Hydra

"A legendary machine with extra battle power."

- Hydra's Flavor Text

The Hydra is a legendary machine in Kirby Air Ride. It can only be unlocked in City Trial. The player either gets all three parts out of boxes in it to ride it temporarily or unlock all three parts on the Checklist to play on it in Free Run. It has very good turning, a fair glide, and a large attack power than can defeat most other Air Ride Machines in one hit. It is one of the "legendary" stars (along with the Dragoon), and is one of the hardest stars to unlock. It also appeared as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It possess extremely high stats, surpassing the Dragoon in most areas except handling and gliding, but its charging abilities are among the worst in the game. Similar to the Bulk Star, this star runs on "fuel" from charging (which takes a large amount of time). After a full charge, the Hydra will go at reckless speeds. It's an ideal vehicle for medium-length tracks, as the charge time will take too long in short tracks, and will take its toll on the user if the race is too long. If the spin attack is used close enough at an enemy, the Hydra will perform a ramming attack instead of a spin.

About
The Hydra's appearance is based off of the rhinoceros beetle, an insect known for its strength. In fact, it is so powerful, at full speed, it can destroy a player's air machine just by running into it. The name probably comes from the seemingly invincible Hydra of Greek mythology, which is a possible reference to its durability.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Hydra appears as a collectible trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It can be found in Coin Launcher, Subspace Emissary, or Boss Battles.
 * One of only two legendary Air Ride machines. Known also as the King of Destruction, the Hydra was born to battle. Collecting its three parts on City Trial will reveal its fiendish side. With high offensive and defensive levels, the Hydra can easily blast through rivals and obstacles, leaving a swath of ruin. This is the ultimate Air Ride machine for attacking the course.

Trivia

 * The item "Machine Parts", found in The Great Cave Offensive in Kirby Super Star Ultra, is actually the Hydra's wings, and it adds 121,300G to the player's score. Since Kirby Air Ride was developed after Kirby Super Star, it can't be found in the original game. In the original Super Star, the Machine Parts were instead the Nunchuks.
 * Regardless of the number of top speed patches the player may have obtained, the fastest the Hydra can go at any given time is 124.86 mph.