Kirby Artwork ofKirby fromKirby Air Riders Details First appearance Kirby's Dream Land (1992) Latest appearance Kirby Air Riders (2025) Other appearance(s) (click to navigate) Voice actor(s) Makiko Ohmoto

Theme music https://wikirby.com/wiki/File:KAR_Green_Greens_Sample.oga "Green Greens" Clip of "Green Greens" fromKirby Air Ride. This theme is implied to be Kirby's theme song.[1]

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This article is about the protagonist of the Kirby franchise. For other uses of Kirby, seeKirby (disambiguation).

Kirby is the main character and namesake of theKirby series. He is a small pink creature who resides on and protects all ofPlanet Popstar, though his true origins are unknown. Despite his simplistic appearance, Kirby is easily recognizable by his ball-like stature, his large glossy eyes, and his cheerful demeanor. He is often seen riding aWarp Star, but can otherwise fly bytaking in air and puffing up like a balloon. While Kirby has many ways to combat his foes, the most well-known by far is his ability to open his mouth wide tosuck up his opponents and then swallow them whole. Doing this allows Kirby tocopy the attributes of whatever he just ate, expanding his powers in ways that are difficult to predict. Using these abilities is often crucial for Kirby to overcome the greater challenges he faces on his adventures. Kirby is classified as a silent protagonist; that is, he does not speak audibly or in text to the player in most instances, but characters in-game are implied to understand him. However, certain supplementary material, especially earlier in the series' history, has shown Kirby with the ability to speak normally, often in separatecontinuities from the games. Regardless of his ability to speak, he is generally veryvocal, using lots of grunts, shouts, and monosyllables — most famously, his cheery elongated "Hi!"

Since 1992, Kirby has starred in over 30 video games (thirteen of which can be considered part of the core series, not counting remakes), has appeared to some capacity in several otherNintendo games and products, has had ananime series, several manga series, anovel series, and has a great deal ofmerchandise in the form of figurines, plush dolls, clothing, and the like. Kirby and his series were created byMasahiro Sakurai underHAL Laboratory, with the latter of which retaining the rights to theKirby series and characters despite Sakurai's departure from theHAL Laboratory team in the mid-2000s. To this day, Kirby remains one of Nintendo's most famous and recognizable mascots, withKirby games garnering millions of sales worldwide, thanks in part to his reoccurring role as a fighter in theSuper Smash Bros. series.

Kirby has been consistently voiced byMakiko Ohmoto since 1999, when he appeared in the firstSuper Smash Bros. game on theNintendo 64. Ohmoto also voiced hisanime counterpart in all versions of the series, with the exception of some lines that were dubbed over byAmy Birnbaum andLee Ja-myeong for the English and Korean dubs. Prior to Ohmoto's debut, the role waspassed between various actors and actresses for one-off appearances.

Creation and name origin[edit]

Masahiro Sakurai conceptualized his first game project to be simple so that beginner players could easily clear it, and as a result included the ability to use enemies as weapons, as well as avoid obstacles by flying over them. Originally, the player character would grab enemies with a long tongue, but this was changed to be inhaling and then swallowing or spitting them out instead.^[2] During theearly development of what becameKirby's Dream Land, the developers atHAL Laboratory created a placeholder sprite intended to convey these ideas for a presentation. This placeholder sprite, a round little blob with a smiling face, became popular among the staff and, with a few tweaks, eventually became the final design. Notably, Sakurai's drawings of the character did not have blush marks, with these being added later by a different artist.^[3]

The character originally went by the name Popopo (ポポポ). HAL Laboratory eventually changed the name because they wanted it to appeal to kids outside of Japan, and polled Nintendo of America for suggestions. Among the candidates were "Gaspar" and "Kirby".^[4] In an interview withShigeru Miyamoto atE3 2011 by Game Informer, Miyamoto confirmed rumors that the name Kirby was chosen partially to honorJohn Kirby, the attorney who defended Nintendo in the caseUniversal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. Miyamoto, however, explained that the name was also chosen because of the Japanese trend to give cute characters "very soft names with soft sounds in them". Miyamoto thought that the name Kirby had "harsh sounds" to it, and that "the juxtaposition of this cute character with this harsh-sounding name was very funny".^[5]

It iscommonly thought that Miyamoto wanted Kirby to be yellow, and Sakurai decided to make him pink late inKirby's Dream Land's development, hence why he appears as white on the game's international box art. This is incorrect, as it can be clearly seen that Kirby was pink in concept art for the game, even before his name was finalized. Miyamoto explained that he thought Kirby would have been yellow based on the monochrome sprite, and was instead pleasantly surprised to see him as pink in the color art.^[4] Presumably in reference to this misinterpretation, later games often use a yellow Kirby as the second player, starting withKeeby inKirby's Dream Course. Meanwhile, it is unclear why Kirby was initially depicted as white on the international box art;Satoru Iwata believed it was a deliberate change to make him more marketable,^[6] while Masahiro Sakurai believes it came from a simple mistake due to overseas staff misinterpreting the colorless sprites of the Game Boy.^[7] The20th Anniversary Kirby Pupupu Encyclopedia sides with Sakurai's explanation.^[8]

Characteristics[edit]

Main article:Kirby's characteristics

Despite being among the simplest-looking of Nintendo's cast of video game mascots, Kirby has a surprisingly large amount of detail to his character, concerning both the particulars of his anatomy as well as his personality and backstory (so much so that aseparate page exists to document them more completely). Despite this, Kirby is typically presented—both in appearance and personality—as simple, fun, and straightforward, though with a few surprises here and there. His round pink body stands at no more than eight inches (20 cm) in height,^[9] and in his normal state, his movement speed is only modest, particularly when he takes in air tohover above the ground or tries toswim inwater. Where Kirby stands out is in his signature inhale ability, which he has made use of ever since his debut inKirby's Dream Land, allowing him to swallow lesserenemies whole and return the projectiles oftougherfoes back at them.

Kirby's inhale would be further expanded upon inKirby's Adventure and subsequent titles, when theCopy Ability mechanic was introduced; allowing Kirby to gain special powers by swallowing the appropriate things, such as gainingFire powers by swallowing a fiery foe likeHot Head. Using these abilities, Kirby is able to greatly expand his combat and/or movement capabilities, whether that be fending off strong opponents using theSword ability, racing rapidly along the ground usingWheel, or taking to the skies usingWing orJet. Many subsequent games allow further mixing of Kirby's abilities, whether that be directly viaPower Combos or when partnered with friends or other objects. Some games even allow Kirby toevolve his abilities over time to make them stronger. In addition, Kirby is in possession of othermore mysterious powers which even he is not fully aware of, and which oftencome into play when he battles the most dangerous threats to his world.

In terms of his character, Kirby can be described as a naïve, cheery, and childlike alien creature who madehis home inDream Land after arriving from elsewhere, with his true origin being unknown. Kirby generally has a carefree attitude and enjoys simple pleasures such as eating, playing with his friends, and sleeping. More particular hobbies of his include fishing, singing (despitehow bad he is at it), and riding hisWarp Star. Kirby is typically called to adventure when some calamity befalls his home-world ofPopstar, or if someone else calls for his aid. Often times, these adventures take him to far-flung locations on his home-world, to distant alien planets, or even toalternate dimensions. Despite whatever challenges or setbacks Kirby may face while adventuring, he never fails to maintain an overall positive attitude, and this attitude often is instrumental in turning former foes into friends.

In the main video game series, Kirby is typically portrayed as the only one of his kind. However, there are many instances, particularly in spin-off titles, where Kirby is joined by clones of himself, which often come in their ownbody colors. Additionally, spin-off games tend to use Kirby's shape more literally, placing him in situations where he acts like a ball such aspinball,miniature golf,breakout, or more generalized racing/platforming situations. Additionally, extra material such as theanime,novel series, or manga series often have their own takes on Kirby, his character, and his abilities, and are generally considered different continuities to the main video game series.

Moveset[edit]

Kirby has had many adventures, which has given him the opportunity to learn and utilize many differentmoves. The following table lists every move that Kirby has had in the main series, starting with the most common ones down to the rarest (moves performed with Copy Abilities will not be listed here):

Similar characters[edit]

Due to Kirby's ubiquity as a character, there are several other entities that resemble him, as well as alternate versions of Kirby himself. The following lists all of the different versions of Kirby along with other characters or entities that resemble him throughout theKirby video game series:

• Meta Knight: When this mysterious swordsman is without his mask, he greatly resembles Kirby. To this day, it is not clear if he and Kirby are the same sort of creature or not.
• Kirby Ball: In many games, Kirby takes on an even more spherical shape than usual, ditching his limbs in the process. This is distinct from theBallCopy Ability.
• Keeby: A yellow lookalike of Kirby who appears inKirby's Dream Course as the second player in the 2P Game. Keeby has all of the same abilities as Kirby, and the two do not seem to like each other much.
• Batamon: InKirby's Dream Land 3, there are pink creatures that look superficially similar to Kirby, but are ambivalent enemies similar to Waddle Dee. Their name derives from バッタもん (battamon), a Japanese term for grey market or knock-off products.
• Clones of Kirby: Throughout the series, and particularly in multiplayer titles, clones of Kirby appear which share his look and abilities, though they are often a different color. Kirby clones make their most prominent appearances inKirby & The Amazing Mirror andKirby Battle Royale.
• Shadow Kirby: A dark and naughty version of Kirby who hails from theMirror World. He is not as bold as Kirby and his methods are questionable, but he is not evil at heart.
• Prince Fluff: This blue yarn boy fromPatch Land has a similar physique to Kirby, and has the same abilities inKirby's Epic Yarn, though taking a backseat duringMetamortex transformations.
• Remocoroid: InKirby: Planet Robobot, a round pink robot resembling Kirby can be controlled with a remote which resembles aGame Boy. It shares Kirby's ability to run, jump, and use theSlide attack.
• Void Termina: The final form of this essence of chaos fromKirby Star Allies greatly resembles Kirby at times, bearing a similar round shape and face.

Game appearances[edit]

Kirby is the hero and main playable character in every game in his series, with the exception ofDedede's Drum Dash Deluxe, whereKing Dedede steps into the spotlight. Kirby has also appeared in everySuper Smash Bros. game as a fighter, and never needs to be unlocked. The following lists Kirby's role in each game in his series, as well as those ofSuper Smash Bros. games where applicable. For more information about the plot of each individual game as a whole, see the respective articles for each game.

Kirby's Dream Land[edit]

Kirby makes his debut appearance inKirby's Dream Land, where he clashes with his rivalKing Dedede for the first time in the series. The game depicts him as a young and agile boy who eagerly helps out his fellow Dream Landers in their crisis with King Dedede.^[10] The mischievous King has not only stolen all thefood inDream Land, but also abducted the land'sSparkling Stars. Without further hesitation, Kirby sets out to travel through the five areas of Dream Land, reclaim the Sparkling Stars from each of King Dedede's goons, defeat King Dedede, and give Dream Land its food and its Sparkling Stars back.

The international box art ofKirby's Dream Land depicts Kirby with white skin, like he appears in-game, as opposed to his trademark pink color (seeabove). The game is also the first to mention Kirby's lack of singing talent, though it is not as exaggerated as in later titles. In this game, the enemies explode from laughter at Kirby's singing off-key, as opposed to actually getting physically harmed from his songs.^[11]

Kirby's Adventure /Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[edit]

Artwork of Kirby fromKirby's Adventure

InKirby's Adventure and its remake,Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Dream Land's denizens are robbed of peaceful sleep, and Kirby once again attempts to come to the rescue. He finds out that King Dedede has stolen theStar Rod, which powers the citizens of Dream Land's good night's sleep. He splits it into seven pieces, giving a part to each of his friends who act asbosses and keeping one for himself. Kirby fights and defeats each of them, in turn, to reassemble the Star Rod and restore it to its rightful place atop theFountain of Dreams. Kirby heads to the fountain with the rod in his hands, but King Dedede - after being defeated - drags at Kirby's heels, begging him not to restore the Star Rod. Kirby knocks him away and places the rod atop the fountain, which causesNightmare to emerge from it. At this, Dedede swallows Kirby up and spits him out like a cannon to chase after the fleeing Nightmare and defeat him. Kirby defeats Nightmare using the Star Rod and returns it to its rightful place atop the fountain, restoring the good dreams it delivers to Dream Land.

Kirby's Adventure is notable for being the first game to featureCopy Abilities, a crucial aspect of Kirby's character that would be retained for the remainder of the series. This game also introduced Kirby's ability toSlide, use theWater Gun, andDash.

Kirby's Pinball Land[edit]

InKirby's Pinball Land, Kirby takes the role of theball in a pinball game with aKirby spin. With the help of the player's paddles, he travels through three Pinball Lands, beatingWhispy Woods,Kracko, and thePoppy Bros. Sr. along the way, which eventually leads him to King Dedede.

• 
  Artwork fromKirby's Pinball Land showing a stage prop Kirby holding the ball Kirby with aParasol

Kirby's Dream Course[edit]

Kirby appears as a ball again in the golf-like world ofKirby's Dream Course, which is the first and so far only isometric game he has appeared in. In this game, Kirby sets out across eight courses in order to punishKing Dedede for once again stealing Dream Land's stars. He can use Copy Abilities to aid in defeating enemies and traversing the course hazards so he can get inside the cup at the end of each hole.

This game was also the first to introduce a different-color Kirby in the form of a yellow Kirby (namedKeeby) controllable by a second player in the 2P Game courses.

Kirby's Avalanche[edit]

InKirby's Avalanche, based on a popular Japanese puzzle game,Puyo Puyo, Kirby is shown to talk in full sentences. However, Kirby's personality is different from his usual games, since he is depicted as cocky, much like Arle from the mainPuyo Puyo series. After defeating various enemies, including the penultimateMeta Knight, Kirby fightsKing Dedede at the end to become the Avalanche champion.

Kirby's Dream Land 2[edit]

Kirby riding onRick

InKirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby sets out with his threeAnimal Friends to help theRainbow Islands, which have had their rainbow bridges disrupted by an unknown force. On each island, Kirby encounters a different foe who under normal circumstances would not be hostile to the pink hero, but all of whom have been influenced by some evil presence. On the last island, Kirby battles King Dedede, who appears to be fighting in his sleep.

Along the way, aRainbow Drop can be found on each island. Unless Kirby collected all seven of them, he will be forced to return home in thebad ending, having not accomplished his mission. However, collecting every drop before the battle with Dedede reveals that an entity known asDark Matter was lurking inside the sleeping king. This force flees into the sky upon Dedede's defeat, and the Rainbow Drops combine into theRainbow Sword, which Kirby can use to make chase. High in the sky, Kirby does battle with Dark Matter and defeats both of its forms. This done, Kirby uses the sword to soar along the sky and repair the rainbow bridges.

In this game, Kirby is introduced to the Animal Friends, who are the hamster-likeRick, the owl-likeCoo, and the sunfish-likeKine. They can use Kirby's Copy Abilities in new and unique ways. Kirby can use them if he frees them from abag.

Kirby's Block Ball[edit]

Kirby yet again serves as the ball in theBreakout-based game,Kirby's Block Ball. However, the player can set Kirby to be in ball form or his full-sized normal form, the latter of which being referred to as a Power Bounce.^[12] As in many spin-off games with aKirby twist, Kirby can use Copy Abilities to help him break blocks and defeat enemies, though he only has access to four here; the lowest number in any game that features copy abilities. In the story of the game, Kirby once again has to punish King Dedede for stealing Dream Land'sSparkling Stars and doing away with its magical fountain, though King Dedede is only accessible inStage 11 if the prior ten stages are cleared with a high enough score.

Kirby's Toy Box[edit]

Kirby stars in a number of mini-games in the Satellaview-exclusiveKirby's Toy Box, which saw release only in Japan. These games amount to little more than Sub-Games from other more substantial titles.

Kirby Super Star /Kirby Super Star Ultra[edit]

Kirby Super Star features six distinct games, each acting as a small story involving Kirby and his cohorts.

• InSpring Breeze, Kirby sets out to defeat King Dedede who has stolen all of Dream Land's food andSparkling Stars in an abridged re-telling of the originalKirby's Dream Land.
• InDyna Blade, Kirby sets out to deal with agigantic metal bird who is disrupting Dream Land's crops. After defeating this bird, Kirby finds out that she was only trying to provide for her chicks, and Kirby helps find a different less intrusive source of food for them, along with teaching them how to fly.
• InGourmet Race, Kirby and King Dedede have a footrace across three courses, gobbling up as much food as they can along the way.
• InThe Great Cave Offensive, Kirby stumbles into a massive underground area and has to find his way back out, collecting a myriad oftreasures along the way.
• InRevenge of Meta Knight, Meta Knight and his crew set out to take over Dream Land using their flying fortress, theHalberd. Kirby flies in to stop them and ends up destroying the Halberd in the process.
• InMilky Way Wishes,Planet Popstar's day/night cycle is disrupted when the sun and moon start fighting each-other. A small jester namedMarx tells Kirby that he has to go and collect stars from seven planets and summon the greatGalactic Nova in order to wish the sun and moon to stop fighting. Kirby traverses the galaxy and does this, but upon summoning the great clockwork nova, Marx intervenes and steals Kirby's wish, wishing instead for power for himself so he can take over Popstar. Using the power of the stars he collected, Kirby forms theStarship and uses it to disable Galactic Nova before it can grant Marx's wish, and then defeats Marx, destroying the Galactic Nova in the process. This done, Kirby returns to Popstar triumphantly, and the sun and moon cease fighting.

Kirby Super Star Ultra features an additional story, calledRevenge of the King. ThisExtra Mode has Kirby fight tougher versions of all of the enemies and bosses from Spring Breeze before stormingMt. Dedede and battlingMasked Dedede in an electrified cage match.

Kirby Super Star made many significant changes to the series formula. Notably, it was the first game to feature hats representing eachCopy Ability, further adding to their distinctiveness, though these hats would not appear again in earnest untilKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Copy Abilities themselves also boasted increased utility, gaining fighting-game-style moves and combos, greatly expanding Kirby's arsenal. This was also the first game where Kirby could use theGuard technique.

Kirby's Star Stacker[edit]

In bothKirby's Star Stacker for the Game Boy andKirby's Star Stacker for the SNES, Kirby and hisAnimal Friends are featured 'battling' King Dedede or other opponents. The Japan-exclusive Super Famicom version features a minor story, where Kirby helps a waywardMr. Star get his pieces back after he was shattered by King Dedede. To get these pieces, Kirby and his Animal Friends have to trounce each baddie who had collected a piece in turn before finally defeating Dedede himself. If Kirby manages to do this without the player losing a game,Gryll appears after the credits for a bonus battle.

Kirby's Dream Land 3[edit]

Kirby's Dream Land 3 follows from the plot and style ofKirby's Dream Land 2, once again involving Kirby utilizing hisAnimal Friends along with a benign piece of Dark Matter calledGooey. In this title, Dark Matter implants itself on Popstar using adark cloud and starts corrupting the minds of impressionable creatures, turning them into foes for Kirby to defeat and liberate. Along the way, Kirby can do good deeds in each area to receive aHeart Star from various denizens of Popstar. If he collected all of them, he can once again face down against the true villain, this time forging theLove-Love Stick before giving chase. At the heart of the dark cloud - a place calledHyper Zone - Kirby and Gooey do battle with Dark Matter, and then withZero - its pure white spherical core - who attacks Kirby and Gooey using volleys of its own blood. Upon Zero's defeat, the rest of Dark Matter's forces dissipate, and Popstar is once again freed from its influence.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards[edit]

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards sees Kirby venturing across several worlds in order to help afairy girl namedRibbon collect theshards of a broken crystal from her home-world ofRipple Star, which was invaded bya cloud of Dark Matter. On Ripple Star proper, Kirby and his entourage must do battle with an incarnation of Dark Matter known asMiracle Matter, which appears to be the heart of the invading substance. Defeating it drives this Dark Matter away from Ripple Star, but it is revealed if all of the Crystal Shards were collected that the bulk of the Dark Matter had implanted itself inside Ripple Star'sQueen. The fully reformed crystal zaps the queen, causing the Dark Matter within to be forced out, where it then flies off into space and becomes a planet calledDark Star. Kirby and friends go there and defeat0² in order to finally disperse the Dark Matter and save Ripple Star from its influence.

This game featuresPower Combos, which are fusions of two different Copy Abilities to make an entirely new attack. These moves are often very powerful and needed to break away certain obstacles barring Kirby from a Crystal Shard. To date, this is the onlyKirby game that allows for combining Copy Abilities in this way. This game is also notable for being the first to consistently depict Kirby with blushes and rounded arms in official artwork. Previously, his artwork depicted him with black or red lines as cheeks and more pointy arms.

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble[edit]

InKirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, Kirby makes his way through top-down stages and is controlled by the player physically tilting and/or flicking the Game Boy Color system. In the story, Kirby discovers that King Dedede is once again behind robbing Dream Land of its stars and has to go get them back. He is sent rolling across eight different worlds before encountering Dedede at the end. Upon defeat, Dedede starts sobbing, so Kirby goes to comfort him.

Kirby Air Ride[edit]

Kirby Air Ride has Kirby racing across several colorful courses on variouscelestial vehicles againstother Kirbys,King Dedede, andMeta Knight. This is the first game in the series that allows for full three-dimensional movement, though when off his machine, Kirby is only afforded five midair jumps, like in theSuper Smash Bros. games.

• 
  Kirby against three other colored Kirbys

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror[edit]

InKirby & The Amazing Mirror, Kirby is ambushed by someone resembling Meta Knight, who slashes him with his sword, causing Kirby to split intofour identical copies of himself, distinguishable only by differing body colors. The masked swordsman then flees into a mirror and the Kirbys give chase, leading them to a place known as theMirror World. Here, they set off, looking for pieces of a shattered golden mirror in the center of the world. Along the way, they repeatedly run into a shadowy version of Kirby who appears to be spying on them. Upon completion of the mirror, the Kirbys jump into it to find a dark eerie copy of the area they were just in. Here, they find out that the Meta Knight who attacked them earlier was a doppelganger known asDark Meta Knight, who had previously imprisoned the real Meta Knight in this realm. After defeating the faker, Meta Knight entrusts Kirby withhis sword, which Kirby then uses to fightDark Mind, who was responsible for creating Dark Meta Knight and for disturbing the Mirror World itself. If Kirby loses the sword during this fight, the shadowy Kirby from earlier will appear to toss it back to him. Once Dark Mind is defeated, this shady Kirby reveals himself to beMirror-world Kirby, the Mirror World analog to Kirby himself who is tasked with keeping the peace in his world. They all say their farewells while riding theirWarp Stars back to their respective realms.

Kirby: Canvas Curse[edit]

InKirby: Canvas Curse, an evil sorceress known asDrawcia uses her magic to transformPopstar into a canvas, and turns Kirby intoa ball with no limbs. Using theMagical Paintbrush, the player has to drawRainbow Lines to guide Kirby through the different stages and defeat Drawcia at the end. After Drawcia is destroyed, Kirby reverts back to his normal form.

• 
  Artwork of Kirby fromKirby: Canvas Curse

Kirby: Squeak Squad[edit]

InKirby: Squeak Squad, Kirby is sitting in a field with a plate ofStrawberry Shortcake ready to eat it when suddenly something steals the cake slice from him. Kirby immediately assumes that King Dedede did this and sets off tohis castle to get his cake back. After defeating Dedede however, Kirby bumps into theSqueaks, who are causing trouble by stealing all manner of things. Believing that they have stolen his cake and stashed it into aTreasure Chest, Kirby sets off after them, scuffling for treasure all the while. He eventually makes his way to the reconstructedHalberd, where he duels Meta Knight, who is guarding a special treasure box.

Once Meta Knight is defeated, Kirby approaches the box, thinking it might have his cake inside, when the leader of the Squeaks,Daroach, swipes the chest from Kirby and opens it. Inside is a great evil force that possesses Daroach. Kirby then has to chase Dark Daroach down across the galaxy and dispel the evil influencing him. After freeing Daroach from his possession, he corners the evil force and reveals its true identity:Dark Nebula, the ruler of the underworld, whom Kirby swiftly defeats with Daroach'sTriple Star cane. Having defeated the ultimate evil but failed to recover his cake, he returns home empty-handed. Later, Daroach and his band of Squeaks apologize for causing Kirby so much trouble by sending him a second cake, and he is finally satisfied.

In this title, Kirby is able to store items and Copy Abilities in hisCopy Palette by swallowing them. This essentially gave Kirby a five-slot inventory of bubbled items that could be used, mixed, or discarded at any time.

Kirby's Epic Yarn /Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn[edit]

In bothKirby's Epic Yarn andKirby's Extra Epic Yarn, Kirby is transformed into a yarn outline of himself by an evil sorcerer calledYin-Yarn who proceeds to transform all of Dream Land into a yarn parody of itself. Kirby is banished toPatch Land, where he teams up with a local yarn boy namedPrince Fluff to stop Yin-Yarn and save both Patch Land and Dream Land by finding theMagic Yarn. After Yin-Yarn is defeated, Kirby and his realm are returned to normal, and he gains aMagic Sock as a memento of his adventure, as well as a way to return to Patch Land whenever he wants to.

In this game, Kirby has a very different set of abilities due to having been transformed into a yarn outline. Themetamato he ate in the opening cutscene gives him the power to transform into all manner of things, including acar, apendulum, aparachute, and aweight. His main means of attack is with aYarn Whip that he throws out at enemies to unravel them or turn them intoyarn balls. He can also useMetamortexes to transform into more potent but more situational forms.

Kirby Mass Attack[edit]

InKirby Mass Attack, Kirby visits thePopopo Islands on the far side ofPopstar. While taking a nap,Necrodeus appears and attempts to destroy Kirby by splitting him into ten smaller copies of himself who cannot inhale, then destroying these one-by-one. However, one of the Kirbys escapes and - guided byhis heroic heart - sets out to restore the other nine mini-Kirbys, then defeat theSkull Gang.

Along the way, the Kirbys are aided byDaroach and theSqueaks, who give them valuable information in exchange for treasure. Once the Skull Gang is driven from the Popopo Islands, Kirby heads to their home base -Necro Nebula - to defeat Necrodeus, claim the staff he used to split Kirby apart, and use it to restore himself to normal. After defeating the Skull Gang, Kirby gains appreciation for the dark corners of the universe, as he reckons they only make the stars shine brighter by comparison.

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

Kirby and his companions fromKirby's Return to Dream Land

InKirby's Return to Dream Land andits enhanced remake, Kirby, as well as his friendsBandana Waddle Dee,Meta Knight, andKing Dedede, find a mysterious starship, theLor Starcutter, after it crash-lands into Dream Land. It in the process loses five primary parts and all one hundred and twentyEnergy Spheres. Kirby and his friends offer to help the owner of the starship,Magolor, retrieve the missing parts and the Energy Spheres. Once the Lor Starcutter is repaired, Magolor takes Kirby and friends toHalcandra, Magolor's home-world. Upon arriving, however, they are immediately attacked byLandia, a fiery four-headed dragon who wearsa crown on the primary head. Magolor then asks Kirby and his friends to battle this dragon, which they promptly do. Upon Landia's defeat, Magolor steals its crown, revealing his true motive as a power-hungry despot looking to conquer the universe. To stop the traitorous Magolor, Kirby and friends team up with the defeated Landia and fight Magolor inAnother Dimension, destroying the crown in the process before returning home to peace and tranquility.

InKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, there are now sixDress-Up Masks dedicated to Kirby, with four of them based on the four colors as seen in the game, as well asCone-Mouth Kirby and a Gold Kirby mask. Kirby's mask can be unlocked by completing card#30 in theStamp Rally, while the masks for the other Kirby colors are unlocked by completing Stamp Rally cards #26 (Yellow Kirby), #34 (Blue Kirby), and #39 (Green Kirby) respectively. Cone-Mouth Kirby is unlocked by completing card #28, and Gold Kirby is unlocked by clearing the Main Mode100%. The regular Kirby masks replace the wearer's voice with that of Kirby's voice, while wearing the Gold Kirby mask uses classic sound effects fromKirby's Dream Land andKirby Super Star.

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition[edit]

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition is largely just a compilation of earlierKirby games. However, it also features aSub-Game calledNew Challenge Stages, wherein Magolor fromKirby's Return to Dream Land returns and sets up an amusement park for Kirby and races against him in several of its sections. Magolor explains at the start of this game that he has cleared things up with Kirby after the previous game's events.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

InKirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby is abducted along withhis house by a large magical plant called theDreamstalk, along withCastle Dedede. He has to venture through the airborne kingdom of islands known asFloralia to chase down an insectoid villain known asTaranza who has abducted King Dedede in an attempt to bring the King under his control. Kirby catches up with Taranza at the end of the last island, who reveals that he had intended to capture and nullify the 'Hero of Dream Land', having mistaken Dedede to be the hero. Kirby defeats the possessedMasked Dedede, which reveals Kirby as the true hero. Realizing this, Taranza attempts to call his master,Queen Sectonia to deal with him, but Sectonia swats Taranza away for his incompetence.

Kirby must then do battle with Queen Sectonia, who merges with the Dreamstalk in an attempt to rule over Dream Land and turn all its denizens into her sustenance. With the help of a group of floral fairies known as thePeople of the Sky, as well as King Dedede and Taranza, the latter after a change of heart, Kirby destroys Sectonia, restoring the Dreamstalk to a benign condition and rendering it a permanent fixture of Dream Land.

Kirby Fighters Deluxe[edit]

InKirby Fighters Deluxe, Kirby does battle with copies of himself and with other characters in a manner similar to theSuper Smash Bros. games. While there is no definite story, Kirby does battlean army of Dededes at the Fountain of Dreams before facing off against the real deal wielding a custom hammer based on the Star Rod.

Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe[edit]

Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe is the onlyKirby series game that does not star the eponymous pink puffball. However, Kirby can still be seen in the background, cheering King Dedede on. His face also appears as part of the goal pad at the end of each stage.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse[edit]

In the claymation adventure known asKirby and the Rainbow Curse, Popstar and all its denizens have their color and life stolen away by a sorceress known asClaycia. A small, friendly paintbrush-like girl calledElline comes in from Claycia's world ofSeventopia and re-colors Kirby andWaddle Dee, who save her fromGrab Hands. After this, the trio sets off into Seventopia to defeat Claycia and restore Popstar's colors. Much like inKirby: Canvas Curse, Kirby rolls about like a ball, and rides along a rainbow paint stroke, while one or more Waddle Dees carry him on occasion. Why Kirby rolls around like this is unclear, since he still has his limbs. The opening cutscene suggests he just finds it more fun.

Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]

InKirby: Planet Robobot, a robotic organization known as theHaltmann Works Company targets Popstar for its industrialization purposes. Kirby wakes up from under an oak tree not long after the takeover begins to find the grove he is in all-but mechanized. He runs off to stop the mechanization of his home-world.

Along the way, Kirby encounters a suit of robotic armor–theRobobot Armor, which he commandeers and uses to smash up the soldiers that the Haltmann Works throws at him, as well as to damage the legs of the company's mothership - theAccess Ark. Kirby also encounters the company's executive assistant -Susie - on several occasions, who battles Kirby herself. She later sends amechanized Meta Knight, mind-controlled, and acloned King Dedede to fight him.

Once Kirby boards the ark itself, he fights his way up to the executive office, where he finally frees Meta Knight, then scuffles with the president of the company himself -President Haltmann. Beaten back, Haltmann is forced to use the keystone of the company and the source of its power - theancient computerStar Dream, but in the process, it is sabotaged by Susie. Unfortunately, this sabotage causes the computer to go haywire, and merge Haltmann's mind with its OS in the process. The computer then takes its own initiative and decides to destroy the entire universe, locking in with the planet-sized Access Ark to enact its plan.

Susie helps Kirby defeat it by giving him one last suit of Robobot Armor, which Kirby uses to merge with theHalberd that Meta Knight had just brought in after being released. Together, they tackle Star Dream out in space and finally defeat it, restoring Popstar to its former glory. Kirby is left stranded out in space unconscious in the aftermath, but just before phasing out of existence, his Robobot Armor guides him back home, where Kirby wakes to see everything as it should be.

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe[edit]

Kirby teams up withthree other Kirbys inTeam Kirby Clash Deluxe to form a band of medieval-styled adventurers and save theDream Kingdom from a horde of monsters. Along the way, they earn - and subsequently spend - an enormous quantity ofGem Apples atMagolor's Shoppe to purchase better equipment and support items, in order to defeat thepuppeteer mage,Taranza, behind the rampaging beasts. After defeating Taranza, however, a new set of much more powerful foes emerge from aBlack Mirror which Taranza had been entranced by. Team Kirby must defeat these parallel invaders and then shatter the mirror to restore the peace.

Kirby's Blowout Blast[edit]

In this stand-alone expansion ofKirby 3D Rumble–Kirby's Blowout Blast, Kirby runs about in full 3D spaces, using nothing but his trustyinhale and spitting out massiveBlaster Bullets to take out scores of enemies. At the end of the road, Kirby faces off against King Dedede, who - as a last-ditch effort to beat his old rival - uses one of theSparkling Stars to grow giant.

Kirby Battle Royale[edit]

Continuing the 3D formula fromKirby's Blowout Blast,Kirby Battle Royale pits Kirby againstclones of himself in several battle mini-games using various Copy Abilities to win a massive cake in a tournament held by King Dedede titled "The Cake Royale". With Dedede's attempts to humiliate Kirby by seeing him defeated in the games failing, he takes hisKirby Printer and merges it into agiant robot in an attempt to crush his pink rival directly. Kirby's unstoppable urge for cake overcomes this as well, destroying the robot and the printer, taking all the Kirby clones with it.

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

InKirby Star Allies, a mysterious magical foe begins raining energy all overPopstar. While this all happens, Kirby is sleeping out in a field as per usual, when a heart-shaped bolt of energy strikes his head. This causes him to wake up and discover that he has gained aspecial heart throwing power, which allows him to charm enemies, turning them to his side. With this power, Kirby battles the invading force, who has possessed all of his friends.

After freeing King Dedede and Meta Knight from the dark influence, alarge ominous structure embeds itself into Popstar. Kirby and co. invade this fortress only to find it operated by threemage generals. They explain that they are looking to collect the lostDark Hearts which had scattered across the galaxy. Not pleased to see Kirby and co. attempting to chase the hearts off, the mage generals attack Kirby. Upon defeat, the head of the mage generals,Zan Partizanne, attempts to bury Kirby and co. under the rubble of the fortress after setting its self-destruct sequence, but Kirby and co. escape on aFriend Star.

Determined to end this disturbance of the peace, Kirby and co. set off into space in search of the source of these Dark Hearts. They stop by several planets along the way to free them from the hearts' influence before finally reaching the massive space station known asJambandra. There, they meet the leader of the mage generals–Hyness, who is overlooking anincomplete crystal heart. Zan Partizanne attempts to guard her leader, but is promptly defeated by Kirby and co.. At this, Hyness swats his would-be bodyguard away and proceeds to rant incoherently about how he was treated by an ancient race who had banished him to this location, seemingly indicting Kirby as one of them. He also reveals the heart behind him to be a dark god known asVoid Termina, who had been fragmented and scattered across the universe after a failed releasing ritual. Hyness attempts to defeat Kirby and co., but is defeated swiftly. As a last resort, he sacrifices himself and the mage generals to the heart in order to complete it and revive the dark god. Upon his revival, Void Termina escapes into space and assembles his body.

Kirby and co. are bestowed with a legendary weapon known as theStar Allies Sparkler in order to do battle with the revived Void Termina. After a very long and grueling fight, Kirby and his allies climb inside the giant beast, free the captive Hyness and his generals from the god's innards, and force out the creature's soul. From there, Kirby and co. muster all of their power in order to destroy Void Termina's soul and save the galaxy.

InHeroes in Another Dimension, Kirby and friends venture into Another Dimension and collect numerous Friend Hearts scattered throughout. Eventually, they come across Hyness, who had been sealed inside a Jamba Heart and became twisted by its power. Kirby and friends are able to defeat Hyness, but The Three Mage-Sisters arrive to the scene and lament their situation for a bit before vowing to get revenge on Kirby. From there, an intense battle ensues, but Kirby and friends once again come out on top. With the Friend Hearts they've collected gathering their power to form one giant Friend Heart, Kirby tosses it at the mages, bringing them back to their senses. After a moment to wordlessly realize just what has happened, the mages use their power to calm the arena, and then bring a Warp Star down to carry Kirby and his team away. They wave him off, and as Kirby flies, he leaves one last little heart which floats down to Hyness and restores him to normal.

Super Kirby Clash[edit]

Like inTeam Kirby Clash Deluxe, Kirby teams up withthree other Kirbys to battle bosses and save the Dream Kingdom inSuper Kirby Clash. This time, the Kingdom is being terrorized by aParallel version of Nightmare, and Team Kirby moves throughout the land to chase him down and take out all of the monsters and great ancient foes he summons along the way.

Kirby Fighters 2[edit]

Kirby returns as the main focus ofKirby Fighters 2, an expanded version ofKirby Fighters Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch. He and a buddy of the player's choosing accept a challenge fromKing Dedede & Meta Knight to face off in combat at the top of the lofty Buddy Fighters Tower in theStory Mode: The Destined Rivals. After several victorious battles against these two, King Dedede & Meta Knight attempt to use a pair of cursed masks known as the "Mask of Dark Bonds" to increase their strength, but Kirby and his buddy regardless defeat them one final time and use aBuddy Star Blaster to destroy the mask.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land[edit]

Kirby embarks on his first adventure in full 3D inKirby and the Forgotten Land. In this game, he is sucked through a dimensional rift from his homeworld of Popstar and ends up in anew world along with several other Dream Land residents. As Kirby explores this new land, he discovers he now has the ability towrap himself around large objects in order to take on their properties. Using this power in conjunction with his normal abilities, he tracks down and frees a flying blue chinchilla-like creature namedElfilin from being caged bya coordinated animal force, and when Kirby hears from Elfilin about theWaddle Dees who were also kidnapped, he agrees to help get them back.

From then on, Kirby and Elfilin travel the world and save all the Waddle Dees they can find, while repeatedly running into the Beast Pack who are trying to capture them. When they find themselves in acold land, Kirby stumbles onto and battles King Dedede, who had been inducted into the beast forces. Though Kirby defeats him in combat, King Dedede is able to sneak up afterward and kidnap Elfilin, taking him away and prompting Kirby to give chase to the "Forbidden Island". Kirby tracks Dedede down at the foot of a volcano, saving as many Waddle Dees as he can along the way. Once he gets there, Kirby and Dedede have another fight, and when Kirby breaks his mask, the King finally comes around and rejoins Kirby's side.

Kirby then makes his way up to the top of the mountain, entering alaboratory where he finds theleader of the Beast Pack with Elfilin anda much larger related creature trapped in tubes. Kirby is subject to a lecture from the beast king about his intentions to merge Elfilin with this being, and the two battle. Kirby tries his best to rescue Elfilin, even seemingly defeating both Leongar and later the amalgamate Fecto Forgo in a fight, but Elfilin is nonetheless merged into the creature to form the final boss of the game:Fecto Elfilis. Kirby must battle this ultimate life-form atop the laboratory and weaken them to the point where Elfilin can be recovered from their body using a Mouthful Mode. From here, Kirby and Elfilin team up and use aBig-Rig truck to stop the disintegrating Fecto from using their remaining power to force Popstar and the new world to crash into each-other, thus saving both worlds from destruction.

In theExtra Mode, Kirby and Elfilin help recover the lost soul of Leon, the beast king, from thedream realm left behind after Fecto's physical destruction. After collecting all the pieces and freeing Leon from Fecto's influence, Kirby seemingly has to battle the creature's soul directly, but is instead forced to fightMorpho Knight when it flutters in and absorbs Soul Fecto's energy. With this done, Kirby and his friends are able to revive Leon and bring him back to his proper self.

Kirby's Dream Buffet[edit]

InKirby's Dream Buffet, Kirby gets shrunk by theDream Fork as he is about to eat a cake before the gourmet fest starts, and falls on the cake. He is joined afterwards by other colored Kirbys and they compete to see who can get the moststrawberries as they race and battle along various giant food-based stages set up by the "Dream Restaurant".

Kirby is the sole playable character in this game, though the player can choose between 40 differentColors and 25 differentCostumes for him to wear, several of which make him resemble other characters. Kirby is also featured on numerousCharacter Treats.

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

Kirby reprises his role from the original version ofKirby and the Forgotten Land in its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition,Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World. In addition, Kirby is also the protagonist of the new story,Star-Crossed World; in it, Kirby is tasked with rescuing the lostStarries to seal back the evil within theStar of Darkness that fell in the new world.

Kirby also receives a number of new figures in the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, on top of the ones originally in the base game. Moreover, this game marks the first time Kirby is called "Kirby of the stars" outside of the Japanese, Chinese and Korean versions, being called that byCommentator Waddle Dee, as well asElfilin in new content.

Kirby Air Riders[edit]

InKirby Air Riders, Kirby appears as one of four starting playable Riders, alongside King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee. While his signatureCopy Abilities are shared with other characters in this game, Kirby exclusively has four different Special moves depending on the chosencolor:Ultra Sword,Crash,Burn andSnow Bowl. Being a lightweight character, he has an enhanced boost and can turn fast.^[15]

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

Kirby has been featured as a base-roster fighter in every singleSuper Smash Bros. game. He is depicted as an easy-to-use fighter with lots of midair jumps and versatile attacks. His small stature makes him difficult to hit but also means he will be KO'd earlier than other fighters if he is hit due to his light weight and gravity. He boasts a long-range recovery, but his movement speed is slow, especially in the air. His main call to fame is his ability to copy moves from all of the other fighters using hisinhale, giving him by far the most potential moves of any individual fighter.

Special Moves[edit]

Standard Special Attack[edit]

Main article:Copy Ability/Super Smash Bros.

Kirby can inhale his opponent and copy their standard special attack, allowing him to use that attack as his own.

Up Special Attack[edit]

Main article:Final Cutter

Kirby's Up Special is based on theCutter ability. Kirby slashes upward with his cutter and slams down, creating a shockwave that can damage fighters, but can also be reflected or absorbed.

Side Special Attack[edit]

Main article:Hammer Flip

Kirby takes his Side Special from theHammer ability. This involves the hammer flip, allowing Kirby to charge up his hammer. Overcharging the move will result in gradual recoil damage.

Down Special Attack[edit]

Main article:Stone

Kirby's Down Special move comes from theStone ability. Kirby transforms into a heavy object. His transformed form is immune to damage but can be broken with a strong enough attack.

Final Smash[edit]

Main articles:Cook andUltra Sword

Kirby's Final Smash isCook inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, where Kirby throws his opponents into a pot and cooks them alive before it blasts them out, damaging them. It is changed toUltra Sword starting fromSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

Role in The Subspace Emissary[edit]

Kirby plays a major role inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl's adventure mode,The Subspace Emissary. After having a friendly bout withMario, he has to rescue eitherPrincess Peach orZelda fromPetey Piranha after he and an army of enemies known as Primids invade the arena. After the battle is over, Kirby then has to escape with the princess he saved from a bomb that had been planted in the arena during the fight, which sucks the whole area into a different dimension known as Subspace. From there, after a series of team break-ups and reunions, Kirby ends up as part of a team including Mario,Link,Yoshi, andPit as they try to stop more subspace bombs from going off.

Along the way, Kirby finds a badge on the ground bearing the image ofKing Dedede, and it is implied that Kirby swallows it. Near the end, nearly all of the fighters end up in one team once theHalberd is liberated from enemy control. The team uses it to engage in an assault on a giant Subspace cannon which emerges from a particularly large subspace bubble. Though the Halberd is destroyed, it and the fleet of smaller ships that emerge from it create a diversion which allows Kirby to fly into the giant cannon using theDragoon, crippling it. The team enters the subspace bubble to defeat whatever may be behind it, but the ultimate villain - known asTabuu - sends out a giant pulse of energy that defeats all of them at once, turning them into inanimate trophies. However, the Dedede badge that Kirby had eaten earlier activates sometime later, reviving him along with a handful of other fighters. They revive the rest of the team and then defeat Tabuu, restoring the world.

Role in World of Light[edit]

In the adventure mode ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Kirby appears along with a host of other fighters in the opening cutscene as they prepare to fight a horde ofMaster Hands led by a giant gleaming ball of light with wings known only asGaleem. On Galeem's command, the hands disintegrate, turning into pulses of light that shoot out at the fighters, capturing each of them in a flash. All of the fighters are caught in this way, except for Kirby, who manages to get away on his Warp Star as the universe is engulfed. Kirby later crashes into the world that Galeem created, and sets off to rescue his friends.

In the end, Galeem and his army are destroyed thanks to the fighters, Kirby included.

• 
  Cook Kirby, Kirby's Final Smash inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl.
• 
  Ultra Sword, Kirby's Final Smash inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.
• 
  Kirby faces off against Mario in the opening scene of The Subspace Emissary,Super Smash Bros. Brawl's story mode.
• 
  Kirby overlooks the World of Light as the sole survivor inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate's story mode.

InKirby: Right Back at Ya![edit]

Main article:Kirby (anime character)

Kirby is the main character and primary focus of the animeKirby: Right Back at Ya!. Here, he is depicted as an infantStar Warrior who was called upon before his appointed time to protectDream Land (specificallyCappy Town) from theMonsters called upon byKing Dedede usingNight Mare Enterprises'monster delivery system. In the anime, Kirby is but a toddler, capable of only shouting the word 'poyo' repeatedly, and has to be looked after by two anime-exclusive child characters calledTiff andTuff, who are the main speaking characters of the show. Despite his demeanor, Kirby is capable of obtaining Copy Abilities, which he uses with immense power in order to save the day time and time again. As the story progresses, Kirby gradually becomes more adept at using his powers and is eventually able to take oneNeMeE himself in the final episode using theStar Rod.

In theKirby novel series[edit]

Kirby from the novel series

Main article:Kirby (novel character)

Kirby is one of the main protagonists of theKirby novel series, having a leading role in nearly every volume. Similar to his video game counterpart, he lives inDream Land and can inhale and useCopy Abilities, and he is portrayed as a young, naïve puffball who is very food-motivated. However, a major difference in his portrayal in the novels is that he is able to speak in full sentences and can be understood by other characters.

Cameo appearances[edit]

Main article:List of references to the Kirby series

Kirby has appeared in some form or another outside of his series. The following lists his notable appearances in games that are notKirby orSuper Smash Bros. games:

• Arcana - Kirby makes a cameo appearance in the introductory cutscene of the game, appearing twice in the horde of monsters led by Galneon (image on right).Arcana was also developed by HAL Laboratory and released precisely one month beforeKirby's Dream Land in Japan, meaning that this was technically Kirby's very first appearance in a video game.
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - An enemy called Birky^[16] (also referred to asAnti-Kirby) appears in thisGame Boy game and itsGame Boy Color andNintendo Switch remakes. It looks almost exactly like Kirby and will attempt to inhale Link.
• Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga - A poster appears in the Yoshi Theater depicting Kirby for a faux movie called 'Kirby Story'.
• Super Mario Maker - Mario can take on Kirby's 8-bit appearance fromKirby's Adventure by using a Mystery Mushroom in theSuper Mario Bros. theme. This costume can be unlocked by clearing 100 Mario Challenge, or by scanning Kirby'samiibo figurine.
• Mario Kart 8 andDeluxe - Scanning Kirby'samiibo figurine unlocks aMii costume that resembles Kirby.
• BYE-BYE BOXBOY! - If Kirby's amiibo figurine is used,Qbby will take on an appearance that resembles the pink puffball.
• Part Time UFO - In the Nintendo Switch version, the main four characters of the series and many Waddle Dees cameo as plush toys in the two-star version of the Toy Shop stage.

Sprite history[edit]

Kirby has appeared in a multitude ofsprite-based two-dimensional games. A notable aspect of Kirby's appearance in these early titles is that he was not always depicted as entirely round; in some games, such asKirby's Dream Land 2 andKirby's Dream Land 3, he was instead shown as slightly pear-shaped. It would not be until the earliest 3D titles that he would be cemented as perfectly round, which carried on to later 2D titles. This evolution can be tracked through the following table:

Kirby's 2D sprite history
Sprite	Game(s)	Notes
	Kirby's Dream Land	Kirby's first sprite appearance notably lacked his cheek-blush.
	Kirby's Adventure	Very similar to his initial Game Boy incarnation, though brightly-colored and possessing cheek-blush, as well as a plethora of new animations. The sprite possesses the same amount of pixels as inKirby's Dream Land, though due to the NES's larger display and different aspect ratio, it appears smaller and wider in practice. A quirk unique to this game is that Kirby's sprite becomes slightly plumper when wielding a Copy Ability.
	Kirby's Pinball Land	Largely the same as theKirby's Dream Land sprite, though possessing the cheek-blush fromKirby's Adventure.
	Kirby's Dream Course	Kirby's first 16-bit appearance, and his first sprite to slant his eyes when at certain orientations to suggest perspective.
	Kirby's Dream Land 2 Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy)	Similar to previous appearances, but a little more pear-shaped. Rather than reusing existing animations, most of them were redrawn.
	Kirby's Avalanche	Mostly the same as his 8-bit incarnations, though with added detail, such as reflective skin and faint lights on his eyes.
	Kirby's Toy Box	The smallest of his sprite-based appearances; his exact appearance varies depending on the game. This sprite is taken from the "Baseball" game.
	Kirby Super Star	Larger than previous sprites, with more detail as a result. A discrepancy appears on this sprite where the light on the right-facing eye is pink rather than white, though this may be to suggest light and shadow.
	Kirby's Dream Land 3	Kirby is a notably lighter shade of pink in this game, and more closely resembles theKirby's Dream Land 2 sprite than theKirby Super Star sprite.
	Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)	Combines aspects of hisKirby Super Star andKirby's Dream Land 3 sprites.
	Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble	The largest of his 8-bit sprites, and notably redder and plumper than the others. Last appearance in 8-bit.
	Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Kirby & The Amazing Mirror Kirby: Squeak Squad	A combination of his look fromKirby Super Star and his movement fromKirby's Adventure, albeit much more fluid in his animation. This sprite was used unaltered through three consecutive handheld games, though more animations were given to him in each subsequent installment.
	Kirby: Canvas Curse	A pre-rendered 3D model, Kirby is in ball form for most of the game, but his limbs will appear when he is defeated.
	Kirby Super Star Ultra	Can be considered a scaled-up version of theKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land sprite, bearing a closer resemblance to the originalKirby Super Star sprite.
	Kirby Mass Attack	One mini-Kirby fromKirby Mass Attack, made to look generally smaller with shorter limbs and the face taking up more of the body. This is the last time Kirby would be portrayed primarily in sprite form.

Profiles[edit]

Flavor text[edit]

Image	Game	Flavor text
	Kirby's Adventure	Original: Hit the Down Arrow when Kirby has an enemy in his mouth to copy the enemy's special ability! 3D Classics: Crouch down when Kirby has an enemy in his mouth to copy the enemy's special ability!
	Kirby Super Star	Inhale an enemy by pushing Y and swallow it by pushing A. If that enemy has an ability, you can use it! Press A again to create a helper!
	Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land	Swallow your enemies and duck to copy their moves! Experiment by swallowing different kinds of enemies!
	Kirby & The Amazing Mirror	Swallow enemies and squat to copy their abilities! If you try hard, you can swallow large enemies, too!
	Kirby: Canvas Curse	Touch-Dash! Ride rainbows!
	Kirby: Squeak Squad	Swallow enemies and squat to copy their abilities! You can hold up to 5 bubbles and chests total.
	Kirby Super Star Ultra	Inhalefoes and spit to KO them! Or swallow tocopy theirabilities andadventure with a Helper!
	Kirby's Return to Dream Land	Story Mode and Extra Mode: Inhale foes and press ↓ to gainCopy Abilities! Shake the Wii Remote while inhaling to do aSuper Inhale! In water: Into the water: sploosh! Good thing you canfloat. Your moves are limited, but if all else fails, there's always yourWater Gun! The Arena and The True Arena: No Copy Ability? Then try aSuper Inhale! Slide to evade! Press A toGuard! You candefeat any foe with a little skill.
	Kirby: Triple Deluxe	Story Mode (American English): Inhale enemies toacquire their abilities, and then perform a variety of moves! Now go climb theDreamstalk and rescueKing Dedede! Story Mode (British English): Inhale enemies toacquire their abilities, and then perform a variety of moves! Now go and climb theDreamstalk, and rescueKing Dedede! In water: Kirby can swim with the best of them, and he canfloat on water with an inner tube. Your abilities are limited while underwater, but yourWater Gun ability will help you in a pinch. The Arena and The True Arena: You canInhale and Spit if you don't have a Copy Ability, and you can press L or R to perform anAir Dodge! Press Y ortouch theAssist Star if you find yourself in a pinch.
	Kirby and the Rainbow Curse	Our pink adventurer blew into Dream Land one day on a spring breeze. Since then, he's spent countless hours saving the day with his amazing abilities. He can swallow anything and spit it out. He can also use his copy ability.
	Kirby: Planet Robobot	Story Mode: Kirby is theround,pink life-form from Planet Popstar who possessesinfinite power and can inhale enemies tocopy their abilities. In water: Though various movements are restrictedunderwater,some abilities can still be used. For example, you canspit water to attack. The Arena and The True Arena: Kirby is theround,pink life-form who inhales enemies and spits out stars. Press L or R to guard. Press Y or tap the icon on the Touch Screen to use anAssist Star.
	Kirby Star Allies	Press X to throw Hearts and make all kinds of friends! Change up your team for variety, and press ↑ to call upon the power of friendship and gain Friend Abilities whenever you need to! In water: Kirby can swim with the best of them, and this time he can even go diagonally! You can't use Hearts in the water, but you can bring certain friends along to back you up with their abilities!
	Kirby and the Forgotten Land	Kirby (figure) Kirby was pulled into a mysterious vortex that appeared in the sky over his home on Planet Popstar. When he woke up, he was in a new world! Traveling through that vortex also gave Kirby a new and mysterious power... Let's see what it can do! Onward to adventure! Café-Staff Kirby (figure) Kirby's taken on a side gig at the counter of the Waddle Dee Café! He's dressed like a focused employee, but he's secretly fighting the urge to gobble up each dish himself. This might be his greatest struggle yet... Stay strong, Kirby! Fishing-Pond Kirby (figure) Ahhh. Kirby's doing a bit of fishin' at the ol' fishin' pond. He looks super, super relaxed… Maybe too relaxed. Hey! Pay attention, Kirby! There's exciting stuff swimming in that pond, including the legendary "Bling Blipper" of Waddle Dee Town! Adventuring Together! (figure) Bandana Waddle Dee and Elfilin have joined Kirby's victory dance! Kirby's dancing is cute and carefree, but his singing voice is super powerful. Let's all sing along with him next time! Woo-hoo! Great job, Kirby!
	Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe	Story Mode: Inhale foes to gainCopy Abilities! Or hold B/Y to do aSuper Inhale. And by sharing Joy-Con, you can play as ateam of 4! In water: Into the water: sploosh! Good thing you canfloat. Your moves are limited, but if all else fails, there's always yourWater Gun! The Arena and The True Arena: Don't have a Copy Ability? You can stilluse stars to attack, dodge by sliding, and guard withL/R. All you need is a little skill!
	Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World	Nap Time (figure) There's always time for a good nap. But some sleep habits don't work well together. These two often rest snugly, but sometimes sleepy Kirby inhales Elfilin right up. And then Kirby starts chewing. Kirby! Elfilin is NOT made of mint ice cream! Group Nap Time (figure) Got room for one more? Of course! Maybe. We'll see. These three started off napping in a neat row. But if you had to guess which one might push Bandana Waddle Dee out of bed with all his rolling around, who would it be? If you said "Kirby," you win the nap game.
	Kirby Air Riders	A light and floaty friend to all! This well-balanced hero has no clear weaknesses.

Super Smash Bros. Melee trophies[edit]

Kirby's trophies inSuper Smash Bros. Melee
Name	Image	First game / Move	Description
Kirby		Kirby's Dream Land (8/92)	A denizen of the far-off, peaceful planet Pop Star, Kirby became a citizen of Dream Land after defeating King Dedede. Even though he's only about eight inches tall, Kirby is an extremely skilled technician. He has the ability to absorb the powers of his enemies, and his elastic body makes him a versatile adventurer.
Kirby (Smash)		B: Swallow Smash B: Hammer	Kirby's small size lets him dodge many attacks, but his light weight makes him fly far when struck. Using his ability to inflate, he can jump five times. His Swallow attack creates wild combos; not only can he copy foes' moves, but he'll also put on special hats and mimic their voices. His Hammer is unwieldy but powerful.
Kirby (Smash)		Up & B: Final Cutter Down & B: Stone	Because of his light weight, Kirby is always in danger of being sent flying, but his ability to puff up and fly allows him to come back from amazing distances. His Final Cutter strikes on the way up and on the way down, and it sends out a beam of force upon landing. Kirby transforms into various objects and crashes down when he uses his Stone technique.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy[edit]

Kirby's trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
Name	Image	Appears in	Description
Kirby		GB Kirby's Dream Land SNES Kirby Super Star	A round, pink ball of cuteness from a distant, peaceful star. He can swallow anything with his gigantic mouth, then spit it out as ammo. He has the handy ability to copy powers and use them as his own. His hovering ability lets him fly through the air with ease. He's so round, he's sometimes treated like a ball.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U trophies[edit]

Kirby's trophies inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Name	3DS image	Wii U image	Appears In	American English description	British English description
Kirby			GB Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992) SNES Kirby Super Star (08/1996)	Round little Kirby lives on the peaceful Planet Popstar, in Dream Land. He can inhale things with his big mouth, either copying their abilities or spitting them out again. In Smash Bros., Kirby can inhale opponents and copy their standard specials. He gets launched easily but recovers well.	A roly-poly little fella from Dream Land on Planet Popstar. He can inhale pretty much anyone or anything with that big gob of his, then spit them out or copy their abilities. He can copy opponents' standard specials in this game, too! His light weight means he gets launched easily, but with a series of midair jumps, recovering's not too tricky.
				Pudgy, little Kirby lives in the peaceful hills of Dream Land on the Planet Popstar. He can inhale things with his big mouth, either copying their abilities or spitting them out again. In Smash Bros., Kirby can inhale opponents and copy their standard specials. He gets launched easily but recovers well.
Kirby (Alt.)			GB Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992) SNES Kirby Super Star (08/1996)	Holding the special button and left or right will charge up Kirby's Hammer Flip attack. Charging too long hurts Kirby! The hammer strikes twice in the air, but landing the single blow on the ground is more powerful. Kirby's up special Final Cutter slices up and down, firing a shock wave upon landing.	Charge up Kirby's Hammer side special to unleash Hammer Flip, a move with serious launch power. Charge it too much, though, and you'll get hurt! The move hits twice in mid-air but does more damage on the ground. Final Cutter slices up and down before sending out an energy wave. Move Kirby mid-jump to change where he lands.

Red indicates exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version. Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.

amiibo[edit]

• Round, pink and surprisingly powerful, Kirby™ is one of the most iconic heroes in video game history. A denizen of the peaceful planet Pop Star, Kirby became a citizen of Dream Land after defeating King Dedede. He can inhale things with his big mouth, either copying their abilities or spitting them out again.

Play Nintendo[edit]

This pink puff is pretty adorable—and strong, too!
Kirby is always hungry, and he can inhale various enemies that stand in his way. When he does, he can take on their abilities. And when he’s not battling baddies, you’ll find Kirby enjoying a nice nap or a hearty meal.

Kirby Portal[edit]

• He may only be eight inches tall, but you should never underestimate this little pink hero. On the planet Pop Star, Kirby used his elastic body and his uncanny ability to absorb enemies to save Dream Land from the mischievous King Dedede. Since then, he’s gone on countless other adventures and even become a force to be reckoned with in the Super Smash Bros.™ fighting game series.

Nintendo Today![edit]

Dream Land Directory[edit]

A young traveler who rode into Dream Land on a spring breeze. He wound up living in Dream Land after setting out to return all of the food King Dedede had stolen. He has a special ability called the Copy Ability, which allows him to absorb powers from inhaled enemies and make them his own.

Kirby has tried out all kinds of things, from high-speed racing to transforming into a ball. He's pretty laid-back, but when push comes to shove, he'll fight to protect those around him.

Trivia[edit]

• Kirby's height is often used by the developers to measure other characters. For example, it was stated in aMiiverse post thatFlowery Woods is roughly 9 Kirbys tall.^[17]
  • In addition, Kirby's jump height is also measured this way.Kirby Super Star had Kirby's jump fixed at 3.2 Kirbys high, but newer titles likeKirby: Triple Deluxe allow him to go as high as 4.3 Kirbys with a single jump.
• Kirby is often described as "riding in on the spring breeze" to save Dream Land in times of crisis. This is first mentioned in the Japanese manual forKirby's Dream Land, and appears in several subsequent games, such as the manual forKirby's Dream Course and Kirby'sFigurine description inKirby and the Rainbow Curse. The idea stems from the original working title forKirby's Dream Land, はるかぜポポポ ("Popopo of the Spring Breeze"), and is also referenced in the titles ofSpring Breeze fromKirby Super Star (itself a truncated remake ofKirby's Dream Land) and "Spring-Breeze Mode" inKirby and the Forgotten Land.

Gallery[edit]

Main article:Kirby/gallery

Quotes[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Kirby[edit]

"Kirby of the stars"[edit]

This is the signature title of Kirby in his universe, and used to be exclusive to the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean versions, being omitted in other localizations.^[21] In some rare instances, it would be translated literally, though inconsistently; for example, an instance inKirby Super Star Ultra is translated as "Kirby, our Super Star!", while an instance inKirby Mass Attack is translated as "Kirby among the Stars". However,Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World used it in English and other localizations in multiple occasions.^[22] It is also used in the titles of games in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean to indicate that they are in themain series.

References