Dream Smasher – Kamek

This Guest Article was written by Dedicated Specialist. 

Yoshi has been in Smash Bros. since the very beginning as the sole representative of his franchise. Unlike Donkey Kong the Yoshi series is tied much more heavily to Mario and his games to the extent that it wouldn’t be strange at all if Yoshi was pinned as a Mario character in Smash Bros. However, the Yoshi series is and has always been considered a separate franchise in Smash Bros. And I think if it is to remain a separate franchise, it’s past time it got a second rep. And there’s no one better for the job than Kamek.

Who is Kamek?

Splash Screen by TheRealHeroofWinds

Kamek is a major character in the Yoshi series but he’s also a minor character in the Mario series, seeing more focus in the RPG and spin off games.  His appearance isn’t that distinct, looking exactly like the generic Magikoopa enemies (he even shares the same name as them in Japan!), nevertheless he has a clearly defined character and very important role in the lore. Kamek was the one that raised Bowser as a baby and serves as one of the Mario Brothers (and Yoshi’s) longest and fiercest foes.

Importance to the Nintendo

Kamek’s first potential appearance was in Yoshi’s Safari back in 1993 where a lone Magikoopa appears as a boss with the ability to increase its size (something that would later be a signature trait of Kamek). However his first recognised appearance is in Super Mario World 2, Yoshi’s Island, the first major game with a focus on Yoshi as a character. This is where his backstory and connection to Bowser was revealed. He has appeared consistently in Yoshi titles ever since usually serving as a major antagonist or boss for Yoshi and Mario to face.

Despite his key role as Bowser’s foster father, Kamek as an individual is not widely acknowledged or recognised outside of the Mario and Yoshi series. However, Magikoopas, the race he embodies, are among the most classic and recognisable Mario enemies, having appeared in Smash Run already.

How Will He Play?

Original Sprites by TheAnvil. Recolours by NantenJex

The first costume is based on his default appearance in most games. The next three are all based on the colours used for the other Magikoopa enemies. The fifth is based off his expy, Kammy Koopa in the Paper Mario games. The sixth is based off the unrelated minor character Psycho Kamek in Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga. Seventh is a black outfit to contrast with the white one and finally, we have an outfit based on Kamella from Super Mario Galaxy.

• Crawl: No
• Wall Jump: No
• Number of Jumps: 2
• Exclusive Abilities: None
• Weight Class: D
• Height Class: C
• Speed Class: E
• Are they mirrored when they face left: No

There is a surprising dearth of magic orientated fighters in Smash Bros. so Kamek’s moveset, while looking basic, would be quite distinct from a large majority of the cast. Overall he would most resemble Zelda, casting mid ranged spells that alternate between heavy hits and multiple light blows. His range would be slightly longer than Zelda’s due to wand and he would be somewhat harder to hit due to a smaller size and heavy focus on dodging.

Kamek would be one of the slowest characters in the game for walking and running speed. However, this is made up for by remarkably fast dodges in which he teleports, similar to Mewtwo. When on the ground players will likely be dodging constantly with Kamek. The dodge comes out fast making giving no indication which direction he will appear from, although repeating the same tricks over will soon make his pattern predictable for human players.

Kamek tilts are powerful and have low ending lag but they have small hitboxes. However, they come with a rainbow trail of magic that lingers for a few frames even after Kamek has finished the attack. Overall he has some powerful moves in his arsenal but overall he’s not too offensively orientated a character making his key focus on dodging and countering enemy attacks. At least on the ground. In the air, he moves much faster and has several useful attacks.

His special moves are all very potent serving to either debilitate his opponents or create distractions.

Action	Description
Entrance	Kamek flies on to the stage and dismounts from his broom.
Idle 1	Kamek stands with his wand at the ready, his band moving up and down slowly as he breaths.
Idle 2	Kamek looks left and right quickly as if he heard someone approaching
Idle 3	Kamek moves his wand like he’s scolding someone.
Crouch	Kamek bends down with one hand touching the ground and the other holding his wand. Because of his slightly stubby appearance, this crouch does not make much difference to his height.
Walking	Kamek walks slowly towards his opponent, his shows mostly covered by his robes.
Running	Kamek awkwardly runs forward almost stumbling on his robes.
Jump	Kamek jumps into the air. His knees do not visible bend much similar to Peach.
Damaged	Kamek’s glasses slip slightly off his face showing his closed eyes
Roll	Kamek vanishes and reappears nearby. This roll is executed very quickly.
Dizzy	Kamek strikes the same pose as when he’s hit by his own fire in Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time.
Sleep	Kamek throws his head backwards and starts snoring, his arms dropped down by his sides.
Up Taunt	Kamek raises his wand and practises a spell. This taunt deals very small levels of damage but has a very small hitbox and deals no knockback.
Side Taunt	Kamek waves both arms up and down furiously.
Down Taunt	Kamek looks at the camera and laughs sinisterly.

Basic Attacks

Action	Description
Jab Combo	Kamek strikes his foe with three magic spells, a square, a circle and a triangle. The last of which launches the opponent
Forward Tilt	Kamek swipes with his wand forward similar to Ike’s forward tilt. Leaves behind a trail of rainbow magic that lingers for a few frames.
Down Tilt	Kamek strikes downwards with his wand similar to Link’s Down Tilt. Leaves behind a trail of rainbow magic that lingers for a few frames.
Up Tilt	Kamek swipes his wand in a large arc similar to Zelda’s Up Tilt. Leaves behind a trail of rainbow magic that lingers for a few frames.
Dash Attack	Kamek trips on his robes and falls on his face, his wand sending out sparks in the process.
Edge Attack	Kemek gets up and hits the enemy with his wand. Over 100% he performs the same action but slower and with the end of his wand sparkling.
Floor Attack	Kamek takes out his broom and sweeps either side of him, using it to get back to his feet.
Side Smash	Kamek charges his want and points it forward sending out a powerful magic spell that travels some distance similar to Megaman’s Side Smash
Up Smash	Kamek charges his wand and then launches a spell upwards. The longer the charge the wider the hitbox.
Down Smash	Kamek summons two geysers either side of him. Comes out quick and has high knockback but deals low damage.
Grab	Kamek points his wand forward and uses it to pull in any enemy it connects with.
Pummel	Kamek headbutts his opponent similar to Mario
Up Throw	Kamek raises his wand high in the air flinging his opponent upwards.
Forward Throw	Kamek throws his enemy upwards and then shoots a series of magic spells at them, similar to Mewtwo’s forward throw.
Back Throw	Kamek spins around several times and throws his enemy away similar to Mario’s back throw.
Down Throw	Kamek jumps up and summons an icicle from beneath his enemy.
Neutral Aerial	Kamek takes out his broom and strikes either side of him.
Up Aerial	Kamek shoots a ball of magic that is weak but travels a great distance upwards.
Forward Aerial	Kamek swipes with his wand forward dealing electrical damage.
Back Aerial	Kamek casts a small explosion behind him similar to R.O.B’s back aerial. Propels Kamek forward slightly and turns him around.
Down Aerial	Kamek casts an ice spell below him, Knocks foes upwards. Can freeze enemies at high percents.

Special Attacks

Action	Description
Neutral Special 1 Magic Blast	Kamek casts a spell that slowly homes in on opponents. Does not deal much damage but will linger on the stage for a long time. It can even change direction mid-flight. If it happens to hit an item, there is a chance it will turn into an enemy determined by Kamek’s Down Special.
Neutral Special 2 Magic Seal	Kamek launches magic attack at his enemy. It travels fast and more direct than Magic Blast but will not home in on the enemy after being launched. If it hits then shapes will float around the enemy’s head. So long as the shapes are there, the enemy cannot perform any special moves. This effect will last longer if the enemy is at higher damage. Based partially on Kamek’s ability to turn Mario’s stickers into Sandals in Paper Mario Sticker Star.
Neutral Special 3 Magic Shrink	Kamek launches a magic attack at his enemy. It initially travels faster than Magic Blast but quickly slows down. If this attack hits the enemy then they will suffer the same effects as a poisoned Mushroom.
Side Special 1 Broom Rush	Kamek will dash forward and get on his broom, passing through enemies similar to Fox Illusion. If the enemy is holding an item when they are hit by this attack, then there is a chance Kamek will steal it. Induces a helpless state.
Side Special 2 Looping Broom Rush	Kamek will perform a loop the loop with his Broom similar to Meta Knight’s Shuttle Loop in Brawl. Enemy’s caught at the start of the attack will be dragged along with Kamek and dealt knockback when the loop is complete. This will allow him to fly some distance afterwards. Does not put him in a helpless state but can only be used once in the air.
Side Special 3 Dizzy Broom Rush	Kamek’s dash will have considerably more start-up lag and will not deal damage but will make enemies dizzy. Enemy’s in the air will be knocked downwards similar to Falco Phantasm.
Up Special 1 Warp	Kamek will turn around and warp. Does not deal any damage but can travel a long distance. The player can alter how long Kamek is gone for by holding the button. Tapping the button will cause Kamek to travel less distance.
Up Special 2 Magic Warp	Kamek’s warp will travel less distance but he will cast a spell as he vanishes and reappears dealing damage to nearby enemies. As far as warping attacks go, the hitbox is quite big but deals very low set knockback on both hits.
Up Special 3 Hyper Warp	The first time Kamek uses this move he creates a dimly glowing shape where he is standing (or falling). The second time Kamek uses this special, he will quickly warp to the first location regardless as to how distant it might be. This is an extremely useful recovery as it can save Kemek from death anywhere on the stage. However without the required set up it becomes useless and since other players can also see the location of the attack, it is somewhat predictable.
Down Special 1 Summon Toadie	Kamek will summon a Toadie to do his bidding. The Toadie will fly around the stage, pursuing enemies, dealing damage to enemies it comes into contact with. Toadie’s can be defeated if they sustain enough damage. Kamek can only summon one Toadie at a time.
Down Special 2 Summon Koopa Troopa	Kamek will summon a Koopa Troopa. The Koopa Troopa will wander around the stage dealing damage to any enemy it happens to come into contact with. It will not actively pursue enemies. Jumping on its back will allow a character to throw it like a Green Shell. Kamek can summon up to two Koopa Troopas at a time.
Down Special 3 Summon Goomba	Kamek will summon a Goomba. It will wander around the stage dealing damage to any enemy it happens to come into contact with. It will not actively pursue enemies. Goombas can be defeated if they sustain enough damage. Kamek can summon up to three Goombas at once.
Final Smash Kamek’s Revenge	Kamek will fly back and forth along the top of the stage casting covering the area in rainbow coloured dust. This will cause a variety of status effects such as sleeping, dizziness or shrinking enemies. After this third fly by he will crash back onto the stage damaging any enemy’s he comes into contact with.tact with (the player will be able to delay his descent to better hit his opponents).

Victory Theme and Animations

Victory Animation 1	Kamek will fly past the camera, come to a rest and laugh.
Victory Animation 2	Kamek will cast several spells and summon several toadies.
Victory Animation 3	Kamek will teleport into place and bow.
Lose Animation	Kamek will look cross and readjust his glasses instead of clapping.

Kamek’s victory theme is Yoshi’s Island stage clear theme.

And that’s it for Kamek’s moveset. I hope this character important to the history of Mario, Yoshi and Bowser has been shown to be interesting and versatile enough to make it into Super Smash Bros.

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Joshua 'NantenJex' Goldie

A historian and avid gamer, NantenJex is the Editor-in-Chief for Source Gaming, overseeing videos and reviews for the site. He has a passion for obscure gaming so any article you see on uncommon titles like Nazo no Murusame Jo, Yuyuki and Marvelous, to name a few, are most likely from him. He also likes game design leading to the creation of Dream Smashers, a series on potential newcomers for Super Smash Bros. He wants you all to know that Yoshi is objectively the best Nintendo character.

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