Kirby has been a mainstay of the Super Smash Bros. franchise since the beginning on Nintendo 64. In every game, his neutral special attack represents his ability to eat and copy the abilities of his enemies. This ability has always been potent, but canonically speaking it was significantly weaker back in the days of Smash 64. Given that game's limited roster, the strongest moves that Kirby could copy were Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch or Samus' Charge Shot. While these moves are formidable, they pale in comparison to the incredibly powerful moves available to Kirby through copy abilities now.
As the roster of Super Smash Bros. has increased in size, so too has the number of options Kirby has for copy abilities. Each new character presents a unique opportunity for Kirby mains to try new strategies, and looking at things from a canonical standpoint, new opportunities for Kirby to push his limits. Kirby in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is facing off against some powerhouse characters from alternate universes, and his capacity for copying their abilities no matter how strong they are shows just how powerful Kirby is as a character. Here are some of the most powerful abilities that Kirby can copy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Kirby's Copy Ability
Before getting into the specific abilities, it should be said that Kirby's copy ability has a unique property in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For most of Kirby's copied techniques, he is able to perform them with 20% more damage than the original character. This means that these powerful moves are actually boosted by Kirby, making them even more impressive. Keep that in mind when thinking about the base power of these moves, as it elevates Kirby to another level entirely in some cases.
Ganon Kirby - Warlock Punch
Harking back to his days in Smash 64 with Captain Falcon, one of Kirby's strongest copy abilities is the Falcon Punch echo technique, Warlock Punch. Though visually different from Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch, this move is very similar in the way it functions. As an echo fighter, Ganondorf's version is slower but deals more damage and has greater knockback. Landing this move is always a huge challenge, but it feels great when players actually manage to hit with it. Ganondorf is an iconic villain that has shown huge feats of power, so for Kirby to be able to copy his strongest attack is impressive to say the least.
Roy Kirby - Flare Blade
When Kirby inhales Roy, he gains access to the Flare Blade ability. A common trend among Fire Emblem sword characters is the ability to charge up an incredibly powerful neutral special attack. For Ike, he uses his sword Ragnell to gather energy for an Eruption attack. In the case of Marth and Lucina, holding neutral special unleashes a piercing Shield Breaker. While all of these attacks have different uses, Roy's Flare Blade is the strongest in terms of damage output and kill potential. Kirby can make use of this move as well, giving him access to one of the most powerful moves in the game.
Hero Kirby - Kafrizzle
The Kafrizzle spell from DragonQuest is an interesting one because it starts off as one of the weaker ones in the game. Casting Frizz doesn't tend to have a powerful effect, but mages that are able to learn the spell's final form can deal incredible damage. In most incarnations, it costs a ridiculous amount of MP but is able to completely incinerate a foe. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Kirby can cast Kafrizzle after inhaling Hero, proving that the pink puffball is capable of casting even powerful magic spells with destructive capabilities.
Mewtwo Kirby - Shadow Ball
Shadow Ball may not be the most powerful move from Pokemon as a whole, but it's important to remember that this is coming from Mewtwo. When Kirby inhales the Legendary Pokemon, he is able to replicate this move at an even stronger level. Since Mewtwo has one of the highest Special Attack stats of any Pokemon, it isn't hard to see why Kirby's an absolute powerhouse with this attack. For Kirby to be able to rival Mewtwo of all Pokemon is insane, as he's often regarded as one of the most powerful around.
Joker Kirby - Gun
While this may seem like a weird choice, this is literally just Kirby with a gun. It's not hard to argue that guns are deadly, and while they may not have the destructive force of some of these other moves, they realistically would do more damage than a lot of the other options. Naturally, guns tend to be dumbed down in fantasy worlds, so don't expect Kirby to kill anyone with this move in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but canonically speaking, Kirby with a gun is not something that most would want to run into on the battlefield.
Sephiroth Kirby - Gigaflare
Without a doubt the most powerful technique that Kirby can copy, Gigaflare is the result of Sephiroth's fully charged neutral special attack. In Final Fantasy where this technique comes from, Flare is usually the strongest spell that a player's character can learn. By extension, Gigaflare is theoretically one billion times stronger than that, making it truly destructive. Even in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this move provides Kirby with a powerful ledge guard and shield break punish tool with so much destructive force that it can kill enemies at very low percent. After realizing that Kirby potentially powers the move up even more, his ever-growing power becomes clearer.
Kirby's Future Copy Abilities
What comes next for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is still unknown, but it's clear that with each new character Kirby will get a new ability. Whether or not someone will come along that can match the raw power of Sephiroth's Gigaflare remains to be seen, but there's still potential for Kirby to get even stronger as new characters are introduced. Popular characters like Dante from Devil May Cry could further extend Kirby's arsenal of powerful techniques, but only time will tell.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Switch.