Kid Icarus (universe)

Kid Icarus (universe)
	;
Developer(s)	Nintendo; Tose; Project Sora; Sora Ltd.
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Genre(s)	Platformer; Third-Person shooter; Rail shooter
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom Disk System)
First installment	Kid Icarus (1986)
Latest installment	Kid Icarus: Uprising (2012)
Article on Icaruspedia	Kid Icarus (universe)

The Kid Icarus universe (パルテナの鏡, Mirror of Palutena) refers to the Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from Nintendo's Kid Icarus games, which were originally a pair of cult-classic action/platformer games for NES and Game Boy. A twenty-one-year hiatus for the series ensued, and it only ended once Masahiro Sakurai developed and released a third game for the 3DS after debuting a heavy stylistic redesign for the series and its star, the young angel knight Pit, in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Franchise description

The first Kid Icarus series logo.

During the "golden age" of the Famicom/NES in the late 1980s, one of the original titles and IPs released alongside titles such as Metroid and The Legend of Zelda was Kid Icarus, an action platformer that aimed to blend several genres. The game's development process was stressed by time constraints, and the game was released on NES on July 1987 to mixed critical reception, which focused criticism on its frustratingly high difficulty and some odd design choices; despite all this, the game has long since been regarded as a cult classic for the console, and some of its characters had been featured on the American cartoon Captain N: The Game Master alongside other video game characters popularized by the NES. Following this, a sequel for the Game Boy, Kid Icarus: Of Myth and Monsters, was co-developed between Nintendo and Tose Co., Ltd. and released on November 1991. Reception was decidedly more favorable for the sequel, citing significant improvements to the gameplay all around, though the game never reached the level of public attention that the original had. In an odd twist, Of Myths and Monsters was, for literally two decades, one of few first-party Nintendo games that were not published in Japan.

For fifteen years following the 1991 release of the second game, the Kid Icarus "franchise" made no return appearances in any format, and the two-game series had seemed to have forever been left behind in a state where it would represent nothing more than a curious piece of history from the Nintendo timeline. But then, in 2006, Super Smash Bros. series director Masahiro Sakurai began an ambitious series revival for Kid Icarus, first by announcing through a trailer the inclusion of the main character, Pit, as a new playable fighter in his then-highly-anticipated Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. Sakurai had previously brought another obscure NES title from the era, Ice Climber, back into the public limelight by including its player-characters as playable fighters in 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee, but for Brawl, Sakurai debuted a radical, anime-style redesign for Pit, as well as a more detailed reimagining of Pit's in-game homeworld.

The modern, Uprising-era designs for Pit and Palutena are based on their appearances in Brawl, seen here in The Subspace Emissary.

As Sakurai later noted, the redesigned Pit's appearance in Brawl greatly influenced his decision to jump-start the series's revival with a new installment. Following Brawl's release in 2008, Sakurai was asked by then-Nintendo president Satoru Iwata to direct a new game for the then-unknown Nintendo 3DS system to show off its capabilities, giving him the choice to revitalize a dormant property for the title. He ultimately chose Kid Icarus for this series reboot, being inspired by Pit’s story of an angel that could not fly. Following this decision, he directed and wrote the scenario for Kid Icarus: Uprising, a high-budget title that features on-rails-shooter segments in the air that are separate from third-person-shooter segments on the ground.

Uprising’s overall presentation makes full use of the character designs introduced in Brawl, complete with fully voiced character dialogue and copious amounts of story-driven cutscenes, but also with a far more whimsical tone to the story and dialogue itself. The game was released on March 2012 to glowing reviews, however Sakurai has yet to confirm interest in a sequel. Nonetheless, the now-familiar modern design for Pit is considered standard for the franchise, and has made a return appearance in Brawl's sequel, Super Smash Bros. 4. Meanwhile, Of Myths and Monsters was released in Japan for the first time in the country's history on the 3DS Virtual Console, a month before the release of Uprising.

The Kid Icarus games themselves are set on a multi-plane Grecian fantasy world called Angel Land, where a plane hanging above the mortal Overworld is the light realm of Skyworld, ruled over by the Goddess of Light, Palutena. In the original game, the goddess of the hellish plane of the Underworld, Medusa, wages war against Palutena and the human world, and Palutena sends her loyal warrior, the young angel knight Pit (note that the name "Kid Icarus" is not the main character's name itself, but more of a comedic descriptor of how he is essentially a child equivalent to the Greek myth of the winged man Icarus), on a quest to defeat Medusa by gathering three sacred combat treasures. In Of Myths and Monsters, Pit similarly battles a demon named Orcos. Many years later in Uprising, Pit must battle Medusa and her minions again, but ends up thrust into a much stranger, multi-sided conflict involving a greatly-expanded cast of literally colorful allies and enemies, several of which are drawn from other figures and monsters in Greek mythology. Pit's fights take him through human cities under siege, temples and caverns in the Underworld, Palutena's residence in the Skyworld, and even outer space.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

There are a large number of trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee that depict classic Nintendo games from the past, and a trophy depicting a 3D rendition of the classic-style Pit is no exception. Other than that, however, there is no additional representation of the Kid Icarus franchise in the game.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Kid Icarus is introduced as a primary universe in the Super Smash Bros. series in the third installment, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Character

Pit: A young angel knight who serves the goddess Palutena and saves the kingdom of Angel Land from the evil of the Underworld goddess Medusa. The name "Kid Icarus" is technically a misnomer, and refers not to Pit as an alternative name, but more as to what kind of entity Pit is. The Greek myth of Icarus is centered around a man possessing wings; since Pit has wings, he can be considered a "kid Icarus" of sorts. For his appearance in Brawl as a fighter, Pit has undergone a major character redesign. He uses the Sacred Bow of Palutena in combat, both to fire arrows, as it always has, and also to demonstrate its previously unseen ability to split in half and be used as a pair of swords for close-quarters combat. Like Kirby, Jigglypuff, Meta Knight, and Charizard, Pit can jump multiple times in the air. His neutral special move is the Palutena's Arrow, which Pit uses in a similar style as Link, Young Link, and Toon Link; however, Pit's arrows travel much faster, unaffected by gravity, and their trajectory can be controlled (i.e. it can be made to curve upwards or downwards) by pressing a direction right after releasing the arrow. His up special move, titled Wings of Icarus, is a unique move giving him the ability of temporary free flight around the stage. His down special move, Mirror Shield, reflects projectile attacks and protects Pit from damage on one side. His side special move is the Angel Ring, a reflector move in which Pit spins the Palutena's Bow at a blinding speed in a full 360 circle, which does damage to his opponents.

On the final character select screen (after all characters are unlocked), Pit shares the fourth column with fellow Famicom/NES-originated characters Ice Climbers, R.O.B., and Samus.

Stage

Skyworld: This stage, set in the eponymous realm of the franchise's world, features several platforms that can actually be shattered by characters attacks, but they become replaced by clouds that substitute as platforms right after, although the clouds are pass-through.

Music

Underworld - A small medley consisting of a remixed version of the Underworld level theme and the Grim Reaper's theme. It is used on the Skyworld stage.
Skyworld - This is a redone version of the Overworld level theme from the original Kid Icarus. It is not the Skyworld level theme as the name would suggest--the track is mislabeled in Brawl. It is the theme of the Skyworld stage.
Title (Kid Icarus) - A remix of the original Kid Icarus's title screen theme. It is used on the Skyworld stage. This track is also played during Pit's Classic Mode credits.
Kid Icarus Original Medley - A medley made up of numerous parts of several tracks taken directly from the original Kid Icarus, including the title theme, the fortress theme, and the Skyworld level theme, among many others. It is used on the Skyworld stage.
Pit's victory theme - Derived from the original Kid Icarus's title screen theme, this fanfare was not actually heard in this form in the first two Kid Icarus titles, but an orchestrated remix of it was included as the victory fanfare for the multiplayer portion of Kid Icarus Uprising.

Trophy

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Between Brawl and SSB4, Smash director Masahiro Sakurai revived the long dormant Kid Icarus franchise with Kid Icarus: Uprising. This 3DS title greatly expanded the Kid Icarus universe with a wealth of new characters, storylines, enemies, and weapons. A lot of the new material from Uprising was introduced into SSB4, such as music, stages, and trophies. In addition to the return of Pit, Skyworld, and most Kid Icarus content from Brawl, two new playable characters, five items, two Assist Trophies, two new stages, and a wealth of other new content is in SSB4.

Characters

Pit: a young angel captain who serves the goddess Palutena and liberates Angel Land from the Underworld goddess Medusa. He was one of the few veterans revealed along with SSB4 on June 11, 2013, and the only one amongst them who debuted in Brawl. Pit had undergone notable changes to reflect his abilities and character in Kid Icarus: Uprising. Nearly all of his special moves were changed: he now pulls out his Upperdash Arm for his side special, protects himself with Guardian Orbitars for his down special, and soars with Power of Flight for his up special. With Palutena now a playable fighter, Pit instead utilizes the Three Sacred Treasures for his Final Smash. He has a smash taunt on Palutena's Temple where Palutena provides tips and insight on his opponents. Antony Del Rio, who portrayed Pit in Uprising, replaces Lani Minella as the English voice of Pit in overseas versions.

Palutena: a green-haired goddess of light and the ruler of Skyworld. In the original Kid Icarus, Palutena is usurped by Medusa as the ruler of Angel Land and serves as the damsel in distress. She cameos in Brawl as a component of Pit's Final Smash and as one of the few supporting characters in the Subspace Emissary. Her presence and role were greatly expanded in Kid Icarus: Uprising as Pit's advisor and confidant. A powerful and omniscient figure, Palutena sends Pit as her attaché to rid the world of Underworld monsters, the Forces of Nature, extraterrestrials, and rival gods. Without her, Pit would not be able to fly or have access to such a wide arsenal of weapons. After months of rumors, potential leaks, and teases from Sakurai, Palutena was announced as a playable fighter during Nintendo's E3 Digital Event on June 10, 2014. She is a swift, magical character that utilizes her staff, halo, and shield in her attacks. Palutena has one of the most diverse selection of custom moves in the entire roster, all of which are derived from Powers she would grant Pit in Uprising.

Dark Pit: Pit's doppelgänger and rival from Kid Icarus: Uprising. He is an incomplete reflection of Pit that came into being when Pit destroyed the Mirror of Truth in Chapter 5. A troubled, disgruntled angel, Dark Pit butts heads with Pit multiple times throughout the events of Uprising all the while avoiding Hades' Underworld Army. In SSB4, Dark Pit is an unlockable clone of Pit. While some weapons in his arsenal are different – such as the Silver Bow and Electroshock Arm – his animations are identical to Pit's and function similarly. The most substantial difference between Dark Pit and Pit is that they have different Final Smashes. Dark Pit shoots a powerful beam from his eponymous Dark Pit Staff, like Zelda's Light Arrow. Like fellow clones Lucina and Dr. Mario, Dark Pit was originally planned to be an alternate character skin for Pit like Alph is for Olimar, but Sakurai thought it would be out of character for him to use the Three Sacred Treasures in his Final Smash and decided to make him a separate fighter instead.

Mii Costumes

Mii Swordfighter wearing the Viridi Outfit and Wig. This Mii is available for download via QR code.

Costume

Viridi Outfit (DLC): this outfit is based on Viridi, the goddess of nature from Kid Icarus: Uprising. She is a prominent figure in the game as the leader of the Forces of Nature. In the 3DS version of SSB4, she appears as a stage element on Reset Bomb Forest. In the Wii U version, she appears in most of the Palutena's Guidance conversations. The outfit was released with a corresponding blonde wig as downloadable content on September 30, 2015. The Mii wields Viridi's staff as a weapon. An official Mii based on Viridi's likeness can be downloaded via QR code on the official site.

Hat

Viridi Wig (DLC)

Items

Main article: Items

While there were no Kid Icarus items in Brawl, five are introduced in SSB4. Additionally, a new item called the Drill bears a strong resemblances to the Drill Arm from Kid Icarus: Uprising. However, it is considered part of the Super Smash Bros. universe in-game.

Daybreak (combining/shooting): a powerful, golden gun from Uprising. It releases a powerful beam similar to the Zero Laser. Like the Dragoon, it is composed of three different pieces that must be collected to unleash its power.
Ore Club (battering/shooting): a sentient weapon from Uprising forged from divine rocks. It is a slow but strong battering club. It releases a small whirlwind when swung at full charge.
X Bomb (throwing): a spherical explosive from Uprising. When tossed, it detonates in a massive x-shaped blast. This attribute derives from the puzzle game Meteos, not Uprising.
Killer Eye (throwing): a one-eyed turret from Uprising that shoots beams of energy when tossed. It fires these beams from its eyes, even when knocked on its sides.
Back Shield (status): a golden, angelic shield from Uprising that protects the user's backside from most attacks. Its face has a different design in SSB4 than it does in Uprising.

Assist Trophies

Magnus in the 3DS version on Reset Bomb Forest.

Magnus: a burly swordsman from Uprising similar to the Greek hero Heracles. He chases down the nearest opponent and strikes them with his massive sword. He can be attacked and defeated. He does not attack the summoner.
Phosphora: one of Viridi's subordinates in Uprising; a warrior who can conjure lightning in her hands. She flies and teleports around the stage throwing balls and projectile spears of electricity at opponents. She does not attack the summoner.

Smash Tour items

Ore Club (Red): a sentient weapon from Uprising forged from divine rocks. The user starts battle with an Ore Club in-hand.
X Bomb (Red): a spherical explosive from Uprising. The user starts battle with an X Bomb in-hand.
Back Shield (Red): an angelic shield from Uprising. The user starts battle with a Back Shield equipped.
Magnus (Red): a burly swordsman from Uprising. All players the user KO'd during a match are launched across the board.
Phosphora (Red): a warrior who can conjure lightning in her hands. The user can land instantly by tapping down during a match.

Enemies

Main article: Enemies

Enemies that appear in both Smash Run in the 3DS version and Smash Tour in the Wii U version.

Reaper: a cloaked, skeletal figure from the original Kid Icarus that wields a scythe. In Smash Run, it summons a swarm of Reapettes to attack opponents as it swings its long-raging scythe. In Smash Tour, it grants a Checkpoint Bonus to any players that pass it on the board with at least three fighters. Any less, and the player is launched.
Souflee: a flying, pastry-like creature from Kid Icarus: Uprising. In Smash Run, it darts around erratically, making it difficult to hit. In Smash Tour, players who catchup to it on the board are granted a Checkpoint Bonus.

Smash Run enemies

Enemies exclusive to the 3DS version. They appear in Smash Run. More Smash Run enemies come from the Kid Icarus series than any other universe, with nineteen total.

Monoeye: an octopus-like monster from Kid Icarus with one eye. It releases damage-dealing balls of energy from its eyes. It predates the similar-looking Feyesh enemy from Brawl's Subspace Emissary.
Skuttler: a skeletal cyclops from Uprising with the body of a sea star. It whacks opponents with a bone-shaped club. It carries a skull-shaped shield, but it does not protect itself with it.
Skuttler Cannoneer: a Skuttler from Uprising that carries a projectile-shooting arm cannon. The projectile's behavior depends on the cannon's color: the green cannon shoots cannonballs, the blue one shoots energy projectiles that phase through walls, and the red one fires homing missiles.
Skuttler Mage: a witch doctor-like Skuttler from Uprising that wields a wand. It strikes opponents with a stat-reducing spell.
Daphne: a floating, flower-like monster from Kid Icarus. It releases pollen-like explosives.
Zuree: a cloaked, banshee-like monster from Kid Icarus with long claws. It conceals itself in a white vapor before striking opponents with a powerful swipe.
Orne: a massive, demonic skull from Uprising shrouded in purple flames. Though slow, it is indestructible. Contact results in an instant KO.
Clubberskull: a cardiac cyclops from Uprising with muscular forearms and skull-like fists. It initially is sealed within its skull-like fists but is freed with just one attack. When unleashed, a Clubberskull is an incredibly powerful enemy that does not flinch.
Nutski: a flying, chestnut-like cyclops from Uprising. The buzz about erratically and drop explosive seeds.
Lurchthorn: a skeletal, oarfish-like creature from Uprising with a pair of eyes on each body segment. It flies slowly and shoots projectiles from its eyes. Each segment can be damaged, but it is only defeated once its head is destroyed. It also appears on the Reset Bomb Forest stage.
Lethinium: a flower-like creature from Uprising. It fires a powerful beam from its stigma, leaving its backside vulnerable.
Boom Stomper: an enormous, sentient boulder from Uprising. Though slow-moving, it attacks opponents from afar by stomping onto the earth. The seedling sprouting from its head is its weak point.
Mahva: a white, vampire squid-like creature from Uprising. It protects itself and other enemies in a spherical barrier. The barrier can be destroyed.
Bumpety Bomb: a masked bomb on wheels from Uprising. Like a Bob-omb, it idly rolls around. When it spots an opponent, it light’s its fuse and rolls after them.
Megonta: an enormous woodlouse from Uprising. It curls into a ball and rolls into opponents with its indestructible shell. The weak point is its leggy underbelly.
Flage: a floating, gelatinous cyclops from Uprising with blade-like hands. Like Zuree, it is invisible before slicing opponents with a flurry attack.
Mimicutie: a treasure chest with legs from Uprising. It disguises itself as a chest. Opponents that approach it will be attacked by a flurry of kicks.

Stages

All Kid Icarus stages are starter stages.

for Nintendo 3DS

Reset Bomb Forest: staged on castle ruins in a war-torn land from Kid Icarus: Uprising. It is based on the events of Chapter 11, where Hades has pitted mankind against each other so he could reap more souls. It is a transitional stage with two phases. The first phase is staged on stone ruins with multiple platforms, like Castle Siege. Humans wage war in the background. In response to the environmental destruction brought upon by war, Viridi tosses a Reset Bomb onto the soldiers. Its detonation causes the stage to transform into a dense forest with fragile platforms and a Lurchthorn at its base. It is one of the possible stages to appear in Level 3 of All-Star Mode as a home stage for Pit and Palutena. Dark Pit is unlocked on this stage. Its Ω form is columnar. Reset Bomb Forest was one the first stages revealed for the 3DS version, appearing in the 1st Trailer at E3 2013, and is one of the few 3DS stages to represent a handheld-exclusive title.

for Wii U

Palutena's Temple: a massive arena staged on a palace in the sky from the original Kid Icarus and Kid Icarus: Uprising. It is based on the events of Chapter 20, during which the temple was usurped from Palutena by the Chaos Kin and has fallen to ruins. This is reflected in the fragmented platforms of Palutena's Temple. The stage is multifaceted, as it includes a cave, a waterfall, springs, ladders, breakable bridges, and a building with a statue in Palutena's visage. As the largest stage in all of Smash Bros., it is large enough to accommodate 8-Player Smash. Dark Pit is unlocked on this stage. Its Ω form is columnar and is staged before Palutena's statue.

Skyworld: an arena staged in the heavens of Angel Land from Kid Icarus, surrounded by clouds. A building resembling the Pantheon appears in the background. The hard, stone platforms of the stage can be destroyed, exposing the light cloud platforms that supported them. These can be phased through and enable better movement options for navigating the stage. However, breaking the stones removes the stage's grabbable ledges. It can support up to 6 players in 8-Player Smash, but the platforms are not breakable in this mode. It is one of the possible stages to appear in Level 1 of All-Star Mode as a home stage for Dark Pit. Its Ω form is a spacious floating platform like Final Destination.