Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Diddy Kong controls midrange with Banana, fair, bair, and Monkey Flip, and he converts the moment Bayonetta stops on the ground into burst-ins and kill confirms. Bayonetta still has the advantage once she can get the banana out first, because her ground buttons lose more often, but her air mobility and up-B starters let her outcarry Diddy once the fight goes airborne. Diddy is also not especially strong when forced to recover upward, so Bayonetta can close stocks by turning landing traps into offstage fair, bair, and After Burner Kick coverage. The matchup is won by refusing to brawl for banana on the ground, varying jump height and landing spots until Diddy commits first, and then converting one touch all the way through the edgeguard.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Bayonetta OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 3 | -13 |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -12 |
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| Jab 3 | 5 | -24 |
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| Forward Tilt | 10 | -16 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -17 |
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| Down Tilt | 4 | -8 |
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| Dash Attack | 8/16/22 | -14 |
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| Forward Smash | 12/21 | -21 |
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| Up Smash | 5/12/19 | -29 |
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| Down Smash | 7/12 | -35/-28 |
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| Neutral Air | 8 | -5 |
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| Forward Air | 6 | -12/-12 |
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| Back Air | 5 | -3 |
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| Up Air | 4 | -7 |
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| Down Air | 15 | -26 (-13 landing) |
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| Neutral B | 16/17—121/124 | -25 to -17/-19 to -13 |
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| Side B | 18 | — | ||
| Up B | 8—68 | — | ||
| Down B | — | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not keep playing grounded footsies while he holds Banana; vary your jump heights and horizontal drift until he is forced to throw it or place it first
- Once up B, fair, nair, or grab starts the string, do not stop in center; chase air dodge and jump usage all the way to the ledge
- On shield, do not miss punish windows on jab 1, jab 2, jab 3, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, fair, up air, down air, and neutral B
- When Diddy is offstage, read the height on Barrel Jet and cover the return with fair, bair, or After Burner Kick
- At kill percent, do not lean only on Witch Time; center the finish around ledge bair and edgeguards, and reserve landing up smash for true conviction spots
Actions to Avoid
- Do not overuse grounded dash in front of Banana. One trip confirm into fair or up smash is too much for Bayonetta’s low durability to trade with.
- Do not spam After Burner Kick straight into shield. Diddy keeps advantage extremely well after the punish, and the more he reads it the worse your landing becomes.
- Do not tunnel on getting the kill early in center once you win neutral. The longer Diddy survives there, the more likely Banana resets and the matchup slips back.
- Do not dive too deep before confirming the Barrel Jet route. It can still create accidents, but if you miss the angle Bayonetta is the one left with the bad landing.