Social King K. Rool's Kremling Kutthroats: This...Is Our Finest Hour!

[meleebrawler]

So, with that frame data and so on I wanted to give a broad description of what the moves are looking like, what their broad applications should be, and how they are each individually useful. It is worth saying that, based on the video linked above, King K Rool has so many options and every move looks like it has application in some scenario. Spoilers because it's a long post:

Spoiler

Jab - this is sounding like possibly the best heavyweight Jab in the game. Starting at frame 4 and dealing 12% damage is crazy. It's largely the same as Charizard's from Smash 4, which is nothing to sniff at. Excellent boxing move for opponents who get close.

Forward Tilt - This sounds worrisome at frame 12, but you shouldn't be looking at this the same way as the Jab, as it has a different purpose. With armour and decent kill power, this serves too functions - to kill when a normal smash is too slow, and to armour through oncoming attacks. A comparable move is Little Mac's Forward Smash, which is obviously stronger but 2 frames slower.

Up Tilt - This is insanely fast, coming out at frame 5 - that's the same as Mario in Smash 4! It's got a big hitbox too, so looks to be a great anti-air attack.

Down Tilt - This is frame 14, so the slowest tilt, but you should bear in mind it's on par with Mario's Forward Smash - remember how hard that is to react to? This move is for the utility; it's got deceptive range and if you get a bury off of it you've likely got a KO at any reasonable percent.

Dash Attack - frame 7 (same as ROB - that's fast!), armour and a lot of damage makes this a strong burst / kill option in a similar vein to forward tilt. I think this is a more aggressive option for attacking opponents hiding behind hitboxes, whereas F-Tilt feels like a more defensive move for when you're under assault, so both have their uses.

Forward Smash - This is slow, but goodness is it strong. Not a smash attack to just throw out, but excellent kill option on buried opponents with a lot of range. Let's also remember that frame 19 is not as slow as you think it might be - that's the same as Captain Falcon in Smash 4, for example, and it looks a lot stronger.

Up Smash - This is an incredibly weird move with a lot of different uses. It has an absurdly fast first crown hitbox on frame 6, which may be a very potent anti-air or burial punish. It then has a spiking hitbox, so may have weird edge=guarding potential. I don't really know what to make of this, to be honest.

Down Smash - At frame 24, this is relatively slow, but don't let that distract you from the fact that it has super armour. This is going to be incredibly strong for hitting opponents who don't sweetspot the ledge.

Forward Throw - This is perhaps the most unclear move for K Rool in terms of its usability. It's not his most damaging, nor does it look like a kill throw, but I've heard rumblings of whether it can be used to combo. We'll see.

Back Throw - the Pushblock video suggests this might be a kill throw! I've not yet seen footage, but that sounds promising as well.

Up Throw - This looks like the most damaging throw in the entire game, with relatively low base knockback that may make it useful for low percent combos whilst allowing it to kill on platform stages.

Down Throw - This buries off of a grab - letting K Rool do whatever he wants after. The exact utility is yet to be discovered - you can mash out quickly - but at high percents this should be a guaranteed smash attack kill.

Neutral Air - This is Dedede's, but with larger range and super armour at the expense of a single frame. This is a really strong tool for escaping juggling that no other heavy looks to have.

Forward Air - This is a relatively fast (frame 10) killing aerial. I think our first job collectively should be to try figure out ways of linking into this from burials, because it's a really strong move.

Back Air - At frame 19, this is very slow, but does a crazy 19 damage with a really cool spike. Worth looking into its use after burials, because you apparently can't tech grounded spikes anymore.

Up Air - Frame 7 is very quick here, with a lot of kill power and a potential disjoint. We should investigate down throw up air as a potential option.

Down Air - same deal as back air, but a lot quicker. This should be the go to spike without trying to style.

Neutral B - This move does everything thanks to the confirmation we don't need to fire a cannonball to use the vacuum. It gives us a projectile to approach behind, a command grab to give true aerial pressure on shields, and an option to absorb other opponents projectiles.

Side B - This move looks to be as fast as Link's boomerang, and should serve a similar purpose of controlling space and forcing shields so that we can land those grabs. And it has super armour, for some reason....

Down B - K Rool has nearly everything, so you might as well throw in a counter as a potentially decent option for escaping disadvantage, as well as a good option for edgeguarding opponents with damaging recoveries.

Up B - Yeah, this is crazy good. Goes faster and farther than Duck Hunt, with a hitbox on top that messes with anyone who wants to spike or 2-frame you? This recovery is absurd.

Basically, K. Rool uses a very defensive playstyle focused on conditioning and punishing. He has surprisingly fast startup on many moves to make punishing easier, and those that don't tend to have armour instead. His specials are great for getting opponents to act the way you want them to. However, he seems to lack the ability to make a truly safe approach himself, due to many of his moves having poor endlag and not being the fastest croc in the world.

 

[BravadoMan_13]

I thought of this. I wonder what the other characters faces look like as they are facing the Blast-O-Matic?

How are you guys passing the time until our king arrives?

I've been trying to play other games but I just get distracted and try to look up more K. Rool footage, lol.

Working and classes actually. I usually work during the day and then have martial arts classes at night most of the time. I've been trying to get in more playing time at night. I've been replaying Banjo-Tooie and going through Golden Sun as well. Hoping to play through the DKC games and DK64 before release. Also, listening to music and watching K. Rool moveset footage and analysis. I have been loving every second of that. Just keeping myself busy. December 7th will be here before we know it.

You know that Smash Ultimate Commercial meme going on right now. I noticed a lack of Gangplank Galleon so I went ahead and remedied the situation.

Extremely fitting. Nintendo really set themselves up for the new meme didn't they.

My own attempt at the meme:

BKupa666, you always make the funniest stuff. It would've been funny as hell if the "Banana Slamma" part would have timed up with DK punching Captain Falcon.

 

[meleebrawler]

I thought of this. I wonder what the other characters faces look like as they are facing the Blast-O-Matic?


Extremely fitting. Nintendo really set themselves up for the new meme didn't they.

BKupa666, you always make the funniest stuff. It would've been funny as hell if the "Banana Slamma" part would have timed up with DK punching Captain Falcon.

Ever since Mario Kart 8, they have learned to harness the power of memes. Death Stare in Color Splash, "Hits The Big Time!"...

 

[Raxxel]

I think one of my favorite things about K. Rool in this game is the body type itself. I remember a LONG while back, like, years ago in the support thread during the DLC era, someone talking about just how cool the fat with muscle body type was, and they cited Birdie from SFV as an example, and I remember being pretty sold on it. Seeing the body type not only be present here, but reflected in his moves is fantastic, honestly. The fat comes into play with just how many attacks he uses his belly for, but the muscle isn't left out either, with him still having plenty of brutal moves, like the back air and up throw, where his strength is very apparent. It's honestly very unique, since the only other character with this kind of bodytype in Smash Bros is Wario, and quite frankly it doesn't feel nearly as prominent in his moveset as it does the King's.

 

[InASnowBoundLand]

The great frog King, Paon K. Rool, is legitimately great. Ultimate's rendition has sold me on the design and overall, I think I like it better than Rare K. Rool. WOW!

 

[Raxxel]

The great frog King, Paon K. Rool, is legitimately great. Ultimate's rendition has sold me on the design and overall, I think I like it better than Rare K. Rool. WOW!

Let's be fair here, Ultimate's K. Rool is kind of a mixture of the two. He has the Paon proportions and jewel, and the signature Rare golden belly and dark green scales. It kinda has the best of both worlds imo.

 

[StormC]

The great frog King, Paon K. Rool, is legitimately great. Ultimate's rendition has sold me on the design and overall, I think I like it better than Rare K. Rool. WOW!

The old design would probably have difficulty translating well to modern 3D games. Especially the face; it was much more rigid and basically only allowed for two expressions: neutral and shocked.

Bringing back the gold belly also helped bring everything together. If K. Rool looks like this forever going forward (and I assume he will), I’ll be a-okay.

 

[G-Guy]

My favorite animation has to be the hand flapping after his Up-B ran out. It's hilarious!

However, picking just one clear favorite is near impossible for K. Rool, the guy is just so expressive! I love his hysterical laughter during the final smash, or his wild grin during his d-tilt. That tricky smirk with the leering eyes during his neutral B is absolutely fantastic!

God, the more I start typing, the more unbearable these last few weeks of waiting are becoming!

 

[DJ3DS]

Basically, K. Rool uses a very defensive playstyle focused on conditioning and punishing. He has surprisingly fast startup on many moves to make punishing easier, and those that don't tend to have armour instead. His specials are great for getting opponents to act the way you want them to. However, he seems to lack the ability to make a truly safe approach himself, due to many of his moves having poor endlag and not being the fastest croc in the world.

This seems a fair comparison. In my head his gameplay is probably going to heavily involved using his projectiles to force a grab on a shielding opponent, with which he gets a heavy punish. There looks to be shades of grappling in there.

BTW I just joined the K Rool discord. If you see Daz posting, that's me!

 

[Hippopotasauce]

His forward throw looks so satisfying. Even if it doesn't have great utility I'll still be using it since it's such a fun move.

 

[Raxxel]

His forward throw looks so satisfying. Even if it doesn't have great utility I'll still be using it since it's such a fun move.

I'm curious if it can soft spike at the edge since he has no floor to bounce you off of.

 

[C-G]

Every FThrow is a Touchdown Celebration on making it to the game

 

[Questionmark222]

Ok so we've all answered the King K Rool nitpicks, now it's time for some more love.

What's your favourite King K Rool animation in Smash Ultimate?

Pick only one. The rest can be runners up, but you have to say your absolute favourite.

Me personally, I love his entrance animation so much. It really drives home that he's a villain, but he's just having fun being an obese goofball in Smash.

Honourable mention to his running animation for being absolutely terrifying, and to his Blunderbuss animation for looking like he's up to all kinds of no good.

His walk. Saturday-morning cartoon-style villainy at its finest.

 

[MERPIS]

Ok so we've all answered the King K Rool nitpicks, now it's time for some more love.

What's your favourite King K Rool animation in Smash Ultimate?

Pick only one. The rest can be runners up, but you have to say your absolute favourite.

Me personally, I love his entrance animation so much. It really drives home that he's a villain, but he's just having fun being an obese goofball in Smash.

Honourable mention to his running animation for being absolutely terrifying, and to his Blunderbuss animation for looking like he's up to all kinds of no good.

My favorite is especially fair, you wouldn't expect such a nimble drop kick from such a phat goofy character, and its surprisingly fast too. Then again his anatomy shows that he is actually pure muscle instead of phat, and the only thing making him phat is his chest plate, so idk.

Runner up is his dthrow, it looks like he's purely done of the opponents bull and just angrily implants them into the ground

 

[SmashKeks]

Here's something weird I've noticed pertaining to K. Rool. Any one else notice that K. Rool has seemingly got shorted in the animation department regarding cut scenes and trailers for Smash? The new banner trailer had new animation of Isabelle running, Ridley clashing with Pit, and Inkling got a big bit of new animation, meanwhile K. Rool gets a photoshop drag of his banner art in the upper left corner at one point. Similarly, in the opening cutscene of World of Light, it's weird that K. Rool is only represented as a still of his character art, and isn't even seen fighting or getting blasted. I did remember that K. Rool got a little bit of animation in the Ken/Incineroar trailer, however, in the joke where he's ready to fight Incineroar alongside Villager and Bowser Jr. Any body have an idea what the reason for a lack of K. Rool animations is? Is he hard to animate for some reason? Does Nintendo not want to promote him as hard as other characters? I hope this isn't a sign that Nintendo doesn't have plans to revive K. Rool outside of Smash Bros, whereas Isabelle, Ridley, and Inklings clearly have a long bright future ahead.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Here's something weird I've noticed pertaining to K. Rool. Any one else notice that K. Rool has seemingly got shorted in the animation department regarding cut scenes and trailers for Smash? The new banner trailer had new animation of Isabelle running, Ridley clashing with Pit, and Inkling got a big bit of new animation, meanwhile K. Rool gets a photoshop drag of his banner art in the upper left corner at one point. Similarly, in the opening cutscene of World of Light, it's weird that K. Rool is only represented as a still of his character art, and isn't even seen fighting or getting blasted. I did remember that K. Rool got a little bit of animation in the Ken/Incineroar trailer, however, in the joke where he's ready to fight Incineroar alongside Villager and Bowser Jr. Any body have an idea what the reason for a lack of K. Rool animations is? Is he hard to animate for some reason? Does Nintendo not want to promote him as hard as other characters? I hope this isn't a sign that Nintendo doesn't have plans to revive K. Rool outside of Smash Bros, whereas Isabelle, Ridley, and Inklings clearly have a long bright future ahead.

It's probably nothing to be concerned about. With such a huge cast, not everyone can be showcased at once (case in point, I don't recall seeing Peach get any action in promos beyond the banner ad, never mind Daisy), so it's natural that some get left out.

 

[SmashKeks]

How are you guys passing the time until our king arrives?

I've been trying to play other games but I just get distracted and try to look up more K. Rool footage, lol.

I just bought a Switch last week so that I'm ready to play Smash day one, so I've been biding the time with my new buy games Hollow Knight and Binding of Isaac.

 

[MERPIS]

How are you guys passing the time until our king arrives?

I've been trying to play other games but I just get distracted and try to look up more K. Rool footage, lol.

I'm playing the living hell out of okami on the switch to pass the time, if I run out of okami then I'll switch to undertale for a while I guess.

 

[Kincaid1]

Does anyone know if down-air bounces enemies on the stage? If it does, I could see if being a combo starter.

 

[Raxxel]

Does anyone know if down-air bounces enemies on the stage? If it does, I could see if being a combo starter.

If it spikes, it should irc

 

[Pep1to]

Does anyone know if down-air bounces enemies on the stage? If it does, I could see if being a combo starter.

I saw a video of someone doing down-air with K Rool, enemy bounced on the stage and then K. Rool killed him with U-air. I have tried to find the video in order to send it to you with have not been able to.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Does anybody have a link to a video where K. Rool flops his hands when somebody hits him during his jetpac animation like he does in DKC3?

 

[Treked]

Does anybody have a link to a video where K. Rool flops his hands when somebody hits him during his jetpac animation like does in DKC3?

I think he only does that when he's in a free fall state if you attack him it just resets to him being damaged in the air though I could be wrong.

 

[Thatonehelper]

krool is lit fam

 

[OceloT42]

I visited the zoo today, and it made me wonder

What species of crocodile is King K Rool most like?

Personally I can't choose between the Siamese Crocodile and a Marsh Crocodile

 

[C-G]

I visited the zoo today, and it made me wonder

What species of crocodile is King K Rool most like?

Personally I can't choose between the Siamese Crocodile and a Marsh Crocodile

Kremling. Of the Nintendous Geneus.

 

[Treked]

Kremling. Of the Nintendous Rareus.

Now it's better.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I remember seeing some DeviantArt drawings of King K. Rool that make him look more like a dinosaur than a crocodile.

 

[C-G]

Now it's better.

Old Rare? Sure.

New Rare? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I remember seeing some DeviantArt drawings of King K. Rool that make him look more like a dinosaur than a crocodile.

Like this one?

https://www.deviantart.com/the-nostalgia-runs/art/Million-ways-to-be-K-Rool-188924537

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Like this one?

https://www.deviantart.com/the-nostalgia-runs/art/Million-ways-to-be-K-Rool-188924537

Not quite that. I'm more referring to the deviation below.

If the image isn't working for you, here's a direct link to it.

http://fav.me/dcm6v04

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Not quite that. I'm more referring to the deviation below.

If the image isn't working for you, here's a direct link to it.

http://fav.me/dcm6v04

Ahh, I see. This one's definitely less accurate. In comparison, ol' Prof Fandango's is a bit more faithful while still being cartoony and expressive (no gold belly, but to be fair he didn't see that one coming):

https://www.deviantart.com/professorfandango/art/SMASH-150-015-KING-K-ROOL-719902135

Kremling. Of the Nintendous Geneus.

Now I kind of want to see a Road Runner-esque situation of Rool chasing down DK.

 

[Jeck]

I need to find a woman who loves me like BKupa loves K. Rool. Spot on with the comments, too. Personally I was hoping for a goofier voice pack but for all the reasons you said and more it's clear they treated the new iteration... thoroughly.

 

[Kincaid1]

I visited the zoo today, and it made me wonder

What species of crocodile is King K Rool most like?

Personally I can't choose between the Siamese Crocodile and a Marsh Crocodile

As an enthusiast of crocodilian biology, I tried to figure that out once. But I gave up because...he's ****ing green. I think it's safe to take the generic guess and say Saltwater Crocodile.

Pretty certain that Klaptraps are Pygmy Freshwater Crocodiles though (which is definitely unintentional given how obscure they are):

^Fully grown Pygmy Freshwater Croc. They max out at about 3 feet- less than the Dwarf Caiman.

 

[Kincaid1]

A few things I noticed looking at this image:

- K. Rool's "tossed" krown is very rusted or worn compared to his "model" krown
-The tossed krown is about the same size as his original Rare-design krown.
-His model krown does not disappear immediately upon the tossed krown spawning; you can still see the model krown in his hand.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

A few things I noticed looking at this image:

- K. Rool's "tossed" krown is very rusted or worn compared to his "model" krown
-The tossed krown is about the same size as his original Rare-design krown.
-His model krown does not disappear immediately upon the tossed krown spawning; you can still see the model krown in his hand.

Good eye, they might have to fix the hand issue later in a patch.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

A few things I noticed looking at this image:

- K. Rool's "tossed" krown is very rusted or worn compared to his "model" krown
-The tossed krown is about the same size as his original Rare-design krown.
-His model krown does not disappear immediately upon the tossed krown spawning; you can still see the model krown in his hand.

Seeing as that's a beta image, that animation error could potentially be fixed up before release.

 

[Kulty]

Yeah images shown on the website are generally images when Smash Ultimate was still under development. Plus all the 30-second footage of character trailers are footage of the game being under development. A proof and example? There's a weird glitch about's Super Sheet when he capedon his 30-seconds character trailer. It's a tiny visual glitch, but I think this is patched in the final game.

20 DAYS LEFT UNTIL WE CAN PLAY AND SAVE OUR! XD

 

[Kincaid1]

Upon examination of the K. Rool Treehouse showcase, his tossed krown does seem to be clean. Interesting change. Perhaps his model krown was at one point dirty like his cape is torn?

 

[S_B]

Someone needs to explain to me why they feel there's any reason to play Bowser (and possibly Ridley) over KKR.

Let's go down the list:
-super armor on several moves where he needs it most (like a juggle-breaking Nair)
-two projectiles that are good for either plowing through other projectiles or setting up traps
-the most damaging uthrow in the game
-a dthrow that buries opponents for a free followup
-three moves that spike, one of which has super armor
-a recovery that allows him to go INSANELY deep with a hitbox on top that makes it difficult to challenge
-a counter

Yes, he has a weakness in his belly plate being breakable, but the whole kit is just filled with so many great and interesting mechanics that I can't see how he won't be the best heavy in the game by FAR.

What does any other heavy have that can even begin to rival the king?