Bandana Dee (Super Smash Flash 2)

Bandana Dee is a newcomer starter character in Super Smash Flash 2 who was revealed during the Day 3 stream at Super Smash Con 2016. He hails from the series and, like , is a character who originally appeared as an Assist Trophy. He uses custom sprites made primarily by Steven based on his appearance since .
Bandana Dee is ranked 43rd on the current tier list, putting him in the D tier. Bandana Dee's most notable strength is his great combo game, with great combo starters, a good grab, and very useful throws. He also has a decent edgeguarding game, three midair jumps, and a great spike in his down air.
However, he suffers from a severe lack of kill power, with his main KO moves being hard to land due to moderate starting lag and often relying on hard reads to pick up the KO. He is also harmed by low mobility, especially in the air, where his low air speed and midair jump height make him one of the slowest characters there. He also struggles greatly with his very low endurance, as his status as a lightweight and extreme floatieness combined with his abysmal recovery which relies on his double jumps and low-distanced recovery makes him incredibly easy to KO. Though many of his attacks are multi-hits, some of them have significantly hampered utility due to not connecting reliably into the final hit.
Overall, Bandana Dee's strengths are mostly overshadowed by his drawbacks and this leaves him as a low-tier character.
== Attributes ==
Bandana Dee is a unique character; he is a slow, floaty featherweight similarly to ; however, unlike Kirby, his spear gives him a massive disjoint. This allows him to compensate somewhat for his slow vertical and horizontal mobility (especially in the air) by effectively spacing out foes with long-reaching tilts and aerials. He has three midair jumps, albeit very short-distanced, and a decent horizontal recovery move in Waddle Copter.
He has very potent combo starters in dash attack, up tilt, down tilt, down throw, and up throw. He can continue his combos with his good aerials, and finish a combo with a back aerial or Waddle Copter. This gives him a versatile combo game that allows him to string together attacks for lots of damage. He also has solid frame data on most attacks, with examples of fast moves being up tilt, Waddle Copter, and back aerial, two of which are good finishers.
His grab game is also very versatile: his down throw is a solid combo starter that can chain grab fast fallers at low percents and KO at high percents. His up throw can reliably start aerial combos at low to mid percent, and forward throw can start combos at low percents and can force a sacrificial KO. His back throw is guaranteed to put the foe into a bad position, by either forcing them to recover low (which can easily lead into a down aerial) or forcing them into a tech chase scenario. His grab range is also surprisingly high, extending the distance of his entire body. He also has a very fast pummel, and can therefore rack up damage quickly while resetting his stale moves.
His special moveset gives him a variety of options to use: Beam Whip, his neutral special move, can function as an interruption tool, and it can be charged to become Wave Beam, a quick moving projectile useful for gimping characters with weak recoveries. His side special, Spear Throw, can function as a useful gimping tool as well, and pins the opponent in place for a short while, allowing Bandana Dee to follow up. Waddle Copter, his up special, is a respectably powerful attack, and can be used to provide impressive horizontal recovery. Finally, his down special, Parasol Drill, can function as a mobility and approach option, and deals respectable knockback
However, Bandana Dee's main issue is his KO potential; despite having several solid finishers, he struggles to pick up early KOs, as none of his highest knockback moves have KO potential on middleweights under 100%, and his main KO moves either are hard to land (back aerial and Waddle Copter), are slow (smash attacks), or simply aren't reliable finishers until very high percents (down throw). Although his grab and combo games are outstanding at low to mid percents, this is not true at high percents, as Bandana Dee cannot reliably get KO confirms without platforms at any percent, despite having a myriad of combo starters. This lack of KO potential can force Bandana Dee to rely on hard reads or edgeguarding to take a stock; however, the latter is made extremely risky by his recovery, or lack thereof.
His specials are also very easy to counteract if met with the proper reaction; Beam Whip by itself is very weak, and does not have any use outside of interrupting approaches, and Wave Beam can be easily avoided and reflected. Spear Throw is very weak, its overall distance is very short, and opponents can easily escape the pin, making it unreliable for followups. Waddle Copter is also easily avoided, and it can be very weak on characters with a high weight or falling speed. Lastly, the aerial version of Parasol Drill, Parasol Dive, is much weaker than the grounded version, making it less reliable for KOing despite its downward launch trajectory, and the grounded version can be easily avoided as well.
His recovery is very linear and very easily predicted; his low air speed gives him a hard time making it back to the stage quickly, his jumps are short-distanced, and despite Waddle Copter's decent horizontal distance, it is one of the worst vertical recovery moves in the game and easy to intercept, meaning his vertical recovery is one of the worst. He also has rather unimpressive endurance, as he is extremely light (even lighter than Kirby) and has low gravity, giving him not only very poor vertical endurance, but worse horizontal endurance than characters of a similar weight class due to has abysmal recovery.
Overall, Bandana Dee is a mediocre character with good strengths but is held back strongly by his lack of mobility, recovery, and KO potential. He can function well with a bait-and punish playstyle, as his KO moves deal good knockback and are useful for punishing. He can also play defensively and zone out opponents with his Wave Beam, Spear Throw, and long-ranged attacks, and stall with his multiple jumps.
== Moveset ==
=== Ground attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral attack	Stabs with his spear forwards three times. Jab cancels reliably into grab at most percents. 	
Neutral attack	Stabs with his spear forwards three times. Jab cancels reliably into grab at most percents. 	
Neutral attack	Stabs with his spear forwards three times. Jab cancels reliably into grab at most percents. 	
Forward tilt 	Thrusts his spear forwards, after twirling it first. Has a bit of startup lag. 	9%
Up tilt 	Swings his spear upwards in an arc. Can combo into itself, up smash, and neutral aerial at low percents. 	7%
Down tilt 	Performs a sliding kick attack. Inspired by Kirby's Slide Kick in the Kirby games. Combos into up tilt, forward tilt, jab, neutral aerial, and up smash at low percents, and forward aerial at mid percents. Can also combo into up aerial, depending on the opponent's DI.	7%
Dash attack 	Pauses before leaping forward and spinning wildly. Decent combo starter, but has high startup lag. 	
Dash attack 	Pauses before leaping forward and spinning wildly. Decent combo starter, but has high startup lag. 	
Forward smash 	Swings his spear in front of him as it turns into a parasol. Deals good knockback. 	
Forward smash 	Swings his spear in front of him as it turns into a parasol. Deals good knockback. 	
Up smash 	Places his spear on the ground, which releases some sphere-shaped beams around its tip. Can combo into itself at low percent. 	
Up smash 	Places his spear on the ground, which releases some sphere-shaped beams around its tip. Can combo into itself at low percent. 	
Down smash 	Slashes with great strength in front of, then behind himself. The back hit has a sourspot which deals much less damage and knockback. 	
Down smash 	Slashes with great strength in front of, then behind himself. The back hit has a sourspot which deals much less damage and knockback. 	
Down smash 	Slashes with great strength in front of, then behind himself. The back hit has a sourspot which deals much less damage and knockback. 	
=== Aerial attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral aerial	Does a buzzsaw-like movement with his spear, hitting opponents multiple times. The hits do not connect very reliably, though the multi-hit can combo into grab and even an up smash when landing. 	
Neutral aerial	Does a buzzsaw-like movement with his spear, hitting opponents multiple times. The hits do not connect very reliably, though the multi-hit can combo into grab and even an up smash when landing. 	
Forward aerial	Swings his spear forwards. Power orbs will appear around the tip. A multi-hit, though doesn't connect very well. 	
Forward aerial	Swings his spear forwards. Power orbs will appear around the tip. A multi-hit, though doesn't connect very well. 	
Back aerial 	Does a kick backwards. Its combination of range, speed, and power make it a good move for KOing and edgeguarding. 	
Back aerial 	Does a kick backwards. Its combination of range, speed, and power make it a good move for KOing and edgeguarding. 	
Up aerial 	Thrusts his spear upwards. Can follow-up into Waddle Copter at low percent and deals moderate knockback. Has juggling potential due to the vertical launch angle. 	
Up aerial 	Thrusts his spear upwards. Can follow-up into Waddle Copter at low percent and deals moderate knockback. Has juggling potential due to the vertical launch angle. 	
Up aerial 	Thrusts his spear upwards. Can follow-up into Waddle Copter at low percent and deals moderate knockback. Has juggling potential due to the vertical launch angle. 	
Down aerial 	Dives downwards with his spear while spinning around. Based on the Moon Drop from Spear's moveset in Kirby games. The final hit has a powerful meteor effect on aerial foes, which can also be used for a KO. The move has very low landing lag, meaning Bandana Dee can usually recover after using it. It doesn't connect very reliably on floaty characters, but they can still be dragged down quite far. When Bandana Dee lands with this, the landing hitbox launches opponents up with very low knockback, allowing for setups into aerials and Waddle Copter.	
Down aerial 	Dives downwards with his spear while spinning around. Based on the Moon Drop from Spear's moveset in Kirby games. The final hit has a powerful meteor effect on aerial foes, which can also be used for a KO. The move has very low landing lag, meaning Bandana Dee can usually recover after using it. It doesn't connect very reliably on floaty characters, but they can still be dragged down quite far. When Bandana Dee lands with this, the landing hitbox launches opponents up with very low knockback, allowing for setups into aerials and Waddle Copter.	
Down aerial 	Dives downwards with his spear while spinning around. Based on the Moon Drop from Spear's moveset in Kirby games. The final hit has a powerful meteor effect on aerial foes, which can also be used for a KO. The move has very low landing lag, meaning Bandana Dee can usually recover after using it. It doesn't connect very reliably on floaty characters, but they can still be dragged down quite far. When Bandana Dee lands with this, the landing hitbox launches opponents up with very low knockback, allowing for setups into aerials and Waddle Copter.	
=== Grab and throws ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Grab 	Reaches out with one hand. Surprisingly long range, extending the distance of his own body. 	
Pummel 	Headbutts opponent. One of the fastest Pummels in the game. 	1%
Forward throw	Lifts the opponent in the air and piledrives them. If the player performs this attack on the edge of a stage, Bandana Dee will fall down with the opponent, for a sacrificial KO. 	9%
Back throw 	Lifts the opponent in the air and kicks them backwards. Very low knockback, but can be used to set up tech chases and edgeguards. Bandana Dee can act immediately out of the throw, which can allow for a down aerial to be landed when used at the edge. 	8%
Up throw 	Lifts the opponent upward into his parasol, twirling it several times to rack up damage. Can combo into aerials and Waddle Copter. 	
Up throw 	Lifts the opponent upward into his parasol, twirling it several times to rack up damage. Can combo into aerials and Waddle Copter. 	
Down throw 	Throws the opponent to the ground, pauses, and then performs the Megaton Punch, punching them into the ground. Will KO middleweights at around 145%. Can chain grab fast fallers until around 45%. A reference to Megaton Punch, a minigame from Kirby Super Star.	10%
=== Other attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Floor attack	Spins around with his spear.	6%
Ledge attack	Stabs forward with his spear	6%
=== Special moves ===
Special move 	Name 	Description 	Damage
Neutral special move	Beam Whip / Wave Beam 	Waves a staff, charging the move, then throws two sphere-like beams that circle around each other, while pushing back Bandana Dee. If uncharged, the move blasts forth a short-range beam that moves up and down. The charged version kills at the ledge at around 140% 	
Neutral special move	Beam Whip / Wave Beam 	Waves a staff, charging the move, then throws two sphere-like beams that circle around each other, while pushing back Bandana Dee. If uncharged, the move blasts forth a short-range beam that moves up and down. The charged version kills at the ledge at around 140% 	
Side special move 	Spear Throw 	Throws his spear. It can pin opponents to the ground if it hits with the sweetspot, setting up for a kill move. High startup. 	
Up special move 	Waddle Copter 	Does a short jump, then glides while spinning his spear like a helicopter blade. While Bandana Dee is descending, the spear has a hitbox that weakly launches foes. The descent can be cancelled by pressing down, causing Dee to fall faster and enter a helpless state. Deals heavy knockback, KOing middleweights at around 100%. However, it doesn't kill as early on fastfallers, and is hampered by good DI.	
Up special move 	Waddle Copter 	Does a short jump, then glides while spinning his spear like a helicopter blade. While Bandana Dee is descending, the spear has a hitbox that weakly launches foes. The descent can be cancelled by pressing down, causing Dee to fall faster and enter a helpless state. Deals heavy knockback, KOing middleweights at around 100%. However, it doesn't kill as early on fastfallers, and is hampered by good DI.	
Down special move 	Parasol Drill / Parasol Dive	If done on the ground, Dee rushes forwards with his parasol, dealing strong knockback. In the air, Dee will dive downwards while spinning his parasol for a multi-hit spike. The move works very similarly to Falcon Kick. 	
Down special move 	Parasol Drill / Parasol Dive	If done on the ground, Dee rushes forwards with his parasol, dealing strong knockback. In the air, Dee will dive downwards while spinning his parasol for a multi-hit spike. The move works very similarly to Falcon Kick. 	
Down special move 	Parasol Drill / Parasol Dive	If done on the ground, Dee rushes forwards with his parasol, dealing strong knockback. In the air, Dee will dive downwards while spinning his parasol for a multi-hit spike. The move works very similarly to Falcon Kick. 	
Final Smash 	Flare Beam 	Dons the Flare Beam Super Ability and uses it to create a large ball of electricity, which is controllable by the player. The ability lasts for around 12 seconds, and when it wears off the ball explodes, launching foes. 	
Final Smash 	Flare Beam 	Dons the Flare Beam Super Ability and uses it to create a large ball of electricity, which is controllable by the player. The ability lasts for around 12 seconds, and when it wears off the ball explodes, launching foes. 	
=== Misc. ===
Misc. 	Description 	Description 	Description
On-screen appearance	Floats to the ground slowly thanks to his open parasol. 	Floats to the ground slowly thanks to his open parasol. 	Floats to the ground slowly thanks to his open parasol.
Taunts 	Neutral 	Waves forward, making a pose while the 1-Up sound effect from the Game Boy Kirby titles plays.	
Taunts 	Side 	Plants his spear in the ground, flips on it, then poses with a wink. 	
Taunts 	Down/Up 	Bounces on his spear like a pogo stick 3 times. 	
Idle pose 	colspan="3" 	 	
Victory theme 	Remix of the flourish for Kirby's victory dance from multiple Kirby games. 	Remix of the flourish for Kirby's victory dance from multiple Kirby games. 	Remix of the flourish for Kirby's victory dance from multiple Kirby games.
Victory pose 	Does a victory dance similar to his level clear dance in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.	Does a victory dance similar to his level clear dance in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. 	Does a victory dance similar to his level clear dance in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
== Changes and revisions ==
In the most recent patch that changed Bandana Dee, Beta 1.2.2, Bandana Dee had his range noticeably buffed. His down tilt, back aerial, and grab all have new animations with much more range, which most notably makes his powerful back aerial much easier to land and gives him a surprisingly long grab, with a range similar to that of .
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== In competitive play ==
=== Matchups ===
=== Notable players ===
* MischiefWaluigi04
* Aura
* MikeNeedsFood
=== Tier placement history ===
Bandana Dee has always been a low-mid-tier character. His debut on the tier list, the Beta 1.0.2 tier list, placed him at number 33 out of 39, at the bottom of the C+ tier and as the 7th worst character in the game. This was due to his crippling lack of recovery and KO power. However, the latter was somewhat remedied by Beta 1.0.3.2, as it made Waddle Copter a powerful KO move, and he jumped up 7 spots on the tier list due to this change and his excellent combo game being advanced, placing him at the top of C tier, at number 26. However, he later dropped back down to number 34, where he remains today.
== Gallery ==
=== Costumes ===
=== Artwork ===
Bandana Dee Beta 1.0.png|Bandana Dee's first artwork, used from Beta 1.0.0 to Beta 1.2.1.1.
=== Screenshots ===
DeeFSmash.png|Bandana Dee performing his forward smash while is using his up aerial on Gangplank Galleon.
BDee down air.png|Bandana Dee using his down aerial against on Hylian Skies.
Bandana Dee 1.png|Bandana Dee and charging Beam Whip on Rainbow Route.
Ball - Bandana Dee.png|Ball version.
=== Misc. ===
SSF2 - Classic mode - Bandana Dee.png|Bandana Dee's congratulations screen on Classic mode.
SSF2 - All-Star mode - Bandana Dee.png|Bandana Dee's congratulations screen on All-Star mode.
== Trivia ==
*Bandana Dee was designed in order to incorporate multiple Copy Abilities from the Kirby series, namely Spear, Beam, and Parasol, into one character. Prior to his inclusion, other helpers from Kirby Super Star such as Knuckle Joe and Chilly were considered for the role instead.Twitter Accessed on March 28, 2023.
*Prior to Beta 1.2.5, Bandana Dee was a true "silent character" in the game, along with , , , , , and , although Bandana Dee does use Kirby-series sound effects in his taunt and Star KO.
*Bandana Dee, PAC-MAN, and Pichu are the only fighters to have originally appeared as an item.
*Bandana Dee along with , Lloyd, and are the only characters so far to wear their default costumes in team battle when they are on the red team.
== References ==
Category:Bonus characters
Category:First-party characters
Category:Newcomer characters
Category:Starter characters
Category:Super Smash Flash 2
Category:Super Smash Flash series