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For fighter info, see Kirby (Super Smash Bros.), Kirby (Super Smash Bros. Melee), Kirby (Super Smash Bros. Brawl), Kirby (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U) and Kirby (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). For the universe, see Kirby (universe).

Kirby (カービィ, Kābī) is the main protagonist of the Kirby series. He was created by Masahiro Sakurai - the same developer who also created the very Super Smash Bros. series this wiki is about, and even helped develop Kid Icarus Uprising - when he was 19 years old at the time. The Kirby series has been running for three decades, and nearly thirty titles have been released under the Kirby name, most of which were developed by HAL Laboratory Inc. A round, pink creature hailing from Planet Popstar, he is best known for his ability to inhale enemies and copy their abilities, and uses these powers to defend his homeland from various threats ranging from his "arch-frenemy" King Dedede to outside evil forces such as Nightmare and Dark Matter. As a member of the "perfect-attendance crew", Kirby has been featured as a playable character throughout the entire Super Smash Bros. series.

Character description[]

Kirby-sprite-run

Kirby as he appears in Kirby's Adventure

In Smash 64, Kirby's round pink form is revealed to only be 8 inches (20.32 centimeters) in height (though in his appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, also created by Sakurai, his dimensions are obviously enlarged for fair play). Starting from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, this has been Kirby's canon height ever since.

Kirby (Super Smash Bros

Kirby is a resident and the consistent hero of the yellow star-shaped planet Pop Star. He can inhale multiple items and individuals forcefully, allowing him to swallow enemies right in front of him and copy their abilities to help him fight back against different enemies (known as the copy ability). He can also store the air he inhales to make himself larger and more puffy than normal, enabling him to float around for significant periods of time. He can also store the air and spit out items that can damage enemies. His species, of which himself, Keeby, and Meta Knight (although the latter is still unconfirmed) are the three most prominent individuals, is not officially named, outside of the vague title of "citizens of Dream Land", which does not reveal his species, but is most commonly referred to as "Kirbys". Living in the peaceful kingdom of Dream Land, he defends his home against foes such as his "arch-frenemy" King Dedede, and the malevolent, shadowy Dark Matter. Kirby is generally depicted with an innocent and easygoing personality, but he is also shown to be determined and heroic when the situation calls for it. While Kirby's species is left unclear, he is not the only one of his kind; multiple Kirby-like beings are known to exist, including Meta Knight, who bears a striking resemblance to him.

Kirby's demeanor is best described as childlike. He is often motivated solely by his instinctual needs to eat and sleep, and depending on his temperament, he may make brash decisions or allow others to take advantage of him. This extends to the point that he is occasionally compared to an infant, especially in the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime. His voice, reflecting his nature, is comparable to a toddler learning to speak: mostly incoherent babbling with a very rare short sentence. However, Kirby does show some intelligence that an infant would not possess, particularly in his combat skills and adaptability to the situations he comes across. Kirby is also perceptive of emotions, being able to tell what others are feeling and respond appropriately.

Kirby's trademark attack is his ability to Inhale forcefully, allowing him to swallow his enemies whole or spit them back out as star-shaped projectiles. Introduced in Kirby's Adventure was the option to copy a swallowed enemy's ability to fight back (known as a Copy Ability). He has a multitude of Copy Abilities that allow him to perform a wide variety of techniques, such as wielding a sword, breathing fire, or creating beams of energy. He can also float by storing the air he inhales, making himself large and puffy.

Kirby began as an entirely different character that starred in Masahiro Sakurai's early Game Boy game in development, originally called "Twinkle Popo". 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 it as the final character. Originally called Popopo, the little protagonist was eventually named Kirby, and the game itself named Kirby's Dream Land. The name was chosen from a list of candidates provided by Nintendo of America, who wished to give the character more international appeal; Shigeru Miyamoto thought that the contrast between the cute character and the name's "harsh" sound was humorous. Coincidentally, John Kirby was the name of the lawyer who defended Nintendo during a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Universal Studios over the name of Donkey Kong.

Contrary to popular belief, Kirby was always intended to be pink, but the Game Boy's monochromatic palette led to initial confusion about his color scheme. North American marketing for Kirby's Dream Land depicted him as white, similar to the in-game graphics. This would later be referenced with the Chalk Spray Paint in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Squeak Squad, as well as Kirby's alternate costumes from Melee onwards. Meanwhile, Miyamoto initially interpreted the character as yellow; as a result, the second player in later Kirby games starting with Kirby's Dream Course is typically a yellow Kirby. His pink coloration wouldn't be seen in-game until Kirby's Adventure, the second game of the series, which also introduced the iconic Copy Abilities.

In Super Smash Bros.[]

As a playable character[]

64Kirby

Kirby is a starter character and the only playable character from his series appearing in Super Smash Bros..

He is known for his great recovery, quick attacks, his amazingly fast up tilt, 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 suck in enemies and emulate their neutral B attacks. All of these factors place him high in the original game's tier list, placing 2nd only behind Pikachu.

In-game description[]

Kirby SSB
The 8-inch high Kirby hails from a distant, peaceful star. Like his simplistic appearance, he is an easily-understood character. True to his instincts, Kirby eats when he gets hungry and sleeps as soon as he grows tired. Nevertheless, Kirby remains a formidable opponent. In addition to his distinct flying and swallowing skills, he also has the ability to copy enemy attacks for ever-changing action.
Works:
  • Kirby's Dream Land (GB)
  • Kirby's Pinball Land (GB)
  • Kirby Super Star (SNES)
  • Kirby's Adventure (NES)

In Super Smash Bros. Melee[]

As a playable character[]

Kirbymeleeclear

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Kirby returns as a starting playable and the only character from his series appeared once again while his other allies and rivals appeared as trophies and cameos around.

In this game, Kirby receives a redesign along with new attacks that include the Hammer Special Move as his new side special move and is still a floaty, lightweight character that can jump five times in midair. Perhaps his most notable distinction is that Kirby is the only character in Melee to have two different versions of a Special Move, with Hammer on the ground being a slow but high-damaging & high-knockback move, while it's midair variant is the exact opposite but is useful for damage racking and edge guarding, especially against top-tier characters like Fox or Falco who are infamous for their good recovery.

However, due to complaints on how powerful Kirby was in 64, he has been noticeably nerfed harshly, losing most of his power, speed and range compared to his appearance in the original Super Smash Bros. He currently ranks 26th on the tier list, being the second-lowest ranked character in the game (Bowser being the only one below him) despite Pichu being a character in the game that damages itself with most of its attacks.

Trophies[]

Kirby is the most extensively represented character in Melee trophies: In addition to having his set of three trophies earned through single player 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).

Kirby
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The Kirby Trophy

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]
Kirby [Smash]
Kirby's small size lets him dodge many attacks, but his light weight makes him fly far when struck. Using his ability to inflate, he can jump five times. His Swallow attack creates wild combos; not only can he copy foes' moves, but he'll also put on special hats and mimic their voices. His Hammer is unwieldy but powerful.
Kirby [Smash]
Because of his lightweight, Kirby is always in danger of being sent flying, but his ability to puff up and fly allows him to come back from amazing distances. His Final Cutter strikes on the way up and on the way down, and it sends out a beam of force upon landing. Kirby transforms into various objects and crashes down when he uses his Stone technique.

There are also trophies depicting Kirby in various guises he has taken in his games:

Ball Kirby
BallKirbySSBMTrophy
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
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The Fighter Kirby Trophy

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
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The Fire Kirby Trophy

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[]

As a playable character[]

Kirby Clear SSBB

Kirby returns for his third appearance in the Brawl version of the Smash series and this time he's not the only character this time, as he's now reunited with his good old newcomers, his friend Meta Knight and his arch-rival King Dedede. He was revealed in all trailers for Brawl before its release (also being the only character who didn't undergo drastic changes in graphics, as shown by the trailers), 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 thanks to the inclusion of his rivals King Dedede and Meta Knight. He is significantly faster and stronger and has greater range. It may seem that he is now a lot closer to his N64 glory days in Brawl than he was in Melee as his reach, speed, power, combo ability and aerial mobility have all been improved. His Inhale (referred to as Swallow in Melee) has also been improved as it now has a vacuum effect, improving its range, and now can swallow items, although sucking in explosive items will hurt him. These boons have allowed him to be ranked 20th on the current tier list in D tier as a mid tier.

Along with the rest of the returning playable characters from Melee, Kirby received a Final Smash in this game. Called Cook Kirby, the move allows Kirby to cook opponents and items in a big boiler pot, and then send his opponents flying and release new items.

Trophies[]

Many of Kirby's forms are made into trophies in Brawl.

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
Beam Kirby Trophy
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
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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
Sword Kirby Trophy
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 Cutter. 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
Sleep Kirby Trophy
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
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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
Fighter Kirby Trophy
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
Fire Kirby Trophy
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
Ice Kirby Trophy
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 terrains such as magma or water.
  • Kirby Super Star
  • Kirby: Canvas Curse
Plasma Kirby
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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
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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

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[]

As a playable character[]

Kirby SSB4

Kirby returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and has some minor changes in his move set. His Hammer attack has been replaced with a similar move called Hammer Flip, which is a chargeable attack that deals more damage the longer it's charged. Additionally, his Final Smash was changed to the Ultra Sword. Kirby does not have a new dash attack, unlike the last two games in the series.

At SSB4's initial release, Kirby had been nerfed since Brawl, with his overall range being reduced. However, Kirby benefits from general gameplay changes of SSB4, such as the changes to hitstun canceling, which allow him to perform combos more effectively. Kirby was also noticeably buffed courtesy of game updates to both versions of SSB4, improving his approach and KO power. However, such updates have not significantly patched up his key flaws, which has resulted in his representation in tournaments being scarce and his tier position being worse than it was in Brawl. He is ranked 50th on the tier list, placing him in the F tier.

Trophies[]

Kirby
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Round little Kirby lives on the peaceful Planet Popstar, in Dream Land. He can inhale things with his big mouth, either copying their abilities or spitting them out again. In Smash Bros., Kirby can inhale opponents and copy their standard specials. He gets launched easily but recovers well.
  • Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
Kirby (Alt.)
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Holding the special button and left or right will charge up Kirby's Hammer Flip attack. Charging too long hurts Kirby! The hammer strikes twice in the air, but landing the single blow on the ground is more powerful. Kirby's up special Final Cutter slices up and down, firing a shockwave upon landing.
  • Kirby's Dream Land (08/1992)
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
Plasma Kirby
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What does the aurora borealis have in common with lightning? Plasma! And what does Plasma Kirby have in common with them? Hrm. Maybe that was too easy... Anyway, Plasma Kirby can build up plasma using the +Control Pad and fire it with the B Button. You can look up more about plasma if you want, but firing plasma is what's important here.
Sword Kirby
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That green cap sure does make Kirby look heroic, doesn't it? Maybe wearing it just inspires Kirby, but while he's wearing it, he gets all kinds of neat moves, like Spin Slash, Multisword Attack, and Sword Dive. He's even able to pull off these moves in the air, on the ground, or underwater!
  • Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)
  • Kirby: Triple Deluxe (05/2014)
Beam Kirby
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Waddle Doo can fire beams from his eye. Does that make you green with envy? Then inhale him and copy that ability! You'll then be able to shoot beams from a wand, and the attack can even be charged up for greater effectiveness. You can also use a beam to push switches or to grab and toss your foes.
  • Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
Fire Kirby
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When Kirby first copied the Fire ability he was only able to breathe fire. Nowadays, he can do all sorts of neat things! For example, he can engulf himself in flames and roll forward, burning grass, lighting fuses, melting ice, and so on. What we'd really like him to do, though, is help us make the perfect s'more. Mmmmm.
  • Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
Ice Kirby
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The perfect ability to copy in the summer--Kirby gains freezing breath when he copies the Ice ability. Enemies frozen by his arctic blasts can be launched at other foes too. Perfect for a tough fight or when you need some ice for your iced coffee. Kirby isn't busy saving Dream Land or anything...
  • Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
Needle Kirby
26D98F85-6A6A-40E8-8D82-ECD8158C90FA
Kirby normally looks as tasty as a big ol' marshmallow, but he's significantly less appetizing when he's copied the Needle ability. Those pokey spikes won't add any flavor at all. With this ability, Kirby can bash into enemies or launch the spikes at them. A great, easy-to-use ability!
  • Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)
  • Kirby: Triple Deluxe (05/2014)
Tornado Kirby
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Who needs hats when you can have an actual tornado coming out of your head? That's our Kirby -always the trendsetter. And with the Tornado ability, he can go one step further, turning his whole body into a cyclone to go on a wild rampage. His rapid spinning isn't exactly easy to control, but that's all part of the fun!
  • Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)
  • Kirby's Return to Dream Land (10/2011)
Mike Kirby
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Curious what Kirby's singing voice sounds like? Then track down and inhale Mr. Tick-Tock or a Walky! Kirby can copy the Mike ability and then use a mike or megaphone to really let 'er rip. Sometimes he sounds as cute as he looks, but he can also hit those low notes when he wants to rock.
  • Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)
  • Kirby's Return to Dream Land (10/2011)
Sleep Kirby
B0E12AC9-93BA-47E9-8046-47756B188856
You don't get to see sleeping heroes very often. They're so busy rescuing princesses or saving the world, they just don't have time for a little nap. Not so with Kirby! The moment he inhales the snooze-prone enemy Noddy, he pops on his sleeping cap and dozes right off. Ah, Kirby, what dreams might you be having today?
  • Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
Bomb Kirby
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When he copies the Bomb ability, Kirby gets to don a stylish hat just like Poppy Bros. Jr. The hat's appearance varies a little from game to game, but the ability itself is always pretty much the same: pull out a bomb, throw it, BOOM! Careful, though--if you hang on to the bomb for too long, you'll go BOOM yourself!
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
  • Kirby: Triple Deluxe (05/2014)
Fighter Kirby
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"Show me your moves!" Wait-that's not Kirby's line! Regardless, he's really fired up and ready to become a fighting machine with that red headband. He knows the basics, like kicking and tossing, but he can also muster his fighting spirit to blast distant foes.
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
  • Kirby's Return to Dream Land (10/2011)
Wing Kirby
Kirby doesn't need to copy abilities to bop through the air, but actually having wings gives his aerial
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skills a definite boost. They even let him use some extra attacks, like the acrobatic Shuttle Loop and the mighty Condor Head. He can also fire at foes with his Feather Gun! Thought Kirby was just a squishy puffball? Surprise!
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
  • Kirby's Return to Dream Land (10/2011)
Ninja Kirby
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Making his debut in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, the Moonja enemy looks about as ninja as you can get. If you copy its ability, Kirby can become a master of the ninja arts! With a variety of useful skills like Knife Throw and Blossom Storm, you might want to remain a ninja forever!
  • Kirby Super Star (08/1996)
  • Kirby's Return to Dream Land (10/2011)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]

Kirby - Super Smash Bros

As a playable character[]

Kirby reappears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable fighter. He appears in the World of Light mode as the sole survivor of Galeem's initial attack. He can now inhale certain projectiles that could heal or damage him, and his dash attack is now the Burning copy ability variant used in Melee. Kirby has been significantly buffed over the course of Ultimate's updates, leading to Kirby rising in significance again in Ultimate tournaments. Some players who use Kirby in Ultimate competitive play include JeJaJeJa, Jesuischoq, Konokururu, Gintama & SuperGirlKels. Despite these buffs, however, Kirby is placed in the upper half of D+ Tier, currently ranked 76th place. However, due to his loyal player base, this ranking is subject to debate.

Trivia[]

  • Kirby, alongside Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Pikachu, Fox, and Yoshi are the only characters that are starters in every single Smash Bros. title.
  • Kirby uses a different dash attack in each of the first three Super Smash Bros. games. In the original Super Smash Bros., he performs a slide tackle. In Melee, and as a returning move in Ultimate, he performs "Burning Kirby" (an ability seen in some Kirby games, and merged with the Fire ability in others), while in Brawl, he performs Yo-yo Kirby's "Break Spin" from Kirby Super Star. The Break Spin also stays as Kirby's dash attack in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U.
  • In Brawl, Kirby can inhale Meta Knight and King Dedede and copy their special moves. In Kirby's own series he cannot inhale bosses (except mini-bosses once they're weakened).
  • Kirby's movesets are derived from the various copy abilities he could acquire. As such, Kirby's moveset in the Super Smash Bros. series is a merger of several abilities, though he has no hat to start with.
    • The specific abilities that have been represented in his normal moveset (excluding neutral B attacks) are Yo-Yo, Burning/Fire, Fighter, Suplex, Ninja, Cutter/Sword (depending on the game), Hammer, Stone, and Cook.
    • Based in this principle, the Smash ability in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is a merger of moves from several abilities, as it is actually a scaled down version of Kirby's Melee moveset. He uses all his specials (except Inhale), as well as his neutral ground attack and neutral aerial.
    • The Smash ability returns in Kirby: Planet Robobot, now named the Smash Bros. ability. Many of Kirby's attacks remain the same with the exception of Hammer, which is now chargeable, a new Forward Smash move, and a new shield which resembles the red shield in the Smash Bros. series. This shield makes Kirby invincible to all attacks and does not shrink over time.
  • In both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Kirby holds the record of having the most trophies of himself in any incarnation.
  • Kirby is very similar to Jigglypuff, which let the staff reuse Kirby's model base to make Jigglypuff from Super Smash Bros. 64 and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
  • Kirby's Amiibo has his picture from Kirby Triple Deluxe. However, his Super Smash Bros for 3DS/Wii U moveset strangely seems to lack representation from that game, which is weird since it came out 8 months earlier in Japan.
    • Kirby's screen KO did originate from Kirby: Triple Deluxe though.
  • The Ball Kirby is considered incorrect, as HAL Laboratory did not confirm that Kirby was using the Ball ability in the spin off titles mentioned, and the fandom considers it to be more of a form than an actual ability.
  • Kirby had crossovers with some franchises in Smash. The full list can be found here, but some notable one include:
    • When Kirby uses Stone, Mario and Samus Aran may appear as statues.
    • The Sword ability is based on Link's and even has some of Link's moves, specifically Spin Attack (Spin Slash), sword beams and Skyward Strike (Sky Energy Sword). Most modern art also depicts said ability's sword to be similar to the Master Sword. Prior to Return to Dream Land, this also applied to Bomb and in Super Star (Ultra), as Kirby and Link (as well as Young Link) in Ocarina of Time handle bombs in the same manner.
      • Coincidentally, an antagonistic version of the pink puffball known as Anti-Kirby appears in Link's Awakening and primarily tries to eat Link as an attack by inhaling him. The sword ability's Link hat was likely meant as a thank you for that cameo.
    • The Yo-Yo ability is based on Ness's use of a Yo-Yo as a weapon. A more obvious reference would be the ESP ability, which allows Kirby to use a move similar to PK Flash.
    • Doctor being based of Dr. Mario, with Bouncing Capsules being based off Megavitamins, additionally Doctor Tornado has been cited for being the inspiration of the Doctor ability's Bandage Spin (with Kirby spinning around with bandages in a similar fashion).
    • Samus and R.O.B. cameoing in Kirby's Dream Land 3 with side quests (eliminating Metroids and rebuilding R.O.B. respectively).
    • The Fighter ability being a reference to Ryu, having versions of the Hadoken (with the input being compatible), Tatsumaki Senpukyaku and Shoryuken.
    • The Wheel ability's Rocket Start resembling either Sonic the Hedgehog's Spin Dash or Mario Kart's similarly named move.
    • An enemy named Pacto that resembles Pac-Man.
  • Throughout the series, all of Kirby's victory poses have been variations of the Kirby Dance, a victory dances he performs upon completing a level or defeating a boss in his home series (with the only known exception to this being Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards).
    • Additionally, he always finishes the dance at the end of the song within his home series; this carries over into the Super Smash Bros. series, as he always finishes at the end of his victory theme (itself is a remix of the level clear theme from his home series).
  • At 20 cm (8 inches) tall, Kirby is the second shortest playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series, larger only than Captain Olimar as of Brawl with Olimar at ~1.9 cm (~0.75 inches).
    • Kirby's height was first given in Smash 64, but then canonized in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, and since then has been consistently given as Kirby's height in later profiles (though the actual scale of objects in the Kirby universe tends to vary).
  • Although he is able to do so in his home series, Kirby was unable to inhale projectiles in any Super Smash Bros. installment prior to Ultimate. However, he can do so if he copies King Dedede's Inhale in Brawl & 3DS/Wii U.
  • Kirby is the only Kirby fighter to be a starter character in every Super Smash Bros. game he appears in.
    • Due to World of Light, he is also the only fighter in the entire series to never be unlockable in any way or context in Ultimate.
  • Kirby and Sonic are the only fighters to make a cameo appearance in a game released before the debut of their respective game series, with Kirby appearing in the SNES title Arcana and Sonic appearing in the first-person arcade racing game Rad Mobile.
  • Kirby and Roy are the only fighters to gain voice actors in the Super Smash Bros. series that were carried over into their respective home series afterward.
  • Uniquely, while Kirby is voiced by the same actress in all regions, he has distinct regional voice clips for many of his Copy Ability moves, particularly ones that have different names between Japanese and English (for example, Palutena's "Autoreticle!" as opposed to "オート照準!"). This even occurs with moves like Robin's Thunder, which shares the names of most of its variants between Japanese and English; for the English clips, Kirby calls out their names in a American accent. However, Kirby saying Jigglypuff's Japanese name when charging Rollout ("Purin...") is kept the same in all regions.
  • Out of all of Kirby's alternate costumes across the series, he has only had one fully original costume (his pure green alt in 64 and Melee). All his other costumes have been references to his self-titled series of origin.
    • His pure green alt. would later become the basis for the Green Kirby in Kirby Air Ride, though this version of Green Kirby would not return to the Kirby series until Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Gallery[]

General

Kirby Copy list

External Links[]

Playable Fighters
Introduced in
Smash 64
Captain Falcon  · Donkey Kong  · Fox McCloud  · Jigglypuff  · Kirby  · Link  · Luigi  · Mario  · Ness  · Pikachu  · Samus Aran  · Yoshi
Introduced in
Meleelogo
Bowser  · Dr. Mario  · Falco Lombardi  · Ganondorf  · Ice Climbers  · Marth  · Mewtwo  · Mr. Game & Watch  · Princess Peach  · Pichu  · Roy  · Sheik  · Young Link  · Princess Zelda
Introduced in
Brawllogo
Diddy Kong  · Ike  · King Dedede  · Lucario  · Lucas  · Meta Knight  · Captain Olimar  · Pit  · Pokémon Trainer (Charizard  · Ivysaur  · Squirtle)  · R.O.B.  · Solid Snake  · Sonic the Hedgehog  · Toon Link  · Wario  · Wolf O'Donnell  · Zero Suit Samus
Introduced in
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS & Wii U
Alph  · Bayonetta  · Bowser Jr. / Koopalings  · Cloud Strife  · Corrin  · Dark Pit  · Duck Hunt  · Greninja  · Little Mac  · Lucina  · Mega Man  · Mii Fighters  · Pac-Man  · Palutena  · Robin  · Rosalina & Luma  · Ryu  · Shulk  · Villager  · Wii Fit Trainer
Introduced in
Smash Ultimate logo glow
Banjo & Kazooie  · Byleth  · Chrom  · Dark Samus  · Daisy  · Heroes  · Incineroar  · Inklings  · Isabelle  · Joker  · Kazuya Mishima  · Ken Masters  · King K. Rool  · Min Min  · Piranha Plant  · Pyra and Mythra  · Richter Belmont  · Ridley  · Sephiroth  · Simon Belmont  · Sora  · Steve and Alex / Zombie and Enderman  · Terry Bogard
KirbySymbol Kirby universe
Characters Kirby (64  · Melee  · Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Meta Knight (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
King Dedede (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Side Characters Boss Marx
Assist Trophies Knuckle Joe  · Nightmare  · Chef Kawasaki
Mii Fighter Costumes Meta Knight  · Marx
Background characters King Dedede
Stage Hazards Whispy Woods
Enemies Bonkers  · Bronto Burt  · Gordo  · Parasol Waddle Dee  · Plasma Wisp  · Shotzo  · Tac  · Waddle Dee  · Waddle Doo
Stages Dream Land  · Fountain of Dreams  · Green Greens  · Halberd  · Dream Land GB  · The Great Cave Offensive
Items Bomber  · Dragoon  · Maxim Tomato  · Parasol  · Star Rod  · Superspicy Curry  · Warp Star
Music List List of Music (Kirby series)
Song "Gourmet Race"
Collectibles Trophies Melee Trophies  · Brawl Trophies  · 3DS Trophies  · Wii U Trophies
Stickers List of Stickers (Kirby series)
Spirits List of spirits (Kirby series)
Masterpieces Kirby's Dream Land  · Kirby's Adventure  · Kirby Super Star
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