Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
The matchup gets annoying when Banjo & Kazooie lock Bayonetta into a fixed approach lane with egg pressure, rear egg coverage, bair, and Wonderwing. Bayonetta is not trying to win through raw single-hit trades, so if she keeps entering from the same height and angle, Banjo gets too many chances to stall the pace and push her toward the ledge before the combo game even starts.
Even so, Banjo’s close-range defense and landing resistance are not especially strong once Bayonetta gets in. The frame table shows that the jab string, Forward Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Neutral Air, Back Air, Down Air, Neutral B, Side B, Up B, and Down B all lose cleanly to Bayonetta’s Up B (6f), Grab (10f), or OOS Fair (10f). Wonderwing is especially important because it sits at -54 on shield, so Bayonetta should always cash out the biggest punish once that resource gets spent.
The stable win condition is to use Bayonetta’s air mobility and ABK angle changes to step outside the egg line, then start the ladder with fair, Up B, or uair and keep the landing trap going. Banjo’s horizontal drift on the way down and on the way back to ledge is fairly readable, so Bayonetta gets more by extending uair, bair, and offstage pressure than by forcing an early kill the moment she touches him.
Stocks are more reliable through ledge bair, Up Smash, Up B routes, and offstage fair than through a grounded waiting game. If Bayonetta respects eggs and Wonderwing so much that she stops taking initiative, the matchup slows down on Banjo’s terms, so the key is to enter only when the angle is good and then never give up the landing or ledge for free.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Bayonetta OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -20 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -17 |
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| Jab 3 | 5 | -21 |
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| Rapid Jab | 5/7/9… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 7 | -31 |
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| Forward Tilt | 7 | -12/-14 |
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| Up Tilt | 11 | -10 |
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| Down Tilt | 12 | -19/-19 |
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| Dash Attack | 9 | -16 |
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| Forward Smash | 19 | -22 |
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| Up Smash | 9… | -35 |
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| Down Smash | 13 | -23 |
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| Neutral Air | 10/13/16/19/22/25/28/31 | -14/-13 |
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| Forward Air | 15 | -6/-6 |
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| Back Air | 8/12/16 | -16/-15 |
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| Up Air | 7/9 | -10/-9 |
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| Down Air | 15 | -23 |
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| Neutral B | 13 | -27 |
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| Side B | 18 | -54 |
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| Up B | 15 | -20 |
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| Down B | 10 | -23 |
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| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not enter the egg lane head-on; use air drift and ABK angle changes to reach fair, Up B, or uair starters from off-axis positions.
- After blocking the jab string, Forward Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Neutral Air, Back Air, Down Air, Neutral B, Side B, Up B, or Down B, punish with Up B, Grab, or OOS Fair.
- When Wonderwing hits shield, always take the full punish and keep track of the remaining uses.
- Once Banjo is airborne, keep chasing with uair, bair, and offstage pressure so he cannot rebuild egg spacing.
- Finish stocks through ledge bair, Up Smash, Up B confirms, and offstage fair instead of drifting into a slow grounded standoff.
Actions to Avoid
- Approaching from the same height every time and lingering in front of egg pressure plus bair.
- Respecting eggs so much that Bayonetta stops initiating and hands Banjo the pace of the match.
- Blocking Wonderwing and settling for a light punish on Banjo’s biggest on-shield commitment.
- Abandoning landing traps just to force an early kill and letting Banjo reset the spacing he wants.
- Chasing too deep offstage and allowing Up B plus egg routes to flip the position.