Kirby (SSB17)

**Kirby** is a playable character in *Super Smash Bros. OC Future*. He was confirmed on July 13th, 2016, along with Mario, Baxter, Ichigo Kurosaki and Ruby Rose.

## Attributes

### Strengths

* Has six jumps.
* Great recovery, with multiple jumps plus Final Cutter.
* Shortest Crouch animation in game.
* Can cancel Neutral Aerial without lag by landing on the ground during the attack animation of this move which can lead to combos and setups.
* Can do Up Tilt combos on fast-falling characters at low percents.
* Has two Sex Kicks: Neutral Aerial and Back Aerial.
* Excellent juggling with Up Aerial.
* Inhale allows him to copy the opponent's standard Neutral Special, granting him versatility and helping to cover weaknesses.
	+ Can perform "Kirbycide", although simply inhaling heavy/poor recovery opponents and spitting them out near bottom blast line corners can sometimes KO them, and can get back onto the stage afterwards.
* Both Hammer Flip and Final Cutter have transcending priority in their hitboxes.
* Hammer Flip can lead to low percentage KO's if fully charged. It also inflicts considerable shield damage.
* Final Cutter grants him an additional jump and a projectile, being also a decent tool for combos.
* Stone has strong super armor, as well invincibility frames at the start, and inflicts considerable shield damage.
* Has two Meteor Smashes: Down Aerial and the second hit of Final Cutter.

### Weaknesses

* Fifth lightest character in the game, tied with Olimar, Pikachu and Fox.
* Second lowest multi-jump height in the game, after King Dedede.
* Somewhat weak neutral attacks, making it hard to launch opponents. He also has limited KO moves.
* Fourth slowest air speed and falling speed.
* Low range on most attacks.
* Predictable recovery.
* Hammer Flip deals recoil damage to Kirby the longer it is charged after reaching full charge. It is very predictable and has considerable lag.

## Summary

Kirby is a **Bait & Punish** type of character. Being small and light, with a somewhat slow movement speed in both ground and air, but overall fast attacks, Kirby excels at using his short frame and multiple jumps to combo and juggle opponents that commit mistakes.

Kirby's greatest asset is the versatility of his moveset, with a good variety of multi-hit attacks, fast poking punches and kicks, and juggling tools. His ground game is solid, with a very fast Neutral Attack and Rapid Jab, which can be cancelled into a grab or Tilts. His Forward Tilt is good for spacing and has good range, while his Down Tilt can cause opponents to trip. Finally, his Up Tilt is a powerful juggling tool, as it can combo with itself at low percentages due to its fast speed and low knockback; Kirby can also string Up Tilts into Up Aerials at mid percentages,

His Smash Attacks are all straightforward moves, with Forward Smash being his strongest and fastest one, with decent range. Up Smash is somewhat like Fox and Yoshi's Up Smashes, but lacks power, being more useful to finish Up Tilt combos. Down Smash covers a decent ground, and its horizontal knockback is great for edge-guarding, specially against opponents with poor recovery.

Kirby's air game is greatly complemented by his ground moves, and vice-versa. Neutral Aerial is a Sex Kick that covers all around his body, and despite the low range, it is fast with a good number of active frames. Forward Aerial is very fast and strings easily into other moves, specially at low percentages. Back Aerial is another Sex Kick, and his fastest and strongest aerial, with a decent range. Up Aerial is his juggling tool, able to chain from many of his other moves, mostly Up Tilt. Finally, Down Aerial is a multi-hit drill attack that can Meteor Smash opponents reliably, despite lacking power compared to other Meteor Smashes; this move specially useful considering Kirby's multiple jumps, which allows him to chase down opponents with multiple Down Aerials to secure the KO.

His Special Attacks add even more versatility to his game. Inhale, Kirby's signature move, allows him to copy the opponent's Neutral Special move, or spit them as a projectile, that is unaffected by weight. Inhaling specific powers, allows Kirby to cover many of his weaknesses. Monaco Arts, for instance, is one of the most valuable Special Moves Kirby can absorb, as it allows him to temporarily negate some of his flaws. Inhale can also be used for the infamous, although not as effective, "Kirbycide" strategy, which consists into swallowing opponents and dragging them to the bottom blast line, essentially a suicidal KO. However, this tactic can be used differently by swallowing the opponent and spitting them below the stage (assuming it is possible), in an attempt to prevent them from recovering.

Hammer is a surprisingly powerful move which can be charged, on both ground and air. When fully charged, it deals massive knockback and can break shields in a single hit. However, the move overall is very slow and Kirby's movement is drastically reduced. In addition, overcharging the move deals recoil damage to Kirby, similar to King Dedede's Jet Hammer.

Final Cutter is Kirby's only recovery move, covering decent horizontal and vertical range, as well having small disjointed hitboxes that can protect Kirby. The projectile released is also a good way to keep away opponents when trying to recover. If used correctly, it is a good finisher for his juggling combos.

Stone is a powerful defensive move that can grant Kirby invulnerability, allowing him to ignore damage and knockback from any move that deals less than 30%. Its ability to be cancelled at any time allows for powerful mindgames.

Kirby's flaws, however, lies in his poor mobility, which, combined with his floatiness and weight, makes him vulnerable to juggling, and a very easy target against fast characters and/or characters with disjointed hitboxes. This also gives him trouble when approaching opponents, as many of his attacks lack range. He also has limited KO moves, with none of his Tilts and few of his Aerials dealing reliable knockback for KO; because of this he relies mostly on his Smash Attacks to finish off opponents, and Down Aerial to Meteor Smash airborne enemies.

Kirby can dish out an impressive amount of damage if he gets close to his opponent, thought doing so can be a difficult task. A good Kirby player must learn to capitalize opponents mistakes rather than charging head on, although playing too defensively can be dangerous considering how poor his survivability is.

## Moveset

### **Taunts**

Kirby's taunts are also used to give up his current copied ability.

* Up Taunt: Does his famous "stage clear" dance. At the end, a little star pops out.
* Side Taunt: Spins around and makes a pose.
* Down Taunt: Smiles at the camera saying "Hi!" and waving his hands.

## Alternate Costumes

* *See: Alternate Costumes (Super Smash Bros. OC Future)*