Inhale (Japanese: Intake - すいこみ, Suikomi) is Kirby's Standard Special in every game of the Super Smash Bros. series. It was originally named Swallow in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Overview[]
When the B button is pressed, Kirby opens his mouth and begins to inhale, creating a vacuum of wind extending from his mouth. He will never stop inhaling until the button is released.
If a character comes near the vortex, they will automatically be sucked inside Kirby, who will bloat up with the person inside of him. He cannot move in Super Smash Bros., while in Melee and Brawl, he will move at extremely slow speeds, and his jumps will also be greatly reduced. By pressing B or down on the D-Pad, Kirby will copy the swallowed character's ability, also dealing some damage to the said character. If Kirby accidentally swallows the wrong character or doesn't want their ability, they can press A to launch them out as a star for some damage. In Melee, Brawl and 3DS/Wii U, the swallowed character can break free by moving around, if Kirby does nothing within ten seconds of swallowing or if Kirby is hit by someone. Inhale can be used for "Kirbycides" (against good recovery characters) or KO's (against poor recovery characters). Similarly to Yoshi's Egg Lay, the more damage taken, the harder it will be for the swallowed character to break out.
When Kirby swallows the character, Kirby's appearance will also change depending on the character swallowed. For example, if Kirby swallows Mr. Game & Watch, he will have a black, 2D appearance. In addition, his neutral B ability will also be that of the said character's neutral B ability. Kirby can lose the copied ability by either Taunting or by being hit too much. If Kirby swallows another Kirby with a copied ability, the former will gain the skill of the latter, while the latter will lose the ability he had. If he swallows a Kirby with no copied ability, it makes a different sound and no abilities will be copied.
If Kirby copies an ability that changes depending on a meter or bar (like Little Mac or Hero's ability) Kirby will gain that meter or bar. This meter/bar functions in the exact same way as that of the original character.
Custom variations[]
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, with the introduction of Custom Moves, Kirby has two variations of Inhale.
Ice Breath[]
Ice Breath (こちこちといき) has the same properties as Ice Kirby. Kirby sprays ice from his mouth that can freeze opponents.
Strengths:
- Good range
- Freezes opponents
- Combo set-up
- Good damage
- Edge-guarding
Weaknesses:
- Loss in ability to inhale and copy opponents
The Ice Breath, despite causing Kirby to lose the ability to inhale, spit out, and copy his opponents, has many positives to it. The move freezes opponents, and unlike Mega Man's Ice Slasher, this move freezes opponents for a good amount of time, allowing for follow-up attacks and even potential combo set-ups. The move deals good damage as well, delivering between 5 and 10% before an opponent is frozen by the move. The move itself also has good range on it and using it at the edge can deter recovering opponents.
Jumping Inhale[]
Jumping Inhale (すいこみジャンプ) consists of Kirby jumping forwards while inhaling to pull opponents in and copy their abilities. If he does a Star Spit, it won't do damage.
Strengths:
- Horizontal recovery
- Off-stage kills
- Can be used from farther away
Weaknesses:
- Star spit does no damage
The Jumping Inhale is a great variation of Inhale because it can assist Kirby in horizontal recovery. When Kirby swallows an opponent, he can still copy their abilities, and the move can be used from a distance because it closes that distance between Kirby and the opponent. A recovering opponent can be easily caught in this move and then the Star Spit can launch them even farther from the edge. The Star Spit does not deal damage to the opponent or other fighters hit by it, though the Star Spit is not a commonly used option for the regular Inhale anyway, making this weakness rather insignificant.
Origin[]
Artwork of Kirby inhaling Waddle Dee
Inhaling and spitting has been a trademark attack of Kirby since Kirby's Dream Land, but it was not until Kirby's Adventure was he able to swallow an enemy to copy their attack, and until Kirby Super Star that Kirby also had different hats that indicated the power he copied. A single attack was enough to make Kirby lose his copied power. Kirby then had to quickly re-absorb the ability that turned into a bouncing star or else it would be destroyed. If Kirby discarded the copied ability, unlike in Ultimate, it would also turn into a bouncing star, allowing him to change his mind and pick it back up.
Copy Abilities[]
- Main articles: Copy Abilities (SSB), Copy Abilities (SSBM), Copy Abilities (SSBB), Copy Abilities (SSBWU/3DS)
Glitches[]
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U if Kirby swallows another Kirby while he’s executing a fully charged Hammer Flip, it’ll give the Kirby who used inhale a fiery effect around his body, being dubbed "Fire Kirby Glitch" by fans.
Trivia[]
- If Kirby copies an enemy while another is beside Kirby the enemy that was standing beside Kirby will also be damaged as well.
- Because Olimar's Neutral Special Move is useless by itself, Kirby does not exactly copy the move. Rather, he will use Pikmin Pluck followed immediately by Pikmin Throw, although the Pikmin will not latch on after being thrown, instead, they will die when they come into contact with anything.
- When Kirby uses Inhale on enemies in the Subspace Emissary, they will take small constant amounts of damage because Kirby can't copy NPC enemies' abilities. It's also noteworthy that Kirby is unable to inhale False Characters.
- Kirby also cannot Inhale NPC Mii Fighters and Smash Run enemies.
- Kirby can inhale Waddle Dees, etc. and then swallow them, much like he could swallow enemies in Melee's Adventure Mode. However, unlike in his own games, they don't give him any abilities, as Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos act like items.
- In Super Smash Bros., Kirby can swallow Metal Mario, but is unable to absorb the usage of Fireballs.
- Because Kirby's size is smaller than most characters he inhales, his copied moves are normally slightly inferior versions to others, due to smaller range. This usually, but not always, applies for Physical attacks. But some note that his small size and unique moves allow for interesting setups of some copied moves.
- When Kirby inhales an opponent while he is under the effects of Superspicy Curry, the damaging flames disappear.
- A number of the copy abilities in the Super Smash Bros. series bear at least some resemblance to one of the abilities from Kirby's own games, in design and/or function. An example is Bowser's Fire Breath being similar to the main attack method of Kirby's Fire ability.
- According to the Kirby: Right Back At Ya! anime, Kirby cannot inhale enemies that are larger or heavier than himself. However, he is able to inhale characters as large as Bowser or Donkey Kong in this game. This could be, however, due to the fact that the mechanic would be limited if that were so, and therefore not as useful.
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