Kirby

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For fighter info, see Kirby (SSB), Kirby (SSBM), and Kirby (SSBB).

Kirby
Kirby Official artwork of Kirby
Universe	Kirby
Debut	Kirby's Dream Land (1992)
Smash Bros. appearances	SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Console/platform of origin	Game Boy
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Dream Land
Created by	Masahiro Sakurai
Designed by	Masahiro Sakurai
Voice actor	Makiko Ōmoto
Japanese voice actor	Mayumi Tanaka (1994) Makiko Ōmoto

Kirby (カービィ, Kābī) is the main character of the Kirby series of games. He was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who also created the Super Smash Bros. series.

Character Description

Kirby began as an entirely different character design named Popopo that starred in Masahiro Sakurai's early Game Boy game in development, originally called "Twinkle Popopo". During development he used a placeholder sprite resembling a ball with a happy face on it. Sakurai eventually came to prefer this more simplistic design and decided to use this character design instead of the original one. The little protagonist was eventually named Kirby and the game itself named Kirby's Dream Land. His name has two possible inspirations: one is a vaccuum cleaner company named Kirby Corporation. The other is the legal counsel of Nintendo, Jack Kirby, who saved Nintendo during a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Universal Studios. This lawsuit was over the name of their character Donkey Kong, which Universal Studios believed infringed copyrights concerning the movie character King Kong.

Kirby's round pink form is only 8 inches in height (though in his appearances in Sakurai's fighting game series Super Smash Bros., his dimensions are obviously enlarged). Kirby is a resident and the consistent hero of the yellow star-shaped planet Pop Star. He can inhale forcefully, allowing him to swallow enemies in front of him and use their powers to fight back. He can also store the air he inhales, making himself large and puffy, enabling him to float around. His species, to which himself and Meta Knight are the two most prominent individuals, is not officially named, but is mostly refered as "Kirbies".

In the anime, Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, known in Japan as Hoshi no Kirby (星のカービィ, Hoshi no Kābī, lit. "Kirby of the Stars"), which is a separate continuity to the game series, Kirby is a Star Warrior like the more experienced and menacing Meta Knight; he awoke too soon, resulting in the fact he is too young to know much vocabulary. He has a kind-hearted yet fearless personality, and retains his powers from the games, but his general greenness forces him to rely on support from his friends to make it through situations. He usaly yells "Poyo!" constanly or says poyo before saying a name or food like "Poyo-Osama" (Name of Kawasaki's Teacher).

In Super Smash Bros.

File:KirbySSB.gif

Kirby

Main Article: Kirby (SSB)

Kirby is a starter character in Super Smash Bros.. He is known for his great recovery, quick attacks, and surprisingly long-range aerials, all of which place him rather high in the original game's Tier list. His trademark move is Swallow, which allows him to him suck in enemies and emulate their neutral B attacks.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

File:Kirbymelee.jpg

Kirby, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

As a playable character

Main Article: Kirby (SSBM)

In Kirby's return appearance in the GameCube game, he gets a redesign as a fighter that includes the Hammer Special Move as his new forward-B move. He is still a starter character, and is still a floaty, lightweight character that can jump in midair five times in a row. However, in the time-tested viewpoint of the Smash community's elite Kirby has moved to being a bottom-tier fighter.

Trophies

Kirby is the most extensively represented character in Melee when it comes to trophies: In addition to having his routine set of three trophies that are awarded whenever Kirby is used to win the three single-player Regular Match modes, there are five trophies named "Kirby Hat" that provide information about the powers he gains with his in-game Swallow ability. (See Kirby Hats (SSBM) for full information or[1] .)

His Classic mode trophy reads as follows:

Kirby

"A denizen of the far-off, peaceful planet Pop Star, Kirby became a citizen of Dream Land after defeating King Dedede. Even though he's only about eight inches tall, Kirby is an extremely skilled technician. He has the ability to absorb the powers of his enemies, and his elastic body makes him a versatile adventurer." (Kirby's Dream Land 8/92)

There are even trophies, all collectible through typical means (as in, through normal single-player play or the Trophy Lottery) depicting Kirby in various guises he has taken in normal Kirby games:

File:BallKirby.jpg

Ball Kirby

Ball Kirby

When Kirby swallows a ball enemy, he turns into a ball and can bounce off of floors and walls. It's tough to control, but well worth it for the strong attack power it gives Kirby. After his debut in Kirby's Adventure, Ball Kirby has popped up in several more Kirby games, such as Kirby's Pinball Land and Kirby's Block Ball.

• Kirby's Adventure, 5/93

Fighter Kirby

Kirby dons a warrior's headband and becomes a fierce fighter when he swallows an enemy skilled at physical attacks. Fighter Kirby uses many colorful punching and kicking moves as he overpowers his enemies with his sparring skills. The Vulcan Jab is just one of the many techniques Kirby can use thanks to his copying power.

• Kirby Super Star, 9/96

Fire Kirby

When Kirby swallows a fire-wielding enemy, he transforms into Fire Kirby. Not only does he breathe fire in this form, but he can also sprout flames on his entire body and damage enemies by crashing into them. Fire Kirby wears the bright red headdress of his enemy Burning Leo. The hat turns into a helpful weapon when thrown.

• Kirby's Adventure, 5/93

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

File:KirbyinBrawl.jpg

Kirby, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

As a playable character

Main Article: Kirby (SSBB)

Kirby returns for his third appearance in the Wii version of the Smash series. He was revealed in all trailers for Brawl before its release, and was confirmed on the official website on June 7, 2007. He rounds out the roster again as a starter character, and is finally not the sole representative character for his series with the inclusion of King Dedede and Meta Knight. Arguably balanced up from his Melee incarnation, his standing on tiers has not yet been defined.

Trophies

Kirby

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

• Kirby's Dream Land
• Kirby Super Star

Cook Kirby

Main Article: Cook Kirby

Beam Kirby

Kirby in a jester cap...and a supercute Kirby at that. Beam Kirby features a Beam ability, acquired by inhaling Waddle Doo, that allows him to shoot a whiplike beam at his enemies. With a wide attack range, this ability is extremely easy to use, especially for taking out enemies in bunches. In Kirby Super Star, this beam can also be charged and fired.

• Kirby's Adventure
• Kirby: Squeak Squad

Needle Kirby

A Kirby ability made when Kirby inhales a spiked enemy. When attacking, the needles on Needle Kirby's body extend, giving him a porcupine-like look. This ability provides both offensive and defensive measures against nearby enemies. Plus, needles which extend on Kirby's underside when jumping eliminate any threats on landing.

• Kirby's Adventure
• Kirby: Canvas Curse

Sword Kirby

A Kirby ability made when Kirby inhales a sword-wielding foe or a sword itself. Doing so provides Kirby with a rapid sword slash, a jumping sword spin, or even the energy-beam blast of the Final Sword. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that this is the #1 Copy Ability in terms of accessibility.

• Kirby's Adventure
• Kirby: Squeak Squad

Sleep Kirby

Kirby after he copies the ability to sleep peacefully. Kirby takes on this form when he inhales Noddy or other such enemies. Kirby cannot move at all while sleeping, so extra care should be taken not to use this ability when enemies are near. Kirby, in his slumber, tends to drool, and in his panicked awakening, isn't it cute how he forgets to wipe off the drool?

• Kirby's Adventure
• Kirby: Squeak Squad

Wing Kirby

Kirby when he inhales a winged enemy and copies its flying ability. This ability can be used to proceed through strong winds that would otherwise be too tough to overcome. Wing Kirby can also perform a plethora of attack moves, such as the Bomber Head, where Kirby dive-bombs onto enemy heads.

• Kirby Super Star
• Kirby Air Ride

Fighter Kirby

Kirby when he is skilled in martial arts, especially close-quarters combat. Inhaling brawny challengers like Knuckle Joe will transform Kirby, allowing him to use a bunch of fight moves like Rising Break, the heroic uppercut. His Mega Power Shot in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, which used charged energy to take out faraway enemies, is another Fighter Kirby highlight.

• Kirby Super Star
• Kirby: Canvas Curse

Fire Kirby

Kirby when he inhales an enemy who uses fire. Shooting fire from his mouth, Fire Kirby can cook enemies from afar. This ability also allows Kirby to light explosive blocks, fuses, and so on. In Kirby Super Star and Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Fire Kirby can roll his burning body into enemies as an attack move.

• Kirby Super Star
• Kirby: Canvas Curse

Ice Kirby

Kirby when he copies an enemy with chilly abilities. Ice Kirby can blow an icy wind from his mouth and freeze enemies solid. These frozen enemies can then be knocked into other enemies as an additional means of attack. These blocks are not only effective against enemies but can also be used on terrain such as magma or water.

• Kirby Super Star
• Kirby: Canvas Curse

Plasma Kirby

Kirby when he inhales Plasma Wisps, which glow with a neon green flame. Plasma Kirby can charge the plasma strength up to a maximum level of 5. In Kirby Super Star, your attack--be it a Plasma Laser or a Plasma Wave Cannon--varies with the length of time you charge it.

• Kirby Super Star
• Kirby Air Ride

Tornado Kirby

Kirby when he inhales enemies that fly around like twisters through the sky. When in tornado form, Kirby can spin freely through the air for short amounts of time, clearing out groups of enemies. Tornado Kirby will continue spinning and bouncing violently off of obstacles until he comes to a stop. One drawback of Tornado Kirby is the control difficulty.

• Kirby's Adventure
• Kirby Air Ride