Tac

"Tac will fire his hand at you to try and steal your stat boosts. If he gets them, defeat him before he runs away or they'll be gone for good!"

- Tip

Tac (also spelled T.A.C.) is an enemy in the Kirby games. He is a cat-like burglar dressed in a ninja outfit with sandals, and carries around a bag of stolen goods. Tac first appeared in Kirby Super Star as an enemy and a Helper. He is currently the only source of the rare Copy ability. As such, Tac is also the Helper for the Copy Ability he yields.

Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra
Tac appears as a common enemy in these games. He will run around and will attempt to steal Kirby's Copy Ability (or kidnap his Helper). Tac then attempts to flee from the scene with the stolen Copy Ability or Helper. If Kirby chases after him and catches him via defeating him with any available attack, he will get his Copy Ability/Helper back. If he doesn't catch him in time, he will leave the area with whatever he managed to steal. He may occasionally (but very rarely) fly away as his escape method instead of running away, especially if cornered. Tac, along with Bomber are the only enemies to inhabit the planet ???, and Kirby also gets the Copy ability essence there, too.

As a Helper, Tac differs greatly from Kirby with the Copy ability. Whereas Copy Kirby projects a beam to analyze and copy an enemy's power, Tac swiftly thrusts his hand forward in an attempt to obtain a power. As for his guard, Tac camouflages his body to blend in with the background. Doing so negates any attack used against him. He can also perform Steal underwater. In Helper to Hero, Tac wears a white garb and carries a reddish sack. As a Helper, Tac is highly versatile, more so than Kirby with the Copy Ability, or any other Helper. This is because Tac can take on the form of any other Helper when he copies the corresponding ability, which fully heals him in the process. When the Tac Helper takes such a form, his icon is marked by a "?" symbol, and he can discard the new Copy Ability and revert to regular Tac at any time.

As aforementioned with his hand thrust, Tac is even able to convert it into a powerful attack against enemies who's abilities cannot be stolen upon a single copy attack, as Tac can even charge up the power behind his "steal" to inflict major damage on most bosses at a fair distance. This trait is also what greatly sets apart the playable Tac with Copy Kirby.

Kirby Air Ride
Tac appears in Kirby Air Ride as an Event in City Trial Mode. When the event is activated, Tac will appear with stolen goods, mainly food and Patches. Running into him will cause him to drop the items before running off. In most cases, Tac appears under the city. Unlike most events, he does no damage if he collides with Kirby. Tac blasts off like a rocket when the event is over, and leaves behind a very useful "All" Patch that can be collected. If the player spins at Tac and hits him, the player will receive 3 random power-ups at the same time.

Also, there is a challenge on the Checklist where Kirby has to steal 8 items from him.

In the Super Smash Bros. series
Tac appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS ' s Smash Run mode. He appears in a puff of smoke and uses his Steal attack against players. In addition to damaging them, the Tac will also swipe their power-ups. If his attack misses, he dashes away and tries again. Like in the Kirby series, he will rocket away with the player's power-ups if he is not apprehended.

Tac also appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ' s Smash Tour mode.

Related Quotes
"This zippy character appears in the Kirby series. In Smash Bros., he'll appear in Smash Run to try to steal your stat boosts from you. How much he steals depends on how much you've improved your stats. If you can catch him, you can get whatever he stole. Don't give up!"

- Trophy description

Trivia

 * Tac's design may be based on the term "cat burglar."
 * Tac is the word "cat" spelled backwards. His name may also be a play on the term "copy cat", referring to the fact that he gives Copy when inhaled, and can copy abilities himself.
 * In Kirby Super Star Ultra, Tac's usual "Steal" was modified to be a chargeable move; holding the button allows Tac to charge up and perform the "Cat Magnum", which does more damage to an enemy when fully charged. This makes Tac the only Helper to gain a new move in the remake.
 * In Helper to Hero, Tac cannot copy abilities like he regularly can. Instead, the target is simply damaged when Tac's attack hits.
 * In Kirby Mass Attack, Tac makes a cameo on the pinball table in the sub-game Kirby Brawlball.

Other Helper Icons
TAC TAC (T.A.C) TAC Tac タック