Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Link controls midrange with sword spacing, Boomerang, arrows, and Remote Bomb, then turns close-range shield pressure around with Up B and Nair. Banjo & Kazooie can disrupt that structure with both egg projectiles and Wonderwing, but they lose the damage race if they keep meeting Link directly at sword range.
The neutral plan is to use Egg Firing and Grenade Egg to interrupt Link’s bomb setup, walk timing, and drift backward first, then enter only after he is forced into shield or jump. If Link is holding Bomb, Banjo should avoid standing in front of him and shift position so returning Boomerang, sword, and the throw cannot cover the same lane at once.
The table shows Jab 1, Jab 2, Jab 3, tilts, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Neutral B, Dair, Up B (1), and Down B (2) are all punishable on shield by Up Smash, Grab, OOS Uair, or OOS Bair. By contrast, Nair, Fair, Bair, Uair, and Side B do not always give a stable immediate answer, so it is better to punish the landing or retreat path with eggs and Bair instead of forcing a shield-drop punish that does not really reach.
Kills are more reliable when Banjo uses eggs to bend ledge timing into Bair or Up Smash, or saves Wonderwing for the moment Link has to stop after projectile recovery or Up B landing. Repeating shallow shield pressure gives Link easy Up B reversals, so Banjo should touch once, pull back, and make him move again before recommitting.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Banjo & Kazooie OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 7 | -12 |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -16 |
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| Jab 3 | 6 | -23 |
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| Forward Tilt | 15 | -12 |
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| Up Tilt | 8 | -16 |
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| Down Tilt | 10 | -11 |
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| Dash Attack | 20 | -19 |
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| Forward Smash (1) | 17 | -27/-23/** |
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| Forward Smash (2) | 10 | -41 |
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| Up Smash | 10/25/41 | -28 |
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| Down Smash | 12/24 | (-31/-32/??)/(-23/-23/??) |
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| Neutral Air | 7 | -1/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 16/24 | -7/-7 |
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| Back Air | 6/15 | -3/-3 |
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| Up Air | 11 | -8/-9 |
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| Down Air | 14 | Bounce: ** | Fast Fall: -13/-13 |
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| Neutral B | 16-52 | -21 to -15 |
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| Side B | 27 | -7/-9 |
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| Up B (1) | 7 | -56 |
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| Up B (2) | 8/16/22/31/47 | — | ||
| Down B (1) | — | — | ||
| Down B (2) | 12 | -19 |
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| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use Egg Firing and Grenade Egg to interrupt Link’s bomb setup and walking pace, then re-enter only after forcing shield or jump into Bair, Grab, or Uair ranges.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Jab 3, any tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Neutral B, Dair, Up B (1), or Down B (2), take the shortest punish first with Up Smash, Grab, OOS Uair, or OOS Bair.
- Do not force immediate shield punishes on Nair, Fair, Bair, Uair, or Side B. Cover the landing and drift-out instead with eggs, Bair, or dash whiff punish.
- Avoid staying glued to Link’s shield. Touch once, reset spacing so Up B out of shield whiffs, then finish from ledge or landing traps with Bair, Up Smash, or selective Wonderwing.
Actions to Avoid
- Standing in front of a Link holding Bomb and letting sword range, item throw, and returning Boomerang stack on the same line.
- Repeating shallow Nair or Fair pressure on shield and handing the close-range sequence back to Up B out of shield.
- Trying to punish Nair, Fair, Bair, Uair, and Side B on the spot every time, then getting clipped because the shield-drop punish never truly reaches.
- Chasing too deep offstage into Bomb explosions or Up B landing hitboxes and making Banjo’s own recovery route easier to read.