Grizzo

"That pink headband means business! Grizzo will charge you with all his might!"

- Grizzo's Cast Description

Grizzo is a recurring enemy appearing in the Kirby series. Resembling a yellow bear, it hops merrily about the stage appearing cheerful until Kirby gets too close, at which point it will charge at Kirby. Some Grizzo sleep out in the open and act as simple obstacles to Kirby. Grizzo have more HP than most common enemies to the point that they can survive a Wave Beam attack from Beam Kirby, but that doesn't make them immune to Kirby's inhale attack.

Grizzo first appeared in Kirby's Dream Land. They yield no Copy Ability when inhaled.

Physical Appearance
Grizzo are large bear-like enemies that wear pink headbands. They normally have yellow fur (though the artwork for Kirby's Dream Land gives them blue fur) with pink stripes on their back. Their bodies are stocky and twice as large as other regular enemies.

Kirby's Dream Land
Grizzo appear in the game's first stage Green Greens where they simply hop about the stage (they lack their signature charging ability in this game, though they're twice as fast in Extra mode). Though they appear larger than the other enemies, they can still be easily inhaled just like any other enemy. However, if Grizzo should bump into Kirby, two bars of vitality will be lost instead of one, the amount of damage received normally by contact with other enemies.

Sometimes they appear as mounts for Poppy Bros. Jr. and Kirby can either attack the Grizzo with a star or air puff causing the Poppy Bros. Jr. to jump off, or inhale the Poppy Bros. off of the Grizzo and be left with just the Grizzo. If separated from either of their partners, they will move freely, though in the same direction as before.

Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra
Grizzo return in Kirby Super Star with the same behavior, however they no longer have riders. They have 65 hit points, making them one of the more resilient common enemies.

In Kirby Super Star Ultra's Revenge of the King mode, Grizzo is replaced by Galbel, which is a tiger-like enemy that can withstand more hits and has more HP than Grizzo.

Kirby's Epic Yarn
Grizzo once again returns without a rider. It takes two normal yarn projectiles to defeat it, and Grizzo does not heal or respawn after Kirby moves off-screen, similarly to most of the larger enemies. He charges blindly at Kirby for some distance when he gets too close. Kirby can stand on the enemy and ride him. If Grizzo runs into Kirby, the hero will be launched backwards, dropping beads in the process.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Kirby: Planet Robobot
Grizzo yet again returns without a rider, retaining its basic behavior from Kirby Super Star. It remains one of the most resilient enemies in these games. As in Kirby Super Star and its remake, Grizzo can occasionally be found sleeping when Kirby approaches.

Related Quotes
"Because of Grizzo's size, it seems like an unlikely event that Kirby could inhale one. However, Grizzo is no different from any other foe."

- Description

Trivia

 * The pink stripes on the back of Grizzo resemble those of the Pokémon mascot, Pikachu.
 * Grizzo's Kirby Super Star Ultra sprite makes a cameo appearance in the background of an unused sub-game found in the coding of Kirby Mass Attack.
 * The enemy Towtow from Super Smash Bros. Brawl's The Subspace Emissary may be based on Grizzo behavior-wise. Both are large enemies with high HP who charge at the player when awake and can do a great amount of damage. Many other Kirby enemies have similarly behaving foes in The Subspace Emissary. Since Super Smash Bros. Brawl was designed by Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the Kirby series, this could be intentional.