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

Kirby (カービィ, Kirby) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He had been confirmed for Super Smash Bros. Brawl since the first preview shown at E3 in May 2006.

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 and the foes pop out of the pot, having been damaged while in the pot.

Kirby ranks 20th on the current tier list, thanks to his good matchups, recovery, strength and being a solid character choice all around. However, his lightness, poor speed, predictable recovery, and floatiness have prevented him from reaching a higher tier.

Attributes[]

Kirby is a small, light character with quick attacks and a very long recovery. Most of Kirby's moves have hitboxes that extend for longer than they appear, giving him deceptive range, but some of Kirby's moves have poor range, such as those where he doesn't use his feet. Kirby's aerials are quick and strong. His Forward Air is a great Wall of Pain technique, his Down Air is a decent Meteor Smash, and his Back Air and Up Air are good finishers. Kirby's Hammer and Stone can easily KO at low percentages, and the former can also be used as an excellent aerial move as well. Additionally, all of his KO moves have considerable lag, something that opponents can use to their advantage. Kirby has an excellent offensive ground game, as all of his tilts and smashes come out quickly, and most of them have very good priority, on a par with Mr. Game & Watch. His defensive ground game, on the other hand, is weakened by his slow dash speed and Floor Recovery rolls. Kirby's specials are generally useful. His signature ability is Inhale, which allows him to copy the Standard Special Move of an opponent. Kirby can then use the move just as its owner can, which can open up new strategies. Kirby's Stone lets him fall quickly and crush opponents, also turning him mostly invincible for a short period of time. Stone can be cancelled and re-done when falling, making it difficult to predict. On the downside, Kirby is vulnerable when changing from Stone, and can be severely punished by a smash or grab.

Kirbyciding is also a tactic used by many kirby users. Kirby inhales his enemies, jumps off the cliff, spits them out, then jumps back to safety while the opponent falls to their death. There are also certain levels where you can inhale your opponent, then spit them off the map which results in an instant KO. Kirbyciding is a great tactic when used on inexperienced players or characters with poor recovery but it is less likely to work on more skilled individuals and characters with great recovery.

With five midair jumps and Final Cutter, combined with his floatiness, Kirby's recovery is one of the longest in the game; however, his floatiness and below average airspeed make his recovery slow and predictable. Kirby also has an extremely low crouch (although he cannot crawl), allowing him to duck various attacks. Being light, small, and floaty, Kirby is not very vulnerable to chain grabbing. His low weight also means that he can be KO'd at relatively low damages (although his aforementioned excellent recovery helps him survive), and his floatiness can make it even harder to survive vertical knockback.

Overall, Kirby has only a few weaknesses which talented players should be able to overcome.

Changes from Melee to Brawl[]

Kirby has been significantly buffed, and is tied with Mr. Game and Watch for the largest buff from Melee to Brawl. Overall, he is faster, stronger, has greater range, and has greater priority. His Smash Attacks are much stronger, while his tilts and aerials deal slightly less damage and knockback. His recovery is improved, due to his faster horizontal air speed (albeit still slow) and the brief stall at the beginning of Hammer, which now has two full horizontal swings in midair. In addition, Kirby's hammer has no sourspot, and is now very strong wherever it connects. His Final Cutter is also faster, giving less of a window for edgeguarding. His Up tilt and Down tilt now have IASA frames. His Down Tilt can now also Trip. His dash attack has changed again, this time to the Break Spin move from Kirby Super Star. His throws are extremely improved. His Down throw has less end lag and can combo into his Up tilt. His Forward throw can combo very well, and he no longer loses all of his jumps after his Forward or Up throws. On the other hand, his Kirbycide ability has decreased, as his Forward and Back throws can no longer Kirbycide, and every character is now a "Zero Framer". In addition, he no longer regains all of his jumps after a Kirbycide. His Inhale can now suck up items.

In cosmetic terms, his voice has a slightly lower pitch, despite having the same voice actress. Although he has not changed much of his appearance, he is one of the characters to have a more realistic look.

Moveset[]

Ground Attacks[]

Normal[]
  • Neutral attack: Vulcan Jab - Two punches, followed by a rapid flurry of punches that release shock waves. Similar to Vulcan Jab from his Fighter Ability. (2%, 3%, 1%, 1%, 1%...) If you manage to get the enemy against a wall or they don't know how to DI then it has a very high damage potential. Startup of 3 frames.
  • Dash attack: Break Spin - Spins on his hands, while repeatedly kicking with his feet. Multiple hits. Originates from his Yo-yo Ability from Kirby Super Star. Has high priority and is useful for clearout. 5 hits of 2% damage with little, set knockback that traps the opponent in the attack, then another final hit that has more knockback to it; little KO potential, does 4%. First hit on frame 12.
  • Forward tilt - A quick long ranged roundhouse kick. Can be angled upward or downward. 7%. Hits on frame 5.
  • Up tilt - Quickly raises one leg vertically from behind. A good juggling move. It is faster and has higher priority than Snake's Up tilt. The damage depends on the opponent's position from Kirby. 5% if near Kirby, 7% if above or side-by-side from Kirby. Startup of 4 frames with very low end lag.
  • Down tilt - Crouches low and delivers a long ranged low kick. Good chance that it will trip opponents. 6-7%. Very fast, startup of 4 frames.
Smash[]
  • Side smash: Leg Sweep - Turn-lunges forward and delivers a very long range jump kick that moves Kirby forward. Can be angled. High knockback and executes quickly. It has high enough priority to pierce Meta Knight's Mach Tornado. This is clearly derived from Kirby Super Star, where a nearly identical move called "Leg Sweep" can be used by Kirby with the Fighter copy ability. It also looks exactly like an uncharged dash with Jet Kirby in Kirby Super Star. 15%-21%. Does weaker damage if hit at the end of the attack. 11%-18%. Hits on frame 12.
  • Up smash - Does a short backflip while doing an upward kick. Decent range, and high knockback. 15%-21%. Weaker damage if the opponent is hit as Kirby puts his feet on the ground. 12%-17%. Startup of 14 frames.
  • Down Smash - Splits his legs apart and spins around rapidly. A simultaneous down smash. Usually a vertical knockback, if the opponent is close to Kirby and has good range. The hitboxes on the tips of his feet push opponents away as a semi-spike, which is very useful for edgeguarding. 14%-19%. Fast startup, on frame 10.
Other[]
  • Ledge attack - Flips over the edge and kicks. 6%.
  • 100% Ledge attack - Gets up and then uses a move similar to his down smash. 6%.
  • Floor attack - Gets up, then kicks on one side, then the other. 5-6%.
  • Trip attack - Gets up then spins around, kicking. 6%

Aerial Attacks[]

  • Neutral aerial: Twinkle Star - Spins in place, dealing damage with his arms and legs. Has a long duration with multiple separate hits and very high end lag. One hit (per foe): 6%-12% damage, depending on when it lands, with little knockback. Hits on frame 10. Possibly based on the animation that plays after Kirby crashes on a warp star in Kirby's Adventure.
  • Forward aerial: Triple Kick/Spin Kick - Does three spin kicks, with moderate knockback on the last kick. Kirby could do this move with the Fighter ability in his series. Three hits: the first hit does 4% damage and has very little knockback. The second hit does 3% damage and has even less upward knockback than the first; it has the least knockback, damage, and range of the three. The last hit does 5% damage and has the most knockback, though still little. Startup of 10 frames.
  • Back aerial: Fence Of Pain - Quickly crouches in midair then kicks his legs behind him. High knockback and has Sex Kick properties. There is a sweetspot on this move, just on Kirby's feet tips as it comes out, which deal slightly higher knockback than the rest of his feet. Slight disjointed hitbox. Hits on frame 6.
  • Up aerial: Does a flip kick in midair similar to his Up smash. Can KO mid to high-percentage opponents. (12-15%) Hits on frame 10.
  • Down aerial: Drill Kick - Kirby's famous Drill Kick, this move can spike, spikes especially well against characters with poor vertical recovery and Kirby can fast fall this move to lock opponents in the flurry of kicks to increase the spiking effect. Kirby can also land to increase knockback to set up for combos. Multiple hits. (3% per hit, 18% total) Slow startup, on frame 18. Possibly based on Kirby's Tornado ability.

Grabs and Throws[]

Note: When Kirby misses a dash grab, he enters an animation similar to when he misses an enemy with the "suplex" ability in Kirby Super Star.

  • Pummel - A quick punch. Does 1% damage.
  • Forward throw - Pile Driver from Kirby's Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star and Backdrop from "Adventure". Kirby rises slowly in the air, while flipping, then slams the opponent down, headfirst. Incredible combo potential. This move can lead into combos dealing up to 45% or higher depending on the character's weight and falling speed. Does 8% damage.
  • Back throw - Big Suplex from Kirby's Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Quickly flips backwards and slams opponent head-first into the ground. Does 8% damage.
  • Down throw - Fury Stomp from Kirby's Suplex ability in Kirby Super Star. Kirby throws his victim into the ground, and then stomps on them several times quickly. Meta Knight has the same throw, but with more horizontal knockback, and slower stomping. Can chain grab fast fallers like Sheik or Fox at low damages. Does 12% damage.
  • Up throw - Air Drop (also known as Izuna Otoshi/Fox Spirit Drop in the Japanese version of the anime) from Kirby's Ninja ability in Kirby Super Star and his Backdrop from "Adventure". Kirby flies off the top of the screen, and comes back down violently in an explosion, like a Warp Star item. Somewhat average knockback. Meta Knight shares this move as well except without the explosion and inflicts more damage. Does 10% damage.

Special Moves[]

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

Taunts[]

  • Up: The famous Kirby Dance.
  • Side: Spins around, then stops, sticking out his left leg and saying "Eeu!". Almost identical to the "preview" animation shown when he is chosen in the original Super Smash Bros..
  • Down: Faces the viewer and says his signature elongated "Hi", but in a lower tone than in Melee. This is the shortest duration taunt in the game.

On Screen Appearance[]

Rides his warpstar and crash lands.

In Competitive Play[]

Kirby has a decent matchup spread overall. He is countered by three characters, soft countered by seven, and has twelve even matchups. Conversely, he soft counters nine and counters five. Kirby generally does well against characters he can crouch under most of their moves, can combo with ease, have difficulty hitting him, or have some combination. These include characters such as Falco and Sheik. His light weight is beneficial against King Dedede, since the latter specializes in chain grabbing opponents, with Kirby's light weight rendering this strategy moot (although his light weight also renders him more vulnerable to KOs). However, he tends to struggle against characters who can outspeed and outranged him at most departments, such as Meta Knight, or camp him, such as the Ice Climbers and Olimar.

Tier placement and history[]

Players almost immediately saw Kirby's improvements from Melee (which included a stronger aerial game, grabs, and a more reliable recovery) and combined with the slower pace of the game to which he can keep up with, he was ranked 14th on Brawl's 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 edition, and to 20th in the seventh and eighth versions. Kirby’s merely average player base 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 from Melee, which allowed him to finally allow his strengths to be put to full use and achieve decent success from Brawl’s competitive lifespan.

Role in the Subspace Emissary[]

Subspace kirby

Kirby in The Subspace Emissary

Kirby played a rather prominent 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 the arena. 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 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 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 Shadow Bug 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 Dedede 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 in front 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 his Off-Waves Attack that turns everyone, including Kirby, into trophies. However, Kirby is miraculously revived thanks to the badge he found at Dedede's hideout earlier, which he had swallowed prior to Tabuu's attack (when Bowser escapes 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 pointing the staircase to Kirby, and dragging Kirby up it. Kirby then helps the others fight Tabuu. The credits depict the entire group on a cliff, looking out at sea towards a large "X" formed out of light, the location of what once was the Isle of Ancients.

Palettes[]

Kirby's palette swaps

Trophy description[]

A round, pink ball of cuteness from a distant, peaceful star. He can swallow 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.

Trivia[]

  • Kirby is the only character to have his dash attack change in every Smash Bros. game. In Super Smash Bros., he slammed head first into the opponent; in Melee, he used his Burning attack (from the Fire or Burning ability); and in Brawl and Smash for 3DS/Wii U, he does the Break Spin (from the Yo-Yo ability).
  • Kirby is one of four Brawl characters to star in an anime series that was dubbed by the now defunct 4Kids Entertainment; the others are Sonic, Captain Falcon and Pikachu.
  • In the E3 2006 movie, Kirby is seen spinning his hammer vertically, although he cannot use this attack in the game.
  • In the SSE, Kirby abandoned Peach/Zelda when he heard King Dedede riding the cargo. However, he never went to find the princess he abandoned before reuniting with both of them anyway. This is because he was busy helping Mario and co. It still doesn't explain why he didn't take his rescued princess with him.
  • Kirby is one of the two characters who changed the least in design from Melee to Brawl. The other is Mr. Game and Watch.
  • Kirby and Mr. Game and Watch are the only two characters to fully change their body color when using a palette swap.
  • Kirby is the only character not to have any sound effects play during any one of his victory poses.
  • A few of Kirby's sound effects are reused from Melee, but are slightly lower-pitched.
  • Despite the fact that Kirby tried to swallow Meta Knight and failed in episode 3 of Kirby Right Back At Ya!, Kirby can, of course, swallow Meta Knight in Brawl with ease.

External links[]

KirbySymbol Kirby universe
Characters Kirby (64  · Melee  · Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Meta Knight (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
King Dedede (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Side Characters Boss Marx
Assist Trophies Knuckle Joe  · Nightmare  · Chef Kawasaki
Mii Fighter Costumes Meta Knight  · Marx
Background characters King Dedede
Stage Hazards Whispy Woods
Enemies Bonkers  · Bronto Burt  · Gordo  · Parasol Waddle Dee  · Plasma Wisp  · Shotzo  · Tac  · Waddle Dee  · Waddle Doo
Stages Dream Land  · Fountain of Dreams  · Green Greens  · Halberd  · Dream Land GB  · The Great Cave Offensive
Items Bomber  · Dragoon  · Maxim Tomato  · Parasol  · Star Rod  · Superspicy Curry  · Warp Star
Music List List of Music (Kirby series)
Song "Gourmet Race"
Collectibles Trophies Melee Trophies  · Brawl Trophies  · 3DS Trophies  · Wii U Trophies
Stickers List of Stickers (Kirby series)
Spirits List of spirits (Kirby series)
Masterpieces Kirby's Dream Land  · Kirby's Adventure  · Kirby Super Star
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