Hammer

"A giant hammer on loan from the king himself. Pound boulders into dust, or knock stakes flat into the ground. Send out a fiery burst with a special technique--the decisive Hammer Flip!"

- Hammer's Flavor Text

GraGeneral Information
Hammer (Martillo in Spain) is one of Kirby's special Copy abilities, first appearing in Kirby's Adventure. It has very limited range, but is the heaviest hitter among his normal abilities - most normal enemies are instantly KO'd in a single hit. When used on a mid-boss or regular boss, the moves simply do very heavy damage. Its high damage makes it very desirable in Boss Endurance events. The hammer Kirby wields looks similar to King Dedede's mallet, with a shorter handle.

Hammer is one of the few abilities that can not be found by inhaling a common enemy. It is most commonly obtained from Bonkers the mid-boss. Otherwise it can be obtained via Mix, the Copy Essence behind the golden door in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, or by finding the Copy Essence Deluxe in Kirby Super Star and its remake. Orange Dygclops from Heavy Mole also give Hammer.

Hammer did not have a hat like the rest of the abilities when they were introduced in Kirby Super Star. Its hat was first seen in the anime, in which it is shown to be a cord of twisted blue and white fabric. This design has been used in the games since Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Hammer Kirby's brief appearance in a trailer for the canceled Kirby GCN is the only time where the ability features a hard hat, though this has not yet appeared in the series proper.

In Kirby Air Ride, the Hammer copy ability is referenced in the form of a power-up in Top Ride. When it is collected, it spins vigorously around the user's Air Machine, knocking anyone who comes in contact with it around.

Along with Sword, Master, Parasol, and Spear, Hammer may be used in water with reduced speed and move sets.

Super Smash Bros. Series


Kirby uses Hammer as his Side Special attack in the Super Smash Bros. series, starting with Super Smash Bros. Melee. Rather than swinging it vertically like he does in most games, Kirby swings the hammer horizontally, similar to what he does with the "Hammer Flip" move (but without the fire). It's slower than Kirby's other attacks but can K.O. players with an already high damage percentage.

When used in the air, Kirby swings the hammer around him, like he does in most games. In Melee, he spins vertically once, but in Brawl, he spins horizontally twice, similar to "Hammer Swing". While the move in Melee is closer to what he does in the games, in Brawl the move is a bit stronger and beneficial, having no need for a precise sweetspot to launch foes out of the arena.

In Brawl, King Dedede uses an attack called Jet Hammer which is similar to the Hammer Flip attack, but instead of the hammer bursting into flames, it opens to reveal a jet engine within. This move does more damage depending on how long the player charges it up before releasing. If held down too long, though, it will rapidly damage the king.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Always obtained by inhaling King Dedede's signature mallet, Hammer Kirby in the anime retains all of its game characteristics - most notably the ability to dish out a lot of damage very fast. The hammer's ends have a red star on a green background instead of yellow on pink as in the games, and the headband is completely white instead of alternating white and blue. Kirby has all the same attacks from Kirby Super Star including the most powerful, Hammer Throw, which also causes Kirby to lose the ability.

During the transformation sequence, Kirby first ties the band around his forehead, and then a variety of different old fashioned tools appear in his hands, including a cleaver, a decorated spear, an axe, a rake, a satsumata, and a yubi-bou. He cycles through them as he poses, before the hammer appears.

Appearances

 * Dedede's Pet Threat (First Use)
 * Goin' Bonkers
 * Shell-Shocked

Trivia

 * This is one of the only three abilities in Kirby's Return to Dream Land to be able to break ice blocks. The others are Fire and Fighter.
 * The flavor text from Kirby: Triple Deluxe seems to imply the hammer that Kirby uses is from King Dedede.