Editing User:WillIdleAway/Kirby around the world

{{construction|Draft outline. {{User:WillIdleAway/sig}} 16:58, 8 February 2023 (UTC)}}

{{ImCap
|image=File:Pupupu_Train_2020_Kirby_Artwork_1.png
|size=200px
|align=right
|caption=[[Kirby]] and the [[Kirby (series)|Kirby series]] as a whole have journeyed to regions all around the world.
}}
{{quote|... some people in the western market said a pink, soft character floating in air would never be accepted. So in the West, they changed Kirby's color on the box from pink to white.<br>Maybe they thought I would not notice. I did!|Satoru Iwata<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a86nyE9Ha0U GDC 2011 keynote]</ref>}}
The history of '''''Kirby'' around the world''' is one of varying levels of interest and effort in exporting the ''Kirby'' franchise and associated properties from [[HAL Laboratory]]'s home country of Japan to international regions. Certain factors work in favor of worldwide exportation of ''Kirby'', such as the accessible and beginner-friendly gameplay that has been a key part of the series' philosophy since [[Kirby's Dream Land/development|the development of the first game]], and the relative lack of dialogue especially from Kirby.<ref>[[Makiko Ohmoto]] suggested in particular, in an interview on stage at the [[Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival]], that Kirby's lack of intelligible speech might be a factor in Kirby's worldwide popularity. 「逆に、言葉んをしゃべらないから、世界の色んなプレイヤーの方とも繋がれのかな、って最近思います。」 (01:13:22. ''On the other hand, it may be because [Kirby] doesn't speak in words that [Kirby] connects with all kinds of players around the world. I've thought this as of late.'')</ref> Nonetheless, different regions have imported and received different parts of the franchise in their own way.

== Kirby in the Asia Pacific region ==

=== Japan ===
[[File:Kirby Bandai Namco 1993 plush.jpg|thumb|150px|right|A 1993 ''Kirby's Adventure'' plush of Kirby with the Star Rod, pictured in front of the HAL Laboratory sign in 1997.]]
{{construction|Could probably flesh out anime and merch paragraphs just a little more. {{User:WillIdleAway/sig}} 15:01, 7 April 2023 (UTC)}}
Kirby enjoys a high level of popularity in HAL Laboratory's home country of Japan, where Nintendo has published every single game in the series except for ''[[Kirby's Avalanche]]'' (a rebranding of ''[[wikipedia:Puyo Puyo|Super Puyo Puyo]]'' for Western audiences) and the e-Reader title ''[[Kirby Slide]]''. An example of the exceptional popularity of Kirby in Japan can be found in the sales numbers for ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'' across fiscal years 2018 and 2019 (April through March of 2017–2018 and 2018–2019). Japan has accounted for just over 20% of worldwide [[Nintendo Switch]] hardware sales, with 6.89 million of 32.27 million global sales at the end of 2018<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20190131214658/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html Nintendo global data], [http://web.archive.org/web/20190118033131/https://www.resetera.com/threads/famitsu-sales-cy-2018-2018-jan-01-2018-dec-30.94182/ ResetERA summary of Famitsu CY2018 report]</ref> (and even at the end of 2022, 27.72 million of 122.55 million<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20230213213034/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html Nintendo global data], [http://web.archive.org/web/20230111113452/https://www.famitsu.com/images/000/289/112/63be56a6b706d.html Famitsu CY2022 report]</ref>). Meanwhile, Japanese sales of ''Kirby Star Allies'' accounted for 0.86 million of 2.56 million units sold worldwide, or 34% of worldwide sales. This proportion is high compared to regional sales breakdowns both of Switch hardware and of other games that launched worldwide in FY2018.<ref name="ir2018">[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2018/180426_4e.pdf] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20180426095600/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2018/180426_4e.pdf Wayback Machine snapshot]</ref><ref name="ir2019">[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2019/190425_3e.pdf] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20190425073228/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2019/190425_3e.pdf Wayback Machine snapshot])</ref> The only comparable game is ''Splatoon 2'', from a franchise that also enjoys exceptional Japanese popularity.<ref>[https://www.nintendolife.com/features/why-is-splatoon-so-popular-in-japan Nintendo Life Feature: Why Is Splatoon So Popular In Japan?] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20230111140203/https://www.nintendolife.com/features/why-is-splatoon-so-popular-in-japan Wayback Machine snapshot]</ref>
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border=1 cellpadding=2
!colspan=5|A comparison of ''Kirby Star Allies'' sales against other Nintendo games with a simultaneous FY3/2018 worldwide launch
|-
!rowspan=2|Game
!rowspan=2|Release date
!colspan=3|Fraction of units sold in Japan
|-
!FY3/2018<ref name="ir2018"/>
!FY3/2019<ref name="ir2019"/>
!April 2017–March 2019 total*
|-
|''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''
|2017/04/28
|1.68M/9.22M (18%)
|0.89M/7.47M (12%)
|'''2.57M/16.69M (15%)'''
|-
|''ARMS''
|2017/06/16
|0.47M/1.85M (25%)
|n/a**
|'''>0.47M/<2.64M (>18%)'''**
|-
|''Splatoon 2''
|2017/07/21
|2.61M/6.02M (43%)
|0.83M/2.69M (31%)
|'''3.44M/8.70M (40%)'''
|-
|''Super Mario Odyssey''
|2017/10/27
|1.91M/10.41M (18%)
|0.34M/4.04M (8.4%)
|'''2.25M/14.44M (16%)'''
|-
|''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''
|2017/04/28
|1.68M/9.22M (18%)
|0.89M/7.47M (12%)
|'''2.57M/16.69M (15%)'''
|-
|''Xenoblade Chronicles 2''
|2017/12/01
|0.31M/1.31M (24%)
|n/a***
|'''>0.31M/1.73M (>18%)'''***
|- style="color:deeppink;"
|''Kirby Star Allies''
|2018/03/16
|0.50M/1.26M (40%)
|0.36M/1.30M (28%)
|'''0.86M/2.56M (34%)'''
|-
|colspan=5|(*Some sums will be approximate at the level of tens of thousands due to rounding errors.)
(**''ARMS'' sold less than one million units during FY3/2019, so a breakdown of Japanese versus overseas sales was not available. Total sales for ''ARMS'' numbered 2.10 million up to the end of September 2018, on par with ''Kirby Star Allies''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181230235234/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html] However, ''ARMS'' was no longer a top-selling Switch title at the end of March 2019, when the lowest-selling title listed was ''Mario Tennis Aces'' at 2.64 million. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190425070403/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html] This puts an upper bound on worldwide ''ARMS'' sales at 2.64 million, and allows us to put a lower bound on the proportion of ''ARMS'' sales in Japan at 18%, as either a lower worldwide sales number or more Japanese sales in FY3/2019 would result in the Japanese market accounting for a higher proportion of ''ARMS'' sales.)

(***''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' sold less than one million units during FY3/2019, so a breakdown of Japanese versus overseas sales was not available. As with ''ARMS'' we can constrain the fraction indirectly, this time based on a worldwide sales count of 1.73 million given by Monolith Soft's Tetsuya Takahashi in an interview. [http://web.archive.org/web/20200208065534/https://www.4gamer.net/games/368/G036837/20190416018/index_3.html])
|}

This proportion can vary significantly from game to game. For ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', Japanese sales accounted for 1.62 million of 6.12 million global sales (or 26%) through the end of December 2022. This is still higher than for other games with similarly large sales volumes like ''Mario Party Superstars'' (1.67 million of 9.38 million global, or 18%) or ''Nintendo Switch Sports'' (1.59 million of 8.61 million global, or 18%), and closer to the ''Pokémon'' games between March 2021 and December 2022 (ranging from 25% of the 14.63 million units sold of ''Pokémon Legends: Arceus'' to 34% of the 20.61 million units sold of ''Pokémon Scarlet/Violet'').<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2022/220510_6e.pdf], [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2023/230207_5e.pdf]</ref> ''Pokémon'' in particular enjoys worldwide popularity but is still especially visible in Japan, as evidenced by the 16 [[:bulbapedia:Pokémon Center (store)|Pokémon Center]] locations across Japan compared to one overseas (in Singapore). The Kirby series finds itself in a similar situation, albeit an order of magnitude smaller.

''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]'' first aired in Japan through TBS Television network affiliates, in particular CBC. Due to its chaotic, parody-heavy nature, Japanese communities have come to refer to it as 和製サウスパーク (''wasei sausu paaku'', or Japanese [[wikipedia:South Park|South Park]]).<ref>See, e.g., articles on the anime from [https://dic.pixiv.net/a/星のカービィ%28アニメ%29 Pixiv], [https://w.atwiki.jp/aniwotawiki/pages/3140.html Aniwota Wiki].</ref> Despite (or perhaps helped by) its occasional darkly satirical bent, the series was well loved at the time of broadcast, with Masahiro Sakurai noting that the series consistently maintained ratings of 5% and above, a very good performance for a show broadcasting at 07:30 in the morning.<ref>{{cite book|quote=アニメ「星のカービィ』制作中のできごと（週刊ファミ通2003年9月12日号、9月19日号揭載）|book=桜井政博のゲームについて思うこと Think about the Video Games|publisher=エンターブレイン|page=66}}; see also [http://web.archive.org/web/20061018180515/http://kirby.kocha.cc/kirby/anime2.html this fan tabulation] of average ratings for each episode, which finds an average of 5.23%, matching Sakurai's claim.</ref> Almost twenty years after the end of its initial broadcast run, HAL Laboratory would issue a Blu-ray remastered box set with demand so high for it that the first batch of pre-orders sold out within hours, leading the company to ask for patience while they worked to make more orders available.<ref>{{twitterlink|HAL_Laboratory|1603661876428124160}}</ref>

Merchandising has also been prominent in Japan since the start of the Kirby series, including plush dolls associated with ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]''. In the present day, [[HAL Laboratory]]'s involvement in Kirby merchandising has expanded significantly through involvement in projects like [[Kirby Café]]. Anniversary events like the [[Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert]] and the [[Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival]] also principally occur in Japan, as do collaborations with brands like [[wikipedia:Lawson (store)|Lawson]], [https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoff Zoff], and [[wikipedia:Suntory|Suntory]].

=== South Korea ===
{{construction|Still might want covers of the tie-in books from 2005 and 2022, as a sort of bookend. {{User:WillIdleAway/sig}} 15:01, 7 April 2023 (UTC)}}

{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=horizontal
|width=100px
|image1=KF2 Korean box art.png
|image2=KDB Korean box art.jpg
|footer=The Korean box art for ''Kirby Fighters 2'' and ''Kirby's Dream Buffet'', two games that received a physical (boxed download code) release exclusive to Korea.
}}

Korea was [[wikipedia:Korea under Japanese rule|under Japanese rule]] throughout most of the first half of the 20th century, [[wikipedia:Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905|falling under indirect rule in 1905]] and [[wikipedia:Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910|being annexed entirely in 1910]]. The occupation significantly impacted Korean cultural identity, with [[wikipedia:Sōshi-kaimei|policies of cultural erasure]] in place by the late 1930s. Korea regained independence in 1945, and South Korea began [[wikipedia:Treaty on Basic Relations Between Japan and the Republic of Korea|normalizing foreign relations]] with Japan in 1965. However, South Korea remained extremely wary of Japanese cultural influence, and [[wikipedia:Censorship of Japanese media in South Korea|cultural importation from Japan was still strictly forbidden by law]] through the mid-1990s, when Kirby first appeared in other regions.

Throughout the 1990s, Japanese game imports were indirect, rebadged versions distributed by Korean companies. Hyundai Electronics (defunct 2001, succeeded by a number of companies including [[wikipedia:SK Hynix|SK Hynix]]) distributed rebadged versions of the NES (as the 현대 컴보이 or Hyundai Comboy)<ref>[https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?docId=2166954&cid=50857&categoryId=50857 Online encyclopedia entry documenting the Comboy's launch in December 1989]</ref>, Game Boy (as the 현대 미니컴보이 or Hyundai Mini Comboy)<ref>[https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/001/0003864084?sid=101 Article on the launch of the Super Game Boy as the "Hyundai Super Mini Comboy"]</ref>, SNES (as the 현대 슈퍼컴보이 or Hyundai Super Comboy), and Nintendo 64 (as the 현대 컴보이64 or Hyundai Comboy 64)<ref>[https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/001/0004143082?sid=105 Article on the launch of the "Hyundai Comboy 64"] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20230208163346/https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/001/0004143082?sid=105 Wayback Machine archive])</ref><ref>[https://bbs.ruliweb.com/hobby/board/300431/read/30557158 Pictures of rebadged Nintendo consoles for Korean distribution] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20230208162845/https://bbs.ruliweb.com/hobby/board/300431/read/30557158 Wayback Machine archive])</ref>. Other key Nintendo series like Mario saw imports alongside these consoles, but no record exists of Kirby games being imported. As a result of this, Korean references to Kirby vary greatly in the chosen transliteration, including 커비 (keobi, following the original English name) but also 카비 or 까비 (kabi or kkabi, following the Japanese version of the name).

After Hyundai's exit from the video games business, Daewon CI (대원씨아이) eventually began importing Nintendo consoles and games, and released five Kirby games in Korea under this arrangement: ''[[Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land]]'', ''[[Kirby Air Ride]]'', ''[[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror]]'', ''[[Kirby: Canvas Curse]]'', and ''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]''. None of these releases involved a translation of the game into Korean. Any translations provided as part of the packaging, instructions, or promotional materials hewed closely to the Japanese version, to the point where transliterations of names of English origin instead resembled their Japanese versions, as with Kirby (카비, ''kabi'') or the [[Star Rod]] (스타롯드, ''suta rosdeu''—although the final consonant of 롯 is pronounced more like a "t", rendering it very close to the Japanese スターロッド or ''sutāroddo''). This arrangement of importing untranslated Kirby games continued through the Nintendo DS era, and ended following the establishment of Nintendo of Korea in 2006.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border=1 cellpadding=2
!colspan=5|Kirby games sold in Korea by Daewon CI
|-
!Game
!Korean title
!Release date
!Notes
!References
|-
|[[File:KNiDL JP box artwork.jpg|200px]]
{{center|'''''[[Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land]]'''''}}
|별의 카비-꿈의 샘<br>(byeol-ui kabi kkum-ui saem)<br>''Kirby of the Stars: The Fountain of Dreams''
|2002
|Japanese version with Korean instructions.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20031016112100/http://newgame.daiwon.co.kr/viewgame/view.jsp?g_idx=bb2211011&genre_idx=13]
|-
|[[File:KAR KO boxart.png|200px]]
{{center|'''''[[Kirby Air Ride]]'''''}}
|카비 에어라이드<br>(kabi eeolaideu)<br>''Kirby Air Ride''
|March 6th, 2004
|US version with Korean box art and instructions. The box art appears to combine the logo used in Western markets with the Japanese artwork of a smiling, unperturbed Kirby.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20050827225922/http://newgame.daiwon.co.kr/viewgame/view.jsp?g_idx=aa2211017], [http://scanlines16.com/ko/collection/kirby-air-ride-kor/], [https://abyssgate.tistory.com/entry/혼자서-즐기면-더욱-외로운-카비-에어라이드] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20230210145618/https://abyssgate.tistory.com/entry/혼자서-즐기면-더욱-외로운-카비-에어라이드 Wayback Machine snapshot])
|-
|[[File:KaTAM JP cover art.png|200px]]
{{center|'''''[[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror]]'''''}}
|별의카비 거울의대미궁<br>(byeol-uikabi geoul-uidaemigung)<br>''Kirby of the Stars: The Great Labyrinth of the Mirror''
|May 4th, 2004
|Japanese version with Korean instructions.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20060216203332/http://newgame.daiwon.co.kr/nds/pre_list.jsp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20230126230705/https://game.donga.com/23788/]
|-
|[[File:KCC KO boxart.png|200px]]
{{center|'''''[[Kirby: Canvas Curse]]'''''}}
|터치! 카비<br>(teochi! kabi)<br>''Touch! Kirby''
|April 19th, 2005
|Japanese version with Korean box art and instructions. Included pink stylus.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20060216203332/http://newgame.daiwon.co.kr/nds/pre_list.jsp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20230126230705/https://game.donga.com/23788/]
|-
|[[File:KSqS Cover art_JP.png|200px]]
{{center|'''''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]'''''}}
|별의 카비 드롯체단 등장!<br>(byeol-uikabi deuloschedandeungjang)<br>''Kirby of the Stars: The Daroach Gang Appears!''
|December 2006
|Japanese version with Korean box art and instructions. Daewon CI never updated their official website to reflect their DS game releases past ''Kirby: Canvas Curse'', but this untranslated import version did exist and was reviewed by a video games magazine.
|[https://blog.naver.com/nogi0000/222958788517], [https://colley.kr/item/722924570], [https://www.grac.or.kr/Statistics/Popup/Pop_StatisticsDetails.aspx?04564d9651fe729c14f1a556e94762bf]
|}

A Korean dub of ''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]'' aired on [[wikipedia:Tooniverse|Tooniverse]] in 2005, airing one episode each weekday afternoon from Monday to Thursday at 16:00, with re-runs airing the same week on Thursday and Friday mornings at 08:00 in hour-long blocks of two episodes. The first episode aired on January 3rd, and the final dubbed episode aired on March 31st.<ref name="tooniverseunofficial"/><ref>Direct Wayback Machine snapshots for confirmation of the original dub run (including its replacement by ''Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat'' in April): [http://web.archive.org/web/20050103013110/http://www.ontooniverse.com:80/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050110010950/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050117010551/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050124011457/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050131004413/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207022745/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050214005043/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050221012110/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050301065716/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050307022017/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050314003133/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050321004006/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050328003603/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050406024449/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp]</ref> The dub is a translation of the US 4Kids dub, and covered the first 53 episodes (in the Japanese broadcast order) except for [[A Dental Dilemma]], for a total of 52 episodes.<ref>A list of episode titles used to be on the Tooniverse website but has been lost; namu.wiki compiles the lost information and notes the omission of [[A Dental Dilemma]] in the [https://namu.wiki/w/별의%20커비(애니메이션)/회차%20목록#s-4 list of episodes].</ref> A summer re-run showed an hour-long block of two episodes every weekday at noon starting on June 17th, changing to a single-episode half-hour block every weekday at 07:00 starting on July 18th until the end of the dubbed run on July 29th.<ref name="tooniverseunofficial">Unofficial compilation of Tooniverse timetables for [https://k66google.tistory.com/631 early 2005] and [https://k66google.tistory.com/632 late 2005]</ref><ref>Direct Wayback Machine snapshots for confirmation of the summer re-run between episodes 3 and "52": [http://web.archive.org/web/20050625024541/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050628002424/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050706013348/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050712014358/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050719005737/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050725012752/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp], [http://web.archive.org/web/20050731233851/ontooniverse.com/schedule/week.asp]</ref> A select number of these episodes were also available to view over the Internet on the Junior Naver section of the [[wikipedia:Naver|Naver]] web portal.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080107085706/http://jr.naver.com/tv Wayback Machine snapshot of the Junior Naver portal, with a prominent advertisement for the fourth episode]; [http://web.archive.org/web/20161105102640/http://jr.naver.com/tv/starkirby_intro character bios from a later version of the portal]; [http://web.archive.org/web/20160822175714/http://jr.naver.com/tv/starkirby episode titles and timings for the first eight episodes]</ref>

None of these episodes are available today and are considered lost media apart from unofficial audio and video recordings of a limited number of episodes. Despite this, the ''Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'' dub is important as it marked the first official transliteration of Kirby as 커비 (''keobi''), and introduced the earliest examples of Kirby merchandise made for the Korean market in the form of a number of tie-in books and puzzles.<ref>[http://www.kyelimbook.com/shop2/goods/goods_search.php?searched=Y&log=1&skey=all&hid_pr_text=&hid_link_url=&edit=&sword=%C4%BF%BA%F1&x=0&y=0 Kyelim Books search results for Kirby], featuring [http://web.archive.org/web/20230210194445/http://www.kyelimbook.com/shop2/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=1495 a comic adaptation using stills from five of the episodes], [http://web.archive.org/web/20230210194507/http://www.kyelimbook.com/shop2/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=1475 an illustrated book featuring a jigsaw puzzle], [http://web.archive.org/web/20230210194507/http://www.kyelimbook.com/shop2/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=1403 an activity book], and [http://web.archive.org/web/20230210194517/http://www.kyelimbook.com/shop2/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=1385# a 65-piece puzzle]; [http://web.archive.org/web/20230210194936/https://m.blog.naver.com/kokoko797/220846985851 Korean blog reviewing the comic adaptation]</ref>

Since Nintendo of Korea's establishment in 2006, the vast majority of Kirby games have received a Korean-language release, starting with the Korean localization of ''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]'' in 2007. The only exceptions have been ''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition]]'' (which never received a release outside of Japan and the Americas), ''[[Kirby and the Rainbow Curse]]'' (for the Wii U, which never released in South Korea), and a number of downloadable 3DS titles (namely ''[[Kirby's_Adventure#3D_Classics|3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure]]'', and ''[[Team Kirby Clash Deluxe]]''). Every game is fully translated, although with localization choices ranging from creative (translating Daroach as 도팡 or ''dopang'', a portmanteau of 도둑 or "thief" and [[wikipedia:Arsène Lupin|Arsène Lupin]], the fictional French gentleman thief) to unremarkable (translating 惑星 or ''wakusei'' as 혹성 or ''hokseong'', which matches the original ''kanji'' one-for-one but is a much less commonly used term for "planet" than 행성 or ''haengseong'') to baffling (transliterating "Waddle Dee", ワドルディ or ''wadorudi'', as 웨이들 디 or ''weideul di'') or even outright wrong (translating だいきんぼしDX or "Big Gold Star" as 커다란 황금 모자 or "Big Golden Hat", due to a misunderstanding of ''[[wikipedia:rendaku|rendaku]]'' applying to {{furi|星|ほし}}).

{{multiple image
|align=left
|direction=horizontal
|total_width=200
|image1=Special Thanks icon KRtDLD.png
|image2=Special Thanks icon KRtDLD KR.png
|footer=An icon used for the staff credits in ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe'' had the Japanese word まいど (''maido'', a Kansai-ben expression of thanks) translated specifically only for the Korean language.
}}

Imported Japanese games in South Korea often have changes made to aspects referencing Japanese culture due to South Korea's previous restrictions on Japanese imports. Within the ''Kirby'' series, this is most prominently seen with [[Samurai Kirby]] in ''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'', which received modified sprites to downplay its connection to feudal Japan.

Unusually, ''[[Kirby Fighters 2]]'' and ''[[Kirby's Dream Buffet]]'' received physical boxed releases only in South Korea, although both merely contain a download code in the box rather than an actual game card.

Nintendo of Korea's push for Kirby in Korea has only continued to escalate. The 30th anniversary saw a Kirby pop-up store open in Seoul, operating between July 29th and August 28th of 2022.<ref>https://www.nintendo.co.kr/news/view.php?no=YUNMT0o0bTFBaitGUGdOamZaVFREUT09 Nintendo of Korea's announcement news post] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20220727105629/https://www.nintendo.co.kr/news/view.php?no=YUNMT0o0bTFBaitGUGdOamZaVFREUT09 Wayback Machine snapshot])</ref> The store immediately repeatedly reached capacity limits and ran out of stock of various items including Ichiban Kuji prizes.<ref name="kirby30thshopkr">[https://twitter.com/kirby30thshopkr Twitter account of the Kirby pop-up shop] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20220806203440/https://twitter.com/kirby30thshopkr Wayback Machine snapshots during the first iteration] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20230212173104/https://twitter.com/kirby30thshopkr after announcement of the second iteration])</ref> The shop also sold the first Korean-language translations of [[Kirby (novel series)|''Kirby'' novels]], namely of ''[[Kirby Star Allies: The Great Friend Adventure!]]'' and ''[[Kirby Star Allies: The Universe is in Trouble?!]]'', weeks in advance of their official publication.<ref>[https://www.gamemeca.com/view.php?gid=1683252 Photos from the pop-up shop one day before its opening]</ref><ref>Product information for the [https://product.kyobobook.co.kr/detail/S000061450451 first] and [https://product.kyobobook.co.kr/detail/S000061450452 second] novels clearly show an official street date of August 10th.</ref> The pop-up store returned (albeit at a different location) in time for the launch of ''[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe]]'', between February 17th and March 2nd of 2023.<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.kr/news/view.php?no=b1U0M2l1cjA5VUhxMkxuUGZuc0Zsdz09 Nintendo of Korea's announcement of the pop-up store's second iteration] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20230202055146/https://www.nintendo.co.kr/news/view.php?no=b1U0M2l1cjA5VUhxMkxuUGZuc0Zsdz09 Wayback Machine snapshot])</ref>

=== Other regions ===
{{construction|Should fill in Oceania segments at this point. {{User:WillIdleAway/sig}} 15:01, 7 April 2023 (UTC)}}

The Sinosphere saw imports of Kirby games as early as ''Kirby's Dream Land'', fully licensed by Nintendo and with translated manuals and box descriptions.<ref>[https://game-boy-database.com/game-205-3593-CHN.html][https://imgur.com/rMK2J44]</ref> However, after Nintendo's apparent partnership with Chinese companies like Mani and Auldey, mainland China placed [[wikipedia:Video_games_in_China#Chinese_console_ban_(2000–2015)|severe restrictions]] on the sale and importing of video game consoles, which persisted through 2015. During this time, Nintendo entered into a joint venture, [[wikipedia:iQue|iQue]], to develop Chinese versions of Nintendo consoles to circumvent these restrictions. However, Kirby games were not part of the games lineup for consoles like the [[nwiki:iQue Player|iQue Player]]. Since the removal of these restrictions and Nintendo's partnership with Tencent to sell the Nintendo Switch, Kirby games like ''Kirby Star Allies'' have seen Chinese localizations through iQue and Nintendo Hong Kong. Taiwan and Hong Kong were never subject to the same restrictions as mainland China, and games were sold with Japanese region coding through the respective regional Nintendo subsidiaries.

Tie-in properties have also made their way to Chinese-speaking markets, including a Mandarin dub of the anime for the Taiwanese market<ref>[https://archive.org/details/KRBAYTW Internet Archive repository for the Taiwanese dub]</ref> and a 30th anniversary pop-up store in Hong Kong that operated between February and March of 2023.<ref>[https://www.nintendo.com.hk/event/kirby_popupstore/ Nintendo HK pop-up store website] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20230223230530/https://www.nintendo.com.hk/event/kirby_popupstore/ Wayback Machine snapshot])</ref>

In Southeast Asia, while Nintendo continues to extend an official marketing presence<ref>[https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/02/nintendo-continues-expansion-in-southeast-asia-with-official-websites-for-malaysia-and-the-philippines]</ref>, no official eShop exists for any country in the region, and physical distribution of games and consoles takes place through a third-party partner, Maxsoft. As a result, interest in Kirby games tends to be low, and other properties like the Kirby anime or novels are not distributed in countries like the Philippines.

== Kirby in the Americas ==

{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=horizontal
|width=86px
|image3=KRtDL Boxart L.jpg
|image2=Kirby Adventure Wii box art.jpg
|image1=KRtDL Kirby Wii JP box art.png
|caption3=US/Canadian box art for ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land'', featuring an angry Kirby wielding the Ultra Sword.
|caption2=European box art for ''Kirby's Adventure Wii'', featuring a smiling, unarmed Kirby.
|caption1=Japanese box art for ''Hoshi no Kirby Wii'', featuring a smiling, unarmed Kirby.
|header=An example of the infamously aggressive marketing surrounding Kirby in the North American market.
}}
=== The United States ===
{{construction|Needs more KRBaY and 4Kids at this point mostly. {{User:WillIdleAway/sig}} 15:01, 7 April 2023 (UTC)}}

The United States is a key part of Kirby's origin. Following discussions between HAL Laboratory and Nintendo, Nintendo of America provided suggestions for potential names to replace the character's original name of "Popopo" as the Japanese producers wanted a name that would appeal to American children.<ref name="shmuplations">[https://shmuplations.com/kirbysadventure/ shmuplations.com translation of a 1993 interview with Kirby's Adventure staff]</ref> "Kirby" was chosen from the list due to the humorous contrast between its guttural sound and the character's cutesy appearance, and a significant secondary influence that Shigeru Miyamoto would acknowledge multiple times<ref name="shmuplations" /><ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/06/17/miyamoto-wii-amp-wii-u-are-colored-white-for-all-ages-appeal.aspx?PostPageIndex=3 Miyamoto Talks Wii, Zelda And Nintendo's Past - Game Informer]</ref> was the role of US attorney [[wikipedia:John Kirby (attorney)|John Kirby]] in defending Nintendo in ''[[wikipedia:Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.|Universal v. Nintendo]]'', which solidified Nintendo's foothold in America.

Appropriately, the US (along with Canada) was the first market outside of Japan to meet Kirby. 1992's ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'' saw a release there on August 1, a little over four months after the Japanese release. Every Kirby console game has seen a US release since then apart from a couple of Japan-exclusive Super Famicom games (namely the Super Famicom version of ''[[Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)|Kirby's Star Stacker]]'' and the Satellaview-only ''[[Kirby's Toy Box]]'' mini-games).

One notable aspect of marketing for ''Kirby'' games in the United States was the tendency to highlight Kirby's 'rougher and tougher' side to contrast with his normally cute and innocent-looking demeanor. TV commercials for early ''Kirby'' games, most particularly those for [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU6cHCkWqy8 ''Kirby's Dream Land''], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lth4ilO0RrQ ''Kirby's Adventure''], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jPP-_IFVmE ''Kirby's Avalanche''], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZVU3ynwTug ''Kirby's Dream Land 2''], were notable in making Kirby look outright intimidating despite his small squishy appearance, with the ''Kirby's Adventure'' commercial in particular coining the apt phrase "one tough cream puff". Despite this, however, the box art, instruction booklets, and other direct paraphernalia with the games were generally more in line with the Japanese depiction of Kirby.

With the ''Kirby'' anime being created in large part to bolster Kirby's faltering popularity outside of Japan, its 2002 broadcast also coincided with a notable shift in the series' American branding. A new logo design emphasized Kirby's signature inhaling action; Kirby's first dedicated website, kirbykirbykirby.com, was created (largely emphasizing the anime); and, most strikingly, Nintendo of America asked HAL to depict Kirby as tough and determined on the box art and other related game art, with this sometimes being as simple as changing Kirby's face from a carefree smile to a serious dour look (as most aptly illustrated on the box art for ''[[Kirby Air Ride]]''). This trend to highlight Kirby's serious side in the U.S. continued with little pause until after ''[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land]]'', as from that point on, the box art of subsequent games for both Japan and the U.S. would become largely identical in how it depicted Kirby. When discussing the reasoning for this period of difference in marketing, ''Kirby'' series director [[Shinya Kumazaki]] had this to say in an interview for GameSpot:

:''"For the Japanese versions we are, at [Kirby series developer] HAL, involved in everything throughout development, including the package design. The most powerful image of Kirby is that cute image, we think that's the one that appeals to the widest audience," explained Kumazaki in an interview with GameSpot. This cute Kirby "brings in the most people to play" in his home country of Japan.''

:''"While it does start cute," Kumazaki continues, "we know there is a serious side to Kirby as well, and throughout the gameplay we see more and more of that, and the games themselves have quite a bit of depth. That being said, we recognise that Kirby's cuteness is his biggest draw in [the Japanese] market."''

:''Kumazaki asys{{sic}} Nintendo of America controls the shots in the US, and provides HAL with "feedback and insight" into the market. "What we have heard is that strong, tough Kirby that's really battling hard is a more appealing sign of Kirby, so that's what we feature in the US."''<ref>[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-is-kirby-always-angry-in-the-us-nintendo-explains/1100-6419263/ GameSpot article: "Why is Kirby always angry in the US? Nintendo explains", published on April 28, 2014]</ref>

''Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'', as it was known in North America, was primed to be a significant cornerstone of the ''Kirby'' franchise. ''Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land'', a game created to support the anime's broadcast, featured artwork from the anime in its international marketing, including its box art and television commercials. Localized by 4Kids Entertainment, the goal appeared to be to recreate the earlier smash success of the ''Pokémon'' anime, which turned the monster-collecting games into a multimedia empire. Licensing material for ''Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'' often emphasized the series' Japanese success and [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FllOkMBXoAId3HI?format=jpg&name=large even compared Kirby to comic book superheroes], showing that Kirby had equal or greater recognition. However, as 4Kids was experiencing a downward trend at this point in time, the series gradually lost the company's focus, its broadcast schedule becoming more erratic (though still managing to air all 100 episodes), and the aforementioned kirbykirbykirby.com gradually being rebranded to instead promote the ''Kirby'' games. 

Though not as widely popular as its home country, American gamers often saw the ''Kirby'' series as a "dark horse" among Nintendo franchises in the late '90s and early 2000s. ''Kirby''{{'}}s early growth in the United States was heavily tied to the growth of the Internet, with early fan sites like [https://web.archive.org/web/20030430020305/http://ourworld-top.cs.com/mkleino/kindex1.html?f=fs The Kool Kirby Spot] and [http://www.kirbysrainbowresort.net/index2.html Kirby's Rainbow Resort] aiming to spread awareness of the series. Fan translations of the Japanese airing of the anime from Operation HNK likewise allowed the series' popularity to flourish among the fledgling online anime community during the mid-2000s.

Throughout the mid-2000s, the series especially grew in popularity thanks to viral videos and memes spread on sites such as YTMND and YouTube, largely pushed forward by the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, which was significantly more popular overseas due to its growing tournament scene — for example, videos remixing the [[Gourmet Race (theme)|Gourmet Race theme]], especially its original ''Super Smash Bros.'' remix. The English dub of the anime was also famous — or infamous — due to the many creative liberties it took, leading it to become similarly viral; aspects of the series (such as Kirby's "poyo" speech, King Dedede's southern drawl, and Meta Knight's Spanish accent) still remain in the minds of English-speaking ''Kirby'' fans to this day.

''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' gave the ''Kirby'' series a wide boost in popularity in the United States thanks to its prominence in the Subspace Emissary story mode, and the addition of Meta Knight and King Dedede as playable fighters, the former of whom is widely considered the most powerful character in the game. Following this, and warm reception to ''Kirby's Epic Yarn'' thanks to its unique art style, the series would finally make its mainstream breakthrough in the United States with 2011's ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land'', with subsequent games in the series becoming significantly more successful and leading to widespread awareness among even casual gamers.

Outside of the games and limited home video releases of the anime, merchandise has traditionally been scant, but does exist. [[wikipedia:Viz Media|Viz Media]], a US subsidiary of Shogakukan, publishes [https://www.viz.com/kirby a number of Kirby books] for the North American market, in particular ''[[Kirby Manga Mania]]'' and ''Kirby: Art & Style Collection''. Additionally, Nintendo's New York store holds launch events for Kirby games,<ref>Nintendo NY tweets about launch events for [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/461609850531639297 ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe''], [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/566355904673480705 ''Kirby and the Rainbow Curse''], [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/740928099403988992 ''Kirby: Planet Robobot''], [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/975386306489585664 ''Kirby Star Allies''], and [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/1507734115830972421 ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'']</ref> sells Kirby merchandise,<ref>Example tweets from Nintendo NY: [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/1076916261676900352] [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/1134160120563326976]</ref> and introduced a set of Kirby statues (originally from the ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' Universal CityWalk pop-up) to the upper level to commemorate the release of ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land''.<ref>Nintendo NY tweets about the statues: [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/1512259831993880608] [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/1512446948367810564] [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/1515057371386564612]</ref> Kirby also seems to occasionally make appearances at the store for no particular reason.<ref>Kirby sightings reported at/by Nintendo NY: [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/569198410500337664] [https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/1558111463553880065]</ref>

HAL Laboratory and Nintendo appear to be making a stronger marketing push for the ''Kirby'' series in the United States beginning with the 30th anniversary, with examples of this including a temporary ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land''-themed pop-up attraction at [[wikipedia:Universal CityWalk|Universal CityWalk]] in Hollywood,<ref>[https://wdwnt.com/2022/03/full-walkthrough-of-kirby-and-the-forgotten-land-3d-pop-up-now-open-at-universal-citywalk-hollywood-this-weekend-only/ Overview of the ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' CityWalk pop-up]</ref> a limited ''Kirby''-themed bubble tea flavor available at Kung Fu Tea (which continued being sold without the ''Kirby'' branding when the promotion ended),<ref>[https://www.kungfutea.com/kung-fu-tea-partners-kirby-the-forgotten-land Announcement of the ''Kirby'' Kung Fu Tea collaboration]</ref> and more licensed merchandise, including statues from First4Figures<ref>[https://www.first4figures.com/kirbytm-we-love-kirby.html The "We Love Kirby" statue from First4Figures]</ref> and other products for retailers like BoxLunch.<ref>[https://www.boxlunch.com/pop-culture/shop-by-license/kirby/ Licensed ''Kirby'' merchandise at BoxLunch]</ref> As a result, while the series isn't quite at the same level as its native Japan, it is not quite as scarce in the United States as it once was.

=== Canada ===
{{construction|Soliciting information Canadian KRBaY broadcast history. {{User:WillIdleAway/sig}} 15:01, 7 April 2023 (UTC)}}
In general, English-speaking provinces of the country received a lot of the same games and merchandise as the United States did. Initially, video games and their systems sold in French-speaking Québec did not have any mandatory language laws associated with them (meaning game packaging and manuals were most often in English only), but starting in the late 90's (though not actually taking effect until the early 2000's), it became mandatory to provide French-language instruction manuals with the games, even if the games themselves did not have a French translation on them. As a result, most manufacturers started providing bilingual game covers and manuals in English and French, a practice which continues to this day.

Following a deal with the video game industry and the Office québécois de la langue française in 2007,<ref>[https://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/actualites/ressources/communique_jeuxv_20070910_1.pdf OQLF press release on the deal]</ref> it would eventually become provincial law for all video games sold in retailers across the province to provide bilingual packaging in both languages and a French localization in the game itself if one exists, whether it be the Canadian or European dialect. Needless to say, this change wasn't received positively at first by players who thought this change was unnecessary, had assumed that video games would take longer to come out in North America as a result of how expensive and how long the translation process might take, and would probably import a copy from elsewhere. By the time the change actually took effect on April 1, 2009, besides the occasional scare here-and-there, it didn't really do much harm, probably because the language settings could often be changed, either on a system menu or in the game itself. In regards to the ''Kirby'' series, the first game to provide a French-Canadian translation would be ''[[Kirby's Epic Yarn]]'', and almost every future game since then (except for ''Kirby's Dream Collection'') would also receive such a translation.

=== Latin America ===

==== Brazil ====
{{construction|I will leave an outline here, and add more references, and improve the existing ones, and more information as I can. {{User:Gigi/sig}} 12:51, 10 February 2023 (UTC)}}
Kirby's history in Brazil is directly tied to Nintendo's: the company has seldom directly distributed its games in the country, instead relying on a third party, or simply not having any official distributor at all, giving fans no choice but having to rely on unofficial importers. Nintendo first officially arrived on Brazil's market in 1993, via [[wikipedia:Playtronic|Playtronic]], which officially released the NES and Game Boy and their games in the country. The series' first game, ''Kirby's Dream Land'', was officially distributed, and ''Kirby's Adventure'' even got its own NES bundle in the country.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74CVaitF3k4 Video showcasing the Brazilian NES bundle with ''Kirby's Adventure'' (Portuguese)]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFt2HJCyDro Another video showcasing the Brazilian NES bundle with ''Kirby's Adventure'' (Portuguese)]</ref> Games released in Brazil often mirrored releases in the USA, and most ''Kirby'' games released around this period were released in Brazil, including games like ''Kirby's Dream Land 3''. Playtronic was eventually succeeded by [[wikipedia:Gradiente|Gradiente]] in 1996, which continued being Nintendo's official distributor until 2003, when it decided to end the partnership, citing the high USD exchange rate, piracy, and other reasons as factors. Brazil would then have no official distributor until 2006, when instead Latamel assumed the role. Once again, releases often mirrored those in the USA; in particular, even ''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition]]'' was released in the country. In 2011, Latamel established a local branch called Gaming do Brasil, which then became responsible for distributing Nintendo hardware and software in Brazil. In 2015, Nintendo once again left the country, citing high taxes as the biggest factor.<ref>[https://www.nintendoblast.com.br/2015/01/nintendo-encerra-atividades-brasil.html Nintendo Blast article announcing the end of Nintendo's distribution in Brazil by Gaming do Brasil (Portuguese)]</ref> In June 2018, an online Nintendo store with a limited selection of Switch games (one of them being ''Kirby Star Allies'') released without notice,<ref>[https://jovemnerd.com.br/nerdbunker/nintendo-lanca-loja-digital-brasileira-para-o-nintendo-switch/]</ref> and later on on October 2018, during [[wikipedia:Brasil Game Show|Brasil Game Show 2018]], Nintendo would appear as one of the main sponsors of the convention, where it announced prepaid download cards for a selection of Nintendo Switch titles, which once again included ''Kirby Star Allies''. Nintendo would officially return to Brazil in 2020,<ref>[https://adrenaline.com.br/noticias/v/65550/nintendo-esta-de-volta-ao-brasil-e-switch-chega-em-2020-ao-nosso-mercado]</ref> focusing more on digital releases than physical games, and this time around without a third party. This meant that physical releases of games were still only possible via unofficial importers. While Nintendo has started selling physical copies in Brazil in 2022 with translated game boxes, the only ''Kirby'' game to have an official physical release is ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' as of August 2023.<ref>[https://adrenaline.com.br/noticias/v/79210/nintendo-anuncia-lancamento-de-10-jogos-de-switch-em-midia-fisica-no-brasil Adrenaline article announcing the physical copies (Portuguese)]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/rodrigocoelhoc/status/1578066910251548675 Tweet from Brazilian Youtuber Coelho no Japão showcasing the boxes]</ref><ref>[https://www.nintendoblast.com.br/2023/08/novos-jogos-fisicos-de-nintendo-switch-sao-disponibilizados-oficialmente-no-brasil.html Nintendo Blast article announcing more physical copies, including ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' (Portuguese)]</ref> Bill Van Zyll, director of Nintendo in Latin America, mentioned that "a couple Kirby games" are coming in physical form to Brazil in an interview on June 2023.<ref>[https://youtu.be/MlTyR3PDJo8?si=zVucujnzWdhBRAm_&t=121 Interview with Bill Van Zyll]</ref>

No ''Kirby'' game had been official translated to Brazilian Portuguese until ''Kirby's Dream Buffet'' in 2022, since, apart from some mobile games, Nintendo games had never been officially translated to Brazilian Portuguese until the release of ''[[mariowiki:Mario Party Superstars|Mario Party Superstars]]'' in 2021, which marked a slow start on games of the company being translated to the main language of Brazil. While various ''Kirby'' games were officially released in Brazil before, they were always only available in American English, and any other languages supported in the North American version of said game when applicable. However, game boxes were often translated to Portuguese, but they kept the English terms used in the games to not confuse players.

Videogames only started receiving age ratings in Brazil from 2001 onwards. Before that, ratings were usually assigned informally, based on ESRB ratings of the games, taking inspiration from [[wikipedia:Brazilian advisory rating system|Brazil's own rating system for other media]], and thus, ''Kirby'' games released before or in 2001 were rated as following: KA games were rated 6+, and E games were rated L.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230518080918/https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/443775219010633740/1074478590671990925/image.png Nintendo World, edition 28]</ref> Ever since the Brazilian advisory rating system started rating videogames, all ''Kirby'' games in Brazil received the L rating, with one notable exception: ''Kirby Star Allies'' was initially rated L,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190117125139/https://store.nintendo.com.br/kirby-star-allies]</ref> but the rating was changed to 10 at some point for unknown reasons.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221007204609/https://www.nintendo.com/pt-br/store/products/kirby-star-allies-switch/]</ref> Interestingly however, [https://portal.mj.gov.br/ClassificacaoIndicativa/jsps/ConsultarJogoForm.do on the official website of Brazil's rating system], ''Kirby Star Allies'' is rated L still, but it should be noted that the site does not have a complete list of all media rated, so it's possible that the rating was never updated on the website.
<!--The following games appear to have also been distributed, but I've yet to find good evidence:

Kirby's Pinball Land (this one has pictures on a forum which I can only see the full size of if I login, and their login looks broken so ;-;)
Kirby's Avalanche (found ads for this one in a magazines, and one picture makes it appear more like the American version, perhaps it was never distributed by Playtronic and just imported)

The following games likely didn't get distributed:

Kirby's Star Stacker (haven't found a single piece of evidence)
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (haven't found a single piece of evidence, and the few ads of it I've seen in magazines just show a North American boxart, but I need to investigate more, but it's looking like since it released in late 2002 it really did not get an official release since Gradiente stopped in early 2003)
Kirby Air Ride (Gradiente didn't really distribute GCN games, although who knows?)
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (released in a time Brazil didn't have an official distributor)
Kirby: Canvas Curse (released in a time Brazil didn't have an official distributor, although it possibly could have released later as the DS was very popular here)
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (had to buy an imported version in 2015; moreover, Gaming do Brasil stopped in January 2015, and they hadn't even brought all Wii U games by then)
Kirby: Planet Robobot (almost 100% sure as I was there trying to buy it in 2016 and only found imports, plus by then Gaming to Brasil had stopped activity)
Kirby Battle Royale (no official Brazilian distributor in 2017)
-->
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border=1 cellpadding=2
!colspan=5|''Kirby'' games officially sold in Brazil physically
|-
!Game
!Distributor
!Notes
!References
|-
|{{center|[[File:KDL NA Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'''''}}
|Playtronic
|North American version with the game box in Portuguese.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/19980514210713im_/http://dshop.com/nintendo/gameboy/images/kirbysdream.gif]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KA Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'''''}}
|Playtronic
|North American version with the game box in Portuguese.
|[https://cf.shopee.com.br/file/9f6036a798e12854bab29eff6ec9a7f9]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KDC Cover.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]'''''}}
|Playtronic
|North American version with the game box and manual in Portuguese.
|[https://snescentral.com/cart.php?id=0869&num=38]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KDL2 Box.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'''''}}
|Playtronic
|North American version with the game box in Portuguese.
|[https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_NQ_NP_771183-MLB50022424939_052022-O.webp] [https://web.archive.org/web/19980514210726im_/http://dshop.com/nintendo/gameboy/images/kirbysdream2.gif] [https://gigi9714.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/image-18.png] [https://web.archive.org/web/20011030200005/http://www.nintendo.com.br/comercial/jogos/info_gboy.asp?cod=20]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KBBa Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Block Ball]]'''''}}
|Playtronic
|North American version with the game box in Portuguese.
|[https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_NQ_NP_799200-MLB46967194233_082021-O.webp] [https://web.archive.org/web/20011004233712/http://www.nintendo.com.br/comercial/jogos/info_gboy.asp?cod=24]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KSS Box NA.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby Super Star]]'''''}}
|Playtronic
|North American version with the game box, cartridge and manual in Portuguese.
|[https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_NQ_NP_938910-MLB51786910549_102022-O.webp] [https://gigi9714.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/image.png] [https://web.archive.org/web/19980514210435im_/http://dshop.com/nintendo/snes/images/kirbyss.gif] [https://web.archive.org/web/20010814025555fw_/http://www.nintendo.com.br/comercial/jogos/info_snes.asp?cod=39] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEPiIM5gmig]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KDL3 Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'''''}}
|Gradiente
|North American version with the game box in Portuguese.
|[https://snescentral.com/cart.php?id=0869&num=39] [https://gigi9714.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/image-16.png]
|-
|{{center|[[File:K64 The Crystal Shards box art.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]'''''}}
|Gradiente
|North American version with the game box in Portuguese. Released in July 21st, 2000.
|[https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2CumNYi9DtA/TV2CoY2v7HI/AAAAAAAABzc/_GueMSFl5u8/s1600/HH64.png] [https://web.archive.org/web/20010820033333/http://www.nintendo.com.br/comercial/jogos/info.asp?cod=219] [https://gigi9714.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/image-12.png] [https://gigi9714.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/image-13.png] [https://gigi9714.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/image-19.png]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KTnT Box.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble]]'''''}}
|Gradiente
|North American version with the game box in Portuguese. Released in April 30th, 2001.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20010719040339/http://www.novomilenio.inf.br/ano01/0105ccdr.htm] [https://www.vgdb.com.br/gf/fotos/games/media_47976/kirby-tilt-n-tumble-47976.jpg] [https://www.vgdb.com.br/gf/fotos/games/media_47977/kirby-tilt-n-tumble-47977.jpg] [https://www.vgdb.com.br/gf/fotos/games/media_47975/kirby-tilt-n-tumble-47975.jpg] [https://web.archive.org/web/20011004233505/http://www.nintendo.com.br/comercial/jogos/info_gboy.asp?cod=280]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KEY NA box art.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Epic Yarn]]'''''}}
|Latamel
|
|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iag8uQlIE8E]
|-
|{{center|[[File:Kirby Mass Attack cover.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby Mass Attack]]'''''}}
|Gaming do Brasil
|North American version with a cardboard cover containing the Brazilian rating in the front, and safety and support information in Portuguese in the back. The description of the game in the back is left in English.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20230518082024/https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/603735742921048065/1106261924561309696/IMG_9270.jpg]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KRtDL Boxart L.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land]]'''''}}
|Gaming do Brasil
|North American version with a cardboard cover containing the Brazilian rating in the front, and safety and support information in Portuguese in the back.
|[https://images-americanas.b2w.io/produtos/01/00/item/110952/6/110952627_1GG.jpg] [https://www.gamevicio.com/noticias/2011/09/nintendo-vai-relancar-wii-no-brasil-com-pacote-inedito-confira-detalhes-e-novos-precos/]
|-
|{{center|[[File:Kirby's Dream Collection box art.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition]]'''''}}
|Gaming do Brasil
|North American version with a small sticker of the Brazilian rating of the game in the front, and another sticker in the back containing safety and support information in Portuguese. The description of the game in the back is left in English. Released on September 2012.
|[https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_NQ_NP_891054-MLB53176707992_012023-O.webp] [https://twitter.com/wiiclube/status/247847981926215683]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KTD Boxart NA.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby: Triple Deluxe]]'''''}}
|Gaming do Brasil
|North American version with a cardboard cover containing the Brazilian rating in the front, as well as the description of the game and safety and support information in Portuguese in the back. Released on May 2014.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20230518080419/https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/182899928140480512/414952680172027915/image.jpg] [https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_NQ_NP_686415-MLB40067049999_122019-O.webp] [https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_NQ_NP_744372-MLB40067071559_122019-O.jpg]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KSA Boxart NA.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'''''}}
|Nintendo / Lojas Americanas
|Prepaid download card of the game. Released on October 2018.
|[https://www.techtudo.com.br/noticias/2018/10/nintendo-comeca-a-vender-cartoes-com-jogos-para-switch-no-brasil.ghtml] [https://br.ign.com/brasil-game-show-2018/67373/video/bgs-2018-nintendo-explica-sua-nova-estrategia-para-o-brasil] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNMDNGoAqCk]
|-
|{{center|[[File:KatFL Boxart NA.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]'''''}}
|Nintendo
|Game box in Portuguese. Released on August 2023.
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20231012204232/https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Ufp1gz90L._AC_SL1000_.jpg] [https://youtu.be/2Q1byf4iAPQ?si=RmAJVnCWb0ThYKlm&t=720]
|-
|}

<!--3DS Brazilian eshop opened when the console released in Brazil, July 9 2011. Ambassador program in Brazil existed: https://www.uol.com.br/start/ultimas-noticias/2011/08/12/preco-do-3ds-no-brasil-cai-para-r-799-programa-de-embaixadores-e-prorrogado.htm Switch eshop on December 7, 2020 (but Loja Nintendo released first, and Nintendo Switch Online released on September 18, 2018, so NSO games. Wii and Wii U never got Brazilian versions of their online stores-->

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border=1 cellpadding=2
!colspan=5|''Kirby'' games available in Brazil digitally
|-
!Game
!Platform
!Release date
!Notes
|-
|{{center|[[File:KDL NA Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'''''}}
|3DS Virtual Console<br>Nintendo Switch Online
|Unknown<br>February 8, 2023
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KA Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'''''}}
|Nintendo Switch Online
|February 13, 2019
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KPL Box.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Pinball Land]]'''''}}
|3DS Virtual Console
|July 12, 2012
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KDC Cover.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]'''''}}
|New 3DS Virtual Console<br>Nintendo Switch Online
|July 27, 2016<br>September 5, 2019
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KAv Box 2.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Avalanche]]'''''}}
|Nintendo Switch Online
|July 21, 2022
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KDL2 Box.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'''''}}
|3DS Virtual Console
|August 1, 2013
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KBBa Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Block Ball]]'''''}}
|3DS Virtual Console
|May 17, 2012
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KSS Box NA.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby Super Star]]'''''}}
|Nintendo Switch Online
|December 12, 2019
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KSSGB Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy)]]'''''}}
|3DS Virtual Console
|January 17, 2013
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KDL3 Box.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'''''}}
|Nintendo Switch Online
|September 5, 2019
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:K64 The Crystal Shards box art.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]'''''}}
|Nintendo Switch Online
|May 20, 2022
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KatAM cover art.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror]]'''''}}
|3DS Ambassador Program
|December 16, 2011
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KA 3DS logo.png|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby's Adventure#3D Classics|3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure]]'''''}}
|Nintendo 3DS
|November 17, 2011
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KTD Boxart NA.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby: Triple Deluxe]]'''''}}
|Nintendo 3DS
|May 2, 2014
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:KFD Cover art.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Kirby Fighters Deluxe]]'''''}}
|Nintendo 3DS
|August 29, 2014
|
|-
|{{center|[[File:DDDD Cover art.jpg|100px]]<br>
'''''[[Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe]]'''''}}
|Nintendo 3DS
|August 29, 2014
|
|-
|}

The ''Kirby'' anime also released in Brazil with a Brazilian Portuguese dub by Centauro based on the English 4Kids dub, first airing in Fox Kids sometime in 2003,<ref>[https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/ilustrad/fq0707200304.htm#FOX%20KIDS TV programming in Brazil from July 7th, 2003]</ref> from Monday to Saturday, at 10:30 AM and 10 PM.<ref>Nintendo World magazine, edition number 65</ref> It would later also air in Jetix, which succeeded and replaced the Fox Kids channel in 2004. The exact period in which the show aired is unclear, but it would air there for a couple more years, until at least 2007.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/youtube-6NS5hvohEH0 Recording of Jetix in Brazil from 2007, which shows the anime airing there]</ref> While it's unknown if the whole show was dubbed, as not every episode has been preserved, it's assumed so, due to the sheer variety of episodes preserved, including the last episodes. The Brazilian Portuguese dub of the anime has yet to been rereleased officially after its airing, but during its run two DVDs were released: "Kirby e Seus Poderes" (''Kirby and His Powers''), which included the first two episodes,<ref>[https://imagemfilmes.com.br/filme/kirby-e-seus-poderes "Kirby e Seus Poderes" in Imagem Filmes' site]</ref> and "Kirby e Seus Poderes 2" (''Kirby and His Powers 2''), which included episodes 3 and 4.<ref>[https://www.imagemfilmes.com.br/filme/kirby-volume-2 "Kirby e Seus Poderes 2" in Imagem Filmes' site]</ref>

Other kinds of ''Kirby'' media, such as merchandise, are not available in Brazil apart from very few imports, most unofficial. For example, [https://www.amazon.com.br/Kirby-Art-Style-Collection-Various/dp/197471179X/ ''Kirby Art & Style Collection'' is available in Amazon Brazil], but it's simply an import of the English version. The ''Kirby'' series does not appear to be widely popular in Brazil; in particular, official marketing of ''Kirby'' game has been scarce compared to other Nintendo titles. For example, during Gaming do Brasil's activity, it often held events to celebrate the release of various titles, including third party ones like ''Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins'',<ref>[https://www.nintendoblast.com.br/2013/04/gaming-do-brasil-promove-meetup-hoje.html Nintendo Blast article about a meetup event for Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins (Portuguese)]</ref> but none were held for any ''Kirby'' releases. As another example, after the airing of the [[Nintendo Direct]] in February 8th, 2023, [https://twitter.com/NintendoBrasil the official Twitter account for Nintendo Brasil] tweeted about various titles featured in the Direct, but didn't tweet about ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe'', despite the Direct revealing a brand new mode for the game, as well as a demo; it is particularly odd when the game features a Brazilian Portuguese translation. On the other hand, ''Kirby's Dream Buffet''{{'}}s status as the first ''Kirby'' game released in Brazilian Portuguese didn't go without notice: the game was notably present in Nintendo's stand in Brasil Game Show in 2022, being playable at the event with its own section which featured a big banner.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn9vBqbBp08 Video showcasing Nintendo's stand in Brasil Game Show in 2022 (the ''Kirby's Dream Buffet'' section is shown at 3:50)]</ref>

==== Other countries ====

=== Other regions ===

== Kirby in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa ==
{{construction|We have reliable sources for some European countries—Typman for Germany, Etoile for France. Just need to compile information. {{User:WillIdleAway/sig}} 15:01, 7 April 2023 (UTC)}}

[[File:KA Club Nintendo German Miniboss names.jpg|thumb|right|360px|German names for Kirby enemies have changed significantly over the years. For instance, current German translations use the English name for [[Bugzzy]], but a Club Nintendo feature on ''Kirby's Adventure'' suggests it used to be called Scherenjohnny (''Scissors Johnny'').]]

Nintendo of Europe have consistently translated material for Kirby games since ''Kirby's Dream Land'', and marketed games from the ''Kirby'' series over time. For example, ''Kirby's Pinball Land'' featured in one of many Nintendo UK commercials of the time featuring comedian [[wikipedia:Rik Mayall|Rik Mayall]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6sSrIM13KI YouTube copy of the ad]</ref>, and the German magazine Club Nintendo even ran a series of comics featuring Kirby as a hardened private investigator.<ref>[http://www.kirbysrainbowresort.net/multimedia/manga/kgf.html Kirby's Rainbow Resort section on the Club Nintendo comics]</ref> Translation however was not always consistent, leading (for example) to an open letter from the German fan site Kirbytraum about the inconsistency of names that had been used since translated versions of ''Kirby's Adventure'', particularly starting in the 2000s with games like ''Kirby & the Amazing Mirror''.<ref>[https://kirby.webnwork.com/de/other/german-names/open-letter/ Kirbytraum open letter] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20191214050521/https://kirby.webnwork.com/de/other/german-names/open-letter/ Wayback Machine snapshot])</ref>

While the Middle East and Africa tend to be [[wikipedia:EMEA|grouped with Europe]] in dividing up company operations, Nintendo's (and by extension Kirby's) Middle Eastern and African presence is close to nonexistent. However, the anime appears to have been dubbed for a number of Middle Eastern markets, including into Arabic<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5efMJ0uAMk8 Clip of the Arabic dub on YouTube]</ref>, Hebrew<ref>[https://archive.org/details/hoshinokirbyhebrewdub Internet Archive copy of the Hebrew intro]</ref>, and Persian<ref>[https://archive.org/details/hoshinokirbypersiandub/ Internet Archive collection of the Persian dub]</ref>.

{{ref}}