Kracko

Kracko is a recurring boss character from the Kirby series. It has, in one form or another, appeared as a boss in every Kirby platformer to date, with the exception of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Kirby's Return to Dream Land. It first appeared as a boss in Kirby's Dream Land and has appeared in almost every game since then. Kracko is most often fought in its full form, but is sometimes fought in its premature form, known as Kracko Jr., before Kracko in its full form is encountered. Kracko appears to have legions of monsters, usually one-eyed creatures, supporting it, such as Waddle Doo and Flamer, both of which he summons to his side in various fights. Kracko is often fought high up in the clouds. The manual from Kirby's Dream Land describes Kracko as a "lightning fast foe".

Physical Appearance
Kracko is a puffy cloud-like monster. It has a large single eye located in the center of its soft, cloudy body. In almost all depictions of Kracko, the top of its cloud is a light blue, and its bottom is a light pink. This may be a reference to the fact that differently electrically charged water droplets fall to different hemispheres of a cloud (this is the cause of lightning). The midsection of Kracko's body is white. Surrounding the perimeter of the cloud are 10-16 golden spikes (usually 12). This design remains consistent in his anime appearance.

Kracko Jr. is Kracko's premature form. Kracko rarely fights in this form, and is mainly shown whenever Kracko enters the arena, only to be replaced by its adult form shortly after. In the rare instances when it actually battles, Kracko Jr. is usually a mid-boss. In this form it has the same blue eye as its regular form, except it doesn't have the cloud surrounding it. Instead, four round blobs orbit around its eye. Sometimes these globules have a slight pink or blue tint on them. In most cases, its only attacks are moving around erratically and producing Waddle Doos and Bombs.

Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Dream Land was Kracko's first appearance. Kracko is fought twice in Bubbly Clouds, once as a mid-boss, and then again as the level's boss. The first battle takes place in the middle of the level and Kracko is in its premature form. The second time Kracko fights in its full form. Kracko Jr. attacks by summoning Waddle Doos, crashing into Kirby, and shooting up four bullet-like projectiles into the air which descend to the ground, and usually into Kirby. Once defeated, Kracko Jr.'s eye flies off the screen and is not encountered until the end of the level. As the full Kracko, its attacks range from dropping Waddle Doos, crashing into Kirby, and emitting a blast of twinkling stars from his body. Beating Kracko gives Kirby access to the final level, Mt. Dedede.

In the Extra Game, the two fights become much harder. Kracko Jr. follows a very distinct pattern which is extremely hard to avoid, while Kracko is just the opposite. Kracko's attacks are easy to avoid but are very unpredictable. Kracko Jr. first attacks by shooting out bullets, then follows up by bouncing around the arena, and then finishes the pattern by dropping bombs. The second fight is almost the same, but is now unpredictable and the Waddle Doos are replaced with bombs.

Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Kracko is the boss of Grape Garden.

Before the actual fight ensues, Kirby starts off on a long cloud with a Starman approaching him, and Kracko Jr. looming overhead. Kirby must go up a series of clouds to reach the actual arena (Hi-Jump is recommended), and Kracko Jr. destroys the platforms that Kirby stands on, which could cause him to fall to his demise far below. After reaching the top cloud, Kracko Jr. transforms into its full form, and Kirby is now forced to actually fight. Kracko has the same attacks it had in Kirby's Dream Land, but now summons Starmen (instead of Waddle Doos) and doesn't use its bullet move or its star attack.

This was the first game that Kracko Jr. is fought during the same battle as Kracko. This also marks one of the few games that he appears in where he does not serve as a mid-boss.

Kirby's Pinball Land
Kracko is the boss of Kracko Land. At the beginning of the battle, Kracko appears as Kracko Jr.. In this premature form, it floats around the pinball table in a figure eight pattern and occasionally rushes at Kirby. After four hits, it will transform into Kracko. The boss now attacks by releasing Flappers into the area to follow Kirby; it also shoots lightning to briefly paralyze one flipper.

Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kracko is the boss of Level 6, Cloudy Park.

Perhaps the most unorthodox Kracko fight in the series, Kracko is first fought as an eyeball sticking out of the cloud Kirby is standing on. In this form it attacks by shooting a small beam from its eye and advances towards Kirby. Occasionally, Kracko floats up from the platform in the form of Kracko Jr. and flies about the arena shooting out Co-Krackos (simply small versions of Kracko with only four spikes). He can also shoot the four round blobs surrounding his body at Kirby in the form of a large projectile. When the blast lands on the floor a cataclysmic explosion occurs. After Kirby lands enough hits, Kracko Jr. explodes and its eye rolls across the cloud. Then, Kracko Jr. files back up and builds itself up to its full form. In its full form, Kracko retains its star attack used in Kirby's Dream Land, but it is now concentrated in the form of a thin laser which is aimed at Kirby. Also, the Waddle Doos are replaced with Co-Krackos and can be sent out in two ways: One from Kracko's bottom or two from Kracko's top.

Kirby's Avalanche
Kracko is the 11th boss in the Avalanche Tournament, following Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright and preceding Meta Knight. Its dialogue with Kirby is below.


 * Kracko: KRRR- RACKK!!!! "Dance to my deadly music, or fry like a moth! HA HA!!"
 * Kirby: "You couldn't hit a barn sized lightning rod, Kracko!"

Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra
In Kirby Super Star, Kracko is showcased in some of the sub-games. First, both of Kracko's forms appear in the sub-game Spring Breeze, a simplified "mini-remake" of Kirby's Dream Land. In Spring Breeze, Kracko once again serves as the boss (and mid-boss) in Bubbly Clouds. Kracko has all of its attacks from Kirby's Dream Land but now has a new rainstorm attack, where it showers Kirby with heavy raindrops. Kracko also appears alongside the rest of the game's bosses in The Arena.

In Milky Way Wishes, Kracko appears once more, guarding the planet Skyhigh's Fountain of Dreams. It behaves the same way it did in Spring Breeze, although the player doesn't fight Kracko Jr. beforehand.

In Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kracko's sprite is greatly updated to match its sprite in Kirby: Canvas Curse; now having more animations and displaying anger when attacking. In addition to appearing in the sub-games it did in the original, Kracko and Kracko Jr. both make an appearance in Revenge of the King and The True Arena as Kracko's Revenge and Kracko Jr.'s Revenge, respectively. In Milky Way Wishes and Helper to Hero (where it serves as the third boss), Kracko gets an alternate color palette, with its body now light blue and his spikes orange. Kracko also gets a new defeat animation, where his cloudy body begins to disappear, leaving only his eye, which promptly explodes. In Gourmet Race, Kracko can also be seen in the map of the stage, another detail that was not in the original Kirby Super Star.

Kirby's Dream Land 3
Though Kracko itself doesn't really appear, a painting of it is drawn by Ado at the end of Cloudy Park. This painting attacks in the same manner as the real deal, such as sending dangerous plumes of lightning at the ground, and even spawns Co-Krackos much like the real thing did in Kirby's Dream Land 2.

Kracko is the last drawing made by Ado, and thus has the most amount of health and is arguably the hardest to defeat. After this drawing is defeated, Ado steps onto the battlefield to fight Kirby herself.

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Kracko is the boss of Levels 3-4 and 6-4. Kracko attacks primarily by quickly moving from side to side. Making the battle harder, Kracko also leaves a trail of Gordos in its wake. Co-Krackos, miniature fodder versions of Kracko from past games, also appear to make the battle harder.

When facing him in World 6-4, Kracko has a new attack added to its arsenal: A lightning blast (which is fairly accurate) that is aimed downwards. To defeat Kracko, the player must first grab a Balloon and shoot puffs of air at it. Kracko moves faster after each hit, which means the player needs to have very good aim to win.

Besides the final boss (King Dedede), the only other bosses in the game are Orbservors, which are, coincidentally, also rounded one-eyed creatures.

Kirby Air Ride
Kracko appears, but this time not as a boss. Instead Kracko can be summoned by a player in Top Ride mode by picking it up as an item, which resembles an eye surrounded by eight golden spikes. However, the item does not commonly appear due to its potential power.

When picked up, the screen darkens and Kracko forms. It will fly around until it locks onto a random player (other than the one who summoned it). Upon doing so, it stops above the unfortunate target and zaps him/her with a powerful bolt of lightning. Once it attacks the other players (usually up to three times) with lightning barrages, it flies away and the screen goes back to normal.

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
Kracko is, surprisingly, the boss of Mustard Mountain and serves as the third boss in the game. This is currently the only time Kracko isn't fought in a cloudy environment. However, Kracko is fought at the top of a mountain, so it's still in a high altitude. Beating it gives Kirby the third Mirror Shard.

Although Kracko's sprite comes directly from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kracko has the same attacks as it did in Kirby Super Star, ranging from its star beam to its rainstorm attack. In addition to summoning Waddle Doos, Kracko may also summon Twisters and Flamers during the battle. These can be swallowed for abilities or used as ammo against Kracko.

Kracko Jr. also appears in the game, but is only as a design-element, and is not a component of the battle in any way; Kracko Jr. comes onto the screen for a brief second or two and then morphs directly into the regular Kracko, beginning the battle.

Kracko is also the only boss in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror who appears in another game (not counting Meta Knight because he is not a boss in this game), and is not a Mirror World counterpart of another boss or a new boss altogether.

Kirby: Canvas Curse
Kracko appears in its own sub-game titled Block Attack. It first appears as Kracko Jr. then will battle in its normal form the next time Kirby fights it.

After Kirby clears the obstacles that Kracko Jr. throws at him during the previous stages, Kracko Jr. will initiate a fight with Kirby. The only way to damage Kracko Jr. is to hit it in the eye while the orbs around it are not spinning. Likewise, Kracko must be damaged in the same manner, but its clouds must be vaporized beforehand.

The Kracko fought in this game is a fake Kracko created by Drawcia, like the replicas of King Dedede and Paint Roller.

Kirby: Squeak Squad
Although Kracko doesn't truly appear in Kirby: Squeak Squad, Doc appears as the boss of Cushy Clouds, and uses a mech that is made in the likeness of Kracko itself. During the fight, he will do the ground sweep and summon Waddle Doos, Starmen, and Waddle Dees. After the player defeats him, he will revive and do the same attacks, as well as creating an electric field, and lastly destroying and recreating the cloudy platforms.

This machine has four large, copper spikes protruding from each corner of its body, a green eye, and a cloak of gray, stormy clouds.

Kirby Epic Yarn
Kracko (transformed into yarn by Yin-Yarn) appears in yarn-form as a sort of boss of Cloud Palace. It first appears halfway through the level, and chases Kirby attempting to zap him with its trademark lightning bolt attack. Shortly after, Kracko stops chasing after him, and isn't seen until later on in the level.

Later, after Kirby boards the Star Shooter, he begins to encounter swarms of Co-Krackos, foreshadowing Kracko's return. Sure enough, just as Kirby enters the homestretch, Kracko appears. Kirby simply must shoot Kracko enough times to defeat it. He attacks by generating Co-Krackos and covering itself in an aura of lightning and charging across the screen.

After it is shot enough times, Kracko shrinks, and now uses its old star beam attack. After being damaged even more, it shrinks once more and only requires just a few more shots to be destroyed completely.

A relative of Kracko also appears in the Outer Rings level called Space Kracko.

Kirby Mass Attack
Kracko and its Jr. form appear in the Strato Patrol EOS sub-game of Kirby Mass Attack as bosses.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Kracko appears as the boss of Old Odyssey, the third world in the game, albeit with minor changes to its appearance: the spikes surrounding its cloud body are now brass and gold instead of the regular yellow. Additionally the spikes are striped (much like that of Kracko's Revenge). Kracko will also change color when preforming different attacks, such as turning dark grey when using electric attacks or turning light blue when using its rain shower attack. Kracko will comically shed a single tear every time it is hit. The first half of the fight with Kracko plays out just as it has in past games. Kracko uses its attacks from Kirby Super Star -- the lightning bolt, the rainstorm, and the star beams. Kracko will also drop Waddle Doos. After depleting half of Kracko's health, however, its eye turns red and it descends into the background and generates a large whirlwind, blowing away the clouds and uncovering three smaller platforms in the background. Kirby must then alternate between the two zones via a cannon to fight, as Kracko will routinely spread out over one of the zones and generate a huge unavoidable lightning storm, forcing Kirby to switch between areas before the cannon disappears. Kracko will also form two large drills on either side of itself, and will then plow through the stage. Additionally, its electrical attacks get a boost as well, taking the form of huge purple orbs which it blasts throughout the battlefield, either as a condensed ray of them that sweeps left and right, or an enormous orb that splits into four smaller ones after hitting the ground.

After Kirby defeats Kracko, its cloudy aura dissipates and explodes, sending bits of random junk flying everywhere. Its eye floats to the center of the stage and gets hit by a cog, causing it to release one last tear before exploding. Kracko later returns as an impediment in the second stage of Royal Road. Notably, a rare keychain is found during the Kracko battle at Royal Road.

Additionally, Kracko appears as a stage hazard in one of the stages in Kirby Fighters. The stage, Bubbly Clouds, is based on Kracko's arena in Kirby Super Star Ultra ' s Spring Breeze (this is also the case for Lololo and Lalala and King Dedede). Kracko moves around the arena, and occasionally uses its attacks from Kirby Super Star. Kracko cannot be defeated, and serves only as a hazard.

Kracko also appears in Kirby Fighters Deluxe. Upon clearing enough rounds, the player will be given a Kirby partner that uses the same ability the player is currently using, and the duo will be plunged into a battle with Kracko. Kracko acts as he does in the first phase of his battle in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, and also gains a new attack involving his large drills. On higher difficulty levels, Kracko will attack faster and more erratically, and the Waddle Doos he drops will walk faster as well. Kracko explodes upon his defeat.

In the Anime
"Sorry, your majesty, but our contract says that Kracko can't be sent backo! HA HA!!"

- Customer Service

Kracko is one of the first few monsters ordered by King Dedede. It stars in the episode Dark and Stormy Knight, where it invades Cappy Town and makes the sky dark and cloudy, and the weather stormy.

Because of its immense size, Kracko couldn't be sent to the King via the transporter in his castle. Instead, Kracko appeared in Cappy Town along a violent storm front. Kracko spends most of its time surrounded by the stormy gray clouds over Cappy Town sending down powerful green lighting bolts. Kirby, using his Warp Star and by inhaling the clouds surrounding Kracko, is able to face the monster. Kracko attacks with lightning bolts generated from its spikes, which knock Kirby out. When the Warp Star saves Kirby, Kracko combines several lightning bolts to form a lightning sword, which chases him. Kirby inhales the sword and gains the Sword ability, then cuts Kracko in half using 5 Sword Beams, destroying the monster and putting an end to the short-lived storm plaguing Dream Land. Kracko is probably the biggest challenge Kirby had to fight, because he put up a fight even when Kirby got his sword and survived 4 sword beams, and Kirby had more experience in later episodes, as opposed to Kracko being in the 4th episode out of 100.

Kracko was the first of the few full-scale bosses in the series, except Nightmare himself, to make an appearance as a monster in the anime. The next would be sixteen episodes later, when Ice Dragon was introduced. The only other bosses to appear were Paint Roller and Heavy Lobster, all of which were encountered in the last quarter of the series (Heavy Lobster making an appearance in the penultimate episode).

In the Super Smash Bros. series
Kracko appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Other Quotes
"KRRR-RACKK!!!! Dance to my deadly music, or fry like a moth! HA HA!!"

- Kracko

Related Quotes
"If one of Kracko's beams hits Kirby, you lose a tomato. Help Kirby destroy Kracko by using Spark powers."

- Instruction manual description

"A well-known boss from the Kirby series. Kracko is a cloud with a big eye and numerous spikes. He threatens Kirby with a number of weapons, including beam and rain attacks. In Kirby Super Star, Kracko first appears as Kracko Jr., continuing his onslaught on Kirby as he grows in size."

- Trophy description

"It seems Kracko has made Floralia part of its territory. It's being fed by a mysterious power source, so its attacks are stronger than ever before!"

- VS Kracko

"Kirby has defeated Kracko countless times, but as long as the clouds still hang in the sky, Kracko will never give up the fight!"

- VS Kracko DX

"In a battlefield full of Kirby fighters, here comes an imposing challenger! Watch out for his view-blocking attacks! Fight as a team to knock him out as quickly as you can! It's a Time-Attack Boss Battle!"

- VS Kracko

Trivia

 * In Kirby's Avalanche, Kracko's AI is used by Minotaur in Puyo Puyo.
 * The Pause Screen description for Kracko DX in Kirby: Triple Deluxe suggests that Kracko cannot be permanently destroyed; it can always reform as long as there are clouds to use for its body.
 * The Pause Screen description for Kracko in Kirby Fighters Deluxe on Very Hard mode suggests he also seeks revenge on Kirby for what has occurred to him in the past.
 * In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kracko's rainstorm attack will not damage Kirby if he is using the Parasol ability.
 * The name "Kracko" may be a reference to the onomatopoeic word "krackle", which is occasionally associated with the sound lightning makes.

Sprites
クラッコ