Boss

Bosses are very strong and typically very large enemies in the Kirby series, and are usually fought at the end of each level or world. Often times, a boss character also plays a major role in the game's story. Boss characters are always fought in a secluded area, and Kirby or whoever is battling the boss may not leave said area until the boss is defeated. A life meter is often displayed on the screen as the boss is being fought; the meter depletes every time an attack is successfully dealt, and the boss is defeated once the meter empties.

Fighting bosses
Usually, a boss will have some sort of attack that can be Inhaled and in turn, spat back at the boss to deal damage. Some bosses have attacks that grant Copy Abilities when Kirby swallows them. In all traditional platformers since Kirby's Return to Dream Land,

List of bosses
Bosses' presence in several places are not listed, for various reasons:
 * Boss Endurance events - as they are a rehash of all boss fights in a game title. The Arena and The True Arena are covered, as they are sub-games of Kirby Super Star (as well as its remake, Kirby Super Star Ultra) Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, and Kirby: Planet Robobot.
 * Meta Knightmare Ultra - A re-run through all the sub-games in Kirby Super Star Ultra as Meta Knight instead of Kirby, with the Old Tower and, consequently, Chameleo Arm not available, and a fight with a new boss, Galacta Knight.

Trivia

 * Shinya Kumazaki, the director of most Kirby games from the 2010s, has gone on record stating that he greatly enjoys creating challenging bosses and considers them one of the "key ingredients of an action game." This may explain why the bosses in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, and Kirby: Planet Robobot have considerably more HP and attack variety than bosses in previous Kirby games.
 * In Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Kirby: Planet Robobot, if Kirby loses to a boss several times in a row, the boss's maximum HP will gradually decrease and will attack less frequently. Bandana Waddle Dee also tosses Kirby a Reviving Tomato to carry into the fight. This was done to make boss battles less challenging for inexperienced players.