The termfourth wall is used to describe the separation of the audience from a performance. It is originally derived from stage play, where an imaginary fourth wall is said to separate the audience from the characters being portrayed, though it need not be a literal wall. This wall is meant to exist in the context of the story, which means that if actors look beyond the wall at the audience, whether intentionally or not, they are said to be 'breaking the fourth wall', thus breaking the illusion of a self-contained story. This can be pushed further by having actors directly address or interact with the audience, which is usually done for comedic effect or satire. Another means of breaking the fourth wall includes having the actors acknowledge their status as fictional characters, interacting with a narrator, or tampering with stage elements not meant to be interacted with such as backgrounds, cameras, or in the case of video games, the user interface. Breaking the fourth wall is particularly common in children's media, often as a method to engage the children with the characters in question.

Examples in theKirby series[edit]

TheKirby series breaks the fourth wall on many occasions, though it is important to distinguish the difference between interactions in menus and instruction manuals and those in actual gameplay. The former cases are understood to take place outside of the context of the proper story, and as such are not part of the game'scontinuity. (For example, a menu screen that tells the player to "Press Start" is not considered breaking the fourth wall.) This article will only focus on examples of the fourth wall being broken in gameplay or in-game cutscenes.

General[edit]

One common way that video games in general will break the fourth wall is to treat the display screen as a physical barrier within the game, or at least as a camera. TheKirby series does this on several occasions by flinging its characters into the "screen" for a more dramatic defeat. In such cases, the screen is often assumed to be a glass window.

In many games in the series,Kirby will wave at or otherwise acknowledge the player during certain moments. The first example of this is the ending ofKirby's Dream Land, where Kirby hoists up a sign in the very lastcutscene saying 'bye-bye'. This tradition carries on through many games in the series, with the ending ofKirby Star Allies having Kirby and any of his presentfriends waving at the player as they fly away.

In several games, particularly later ones, symbolic objects such asDoors and goal doors are directly interacted with as objects in the environment. This is particularly prevalent inKirby: Triple Deluxe andKirby: Planet Robobot. Enemies such asMirras andNidoos can even take on the appearance of these symbolic objects, blurring the line between gameplay and story functionality.

Another aspect that blurs the boundaries of the fourth wall is in-game dialogue from the characters. Generally, the characters will speak whichever language the system is set to, whether that is English, Japanese, or any number of languages each game has been translated into. This is not necessarily meant to indicate that the characters are speaking these languages in-universe, but that the dialogue is merely being translated such that the player can understand it. This is especially true of games that featureconstructed languages, such asKirby Star Allies orKirby and the Forgotten Land.

Kirby's Dream Land[edit]

InKirby's Dream Land, while the game ispaused, Kirby willstart dancing in place if left alone for long enough. This example is particularly notable as nothing is meant to move during a pause session.

In addition, as mentioned above, Kirby will use a sign to say farewell to the player in the ending of the game.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards[edit]

At the end of thebad ending cutscene inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards, thequeen turns to face the camera with an ominous expression on her face, as a way to indicate that the player isn't quite finished with the game.

Kirby Air Ride[edit]

While Kirby is riding anAir Ride Machine inKirby Air Ride, he will acknowledge the player in a number of different ways. When left to coast forward for an extended period of time, Kirby will look back and motion for the player to make an input. When performing a smooth landing after a glide, Kirby will turn and pose ecstatically.

Kirby: Canvas Curse[edit]

In the intro cutscene forKirby: Canvas Curse, the openingnarration specifically states that theMagical Paintbrush is transported to the player's hands (as another way to describe theNintendo DS stylus).^[1]

Kirby Mass Attack[edit]

InHeavy Lobster's boss battle in theKirby Brawlball sub-game inKirby Mass Attack, if theKirby ball touches any of the Paint Blobbies that Heavy Lobster releases, the blob will splatter part of the screen with purple paint, obstructing the player's vision. The location of the paint splats depends on where the Paint Blobby was hit.

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

During the battle withGrand Doomer inKirby's Return to Dream Land andKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, it will start conjuring enemies to attack Kirby in the final phase. One of these enemies can be aWaddle Dee, and if it is conjured and allowed to fall to the floor, it will wave briefly toward the player before proceeding to walk around as usual.

Exclusively inKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, enemies are launched into the "camera" when hit bySuper Ability attacks.

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  Waddle Dee crashes into the screen after being hit by Kirby'sUltra Sword inKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
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  Waddle Dee greets the player amidst all the chaos during the battle againstGrand Doomer EX inKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition[edit]

Magolor directly addresses the player at the beginning of theNew Challenge Stages inKirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, explaining the game's backstory and following up onKirby's Return to Dream Land. He refers to the player as a separate entity from Kirby, but does not otherwise break the established continuity of the games.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

InKirby: Triple Deluxe, it is possible for Kirby to be knocked into and splat against the fourth wall directly whenever hit by a large object moving in toward the player. The same thing can happen to King Dedede inDededetour.

At the start ofFine Fields - Stage 1, Kirby casually breaks the fourth wall by waving to the player. King Dedede does something similar in Dededetour by winking instead of waving.

Some bosses are able to interact with the screen in a way that hinders the player's view, withPaintra (covering the screen with paint) andPyribbit (burning the screen to cover it with ash) being the most prominent examples.

In some stages, Kirby or other characters interact with Goal Doors as objects needed for Kirby to advance in his adventure.

On two separate occasions, when Kirby uses theHypernova ability to defeatFlowery Woods andFlowered Sectonia, theirHealth bars are ripped from the user interface and fly into Kirby's mouth.

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  Screenshot fromKirby: Triple Deluxe where Kirby splats against "the Nintendo 3DS screen"
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  Paintra's paint stripes block the player's view
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  Pyribbit DX burns the screen, covering it in ash
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  Hypernova Kirby tastes a delicious health bar
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  An example of doors being treated as continuity-breaking separate objects, when thePeople of the Sky bring in the Goal Door for Kirby to use inKirby: Triple Deluxe

Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe[edit]

Breaking the fourth wall is actually used as a hazard inDedede's Drum Dash Deluxe; in a few stages, there are obstacles called "blindfold banners", which temporarily cover part of the screen. As they would have no impact onKing Dedede within the setting of the game, they exist purely to hinder the player. They primarily appear in level four, "Bouncing Boss Battle", and the secret version of level 2, "Must Dash", carried byBronto Burts. In the "C-R-O-W-N-E-D: Reprise" stage, Magolor appears with a blindfold banner in one segment, directly facing the player and laughing if King Dedede falls into a pit or at the very end of the blindfold banner section.

Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]

Kirby: Planet Robobot continues the gimmick fromKirby: Triple Deluxe where Kirby (andMeta Knight inMeta Knightmare Returns) can be knocked into the screen by certain obstacles. When Kirby is piloting theRobobot Armor, he will leave a temporary crack in the screen when he hits. It's also possible to makethe Halberd slam into the screen and crack it duringStar Dream's third phase, if it gets caught in both the "Install Hole" and "Fatal Error" attacks.

In the "Victim of Mechanization" cutscene that plays prior to its boss fight inPatched Plains - Stage 5 andMeta Knightmare Returns,Clanky Woods turns to face the viewer, roaring at them.

InOverload Ocean - Stage 4 andOverload Ocean - Stage 7 EX, when one of the giant ice cream cones falls over, bits of it "stick" to the screen.

As inTriple Deluxe, in some instances Kirby interacts with Goal Doors as important objects needed for him.

InPresident Haltmann's boss battle, he can sometimes cover the screen in Haltmann dollar bills, hindering the player's view.

In its normal form,Star Dream's eye is curved inward, giving the impression of staring at the player.

During the "Ending" cutscene forStory Mode and the "Secret Ending" cutscene forMeta Knightmare Returns, Kirby in the Robobot Armor or Meta Knight can interact with the credits text by punching them into the screen (for the former) or slashing them in half or into the screen (for the latter).

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  Robobot Armor literally breaks the fourth wall
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  GIF of Clanky Woods turning to face and roar at the viewer (click to animate)
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  Wheel Mode Kirby uses a laser to sculpt the GoalDoor out of the rock
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  Money obscures the screen
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  Star Dream's eye appears to follow "the player"
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  Kirby attacks the credits

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe &Super Kirby Clash[edit]

Colossal Spear Waddle Dee waving at the player during battle at the Seaside.

Colossal Waddle Dee waving at the player during battle in the Grasslands while having low HP.

On rare occasions when fightingColossal Waddle Dee inTeam Kirby Clash Deluxe orColossal Spear Waddle Dee inSuper Kirby Clash, they may stop and wave at the player, completely dropping their angry expression while doing so.

Kirby's Blowout Blast[edit]

During theKirby's Blowout Blaststaff credits, Kirby can sometimes be seen watching a piece of the credits text scroll by.

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

TheArtistability's "Painbrush" move inKirby Star Allies covers the entire screen in paint splats of assorted colors.

TheCrash RushFriend Ability sends Kirby's allies splatting against the screen at the end of it.

When selecting Soul Melter EX inThe Ultimate Choice, Kirby blankly stares at the fourth wall, with a face similar toVoid Termina's core.

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  Kirby's friends are knocked into the fourth wall by the Crash Rush during a battle withWhispy Woods.
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  Kirby stares at the fourth wall as Soul Melter EX is selected.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land /Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World[edit]

InKirby and the Forgotten Land and itsNintendo Switch 2 Edition, when riding on certain Warp Stars inDowntown Grassland,Welcome to Wondaria andNortheast Frost Street, Kirby, along withElfilin and/orBandana Waddle Dee (if present), will wave at the player.

WhenAn Unexpected Beast King is completed for the first time, King Dedede sneaks up on Kirby and Elfilin during the stage results screen, putting him in position to capture the latter in the followingcutscene. As nothing is meant to move during the stage results screen, this can be seen as a fourth wall break.

DuringThe Dream Discoveries Tour, the "automatic language detection" dialogue at the beginning can be seen as a mild fourth wall break, since the audio file being played during this cutscene is determined by the system's language settings (more details about that can be seen on its page).

Like withStar Dream,Chaos Elfilis's eyes are curved inward (concave), making them seem to follow the player instead of Kirby. This can be easily seen close-up on their ownfigure.

Kirby's Dream Buffet[edit]

In theBattle Royale stages ofKirby's Dream Buffet, Kirbys are launched into the screen when K.O.'d usingInvincible Candy, with the "Screen KO" effect working similarly to how it operates in theSuper Smash Bros. games.

Kirby Air Riders[edit]

InKirby Air Riders, all fourth wall breaking animations from the originalKirby Air Ride return. In addition, prior to theHyper Gigantes fight inRoad Trip's true ending path, Noir Dedede looks directly at the player while they choose between theDragoon and theHydra.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

SmashWiki has more information about this subjecthere.

Starting withSuper Smash Bros. Melee, the games in theSuper Smash Bros. series allow fighters who are launched beyond the top blast zone to occasionally splat briefly against the screen in a process called aScreen KO. The exact mechanics of this process differ between each game.

References

• Gameplay mechanics