King Dedede

Alternate Colors

Smash Attacks

SIDE SMASH DAMAGE 6~24%

Dedede slowly lifts his huge hammer before swinging it down in front of him.

DOWN SMASH DAMAGE 13%

A spin attack with the hammer down by his feet to hit anyone nearby.

UP SMASH DAMAGE 9~14%

Dedede whips his hammer around to hit down behind him.

Basic Attacks

Standing Attack DAMAGE 4%, 4% RAPID STRIKES 8% : 6 Hits

Dedede swings his hammer horizontally then upward before spinning it for rapid strikes into an upward ender.

Side Tilt DAMAGE 2~3% MAX DAMAGE 9% : 4 Hits

Dedede spins his hammer forward in front of him.

Up Tilt DAMAGE 10~12%

Dedede hops a little then headbutts your opponent. King Dedede’s front arm and head are invincible during the attack.

Down Tilt DAMAGE 6~10%

Dedede looks tired as he rolls forward before dropping to the ground for a nap. Repeating this attack will force him to continue to roll or cartwheel over. This can combo against opponents who are at a low percentage and allows King Dedede to move forward while attacking

Dash Attack DAMAGE 13~16%

Dedede runs toward his opponent and then falls on that opponent, using his size as a weapon!

Edge Attack

Dedede return to the stage and then kicks out toward the opponent.

Air Attacks

Neutral Air Attack DAMAGE 7~12%

Dedede spreads his limbs, hitting anyone around him.

Up Air Attack DAMAGE 1~5% MAX DAMAGE 12% : 8 Hits

Dedede extends his hammer high up and spins it in an attack.

Down Air Attack DAMAGE 8~15%

Dedede swings his hammer downward to meteor smash opponents. This hits under the rear half of Dedede’s body.

Forward Air Attack DAMAGE 13%

A downward hammer strike immediately in front of Dedede.

Back Air Attack DAMAGE 16%

An upward hammer strike toward Dedede’s back.

Special Attacks

Inhale (Neutral Special) DAMAGE 10% STARS 10~20%

King Dedede sucks his opponent into his mouth. He can continue to move and jump around, but he can’t attack or shield. Attacking spits the opponent out as a star, which can be used to attack other opponents. The heavier the inhaled opponent, the stronger the attack power when that opponent becomes a star. You can also inhale items and projectiles. Healing items heal 50% more than normal this way.

Dedede Storm DAMAGE 2~3% MAX DAMAGE 21% : 9 Hits

King Dedede creates a cyclone from his mouth that pulls opponents in and hits multiple times before launching them upward. Holding the button continues the attack. You can’t inhale projectiles or items with this variation.

Taste Test DAMAGE 12% STARS 10~20%

King Dedede inhales opponents slightly faster than usual before spitting them back out as stars. You can’t contain the swallowed opponents, but they can’t escape before being spit out as a star.

Gordo Throw (Side Special) DAMAGE 9.5~14% MAX DAMAGE 24% : 2 Hits

Throw a Gordo at the opponent. Hit up, down, or forward after inputting this attack to change how the Gordo bounces. Only one Gordo may be out at a time, but a Gordo bounces three times if it doesn’t make contact with any opponent or wall. With the right timing, though, opponents can hit the Gordo back! For maximum damage, hit the opponent with both King Dedede’s hammer and the Gordo!

Topspin Gordo DAMAGE 11% MAX DAMAGE 21% : 2 Hits

This Gordo is slow to fall, but once it hits the ground it picks up a lot of speed! Note this Gordo only bounces once if it doesn’t strike an opponent.

Bouncing Gordo DAMAGE 6~10% MAX DAMAGE 16% : 2 Hits

A Gordo that bounces back and forth up to 5 times. Each hit does less damage than the regular version, but this Gordo can’t be hit back by opponents!

Super Dedede Jump (Up Special) DAMAGE 5~15% MAX DAMAGE 26% : 2 Hits

A huge jump into the air, followed by a huge splash attack! You can hit Up during the animation to cancel it, but this leaves you in a fall state. The later you cancel it, the worse the landing! This attack has invincibility on startup and on King Dedede’s feet during his descent. Additionally, King Dedede has super armor while rising and during the splash attack. Hitting airborne opponents has a meteor effect while opponents hit on the ground are buried.

Rising Dedede DAMAGE 6~15%

King Dedede attacks only on the way up in this variation. After the peak of the jump, he is in a fall state. You can’t grab the edge during the start of this fall state.

Quick Dedede Jump DAMAGE 5~10% MAX DAMAGE 21% : 3 Hits

This variation sees King Dedede jump and splash much faster; however, he doesn’t jump as high or hit as strong.

Jet Hammer (Down Special) ON LAND 11% MAX CHARGE 28~38% IN AIR 10% MAX CHARGE 16~27%

King Dedede charges up his hammer before delivering a massive swing. You can walk around and even single jump while charging the hammer. Be careful—if you charge it for too long, it will start dealing damage to King Dedede unless your damage is already 100% or more. At full charge, the center of the hammer has the highest attack power.

Armored Jet Hammer ON LAND 9% MAX CHARGE 20~24% IN AIR 8% MAX CHARGE 15~22%

This variation has super armor throughout charging, so King Dedede won’t get interrupted while delivering this massive blow. The trade-off is that the overall damage output is lower. Additionally, at full charge, King Dedede takes damage twice as fast as normal.

Dash Jet Hammer DAMAGE 6~7% MAX CHARGE 16~18%

The force of the jet pushes King Dedede back as he charges up but sends him dashing forward when swinging the hammer.

Final Smash

Dedede Burst

King Dedede inhales his opponents into a spinning vortex. He then pummels them with his hammer before lobbing a bomb at them for the final blow, launching everyone in an upward diagonal direction. This does about 46% damage to everyone caught in the vortex. The range on the Inhale is about half of the Final Destination stage.

Strategy

King Dedede is one of the heaviest characters in the game and as such has some extremely heavy-hitting moves. One thing that separates him from other heavyweights is that he has multiple jumps, allowing him a better recovery. Overall he has good range on his attacks, massive damage, a good throw range, and decent aerial mobility for a heavyweight. His Side Smash has a long startup, but it’s one of the hardest-hitting Smash attacks in the game. Even his Dash attack can KO lighter opponents under 100%. A good place to grab an opponent is after the first two hits of King Dedede’s Standing Attack. Use a Down Throw, then chase with a Forward or Back Aerial Attack.

Opponents will be scared of Dedede’s damage and range, so get ready to initiate. Dedede’s Inhale attack has some invincibility when sucking opponents in, so you can use it like a ranged counter. Once you’ve inhaled someone, your best options are to jump off-stage before shooting them out or to shoot them at other opponents. If opponents are just trying to camp you, Dedede has the option of throwing a Gordo at them. Because this can be hit back, it isn’t the best projectile, but you can mix up its timing and set up obstacles with the different variations. This makes Gordo Throw particularly interesting when edge-guarding. The Super Dedede Jump is Dedede’s main recovery tool but only on its way up. On its way down, it does have some super armor, invincibility, and the ability to meteor smash. Finally, his Jet Hammer attack can be charged up to deal ridiculous amounts of damage. While charging, you can still move and jump, so don’t be afraid to let it damage you a little if you’re close to an opponent. This is best used in free-for-all situations against groups of opponents. One-on-one it is easier to see coming.

In the air, Back Aerial and Up Aerial are your best attacks to KO opponents. They are a little slow, but their KO power makes up for it. Down Air is also good for meteor smashing opponents who are in the air, but you have to be significantly above them to do so. For KOing opponents from the ground, your best bets are Down Smash, Side Smash, Dash Attack and the Gordo Throw. Up Tilt has some invincibility that gives it extra versatility. When edge-guarding, Down Tilt and Forward Tilt come in handy, as does Gordo Throw. Take your time, use your throws, and make opponents pay for their mistakes!

Recovery

King Dedede’s main recovery tools are his five jumps and his Super Dedede Jump. Super Dedede Jump can be aimed to go in a left or right parabola with an accurate diagonal input using the Special button. Be sure to land on the stage with this, or King Dedede will self-destruct. If you use it from under a stage like Final Destination, King Dedede pushes his way up and finds the edge. If you’re going to miss the edge while using this attack, you can always hit Up to cancel the fall, but it leaves you in a fall state. With enough space, though, even during a fall state you may be able to float yourself back to an edge. As with all characters possessing multiple jumps, don’t be predictable on your return—move left or right while jumping to confuse your opponents. You can also attack with the Gordo Throw towards the stage to occupy your opponent, then use Super Dedede Jump to recover from below the stage.