UPDATE: Vote K. Rool for first Smash Bros. DLC newcomer here! #KrocTheVote
A K. ROOL OVERVIEW
Big boss in the Donkey Kong series. The one whose plans DK keeps busy by foiling. DK's answer to Bowser. What do all of these descriptors have in common? They're all ways that K. Rool has been identified in the Smash Bros. series. Of course, actions speak louder than words, and thus far, the Smash team has failed to do more than single K. Rool out as a Nintendo All-Star in measly collectible trophies.
This thread is headquarters for all the fans who are ready for this to change. This thread is in support of. . .
K. Rool as a DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U!!
Read on, reader, to discover why K. Rool would be the best candidate for the role.
Of note, the #BringBackKRool movement will be run mostly out of this thread. However, while the movement promotes both K. Rool as a Smash DLC fighter and the main villain of a new DKC game, this post will focus on advocating the character as the former (it is called Smash World Forums, after all). Follow @BringBackKRool on Twitter and check out its website for further information on the movement.
For the past few years, K. Rool fans have been eagerly awaiting the King's appearance among the newcomers of SSB4. He's consistently been one of the fanbase's most wanted newcomers, even getting the Almighty Sakurai to single out a few of his requests as noteworthy in his old Brawl journal. This thread alone has featured 654 Kremling Kutthroats since its inception, and that number is only continuing to grow. As always, if you’d like to be featured on the Kutthroat List, just leave a post in the thread; who knows, the thread’s regulators may even take it upon themselves to, err, initiate new members.
What's more, K. Rool's fans have made it clear they are sincere in their support for the character. Because K. Rool wasn't in any major new games in the lead-up to SSB4, he never had the luxury of a trendy bandwagon formed around him. . .hell, he didn’t even get any stupid hashtags as a result of fake leaks, and yet, on a global scale, he still beat out every other candidate not named Mewtwo or Mega Man in overall fan support! The good news for K. Rool is that, no matter what, his fans are in it for the long-haul; if Nintendo and Retro continue ignoring the character, his fans will still keep requesting him for Smash and growing his fanbase, while, if he reappears in a new DKC game, his overall popularity will explode to a size far and beyond what it already is.
Point being, as frantic as detractors are to label K. Rool a Geno or a Wart, as one of countless one-offs with no chance whatsoever as a DLC fighter because “no one knows him” or “he wouldn’t appeal to anyone,” K. Rool’s fans continue to prove them wrong by virtue of the sheer presence they’ve developed. Thanks to these fans, people know and like K. Rool despite often having never touched a DK game, or a DK game featuring him as main villain (in addition to the many who have). As such, K. Rool would be as profitable than any other DLC newcomer candidate, if not moreso, especially if his wacky antics were promoted by way of Nintendo Direct or even a simultaneous new game appearance or classic game rerelease.
Could it be that Sakurai is of the opinion that K. Rool is just “another fat king” who would be “just like other heavyweights?” “No way!” you may say, citing that K. Rool just needs one new appearance to raise his already-high profile, or that a team that actually gives the slightest care for the DK series needs to develop Smash for once. Fair enough, but keep in mind, Sakurai having this opinion of K. Rool wouldn’t be the first time his so-called “correct” view of a character has been that of GameFAQs’ dirty underbelly’s.
Rather than showcasing just a few movesets, I’m going to comprehensively look at each of K. Rool’s appearances, compiling every possible unique move, feature or contribution he could have based on his source material, or even an extrapolation of his source material. It is my aim that, after browsing this section, all K. Rool fans, veteran, new or potential, will see and promote the King in a whole new light. People will be able to share his uniqueness with confidence, rather than just saying "he's unique" like what happens with literally every other character. And “K. Rool doesn’t bring anything new to the table” can be identified as the pathological lie it is by an even larger group of fans, leaving trolls with little else to do but try slapping another misconception onto the character. . ."too big," perhaps?
Who knows, maybe even one of the Nintendo reps who have been confirmed to lurk these forums will take an interest and be so kind as to spread the ideas around within their circles, up to and including those who may take interest in implementing them? Heh, heh, heh. . .
And that's a wrap for K. Rool's moveset arsenal! This project has been a labor of love of mine for the past month or so, and I'm thrilled to finally have it in a complete, presentable condition to share elsewhere. Will it fully deter slights regarding K. Rool's uniqueness? No, even with these walls of text, there'll inevitably be responses to the tune of "Do they really 'fit' K. Rool?" or "Do they really 'make sense' for him?" It's difficult to ever discuss uniqueness in Smash because the topic is full of nebulous terms, gray areas and contradictions, many of which stem back to the fact that one man with a track record of bizarre decisions has so much influence, both with movesets and the fanbase's perception of them. Nevertheless, I hope, somewhere in these write-ups, something "jumps out at you" positively about K. Rool and you'll walk away with newfound appreciation for the guy. Cheers!
That's all for now, folks. . .I'll leave you with this little reminder to be prepared: the King's finest hour will arrive, sooner or later, and we'll all be Mad as Jack when it does.
In case it's a K. Rool museum-of-sorts you're interested in, here's a link to the post that served as this thread's OP for the past two years and five months (it had to be separated from this post because it got so big, it caused a 502 Bad Gateway for me when editing it!). It's packed to the gills with fanart, GIFs, videos, stages, movesets, music remixes, the whole works, so if you haven't seen it by now, definitely give it a gander.
Enjoy your stay in the presence of the world's most wanted DLC newcomer!
A K. ROOL OVERVIEW
This thread is headquarters for all the fans who are ready for this to change. This thread is in support of. . .
K. Rool as a DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U!!
Read on, reader, to discover why K. Rool would be the best candidate for the role.
Of note, the #BringBackKRool movement will be run mostly out of this thread. However, while the movement promotes both K. Rool as a Smash DLC fighter and the main villain of a new DKC game, this post will focus on advocating the character as the former (it is called Smash World Forums, after all). Follow @BringBackKRool on Twitter and check out its website for further information on the movement.
A K. ROOL FANBASE
For the past few years, K. Rool fans have been eagerly awaiting the King's appearance among the newcomers of SSB4. He's consistently been one of the fanbase's most wanted newcomers, even getting the Almighty Sakurai to single out a few of his requests as noteworthy in his old Brawl journal. This thread alone has featured 654 Kremling Kutthroats since its inception, and that number is only continuing to grow. As always, if you’d like to be featured on the Kutthroat List, just leave a post in the thread; who knows, the thread’s regulators may even take it upon themselves to, err, initiate new members.
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Neosquid • DonkeyStrong • Slider Eclipse • Zombie Saurian • Vann Accessible • Phoenix Lord' • Mikegamer0608 • Jazzman • StrangeMann • AcanthusLux • Roxas215 • FangedSniper • Mariomaniac45213 • Elite Gaymer • Geno Boost • Team Lothgar • Redcard • Wintropy • BertholdtFubar • Joeyd123 • Sanastro • Smashbro596 • SmashWarrior202 • ReynTime • n88_2004 • Stirlingo • Pakky • Princess Toady • The King of Skulls • Brindor • Redgohan147 • Garteam • SuperSegaSonicSSS • deebeethedeity • Robotic Operating Buddy • erico9001 • Cpt. • Meta-Kraid • CardStealer1 • MorbidAltruism • PresidentWario • PsiDude • ElectricCitrus • Enigma14 • CaptainKirby • VelocityHill • Megalon72 • cool mario bros • Godzillathewonderdog • Golden Icarus • EiroHRT • JayJay55 • NaxStrider • KlumpKluxKlan • DarkDedede • SmashingObjection • Lazyboy0337 • Blade Knight • Jackalmore • RavenKingSage • RetroJake • sandslash • Narth • AEM • Azure Warrior • NintendoAlike • Kroconut • IMainKingKRool • AbioFlesh • Thelimomon • Strider_Bond00J • Jurae818 • the101 • Babycowland • SleuthMechanism • lanky_gunner • Arklos • Meandpikachu • StormC • JavaCroc • KlumpKluxKlan • KlumpKluxKlan • 0ShadowStories • Magikarpow • Yetiplays • TurnUp • Craxian • Dinoman96 • Shog • wizardto1 • AwesomeCauliflower68 • Cactusblah • Strofirko • UltraMario • IceAnt573 • plrichard • Etc_Guy • Naglfarii • G-Guy • StubbyDK • TheSkuxxedOne • SmashBro99 • Speed • Nald • Altais
Neosquid • DonkeyStrong • Slider Eclipse • Zombie Saurian • Vann Accessible • Phoenix Lord' • Mikegamer0608 • Jazzman • StrangeMann • AcanthusLux • Roxas215 • FangedSniper • Mariomaniac45213 • Elite Gaymer • Geno Boost • Team Lothgar • Redcard • Wintropy • BertholdtFubar • Joeyd123 • Sanastro • Smashbro596 • SmashWarrior202 • ReynTime • n88_2004 • Stirlingo • Pakky • Princess Toady • The King of Skulls • Brindor • Redgohan147 • Garteam • SuperSegaSonicSSS • deebeethedeity • Robotic Operating Buddy • erico9001 • Cpt. • Meta-Kraid • CardStealer1 • MorbidAltruism • PresidentWario • PsiDude • ElectricCitrus • Enigma14 • CaptainKirby • VelocityHill • Megalon72 • cool mario bros • Godzillathewonderdog • Golden Icarus • EiroHRT • JayJay55 • NaxStrider • KlumpKluxKlan • DarkDedede • SmashingObjection • Lazyboy0337 • Blade Knight • Jackalmore • RavenKingSage • RetroJake • sandslash • Narth • AEM • Azure Warrior • NintendoAlike • Kroconut • IMainKingKRool • AbioFlesh • Thelimomon • Strider_Bond00J • Jurae818 • the101 • Babycowland • SleuthMechanism • lanky_gunner • Arklos • Meandpikachu • StormC • JavaCroc • KlumpKluxKlan • KlumpKluxKlan • 0ShadowStories • Magikarpow • Yetiplays • TurnUp • Craxian • Dinoman96 • Shog • wizardto1 • AwesomeCauliflower68 • Cactusblah • Strofirko • UltraMario • IceAnt573 • plrichard • Etc_Guy • Naglfarii • G-Guy • StubbyDK • TheSkuxxedOne • SmashBro99 • Speed • Nald • AltaisWhat's more, K. Rool's fans have made it clear they are sincere in their support for the character. Because K. Rool wasn't in any major new games in the lead-up to SSB4, he never had the luxury of a trendy bandwagon formed around him. . .hell, he didn’t even get any stupid hashtags as a result of fake leaks, and yet, on a global scale, he still beat out every other candidate not named Mewtwo or Mega Man in overall fan support! The good news for K. Rool is that, no matter what, his fans are in it for the long-haul; if Nintendo and Retro continue ignoring the character, his fans will still keep requesting him for Smash and growing his fanbase, while, if he reappears in a new DKC game, his overall popularity will explode to a size far and beyond what it already is.
Point being, as frantic as detractors are to label K. Rool a Geno or a Wart, as one of countless one-offs with no chance whatsoever as a DLC fighter because “no one knows him” or “he wouldn’t appeal to anyone,” K. Rool’s fans continue to prove them wrong by virtue of the sheer presence they’ve developed. Thanks to these fans, people know and like K. Rool despite often having never touched a DK game, or a DK game featuring him as main villain (in addition to the many who have). As such, K. Rool would be as profitable than any other DLC newcomer candidate, if not moreso, especially if his wacky antics were promoted by way of Nintendo Direct or even a simultaneous new game appearance or classic game rerelease.
A K. ROOL MOVE ARSENAL
In the months following SSB4’s release, tidbits have emerged regarding Sakurai’s roster selection philosophy, all of which render K. Rool’s exclusion from the game’s default roster all the more baffling. According to Sakurai, character uniqueness is the beating heart of the Smash roster and, even if a character is popular and famous, that character might be left out because they lack uniqueness.
Could it be that Sakurai is of the opinion that K. Rool is just “another fat king” who would be “just like other heavyweights?” “No way!” you may say, citing that K. Rool just needs one new appearance to raise his already-high profile, or that a team that actually gives the slightest care for the DK series needs to develop Smash for once. Fair enough, but keep in mind, Sakurai having this opinion of K. Rool wouldn’t be the first time his so-called “correct” view of a character has been that of GameFAQs’ dirty underbelly’s.
Rather than showcasing just a few movesets, I’m going to comprehensively look at each of K. Rool’s appearances, compiling every possible unique move, feature or contribution he could have based on his source material, or even an extrapolation of his source material. It is my aim that, after browsing this section, all K. Rool fans, veteran, new or potential, will see and promote the King in a whole new light. People will be able to share his uniqueness with confidence, rather than just saying "he's unique" like what happens with literally every other character. And “K. Rool doesn’t bring anything new to the table” can be identified as the pathological lie it is by an even larger group of fans, leaving trolls with little else to do but try slapping another misconception onto the character. . ."too big," perhaps?
Who knows, maybe even one of the Nintendo reps who have been confirmed to lurk these forums will take an interest and be so kind as to spread the ideas around within their circles, up to and including those who may take interest in implementing them? Heh, heh, heh. . .
Since the moves detailed in every other section must fit onto the character 'base' of K. Rool, I may as well dedicate this first section to explaining what this base could entail. In general, K. Rool is a character of extremes, whether it's his physical traits or the sheer madness of his schemes.
Starting with the most obvious traits that could represent this in Smash, K. Rool is a large character, larger than Donkey Kong; thus, at the very least, his weight would surely be above that of his eternal nemesis in Smash. He may weigh in between DK and Bowser as the second-heaviest character, tied with Bowser for heaviest, or even outranking him as the new heaviest character.
Although people often like to dismiss cries for "more heavyweights" with a "who cares?" or a "who plays fat, stupid characters anyway?", it's a fighter classification that is in an extreme minority in terms of the overall Smash roster, with only six or so fighters weighing in above the 110 pound mark. What's more, what with Bowser's new coat of paint, heavyweights are more viable in the competitive scene than ever before, and yet SSB4 currently offers no new heavyweights, with only Bowser Jr. remotely coming close.
K. Rool is distinct among this newcomer roster, if nothing else, due to his extreme weight, as well as his size. While he towers over the Kongs in a number of his appearances, his cartoony design is conducive to downsizing, evidenced by this repeatedly happening in his spin-off appearances. A realistically-proportioned Smash K. Rool could be as big as, if not the slightest bit larger than Bowser. While his weight may grant him a superb defense from KOs, his size renders him fully vulnerable to an offensive onslaught. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
K. Rool's speed itself is a bit more difficult to interpret in Smash. In both DKC and DKC2, he starts off at slow speeds before becoming progressively faster, either on foot or by way of blunderbuss jetting. He moves at a more lumbering pace in DK64 and, in Mario Super Sluggers, is tied for the slowest character in the game. On the whole, giving K. Rool either a fast or a slow dash could help set him apart. In a game where the average character dash is buffed significantly, having one super sluggish newcomer would strike quite a contrast with everyone else, whereas a fast heavyweight would involve exploring new Lightning Bruiser territory in Smash as well. Even a middle ground could be reached, with K. Rool having a middling speed, or potentially a slow walk and a fast dash, like Charizard.
Lastly, jump height, too, could change along with speed; K. Rool could either be given his massive leaps from DKC or a feeble few hops to really hammer home his heavy nature (or a high first jump and a lackluster second one). His maneuverability after jumping is also an area that could be toyed with; to mirror how he leaps across the Gangplank Galleon in DKC, K. Rool could have a ton of maneuverability in the air after jumping. Of course, he could also plummet like a rock due to his immense girth. What will largely end up determining these and other traits are the balance that needs striking with whatever moves he receives. Before those get detailed, let's just sum up what basic noteworthy traits K. Rool could have to close this section out.
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool could be the second-heaviest in-game weight at least, the new heaviest weight at most
--He could be one of, if not the largest character in the game, size-wise
--He could have a blazing dash speed for a heavyweight or a stunningly slow dash speed in general
--He could have leaps to rival Falco's or poor jumps laughed at by even Little Mac
--The King could offer aerial movement or a rock-like fall speed allowing for little movement at all
Starting with the most obvious traits that could represent this in Smash, K. Rool is a large character, larger than Donkey Kong; thus, at the very least, his weight would surely be above that of his eternal nemesis in Smash. He may weigh in between DK and Bowser as the second-heaviest character, tied with Bowser for heaviest, or even outranking him as the new heaviest character.
Although people often like to dismiss cries for "more heavyweights" with a "who cares?" or a "who plays fat, stupid characters anyway?", it's a fighter classification that is in an extreme minority in terms of the overall Smash roster, with only six or so fighters weighing in above the 110 pound mark. What's more, what with Bowser's new coat of paint, heavyweights are more viable in the competitive scene than ever before, and yet SSB4 currently offers no new heavyweights, with only Bowser Jr. remotely coming close.
K. Rool is distinct among this newcomer roster, if nothing else, due to his extreme weight, as well as his size. While he towers over the Kongs in a number of his appearances, his cartoony design is conducive to downsizing, evidenced by this repeatedly happening in his spin-off appearances. A realistically-proportioned Smash K. Rool could be as big as, if not the slightest bit larger than Bowser. While his weight may grant him a superb defense from KOs, his size renders him fully vulnerable to an offensive onslaught. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
K. Rool's speed itself is a bit more difficult to interpret in Smash. In both DKC and DKC2, he starts off at slow speeds before becoming progressively faster, either on foot or by way of blunderbuss jetting. He moves at a more lumbering pace in DK64 and, in Mario Super Sluggers, is tied for the slowest character in the game. On the whole, giving K. Rool either a fast or a slow dash could help set him apart. In a game where the average character dash is buffed significantly, having one super sluggish newcomer would strike quite a contrast with everyone else, whereas a fast heavyweight would involve exploring new Lightning Bruiser territory in Smash as well. Even a middle ground could be reached, with K. Rool having a middling speed, or potentially a slow walk and a fast dash, like Charizard.
Lastly, jump height, too, could change along with speed; K. Rool could either be given his massive leaps from DKC or a feeble few hops to really hammer home his heavy nature (or a high first jump and a lackluster second one). His maneuverability after jumping is also an area that could be toyed with; to mirror how he leaps across the Gangplank Galleon in DKC, K. Rool could have a ton of maneuverability in the air after jumping. Of course, he could also plummet like a rock due to his immense girth. What will largely end up determining these and other traits are the balance that needs striking with whatever moves he receives. Before those get detailed, let's just sum up what basic noteworthy traits K. Rool could have to close this section out.
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool could be the second-heaviest in-game weight at least, the new heaviest weight at most
--He could be one of, if not the largest character in the game, size-wise
--He could have a blazing dash speed for a heavyweight or a stunningly slow dash speed in general
--He could have leaps to rival Falco's or poor jumps laughed at by even Little Mac
--The King could offer aerial movement or a rock-like fall speed allowing for little movement at all
One more section before we get into actual moves: K. Rool's playstyle. Whereas K. Rool's general feel is a shallower way of evaluating his character, his playstyle is where we really get insight into what this character is all about. Personally, I view playstyle from two angles: 'what strategies would a character use to win a battle?', as well as 'in enacting these strategies as a player, would the gameplay feel as though it's patently that character?'
For example, Donkey Kong the character would realistically engage enemies with no-holds-barred beatdowns, and in Smash, the character conveys this feeling in the midst of matches, albeit very simplistically. In contrast, a timid strategic character like Olimar feels, in my opinion, out-of-place sacrificing his underlings mercilessly for the sake of a victory (he ought to have a more nurturing, growth-based playstyle, rather than one revolving around throwing out powerful, disjointed hitboxes).
Bringing this discussion back to K. Rool, this frame is why I feel he doesn't fit the "big, strong heavyweight" mold in the slightest. Oh, sure, he'd be a big character with a few strong moves, but is that really what the character is all about? No. What sets K. Rool apart from the Bowsers of the Nintendoverse is the sheer cunning he employs, both with his plots and his boss fight weapons, as opposed to him just muscling his way through life.
This is a guy who lulls you into a false sense of security with false Kredits, who whittles your health down with projectile barrages before reversing your controls so you finish yourself off, who sneaks up on you while invisible, who zaps the floor to force you into close quarters with him. He manipulates every aspect of the environment around him (polluting it in the process), stopping at nothing to ultimately emerge victorious.
As such, I think the best representation of K. Rool in Smash is as a trickster, weaving together his various weapons from over the years to create a deadly network of attacks. He's a character who should be onstage, planting traps, catching opponents with their guard down with ranged projectiles, and otherwise wreaking havoc to direct foes' attention toward dodging his attacks, rather than on actually attacking him. While he'd have his fair share of physical moves, they ought to be secondary to his weapon-based attacks, meant to capitalize upon them rather than overshadow them. To use more specific playstyle terms, K. Rool could become a trapper, a grappler, a zoner or even a brawler; however, K. Rool certainly need not be restrained to one label, but could instead take elements from multiple types to bring about a style all his own.
Considering the character's bumbling nature, I also see merit in having K. Rool's projectiles and traps lend to a high-risk, high-reward playstyle; if his attacks land, his foes should be KOed in record time, whereas, if they miss, K. Rool ought to suffer a heaping load of punishment for his blunders. He's a character who fully invests himself into whatever plots he's enacting with no true back-up recourses, even changing his wardrobe in the process (to a pirate when 'pirating' DK, to a scientist when designing a world-conquering robot); as such, if his plots fail in Smash, he should almost certainly go down with his (figurative) ship. In essence, K. Rool deserves a zany, strategic playstyle loaded with madness, albeit with a method needed to guide it toward a successful outcome.
tl;dr version:
--At his core, K. Rool is anything but a generic, strong heavyweight
--The character is devious, yet over-the-top with his schemes in his source material; his Smash incarnation should reflect this
--A trickster playstyle, full of traps, projectiles and stage-influencing moves should be K. Rool's focal point
--K. Rool's physical attacks should complement his weapon-based trickery, not overshadow it
--The character could take on any type of playstyle, from a trapper or grappler to a zoner or brawler, or, even better, elements from a combination of those types
--Because the character is a bumbler and a fanatic, his traps and set-ups should have a high-risk, high-reward nature to them
For example, Donkey Kong the character would realistically engage enemies with no-holds-barred beatdowns, and in Smash, the character conveys this feeling in the midst of matches, albeit very simplistically. In contrast, a timid strategic character like Olimar feels, in my opinion, out-of-place sacrificing his underlings mercilessly for the sake of a victory (he ought to have a more nurturing, growth-based playstyle, rather than one revolving around throwing out powerful, disjointed hitboxes).
Bringing this discussion back to K. Rool, this frame is why I feel he doesn't fit the "big, strong heavyweight" mold in the slightest. Oh, sure, he'd be a big character with a few strong moves, but is that really what the character is all about? No. What sets K. Rool apart from the Bowsers of the Nintendoverse is the sheer cunning he employs, both with his plots and his boss fight weapons, as opposed to him just muscling his way through life.
This is a guy who lulls you into a false sense of security with false Kredits, who whittles your health down with projectile barrages before reversing your controls so you finish yourself off, who sneaks up on you while invisible, who zaps the floor to force you into close quarters with him. He manipulates every aspect of the environment around him (polluting it in the process), stopping at nothing to ultimately emerge victorious.
As such, I think the best representation of K. Rool in Smash is as a trickster, weaving together his various weapons from over the years to create a deadly network of attacks. He's a character who should be onstage, planting traps, catching opponents with their guard down with ranged projectiles, and otherwise wreaking havoc to direct foes' attention toward dodging his attacks, rather than on actually attacking him. While he'd have his fair share of physical moves, they ought to be secondary to his weapon-based attacks, meant to capitalize upon them rather than overshadow them. To use more specific playstyle terms, K. Rool could become a trapper, a grappler, a zoner or even a brawler; however, K. Rool certainly need not be restrained to one label, but could instead take elements from multiple types to bring about a style all his own.
Considering the character's bumbling nature, I also see merit in having K. Rool's projectiles and traps lend to a high-risk, high-reward playstyle; if his attacks land, his foes should be KOed in record time, whereas, if they miss, K. Rool ought to suffer a heaping load of punishment for his blunders. He's a character who fully invests himself into whatever plots he's enacting with no true back-up recourses, even changing his wardrobe in the process (to a pirate when 'pirating' DK, to a scientist when designing a world-conquering robot); as such, if his plots fail in Smash, he should almost certainly go down with his (figurative) ship. In essence, K. Rool deserves a zany, strategic playstyle loaded with madness, albeit with a method needed to guide it toward a successful outcome.
tl;dr version:
--At his core, K. Rool is anything but a generic, strong heavyweight
--The character is devious, yet over-the-top with his schemes in his source material; his Smash incarnation should reflect this
--A trickster playstyle, full of traps, projectiles and stage-influencing moves should be K. Rool's focal point
--K. Rool's physical attacks should complement his weapon-based trickery, not overshadow it
--The character could take on any type of playstyle, from a trapper or grappler to a zoner or brawler, or, even better, elements from a combination of those types
--Because the character is a bumbler and a fanatic, his traps and set-ups should have a high-risk, high-reward nature to them
Now, let's get this ball rolling with K. Rool's trademark headpiece, his golden crown! It's used as part of his bread-and-butter attack in the very first DKC: he removes his crown, casts it forward horizontally in front of himself like a boomerang, mugging the camera while doing so, before catching it and returning it to its rightful place. This is often the only attack most K. Rool detractors look at when saying "BAWWWWW he's boring!" and, to be fair, if copied over into Smash exactly as it was in DKC, the crown toss wouldn't be terribly exciting. However, like with so many other moves brought into Smash from characters' source material, creative interpretation can breathe new life into the character, giving them a whole new set of fans in the new generation.
Let's start by differentiating the crown boomerang from its most obvious comparison in Smash, Link's boomerang; whereas Link and Toon Link are perfectly free to move around after throwing their weapons, this contradicts the 'high-risk, high-reward' nature of K. Rool outlined in the Playstyle section above. It'd be more fitting for K. Rool's crown to be a more dangerous ranged weapon, but one that left him highly vulnerable. What sorts of dangers could it create? How about a more controllable projectile? Rather than throwing out his crown a set distance, K. Rool could charge how far his projectile travels onstage before throwing it, for starters. The crown's trajectory could either be angled at the start of the move or influenced directly mid-flight. Heck, K. Rool could even determine how long the crown travels forward onstage, making it essentially an infinite-ranged projectile if he so chooses, at the expense of him remaining a sitting duck, gawking at the screen, for obscene periods of time, potentially as long as multiple Ganondorf U-Tilts.
There are also a number of interesting ways to flesh out how opponents interact directly with the crown. For example, the crown could strike them multiple different ways; it could deal one solid blow or slice them with multiple light hits. Even more intriguingly, the crown could snag victims upon its pointy spikes, a bit like how Master Giant grabs characters and pulls them inside, dragging them around the stage for a time until they button-mash free. Depending on where foes were hit along the crown's path, this could either drag them away from the King to give him more breathing room or bring them closer to him or his traps for a follow-up hit.
What with the crown's boomerang nature, all of these attack possibilities could also pose a double-threat to opponents by hitting them on its return trip to its owner; K. Rool could take advantage of this by pulling it back the moment an opponent avoids it, catching them as they exit their dodge or roll. Although the crown could bounce back to the King after hitting a target, it could also slice right through them, allowing for multiple foes to be hit or for the same foe to be hit twice if the K. Rool player has good aim. As a counterbalance to the crown, foes could attack it back at K. Rool to damage him instead, like with Dedede's Gordos. Every time he'd use the move, he'd have to weigh the potential reward of smacking, slicing or snagging a foe vs. the risk of him suffering the same fate.
The crown boomerang itself could work well most clearly as a special, but also possibly, with the right tweaking, as a standard attack or Smash, maybe even as a short-ranged projectile F-Air or B-Air. Beyond that, to a lesser degree, the crown itself works well as an option for standard attacks. Whereas Peach has a single move where she swipes out with her tiara, K. Rool could stand out with far more vicious moves, stabbing his crown's sharp prongs into unfortunate opponents. A by-no-means-comprehensive list of what these standards could entail includes charging into foes crown-first, headbutting, jumping up and spearing foes, or even plummeting downward crown-first. All these moves and more could test players' skills in that they could offer sweetspots: hit foes anywhere but with K. Rool's crown and these moves won't do much good, but hit them with the crown and they'll suffer devastating damage or knockback, maybe both.
Of note, the specific properties of K. Rool's crown and its attacks largely hinges on what design and costumes he has in-game. While K. Rool's classic design features a larger crown, a more appropriate attack hitbox, K. Rool's Paon design features a smaller crown, which could either be upsized for better attack functionality or grow during attacks for the same purpose. As far as costumes go, most K. Rool fans would love to see his Kaptain, Baron, and Boxer (along with lesser ones like Pilot or Pharaoh) options follow him into Smash, three of which don't feature a crown. Solutions to this slight dilemma exist if crown moves and costumes are to coexist. K. Rool can throw an alternate projectile (his pirate hat/headlight/pilot hat), implement mechanical spikes onto his other, non-spiky headpieces that pop out during attacks, or maybe just pull out a crown out of hammerspace when necessary.
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool's crown boomerang is iconic, not all that interesting in its original form, but insanely easy to flesh out through creative interpretation
--Its trajectory could range from horizontal, to angle-able, to controllable
--Its range could vary from set, to chargeable, to potentially infinite
--The crown could hit foes once, multiple times, or drag them around the stage; it could bounce back to K. Rool after hit or dodged or could go through victims to hit them twice when it returns
--The crown's strengths could be offset by K. Rool being unable to move while it's out, as well as vulnerable to foes knocking it back at him
--The crown could also play a role in a number of satisfying-to-land, stabbing standard attacks
--Workarounds may be necessary if K. Rool has his smaller, Paon crown or is wearing a crown-less alternate costume, but several obvious ones do exist
Let's start by differentiating the crown boomerang from its most obvious comparison in Smash, Link's boomerang; whereas Link and Toon Link are perfectly free to move around after throwing their weapons, this contradicts the 'high-risk, high-reward' nature of K. Rool outlined in the Playstyle section above. It'd be more fitting for K. Rool's crown to be a more dangerous ranged weapon, but one that left him highly vulnerable. What sorts of dangers could it create? How about a more controllable projectile? Rather than throwing out his crown a set distance, K. Rool could charge how far his projectile travels onstage before throwing it, for starters. The crown's trajectory could either be angled at the start of the move or influenced directly mid-flight. Heck, K. Rool could even determine how long the crown travels forward onstage, making it essentially an infinite-ranged projectile if he so chooses, at the expense of him remaining a sitting duck, gawking at the screen, for obscene periods of time, potentially as long as multiple Ganondorf U-Tilts.
There are also a number of interesting ways to flesh out how opponents interact directly with the crown. For example, the crown could strike them multiple different ways; it could deal one solid blow or slice them with multiple light hits. Even more intriguingly, the crown could snag victims upon its pointy spikes, a bit like how Master Giant grabs characters and pulls them inside, dragging them around the stage for a time until they button-mash free. Depending on where foes were hit along the crown's path, this could either drag them away from the King to give him more breathing room or bring them closer to him or his traps for a follow-up hit.
What with the crown's boomerang nature, all of these attack possibilities could also pose a double-threat to opponents by hitting them on its return trip to its owner; K. Rool could take advantage of this by pulling it back the moment an opponent avoids it, catching them as they exit their dodge or roll. Although the crown could bounce back to the King after hitting a target, it could also slice right through them, allowing for multiple foes to be hit or for the same foe to be hit twice if the K. Rool player has good aim. As a counterbalance to the crown, foes could attack it back at K. Rool to damage him instead, like with Dedede's Gordos. Every time he'd use the move, he'd have to weigh the potential reward of smacking, slicing or snagging a foe vs. the risk of him suffering the same fate.
The crown boomerang itself could work well most clearly as a special, but also possibly, with the right tweaking, as a standard attack or Smash, maybe even as a short-ranged projectile F-Air or B-Air. Beyond that, to a lesser degree, the crown itself works well as an option for standard attacks. Whereas Peach has a single move where she swipes out with her tiara, K. Rool could stand out with far more vicious moves, stabbing his crown's sharp prongs into unfortunate opponents. A by-no-means-comprehensive list of what these standards could entail includes charging into foes crown-first, headbutting, jumping up and spearing foes, or even plummeting downward crown-first. All these moves and more could test players' skills in that they could offer sweetspots: hit foes anywhere but with K. Rool's crown and these moves won't do much good, but hit them with the crown and they'll suffer devastating damage or knockback, maybe both.
Of note, the specific properties of K. Rool's crown and its attacks largely hinges on what design and costumes he has in-game. While K. Rool's classic design features a larger crown, a more appropriate attack hitbox, K. Rool's Paon design features a smaller crown, which could either be upsized for better attack functionality or grow during attacks for the same purpose. As far as costumes go, most K. Rool fans would love to see his Kaptain, Baron, and Boxer (along with lesser ones like Pilot or Pharaoh) options follow him into Smash, three of which don't feature a crown. Solutions to this slight dilemma exist if crown moves and costumes are to coexist. K. Rool can throw an alternate projectile (his pirate hat/headlight/pilot hat), implement mechanical spikes onto his other, non-spiky headpieces that pop out during attacks, or maybe just pull out a crown out of hammerspace when necessary.
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool's crown boomerang is iconic, not all that interesting in its original form, but insanely easy to flesh out through creative interpretation
--Its trajectory could range from horizontal, to angle-able, to controllable
--Its range could vary from set, to chargeable, to potentially infinite
--The crown could hit foes once, multiple times, or drag them around the stage; it could bounce back to K. Rool after hit or dodged or could go through victims to hit them twice when it returns
--The crown's strengths could be offset by K. Rool being unable to move while it's out, as well as vulnerable to foes knocking it back at him
--The crown could also play a role in a number of satisfying-to-land, stabbing standard attacks
--Workarounds may be necessary if K. Rool has his smaller, Paon crown or is wearing a crown-less alternate costume, but several obvious ones do exist
Time to analyze a source of moveset potential that, compared to the crown, seems best-suited to fill a secondary role in K. Rool's moveset due to its physical, rather than weapon-based origin. After K. Rool's crown boomerang, a raging charge across the Gangplank Galleon is the second attack out of K. Rool's vast arsenal that we see him perform. This section will be relatively short, given that a mere charge doesn't have nearly the room for expansion as intricate traps or projectiles, but I still see a handful of ways to set K. Rool's move apart from the generic "move forward really fast" moves that plague Smash.
At its most basic, K. Rool could dash forward across the stage, plowing through all characters he comes in contact with. This move could be either initiated by a tap of whatever input it is on (Side Special or dash attack, with an outside chance of F-Smash), have its speed and distance influenced by charging the move, or have its longevity determined by how long the input is held after release. This latter element in particular could lend the move some uniqueness if it's mapped to the dash attack input.
Rather than having K. Rool simply dash forward a set distance, his charge could lend itself to a "keep-on-truckin'" dash attack where K. Rool continues charging as long as the input is held, offering the high-reward of a powerful mobile hitbox at the expense of the high-risk of K. Rool becoming a predictable moving target. He could be given super armor during the move, on his entire body or solely on his golden belly, or be left completely open, a moving hunk of croc that, as Viridi so derisively comments, "looks like an elephant sprinting."
It would be quite easy to have K. Rool stumble comically upon the move ending as well. However, if the move is mapped to Side Special, K. Rool could gain the option to cancel the move with a short hop, like he does in DKC. This hop could either travel forward slightly (a set distance or a player-determined distance) or occur in place, and could either knock foes flying or bury them in the ground. Speaking of burying foes, K. Rool's charge itself does not have to simply knock foes away. It, too, could bury foes, or perhaps more intriguingly, leave them in a prone position, trampled flat on the stage.
This way, they're forced to either roll away, stand up or use a get-up attack, a small selection of predictable options that K. Rool can read and counter-attack. He could also use the time to throw out additional traps or projectiles, or even, if K. Rool is given the option to turn around while charging (like Wario's Bike), trample them flat a second time for additional damage and comedy. Lastly, animation-wise, K. Rool's charge could either keep its original animation from DKC or perhaps, to differentiate it from his normal running pose more, he could lower his head and bull charge, spearing victims with his crown (which could deal either one piercing blow or multiple light, dragging hits).
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool's charge is a great supplementary move to complement his projectiles, traps and weaponry, a potential high-risk, high-reward one to boot
--A bare-bones charge, controlled or otherwise, could exist as a Side Special, dash attack, or even F-Smash, with its nuances depending on which input it has
--His charge could be given exciting properties, like stomping out-of-charge, super armor, pitfalling foes, or putting them in prone position
--K. Rool's animation could involve him bull-charging, crown in front, for a strong hit or multiple lesser ones
At its most basic, K. Rool could dash forward across the stage, plowing through all characters he comes in contact with. This move could be either initiated by a tap of whatever input it is on (Side Special or dash attack, with an outside chance of F-Smash), have its speed and distance influenced by charging the move, or have its longevity determined by how long the input is held after release. This latter element in particular could lend the move some uniqueness if it's mapped to the dash attack input.
Rather than having K. Rool simply dash forward a set distance, his charge could lend itself to a "keep-on-truckin'" dash attack where K. Rool continues charging as long as the input is held, offering the high-reward of a powerful mobile hitbox at the expense of the high-risk of K. Rool becoming a predictable moving target. He could be given super armor during the move, on his entire body or solely on his golden belly, or be left completely open, a moving hunk of croc that, as Viridi so derisively comments, "looks like an elephant sprinting."
It would be quite easy to have K. Rool stumble comically upon the move ending as well. However, if the move is mapped to Side Special, K. Rool could gain the option to cancel the move with a short hop, like he does in DKC. This hop could either travel forward slightly (a set distance or a player-determined distance) or occur in place, and could either knock foes flying or bury them in the ground. Speaking of burying foes, K. Rool's charge itself does not have to simply knock foes away. It, too, could bury foes, or perhaps more intriguingly, leave them in a prone position, trampled flat on the stage.
This way, they're forced to either roll away, stand up or use a get-up attack, a small selection of predictable options that K. Rool can read and counter-attack. He could also use the time to throw out additional traps or projectiles, or even, if K. Rool is given the option to turn around while charging (like Wario's Bike), trample them flat a second time for additional damage and comedy. Lastly, animation-wise, K. Rool's charge could either keep its original animation from DKC or perhaps, to differentiate it from his normal running pose more, he could lower his head and bull charge, spearing victims with his crown (which could deal either one piercing blow or multiple light, dragging hits).
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool's charge is a great supplementary move to complement his projectiles, traps and weaponry, a potential high-risk, high-reward one to boot
--A bare-bones charge, controlled or otherwise, could exist as a Side Special, dash attack, or even F-Smash, with its nuances depending on which input it has
--His charge could be given exciting properties, like stomping out-of-charge, super armor, pitfalling foes, or putting them in prone position
--K. Rool's animation could involve him bull-charging, crown in front, for a strong hit or multiple lesser ones
Probably the most difficult portion of K. Rool’s initial boss fight (not that that’s saying much, but I digress) involves dodging a barrage of falling cannonballs the King triggers with a mighty leaping stomp. This is a move often suggested as K. Rool’s Final Smash, basically taking PK Starstorm, swapping the stars with cannonballs, and maybe changing the trajectory up a bit. It’s an option, albeit not an incredibly interesting one. The more intriguing possibilities cannonballs have to offer come in the form of Specials.
In particular, I believe falling cannonballs to the the biggest source of potential K. Rool has in his King form specifically. If, for god knows what reason, his blunderbuss is ruled out, either for being “too gun-like” or because “it wouldn’t make sense for him to use his brother’s weapon,” or because developers want to keep his moveset DKC1-based, this is definitely an option I think could be explored with great success; vertical projectiles are a rarity in Smash, after all (only Pikachu’s thunderbolt and Samus’ bombs come to mind off the top of my head).
A falling cannonball could be mapped to K. Rool’s Neutral or Down Specials, or even to a Smash input or Up Special (if he has a high midair jump, a glide or multiple jumps with his helicopter pack, and/or is heavy to the point of not having a recovery, period) for stretches. The move could entail K. Rool stomping in place to summon a cannonball from the top blast zone, falling down to the ground in front of him (or completely off the bottom blast zone if he’s standing on the ledge facing outward). The cannonball itself could have any number of properties (while those not selected could become custom moves).
The ball itself could be relatively small (the size of Jr.’s), large (the size of Kirby or a Party Ball), or somewhere in between. It could plummet as fast as Pikachu’s thunderbolt or at a slower pace, or at a slow initial pace that can be sped up by tapping the input an additional time. K. Rool could either move around while the ball is falling to push foes underneath it (possibly risking being hit himself if the ball is enabled to hit him, too) or, more likely be rooted to the spot until it reaches the stage. The ball could knock away opponents who touch it at all, who touch its underside (alternatively, this could spike them), or who are underneath it when it lands (or pitfall them).
The cannonball could either vanish upon landing onstage or bounce up slightly before vanishing; a logical choice would be to have a faster-falling cannonball bounce from its momentum while having a slower-falling one vanish upon landing. Instead of quickly vanishing, options also exist to turn fallen cannonballs into fun tools upon landing. Cannonballs could remain onstage and be pushed around by characters moving on top of them or against their sides (like the Chomp Rocks in Yoshi’s Island), knocking opponents back, with added damage and knockback if rolled down a slope or dropped off the stage at them. This option would work best with larger cannonballs.
If a smaller cannonball is chosen, it could remain onstage as a heavy tossing item, similar to Bonsly in Pokeball form. If thrown, it’d deal damage and knockback to its victims, albeit definitely not as much as Bonsly (which does 30% if I remember correctly). Considering top three heavies Bowser, DK, and Dedede are the three fastest item-carriers in that order, and K. Rool would rank in between the top two at the very least, throwable cannonballs could prove a helpful tool for him as long as they’re onstage. Granted, this wouldn’t be too long; as risk factors, foes could also use the cannonballs against the King, and he couldn’t rain down more cannonballs until all onstage ones disappeared.
A cannonball rain move could also be charged to allow K. Rool to rain down multiple cannonballs at once (probably with three or so being the maximum amount). They could rain down in quick succession or upon the King’s command (one initial stomp to summon the first, then shorter, quicker stomps for the following ones). Their trajectory could be in a set vertical pillar, with each landed further away from him than the next, or with the opposite pattern occurring. Naturally, for balance reasons, a move with multiple cannonballs falling would probably not have any cannonballs remaining onstage for extra potential damage.
Lastly and briefly, a cap could be placed on how many times K. Rool can spam the move before it backfires by way of a cannonball falling onto his foot, causing him damage, lag as he hops around on it, or both. Of course, this could also be incorporated into the move as an option; if K. Rool is programmed not to move while the ball is falling, the player could, say, tap the input a second or third time (depends on whether or not the second input speeds the ball’s fall speed) to drop it on his foot, causing him to leap straight up in pain and knock away opponents with great force.
tl;dr version:
--Falling cannonballs could be K. Rool’s Final Smash, but are more interesting as a Special (or Smash), in my opinion
--Falling cannonballs are K. Rool’s greatest source of potential from his King appearance, and are an underrated unique option of his
--Cannonballs could come in different sizes (small or large) and fall at different paces (slow, fast, controllable)
--Cannonballs could hit opponents differently (knockback at all times, knockback or spiking from underneath, knockback or pitfalling upon landing) and land onstage differently (bouncing or vanishing instantly)
--K. Rool could either be rooted to the spot while cannonballs are falling or move around while they fall, with ensuing repercussions
--Cannonballs could remain onstage after falling for additional use, as either a rolling or throwing weapon
--The move could be charged to rain down multiple cannonballs at different speeds and trajectories
In particular, I believe falling cannonballs to the the biggest source of potential K. Rool has in his King form specifically. If, for god knows what reason, his blunderbuss is ruled out, either for being “too gun-like” or because “it wouldn’t make sense for him to use his brother’s weapon,” or because developers want to keep his moveset DKC1-based, this is definitely an option I think could be explored with great success; vertical projectiles are a rarity in Smash, after all (only Pikachu’s thunderbolt and Samus’ bombs come to mind off the top of my head).
A falling cannonball could be mapped to K. Rool’s Neutral or Down Specials, or even to a Smash input or Up Special (if he has a high midair jump, a glide or multiple jumps with his helicopter pack, and/or is heavy to the point of not having a recovery, period) for stretches. The move could entail K. Rool stomping in place to summon a cannonball from the top blast zone, falling down to the ground in front of him (or completely off the bottom blast zone if he’s standing on the ledge facing outward). The cannonball itself could have any number of properties (while those not selected could become custom moves).
The ball itself could be relatively small (the size of Jr.’s), large (the size of Kirby or a Party Ball), or somewhere in between. It could plummet as fast as Pikachu’s thunderbolt or at a slower pace, or at a slow initial pace that can be sped up by tapping the input an additional time. K. Rool could either move around while the ball is falling to push foes underneath it (possibly risking being hit himself if the ball is enabled to hit him, too) or, more likely be rooted to the spot until it reaches the stage. The ball could knock away opponents who touch it at all, who touch its underside (alternatively, this could spike them), or who are underneath it when it lands (or pitfall them).
The cannonball could either vanish upon landing onstage or bounce up slightly before vanishing; a logical choice would be to have a faster-falling cannonball bounce from its momentum while having a slower-falling one vanish upon landing. Instead of quickly vanishing, options also exist to turn fallen cannonballs into fun tools upon landing. Cannonballs could remain onstage and be pushed around by characters moving on top of them or against their sides (like the Chomp Rocks in Yoshi’s Island), knocking opponents back, with added damage and knockback if rolled down a slope or dropped off the stage at them. This option would work best with larger cannonballs.
If a smaller cannonball is chosen, it could remain onstage as a heavy tossing item, similar to Bonsly in Pokeball form. If thrown, it’d deal damage and knockback to its victims, albeit definitely not as much as Bonsly (which does 30% if I remember correctly). Considering top three heavies Bowser, DK, and Dedede are the three fastest item-carriers in that order, and K. Rool would rank in between the top two at the very least, throwable cannonballs could prove a helpful tool for him as long as they’re onstage. Granted, this wouldn’t be too long; as risk factors, foes could also use the cannonballs against the King, and he couldn’t rain down more cannonballs until all onstage ones disappeared.
A cannonball rain move could also be charged to allow K. Rool to rain down multiple cannonballs at once (probably with three or so being the maximum amount). They could rain down in quick succession or upon the King’s command (one initial stomp to summon the first, then shorter, quicker stomps for the following ones). Their trajectory could be in a set vertical pillar, with each landed further away from him than the next, or with the opposite pattern occurring. Naturally, for balance reasons, a move with multiple cannonballs falling would probably not have any cannonballs remaining onstage for extra potential damage.
Lastly and briefly, a cap could be placed on how many times K. Rool can spam the move before it backfires by way of a cannonball falling onto his foot, causing him damage, lag as he hops around on it, or both. Of course, this could also be incorporated into the move as an option; if K. Rool is programmed not to move while the ball is falling, the player could, say, tap the input a second or third time (depends on whether or not the second input speeds the ball’s fall speed) to drop it on his foot, causing him to leap straight up in pain and knock away opponents with great force.
tl;dr version:
--Falling cannonballs could be K. Rool’s Final Smash, but are more interesting as a Special (or Smash), in my opinion
--Falling cannonballs are K. Rool’s greatest source of potential from his King appearance, and are an underrated unique option of his
--Cannonballs could come in different sizes (small or large) and fall at different paces (slow, fast, controllable)
--Cannonballs could hit opponents differently (knockback at all times, knockback or spiking from underneath, knockback or pitfalling upon landing) and land onstage differently (bouncing or vanishing instantly)
--K. Rool could either be rooted to the spot while cannonballs are falling or move around while they fall, with ensuing repercussions
--Cannonballs could remain onstage after falling for additional use, as either a rolling or throwing weapon
--The move could be charged to rain down multiple cannonballs at different speeds and trajectories
This section covers less of a specific move K. Rool can perform and more of a specific type of move that befits him so well. The first and most notorious instance of K. Rool pulling a cheap trick on the Kongs (and player) comes in the form of his Kredits, which can be implemented quite well as a Final Smash for the King. Final Smashes are intended to showcase each character at the peak of their power, and a case can certainly be made that never does K. Rool have more power over his opponents than when they mistakenly think he's down. There are a number of ways for the Kredits to make the transition into Smash.
For starters, K. Rool could play dead, while the Kredits zoom from the bottom blast zone off the screen top, functioning as solid platforms as they go. Much like Master Hand's new card attack (which this idea predates, but I digress), foes who do not act quickly enough will be lifted off the screen to their dooms. The Kredits could come up in a set or random pattern, in varying quantities or speeds, and with the platforms being of varying lengths (the names could be a combination of those from DKC's Kredits and some new, Smash-exclusive ones). Depending on what variables are chosen (and how strong the move is as a result), foes could also be forced to taunt (once, periodically, or continually), much like the Kongs' initial celebration after 'defeating' the King, making them more vulnerable to the rising Kredits.
Alternatively, the King could discontinue playing dead in the middle of the move, sacrificing some aspect of the move (foes' taunting or Kredits' speed, perhaps) for the ability to push foes around during the move, or even make use of the Kredits as a weapon in other ways. For example, rather than lifting foes off the screen top, the Kredits could simply collide with foes as they scroll, dealing damage and shattering into a series of letter projectiles; whenever K. Rool gets up, he could then pick up and throw at opponents. He could also snatch entire lines of text out of the air to use as either a battering weapon (that letters could break off from upon multiple hits) or a larger throwing item, or maybe even a shield (with K. Rool holding up the text when the shield input is pressed for a more durable defense). Depending on how powerful this move is made to be, foes may also have access to all these options if they grab lines of text of their own, so K. Rool wouldn't be able to run completely roughshod over everyone for its duration.
K. Rool could also have a playing dead move without making use of the Kredits. As a Special, this move would most likely become yet another generic counter, although options do exist for bringing flavor to it, unlike what other counters have. For example, rather than simply swiping foes away, K. Rool could leap up and stomp them into a pitfall or swipe out their legs, knocking them into their prone state. Playing dead could put K. Rool into his own prone state, which, if he's given a strong get-up attack (like the above-listed stomp or swipe), could be an advantageous surprise attack. If he's given super armor for a short time after collapsing, this in particular would function as a more controllable counter, where K. Rool determines precisely when to counterattack. Even just as an animation for his crouch, K. Rool could lie on his belly, playing dead; from there, for a D-Tilt, he could lift up and crush foes with his belly or give them a low chomp.
As a brief addendum, if K. Rool is made to be sluggish, either movement or attack-wise, one or two speedy animations or attacks would work as minor cheap tricks for the character to pull out in time of need (albeit with the attacks at least becoming stale quickly to prevent spamming). Sneaky changes to normal moves, such as an option or custom move where K. Rool throws a Crown Boomerang that will explode if foes try hitting it back, would be great to see as well. Even generic attack animations, such as a tail swipe to knock out foes' legs, an elbow to their face or a stomp on their foot, would give K. Rool depth as the dirty coward of a fighter he is. Also of note, there are certain cannonball-related moves I could very easily list under this section, but will place under the following section for the sake of keeping the various cannonball types together.
tl;dr version:
--The Kredits showcase K. Rool at the pinnacle of his cunning, and thus are a perfect Final Smash option for him
--The most straightforward Kredits Final Smash involves lines of Kredit text flowing off the screen top as solid platforms, carrying hapless victims along while the King plays dead
--Foes could be forced to taunt any number of times during this process for additional vulnerability; K. Rool could have the choice to get up and fight, foregoing this option
--Kredits platforms could hit foes instead of lift them, shattering into individual letter items upon doing so
--K. Rool (and opponents) could snatch lines of Kredits for use as a battering or throwing weapon, or a shield, creating additional letter items in the process
--Playing dead could work as a generic counter Special that could be spiced up with a pitfalling stomp or a prone-inducing swipe counterattack
--A playing dead Special could put K. Rool into prone from the start, allowing him super armor so he can time a get-up attack following an enemy blow
--Playing dead is also a cool potential crouching animation for the King, out of which various melee attacks could work
--A fast(er) one or two animations or attacks, sneaky twists to normal moves and dirty, cowardly attack animations can turn K. Rool into an even more well-rounded character (figuratively)
For starters, K. Rool could play dead, while the Kredits zoom from the bottom blast zone off the screen top, functioning as solid platforms as they go. Much like Master Hand's new card attack (which this idea predates, but I digress), foes who do not act quickly enough will be lifted off the screen to their dooms. The Kredits could come up in a set or random pattern, in varying quantities or speeds, and with the platforms being of varying lengths (the names could be a combination of those from DKC's Kredits and some new, Smash-exclusive ones). Depending on what variables are chosen (and how strong the move is as a result), foes could also be forced to taunt (once, periodically, or continually), much like the Kongs' initial celebration after 'defeating' the King, making them more vulnerable to the rising Kredits.
Alternatively, the King could discontinue playing dead in the middle of the move, sacrificing some aspect of the move (foes' taunting or Kredits' speed, perhaps) for the ability to push foes around during the move, or even make use of the Kredits as a weapon in other ways. For example, rather than lifting foes off the screen top, the Kredits could simply collide with foes as they scroll, dealing damage and shattering into a series of letter projectiles; whenever K. Rool gets up, he could then pick up and throw at opponents. He could also snatch entire lines of text out of the air to use as either a battering weapon (that letters could break off from upon multiple hits) or a larger throwing item, or maybe even a shield (with K. Rool holding up the text when the shield input is pressed for a more durable defense). Depending on how powerful this move is made to be, foes may also have access to all these options if they grab lines of text of their own, so K. Rool wouldn't be able to run completely roughshod over everyone for its duration.
K. Rool could also have a playing dead move without making use of the Kredits. As a Special, this move would most likely become yet another generic counter, although options do exist for bringing flavor to it, unlike what other counters have. For example, rather than simply swiping foes away, K. Rool could leap up and stomp them into a pitfall or swipe out their legs, knocking them into their prone state. Playing dead could put K. Rool into his own prone state, which, if he's given a strong get-up attack (like the above-listed stomp or swipe), could be an advantageous surprise attack. If he's given super armor for a short time after collapsing, this in particular would function as a more controllable counter, where K. Rool determines precisely when to counterattack. Even just as an animation for his crouch, K. Rool could lie on his belly, playing dead; from there, for a D-Tilt, he could lift up and crush foes with his belly or give them a low chomp.
As a brief addendum, if K. Rool is made to be sluggish, either movement or attack-wise, one or two speedy animations or attacks would work as minor cheap tricks for the character to pull out in time of need (albeit with the attacks at least becoming stale quickly to prevent spamming). Sneaky changes to normal moves, such as an option or custom move where K. Rool throws a Crown Boomerang that will explode if foes try hitting it back, would be great to see as well. Even generic attack animations, such as a tail swipe to knock out foes' legs, an elbow to their face or a stomp on their foot, would give K. Rool depth as the dirty coward of a fighter he is. Also of note, there are certain cannonball-related moves I could very easily list under this section, but will place under the following section for the sake of keeping the various cannonball types together.
tl;dr version:
--The Kredits showcase K. Rool at the pinnacle of his cunning, and thus are a perfect Final Smash option for him
--The most straightforward Kredits Final Smash involves lines of Kredit text flowing off the screen top as solid platforms, carrying hapless victims along while the King plays dead
--Foes could be forced to taunt any number of times during this process for additional vulnerability; K. Rool could have the choice to get up and fight, foregoing this option
--Kredits platforms could hit foes instead of lift them, shattering into individual letter items upon doing so
--K. Rool (and opponents) could snatch lines of Kredits for use as a battering or throwing weapon, or a shield, creating additional letter items in the process
--Playing dead could work as a generic counter Special that could be spiced up with a pitfalling stomp or a prone-inducing swipe counterattack
--A playing dead Special could put K. Rool into prone from the start, allowing him super armor so he can time a get-up attack following an enemy blow
--Playing dead is also a cool potential crouching animation for the King, out of which various melee attacks could work
--A fast(er) one or two animations or attacks, sneaky twists to normal moves and dirty, cowardly attack animations can turn K. Rool into an even more well-rounded character (figuratively)
Alright, take a deep breath, we're about to get into one of the single meatiest sections K. Rool has to offer, the one many people will point to when singing the King's praises as a unique option. And it's true; while the King could certainly sustain a stand-out moveset without his blunderbuss, it'd be a crying shame to write it off for what amount to quite arbitrary reasons at the end of the day. Side note, if, for some reason, K. Rool's cartoony blunderbuss is deemed "too gun-like," every move over the next three sections could be mapped instead to a Kannon's cannon, which K. Rool could borrow to retain access to this veritable truckload of blunderbuss options.
Before we get into cannonball types, let's talk control options. For all the special types, K. Rool could either fire them by default as one or more Specials (especially if generic cannonballs are mapped to his F-Smash) or by charging the Special(s) a certain amount. A chargeable blunderbuss move could feature multiple cannonball types, with the types becoming stronger or trickier with a longer charge. Granted, if K. Rool charges his blunderbuss too much, it could backfire on him like in DKC2, dealing damage, knockback or both. Perhaps an even better blunderbuss Special option is for K. Rool to fire off generic cannonballs by default, with a second tap of B transforming the cannonball into a special type (i.e. causing it to grow spikes and/or land onstage as a trap).
Leftover types could naturally become custom moves as needed. Lastly, it bears mentioning that, in contrast to the closest in-game comparison, Jr's cannonball, K. Rool could be given the option to angle his shots diagonally up or down, given his more direct aim of his weapon. In a Special role, K. Rool could give the cannonballs different movement trajectories rather than linear paths by angling his weapon, just like in DKC2. Cannonballs aimed downward could bounce across the stage, while cannonballs aimed upward could swirl forward in a small circle formation. He could also have the ability to fire cannonballs more rapidly with a single input, rather than a charge, although given his heavyweight nature, this seems unlikely.
Now, the types. K. Rool's standard cannonballs could function like Jr's, either as a Special or a Smash, maybe with the added possibility of the cannonballs landing onstage as heavy throwing items (as detailed under the 'Cannonballs' section). Spiked cannonballs could deal additional damage and knockback while airborne, and could also land onstage as bothersome traps, as in DKC2. These spiky traps could function either as stationary Gordos that can be attacked around, hurting anyone they hit, including K. Rool, or Unira-esque items, with spikes that emerge and retract with every other attack. As a non-projectile option, spiky cannonballs could also be fired out, attached to a chain to give K. Rool a grappling tether recovery of sorts. Elemental cannonballs, including flaming or freezing ones, could deal stronger hits, or multiple burning hits or an ice block effect, respectively, when airborne. They, too, could land onstage as traps that maintain these hitboxes, albeit ones that couldn't be moved around with physical blows
What, you say? Elemental cannonballs weren't part of K. Rool's arsenal in DKC2? Precisely, dear reader! There's no need to restrict K. Rool's cannonballs strictly to what we've seen in-game. In a series where out-of-character nonsense is excused regularly (looking at you, Ganondorf and Boss Ridley), K. Rool using tricky variations on his normal projectiles should be welcomed with open arms. The first of these could be a fake-out cannonball that is either transparent in appearance or flickers between visibility and invisibility as it travels forward.
An exploding cannonball could prove equally deadly, either detonating on contact with anything (including shields for shield damage) or on K. Rool's command. An exploding cannonball could also have a short set timer on it before detonation (displayed either numerically on the ball or by it flashing the second before it blows), one that K. Rool could potentially speed up at will to throw off foes (i.e. causing the ball to near-instantly drop from three seconds to detonation to its big bang). This, mixed with the obscuring mist clouds detailed in the following 'Cloud Projectiles' section, could prove to be a dastardly combination indeed.
Cannonballs can even change their forms with enough creativity. For example, K. Rool could have a scattering cannonball that, either at a certain point in its path or on his command, splits into three smaller cannonballs that travel in a fan shape. These would extend the move's range at the cost of damage and knockback. K. Rool's cannonballs could also turn into poacher nets (the kind seen in Disney's Tarzan) to incapacitate victims for a short time. This could either stun them, forcing them to mash free, or just confine them to a short portion of stage under the net, forcing them to destroy the net to escape.
Lastly, K. Rool's cannonballs could fake out opponents with an internal weapon; either upon approaching an opponent or on the King's command, the balls could freeze in their trajectory, as a boxing glove or a hammer emerges from the inside to smack victims. This would prove especially effective if foes had the option to attack normal cannonballs to neutralize them (or if they were simply dodging what they thought was a normal ball); this would, in effect, make the move Smash's first projectile counter!
tl;dr version:
--The possible temptation to ignore K. Rool's blunderbuss should be passed over at all costs, up to and including giving K. Rool Kannon' cannon to negate silly violence concerns
--K. Rool could have normal cannonballs mapped to Specials or F-Smash, with special cannonballs given their own Specials or triggered by either charge or command during a normal cannonball's lifespan
--All cannonball types could either be strictly horizontal projectiles or angle-able diagonally up or down; angling could result in bouncing or swirling trajectories
--Normal cannonballs can function like Jr's, with variations as needed, possibly including landing onstage as throwing items
--Spiky cannonballs can deal additional damage in mid-air, could land onstage as traps, functioning effectively as sturdier Gordos or heavier Uniras, or could even be fired attached to a chain for a tether recovery
--Elemental fiery or freezing cannonballs could burn or "ice block" foes, either in midair or as stationary traps
--Flickering or transparent cannonballs are great tricky projectile options for the King
--The same goes for cannonballs that explode at set times or on command, with K. Rool being able to affect the former's times to deadly effect
--Other cannonball options include ones that turn into debilitating poacher nets or ones that freeze just before hitting a foe in favor of smacking them with a punching bag or hammer
--The above original options should be welcomed as creative extrapolations from DKC2 in Smash, rather than brushed aside for not following DKC2's options exactly
Before we get into cannonball types, let's talk control options. For all the special types, K. Rool could either fire them by default as one or more Specials (especially if generic cannonballs are mapped to his F-Smash) or by charging the Special(s) a certain amount. A chargeable blunderbuss move could feature multiple cannonball types, with the types becoming stronger or trickier with a longer charge. Granted, if K. Rool charges his blunderbuss too much, it could backfire on him like in DKC2, dealing damage, knockback or both. Perhaps an even better blunderbuss Special option is for K. Rool to fire off generic cannonballs by default, with a second tap of B transforming the cannonball into a special type (i.e. causing it to grow spikes and/or land onstage as a trap).
Leftover types could naturally become custom moves as needed. Lastly, it bears mentioning that, in contrast to the closest in-game comparison, Jr's cannonball, K. Rool could be given the option to angle his shots diagonally up or down, given his more direct aim of his weapon. In a Special role, K. Rool could give the cannonballs different movement trajectories rather than linear paths by angling his weapon, just like in DKC2. Cannonballs aimed downward could bounce across the stage, while cannonballs aimed upward could swirl forward in a small circle formation. He could also have the ability to fire cannonballs more rapidly with a single input, rather than a charge, although given his heavyweight nature, this seems unlikely.
Now, the types. K. Rool's standard cannonballs could function like Jr's, either as a Special or a Smash, maybe with the added possibility of the cannonballs landing onstage as heavy throwing items (as detailed under the 'Cannonballs' section). Spiked cannonballs could deal additional damage and knockback while airborne, and could also land onstage as bothersome traps, as in DKC2. These spiky traps could function either as stationary Gordos that can be attacked around, hurting anyone they hit, including K. Rool, or Unira-esque items, with spikes that emerge and retract with every other attack. As a non-projectile option, spiky cannonballs could also be fired out, attached to a chain to give K. Rool a grappling tether recovery of sorts. Elemental cannonballs, including flaming or freezing ones, could deal stronger hits, or multiple burning hits or an ice block effect, respectively, when airborne. They, too, could land onstage as traps that maintain these hitboxes, albeit ones that couldn't be moved around with physical blows
What, you say? Elemental cannonballs weren't part of K. Rool's arsenal in DKC2? Precisely, dear reader! There's no need to restrict K. Rool's cannonballs strictly to what we've seen in-game. In a series where out-of-character nonsense is excused regularly (looking at you, Ganondorf and Boss Ridley), K. Rool using tricky variations on his normal projectiles should be welcomed with open arms. The first of these could be a fake-out cannonball that is either transparent in appearance or flickers between visibility and invisibility as it travels forward.
An exploding cannonball could prove equally deadly, either detonating on contact with anything (including shields for shield damage) or on K. Rool's command. An exploding cannonball could also have a short set timer on it before detonation (displayed either numerically on the ball or by it flashing the second before it blows), one that K. Rool could potentially speed up at will to throw off foes (i.e. causing the ball to near-instantly drop from three seconds to detonation to its big bang). This, mixed with the obscuring mist clouds detailed in the following 'Cloud Projectiles' section, could prove to be a dastardly combination indeed.
Cannonballs can even change their forms with enough creativity. For example, K. Rool could have a scattering cannonball that, either at a certain point in its path or on his command, splits into three smaller cannonballs that travel in a fan shape. These would extend the move's range at the cost of damage and knockback. K. Rool's cannonballs could also turn into poacher nets (the kind seen in Disney's Tarzan) to incapacitate victims for a short time. This could either stun them, forcing them to mash free, or just confine them to a short portion of stage under the net, forcing them to destroy the net to escape.
Lastly, K. Rool's cannonballs could fake out opponents with an internal weapon; either upon approaching an opponent or on the King's command, the balls could freeze in their trajectory, as a boxing glove or a hammer emerges from the inside to smack victims. This would prove especially effective if foes had the option to attack normal cannonballs to neutralize them (or if they were simply dodging what they thought was a normal ball); this would, in effect, make the move Smash's first projectile counter!
tl;dr version:
--The possible temptation to ignore K. Rool's blunderbuss should be passed over at all costs, up to and including giving K. Rool Kannon' cannon to negate silly violence concerns
--K. Rool could have normal cannonballs mapped to Specials or F-Smash, with special cannonballs given their own Specials or triggered by either charge or command during a normal cannonball's lifespan
--All cannonball types could either be strictly horizontal projectiles or angle-able diagonally up or down; angling could result in bouncing or swirling trajectories
--Normal cannonballs can function like Jr's, with variations as needed, possibly including landing onstage as throwing items
--Spiky cannonballs can deal additional damage in mid-air, could land onstage as traps, functioning effectively as sturdier Gordos or heavier Uniras, or could even be fired attached to a chain for a tether recovery
--Elemental fiery or freezing cannonballs could burn or "ice block" foes, either in midair or as stationary traps
--Flickering or transparent cannonballs are great tricky projectile options for the King
--The same goes for cannonballs that explode at set times or on command, with K. Rool being able to affect the former's times to deadly effect
--Other cannonball options include ones that turn into debilitating poacher nets or ones that freeze just before hitting a foe in favor of smacking them with a punching bag or hammer
--The above original options should be welcomed as creative extrapolations from DKC2 in Smash, rather than brushed aside for not following DKC2's options exactly
While often looked at as an “obscure” part of K. Rool’s boss fight in DKC2, his blunderbuss clouds are the centerpiece of said fight’s third, final and most climactic round. They also bring an entirely new concept into Smash in the form of status effect projectiles, given their nature in their source material. They’re one of the more manipulative moves in K. Rool’s arsenal, and thus fit perfectly into any given Smash moveset for him. While the clouds could easily function as a moveset’s centerpiece, with the playstyle focused around landing clouds to make it easier to bludgeon foes around with slower, physical hits, I think they work best as a secondary move, meant to assist K. Rool as he goes about positioning and luring foes into traps.
K. Rool has three types of clouds from DKC2; his blue freezing clouds, his red slowing clouds, and his purple control-reversing clouds. Each type could be worked into a single move by way of charging it or swapping between types, or could be left as individual custom moves. On that note, this sort of move almost certainly works best as a Special, due to its focus on status, rather than damage. That being said, the move could still be chargeable to increase the cloud’s speed and its effects’ duration, or angle-able, either in diagonal linear paths or in the trajectories listed under the 'Blunderbuss Cannonballs' section.
The blue clouds may encase foes in blocks of ice, like most freezing moves in Smash do, or could simply turn their victims blue and immobile in the middle of whatever animation they were performing until they button-mash free, similarly to their function in DKC2. It follows that K. Rool would want to try to hit foes with the latter blue cloud option when opponents are performing moves or animations that increase the size of their hurtbox (i.e. Charizard stretching out to dash).
Red clouds could slow opponents down just like a Timer item, albeit for a much shorter duration. There’s not much to explain about it, other than that such a move would buy K. Rool time to set up traps without enemy interference, or let him attack the slower opponent directly with his own laggier moves (just so long as they don’t lose the effect right before K. Rool lands his hit). Purple clouds, like in DKC2, would switch players’ left to right movement inputs for a short time. This, on its own, wouldn’t be a burden to all but the newest of newbies, but would be a tool K. Rool would have to throw out sparingly to trick foes into sticky situations.
Such situations could include a foe sprinting recklessly in to land a dash attack or jumping back on stage to recover. I’ve seen the purple clouds dismissed as “broken” because of their ability to gimp in the latter scenario, but let’s be honest, that’s false. Not only are recoveries strong enough in SSB4 to render this a less extreme problem than one would think, but it’d really be no worse than Mario’s cape in practice, especially since its projectile nature would make it easier to see coming and to dodge.
These clouds are just the tip of the iceberg to anyone with creative impulses to create different status effects from the existing ones in DKC2. I’ll just throw out a “use your imagination” on this one, only listing a few possibilities of my own as well; some could include clouds that seriously deplete opponents’ shields for a time, clouds that hinder their jump height, clouds that make enemy attacks temporarily weaker, or even just straight-up poison damage clouds.
One last option involves not a smaller cloud projectile, but a larger cloud of obscuring mist K. Rool can fire out around himself to conceal his actions. This clouds could either remain in one set place for a set time (five to nine seconds or so) or, like the new Smoke Ball effect in SSB4, loosely follow K. Rool around as he moves within it, clueing foes into his movement but not his actions. A scary prospect for foes facing an already devious character, although not an insurmountable one, given that the mist doesn’t make K. Rool any smaller of a target or faster of an attacker.
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool’s clouds are a key piece of his DKC2 battle and can fill a similar role in Smash
--Multiple cloud types could be worked into a single move or kept as separate, custom moves
--Blue clouds can freeze foes in a block of ice or in the middle of their current animation
--Red clouds can slow down foes like a Timer item for a shorter time
--Purple clouds can reverse foes’ left and right controls; contrary to the belief of some, this is not “overpowered”
--New, original cloud types can be made up with utmost ease
--A larger, damage-free cloud of mist could be produced to obscure K. Rool’s actions to his own benefit
K. Rool has three types of clouds from DKC2; his blue freezing clouds, his red slowing clouds, and his purple control-reversing clouds. Each type could be worked into a single move by way of charging it or swapping between types, or could be left as individual custom moves. On that note, this sort of move almost certainly works best as a Special, due to its focus on status, rather than damage. That being said, the move could still be chargeable to increase the cloud’s speed and its effects’ duration, or angle-able, either in diagonal linear paths or in the trajectories listed under the 'Blunderbuss Cannonballs' section.
The blue clouds may encase foes in blocks of ice, like most freezing moves in Smash do, or could simply turn their victims blue and immobile in the middle of whatever animation they were performing until they button-mash free, similarly to their function in DKC2. It follows that K. Rool would want to try to hit foes with the latter blue cloud option when opponents are performing moves or animations that increase the size of their hurtbox (i.e. Charizard stretching out to dash).
Red clouds could slow opponents down just like a Timer item, albeit for a much shorter duration. There’s not much to explain about it, other than that such a move would buy K. Rool time to set up traps without enemy interference, or let him attack the slower opponent directly with his own laggier moves (just so long as they don’t lose the effect right before K. Rool lands his hit). Purple clouds, like in DKC2, would switch players’ left to right movement inputs for a short time. This, on its own, wouldn’t be a burden to all but the newest of newbies, but would be a tool K. Rool would have to throw out sparingly to trick foes into sticky situations.
Such situations could include a foe sprinting recklessly in to land a dash attack or jumping back on stage to recover. I’ve seen the purple clouds dismissed as “broken” because of their ability to gimp in the latter scenario, but let’s be honest, that’s false. Not only are recoveries strong enough in SSB4 to render this a less extreme problem than one would think, but it’d really be no worse than Mario’s cape in practice, especially since its projectile nature would make it easier to see coming and to dodge.
These clouds are just the tip of the iceberg to anyone with creative impulses to create different status effects from the existing ones in DKC2. I’ll just throw out a “use your imagination” on this one, only listing a few possibilities of my own as well; some could include clouds that seriously deplete opponents’ shields for a time, clouds that hinder their jump height, clouds that make enemy attacks temporarily weaker, or even just straight-up poison damage clouds.
One last option involves not a smaller cloud projectile, but a larger cloud of obscuring mist K. Rool can fire out around himself to conceal his actions. This clouds could either remain in one set place for a set time (five to nine seconds or so) or, like the new Smoke Ball effect in SSB4, loosely follow K. Rool around as he moves within it, clueing foes into his movement but not his actions. A scary prospect for foes facing an already devious character, although not an insurmountable one, given that the mist doesn’t make K. Rool any smaller of a target or faster of an attacker.
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool’s clouds are a key piece of his DKC2 battle and can fill a similar role in Smash
--Multiple cloud types could be worked into a single move or kept as separate, custom moves
--Blue clouds can freeze foes in a block of ice or in the middle of their current animation
--Red clouds can slow down foes like a Timer item for a shorter time
--Purple clouds can reverse foes’ left and right controls; contrary to the belief of some, this is not “overpowered”
--New, original cloud types can be made up with utmost ease
--A larger, damage-free cloud of mist could be produced to obscure K. Rool’s actions to his own benefit
We’ve covered all of the main options K. Rool’s blunderbuss could bring to Smash, nearly all of them projectiles. Now, let’s look into the remaining general options it can bring to the table. The one that “pulls me in” the most is its function as a vacuum, which K. Rool exploits throughout his DKC2 battles, inadvertently bringing about his own demise. Working as a Special or a grab, K. Rool’s vacuum could pull in victims at mid-to-close range; as a Special, they could either be pulled into the gun to be fired out again (or not, if K. Rool suicides while carrying his foe before they mash free) or smacked in the face with a gun butt like in DKC2. The options to aim one or both of the move’s suction or firing of caught foes could be given to or denied from the King, depending on the desired balance.
Although we’ve already seen a handful of suction moves in Smash, K. Rool’s blunderbuss vacuum is rendered a valuable option through its potential interactions with his onstage projectiles. The suction could also affect onstage cannonballs and items, dragging them around to reposition them or bringing them into grabbing range of the King’s scaly claws. Depending on the desired balance, if pulled into the gun, these objects could either be fired back out or cause the gun to backfire on the King for damage and/or knockback.
The suction could also be used as a defensive measure against enemy projectiles, pulling them in to nullify them or for the King to fire back out as his own. This could backfire on him either if he pulls in too many projectiles or if he pulls in a certain type, like an explosive. The suction could remain constant or decrease over time, like Bowser’s fire. In the role of a Special, K. Rool could also reverse the gun’s suction to become a stream of air instead. The air could come either in a constant stream or diminish over time, or emerge from the gun in blasts of air instead, like from the Gust Bellows item. This would serve to push foes and projectiles around, potentially one into the other, or to gimp hapless foes recovering from offstage.
The other major blunderbuss function K. Rool uses in DKC2 is that of a fiery jet. His canon use of the move, blasting fire out of the gun while pointing it backward to propel himself forward, could translate into Smash as a dash attack, a dash animation, or even a Special. A Special version of the move, while generic at first glance, could be spiced up with the various properties outlined under the ‘Charging’ section (although leaping out of this animation would probably not work as well as from a normal dash), as well as by creating a trail of flames behind K. Rool that linger for a second or two after he passes, dealing multiple light hits to foes.
The blunderbuss flames could also be used as a recovery for K. Rool, with him pointing the jet downward to propel himself up a distance. The flames could be shot out in a short-ranged stream for any number of standard moves (I’ve seen it brought up most often as an U-Air or a D-Air). The flames could even be shot out as fireball projectiles, like the ones fired in K. Rool’s Knautilus submarine, although, given the generic nature of these projectiles, they should only really be implemented if given some interaction with other moves (i.e. setting off exploding cannonballs, lighting normal cannonballs aflame).
To close out the last of the three blunderbuss sections, K. Rool could shoot rolling or bouncing barrels or steel kegs as projectiles; with items on, barrels could rarely produce one when broken, like in DKC2. The gun could fire minions, like in the DKC cartoon, although this option will be detailed more under the ‘General Moves’ section. The gun itself could be used as a bludgeoning weapon during standard moves, probably as an F-Smash, F-Air or B-Air. The gun could even fire out flopping fish, like they did at the start of K. Rool’s second DKC2 battle, although, given their nature as a throwaway gag, this is probably best kept as a taunt or victory animation instead of an actual move.
tl;dr version:
--Blunderbuss suction could work as a Special or a grab, pulling in foes for use as a human projectile or a whipping boy/girl
--The suction could pull around K. Rool’s own traps, onstage items, or enemy projectiles; these could be fired out again upon entering the gun, or, if balance is needed, cause the weapon to backfire
--As a Special, K. Rool could shoot out a stream or burst of air to push around onstage subjects
--Whether pushing or pulling, the blunderbuss could have a set or controllable angle, and a set or gradually diminishing range
--K. Rool’s blunderbuss jet could work as a Special or a dash attack; the former could be spiced up with effects from the ‘Charging’ section or by leaving behind a flaming trail
--The flames could work as a jet for recovery, as a fiery burst for a standard attack, or as a generic projectile for use in interaction with combustible stage elements
--K. Rool’s blunderbuss could fire barrels, kegs or minions at different trajectories, could work as a blunt weapon or even fire flopping fish as a gag
Although we’ve already seen a handful of suction moves in Smash, K. Rool’s blunderbuss vacuum is rendered a valuable option through its potential interactions with his onstage projectiles. The suction could also affect onstage cannonballs and items, dragging them around to reposition them or bringing them into grabbing range of the King’s scaly claws. Depending on the desired balance, if pulled into the gun, these objects could either be fired back out or cause the gun to backfire on the King for damage and/or knockback.
The suction could also be used as a defensive measure against enemy projectiles, pulling them in to nullify them or for the King to fire back out as his own. This could backfire on him either if he pulls in too many projectiles or if he pulls in a certain type, like an explosive. The suction could remain constant or decrease over time, like Bowser’s fire. In the role of a Special, K. Rool could also reverse the gun’s suction to become a stream of air instead. The air could come either in a constant stream or diminish over time, or emerge from the gun in blasts of air instead, like from the Gust Bellows item. This would serve to push foes and projectiles around, potentially one into the other, or to gimp hapless foes recovering from offstage.
The other major blunderbuss function K. Rool uses in DKC2 is that of a fiery jet. His canon use of the move, blasting fire out of the gun while pointing it backward to propel himself forward, could translate into Smash as a dash attack, a dash animation, or even a Special. A Special version of the move, while generic at first glance, could be spiced up with the various properties outlined under the ‘Charging’ section (although leaping out of this animation would probably not work as well as from a normal dash), as well as by creating a trail of flames behind K. Rool that linger for a second or two after he passes, dealing multiple light hits to foes.
The blunderbuss flames could also be used as a recovery for K. Rool, with him pointing the jet downward to propel himself up a distance. The flames could be shot out in a short-ranged stream for any number of standard moves (I’ve seen it brought up most often as an U-Air or a D-Air). The flames could even be shot out as fireball projectiles, like the ones fired in K. Rool’s Knautilus submarine, although, given the generic nature of these projectiles, they should only really be implemented if given some interaction with other moves (i.e. setting off exploding cannonballs, lighting normal cannonballs aflame).
To close out the last of the three blunderbuss sections, K. Rool could shoot rolling or bouncing barrels or steel kegs as projectiles; with items on, barrels could rarely produce one when broken, like in DKC2. The gun could fire minions, like in the DKC cartoon, although this option will be detailed more under the ‘General Moves’ section. The gun itself could be used as a bludgeoning weapon during standard moves, probably as an F-Smash, F-Air or B-Air. The gun could even fire out flopping fish, like they did at the start of K. Rool’s second DKC2 battle, although, given their nature as a throwaway gag, this is probably best kept as a taunt or victory animation instead of an actual move.
tl;dr version:
--Blunderbuss suction could work as a Special or a grab, pulling in foes for use as a human projectile or a whipping boy/girl
--The suction could pull around K. Rool’s own traps, onstage items, or enemy projectiles; these could be fired out again upon entering the gun, or, if balance is needed, cause the weapon to backfire
--As a Special, K. Rool could shoot out a stream or burst of air to push around onstage subjects
--Whether pushing or pulling, the blunderbuss could have a set or controllable angle, and a set or gradually diminishing range
--K. Rool’s blunderbuss jet could work as a Special or a dash attack; the former could be spiced up with effects from the ‘Charging’ section or by leaving behind a flaming trail
--The flames could work as a jet for recovery, as a fiery burst for a standard attack, or as a generic projectile for use in interaction with combustible stage elements
--K. Rool’s blunderbuss could fire barrels, kegs or minions at different trajectories, could work as a blunt weapon or even fire flopping fish as a gag
K. Rool has faded from the public eye in more than just figuratively over the last few years; he’s flat-out vanished in the middle of battle in both DKC2 and DK64! Be it via an Invisibility Cloak or some other magic (which K. Rool is said to know, according to the Banana Queen), K. Rool often saves this option as a trump card when his odds are looking bleak. As such, it’s an option that ought to be situational at best during Smash. Nevertheless, what with invisibility in modern Smash being confined to Special Matches, it’s about time the concept found its home on an actual fighter.
A handful of options exist with regard to this move’s execution, but all of them involve it becoming a Special, most likely a Down Special. K. Rool could become invisible on command whenever he likes, for however long he likes, but measures should certainly be put in place to keep players from spamming this move willy-nilly. His invisibility should absolutely occur only for a short set time and, after this time is finished, K. Rool may either be unable to use the move until another set, longer set time has passed, or only be able to use it a set number of times per stock to begin with.
If he violates whatever limit is put in place, K. Rool could undergo lag, looking around confusedly as he fails to disappear. The invisibility could also function like Wario’s fart in that, the longer K. Rool waits between uses, the longer the invisibility lasts and, if the move is spammed, he merely flickers in and out of view once uselessly. Rather than remaining invisible for the move’s duration, he could also naturally flicker in and out of visibility for the move’s duration to disorient foes.
Whatever the execution, invisibility could come in handy in multiple different ways for the King. Naturally, keeping foes on their toes with regard to where their opponent is at any given time is beneficial from a mindgame perspective, although its effectiveness depends on what, if any visual cues are given regarding K. Rool’s current location (i.e. dust clouds when he runs, shadows). K. Rool players could determine his location by throwing out a projectile to avoid confusion themselves. Another use of invisibility that could be carried over from Melee is the ability to take knockback, but no damage while the state lasts. Naturally, this is a potentially powerful use of the concept that would need heavy counterbalancing, but it’s one worth considering nonetheless.
tl;dr version:
--Invisibility is a rare concept in Smash and has never been used in a character’s moveset; coupled with its tricky nature, it’s a perfect fit for the King
--The concept would work best as a situational Down Special, one that can prove effective on occasion, but should be useless and/or punishable if spamming is attempted
--K. Rool could become invisible for a set time, then have to wait another set time before using the move again
--He could also have a set number of invisibility periods per stock, or have his time invisible determined by how long he waits before using the move
--Rather than turning consistently invisible, the base move could also involve K. Rool flickering in and out of visibility
--The move’s effectiveness would hinge partly on what intentional (i.e. visible projectiles) and unintentional (dust, shadows) indicators K. Rool gives regarding his location
--K. Rool could be immune to damage during the move’s duration, as if he had grabbed a Cloaking Device, although this would need heavy counterbalancing
A handful of options exist with regard to this move’s execution, but all of them involve it becoming a Special, most likely a Down Special. K. Rool could become invisible on command whenever he likes, for however long he likes, but measures should certainly be put in place to keep players from spamming this move willy-nilly. His invisibility should absolutely occur only for a short set time and, after this time is finished, K. Rool may either be unable to use the move until another set, longer set time has passed, or only be able to use it a set number of times per stock to begin with.
If he violates whatever limit is put in place, K. Rool could undergo lag, looking around confusedly as he fails to disappear. The invisibility could also function like Wario’s fart in that, the longer K. Rool waits between uses, the longer the invisibility lasts and, if the move is spammed, he merely flickers in and out of view once uselessly. Rather than remaining invisible for the move’s duration, he could also naturally flicker in and out of visibility for the move’s duration to disorient foes.
Whatever the execution, invisibility could come in handy in multiple different ways for the King. Naturally, keeping foes on their toes with regard to where their opponent is at any given time is beneficial from a mindgame perspective, although its effectiveness depends on what, if any visual cues are given regarding K. Rool’s current location (i.e. dust clouds when he runs, shadows). K. Rool players could determine his location by throwing out a projectile to avoid confusion themselves. Another use of invisibility that could be carried over from Melee is the ability to take knockback, but no damage while the state lasts. Naturally, this is a potentially powerful use of the concept that would need heavy counterbalancing, but it’s one worth considering nonetheless.
tl;dr version:
--Invisibility is a rare concept in Smash and has never been used in a character’s moveset; coupled with its tricky nature, it’s a perfect fit for the King
--The concept would work best as a situational Down Special, one that can prove effective on occasion, but should be useless and/or punishable if spamming is attempted
--K. Rool could become invisible for a set time, then have to wait another set time before using the move again
--He could also have a set number of invisibility periods per stock, or have his time invisible determined by how long he waits before using the move
--Rather than turning consistently invisible, the base move could also involve K. Rool flickering in and out of visibility
--The move’s effectiveness would hinge partly on what intentional (i.e. visible projectiles) and unintentional (dust, shadows) indicators K. Rool gives regarding his location
--K. Rool could be immune to damage during the move’s duration, as if he had grabbed a Cloaking Device, although this would need heavy counterbalancing
A mechanical green helicopter pack functions as K. Rool’s means of transportation around his battle arena in DKC3. It’s far and away the most obvious move from DKC3 to include in the King’s moveset, and it functions quite well as a recovery move to boot. Whether or not it actually stands a chance at showing up, however, is up in the air; DKC3 has been completely and utterly ignored in Smash aside from token name-drops in trophies, possibly due to Nintendo wanting to shove it under the rug for daring to not star Donkey Kong. As such, the pack very well may get ignored in favor of a generic leap, but let’s not allow this potential blunder to restrict our exploration into its potential.
The pack could function in any number of ways in Smash, depending on what sort of competence is desired of K. Rool’s recovery. While some have suggested that the pack give him stronger options, like completely controllable flight for a short time or a longer flight in a pre-determined direction, it seems more likely that a bumbler like K. Rool would have some sort of obvious downside to his recovery. The pack’s weakness from DKC3, malfunctioning upon being hit, could easily translate into Smash.
K. Rool could have one of those stronger options, but with the downside of being instantly put into his helpless state if his pack takes damage (or a certain amount of it), maybe with his skeleton-zapping animation from DKC3 as an easter egg. The pack itself could also not work as well as it did in its source material, struggling to lift the tub of lard wearing it much, if at all. In this case, the pack could function as a Peach Parasol with heightened gravity, as a short-lived Rocket Belt with fewer jumps and a lesser lift, or as some combination of both. Or, more straightforwardly, the pack could just take him a shorter distance to begin with.
The helicopter pack itself doesn’t have a ton of obvious potential for actual offense, but ways exist to not make it completely defensive, either. For example, its propellers could deal multiple light hits to foes at close range, maybe even dragging them along for a short distance if they fail to DI away. Upon a repeat of the input or on its own, the pack could shoot electric balls from its underside, most likely diagonally downward, but potentially in any direction behind K. Rool. This would zap attackers aiming for his pack or even helpless victims trying to recover behind him in a FFA.
Lastly, an option could be built in to let the pack explode, either on command or at the end of its flight via K. Rool’s remote control or it sputtering out, respectively. The explosion would damage K. Rool and any nearby foes at close range, either knocking them back or spiking them. With both options, but especially the latter, K. Rool would have a “taking you down with me” option that, considering his weight, would probably kill his opponent first if they had roughly the same damage. Of course, given the needless heavy nerfs to Bowser, Kirby and Dedede’s suicide moves, this might not get incorporated, but hey, I can dream, can’t I?
To close this section out, it probably wouldn’t happen, but K. Rool’s pack could appear on his back when jumping in midair as a way to give him multiple tiny jumps. It could also function as a hover, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, though naturally, if this somehow occurred, it should be less effective and lengthy than that of the dainty princess who took the concept first. K. Rool could also bring out his pack and use its spinning blades for multiple-hitting normal attacks (probably upward-facing ones like U-Tilt, U-Smash or U-Air).
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool’s helicopter pack is a great recovery option, but could get ignored because of being from DKC3
--The pack could give K. Rool solid controllable or directional recoveries, but should probably be given a more bumbling twist, considering the character
--Such bumbling twists include the pack dropping him helplessly if attacked or him weighing it down
--Beyond flying, the pack could also just let the King perform a few short jet boosts or let him descend more slowly
--The pack’s offensive capabilities could include propeller blade slices, electric ball projectiles, or a self-destruct option to knock back or spike both the King and nearby foes
--The pack could be used as part of K. Rool’s normal movement for his midair jump(s) or a hover ability, but probably would remain a move
The pack could function in any number of ways in Smash, depending on what sort of competence is desired of K. Rool’s recovery. While some have suggested that the pack give him stronger options, like completely controllable flight for a short time or a longer flight in a pre-determined direction, it seems more likely that a bumbler like K. Rool would have some sort of obvious downside to his recovery. The pack’s weakness from DKC3, malfunctioning upon being hit, could easily translate into Smash.
K. Rool could have one of those stronger options, but with the downside of being instantly put into his helpless state if his pack takes damage (or a certain amount of it), maybe with his skeleton-zapping animation from DKC3 as an easter egg. The pack itself could also not work as well as it did in its source material, struggling to lift the tub of lard wearing it much, if at all. In this case, the pack could function as a Peach Parasol with heightened gravity, as a short-lived Rocket Belt with fewer jumps and a lesser lift, or as some combination of both. Or, more straightforwardly, the pack could just take him a shorter distance to begin with.
The helicopter pack itself doesn’t have a ton of obvious potential for actual offense, but ways exist to not make it completely defensive, either. For example, its propellers could deal multiple light hits to foes at close range, maybe even dragging them along for a short distance if they fail to DI away. Upon a repeat of the input or on its own, the pack could shoot electric balls from its underside, most likely diagonally downward, but potentially in any direction behind K. Rool. This would zap attackers aiming for his pack or even helpless victims trying to recover behind him in a FFA.
Lastly, an option could be built in to let the pack explode, either on command or at the end of its flight via K. Rool’s remote control or it sputtering out, respectively. The explosion would damage K. Rool and any nearby foes at close range, either knocking them back or spiking them. With both options, but especially the latter, K. Rool would have a “taking you down with me” option that, considering his weight, would probably kill his opponent first if they had roughly the same damage. Of course, given the needless heavy nerfs to Bowser, Kirby and Dedede’s suicide moves, this might not get incorporated, but hey, I can dream, can’t I?
To close this section out, it probably wouldn’t happen, but K. Rool’s pack could appear on his back when jumping in midair as a way to give him multiple tiny jumps. It could also function as a hover, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, though naturally, if this somehow occurred, it should be less effective and lengthy than that of the dainty princess who took the concept first. K. Rool could also bring out his pack and use its spinning blades for multiple-hitting normal attacks (probably upward-facing ones like U-Tilt, U-Smash or U-Air).
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool’s helicopter pack is a great recovery option, but could get ignored because of being from DKC3
--The pack could give K. Rool solid controllable or directional recoveries, but should probably be given a more bumbling twist, considering the character
--Such bumbling twists include the pack dropping him helplessly if attacked or him weighing it down
--Beyond flying, the pack could also just let the King perform a few short jet boosts or let him descend more slowly
--The pack’s offensive capabilities could include propeller blade slices, electric ball projectiles, or a self-destruct option to knock back or spike both the King and nearby foes
--The pack could be used as part of K. Rool’s normal movement for his midair jump(s) or a hover ability, but probably would remain a move
This, not his helicopter pack, is what I consider K. Rool’s greatest source of moveset potential from DKC3. Electricity not only suffers from the helicopter pack’s “DKC3 stigma,” it, unlike the pack, often isn’t even brought up as a source of potential to begin with. That’s a crying shame, and it’s one I hope to change in some small way with this write-up. Sometimes, the more obscure sources of moveset potential can turn out to be the most titillating, as I believe is the case here.
Possibly the best individual move concept I’ve ever brainstormed for a moveset is K. Rool’s electric barrier. For this move, K. Rool places a metal pod in front of him; the player then controls a second pod as it moves linearly in one of eight directions out of the first pod. Then, on command, the pod stops, resulting in a thin barrier of electricity instantly appearing in between the pods, zapping foes who come in contact with it for light damage and knockback. The electric barrier would last for a set time or until foes dealt enough damage to one of the pods, destroying it and, along with it, the barrier. One barrier could remain onstage at a time. The original concept allowed K. Rool to extend the second pod as far as he wanted for a massive barrier, at the cost of him being vulnerable during its creation (the barrier would vanish if he were attacked while the pod was moving), as well as to the electricity himself. A restriction could be placed on the barrier’s length if it were deemed necessary for balance reasons.
This barrier would serve any number of valuable functions to the King. Short, vertical barriers could stop enemy projectiles in their tracks while giving him a barrier from behind which he could return fire. Horizontal barriers could function as traps that could juggle foes with light electric hits if they fell victim to it. Aerial barriers could deter opponents from launching aerial assaults on the King, while grounded barriers could inhibit rushdown attempts; either way, such temporary limitation of enemy options results in an increase in enemy predictability, which is always a plus for K. Rool. The one simple, yet significant and overarching downside to the barrier is that K. Rool himself can be juggled against it or have his own approaches diminished if he’s not cautious. Remember that high-risk, high-reward principle from earlier? This concept embodies it to the fullest of extents.
As variations on this barrier concept, rather than guiding a pod around, K. Rool could also manually place the pods on the stage or in the air, with a barrier forming between the two in a horizontal line after the second is placed. Restrictions could be placed on how far apart pods can be while still forming a barrier as needed. In addition, rather than having a constant stream of electricity flowing between the two pods, it could either zap between the pods in set intervals (every three-five seconds or so) or on K. Rool’s command with an additional Special input press (let’s not even pretend such a crazy move would be anything but a Special). In the latter scenario, this move would basically function as a wilder, more versatile version of Snake’s C4. Considering the sporadic nature of the electricity, it would also allow the energy to deal one solid hit of damage and knockback, rather than a lighter juggling one.
Outside of electric pods and barriers, K. Rool could also shoot electric projectiles from his DKC3 remote control, either in the form of electric balls or short beams. Either projectile could electrify onstage traps like cannonballs to deal damage to victims who come in contact. Another concept I had coupled with the barrier one is that energy projectiles could periodically zap foes who touch them, rather than just dealing a single initial hit. Foes would merely take a bit of stun on first contact with a beam or ball, but then, every three-five seconds or so, the foe would get zapped, getting stunned in place for a split second (while their skeleton shows, Smash 64-style, as an easter egg). Depending the range at which foes were hit with the initial projectile, they could get zapped one to three times this way (with the move being more potent at close range). A variation on this concept could involve the foe being ‘electrified’ for a time; they’d take a bit of initial damage, then, on K. Rool’s command, they could suffer a second, stunning zap for him to capitalize on. Naturally, he’d only have access to this follow-up zap for a short time, like Little Mac’s KO Punch, so it’d be on him to use it to maximum efficacy.
tl;dr version:
--Electricity will 99.9% never appear in an actual K. Rool moveset, and that bites, because so much can be done with the concept
--My pet electricity concept involves K. Rool placing a metal pod and directing a second pod linearly in one of eight directions from the first; a thin electric barrier would form between the set pods
--Balance factors for this concept involve K. Rool being vulnerable when directing the pods and to the electricity, and can include restrictions on barrier length, longevity, and how easily foes can destroy a pod to break the barrier
--Alternatively, K. Rool could manually place the pods, which could create stronger electric zaps either periodically or on the King’s command
--K. Rool could have electric ball or beam projectiles that function either generally or as status-effect projectiles of sorts; victims could either be zapped periodically a set number of times or once on K. Rool’s order
--The strategic applications of all of the above are virtually limitless, grounded only by most of them backfiring on the King if he becomes reckless
Possibly the best individual move concept I’ve ever brainstormed for a moveset is K. Rool’s electric barrier. For this move, K. Rool places a metal pod in front of him; the player then controls a second pod as it moves linearly in one of eight directions out of the first pod. Then, on command, the pod stops, resulting in a thin barrier of electricity instantly appearing in between the pods, zapping foes who come in contact with it for light damage and knockback. The electric barrier would last for a set time or until foes dealt enough damage to one of the pods, destroying it and, along with it, the barrier. One barrier could remain onstage at a time. The original concept allowed K. Rool to extend the second pod as far as he wanted for a massive barrier, at the cost of him being vulnerable during its creation (the barrier would vanish if he were attacked while the pod was moving), as well as to the electricity himself. A restriction could be placed on the barrier’s length if it were deemed necessary for balance reasons.
This barrier would serve any number of valuable functions to the King. Short, vertical barriers could stop enemy projectiles in their tracks while giving him a barrier from behind which he could return fire. Horizontal barriers could function as traps that could juggle foes with light electric hits if they fell victim to it. Aerial barriers could deter opponents from launching aerial assaults on the King, while grounded barriers could inhibit rushdown attempts; either way, such temporary limitation of enemy options results in an increase in enemy predictability, which is always a plus for K. Rool. The one simple, yet significant and overarching downside to the barrier is that K. Rool himself can be juggled against it or have his own approaches diminished if he’s not cautious. Remember that high-risk, high-reward principle from earlier? This concept embodies it to the fullest of extents.
As variations on this barrier concept, rather than guiding a pod around, K. Rool could also manually place the pods on the stage or in the air, with a barrier forming between the two in a horizontal line after the second is placed. Restrictions could be placed on how far apart pods can be while still forming a barrier as needed. In addition, rather than having a constant stream of electricity flowing between the two pods, it could either zap between the pods in set intervals (every three-five seconds or so) or on K. Rool’s command with an additional Special input press (let’s not even pretend such a crazy move would be anything but a Special). In the latter scenario, this move would basically function as a wilder, more versatile version of Snake’s C4. Considering the sporadic nature of the electricity, it would also allow the energy to deal one solid hit of damage and knockback, rather than a lighter juggling one.
Outside of electric pods and barriers, K. Rool could also shoot electric projectiles from his DKC3 remote control, either in the form of electric balls or short beams. Either projectile could electrify onstage traps like cannonballs to deal damage to victims who come in contact. Another concept I had coupled with the barrier one is that energy projectiles could periodically zap foes who touch them, rather than just dealing a single initial hit. Foes would merely take a bit of stun on first contact with a beam or ball, but then, every three-five seconds or so, the foe would get zapped, getting stunned in place for a split second (while their skeleton shows, Smash 64-style, as an easter egg). Depending the range at which foes were hit with the initial projectile, they could get zapped one to three times this way (with the move being more potent at close range). A variation on this concept could involve the foe being ‘electrified’ for a time; they’d take a bit of initial damage, then, on K. Rool’s command, they could suffer a second, stunning zap for him to capitalize on. Naturally, he’d only have access to this follow-up zap for a short time, like Little Mac’s KO Punch, so it’d be on him to use it to maximum efficacy.
tl;dr version:
--Electricity will 99.9% never appear in an actual K. Rool moveset, and that bites, because so much can be done with the concept
--My pet electricity concept involves K. Rool placing a metal pod and directing a second pod linearly in one of eight directions from the first; a thin electric barrier would form between the set pods
--Balance factors for this concept involve K. Rool being vulnerable when directing the pods and to the electricity, and can include restrictions on barrier length, longevity, and how easily foes can destroy a pod to break the barrier
--Alternatively, K. Rool could manually place the pods, which could create stronger electric zaps either periodically or on the King’s command
--K. Rool could have electric ball or beam projectiles that function either generally or as status-effect projectiles of sorts; victims could either be zapped periodically a set number of times or once on K. Rool’s order
--The strategic applications of all of the above are virtually limitless, grounded only by most of them backfiring on the King if he becomes reckless
YEAH, THANK YOU!! Time to delve into what sorts of tricks King “Krusha” K. Rool has up his nonexistent sleeve. At a glance, the Krusha costume is pretty close to what a “Smash costume” would look like for the King, so it should come as no surprise that the moves and mannerisms K. Rool demonstrates in DK64’s ring would translate seamlessly into Smash. Speaking of costumes, before we get into boxing moves, now seems as good a time as any to emphasize: K. Rool has the greatest number of awesome costume possibilities this side of Bowser Jr. Any or all of them, from the more popular Kaptain or Baron, to the more obscure Pilot or Pharaoh, would be welcome bonuses to bring further flavor to the King’s Smash foray.
Now, starting with the most obvious move: K. Rool’s shockwaves. Along with his crown and blunderbuss cannonballs, this is one of the most versatile moves in K. Rool’s arsenal as far as Smash goes (it could fit as a Down Special, D-Tilt, D-Smash, D-Air or even D-Throw). However, it’s also a move people occasionally bring up when claiming “K. Rool is a Bowser clone,” considering Bowser has a complete and utter monopoly on the oh-so-unique concept of butt-bombing. What gets overlooked in these exchanges is that the focus of K. Rool’s ground-pounds aren’t the pounds themselves, but the green shockwaves they produce, rippling outward from his buttocks to launch Kongs skyward. Whatever the input chosen for the move, these shockwaves ought to be the focal point; getting hit should launch foes as in DK64, and possibly onstage traps as well to give them a brief rising-and-falling trajectory.
The number and frequency of shockwaves K. Rool produces per move is quite open to interpretation. K. Rool could produce one or multiple consecutive shockwaves per move, with the possibility of charging the move (or, if used as Down Special or D-Air, plummeting from a higher height) to increase the waves’ number, frequency, damage, or some combination thereof. Another option involves K. Rool gaining the ability to perform the move multiple times in quick succession by repeating the input during the move’s ending lag, bouncing up and down to create multiple series of waves at the cost of its power diminishing over time. Of note, like with DK’s Hand Slap, this is the sort of move that should prove devastating against giant or metal opponents incapable of getting free from its hitboxes without being juggled for a time.
Beyond the shockwaves, K. Rool has a handful of simpler, yet equally amusing fighting moves from DK64 that could easily translate into Smash as standard attacks. Most of these involve his giant boxing gloves, the sheer size of which could create a hilarious contrast to the comparatively tiny gloves seen in the standards of Little Mac, Villager or Jr. Naturally, they’d also be a lot laggier by comparison. His four-punch combo from DK’s phase of the fight could work as a jab, his uppercut could work as anyway upward-hitting standard (perhaps a strong, laggy U-Tilt like the Mega Upper?), and his flailing charge could be a dash attack, F-Smash or animation for a charging Special (it could hit solidly once or multiple times less powerfully).
He could also have a D-Tilt where he sticks out a foot and jabs with his toes, in a callback to Tiny’s round of the fight; ideally, the toes would hit powerfully, but have low priority that would stun K. Rool for longer if beaten. Throwing his gloves like a boomerang could also work as either a horizontal or upward-hitting attack with range depending on the desired balance (the gloves shouldn’t take priority over the more iconic crown toss as a Special, though).
One short note to end this section; in some movesets, you’ll see the Final Smash listed as “K. Rool becomes Krusha K. Rool (or Kaptain) and beats everybody up with his gloves (or cannonballs).” It’s an amusing mental image, but not a great Final Smash to give the King. Primarily, there are plenty of transformation Final Smashes already in the game, including new ones like Giga Mac and the new Mega Pokemon, and a more devilish Final Smash like the Kredits or Blast-o-Matic (to be discussed soon) would be far more fitting for the King. What’s more, K. Rool’s costumes aren’t powered-up versions of himself, therefore placing one on a pedestal as such comes off poorly in my opinion (especially when Krusha is arguably the most bumbling of his appearances to boot).
tl;dr version:
--Naturally, K. Rool offers great fighting moves for a fighting game from his appearance as a prizefighter
--In case it weren't readily apparent, his Krusha K. Rool costume, among the others, would be great cherries on top of the sundae that is his Smash inclusion
--K. Rool’s green shockwaves complement any moveset for the character perfectly, despite cries of “Bowser (Bomb) clone,” be it as a Down Special, D-Tilt, D-Air, D-Smash or D-Throw
--The frequency at which shockwaves can be created may be determined by the move’s landing lag or whether K. Rool can repeat it rapidly
--The number of waves per landing could potentially hinge on the move’s charge or how high up K. Rool is upon initiating the move
--K. Rool’s giant boxing gloves would be great for strong, yet bumbling standards, like a four-jab flurry, a powerful yet laggy uppercut, a flailing charge, a glove boomerang horizontally or vertically, or even a sharp toe jab
--“K. Rool turns into Krusha (or Kaptain) and beats people up” is not a great Final Smash choice for the character; transformations are a trite trope and none of K. Rool’s costumes are canonically “upgrades”
Now, starting with the most obvious move: K. Rool’s shockwaves. Along with his crown and blunderbuss cannonballs, this is one of the most versatile moves in K. Rool’s arsenal as far as Smash goes (it could fit as a Down Special, D-Tilt, D-Smash, D-Air or even D-Throw). However, it’s also a move people occasionally bring up when claiming “K. Rool is a Bowser clone,” considering Bowser has a complete and utter monopoly on the oh-so-unique concept of butt-bombing. What gets overlooked in these exchanges is that the focus of K. Rool’s ground-pounds aren’t the pounds themselves, but the green shockwaves they produce, rippling outward from his buttocks to launch Kongs skyward. Whatever the input chosen for the move, these shockwaves ought to be the focal point; getting hit should launch foes as in DK64, and possibly onstage traps as well to give them a brief rising-and-falling trajectory.
The number and frequency of shockwaves K. Rool produces per move is quite open to interpretation. K. Rool could produce one or multiple consecutive shockwaves per move, with the possibility of charging the move (or, if used as Down Special or D-Air, plummeting from a higher height) to increase the waves’ number, frequency, damage, or some combination thereof. Another option involves K. Rool gaining the ability to perform the move multiple times in quick succession by repeating the input during the move’s ending lag, bouncing up and down to create multiple series of waves at the cost of its power diminishing over time. Of note, like with DK’s Hand Slap, this is the sort of move that should prove devastating against giant or metal opponents incapable of getting free from its hitboxes without being juggled for a time.
Beyond the shockwaves, K. Rool has a handful of simpler, yet equally amusing fighting moves from DK64 that could easily translate into Smash as standard attacks. Most of these involve his giant boxing gloves, the sheer size of which could create a hilarious contrast to the comparatively tiny gloves seen in the standards of Little Mac, Villager or Jr. Naturally, they’d also be a lot laggier by comparison. His four-punch combo from DK’s phase of the fight could work as a jab, his uppercut could work as anyway upward-hitting standard (perhaps a strong, laggy U-Tilt like the Mega Upper?), and his flailing charge could be a dash attack, F-Smash or animation for a charging Special (it could hit solidly once or multiple times less powerfully).
He could also have a D-Tilt where he sticks out a foot and jabs with his toes, in a callback to Tiny’s round of the fight; ideally, the toes would hit powerfully, but have low priority that would stun K. Rool for longer if beaten. Throwing his gloves like a boomerang could also work as either a horizontal or upward-hitting attack with range depending on the desired balance (the gloves shouldn’t take priority over the more iconic crown toss as a Special, though).
One short note to end this section; in some movesets, you’ll see the Final Smash listed as “K. Rool becomes Krusha K. Rool (or Kaptain) and beats everybody up with his gloves (or cannonballs).” It’s an amusing mental image, but not a great Final Smash to give the King. Primarily, there are plenty of transformation Final Smashes already in the game, including new ones like Giga Mac and the new Mega Pokemon, and a more devilish Final Smash like the Kredits or Blast-o-Matic (to be discussed soon) would be far more fitting for the King. What’s more, K. Rool’s costumes aren’t powered-up versions of himself, therefore placing one on a pedestal as such comes off poorly in my opinion (especially when Krusha is arguably the most bumbling of his appearances to boot).
tl;dr version:
--Naturally, K. Rool offers great fighting moves for a fighting game from his appearance as a prizefighter
--In case it weren't readily apparent, his Krusha K. Rool costume, among the others, would be great cherries on top of the sundae that is his Smash inclusion
--K. Rool’s green shockwaves complement any moveset for the character perfectly, despite cries of “Bowser (Bomb) clone,” be it as a Down Special, D-Tilt, D-Air, D-Smash or D-Throw
--The frequency at which shockwaves can be created may be determined by the move’s landing lag or whether K. Rool can repeat it rapidly
--The number of waves per landing could potentially hinge on the move’s charge or how high up K. Rool is upon initiating the move
--K. Rool’s giant boxing gloves would be great for strong, yet bumbling standards, like a four-jab flurry, a powerful yet laggy uppercut, a flailing charge, a glove boomerang horizontally or vertically, or even a sharp toe jab
--“K. Rool turns into Krusha (or Kaptain) and beats people up” is not a great Final Smash choice for the character; transformations are a trite trope and none of K. Rool’s costumes are canonically “upgrades”
Time to talk about what moves K. Rool could use from the Paon DK games. You'll see people write these off as "spin-offs" that "don't count" for anything because, well. . .because! These games certainly lack the prestige and critical acclaim of DKC or even DK64, but at the very least, King of Swing and Jungle Climber (and to a lesser extent, Barrel Blast) are solid enough experiences in their own right, ones that hold quite true to DKC's canon in any case (more than can be said for Jungle Beat). From a moveset standpoint, pretty much all of K. Rool's best attack possibilities come from the DKC trilogy and DK64, so if none of the following options showed up, it'd be nowhere close to a deal-breaker. Nevertheless, a few options exist here and there to explore, so let's do exactly that.
In King of Swing (and part of Jungle Climber), K. Rool is fought in a peg-swinging battle, not all that spectacular as far as battles go. In said battle, however, K. Rool's main attack, curling into a ball and launching himself at DK, might be able to translate loosely into Smash. While I'm certainly not one to advocate for this to fill an important move slot, such a bodily launching move could become a Special if a "King" K. Rool-only moveset is desired and a "wrecking ball" style of play is pursued.
K. Rool could steamroll through foes like a fat Jigglypuff (yawn), he could flatten them into a prone position or could bounce backward upon contact, allowing for ranged follow-up strikes (slightly better, but nothing to write home about). Ideally, this move would become an N-Air for K. Rool, allowing him to tuck in and somersault in place, throwing out his cape around him. While his cape would give range to the move, it'd not deal all that much damage or knockback compared to his body, which would deal both. Alternatively, K. Rool could have some U-Tilt or U-Smash where he curls into a ball and jumps up slightly to knock foes away.
In both King of Swing and Barrel Blast, K. Rool employs small personalized vehicles to travel around, be it in a mechanical green hovercraft or a racing barrel jet. Both are relatively interchangeable for the sake of moveset discussion. These vehicles could be used as charging Side Specials or dash attacks if needed, probably working as some variation on Jr's Clown Kart move. More frequently, however, these moves are suggested as recoveries for the King.
A personal vehicle could potentially offer the King either controllable flight or a burst of flight in a chosen direction, with or without any ability to withstand enemy attacks. If Baron's helicopter pack is ruled out, the vehicle option exists if the team does not wish to brainstorm anything better. Brief note, one or two people have said "K. Rool can become a Jr. clone by riding in one of these vehicles." However, beyond Jr's hitboxes and hurtboxes being out of place for a copycat King variant, these suggestions were made primarily as unfunny jokes, so they're not to be taken seriously.
Lastly, in Jungle Climber, K. Rool is first fought in a battle similar to King of Swing's, albeit with the added attack of throwing small mines into the air at the Kongs. Considering the aerial nature of the peg-swinging battles, these mines linger in the air for quite some time after K. Rool throws them before falling back down. Such aerial-focused trajectories could turn what would otherwise be a lackluster projectile into a valuable potential Smash tool for the King, forcing foes to engage him on the ground even if they might personally prefer the air.
Beyond that, K. Rool's fight involves him becoming Kraid-sized by way of the Crystal Banana and taking on a number of random magical properties in the process, such as spitting fireballs, raining down meteors, and creating wind effects. This would be as completely unfitting on a K. Rool moveset as it would be for Bowser to take on Giga Bowser's explosive headbutts or freezing shell spins. It could function as a Final Smash, but personally speaking, better options exist.
tl;dr version:
--Paon's DK games get written off most of the time; they're good enough games, but don't have a ton of great K. Rool move ideas
--K. Rool's recurring attack of turning into a ball and launching at DK could become a last-ditch Side Special, or, preferably, a spinning N-Air, U-Tilt or U-Smash
--K. Rool’s mechanical hovercraft or barrel jet could become a charging Side Special or dash attack, or could work as a recovery option if the helicopter pack is passed on
--K. Rool's mine-tossing attack from Jungle Climber would be a cool option if the mines retained their floaty aerial trajectories from the game; an anti-air projectile aimed at restricting enemy options could only benefit the King on the ground
--"Kraid K. Rool" from Jungle Climber features a series of random magical attacks, none of which are ideal for a normal K. Rool moveset; the transformation itself could become a Final Smash, but probably shouldn't
In King of Swing (and part of Jungle Climber), K. Rool is fought in a peg-swinging battle, not all that spectacular as far as battles go. In said battle, however, K. Rool's main attack, curling into a ball and launching himself at DK, might be able to translate loosely into Smash. While I'm certainly not one to advocate for this to fill an important move slot, such a bodily launching move could become a Special if a "King" K. Rool-only moveset is desired and a "wrecking ball" style of play is pursued.
K. Rool could steamroll through foes like a fat Jigglypuff (yawn), he could flatten them into a prone position or could bounce backward upon contact, allowing for ranged follow-up strikes (slightly better, but nothing to write home about). Ideally, this move would become an N-Air for K. Rool, allowing him to tuck in and somersault in place, throwing out his cape around him. While his cape would give range to the move, it'd not deal all that much damage or knockback compared to his body, which would deal both. Alternatively, K. Rool could have some U-Tilt or U-Smash where he curls into a ball and jumps up slightly to knock foes away.
In both King of Swing and Barrel Blast, K. Rool employs small personalized vehicles to travel around, be it in a mechanical green hovercraft or a racing barrel jet. Both are relatively interchangeable for the sake of moveset discussion. These vehicles could be used as charging Side Specials or dash attacks if needed, probably working as some variation on Jr's Clown Kart move. More frequently, however, these moves are suggested as recoveries for the King.
A personal vehicle could potentially offer the King either controllable flight or a burst of flight in a chosen direction, with or without any ability to withstand enemy attacks. If Baron's helicopter pack is ruled out, the vehicle option exists if the team does not wish to brainstorm anything better. Brief note, one or two people have said "K. Rool can become a Jr. clone by riding in one of these vehicles." However, beyond Jr's hitboxes and hurtboxes being out of place for a copycat King variant, these suggestions were made primarily as unfunny jokes, so they're not to be taken seriously.
Lastly, in Jungle Climber, K. Rool is first fought in a battle similar to King of Swing's, albeit with the added attack of throwing small mines into the air at the Kongs. Considering the aerial nature of the peg-swinging battles, these mines linger in the air for quite some time after K. Rool throws them before falling back down. Such aerial-focused trajectories could turn what would otherwise be a lackluster projectile into a valuable potential Smash tool for the King, forcing foes to engage him on the ground even if they might personally prefer the air.
Beyond that, K. Rool's fight involves him becoming Kraid-sized by way of the Crystal Banana and taking on a number of random magical properties in the process, such as spitting fireballs, raining down meteors, and creating wind effects. This would be as completely unfitting on a K. Rool moveset as it would be for Bowser to take on Giga Bowser's explosive headbutts or freezing shell spins. It could function as a Final Smash, but personally speaking, better options exist.
tl;dr version:
--Paon's DK games get written off most of the time; they're good enough games, but don't have a ton of great K. Rool move ideas
--K. Rool's recurring attack of turning into a ball and launching at DK could become a last-ditch Side Special, or, preferably, a spinning N-Air, U-Tilt or U-Smash
--K. Rool’s mechanical hovercraft or barrel jet could become a charging Side Special or dash attack, or could work as a recovery option if the helicopter pack is passed on
--K. Rool's mine-tossing attack from Jungle Climber would be a cool option if the mines retained their floaty aerial trajectories from the game; an anti-air projectile aimed at restricting enemy options could only benefit the King on the ground
--"Kraid K. Rool" from Jungle Climber features a series of random magical attacks, none of which are ideal for a normal K. Rool moveset; the transformation itself could become a Final Smash, but probably shouldn't
Just a heads up, this penultimate section will also be one of the longest. It will detail all of K. Rool’s moveset potential that isn’t part of a broader section covering his canon attacks. Naturally, because K. Rool is as versatile a character as he is, that’s quite a bit of potential, but bear with me; we’re almost at our conclusion. What’s more, most of these moves can be pieced into any given K. Rool moveset, seeing as how they won’t be shafted because of their presence in a DKC sequel.
For starters, let’s examine some of the physical moves K. Rool could perform, based on his own distinct build. His golden belly could be used for a number of attacks, be they of bumping or crushing variety. Depending on whether or not K. Rool’s belly is given super armor (see the final section), frontal belly attacks could be used in answer to projectiles or weaker physical blows. In addition, K. Rool could perform a leaping belly flop, much like he does in Donkey Kong Land, as any number of moves, be they Up Special, any Smash, N-Air or D-Air.
Belly flopping would be an intriguing Smash in that it would be more difficult to land due to its mobile nature, but potentially more devastating on impact. As an aerial, K. Rool could either flop in place or plummeting while flopping, spiking aerials foes or pitfalling grounded ones. In place of a belly flop for Up Special or a Smash, K. Rool could also perform crushing leaps, akin to those in DKC. If this option is chosen as a recovery, K. Rool could release his DK64 shockwaves on landing, combining the moves together for a final product more unique than either of its two parts. It could also be a Down Special, allowing the King to perform a slow-ish, high leap that, while punishable, would deal some of the highest attack damage in the game if actually landed.
Beyond his belly, K. Rool’s cape and powerful crocodile jaws are also just begging to appear as standard attacks. His cape could be used for sweeping tilts or aerials, or a spinning jab or D-Smash; it could possibly even being able to reflect projectiles like Mario’s if timed well. K. Rool’s jaws are even more versatile, being a viable option for virtually any input out there; some stand out choices include a single strong chomp for a jab, biting tilts that deal more damage and knockback the closer the foe is to K. Rool, a massive snapping F-Smash or crocodilian leaping chomps for U-Smash or U-Air.
Both the cape and his jaws can also be used for grabs, either normal or command (as a Special). With his cape, the King could snare foes in a bundle to sling around or leap upon while, with his jaws, the King could perform what I like to call the “Death Rool.” Modeled after realistic crocodile death rolls, K. Rool would snag a foe in his jaws before rolling around on the floor, slamming them about for great damage but not much knockback. Lastly, bumbling moves in general, such as K. Rool performing a somersault for a strong, laggy U-Tilt where he falls on his arse on completion, are great wherever else inputs need filling. Generic punches, claw swipes or tail whips (if possible) are possible, but not really needed, given everything else.
Next, let’s discuss minions, since the King has such a varied army of them at his beck and call. While I wouldn’t expect to see any, due to potential 3DS difficulties (why Waddle Dees probably got cut from Dedede’s moveset), I’ll list them anyway in case a “New 3DS” update occurs, and because they’re bloody awesome to begin with. The grunt of the King’s army, the Kritters, could make appearances in their Smash Run forms, performing their triple headbutt from DK64’s opening, but I lean more toward the King using the smaller, more animalistic Klap Traps, if anything.
Either placed onstage, carelessly hurled or even fired from their master’s blunderbuss, Klap Traps could roam the stage at decent speeds for a set time or until their HP is lowered. They could chomp foes once with force, multiple times more lightly, or even latch onto foes to slow them down or deal gradual damage. Summoning a Giant Klaptrap from DK64 to chase down and munch opponents would be a wicked Final Smash option as well. What’s more, if K. Rool is given the option to fire barrels out of his blunderbuss, some barrels could feature Klobbers from DKC2. These could charge around for a set time, knocking foes either into K. Rool’s other moves or off the stage entirely.
One oft-ignored well K. Rool could draw from for a moveset is that of general DKC elements. The Kongs themselves are minimally inspired by DKC to begin with, and it’d be a dirty trick right up K. Rool’s alley to repurpose his enemy’s own tools against them. For starters, he could simply roll barrels or steel kegs, rather than shooting them out of a blunderbuss. Even better, he could bring a barrel down overtop a foe’s head for a grab, like how the Kremlings first kidnapped Diddy; they’d be incapacitated for a short time, leaving K. Rool free to use throws where he rolls or smashes the barrel with them inside it. K. Rool could fire himself out of a barrel cannon, controllable or in a set direction, to recover, with the cannon staying out briefly for opponents to use (potentially firing them into K. Rool’s traps if he plays craftily). He could also bounce off of a rubber tire to recover as well, being able to use it onstage as a way to gain aerial height he might not otherwise be able to obtain.
Lastly, a few Kremling weapons exist to discuss as well. K. Rool could bring out an oil drum from DKC as a fiery trap, with it either sitting onstage as a constantly burning torch, a drum that would catch aflame at set intervals, or one that could catch aflame on command. An oil drum could also leak slippery oil onto the stage, either automatically, on command or when attacked. A Dumb Drum (marked with a skull and crossbones) could be brought out to spawn weak minions like Gnawty beavers or Slippa snakes for a short time as well. If it’s a pirate motif that’s wanted, K. Rool could wield one or two Kleever swords to slash foes or cast fireballs in their direction (or even his Sluggers staff if we're getting desperate).
In DKC3, K. Rool throws grenades, which could be translated over if a generic projectile is needed. Lastly, K. Rool’s Blast-o-Matic would be a fantastic Final Smash option for the character. The general consensus is that the Blast-o-Matic would be shown approaching the stage in cutscene, devastating foes with a giant laser. This would work well as an option; potential twists to it could include K. Rool being able to aim the laser (or lasers, if they’re weaker shots), or foes being transported to a separate Blast-o-Matic stage, potentially being able to work together and lower a high amount of HP to stop an insta-KO blast (K. Rool would, of course, be trying to intervene to achieve the opposite effect).
As an addendum, naturally, whatever new moves K. Rool uses in potential future titles, such as a third Retro DKC or Diddy Kong Racing Wii U would serve as additional sources of potential (ones that would get their own sections if and when the time comes).
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool's design and character lend themselves to a great number of general attacks, not sourced back to any boss fight of his
--K. Rool's golden belly could be used for bumping or crushing attacks, potentially with super armor to absorb blows
--A belly flop attack from DKL as an Up Special, Smash or aerial would be right at home, working as a recovery, mobile Smash or plummeting spike
--A crushing leap from DKC could replace or complement the belly flop, serving as a recovery, vehicle for the DK64 shockwaves or a high-risk, high-reward stomp
--K. Rool could swipe or spin with his cape, potentially having weaker, ranged hits or projectile-reflecting abilities
--The King could use his jaws for any number of attacks, particularly sweetspottable or leaping chomps
--K. Rool's cape or jaws can both become command grabs, with the former being used to snare and sling foes and the latter being used for a crocodile "Death Rool"
--Bumbling attacks and generic ones like swipes or tail-whips can be used as filler if needed
--Kritters might work as minions, but smaller, aggressive Klap Traps seem more fitting; they could roam around, chomping or latching onto victims
--A Giant Klap Trap would be a fitting, brutal Final Smash for the King
--Pushy Klobber minions, with their barrels either fired from the blunderbuss or rolled out could be effective choices as well
--Barrels, barrel cannons and rubber tires can be stolen from the Kongs for the King's use, with the former being usable for a barrel grab and the latter two being possible lingering stage elements
--K. Rool could bring out oil drum traps to light aflame or leak oil at varying times, or Dumb Drums to spew weak minions
--Kleever swords, his Sluggers staff and DKL3 grenades can work as obscure filler material
--A Blast-o-Matic Final Smash would be absolutely perfect to represent the character's destructive tendencies, firing one or more lasers after a cutscene or even taking foes to a hellish alternate stage for a short time
For starters, let’s examine some of the physical moves K. Rool could perform, based on his own distinct build. His golden belly could be used for a number of attacks, be they of bumping or crushing variety. Depending on whether or not K. Rool’s belly is given super armor (see the final section), frontal belly attacks could be used in answer to projectiles or weaker physical blows. In addition, K. Rool could perform a leaping belly flop, much like he does in Donkey Kong Land, as any number of moves, be they Up Special, any Smash, N-Air or D-Air.
Belly flopping would be an intriguing Smash in that it would be more difficult to land due to its mobile nature, but potentially more devastating on impact. As an aerial, K. Rool could either flop in place or plummeting while flopping, spiking aerials foes or pitfalling grounded ones. In place of a belly flop for Up Special or a Smash, K. Rool could also perform crushing leaps, akin to those in DKC. If this option is chosen as a recovery, K. Rool could release his DK64 shockwaves on landing, combining the moves together for a final product more unique than either of its two parts. It could also be a Down Special, allowing the King to perform a slow-ish, high leap that, while punishable, would deal some of the highest attack damage in the game if actually landed.
Beyond his belly, K. Rool’s cape and powerful crocodile jaws are also just begging to appear as standard attacks. His cape could be used for sweeping tilts or aerials, or a spinning jab or D-Smash; it could possibly even being able to reflect projectiles like Mario’s if timed well. K. Rool’s jaws are even more versatile, being a viable option for virtually any input out there; some stand out choices include a single strong chomp for a jab, biting tilts that deal more damage and knockback the closer the foe is to K. Rool, a massive snapping F-Smash or crocodilian leaping chomps for U-Smash or U-Air.
Both the cape and his jaws can also be used for grabs, either normal or command (as a Special). With his cape, the King could snare foes in a bundle to sling around or leap upon while, with his jaws, the King could perform what I like to call the “Death Rool.” Modeled after realistic crocodile death rolls, K. Rool would snag a foe in his jaws before rolling around on the floor, slamming them about for great damage but not much knockback. Lastly, bumbling moves in general, such as K. Rool performing a somersault for a strong, laggy U-Tilt where he falls on his arse on completion, are great wherever else inputs need filling. Generic punches, claw swipes or tail whips (if possible) are possible, but not really needed, given everything else.
Next, let’s discuss minions, since the King has such a varied army of them at his beck and call. While I wouldn’t expect to see any, due to potential 3DS difficulties (why Waddle Dees probably got cut from Dedede’s moveset), I’ll list them anyway in case a “New 3DS” update occurs, and because they’re bloody awesome to begin with. The grunt of the King’s army, the Kritters, could make appearances in their Smash Run forms, performing their triple headbutt from DK64’s opening, but I lean more toward the King using the smaller, more animalistic Klap Traps, if anything.
Either placed onstage, carelessly hurled or even fired from their master’s blunderbuss, Klap Traps could roam the stage at decent speeds for a set time or until their HP is lowered. They could chomp foes once with force, multiple times more lightly, or even latch onto foes to slow them down or deal gradual damage. Summoning a Giant Klaptrap from DK64 to chase down and munch opponents would be a wicked Final Smash option as well. What’s more, if K. Rool is given the option to fire barrels out of his blunderbuss, some barrels could feature Klobbers from DKC2. These could charge around for a set time, knocking foes either into K. Rool’s other moves or off the stage entirely.
One oft-ignored well K. Rool could draw from for a moveset is that of general DKC elements. The Kongs themselves are minimally inspired by DKC to begin with, and it’d be a dirty trick right up K. Rool’s alley to repurpose his enemy’s own tools against them. For starters, he could simply roll barrels or steel kegs, rather than shooting them out of a blunderbuss. Even better, he could bring a barrel down overtop a foe’s head for a grab, like how the Kremlings first kidnapped Diddy; they’d be incapacitated for a short time, leaving K. Rool free to use throws where he rolls or smashes the barrel with them inside it. K. Rool could fire himself out of a barrel cannon, controllable or in a set direction, to recover, with the cannon staying out briefly for opponents to use (potentially firing them into K. Rool’s traps if he plays craftily). He could also bounce off of a rubber tire to recover as well, being able to use it onstage as a way to gain aerial height he might not otherwise be able to obtain.
Lastly, a few Kremling weapons exist to discuss as well. K. Rool could bring out an oil drum from DKC as a fiery trap, with it either sitting onstage as a constantly burning torch, a drum that would catch aflame at set intervals, or one that could catch aflame on command. An oil drum could also leak slippery oil onto the stage, either automatically, on command or when attacked. A Dumb Drum (marked with a skull and crossbones) could be brought out to spawn weak minions like Gnawty beavers or Slippa snakes for a short time as well. If it’s a pirate motif that’s wanted, K. Rool could wield one or two Kleever swords to slash foes or cast fireballs in their direction (or even his Sluggers staff if we're getting desperate).
In DKC3, K. Rool throws grenades, which could be translated over if a generic projectile is needed. Lastly, K. Rool’s Blast-o-Matic would be a fantastic Final Smash option for the character. The general consensus is that the Blast-o-Matic would be shown approaching the stage in cutscene, devastating foes with a giant laser. This would work well as an option; potential twists to it could include K. Rool being able to aim the laser (or lasers, if they’re weaker shots), or foes being transported to a separate Blast-o-Matic stage, potentially being able to work together and lower a high amount of HP to stop an insta-KO blast (K. Rool would, of course, be trying to intervene to achieve the opposite effect).
As an addendum, naturally, whatever new moves K. Rool uses in potential future titles, such as a third Retro DKC or Diddy Kong Racing Wii U would serve as additional sources of potential (ones that would get their own sections if and when the time comes).
tl;dr version:
--K. Rool's design and character lend themselves to a great number of general attacks, not sourced back to any boss fight of his
--K. Rool's golden belly could be used for bumping or crushing attacks, potentially with super armor to absorb blows
--A belly flop attack from DKL as an Up Special, Smash or aerial would be right at home, working as a recovery, mobile Smash or plummeting spike
--A crushing leap from DKC could replace or complement the belly flop, serving as a recovery, vehicle for the DK64 shockwaves or a high-risk, high-reward stomp
--K. Rool could swipe or spin with his cape, potentially having weaker, ranged hits or projectile-reflecting abilities
--The King could use his jaws for any number of attacks, particularly sweetspottable or leaping chomps
--K. Rool's cape or jaws can both become command grabs, with the former being used to snare and sling foes and the latter being used for a crocodile "Death Rool"
--Bumbling attacks and generic ones like swipes or tail-whips can be used as filler if needed
--Kritters might work as minions, but smaller, aggressive Klap Traps seem more fitting; they could roam around, chomping or latching onto victims
--A Giant Klap Trap would be a fitting, brutal Final Smash for the King
--Pushy Klobber minions, with their barrels either fired from the blunderbuss or rolled out could be effective choices as well
--Barrels, barrel cannons and rubber tires can be stolen from the Kongs for the King's use, with the former being usable for a barrel grab and the latter two being possible lingering stage elements
--K. Rool could bring out oil drum traps to light aflame or leak oil at varying times, or Dumb Drums to spew weak minions
--Kleever swords, his Sluggers staff and DKL3 grenades can work as obscure filler material
--A Blast-o-Matic Final Smash would be absolutely perfect to represent the character's destructive tendencies, firing one or more lasers after a cutscene or even taking foes to a hellish alternate stage for a short time
We've finally arrived at the last section: K. Rool's possible mechanics. This is where we'll review possible non-move options, small and large, for fleshing out the King's moveset. SSB4 seems to feature two types of moveset in general: the mechanic-less character with a series or unique move options (Villager, Mega Man, Bower Jr., Duck Hunt) and the character with mechanics that flesh out less interesting move options (Rosalina, Shulk, Robin). While K. Rool would most likely be at home in the former category, he has a handful of options that would give him shades of the latter as well.
Starting with the more minor mechanics, K. Rool not only has a solid golden belly (in at least his classic model), but tough reptilian skin, being the crocodile he is. It'd only make sense for him to share Bowser's mechanic of being able to tank weaker hits with light super armor, or maybe to have Jr's mechanic of taking less damage on his belly compared to his face. What's more, K. Rool's crown could function as a footstool jump deterrent, due to its spiky nature, just like in DKC. It could either lightly damage foes who try leaping upon it, prevent them from doing so in the first place, or possibly function as a constant light hitbox, even when no footstool jumps are being attempted.
Briefly touched on in an earlier section, K. Rool could also have mechanics to aid his movement in the air. The aforementioned one, involving K. Rool bringing out his helicopter pack for either small midair jumps or a short-lived hover in one of potentially eight directions, could help turn a crummy aerial game into a passable one. Potentially even better (and not involving a prop spawned from hammerspace), K. Rool could use his cape like those in DKC competitor Super Mario World, hovering down at a slightly slower pace as long as the jump button is held. For all the hullabaloo that gets made at how Dixie could hover in Smash, it's funny to think that K. Rool's potential to do the same is never mentioned. On the flipside, one user mentioned a negative mechanic where K. Rool would have a great first jump, but no midair jump due to his weight, having to rely on his recovery for aerial movement beyond that. While it was panned when posted, I'll add it in here for completion's sake, since it's not completely nonsensical, given some of the custom mechanics currently in-game.
And now, the more major mechanics. Two come to mind off the top of my head. The first involves K. Rool having a variation on Lucario's Aura where, instead of becoming stronger upon taking damage, K. Rool becomes faster in both movement and attack speed. Naturally, he'd have to start out as a complete lard for such a mechanic to function well enough, and even then, it's arguable, given the polarizing nature of Aura. Nevertheless, it's worth mentioning, given how it applies in K. Rool's DKC and DKC2 fights. The other is for K. Rool to implement a costume-swapping mechanic, possibly switching Specials along with his wardrobe by way of a Down Special (if system updates render this possible) or even moveset statistics (average stats for King, slower and stronger stats for Kaptain, floatier and weaker stats for Baron). As mentioned earlier, neither are necessary to put together a great K. Rool moveset, and are arguably superfluous, but in case "mechanics" are the litmus test for uniqueness, K. Rool absolutely still passes.
tl;dr version:
--Some characters are "unique" without a mechanic, others are "unique" with one; K. Rool doesn't need one to shine, but could support one nonetheless
--K. Rool's belly and tough skin could give him super armor against weak blows, with the former maybe taking less damage to boot
--K. Rool's crown could deter footstool jumps either by dealing damage with each jump or preventing them entirely; it could also work as a lingering hitbox
--In the air, K. Rool could have multiple jumps or a hover with his helicopter pack
--His cape could grant him a slower descent when a jump input is held, like those in Super Mario World
--A negative mechanic could entail K. Rool having no midair jump, just one strong initial one
--A more major mechanic could involve K. Rool becoming faster with his movement and attacks after suffering more damage
--With a Down Special, K. Rool could swap costumes and, thus, either Specials, statistics or both
Starting with the more minor mechanics, K. Rool not only has a solid golden belly (in at least his classic model), but tough reptilian skin, being the crocodile he is. It'd only make sense for him to share Bowser's mechanic of being able to tank weaker hits with light super armor, or maybe to have Jr's mechanic of taking less damage on his belly compared to his face. What's more, K. Rool's crown could function as a footstool jump deterrent, due to its spiky nature, just like in DKC. It could either lightly damage foes who try leaping upon it, prevent them from doing so in the first place, or possibly function as a constant light hitbox, even when no footstool jumps are being attempted.
Briefly touched on in an earlier section, K. Rool could also have mechanics to aid his movement in the air. The aforementioned one, involving K. Rool bringing out his helicopter pack for either small midair jumps or a short-lived hover in one of potentially eight directions, could help turn a crummy aerial game into a passable one. Potentially even better (and not involving a prop spawned from hammerspace), K. Rool could use his cape like those in DKC competitor Super Mario World, hovering down at a slightly slower pace as long as the jump button is held. For all the hullabaloo that gets made at how Dixie could hover in Smash, it's funny to think that K. Rool's potential to do the same is never mentioned. On the flipside, one user mentioned a negative mechanic where K. Rool would have a great first jump, but no midair jump due to his weight, having to rely on his recovery for aerial movement beyond that. While it was panned when posted, I'll add it in here for completion's sake, since it's not completely nonsensical, given some of the custom mechanics currently in-game.
And now, the more major mechanics. Two come to mind off the top of my head. The first involves K. Rool having a variation on Lucario's Aura where, instead of becoming stronger upon taking damage, K. Rool becomes faster in both movement and attack speed. Naturally, he'd have to start out as a complete lard for such a mechanic to function well enough, and even then, it's arguable, given the polarizing nature of Aura. Nevertheless, it's worth mentioning, given how it applies in K. Rool's DKC and DKC2 fights. The other is for K. Rool to implement a costume-swapping mechanic, possibly switching Specials along with his wardrobe by way of a Down Special (if system updates render this possible) or even moveset statistics (average stats for King, slower and stronger stats for Kaptain, floatier and weaker stats for Baron). As mentioned earlier, neither are necessary to put together a great K. Rool moveset, and are arguably superfluous, but in case "mechanics" are the litmus test for uniqueness, K. Rool absolutely still passes.
tl;dr version:
--Some characters are "unique" without a mechanic, others are "unique" with one; K. Rool doesn't need one to shine, but could support one nonetheless
--K. Rool's belly and tough skin could give him super armor against weak blows, with the former maybe taking less damage to boot
--K. Rool's crown could deter footstool jumps either by dealing damage with each jump or preventing them entirely; it could also work as a lingering hitbox
--In the air, K. Rool could have multiple jumps or a hover with his helicopter pack
--His cape could grant him a slower descent when a jump input is held, like those in Super Mario World
--A negative mechanic could entail K. Rool having no midair jump, just one strong initial one
--A more major mechanic could involve K. Rool becoming faster with his movement and attacks after suffering more damage
--With a Down Special, K. Rool could swap costumes and, thus, either Specials, statistics or both
And that's a wrap for K. Rool's moveset arsenal! This project has been a labor of love of mine for the past month or so, and I'm thrilled to finally have it in a complete, presentable condition to share elsewhere. Will it fully deter slights regarding K. Rool's uniqueness? No, even with these walls of text, there'll inevitably be responses to the tune of "Do they really 'fit' K. Rool?" or "Do they really 'make sense' for him?" It's difficult to ever discuss uniqueness in Smash because the topic is full of nebulous terms, gray areas and contradictions, many of which stem back to the fact that one man with a track record of bizarre decisions has so much influence, both with movesets and the fanbase's perception of them. Nevertheless, I hope, somewhere in these write-ups, something "jumps out at you" positively about K. Rool and you'll walk away with newfound appreciation for the guy. Cheers!
In case it's a K. Rool museum-of-sorts you're interested in, here's a link to the post that served as this thread's OP for the past two years and five months (it had to be separated from this post because it got so big, it caused a 502 Bad Gateway for me when editing it!). It's packed to the gills with fanart, GIFs, videos, stages, movesets, music remixes, the whole works, so if you haven't seen it by now, definitely give it a gander.
Enjoy your stay in the presence of the world's most wanted DLC newcomer!
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