Kirby (universe)

File:KirbySymbol.png

The Kirby universe refers to the Super Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from Nintendo's Kirby series of multi-genre video games. It was developed by HAL Laboratory, Inc., the same company that started the Super Smash Bros. series, and it revolves around the titular spherical, pink entity Kirby and his adventures around his home planet, Popstar, among other planets. The series has had many games of several different genres, with side-scrolling platformers being the most prominent.

Franchise description

Masahiro Sakurai, the future designer for the Super Smash Bros. series, was designing a Game Boy platformer originally titled Twinkle Popopo, and it originally had a different main character design. Sakurai created a blob placeholder sprite for the character during development, and after a while he liked the placeholder sprite better as a main character design, so the character was named "Kirby" (either after the Kirby Corporation, a vacuum cleaner company, or Nintendo's legal counsel John Kirby, who saved Nintendo from an infringement lawsuit involving the name Donkey Kong and its similarity to the name King Kong) and the game's title was made to be Kirby's Dream Land. After the game's release in 1992, Kirby and his fictional world and related properties became a mainstream video game franchise for Nintendo in the years to come.

Kirby's next appearance was in the critically lauded Kirby's Adventure for NES, which introduced his ability to inhale enemies, swallow or spit them out, and gain abilities from the enemies he swallowed; this became a Kirby trademark present in most subsequent games. It also introduced a rival figure to Kirby named Meta Knight in the sixth stage of the game: Orange Ocean. Alongside two more entries in the Kirby's Dream Land series, as well as various golf, puzzle, and pinball spinoffs, was 1996's Kirby Super Star for SNES. Then, aside from Kirby's appearance in 1999's Super Smash Bros. (developed by the same company as the Kirby games, HAL Laboratory), the franchise underwent a bit of a hiatus on the international side of things until 2000's Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. After Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble for Game Boy Color afterwards, Kirby properties reprised their roles in 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The Kirby franchise continued its stream of releases at a seemingly annual rate with 2002's Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land for GBA, which was an enhanced remake of Kirby's Adventure, then the 2003 racing game Kirby Air Ride for Gamecube, which featured a menu interface and musical score remarkably similar to those of Melee (again, both were developed by HAL Laboratory). Then there was 2004's Kirby & the Amazing Mirror for GBA, 2005's Kirby: Canvas Curse for Nintendo DS, 2006's Kirby: Squeak Squad for the DS, and as of late, 2008's Kirby Super Star Ultra for the DS. (As a side note, Master Hand and Crazy Hand make cameo appearances in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.) A new Kirby game, called Kirby's Epic Yarn was released on the Wii in 2010; in addition, Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede are playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Also in 2011, a newer Kirby game, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, was released, featuring Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Waddle Dee.

Kirby games in general feature characters, storylines, and gameplay that are said to appeal mainly to young gamers. Sakurai has stated that this series of games is meant to accommodate those who are just starting to play video games, which includes but is not limited to children. As such, Kirby games can be beaten by a player of nearly any age; however, as is certainly the case with the Super Smash Bros. series, they are also designed to provide deeper challenges for more experienced gamers. Most Kirby games have garnered solid reviews from critics as a result of this. Counterexamples to the claim that Kirby is "kiddy" include the gruesome final bosses of Kirby's Dream Land 3 and Kirby 64, Zero and Zero Two.

In Super Smash Bros.

The Kirby franchise is represented as one of several "standard universes" found in Super Smash Bros., with one character, one stage, and two items.

Character

• 
  Kirby: Kirby is a small, pink, spherical creature with a positive disposition and several abilities and powers that are almost magical in nature. In the games and anime, he is the main protagonist and is characterized as a baby (as mentioned in the anime) and being roughly eight inches in height; his dimensions are obviously increased in size for his appearances in the Smash Bros. series of games. He resides on a star-shaped planet named Popstar in the galaxy of Dream Land, and whenever some form of evil or danger threatens Dream Land, Kirby does not hesitate to go out on a journey to defeat it. Kirby in his Smash appearance demonstrates his ability to float through the air, as well as his trademark power to inhale opponents and copy and use their special moves as his own special moves. His up special and down special moves resemble powers he gains when he inhales enemies in his games. He is a high-tier character in the original Smash Bros with his devastating recovery and combo ability being 2nd on the tier list only below Pikachu.

Stages

Super Smash Bros. features one Kirby-themed stage that is normally available, but hidden in the game's code is several other versions of the stage that must be hacked open to be played:

• Dream Land: This stage is a small area of colorful grassland where a common boss in Kirby games, an air-spouting tree called Whispy Woods, resides in the background and slowly blows fighters off to one side of the stage from time to time.

• Tutorial Stage 64: Seen in the How to Play segment of the game, this environment is Dream Land with all the tree-background and the top and right platforms removed.
• Kirby Beta Stage 1: An early form of the above stage. For unknown reasons, it remains in the code of the game as a separate level, and includes an original tree graphic in the background seen nowhere else.
• Kirby Beta Stage 2: A modification of Beta Stage 1 that is wider and includes a lot of odd objects and features used by the developers to test game physics.

Items

• Maxim Tomato: One of the powerups Kirby often collects to replenish depleted health in Kirby games is this tomato-like item which restores Kirby to full health. It is normally harder to find than the other, less-effective health-replenishers. In Smash, the Maxim Tomato, perhaps contrary to its name, restores the health of the character who picks it up by 100 % rather than restoring all accumulated damage which the Heart Container from the Zelda series can do. It is still a powerful healing item, however.
• Star Rod: A central plot element to Kirby's Adventure is this powerful artifact, which when inserted into the Fountain of Dreams ensure peace and good dreams for Dream Land and its denizens, and Kirby must use it to combat Nightmare in the final battle. In both that game and the Smash Bros. series, the Star Rod can be used as a bludgeoning weapon, and can also launch a star as a projectile when swung with force.

Music

• 10: This "track" made its first SSB appearance in Super Smash Bros.. It is a fast-paced remix of the music featured in "Gourmet Race" in Kirby Super Star for the SNES. It is heard on Dream Land. Both the music and the stage were reused in Melee.

• 20: The victory fanfare of Dream Land in a orchestration of the shortened "Stage Complete" theme heard in Kirby games when a level is completed.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

While Super Smash Bros. Melee features much more content than the original game, Kirby remains the sole representative of the franchise. New content includes two new stages with a third returning from Super Smash Bros., two new items, two returning items, and a set of Trophies.

Character

• 
  Kirby: Kirby is still the only playable Kirby series character. Kirby returns swinging a hammer (a power he can absorb in Kirby games from a simian enemy called Bonkers) as his new side special move; however, due to a combination of minor alterations to Kirby's design and the redesigned Melee gameplay engine, Kirby suddenly becomes one of the lowest-tier characters in the game, ranked 25th/26th, along with Pichu.

Stages

Super Smash Bros. Melee features three Kirby-themed stages:

• Dream Land: Green Greens: This stage is thematically similar to the Dream Land stage, with Wispy Woods blowing toward either end of the stage, but the layout is rather different, consisting of the ground being divided up in three by two sets of building blocks that fall from the sky to build up walls that can be broken. Some of these boxes are explosive in nature.
• Dream Land: Fountain of Dreams: A stage with a layout similar to Battlefield, this is the Fountain of Dreams that safeguards the Dream Land galaxy so long as the Star Rod is inserted into the fountain's shaft. The dreamy music heard here was reused in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land when Kirby battles King Dedede at this location.
• Past Stages: Dream Land 64: This is the original Dream Land stage from Super Smash Bros., returning in Melee totally unaltered.

Kirby is the only universe in Melee to have three stages and yet not be related to the Mario series (which itself has four stages from the main series, while the Donkey Kong and Yoshi universes, while each having three stages, are considered sub-universes of Mario).

The All-Star Teleporter also borrows many elements from the Kirby series, such as the background music, but is still a part of the Smash Bros. universe.

Items

The Kirby universe features four separate items that can be used in battle in Melee:

• Maxim Tomato: Returns from Super Smash Bros. unchanged in function, but its healing power has been nerfed down to only 50% damage.
• Parasol: A new item which often manifests as a copyable power for Kirby in his games, allowing him to attack enemies and also float down to earth slowly. In Melee, this can be used as a bludgeoning weapon, but this item's peculiar nature is revealed when the character holding it jumps up and falls down; the parasol opens up and the character floats down to earth slowly, like Peach's up special move move, though the Parasol doesn't damage while opened.
• Star Rod: Returns from Super Smash Bros. essentially unaltered.
• Warp Star: A new item which is essentially Kirby's mode of long-distance transportation in his games. This is one of the most destructive items in Melee; when picked up, the character will ride and hover on it for a moment, launch straight up, and crash back down with lightning speed and explosive force, dealing major damage and knockback to opponents in the area of the landing zone. Warp Stars in flight can be steered either left or right to a limited degree before crashing down.

Music

• 11: Fountain of Dreams: An orchestrated, atmospheric version of "Gourmet Race" from Kirby Super Star. This music was later reused in the boss fight at Fountain of Dreams in Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland.
• 12: Green Greens: An orchestration of Level 1: Green Greens stage music from Kirby's Dreamland, heard in Green Greens.
• 29: Dream Land N64: The music for the Dream Land stage in Super Smash Bros., which is also a re-recording of the main "Gourmet Race" theme, is brought back unaltered along with the stage itself as Past Stages: Dream Land.
• 43: Kirby's Victory: The victory fanfare of Kirby is an orchestration of the shortened "Stage Complete" theme heard in Kirby games.
• 60: All-Star Intro: Remix of quiet music heard in Kirby Super Star for SNES, heard at the All-Star Teleporter.

Full Trophy List

• Kirby's three game trophies
• Maxim Tomato
• Warp Star
• Star Rod
• Parasol
• Whispy Woods
• Fountain of Dreams
• Fire Kirby
• Fighter Kirby
• Ball Kirby
• Waddle Dee
• King Dedede
• Rick
• Gooey
• Meta-Knight

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, even more Kirby content was added, including the addition of two more characters from the series.

Characters

On the final character select screen (after all characters are unlocked), the Kirby characters, joined by Olimar, occupy the fifth column.

• 
  Kirby: The pink puff reappears to reprise his role and traits from Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee as a small character who can float in the air with a long series of multiple jumps, with his Final Cutter and Hammer intact. Like other returning characters, Kirby is given a Final Smash attack called Cook Kirby, which appears to consist of dunking his opponent into a boiling pot, and then spitting them out. When they come out of the pot, random items appear.
• 
  Meta Knight: A sensational new character addition, Meta Knight is a masked-swordsman character ostensibly of the same species as Kirby, but with a dark blue body, thumbs, and facial features in white that can be seen whenever he takes his mask off. Meta Knight's roles in his various appearances in Kirby games and the anime have ranged from ally to villain. In his appearance in Brawl, his cape transforms into wings which he uses to float in midair much like Kirby and Jigglypuff, and he demonstrate a new gliding ability. Meta Knight is sometimes considered "broken" (no big disadvantages or weaknesses) by the competitive Smash community and holds the number 1 spot on the Tier List. Meta Knight was also supposed to appear in Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 and was replaced by Ness.
• 
  King Dedede: The first main foe Kirby ever faced, King Dedede has appeared in all but one game since Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy (that being Amazing Mirror). In his Brawl debut he is considered a heavy character like Bowser and Donkey Kong. He brings several qualities he had in the Kirby platforming games with him, such as his Super Dedede Jump, and some of his various servants in the form of the Waddle Dee Toss. He also brings his hammer with him and uses it in regular combat, but it has also been upgraded to have machine-like qualities, as evidenced by the Jet Hammer move. He can Inhale just like Kirby, but can't copy enemies' abilities. His grab game in particular is fast and powerful.

Assist Trophy

• Knuckle Joe: Hailing from Kirby Super Star, and also a minor character in the Kirby anime, Knuckle Joe makes an appearance as an Assist Trophy in Brawl. When summoned, he hits the nearest opponent with a barrage of attacks, then randomly ends the attack with one of two finishing moves. These two moves are either Smash Punch which sends the opponent flying to the side or Rising Break which sends the opponent upward.

Stages

• 
  Halberd: The Halberd has been seen in several incarnations throughout the Kirby franchise; it is where the portion of Kirby Super Star concerning Meta Knight's villainous role takes place. The stage off in a hangar located on the high seas, and as the match goes on the warehouse opens up, the Halberd takes off into the air along with the platform the players fight upon, and the Halberd flies around the backdrop of the now-floating stage. During the fight, the platform will land on the ship itself, which draws heavy fire from nearby cannons.
• 
  Green Greens: A returning stage from Melee. The bombs now have more knockback.

Items

• Maxim Tomato: A returning item which still recovers 50% of damage.
• Star Rod: A returning item which function is relatively unchanged.
• Warp Star: A returning item which does the same thing it did in Melee.
• Superspicy Curry: An item that made its first (and until Brawl, only) appearance in the original Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy, which temporarily gave Kirby the ability to spew fire. It has a similar - though not really the same - function in Brawl, igniting the user in flames and allowing them to cause fire damage to anyone they touch.
• Dragoon: The legendary air machine from Kirby Air Ride that makes its first appearance in Brawl, Dragoon is actually 3 separate items that one must obtain in order to use its power. When all three pieces are obtained, the user that obtains them can ride the machine and attack opponents by locking on - the knockback from the Dragoon is so great that it is almost always a One-hit KO.

Music

See List of SSBB Music (Kirby series).

• Meta Knight's Revenge - A jazz remix/medley of the different music tracks from the "Revenge of Meta Knight" segment of Kirby Super Star. It is the theme of the Halberd stage. This song is also played during Meta Knight's Classic Mode credits.
• Legendary Air Ride Machine - A redone version of the theme played in Kirby's Air Ride when one has successfully completed either the Dragoon or Hydra. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• Gourmet Race - This is a heavy metal remix of song played in the first & third rounds of the Gourmet Race mini-game from Kirby Super Star, with a few parts of the them being second round theme. The theme has been featured in most Kirby games since Kirby Super Star, as well as in both previous Super Smash Bros. games. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• Butter Building - A techno styled medley of various Kirby themes, including the Butter Building level theme from Kirby's Adventure and the Kirby's Dream Land theme. It is used on the Halberd stage. This song is also played during Kirby's Classic Mode credits.
• King Dedede's Theme - A song featured in most Kirby games when Kirby battles King Dedede, including the series' first game, Kirby's Dream Land. This song is completely redone. It is used on the Halberd stage. This song is also played during King Dedede's Classic Mode credits.
• Squeak Squad Theme - A remix from the DS title Kirby Squeak Squad, this was the song used when battling the members of the Squeak Squad. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• Vs. Marx - An epic sounding remix of both the Vs. Marx theme from the Milky Way Wishes segment of Kirby Super Star as well as the song played during the scene right after defeating Marx. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• 0² Battle - A complete remix of the final boss theme from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• Boss Theme Medley - Featuring many songs from the entire series, this is a medley of many different boss battle themes from across the Kirby series. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• Checker Knights - Taken directly from Kirby's Air Ride, this was the song played on the Checker Knights track, as well during various minigames. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• Forest/Nature Area - Taken directly from the Game Boy Advance game Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, this was the song of the Forest & Nature area of the maze. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• Frozen Hillside - Another song taken directly from Kirby's Air Ride, this was the music track played on the Frozen Hillside racetrack. It is used on the Halberd stage.
• Green Greens (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is used on the Green Greens stage.
• Fountain of Dreams (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is used on the Green Greens stage.
• Kirby and King Dedede's victory theme - A whimsical orchestration of the shortened "Stage Complete" theme heard in general Kirby games.
• Meta Knight's victory theme - A "rock remix" of Kirby's victory theme.

Trophy

• Kirby
• Cook Kirby
• Meta Knight
• Galaxia Darkness
• King Dedede
• Waddle Dee Army
• Maxim Tomato
• Dragoon
• Warpstar
• Superspicy Curry
• Star Rod
• Knuckle Joe
• Beam Kirby
• Needle Kirby
• Sword Kirby
• Sleep Kirby
• Wing Kirby
• Fighter Kirby
• Fire Kirby
• Ice Kirby
• Plasma Kirby
• Tornado Kirby
• Waddle Dee
• Waddle Doo
• Gordo
• Dyna Blade
• Blade Knight
• Bonkers
• Bronto Burt
• Cappy
• Golem
• Kracko
• Scarfies
• Sir Kibble
• Walky
• Wheelie
• Hydra
• Bomber
• Bugzzy
• Combo Cannon
• Halberd
• Apples

Stickers

• Kirby (Kirby & The Amazing Mirror)
• Kirby (Kirby 64)
• Kirby (Kirby Air Ride)
• Cook Kirby
• Cupid Kirby
• Needle Kirby
• Acro
• Big Switch
• Blipper
• Bonkers
• Box Boxer
• Boxy
• Bronto Burt
• Candy
• Cell Phone
• Chef Kawasaki
• Daroach
• Dyna Blade
• Gordo
• Hot Head
• King Dedede & Kirby
• King Dedede (Kirby: Squeak Squad)
• Kind Dedede (Kirby Super Star)
• Maxim Tomato
• Meta Knight
• Meta Knight Ball
• Nruff
• Perara
• Squeaker
• Starman (Kirby: Squeak Squad)
• Treasure Chest
• Waddle Dee
• Waddle Dee Ball
• Whispy Woods

Games with elements from or in the Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. games generally adopt many aspects from other Kirby games, notably games released before Melee, due to the fact that the series share creators.

Kirby's Dream Land

Kirby and King Dedede, both of whom made their debut in this game, are playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. games, Kirby having appeared in all three of the games. In addition, the character Whispy Woods, as well as the area known as Green Greens, also appear in the series. Whispy Woods, along with Kirby, was also featured in all three games, though he was in the background of the Dream Land and Green Greens stages. Other characters like Waddle Dee and King Dedede are trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Kirby's white costume and King Dedede's black costume are also based on how they appeared in this game. King Dedede's theme music is featured in Brawl.

Kirby's Adventure

The Fountain of Dreams is a stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and the Star Rod weapon from the end of the game appears as an item in all three games. Meta Knight, a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, first appeared in this game (although his Melee trophy erroneously states that he debuted in Kirby Super Star). It appears as a Masterpiece in Brawl, lasting two minutes. Kirby's blue costume comes from Ice and Freeze Kirby. In Melee, Kirby's dash attack comes from the 'Burning' ability from this game. Kirby's neutral special move and down special move, Inhale and Stone respectively, also originate from this game. The Butter Building track from the game was featured in Brawl.

Kirby Super Star

There are many aspects in the Smash series that come from this game, as it is the most famous game in the Kirby series.

• The Halberd is a stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with the Combo Cannon boss from the game an aspect of the Brawl stage.

• The music played in Save Rooms was remixed for Super Smash Bros. Melee's All-Star Mode, which is similar to The Arena. Also, one of the Gourmet Race songs, as well as the Green Greens theme, is used for Kirby's levels in the Smash Bros. series, either in original and orchestrated versions.

• Also, the final boss of the Great Cave Offensive, Wham Bam Rock, uses a stone hand to attack Kirby. The hand's patterns may be the inspiration for Master Hand and Crazy Hand. In the game's remake, Kirby Super Star Ultra, a crystalline version of Wham Bam Rock called Wham Bam Jewel appears, with some new additional moves, likely inspired by Master Hand's moves.

• Most of Kirby's special moves in the Super Smash Bros. series originated here, such as his Final Cutter, Stone/Heavy Object transformation, and the Hammer moves.

• Kirby's Final Smash is derived from the Cook ability, which originated in this game.

• Several people have compared The Subspace Emissary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl to being similar to Kirby Super Star. One of the most obvious similarities is the camera's focus on the first player and the ability for the second player to teleport to the first either at will or if they end up too far off screen.

• It is believed that the combat mechanics of Super Smash Bros. are based off that of Kirby Super Star.

• Knuckle Joe first appears in this game.

• Several songs originated from this game, such as Meta Knight's Revenge and Vs. Marx.

• This game was directed by Masahiro Sakurai, which explains many of the design and gameplay similarities to the Super Smash Bros. series. In many ways, Kirby Super Star may be considered a prototypical Smash.

• Ridley, in Brawl's Subspace Emissary mode, has very similar moves to Dyna Blade from this game.

• Galleom, in Brawl's Subspace Emissary mode, has a few similar moves to Heavy Lobster from this game.

• Tabuu, the final boss of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Subspace Emmisary mode, has a similar fighting style to Marx, having a few similar move and both having generally very predictable, but very powerful attacks. Brawl also has a song (Vs. Marx) associated with him.

• The Boss Battles mode is similar to Super Star's "The Arena" in many ways.

Kirby Air Ride

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Kirby Air Ride was a racing game for the Nintendo GameCube released in 2003. Produced by Hal Laboratories, the game is notable for including a multitude of mechanics from Melee, as well as mechanics that were later introduced in Brawl.

A lot of mechanics for the game are similar to Melee's as well, such as a star count to let the player know how many times he's destroyed another player's machine, similar to how there is a star counter to tell a player how many KOs he or she has gotten.

The sound effect heard when one selects something from the menu is a deeper version of Melee's sound effect for the same thing.

Players can unlock and choose colors for Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede, which is similar to the palette swaps from the Super Smash Bros. games.

The tracks that play in Melee's Green Greens and Fountain of Dreams play in Kirby Air Ride, with slight modifications.

In Brawl, Dragoon, one of the legendary machines in the game, appears as an item. Much like it was in this game, the player has to collect all 3 of Dragoon's parts before they are able to use it. In addition, the Cracker Launcher seems to be based off a similar item in this game. The songs for the racetracks 'Frozen Hillside' and 'Checker Knights' are in Brawl, as well as the track 'The Legendary Air Ride Machine', which plays after Kirby completes a Dragoon or a Hydra. All three songs play in the Halberd stage.

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror

Master Hand and Crazy Hand appear as the final bosses in Candy Constellation. A solo Master Hand also appears occasionally as a mini-boss. When Kirby inhales a defeated Master Hand , he gains the Smash ability - a scaled-down version of Kirby's moveset from Super Smash Bros. Melee.

In Brawl, the music Forest / Nature Area plays on Halberd and is the only GBA music to be unchanged. In addition, the Golem enemy appears as a trophy.

Others

There exist stickers and trophies of enemies from an array of Kirby series games. Stickers use artwork for characters from Kirby Squeak Squad to Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.

Trivia

• It seems that the characters in the Kirby series makes a bigger difference in the story of the Subspace Emissary than most of the other characters in Brawl. For example, Kirby is the one who instantly destroys the Subspace Gunship. The Subspace Army stole Meta Knight's ship, which is heavily used throughout the story and he is also better represented than the other swordsmen. Also, King Dedede is the one who manages to save the day with his brooches.
  • In the Subspace Emissary, Kirby has the one of the largest roles in the story, appearing constantly from beginning to end.
• In Brawl, the Kirby series has the highest average tier ranking of any series with more than one character.
• A large amount of mechanics present in Super Smash Bros. come from Kirby such as the system of dash attacks, grabs, aerials, and even glancing blows.
• Since Masahiro Sakurai, who developed the Kirby series, also developed the Smash series, the idea of him promoting his characters and incorporating gameplay elements common to the Kirby series in the Smash series seems sensible.

External links

• WiKirby