Butterfly One red and orangebutterfly standing onKirby's head in the final cutscene ofKirby: Planet Robobot. Details First appearance Kirby's Return to Dream Land (2011) Latest appearance Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World (2025) Other appearance(s) Kirby: Triple Deluxe Kirby: Planet Robobot Kirby Star Allies Kirby and the Forgotten Land Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe Related Morpho Knight Similar Papi

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This article is about the recurring red and orange butterflies seen typically in cutscenes. For the white butterfly seen inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards, seeFlutter.

Butterflies are a common sight in theKirby series, first seen in the intro ofGreen Greens inKirby's Dream Land. In particular, butterflies with a distinct red and orange coloration are recurring atmospheric background characters that are typically seen in cutscenes, especially those at the start and end of a game. These butterflies were first seen in the opening and ending cutscenes ofKirby's Return to Dream Land and have appeared in all mainlineKirby games since. In both ofMorpho Knight's appearances, it initially appears to be such a butterfly, but then takes the form of a knight after absorbing a powerful being.

It is unclear if the butterflies that appear in cutscenes are the same entity as each other and/or Morpho Knight. In the ending ofKirby: Planet Robobot, two red and orange butterflies appear on-screen at the same time, showing that there are multiple of them. Notably, the description of the Morpho Knightfigure in the Japanese version ofKirby and the Forgotten Land uses the term "一頭の夢見鳥", which can be translated as "a butterfly" or "one of the butterflies", but it could also mean "the lone butterfly" or "the one butterfly". When asked if the butterflies were all the same,Shinya Kumazaki said he didn't want to confirm or deny it, and commented on how often certain aspects of the world ofKirby are left up to interpretation, so that each player can experience the games in their own ways.^[1]

Characteristics[edit]

The butterflies are rather small, with a total length comparable to one ofKirby's eyes, though specifically Morpho Knight has been shown to be much larger when it goes afterGalacta Knight inGuest Star ???? Star Allies Go!. Their wings are consistently depicted as yellow-orange on their insides and red on their edges, though whether the wings smoothly fade from red to orange or have a hard separation between them varies. The butterflies' body is mainly orange.

These butterflies are used as a symbol of peace in the series^[2] and are usually seen fluttering aroundDream Land, often landing on Kirby when he is unconscious, which is typically enough to wake him up.

In many cultures, butterflies are often associated with death, souls, and the afterlife. This extends as far back as ancient Egypt, where some species of butterflies were thought to be the reincarnated souls of dead warriors.Psyche, the Greek goddess of the soul, was associated with butterflies and often appeared as a woman with butterfly wings.In ancient Japanese folklore, butterflies are thought to represent the souls of the living, the dying, and the dead. While they are treated with great reverence, a butterfly may signal an omen of death, or appear to guide a dying soul toYomi, the land of the dead.^[3]

Thus, while butterflies are often used as symbols of peace in theKirby series, this association with souls and death led toMorpho Knight, an ominous character associated with Yomi who feasts upon souls, being represented as a butterfly.^[4]

Game appearances[edit]

Kirby's Return to Dream Land /Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]

One red and orange butterfly first appears in this game's intro cutscene, "A Visitor from Afar", resting on a flower next toMeta Knight while he is reading near the knoll. It flies away when adimensional rift starts appearing in Dream Land.

A red and orange butterfly later appears in the final cutscene, "Each to His Own World", once Kirby and his friends are returned home unconscious byLandia. It initially lands on Kirby's face and wakes him up, which makes the butterfly fly away. Later, whenKing Dedede pulls his head out of the ground, the butterfly comes back and lands on a flower placed on King Dedede's head. The butterfly hops off his head after he looks up to seeLandia and theLor Starcutter, and is then seen flying away as the cutscene ends.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

One butterfly can be seen briefly at the very start of "Waking to a flowery coup!", the opening cutscene for this game. It lands on Kirby's head as he leaveshis house in the morning to go frolicking. Another butterfly, unknown if it is the same one from earlier, also appears later in the cutscene landing on one of the apples that Kirby ate while he sleeps near a tree in the evening.

Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]

Much like inKirby's Return to Dream Land, a butterfly lands on Kirby's head in the final cutscene of this game, "Restored to Life", waking him up after Meta Knight deposits him unconscious near a tree. The butterfly flies away, and presumably the same butterfly is then seen flying on top of the remains ofCastle Dedede. While King Dedede and aWaddle Dee emerge from the castle's remains, two more butterflies appear and flutter around them for a bit before flying away.

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

In this game, a butterfly appears in theStory Mode intro cutscene, "Starfall: A Rude Awakening", flying aroundWhispy Woods while theJamba Heart pieces are raining down on Popstar. One may also appear over the bottom-right waters on the world map ofDream Land on occasion.

A butterfly later appears at the end ofGuest Star ???? Star Allies Go!. Here, afterHyness is defeated atThe Divine Terminus,Galacta Knight emerges from a portal and prepares to face down the allies. Just after his title card is shown, the butterfly flutters down, glowing ominously. It lands gently on Galacta Knight's lance and proceeds to cause him to be vaporized. It then absorbs this power and morphs while revealing itself as the knight of the underworld,Morpho Knight, before attacking the allies.

In one ending illustration of Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!, when clearing said mode usingBandana Waddle Dee,King Dedede orMeta Knight, a butterfly is seen landing on a flower that is located near the three resting aforementioned characters.

A butterfly also appears in theCelebration Picture "A Farewell to Kirby", depicted in monochrome like the rest of the picture.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land[edit]

A butterfly makes a brief appearance in the opening cutscene of this game, "Kirby and the Mysterious Vortex". Here, it can be seen being sucked into the dimensional rift along withKirby and theWaddle Dees.

Another butterfly, unknown if the same as the one in the opening cutscene, later appears inForgo Land at the end ofIsolated Isles: Forgo Dreams, where it flies in and lands onSoul Forgo, transforming and revealing itself as Morpho Knight.

In theKirby novel series[edit]

In theKirby novel series, many butterflies appear inKirby: Meta Knight and the Knight of Yomi. One of them,Papi, becomesMeta Knight's companion as he travels throughYomi.

WhenKirby andWaddle Dee play in the field, they notice a butterfly fluttering near them. After Kirby suggests toinhale the butterfly to gain a butterfly copy ability, the butterfly flies away, making Waddle Dee wonder if it understood his words.

Later in the story, as Meta Knight journeys through Yomi, a bright red butterfly catches his eyes. He finds it strange how bright it seems compared to anything else in Yomi. After the butterfly vanishes, Meta Knight questions Papi about the red butterfly. Papi explains to him that there is a legend about the red butterfly which tells that it is called by an agonizing scream of a warrior's death. When it happens, the red butterfly will possess the warrior to become a legendary knight calledMorpho Knight. Meta Knight wants to duel the legendary warrior and after realizing that he may know the way to return to the world of the living, he begins to search for it.

At the last night for Meta Knight to be able to return to the world of the living, Papi senses the red butterfly. They find it floating over a fountain. Meta Knight tries to communicate with it, but to no avail. Suddenly, whenGalacta Knight is defeated in the world of the living, the red butterfly is called by his agonizing scream. The red butterfly's wings shine light which distorts the space, opening a gate to the world of the living. It flies through it toPlanet Charm and Meta Knight escape through the gate too. The red butterfly lands on Galacta Knight's lance and absorbs him to become Morpho Knight. After Morpho Knight is defeated, it disappears into a burst of dancing butterflies.

At the end of the story, Meta Knight picks up a yellow flower, on it a butterfly decides to sit. Meta Knight asks the butterfly say thanks to Papi for him if it finds him one day in Yomi, and the butterfly flutters away.

• 
  The red butterfly flying to the world of the living
• 
  The white butterfly fluttering away.

Gallery[edit]

• 
  A butterfly in the ending cutscene fromKirby's Return to Dream Land
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  The same scene fromKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
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  A butterfly in the intro forKirby: Triple Deluxe, on Kirby's face
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  A butterfly (on left) in the story mode opening ofKirby Star Allies
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  A butterfly is depicted in theCelebration Picture "A Farewell to Kirby".
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  Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! credits picture of Morpho Knight in its butterfly form fluttering toGalacta Knight
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  A butterfly appears alongsideBandana Waddle Dee,King Dedede andMeta Knight in this ending illustration from Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!
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  Morpho Knight in its butterfly form fluttering intoForgo Land inKirby and the Forgotten Land
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  Morpho Knight in its butterfly form lands onSoul Forgo
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  A butterfly beside Meta Knight in the opening cutscene ofKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
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  A butterfly in the bookFind Kirby!!
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  A butterfly in the bookFind Kirby!! Full of Kirby
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  Another butterfly in the bookFind Kirby!! Full of Kirby
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  A butterfly inFind Kirby!! Big Gathering at the Party!
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  A butterfly in the bookIt's Kirby Time: Thank You
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  A butterfly in the bookIt's Kirby Time: Kirby's Birthday
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  "Butterfly" figure from the "Kirby OVALTIQUE COLLECTION" merchandise line by Re-ment

See also[edit]

• Morpho Knight

References

• Characters