Shotzo is an impregnable, projectile-spitting foe and one ofKirby's oldest and most commonly-occurringenemies, making its debut appearance inKirby's Dream Land. They look like cannons made of black metal and attack by shooting cannon balls at Kirby. While most Shotzos are unable to move, they sometimes drop from the sky onParasols. Regular Shotzos come in two variants: One that sternly keeps facing in one direction, and one that constantly adjusts its aim to hit Kirby. The non-aiming Shotzos often fire whole barrages of cannon balls, only stopping at short intervals. Unlike most enemies, Shotzos cannot typically beinhaled or directly destroyed. However, they can be dropped into a bottomless pit if they happen to stand on aStar Block.
InKirby's Dream Land, Shotzo looks and acts like in all its subsequent appearances: A cannon that shoots cannonballs atKirby, often firing three and then pausing. It can only be killed either by theMicrophone, or while Kirby is under the effect of theInvincible Candy by standing in one for a few seconds. This can be seen inCastle Lololo where the Invincible Candy and a Shotzo exist in the same room.
Kirby and Rick narrowly duck under a Shotzo shot inKirby's Dream Land 3.
Shotzo appears in both of these games, serving the same function as it has in the series so far. Unlike in many other games, they are not terribly common.
Kirby running past a line of Shotzos firing at him from the background inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Shotzos make their debut 3D appearance inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards. These cannon-like enemies situate themselves within drop-holes, areas of low terrain, and interestingly, even exist as part of the background in a few select stages, shooting small bullets at Kirby from afar. Regardless of location, these enemies cannot be defeated or ingested, and thus must be avoided if Kirby is to escape injury-free. Shotzo also appears on the 15thEnemy Info Card. A wall-mounted version of this standard foe, theWall Shotzo, also appears.
Shotzo appears in this title. Given the top-down nature of this game, Shotzo will either fire straight forward, or in any other of the eight general directions.
Kirby floating on by past Shotzos andBombers inKirby's Epic Yarn
Shotzos also appear inKirby's(Extra)Epic Yarn as a somewhat uncommon enemy who, much like previous games, is indestructible. Unlike with many other foes in the game, its shots can not be grabbed by the Yarn Whip. A variation of Shotzo can be found in Snow Land'sEvergreen Lift stage namedFreezo that shoots snowballs.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land /Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]
A Shotzo inKirby's Return to Dream Land
Shotzo returns inKirby's Return to Dream Land andits remake, functioning like it has done in earlier Kirby games. It is accompanied by its new much larger relatives,Gigatzo,Volttzo andColdtzo, who cannot aim, but fire huge elemental projectiles. InKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, Shotzo also appears as a book pattern in thesub-gameMagolor's Tome Trackers.
Shotzo appears in theNew Challenge Stages, serving the same purpose as it did inKirby's Return to Dream Land. Being indestructible, 'defeating' it is not necessary to earn the bonus for defeating all enemies.
Shotzo appears again inKirby: Triple Deluxe, keeping its look fromKirby's Return to Dream Land. In this iteration, its stand-out feature is the ability to aim between the foreground and background.
Shotzo can fire a ton of bullets, true. But other than that, it's not really all that scary. It's strong physically, but it doesn't have the same strength of character as Kirby.
Shotzo appears again inKirby and the Rainbow Curse, behaving the same as in past games. Like inKirby: Canvas Curse, its cannonballs can be blocked by rainbow ropes.
Shotzo appears yet again inKirby: Planet Robobot, behaving the same as inKirby: Triple Deluxe. Additionally, the cannons used by theWaddle Dees atCastle Dedede in the "First Contact" cutscene bear a slight resemblance to Shotzos.
Shotzo appears inKirby's Blowout Blast, and is able to re-aim in several different ways, both horizontally and vertically if needed. Kirby does not need to do anything to Shotzos to gain the bonus for defeating all enemies.
Shotzo reappears inKirby Star Allies. Here, it has the same behavior as in previous installments, though it now has a rougher surface texture.
A larger, more bulbous variety of Shotzo, referred to as "Big Shotzo" in the files, also appears in this game. Big Shotzos behave similarly to the non-aiming Shotzos, and shoot larger cannonballs.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land /Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World[edit]
Shotzo inKirby and the Forgotten Land
Shotzo returns as an enemy inKirby and the Forgotten Land and itsNintendo Switch 2 Edition, with the same properties as usual. While it keeps its rough surface texture fromKirby Star Allies, its sheen is noticeably duller, with more of a matte surface rather than its previous glossy finish. Shotzo is one of the few enemies in this game to not appear inStar-Crossed World.
Shotzo returns as an enemy inKirby's Dream Buffet, with the appearance of a chocolate pastry with sprinkles on top. It can be seen positioned on race courses, where it regularly fires bullets that can impede the racers. Shotzo's bullets have the appearance of hard candy, and will stun Kirby for a short time if he collides with one.
Shotzo can appear as an enemy inSmash Run, where it acts much the same as it does in the home series, and is invulnerable. Shotzo also appears as a collectible trophy:
Image
American English description
British English desription
"These cannons from the Kirby series could track Kirby and fire at him. In Smash Bros., there are two different kinds: ones that fire in a set direction and ones that will track and fire at a fighter. Don't waste time attacking these guys, though—it's impossible to defeat them."
"Not all of these cannons from the Kirby series are stuck to the ground – some float in with parasols, and some can even move on their own! In Smash Run, some fire in a fixed direction, while others will aim at you. They're invincible, but they also can't shoot through each other. Keep that in mind when you come across them!"
While not formally established untilKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Shotzo's base is made to resemble feet similar to those of Kirby's. This and descriptions of the enemy give the implication that Shotzos are actually living creatures much like other enemies.
Despite these feet, Shotzo has never been shown to be able to move on its own, with most mobile examples being those attached toParasols.
InKirby's Dream Land 3, Shotzos are depicted without a base; inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards, they appear with four "feet".
Shotzos also appear as enemies inKirby's Adventure and its remake,Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Aside fromGordos, Shotzos are the other undefeatable enemy, and do not reward anyCopy Ability, even for their cannonballs.
Shotzo appears in both of these games, serving the same function as it has in the series so far. Unlike in many other games, they are not terribly common.
InKirby Super Star andKirby Super Star Ultra, Shotzo appears in every normal mode except forRevenge of the King, where they are replaced byBlatzys. They are common in castle and mechanical areas.
Shotzos make their debut 3D appearance inKirby 64: The Crystal Shards. These cannon-like enemies situate themselves within drop-holes, areas of low terrain, and interestingly, even exist as part of the background in a few select stages, shooting small bullets at Kirby from afar. Regardless of location, these enemies cannot be defeated or ingested, and thus must be avoided if Kirby is to escape injury-free. Shotzo also appears on the 15thEnemy Info Card. A wall-mounted version of this standard foe, theWall Shotzo, also appears.
Shotzo appears in this title. Given the top-down nature of this game, Shotzo will either fire straight forward, or in any other of the eight general directions.
Shotzo appears again inKirby: Canvas Curse, and is once again indestructible. Its cannonballs can be blocked byrainbow lines.
Twinkle Popopo concept art of "Air Fortress", featuring an early version of Shotzos, where they have wheels
Shotzo's cannon ball fromKirby: Triple Deluxe
Background art forGuest Star Taranza: To Meet That Flower inKirby Star Allies
Milky Way Wishes palette fromKirby Super Star
Alternate palette fromKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Alternate palette fromKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Unused palette fromKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Milky Way Wishes palette fromKirby Super Star Ultra
Unused palette fromKirby Super Star Ultra
Keychain fromKirby: Triple Deluxe
A Parasol Shotzo inKirby's Dream Land
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Model fromKirby's Return to Dream Land
Book pattern fromMagolor's Tome Trackers inKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
A frozen Shotzo in the bookIt's Kirby Time: Take Courage
