Kirby

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

pineapple head
Official artwork of Kirby as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Universe	Kirby
Debut	Kirby's Dream Land (1992)
Appears in	SSB SSBM SSBB
Console of origin	Game Boy
Gender	Male
Eye color	Blue
Homeworld	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, Kābii) 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.

In Super Smash Bros.

Main Article: Kirby (SSB)

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

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 (SSBM) for full information.) 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

The Ball Kirby trophy, as seen in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

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

Main Article: Kirby (SSBB)

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