UFO

"Fly around while using various energy attacks!"

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

UFO (or U.F.O.) is one of Kirby's Copy Abilities. It allows him to pilot a flying saucer. The ability first appeared in Kirby's Adventure.

General Information
UFO is a powerful ability that offers permanent levitation and four different attacks. The type of attack UFO Kirby does is based on how long the player holds down B. The longer it's pressed, the stronger the attack will be. Kirby is capable of moving around while charging, but cannot change the direction he is facing. UFO's main limitation is that Kirby cannot go back down through floors while having the ability, even with ladders.

UFO is very difficult to obtain. When it is found, either the UFO or the Copy Essence are generally in well-hidden areas. Kirby can only get it in four stages in Kirby's Adventure / Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, and for 10 short seconds in Kirby's Dream Course. The ability is lost when entering the overworld area, or the Central Circle in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. This behavior was changed in Kirby: Squeak Squad, where it could be taken to any other stage, but more often than not, Kirby has to forfeit the ability because he cannot proceed any further because of UFO's interaction with ladders and floors.

In Kirby: Squeak Squad, should the player attempt to drag a bubble item from the Copy Palette up to Kirby's mouth while in UFO form, Kirby will comically flip upside-down and drop to the ground head-first, and cannot move as long as the bubble is within his mouth until he exhales it or re-swallows it. This will also happen with Ghost Kirby, but instead he will inflate and drop onto the ground. Trying to do this over a bottomless pit spells an instant KO.

In Kirby: Planet Robobot, UFO can be accessed by using the Kirby amiibo from the Kirby amiibo series or by completing the game 100%. The ability acts much like it does in Kirby: Squeak Squad, even retaining the Trajectory Orb, though it now has a new move that allows Kirby to beam up enemies with a tractor beam. This move can be compared to a similar move Kirby performs while in Saucer form in Kirby's Epic Yarn. UFO Kirby can also now pass through soft platforms and ladders, but loses the ability to guard.

It is also one of the few abilities that may be used in the water, along with Sword, Parasol, Hammer, Master, Spear, and Bell. However, it's the only ability to retain its entire moveset when used underwater, unlike the other aforementioned abilities where only certain underwater variations of their attacks are usable.

Trivia

 * Kirby's UFO is affected by Spray Paint, much like the Magic ability's hat. More specifically, the hull is the color that would be Kirby's shoes and the rest is the color that would be Kirby's body despite it being shown gold in the official artwork.
 * In Kirby: Planet Robobot however, the UFO now accurately displays the gold body color in game.
 * In most games, although it says the player needs to hold B to charge up attacks, the same results happen whenever the player holds A and release it.
 * In Kirby's Adventure, UFO Kirby was not affected by water. This changed in subsequent games and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, where water slows him down. However in Kirby: Planet Robobot, UFO is still capable of "dashing" underwater.
 * If Kirby is using his UFO ability while calling for assistance in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, the Cell Phone will be replaced by a communication dish.
 * In Kirby: Canvas Curse, UFO Kirby is drawn in Paint Panic.
 * In Kirby's Adventure and its remake, UFO can be copied on the first level; Kirby has to find a hidden room to find a UFO flying down, and he can inhale it for the UFO Ability.
 * In Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, when Kirby reaches "1" in the goal game, a Kirby in a UFO will fly over and give him a 1UP.
 * In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, in Butter Building, Stage 2, if Kirby inhales both of the Rockys that drop down and the player doesn't choose the random ability, the resulting ability will be UFO.
 * This trick or simply eating UFO means Kirby can assume this form in every level in the game except for Rainbow Resort.
 * In Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Planet Robobot, the UFO ability is the only normal Copy Ability not to have a Copy Essence. For the former, this is because it was not allowed to be taken out of the level it was obtained in, similarly to Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. In the latter, its lack of a Copy Essence seems to be a carryover from previous games, up to the ability's presence in the game's Ability Testing Room being the actual UFO enemy if the respective game file has 100% completion.
 * UFO in Kirby: Planet Robobot is the second ability in the series which must be unlocked by clearing a certain condition in-game (without the use of amiibo), with the first being Ghost in Kirby: Squeak Squad.
 * In the overworld of Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby walks as he does normally even when he has the UFO ability; the only way to tell he has it is by his golden hat.
 * Similarly, when Kirby gets on a Teleporter, a 3D Warp Star, travels through a tube, enters a door, or enters a cutscene while having the ability, he loses the vehicle for a short period.
 * This also happens during the Goal Game.
 * In Kirby: Squeak Squad, if a bubble item is sent to UFO Kirby's mouth (e.g.: a Star Bubble), he will inflate and drop on the ground and remain motionless until the item is discarded; this happens with the Ghost ability as well.

Other Ability Icons
UFO O.V.N.I OVNI (capacité) UFO ユーフォー