Bulk Star

“	Charging gives it fuel! It can take a beating.”
	— Flavor Text • Kirby Air Ride

The Bulk Star is an Air Ride Machine that appears in Kirby Air Ride.

Physical Appearance[]

The Bulk Star is different from the other stars in appearance, with a larger frame and an exposed single-cylinder engine, which makes a sound unique among the other air machines. It has two large exhaust pipes, a functional fuel gauge that more closely resembles a speedometer, a sun-like design on its side, and what appears to be an open-ended intake manifold. Despite not being a Wheelie Bike of any sort, its appearance and mechanics seem to be based on certain parts of American choppers or on the parts of real-world motors in general.

Games[]

Kirby Air Ride and Kirby Air Riders[]

The Bulk Star is the heaviest non-legendary Air Ride Machine, and has great HP (the second highest, after the Hydra), offense, and defense. These traits accentuate its usefulness in City Trial. The Bulk Star also has a high Top Speed and can drift decently, but it has poor acceleration, below average handling, poor glide capabilities and slow charging speed. Its charge has a mostly unique property; when a player charges the Bulk Star's charge meter, it will run off of that boost gradually as if it is "fuel" until it goes out, in which case it will need to be charged again. This property is shared with the Hydra.

The Bulk Star may have potential difficulties in Drag Races and some Air Ride courses, but is capable in Kirby Melee and Destruction Derby. It is also good at powering through surfaces that would slow most stars down, such as the lava in Magma Flows, as it speeds up over these surfaces.

Despite the Bulk Star's technically poor Glide stat, its large frame allows it to perform a glitch in the Air Glider event that it can use to reach unprecedented heights, making it capable of reaching the maximum possible score in that event.

Related Quotes[]

“	This machine races using charged-up Boost power as fuel. It's very sturdy and can hit a very high top speed, so learn how to fill your Boost Gauge and give this machine a try!”
	— Air Ride Machines • Kirby Air Ride Instruction Booklet

Etymology[]

The Bulk Star is named for its large size, as it is considerable "bulky."

Its Japanese name, "Heavy Star," instead is named for its high weight.

Trivia[]

There is a fuel gauge on the back of the star that shows how much fuel it has left, although the visible charge gauge in the bottom right corner makes using this impractical.
On its underside it has the word "Heavy" and a yellow star in the background, referencing its Japanese name, Heavy Star. However, this detail is omitted in Kirby Air Riders.
The Bulk Star can be considered the opposite of the Compact Star, both in terms of stats and names. In English, their names reflect their size: Bulk Star is big and bulky while Compact Star is small and compact. In Japanese, their names reflect their weight, with Bulk Star being "heavy" and Compact Star being "light."