Kirby

''This article is about the Character. for other uses of the name "Kirby", see here.''

Kirby (カービィ, Kābī) is the main character of Nintendo's Kirby video game series created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. The Kirby series is one of Nintendo's many well-known game franchises, spanning nearly twenty games since 1992. His first appearance took place in the 1992 video game Kirby's Dream Land. Here he was portrayed by a two-dimensional sprite though he has also been conveyed by a three-dimensional computer-generated image in some games. He has been featured in video games from Nintendo, on Nintendo's merchandising, on comic books, and even an anime series.

Concept and Creation
Kirby was originally going to be named Popopo, and his model was created as a blob placeholder sprite during the development of what would be the first Kirby game, originally titled Twinkle Popopo instead of Hoshi no Kābī (translated as 'Kirby of the Stars') as it is called in Japan (or Kirby's Dream Land as it is called in the U.S.). After a while, creator Masahiro Sakurai started to prefer Kirby's placeholder design over the original conception. He later stated that he had envisioned Kirby as a 'game for beginners'.

Sakurai always intended for Kirby to be pink. However, Shigeru Miyamoto had originaly wanted him to be yellow. Because of this ambiguity, Nintendo of America was left with some confusion when the game was ported to the West. The American box art, cartridge label, instruction booklet, and even the television commercial for Kirby's Dream Land feature Kirby entirely white in color (based on the grey-scale visuals of the GameBoy game). The Japanese box art, however, correctly depicts Kirby as pink. A Yellow Kirby is however used for the second player in any Kirby game that features multiplayer.

There is a good deal of debate on the origins of Kirby's name. A widespread myth is that Kirby adopted his Western name from the Kirby Corporation, which is a vacuum cleaner company and would suit Kirby and his appetite. The other explanation is that Kirby was named in honor of Nintendo's legal counsel, John Kirby of Latham & Watkins LLP, after John Kirby saved Nintendo during a copyright infringement lawsuit over Donkey Kong filed by Universal Studios However, Masahiro Sakurai has been quoted as saying he does not remember how Kirby got his name.

Actor portrayal
Kirby is voiced by female seiyū (voice actor) Makiko Ōmoto in the Super Smash Bros. series, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (Mike ability), and in the anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. She considered the time doing Kirby's voice and working with others on the show and games to be great experience.

In a 1994 educational video starring Kirby and Mario, called the Mario Kirby Masterpiece, Kirby was voiced by Mayumi Tanaka.

Powers
Kirby has the ability to inhale his enemies into his mouth. He can then spit them out (as star-shaped projectiles) at a high velocity to attack or swallow them to gain their powers called copy abilities. In newer games he wears a unique hat for each copy ability but in earlier games, Kirby did not have a hat for his powers.

Kirby has a soft, flexible body. This allows him to be flattened or stretched, always returning to his original shape. This allows him to inflate himself, making himself more buoyant. When inflated, he can flap his arms to fly. In most games, he can do this as long as you like (though in Kirby 64, he will get tired after a while). He can exhale puffs of air as an attack, and also to deflate himself. In all the games after Kirby's Adventure, Kirby can do a move known as the "Slide Kick" while crouching as a basic attack. In Kirby and the Amazing Mirror and Kirby Squeak Squad, if Kirby uses a Slide Kick on a steep incline, he will roll down it and will roll over any enemies that get in his way.

Games
Kirby stars in all the games in the Kirby series most of which are platformers. Here he is the hero of Dream Land, a country on the star shaped planet of Pop Star and usually has to save his home from whatever evil that attacks it (sometimes traveling to other lands or planets to do so). Often at the climax of the game Kirby gains a mystical weapon that he must fight the main villain with.

He has also been in spinoffs revolving around Racing, Pinball, Breakout, Golf, and falling-blocks games among others. He also cameos in many other games.



Anime
In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby is a legendary Star Warrior, who crash lands on Pop Star after his space ship detects a monster bought by King Dedede there, because of this Kirby was awakened 200 years too early and is still in his infantcy. Kirby can only say "Poyo" in a way similar way to how Pokemon "speak", though he can sometimes say names too (examples: Fofa, Dedede and his own), as well as the names of his attacks (Kirby saying his attack names was removed from the English dub however).

He is also said to be the creation of the emperor of darkness, Nightmare, but disobeyed him. Meta Knight starts to teach Kirby to become strong, so that one day, he could destroy Nightmare.

Manga and Comics
Kirby also stars in several manga series, none of which have been released outside Japan. The longest running of these series is titled Kirby of the Stars: The Story of Dedede Who Lives In Pupupu, and was written by Hirokazu Hikawa (ひかわ 博一 Hikawa Hirokazu). Other Kirby manga are typically one-shot comedy 4koma (panels) based on the games, and have multiple artists. They usually have recurring themes and running gags, despite having different creators.

A few German comics released in the Nintendo Power magazines there feature Kirby as a detective and King Dedede as his friend. Kirby is also friends with a blue fish (Not Kine but looks similar), an informant who works at the Blue Fish Bar with fellow blue fish. His animal friends; Rick, Coo, and Kine appear in the German comics as pets of a female Kirby look-alike with red glass slippers, ostensibly one of Kirby's girlfriends. In one comic, he meets Lolo, Lala, and Lulu, the stars of the Adventures of Lolo series. These comics were advertisements for Kirby games that would be released in Germany.

Latest Games
Kirby will appear in Kirby (Wii) and Kirby Super Star Ultra as the main character.

In the Super Smash Bros. Series
Kirby also appeares in all three Super Smash Bros. Games. He retains many of his abilities from his own series, such as inhaling his enemies and can use many of his copy abilities from the Kirby series (like Fighter, Backdrop, Hammer, Cutter/Sword, Stone, Ninja, Burning/Fire, and Yo-yo) without having to copy them from enemies. Kirby can also use his hovering ability in the form of five consecutive jumps. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl Kirby is the only character who's appearence hasn't changed from Super Smash Bros. Melee except Mr. Game & Watch.

When Kirby inhales one of the other fighters he can copy their standard B button technique and gains a hat that makes him look like that character, most of these abilities contain references to the copy abilities Kirby obtains in his games (for example: Bowser's Fire Breath works just like the Fire ability and R.O.B.'s Laser richochetes off hills just like Laser ability.

Out of all the Super Smash Bros. characters, Kirby arguably has more move than any other character.

Role in the Subspace Emissary
In the beginning, a trophy of Mario and Kirby are thrown into an arena, come to life, and have a friendly match. The player chooses the one they want to play as. After the battle between the two, the victor revives the fallen loser, and the two fighters celebrate and wave to the crowd when suddenly, the Subspace Army attacks! Peach and Zelda, who were watching their match, both come to their aid. After the brief battle, the Ancient Minister shows up with a giant Subspace Bomb that is quickly armed by two R.O.B.s. When Mario attempts to stop the bomb, he is ambushed by a giant cannonball and is blasted away from the stadium. Meanwhile, the two princesses are captured by Petey Pirahna, and are thrown into separate cages. Kirby then faces off against Petey, but only one princess can be freed. After defeating Petey, Wario appears carrying a giant gun called the Dark Cannon, turns the princess Kirby didn't save into a trophy, and runs off with her. As Kirby and the remaining princess begin to leave, Kirby sees that the Subspace Bomb is about to explode! Fortunately, they flee the Midair Stadium via Warp Star. However, they are soon chased by the Halberd and are forced to land on it. Soon after, an Arwing gets shot down, blowing both Kirby and the princess off the Halberd and onto a series of ridges.

After climbing down from the ridges, Kirby sees something and runs ahead, leaving Peach/Zelda behind. She is then turned into a trophy from behind by Bowser's Dark Cannon, and is copied by a Shadowbug clone of Bowser. After a fight, Mario and Pit/Link and Yoshi are turned into trophies, and are captured by an arm from a cargo drove by King Dedede, which also has Zelda/Peach, Luigi, and Ness's trophies. Suddenly, Kirby appears from behind and uses Final Cutter to sever the arm, and revives the pair's trophies in the process. When Dedede attempts to escape, Pit/Link fires an arrow at his cargo, slowing it down a little, and the five pursue Dedede to save their friends.

Eventually, they find a cave that Dedede's cargo is parked by, and after getting through, they find Dedede's hideout. Upon exploring his hideout they see a hole in the wall, and decide to enter it. They then see Bowser, who escapes to the Halberd after avoiding Mario and Pit's attacks. After the scuffle however, Kirby finds a mysterious badge that fell off Zelda/Peach's trophy

Some time after that, Kirby and the others pursue the Ancient Minister in a desert, trying to stop him from detonating another Subspace Bomb. Despite their best efforts, the bomb still explodes, and they barely managed to escape it. Kirby and the others then aided Marth, Ike, Lucas, the Ice Climbers, and the Pokémon Trainer in warding off the Subspace Army troops that had come to face them.

After defeating them, the Falcon Flyer, and the Halberd (now under Meta Knight's control) land infront of them, and they all join forces to defeat the Subspace Army. The Subspace Gunship, commanded by Bowser and Ganondorf, appears out of a large sphere of Subspace, and after destroying the Halberd, tries to attack 4 smaller ships emerging from its wreckage. Fortunately, Kirby manages to save them by destroying the Gunship with Dragoon, and follows the others into Subspace.

When they confront Tabuu, Tabuu unleashes an attack that turns everyone, including Kirby, into trophies. However, Kirby is revived by himself, thanks to the badge he found at Dedede's hideout earlier, which he had swallowed prior to Tabuu's attack. After going through Subspace alone and reviving some of the fighters along the way, Kirby finds Ganondorf's trophy. Before he can do anything Bowser appears and attacks Ganondorf's trophy in revenge for turning him into a trophy earlier, before throwing it aside. King Dedede then runs over to Kirby and hugs him before pointing the staircase to Kirby, and dragging Kirby up it. Kirby then helps the others fight Tabuu.

Kirby's Special Attacks
Standard Special Move - Inhale

Up Special Move - Final Cutter

Side Special Move - Hammer

Down Special Move - Stone 

Misc abilities

 * Kirby can lose an ability by taunting.


 * Some of Kirby's regular attacks (notably the Vulcan Jab and the Spin Kick) are based upon Fighter


 * Kirby's throws are based on moves used by Backdrop, Suplex and Ninja. Certain throws can also be used to Kirbycide.


 * Kirby enters by crashing his Warpstar onto the Stage. Similar to how he did when a new game is started in Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland

Final Smash
See Cook ability for more His Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is Cook. It works in exactly the same way as it does in the Kirby series. Kirby puts on a chef's hat and "rings" a frying pan. Enemies and items are sucked into the pot and cooked. After a bit, the opponents are thrown upwards out of the pot as random items fly out with them.

Trivia

 * In the Smash series, players can perform what is called a "Kirbycide." The Kirbycide allows players to commit suicide with an opponent in his mouth, and still gain points without losing any.