WiKirby:April Fools/2024/Kirby: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox-Character

{{quote|Hiii!<ref>Basically every game he's voiced</ref><ref>The accepted number of I's in the transcription varies, although three is an acceptable variation. See, for example, "Hiii~!" (with three I's) from an official Nintendo of America Twitter post—see {{twitterlink|NintendoAmerica|1506699806173024260|wbsnap=y}}—versus "hiiii" (with four I's) in another Nintendo of America Twitter post—see {{twitterlink|NintendoAmerica|1516522030190977026|wbsnap=y}}.</ref>|'''Kirby'''<ref>Kirby is the one that says "Hiii!", as evidenced by his mouth moving when that is heard in the games</ref>}}{{incomplete|Missing a lot of citations across the article}}

'''Kirby'''<ref>Referred by this name in almost every game he's in; full name "Kirby of the Stars" in some languages only</ref> is the main character<ref name=protag/> and namesake<ref>The series bearing the name of the character can be verified by comparing the MD5 hashes of the respective names. The series name of "Kirby" has a MD5 hash of <code>3882a94c64066370fa15aa4d8fec006b</code>, while the character name of "Kirby" has an essentially identical MD5 hash of <code>3882a94c64066370fa15aa4d8fec006b</code>. The likelihood of two completely random 128-bit hashes colliding is minuscule at 2^-128, although for two MD5 hashes colliding accidentally this figure is only a lower bound due to the pseudo-randomness of hashing algorithms. Nonetheless, this hash comparison suggests that "Kirby" and "Kirby" are highly likely to be identical strings of characters, in turn rejecting with very high probability the hypothesis that Kirby is not the namesake of the ''Kirby'' series.</ref> of the [[Kirby (series)|''Kirby'' series]].<ref>Kirby was named before the series was: they changed his name from Popopo to Kirby (see: [[Kirby's Dream Land/development]])</ref> He<ref>Though Kirby is a gender-neutral character in Japanese (see [[Kirby's characteristics#Gender]]), he is referred to with masculine pronouns in nearly all English-language material (i.e. [https://archive.org/details/HDKDL1USCommercial/ the English commercial] for ''Kirby's Dream Land'': "He's Kirby, and he packs a mean bite."); the only exceptions thus far are [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta51B9_O7xk official Play Nintendo videos] that refer to Kirby with [[wikipedia:Singular they|singular ''they'']] (i.e. "Kirby is a hungry hero who's famous for their ability to inhale almost anything that stands in their way!"). As these are currently outliers and masculine pronouns are used in the vast majority of circumstances, this article will refer to Kirby as such.</ref> is a small pink creature<ref name="underestimate">{{Cite|He may only be eight inches tall, but you should never underestimate this little pink hero.||[https://kirby.nintendo.com/about/ Kirby Portal] profile}}</ref> who resides on<ref>[[Kirby's house]] is generally accepted to be located on Planet Popstar. The exception is in ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', which features a version of Kirby's house in the [[new world]]; however, even in this case this is explicitly a copy of Kirby's house on Popstar, which is shown during the end credits of the game.</ref> and protects all of [[Popstar|Planet Popstar]],{{#tag:ref|The International Astronomical Union's 2006 resolution on the definition of a planet, which disqualified Pluto from being a planet on account of its inability to have "cleared the neighborhood around its orbit"—an incredibly vague and bizarre choice of language with no quantitative criteria attached<ref group="subreference">This is not to say that it is impossible to design a quantitative "dynamical dominance" criterion of "clearing the neighborhood" consistent with the results of the IAU resolution. See, for example: Margot, J.-L., [https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/150/6/185 "A Quantitative Criterion for Defining Planets"], ''The Astronomical Journal'', vol. 150, no. 6, 2015.</ref>—only applies to planets within the Solar System (i.e., the system around our own Sun, the one that includes Earth). Note that [https://www.iau.org/science/scientific_bodies/commissions/F2/info/documents/ the IAU working definition of an extrasolar planet]<ref group="subreference">See also: Lecavelier des Etangs, A. and Lissauer, J. J., [https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.newar.2022.101641 "The IAU working definition of an exoplanet"], ''New Astronomy Reviews'', vol. 94, 2022.</ref> would still certainly require Popstar to orbit a star, brown dwarf, or stellar remnant, as opposed to simply being a free-floating planetary mass object incapable of thermonuclear fusion (in which case the appropriate designation would be Sub-brown Dwarf Popstar). Whether this is the case is unclear based on the depiction of the sun and moon in [[Milky Way Wishes]], in which the sun and moon both appear to be satellites of Popstar. However, the events of that game reflected an unusual set of circumstances involving [[Galactic Nova|a space-time manipulating clockwork comet]] and cannot be taken as reflecting the normal astrophysical state of Popstar's star system.}} though his true origin is unknown.<ref name="origin">Cite warning: <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code> tag with the name <code>origin</code> cannot be previewed because it is defined outside the current section or not defined at all.</ref> Despite his simplistic appearance, Kirby is easily recognizable<ref>{{cite web|quote=Kirby debuted in 1992 and has since gone on to become one of Nintendo’s most recognizable characters.|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160726133001/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/07/23/digital/eat-like-cute-round-pink-nintendo-character-called-kirby|title=Eat like a cute, round pink Nintendo character called Kirby|site=The Japan Times}}</ref> by his ball-like stature,<ref>''"[Kirby is] so round, he's sometimes treated like a ball."'' — ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' trophy</ref> his large glossy eyes,<ref>The [[Drawing Song]]'s second line in the English version of ''Kirby's Adventure'' ("Then you dot the eyes") specifically confirms that these features are eyes.</ref> and his cheerful demeanor.{{Fact}} He is often seen riding a [[Warp Star]],<ref>''Kirby's Dream Land'', [[:File:KDL_Kirby_riding_a_Warp_Star_screenshot.png|at the end of the first primary room of Green Greens]].</ref> but can otherwise fly by [[Hover|taking in air and puffing up like a balloon]].<ref>For a reference on the tendency for balloons to take in gases to inflate, see, for example, the [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclopædia_Britannica/Balloon 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica's article on the "balloon"], "a globular bag [...] which, when inflated with gas lighter than common air, can be used [...] for any purpose for which its ability to rise and float in the atmosphere adapts such a mechanism". Curiously, the same article notes the word's derivation from the Italian word ''ballone'', meaning "a large ball"; although Kirby is ball-like, Kirby is far from large. This key difference firmly establishes Kirby as merely ''like'' a balloon with a number of shared traits, rather than being an actual instance of a balloon.</ref> While Kirby has many ways to combat his foes, the most well-known by far is his ability to open his mouth<ref>The naming of [[Mouthful Mode]] as well as numerous other references strongly suggest that the opening located below Kirby's eyes is a mouth. See, for example, the use of 口 in the following passage from the description of the [[Water Gun]] on [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/kirby/action/index.html the Japanese website for ''Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land''] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20030117223854/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/kirby/action/index.html Wayback Machine snapshot]): 水中では、吸ったりはいたり、コピー能力を使用したりはできません。かわりに口から勢いよく水をはきだして、敵を攻撃できます。 (Translation: ''수중에서는 빨아들이기나 카피 능력을 사용할 수 없습니다. 대신에 입에서 물을 세게 뿜어서 적을 공격할 수 있습니다.'')</ref>  wide to [[Inhale|suck up]] his opponents and then swallow them whole.{{#tag:ref|Objects that Kirby swallows are officially described as being swallowed,<ref group="subreference">{{cite|Swallow your enemies and duck to copy their moves! Experiment by swallowing different kinds of enemies!|''Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land''|"About Copy Abilities"}}</ref> but not as being eaten or digested; instead, they simply "poof" and reappear elsewhere in the world.<ref group="subreference">{{cite|Because the base world is a fantasy world, it's not like they get swallowed and digested inside of Kirby. Because that might be jarring, and because we made the game to be approachable, having that kind of extreme or violent expression might negate making the game so approachable. Instead, we have this comical, funny depiction where the enemies poof. When an enemy or creature gets swallowed by Kirby, they may disappear but they do resurface somewhere else in the world.|[[Shinya Kumazaki]]|[https://www.polygon.com/23652624/kirby-questions-answered-directors-nintendo-interview Polygon interview]}}</ref>}} Doing this allows Kirby to [[Copy Ability|copy the attributes]] of whatever he just ate,<ref>''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'', ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'', ''[[Kirby's Fun Pak]]'', ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'', ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', ''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]'', ''[[Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land]]'', ''[[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror]]'', ''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]'', ''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'', ''[[Kirby's Epic Yarn]]'', ''[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land]]'', ''[[Kirby: Triple Deluxe]]'', ''[[Kirby: Planet Robobot]]'', ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'', ''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]'', ''[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe]]'', among others.</ref> expanding his powers in ways that are difficult to predict.{{Fact}} Using these abilities is often crucial for Kirby to overcome the greater challenges he faces on his adventures.{{Fact}} Kirby is classified as a silent protagonist; that is, he does not speak audibly or in text to the player in most instances, but characters in-game are implied to understand him.<ref>A clear example where Kirby holds a conversation despite being unheard by the player appears near the beginning of ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', where [[Elfilin]] speaks to Kirby, and responds to implied dialogue: "I have to go save them. I have to! ''[...]'' What? You'll help me save everyone? That's great! ''[...]'' So...your name is Kirby?"</ref> However, certain supplementary material, especially earlier in the series' history, has shown Kirby with the ability to speak normally, often in separate [[Continuity|continuities]] from the games.<ref>See [[Continuity#Continuity of adaptations]]. There are likely innumerable ''Kirby'' continuities due to the series' many adaptations, with the three most prominent ones covered on this wiki being the games, the anime, and the novels. The novels consistently depict Kirby having the ability to speak in full sentences.</ref> Despite this, he is very [[Kirby's voice|vocal]], using lots of grunts, shouts, and monosyllables<ref>The Sounds Resource, a website compiling video game sound effects, indicates that Kirby has [https://www.sounds-resource.com/nintendo_switch/kirbyandtheforgottenland/sound/45325/ at least 73 distinct voice clips] in ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land''. While this is not as many as [https://www.sounds-resource.com/nintendo_switch/supermarioodyssey/sound/26430/ Mario in ''Super Mario Odyssey''] and [https://www.sounds-resource.com/nintendo_switch/thelegendofzeldabreathofthewild/sound/12236/ Link in ''The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild''] (who have at least 200 voice clips each), this is a adequate number to indicate that Kirby is highly vocal: as a benchmark, Mario in ''Super Mario 64'' has [https://www.sounds-resource.com/nintendo_64/mario64/sound/49119/ 42 distinct voice clips.]</ref> — most famously, his cheery<ref>The high spectral variation in most of Kirby's renditions of "Hi!" is an acoustic factor often consistent with identification of positive emotions like achievement, contentment, and relief. See, for example: Sauter, Disa A et al. [https://doi.org/10.1080/17470211003721642 "Perceptual cues in nonverbal vocal expressions of emotion."] ''Quarterly journal of experimental psychology'' (2006) vol. 63,11 (2010): 2251-72.</ref> elongated<ref>The first instance of Kirby's voice, [[:File:Kirby voice sample - SSB64.mp3|a rendition of "Hi!" in ''Super Smash Bros.'']], has a duration of approximately 700 milliseconds. Most speakers do not enunciate syllables for this length of time. For instance, the [https://doi.org/10.35111/2jq6-pa48 TIMIT Acoustic-Phonetic Continuous Speech Corpus], a compilation of speech from 630 American English speakers, averages 210.5 milliseconds per syllable according to [https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=8116 Mark Liberman writing in Language Log] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20131204215708/https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=8116 Wayback Machine snapshot]). This makes Kirby's "Hi" over triple the length of a typical American English syllable, suggesting non-negligible elongation.</ref> "Hi!"<ref>Note that although "Hi!" is a monosyllabic shout in English, from a Japanese point of view it comprises at least two ''on'', three if counting the elongated vowel. See, for example, はぁ～い as used in Kirby's character profile for the [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nk4j/chara/index.html Japanese ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' website] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20000510210336/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nk4j/chara/index.html Wayback Machine snapshot]).</ref>

Since 1992, Kirby has starred in over 30 video games<ref>[https://www.kirby.jp/history/ The official Japanese ''Kirby'' website] lists 37. [https://kirby.nintendo.com/about/ The official English ''Kirby'' website] lists 34, dropping ''Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe'', ''Kirby Fighters Deluxe'', and ''Team Kirby Clash Deluxe'' and substituting the SNES version of ''Kirby's Star Stacker'' with ''Kirby's Avalanche''.</ref>  (thirteen of which can be considered part of the core series, not counting remakes){{#tag:ref|The developers stated in a [[Miiverse]] post that they consider ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe'' the tenth mainline ''Kirby'' game, which would exclude the two previous remakes.<ref group="subreference">{{Cite|By the way, have you ever wondered how we came up with the game title?<br>Well, we started with a variety of ideas. One was a title that would reflect the game's theme of an adventure through floating islands. Another idea was to use the letter "X", since this is the tenth traditional Kirby platformer.<br>We also wanted to find a title that reflects the game's full use of Nintendo 3DS features, such as the 3D function, motion sensors and StreetPass. Something short and catchy that we could use all around the world. That's how we came up with the title "3DX" - in other words, "Triple Deluxe"!|Shinya Kumazaki|Miiverse}}</ref> Furthermore, when it was decided that ''Kirby Star Allies'' would include one [[Dream Friend]] from each mainline game, remakes were excluded.<ref group="subreference">{{Cite|There were other characters that we wanted to make special guest appearances, like Drawcia, Elline, Shadow Kirby, Galacta Knight, and so on. But we established a certain rule for our selection process. The rule was to select one character from each title in the main action games over the years, the so-called core Kirby games, the equivalent to numbered sequels.|[[Shinya Kumazaki]]|[https://kotaku.com/kirby-star-allies-developers-explain-how-they-improved-1833813511 Kotaku interview]}}</ref> However, the internal codename of ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' is "Kirby15",<ref group="subreference">According to [[tcrf:The Cutting Room Floor:Project Names#Kirby series|The Cutting Room Floor's research]].</ref> which counts the two prior remakes (as it would be the thirteenth mainline game otherwise).}}, has appeared to some capacity in several other [[Nintendo]] games and products,<ref>Kirby's first cameo in a non-HAL Laboratory Nintendo-developed product was ''The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening'' in 1993.</ref> has had an [[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!|anime series]],<ref name="anime">[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (song)|The English theme song]] for ''Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'' states: "Kirby, Kirby, Kirby, he's the star of the show!"</ref> several manga series,<ref>"Several" may be an understatement. I mean, [https://kirby.fandom.com/ja/wiki/%E6%9B%B8%E7%B1%8D%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7 look at this book list from the Japanese Kirby wiki].</ref> a [[Kirby (novel series)|novel series]],<ref>[[Merchandise/Literature and CD soundtracks#Kirby novel series]]</ref> and has a great deal of [[Merchandise|merchandise]] in the form of figurines,<ref>[[Merchandise/Plushies and toys#Figurines]]</ref> plush dolls,<ref>[[Merchandise/Plushies and toys#Plushies]]</ref> clothing,<ref>[[Merchandise/Wearables]]</ref> and the like.<ref>[[Merchandise/Other]]</ref> Kirby and his series were created by [[Masahiro Sakurai]] under [[HAL Laboratory]], with the latter of which retaining the rights to the ''Kirby'' series and characters despite Sakurai's departure from the [[HAL Laboratory]] team in the mid-2000s.{{Fact}} To this day, Kirby remains one of Nintendo's most famous and recognizable mascots, with ''Kirby'' games garnering millions of sales worldwide,{{Fact}} thanks in part to his reoccurring role as a fighter in the ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' series.{{Fact}}

[[File:Twinkle Popo Weekly Famitsu 0155 ad scan.jpg|thumb|right|230px|An early magazine scan advertising ''Kirby's Dream Land'', or as it was originally known, ''Twinkle Popo''.{{Fact}} The large pink text says, 「覚えやすい名前でしょ。ぼく，ポポポ。」<ref>I mean, read it. If you can't read Japanese, then learn Japanese.</ref> ("It's an easy name to remember. I'm Popopo.")<ref>覚え is the stem form of the verb 覚える which means "remember", やすい means "easy", 名前 means "name", and でしょ is a conjectural form of polite copula です, which basically means "to be". All together, they mean "remember easy name to be", but Japanese sentences use a different word order than English, so for it to make sense in English we order it as "to be name easy remember", but to make it sound even more natural we add some extra words and conjugate the verb to be, making "It's an easy name to remember". As for the other sentence, ぼく basically means "I", and is one of the many first person pronouns in Japanese, usually used by young boys, and ポポポ is simply "Popopo". All together, they mean "I Popopo", but once again no one translates word by word like that so we add a verb and we make it "I'm Popopo".</ref>]]

[[Masahiro Sakurai]]<ref>Translated from 桜井政博 (''Sakurai Masahiro'').</ref> conceptualized his first game project to be simple so that beginner players could easily clear it, and as a result included the ability to use enemies as weapons,<ref name="sakurai_kirbycolumn">{{cite book|quote=『星のカービィというキャラクター』（週刊ファミ通2003年8月15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=54-56}} ([https://sourcegaming.info/2018/03/18/the-character-named-kirby-sakurais-famitsu-column-vol-17-2/ unofficial English translation also available from Source Gaming]; [https://web.archive.org/web/1000/sourcegaming.info/2018/03/18/the-character-named-kirby-sakurais-famitsu-column-vol-17-2/ Wayback Machine snapshot])</ref> as well as avoid obstacles by flying over them.<ref name="sakurai_kdlvideo">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPajPmu_t9Y 星のカービィ 【企画コンセプト】 — 桜井政博のゲーム作るには] (official English version: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBRt2D2YN44 Kirby's Dream Land <nowiki>[Game Concepts]</nowiki> — Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games])</ref> Originally, the player character would grab enemies with a long tongue, but this was changed to be inhaling and then swallowing or spitting them out instead.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBRt2D2YN44 Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games - Kirby's Dream Land]</ref> During the early development of what became ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'', the developers at [[HAL Laboratory]] created a placeholder sprite intended to convey these ideas for a presentation.{{Fact}} This placeholder sprite, a round little blob with a smiling face, became popular among the staff and, with a few tweaks, eventually became the final design.{{Fact}} Notably, Sakurai's drawings of the character did not have blush marks, with these being added later by a different artist.<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0003/miryoku/page03.html Nintendo Online Magazine - Interview with Masahiro Sakurai ca. 2000]</ref>

It is commonly thought that Miyamoto wanted Kirby to be yellow, and Sakurai decided to make him pink late in ''Kirby's Dream Land''{{'}}s development, hence why he appears as white on the game's international box art.{{Fact}} This is incorrect, as it can be clearly{{Fact}} seen that Kirby was pink{{Fact}} in concept art for the game, even before his name was finalized.{{Fact}} Miyamoto explained that he thought Kirby would have been yellow based on the monochrome sprite, and was instead pleasantly surprised to see him as pink in the color art.<ref name="kirbysadventure"/> Presumably in reference to this misinterpretation, later games often use a yellow<ref name="keebyyellow_hsv">In terms of hue-saturation-value representation of the RGB color model, the dominant color in [[:File:Keeby.png|Keeby's sprite]] has a hue of 60°, landing squarely on the same hue as [[wikipedia:Shades_of_yellow#Yellow_(RGB)_(X11_yellow)_(color_wheel_yellow)|"color wheel yellow"]]. Therefore Keeby is indisputably and unambiguously yellow, whereas we still can't decide what the Spark [[Sphere Doomer]]s are supposed to be.</ref> Kirby as the second player, starting with [[Keeby]] in ''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]''. Meanwhile, it is unclear why Kirby was initially depicted as white on the international box art; [[Satoru Iwata]] believed it was a deliberate change to make him more marketable,<ref>{{cite person|quote=In addition, 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 colour on the box from pink to white.|name=Satoru Iwata|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a86nyE9Ha0U|title=GDC 2011 keynote}}</ref> while Masahiro Sakurai believes it came from a simple mistake due to overseas staff misinterpreting the colorless sprites of the Game Boy.<ref>{{cite person|quote=海外のカービィが白だったのは、ゲームボーイのROMが白黒だけだったため、海外の人が勘違いしたから。|name=Masahiro Sakurai|url=https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/43007166520627200|title=Twitter}}.</ref> The ''[[20th Anniversary Kirby Pupupu Encyclopedia]]'' sides with Sakurai's explanation.<ref>{{cite book|quote='''海外ではカービィは白かった！'''<br>

</ref> and in his normal state, his movement speed is only modest,{{#tag:ref|In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', Kirby is ranked 59th out of 89 for walking speed<ref group="subreference">[[smashwiki:Walk|SmashWiki page on walking]]</ref> and 42nd out of 89 for dashing speed.<ref group="subreference">[[smashwiki:Dash|SmashWiki page on Dashing]]</ref>}} particularly when he takes in air to [[hover]] above the ground{{#tag:ref|In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', Kirby is ranked 86th out of 90 for air speed, which is likely intentional.<ref group="subreference">[[Easter egg#Goroawase]]</ref>}} or tries to [[swim]] in [[Water (environment)|water]].{{Fact}} Where Kirby stands out is in his signature<ref>Kirby did it before [[Inhale#Other entities that can Inhale|these people]], so clearly they were copying him.</ref> inhale ability, which he has made use of ever since his debut in ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'',{{Fact}} allowing him to swallow lesser [[Enemy|enemies]] whole{{Fact}} and return the projectiles of [[Mid-Boss|tougher]] [[Boss|foes]] back at them.<ref>''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]'' is named after the fact that Kirby can do this.</ref>

Kirby's inhale would be further expanded upon in ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' and subsequent titles, when the [[Copy Ability]] mechanic was introduced;<ref name=CopyAbilities>''Kirby's Dream Land'', the only ''Kirby'' game before ''Kirby's Adventure'', didn't have Copy Abilities. As such, ''Kirby's Adventure'' is the first ''Kirby'' game to feature Copy Abilities.</ref> allowing Kirby to gain special powers by swallowing the appropriate things, such as gaining [[Fire]] powers by swallowing a fiery foe like [[Hot Head]].<ref>Kirby gets the Fire Copy Ability upon swallowing a Hot Head.</ref> Using these abilities, Kirby is able to greatly expand his combat and/or movement capabilities,{{Fact}} whether that be fending off strong opponents using the [[Sword]] ability, racing rapidly along the ground using [[Wheel]], or taking to the skies using [[Wing]] or [[Jet]].<ref>Many Copy Abilities are based on real-world things and as such, function as you would expect them to based on the name.</ref> Many subsequent games<ref>''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' was the second game, Copy Abilities have appeared in every other main game since then as well as some spinoffs.</ref> allow further mixing of Kirby's abilities, whether that be directly via [[Power Combo]]s or when partnered with friends or other objects.{{Fact}} Some games even allow Kirby to [[Evolved Copy Ability|evolve]] his abilities over time to make them stronger.<ref>[[Evolved Copy Ability]]</ref> In addition, Kirby is in possession of other [[List of mysteries|more mysterious powers]]{{Fact}} which even he is not fully aware of,{{Fact}} and which often [[Last Battle Ability|come into play]] when he battles the most dangerous threats to his world.<ref>Kirby is listed on [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/EleventhHourSuperpower/VideoGames TVTopes' Eleventh Hour Superpower page].</ref>

In terms of his character, Kirby can be described as a naïve,<ref>[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land#Story]]</ref> cheery,<ref>[[:File:SSB4 Kirby Says Hi.oga|listen to how cheery he is when he says hi]]</ref> and childlike{{Fact}} alien{{#tag:ref|Kirby just blew into Dream Land one day,<ref group="subreference">"Our pink adventurer blew into Dream Land one day on a spring breeze." - ''[[Kirby and the Rainbow Curse]]''</ref> so he's not native to it}} creature who made [[Kirby's House|his home]] in [[Dream Land]] after arriving from outer space,{{Fact}} with his true origin being unknown.<ref name="origin"/> Kirby generally has a carefree attitude and enjoys simple pleasures such as eating,<ref>See, for example (without even considering numerous Sub-Games): Gourmet Race; ''Kirby: Squeak Squad''; ''Kirby's Dream Buffet''.</ref> playing with his friends,{{Fact}} and sleeping.<ref>[[Sleep]]</ref> More particular hobbies of his include fishing,<ref>[[Flash Fishing]]</ref> singing<ref>[[Mike]]</ref> (despite [[Mike|how bad he is at it]]<ref>[[Mike]] damages enemies</ref>), and riding his [[Warp Star]].<ref>[[Special:PermanentLink/53|WiKirby's page on Kirby]] (2010)</ref> Kirby is typically called to adventure when some calamity befalls his home-world of [[Popstar]],{{#tag:ref|See, for example: ''Kirby's Dream Land'' (embezzlement causing famine), ''Kirby's Adventure'' (mass dream loss), ''Kirby's Dream Course'' (astronomical theft), ''Kirby's Dream Land 2'' (infrastructure disruption due to Dark Matter), ''Kirby Super Star'' (embezzlement/famine, attempted military takeover, questionable astrophysical stability of star system), ''Kirby's Dream Land 3'' (chronic Dark Matter infestation), ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' (concussion via atmospheric fairy) ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe'' (invasive plant species<ref group="subreference">Although Taranza's kidnapping of King Dedede is also a key instigating event for ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe'', it is important to recall that King Dedede is only a ''self-proclaimed'' ruler of Dream Land, meaning that the overall impact to Popstar would likely be far from calamitous. The Dreamstalk on the other hand likely caused immediate and significant ecological and environmental damage to Popstar extending far beyond the simple disruption to Kirby's house, and would have ultimately evolved into an apocalyptic threat to Popstar under the control of Flowered Sectonia. {{cite|The Dreamstalk has guided you thus far. But its bloom will be your doom! Floralia, Dream Land, and this entire planet!|Queen Sectonia|Kirby: Triple Deluxe}}</ref>), ''Kirby and the Rainbow Curse'' (desaturation), ''Kirby: Planet Robobot'' (mechanical invasion).}} or if someone else calls for his aid.<ref>See, for example: the Super Famicom version of ''Kirby's Star Stacker'' (Mr. Star), ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' (Ribbon), ''Kirby's Epic Yarn'' (Prince Fluff), ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land'' (Magolor), ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' (Elfilin).</ref> Often times, these adventures take him to far-flung locations on his home-world,{{Fact}} to distant alien planets,{{Fact}} or even to [[Another Dimension|alternate dimensions]].{{Fact}} Despite whatever challenges or setbacks Kirby may face while adventuring, he never fails to maintain an overall positive attitude, and this attitude often is instrumental in turning former foes into friends.{{Fact}}

In the main video game series, Kirby is typically portrayed as the only one of his kind.{{Fact}} However, there are many instances, particularly in spin-off titles, where Kirby is joined by clones of himself, which often come in their own [[Color|body colors]].{{Fact}} Additionally, spin-off games tend to use Kirby's shape more literally, placing him in situations where he acts like a ball such as [[Kirby's Pinball Land|pinball]], [[Kirby's Dream Course|miniature golf]], [[Kirby's Block Ball|breakout]], or more generalized racing/platforming situations.{{Fact}} Additionally, extra material such as the [[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!|anime]], [[Kirby (novel series)|novel series]], or manga series often have their own takes on Kirby, his character, and his abilities, and are generally considered different continuities to the main video game series.{{Fact}}

Kirby has had many adventures,<ref name=adventure>The name of ''Kirby's Adventure'' may have one believe that it is Kirby's only adventure, but this is not the case, as he has an adventure in almost every game.</ref> which has given him the opportunity to learn and utilize many different [[:Category:Moves|moves]].<ref>Many games in the ''Kirby'' series give Kirby new moves to use. Examples include ''Kirby's Adventure'' adding the [[slide]], ''Kirby Super Star'' adding the [[guard]], and ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe'' adding the [[dodge]].</ref> The following table lists every{{Fact}} move that Kirby has had in the main series, starting with the most common ones down to the rarest (moves performed with Copy Abilities will not be listed here):{{Fact}}

| Kirby opens his mouth wide and starts sucking in air at a continuous rate.{{Fact}} Nearby enemies and objects will fly into his mouth.{{Fact}}

| '''[[Star Bullet]]'''{{Fact}}

| After inhaling something, Kirby can spit it back out as a Star Bullet, which will fly forward at very high speed and damage any enemy it hits.{{Fact}} Multiple objects inhaled will be spat out as a [[Star Bullet|Blaster Bullet]], which is even stronger, and passes through enemies, allowing it to damage multiple before it shatters after hitting a wall of some sort.{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'', Kirby cannot properly swim and merely "jumps" through water;<ref>Kirby "jumping" through water can best be seen in [[Float Islands]], a stage based on water.</ref> ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' introduced proper swimming in four directions, and ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'' introduced omnidirectional swimming.<ref name=omnidirectional>{{cite|Kirby can swim with the best of them, and this time he can even go diagonally!|pause screen page on Kirby underwater|''Kirby Star Allies''}}</ref> Starting in ''[[Kirby: Triple Deluxe]]'' up until ''Kirby Star Allies'', pressing the jump button while Kirby is swimming will cause him to do a stroke and swim faster.{{Fact}}

| After falling for long enough, Kirby dives headlong and can damage enemies he falls onto.{{Fact}}

| This move's effectiveness varies between titles.{{Fact}}

| While crouching, Kirby can slide forward along the ground with his feet out front, doing damage to foes in his path.{{Fact}}

| '''Drop Ability'''{{Fact}}

| If Kirby has a Copy Ability, he can discard it, causing a [[Ability Star|large bouncing star]] to pop out of him.{{Fact}} This star can be inhaled to regain the ability or spat as a Star Bullet.{{Fact}}

| While underwater, Kirby can shoot out either a short-range spray or a bubble of water from his mouth, which will damage enemies.{{Fact}} In most games, the water gun only works in four directions, but in ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'', it works in eight.<ref name=omnidirectional/>

| This move has many different iterations throughout the series.{{Fact}} Some Copy Abilities also prevent or enhance its use.<ref>[[Ninja]] and [[Water]] give Kirby a new kind of Water Gun, whereas [[Bell]], [[Hammer]], [[Master]], [[Metal]], [[Parasol]], [[Spear]], [[Staff]], [[Sword]], and [[UFO]] all let Kirby use (variants of) his on-land attacks underwater.</ref>

| Kirby raises his defense.<ref>[[:File:Guard KSSU artwork.png|Kirby raises his hand]] to guard, which is sometimes misinterpreted to be a salute.</ref> He cannot move while in this pose, but damage will be reduced or completely prevented from most attacks while in it.{{Fact}}

| '''[[Headbutt]]'''{{Fact}}

| In some titles, Kirby can damage enemies by jumping up into them.{{Fact}} This move is risky and will hurt Kirby if he makes contact too late.{{Fact}}

| After eating some [[food]], Kirby can approach an ally to share the food with them, healing the ally.{{Fact}} Allies can also do this for Kirby.{{Fact}}

| In some titles, if Kirby inhales long enough,<ref>{{cite|Inhale foes to gain {{color|red|Copy Abilities}}! Or hold B/Y to do a {{color|red|Super Inhale}}.|pause screen page on Kirby|''Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe''}}</ref> or given a special input from the player,<ref>{{cite|Inhale foes and press ↓ to gain {{color|red|Copy Abilities}}! Shake the Wii Remote while inhaling to do a {{color|red|Super Inhale}}!''|pause screen page on Kirby|''Kirby's Return to Dream Land''|}}</ref> Kirby will perform a super inhale, which is more powerful, reaches further, and can inhale or budge objects the normal one cannot.{{Fact}} This inhale is also better for swallowing multiple things at once.{{Fact}}

| If Kirby has a [[Copy Ability]], he can expend it to create a friend who has the same moves, which can then be controlled by another player or the CPU.{{Fact}} This move exists only in ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' and ''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]''.{{Fact}}

| If Kirby already has a Helper when he does this, he will discard his ability, and drop it as an item on the ground, which can be inhaled.{{Fact}} If the Helper touches the item, it will transform into whatever helper that item corresponds to.{{Fact}}

| If Kirby has a helper at his side, he can use this move to revert the helper to an item form, which can then be inhaled for the ability or spat out as a Star Bullet.{{Fact}} This move exists only in ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'', ''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'', and ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]''.{{Fact}}

| '''Mount/Dismount [[Animal Friend]]'''{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'' and ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', Kirby can mount one of his animal companions to utilize their special abilities.{{Fact}} Kirby can dismount them in the same way to continue by himself.{{Fact}}

| '''[[Piggyback]]'''{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land]]'' and ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'', Kirby can hop onto the back of one of his friends and ride them around.{{Fact}} When hopping onto a CPU friend, Kirby can control them directly.{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', Kirby can call Gooey out from inside him to help.{{Fact}} Like the Helpers, Gooey can be controlled by another player or the CPU.<ref>"Gooey is Kirby's friend. Either Controller 2 or the computer can operate him'" -''Kirby's Dream Land 3'' instruction booklet (page 12)</ref> To remove Gooey from the field, Kirby can inhale and swallow him.<ref>"If you want to remove Gooey from your adventure... Kirby can inhale or swallow Gooey." -''Kirby's Dream Land 3'' instruction booklet (page 12)</ref>

| While Gooey is out, Kirby has less [[health]].{{Fact}}

| '''Hold'''{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]'', Kirby can hold things he's inhaled above his head,{{Fact}} which can have varying effects depending on the thing he had inhaled.{{Fact}} Certain enemies when held like this will convey some sort of advantage.{{Fact}}

| '''Toss'''{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]'', a held item can be tossed either forward, or straight up, to act as projectiles.{{Fact}} Enemies bearing Copy Abilities can be combined into [[Power Combo]] stars by doing this.{{Fact}}

| '''[[Cell Phone]]'''{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror]]'', Kirby can pull out his phone and use it to do one of two things.{{Fact}} He can either call his clones to join him or call a [[Warp Star]] to take him back to the [[Rainbow Route - Central Circle]].{{Fact}}

| '''[[Make Friend]]'''{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'', Kirby can toss [[Friend Heart]]s at enemies on the field which yield [[Copy Ability|Copy Abilities]] to make them his allies.{{Fact}} Kirby can keep up to three allies at any one time.{{Fact}}

| In ''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]'', Kirby can inhale certain objects that are much larger than him, taking on their shape and function.{{Fact}} This ability functions separately from [[Copy Ability|Copy Abilities]].{{Fact}}

Due to Kirby's ubiquity as a character,<ref>He's the main character of his series.</ref> there are several other entities that resemble him, as well as alternate versions of Kirby himself.{{Fact}} The following lists all{{Fact}} of the different versions of Kirby along with other characters or entities that resemble him throughout the ''Kirby'' video game series:

Kirby makes his debut appearance in ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'',<ref>Even though technically Kirby made his debut appearance in ''Arcana'', the developers consider ''Kirby's Dream Land'' has his debut game. An example can be found in this [https://web.archive.org/web/20171108043210/https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAAADVHkUtt9hpQ Miiverse post] that says "You were born in 1992, so that makes you…23 years old!" "Now, of course, I'm not talking about when Kirby was actually born. But it is 23 years since the first Kirby game was released." but most importantly "If the release date of a character's first game is that character's birthday"; this post is celebrating the release date of ''Kirby's Dream Land'', not of ''Arcana'', and thus shows how the developers treat ''Kirby's Dream Land'' as the debut of Kirby. More directly, [https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1519360739206746112 an official tweet once said that Kirby's debut was in ''Kirby's Dream Land'']: "The adorable pink hero #Kirby made his debut in Kirby's Dream Land on Game Boy in Japan 30 years ago today!"</ref> where he clashes with his rival [[King Dedede]] for the first time in the series.<ref>This is the first game in the series, so naturally this is the first time they clash with each other.</ref> The game depicts him as a young and agile boy who eagerly helps out his fellow Dream Landers in their crisis with King Dedede.<ref>{{Cite manual|quote=Suddenly a spry little boy named Kirby happened along and said, "Don't worry, I'll get your food and your Sparkling Stars back!".|game=Kirby's Dream Land|page=4}}</ref> The mischievous King has not only stolen all the [[food]] in [[Dream Land]], but also abducted the land's [[Sparkling Star]]s.{{Fact}} Without further hesitation, Kirby sets out to travel through the five areas of Dream Land, reclaim the Sparkling Stars from each of King Dedede's goons, defeat King Dedede, and give Dream Land its food and its Sparkling Stars back.{{Fact}}

|caption=Artwork of Kirby from ''Kirby's Adventure''{{Fact}}

In ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' and its remake,<ref>{{cite|本作は約１０年前に発売されたＦＣの名作アクションのリメイク版。|Nintendo Dream, [https://ia802203.us.archive.org/9/items/nintendodream20041121/003.jpg 2002/11/21, volume 78], [https://ia802203.us.archive.org/9/items/nintendodream20041121/034.jpg page 34]|Translation: ''Dyma fersiwn newydd o'r campwaith acsiwn Famicom a ryddhawyd tua ddeng mlynedd yn ôl.''}}</ref> ''[[Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land]]'', Dream Land's denizens are robbed<ref>{{cite|To ROB. v.a.  [rober, old Fr. robbare, Italian.] [...] To deprive of any thing by unlawful force, or by secret theft; to plunder. To be robbed, according to the present use of the word, is to be injured by theft secret or violent; [...]|Johnson, Samuel. ''A Dictionary of the English Language'' (1755), vol. 2. London: W. Strahan.|[https://archive.org/details/b30451541_0002/page/n564/mode/1up Internet Archive]}}</ref> of peaceful sleep, and Kirby once again attempts to come to the rescue.<ref name=KA>''[[Kirby's Adventure]]''.</ref><ref name=KNiDL>''[[Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land]]''.</ref> He finds out that King Dedede has stolen the [[Star Rod]], which powers the citizens of Dream Land's good night's sleep.{{Fact}} He splits it into seven pieces, giving a part to each of his friends who act as [[boss]]es and keeping one for himself.{{Fact}} Kirby fights and defeats each of them, in turn, to reassemble the Star Rod and restore it to its rightful place atop the [[Fountain of Dreams]].{{Fact}} Kirby heads to the fountain with the rod in his hands, but King Dedede - after being defeated - drags at Kirby's heels, begging him not to restore the Star Rod.{{Fact}} Kirby knocks him away and places the rod atop the fountain, which causes [[Nightmare]] to emerge from it.{{Fact}} At this, Dedede swallows Kirby up and spits him out like a cannon to chase after the fleeing Nightmare and defeat him.{{Fact}} Kirby defeats Nightmare using the Star Rod and returns it to its rightful place atop the fountain, restoring the good dreams it delivers to Dream Land.<ref>{{cite|Now, everyone's dreams will return.|The narrator|''Kirby's Adventure''}}</ref>

''Kirby's Adventure'' is notable for being the first game to feature [[Copy Ability|Copy Abilities]],<ref name="CopyAbilities"/> a crucial aspect of Kirby's character that would be retained for the remainder of the series.{{Fact}} This game also introduced Kirby's ability to [[Slide]], use the [[Water Gun]], and [[Dash]],{{Fact}} although the latter would be absent again in ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]''.<ref>Play ''Kirby's Dream Land 2'' and try to Dash. You can't.</ref>

In ''[[Kirby's Pinball Land]]'', Kirby takes the role of the [[Kirby Ball|ball]]<ref>See [[:File:KPL Springboard screenshot.png|this image]], where Kirby is clearly a ball</ref> in a pinball<ref>Read the title of the game.</ref> game with a ''Kirby'' spin.<ref>See [[:File:KPL hub.png|here]] for example to see the various ''Kirby'' elements of this game.</ref> With the help of the player's paddles, he travels through three Pinball Lands, beating [[Whispy Woods|Wispy-Woods]], [[Kracko]], and [[Poppy Bros. Sr.|the Poppy Brothers]] along the way, which eventually leads him to King Dedede.{{Fact}}

KPL Parasol Kirby artwork.png|Artwork from ''Kirby's Pinball Land'' showing a stage prop Kirby holding the ball Kirby with a [[Parasol]]{{Fact}}

[[File:KDC Course 1 Hole 5 screenshot 02.png|thumb|123px|right|Kirby playing a hole in ''Kirby's Dream Course''.{{Fact}}]]

Kirby appears as a ball again<ref>The previous game, ''Kirby's Pinball Land'', had Kirby as a ball, hence why "again"</ref> in the golf-like world of ''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]'', which is the first and so far only isometric game he has appeared in.<ref>Do you know of any other isometric ''Kirby'' games? I don't think so</ref> In this game, Kirby sets out across eight courses in order to punish [[King Dedede]] for once again stealing Dream Land's stars.{{Fact}} He can use Copy Abilities to aid in defeating enemies and traversing the course hazards so he can get inside the cup at the end of each hole.{{Fact}}

This game was also the first to introduce different-color Kirbys,{{Fact}} with a yellow Kirby (named [[Keeby]]){{#tag:ref|He initially wasn't properly named as such, as "Keeby" was originally an internal nickname given by the developers of the game to an otherwise unnamed yellow Kirby.<ref group="subreference">{{cite book|quote=The development team nicknamed this character "Keeby," a play on words from the Japanese word for "yellow."|book=[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition|Kirby's Dream Collection]] booklet|publisher=Nintendo|page=24}}</ref> On the official website for ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' for the [[Nintendo 64]], [[Masahiro Sakurai]] referred to Kirby's yellow palette swap in said game as "Keeby", and mentioned that it comes from ''Kirby's Dream Course''.<ref group="subreference">[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/Color.html ''Super Smash Bros. (64)'' official website (JP) - Secrets of fighters' alternative colors]</ref> This was the first time this nickname was made public. Later, the ''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition]]'' booklet mentioned Keeby again, marking the first usage of the nickname in English material. In ''[[Kirby's Dream Buffet]]'', Keeby appears on the "Kirby & Keeby" [[Character Treat]], and the name "Keeby Yellow" is used for the yellow [[color]] for Kirby. This marks the first time the name "Keeby" has actually been used in a game itself, and also is the first time Keeby's name has been translated into other languages besides English.}} controllable by a second player in the 2P Game courses.{{Fact}}

{{quote|Kirby, our hero<ref>Kirby is a hero, per his various heroic actions. Specifically here, the text likely refers to Kirby's role as the protagonist of the game, however.</ref> from Dream Land, is represented by the player.{{Fact}}|''[[Kirby's Avalanche]]'' manual}}

|caption=Kirby riding on [[Rick]]{{Fact}}

In ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'', Kirby sets out with his three [[Animal Friend]]s to help the [[Rainbow Islands]], which have had their rainbow bridges disrupted by an unknown force.<ref>{{cite|The Rainbow Bridges that connect the seven Rainbow Islands have disappeared! Help Kirby solve the mystery! Search through the different islands while battling King Dedede and his horde of evil minions. Along the way, meet Rick, Kine, and Coo, who look like a hamster, a fish, and an owl, respectively.|''Kirby's Dream Land 2'' description|Nintendo Switch Online}}</ref> On each island, Kirby encounters a different foe who under normal circumstances would not be hostile to the pink hero, but all of whom have been influenced by some evil presence.{{Fact}} On the last island, Kirby battles King Dedede, who appears to be fighting in his sleep.<ref>Look at [[:File:KDL2 Dedede Fight 1.png|this screenshot]]. Notice the "Z" and King Dedede's closed eyes; both of these together often imply that someone is asleep in fiction.</ref>

Along the way, a [[Rainbow Drop]] can be found on each island.<ref>There is only one Rainbow Drop on each island: in Grass Land, only in stage 3; in Big Forest, only in stage 2; in Ripple Field, only in stage 3; in Iceberg, only in stage 4; in Red Canyon, only in stage 5; in Cloudy Park, only in stage 2; in Dark Castle, only in stage 7. In a total of seven islands, so there is a Rainbow Drop per island.</ref> Unless Kirby collected all seven of them, he will be forced to return home in the [[bad ending]], having not accomplished his mission.{{Fact}} However, collecting every drop before the battle with Dedede reveals that an entity known as [[Dark Matter]] was lurking inside the sleeping king.{{Fact}} This force flees into the sky upon Dedede's defeat, and the Rainbow Drops combine into the [[Rainbow Sword]], which Kirby can use to make chase.{{Fact}} High in the sky, Kirby does battle with Dark Matter and defeats both of its forms.{{Fact}} This done, Kirby uses the sword to soar along the sky and repair the rainbow bridges.{{Fact}}

In this game, Kirby is introduced to the Animal Friends, who are [[Rick]] the hamster, [[Coo]] the owl, and [[Kine]] the sunfish.{{Fact}} They can use Kirby's Copy Abilities in new and unique ways.{{Fact}} Kirby can use them if he frees them from a [[Protective Bag|bag]].{{Fact}}

Kirby yet again{{Fact}} serves as the ball in the ''Breakout''-based game,{{Fact}} ''[[Kirby's Block Ball]]''. However, the player can set Kirby to be in ball form or his full-sized normal form, the latter of which being referred to as a Power Bounce.<ref>''Kirby's Block Ball'' Instruction Booklet (NA print), page 5</ref> As in many spin-off games with a ''Kirby'' twist, Kirby can use Copy Abilities to help him break blocks and defeat enemies, though he only has access to four here; the lowest number in any game that features copy abilities.{{Fact}} In the story of the game, Kirby once again has to punish King Dedede for stealing Dream Land's [[Sparkling Star]]s and doing away with its magical fountain,{{Fact}} though King Dedede is only accessible in [[Kirby's Block Ball - Stage 11|Stage 11]] if the prior ten stages are cleared with a high enough score.{{Fact}}

Kirby stars in a number of mini-games in the Satellaview-exclusive ''[[Kirby's Toy Box]]'', which saw release only in Japan.<ref>Ask anyone outside of Japan if they got the game.</ref> These games amount to little more than Sub-Games from other more substantial titles.{{Fact}}

''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' features six distinct games,<ref>The game's [[:File:KSS Box NA.jpg|box art]] says it contains eight games, but two of those ([[Samurai Kirby]] and [[Megaton Punch]]) are considered Sub-Games.</ref> each acting as a small story involving Kirby and his cohorts.{{Fact}}

*In [[Spring Breeze]],<ref name=corkboard>[[:File:KSSU Corkboard.png|''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' corkboard'']]</ref> Kirby sets out to defeat King Dedede who has stolen all of Dream Land's food<ref>{{cite|All of the food in peaceful {{color|red|Dream Land}} has been {{color|red|stolen}}! This must be the work of King Dedede!|menu caption|''Kirby Super Star Ultra''}}</ref> and [[Sparkling Star]]s in an abridged re-telling of the original ''Kirby's Dream Land''.{{Fact}}

*In [[Gourmet Race]],<ref name=corkboard/> Kirby and King Dedede have a footrace<ref>{{cite|Yes! A {{Color|Blue|race}} with {{Color|Red|King Dedede}}! It's {{Color|Red|close}}, but keep {{Color|Blue|snacking}}! Eat, {{Color|Blue|eat}}, {{Color|Red|EAT}} for victory!|menu caption|''Kirby Super Star Ultra''}}</ref> across three courses,<ref>[[Pumpkin Grand]], [[Corn Hall]], [[Onion Garden]], for a total of three courses</ref> gobbling up as much food as they can along the way.{{Fact}}

*In [[Milky Way Wishes]],<ref name=corkboard/> [[Popstar|Planet Popstar]]'s day/night cycle is disrupted when the sun and moon start fighting each-other.<ref>{{quote|One day, in the year ????, the sun and moon began to fight day and night.|The narrator, ''Kirby Super Star Ultra''}}</ref> A small jester named [[Marx]] tells Kirby that he has to go and collect stars from seven planets and summon the great [[Galactic Nova]] in order to wish the sun and moon to stop fighting.<ref>{{quote|"Hey, hey, hey."<br>"Can you make peace between the Sun and Moon?"<br>"You need to ask the giant comet Nova for help!"<br>"But first, there's something we must do."<br>"To ask Nova, we must gather power from all the stars around us."<br>"It will be difficult, Kirby, but you can do it!"<br>"We are counting on you. Good luck!"|Marx, in ''Kirby Super Star Ultra''}}</ref> Kirby traverses the galaxy and does this, but upon summoning the great clockwork nova, Marx intervenes and steals Kirby's wish, wishing instead for power for himself so he can take over Popstar.{{Fact}} Using the power of the stars he collected, Kirby forms the [[Starship]] and uses it to disable Galactic Nova before it can grant Marx's wish, and then defeats Marx, destroying the Galactic Nova in the process.{{Fact}} This done, Kirby returns to Popstar triumphantly, and the sun and moon cease fighting.<ref>"[[Kirby's Triumphant Return]]"</ref>

''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'' features an additional story, called [[Revenge of the King]].<ref name=corkboard/> This [[Extra Mode]] has Kirby fight tougher versions of all of the enemies and bosses from Spring Breeze before storming [[The Revenge|Mt. Dedede]] and battling [[Masked Dedede]]<ref>This battle takes place against King Dedede, who is wearing a mask.</ref> in an electrified cage match.{{Fact}}

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

[[File:KSSS Hit in the Head cutscene.png|thumb|Mr. Star and Kirby{{Fact}}]]

In both [[Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy)|''Kirby's Star Stacker'' for the Game Boy]] and [[Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)|''Kirby's Star Stacker'' for the SNES]], Kirby and his [[Animal Friend]]s are featured 'battling' King Dedede or other opponents.{{Fact}} The Japan-exclusive<ref>このゲームが当初は日本でのみ発売されたのは事実だが、後にNintendo Switch Onlineで全地域向けに発売されることになる。しかし、このゲームはまだ日本語版しかない。</ref> Super Famicom version features a minor story, where Kirby helps a wayward [[Mr. Star]] get his pieces back after he was shattered by King Dedede.{{Fact}} To get these pieces, Kirby and his Animal Friends have to trounce each baddie who had collected a piece in turn before finally defeating Dedede himself.{{Fact}} If Kirby manages to do this without the player losing a game, [[Gryll]] appears after the credits for a bonus battle.{{Fact}}

{{quote|Hi, I'm Kirby!<ref>Contrary to popular belief, Kirby is perfectly capable of speech. I blame the anime.</ref> PopStar{{sic}} is in BIG trouble.<ref>[[:File:KDL3 Opening scene screenshot.png|This is certainly BIG trouble.]]</ref> Gooey and I are going to get to the bottom of this.{{Fact}} Wish us luck!|'''Kirby''' in ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]] Instruction booklet''}}

''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'' follows from the plot and style of ''Kirby's Dream Land 2'', once again involving Kirby utilizing his [[Animal Friend]]s{{Fact}} along with a benign piece of Dark Matter called [[Gooey]].<ref>{{quote|Gooey is Kirby's good friend. While he's made from the same stuff as Dark Matter, he doesn't have an evil spirit.|''Kirby's Dream Land 3'' Instruction booklet}}</ref> In this title, Dark Matter implants itself on Popstar using a [[Dark Matter (cloud)|dark cloud]] and starts corrupting the minds of impressionable creatures, turning them into foes for Kirby to defeat and liberate.{{Fact}} Along the way, Kirby can do good deeds in each area to receive a [[Heart Star]] from various denizens of Popstar.{{Fact}} If he collected all of them, he can once again face down against the true villain, this time forging the [[Love-Love Stick]] before giving chase.{{Fact}} At the heart of the dark cloud - a place called [[Hyper Zone]]{{Fact}} - Kirby and Gooey do battle with Dark Matter,{{Fact}} and then with [[Zero]]{{Fact}} - its pure white spherical core{{Fact}} - who attacks Kirby and Gooey using volleys of its own blood.{{Fact}} Upon Zero's defeat, the rest of Dark Matter's forces dissipate, and Popstar is once again freed from its influence.<ref>For now.{{Fact}}</ref>

''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]'' sees Kirby venturing across several worlds in order to help a [[fairy]] girl named [[Ribbon]]<ref>"A fairy from Ripple Star, Ribbon escapes the planet with the fairies' Crystal, only to fall victim to a Dark Matter ambush. When she loses control of the Crystal, she turns to Kirby for help." — ''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]'' instruction booklet (North America), page 22</ref> collect the [[Crystal Shard|shards of a broken crystal]]{{Fact}} from her home-world of [[Ripple Star]],<ref>[[:File:Ripple Star K64 space.png|Named in-game]]</ref> which was invaded by [[Dark Matter (cloud)|a cloud of Dark Matter]].{{Fact}} On Ripple Star proper, Kirby and his entourage must do battle with an incarnation of Dark Matter known as [[Miracle Matter]],{{Fact}} which appears to be the heart of the invading substance.{{Fact}} Defeating it drives this Dark Matter away from Ripple Star,{{Fact}} but it is revealed if all of the Crystal Shards were collected that the bulk of the Dark Matter had implanted itself inside Ripple Star's [[Queen]].{{Fact}} The fully reformed crystal zaps the queen, causing the Dark Matter within to be forced out,<ref>[[:File:K64 Darkness Calls scene 06.png]]</ref> where it then flies off into space and becomes a planet called [[Dark Star]].{{Fact}} Kirby and friends go there and defeat [[0²]] in order to finally disperse the Dark Matter and save Ripple Star from its influence.{{Fact}}

This game features [[Power Combo]]s, which are fusions of two different Copy Abilities to make an entirely new attack.{{Fact}} These moves are often very powerful and needed to break away certain obstacles barring Kirby from a Crystal Shard.{{Fact}} To date, this is the only ''Kirby'' game that allows for combining Copy Abilities in this way.<ref>While in ''Kirby Star Allies'' there are [[Friend Ability|Friend Abilities]] and some may look similar to the Power Combos of this game, such as [[Curling]], they are ultimately considered different things, evidenced by how the [https://www.kirby.jp/ability/special/power-combos.html official Kirby Japanese website] only lists Power Combos as appearing in ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards''</ref>

In ''[[Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble]]'', Kirby makes his way through top-down stages and is controlled by the player physically tilting and/or flicking the Game Boy Color system.{{Fact}} In the story, Kirby discovers that King Dedede is once again behind robbing Dream Land of its stars and has to go get them back.<ref>{{quote|And there goes King Dedede, with something big...<br>Now what could they be up to?<br>Kirby jumps on a Warp Star to go find out!<br>But awaiting him is a Dream Land without its stars...|The narrator, opening cutscene of ''Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble''}}</ref> He is sent rolling across eight different worlds before encountering Dedede at the end.{{Fact}} Upon defeat, Dedede starts sobbing, so Kirby goes to comfort him.{{Fact}}

''[[Kirby Air Ride]]'' has Kirby racing across several colorful courses on various [[Air Ride Machine|celestial vehicles]] against [[Color|other Kirbys]], King Dedede, and Meta Knight.{{Fact}} This is the first game in the series that allows for full three-dimensional movement,<ref>Despite ''Kirby's Dream Course'' featuring a 3D plane, it didn't allow for full movement on said space. At the same time, while ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' had 3D graphics, the game was still at core a 2D platform.</ref> though when off his machine, Kirby is only afforded five midair jumps,{{Fact}} like in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' games.{{Fact}}

KAR four Kirbys on Air Ride Machines.jpg|Kirby against three other colored Kirbys{{Fact}}

In ''[[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror]]'', Kirby is ambushed by someone resembling Meta Knight, who slashes him with his sword, causing Kirby to split into [[Color#Kirby & The Amazing Mirror|four identical copies of himself]], distinguishable only by differing body colors. The masked swordsman then flees into a mirror and the Kirbys give chase, leading them to a place known as the [[Mirror World]].<ref>This is all shown in the opening cutscene of ''Kirby & The Amazing Mirror''.</ref> Here, they set off, looking for pieces of a shattered golden mirror in the center of the world.{{Fact}} Along the way, they repeatedly run into a shadowy version of Kirby who appears to be spying on them.{{Fact}} Upon completion of the mirror, the Kirbys jump into it to find a dark eerie copy of the area they were just in.{{Fact}} Here, they find out that the Meta Knight who attacked them earlier was a doppelganger known as [[Dark Meta Knight]], who had previously imprisoned the real Meta Knight in this realm.{{Fact}} After defeating the faker, Meta Knight entrusts Kirby with [[Master|his sword]], which Kirby then uses to fight [[Dark Mind]], who was responsible for creating Dark Meta Knight and for disturbing the Mirror World itself.{{Fact}} If Kirby loses the sword during this fight, the shadowy Kirby from earlier will appear to toss it back to him.{{Fact}} Once Dark Mind is defeated, this shady Kirby reveals himself to be [[Shadow Kirby|Mirror-world Kirby]], the Mirror World analog to Kirby himself who is tasked with keeping the peace in his world.<ref>Given that the events of the game took place, it can be deduced that Mirror-world Kirby is lousy at his job.</ref> They all say their farewells while riding their [[Warp Star]]s back to their respective realms.{{Fact}}

In ''[[Kirby: Canvas Curse]]'', an evil sorceress known as [[Drawcia]] uses her magic to transform [[Popstar]] into a canvas,<ref>{{quote|Welcome to peaceful Dream Land.<br>Kirby's on a nice stroll...<br>Suddenly, the world's colors warp, and a strange witch arises!<br>Drawing in the air, the witch turns the land into a painting.|The narrator, opening cutscene of ''Kirby: Canvas Curse''}}</ref> and turns Kirby into [[Kirby Ball|a ball]] with no limbs.<ref>[[:File:KCC Growth Grasses 8.png|Do you see ANY limbs?]]</ref> Using the [[Magical Paintbrush]], the player has to draw [[Rainbow Line]]s to guide Kirby through the different stages and defeat Drawcia at the end.{{Fact}} After Drawcia is destroyed, Kirby reverts back to his normal form.<ref>{{quote|Done with its mission, the paintbrush vanished into light.<br>Kirby awoke in Dream Land.<br>The land, the sky, and Kirby were all normal.|The narrator, ending cutscene of ''Kirby: Canvas Curse''}}</ref>

Kids CanvasCurse.png|Artwork of Kirby from ''Kirby: Canvas Curse''{{Fact}}

{{quote|This little pink puffball with the gigantic appetite{{Fact}} is once again{{Fact}} the star of the show.<ref>{{quote|He's the star of the show!|[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (song)|Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]}}</ref> This time around, Kirby's taking his copy abilities on the road in search of his stolen strawberry shortcake.{{Fact}}|''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]'' manual}}

In ''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]'', Kirby is sitting in a field with a plate of [[Strawberry Shortcake]] ready to eat it<ref>{{cite|And now it's Kirby's favorite time of the day - snack time.<br>Today's yummy snack is a sweet, fluffy slice of strawberry shortcake!<br>Time to dig in...|The narrator|''Kirby: Squeak Squad''}}</ref> when suddenly something steals the cake slice from him.<ref>{{cite|WHOA! The cake Kirby was about to eat has suddenly vanished!|The narrator|''Kirby: Squeak Squad''}}</ref> Kirby immediately assumes that King Dedede did this<ref>{{cite|No doubt about it! This must be the work of that greedy {{color|red|King Dedede}}!|The narrator|''Kirby: Squeak Squad''}}</ref> and sets off to [[Castle Dedede|his castle]] to get his cake back.<ref>The end of the opening cutscene shows Kirby heading towards Castle Dedede.</ref> After defeating Dedede however, Kirby bumps into the [[Squeaks]], who are causing trouble by stealing all manner of things.{{Fact}} Believing that they have stolen his cake and stashed it into a [[Treasure Chest]], Kirby sets off after them, scuffling for treasure all the while.{{Fact}} He eventually makes his way to the reconstructed [[Halberd]], where he duels Meta Knight, who is guarding a special treasure box.{{Fact}}

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

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

[[File:KEY Lava Landing.png|thumb|Kirby carrying his companion,<ref>While not officially stated that Prince Fluff is Kirby's "companion", the word "companion" means "a person you spend a lot of time with often because you are friends or because you are travelling together". Since Kirby travels with Prince Fluff during the game, and they are referred to as friends at the end of the game, Prince Fluff falls in the definition of "companion".</ref> Prince Fluff,{{Fact}} in a level{{Fact}}]]

In both ''[[Kirby's Epic Yarn]]'' and ''[[Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn]]'', Kirby is transformed into a yarn outline of himself by an evil sorcerer called [[Yin-Yarn]]{{Fact}} who proceeds to transform all of Dream Land into a yarn parody of itself.{{Fact}} Kirby is banished to [[Patch Land]], where he teams up with a local yarn boy named [[Prince Fluff]] to stop Yin-Yarn and save both Patch Land and Dream Land by finding the [[Magic Yarn]].{{Fact}} After Yin-Yarn is defeated, Kirby and his realm are returned to normal,{{Fact}} and he gains a [[Magic Sock]] as a memento of his adventure, as well as a way to return to Patch Land whenever he wants to.{{Fact}}

In this game, Kirby has a very different set of abilities due to having been transformed into a yarn outline.{{Fact}} The [[metamato]] he ate in the opening cutscene gives him the power to transform into all manner of things, including a [[car]], a [[pendulum]], a [[parachute]], and a [[weight]].<ref>{{quote|Apparently, that strange Metamato gave Kirby the power to seamlessly transform into a car and...who knows what else?|The narrator, "Patch Land" cutscene of ''Kirby's Epic Yarn''}}</ref> His main means of attack is with a [[Yarn Whip]] that he throws out at enemies to unravel them or turn them into [[yarn ball]]s.{{Fact}} He can also use [[Metamortex]]es to transform into more potent but more situational forms.{{Fact}}

{{quote|Our hungry<ref>Kirby is often shown to have a huge appetite, shown in games and sub-games like [[Gourmet Race]], and ''[[Kirby's Dream Buffet]]''. </ref> hero, after being split into 10 by the Skull Gang boss, Necrodeus, sets out on an adventure to make things right.{{Fact}}|''[[Kirby Mass Attack]]'' Instruction Booklet (US print), page 5}}

In ''[[Kirby Mass Attack]]'', Kirby visits the [[Popopo Islands]] on the far side of [[Popstar]].{{Fact}} While taking a nap, [[Necrodeus]] appears and attempts to destroy Kirby by splitting him into ten smaller copies of himself who cannot inhale, then destroying these one-by-one. However, one of the Kirbys escapes and - guided by [[Kirby's heroic heart|his heroic heart]] - sets out to restore the other nine mini-Kirbys, then defeat the [[Skull Gang]].<ref>This is all shown in the opening cutscene of ''Kirby Mass Attack''.</ref>

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

|caption=Kirby and his companions<ref>The Japanese title of the song "[[Four Adventurers: Cookie Country]]" features the word 仲間, which can translate to words such as "friend" or "companion". While the title does not specify what "four adventurers" it's talking about, it's inferred to be the four playable characters of the game. As such, it is correct to claim that they are companions of Kirby.</ref> from ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land''{{Fact}}

''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition]]'' is largely just a compilation of earlier ''Kirby'' games.{{Fact}} However, it also features a [[Sub-Game]] called [[New Challenge Stages]], wherein Magolor from ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land'' returns and sets up an amusement park for Kirby and races against him in several of its sections.{{Fact}} Magolor explains at the start of this game that he has cleared things up with Kirby after the previous game's events.<ref>{{Quote|Hi there! My name is {{color|orange|Magolor}}. I'm from {{color|orange|another dimension}}, but I just love Planet Popstar. I can't get enough of it! Things got a bit hectic when I first arrived, but that's all in the past, thanks to Kirby. To make up for all that fuss, I built Kirby a theme park right here in Dream Land! It's got special stages where you can play with different {{color|orange|Copy Abilities}}. You know, some of those stages can be a bit difficult... Hmmm... Oh, but I know YOU'LL be just fine! Why don't you try to clear them all? You can even {{color|orange|face off against me}} in some of the stages! Hee hee hee...! So, what do you say...? Are you ready to check out my amazing theme park? Let's go!|[[Magolor]]'s dialogue in the opening scene for New Challenge Stages.}}</ref>

In ''[[Kirby: Triple Deluxe]]'', Kirby is abducted along with [[Kirby's House|his house]] by a large magical plant called the [[Dreamstalk]], along with [[Castle Dedede]].<ref>"Waking to a flowery coup!" cutscene</ref> He has to venture through the airborne kingdom of islands known as [[Floralia]] to chase down an insectoid villain known as [[Taranza]]<ref>{{cite|I, Taranza, cannot allow you to interfere with Queen Sectonia's plans.|Taranza|"Taranza, the master of puppetry" cutscene}}</ref> who has abducted King Dedede in an attempt to bring the King under his control.{{Fact}} Kirby catches up with Taranza at the end of the last island, who reveals that he had intended to capture and nullify the 'Hero of Dream Land', having mistaken Dedede to be the hero.<ref>When he first encounters Kirby in Royal Road, Taranza says "Let me guess: you're here to save the hero of the lower world.". As Kirby was trying to save King Dedede, it can be concluded that Taranza was talking about Kirby saving King Dedede, and by using [[wikipedia:Logic|logic]] we can conclude that Taranza thought King Dedede was the hero, not Kirby.</ref> Kirby defeats the possessed [[Masked Dedede]], which reveals Kirby as the true hero. Realizing this,<ref>{{cite|Could... Could you be the true hero of the lower world?|Taranza|"Divine beauty" cutscene}}</ref> Taranza attempts to call his master, [[Queen Sectonia]] to deal with him,<ref>{{cite|Oh, glorious Sectonia! Please come to my resc--|Taranza|"Divine beauty" cutscene}}</ref> but Sectonia swats Taranza away for his incompetence.<ref>In the "Divine beauty" cutscene, Queen Sectonia attacks Taranza as soon as she is summoned, and then says, "Pitiful, Taranza...", "I have no use for a fool who cannot follow orders.", heavily implying that she found Taranza incompetent.</ref>

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

In ''[[Kirby Fighters Deluxe]]'', Kirby does battle with copies of himself and with other characters{{Fact}} in a manner similar to the ''Super Smash Bros.'' games.<ref>Well, kinda. They're both 2D platform fighting games with similar moves, so I guess that counts?</ref> While there is no definite story, Kirby does battle [[Team DDD|an army of Dededes]] at the Fountain of Dreams before facing off against the real deal wielding a custom hammer based on the Star Rod.{{Fact}}

''[[Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe]]'' is the only ''Kirby'' series game that does not star the eponymous pink puffball.<ref>The game stars King Dedede instead. All other ''Kirby'' games have Kirby as the main character.</ref> However, Kirby can still be seen in the background, cheering King Dedede on.{{Fact}} His face also appears as part of the goal pad at the end of each stage.{{Fact}}

In the claymation{{Fact}} adventure known as ''[[Kirby and the Rainbow Curse]]'', Popstar and all its denizens have their color and life stolen away by a sorceress known as [[Claycia]].{{Fact}} A small, friendly paintbrush-like girl called [[Elline]] comes in from Claycia's world of [[Seventopia]] and re-colors Kirby and [[Bandana Waddle Dee|Waddle Dee]], who save her from [[Grab Hand]]s.<ref>As shown in the intro cutscene of ''Kirby and the Rainbow Curse''.</ref> After this, the trio sets off into Seventopia to defeat Claycia and restore Popstar's colors.{{Fact}} Much like in ''Kirby: Canvas Curse'', Kirby rolls about like a ball, and rides along a rainbow paint stroke, while one or more Waddle Dees carry him on occasion.{{Fact}} Why Kirby rolls around like this is unclear, since he still has his limbs.<ref>How do you reference a negative? Anyway huh, there is no source to explain that, so that's the source.</ref> The opening cutscene suggests he just finds it more fun.{{Fact}}<ref>Wait the part before says it's unclear then gives an explanation?? There is just no way</ref>

[[File:KPR Opening Cutscene Kirby.png|thumb|right|200px|Kirby wakes up<ref>Previously in the cutscene pictured, Kirby was sleeping. As he's awake in the picture present, naturally it means he woke up.</ref> to find the grove mechanized.{{Fact}}]]

In ''[[Kirby: Planet Robobot]]'', a robotic organization known as the [[Haltmann Works Company]] targets Popstar for its industrialization purposes.{{Fact}} Kirby wakes up from under an oak tree not long after the takeover begins to find the grove he is in all-but mechanized.<ref>Opening cutscene of ''Kirby: Planet Robobot''.</ref> He runs off to stop the mechanization of his home-world.{{Fact}}

Along the way, Kirby encounters a suit of robotic armor–the [[Robobot Armor]], which he commandeers and uses to smash up the soldiers that the Haltmann Works throws at him,{{Fact}} as well as to damage the legs of the company's mothership - the [[Access Ark]].{{Fact}} Kirby also encounters the company's executive assistant - [[Susie]] - on several occasions,<ref>Kirby meets her in [[Overload Ocean - Stage 6]], [[Gigabyte Grounds - Stage 6]], [[Rhythm Route - Stage 6]], and [[Access Ark - Stage 6]]. That is four encounters, which can be classified as several.</ref> who battles Kirby herself.<ref>Only in [[Overload Ocean - Stage 6]].</ref> She later sends a [[Mecha Knight|mechanized Meta Knight]],<ref>[[Gigabyte Grounds - Stage 6]]</ref> mind-controlled,{{Fact}} and a [[Dedede Clone|cloned King Dedede]]<ref>[[Rhythm Route - Stage 6]]</ref> to fight him.

Once Kirby boards the ark itself, he fights his way up to the executive office, where he finally frees Meta Knight,<ref>He defeats [[Mecha Knight+]] in [[Access Ark - Stage 6]].</ref> then scuffles with the president of the company himself - [[President Haltmann]].{{Fact}} Beaten back, Haltmann is forced to use the keystone of the company and the source of its power - the [[List of rumors of ancient civilizations in the Kirby series|ancient]] computer [[Star Dream]], but in the process, it is sabotaged by Susie.{{Fact}} Unfortunately, this sabotage causes the computer to go haywire, and merge Haltmann's mind with its OS in the process.{{Fact}} The computer then takes its own initiative and decides to destroy the entire universe, locking in with the planet-sized Access Ark to enact its plan.{{Fact}}

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

[[File:TKCD splash artwork.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Team Kirby does battle with [[Kibble Blade]]{{Fact}}]]

Kirby teams up with [[Color|three other Kirbys]] in ''[[Team Kirby Clash Deluxe]]'' to form a band of medieval-styled adventurers and save the [[Dream Kingdom]] from a horde of monsters.{{Fact}} Along the way, they earn - and subsequently spend - an enormous quantity of [[Gem Apple]]s at [[Magolor's Shoppe]] to purchase better equipment and support items,<ref>I mean, do I have to source this? Have you ever played this game? If so, you know what I'm talking about.</ref> in order to defeat the [[Taranza|puppeteer mage]], [[Taranza]], behind the rampaging beasts.{{Fact}} After defeating Taranza, however, a new set of much more powerful foes emerge from a [[Black Mirror]] which Taranza had been entranced by.{{Fact}} Team Kirby must defeat these parallel invaders and then shatter the mirror to restore the peace.{{Fact}}

In this stand-alone expansion of [[Kirby 3D Rumble]]–''[[Kirby's Blowout Blast]]'', Kirby runs about in full 3D spaces,<ref>In this game, Kirby can move in the X, Y and Z axes!</ref> using nothing but his trusty [[inhale]] and spitting out massive [[Star Bullet|Blaster Bullets]] to take out scores of enemies.{{Fact}} At the end of the road, Kirby faces off against King Dedede, who - as a last-ditch effort to beat his old rival - uses one of the [[Sparkling Star]]s to grow giant.{{Fact}}

Continuing the 3D formula from ''Kirby's Blowout Blast'',<ref>This game also allows Kirby to move in three axes, although not always.</ref>''[[Kirby Battle Royale]]'' pits Kirby against [[Color|clones of himself]]<ref>They were all created by the [[Kirby Printer]], so they are clones, as the Kirby Printer creates clones of Kirby.</ref> in several battle mini-games using various Copy Abilities to win a massive cake in a tournament held by King Dedede titled "[[Dedede's Cake Royale|The Cake Royale]]".<ref>[[File:KBR Story Mode Menu.png]]</ref> With Dedede's attempts to humiliate Kirby by seeing him defeated in the games failing, he takes his [[Kirby Printer]] and merges it into a [[Dededestroyer Z|giant robot]] in an attempt to crush his pink rival directly.{{Fact}} Kirby's unstoppable urge for cake overcomes this as well, destroying the robot and the printer, taking all the Kirby clones with it.{{Fact}}

[[File:Kirby Heart Power.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Kirby gains the power of friendship!{{Fact}}]]

In ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'', a mysterious magical foe begins raining energy all over [[Popstar]]. While this all happens, Kirby is sleeping out in a field as per usual, when a heart-shaped bolt of energy strikes his head.<ref>Shown in the opening cutscene of ''Kirby Star Allies''.</ref>This causes him to wake up and discover that he has gained a [[Friend Heart|special heart throwing power]], which allows him to charm enemies, turning them to his side.{{Fact}} With this power, Kirby battles the invading force, who has possessed all of his friends.{{Fact}}

After freeing King Dedede and Meta Knight from the dark influence, a [[Fortress of Shadows - Jambastion|large ominous structure]] embeds itself into Popstar.<ref>This happens in a cutscene that plays after clearing [[World of Miracles - Planet Popstar]].</ref> Kirby and co. invade this fortress only to find it operated by three [[The Three Mage-Sisters|mage generals]].{{Fact}} They explain that they are looking to collect the lost [[Jamba Heart|Dark Hearts]] which had scattered across the galaxy.{{Fact}} Not pleased to see Kirby and co. attempting to chase the hearts off, the mage generals attack Kirby.{{Fact}} Upon defeat, the head of the mage generals, [[Zan Partizanne]],{{Fact}} attempts to bury Kirby and co. under the rubble of the fortress after setting its self-destruct sequence, but Kirby and co. escape on a [[Friend Star]].<ref>[[Heavenly Hall]]</ref>

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

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

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

[[File:SKC eShop artwork.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Icon for the game, depicting a scene where Team Kirby battles [[Ignite Edge]]{{Fact}}]]

Like in ''[[Team Kirby Clash Deluxe]]'', Kirby teams up with [[Color|three other Kirbys]] to battle bosses and save the Dream Kingdom in ''[[Super Kirby Clash]]''.{{Fact}} This time, the Kingdom is being terrorized by a [[Parallel Nightmare|Parallel version of Nightmare]],{{Fact}} and Team Kirby moves throughout the land to chase him down and take out all of the monsters and great ancient foes he summons along the way.{{Fact}}

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

{{quote|A pink and powerful puffball,{{Fact}} Kirby can inhale certain enemies and copy their abilities to unleash on others.{{Fact}}|''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]'' character description from the website<ref>[https://kirbyandtheforgottenland.nintendo.com/characters// North American Kirby and the Forgotten Land website'']</ref>}}

From then on, Kirby and Elfilin travel the world and save all the Waddle Dees they can find, while repeatedly running into the Beast Pack who are trying to capture them.{{Fact}} When they find themselves in a [[Winter Horns|cold land]], Kirby stumbles onto and battles King Dedede,<ref name=beastking>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD2EQKC4lRQ Kirby and the Forgotten Land - An Unexpected Beast King playthrough]</ref> who had been inducted into the beast forces.<ref>"''It looked like he joined forces with the Beast Pack, but that's no excuse for his mistreatment of the Waddle Dees!''" -[[King Dedede]] [[figure]]</ref> Though Kirby defeats him in combat, King Dedede is able to sneak up afterward and kidnap Elfilin, taking him away<ref name=beastking/> and prompting Kirby to give chase to the "Forbidden Island". Kirby tracks Dedede down at the foot of a volcano,<ref name=presenceking>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nrct34w8uk Kirby and the Forgotten Land - In the Presence of the King playthrough]</ref> saving as many Waddle Dees as he can along the way.{{Fact}} Once he gets there, Kirby and Dedede have another fight, and when Kirby breaks his mask, the King finally comes around and rejoins Kirby's side.<ref name=presenceking/>

Kirby then makes his way up to the top of the mountain, entering a [[Lab Discovera|laboratory]] where he finds the [[Leongar|leader of the Beast Pack]] with Elfilin and [[Fecto Forgo|a much larger related creature]] trapped in tubes.<ref name=labdiscovera>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uozLC-ZeUVw Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Lab Discovera playthrough]</ref> Kirby is subject to a lecture from the beast king about his intentions to merge Elfilin with this being,<ref>"''Take a good look, pink intruder... Isn't this a beautiful sight? You're not even seeing the Great One in full form. They're incomplete without their {{color|orange|other half}}. Long ago, the Great One granted the people of this world a {{color|orange|miraculous power}}... Those people left this world behind...and entered a land of dreams. Once the Great One is complete again... I know we will also receive this miraculous power. We, the ones they left behind in this {{color|orange|forgotten land}}. And now...the time has finally come! That's right. This small creature here...is the Great One's missing half! Finally, after all our planning and effort, we can help the Great One reach their {{color|orange|complete form}}. We've dreamed of this moment for so many years... If you dare to stand in our way... {{large|{{color|orange|We'll feast on your hide!}}}}''" -[[Leongar]]</ref> and the two battle.<ref name=labdiscovera/> Kirby tries his best to rescue Elfilin, even seemingly defeating both Leongar and later the amalgamate Fecto Forgo in a fight,<ref name=labdiscovera/> but Elfilin is nonetheless merged into the creature to form the final boss of the game:<ref name=labdiscovera/> [[Fecto Elfilis]].<ref>[[:File:KatFL Fecto Elfilis Splash Screen.jpg|Splash screen for Fecto Elfilis]]</ref> Kirby must battle this ultimate life-form atop the laboratory and weaken them to the point where Elfilin can be recovered from their body using a Mouthful Mode.<ref name=labdiscovera/> From here, Kirby and Elfilin team up and use a [[Big-Rig Mouth|Big-Rig truck]] to stop the disintegrating Fecto from using their remaining power to force Popstar and the new world to crash into each-other,<ref>"''Oh no! It's pulling Popstar through that huge vortex! It wants your world to collide with this one!''" -[[Elfilin]] ([[Lab Discovera]])</ref><ref>[[Two Planets Approach the Roche Limit]]</ref> thus saving both worlds from destruction.{{Fact}}

In ''[[Kirby's Dream Buffet]]'', Kirby gets shrunk by the [[Dream Fork]]<ref>{{cite|After wielding the powerful Dream Fork, Kirby shrunk to snack-sized proportions. His dream of eating a mountain-sized cake can finally come true! Congrats, Kirby!|Tasty Tidbit|Kirby's Dream Buffet}}</ref> as he is about to eat a cake<ref>See the opening cutscene of ''Kirby's Dream Buffet'', which first shows Kirby admiring the cake and proceeding to pick up the Dream Fork. This particular sequence of events leaves very little room for interpretation as to Kirby's intentions.</ref> before the gourmet fest starts, and falls on the cake.{{Fact}} He is joined afterwards by other colored Kirbys<ref>See the opening cutscene of ''Kirby's Dream Buffet'', which shows three other Kirbys in Keeby Yellow, Ice Blue, and Tea Green. Yellow, blue, and green are commonly considered to be colors. See for example the Natural Color System, which begins with "[Ewald] Hering’s postulates about the six elementary colors, which are White (W), Black (S, Swarthy), Yellow (Y), Red (R), Blue (B), and Green (G)." Hård, A., & Sivik, L. (1981). [https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/col.5080060303 NCS—Natural Color System: A Swedish Standard for Color Notation.] ''Color Research & Application'', 6(3), 129–138. On the other hand whether the fact that we see these colors in the Kirbys means the Kirbys themselves are ''colored'' is a matter of serious debate. Philosopher Larry Hardin might have argued for instance that "we have no good reason to believe that there are colored objects [...] We are to be eliminativists with respect to color as a property of objects, but reductivists with respect to color experiences." Hardin, C. L., 1988, ''Color for Philosophers: Unweaving the Rainbow'', Indianapolis: Hackett.</ref> and they compete to see who can get the most [[Strawberry|strawberries]] as they race and battle<ref>{{cite|A full-course Dream Buffet with two races, a minigame, and a climactic battle royale.|Description for Gourmet Grand Prix|Kirby's Dream Buffet}}</ref> along various giant food-based stages set up by the "Dream Restaurant".<ref>{{cite|Welcome to the Dream Restaurant, the venue hosting this dream buffet for Kirby.|Tasty Tidbit|Kirby's Dream Buffet}}</ref>

Kirby is the sole playable character in this game,{{Fact}} though the player can choose between 40 different [[Color]]s and 25 different [[Costumes]] for him to wear, several of which make him resemble other characters.{{Fact}} Kirby is also featured on numerous [[Character Treat]]s.{{Fact}}

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

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

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

Kirby takes his Side Special from the [[Hammer]] ability.{{Fact}} This involves the hammer flip, allowing Kirby to charge up his hammer.{{Fact}} Overcharging the move will result in gradual recoil damage.{{Fact}}

Kirby's Down Special move comes from the [[Stone]] ability.{{Fact}} Kirby transforms into a heavy object.{{Fact}} His transformed form is immune to damage but can be broken with a strong enough attack.{{Fact}}

Kirby's Final Smash is [[Cook]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', where Kirby throws his opponents into a pot and cooks them alive before it blasts them out, damaging them.{{Fact}} It is changed to [[Ultra Sword]] starting from ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U]]''.{{Fact}}

Kirby plays a major role in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''{{'}}s adventure mode, [[smashwiki:The Subspace Emissary|The Subspace Emissary]].<ref>Read the rest of this paragraph.</ref> After having a friendly bout with [[smashwiki:Mario|Mario]], he has to rescue either [[smashwiki:Princess Peach|Princess Peach]] or [[smashwiki:Princess Zelda|Zelda]] from [[smashwiki:Petey Piranha|Petey Piranha]] after he and an army of enemies known as Primids invade the arena.{{Fact}} After the battle is over, Kirby then has to escape with the princess he saved from a bomb that had been planted in the arena during the fight, which sucks the whole area into a different dimension known as Subspace.{{Fact}} From there, after a series of team break-ups and reunions, Kirby ends up as part of a team including Mario, [[smashwiki:Link|Link]], [[smashwiki:Yoshi|Yoshi]], and [[smashwiki:Pit|Pit]] as they try to stop more subspace bombs from going off.{{Fact}}

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

{{quote|Only Kirby is left standing after Galeem's attack.{{Fact}}|'''Announcer''' in the overview trailer of ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''}}

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

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

Cook Kirby Brawl screenshot.jpg|Cook Kirby, Kirby's Final Smash in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''.{{Fact}}

Ultra Sword Smash Bros.jpg|Ultra Sword, Kirby's Final Smash in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U''.{{Fact}}

Kirby Subspace Emissary.jpg|Kirby faces off against Mario in the opening scene of The Subspace Emissary, ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''{{'}}s story mode.{{Fact}}

SSBU opening scene.png|Kirby overlooks the World of Light as the sole survivor in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''{{'}}s story mode.{{Fact}}

==In ''Kirby: Right Back at Ya!''{{Fact}}==

[[Kirby (anime character)|Kirby]] is the main character and primary focus of the anime ''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]''.<ref name="anime"/> Here, he is depicted as an infant [[Star Warrior]]<ref>"''Guess Kirby must be a baby warrior!''" -[[Tuff]] ([[Kirby Comes to Cappy Town]])</ref> who was called upon before his appointed time to protect [[Dream Land (anime)|Dream Land]] (specifically [[Cappy Town]]) from the [[Monster]]s called upon by [[King Dedede (anime character)|King Dedede]] using [[Night Mare Enterprises]]' [[Night Mare Enterprises Teleporter|monster delivery system]].<ref>"''Kirby's Starship detected the King's monster, but Kirby was not scheduled to awaken for another 200 years! That is why his ship crash-landed.''" -[[Meta Knight (anime character)|Meta Knight]] ([[A Dark & Stormy Knight]])</ref> In the anime, Kirby is but a toddler, capable of only shouting the word 'poyo' repeatedly,<ref>"''Poyo!''" -[[Kirby (anime character)|Kirby]] (basically every episode)</ref> and has to be looked after by two anime-exclusive<ref>[[Tiff]] and [[Tuff]] have strangely never shown up in any ''Kirby'' video game. Not even in [[Kirby Quest]], which features many previously anime-exclusive characters, including [[Max Flexer]], [[Chef Shiitake]], [[Escargoon]], and [[Captain Waddle Doo]].</ref> child characters called [[Tiff]] and [[Tuff]],<ref>"''Well, if you took your news out of that nosepaper, you'd see that Tiff and Tuff haven't come home yet!''" -[[Lady Like]] ([[Beware: Whispy Woods!]])</ref> who are the main speaking characters of the show.{{Fact}} Despite his demeanor, Kirby is capable of obtaining Copy Abilities,<ref>"''"After inhaling an attack, Kirby can transform himself! Kirby has now become...Fire Kirby!''" -[[Meta Knight (anime character)|Meta Knight]] ([[Kirby Comes to Cappy Town]])</ref> which he uses with immense power in order to save the day time and time again.{{Fact}} As the story progresses, Kirby gradually becomes more adept at using his powers and is eventually able to take on [[eNeMeE]] himself in the final episode using the [[Star Rod]].<ref>"''How did Kirby discover the secret?! That pitiful little Star Warrior has found my only weakness! I am helpless against the power of the Star Rod!''" -[[eNeMeE]] ([[Fright to the Finish]])</ref>

{{ImCap|image=File:Light Novel Kirby Artwork.png|size=100px|caption=Kirby from the novel series}}

Kirby is one of the main protagonists of the [[Kirby (novel series)|''Kirby'' novel series]],<ref>He is listed as one of the four protagonists on [https://tsubasabunko.jp/product/kirby/ the official Tsubasabunko website of the novels]</ref> having a leading role in nearly every volume.<ref>Kirby is always a major character in every volume, and is not the protagonist in few novels that are focused on [[Meta Knight (novel character)|Meta Knight]] or [[King Dedede (novel character)|King Dedede]]: ''[[Kirby: Meta Knight and the Puppet Princess]]'', ''[[Kirby: Meta Knight and the Galaxy's Greatest Warrior]]'', ''[[Kirby: Meta Knight and the Knight of Yomi]]'', and ''[[Kirby: King Dedede's Great Escape Mission!]]''.</ref> Similar to his video game counterpart, he lives in [[Dream Land]]<ref>One of the descriptions of first novel, ''[[Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!]]'', mentions that "Mrs. Parfaitski, a rich woman, moves to Dream Land, where Kirby and his friends live." (カービィたちが住むプププランドに、お金持ちのパフェスキー夫人が引っ越してきた。)</ref> and can inhale<ref>Look at [[:File:V14 Illustration 13.png|this illustration]] of Kirby inhaling from the ''[[Kirby: Save the Rainbow Islands!]]'' volume.</ref> and use [[Copy Ability|Copy Abilities]], and he is portrayed as a young, naïve puffball who is very food motivated. However, a major difference in his portrayal in the novels is that he is able to speak in full sentences and can be understood by other characters.

Kirby has appeared in some form or another outside of his series. The following lists his notable appearances in games that are not ''Kirby'' or ''Super Smash Bros.'' games:

*''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening|The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening]]'' - An enemy referred to as [[zeldawiki:Anti-Kirby|Anti-Kirby]] appears in this game and the [[Nintendo Switch]] remake. It looks almost exactly like Kirby and will attempt to inhale Link.

*''[[mariowiki:Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga|Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' - A poster appears in the Yoshi Theater depicting Kirby for a faux movie called 'Kirby Story'.

*''[[mariowiki:Super Mario Maker|Super Mario Maker]]'' - Mario can take on Kirby's 8-bit appearance from ''Kirby's Adventure'' by using a Mystery Mushroom in the ''Super Mario Bros.'' theme. This costume can be unlocked by clearing 100 Mario Challenge, or by scanning Kirby's [[amiibo]] figurine.

*''[[mariowiki:Mario Kart 8|Mario Kart 8]]'' and ''[[mariowiki:Mario Kart 8 Deluxe|Deluxe]]'' - Scanning Kirby's [[amiibo]] figurine unlocks a [[nwiki:Mii|Mii costume]] that resembles Kirby.

*''[[nwiki:Bye-Bye BoxBoy!|BYE-BYE BOXBOY!]]'' - If Kirby's amiibo figurine is used, [[Qbby]] will take on an appearance that resembles the pink puffball.

*''[[nwiki:Part Time UFO|Part Time UFO]]'' - In the Nintendo Switch version, the main four characters of the series and many Waddle Dees cameo as plush toys in the two-star version of the Toy Shop stage.

Kirby has appeared in a multitude of [[sprite]]-based two-dimensional games.<ref>Kirby has appeared in over 15 sprite-based two-dimensional games, namely ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'', ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'', ''[[Kirby's Pinball Land]]'', ''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]'', ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'', ''[[Kirby's Avalanche]]'', ''[[Kirby's Toy Box]]'', ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'', [[Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy)|''Kirby's Star Stacker'' (Game Boy)]], ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', [[Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)|''Kirby's Star Stacker'' (Super Famicom)]], ''[[Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble]]'', ''[[Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land]]'', ''[[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror]]'', ''[[Kirby: Canvas Curse]]'', ''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]'', ''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'', and ''[[Kirby Mass Attack]]''.</ref> A notable aspect of Kirby's appearance in these early titles is that he was not always depicted as entirely round; in some games, such as ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'' and ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', he was instead shown as slightly pear-shaped.<ref>See [[wikipedia:Pear|pear]], and notice how its distinct shape is similar to the sprites of those games.</ref> It would not be until the earliest 3D titles that he would be cemented as perfectly round, which carried on to later 2D titles. This evolution can be tracked through the following table:

|Very similar to his initial Game Boy incarnation, though brightly-colored and possessing cheek-blush, as well as a plethora of new animations.<br>The sprite possesses the same amount of pixels as in ''Kirby's Dream Land'', though due to the NES's larger display and different aspect ratio, it appears smaller and wider in practice.<br>A quirk unique to this game is that Kirby's sprite becomes slightly plumper when wielding a Copy Ability.

|Kirby's first 16-bit appearance, and his first sprite to slant his eyes when at certain orientations to suggest perspective.

|Similar to previous appearances, but a little more pear-shaped. Rather than reusing existing animations, most of them were redrawn.

|Mostly the same as his 8-bit incarnations, though with added detail, such as reflective skin and faint lights on his eyes.

|The smallest of his sprite-based appearances; his exact appearance varies depending on the game. This sprite is taken from the "Baseball" game.

|Larger than previous sprites, with more detail as a result.<br>A discrepancy appears on this sprite where the light on the right-facing eye is pink rather than white, though this may be to suggest light and shadow.

|Kirby is a notably lighter shade of pink in this game, and more closely resembles the ''Kirby's Dream Land 2'' sprite than the ''Kirby Super Star'' sprite.

|Combines aspects of his ''Kirby Super Star'' and ''Kirby's Dream Land 3'' sprites.

|The largest of his 8-bit sprites, and notably redder and plumper than the others. Last appearance in 8-bit.

|A combination of his look from ''Kirby Super Star'' and his movement from ''Kirby's Adventure'', albeit much more fluid in his animation.<br>This sprite was used unaltered through three consecutive handheld games, though more animations were given to him in each subsequent installment.

|A pre-rendered 3D model, Kirby is in ball form for most of the game, but his limbs will appear when he is defeated.

|Can be considered a scaled-up version of the ''Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land'' sprite, bearing a closer resemblance to the original ''Kirby Super Star'' sprite.

|One mini-Kirby from ''Kirby Mass Attack'', made to look generally smaller with shorter limbs and the face taking up more of the body.<br>This is the last time Kirby would be portrayed primarily in sprite form.

''Hit the Down Arrow when Kirby has an enemy in his mouth to copy the enemy's special ability!''<br><br>

''Crouch down when Kirby has an enemy in his mouth to copy the enemy's special ability!''

|''Inhale an enemy by pushing Y and swallow it by pushing A. If that enemy has an ability, you can use it! Press A again to create a helper!''

|''Swallow your enemies and duck to copy their moves! Experiment by swallowing different kinds of enemies!''

|''Swallow enemies and squat to copy their abilities! If you try hard, you can swallow large enemies, too!''

|''Touch-Dash! Ride rainbows!''

|''Swallow enemies and squat to copy their abilities! You can hold up to 5 bubbles and chests total.''

|''Inhale {{color|red|foes}} and spit to KO them! Or swallow to {{color|red|copy}} their {{color|blue|abilities}} and {{color|red|adventure}} with a Helper!''

''Inhale foes and press ↓ to gain {{color|red|Copy Abilities}}! Shake the Wii Remote while inhaling to do a {{color|red|Super Inhale}}!''<br><br>

''{{color|red|Into the water:}} sploosh! Good thing you can {{color|red|float}}. Your moves are limited, but if all else fails, there's always your {{color|red|Water Gun}}!''<br><br>

''No Copy Ability? Then try a {{color|red|Super Inhale}}! Slide to evade! Press A to {{color|red|Guard}}! You can {{color|red|defeat}} any foe with a little skill.''

''Inhale enemies to {{color|orange|acquire their abilities}}, and then perform a variety of moves! Now go climb the {{color|orange|Dreamstalk}} and rescue {{color|orange|King Dedede}}!''<br><br>

''Kirby can swim with the best of them, and he can {{color|orange|float}} on water with an inner tube. Your abilities are limited while underwater, but your {{color|orange|Water Gun}} ability will help you in a pinch.''<br><br>

''You can {{color|orange|Inhale and Spit}} if you don't have a Copy Ability, and you can press L or R to perform an {{color|orange|Air Dodge}}! Press Y or {{color|orange|touch}} the {{color|orange|Assist Star}} if you find yourself in a pinch.''

|''Our pink adventurer blew into Dream Land one day on a spring breeze. Since then, he's spent countless hours saving the day with his amazing abilities. He can swallow anything and spit it out. He can also use his copy ability.''

''{{color|orange|Kirby}} is the {{color|orange|round}}, {{color|orange|pink}} life-form from Planet Popstar who possesses {{color|orange|infinite power}} and can inhale enemies to {{color|orange|copy}} their abilities.''<br><br>

''Though various movements are restricted {{color|orange|underwater}}, {{color|orange|some abilities}} can still be used. For example, you can {{color|orange|spit water}} to attack.''<br><br>

''{{color|orange|Kirby}} is the {{color|orange|round}}, {{color|orange|pink}} life-form who inhales enemies and spits out stars. Press L or R to guard. Press Y or tap the icon on the Touch Screen to use an {{color|orange|Assist Star}}.''

|''Press X to throw Hearts and make all kinds of friends! Change up your team for variety, and press ↑ to call upon the power of friendship and gain Friend Abilities whenever you need to!''<br><br>

''Kirby can swim with the best of them, and this time he can even go diagonally! You can't use Hearts in the water, but you can bring certain friends along to back you up with their abilities!''

''Kirby was pulled into a mysterious vortex that appeared in the sky over his home on Planet Popstar. When he woke up, he was in a new world! Traveling through that vortex also gave Kirby a new and mysterious power... Let's see what it can do! Onward to adventure!''<br><br>

''Kirby's taken on a side gig at the counter of the Waddle Dee Café! He's dressed like a focused employee, but he's secretly fighting the urge to gobble up each dish himself. This might be his greatest struggle yet... Stay strong, Kirby!''<br><br>

''Ahhh. Kirby's doing a bit of fishin' at the ol' fishin' pond. He looks super, super relaxed… Maybe too relaxed. Hey! Pay attention, Kirby! There's exciting stuff swimming in that pond, including the legendary "Bling Blipper" of Waddle Dee Town!''<br><br>

''Bandana Waddle Dee and Elfilin have joined Kirby's victory dance! Kirby's dancing is cute and carefree, but his singing voice is super powerful. Let's all sing along with him next time! Woo-hoo! Great job, Kirby!''

''Inhale foes to gain {{color|red|Copy Abilities}}! Or hold B/Y to do a {{color|red|Super Inhale}}. And by sharing Joy-Con, you can play as a {{color|red|team of 4}}!''<br><br>

''{{color|red|Into the water:}} sploosh! Good thing you can {{color|red|float}}. Your moves are limited, but if all else fails, there's always your {{color|red|Water Gun}}!''<br><br>

''{{color|red|Don't have a Copy Ability?}} You can still {{color|red|use stars to attack}}, dodge by sliding, and guard with {{color|red|L/R}}. All you need is a little skill!''

|align=center|Kirby's Dream Land (8/92)

|''A denizen of the far-off, peaceful planet Pop Star, Kirby became a citizen of Dream Land after defeating King Dedede. Even though he's only about eight inches tall, Kirby is an extremely skilled technician. He has the ability to absorb the powers of his enemies, and his elastic body makes him a versatile adventurer.''

|''Kirby's small size lets him dodge many attacks, but his light weight makes him fly far when struck. Using his ability to inflate, he can jump five times. His Swallow attack creates wild combos; not only can he copy foes' moves, but he'll also put on special hats and mimic their voices. His Hammer is unwieldy but powerful.''

|''Because of his light weight, Kirby is always in danger of being sent flying, but his ability to puff up and fly allows him to come back from amazing distances. His Final Cutter strikes on the way up and on the way down, and it sends out a beam of force upon landing. Kirby transforms into various objects and crashes down when he uses his Stone technique.''

|align=center|'''GB''' Kirby's Dream Land<br>'''SNES''' Kirby Super Star

|align=center|A round, pink ball of cuteness from a distant, peaceful star. He can swallow anything with his gigantic mouth, then spit it out as ammo. He has the handy ability to copy powers and use them as his own. His hovering ability lets him fly through the air with ease. He's so round, he's sometimes treated like a ball.

|rowspan=2 align=center bgcolor=lightblue|'''GB''' Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992) <br> '''SNES''' Kirby Super Star (08/1996)

|align=center bgcolor=#FF4433|''Round little Kirby lives on the peaceful Planet Popstar, in Dream Land. He can inhale things with his big mouth, either copying their abilities or spitting them out again. In Smash Bros., Kirby can inhale opponents and copy their standard specials. He gets launched easily but recovers well.''

|align=center rowspan=2|''A roly-poly little fella from Dream Land on Planet Popstar. He can inhale pretty much anyone or anything with that big gob of his, then spit them out or copy their abilities. He can copy opponents' standard specials in this game, too! His light weight means he gets launched easily, but with a series of midair jumps, recovering's not too tricky.''

|bgcolor=lightblue|''Pudgy, little Kirby lives in the peaceful hills of Dream Land on the Planet Popstar. He can inhale things with his big mouth, either copying their abilities or spitting them out again. In Smash Bros., Kirby can inhale opponents and copy their standard specials. He gets launched easily but recovers well.''

| align=center bgcolor=lightblue|'''GB''' Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992) <br> '''SNES''' Kirby Super Star (08/1996)

|align=center|''Holding the special button and left or right will charge up Kirby's Hammer Flip attack. Charging too long hurts Kirby! The hammer strikes twice in the air, but landing the single blow on the ground is more powerful. Kirby's up special Final Cutter slices up and down, firing a shock wave upon landing.''

|align=center|''Charge up Kirby's Hammer side special to unleash Hammer Flip, a move with serious launch power. Charge it too much, though, and you'll get hurt! The move hits twice in mid-air but does more damage on the ground. Final Cutter slices up and down before sending out an energy wave. Move Kirby mid-jump to change where he lands.''

<small>Red indicates exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version. Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.</small>

'''''This pink puff is pretty adorable—and strong, too!'''<br>Kirby is always hungry, and he can inhale various enemies that stand in his way. When he does, he can take on their abilities. And when he’s not battling baddies, you’ll find Kirby enjoying a nice nap or a hearty meal.''<ref>[https://play.nintendo.com/themes/friends/kirby/ Play Nintendo profile of Kirby]</ref>

*''He may only be eight inches tall, but you should never underestimate this little pink hero. On the planet Pop Star, Kirby used his elastic body and his uncanny ability to absorb enemies to save Dream Land from the mischievous King Dedede. Since then, he’s gone on countless other adventures and even become a force to be reckoned with in the Super Smash Bros.™ fighting game series.''<ref>[https://kirby.nintendo.com/about/ Kirby Portal profile of Kirby]</ref>

==Trivia==

*Kirby's height is often used by the developers to measure other characters. For example, it was stated in a [[Miiverse]] post that [[Flowery Woods]] is roughly 9 Kirbys tall.<ref>{{cite|The maximum Kirby can jump is 4.3 times his own height. The development team often used the "Kirby" as a unit of measurement for the height of characters in the game (one Kirby, two Kirbys etc). For example, Flowery Woods is roughly nine Kirbys tall.|[[Satoshi Ishida]]|''Kirby: Triple Deluxe'' [[Miiverse]] post from September 17th, 2014}}</ref>

**In addition, Kirby's jump height is also measured this way. ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' had Kirby's jump fixed at 3.2 Kirbys high, but newer titles like ''[[Kirby: Triple Deluxe]]'' allow him to go as high as 4.3 Kirbys with a single jump.

*Numerous sources, including the [[Kirby Portal|"Kirby 25th Anniversary" site]], point out that Kirby has "good motor skills". His ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' trophy describes him as "an extremely skilled technician", likely a mistranslation of the aforementioned "good motor skills".

*Kirby is often described as "riding in on the spring breeze" to save Dream Land in times of crisis. This is first mentioned in the Japanese manual for ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'', and appears in several subsequent games, such as the manual for ''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]'' and Kirby's [[Figurine]] description in ''[[Kirby and the Rainbow Curse]]''. The idea stems from the original working title for ''Kirby's Dream Land'', はるかぜポポポ ("Popopo of the Spring Breeze"), and is also referenced in the titles of [[Spring Breeze]] from ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' (itself a truncated remake of ''Kirby's Dream Land'') and "Spring-Breeze Mode" in ''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]''.

|jaM=Kirby

|zhR=Kǎbǐ

|zhM=Kirby

|fr=Kirby

|de=Kirby

|koR=Keobi

|koM=Kirby

|ruR=Kirbi

|ruM=Kirby

|es=Kirby

|jaM=Kirby of the Stars

|zh=星之卡比

|zhR=Xīng zhī Kǎbǐ

|zhM=Kirby of the Stars

|ko=별의 커비

|koM=Kirby of the Stars