Maxim Tomato

"This is Kirby's favorite snack. Eat this miracle fruit to regain all your strength!"

- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards instruction manual

Maxim Tomatoes (sometimes referred to as simply Tomatoes ) are glowing, red tomatoes with large black "M"s in the center. They are items that are found in most Kirby games and restore all of Kirby's health when eaten or inhaled. They are often said to be Kirby's favorite food.

The foe Poppy Bros. Jr. is sometimes seen riding on a Maxim Tomato instead of an apple. If Kirby attacks Poppy with anything other than Inhale (or an ability that uses the inhale technique, like Throw), he will destroy the Maxim Tomato. Inhaling will suck the Poppy Bros. Jr. off and allow Kirby to pick up the Maxim Tomato.

In Kirby's Epic Yarn, a Metamato (a tomato that resembles a Maxim Tomato) is noticeably worn on a hat by the main villain Yin-Yarn, but is mistakenly eaten by Kirby in the opening scene. This angers the yarn magician and prompts him to suck the pink hero into the sock around his neck, starting Kirby's adventures in Patch Land.

In Kirby Mass Attack, a Maxim Tomato gives 100 points on the fruit meter. Since it takes 100 points to fill the meter, it is guaranteed that the player will get a new Kirby and/or a 10,000 point bonus when eating one. Also, in the Kirby Quest sub-game, the first three Chapters' bonus levels involve getting a Maxim Tomato from a certain character—Chef Kawasaki in the first chapter, Max Flexer in the second, and Chef Shiitake in the third. If the Kirby(s) successfully beat any of these characters, they will get the Maxim Tomato, which heals any hurt Kirbys.

In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, some Maxim Tomatoes appear in Maxim Tomato boxes. They are red boxes with a Maxim Tomato on the side. They contain a Maxim Tomato and can be carried around until needed. After being thrown, the box will shake and then open up, allowing the player to eat the Maxim Tomato.

In the Super Smash Bros. series
The Maxim Tomato is a recovery item in all the Super Smash Bros. games.

In the original Super Smash Bros., the Maxim Tomato heals a character of 100% of their damage percentage. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, the Tomato only heals 50% of damage, due to the inclusion of the Heart Container recovery item from The Legend of Zelda series that also heals 100% (or all damage if the player is playing Boss Battles or All Star Mode in Super Smash Bros. Brawl) of the player's health. If a character is attacked while using the Maxim Tomato, it will "absorb" the damage. For example, if an attack does 30% damage, the tomato will absorb it and the user only recovers 20% damage. Like all other Super Smash Bros. items, it appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. It also appears as a sticker where the design from Kirby: Squeak Squad is used.

Related Quotes
"Maxim Tomatoes cure 50 percentage points of your accumulated damage. Once you eat one, after a brief moment, your damage meter slowly drains the appropriate amount, regardless of whether or not you pick up another item right afterwards. In the Kirby series, these juicy, health-restoring items were a favorite of the pink hero."

- Trophy description

"A juicy tomato that heals 50 percentage points of the damage you've accumulated. When one of these appears in combat, rest assured there will be a race to see who can reach it first. It's a race of desperation between players who want to heal their damage and those who want to stop them from doing so. In the Kirby series, Maxim Tomatoes healed all damage."

- Trophy description

"A tomato marked with a large, black M. This is Kirby's favorite snack, and in the past it has fully restored Kirby's health. The ones that show up in Smash Bros. aren't from the same crop, though, and only heal 50 points of damage. That'll still help you in a fight—unless an enemy eats it first."

- Trophy description

Trivia

 * In the English manual of Kirby's Dream Land, it was briefly localized as the Bag of Magic Food (aka Magic Food Bag or just Magic Food in Nintendo Power).
 * Maxim Tomatoes don't appear in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, but are replaced by Watermelons, which are Kirby's favorite food in that continuity.
 * A Maxim Tomato is drawn by Paint Roller in the Paint Panic sub-game.
 * The Maxim Tomato has appeared in nearly every Kirby game to date, either as an item, a cameo, or as an illustration.
 * It is unknown why exactly the name is Maxim Tomato instead of Maximum Tomato, as a maxim is a principle or rule of conduct, although in Latin, the word "maxim" derives from "maxima," which means "largest or most important".
 * Maxim Tomatoes spin 360 degrees in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Despite the fact that Maxim Tomatoes were ported directly from this game to Kirby: Triple Deluxe, the tomatoes in Kirby: Triple Deluxe do not spin. This is also the case with 1UPs.
 * The Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards instruction manual calls the Maxim Tomato a "miracle fruit". In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby acquires the Hypernova ability by eating a different fruit called a Miracle Fruit.