Wheel Artwork ofWheel Kirby fromKirby Super Star Ultra. Details First game Kirby's Adventure (1993) Latest game Kirby Air Riders (2025) Other game(s) Kirby's Dream Course Kirby Super Star Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Kirby Air Ride Kirby & The Amazing Mirror Kirby: Canvas Curse Kirby: Squeak Squad Kirby Super Star Ultra Kirby Mass Attack (cameo) Kirby: Triple Deluxe Kirby: Planet Robobot Kirby's Dream Buffet Obtained from Wheelie,Grand Wheelie, yellowGolem (while rolling),Transformer amiibo(Kirby: Planet Robobot):Wario,Captain Falcon Obtained by projectiles from Paint Roller,Wiz,Moley,Mrs. Moley,Grand Wheelie(Kirby Super Star Ultra only) Power(s) Transform into a wheel to move quickly and run down enemies Helper Wheelie Related to Wheelie Rider,Wheel Mode

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Wheel is aCopy Ability that allows the user to transform into a rubber wheel and travel at very high speeds, able to plow through any enemies in their way as well as pass unharmed through invincible enemies likeGordo andstage hazards likespikes. Wheel also allows racing on the surface ofwater without falling through (except inKirby's Adventure). When transformed, however, the user cannot help but move forward and can only make a single short jump to get over roadblocks and pits. SinceKirby Super Star, Wheel has donned a red cap, worn backwards over the head of the user. The general way to obtain the Wheel ability is by inhaling theWheelie enemy, or its bigger mid-boss variant,Grand Wheelie.

The Wheel ability first appeared inKirby's Adventure, which places it as one of the oldest Copy Abilities. Since then, it has shown up again an appreciable number of times, though its appearances in the main series are very patchy. A very similar, but not identical ability isWheelie Rider, which is accessed in an entirely different way, and only appears inKirby Super Star andKirby Super Star Ultra.

Overview[edit]

Wheel is a classic transformation-style Copy Ability, as the player merely taps a button to make the user turn into and out of the Wheel form. When in Wheel form, the user acquires an entirely different set of movement options and physics. They will automatically race forward in whatever direction they are facing at very high speed, following the contours of the ground he rolls on. When going off a ledge, the user will fall rapidly, and will bounce back and automatically revert to normal when hitting a wall or other solid obstacle that they cannot plow through. To get over most roadblocks, the Wheel ability has access to a singlejump which has a shorter height than a regular one. To turn around, the user has to stop and make a quick hop before moving in the other direction, and sometimes needs to skid forward a bit first. While stopping to turn, the user is vulnerable to being hit by enemies, but is otherwise invulnerable to normal attacks and most hazards while moving. Wheel's main means of attack is by collision, and it can deal many hits to larger foes,mid-bosses, andbosses by running through them, but the damage output is not particularly high, so Wheel is not ideal for fighting in most cases.

Wheel can have varying attributes based on which game it is in, whether it arises from specific abilities given to it, or through emergent properties based on the game's physics. Except forKirby's Adventure, Wheel can ride on the surface of water, but will sink as soon as stopping for any reason, including to turn. InKirby Air Ride andKirby Air Riders, Wheel will automatically gain an appreciable amount of height when riding off of ramps, like the wheeledAir Ride Machines in the game. InKirby: Squeak Squad, Wheel can gain elemental properties when rolling through the appropriate terrain after picking up the appropriateAbility Scroll.

Appearance[edit]

Wheel's hat has been a red backwards cap ever since its introduction inKirby Super Star, although minor adjustments have been made to the hat over the years. In particular, the colors of its closure, visor and button have varied: the closure has been white, yellow, or red, the visor has been yellow and red, and the button has also been yellow and red. Ever sinceKirby: Triple Deluxe, the hat has been mostly fully red for all these elements. InKirby Super Star andKirby Super Star Ultra, the hat's back (so the cap's front) featured a strap that was fully white in that game, and it was reintroduced starting withKirby: Triple Deluxe, but instead said strap started to feature a logo of sorts, made of a green star with two white wings on its sides.

The design of the wheel the user transforms into has also changed: it was a simple wheel inKirby's Adventure andKirby's Dream Course with no extra features, and artwork and in-game icons showed Kirby's face in it.Kirby Super Star introduced a new design that would become the main one ever since: a red tire with a yellow star in its green hub, with a yellow outline, without Kirby's face. Other than a couple minor variations to the colors, such as the tire being pink and the star white, as well as differences in the depth of the tire compared to the hub, the design has been used in every subsequent game and media.

Game appearances[edit]

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

Wheel first appeared as an ability inKirby's Adventure, and also appears in the remake,Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. A handful of areas in stages specifically cater to Wheel Kirby's movement options, with some intending use of the ability in order to access optional side areas and aBig Switch at one point. Wheel is provided byWheelie andGrand Wheelie, and aMuseum for it exists inOrange Ocean. Wheel deals 4 damage per hit.^[1]

Kirby's Dream Course[edit]

The Wheel ability appears inKirby's Dream Course. It is introduced inCourse 2, and is also featured in the opening for the2PKracko Course. It is obtained from Wheelie and can sometimes be obtained fromTransformer. When used, Kirby transforms into a wheel and moves at very high speed until he falls off the map, hits a wall, or hits abumper, then he launches a little vertically before coming to a complete halt. While in the air, Kirby can activate a different ability if he has one, which is an intended strategy for part ofCourse 8 - Hole 8. Wheel can also be used to crossponds more efficiently, since Kirby rides along the surface of the water without falling through. When rolling into the opponent in the 2P game using this ability, he gets flattened.

Kirby Super Star /Kirby Super Star Ultra[edit]

The Wheel ability returns inKirby Super Star and its remake,Kirby Super Star Ultra. Like most of the other Copy Abilities, Wheel's moveset is expanded and improved in this game. Kirby is also given the choice to create a Wheelie as aHelper from the ability. Aside from the regular Wheel ability,Kirby Super Star introduces a new concept, known as theWheelie Rider. When Kirby has a Wheelie Helper with him, he can jump onto his Helper and ride him, which accesses more moves for the Wheel ability, as well as traveling much faster than Wheel by itself. It also lets Kirby jump while dashing andInfinity Jump, while the standalone ability does not.

Kirby Air Ride[edit]

The Wheel ability appears inKirby Air Ride, and can be obtained from Wheelies on the race courses, as well as from Copy Panels inCity Trial and theCopy Chance Wheel. When Kirby obtains this ability, he transforms into a wheel, temporarily eschewing hisAir Ride Machine. Wheel Kirby controls similarly to theWheelie Bike, though he is considerably faster and more nimble. After a short period of time, this ability is lost, and Kirby returns to normal.

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror[edit]

Wheel appears inKirby & The Amazing Mirror, and can be obtained from Wheelie or yellow-colored rollingGolems. It can additionally be obtained from Bosses' projectiles pitched at Kirby:Wiz's cars andMoley's tires. It looks and functions almost identically to the way it did inKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, though crucially it has gained the ability to jump while rolling; a trait that would remain going forward.

Kirby: Canvas Curse[edit]

InKirby: Canvas Curse, the Wheel ability functions much like in mainline titles, causing Kirby to speed up and plow through enemies and obstacles, as well as jumping off of Rainbow Lines. It is one of four copy abilities that have their own Course A and Course BRainbow Run courses.

Kirby: Squeak Squad[edit]

The Wheel ability returns inKirby: Squeak Squad, and it can pick up fiery, icy, or electric properties if Kirby rides through the appropriate hazardous terrain, though this requires the WheelAbility Scroll to work.

Kirby Mass Attack[edit]

Although Copy Abilities don't appear in the game, Wheel appears as one of the "Great" attacks inKirby Quest fromKirby Mass Attack. For the attack, each Kirby rolls into a wheel and run over the enemies.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

Wheel returns after a fairly long absence inKirby: Triple Deluxe. It is once again obtained from Wheelie and Grand Wheelie and allows Kirby to quickly dash through enemies, and even skid across the top of water. In addition, Kirby gains the ability to charge up a boost while in Wheel form, going very quickly for a short time, among other new moves that give him more mobility options. Since this game, Wheel's ability hat has been modified to become more stylized, now having an elaborate star-shaped racing emblem on the front of the hat.

Wheel Kirby also appears as akeychain, using hissprite fromKirby: Canvas Curse.

Wheel is the only returning ability inKirby: Triple Deluxe that was not inKirby's Return to Dream Land.

Wheel's moveset inKirby: Triple Deluxe andKirby: Planet Robobot  (while facing right)
Skill	Image	Button Execution
Dash		B
Stop Dash		Press B during Dash
Jump		Press A during Dash
Downshift		↓↓ during Dash in midair
Rocket Start		Hold and release ↓ during Dash
Sky Wheel		A during Rocket Start
Turn		← during Dash
Turn Jump		Press ←→ repeatedly during Dash

Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]

Main article:Wheel Mode

Wheel returns again as an ability inKirby: Planet Robobot, unchanged from its appearance inKirby: Triple Deluxe. It is also compatible with theRobobot Armor, withthis mode being required for certain stages of the game.

Kirby's Dream Buffet[edit]

Wheel returns as an ability inKirby's Dream Buffet, but this time with a food motif. When Kirby picks up aWheel Donut from aFood Box, he takes on the shape of the donut and can roll quickly along race courses, as well as knock aside any opponents in the way. If the player holds R as Kirby turns while using the ability, he begins to drift; if held for long enough, Kirby performs aTurbo Drift, gaining extra speed temporarily.^[2] This ability is only available for a limited duration, and can be used in all game modes. Kirby will not roll off edges while using this ability.

Kirby Air Riders[edit]

Wheel appears as a usable ability inKirby Air Riders, functioning pretty much the same as inKirby Air Ride: upon obtaining it, the user is immediately transformed into a wheel, boosting their speed and essentially transforming them into a bike type Air Ride Machine for a short period of time. Like all other Copy Abilities in the game, any rider can use it, not just Kirby.

UnlikeKirby Air Ride and most games with Wheel, the user does not obtain a hat after copying this ability.

InKirby: Right Back at Ya![edit]

Wheel Artwork fromKirby: Right Back at Ya! Details First episode The Kirby Derby - Part II Last episode Born to Be Mild - Part II Obtained from Tires

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The Wheel ability makes two appearances in the anime seriesKirby: Right Back at Ya!, inThe Kirby Derby - Part II andBorn to Be Mild - Part II. Here, it operates largely the same as it does in the games, though Kirby's Wheel form is much larger here. Wheel Kirby is depicted as being extremely fast and agile, able to make circuits around the entirety ofDream Land in a matter of seconds. The draft created behind Wheel Kirby is also such that other vehicles can follow behind and gain the same level of speed.

Notably, when in Wheel form, Kirby resembles a red tire with a green and yellow interior. This contrasts with most of the games, which still depict his tire as pink.

• 
  Wheel Kirby in wheel form
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  Wheel Kirby passes King Dedede'sRoyal Racecar inThe Kirby Derby - Part II.
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  Wheel Kirby reaching the finish line just afterMayor Len Blustergas andHana.
• 
  Wheel Kirby andWheelie racing inBorn to Be Mild - Part II

In theKirby novel series[edit]

Wheel Wheel Kirby pulling a sabotaged airship inKirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?! Details First volume Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?! Last volume Kirby Meets the Squeak Squad! Obtained from Wheelie Power(s) Transform into a wheel to move very quickly, pull vehicles, destroy machinery by running into it

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In theKirby novel series, the Wheel ability appears inKirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?! andKirby Meets the Squeak Squad!, whereKirby obtains it fromWheelie. ThisCopy Ability functions just like in the games, where Kirby turns into a wheel and rolls forward at high speeds. Kirby usually uses this ability to pull heavy vehicles, and is notably strong enough to pull an entire airship that is tied to him with a rope. Kirby can also use Wheel to ram into anything meant to stop him, and has been shown to be strong enough to destroy a large cannon by doing this.

InKirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!, when Kirby,King Dedede, andMeta Knight venture out to catch the thieves that kidnappedMrs. Parfaitski, they catch Wheelie. Dedede forces Wheelie to tell them where Mrs. Parfaitski was taken. The three head to Meta Knight's airship - which they took to Parfaitski's mansion - only to find that the engine had been sabotaged, which the three believe that Wheelie was responsible for. Kirby gets an idea, andinhales Wheelie to gain the Wheel ability. He then gets a rope and ties himself to the airship. Kirby uses Wheel to pull along the sabotaged airship with King Dedede and Meta Knight in it. When the group reaches a small ravine, Kirby stops and lets Meta Knight's airship land. The group is then attacked bySir Kibble. Kirby drops the Wheel ability, releasing Wheelie, and then proceeds to inhale Sir Kibble.

InKirby Meets the Squeak Squad!, when Kirby, King Dedede, andWaddle Dee return to the ancient temple to bring back the egg they took care of, Wheelie lets Kirby copy the Wheel ability from him. Wheel Kirby pulls a cart with Dedede, Waddle Dee, and the egg in it so they can get back to the temple quickly. TheSqueaks try to stop them with a cannon that shootsAir Bullets, invented byDoc. The group notices this, and Kirby charges into the cannon, smashing it to atoms. When they eventually reach the temple, Kirby drops his Wheel ability, allowing Wheelie to make his way back toCastle Dedede.

• 
  King Dedede and Meta Knight watch as Kirby transforms into Wheel Kirby inKirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!
• 
  Wheel Kirby pulls his friends in a cart inKirby Meets the Squeak Squad!

Profiles[edit]

Flavor text[edit]

Image	Game	Flavor text
	Kirby's Adventure	Kirby turns into a wheel and can move at super speed! But watch for obstacles and excess speed!
	Kirby's Dream Course	You can run anywhere until you bump into something. Even on hills! Kirby can walk on water!
	Kirby Super Star	Roll over your enemies! Call a helper and ride the Wheel. Watch out for thorns and don't speed!
	Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land &Kirby & The Amazing Mirror	I ride like the wind! Fast! Too fast!
	Kirby: Canvas Curse	Use lines to turn sharply!
	Kirby: Squeak Squad	I ride like the Wind FAST!TOO FAST!
	Kirby Super Star Ultra	Roll to be nearlyinvincible orride a WheelHelper! Bewarethorns andholes.
	Kirby: Triple Deluxe &Kirby: Planet Robobot	Put pedal to the metal, and surge ahead with aDash! As long as you've got speed, you'reinvincible, baby! Justwatch out for potholes!

Kirby's Dream Course manual[edit]

• "This lets Kirby turn into a wheel and pick up instantaneous speed to whiz over bunkers and areas covered with water. If Kirby rams into a bumper, he flies straight up and comes to a full stop."

Kirby: Squeak Squad Australian website[edit]

• When Wheel Kirby gets rolling, there's no stopping him. Wheel Kirby can plow through just about anything!"

Nintendo Today![edit]

• Pedal to the metal, and surge ahead with a Dash! Just watch out for spikes and potholes...

Trivia[edit]

• Although the Wheel ability itself doesn't appear inKirby's Return to Dream Land, one ofNeedle's moves consists of curving into a spiky ball to perform a rolling attack while dashing forward in a similar fashion to the Wheel ability; but unlike Wheel, the user can only dash for a few seconds.

Gallery[edit]

Main article:Wheel/gallery

• 
  Artwork fromKirby's Adventure
• 
  Artwork fromKirby Super Star
• 
  Icon fromKirby Super Star
• 
  Artwork fromKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land andKirby & The Amazing Mirror
• 
  Icon fromKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land andKirby & The Amazing Mirror
• 
  Artwork fromKirby Air Ride
• 
  Artwork fromKirby: Canvas Curse
• 
  Artwork fromKirby: Squeak Squad
• 
  In-game artwork fromKirby: Triple Deluxe
• 
  Ability Star fromKirby: Triple Deluxe andKirby: Planet Robobot

Names in other languages[edit]

References

• Good pages
• Copy Abilities in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
• Copy Abilities in the Kirby novel series
• Copy Abilities in Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
• Copy Abilities in Kirby's Dream Course
• Copy Abilities in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra
• Copy Abilities in Kirby Air Ride
• Copy Abilities in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
• Copy Abilities in Kirby: Canvas Curse
• Copy Abilities in Kirby: Squeak Squad
• Copy Abilities in Kirby: Triple Deluxe
• Copy Abilities in Kirby: Planet Robobot
• Copy Abilities in Kirby's Dream Buffet
• Copy Abilities in Kirby Air Riders

• Articles which list Japanese names
• Articles which list Chinese names
• Articles which list Dutch names
• Articles which list French names
• Articles which list German names
• Articles which list Italian names
• Articles which list Korean names
• Articles which list Portuguese names
• Articles which list Russian names
• Articles which list Spanish names