- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
This guide has everything I know about how to use my personal main, King Dedede, in a competitive environment. I hope to make this guide helpful for beginners and pros alike. Let me know if any of this information is incorrect or if you have anything to add. Feedback is also greatly appreciated as this is my first ever guide. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoy!
For starters, let's look at why you might want to use King Dedede in the first place. He has the best survivability in the game. He is the 3rd heaviest character, along with having 4 jumps, and his Up B can take you from the very bottom of FD all the way to the ledge with super armor the whole way (good luck edge guarding that). His massive weight with his amazing recovery means he is by far the most likely character to live to 200%+.
Also, let's not forget his power. Dedede is one of the hardest hitters in the game. His Forward Smash can take lives around 50% (depending on weight and rage) and that is no joke. All of his attacks deal crazy damage and knock-back. Just about every button on your controller is a kill move with Dedede.
Here are some videos of what DDD is capable of, incase you weren't already sold on the King.
https://youtu.be/OzAKZiNwzs0
https://youtu.be/wzUeBGf68iM
https://youtu.be/U1QV5-OcrFg
(for the record these are not my videos. They are courtesy of Little Z, Omega Tyrant, and Alpharad)
So with the introduction aside, let's jump into the actual guide.
JAB (4,4,1,1,1...,3%)
DDD's jab is one of my favorite moves that he has. The 1st hit deal 4% damage, the 2nd hit deals 4% damage AND SUCKS THEM TOWARD YOU, and 3rd hit (or the auto jabs) deal 1% damage each with a final hit that deals 3%. The final hit has good knock-back and can kill around 140% (depending on weight, rage, and staling). If you run through a full jab combo, you can deal 16-18% depending on how long you drag out the auto jabs.
You will have trouble landing the auto-jabs on floaty characters like Jigglypuff and Kirby, so for those match ups, you are better off going for Jab Jab Down Tilt, rather than finishing with auto-jabs. This combo will deal a solid 18% total.
With his 2nd jab pulling them to you, this makes other combos much easier to land, such as Jab Jab Down Tilt (mentioned above). Another great option is Jab Jab Grab. DDD's relatively long arms mixed with the jab pulling them toward him makes this maneuver very easy to pull off. (I'll get into the combos out of grabs later on). Even if you just go for the auto-jab finisher, with the 2nd jab pulling them toward you, means that you can ALWAYS land those auto-jabs even at very high percents (unless it is a floaty).
JAB INFINITE. This isn't a true infinite, because any character with a Nair that comes out Frame 3 or quicker (Pacman, Luigi, etc.) can break out of it. However that leaves the vast majority of the cast unable to do anything about it. Even the ones with a Frame 3 Nair have to be frame perfect, or else they will be trapped until they break it. All you have to do is Jab Jab, wait a second for the Jab to reset then Jab Jab again. The timing is VERY strict on this - too fast and you'll auto-jab, too slow and they can escape. But if you master the timing, this will work from 0-160% and at 150% you can just go ahead and finish out the auto-jab for the kill.
(Here is a video by TheSkuxxedOne better explaining this "infinite")
https://youtu.be/sithdTac4Bg
FORWARD TILT (2,2,2,3%)
This is a nice, long reaching, multi-hit move that comes out pretty quick and deals 9% (if every hit connects). The fact that it has good reach makes it good for spacing, and the fact that it is multi-hitting makes it good for punishing spot dodges and rolls. There isn't a whole lot of end lag on this which makes it good for baiting. Toss one out that will more than likly miss, and as they run in to punish, you can deny them with another FTilt stuffed in their face.
DOWN TILT (10%)
This is another one of my favorite moves in DDD's arsenal. It comes out VERY fast, deals 10% damage (as long as you hit them with the closest hitbox), and it moves you about 1 body size forward (let's face it, that's a pretty big body, so that's some pretty good distance). It is a good out-of-shield option, and a good follow up for landing with Nair. Like FTilt, it is good to use after throwing out a bait. Also at low percents, you can string 2 or 3 of these together and just literally roll your opponent across the map. Also because it moves you a good distance, its makes this move relatively safe. If they roll through you, they will be too far away to punish. Also against some characters that spam weak-ish projectiles (like Mario's fireballs) you can use this move to clank-out the projectile and bull-doze your way toward them.
UP TILT (12%)
This is probably my least used move out of all of DDD's kit. It's not a bad move by any means, I just don't find myself in many situations in which it is the best option. It is a pretty standard Up Tilt, you can string a couple together at low percents, and at high percents you can follow up with a Nair or Up Air. DDD's air game is very solid to say the least, so tossing out an Up Tilt to get your opponent above you isn't such a bad idea. Generally speaking with DDD's big hammer, I like to keep a little space between me and my opponent, but if they do manage to close that gap, then an Up Tilt will get them above you, right where you want them.
DASH ATTACK (16%)
It should come as no surprise that DDD has one of the strongest dash attacks in the game. It deals 16% damage, however the knock-back is the real draw to this belly-flop. Depending on stange posistion, weight, rage, etc. his dash attack can KO around 70% which makes this move a real threat to anyone caught off guard. However this move also has probably the longest start up and end lag of any other dash attack in the game, so you don't want to be throwing it out willy-nilly. The best ways to use this dash attack is to either read a roll backwards and punish with a dash attack, or for edge guarding. DDD's dash attack hits slightly below and in front of the ledge so you can use it to punish either someone who grabbed the ledge twice, or if they stay on the ledge too long and lose their invincibility. It can also make quick work of characters like Ness and Mewtwo who have a hard time sweet-spotting the ledge and tend to float above it for a second before snapping onto the ledge. With the dash attack being so strong and the ledge being so close to the blast-zone, this can KO ridiculously early. You can also use the Gordo to set up frame traps to help you land the ledge dash, but we'll cover that more in the Gordo section.
FORWARD SMASH (24-33% / 6-8% weak hit)
This move devastates. Period. Sure it has ungodly start-up lag, but if you can get it off, it almost always spells certain death. One of the most dangerous things about the FSmash is how misleading it is. The hitbox covers in front, above, and even slightly behind you, making about a 110 degree angle hitbox all together. Even if the hammer doesn't hit them directly, there is a small blue wave that comes out from the hammer when it hits the ground that has a hitbox as well. It is kind of like the little stars that come out of landing with his Up B (we'll cover this later on). Anyway, this move has deceptively long range, both in the angle around DDD that it covers, and the distance it covers on the ground. This move also has deceivingly short end-lag. You would think with how long it takes to come out, it would have long end-lag as well, but it doesn't. You can act out of the FSmash pretty quickly, making it great for baiting. Not to mention the shield pressure the FSmash has. It can break shields very easily. If you see they are trying to shield it, just keep charging the FSmash. They either drop their shield and eat a charged FSmash, or shield it til it is fully charged which will more than likely break their shield. Even if they roll, you can act out of it faster than they can punish, making it surprisingly safe. Just don't try to punish anything with the FSmash (unless it is a missed rest from Jiggs). You just can't get it out fast enough to punish anything.
DOWN SMASH (13-18% front / 13-18% back)
This is the smash attack you want to use to punish, and I use it very often. It comes our pretty quick, covers in front and behind you, can KO at relatively low percents, and has good range compared to other down smashes. If you are a defensive player (like me), this will be your go to move out of shield. The only thing you have to get use to, is how fast it hits behind you. Often times I find myself properly reading a roll, and I down smash when I would with Link or Villager or anyone else, and I miss the punish because it hit behind me too soon. The best thing to do in this situation is charge the down smash slightly before you let it go, giving them a little more time to get behind you before the hitbox comes out. Once you get over that little speed-bump, you will fall in love with this down smash.
UP SMASH (14-19%)
This is probably my least used Smash Attack, but situationally, it can be a solid KO option. It covers 180 degrees all above you and both sides of you. It comes out kind of quick but it has a lot of end lag so use it carefully. Like the other smash attacks, it has really good range. However because of the end lag of this attack, I typically find myslef avoiding it. It will KO around 130% uncharged, and if you haven't been using it all game, you can catch them off guard with it. It will KO even earlier on stages with a low ceiling like Halberd. It also goes through platforms which is nice stages like Smashville, and because DDD is so big it can cover an entire platform on Battlefield or Lylat.
NEUTRAL AIR (12-7%)
DDD's Nair is another one of my favorite moves (I have a lot). It comes out quick, covers 360 degrees all around DDD, Auto-cancels into the ground, and allows for good follow-ups allowing you to string together a variety of attacks. There are 2 different hit boxes for the Nair, there is the initial hitbox (right when it comes out) that deals 12% damage and strong knock-back. This stronger hit can actually KO around 120% depending on how high up you catch them with it. The 2nd hitbox (the lingering or end portion) of the Nair deals 7% damage and has less knock-back allowing for follow-ups. In the air you can follow up with Fair or Bair. Nair into the ground and you can follow up with Down Smash, Down Tilt, Jab, or Grab. Because it auto-cancels, this is one of the safest moves to land with. And because I am in the air a lot with DDD, I land with Nair very often.
FORWARD AIR (12%)
DDD's Fair is pretty solid as well. It deals 12% damage, and will generally out reach your opponent's attacks, making it good to throw out when you are off stage trying to get back. It is also good in the opposite situation, when your opponent is off stage you can chase them down and pressure them with Fair. You can use your multiple jumps to string together Fairs off stange to push them back into the blast zone (much like a good Jigglypuff player would do).
BACK AIR (16%)
Bair is another one of DDD's many great qualities. Generally speaking I secure the majority of my kills with Bair. It KOs around 90-100% (depending on stage posistion, and everything else). It also comes out quick and covers a VERY wide range. It hits almost directly blow him and almost completely above him. If DDD were a clock, the Bair covers from 6:30 to 11:00. Because it covers so low, you can actually land with Bair as a mix up. I would only suggest this if they are at higher percents and you think it will KO. It does not auto-cancel so use it wisely, however the landing lag really isn't too bad for how strong it is.
For starters, let's look at why you might want to use King Dedede in the first place. He has the best survivability in the game. He is the 3rd heaviest character, along with having 4 jumps, and his Up B can take you from the very bottom of FD all the way to the ledge with super armor the whole way (good luck edge guarding that). His massive weight with his amazing recovery means he is by far the most likely character to live to 200%+.
Also, let's not forget his power. Dedede is one of the hardest hitters in the game. His Forward Smash can take lives around 50% (depending on weight and rage) and that is no joke. All of his attacks deal crazy damage and knock-back. Just about every button on your controller is a kill move with Dedede.
Here are some videos of what DDD is capable of, incase you weren't already sold on the King.
https://youtu.be/OzAKZiNwzs0
https://youtu.be/wzUeBGf68iM
https://youtu.be/U1QV5-OcrFg
(for the record these are not my videos. They are courtesy of Little Z, Omega Tyrant, and Alpharad)
So with the introduction aside, let's jump into the actual guide.
JAB (4,4,1,1,1...,3%)
DDD's jab is one of my favorite moves that he has. The 1st hit deal 4% damage, the 2nd hit deals 4% damage AND SUCKS THEM TOWARD YOU, and 3rd hit (or the auto jabs) deal 1% damage each with a final hit that deals 3%. The final hit has good knock-back and can kill around 140% (depending on weight, rage, and staling). If you run through a full jab combo, you can deal 16-18% depending on how long you drag out the auto jabs.
You will have trouble landing the auto-jabs on floaty characters like Jigglypuff and Kirby, so for those match ups, you are better off going for Jab Jab Down Tilt, rather than finishing with auto-jabs. This combo will deal a solid 18% total.
With his 2nd jab pulling them to you, this makes other combos much easier to land, such as Jab Jab Down Tilt (mentioned above). Another great option is Jab Jab Grab. DDD's relatively long arms mixed with the jab pulling them toward him makes this maneuver very easy to pull off. (I'll get into the combos out of grabs later on). Even if you just go for the auto-jab finisher, with the 2nd jab pulling them toward you, means that you can ALWAYS land those auto-jabs even at very high percents (unless it is a floaty).
JAB INFINITE. This isn't a true infinite, because any character with a Nair that comes out Frame 3 or quicker (Pacman, Luigi, etc.) can break out of it. However that leaves the vast majority of the cast unable to do anything about it. Even the ones with a Frame 3 Nair have to be frame perfect, or else they will be trapped until they break it. All you have to do is Jab Jab, wait a second for the Jab to reset then Jab Jab again. The timing is VERY strict on this - too fast and you'll auto-jab, too slow and they can escape. But if you master the timing, this will work from 0-160% and at 150% you can just go ahead and finish out the auto-jab for the kill.
(Here is a video by TheSkuxxedOne better explaining this "infinite")
https://youtu.be/sithdTac4Bg
FORWARD TILT (2,2,2,3%)
This is a nice, long reaching, multi-hit move that comes out pretty quick and deals 9% (if every hit connects). The fact that it has good reach makes it good for spacing, and the fact that it is multi-hitting makes it good for punishing spot dodges and rolls. There isn't a whole lot of end lag on this which makes it good for baiting. Toss one out that will more than likly miss, and as they run in to punish, you can deny them with another FTilt stuffed in their face.
DOWN TILT (10%)
This is another one of my favorite moves in DDD's arsenal. It comes out VERY fast, deals 10% damage (as long as you hit them with the closest hitbox), and it moves you about 1 body size forward (let's face it, that's a pretty big body, so that's some pretty good distance). It is a good out-of-shield option, and a good follow up for landing with Nair. Like FTilt, it is good to use after throwing out a bait. Also at low percents, you can string 2 or 3 of these together and just literally roll your opponent across the map. Also because it moves you a good distance, its makes this move relatively safe. If they roll through you, they will be too far away to punish. Also against some characters that spam weak-ish projectiles (like Mario's fireballs) you can use this move to clank-out the projectile and bull-doze your way toward them.
UP TILT (12%)
This is probably my least used move out of all of DDD's kit. It's not a bad move by any means, I just don't find myself in many situations in which it is the best option. It is a pretty standard Up Tilt, you can string a couple together at low percents, and at high percents you can follow up with a Nair or Up Air. DDD's air game is very solid to say the least, so tossing out an Up Tilt to get your opponent above you isn't such a bad idea. Generally speaking with DDD's big hammer, I like to keep a little space between me and my opponent, but if they do manage to close that gap, then an Up Tilt will get them above you, right where you want them.
DASH ATTACK (16%)
It should come as no surprise that DDD has one of the strongest dash attacks in the game. It deals 16% damage, however the knock-back is the real draw to this belly-flop. Depending on stange posistion, weight, rage, etc. his dash attack can KO around 70% which makes this move a real threat to anyone caught off guard. However this move also has probably the longest start up and end lag of any other dash attack in the game, so you don't want to be throwing it out willy-nilly. The best ways to use this dash attack is to either read a roll backwards and punish with a dash attack, or for edge guarding. DDD's dash attack hits slightly below and in front of the ledge so you can use it to punish either someone who grabbed the ledge twice, or if they stay on the ledge too long and lose their invincibility. It can also make quick work of characters like Ness and Mewtwo who have a hard time sweet-spotting the ledge and tend to float above it for a second before snapping onto the ledge. With the dash attack being so strong and the ledge being so close to the blast-zone, this can KO ridiculously early. You can also use the Gordo to set up frame traps to help you land the ledge dash, but we'll cover that more in the Gordo section.
FORWARD SMASH (24-33% / 6-8% weak hit)
This move devastates. Period. Sure it has ungodly start-up lag, but if you can get it off, it almost always spells certain death. One of the most dangerous things about the FSmash is how misleading it is. The hitbox covers in front, above, and even slightly behind you, making about a 110 degree angle hitbox all together. Even if the hammer doesn't hit them directly, there is a small blue wave that comes out from the hammer when it hits the ground that has a hitbox as well. It is kind of like the little stars that come out of landing with his Up B (we'll cover this later on). Anyway, this move has deceptively long range, both in the angle around DDD that it covers, and the distance it covers on the ground. This move also has deceivingly short end-lag. You would think with how long it takes to come out, it would have long end-lag as well, but it doesn't. You can act out of the FSmash pretty quickly, making it great for baiting. Not to mention the shield pressure the FSmash has. It can break shields very easily. If you see they are trying to shield it, just keep charging the FSmash. They either drop their shield and eat a charged FSmash, or shield it til it is fully charged which will more than likely break their shield. Even if they roll, you can act out of it faster than they can punish, making it surprisingly safe. Just don't try to punish anything with the FSmash (unless it is a missed rest from Jiggs). You just can't get it out fast enough to punish anything.
DOWN SMASH (13-18% front / 13-18% back)
This is the smash attack you want to use to punish, and I use it very often. It comes our pretty quick, covers in front and behind you, can KO at relatively low percents, and has good range compared to other down smashes. If you are a defensive player (like me), this will be your go to move out of shield. The only thing you have to get use to, is how fast it hits behind you. Often times I find myself properly reading a roll, and I down smash when I would with Link or Villager or anyone else, and I miss the punish because it hit behind me too soon. The best thing to do in this situation is charge the down smash slightly before you let it go, giving them a little more time to get behind you before the hitbox comes out. Once you get over that little speed-bump, you will fall in love with this down smash.
UP SMASH (14-19%)
This is probably my least used Smash Attack, but situationally, it can be a solid KO option. It covers 180 degrees all above you and both sides of you. It comes out kind of quick but it has a lot of end lag so use it carefully. Like the other smash attacks, it has really good range. However because of the end lag of this attack, I typically find myslef avoiding it. It will KO around 130% uncharged, and if you haven't been using it all game, you can catch them off guard with it. It will KO even earlier on stages with a low ceiling like Halberd. It also goes through platforms which is nice stages like Smashville, and because DDD is so big it can cover an entire platform on Battlefield or Lylat.
NEUTRAL AIR (12-7%)
DDD's Nair is another one of my favorite moves (I have a lot). It comes out quick, covers 360 degrees all around DDD, Auto-cancels into the ground, and allows for good follow-ups allowing you to string together a variety of attacks. There are 2 different hit boxes for the Nair, there is the initial hitbox (right when it comes out) that deals 12% damage and strong knock-back. This stronger hit can actually KO around 120% depending on how high up you catch them with it. The 2nd hitbox (the lingering or end portion) of the Nair deals 7% damage and has less knock-back allowing for follow-ups. In the air you can follow up with Fair or Bair. Nair into the ground and you can follow up with Down Smash, Down Tilt, Jab, or Grab. Because it auto-cancels, this is one of the safest moves to land with. And because I am in the air a lot with DDD, I land with Nair very often.
FORWARD AIR (12%)
DDD's Fair is pretty solid as well. It deals 12% damage, and will generally out reach your opponent's attacks, making it good to throw out when you are off stage trying to get back. It is also good in the opposite situation, when your opponent is off stage you can chase them down and pressure them with Fair. You can use your multiple jumps to string together Fairs off stange to push them back into the blast zone (much like a good Jigglypuff player would do).
BACK AIR (16%)
Bair is another one of DDD's many great qualities. Generally speaking I secure the majority of my kills with Bair. It KOs around 90-100% (depending on stage posistion, and everything else). It also comes out quick and covers a VERY wide range. It hits almost directly blow him and almost completely above him. If DDD were a clock, the Bair covers from 6:30 to 11:00. Because it covers so low, you can actually land with Bair as a mix up. I would only suggest this if they are at higher percents and you think it will KO. It does not auto-cancel so use it wisely, however the landing lag really isn't too bad for how strong it is.
