Maxim Tomato

"This is Kirby's favorite snack. Eat this miracle fruit to regain all your strength!"

- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards instruction manual

Maxim Tomatoes are glowing, red tomatoes with large black "M"s in the center. They are found in most Kirby games and restore all of Kirby's health when eaten or inhaled. They are said to be Kirby's favorite food.

The foe Poppy Bros. Jr. is sometimes seen riding on a Maxim Tomato instead of an apple. If Kirby attacks Poppy with anything other than Inhale (or an ability that uses the inhale technique, like Throw), he will destroy the Maxim Tomato. Inhale will suck the Poppy Bros. Jr. off and allow Kirby to pick up the Maxim Tomato.

In Kirby's Epic Yarn, a Metamato (a tomato that resembles a Maxim Tomato) is noticeably worn on a hat by the main villain Yin-Yarn, but is mistakenly eaten by Kirby in the opening scene. This angers the yarn magician and prompts him to suck the pink hero into the sock around his neck, starting Kirby's adventures in Patch Land.

In Kirby Mass Attack, a Maxim Tomato gives 100 points on the fruit meter. Since it takes 100 points to fill the meter, it is guaranteed that the player will get a new Kirby and/or a 10,000 point bonus when eating one. Also, in the Kirby Quest sub-game, the first three Chapters' bonus levels involve getting a Maxim Tomato from a certain character - Chef Kawasaki in the first chapter, Max Flexer in the second, and Chef Shiitake in the third. If the Kirby(s) successfully beat any of these characters, they will get the Maxim Tomato, which heals any hurt Kirbys.

In the Super Smash Bros. series
The Maxim Tomato is a recovery item in all the Super Smash Bros. games.

In the original Super Smash Bros., the Maxim Tomato healed a character of 100% of their damage percentage. In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Tomato only heals 50% of damage, due to the inclusion of the Heart Container recovery item from The Legend of Zelda series that also heals 100% (or all damage if the player is playing Boss Battles or All Star Mode in Super Smash Bros. Brawl) of the player's health. If a character is attacked while using the Maxim Tomato, it will "absorb" the damage. For example, if an attack does 30% damage, the tomato will absorb it and the user only recovers 20% damage. Like all other Super Smash Bros. items, it appears as a Trophy in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It also appears as a sticker where the design from Kirby: Squeak Squad is used.

Related Quotes
"Maxim Tomatoes cure 50 percentage points of your accumulated damage. Once you eat one, after a brief moment, your damage meter slowly drains the appropriate amount, regardless of whether or not you pick up another item right afterwards. In the Kirby series, these juicy, health-restoring items were a favorite of the pink hero."

- Trophy description

Trivia

 * The instruction book for Kirby's Dream Land mistranslates it as Bag of Magic Food.
 * Maxim Tomatoes don't appear in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, but are replaced by watermelons, which are Kirby's favorite food in that continuity.
 * A Maxim Tomato is drawn by Paint Roller in the Paint Panic sub-game.
 * The Maxim Tomato has appeared in every Kirby game to date, either as an item, a cameo, or as an illustration.