King Dedede is a very unique fighter that specializes in edgeguarding and spacing. Unlike most heavyweights, King Dedede relies on zoning opponents with his hammer and Gordos. He thrives when he can keep a safe distance between himself and his opponent and is able to abuse his deceptively large disjointed hitboxes. Dedede is also a very underdeveloped character in the scene. This means that match up knowledge and experience will, more often than not, be in the favor of the Dedede player. This guide will take you through everything you need to know when picking up King Dedede in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Moveset Analysis

Ground Attacks

Jab: One of the few infinite jabs that actually has KO potential. The vicious launch angle is straight upwards, which can lead to early reliable kills. It is one of King Dedede’s faster ground options, coming out at frame 10, and will reliably deal 10%-15%.

Forward tilt: This move has great range and a long-lasting hitbox, but a lot of ending lag which makes it easily punishable if whiffed. It is best used to catch landings from a distance and has some uses while ledge trapping because it covers both rolls and neutral get-ups. It is one of King Dedede’s slower ground options, coming out on frame 12, but this is made up for by its range. In addition, it will deal about 15% to opponents.

Up tilt: This is one of King Dedede’s best, “get off me,” tools on the ground. While it doesn’t make use of a disjointed hitbox, it gives King Dedede Invincibility frames while the attack is in use. This is tied with down tilt for King Dedede’s fastest ground option, coming out on frame 6, and deals 12%. In addition, it is the fourth-strongest up tilt in the game, being able to KO most characters at 115%.

Down tilt: It's large front-facing hitbox and speed allows Dedede to get some quick damage on his opponents while making sure they stay a safe distance from him. Down tilt is a tool best used as another get off me tool, but it does have a little bit of combo potential. Because this move comes out on frame 6, I like to roll behind opponents and combo this into a down tilt. It's a good out of shield option, and its decent knockback at mid percents usually hits characters off-stage setting up for an edgeguard.

Dash attack: A simple belly-flop. Unlike most dash attacks, this one is very slow coming out on frame 26. This speed is traded in for some unique properties though. For starters, its immense power is something to fear. It is the strongest dash attack in the game, and its hitbox is deceptively long as seen above. Secondly, the hitbox goes under the stage if used at the ledge. This property combined with its power allows you to kill opponents extremely early and close out stocks remarkably quickly. Of course, it is very unsafe on shield (leaving you with 26 frames of end lag) and is not a move you can throw out often. However, like most high-risk high-reward attacks, if you are able to land it, you will most likely KO the opponent. The safest situations to use dash attack are: At ledge to try and 2 frame punish, at ledge to catch the end of your opponent's invincibility, and to read a roll. Of the three reading a roll is the riskiest. The way I get around this is by conditioning my opponent to roll when I approach by using Gordos. Once I have noticed that they have fallen into this pattern of rolling away from my approach punish with a dash attack.

Smash Attacks

Forward Smash: Another one of Dedede's slower attacks, coming out on frame 40. Like his dash attack, Dedede trades the speed in this attack out for raw power. It is the most damaging and strongest forward smash attack in the game. The disjoint and large area the swing covers allows it to be used as an anti-air, though he risks being punished if he misses. This attack is capable of breaking shields when combined with a Gordo. As a result, at the beginning of most matches, I use my Gordo toss in the air and see how my opponent reacts to it. If I notice they shield frequently, then I approach along with my Gordo and forward smash while they are shielding. This usually leads to a broken shield which allows me to punish. Because Dedede's forward smash is the strongest in the game, pushing an opponent to the ledge and fully charging one up will almost certainly lead to a KO on any character. Unfortunately, it is no longer able to one-shot a shield like it used to, and the Gordo approach is required in order to guarantee a shield break. In addition, if I notice my opponent is frequently rolling behind me when I approach, I will use my forward smash in order to catch said roll. The risk is large but as a heavy, I can afford to take a few hits, so the risk is well worth the reward.

Up Smash: Unlike Dedede's forward smash, his up smash is quick coming out on frame 17. It is a better anti-air option than forward smash and covers a sizable arc above Dedede. Like most smash attacks, it has a lot of ending lag but is a more powerful option than up tilt. Since up tilt and up smash provide similar utility, I usually opt into using up tilt rather than up smash. Up smash requires you to commit to the move too hard and the reward for doing so isn't really worth the risk. Like most of Dedede's slower moves, it is good for catching reading your opponent. since it is an anti-air this usually means that I use it to catch an air dodge. In order to set this up, I condition my opponents into air dodging when I approach. After my opponent succeeds with air dodges, they usually like to continue using the same option. This is when I am able to punish. by jumping like I intend to attack I can force my opponent into air dodging. Using Dedede's fast fall speed, I can land quickly and catch my opponent's free fall with an up smash. This usually KOs at around 100% for most characters.

Down Smash: This is Dedede's fastest Smash attack, coming out on frame 14. The launch angle on this attack is viciously low, and if the opponent doesn't have a particularly good recovery it can KO at middle percents. If the opponent does have a good recovery, the launch angle also provides Dedede with enough time to set up a ledge trap. This attack KOs most characters at around 80% and is relatively safe to use. It is good for catching rolls, but unlike forward smash does not require the read since it covers both sides of Dedede.

Aerials

Neutral Air: This is Dedede's fastest aerial, coming out on frame 7. The hitbox stays out for a long time making it useful for aerial approaches. Combined with Dedede's fast fall speed, neutral air is useful for landing safely as well. Neutral air's sour spot doesn't launch the opponent very far and the angle the opponent is launched is vertical. This sour spot can combo into other attacks like forward air and up air. In addition, its fast speed and large area allow you to break out of enemy combos and reset neutral if Dedede is getting comboed.

Forward Air: This is one of Dedede's faster attacks coming out on frame 13. It is not safe on shield and has a lot of end lag, but is one of Dedede's only true gimping tools. Forward air's low knockback at early percents allows Dedede to combo it into itself. This combined with Dedede's multiple jumps and good recovery allows him to carry characters very far off stage without risking too much. This is especially effective on characters with low horizontal recovery, like Ike or Wolf. This also allows Dedede to space himself and use his disjointed hitbox to zone opponents who are approaching. In addition, this tool can be used to catch jumping get up from the ledge which is especially useful since it requires no setup. Its landing lag is lower than its ending lag which allows you to wall out opponents at the ledge by constantly keeping a hitbox present.

Back Air: Dedede's back air is one of his most useful tools for spacing and neutral. The attack is quick, disjointed, has a lot of range, does a lot of damage, and can KO. It comes out on frame 17 but has low ending lag and can be constantly used to threaten opponents. Combined with the fact that back air is safe on shield, it is by far Dedede's best tool in neutral. This attack also reliably KOs at around 110% for most characters making it a safe kill move. Altogether this is one of Dedede's best attacks and one I use very often.

Up Air: A large multi-hit vertical aerial that possesses a lot of range. The attack deals a lot of damage but was always held back by its atrocious launch angle. The old launch angle would launch opponents diagonally upward making it very difficult for Dedede to KO opponents. However, in the most recent patch, this attack was buffed to give it more KO potential. Now this attack is one of Dedede's best and can reliably kill off the top at around 100%. The disjoint allows it to beat out many anti-juggling options and is best used to condition air dodges as a result. When recovering, Dedede can use this move to shark through the ledge and disrupt the edgeguarding of his opponents.

Down Air: This is one of Dedede's worst aerials in my opinion. it comes out on frame 22 so it is relatively slow, and it is very rare to find a reason to use it. It has a lot of start and end lag and the hitbox is only active for 2 frames. Down Air is a meteor smash, but only in the sweet spot. Otherwise, it just has horizontal knockback. It is easy to punish Dedede for whiffing the attack and there is no reason to take the risk of using this attack off stage when you can just prepare an edgeguard instead.

Specials

Neutral Special: This is one of the more unique attacks in the game allowing Dedede to inhale his opponent. While inhaled, King Dedede can freely move around and spit them out to deal about 10% damage. Mashing gets opponents out quicker and shortens the distance they are spit out when the ability is reactivated. If the opponent breaks out before Dedede spits them out they take no damage. I personally use this attack to land as it counters being shield grabbed. It is one of the only attacks in the game that allows you to hold out a grab hitbox. This is useful for allowing Dedede to mix up his landings and make it back to stage more reliably. The attack also has the property of being a reflector. Dedede will inhale the projectile and spit it back out dealing more damage than the original projectile. This pares well with Dedede's Grodos because it gives him a reliable way to hit them back if they are reflected towards him.

Side Special: Gordo toss is Dedede's most versatile move. It can be launched at three separate angles depending on where you position the joy stick after the initial side special. Angling them up makes them bounce in place in front of you. Angling them forward allows you to send them bouncing across the map. Angling them down allows you to send them further forward trading in vertical coverage for horizontal coverage. Gordos are unique projectiles in the sense that they are not loyal to Dedede. They can be hit back and deal a ton of damage to Dedede himself. In addition, if the Gordo is hit at the right angle, it will combo into itself dealing around 35%. Again, Gordos are a double-edged sword since the self combo applies to Dedede as well. Using Gordos as projectiles for approaching is difficult since you have to worry about them being reflected back. To avoid this, release the Gordo from the air. Gordos are reflected back at the angle they came from. Meaning that if you throw a Gordo from the air and approach from the ground, the reflected Gordo will fly over you rather than at you. By far the Gordo's most useful use is as a ledge trap. The long-lasting hitbox allows Dedede to act freely while the Godo is out. At ledge, the Gordo will cover normal get-ups and jump get-ups allowing Dedede to cover the other options himself. The swing from Dedede's hammer also has a weak hitbox. If you are lucky, you can combo the hammer swing into a double Gordo hit leading to an insane amount of damage.

Up Special: This is King Dedede's recovery tool. It sends Dedede up completely vertically. The speed at which Dedede jumps combined with the super armor makes it almost impossible for the opponent to edgeguard Dedede. If used on stage the attack deals a lot of damage and knockback. If you miss, its long end lag makes it seem like an easily punishable move, but the stars that are emitted at the end usually provide enough defense for Dedede to recover. This move has good Vertical recovery, but poor horizontal recovery. This weakness is made up for by Dedede's multiple jumps. Dedede's jumps move him horizontally and his Up special moves him vertically. It is important to note that Dedede will only grab the ledge on the way up and not the way down. As a result, you need to cancel the attack and put yourself into free fall if you want to grab the ledge on the way down.

Down Special: Dedede charges up his jet hammer for a powerful swing. Like Dedede's dash attack, his down special has a deceptive and powerful hitbox that can target foes below the stage. However, unlike Dedede's dash attack, the jet hammer has super armor meaning that even the attack animation has begun it is going to connect no matter what. Even a hammer that is not fully charged will deal a good 15%. This attack is also unique because it can be charged while moving. While the jet hammer is being charged, Dedede will move much slower and begin to take damage after a few seconds meaning he can't just hold it forever. Dedede's fully charged jet hammer can also one-shot shields making shielding not a viable option for opponents. Even if it isn't charged, the jet hammer can KO opponents at around 80%. This is very good for an attack that comes out on frame 10 uncharged.

Grabs

Forward Throw: This throw is mainly used to knock opponents off stage in order for Dedede to set up an edgeguard. This option is also useful if Dedede has a Gordo bouncing in front of him since he can throw his opponent into it to deal about 20%. Dedede does not have any kill throws, but it can KO at around 160% which is not bad as far as forward throws go.

Back Throw: This is Dedede's strongest throw and functions similarly to his forward throw. It is mainly used to get your opponent off stage so Dedede can set up an edgeguard, or combo into a Gordo toss. It KO's most characters at about 150%, but other than that it has very limited uses.

Up Throw: At low percents, Dedede uses this as a combo starter. It is basically impossible to KO anybody with this throw, but it is useful for comboing into up tilts and up airs in order to rack up damage early on.

Down Throw: At mid percents, Dedede will use down throw to do the same job that up throws did during early percents. At low percents, this move does not have enough knock up to combo into anything, but at mid percents, it can combo into up tilt followed by an up air. This throw is also not useful for KOing.

Strengths

King Dedede Is exceptionally good at edgeguarding and it is by far his biggest strength. The high knockback found on most of his attacks allows him to knock people off the stage rather quickly and the tools in his kit allow him to keep players from returning. The four main tools that are best used for edgeguarding are Gordos (side special), Belly Flop (dash attack), and Jet Hammer (down special).

Gordos: These are Dedede’s best tools for edgeguarding because of how versatile they are. Gordos can be launched at three different angles which allows you to adapt to virtually any situation.

Gordos can be launched off the stage, like any other projectile, in order to try and snipe your opponent if they are recovering low. Aiming them off-stage is difficult though, so I rarely use this option.

An advanced technique is to jump offstage and stick the Gordo to the ledge. This makes it un-grabbable for a couple of seconds, and if your opponent tries to then they will be knocked upwards. This combos very well into Dedede’s forward smash, which is also the most powerful forward smash in the game. Knowing this, you can charge a forward smash in anticipation, and KO your opponent at devastatingly low percentages. In addition, a lot of characters have very linear recoveries and sometimes have no other option than to launch themselves straight into the Gordo. While this option may seem very appealing, I don’t use it often. This is because it takes a long time to set up, and many characters can just make it back to the stage before you are finished. It is also inconsistent, and sometimes the Gordo will just bounce right off. As a result, you lose all stage control and basically give up your edgeguard for free.

The most common edgeguarding set up, and my favorite, is to angle a Gordo upward so it bounces on the edge of the stage. This covers jump and neutral get up. Because gordos are a unique combination of a trap and a projectile, they leave Dedede free to edgeguard on his own. This means that while the Gordo is covering 2 of the 5 possible get up options from the ledge, Dedede is free to cover the others. He can do this by shielding to cover a get-up attack, or forward tilting to catch a roll.

By limiting the number of viable get-up options that an opponent is presented with, you can easily predict which one they will go for. After all, it is much easier to correctly guess something when the odds are ½ as opposed to ⅕. This is especially important for a character like Dedede who lacks the speed required to react to the many faster options an opponent may have. In addition, constantly forcing your opponent into 2 out of their normal 5 options often leads to conditioning, which results in devastating punishes later in the match.

Counterplay

Edgeguarding with a Gordo does have some counterplay. They can be hit back at Dedede, resulting in him taking damage and simultaneously losing the stage control he worked so hard to establish. They also disappear after three seconds, so if the opponent waits at the ledge they can get up without much trouble.

I get around these Gordo counterplay options by preparing for them in advance. If I know they are looking to hit the Gordo back at me I try to keep a hitbox out in order to reflect it back again. The most common ones I use are the Inhale (Neutral Special), Forward tilt, and Forward air.

Shielding at the ledge is also a powerful option because it means I don’t have to worry about the Gordo being hit back at me. In order for my opponent to hit the Gordo back at me, they need to use an attack of their own. Meaning that I can counter both it and the Gordo with a shield and then follow up with a grab. If this is successful, then Dedede is able to directionally throw his opponent off stage and reset the edgeguard once again.

By waiting for the Gordo to expire, players are able to alleviate some of the stress put on their get up options. However, this comes at the price of their ledge invulnerability timer. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you cannot re-grab the ledge in order to reset the invulnerability timer. As a result, we can take advantage of this by using two of the other edgeguarding tools in Dedede’s kit.

Belly Flop & Jet Hammer: In addition to being two of Dedede’s most powerful attacks, they also have deceptive hitboxes that go well below the stage. This is something not many players are aware of and can be used to gain early stock leads. If your opponent decides to wait out the Gordo, then they have to sacrifice their invulnerability timer. A lot of the time, if you do something as simple as dash attacking at the ledge, you can KO your opponent before they even register the threat. Both of these moves can also be used to two-frame an opponent before they even grab the ledge in the first place.

This punish is also insanely effective in the mind game aspect of Smash. Because these moves are so powerful, if you land either one of them it will most likely lead to a KO. This means your opponent will feel anxious when they are off stage for the remainder of the match. They know that waiting out the Gordo is no longer an option, and then rush to get back on stage as quickly as possible. Rushing your opponent is the best way to force a mistake, and against Dedede, that means being forced off stage and trying to navigate his edgeguard all over again.

Weaknesses

Dedede suffers from many of the problems associated with the heavy character archetype. He is large, slow, heavy, and has low air mobility. The only thing decent about him is his fast falling speed. However, the combination of being large, slow, and heavy means that he is combo food for most high tier characters. Rush down characters especially can avoid his zoning fairly easily and unleash devastatingly long combo strings onto Dedede. This weakness to rush down characters is exaggerated by the archetypes' high play rate and generally accepted high tier status in the community.

Tips and Tricks

Rather than launching Gordos from the ground, Dedede should launch them from the air. This changes the reflection angle and makes it so the Gordo will fly over Dedede if reflected rather than into him.

Dedede can use the pressure from the Gordo toss to run into an opponent and get an early grab. Being attacked from two angles (by Dedede and the incoming Gordo) makes people nervous which usually results in a shield. Of course, we counter the expected shield with a grab.

At early percents, Dedede can combo down throw --> up tilt --> up air. For a 30% combo and stage control.

Dedede can use his up special to get back onto the stage and even unexpectedly KO with it. It has super armor on the way down, and even if Dedede doesn’t land on top of his opponent, the stars that come out on the side usually stop Dedede from being punished for the long ending lag of the move.

When landing, Dedede is one of the only characters that can grab on his descent. This is because landing with Inhale (Neutral special) can inhale the opponent even if they are shielding. Take advantage of this unique option for landing mix-ups.

One of Dedede’s best, “get off me,” tools are his up tilt. If a rush down characters is trying to cross you up, an up tilt will come out quick and deal some good damage while also being invincible during its duration.

A high-risk high reward option Dedede has is to throw out random Forward smashes. This is easily punishable by your opponent, but if you land one you can easily break the shield or get an early KO.

Dedede is great at taking advantage of a specific tech called B-reversing. One of its most common applications is when Dedede tosses a Gordo and misses. If this happens, Dedede can run-up to his Gordo and B-reverse his inhale to fire it back at his opponent like a boomerang. This catches a lot of opponents off guard and results in a lot of damage and a potential KO.

The most important thing to practice with Dedede is edgeguarding. If executed correctly, Dedede can KO most of the cast while taking very minimal damage using this method. While your opponent is at low percents, your only objective while edgeguarding is to reset it. When your opponent is at mid to high percents you can look for a KO. Because Dedede is so good at edgeguarding, a comeback is always possible. Even if you are down a full stock, simply getting your opponent off stage can be enough to even out the game. It's this comeback potential that makes it imperative for Dedede players to stay calm and composed no matter how grim a match may seem.