List of Kirby characters

Contents

This is a list of fictional characters in the Kirby video game series developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo.

Main characters

Kirby

Kirby is a "pink ball" who has been the star of a number of namesake games developed by HAL Laboratory. Kirby has appeared in over twenty games since 1992 and has starred in his own animated series. The Kirby series has sold over 33 million units worldwide. The core games of the series are platformers. The villains he encounters typically threaten his home of Dream Land (プププランド Pupupuland) on the planet Pop Star, most often the greedy king or the mysterious Dark Matter. The main games always have Kirby with the same basic abilities; he can walk, run, jump, float, and inhale and spit out or swallow his enemies. Following Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby was able to gain the abilities of the enemies he swallowed, such as Fire, Sword, Fighter, and Cutter. Kirby also can spit water out of his mouth while underwater. Kirby also has had his own anime.

King Dedede

King Dedede (デデデ大王 Dedede Daiō?) is a main recurring villain of the series and the archenemy of Kirby. He is an obese, penguin-like monarch carrying a large wooden mallet and is known to be self-centered; furthermore, Dedede causes many problems for the inhabitants of Dream Land through selfish mischief, such as stealing Dream Land's food supplies for a midnight feast in Kirby's Dream Land, taking all of the stars from the sky, or merely just wanting revenge on Kirby. Despite this, he is not truly evil and does care for Dream Land. As shown in Kirby's Adventure and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, he and Kirby do not hesitate to team up against a common enemy. A recurring motif of the series is the assumption that Dedede has performed an act which is essentially benevolent, such as sealing away the villainous Nightmare from Kirby's Adventure, which is misinterpreted as malevolent. Dedede often pats his belly in a jolly manner, and has many of the same abilities as Kirby himself does, such as being able to inhale objects and spit them back out with tremendous force, and the ability to suck in air and fly. He is voiced by his creator, Masahiro Sakurai in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. King Dedede is considered one of the heavy weights in Super Smash Bros. Brawl along with Bowser and Donkey Kong. King Dedede makes a return in Kirby Super Star Ultra. There is a new mode called Revenge of the King, which is basically a harder version of the original Spring Breeze (since Spring Breeze is a remake of Kirby's Dream Land, Revenge of the King is basically the Extra Mode of Kirby's Dream Land). For the final battle between himself and Kirby, he sports a mask and an improved version of his hammer. This new hammer features new attacks, such as shooting missiles, flames, or spinning extremely fast. In addition, the arena is now caged and electrified. King Dedede was originally intended to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros., but was cut due to time constraints; he does, however, appear in the background in the Dream Land stage and later as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.[1] He was finally added as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl due to being one of the most requested characters to be playable in Japan.[1] In that incarnation, his main weapon, the "Jet Hammer", is a mechanized version of his usual mallet.[2] Possibly as a result of this, he plays a large role in the Subspace Emissary storyline, capturing petrified heroes and placing badges on them that will activate when they are sucked in Subspace and unfreeze them, which proves to be a fruitful endeavor, when only he, Luigi, Kirby, and Ness are left to fight. In the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, King Dedede is presented as the supreme and incompetent ruler of Dream Land, with a castle atop a hill, overlooking Cappy Town. King Dedede appears to be more "evil" than in the games. This version of the character is more rude and malicious, but ultimately ignored by the unimpressed populace. Dedede's main cause of inconvenience is his constant purchasing of demon beasts from Holy Nightmare (or Nightmare Enterprises) to enforce his laws, create chaos, or to get rid of Kirby, whom he feels is a threat to his popularity and authority. King Dedede is voiced by Kenichi Ogata in the original Japanese version and Ted Lewis in the English dub.

Meta Knight

Meta Knight (メタナイト Meta Naito?) is an enigmatic character referred to as Kirby's rival, who often fights with him for different reasons, though they often arrive to the same goal. However, there is some discussion concerning whether or not the two are in another way related.[3] He always wears a white-silver mask, and under it, he looks almost exactly like Kirby, though with a blue body and white eyes. He wears a navy blue cloak (The Dimensional Cape) that can transform into a set of wings, and he usually wields a special sword called the Galaxia Sword (though he gave the "Master Sword" in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror). He follows a code of honor and usually lends Kirby a sword before they fight to be fair. Meta Knight is voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi in Japan, Eric Stuart in the English dub of the anime, and Jay Ward in the English version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, who also voiced Wolf O'Donnell in that game. Meta Knight is often a boss and an ally of Kirby in the games. He first appears in Kirby's Adventure in 1993, where he fights Kirby to keep him from taking a piece of the Star Rod to keep it out of Nightmare's hands. He also helps to defeat Dark Mind in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror by lending Kirby a mythical sword, giving Kirby the Master ability. He works to keep the chest containing Dark Nebula out of Kirby's hands in Kirby: Squeak Squad. He is the main antagonist of the "Revenge of Meta Knight" mode in Kirby Super Star, in which he attempts to take over Dream Land in order to put an end to the inhabitants' lazy lifestyle. He is a playable character in special modes of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and Kirby Super Star Ultra. He is an unlockable character in Kirby: Canvas Curse and "Kirby Air Ride" as well, and he uses a combination of the Wing and Sword abilities in Kirby Air Ride. Meta Knight appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a trophy, which lacks some of Meta Knight's important characteristics. He also appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where he utilizes his sword Galaxia as his main weapon. His personal airship, known as the Battleship Halberd, appears in the games Kirby Super Star (and its remake), "Kirby Super Star Ultra", and Kirby: Squeak Squad, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's return to dream land as one of the main protagonists. Its inner quarters are filled with enemies and traps arranged to defend against intruders, and its exterior is armed with an impressive array of cannons and other weapons. Though the Halberd was originally meant to wage war, it appears to be resurrected for the cause of peace. Meta Knight's latest appearance is in Kirby's Epic Yarn, where he was sucked into Patch Land and controlled by Yin-Yarn. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl he could flip his cape to reveal another dimension called Galaxia Darkness, and could thrust his sword into a close opponent through it. Meta Knight is a main character in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, known in Japan as "Kirby of the Stars". He is the last surviving member of the Galaxy Soldier Army, made up of "Star Warriors", of which Kirby is one. They are basically warriors who rebelled against Nightmare, the Knight class being the highest rank. It is disputed whether or not he is the same species as Kirby, since Kirby and Meta Knight share similar physical traits; while he never shows his face in the anime, the unmasked Meta Knight of the games looks nearly identical to Kirby, implying that they are from the same race. However, the other Star Warriors come from a variety of backgrounds and races. He works for Dedede in order to help Kirby and keep watch over the activities of Nightmare Enterprises. He wields a golden, spiked sword called "Galaxia", and he often trains or defends Kirby to help him defeat Nightmare. GamesRadar's Tom Goulter named him the twelfth "most misunderstood videogame villain", stating that he has the same aims as Kirby, but is taken as the bad guy.[4] GamesRadar editor Jim Sterling listed him the seventh "Top Unlikeliest badass in gaming", commenting that "a little blue ball with stubby cartoon feet" is "not exactly frightening", but his "brooding, serious attitude and his lavish taste in imposing capes" creates an illusion of him being threatening.[5]

Main villains

Zero and Dark Matter

Zero (ゼロ), Zero Two (ゼロツー) and Dark Matter (ダークマター Dāku Matā?) are recurring antagonists in the series. Dark Matter's main form is that of a planet-sized dark cloud with a single eyeball. It can separate into smaller clouds lined with petal-like extensions. These can possess other beings, putting them under the control of Dark Matter. At the core of the giant cloud is Zero, a giant white creature with a Kirby-sized red eye, which controls the Dark Matter. It is a force of negative energy that lives a lonely existence. It is jealous of Dream Land's lifestyle, so it constantly targets it to recreate Pop Star into a dark world where no one can be happy. Zero surprisingly uses what seems to be "blood" to attack. In Kirby's Dream Land 2, one small cloud possesses King Dedede. The Rainbow Drops extract it and reveal its form as a masked, robed being wielding a magical sword. After being defeated, it assumes its small cloud form as it faces Kirby once again. In Kirby's Dream Land 3, Dark Matter attacks Pop Star, and possesses many of its inhabitants. Kirby eventually, after aiding various creatures in need, obtains the Love-Love Stick and defeats Dark Matter by destroying 0 (Zero). Dark Matter returns in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, where it begins to attack Pop Star and five other planets. After being repelled from all of the planets, it forms as the Dark Star. It is controlled by 0² (Zero Two), an angelic-looking form of 0 with a halo, geometric, segmented wings, and a green spiked tail, who is destroyed along with the star. After defeating 02, the credits roll, showing various pictures of enemies and allies. Concept art once again shows 02 crying blood. Zero has yet to make an official reappearance, though the swordsman form of the strand of Dark Matter made a cameo appearance in both Kirby: Squeak Squad and Kirby Super Star Ultra.

Nightmare

Nightmare (ナイトメア Naitomea) , also known as The Nightmare Wizard,[6] is the final boss of Kirby's Adventure and its remake, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. After Nightmare invades the miraculous Fountain of Dreams, King Dedede splits up the Star Rod into seven pieces and gives them to his friends, preventing Nightmare from using it to spread bad dreams. Kirby, not knowing this, finds the pieces and reunites them. Nightmare soon tries to steal it, but Kirby ends up using it to defeat him. Nightmare starts out as an orb that shoots stars, and he eventually transforms into a humanoid, vampire-like being with a tornado-like cloak for a body.[7] Nightmare is also the main villain of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime. He runs Holy Nightmare Company (ホーリーナイトメア社 Hōrī Naitomea-sha, NightMare Enterprises in the English dub) . He is given the name of NME in the English version. Depicted as has having a more threatening persona than in the game, he is instead bent on conquering the universe, and he dominates much of the universe from the series' beginning. He uses his ability to create an endless number of creatures known as demon beasts to conquer civilizations. He also sells them to unsuspecting customers(Like Dedede) for a profit, via a transportation network. His only opposition are the Star Warriors and Galaxy Soldier Army, though they are wiped out before the series begins. He is an embodiment of life's fear and suffering, and so he strives to bring more pain in order to increase his power, and will always exist as long as people hold fear in their hearts. In the finale, he was destroyed by Kirby using the Star Rod. Nightmare is voiced by Banjo Ginga in the Japanese version of the anime and by Andrew Rannells in the English dub.

Dark Mind

Dark Mind is the main villain of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, with Dark Meta Knight as his right-hand man. At the intro of the game, after Meta Knight rushes into the mirror world, Dark Meta Knight will slice Kirby into four, unintentionally giving Kirby backup against the corrupted Mirror World. Throughout the game, Dark Meta Knight masquerades as the real deal and a timid "Shadow Kirby" also makes its appearance. Towards the end of the game, the original Meta Knight exposes the copy during the final confrontation. After Dark Meta Knight is shattered, the way to Dark Mind is open and sucks Kirby and Meta Knight's Master Sword. After Dark Mind is defeated, it is learned that he intended to make the Mirror World be overrun with a person's worst reflection of themselves; Shadow Kirby is actually an honest reflection of the real Kirby with no such qualities, and stays behind as the guardian of the Mirror World as Meta Knight lays his Master Sword to rest.

Dark Nebula

Dark Nebula is the main villain of Kirby Squeak Squad. Throughout most of the game, Dark Nebula is the prisoner of a treasure chest. Meta Knight realizes what is truly inside the treasure chest and suddenly steals it to prevent his release. Kirby, thinking his cake is inside, chases him to the ruins of the Halberd under the Secret Sea. Aboard the operational Halberd, the leader of the Squeaks, Daroach, manages to open the chest and releases him. However, Dark Nebula takes over his body and escapes to Gamble Galaxy. Kirby eventually fights Daroach again and Dark Nebula is forced out. Daroach relinquishes the Triple Star, a mystical rod. With his help, Dark Nebula is banished. In the Japanese version, Dark Nebula is called Dark Zero.

Drawcia

Drawcia (ドロシア Doroshia?) is the main villain of Kirby: Canvas Curse. She is an evil paint-witch and a dangerous sorceress. She curses Kirby into a ball at the start of the game and turns Pop Star into paint. She has two forms; Drawcia Sorceress and Drawcia Soul. Her first, humanoid form, can shoot balls of energy at Kirby and summon enemies to damage him (including Para Drawcias in her image) by painting them. Her second form resembles a blob of paint, and she has many paint-related techniques. When she is defeated, her curse is lifted and Pop Star and Kirby return to normal.

Marx

Marx (マルク Maruku?, Mark) is the final boss from Milky Way Wishes in Kirby Super Star and its remake. In the game, he was Kirby's ally, a round, lavender creature, similar to Kirby, but having no arms, wearing a jester hat, a bow tie, and brown shoes. In the beginning of Milky Way Wishes, Marx can be seen bouncing on a large striped ball. He tricked the Sun and Moon into fighting in order to trick Kirby into summoning a giant wish-granting machine comet called Nova for him at the end of the galaxy. He then warns Kirby of this "catastrophe," sending Kirby on the Milky Way Wishes adventure. Once Nova had appeared, Marx appears, seemingly out of nowhere, pushes Kirby out of the way and wishes for control over Pop Star. Nova then sets itself on a collision course at Pop Star. Marx then turns into a more powerful form of himself, which is somewhat larger than his original form and has fangs, strange yellow wings that look like two long arms with claws, and hearts on the ends and hooks sprouting out of the hearts. He makes a cameo appearance in Kirby: Squeak Squad, in an unlockable picture with other series villains. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, an arrange of the music when Kirby is battling Marx in Kirby Super Star can be played on the Halberd stage.

Marx Soul

Because Kirby stopped Nova from crashing into Pop Star, Marx attacks Kirby on the moon. Kirby defeats him, sending him flying into Nova, destroying Nova in the process. In the remake of the game, Kirby Super Star Ultra, it is shown that Marx does not survive this, though pieces of Nova fuse with his body and revives him as the more powerful Marx Soul. His wings are more reddish with discolored scales, and the hearts on his wings change from red to blue. The puffs on his hat are ripped, having the two colors of Marx's normal hat reversed and changed to magenta and aqua. Marx Soul also wears a pendant instead of his usual red bow tie. Instead of floppy brown shoes, he has brown, pointed Dutch clogging shoes. He also sticks out his tougne. He screams when he's defeated.

Yin-Yarn

Yin-Yarn is the main villain of the new Kirby game Kirby's Epic Yarn. He is an evil sorcerer who wreaks chaos and havoc in Dream Land and Patch Land. When Kirby tries to stop him he traps Kirby inside a sock that leads him to Patch Land, where Kirby's body transforms into yarn. A bit later, Kirby realizes that air goes through yarn, which forces him to use the yarn lasso and yarn abilities instead. Kirby and Prince Fluff set off to recover seven pieces of yarn, defeat Yin-Yarn, and bring peace back to both Dream Land and Patch Land. Yin-Yarn is the boss of Dream Land and is fought in two forms: first, he attacks Kirby and Prince Fluff in his normal form.Secondly,he attacks them as Mega Yin-Yarn,making Kirby and Prince Fluff turn into a Tankbot. His name is a pun on yin yang.

Necrodeus

Necrodeus is the primary antagonist of Kirby Mass Attack. He is the leader of a group of demons known as the Skull Gang. Upon appearing at the beginning of the game, Necrodeus casts a spell that splits Kirby into ten pieces, and defeats all but one Kirby. Necrodeus has the ultimate goal of shrouding Popstar in darkness, but is defeated by Kirby in the final scenes. His name means "Death Lord" in Latin, a name that accurately describes his appearance and nature. As the final boss of Kirby Mass Attack, he faces Kirby in two forms: first, Kirby must defeat his hands (similar to the Wham Bam Rock fight from Kirby Superstar) and then his head. Upon death, Necrodeus drops his magic staff, the source of his power, which Kirby uses to restore himself to normal.

Magolor

Magolor is a friendly-looking alien character from Kirby's Return to Dream Land whom Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee offer to help repair the Lor Starcutter so that he can return home to Halcandra - and as a special treat take them on a visit and a tour there. In truth, he is the game's main antagonist who is secretly using the four to defeat Landia and obtain the Master Crown for him. Magolor wants to become the universe's ruling overlord, and to do so, he wants to wear the Master Crown. As thanks to Kirby and company for being such a big help to him by repairing the Lor and defeating Landia, Magolor wants to take over Pop Star first. Landia, as four smaller dragons, flies Kirby and company after Magolor, and after two failed attempts to stop him, the group finally defeats him.

Supporting characters

Adeleine

Adeleine (アドレーヌ Adorēnu?) is an artist who originally appears in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards as one of the boss characters taken over by Dark Matter. She is taken over and fights Kirby, and later joins with Kirby after he frees her. She has the ability to make her paintings real, either creating monsters while under the control of Dark Matter or providing Kirby with help. A character of undetermined gender named Ado (アド Ado?)) plays a similar role in Kirby's Dreamland 3. This character may or may not be Adeleine but whichever the case, the truth remains unknown.

Dyna Blade

Dyna Blade (ダイナブレイド Daina Bureido?) is an enormous, armored bird that acts as both a friend and a foe in Kirby Super Star. In her self-titled game, she destroys all of Dream Land's crops to feed her chicks. Kirby defeats her, not knowing this, so he ends up feeding the chicks with apples and teaching them how to fly. In Revenge of Meta Knight, Dyna Blade returns the favor by successfully carrying Kirby get back on the Halberd only to be shot with a laser ray by the ship's crew, causing her to retreat, leaving Kirby to finish on his own. In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Dyna Blade is shown as a legendary bird that is worshiped by the citizens of Cappytown. King Dedede hatches a plot to get rid of Kirby by tricking him into eating her egg, which infuriates Dyna Blade and causes her to chase and attack Kirby for much of the episode, until her chick appears and Kirby feeds it, placating Dyna. In Kirby Air Ride, Dyna Blade appears in City Trial mode and sometimes flies to different parts of the city until flying away all together. The player can defeat Dyna Blade to obtain multiple power ups.[8] In Kirby's Epic Yarn, a similar boss to Dyna Blade named Hot Wings appears as the boss of Hot Land.

Gooey

Gooey is a good friend of Kirby who appears in Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3. In his first appearance, Gooey would appear if Kirby already had a friend and brought him to the area where he was originally held captive and add 1% to the game file's completion rate, but he became a fully playable character in the sequel (controlled by either the computer or player 2). Gooey can use the same moves as Kirby, save for using his tongue and only being able to slurp up one enemy at a time. He can use his tongue underwater.

Keeby

Keeby is a yellow-colored Kirby which only officially appeared in Kirby's Dream Course. Only playable through multiplayer mode, Keeby was Kirby's rival to see who could get the most points in a race to get to the golf hole first. Keeby also appears as an optional costume for Kirby in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In Kirby Super Star Ultra, Keeby is the second player in the game "Gourmet Race," racing against Kirby. In Kirby Squeak Squad, Kirby can use spray paint to become Keeby.

Animal Friends

Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3 feature various allies that can team up with Kirby and share powers. Kirby's Dream Land 2 introduces Rick (リック Rikku?) the Hamster, Coo (クー ?) the Owl, and Kine (カイン Kain?) the Ocean Sunfish. Kirby's Dream Land 3 introduces Nago (ナゴ?) the Cat, Pitch (ピッチ Picchi?) the Bird, and Chuchu (チュチュ?) the Blob. In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, when Kirby uses the Cutter/Stone combo ability, he can randomly carve himself into a stone statue of his allies. Surprisingly, Rick, Coo, and Kine also appears in the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. Also Rick Kine, and Coo make a cameo in Kirby's Mass Attack(They're the background image in the minigame "Kirby Quest")plus a cameo in Kirby's Return to Dreamland as a sculpture, Rock Kirby can transform into.

Prince Fluff

Prince Fluff is a playable character who helps Kirby in Kirby's Epic Yarn. He has the same abilities as Kirby. He is Kirby's size, but is blue and has larger (whiter) eyes, orange feet, and also has a golden crown on his head. He and Kirby team up to recover seven pieces of magic yarn scattered throughout the land, defeat Yin-Yarn, and bring peace back to his home, Patch Land. In 2-player mode, player 1 is Kirby and player 2 is Prince Fluff.

Ribbon

Ribbon (リボン Ribon?) is a pink-haired fairy from the planet Ripple Star who appears in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. She is a kind and brave character who attempted to escape her planet with the fairies' power crystal when it was invaded by Dark Matter.[9] In space, Dark Matter blobs ambushed her, shattered the crystal, and made her fall to Pop Star, where she lands on a stargazing Kirby and pleads with him for help.[9] Kirby agrees and they search for the Crystal shards scattered on various planets and thwart Dark Matter's invasion of Ripple Star along with Waddle Dee, Adeleine, and King Dedede. In the final battle, Ribbon and the crystal aid Kirby in defeating Zero-Two, the controlling force behind Dark Matter. In the ending cutscene of the game, she gives Kirby a kiss, blushing shyly afterward.

Landia

Landia is a four-headed dragon from Kirby's Return to Dream Land. According to the pause screen descriptions, it is an ancient guardian living in Halcandra who has protected the Master Crown and the Lor Starcutter since ancient times. It has always been asleep for a while, but just recently, Magolor attempted to steal the treasures it guarded, thus waking it up and forcing it into a rampage. Magolor fought against Landia himself to get it but lost, so he evacuated the Lor to Pop Star in hopes of finding someone useful to his plans. Magolor returned with Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight and Waddle Dee, and sicced all four on the dragon. After they defeated it, Magolor finally obtained the Master Crown and left to take over the galaxy starting with Pop Star, so Landia, as four smaller dragons, helped Kirby and company in their efforts to defeat Magolor. After Magolor's defeat, Landia and the Lor helped Kirby and the others escape from the closing void back to Pop Star before the four dragons and the Lor headed back home to Halcandra.

Enemies

Chef Kawasaki

Chef Kawasaki (コックカワサキ Kokku Kawasaki?, Cook Kawasaki), also known as Cook Kawasaki, is an enemy that first appears in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra. He throws dishes and uses a frying pan that extends in an attempt to catch and fry Kirby for damage. However, he appears as a friendly character in Kirby's Dream Land 3, where he plays a game with Kirby. He also appears in the anime, where he runs the only restaurant in town. He gives Kirby the Cook ability, which is also used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as Kirby's Final Smash. He is voiced by Nobuo Tobita in the Japanese version of the anime and the late Maddie Blaustein in the English dub.

Galacta Knight

Galacta Knight's first appearance is in Kirby Super Star Ultra, as the final boss of Meta Knightmare Ultra. He appears when Meta Knight, done with his training, wishes to the reformed Nova to fight the strongest warrior in the galaxy. Nova grants this by allowing a challenge with Galacta Knight, whom is said by Nova to have been sealed away in ancient times for fear that his power was too great. He has a white mask with a plus sign on it and a hot pink body. His eyes are red and glow just like Meta Knight's, except Galacta Knight's eyes are more rectangular. He wields a purple lance with a white shield that has a purple cross on the front. As for his wings, they are angel-like and glow white. He must also be faced in The True Arena, in which he is the penultimate boss. He is also in the latest Kirby installment, "Kirby's Return to Dream Land", fought right before Magolor EX in that game's own True Arena mode as a secret boss.

Knuckle Joe

Knuckle Joe (ナックルジョー Nakkuru Jō?) is a fighter who utilizes a variety of punches and kicks. He appears in Kirby Super Star and its remake as an enemy type and a helper to Kirby, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an Assist Trophy. He appears in the anime as the son of a legendary Star Warrior who seeks to avenge his father's death. He attacks Kirby, believing him to be the killer, though Meta Knight explains that his father was killed by his hand after he was unfortunately changed into a monster. He reappears multiple times to help Kirby. He is voiced by Minami Takayama in Japanese media and by Alésia Glidewell in the English version of Brawl.[10]

Kracko

Kracko (クラッコ Kurakko?) is a boss that first appears in Kirby's Dream Land. It resembles a large cumulus cloud with spikes protruding from all sides, and a single large eyeball in the center. It attacks with electricity, rain, and by producing smaller enemies, such as Waddle Doos. Kracko is typically first seen in a weaker form, sometimes called Kracko Jr. Its characteristic eye remains, but it is surrounded by four balls, which it either spins slowly or launches at Kirby. This form either fights as a mini-boss earlier in various games, or immediately prior to transforming to its "adult" form. Kracko is slightly different in Kirby Super Star (Ultra) in that Kracko Jr. and Kracko are two separate bosses. Kracko returns in Kirby Super Star Ultra: Revenge of the King as Kracko Jr.'s Revenge and Kracko's Revenge, each with purple scleras and dark grey cloud-parts. In Kirby: Squeak Squad, a gray, robot version called Mecha Kracko appears as a boss. It appears in the anime as a monster purchase by King Dedede to defeat Kirby, though it is soon defeated. For most of the episode, Kracko appeared as a storm that shot lightning throughout Cappytown, but when Kirby flew inside of it Kracko shot electric sword beams at Kirby giving him the sword ability. Kirby shot five sword beams back (the last one splitting Kracko in half). Kracko was shown the same way he is in the games. In Revenge of the King, Kracko comes back not only as Kracko Jr.'s Revenge, but also the more aggressive Kracko's Revenge. Kracko is also a surprise boss in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.

Kracko Jr.

A half-cloud with an eyeball in its center who first appeared in Kirby's Dream Land as a mini-boss. It usually drops Waddle Doos and bombers at you. Often it will take a more powerful form called Kracko.

Kabula

Kabula is King Dedede's blimp, who appears as a boss in some games. She has the ability to fire cannonballs and barrel-roll at you. In Kirby's Dream Land, she appeared as a blimp with a hexagonal emblem her, you battle her by firing projectiles (in Kirby's Dream Land, you fight her using air pellets, and in Kirby Super Star Ultra, you fight her with the Starship).

Lololo and Lalala

Lololo and Lalala (ロロロ と ラララ Rororo to Rarara?) are two characters based on the pair of characters from the Eggerland / Adventures of Lolo series, another creation of HAL Laboratories. They appear once as the second boss fight in Kirby's Dream Land, where they push objects in an attempt to hurt Kirby. They also appear in the anime as friendly characters, where they are known as Fololo and Falala in the English dub, and they reside in King Dedede's castle. They are originally a single monster working for Nightmare Enterprises called Lola (ロラ Rora, Fofa in the English dub), but it is split into two by another monster and sent to Dedede as punishment for being too weak. In the Japanese version of the anime, Lololo is voiced by Chiro Kanzaki and Lalala is voiced by Madoki Akita. In the English dub, they are both voiced by Tara Sands. In Revenge of the King, they return as Lololo and Lalala's Revenge.

Meta-Knights

The Meta-Knights (メタナイツ Meta-Naitsu?) are a group of soldiers led by Meta Knight, who often uses them to test Kirby's skills throughout Kirby's Adventure, which is their first appearance. The Meta-Knights include Axe Knight (アックスナイト Akkusu Naito?), Mace Knight (メイスナイト Meisu Naito?), Javelin Knight (ジャベリンナイト Jaberin Naito?), and Trident Knight (トライデントナイト Toraidento Naito?). They are four distinct armored soldiers that each wield the weapon they are named after. The Meta-Knights return prominently in Kirby Super Star, where they aided Meta Knight in his attempt to conquer Dream Land via his armored airship, the Halberd. They also appeared in some other game modes, also fighting as a team. A version of them can also be summoned by Galacta Knight.

Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright

Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright (Mr. シャイン & Mr. ブライト Misutā Shain & Misutā Buraito?) are tag-team bosses first appearing in Kirby's Adventure. Mr. Shine appears as a crescent moon with a face and limbs, while Mr. Bright is a sun with similar features. They resemble as the Sun and the Moon in Dreamland. One always stays in the air, raining down projectiles, while the other attacks from the ground. One of their most lethal attacks is when they create a solar eclipse: Mr. Bright will blast the area with flames while Mr. Shine creates a patch of shadow, which is the only safe spot. They return in Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3, and Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland. In Kirby Super Star, the real sun and the moon literally fought day and night due to a misunderstanding caused by Marx. In the anime, a monster named Dice and Splice in the English dub and Kittari Hattari in the Japanese version uses moon- and star-shaped staffs to split and paste his enemies. Presumably, this was an ode to Mr, Shine and Mr, Bright.

Paint Roller

Paint Roller (ペイントローラー Peinto Rōrā?) appears as a boss in Kirby's Adventure (and its remake) and Kirby: Canvas Curse. It wears a baseball cap and roller skates, and it is capable of drawing enemies that come to life. It appears in the anime as a monster bought by Dedede to fight Kirby.

Poppy Bros. Jr./Poppy Bros. Sr.

Poppy Bros. Jr. is an elf-like enemy sometimes found on Maximum Tomatoes, apples, or on a mount. They may either be unarmed, throw bombs, or throw boomerangs. He is the Helper assigned to the Bomb ability in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra. Poppy Bros. Sr. serves as a boss and is a larger version of the Bomb version of Poppy Bros. Jr. They appear in a wide variety of games and sometimes give Kirby the Bomb or Cutter ability, though most often the former. Poppy Bros. Jr. also makes a cameo appearance in "Kirby Right Back At Ya" as a monster in training.

The Squeaks

The Squeaks are an infamous band of robbers who are the villains in Kirby: Squeak Squad. Kirby: Squeak Squad starts when Kirby's cake disappears. Kirby thinks King Dedede took it, but after World 1 Kirby finds out the Squeaks stole his cake. Kirby follows the Squeaks throughout the game trying to get his cake back. The Squeaks also stole a treasure chest which Kirby thinks has his cake inside. Kirby has to fight Daroach, leader of the Squeaks, at the end of World 6. Once Daroach is beaten, Meta Knight comes out of nowhere and takes the chest. Kirby follows Meta Knight throughout World 7. At World 7's end Kirby fights Meta Knight for the chest. Once Kirby beats Meta Knight, he takes the chest, but the Squeaks come and take it from him. Daroach opens the chest, but instead of the cake, he finds a dark cloud that grabs him. Kirby chases after the cloud in World 8, and eventually fights Dark Daroach. Once Kirby beats it, the dark cloud lets out Daroach. It floats away as a small, black star. Kirby follows the star until it becomes its true form, a dark star called Dark Nebula. Using the Triple Star Rod Daroach gave him, Kirby defeats Dark Nebula. Once Dark Nebula is beaten, you beat Kirby: Squeak Squad. The ending shows Kirby flying back home wondering where his cake went. The Squeaks give Kirby his cake back as an apology for the trouble they put Kirby into. It turns out Meta Knight didn't give Kirby the chest because he didn't want Kirby to let out Dark Nebula. The Squeaks later appear in Kirby Mass Attack, where they give Kirby hints on where medals are.

Waddle Dee

Waddle Dee are red/tan creatures that have a somewhat similar appearance to Kirby. Waddle Dee, along with their Waddle Doo counterpart, first appeared in Kirby's Dream Land and has since then appeared in almost every Kirby game to date. In Kirby Super Star during the "Revenge of Meta Knight" mode, a Waddle Dee with a sailor hat (often named Sailor Waddle Dee) is part of Meta Knight's crew on the Halberd, he is never seen outside of enemy conversation however. A Waddle Dee with a bandanna also appears in the Megaton Punch sub-game mode, as well as in Kirby Super Star Ultra. Waddle Dee also appears in the arena mode as a joke boss (similar to the Boss Endurance mode in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror) , and has been joked as the most powerful boss in the game. In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, one Waddle Dee, in contrast to his usual role as a common enemy, helps Kirby in his adventure. Waddle Dee is, at first, possessed by Dark Matter, transformed into a Waddle Doo, and forced to engage Kirby. After defeating him, Waddle Dee returns to his peaceful self and catches up with Kirby to join his group alongside Ribbon. An average Waddle Dee also appears as a playable character in Kirby Canvas Curse. In Kirby Super Star Ultra, a Waddle Dee wearing a blue kerchief appears prominently in the "Revenge of the King" mode, as a minion of King Dedede. Eventually, Dedede has him fight against Kirby, but is defeated (but later appears in the background during the battle with Dedede and the credits). The same Waddle Dee also appears in the Megaton Punch sub-game. Also this Waddle Dee replaces the Waddle Dee that appeared in the Kirby Super Star arena. Multiple Waddle Dees appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, along with Waddle Doos and Gordos, as part of King Dedede's "weapons", summoned through his side special move by being pulled from his left sleeve or by using his final smash, Waddle Dee Army. There are also many types of Waddle Dee such as Parasol Waddle Dee (which gives the ability), Fluff Waddle Dee, Cart Waddle Dee, Spear Waddle Dee, Swinging Waddle Dee, Balloon Waddle Dee, Big Waddle Dee, Golden Waddle Dee, and Buggie Dee. Waddle Dee have been seen to be in other colors besides red, such as yellow (in Kirby Super Star Ultra Helper to Hero mode), Golden, and purple (In the "Milky Way Wishes" mode of Kirby Super Star and it's sequel). In Kirby's Epic Yarn, Yarn Waddle Dees, created by the sorcerer Yin Yarn, appear, but don't hurt Kirby unless carrying a weapon, such as a spear, or bow and arrow. There were also Balloon Waddle Dees, floating from a bunch of balloons that Kirby can ride on, but the balloons eventually deflate. A Waddle Dee also appears as a playable character in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Waddle Doo

Waddle Doo is a roundish creature with an orange body,stubby arms,and purple shoes.It has a giant eyeball for a face. It shoots beams and in the anime appearance and has a small dagger for a weapon (though he never uses it). In the anime, he is King Dedede's right hand man as the leader of Waddle Dee troops and gives orders under King Dedede's commands. If swallowed by Kirby in most Kirby games, Kirby is given the Beam Ability and is able to shoot powerful beams at foes. Waddle Doo first appeared in Kirby's Dream Land, and has since then been consistent in his appearance in Kirby games. In Kirby 64, Waddle Doo only appeared as a version of Waddle Dee possessed by Dark Matter.

Wham Bam Jewel

The master of Wham Bam Rock, Wham Bam Jewel, appeared in Kirby Super Star Ultra. It is more advanced than Wham Bam Rock. Wham Bam Jewel wears a jeweled crown and has swinging diamond earrings, fangs, and three eyes. His motives are unknown, other than as the 13th and final boss in Helper to Hero. Kirby must also defeat him as the second of the Final Four in the True Arena. One of his attacks is a reference to the finger gun, in which he points at Kirby and fires. It is very similar to Crazy Hand in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Whispy Woods

Whispy Woods (ウィスピーウッズ Wisupī Uzzu?) is a large apple tree whose most common attack is dropping apples from his branches. He generally appears as a boss, usually the first one in many Kirby games and the first boss to appear in the Kirby series. Also, in Kirby Super Star (and its remake) there exists a related pair of creatures named Twin Woods, and they can be found in Milky Way Wishes, Revenge of Meta Knight, Meta Knightmare Ultra, The Arena, and Helper to Hero. In Revenge of the King, Whispy Woods comes back as Whispy's Revenge. This time, its leaves are purple and it can drop poisonous apples and worms. It can also drop Gordos like Twin Woods, and shoot gusts of wind and small twisters. The anime features him as the king of the forest in Dream Land. Whispy is several hundred years old, and very wise, though he has a bit of a temper. He's very kind to his friends, but shows no mercy to those that threaten his kingdom. At first, he believes Kirby and his friends are intruders when they build a campfire around him. It turns out to be a setup by Dedede, who wants to destroy Whispy to build a golf course. After most of the forest is cut down, it is revived by one of Whispy's apples. Dedede continues to constantly try to build his golf course during the series, while Whispy becomes Kirby's ally. Whispy makes appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series. He can be seen in Kirby-based stages, blowing wind at the characters and dropping apples. It is voiced by Osamu Hosoi in the Japanese version of the anime and by Dan Green in the English dub.

Kirby's Epic Yarn Bosses

The first four bosses of this game are creations of the sorcerer Yin-Yarn, each being a guardian of one piece of magic yarn; they have not been seen in any other Kirby game. The boss of Grass Land is Fangora, a dragon who attacks with its long tongue, strong winds creates with its wings, and fireballs. Hot Land's boss is Hot Wings, a flaming phoenix named after the chicken dish, whish shoots fire and sometimes becomes a fireball itself. The boss of Treat Land is Squashini (his name is a portmanteau of squash and Houdini), a pumpkin-headed magician who attacks you with varying magic tricks, selected by a randomised slot machine. Water Land's boss is Capamari (a play on "calamari", also known as Stylocto on the American website), a gigantic squid with a nightcap on its head.
Later bosses in the game are more familiar. Snow Land's boss is yarn version of King Dedede, who was teleported to Patch Land by Yin-Yarn, and transformed into a marionette (Kirby can free him by pulling at all the buttons holding him up). The boss of Space Land is Meta Knight, also teleported by Yin-Yarn and brainwashed using a set of enchanted swords (after defeating him, Meta-Knight and Kirby team up). Whispy Woods, Kracko, and the Main Cannon and Reactor of Halberd appear as mini-bosses in Dream Land, and the final boss is Yin-Yarn himself, who assumes two different forms.

Anime-only characters

Escargoon

Escargoon, Doctor Escargon (ドクター・エスカルゴン Dokutā Esukarugon?) in Japanese versions, is an anthropomorphic snail that serves King Dedede in the anime series. He is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta in the Japanese version and by Ted Lewis in the English dub. He originally left his mother's farm to become famous and make his mother proud, but ended up serving Dedede instead. He helps Dedede's plots by creating various inventions to help defeat Kirby. The king smashes Escargoon as much as he does Kirby. However, Escargoon appears in Kirby Mass Attack.

Nightmare Enterprises

Nightmare Enterprises (Holy Nightmare Co. in the Japanese version) also known as N.M.E is an organization led by Nightmare. Its purpose is creating monsters selling them to unsuspecting customers through the internet in order to spread Nightmare's empire. One of Nightmare Enterprises' main employees is its Salesman (Customer Service in Japan), who sells monsters to King Dedede over the Internet. In the Japanese version, he speaks politely, but still doesn't pass up a chance to insult customers. However, in the dub, his personality is more like that of a stereotypical used car salesman. Until the final episode, only the top half of his body is shown - giving King Dedede and Escargoon the illusion of him being tall; in the finale, he is revealed to be very short. Besides the monsters and by-products, Nightmare Enterprises also creates different kinds of warfare, ranging from laser guns to large ships. The company is housed by a massive spaceship with an eye on its front and cyberspace cities on its exterior.

Salesman in the original is voiced by Banjo Ginga and in the dubbed by Dan Green.

Sir Ebrum & Lady Like

Sir Ebrum (パーム Pāmu?) and Lady Like (メーム Mēmu?) are the parents of Tiff and Tuff, who work and live in King Dedede's Castle and keep peace between their strong-willed offsprings and their rambunctious employer. Sir Ebrum, the Cabinet Minister, is voiced by Takashi Nagasako in the Japanese version and Dan Green in the English dub, while Lady Like is voiced by Yuko Mizutani in the Japanese version and Kayzie Rogers using an Eva Gabor impression in the English dub. Lady Like is usually the one out of the two who is suspicious of Dedede's plots since they put her children in danger as well, although even Sir Ebrum gets suspicious sometimes.

Tiff and Tuff

Tiff and Tuff (Fūmu (フーム?) and Bun (ブン?) in the Japanese versions) are the brother and sister duo that accompany Kirby in the anime series. Tiff is voiced by Sayuri Yoshida in the original Japanese version and Kerry Williams in the English dub. Tuff is voiced by Rika Komatsu in the Japanese version and Kayzie Rogers in the English dub. They live in the castle of King Dedede with their parents, Sir Ebrum and Lady Like, and help Kirby in his fight against Dedede's plots and Nightmare's monsters. Tiff is more interested in academics, such as chemistry and other studies, while Tuff is active in sports and other physical activities.

References

  1. ^ a b Lucas M. Thomas (2007-06-29). "Smash It Up! - Volume 2". http://wii.ign.com/articles/800/800696p1.html. Retrieved 2008-02-07. 
  2. ^ "King Dedede's profile in the Smash Bros. DOJO!!". 2007-10-25. http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/kingdedede.html. Retrieved 2008-02-07. 
  3. ^ Smash Bros. DOJO!!
  4. ^ Tom Goulter (Oct 1, 2009). "The 12 most misunderstood videogame villains, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Wii Features". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/wii/f/the-12-most-misunderstood-videogame-villains/a-20091001102755474083/g-20060509134454277061/p-3. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 
  5. ^ Jim Sterling (Oct 3, 2011). "The Top 7… Unlikeliest badasses in gaming, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Xbox 360 Features". GamesRadar. p. 2. http://www.gamesradar.com/top-7-unlikeliest-badasses-gaming/?page=2. Retrieved 2011-10-4. 
  6. ^ HAL Laboratory. Super Smash Bros. Melee. (Nintendo). Nintendo GameCube. (2001-12-03)
  7. ^ HAL Laboratory. Kirby's Adventure. (Nintendo). Nintendo Entertainment System. (1993-05-01)
  8. ^ kirby.wikia
  9. ^ a b Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards instruction booklet, pgs. 4-6
  10. ^ Glidewell, Alésia. "Bio - Alésia Glidewell - Voice Over Artist". AlesiaGlidewell.com. http://www.alesiaglidewell.com/bio.php. Retrieved 2008-04-13. 

See also