Captain Vul is an unknown avian species; though his name suggests he may be a vulture, his appearance does not match this. Dressed in regal, sailor captain-style clothing with epaulets, Vul regularly oversees the crew and ensures the ship runs smoothly. But after Kirby learns of Meta Knight's plan to conquer Dream Land with it and therefore plans to destroy it, Vul becomes desperate and violently obsessed and proves that he will do anything to eliminate Kirby—even destroy his own ship.
Captain Vul serves under Meta Knight, presumably as some sort of second-in-command. However, his dialogue indicates that he shares just as much ownership of the Halberd as Meta Knight does. Whether or not this is true may depend on whether he means "his ship" literally or metaphorically. When Vul hears that Kirby has boarded the Halberd, he orders Heavy Lobster to crush him before he becomes any nuisance. After Kirby boards the ship again, Vul orders the Meta-Knights to do away with Kirby. Then, Vul guides Kirby to Combo Cannon. When that doesn't work, and Kirby destroys the cannon, Vul throws Heavy Lobster at him again. Kirby withstands all of Vul's plans and slowly weakens the Halberd. Beyond coming up with schemes to defeat Kirby, Captain Vul also comments alongside the other Meta-Knights on Kirby's progress, often to give his soldiers orders, scold them for whatever failures or pathetic schemes they commit, or express his obsession with destroying Kirby. After Kirby destroys the Halberd's Reactor, Vul decides to live rather than go down with the ill-fated ship. While he is the first to evacuate, Vul is never seen again, leaving his fate a mystery.
In Kirby Super Star, Captain Vul's portraits were more exaggerated and cartoonish than those in Kirby Super Star Ultra; he was also not named until the remake. He makes a brief cameo during the end credits of Meta Knightmare Ultra, along with Sailor Waddle Dee and Axe Knight. The three are seen in a brief snapshot with Meta Knight in the interior of the Halberd.
Personality[]
Captain Vul is brash and regularly berates the crew, as well as being willing to do massive damage to the ship just to try and slow Kirby down, showing a lack of regard for the safety of his crew. When that fails, he is the first to evacuate the ship, suggesting a more cowardly nature compared to the Meta-Knights.
So YOU were the one hoarding them, you scallywag!!”
— Captain Vul • Kirby Super Star Ultra
“
Hm. Hmm. Having both wings destroyed may be just what we needed...”
— Captain Vul • Kirby Super Star Ultra
“
AHH! This ship is done for! I gotta get outta here!”
— Captain Vul • Kirby Super Star Ultra
“
I'm escaping now! Don't think badly of me!”
— Captain Vul • Kirby Super Star Ultra
Trivia[]
The credits of Meta Knightmare Ultra feature CG images that never appear as actual cutscenes. One of these images depicts Meta Knight standing with Sailor Waddle Dee, Axe Knight, and Captain Vul. Throughout all of the Kirby games, this is the only time Captain Vul's face is shown outside of dialog sequences.