Players to Watch

This documentation goes over relevant K. Rool players that should be accounted for when looking for top-level gameplay. These players have been PRed in their region or country, have amazing tournament results, and consistently show excellent gameplay. In the interest of ensuring the playlists here continue to update, only active K. Rool players will be listed. This isn't to say they're bad; players like Somo, Onua, Muk, and Suntherion are all very strong K. Rools that carved their names into the history books.

Ben Gold needs no introduction. The famous Australian who's currently ranked #7 in his country, Ben Gold has reached international fame with King K. Rool, winning Battle Arena Melbourne #11, a B-Tier, with just K. Rool. He's also placed 5th at Phantom 2019, 17th at both Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas, 17th at Phantom 2020, 25th at 2GG: Nightmare on Smashville, and 33rd at Expand Gong 4. While he's retired now, this legendary player has and will continue to inspire players for years to come, and he is certainly an exception to the active player rule.

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Often considered to be the American Ben Gold, KirbyKid has made a name for himself since 2020, taking names and doing well with King K. Rool. Placed 49th at Low Tier City 7 and 65th at 2GG: Kongo Saga. Ranked 4th on the Southern Louisiana Ultimate Power Rankings. Widely considered to be the best western K. Rool player.

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808 is an American K. Rool best known for getting 65th at Shine 2019, as well as making a name for himself in the French community. Known for having unique ways of getting out of disadvantage, particularly with UAir use at the ledge. He also had a really good run against Gluttony.

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Tropical is an American K. Rool from the Midwest region, known for having a pressure-focused playstyle involving lots of FAir usage. He placed 33rd at SoCal Chronicles 2020 and has wins on players like adom and k9sbruce.

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True to his name, Chad dominates the Canadian Smash scene, ranked #4 in Durham. Placed 17th at HABBY Birthday 2019 and 33rd at The Amuka Smash Cup. He's also beaten Blacktwins13 in bracket.

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On about the same level as Chad, KnucklesUp is a strong Canadian K. Rool player that's also known for making funny TikToks. He's ranked #9 in Ontario, and is known for making good use of Blunderbuss and DTilt confirms.

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InfernoKong is a player from England more well-known for his exploits with Antonov in King of Fighters XIV. However, in Smash Ultimate, he's a strong, fundamentals-based K. Rool. He consistently places well at Smash Quarter, one of the most stacked locals in the West Midlands. He's placed 9th at Manchester Conquest 6 and 17th at Bailrigg 9, and has a win on Scholes, a PRed Wolf.

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Raphy is the best K. Rool in Germany, and often considered to be the best in Europe. He placed 7th at BOILINGPOINT BRAWL and is ranked #12 in South Germany. He also got placed A- on on an unofficial German Tier List-style PR when the pandemic kicked in. Known for being quite outspoken about the character's potential, but to good effect; he's single-handedly inspired many players with his optimism.

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Dera is among the best K. Rool players in Japan, dominating Sendai, Tohoku at #5 on their PR. Placed 3rd at Obasuma OST 4, 5th at Obasuma OST 2, and 7th at TSC 13. He's well-known for defeating Somé and Rattsu, among the best Greninja players in Japan, pre-patch. He's also one of two K. Rools to defeat TRIGGER, the best Japanese Belmont player in Japan. Dera has an extremely aggressive and technical playstyle, very much unlike most players, which has made him a common subject of study.

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Katoru is another extremely strong Japanese player from Osaka, with a prediction-heavy playstyle that can even be seen as psychic at times. A common attendee at Tamisuma tournaments that often places highly - sometimes even Top 8 - Katoru is also among the best WiFi K. Rools of all time.

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zoo is among the most defensive K. Rool players, albeit playing mainly on WiFi. zoo often places very highly at Tamisuma tournaments and consistently gets absurdly high ratings on Smashmate, the Japanese ladder website that dictates entry.

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Chirori is mainly a WiFi player, notorious for placing highly in various online tournaments in Japan. Known for making use of extremely unique ledgetraps that keep their opponents on their toes, including those using Returning Crown. Extremely aggressive in playstyle, akin to players like Onua and Tropical.

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Maksu is a Finnish K. Rool that's got strong EU results, including placements such as 33rd at Valhalla II and 65th at Valhalla III. He's also got wins on players such as RobbieAK47, a strong English Shulk player.

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Leggasiini is a Finnish K. Rool who's played the character since release, considered to be on-par with Maksu. He placed 9th at Lantrek 2020 and 25th at Bob-Omb Battlefield, both relatively large tournaments in the country. He's also participated heavily in the K. Rool community!

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