Copy Ability



Copy Abilities are powers that Kirby can gain in various ways during gameplay. They have appeared in all of his games since Kirby's Adventure (excluding some spin-offs, namely Kirby's Epic Yarn, Kirby Mass Attack, and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse). They have been a staple feature of the Kirby franchise ever since their introduction.

Kirby's usual method of obtaining these abilities is by inhaling various enemies and copying their powers (hence the name, "Copy Ability"). However, Kirby has gained access to other sources for his Copy Abilities. In Kirby's Adventure, Meta Knight will give Kirby a sword. In some games, he can gain his abilities from a special kind of pedestal. In Kirby: Squeak Squad, he can store ability bubbles in his stomach. Also, in the Milky Way Wishes sub-game of Kirby Super Star and its remake, Kirby can obtain Copy Essences Deluxe, which function as Copy Abilities that cannot be lost. The drawback to this is that when Kirby swallows most enemies that give out abilities, he does not receive an ability from them.

Kirby's friend Gooey has also been seen using Copy Abilities by swallowing enemies. Enemies such as Droppy or Tac are notable for being able to steal Kirby's Copy Ability.

Acquisition
The main way that Kirby gets his abilities are from inhaling and swallowing certain enemies. However, an ability won't necessarily have all the attacks that the enemy can perform. For instance, Bonkers (a mini-boss), can throw explosive coconuts, but the ability he grants, Hammer, doesn't allow Kirby to throw coconuts. Conversely, sometimes Kirby can do moves that the enemy cannot. Some enemies do not even yield powers.

Mix
If Kirby swallows two or more enemies that can grant Copy Abilities at once, Mixing starts, and Kirby gets the opportunity to randomly select an ability before it lands on a pre-determined or random one. In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Kirby: Squeak Squad, certain Copy Abilities, when combined, will yield certain other abilities (i.e. in Kirby: Squeak Squad, Sleep + Sleep = Ghost). Also showing a Copy Ability icon which differs in games. In some games, Kirby can get "gulp", "helper", and "ouch" (this causes Kirby to take damage).

From Mid-Bosses
Mid-bosses can't be inhaled until they have been defeated. After being defeated, they will lie on the ground for a few seconds before exploding. During this time, Kirby can inhale them and gain their abilities. With some Copy Abilities, such as Suplex, Backdrop, Hammer, Ghost, Smash, and Magic, there are no normal enemies to get the power from. Only mid-bosses carry such powers.

Copy Essence
Copy Abilities, in some games, appear on small pedestals, where they can be obtained when touched. On top of the pedestal is an icon representing the enemy/mid-boss that is usually seen giving Kirby the ability. These pedestals are called Copy Essences.

Copy Essence Deluxe
In the Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra sub-game Milky Way Wishes, Kirby cannot gain abilities from swallowing enemies. Instead, there are collectible items that are known as the Copy Essences Deluxe, that allow Kirby and his helper to switch to that ability at any time once it's collected.

Copy Bubbles
In Kirby: Squeak Squad, Copy Abilities could appear in bubble items. Kirby can hold up to five bubble items in his stomach, and possibly one in his mouth. In his stomach, they can be mixed (see above).

Losing Copy Abilities
Kirby can willingly drop an ability if he doesn't want it anymore. It will then become a yellow Ability Star, that will erratically bounce arway from Kirby for some time until it disappears. If the Ability Star touches spikes, magma, or an electrified field from the environment, it will disappear. Also, if it touches water, it will sink and quickly break (though in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Squeak Squad, ability stars are buoyant and appear to be waterproof). It will also disappear if it falls down a pit. In Kirby Super Star, Kirby can't willingly eject his ability into a star; he can only turn it into a Helper or an ability item (though in the remake, he could do this in addition to willingly turning it into a star).

Also, if Kirby is hit by an enemy or an environmental hazard, the ability will automatically be turned into an Ability Star. In some games, this happens after Kirby takes one hit, but in most games, Kirby must be hit with multiple or very strong attacks.

If Kirby gains another ability while his previous one is a bouncing star, it will quickly disappear.

Starting from Kirby's Return to Dream Land, every Ability Star has its own unique coloration and symbol on it, allowing the player to easily tell which ability is which. Kirby (or a teammate) can also carry the Ability Star is if it lands on top of him.

Kirby can inhale and swallow an Ability Star to regain its ability before it disappears.

All of these properties go to regular abilities. However, if Kirby drops or loses the Master or Triple Star, it will be discarded by bouncing away (though not in the form of a star), and will not disappear after any amount of time, by touching spikes/water/magma/electrified fields, or by getting a new ability, though it will still disappear if it falls down a pit and float to the surface of water.

It is also possible to regain a lost ability by inhaling its Ability Star. If it is a helper, Kirby must turn it into an ability item before regaining it.

Limited-use Abilities
Some abilities are exceptionally powerful, but Kirby loses them after using their ability once (except for Mike, which can be used three times).

In Kirby Super Star, Kirby can't create a helper with this type of ability. These abilities are the only Copy Abilities that can be obtained by swallowing enemies in the "Milky Way Wishes" sub-game, but, as a drawback, do not have a Deluxe version and are rarely seen (with the possible exception of Sleep). (Crash, however, can be seen as an exception as this can also be procured by using Copy on a Scarfy.)

In Kirby: Squeak Squad, the Magic ability's Copy Scroll move does lose the ability, like in previous games. If that attack isn't used, the ability can be used like any other normal power.

Mostly Kirby never gets a hat from these powers and just blinks with the exception of Paint and Sleep (which do give him hats). Mike will give the "blink" until it is used, then Kirby will get temporary headphones or mohawks. When used, Cook will give Kirby a chef's hat (also known as a toque). Copy also gives Kirby a visor over his eyes when used.

In Kirby: Return to Dream Land, Kirby can obtain special abilities called Super Abilities from special enemies. The abilities are Ultra Sword, Monster Flame, Snow Bowl, Flare Beam and Grand Hammer. Unlike other limited-use abilities, these abilities can be used indefinitely, but only within a small period of time.

In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby can obtain a powerful ability called Hypernova, which allows Kirby's signature inhale to increase exponentially. The pink puff can inhale huge objects that only Hypernova can move. Unlike most of the limited-use abilities, Hypernova can be used until Kirby exits the stage.

Final Abilities
Some games have a special and usually powerful Copy Ability that can be only used against final bosses (however some abilities like Master or Triple Star can be used freely on any level after beating their respective games). These abilities, except Master and Rainbow Sword, are projectile shooters.

In Kirby Super Star (and Kirby Super Star Ultra), the Starship ability, however, is used before the final battle of Milky Way Wishes, to defeat Nova. The Starship also appears in Revenge of the King, again as an ability that isn't used for the final boss, to fight Kabula with. In Kirby's Epic Yarn, the Starship is used to defeat Kracko and attack Battleship Halberd.

Moves
Originally, a Copy Ability would give Kirby one move, with perhaps options for charging or aiming. In Kirby Super Star, however, many Copy Abilities allowed a wider arsenal of moves. In more recent games, such as Kirby: Squeak Squad, this was temporarily dropped, so some abilities, like Beam, retained the traditional one move per ability, while others, such as Fighter, still offer multiple moves to be performed.

In Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3, there were less than ten abilities, each with one move only. However, there were also animal allies. Each ability had unique effects while Kirby was riding an ally. For instance, Burning normally makes Kirby zoom forward, surrounded by fire, but when Kirby is on Rick the Hamster, Rick breathes fire instead. In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby could mix six of the abilities from Kirby's Dream Land 2 (along with one ability introduced in Kirby Super Star) together to create ability combos.

Appearance
Originally, Kirby's appearance did not change when he had a Copy Ability (with the exception of UFO). In Kirby's Adventure, the only visible difference in Kirby's appearance would be that his skin tone changed to a peach shade, or a blue one if he has Ice or Freeze (though Kirby will remain pink with the Star Rod unless he is damaged). This change is obviously not observed in Game Boy titles. Interestingly, Kirby remains pink while having an ability in Kirby's Dream Course.

Kirby Super Star introduced the concept of unique appearances for each ability. Each ability (excluding limited-use abilities) would give Kirby an ability cap to wear, with the exception of Parasol and Hammer (though the latter was eventually given a twisted headband). Unlike later games, Kirby's skin tone occasionally changes depending on which ability he has, such as red for Fire. This was retained in the remake and the series' anime. Interestingly, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land had a similar case, as hats were added but some abilities had certain color changes.

In Kirby's Dream Land 3 and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Copy Abilities did not receive hats or color changes (with the possible exception of Ice, which only changes Kirby to blue while he's performing the move). However, ability caps became a series staple soon afterwards. In all original games since, abilities do not change Kirby's skin color from pink (except Metal and Ghost). This may be because of the Spray Paint feature implemented in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, or to make multiplayer less confusing. The only game to not include hats alongside Copy Abilities since then would be Kirby: Canvas Curse, which had unconventional gameplay.

In the Super Smash Bros. series, Kirby will usually get hats depending on what character he swallows. For example, when Kirby swallows Mario, he gains the same red cap that Mario wears. However, some characters change the appearance of Kirby's whole body. As an example of this, swallowing Mr. Game & Watch will transform Kirby into a pitch-black LCD version of himself.

Miscellaneous
Meta Knight is a recurring character in the Kirby games, appearing as both an ally and an enemy to Kirby. Due to his chivalrous nature, he nearly always offers a sword for Kirby to pick up before they battle. King Dedede mimics this in the Kirby Super Star Ultra sub-game Revenge of the King, except he offers Kirby a hammer rather than a sword.

Related Quotes
"Here's Kirby sporting several results of his Copy ability. In Link's hat he can shoot arrows, while Mario's cap gives him access to Fireballs. The Donkey Kong suit offers up a Giant Punch, while Samus's helmet allows Kirby to fire off charged-up energy shots. Finally, while wearing the Yoshi hat, Kirby can swallow enemies and turn them into eggs."

- Kirby Hat 1's trophy description

"Kirby's got several of his finest hats on here. In Ness's baseball cap, he can use the power of PSI to unleash PK Flash, while Captain Falcon's visor gives him the ability to unleash a huge punch. His adorable Pikachu cap comes complete with stored-up electric charges, allowing him to shock his foes, and the Fox ears come with a matching blaster."

- Kirby Hat 2's trophy description

"With all of these hats, Kirby could open his own haberdashery! Peach's crown lets him use Toad, while the Ice Climber parka allows him to shoot ice blocks. Kirby has Fire Breath in the Bowser horns, and he can copy Zelda in both her forms. In Zelda's headdress he can use Nayru's Love, while Sheik's wrap gives him a needle arsenal."

- Kirby Hat 3's trophy description

"Looks like Kirby's copied a bunch of hidden characters! In Luigi's hat, he can shoot green Fireballs, while copying Mewtwo gives him the power to throw Shadow Balls. Copying Mr. Game & Watch lets Kirby hurl sausages, and doing the same to Jigglypuff earns him a Rollout move. Marth's hair comes complete with a powerful Shield Breaker move."

- Kirby Hat 4's trophy description

"Secret hats galore! In Pichu's hat Kirby can shoot out electricity, while Dr. Mario's headgear gives him Megavitamins. When Kirby wears Falco's beak, he gets to use Falco's powerful Blaster; by the same token, he can fire arrows when in Young Link's cap. When Kirby copies Ganondorf he gets the Warlock Punch, and copying Roy produces a Flare Blade."

- Kirby Hat 5's trophy description

Trivia

 * Hiroaki Suga, the main leader and programmer of Kirby's Adventure, expressed concern when confronted with the idea of creating 24 individual Copy Abilities. The work required to accomplish them all would roughly equal the amount needed to make several NES/Famicom games.
 * In a Japanese commercial promoting the New Nintendo 3DS, Kirby inhales star dust off of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and copies her appearance. He gains a wand topped with a heart and uses it to transform Kyary's outfit. To date, this is the only Nintendo-created "Copy Ability" to appear exclusively in a medium outside of video games, anime, and manga.