Kirby: Difference between revisions

{{Featured}}{{Special icon|This was WiKirby's first article.}}

{{Infobox-Character

|image=[[File:KatFL Kirby artwork 3.png|250px]]

|caption=Artwork of '''Kirby''' from ''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]''

|lastgame=''[[Kirby's Dream Buffet]]'' (2022)

|theme music=[[File:SSBM Green Greens Sample.oga]]

|theme title=[[Green Greens (theme)|Green Greens theme]] (extended version)

|description=Clip of the [[Green Greens]] theme first used in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. This version of the theme is often implied to be Kirby's theme song.

{{quote|Hi!|'''Kirby'''}}

'''Kirby''' is the main character and namesake of the [[Kirby (series)|''Kirby'' series]]. He is a small pink creature who resides on and protects all of [[Popstar|Planet Popstar]], though his true origin is unknown. Despite his simplistic appearance, Kirby is easily recognizable by his ball-like stature, his large glossy eyes, and his cheerful demeanor. He is often seen riding a [[Warp Star]], but can otherwise fly by [[Hover|taking in air and puffing up like a balloon]].

 

 

Since 1992, Kirby has starred in over 30 video games (thirteen of which can be considered part of the core series, not counting remakes), has appeared to some capacity in several other [[Nintendo]] games and products, has had an [[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!|anime series]], several manga series, a [[Kirby (novel series)|novel series]], and has a great deal of [[Merchandise|merchandise]] in the form of figurines, plush dolls, clothing, and the like.

 

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 team in the mid-2000s. To this day, Kirby remains one of Nintendo's most famous and familiar mascots, with his games garnering millions of sales worldwide, and thanks in part to his perfect attendance as a fighter in the ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' franchise.

Kirby is known for his exceptional hardiness, particularly when compared to other video game characters in the platforming genre. His [[health]] is such that he can take several hits before being knocked out and is easily replenished by consuming [[food]] and other such items. In most games, Kirby is able to [[hover]] in the air indefinitely, which allows him to cross otherwise impassable barriers such as tall walls or [[bottomless pit]]s with ease. In most circumstances, he is able to breathe underwater and in deep space; he can also withstand extremes in temperature with no lasting harm.

 

Unlike his [[Kirby (anime character)|anime counterpart]], Kirby has occasionally been shown to speak full sentences, going as far back as the manual for ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]''. In this instance, he says "Don't worry, I'll get your food and your [[Sparkling Stars]] back!" to the citizens of [[Dream Land]], and then explains the game's controls to the reader. His first in-game dialogue was in ''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]'', where during the game's intro cutscene (only present in the game's Japanese release) Kirby talks about how the sky is missing its stars and later has a brief chat with [[King Dedede]]. Since then, Kirby has spoken full lines of dialogue few other times; for example, in the SNES version of ''[[Kirby's Star Stacker (SNES)|Kirby's Star Stacker]]'', where he gives a description for each game mode and narrates the tutorial, or in ''[[Kirby's Epic Yarn]]'' and [[Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn|its remake]], where he speaks during the game's cutscenes (though his dialogue is conveyed by a [[narrator]]). In ''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]'', Kirby tells [[Elfilin]] both his name (after rescuing him in the [[Point of Arrival]]) and how he met the [[Waddle Dee]]s before they were taken to the [[New World]] by the vortex (in [[Waddle Dee Town]]), although neither are heard and only Elfilin's reaction to both is shown. Various non-canon materials, particularly narrative ones such as comics and manga, also show Kirby speaking in full sentences, including the [[Kirby (novel series)|novel series]]. It is worth noting that most instances of Kirby speaking predate the anime; games released afterward typically adopt his anime counterpart's childlike babble, including ''Kirby's Epic Yarn'' itself.

 

The exact color of Kirby's body and feet varies between games, but never much from its default pink and red. Sometimes the color of Kirby's feet leans more toward dark pink than red, which is particularly prevalent in 2D sprite-based titles. Kirby's skin can also vary in shade — usually being a shade of rose, but sometimes varying into redder shades of peach or coral — and brightness — sometimes being a darker hot pink or bright enough to nearly be white. Some early games depict Kirby as changing color when copying an ability, with ''Kirby's Adventure'' making him a shade of brown and ''Kirby Super Star'' making him a slightly darker pink. Certain abilities in older games even have their own unique colors associated with them, such as red for [[Fire]], blue for [[Ice]], and yellow for [[Beam]], though this has largely been abandoned. A notable modern-day example of an ability changing Kirby's coloration is [[Hypernova]], which causes his skin to become a swirling rainbow. While [[Colors|color variants]] of Kirby continue to appear, they tend to represent other members of [[Kirby (species)|his species]] rather than himself.

 

===Anatomy===

Kirby is definitely not human, unlike many other Nintendo characters who, despite often having cartoonish proportions, can be considered to be so. Little is known about Kirby's anatomy apart from what can be plainly seen. The particulars of his inner workings are enigmatic and often contradictory between appearances, and this fact is often played up in Nintendo's marketing, such as [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-frSnkublk this trailer for ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land''].

 

Kirby appears to require regular nourishment, and typically finds it in the form of various [[food]] items scattered across the land. When not in a hurry, Kirby will eat in a normal manner, but can [[inhale]] the food as well. [[List of mysteries|It is unknown]] what happens to creatures that Kirby inhales and swallows. Should Kirby inhale an enemy and spit it back out, however, it transforms into [[Star Bullet|a star]] that shatters on impact. Kirby appears to have control over whether or not something is transformed in this way, as he can inhale his friends and spit them back out without transforming them. In ''Super Smash Bros.'', swallowed fighters do transform into stars when spat out, but then immediately revert to normal afterward.

 

In some games, such as ''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]'', Kirby can store things he's swallowed and use them at a later time. This, along with certain episodes of ''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]'', seems to indicate that Kirby's stomach leads to another dimension. Other sources within the series, such as ''[[Kirby: Triple Deluxe]]'', portray Kirby's stomach as a black hole, especially when the [[Hypernova]] ability is used.

 

Kirby does not appear to have a skeleton (see image to the right) or teeth (outside of the manga series, and certain sprites in 2D games). He does, however, have a tongue, as evidenced by more recent games when he inhales. Kirby is also described to have lungs which he uses to inhale, as explained in the instruction manual for ''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]''.<ref>{{cite manual |quote=Kirby's lungs are so powerful that he can inhale large enemies and faraway items. |game=Kirby: Squeak Squad |print=NA |page=12}}</ref> Kirby does not appear to have a nose, but earlier games and media suggested he had nostrils (even if they were too small to be seen), given his distended [[Sleep]] bubble which — prior to ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' — did not come from his mouth, his sneezing within the [[Castle Lololo]] cutscene in ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'' ([[Bubbly Clouds]] in the [[Spring Breeze]] remake), and his ability to "sniff" in the ''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]'' episode [[Shell-Shocked]].

 

[[File:KSA Sleeping Kirby.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Kirby is an entity that needs regular sleep (note the bubble).]]

 

When not inhaling, Kirby's most prominent facial features are his eyes, which are bean-shaped with massive glossy pupils and blue irises that only cover the lower portion of the eyes. Despite first glance, however, Kirby's eyes do have a more humanoid white sclera, which can be seen when he is startled, much like another Nintendo character of small stature, [[pikipedia:Captain Olimar|Captain Olimar]]. In ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', Kirby's eyes have iridescent reflections, and change color from blue to teal or even green depending on which angle they are viewed from.

 

[[File:KatFL_Mouthful_Mode_Trailer_Screenshot.png|thumb|right|200px|An example of the iridescence in Kirby's eyes.]]

 

Kirby's skin is largely uniform in color (aside from two blush marks roughly where his cheeks would be), highly flexible, and completely hairless. Kirby's younger design in ''[[Kid Kirby]]'' features a single strand of curly hair, but as the game was canceled, it cannot be considered canon. The texture of Kirby's skin is generally described as "puffy" or "fluffy", suggesting that it may not be completely smooth, though more recent sources, particularly the developer issue for ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' in Nintendo Dream, suggest that Kirby has a more "rubbery" texture to him.<ref>''"The New World’s blend of civilization and nature also got its initial start through gameplay. We reexamined “Kirby” and thought about what only Kirby could do as a rubbery ball, a mysterious creature that can be pulled and twisted with no problem. By combining Kirby’s special skill of “inhaling” and this idea of him being a “mysterious creature like a rubber ball”, the idea of “Mouthful Mode” was born."'' <small>--[[Tatsuya Kamiyama]], in the June 2022 developer interview for ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' in Nintendo Dream Magazine, as translated by [[User:Gigi|Gigi]]; [https://gigi9714.wordpress.com/2022/07/31/translation-of-the-kirby-and-the-forgotten-land-interview-from-the-june-2022-edition-of-nintendo-dream/ translated article link]</small></ref> Kirby's skin can distend to great sizes to accommodate the objects that he inhales, as seen with the "super-stuffed" Kirby in ''[[Kirby's Blowout Blast]]'' and [[Mouthful Mode]] in ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' (though the latter is not an innate ability to Kirby). As seen in several games, Kirby is also able to sweat, typically when surprised or low on health.

 

His red feet are often mistaken for shoes, but according to [https://www.reddit.com/r/Kirby/comments/feiz16/psa_sakurai_once_stated_that_kirby_does_not_have/ an obscure interview] with [[Masahiro Sakurai]], they are his actual feet. [[Shinya Kumazaki]], meanwhile, replied to a question about Kirby's feet by saying that "the mysterious composition of Kirby's body is top secret".<ref name="feet">Interview with Shinya Kumazaki: ''[https://kotaku.com/the-truth-about-kirby-s-feet-is-top-secret-developer-1833727024 The Truth About Kirby's Feet Is 'Top Secret,' Developer Says]''</ref> While still evidently squishy, they are his primary utensils for fighting when using martial-arts-based abilities.

 

His arms, while normally short and stubby, are capable of stretching whenever he needs to grab or punch something. His arms also appear to be able to shift position greatly across his sides, even partially overlapping his face on occasion. Although Kirby does not have fingers, he is perfectly capable of holding onto things he's grabbed. This is presumably done by folding the tips of his arms around the object in question, creating a pseudo-grip. In addition, it is likely that Kirby's hands have a suction property to them, as it often looks like he's merely touching items that he is holding.

 

Shinya Kumazaki has said that Kirby's movements are based on that of a human, specifically a young child, addressing the discrepancies with his movement by explaining that certain parts of his anatomy (such as thighs, legs, and ankles) are invisible but nonetheless accounted for.<ref name="feet"/> Concept artwork from ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' also shows that a human was used as a model for Kirby's movements, though said artwork uses a muscular adult as the model.<ref>[https://twitter.com/obscurekirby/status/1495060424622055427 Concept art from ''Kirby Super Star'']</ref>

===Personality===

[[File:KTnT Story Artwork.jpg|thumb|250px|Kirby often displays a cheery, carefree attitude, even when confronting dangerous situations.]]

Kirby matches his appearance given his child-like mannerism and persistent cheerfulness. Kirby does not speak in full sentences in any of the main-series games, adding to his infantile nature, and typically the only word he can muster is his signature elongated "Hi!" It is generally understood that Kirby can comprehend spoken language, and may be able to speak, but just like how [[zeldawiki:Link|Link]] and [[mariowiki:Mario|Mario]] are often portrayed, the player does not hear his side of any given conversation. In certain cases, such as instruction manuals and pause screen descriptions, Kirby is able to speak in rather eloquent language, at least while monologuing. Meanwhile, in ''[[Kirby Fighters 2]]'', it is said that Kirby was unable to understand a letter sent to him, but it's unclear if it was because the letter in particular was hard to read, or if Kirby himself can't read at all.<ref>{{quote|{{Color|orange|King Dedede}} and {{Color|orange|Meta Knight}}... Many times before have they stood in Kirby's path, even allying with one another on occasion.<br>Now, to finally defeat Kirby, the old rivals have become partners, taking on Kirby as a battle {{Color|orange|team}}! And so they sent Kirby a challenge.<br>They lay in wait on the {{Color|orange|Summit}} of a lofty tower reaching to the heavens, known as the {{Color|orange|Buddy Fighters Tower}}.<br>Kirby couldn't understand what the letter said.|[[Narration]], ''[[Kirby Fighters 2]]''}}</ref> In ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', Kirby is shown to be able to write, although his handwriting is said to be somewhat hard to understand.<ref>{{quote|This dutiful delivery Dee works for Waddle Dee-liveries in town. He gets helpful items to your doorstep with blinding speed! Kirby’s handwriting makes it hard to read the Present Codes sometimes, but this kind soul approves the orders anyway.|[[Delivery Waddle Dee]] [[Figure]] description, ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land''}}</ref>

 

 

Kirby has been shown to be gluttonous, which makes his rivalry with [[King Dedede]] more understandable, but as long as he is well-fed, he is an altruistic hero who jumps at the chance to help those in need. Kirby is courageous, tackling problems head-on with an unbreakable determination. He is heroic to a fault, however, as certain villains will take advantage of this to get what they want. Unless called to adventure, Kirby spends most of his time sleeping and otherwise just relaxing in his homeland, [[Dream Land]]. Despite being the hero, Kirby can become extraordinarily stubborn and single-minded if he feels he's been wronged. This is evidenced in ''[[Kirby: Squeak Squad]]'' when, after having his cake stolen, he immediately assumes that King Dedede is responsible, and it is not until after fighting and beating him that Kirby realizes it wasn't Dedede after all. From there, Kirby chases after the real thieves, the [[Squeaks]] across several lands and worlds, fighting everything and everyone who gets in the way just to get his cake back.

 

[[File:KatFL Kirby fishing in Waddle Dee Town screenshot.jpg|thumb|250px|When not battling enemies or sleeping, one of Kirby's recurring hobbies is fishing, which he does as a mini-game in ''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]''.]]

 

Kirby's hobbies include fishing (which usually ends up with the hook in his mouth), sleeping, eating, flying about the countryside on a [[Warp Star]], and singing, which he admittedly does so poorly that it can hurt enemies, especially when using the [[Mike]] ability. Several official Japanese sources state that Kirby is tone deaf.<ref>{{cite|歌好きだが、音痴。("Likes singing, despite being tone deaf.")|[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0003/miryoku/ "Get to know the charms of the popular character, Kirby!"]|Nintendo Online Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|quote=歌は好きだが音痴 ("Likes singing despite being tone deaf.")|book=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200609004402if_/https://shogakukan.tameshiyo.me/9784091065117?page=4 20th Anniversary Kirby Pupupu Encyclopedia]|publisher=Shogakukan|page=15}}</ref> In spite of this, he is a big fan of music, and can often be seen listening with a pair of headphones along with the player in the [[Jukebox]].

 

When encountering new situations, Kirby shows himself to be a quick and astute learner. For example, upon copying a new ability, he instantly masters any skill the ability entails, whether that be [[Fighter|martial arts]] or [[ESP|psychic powers]]. He also demonstrates this when piloting the [[Robobot Armor]], adapting to its controls immediately after jumping into it for the first time.

 

One notable progression that can be observed through the ''Kirby'' series is that Kirby himself gradually becomes more and more expressive and vocal over time. 8-bit titles such as ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'' would rarely have Kirby change his facial expression at all, and he had very few vocalizations until ''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]''. ''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'' would be the last game in the series to feature a mostly silent Kirby. This change can mainly be attributed to the gradual lifting of technical limitations on the games as the series progresses, along with gradual refinements to Kirby's design. Kirby has also gotten "cuter" as the series progresses, featuring larger eyes and shorter limbs; the [[Dream Button]] in ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'' highlights this by allowing Kirby to switch between his current design and his original ''Kirby's Dream Land''-era design.

 

Notably, one of Masahiro Sakurai's original goals with Kirby was his "commitment as a game character". To this end (particularly in the earlier games), when Kirby is being controlled by the player, he shows relatively little emotion, which is meant to allow the player to demonstrate their own feelings in the game through their own movements and actions as Kirby.<ref>[https://hicbc.com/tv/kirby/great/chara/ Nintendo JP page discussing Sakurai's vision of Kirby when compared to his anime equivalent]</ref> His role as a silent protagonist also fits this characterization, though it could be inferred that this particular vision of Kirby has started to deteriorate in favor of a more expressive and lively character in ''Kirby'' games that postdate Sakurai's departure from HAL Laboratory.

 

[[File:K64 Crystal Clear scene 08.png|thumb|200px|Kirby's gender is not clear, though he does seem to have attraction to definitively female characters such as [[Ribbon]].]]

In Japanese, Kirby is written as a gender-neutral character, while international localizations refer to him as male. This is because it is simpler in Japanese to use neutral terms compared to other languages; for example, in the manual for ''Kirby's Dream Land'', Kirby is referred to as a "spry little boy" in English, but a more general "young person" (若者, ''wakamono'') in Japanese. However, there are times where he is referred to with ''kare'' (かれ), which is a masculine pronoun. Additionally, Kirby's Japanese speaking style in instances when he is given full dialogue tends to use masculine conventions. This does not necessarily contradict him being a gender-neutral character.<ref>[https://kaialone.tumblr.com/post/636742650015481856/ive-read-that-kirbys-gender-is-ambiguous-in Kaialone on Tumblr]</ref>

 

The Japan-exclusive official artbook ''[[20th Anniversary Kirby Pupupu Encyclopedia]]'' lists Kirby's gender as "unknown".<ref name=20th/> An official profile written by [[Masahiro Sakurai]] lists Kirby's gender as "unknown", as well.<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/PostReturn117.html ''Super Smash Bros.'' official website (translated from Japanese)]:<br>''"…I wanted to ask a question about Kirby's profile. 'Name: Kirby. Gender: Unknown. Favorite phrase: [[A New Wind for Tomorrow|Tomorrow's wind blows tomorrow]]. Things I want to do but can't: Push-ups, Cossack dancing, rock-paper-scissors.' Was this Mr. Sakurai's idea?"''<br>'''Sakurai:''' ''"Oh, I came up with that profile in the past. I just had to do it…"''</ref> Kirby's voice actress, [[Makiko Ohmoto]], has also stated that Kirby's gender is unknown.<ref>{{Cite person|quote=Kirby's gender is unknown.|name=Makiko Ohmoto| url=https://twitter.com/Makiko_Ohmoto/status/1214819520918872065|title=Twitter (translated from Japanese)}}</ref> Reflecting this, commemorative artwork on the [[Kirby JP Twitter]] regularly shows Kirby taking gender roles of both men and women, such as appearing as the Empress on [[wikipedia:Hinamatsuri|Hinamatsuri]], and [[:File:Twitter commemorative - Valentine's Day 2018.jpg|baking]] [[:File:Twitter commemorative - White Day.jpg|sweets]] with both female characters on [[wikipedia:Valentine's Day|Valentine's Day]] and male characters on [[wikipedia:White Day|White Day]].

Japanese spin-off material does not always adhere to this. Some manga write Kirby as male outright; this may be due to his implied attraction to female characters, such as [[ChuChu]] and [[Ribbon]], in the games. The [[Kirby (novel series)|novels by Mie Takase]] also write Kirby with masculine speech patterns, and he shows aversion to cross-dressing as a woman in "''[[Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!]]''", though he at one point with makeup on sees himself as "cute". Neither of these correlate to Japanese [[canon]], however.

When a fan on the official Japanese ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' website expressed surprise upon learning that [[metroidwiki:Samus Aran|Samus]] from ''[[metroidwiki:Metroid (series)|Metroid]]'' is a woman, Masahiro Sakurai responded by joking that Kirby may also be female.<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/PostReturn084.html ''Super Smash Bros.'' official website (translated from Japanese)]:<br>''"…I was surprised to learn that Samus is a woman."''<br>'''Sakurai:''' ''"Maybe Pikachu is also female? Maybe Kirby is also female? The truth is shrouded in darkness."''</ref>

{{Main|Kirby (species)}}

Like [[mariowiki:Yoshi|Yoshi]] from the ''[[mariowiki:Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' franchise, Kirby can be seen as the main representative of a species that is named after him. Unlike traditional species, however, it is unclear how Kirby's could be classified, as apart from its eponymous member and the various clones of him that have appeared throughout the series running, there are no confirmed cases of other entities which are the same species as Kirby, though many are suspected.

Kirby has had many adventures, which has given him the opportunity to learn and utilize many different [[:Category:Moves|moves]]. The following table lists every move that Kirby has had in the main series, starting with the most common ones down to the rarest:

 

(moves performed with [[Copy Ability|Copy Abilities]] will not be listed here)

{|class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border="1" cellpadding="2"

| Kirby moves at a modest pace in a given direction, left or right.

| Kirby jumps from the ground, which can vary in height depending on how long the player holds the button down. Kirby can also maneuver left or right while jumping.

|  

| In ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'', Kirby cannot properly swim and merely "jumps" through water; ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' introduced proper swimming in four directions, and ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'' introduced omnidirectional swimming. 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.

| Some Copy Abilities can enhance Kirby's guard.

| In newer titles, while guarding, Kirby can perform a dodging maneuver to the left, right, or in place, completely avoiding a hit if timed correctly, but is briefly vulnerable at the end of the maneuver. This can also be done in the air.

| Some Copy Abilities may restrict Kirby's dodge.

|  

| '''Hold'''

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

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

|  

*'''[[Batamon]]''': In ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', there are pink creatures that look superficially similar to Kirby, but are ambivalent enemies similar to Waddle Dee.

*'''[[Shadow Kirby]]''': A dark and naughty version of Kirby who hails from the [[Mirror World]]. He is a bit cowardly and his methods questionable, but is not evil at heart.

*'''[[Void Termina]]''': The final form of this essence of chaos from ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'' greatly resemble Kirby at times, bearing a similar round shape and face. The pause captions for its [[Void Soul|various]] [[Void|forms]] suggest a similarity between the two.

|Protagonist (appears in a portrait and in cut-scenes)

|Protagonist (appears in a portrait and in cut-scenes)

|''[[Kirby's Star Stacker (SNES)]]''

|Protagonist (appears in a portrait and in cut-scenes)

|''[[Kirby's Dream Buffet]]'' (upcoming)

|

|Kirby appears in the intro cutscene as an easter egg and is not part of the game proper.

|Enemies referred to as 'Anti-Kirby' appear in this game, and look and act very similarly to the pink puffball.

|Mario can use a special item to take on Kirby's 8-bit appearance in courses.

|''[[mariowiki:Mario Kart 8|Mario Kart 8]]'' ([[mariowiki:Mario Kart 8 Deluxe|Deluxe]])

|''[[mariowiki:Yoshi's Woolly World|Yoshi's Woolly World]]''

|Yoshi can take on Kirby's appearance by tapping his amiibo.

|A special ''[[Super Kirby Clash]]'' theme is usable in this game, which depicts Team Kirby. There is also a special ''[[Kirby Fighters 2]]'' theme.

Kirby makes his debut appearance in ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'', where he clashes with his rival [[King Dedede]] for the first time in the series. The game depicts him as a young and agile boy who eagerly helps out his fellow Dream Landers in their crisis with King Dedede.<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 Stars]]. Without further hesitation, Kirby sets out to travel through the five areas of Dream Land, reclaim the Sparkling Stars from each of King Dedede's goons, defeat King Dedede, and give Dream Land its food and its Sparkling Stars back.

The international box art of ''Kirby's Dream Land'' depicts Kirby with white skin, like he appears in-game, as opposed to his trademark pink color. As can be seen by early ''Twinkle Popo'' concept art, Kirby was always intended to be pink in hue, so this error likely comes from a miscommunication with the localization team or the artist. The game is also the first to mention Kirby's lack of singing talent, though it is not as exaggerated as in later titles. In this game, the enemies explode from laughter at Kirby's singing off-key, as opposed to actually getting physically harmed from his songs.<ref>{{Cite|I'm not a very good singer and I sometimes sing off key, but King Dedede's bullies can't stand to hear me sing and will just explode with laughter when I puff out the microphone.|Kirby|''Kirby's Dream Land''}}</ref>

|image=File:KDL Kirby Flying artwork.png

In ''[[Kirby's Pinball Land]]'', Kirby takes the role of the [[Ball Kirby|ball]] in a pinball game with a ''Kirby'' spin. 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.

Along the way, a [[Rainbow Drop]] can be found on each island. Unless Kirby collected all seven of them, he will be forced to return home in the [[False Ending]], having not accomplished his mission. However, collecting every drop before the battle with Dedede reveals that an entity known as [[Dark Matter]] was lurking inside the sleeping king. 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. High in the sky, Kirby does battle with Dark Matter and defeats both of its forms. This done, Kirby uses the sword to soar along the sky and repair the rainbow bridges.

Kirby yet again serves as the ball in the ''Breakout''-based game, ''[[Kirby's Block Ball]]''. However, the player can set Kirby to be in ball form or his full-sized normal form, the latter of which being referred to as a Power Bounce.<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. In the story of the game, Kirby once again has to punish King Dedede for stealing Dream Land's [[Sparkling Stars]] and doing away with its magical fountain, 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.

*In [[Spring Breeze]], Kirby sets out to defeat King Dedede who has stolen all of Dream Land's food and [[Sparkling Stars]] in an abridged re-telling of the original ''Kirby's Dream Land''.

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

This game features [[Power Combo]]s, which are fusions of two different Copy Abilities to make an entirely new attack. These moves are often very powerful and needed to break away certain obstacles barring Kirby from a Crystal Shard. To date, this is the only ''Kirby'' game that allows for combining Copy Abilities in this way.

''[[Kirby Air Ride]]'' has Kirby racing across several colorful courses on various [[Air Ride Machine|celestial vehicles]] against [[Color changes|other Kirbys]], King Dedede, and Meta Knight. This is the first game in the series that allows for full three-dimensional movement, though when off his machine, Kirby is only afforded five midair jumps, like in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' games.

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 changes#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]]. Here, they set off, looking for pieces of a shattered golden mirror in the center of the world. Along the way, they repeatedly run into a shadowy version of Kirby who appears to be spying on them. Upon completion of the mirror, the Kirbys jump into it to find a dark eerie copy of the area they were just in. Here, they find out that the Meta Knight who attacked them earlier was a doppelganger known as [[Dark Meta Knight]], who had previously imprisoned the real Meta Knight in this realm. 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. If Kirby loses the sword during this fight, the shadowy Kirby from earlier will appear to toss it back to him. Once Dark Mind is defeated, this shady Kirby reveals himself to be [[Shadow Kirby|Mirror-world Kirby]], the Mirror World analog to Kirby himself who is tasked with keeping the peace in his world. They all say their farewells while riding their [[Warp Star]]s back to their respective realms.

In ''[[Kirby: Canvas Curse]]'', an evil sorceress known as [[Drawcia]] uses her magic to transform [[Popstar]] into a canvas, and turns Kirby into [[Ball Kirby|a ball]] with no limbs. 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. After Drawcia is destroyed, Kirby reverts back to his normal form.

In this game, Kirby has a very different set of abilities due to having been transformed into a yarn outline. The [[metamato]] he ate in the opening cut-scene gives him the power to transform into all manner of things, including a [[car]], a [[pendulum]], a [[parachute]], and a [[weight]]. 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. He can also use [[Metamortex]]es to transform into more potent but more situational forms.

===''Kirby's Return to Dream Land''===

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

In the claymation 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]]. 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. After this, the trio sets off into Seventopia to defeat Claycia and restore Popstar's colors. 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. Why Kirby rolls around like this is unclear, since he still has his limbs. The opening cut-scene suggests he just finds it more fun.

Kirby teams up with [[Color changes|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. 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, in order to defeat the [[Taranza|puppeteer mage]], [[Taranza]], behind the rampaging beasts. After defeating Taranza, however, a new set of much more powerful foes emerge from a [[Black Mirror]] which Taranza had been entranced by. Team Kirby must defeat these parallel invaders and then shatter the mirror to restore the peace.

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

Continuing the 3-D formula from ''Kirby's Blowout Blast'', ''[[Kirby Battle Royale]]'' pits Kirby against [[Color changes|clones of himself]] 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]]". 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. Kirby's unstoppable urge for cake overcomes this as well, destroying the robot and the printer, taking all the Kirby clones with it.

[[File:SKC eShop artwork.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A scene where Team Kirby battles [[Ignite Edge]]]]

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

[[File:KatFL Reveal Trailer Screenshot 2.png|thumb|250px|In ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', Kirby wanders into an abandoned city overgrown with vegetation in a strange [[New World|new world]].]]

Kirby embarks on his first adventure in full 3-D in ''[[Kirby and the Forgotten Land]]''. In this game, he is sucked through a dimensional rift from his homeworld of Popstar and ends up in a [[New World|new world]] along with several other Dream Land residents. As Kirby explores this new land, he discovers he now has the ability to [[Mouthful Mode|wrap himself around]] large objects in order to take on their properties. Using this power in conjunction with his normal abilities, he tracks down and frees a flying blue rodent-like creature named [[Elfilin]] from being caged by [[Beast Pack|a coordinated animal force]], and when Kirby hears from Elfilin about the [[Waddle Dee]]s who were also kidnapped, he agrees to help get them back.

In ''[[Kirby's Dream Buffet]]'', Kirby gets shrunk by the [[Dream Fork]] as he is about to eat a cake before the gourmet fest starts, and falls on the cake. He is joined afterwards by other colored Kirbys and they compete to see who can get the most strawberries as they race towards the top of the cake.

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

{{main|Copy Ability#Super Smash Bros. series}}

In the adventure mode of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', Kirby appears along with a host of other fighters in the opening cut-scene 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]]. On Galeem's command, the hands disintegrate, turning into pulses of light that shoot out at the fighters, capturing each of them in a flash. All of the fighters are caught in this way, except for Kirby, who manages to get away on his Warp Star as the universe is engulfed. Kirby later crashes into the world that Galeem created, and sets off to rescue his friends.

==''Kirby: Right Back at Ya!''==

[[Kirby (anime character)|Kirby]] is the main character and primary focus of the anime ''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]''. Here, he is depicted as an infant [[Star Warrior]] 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]]. In the anime, Kirby is but a toddler, capable of only shouting the word 'poyo' repeatedly, and has to be looked after by two anime-exclusive child characters called [[Tiff]] and [[Tuff]], who are the main speaking characters of the show. Despite his demeanor, Kirby is capable of obtaining Copy Abilities, which he uses with immense power in order to save the day time and time again. As the story progresses, Kirby gradually becomes more adept at using his powers and is eventually able to take on [[Nightmare (anime character)|eNeMeE]] himself in the final episode using the [[Star Rod]].

{{clear|left}}

[[File:Arcana Intro.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Screencap from the intro cut-scene of ''[[wikipedia:Arcana (video game)|Arcana]]'' which contains a Kirby cameo (Kirby appears twice in the image)]]

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

*''[[wikipedia:Arcana (video game)|Arcana]]'' - Kirby makes a cameo appearance in the introductory cut-scene of the game, appearing twice in the horde of monsters led by Galneon (image on right). ''Arcana'' was also developed by [[HAL Laboratory]] and released precisely one month before ''Kirby's Dream Land'' in Japan, meaning that this was technically Kirby's very first appearance in a video game.

*''[[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. It looks almost exactly like Kirby and will attempt to inhale Link.

**Anti-Kirby also appears in the remake on the [[Nintendo Switch]].

*''[[mariowiki:Super Mario Maker|Super Mario Maker]]'' - Scanning Kirby's [[amiibo]] figurine allows Mario to take on Kirby's original sprite likeness when using an item in the ''Super Mario Bros.'' look. Mario can also change his shape into this Kirby sprite with a Mystery Mushroom.

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

**The same can also be done in the port of the game on the Nintendo Switch.

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

Kirby has appeared in a multitude of [[sprite]]-based two-dimensional games. The following table lists in chronological order his primary sprite appearances, along with any pertinent notes:

!colspan=3|Kirby's 2-D sprite history &nbsp;

|Kirby's first sprite appearance notably lacked his cheek-blush. This is present on larger in-game depictions, however.

|Very similar to his initial Game Boy incarnation, though brightly-colored and possessing cheek-blush, as well as a plethora of new animations.

|[[Kirby's Star Stacker (SNES)|''Kirby's Star Stacker'' (SNES)]]

|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 would be the last time Kirby would be portrayed primarily in sprite form.

|[[File:USCover KSS.jpg|100px]]

|'''Story Mode:'''<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}}.''

===''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' trophies===

|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 mid-air jumps, recovering's not too tricky.''

*Kirby's height is often used by the developers to measure other characters. For example, it was stated in a [[Miiverse]] post<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> that the Boss [[Flowery Woods]] is roughly 9 Kirbys tall.

**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 bound.

*Numerous sources, including the [[Kirby Portal|"Kirby 25th Anniversary" site]], point out that Kirby has "good motor skills". Relatedly, his ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' trophy describes him as "an extremely skilled technician". What exactly this means is unclear; the statement is likely a mistranslation of the aforementioned "good motor skills".

<tab name="Kirby's Avalanche">

<tab name="Kirby's Dream Course (unofficial translation)">

<tab name="Kirby's Star Stacker (SNES) (unofficial translation)">

<tab name="Kirby's (Extra) Epic Yarn">

|jaR=Kābī

This is the signature title of Kirby in his universe, which only appears in the Japanese, Chinese and Korean versions, but is omitted in other localizations. It is also the prefix that indicates a main series title in the Japanese, Chinese and Korean versions.

|jaR=Hoshi no Kābī

{{Navbox-KRtDL}}