Kirby (PM)

Kirby is a playable character in the Brawl mod Project M. For his appearance in Project M, he has been given a buffed moveset that draws from both his Brawl and Melee versions, along with other unique changes that provide Project M Kirby with a distinctive playstyle exclusive to the mod. 
Kirby ranks 40th out of 41 on the official tier list, being at the top of the D- tier. This is a significant drop from his Brawl position as 20th out of 38, and roughly similar to his Melee ranking of 25th out of 26. He ranks marginally higher in the Project+ tier list, being ranked 35th out of 42 characters, placing him near the top of the C tier.
==Attributes==
Kirby is a lightweight character with slow fast fall speed, making him difficult to combo but easy to KO once a hit lands. He can jump up to six times (five in the air, one on the ground), enabling him to edgeguard opponents for an exceedingly long time and at great distances, all the while being able to recover once the deed is done. His poor dash speed and limited approach options despite being a close-range fighter, however, make Kirby susceptible to camping and other defensive strategies. His small stature makes him a difficult target to hit, with his crouch shrinking to a very small height, making him unreachable against some attacks, including grabs.
Kirby's overall moveset consist of quick attacks at close range. While lacking in strength and pressure from afar, Kirby possesses decent combo potential and strong utility when the opponent is up close and personal. Jab comes out very quick and is able to jab reset, making it a great follow up for down throw when an opponent misses their tech. Because Kirby's legs have no hurtbox, most of his moves are also surprisingly disjoint, providing him decent spacing tools relative to his size. Kirby's down tilt and forward tilt are his primary ground spacing tools, with emphasis on the former. Despite possessing little knockback, both moves are capable of effectively pushing away opponents and exerting pressure, and are even safe on shield. Both are also useful edgeguarding tools, knocking opponents away from the ledge for an easy gimp. Down tilt also shrinks Kirby's body down (effectively the size of when he's crouching), making him difficult to hit or grab when he's performing the move. Kirby's up tilt is one of his strongest combo tools, comboing into itself at early percents and sending the opponent upward for reliable juggling. Kirby's Melee dash attack has been brought back for Project M, now possessing significantly more speed, less lag, and more knockback. Being one of his primary approach options, Kirby's dash attack is a great combo starter and is also a reliable move when covering tech options. 
Kirby's smash attacks have decent kill power while being relatively quick, and are effective options in KOing opponents when edgeguarding proves to be difficult. Kirby's forward smash possesses the most knockback of his three smash attacks, covering decent range and is effective against opponents attempting to recover back onto stage. Kirby's down smash comes out very fast and has decent knockback, and is devastating when edgeguarding opponents trying to recover from below the stage. Up smash provides good vertical knockback, and is a decent out of shield option against especially laggy moves. All three smash attacks are good combo finishers, dishing out good percent damage at the early stages of an opponent's stock.
Kirby's aerials are among the fastest in the game, coupled with his numerous jumps make his edgeguarding abilities especially dangerous. His neutral air comes out incredibly fast and attacks around Kirby's body, making it a great out of shield option. Kirby's back air is disjoint and relatively big in compared to Kirby's body, making it great for zoning out opponents and racking up damage. Kirby's back air is also capable of performing the Fence of Pain, making it great for both comboing and KOing. Kirby's up air, while a significant nerf compared to its Melee counterpart, is good for comboing opponents, with a sourspot that can semi spike. Up air can also finish off opponents at high percents. Kirby's down air is great for gimping opponents, and while it has more lag than Kirby's other aerials, it can lead to a smash attack when used onstage.
Kirby's grab game is a useful part of his toolkit. Relative to his size, Kirby's grab range is quite large, with his pivot grab being deceptively long. His down-throw can lead to a tech-chase on most characters, allowing him to rack up easy damage and possibly net him a KO. Back throw is an excellent positional throw that, when used near the ledge, sets up easy edgeguarding situations, allowing Kirby to gimp his opponents at notoriously low percents. Up throw has several follow-ups at early and mid percentages (including his aerial hammer on fast-fallers), but is rather situational compared to the two aforementioned throws. Forward throw is also a situational move but has niches uses at very low percents, notably the move can be wavelanded into a grab once again on some characters.
Kirby's special moves are very punishing and shouldn't be taken lightly. Kirby's neutral special, , is a grab that allows him to copy the neutral special move of his opponent, providing him substantial options depending on the character he swallows (such as being able to short hop double laser with 's ). Kirby can also spit out his opponent, turning them into a star-shaped projectile for a brief period of time. Infamously, Kirby can use inhale to perform a kirbycide by jumping off the stage while the opponent is still in his mouth. Kirby's is a cumbersome, yet very strong move that can rack up heavy damage, if not outright KO an opponent when landed successfully. While not recommended to be used during the neutral game due to its poor speed, hammer is a great follow-up on an opponent who missed their tech, and is especially useful in conjunction with Kirby's down throw tech-chase. The hammer when used in the air swings two times instead of only once, with the second swing being a semi-spike. Kirby's down special, Stone, has received significant changes since its Brawl and Melee iterations. Stone no longer provides invincibility when under transformation, and instead provides armor, making it easier to break the transformation with an attack. The move, however, has had significant decrease during start-up, and is now much more useful as a means to punish opponents trying to juggle Kirby, often outright KOing them. Final Cutter is Kirby's primary recovery move, giving good vertical distance and decent horizontal drift to provide subtle mix-ups. Final Cutter's downward strike can also spike, providing extra utility during edgeguards. Unique to Project M, Final Cutter can be aimed for a horizontal "Cutter Dash", providing Kirby with an extra recovery option. Using Cutter Dash provides Kirby with one jump remaining, which is useful for follow-ups if Kirby uses Cutter Dash as an approach option. Final Cutter, while a safe option most of the time, can be dangerous since it leaves Kirby with no jumps if he is knocked out of the move, making it nearly impossible for Kirby to recover again.
Despite his quick speed and impressive edgeguarding tools, Kirby has numerous weaknesses that inherently come with his playstyle. His below average speed on the ground and in the air without a proper projectile makes him susceptible to defensive play, particularly characters with good projectiles or ability to camp. Kirby also lacks a reliable way to KO opponents raw, and can be at times over reliant on his gimping game. Characters with strong recoveries can be difficult to deal with since Kirby will have few reliable ways to take stocks. In spite of his exploitable weaknesses and low placement in the most recent Project M tier list, Kirby has seen some success in the competitive scene, with players such as , , and being national threats at some point in time.
==Changes from Melee to PM==
As he was at the bottom of Melees tier list, and only mid-tier in Brawl, Kirby was heavily buffed in Project M, keeping most of his attributes from Brawl while gaining buffed ones from Melee, as well as receiving other new buffs (though with slight nerfs).
===Aesthetics===
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===Attributes===
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===Ground Attacks===
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===Aerial Attacks===
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===Grabs and Throws===
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===Special Moves===
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==Changes from PM to P+==
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==Revisions==
===v3.01===
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===v3.02===
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==Moveset==
 	 	Name 	Damage 	Description
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	 	3% 	Two quick punches followed by the Vulcan Jab from the Fighter ability. Based on the Vulcan Jab move he can perform with the Fighter ability in his main games.
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	 	4% 	Two quick punches followed by the Vulcan Jab from the Fighter ability. Based on the Vulcan Jab move he can perform with the Fighter ability in his main games.
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	 	1-2% (loop) 	Two quick punches followed by the Vulcan Jab from the Fighter ability. Based on the Vulcan Jab move he can perform with the Fighter ability in his main games.
Forward tilt 	Forward tilt 	 	11% 	Does a quick spinning roundhouse kick. Can be angled upwards or downwards.
Up tilt 	Up tilt 	 	8% (clean), 6% (late) 	Thrusts his back leg upwards. A fast attack with some disjointed range; can be used repeatedly for juggling foes at low percentages.
Down tilt 	Down tilt 	 	10% 	Does a crouching low kick. Weak knockback compared to his other tilts, but can be used effectively as a "counter" due to Kirby's very low position when using the move, which allows him to dodge most high attacks and projectiles.
Dash attack 	Dash attack 	 	3% (hits 1-2), 5-6% (hit 3) 	Dashes forward with a fiery spiraling headbutt. Based on the Burning Attack move from the Burning ability in his games. Can fall off edges unlike most other dash attacks, setting up edgeguards against recovering opponents.
Forward smash 	↗ 	 	(clean), (late) 	Lunges forward and delivers a thrust kick that slightly moves Kirby forward. This move can be angled upwards or downwards.
Forward smash 	→ 	 	(clean), (late) 	Lunges forward and delivers a thrust kick that slightly moves Kirby forward. This move can be angled upwards or downwards.
Forward smash 	↘ 	 	(clean), (late) 	Lunges forward and delivers a thrust kick that slightly moves Kirby forward. This move can be angled upwards or downwards.
Up smash 	Up smash 	 	/ (clean), / (mid), / (late) 	Kirby performs a bicycle kick, similar to Fox's up smash. Deals more damage and knockback if the opponent is closer to Kirby's foot. Can easily lead into aerials at low-mid percentages. Kirby's foot has some intangibility while the hitboxes are active.
Down smash 	Down smash 	 	(clean), / (late) 	Kirby does a spinning split kick. Great range and knockback. The tip of his feet possess a semi-spike angle, making the move a deadly edgeguard. A great option for crouch cancel countering, due to Kirby's low position when crouching. Both of Kirby's feet are intangible during the early part of the animation.
Neutral aerial 	Neutral aerial 	 	12% (clean), 9% (late) 	Kirby spins in place, dealing damage with his arms and legs. Has a much faster startup and cooldown than its previous iterations, along with stronger initial knockback, now acting more as a sex kick in terms of hitbox properties. Both of Kirby's feet are intangible while the hitboxes are out.
Forward aerial 	Forward aerial 	 	5% (hits 1-2), 7% (hit 3) 	Alternating his feet, Kirby delivers three spin kicks forward. Good edgeguarding move, but can be SDI'd to cause Kirby to whiff the third hit or cause the knockback to send the opponent back on stage.
Back aerial 	Back aerial 	 	14% (clean), 10% (late) 	Quickly crouches in midair and performs a reverse dropkick. A quick powerful hit, whose hitboxes also cover Kirby's body for some frontal range. Can lead to a Fence of Pain, and is one of his best edgeguarding tools.
Up aerial 	Up aerial 	 	15% (clean), 12% (late) 	Kirby executes a flip kick in midair. Decent startup and is surprisingly his strongest aerial in terms of knockback, and also one of his best vertical KO options. The latter half of this move semi-spikes opponents.
Down aerial 	Down aerial 	 	3% (hits 1-6) 	Kirby spins around, drilling downwards with both his feet. Delivers many hits that weakly meteor smashes opponents, serving as a combo starter on grounded foes at mid-high percents and a move for gimping poor recoveries. Has some startup, but is Kirby's most damaging aerial.
Grab 	Grab 	 	— 	
Pummel 	Pummel 	 	3% 	Punches the opponent with one hand.
Forward throw 	Forward throw 	 	4% 	Kirby does a suplex forward, spinning in the air and hitting them into the ground. One of his more situational throws, can lead to some follow-ups at early-to-mid percentage. Unlike in Melee, it cannot be used to perform a Kirbycide.
Back throw 	Back throw 	 	8% 	Kirby suplexes the opponent backwards. Faster and stronger than his forward throw, with a slightly different angle. Cannot be used to Kirbycide.
Up throw 	Up throw 	 	7% 	Kirby jumps with the foe skyward to the upper blast line, then drops down with them against the floor, generating an explosion. Weaker than its previous iterations, but can be followed-up with aerials or special moves depending on the opponent's percentage and DI. On the drop down, Kirby and his opponent will collide with any soft platforms in the way.
Down throw 	Down throw 	 	1% (hits 1-6), 2% (throw) 	Repeatedly and very quickly stomps the opponent on the floor. Kirby's only throw that can damage nearby opponents. Inflicts weak, straightly vertical knockback, acting as a tech-chasing move at most percentages depending on the character.
Floor attack (front)	Floor attack (front)	 	6% 	Kirby gets up and does a spin kick.
Floor attack (back) 	Floor attack (back) 	 	6% 	Kirby gets up, then kicks on one side, then the other.
Floor attack (trip) 	Floor attack (trip) 	 	5% 	Kirby gets up then spins around, kicking.
Edge attack (fast) 	Edge attack (fast) 	 	6% 	Kirby does a flip kick onto the stage.
Edge attack (slow) 	Edge attack (slow) 	 	6% 	Kirby does a spinning split kick onto the stage.
Neutral special 	Neutral special 	 	3% (copy), 10% (spit), 9-18% (star) 	Kirby uses his trademark swallowing move, opening his mouth and dragging any opponents or items at close ranges into his stomach. Upon swallowing an opponent, Kirby can either spit them out as a star projectile (which cannot be reflected for absorbed) that deals damage based on the spat out foe's weight, or suck them to acquire a nearly-identical version of their neutral special move (or other special for a few characters), sending them away at his back afterwards. These copied abilities can be removed voluntarily by performing a taunt. If none of these options is chosen, Kirby can move around with the swallowed foe at a rather sluggish speed and jump, though they can then mash out of the move like with a regular grab. In midair, Kirby can move sideways whilst inhaling and drag swallowed foes with himself into the bottom blast line, known as a Kirbycide.
Side special 	Side special 	 	23% (ground head), 18% (ground handle), 18% (air hit 1 head), 12% (air hit 1 handle), 15% (air hit 2 head) 10% (air hit 2 handle)	Kirby takes out a hammer and swings it horizontally. Has slow startup, but its sweetspot is very powerful and can KO at early percentages, though having a small range and punishable sourspot. When used in midair, Kirby swings it two times; the second swing has a semi-spike angle useful for edgeguarding, though both hits still have sourspots.
Up special 	Up special 	Final Cutter	8% (rise/cutter dash), 2% (drop), 5-6% (shockwave) 	Kirby takes out a silver blade, swinging it upwards, then downwards, and lastly generating a shockwave as he lands with it. The first hit has a straight upwards angle, while the second hit is a spike, leading into the projectile afterwards. Kirby can slightly move horizontally during the move, and the down slice cancels upon sweetspotting a ledge, making it an useful recovery move. The shockwave can be reflected and absorbed. If the B button is held and the control stick is held forward while preparing the move, Kirby will instead perform a single horizontal slice (dealing the same damage as the first hit of the original version), which can be ledge-canceled and/or quickly followed up with an aerial as it ends, making the move useful for combos. Both versions don't cause helplessness, and the horizontal version leaves Kirby with one midair jump.
Down special 	Down special 	Stone 	13% (fall), 10% (quake) 	Kirby turns into a heavy object, then quickly falls down (if started from the air). He then stays transformed for one second upon landing. Unlike in the original Super Smash Bros. games, this move is much faster in startup, but doesn't protect Kirby from attacks, instead just giving him armor; this begins as light armor as he starts the move, then changes to medium and finally heavy armor as he transforms completely. The move's falling hitbox also deals less damage and knockback with a weak upwards trajectory, functioning more as a quick countering attack rather than a KOing one. Landing with the Stone produces quake hitboxes, which are stronger and inflict horizontal knockback. Kirby can slightly move left and right with the move during startup, but the fall then negates all horizontal momentum. Kirby can transform into 5 different objects, which include: a pink stone or 100-ton weight (from Kirby Super Star), a garbage block from Panel de Pon, a spiked ball, and a Thwomp from Super Mario 64.
Final Smash 	Final Smash 	Cook Kirby 	2% (12 hits), 10% (release) 	Kirby pulls in nearby opponents into a pot and cooks them. If items are on, then certain items will pop out of the pan as soon as the players are released.
==In competitive play==
===Most historically significant players===
 
	
See also: :Category:Kirby players (PM)
* - Considered the best Kirby player in the world, being the highest ranked Kirby on the 2022 PMRank at 17th.
* - Ranked 1st on the Northern Ontario Project M Power Rankings. Placed 13th at Frozen Phoenix 2017.
* - Was considered the best Kirby player in the world before he went inactive after 2018. Placed 25th at and 33rd at . Has wins over many top SoCal players including .
* - Highest ranking Kirby on PMRank 2023 at #27.
==Alternate costumes==
===Project M===
Kirby received two new recolors based on the Carbon and Grape from certain Kirby games.
							
							
===Project+===
In Project+, Kirby gains extra color palettes based on the from certain Kirby games. His default set includes the chocolate spray paint. In addition, Kirby gains an alternate costume based on Fighter Kirby as he appears in later Kirby games like Kirby's Return to Dream Land with his carbon color transferring to this outfit, and adding the citrus spray paint for green, a recolor based on and the orange spray paint for a fifth costume. The third outfit is a cowboy costume based on Kirby's appearance in the Quick Draw minigame from Kirby's Adventure. This costume set uses the snow spray paint for the red costume along with the Whip Kirby hat. The green costume is based on emerald spray, the blue costume is based on the lavender spray paint and a fifth sepia costume to complete the set. The poses for all three model swap costumes now differ between them as of 2.4.
Secret costumes:
Z-Secret Costume: Yarn Kirby: Based on a 3D interpretation of Kirby's appearance in Kirby's Epic Yarn with a translucent exterior to help retain the authenticity from the source material.
R-Secret Costume: Headphones Kirby: Based on Kirby's appearance in the respective Sound Tests of Kirby's Adventure and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, as well as when the Mike Ability is used the second time in a row from Kirby Super Star onwards.
==Trivia==
*His original R-Secret Costume in Project+ was based on his original appearance in artwork and the Japanese cover of and artwork of games prior to . This eventually transitioned to the Quick Draw costume from 2.3 of Project+ onwards.
**Funnily enough, if one looks closely at Kirby whenever he's hit or launched, even in the base game of Brawl, his cheeks become whisker-like, possibly as a callback to his original appearance prior to Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.
*The sepia palette for the Quick Draw costume is based on the colors of the HUD icons of Kirby's Adventure, from which the costume originated.
*The Fighter Kirby costume may possibly reference the Kirby Fighters series, which is a Kirby spin-off franchise similar to Super Smash Bros. that originated as a Sub-Game in Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
==External links==
*Kirby's page at the Project M website
*Labbing Discord Tech Post
Category:Kirby
Category:Characters (PM)