Banjo & Kazooie (SSBU)

:This article is about Banjo & Kazooie's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the characters in other contexts, see Banjo and Kazooie.
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Banjo & Kazooie (, Banjo & Kazooie), formatted in their reveal trailer as Banjo-Kazooie, are a playable duo character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and are the first third-party fighters from Microsoft. They were revealed alongside during the E3 Nintendo Direct on June 11th, 2019 as the third downloadable fighters from . Banjo & Kazooie were released as part of Challenger Pack 3 on September 4th, 2019. Although they are a team, they are collectively classified as Fighter #73.
 reprises his role as both Banjo and Kazooie, with his portrayals from across the Banjo-Kazooie series being repurposed for Ultimate in all regions.
Banjo & Kazooie are ranked 55th out of 82 on the current tier list, placing them towards the top of the C+ tier and making them the lowest ranking characters from Fighters Pass Vol. 1. The duo have a strong projectile mixup game: their numerous projectiles such as Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster and Rear Egg grant the duo some effective setups and followup potential, with the ability to constantly knock opponents around and lead into combos if used properly. Their status as a heavyweight, their two midair jumps, along with Rear Egg and two flexible recovery options (Shock Spring Jump and Wonderwing) give the duo higher-than-average survivability. Kazooie's dash speed grants the duo surprisingly fast long-distance movement, and she is used for most of the duo's attacks, giving them disjointed hitboxes. Finally, some of their moves are quite effective, such as down tilt (for edgeguarding) and up tilt/forward aerial (for KOing); Wonderwing uniquely features generous invincibility and high power, albeit with only five uses per stock. Overall, the pair has some solid strengths to control the flow of the game.
However, Banjo & Kazooie have some noticeable flaws. Outside of a handful of good moves, their moveset suffers from being quite inconsistent due to problematic hitboxes and high landing lag, which can make general combat quite unwieldy. In addition, their frame data, damage output and knockback are rather unimpressive for their weight class; this gives them limited attacks that can be thrown out in neutral and very few rewarding followups. Their most intricate combos usually require a lot of technical skill, the most difficult being Rear Egg and Breegull Blaster combos, which tend to do extremely low damage. Their weight makes them easily comboed, and they have low overall mobility outside of Kazooie's excellent dash. Finally, their grab game is only passable due to mediocre throws and their notably low traction, the latter being the worst in the game along with the .
Overall, Banjo & Kazooie function as an unusual mix of a heavyweight and a zoner: most of their gameplan revolves around picking openings granted by their projectiles, although their general inconsistencies tend to make them considered relatively weak for their archetype. Although Banjo and Kazooie saw minimal representation for the first few years of Ultimate’s lifespan, it has since improved thanks to the efforts of dedicated mains, especially .
==Attributes==
Banjo & Kazooie, like , are a tag team that fight together as if they were a singular character. Together, they are a heavyweight and are tied with and as the 18th-heaviest fighters in the game. As Banjo is responsible for the duo's walking, the duo's walking speed is below-average, and their initial dash and traction values are among the worst in the game, with the latter being tied for the worst out of the cast along with the . Conversely, Kazooie handles the duo's dashing, in which she uses the Talon Trot to carry Banjo. In stark contrast to Banjo's walking speed, Kazooie's dashing speed is very fast; specifically, it is the 12th-fastest in the game, and is only surpassed by and among heavyweights.
With Kazooie hidden in his backpack when the duo are not attacking or dashing, Banjo has a relatively average height and a somewhat wide hurtbox, being rather short as far as heavyweights go. Kazooie, however, lacks a hurtbox of any kind outside of dashing and the duo's up tilt. This means that all standard attacks involving her, other than up tilt, are disjointed. Similar to Charizard and Ridley, Kazooie's Feathery Flap grants the duo a second double jump. Additionally, the duo has a fast falling speed, high gravity, slow air speed, and average air acceleration.
The majority of Banjo & Kazooie's grounded arsenal makes use of moves from their first two games, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. The duo have a chooseable neutral attack: their standard neutral attack is a 3-hit combo that consists of Banjo using his Claw Swipe twice and then throwing an uppercut, whereas their neutral infinite consists of Kazooie's Rat-a-Tat Rap. It should be noted that the hitbox of Kazooie's neutral infinite is large enough to sometimes hit opponents standing directly behind the duo. This can cause the opponent to be continually jabbed into the duo's rear, keeping them locked in the hitbox and causing both of the fighters to be slowly moved backwards, often amounting to extremely high percentages by the time they reach the edge of a platform. This is somewhat niche, however.
Their forward tilt, Beak Bayonet, involves Banjo quickly thrusting Kazooie as a makeshift bayonet. Like Ridley's forward tilt, it can be angled and has a respectable amount of disjointed range, especially for its speed, making it useful for stopping predictable or vulnerable approaches. Their up tilt consists of Kazooie quickly propping Banjo upward in order for him to perform a stretch kick. Unlike most up tilts, it is strong enough to KO reliably, especially when it is used as a follow-up from their down throw. Despite its respectable power, its low base knockback and fairly low ending lag grant it minor combo potential at very low percentages. However, it has limited horizontal range in front of or behind them, though it can still potentially hit grounded opponents. Their down tilt, Beak Barge, involves Kazooie thrusting her beak forward as Banjo slides belly-first along the ground. It launches at a very low semi-spike angle, making it a very potent edgeguarding and tech-chasing option (as well as a useful option for 2 frame punishes), although it is laggy overall (being the duo's slowest tilt startup-wise) and has a meager damage output. Their dash attack, Banjo's Forward Roll, looks and functions very similarly to 's dash attack, but differs from his by having a noticeably stronger clean hit (which can function as a situational KO option), fewer active frames, and higher ending lag. It has some combo potential (especially from the late hit) and can be used as an approaching attack, but it is not as potent as Donkey Kong's.
Complementing their versatile tilts, Banjo & Kazooie sport very useful smash attacks. Their forward smash, the Breegull Bash, involves Banjo swinging Kazooie as a makeshift bludgeon. It is a relatively slow, yet long-ranged and powerful move that serves as a notable example of Kazooie's disjointed nature. The duo's up smash is the Bill Drill, a spinning attack with Kazooie's beak that is fairly useful as an anti-air attack and out-of-shield option, and is a reliable follow-up from the duo's burying down throw; it has the fastest startup of Banjo & Kazooie's smash attacks, but has minimal horizontal range outside of its initial scoop hitbox, and high ending lag. Their down smash is an original move, a wing-slam from Kazooie (accompanied by a simultanous floor punch from Banjo) covering both sides of the duo much like Ridley, albeit weaker and much faster, making it a useful tool for catching rolls. Notably, their forward and down smashes, especially the latter, have long-lasting hitboxes that slightly penetrate the stage downward, making them both deadly 2-framing tools at the ledge.
Banjo & Kazooie's aerial moveset also combines old and new moves. The duo's neutral aerial is the Twirling Wing Whack, a multi-hitting circular wing spin from Kazooie that functions very similarly to 's neutral aerial, albeit with slower startup. It can be used for dragdown combos, though such combos can be inconsistent due to the looping hits' launching angles and the move's high landing lag. Neutral aerial is also useful for edgeguarding off-stage opponents and air-to-airing airborne ones, in part due to the final hit always launching opponents forward. Their forward aerial is performed by Banjo, being a slow but powerful overhand punch, akin to and 's forward aerials. Its clean hit is strong enough to KO reliably while near the edge, and the move is almost always a guaranteed KO while offstage. Despite its power, forward aerial surprisingly has the lowest landing lag of the duo's aerial attacks, and can auto-cancel in a short hop. It can be used to start combos at low percentages, cover the duo's approach, pressure shields, and edgeguard quite safely.
Kazooie's Rat-a-Tat Rap is used as their back aerial; unlike the neutral infinite version, this version hits three times, much like and 's back aerials. This move has respectable power, and is a useful out-of-shield option as well as a reliable (albeit somewhat unsafe due to its lag) KO option offstage. Banjo & Kazooie's up aerial consists of Kazooie flapping her wings together in a scissoring motion, akin to 's up aerial. It has decent disjoint above the duo, and its minimal startup and ending lag enable it to potentially combo into itself at medium percentages. With proper timing, it is possible to use up aerial initiate combos very soon after the duo lands on the ground. However, up aerial's minor damage output and knockback make it lackluster for juggling and almost unusable for KOing. Beak Buster makes an appearance as their down aerial; it is a stall-then-fall attack that meteor smashes opponents during its initial frames, and has a fairly large hitbox upon impacting the stage.
Banjo & Kazooie's special moves are fairly versatile as well. Their neutral special is Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster. Egg Firing, activated when the special button is tapped, sends blue eggs out of Kazooie's mouth that are affected by gravity in a similar manner to 's Fireball, and can be used to approach, zone, camp, combo, ledgetrap or edgeguard opponents; the move also briefly stalls the duo's aerial momentum when used in the air. Holding the special button, however causes the move to transition into Breegull Blaster, in which Banjo wields Kazooie like a gun as in Banjo-Tooies first-person shooter segments, with low damage but faster and constant projectiles, all while being able to move and jump freely in a similar manner to carrying the completed Daybreak parts. While the long-range egg hitboxes of Breegull Blaster have weak knockback and are less useful (unlike the long-range hitboxes of Egg Firing), the close-range egg hitboxes on the other hand are actually the most useful part of Breegull Blaster; close-range Breegull Blaster egg shots can combo into additional close-range egg shots for potent ladder combos, and a single close-range egg shot can be comboed into up tilt at high percentages for a guaranteed KO confirm. Breegull Blaster also has two difficult-to-perform albeit highly potent advanced techniques (smash turnaround cancel and landing turnaround cancel; also known as Kazooie Fast Canceling or KFC) that can bypass the ending lag from canceling the move and even allow it to be comboed into forward smash or Wonderwing. However, because Breegull Blaster is a "mode" that takes a moment to be entered and exited, it is sometimes occasionally difficult to use the move in close proximity.
Banjo & Kazooie's side special is Wonderwing, which involves Banjo charging forward while Kazooie shields him with her magic-infused wings. It does high damage and knockback if it connects within the first half of the distance it covers, and its full-body invincibility that lasts through the entirety of the hitbox's duration allows it to out-prioritize nearly every other move in the game (with the exception of most grabs and hit grabs), as well as all counterattacks (aside from 's Counter Throw and 's aptly-named Counterattack). Wonderwing's duration and the size of its hitbox also allows it to act as a fantastic 2-framing option on the edge in a handful of matchups (mainly , and ), as the duo will run in place at the edge for some time. Wonderwing can also be an easy and effective way to brute force a predictable opponent out of projectile camping, though this may backfire if the opponent is baiting the move or otherwise ready for it. It also functions as an excellent recovery option with its horizontal speed, distance and invincibility, and it does not induce helplessness either. However, the move runs on a limited stock of five golden feathers that are not replenished until Banjo & Kazooie are KOed, so its usage must be carefully considered; additionally, despite crossing up shields, Wonderwing's high ending lag and long-lasting singular hitbox can make it fairly unsafe in any case where the opponent can see it coming.
Shock Spring Jump functions as Banjo & Kazooie's up special. It is a decent vertical recovery move that does not render them helpless and preserves their double jumps; it can be charged to increase its travel distance, and when used in the air, the Shock Spring Pad itself possesses a damaging hitbox that can be used to gimp some recoveries. Shock Spring Jump can also be used on-stage to jump higher than Banjo & Kazooie's full hop height, allowing it to come in handy when anti-airing opponents above the duo or when retreating from foes underneath. Rear Egg, their down special, has Kazooie lay an explosive Grenade Egg behind the duo. It bounces in an unpredictable fashion due to its shape and launches opponents upward. Grenade Eggs are also completely unaffected by stale-move negation unlike the rest of Banjo & Kazooie's moveset, further adding to Rear Egg's utility. Additionally, the Grenade Egg also functions as an item; it is catchable and throwable, despite its much shorter fuse compared to similar explosive-related attacks. All of these properties make Rear Egg an incredibly versatile projectile that can be used for zoning, approaching, ledgetrapping, comboing, camping, and neutral game control in general. Overall, their four specials have impressive utility with both physical and projectile options.
Banjo & Kazooie have a somewhat decent albeit imperfect grab game. Banjo's grab range is fairly decent, though oddly enough, his pivot grab has less range against airborne opponents. Forward throw has Kazooie kick the opponent forward with her feet; it can create space between Banjo & Kazooie and their opponent on-stage, though its utility is held back by its awkward launch angle and relatively low base knockback, especially compared to, for example, 's forward throw. Up throw sees Banjo toss the opponent upward, followed by Kazooie pecking at them; it can put opponents above Banjo & Kazooie and setup juggles, but has too much base knockback and too much ending lag to actually have any true follow-ups against most characters. Down throw looks and functions very similarly to 's down throw, being a move where Banjo lifts the opponent upward with both of his hands and slams them downward to bury them; at high enough percentages, down throw has a guaranteed 50/50 setup into either up tilt or up smash in most matchups, with the former catching opponents who mash out and the latter catching ones who do not. Finally, back throw is the duo's KO throw, and closely resembles 's back throw; it has a collateral hitbox much like Mario's that gives it utility against bystanders (as well as the and ), and it is incredibly powerful, being even stronger than Mario's back throw.
However, the duo has numerous other considerable weaknesses to balance their strengths. Outside of their dash attack, up tilt, smash attacks, forward aerial, back aerial, down throw, back throw, close-range Breegull Blaster and Wonderwing, Banjo & Kazooie's potential to KO can be somewhat limited despite their status as a heavyweight fighter. Many of their moves are unremarkable among their weight class in terms of power, and unlike other fighters with poor KOing abilities, Banjo & Kazooie have a fairly limited combo game. The duo's range is also unremarkable, despite Kazooie's lack of a hurtbox, which means that they will sometimes have issues trading blows with conventional swordfighters. Additionally, some of Banjo & Kazooie's aerial attacks have unusually high landing lag for how weak they are, with neutral aerial having 16 frames, up aerial having 12 frames, and back aerial having 18 frames. Similarly to , Banjo himself has a wide hurtbox, and the duo is susceptible to combos and juggles due to their heavy weight, slow air speed, low jump height, and lack of fast escape options. Their overall mobility is unorthodox; their excellent run speed is offset by their poor initial dash speed, which is tied for the 5th slowest, their high vertical recovery options are hampered by their low jumps, poor air speed, and fast falling speed, and their grounded mobility is hindered by their traction being tied with the 's for the lowest in the game.
Additionally, the duo's special moves, while strong, have significant flaws. Breegull Blaster's long-range egg hitboxes are weak and less useful for zoning than Egg Firing, while Breegull Blaster can be unsafe on shield up close unless the aforementioned difficult-to-perform advanced KFC techniques are performed; also, Breegull Blaster's eggs become weaker with repeated use, discouraging excessive use of the move, though the damage output goes back to normal after a cooldown period if Breegull Blaster is not used. If the duo runs out of golden feathers, they lose access to Wonderwing, eliminating a potent move with plenty of offensive and defensive utility; Wonderwing is also vulnerable to grabs despite its invincibility—although due to its speed, an opponent taking advantage of this is relatively rare—and it is also notoriously unsafe on shield and on whiff, further punishing heavily its misuse. Rear Egg, while being a relatively potent combo tool, can be turned against the duo as opponents can grab it and use it due to its status as an item, as well as the fact that that a previously-laid grenade egg must explode or reach the blast zone before a new one can be laid, meaning the player must wait a while to try again if an egg misses an opponent; additionally, a grenade egg can be Pocketed by or , completely ridding Banjo & Kazooie of one of their most useful moves against those two aforementioned characters. Shock Spring Jump requires slight charge time to make their recovery reliable, and it also does not have a hitbox outside of the Shock Spring Pad itself, making it vulnerable to aggressive edgeguarding.
Overall, Banjo & Kazooie are fairly unorthodox characters that can be considered to fall in the heavyweight trapper archetype, similarly to , and . As a result, their gameplan is centered on maintaining stage control with the help of their projectiles, yet also being capable melee fighters who have access to a few strong finishers (the most notable of which being Wonderwing). However, Banjo & Kazooie's capabilities fall somewhat short next to comparable characters: Rear Egg is slightly inconsistent at controlling space due to its Grenade Egg's short fuse, Wonderwing is very easy to punish if it is mistimed or read, and the duo's overall frame data and KO power are unimpressive for the heavyweight trapper archetype, limiting their potential to act aggressively. As such, they are quite versatile fighters that can adapt to multiple playstyles even over the course of a single match, though they are more adept at turtling or more methodical playstyles.
==Update history==
Banjo & Kazooie were buffed slightly via game updates. The only noteworthy buffs they received were increases to the knockback growth of their up tilt and forward smash via update 12.0.0, which slightly improved said moves' already respectable KO potentials. Due to the other changes they received being strictly quality-of-life adjustments, Banjo & Kazooie's competitive reception has remained virtually unchanged since their release.
 
 
 
 
==Moveset==
*Banjo & Kazooie, specifically Kazooie, can perform 2 double jumps, both of which are based on the Feathery Flap. Aesthetically, Banjo's animation for the duo's backwards jump is based on the Flap Flip, although it also resembles a "recoil" animation from Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie that is usually seen when the player activates a point of interest below the duo or after hitting an enemy with a weak attack.
*As opposed to Banjo & Kazooie's standard walking and initial dashing which are handled solely by Banjo, in the duo's dash animation he flips onto his back and Kazooie takes over the dash by performing the Talon Trot. Kazooie gains a hurtbox while she dashes, but her transition into the dash has no gameplay repercussions otherwise.
*The majority of Banjo & Kazooie's moves are inherently disjointed, as Kazooie does not possess a hurtbox outside of the duo's dash and up tilt.
For a gallery of Banjo & Kazooie's hitboxes, see here.
===Stats===
===Announcer calls===
Banjo & Kazooie English Announcer SSBU.wav|English/Japanese/Chinese
Banjo & Kazooie French Announcer SSBU.wav|French
Banjo & Kazooie German Announcer SSBU.wav|German
Banjo & Kazooie Italian Announcer SSBU.wav|Italian
Banjo & Kazooie Russian Announcer SSBU.wav|Russian
Banjo & Kazooie Spanish Announcer SSBU.wav|Spanish
===On-screen appearance===
*Banjo hops out of a dark Jiggy silhouette with Kazooie visible, and then the duo both bow twice. The silhouette, the appearance of which is accompanied by a slide whistle-like descending sound, is a reference to the cutout wipe seen as the player moves from one area to another in the Nintendo 64 games, and the bows refer to the second half of the animation seen when all 10 Jiggies in a world are collected or when a Note Door is unlocked in Banjo-Kazooie.
Banjo&KazooieOnScreenAppearanceSSBU.gif|Banjo & Kazooie's on-screen appearance.
===Taunts===
*Up taunt: Banjo stretches and Kazooie appears out of his backpack, yawning. Based on an idle animation from Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
*Side taunt: Kazooie pops out of Banjo's backpack and the duo looks at each other, then Banjo strikes a thumbs up while Kazooie happily opens her wings. Based on their introductory pose in the opening sequence of Banjo-Kazooie.
*Down taunt: Banjo bows twice, saying his signature "Guh-huh!" each time. Identical to the latter half of the animation seen when all ten Jiggies in a level are collected or when a Note Door is unlocked in Banjo-Kazooie. Unlike the other two taunts, Kazooie is not present.
SSBUBanjo&KazooieTaunt1.gif|Banjo & Kazooie's up taunt.
SSBUBanjo&KazooieTaunt2.gif|Banjo & Kazooie's side taunt.
SSBUBanjo&KazooieTaunt3.gif|Banjo & Kazooie's down taunt.
===Idle poses===
*Kazooie pops out of Banjo's backpack, rests her wing on his head as she looks around, then retreats back inside. Banjo looks at Kazooie while she is out.
*Kazooie playfully pecks Banjo on the head twice. Banjo rubs his head afterwards. It is similar to an idle animation seen in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie.
SSBUBanjo&KazooieIdle1.gif|Banjo & Kazooie's first idle pose.
SSBUBanjo&KazooieIdle2.gif|Banjo & Kazooie's second idle pose.
===Crowd cheer===
 	Cheer (English) 	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese) 	Cheer (Italian) 	Cheer (Dutch) 	Cheer (French)
Cheer 	 	 	 	 	
Description	Ba-Ba-Ba-Ban - jo! Ka-Ka-Kazoo - ie!	Ban - jo! (high voices) Ka - zoo - ie!	Bannnn - jo! Kazoooo - ie!	Bannnn - jo! Kazoooo - ie!	Ban - jo! (high voices) Ka - zoo - ie!
 	Cheer (German) 	Cheer (Spanish) 	Cheer (Russian) 	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer 	 	 	 	
Description	Bannnn - jo! Kazoooo - ie!	Bannnn - jo! Kazoooo - ie!	Ban - jo! *claps 3 times* Ka - zooie! *claps 3 times*	Banjo - Kazooie!
===Victory poses===
*Left: Banjo throws a Jiggy in the air, catches it, jumps, and poses. This references his brief dance scene when he collects a Jiggy in Banjo-Kazooie. Afterward, Banjo gives a thumbs-up while performing his signature "Guh-huh!", similar to the beginning of Banjo-Kazooies intro movie.
*Up: Banjo marches in place briefly before bowing twice, saying "Guh-huh!" both times, ending with Kazooie poking out of his backpack. The animation is almost identical to that seen when all 10 Jiggies in a world are collected or when a Note Door is unlocked in Banjo-Kazooie.
*Right: Both dance around while playing their respective instruments, and then end in a pose referencing the ending of Banjo-Kazooies intro movie. Their poses are also identical to the ones they assume in their reveal trailer (save for Kazooie's expression).
SSBUBanjo&KazooieVictory1.gif
SSBUBanjo&KazooieVictory2.gif
SSBUBanjo&KazooieVictory3.gif
==In competitive play==
===Most historically significant players===
See also: :Category:Banjo & Kazooie players (SSBU)
* - Played Banjo & Kazooie from September 2019 to February 2020 and was considered one of the best Banjo & Kazooie players in the world, achieving notable placements at majors including 25th at and 33rd at . He has since returned to using .
* - Known for using multiple characters including Banjo & Kazooie, and is considered the best Banjo & Kazooie player in Europe, regularly placing highly at British events including 5th at the superregional and 13th at the superregional . He switched to other characters in 2023, though he maintains Banjo & Kazooie as a secondary.
* - The greatest Banjo & Kazooie player of all time, whose performances in the post-online metagame improved the duo's perception in the community. He is both the only solo-Banjo & Kazooie player ranked globally, ranking 27th on the LumiRank 2024.1, and the only solo-Banjo & Kazooie player to place top 8 at a major, placing 5th at a variety of majors including , , and , while notably defeating at the latter event.
* - Known for being the best Banjo & Kazooie player in North America during the online metagame, notably placing 9th at . Though offline he has been playing other characters more often, most notably , he continues to maintain Banjo & Kazooie as a co-main, notably placing 5th at using the character to defeat MVD, and ranking 134th on the LumiRank 2024.2 with Banjo & Kazooie as one of his characters.
===Tier placement and history===
Early opinions on Banjo & Kazooie were mildly positive: although the duo had strong and flexible moves (such as their forward aerial, forward tilt, smash attacks, Wonderwing, and Rear Egg), an effective zoning game and edge trap ability, and a versatile recovery, they were hindered by some notable flaws, including their below-average speed, mediocre damage output, high landing lag on some of their aerials, and an inconsistent grab game. Early results from Banjo & Kazooie were below-average; however, there were still noteworthy performances from players such as , , and , while also used Banjo & Kazooie at to place 5th, although he promptly dropped the duo immediately after. As a result, the early consensus considered the duo as a mid-tier fighter, with the potential to be a high-tier character.
This opinion declined greatly by the end of 2019, as issues with Banjo & Kazooie's damage output and frame data became increasingly apparent, leading many players to drop them. Their representation remained stagnant for the next few years, and while players such as and found great success with the duo online and offline, as time went on, both players began playing other characters alongside Banjo & Kazooie, or began slowly relegating the character to a secondary. With their representation remaining below-average, Banjo & Kazooie were ranked 66th on the first tier list as a low-mid tier.
Following the release of the first tier list, began showcasing how Banjo & Kazooie's great zoning and combo abilities could make up for some of their weaknesses. After his breakout event at , Toriguri began making waves at Japanese events, eventually becoming the first solo-Banjo & Kazooie player to top 8 a major at , and finishing the year at 54th on the LumiRank 2024, the first time a solo-Banjo & Kazooie player was ranked in the top 100 globally. These results led the duo to rise four spots on the second tier list, ranking 62nd in the C- tier. Following the second tier list's release, Toriguri's performances gained even greater recognition, especially after his run at , where he surprised international audiences by 3-0ing and placing 5th. This performance, among other strong performances and top player wins, has led many to believe Banjo & Kazooie should be ranked even higher. Conversely, other players pointed out how Toriguri's best wins were on players who had little to no experience on fighting Banjo & Kazooie, with players bringing up how Toriguri regularly has trouble against 's despite dominantly defeating MkLeo. As it stands, many players consider Banjo & Kazooie to be stronger than initially perceived; however, it remains up to debate on how much stronger the duo actually is.
==: Perfect Partners==
In reference to their status as a duo, Banjo & Kazooie fight against other notable duos in each Round. Rounds 1 through 5 feature music and stage combinations that reference various worlds from the original Banjo-Kazooie, with each of these Rounds playing a song from the series (regardless of what universe the stage originates from). The bosses of their route, Master Hand and Crazy Hand, also fit the duo theme and are always fought together (regardless of the difficulty).
Round 	Opponent 	Stage 	Music 	Notes
1 	 	Spiral Mountain 	 	Duck Hunt's color scheme references Banjo & Kazooie themselves.
2 	 	Tortimer Island 	 	References Treasure Trove Cove.Rosalina could be a reference to Brentilda, Gruntilda's polar-opposite sister who gossips Gruntilda's secrets to Banjo & Kazooie.
3 	 	Summit 	 	References Freezeezy Peak, with the Ice Climbers matching its polar climate.
4 	and 	Mushroomy Kingdom	 	References Gobi's Valley.
5 	and 	Luigi's Mansion 	 	References Mad Monster Mansion.Fox and Falco's color schemes are likely meant to resemble a wolf and a raven respectively, which are animals that would appear in a typical haunted setting.
6 	and 	Jungle Japes 	 	References the Banjo-Kazooie series and series' shared origins, both having been created by Rare Ltd., as well as Banjo and Diddy Kong's friendship being mentioned in .DK Vine on Twitter: "According to the Diddy Kong Racing instruction manual, Diddy met Banjo and Conker in adventures with Donkey Kong. Needing to recruit associates outside of the Kong clan for his covert mission to Timber's Island, he sent Squawks to their homes with a letter of request. #DKUFacts"
Bonus Stage	Bonus Stage	Bonus Stage 	Bonus Stage	Bonus Stage
Final 	and 	 	 	Much like Banjo & Kazooie, Master Hand and Crazy Hand work together as a duo. Additionally, they bear a resemblance to Motzand, a disembodied hand who appears in Mad Monster Mansion. Both Hands are fought in any difficulty.
Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Banjo & Kazooie has accompany the credits.
==Role in World of Light==
Due to their status as downloadable content, Banjo & Kazooie do not have a legitimate role in World of Light. Instead, they are unlocked for use in the mode after freeing 10 fighters from Galeem's control. If loading an existing save file that meets this condition prior to downloading Banjo & Kazooie, they are immediately unlocked.
However, in 's reveal trailer, they are shown amongst the many fighters facing Galeem, which suggests that they too canonically face Galeem and Dharkon in World of Light.
==Spirit==
Banjo & Kazooie's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing as Banjo & Kazooie. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Banjo & Kazooie have been downloaded. Unlocking Banjo & Kazooie in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Their fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with their artwork in Ultimate.
SSBU spirit Banjo & Kazooie.png|1,337. Banjo & Kazooie
==In Spirit Battles==
===As minions===
Spirit	Spirit	Spirit 	Spirit	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Inspiration
No. 	Image 	Name 	Series	Enemy Fighter(s) 	Type 	Power 	Stage 	Rules 	Conditions 	Music 	Character
1,338 	 	Banjo-Kazooie Series	• • 	 	3,500 	Spiral Mountain 	N/A 	•Defeat the main fighter to win•The enemy shields often•Magic attacks aren't as effective against the enemy	 	Banjo & Kazooie 	
==Alternate costumes==
							
							
==Reveal trailer==
==Gallery==
Banjo-Kazooie are Raring to Go.png|Banjo & Kazooie's splash art.
Banjo Trailer.png|Celebratory pose at the end of their character trailer.
Banjo & Kazooie amiibo.png|Banjo & Kazooie's amiibo.
Banjo & Kazooie unlock notice SSBU.jpg|Banjo & Kazooie's unlock notice after downloading them from the Nintendo eShop.
SSBUNintendoWebsiteBanjo&Kazooie1.jpg|Dashing on Yoshi's Island (Melee).
SSBUNintendoWebsiteBanjo&Kazooie2.jpg|Jumping on Summit.
SSBUTwitterBanjo&Kazooie1.jpg|Using Egg Firing on Garden of Hope.
SSBUTwitterBanjo&Kazooie2.jpg|Hitting with their forward smash on Great Bay.
SSBUTwitterBanjo&Kazooie3.jpg|Banjo & Kazooie, , and on Spiral Mountain.
SSBUPressKitBanjo&Kazooie.jpg|About to be grabbed by on Tortimer Island.
SSBUWebsiteBanjo&Kazooie1.jpg|Performing their side taunt on Spiral Mountain.
SSBUWebsiteBanjo&Kazooie2.jpg|Dashing on Big Blue's track.
SSBUWebsiteBanjo&Kazooie3.jpg|Popping Villager's balloons with their forward tilt in Town and City.
SSBUWebsiteBanjo&Kazooie4.jpg|Crouching alongside on Windy Hill Zone.
SSBUWebsiteBanjo&Kazooie5.jpg|Using Egg Firing, with Mumbo Jumbo visible in the background.
SSBUWebsiteBanjo&Kazooie6.jpg|Pivoting on Summit.
All Fighters from Fighters Pass Vol 1.jpg|Banjo & Kazooie alongside all of the other DLC fighters of .
==Trivia==
*Banjo & Kazooie are referred to within the game files with the codename "buddy", alluding to the fact that the duo is almost always seen paired with each other when they make appearances. Additionally, files that pertain to Kazooie specifically often refer to her with the codename "partner".
*According to Masahiro Sakurai, Banjo & Kazooie were highly requested in the Super Smash Bros. 4-era Fighter Ballot, closely following the overall winner, .PushDustIn on Twitter: "Let’s continue with Banjo & Kazooie. Sakurai: "In the Fighter's Ballot, Banjo & Kazooie followed Sora. Their concept was 'two fighting as one'. Wonderwing is a move that's unique to them too as it's the only move that can be used up to 5 times. Because of that, it's very strong.""
*Banjo & Kazooie were created by British video game company Rare Ltd., making them the first DLC fighter that was created outside of Japan. They were followed by , created by the Swedish company Mojang. Coincidentally, both companies are subsidiaries of Microsoft.
**Rare Ltd. is referenced in the duo's introduction tagline, "Banjo-Kazooie are Raring to go!".
*The picture revealing Banjo & Kazooie's second alternate costume on Summit is a nod to Freezeezy Peak, the fifth level in Banjo-Kazooie, with the Super Launch Star in the image referencing the star on top of the Christmas tree in said level. The picture featuring their fifth alternate costume, also on Summit, might be another nod, with Banjo's white fur and the Polar Bear both referencing Boggy.
*Not counting ports and cameos, Banjo & Kazooie's inclusion in Ultimate marks their first physical appearance in almost a decade, since the Xbox 360 version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, released in 2010.
**It also marks their first physical appearance on a Nintendo console in 14 years since Banjo-Pilot was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2005.
**It also marks the second time that Banjo & Kazooie have crossed over with , the first being the aforementioned Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. 
*In Banjo & Kazooie's battle portrait next to their damage meter, Kazooie leans in slightly closer to Banjo than she does in their full artwork, to fit both of their faces into the frame. The are the only other fighter with such an edit.
*On their victory screen, Banjo & Kazooie's name will only take up one line in the American and PAL versions of the game while it takes up two lines in the Asian versions. Excluding , whose character name is changed to "Pikmin & Olimar" in the Japanese version, they are the only fighter with this distinction.
*When KO'd by reaching 0 HP during their last stock in Stamina Mode, Banjo & Kazooie use a voice clip (uttered by Banjo) that is unique to this mode, not taken from either their KO or high damage voice clips. in all languages, in addition to in the Japanese language, are the only other fighters with unique final stamina KO voice clips.
**Additionally, their stamina KO voice clip unusually does not begin with a slight pause, an oddity shared only with Erdrick.
*When Banjo & Kazooie successfully perfect shield an attack, Banjo assumes a flexing pose resembling both the Extra Life statues from Banjo-Kazooie and an idle animation from Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
*Banjo & Kazooie, , , Joker, Hero, , , , and are the only fighters to use their walking animation when navigating through the map in World of Light.
*As Banjo is the one who consumes food items, when Banjo & Kazooie dash while under the effect of Superspicy Curry, the flames shoot backward instead of forwards.
**Oddly, the frantic expression caused by Superspicy Curry (where the character's pupils shrink and their mouth opens) applies to Kazooie as well as Banjo, despite Kazooie not eating the curry or breathing fire.
*Banjo & Kazooie are one of the few fighters to receive a unique feature on their amiibo that is not taken from their official render, with Banjo's raised leg being supported by a large Jiggy.
*During the brief time that Sakurai plays as Banjo & Kazooie in , Banjo's nose does not protrude out of his damage meter like it does in the released game.
==Notes==
:1.As noted in Mr. Sakurai Presents "Banjo & Kazooie," does not have an english translation, as a is a large paper fan used in manzai comedy. Coincidentally, this is also the japanese name for the fan item in the Super Smash Bros. series.
==References==
 
Category:Banjo-Kazooie universe
Category:Microsoft
Category:Third-party characters
Category:Downloadable content
Category:Spirits
es:Banjo y Kazooie (SSBU)