Fighter

"Attack with master's command of kicks and punches!"

- Kirby Battle Royale - Kirby's 25th Anniversary Copy Ability Poll

Fighter is one of Kirby's Copy Abilities, first appearing in Kirby Super Star.

General Information
Fighter is certainly one of Kirby's most versatile abilities and he can execute many different attacks with it.

Fighter Kirby gains the abilities of a martial artist and boxer, along with being able to fire energy blasts like standard chi/aura fighters, and shows it all off while topped with a red headband. He gains this ability by inhaling enemies with a knack for fighting.

The red headband used by Fighter Kirby is near-identical to the one Kirby used for the Backdrop ability in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Embellishments were added to fighter's headband in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, where it obtained a subtle pink banding along the sides and a frontal yellow star.

In the Super Smash Bros. series
Some of Fighter's attacks are used as part of Kirby's regular attacks, in particular the Vulcan Jab and the Spin Kick. Fighter is one of the three Copy Abilities featured as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the others being Fire and Ball. Fighter also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Smash Punch is also used as the finishing blow to Kirby's Vulcan Jab.

In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
The Fighter ability in Kirby: Right Back at Ya! is most similar to the version in Kirby Super Star. The look of it is the same, with a simple red headband. Kirby uses all of the same attacks as the version in Kirby Super Star at some point in the series.

He most often gets the ability in episodes featuring Knuckle Joe, from inhaling one of his attacks. Fighter is one of his strongest abilities, used against powerful monsters like Masher, with the strongest attack being the Rising Break.

Fighter Kirby's abilities are best displayed in episode 53, where he participates in a battle royale against the Martial Arts All-Stars.

In the transformation sequence, a band of light forms into the headband. It comically comes off his head, but he catches it and puts it on. He then makes energy pulses with his hands and does a little spin.

Appearances
Fighter, along with Bomb, is the third most frequently used Copy Ability in the anime, with six appearances in total. The only time he spin kicks without Knuckle Joe is during the battle with Teacher Creature.


 * Here Comes the Son (First Use)
 * Monster Management
 * Snack Attack - Part II
 * eNeMeE Elementary
 * Masher 2.0
 * The School Scam

Kirby GCN
Fighter is seen in a screenshot for this game. He looks similar to his previous appearances. In the screenshot, it is shown that he is able to use the Vulcan Jab move, but it is unknown what other moves that he can do.

Related Quotes
"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."

- Trophy description

"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."

- Trophy description ""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."

- Trophy description

Trivia

 * The red headband Kirby wears for this ability is said to be a homage to the Street Fighter character, Ryu, though it has been neither confirmed nor denied. Some say an even bigger reference to the series is that Fighter Kirby can fire energy blasts or "Hadoken" (Surge Fist). In addition, his Rising Break bears distinct similarities to Ryu and Ken's "Shoryuken" (Rising Dragon Fist) attack and his Aerial Spin Kick resembles the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku (Tornado Whirlwind Leg) or "Hurricane Kick". Kirby's Spin Kick is also exactly like Guile's Somersault/Flash Kick. The idea that the Fighter ability is a homage to the Street Fighter series is further evidenced by the fact that to perform the Instant Mega Blast in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, it involves the same button input as the Hadoken.
 * In Kirby: Squeak Squad, Fighter Kirby hops in place while putting his arms up during his idle stance, in a similar fashion to a character in the Street Fighter franchise.
 * The Vulcan Jab and its variants could also be homages to martial arts anime, which often feature characters firing a multitude of punches at breakneck speeds in such a way that it creates the illusion of multiple fists attacking the target simultaneously.
 * Another possible reference to Street Fighter is that Kirby has different moves depending on whether the player taps or holds the attack button, which is a mechanic that is always used in that series.
 * With the exception of Kirby Fighters and Kirby Fighters Deluxe, when Red Kirby obtains the Fighter ability, he gains a white headband instead of the trademark red.
 * The artwork of Fighter Kirby in the anime can be seen on the front of the US and European box art of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, despite Fighter not being in the game, though it could be Backdrop given the very similar headband, and that the headband itself also doesn't have the cut fraction seen in Fighter's anime artwork.
 * Fighter Kirby's flavor text in Kirby's Return to Dream Land appears to be Kirby talking, as the text speaks in first-person, similar to most flavor texts for the UFO ability.
 * This is one of the only four abilities in Kirby: Triple Deluxe that can break ice blocks, the others are Fire, Hammer, and Circus.
 * In Kirby Fighters Deluxe, Fighter's alternate costume is Knuckle Joe's headband.
 * According to the What's YOUR Kirby Copy Ability? quiz, Fighter Kirby likes to garden in his downtime.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Kirby wears a headband similar to Fighter after copying Snake's special move.

Other Ability Icons
Kämpfer Luchador Combat Lottatore ファイター 格斗家