Ado

Ado is a painter that lives in solitude at the edge of Cloudy Park, serving as its boss in Kirby's Dream Land 3. Ado's gender is not disclosed in any games, and from the limited appearances, it has been subject to divided opinions (see the controversy section). The canon only to it's own universe manga refers to Ado as a she.

Ado is generally weak, and when he fights Kirby himself, he is defeated in just one hit. To make up for this, Ado attacks by creating a wide array of foes that Kirby must contend with beforehand. Most of the things he paints are very simplistic, but are still recognizable enemies from Kirby's past. All of things he paints during the battle are simply various bosses from Kirby's Dream Land 2. He is under the guise of Dark Matter and must be freed from its control after his defeat at the hands of Kirby. Because Ado paints so many foes during the fight, he is perceived as one of the most arduous and time-consuming bosses of the game. As such, Ado is fought late into the game.

Ado is best known for his uncanny resemblance to Adeleine, a green-clad artist who teams up with Kirby in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. This has spurned endless debate by the fans. Either way, neither Ado nor Adeleine have appeared since they debuted in their respective games. This may have been caused by the widespread controversy surrounding the two of them, and may have even been enacted to avoid more confusion.

Kirby's Dream Land 3
Ado is the boss of Cloudy Park. During the battle, Ado stands safely behind his large, cloud-constructed canvas and paints enemies to attack Kirby. After Kirby defeats one of his drawings, he will get mad and make another. His paintings are all old bosses from Kirby's Dream Land 2. They include Ice Dragon, Sweet Stuff, Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright, and Kracko (in that order), none of which spawn enemies/obstacles that grant abilities. After Kirby defeats them all, Ado, in a fit of rage, steps down from his canvas and attacks Kirby. He is defeated in one hit, however. Once Kirby lands just a single slide attack on him, Ado rolls off-screen, signifying Kirby's victory.

If all the Heart Stars are collected for Cloudy Park after the boss battle, Ado will become friendly and paint a happy little drawing whenever Kirby enters her arena. In Boss Butch, the cloudy battlefield becomes gray and stormy.

Ado makes his last appearance during the credits alongside the rest of the game's bosses as they socialize with Kirby. The game ends with Ado dashing across the screen as he swiftly ends the game by painting the word "END" in bright colorful letters in the corner of the screen.

Controversy


In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby meets a young female painter named Adeleine. Not only do Ado and Adeleine share a very similar appearance (both wearing vivid green smocks, dark hair, and a red beret) and mannerisms, but the two also have the same battle tactics and abilities. The two both paint various enemies that Kirby must defeat before they fight themselves. Both artists even paint the same drawing at one point- Ice Dragon. Also adding to the confusion is the fact that Adeleine's Japanese name, Ado reenu, is indeed very close to "Ado". The name box for bosses in Kirby's Dream Land 3 is relatively small; the name Adeleine/ Adoreenu would have been much too long to fit in anyway, leading some to believe that the name was shortened to "Ado" just to make it fit. However, various Japanese sources imply that they're separate characters. The two also have minor differences in facial structure and design, such as Ado's hair being in a different style and being a lighter color. However the discrepancy between designs may have been because of the artistic styles between the two games.

Another controversy surrounding Ado is his gender. Both scenarios, whether he is actually male, female or simply just epicene, are possible. In Japan, the Kirby manga refers to Ado as a female, but Ado's gender outside of Japan however was never actually confirmed, leaving only speculation. It is also plausible that Ado is Bishōnen, a term which literally translates to "beautiful youth" and is used to describe (usually young) males with feminine features which is a common sight to see in Japanese media. It is also possible that Ado and Adeline are twins, this would explain the nearly identical appearance and they are artists so this would explain the similar clothing so it is a distinct possibility.

Neither of the painters have appeared since their respective debuts, and may have been dropped from the series to avoid any further confusion between the two.

Sprites
アド