If you’re having trouble getting through the Smash Ultimate adventure mode, then consider taking up the best character for World of Light in the pink alien puffball.

It may seem a bit basic that the best character for World of Light is the very one that you start off with, but after completing the entirety of the Spirits mode, I can guarantee you that for most battles, Kirby is your best bet.

Through many trials and tribulations, you may have realized that the odds are stacked against you in Smash Ultimate‘s adventure mode, World of Light. Many of the AI have things like decreased damage, knockback, or temporary invincibility that makes them incredibly difficult to take out.

I’m here to deliver some good news: If you’re simply looking to complete World of Light, you’re able to complete most, if not all, of the required Spirit battles using Kirby’s varied repertoire of gimping, chain comboing, and raw killpower moveset.

Best character in World of Light: Kirby ‘Smash Ultimate’ guide

Gimps and hammers

Most Spirit battles are simple one-on-ones with you versus a stacked opponent. For instance, it may seem intimidating at first that the Marth you’re facing has increased speed and attack power. If you’re finding that it’s nearly impossible to approach without getting punished, and that you’re dying at incredibly early percents, consider the following: abuse the physics of the game.

Kirby has a total of six double jumps, making him one of the most versatile characters during air combos and fights. He largely benefits from his neutral-b inhale move, which not only allows him to copy his opponent’s neutral special, but also carry them off the stage with great ease.

While it is possible to carry an opponent off stage to their death by sucking them up on the ground, there are some complications here. The most important issue is that you’ll likely die first. If Kirby touches the blastzone with someone in his mouth, he will lose his stock before the opponent. This is a nerf introduced in Smash 4, seeing as characters like Kirby, King DDD, Bowser, and Gannondorf were able to suicide stock wins like no tomorrow in Brawl.

However, not all is lost. The cheapest way to “suck and cuck” (as fandom has affectionately named this gimmick) is to hold on to the ledge, and wait for the AI to approach. Once they have, jump from ledge, and inhale. If the opponent doesn’t go into Kirby’s mouth the first time around, simply spam more jump ledge inhales until they do. Now’s where the real fun begins.

To take out an opponent nearly 100% of the time at 0% in World of Light, simply keep them in your mouth as you both plummet toward the bottom blastzone, while keeping the joystick pressed toward the stage. This will glide you and your opponent at such an angle that they will struggle to break free just in time for them to die first, leaving Kirby using his double jumps under the stage to stall out the kill. You can try to spit out an opponent under the stage, but that method is nowhere near as reliable as this alternate suck and cuck.

The AI isn’t going to properly react to you doing the suck and cuck, but humans likely will. If the AI was more intelligent, it would mash out of the suck and cuck in time to safely recover/punish Kirby’s recovery. Feel free to use this in any one-on-one battle in adventure mode, but don’t try it (too often) in battles against another human player.

There are few instances where the suck and cuck simply won’t work, seeing as your opponent has too good of a recovery (Village, Isabelle, another Kirby, DDD), or they have a battle condition that makes it physically impossible to inhale them. Thankfully, Kirby has some other basic tools that will make taking out heavy-bodied giant characters, metal characters, and the like fairly easy.

Related: How to get into Elite Smash in Smash Ultimate

To earn a free stock off of an opponent in World of Light, simply chain together some forward airs. Kirby’s multihit forward air combos with relative ease into the blast zone against humans (if you’re able to catch them off guard). At that, it’s incredibly easy to chain forward air an AI off into the side blast zone, both winning the battle and saving you the stress of having to really play the hard fight. Consider spamming Kirby’s down air if your opponent has a gimpable recovery for another great early kill option.

Lastly, Kirby’s side b is his best kill move, and most of the World of Light AI will fail to react to it. If you’re facing a team of the same character, or if an opponent is continuously making bad approaches, simply charge up your side b to your heart’s content, and when the moment’s right, let it rip. More often than not, the AI will fall for your simple bait, sending them either flying to their death at early percents, or tacking on a lot of damage in the process.

Is Kirby the best character for World of Light in ‘Smash Ultimate’?

From personal experience, I’d say that yes, he indeed is the best character to complete the Smash Ultimate story mode. Alternatively, I found success using characters like Donkey Kong, King DDD, and King K. Rool. Experiment around with Kirby, and even on some of the game’s hardest difficulties, you’ll find yourself ripping through all of World of Light.