off. This allows for some forms of Kirbycide, wherein Kirby jumps off the edge with someone in his mouth and releases them at a distance or position from which they are unable to recover, forcing a KO. One may swallow at the last second for a K.O. (usually during Time Mode for an extra point), and may survive due to Kirby's tall recovery.
Kirby can also jump off the stage and inhale the opponent who is conveniently standing by. This is the only way to inhale Kirbycide in the original Super Smash Bros., as well as the easiest.
King Dedede can use Inhale to perform a similar form of Sacrificial KO, sometimes known as "Dededecide" or "Regicide."
Trivia
- If Kirby Copies an enemy while another is beside Kirby the enemy that was standing beside Kirby will also be damaged as well.
- Because Olimar's Neutral Special Move is useless by itself, Kirby does not exactly copy the move. Rather, he will use Pikmin Pluck followed immediately by Pikmin Throw, although the Pikmin will not latch on after being thrown, instead, they will die when they come into contact with anything.
- When Kirby uses Inhale on enemies in the Subspace Emissary, they will take small constant amounts of damage because Kirby can't copy NPC enemies' abilities. It's also noteworthy that Kirby is unable to inhale False Characters.
- Kirby can inhale Waddle Dees, etc. and then swallow them, much like he could swallow enemies in Melee's Adventure Mode. However, unlike in his own games, they don't give him any abilities, as Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos act like items.
- In Super Smash Bros., Kirby can swallow Metal Mario, but is unable to absorb the usage of Fireballs.
- Because Kirby's size is smaller than most characters he inhales, his copied moves are normally slightly inferior versions to others, due to smaller range. This usually, but not always, applies for Physical attacks. But some note that his small size and unique moves allow for interesting setups of some copied moves.
- When Kirby inhales an opponent while he is under the effects of Superspicy Curry, the damaging flames disappear.
- A number of the copy abilities in the Super Smash Bros. series bear at least some resemblance to one of the abilities from Kirby's own games, in design and/or function. An example is Bowser's Fire Breath being similar to the main attack method of Kirby's Fire ability.
- According to the Kirby: Right Back At Ya! anime, Kirby cannot inhale enemies that are larger or heavier than himself. However, he is able to inhale characters as large as Bowser or Donkey Kong in this game. This could be, however, due to the fact that the mechanic would be limited if that were so, and therefore not as useful.
- Kirby's Neutral Special will still be Inhale if he inhales Dedede, and the only difference will be that he can't copy attacks as Dedede Kirby.