Parasol

"Shake the water off it to attack with a splash or enjoy a floaty flight through the sky. Open it with ↑ to protect you and your friends from deluges and waterfalls. Is there anything chummier than sharing an umbrella?"

- Flavor Text

Parasol is one of Kirby's Copy Abilities that has appeared in numerous Kirby games, first seen in Kirby's Adventure.

General Information
Parasol is a deceptively simple, harmless looking Copy Ability that allows Kirby to use a red and white-striped (except in Kirby's Dream Course, where it is green and white), star-tipped parasol as a weapon. It can slow his fall from high places, and protect his head from most attacks or falling objects. Kirby can also swing the parasol in front of him to attack enemies, and in some games, can hold it out indefinitely. However, Parasol's attacks are rather weak compared to those of other abilities, making it difficult to use offensively.

While Parasol began as a defensive ability, it has actually received multiple offensive upgrades throughout the Kirby games. In Kirby Super Star, Parasol gained a powerful throw; in Kirby: Squeak Squad, the Ability Scroll for Parasol made Kirby able to fire a short-ranged beam of star-like projectiles from the tip of the parasol when held. In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, many of Parasol's moves gained invincibility frames, and it also gained an extremely fast, grounded, multi-hit attack. This ironically made it one of the most damaging abilities against grounded enemies in that game, though the damage of this move was heavily toned down in Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Kirby: Planet Robobot.

Parasol is one of the few abilities that may presently be used in water. Ironically, though, in Kirby's Dream Land 3, it was the only ability that could not be used underwater, where Kirby would put away his Parasol and attack by instead blowing bubbles, as if he had no ability. Kirby's Dream Land 3 was also the only game in which Parasol did not slow Kirby's fall by itself, effectively making the ability only useful for defeating enemies on land.

Parasol is one of the few abilities to never have Kirby wearing a hat, other than many of the final abilities like Star Rod. Parasol's handle comes in four color variations: pink, blue, white, and green. It is also one of the few abilities that may be used in the water, along with Sword, Hammer, UFO, Master, Spear, Water, and Bell.

In Kirby: Planet Robobot, if one taps in the Kirby series Waddle Dee amiibo, then Kirby will obtain an exclusive costume for Parasol, turning his body redish orange, while turning his feet orange, and putting on a blue bandana resembling Bandana Waddle Dee.

In Kirby Star Allies, Parasol can be used to imbue the water element, in order to become Friend Abilities. In addition, it can be used solo to create the Chumbrella, a larger parasol which can protect from falling obstacles.

Attacks
In certain games like Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby may not be holding the Parasol over his head when he enters a new room, gets hurt or enters water, and will therefore be unable to use the Drift and Shield abilities until he attacks with it, after which he will hold it over his head.

In Kirby's Dream Course
Like Stone, Parasol is a very useful ability in that it will instantly halt Kirby's mid-air trajectory, allowing him to drop directly onto an enemy or into a hole without needing to precisely calculate a shot. However, it is less reliable than Stone, as Kirby will slowly drift forward on his parasol after activation, rather than dropping straight down. He can be guided to a limited extent by holding left or right on the D-pad, which will rotate him counterclockwise or clockwise respectively. If used on the ground, it has a braking effect similar to Needle, though less pronounced.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Parasol Kirby in Kirby: Right Back at Ya! is most like the version from Kirby Super Star, with several of the same attack—namely Parasol Swing and Parasol Shield, in addition to Parasol Grab and Throw, which he uses on King Dedede. In the transformation sequence, Kirby lands atop his parasol. It spins, making Kirby dizzy, and he gets off. Kirby then takes the Parasol, which floats down to him.

Cappy New Year marked the ability's first appearance. Kirby acquired it by inhaling Sasuke. In this episode, Kirby did not use Parasol in battle, but instead used it only to slow his fall from high up in the air.

Parasol later appeared in episode 25, Escargoon Rules, where Kirby acquired it by inhaling a Drifter. Kirby used the ability to foil Dedede's evil scheme.

The ability's last appearance was D'Preciation Day, where Kirby used it to destroy Chuckie.

Related Quotes
"Take a nice walk for a short break!"

- Intro description

"Jab foes with a parasol and spin them around!"

- Kirby Battle Royale - Kirby's 25th Anniversary Copy Ability Poll

Trivia

 * This is the only ability in the anime that never used its transformation sequence the first time it was used.
 * In Kirby Super Star and its remake's ability icons, the handle's color variation is yellow. In the Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land ability icon, the stroke and the handle are both wooden.
 * The yellow handle was used even earlier in Kirby's Dream Land 2’s Super Game Boy border, where Kirby is holding the parasol. The parasol here, strangely, has blue stripes instead of red ones.
 * The Parasol ability gains the trait of cooling down lava like Water or Ice in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition, and Kirby: Triple Deluxe. This is because the parasol shoots out tiny drops of water when Kirby uses the Parasol Swing attack, starting in Kirby Super Star.
 * In Kirby's Dream Land 3, Bukiset's Parasol attack created water droplets just like Kirby's attack would in later games.
 * It may be referencing the Animal Crossing games, in which the player character can twirl his/her parasol while it is raining, causing small drops of water to shoot out.
 * A similar move is used in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. If Kirby holds a Bumber overhead while in the air, he will float slowly to the ground.
 * Like several other Copy Abilities that returned in Kirby: Squeak Squad, Parasol gained a new idle animation: Kirby will sway in place and tap his foot.
 * Parasol is one of the only reoccurring Copy Abilities that does not give Kirby a hat.
 * In Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby keeps his Parasol on his back when he is carrying an object, climbing a ladder, or riding a Warp Star. It is not known how he does this, as no carrying strap or holster is seen. This also occurs with Sword, Beam, Bell, and Hammer.
 * Using Parasol, a glitch can be performed on Halfmoon that causes Kirby to walk on air.
 * In Kracko Land, a large Kirby will occasionally hold up a Parasol to stay dry from the Nimbus's rain shower. If Kirby happens to land on it, the larger Kirby will perform a Circus Throw to launch Kirby upwards. This was made three years before Kirby Super Star’s release.
 * Parasol has the most appearances so far, at 16.