Kabu is a reoccurringenemy in theKirby series, having appeared in many games since its debut inKirby's Dream Land. It resembles a sculpted stone head, similar to the faces of themoai, with a flat bottom and a rounded top (though sometimes being depicted as cubical), typically beige or brown in color. Its face consists of two holes in place of eyes, a sculpted wedge-like nose, and a perpetually open mouth.
Depending on the game, Kabu may attack in a large amount of ways, including jumping, sliding, flying, and even teleporting.Big Kabu, a larger counterpart of Kabu, can also spit out smaller Kabu.Kirby can inhale and swallow Kabu, but in turn, does not receive aCopy Ability.
Appears inNew Challenge Stages.Kirby's Dream Land,Kirby's Adventure,Kirby's Dream Land 2,Kirby Super Star, andKirby's Dream Land 3 are also included, where Kabu has the exact same role.
Kabu debuted along with Kirby inKirby's Dream Land. Here, it can be found in theFloat Islands stage, in the caves. It can be found patrolling the walkways as well as nestled inside holes in the walls. It attacks by sliding into Kirby, and dropping down on him from above. It can also fade away, and reappear in different areas. In theExtra Game, it is replaced byGrumples.
Kirby's Adventure /Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[edit]
Kirby spotting two Kabu on the other side of a wall inKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.
InKirby's Adventure andKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kabu appears as an enemy again, with a similar attack pattern. It still has the ability to phase in and out of sight, though it does this less often than in its previous appearance.
InKirby's Adventure andKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kabu can be found in the following levels and stages:
Kabu locations inKirby's Adventure andKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
InKirby's Pinball Land, Kabu (known here asKaboo[1]) appears in the lowermost board ofWispy-Woods Land. Six of them are arranged around the board, with aBig Kabu in the middle. The side Kabu are worth 360 points each time they are bumped. When the side Kabu are bumped, they retreat into the walls of the board, leaving a small nub that is worth 180 points when bumped. Once all six Kabu have been bumped, the Big Kabu disappears, leaving aWarp Star behind.
Kabu appears as one of the four basic grounded enemy types inKirby's Dream Course, with the others beingBroomhatter,Waddle Dee andSquishy. Kabu continuously spins, but do not move at all. When hit, it does not grant any special abilities.
InKirby's Dream Course, Kabu can be found in the following courses:
Kabu, the immovable object, will attempt to block Kirby, the irresistible force.
”
— Kirby's Avalanche Instruction Booklet (North American print), page 22
InKirby's Avalanche, Kabu is the sixth challenger Kirby must face. Despite its disadvantages, it acts cocky before the match begins. This game marks the only time that Kabu has ever had dialogue, outside ofits appearance in the anime series. HisPuyo Puyo equivalent is Sukiya Podes.
InKirby's Block Ball, Kabu appears as a pre-boss enemy inStage 3 and is worth 5000 points when defeated. It then appears alongside aBig Kabu in the boss room of the same stage with a slightly different appearance.
Wheelie Rider Kirby jumping toward a Kabu inKirby Super Star Ultra.
Kabu makes an appearance inKirby Super Star and its remake;Kirby Super Star Ultra. In this game, Kabu may be seen warping in and out of visibility, and they may also occasionally launch like a rocket, leaving the area. Despite this odd behavior, they are as easy to defeat as any other common enemy, and do not have a lot ofhealth. InRevenge of the King, Kabu is once again replaced byGrumples.
InKirby Super Star Ultra, Kabu also appears on a card inKirby Card Swipe.
Kabu can be found in the following places inKirby Super Star andKirby Super Star Ultra:
Kabu locations inKirby Super Star &Kirby Super Star Ultra
Kabu returns as a standard enemy inKirby's Dream Land 3. Its abilities have been greatly toned down for this appearance, save for its tendency to spin around and occasionally teleport from time-to-time. Kabu is often also seen being spat out byDekabu.
InKirby's Dream Land 3, Kabu can be found in the following levels and stages:
While Kabu does not appear inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards, the entrance to the ruins inRock Star - Stage 1 is shaped like Kabu's face. Inside the ruins, the chamber with rising sand has faces on the walls that resemble Kabu, which pour sand out of their mouths.
Kirby coming across two Kabu inKirby Tilt 'n' Tumble.
Kabu makes an appearance inKirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. Unlike some of its other appearances, Kabu is relatively tame here, opting to only sit in place and act as a roadblock which harms Kirby on impact. Kabu can be defeated by popping up theGame Boy Color to flip the Kabu and turn it into aStar Piece.
InKirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, Kabu can be found only inLvl 2-2, ironically appearing less often thanits bigger counterpart.
Kabu appears inKirby: Canvas Curse, appearing in a few stages. Here, it spins along the ground, and has its signature ability to vanish and reappear elsewhere.
InKirby: Canvas Curse, Kabu appears in the following locations:
Kirby's Return to Dream Land /Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]
Kabu inKirby's Return to Dream Land
InKirby's Return to Dream Land andits remake, Kabu returns as a common enemy with attack patterns similar to previous games. It most often appears inRaisin Ruins, fitting the ruined architecture of those stages. InKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, Kabu also appears as a book pattern in the sub-gameMagolor's Tome Trackers.
In these games, Kabu can be found in the following levels and stages:
Kabu locations inKirby's Return to Dream Land andKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Kabu appears inKirby: Triple Deluxe just like it did inKirby's Return to Dream Land. It has the ability to move between the foreground and background by rolling back and forth between the planes.
InKirby: Triple Deluxe, Kabu can be found in the following levels and stages:
Kabu makes an appearance as a common enemy inKirby's Blowout Blast, spinning around various patrol paths before being bested by Kirby, worth 100 base points when defeated.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land /Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World[edit]
Kabu inKirby and the Forgotten Land
Kabu returns as an enemy inKirby and the Forgotten Land and itsNintendo Switch 2 Edition. It can usually be seen spinning along a set path. When attacked, but not defeated, it will vanish and then reappear somewhere else, then pursue Kirby. Kabu can also be spat out by Big Kabu, and will continue in a straight line until it vanishes, similar to projectiles thrown by other enemies likeGabon orMookie. A stronger Crystal variant of Kabu also appears alongside its regular counterpart inStar-Crossed World.
InKirby and the Forgotten Land and Star-Crossed World, Kabu can be found in the following stages:
Kabu returns as an enemy inKirby's Dream Buffet, here styled to resemble a chocolate-covered pastry with sprinkles on top. It appears as an obstacle on race courses, and can also be seen carryingstrawberries in variousMinigame stages.
InKirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kabu is a giant immobile stone statue located withina canyon named after him and is a deity to the public. The citizens ofCappy Town often ask him for guidance during times of peril, and see him as a more legitimate protector than theirking. Kabu shelters theWarp Star, and theStar Warriors, as that was his original purpose.
Kabu debuted along with Kirby inKirby's Dream Land. Here, it can be found in theFloat Islands stage, in the caves. It can be found patrolling the walkways as well as nestled inside holes in the walls. It attacks by sliding into Kirby, and dropping down on him from above. It can also fade away, and reappear in different areas. In theExtra Game, it is replaced byGrumples.
InKirby's Adventure andKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kabu appears as an enemy again, with a similar attack pattern. It still has the ability to phase in and out of sight, though it does this less often than in its previous appearance.
Kabu appears as one of the four basic grounded enemy types inKirby's Dream Course, with the others beingBroomhatter,Waddle Dee andSquishy. Kabu continuously spins, but do not move at all. When hit, it does not grant any special abilities.
Kabu makes an appearance inKirby's Dream Land 2, behaving in much the same way as it did inKirby's Dream Land.
InKirby's Block Ball, Kabu appears as a pre-boss enemy inStage 3 and is worth 5000 points when defeated. It then appears alongside aBig Kabu in the boss room of the same stage with a slightly different appearance.
Kabu makes an appearance inKirby Super Star and its remake;Kirby Super Star Ultra. In this game, Kabu may be seen warping in and out of visibility, and they may also occasionally launch like a rocket, leaving the area. Despite this odd behavior, they are as easy to defeat as any other common enemy, and do not have a lot ofhealth. InRevenge of the King, Kabu is once again replaced byGrumples.
Kabu returns as a standard enemy inKirby's Dream Land 3. Its abilities have been greatly toned down for this appearance, save for its tendency to spin around and occasionally teleport from time-to-time. Kabu is often also seen being spat out byDekabu.
Kabu makes an appearance inKirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. Unlike some of its other appearances, Kabu is relatively tame here, opting to only sit in place and act as a roadblock which harms Kirby on impact. Kabu can be defeated by popping up theGame Boy Color to flip the Kabu and turn it into aStar Piece.
Kabu appears inKirby: Canvas Curse, appearing in a few stages. Here, it spins along the ground, and has its signature ability to vanish and reappear elsewhere.
InKirby Mass Attack, Kabu appears in theSub-GameStrato Patrol EOS as one of the opponents which the Kirbys can gun down. Four of them are split from aBig Kabu when it is defeated.
Key art for theKirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert, featuring Kabu as part of the border
Icon fromKirby's Avalanche
Alternate palette fromKirby Super Star
Alternate palette fromKirby Super Star
Alternate palette fromKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Unused palette fromKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Unused palette fromKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Alternate palette fromKirby Super Star Ultra
Alternate palette fromKirby Super Star Ultra
Card fromKirby Card Swipe inKirby Super Star Ultra
Entering the Kabu-faced ruins inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards
The room with Kabu faces on the walls inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards
A Kabu statue appears on the right of theWater course inKirby Air Ride
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Kirby's Dream Buffet
Kabu inCrystalline Fissure inKirby Air Riders
Model fromKirby's Return to Dream Land
Big Kabu Figure fromKirby and the Forgotten Land
Book pattern fromMagolor's Tome Trackers inKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
The Kabu flour inKirby: The Strange Sweets Island
