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As many of you may know, Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the Super Smash Bros series, was also the creator of the Kirby series. He worked many Kirby titles during his time at HAL, from Kirby’s Dream Land on the Gameboy in 1992 to Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland on the Gameboy Advance in 2002, and created all of the characters that have become mainstays in the ever changing Kirby cast. Even though Sakurai left HAL Laboratories in 2003, the Kirby series has gone on, and has consistently been one of Nintendo’s most popular series, with the games re-entering the spotlight via 2011’s Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. This game featured four playable characters, Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Kirby’s new friend: Bandanna Waddle Dee.
Who is Bandanna Waddle Dee?
Bandanna Waddle Dee is a skilled warrior that loyally serves King Dedede – except, he’s also one of Kirby’s best friends. He first appeared in Kirby: Super Star, where he was the first challenger that Kirby would face in the Megaton Punch competition, and was quickly defeated. He then disappeared from the games for a long time, until the remake of Super Star on the DS where he got a bit more of a focus. His big debut into the spotlight came from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland where he was one of the four playable characters of that game. Since then, he has appeared in every Kirby game, either as a playable character or as a semi-important support character. He is known for having mastered the usage of a Spear, and is only rivaled in skill by Kirby himself. In Smash Bros, he brings a special Spear that has been set up with the ability to change forms (much akin to King Dedede’s Hammer), and can transform into both a Parasol and a Beam Wand to allow Dee to mix up his fighting style! These transformations are based on the Parasol Waddle Dee enemy type, as well as the Waddle Doo enemies. Both are Kirby staples that are closely related to the Waddle Dee enemy.
Importance to Nintendo/Series
While originally just being a background character, Bandanna Waddle Dee has risen through the ranks in the Kirby series to become one of the most important members of the cast. He is Kirby’s little buddy, and is always the primary candidate for multiplayer in modern Kirby games, essentially making him the Luigi of his series. As well as being a primary character, he also represents the Waddle Dees in general, which are an iconic staple of the Kirby series much akin to the Goombas of the Mario series. For Kirby representation in Smash Bros, he’s almost a shoo in for the next newcomer. Unfortunately, he isn’t the most important character to Nintendo as a whole, with him being only a supporting character for such a long period and never having a game to himself. Perhaps he will one day get his own breakout title, but at this point it’s unlikely.
How will they play?
Credit to TheAnvil for the original, Nantendo for the recolours
As previously stated, his moveset is based around the high-tech Spear that was granted to him by the great King Dedede for use in Smash Bros. This specialty Spear is able to multiply infinitely, transform into either a Parasol or a Beam Wand, and spin with enough speed to lift Bandanna Waddle Dee into the air like a helicopter! Along with his pointy gadget, he is also able to run very quickly and hit pretty hard, especially for such a small character. He is also a middleweight, making him a bit more difficult to knockout then, say, Kirby. However, his weakness comes from his poor recovery, and how easy to punish it is. His Up Special is a great attack but mediocre at best for recovering, and his Up Aerial leaves him wide open for punishment. He is also very floaty, even with his middleweight status, which can both help his recovery and make him easier to kill.
Attributes:
- Can they crawl: No.
- Can they wall jump: Yes, making him the only Kirby character to have this feature.
- Can they wall cling: No.
- Do they have a tether: No, he’s not a Swinging Waddle Dee
- How many jumps do they have: 2, making him to only Kirby character to not have any spare jumps.
- Is there any exclusive abilities they have*: No.
- Weight Class: C
- Height Class: D
- Speed Class: A
- Are they mirrored when they face left: No, unfortunately he can’t wield his Spear ambidextrously.
*For example, Peach’s Floating
Walk speed:
- 1.0 (B)
Dash speed:
- 1.7 (A)
Air speed:
- 0.7 (E)
Falling speed:
- Max: 1.2 (E)
- Fast: 1.92 (E)
Attack power:
- His training in Dedede’s army has made him a strong hitter, but his mastery of the Spear gives him a literal edge in battle.
Defense:
- While being a powerful warrior, his small and poofy body makes him easy to send flying.
Special attribute(s):
- Similarly to Marth, Bandanna Waddle Dee’s Spear attacks are most powerful at their tip. Space your attacks properly to strengthen them.
Kirby hat:
- Kirby gains the Bandanna, and the Spear Throw ability. On a side note, this also marks the first time that Kirby can gain an actual powerup from his series via inhaling another fighter.
| Move | Description |
| Entry | 
Bandanna Waddle Dee floats down with a parasol, and then it transforms into a spear while he winks at the camera. |
| Idle Stance | Very similar to Kirby’s, but cooler because he has a Spear. |
| Idle Pose 1 | Dee adjusts his his Bandanna, to make sure it doesn’t cover his eyes. |
| Idle Pose 2 | Dee pokes the ground with his spear. |
| KO Scream | Unfortunately, this little guy doesn’t have a mouth. |
| Jab | 
The Multispear Attack from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. He first jabs it forward. Then he slashes across their chest. He then begins a rapid jab, which pushes him backwards with each hit. Finally, he thrusts forward, knocking the opponent away 3%, 2.5%, 2% (Per-Hit), 5% |
| Dash Attack | Dee slides on his back, landing three quick kicks. While not doing a ton of damage, this moves Dee pretty far. 2%, 2%, 5% |
| Forward Tilt | 
The Spear Thrust from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. This attack has a tipper effect. 8%, 10% (Tip) |
| Up Tilt | 
The Skyward Thrust from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. This attack has a tipper effect, and can be a great anti-air. 7%, 9% (Tip) |
| Down Tilt | Dee crouches, and thrusts his spear at the ground in a similar fashion to Marth’s Down Tilt. This can hit under the ledge, and has a tipper effect. 9%, 11% (Tip) |
| Forward Smash | 
The Parasol Swing from Kirby: Super Star. Dee will charge the hit by spinning the parasol from its handle, and he will swing it forward when released. When fully charged, it will also emit mini stars that will do extra hits. 18%, 2% (Stars) |
| Up Smash | 
Dee performs the Spear Copter without lifting off, very similar to Palutena’s Up Tilt. It hits multiple times, and can be a very good for punishing a landing. 4% (Hits 1-3), 5% |
| Down Smash | 
The Parasol Twirl from Kirby: Super Star.This attack gives Bandanna Waddle Dee super armor during the entire attack and is incredibly strong. However, this attack has incredibly short range to make up for it’s otherwise overwhelming power. 23% |
| Neutral Aerial | 
Dee does an aerial spin similar to Sword Spin, but with his Spear replacing the usual Sword. This attack is quick and has great range, making it a useful tool for covering a landing. 9% |
| Forward Aerial | 
The Spear Thrust from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. Dee extends his Spear in front of himself, and pokes opponents. This move has incredibly fast startup and the hitbox lasts a long time, making it great for punishing a recovery. This attack has a tipper effect. 11%, 13% (Tip) |
| Back Aerial | Dee uses an attack that works very similarly to the Chop & Thrust from the Sword Ability. He spins around and thrusts his Spear behind him, propelling him forward a little. 12% |
| Up Aerial | 
Drift, from Kirby’s Dreamland 3. Dee’s most useful aerial, this allows him to recover horizontally. Dee opens his parasol above himself, going slightly upwards and doing damage to opponents. He is then left in a slow descent, and has the same properties as the parachute part of Mr. Game & Watch’s Fire. While weak as an attack, this helps Dee’s recovery options immensely. He is also able to use any of his aerial attacks (except Up Air) to instantly cancel out of his descent, to make up for the slow and predictable nature of the move. 7% |
| Down Aerial | 
The Moon Drop from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. This sends Dee downward, and the tip can spike at higher percents. 10% |
| Grab | Dee will quickly jab his Spear forward, and then bring his opponent in close in order to actually grab them. |
| Pummel | Dee quickly punches them with his open hand. 2% |
| Forward Throw | Dee uses the Capture Beam to spin them in the air and toss them away, sending his foes flying. 7% |
| Back Throw | Dee spins around three times, sending the opponent flying behind him. 6% |
| Up Throw | 
The Circus Throw from Kirby: Super Star. Dee will toss the opponent above himself with his Spear, and then bounce them into the air with his Parasol. 8% |
| Down Throw | Dee throws the opponent onto the ground, and then begins to beat them with his Spear. After about 4 hits, they are sent flying. 10% |
| Ledge Attack | Bandanna Waddle Dee does a somersault, bringing him back into the battle. 6% |
| Getup Attack (Front) | Bandanna Waddle Dee does a headspin kick similarly to Kirby’s Dash Attack, and gets back up. 6%
On a side note, his laying animation for his front is inspired by the opening cutscene from Kirby and the Rainbow Curse/Paintbrush. |
| Getup Attack (Back) | Bandanna Waddle Dee sweeps his Spear on both sides, and gets back up. 6%
On a side note, his laying animation for his back is copied directly from his sulking pose from Megaton Punch. |
| Trip Attack | Bandanna Waddle Dee pokes his Spear on both sides, and gets back up . 5%
His sitting animation is also inspired by the opening from Kirby and the Rainbow Curse/Paintbrush. |
| Forward Roll | Dee does a pole vault with his Spear. |
| Back Roll | Pretty much the same as Kirby, but cooler because he has a Spear. |
| Spot Dodge | Dee clutches his Bandanna, being sure to not let it fall off. |
| Air Dodge | Dee spins in the air, in a very similar motion to Kirby’s Nair. |
| Neutral Special (Default): Spear Throw | 
Bandanna Waddle Dee will throw a single spear a short distance (same as fully extended ZSS Plasma Whip) with very little lag when pressed, but the player can charge the attack to throw two, or even three spears at once! As it’s charged, the amount of Spears in his hand will increase, as well as the distance they fly being increased (2 = Greninja’s Fully charged Water Shuriken, 3 = Cloud’s Blade Beam), but the damage output of the Spears will always stay the same. 6% (per Spear)
|
| Neutral Special (Custom 1): Fire Spear | For this custom the spears have a fire element to them. The spears themselves do less damage but there is a lasting fire effect where the spear lands that does continuous 1% damage to anyone caught in the flames. 5% (per Spear) |
| Neutral Special (Custom 2): Megaton Spear | For this custom there can only be one spear and charging it up effects how far it is thrown. However when it hits the ground it creates a shockwave similar to Bandanna Waddle Dee’s down special. 12% |
| Side Special (Default): Beam Whip | 
With the help of a friendly Waddle Doo, Bandanna Waddle Dee has learned to use the Beam ability without the need of copying or a gigantic eye, instead transforming his Spear to mimic a Beam Wand. In Smash, it functions almost identically to the Kirby series, going from a 45° angle above Dee to the same angle below. It’s long range (same as PK Fire when fully extended) and ability to hit beneath ledges make it a formidable attack. It also does electrical damage, and can bury opponents with it’s tip. 8%, 10% (Tip, can bury grounded opponents) |
| Side Special (Custom 1): Capture Beam | The Beam will now draw opponents in, working as a command grab. While it now does minimal damage, it is still incredibly useful for setting up combos. It will now only go in a straight line, meaning that it cannot go under ledges. 5% |
| Side Special (Custom 2): Cycle Beam | The Beam will now do extra damage, but the range is much smaller and it’s much slower, as well as no longer being connected to Bandanna Waddle Dee. It goes in the same 45° – 45° angle, but only goes about as far as Robin’s Arcfire. It will still go under ledges, but cannot bury opponents. 15% |
| Up Special (Default): Spear Copter | 
Bandanna Waddle Dee twirls his Spear above his head, and begins to float into the air. He will go about as high as Ganondorf’s Dark Dive. He will exclusively go upwards, and his Spear can do 8 hits throughout the time it’s spinning, and will trap opponents. When he has reached the maximum height, he will not be left in freefall. 3% (Hits 1-8) |
| Up Special (Custom 1): Hover Spear | Bandanna Waddle Dee spins his Spear above his head, going a high distance upwards. If the player does any attack, air dodges, or drops off the Spear, it will keep flying upwards as a projectile. When Dee is connected to the Spear, it will do no damage, and can do a single hit as a projectile. It will not leave him in freefall, but removes his second jump. Dee will also not take knockback from any hit that does under 8%. To be blunt, it’s Snake’s Cypher, without the horizontal movement. 8% (Projectile) |
| Up Special (Custom 2): Spear Chopper | Dee spins his Spear above his head as usual, but it doesn’t lift him up nearly as high. However, the Spear now does many consecutive hits while spinning, and will trap opponents. As well as being more damaging, Dee is able to move horizontally to his heart’s content, but be careful. When the move ends, Dee is left in freefall. 3% (Hits 1-12) |
| Down Special (Default): Megaton Punch | 
Bandanna Waddle Dee definitely improved his Megaton Punch since Kirby: Super Star. In Smash Bros, it works like a mixture of Donkey Kong’s Hand Slap and Luigi’s Green Missile, with it’s ability to be supercharged randomly (1-in-20 chance) and inability to hit aerial opponents from the ground. When used, Dee will punch the ground with all his might, making a shockwave that extends to a small area around him, damaging anyone within the radius. The shockwave size always is the same and damage output is usually moderate, but can be incredibly strong when supercharged. However, Dee will pause for a moment to rub his hand afterwards, leaving him open to attacks. When used in the air, only his fist will do damage, and can spike foes at nearly any percent, even without the Supercharge. 11% (Average), 45% (Supercharged) |
| Down Special (Custom 1): Roulette Punch | Bandanna Waddle Dee’s Supercharged punch becomes a 1-in-6 chance, but loses quite a bit of it’s strength. To make up for this, the endlag on the move is also slightly shortened, and the range stays the same. 9%, 19% (Supercharged) |
| Down Special (Custom 2): Explosive Punch | Bandanna Waddle Dee’s punch becomes chargeable, and loses the random Supercharge. It can be charged for a maximum of 8 seconds, and will be devastating when released. However, the range is slightly decreased to make up for this newfound power. 5% (No Charge),
35% (Full Charge) |
| Final Smash: Waddle Dee Army | Bandanna Waddle Dee is almost like the leader of the Waddle Dees in King Dedede’s army. As such, he has inherited King Dedede’s Final Smash from Brawl however, he has made it much more compact and concise. He raises his Spear to the sky as his army appears, and then points forward to signal their charge. Rather than spawning all over the place, Bandanna Waddle Dee hops into the air and summons his fellow soldiers around him before they charge off in all directions, knocking anyone out of the way. As with King Dedede’s version, Waddle Doos will appear, along with new Big Waddle Dees. Big Waddle Dees function very similarly to regular ones, but are slower and more powerful, as well as being around the same height as Bowser. Another difference from the King’s version is Dee’s influence over his soldiers. Pressing either left or right will make Bandanna Waddle Dee point his Spear that way and the Waddle Dees will go in your direction of choice, making it easier to concentrate your troops where they’re needed. 4% (Waddle Dee), 8% (Waddle Doo), 12% (Big Waddle Dee) |
| Up Taunt | 
Bandanna Waddle Dee puts his Spear on his back, and does his cheering pose from Megaton Punch in Kirby: Super Star. |
| Side Taunt | Bandanna Waddle Dee is playing with his Beam Whip, and accidentally shines the light in his eyes. He then begins to rub his eyes with his hands. |
| Down Taunt | Bandanna Waddle Dee sits down, and begins to poke the stage with his Spear. |
| Victory Pose 1 |
Bandanna Waddle Dee punches the ground, and then does a similar cheer to his Up Taunt. |
| Victory Pose 2 | 
Bandanna Waddle Dee does his victory dance from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. An incredibly long taunt. |
| Victory Pose 3 | Bandanna Waddle Dee has his Spear impaled into the ground, and he is sleeping while propped against it. |
Bandanna Waddle Dee’s victory theme is the standard Kirby fanfare:
Well, that pretty much wraps up the moveset. What do you think, should Bandanna Waddle Dee join the battle? Do you agree with this moveset? Leave a comment down below to give us your thoughts. Also, special thanks to Nantendo and Nirbion for helping me out with this moveset. If you like things like Dream Smashers and other SourceGaming content, and would like to help make stuff even better around here, be sure to check out their Patreon page over at https://www.patreon.com/SourceGaming, and if you happen to like my stuff, you can find me over at https://www.youtube.com/user/rigby1003. I’ve still got a few of these in my pocket, so you’ll probably see me again soon. Thanks for reading!
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*Cue butthurt comments about him not making it into Smash*
I know I left a few over on r/smashbros :/
This is amazing! Seriously, I’ve been wondering if ANYONE out there was going to ever do a D.S. article for Bandana Waddle Dee! Great job, and props to you! Still, there is two things I’d suggest for B.D.
1) Megaton Punch in midair feels like the type of move that shouldn’t be stopped unless it hits solid ground. Unless that WAS your intention for the move and you just didn’t add it to this list…….
2) I feel like Bandana Waddle Dee’s 3rd victory pose of him sleeping against his spear should be replaced with him doing the Kirby Dance, but he ends up tripping over his own two cute, stubby little feet, and lands on his little butt, sitting down on the floor at the end, blushing at the screen in embarrassment due to all of this.
Actually, aerial Megaton Punch would have less endlag than its grounded counterpart, to make up for its small range. With it being his best overall kill move and spike, I don’t think it’d be a good idea to make him have to hit the ground.
Originally, Side Taunt and the second Victory Pose were swapped. I don’t know why they’re like this in the final version, but it’s not a huge issue. I love your idea, though.
Oh, OK. That actually seems more fair for an aerial version of Megaton Punch. Seriously, who would have thought such a cute little bandana-wearing critter could be so strong?! XD
Also, if you ask me the side taunt and second Victory pose actually seem more fitting where they are if you ask me. BTW, thanks for the compliment! I thought my idea would really keep in line with his adorable appearance 🙂
I was thinking about making a Dream Smasher of Waddle Dee, but your’s looks better than mine’s! I was thinking of using Kirby 64’s mine cart as a forward special like Wario’s bike, and using the parasol to flow down safely for the up special like Peach’s parasol. Also I was thinking of using Megaton Punch as a Final Smash, by breaking the world in half to blow opponents away. (lol) But all of these moves looks so great! Nice job!
This was a neat moveset! It didn’t even cross my mind to give Waddle Dee a transforming spear when thinking of a moveset for him. Incorporating beam and parasol definitely sets him apart from other weapon-wielding candidates.
I love this moveset and the character. I feel like the blade beam is underrepresented though, with the different possibilities it has, like in Triple Deluxe (Where I noticed it) if you charge the beam, it shoots out a ball. Or having his Side special be a grapple in midair like ZSS’s Side special (Doesn’t have to be a zair).
I thought about giving him the tether, but it just wouldn’t have worked that well. Dee is very fast and very strong, so his only real weakness comes from his poor recovery. Giving him a tether would just make him feel overpowered. Plus, Beam Whip canonically can’t do that.
I like the general idea of this, though I think some of the moves might deal a little too much damage. I’ve never played a game with Bandanna Dee in it, so I have no real connection to the character. Nevertheless, I’d be cool for another Kirby rep in Smash, and this moveset is pretty well thought-out.
This is amazing! just as a reskin i feel like he should have the sailor hat when he worked with metanight and as another reskin wearing bits of king dedede’s outfit showing just to show he care for his boss. I’m just a humongous fan of this character and have always dreamed of seeing him in smash. It would be a dream come true. Finger’s crossed for this one.