“ | Those bejeweled hearts will be mine!” |
— Daroach • Kirby Star Allies |
Daroach is a character in the Kirby series, debuting as the main antagonist of Kirby: Squeak Squad but would later apologize for his actions and become an ally in later games after Kirby rescued him when he was possessed by Dark Nebula. He is the leader of the Squeaks.
Physical Appearance[]
Daroach is a gray mouse-like creature with round floating paws and three long yellow claws on each forepaw. He wears a red tophat and a jagged red cloak and often carries around a magic wand and the Triple Star cane. Daroach has large ears and eyes with yellow scleras, brown irises, and slit-like pupils. Around his neck is a gold bell that appears to be holding up his cloak.
As Dark Daroach, his hat and cloak turn purple and his body becomes a darker gray (dark blue in game).
Personality[]
Daroach is responsible for his gang's quest for treasure. By his own ambition, he ultimately became the victim of Dark Nebula and became Dark Daroach. As with King Dedede, Daroach is shown as not being inherently evil and is instead rather more of a mischievous bandit, whose goals involve stealing valuable treasures that unintentionally bring him into conflict with Kirby when his Strawberry Shortcake is stolen by Daroach's band of thieves; this is further proven when Daroach and the rest of the Squeaks return Kirby's cake after he frees them from the controlling grasp of Dark Nebula. It is not known what happens after this, except that the Squeaks return Kirby's cake and "decide to look elsewhere for treasure," which brought him to the Popopo Islands and their hidden medals in Kirby Mass Attack.
According to the Kirby Star Allies Channel on Update 11, Daroach hates tomatoes, but still eats Maxim Tomatoes without complaining.[1] In the same update, he is described as being "more of a thug than a stealthy burglar" and tells the reader to not be fooled by his demeanor. In Kirby Mass Attack, he mentions to Kirby that he used to "steal the hearts of young ladies by the seaside" before Dedede "spoiled" it by building the Dedede Resort on it, suggesting both a flirtatious nature and a certain amount of disdain for King Dedede.[2] He also calls the resort "beyond tacky"[3] further showing his ire.
Games[]
Kirby: Squeak Squad[]
"Dark Daroach" redirects here. |
Daroach is revered as the leader of the Squeaks, a gang of thieves who search for treasure. Daroach's motives for forming the gang are never entirely revealed. While scouring the planet for gold and treasures, he and his gang take a chest from King Dedede. Throughout the course of the story, Kirby mistakenly comes to believe that this chest contains his shortcake. However, both characters are wrong and severely misguided.
Daroach and the rest of the Squeaks make their grand first appearance when Kirby is on his way to King Dedede's castle to find the whereabouts of his missing cake. Kirby narrowly escapes the gang but little does he know that they were responsible for stealing his cake all along.
Daroach and the gang return to the scene of the crime where they stole Dedede's treasure, just as King Dedede tells Kirby about the treasure they stole from him. Just as the Squeaks escape, King Dedede gets his revenge by flinging Kirby at them, knocking them off balance and down into Nature Notch. Kirby has many more run-ins with the Squeaks from that point forward, including two run-ins with their leader, but he does not get a chance to fight Daroach until he makes it all the way to their frosty hideaway much later in the game. The hideaway is shaped like Daroach's hat, sprinkled with snow.
Daroach is the boss of level six, Ice Island. He attacks by accurately throwing small bombs (which can be inhaled for the Bomb ability), shooting beams of ice across the screen using his scepter, and blasting three ricocheting stars with the Triple Star that evaporate after a few seconds. He also teleports around the room, making it hard to attack him. The floor of his room is coated in ice, making it somewhat hard to dodge the well-aimed bombs and bouncing stars. By the same token, Kirby can use this floor to his advantage by using it to imbue his upgraded Tornado or Wheel abilities with the element of ice and use it in either of their attacks. Soon after Kirby bests him, Meta Knight appears and makes off with the treasure chest. However, Kirby is quick to follow and defeat him, once again reclaiming the chest.
Just as Kirby is about to open it, however, Daroach comes out of nowhere and, in a power-hungry attempt to gain enough power to defeat Kirby once and for all, opens it. However, instead of being granted unfathomable power, the ambitious Daroach is possessed by Dark Nebula, turning him into the corrupt Dark Daroach, whom Kirby must fight in Gamble Galaxy as the penultimate boss in the game.
During the battle with Dark Daroach, his attacks are upgraded versions of the attacks he used in the first battle. His ice beam attack now shoots a larger, more powerful beam at Kirby, and Daroach backs up while using it, preventing Kirby from attacking him from behind. He throws bombs more often; the bombs he throws are now red, larger, cannot be destroyed using a copy ability, and must be Super Inhaled; they also cause a larger explosion and send a large pillar of fire into the air. He teleports considerably more often, and he will use his Triple Star attack twice in a row; the stars are larger, do more damage, and stay on screen slightly longer as well. There is no ice on the ground, so Kirby cannot use the upgraded Tornado or Wheel abilities; however, this also means that Kirby no longer slides around on the ground.
After his defeat, Dark Nebula comes out of Daroach's body as a dark star and flees. Daroach then drops the Triple Star, which Kirby can grab and use in the battle against Dark Nebula.
After Dark Nebula is defeated, Daroach and the rest of the Squeaks return Kirby's cake as an apology for the wrong that they caused him during the course of the game.
Daroach also appears alongside the other Squeaks in a graphic, assembled by collecting Graphic Pieces from Treasure Chests.
Kirby Mass Attack[]
Daroach appears in both the main game and as an opponent in Kirby Quest. In the main game, he has come to the Popopo Islands to search for the medals there, and he requests the Kirbys find them for him. Daroach's Airship appears after the Kirbys make it through five stages in Green Grounds, and it is accessible from the stage select screen. After completing each island, another member of the Squeak Squad joins Daroach on his airship (except after clearing Volcano Valley and Necro Nebula).
When he is visited, he tells the Kirbys a small fact about something relating to the islands or otherwise and then gives out hints and advice for the Kirbys so that they can find the medals scattered across the four main islands.
Some of Daroach's hints relate to his own opinion on things, as well as his personality and experiences. For example, he reveals that his crew is like family to him, and that he entered Stage 4 of Green Grounds when he was young. He says that he dislikes cemeteries and slimy things and even mentions that he's had a history of romance. He feels that a Nintendo 3DS is "worth its weight in gold" as well, which was meant as an advertisement for the then-new Nintendo 3DS system. Daroach even tells the player to charge the Nintendo DS when the light glows red. If he says the same message twice, he'll mention that he's said it before or even accuse the Kirbys of standing around for "small talk."
Once the Kirbys get all 186 medals, Daroach gives them the final unlockable sub-game, Survival Rush, in exchange for all the medals the Kirbys have collected. When playing or selecting a stage, all medals on the top screen are replaced with a gold pin that looks like Daroach's face. Daroach says his final goodbyes before piloting his airship away from the Popopo Islands. He is never seen in the Story Mode again.
In the sub-game Kirby Quest, Daroach appears as the first opponent in Chapter 4 but does not attack. If the player fails a round against Daroach, he will simply flee from the battle. Successfully defeating him without providing him a chance to flee yields a very large sum of experience points.
Kirby Star Allies[]
Daroach appears in the second wave of Dream Friends in Kirby Star Allies, which launched on July 27, 2018. He teams up with Kirby to get his claws on the Jamba Heart shards, which he believes are valuable jewels. He can use all of his moves from his normal and Dark boss fights.
When Daroach fights Morpho Knight, the theme that plays is a remix of the Squeaks' theme.
Techniques[]
Attack | Controls | Description | Element | Damage[4] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ice Shot | Daroach fires a small ice shard from his wand. Can be used rapidly. | Blizzard | 16 | ||
Charge | Press and hold | Press and hold | Daroach charges up his ice wand. He is immobile while charging, but can turn freely. | None | 0 |
Charged Up | Charge + or /// | Charge + or / | Daroach stores his charge, letting him move freely and activate Ice Laser or Ultra Ice Laser at any time by pressing B again. | None | 0 |
Ice Laser | Small Charge, then release | Small Charge, then release | Daroach fires an icy laser from his wand, which covers the entire length of the screen and passes through walls. | Blizzard | 8 per hit |
Ultra Ice Laser | Large Charge, then release | Large Charge, then release | Daroach fires an icy laser much like the Ice Laser, but it is wider and deals more damage. | Blizzard | 10 per hit |
Triple Star | + in midair | + in midair | Daroach swings the Triple Star cane, launching three stars diagonally downwards which bounce several times before disappearing. | None | 16 per star |
Daroach Bomb | + press and release | + press and release | Daroach throws a big bomb in an upwards arc, which explodes upon hitting anything. | None | 24 |
Daroach Fire Bomb | + hold briefly, then release | + hold briefly, then release | Daroach charges up, then throws a larger, red-colored bomb covered in flames. It rolls along the ground for a moment before exploding, creating a screen-height pillar of flames that lingers for several seconds. | Sizzle | |
Summon Spinni | + press and release | + press and release | Daroach summons Spinni, who runs straight ahead and slashes at any enemies he runs into for several seconds before disappearing. If the move is used again while Spinni is present, Daroach will summon a Squeaker instead, which slowly hops forwards and disappears after a shorter length of time. | None | 8 (Contact), 16 (Slash), 16 (Squeaker) |
Summon Doc | + hold briefly before releasing | + hold briefly before releasing | Daroach summons Doc, who orbits around him in his UFO for several seconds before disappearing, damaging enemies with an electric forcefield around the UFO in a manner similar to the UFO ability's Star Guard move. | Zap | 16 |
Summon Storo | + hold even longer before releasing | + hold even longer before releasing | Daroach summons Storo, who leaps forwards before slamming down to the ground, crushing enemies and pounding stakes underneath his bulk. He will perform three slam attacks before disappearing. | None | 16 (Contact), 32 (Slam) |
Hunter Claw | Dash + | Dash + | Daroach quickly lunges forwards before slashing with his sharp claws upon stopping. If he dashes off of a ledge, he will slide significantly farther due to not having any ground to stop against. | None | 16 (Initial Hit), 32 (Final Hit) |
Scratch Out | near an enemy | near an enemy | Daroach slashes the enemy twice with his sharp claws. | None | 12 per hit |
Cross Claw | Scratch Out, then | Scratch Out, then | Daroach teleports into the air after slashing the enemy, then teleports back down and slashes his claws in an X shape, launching the hit enemy away and hitting to both sides of himself. | None | 40 |
Smack-in-the-Box | , and then + | , and then + | Daroach produces a big blue treasure chest, holding it as an item like a key. This chest can be thrown and picked up by other players, and after sitting on the ground for a moment, a toy of Dark Nebula will pop out of it on a spring, swinging back and forth while damaging any enemies it hits. The chest can still be picked up and thrown after it has opened, allowing players to carry the jack-in-the-box chest with them. After swinging for a few seconds, the chest will break. | None | 8 (Treasure Box), 24 (Dark Nebula) |
Teleport | /// in midair | / in midair | Daroach teleports to dodge attacks, briefly disappearing as he floats in place in midair. If a direction is held while dodging, Daroach will teleport a short distance in that direction. | None | 0 |
Attack | Controls | Description | Element | Damage[4] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ice Shot | Daroach fires a small ice shard from his wand. Can be used rapidly. | Blizzard | 16 | ||
Charge | Press and hold | Press and hold | Daroach charges up his ice wand. He is immobile while charging, but can turn freely. | None | 0 |
Charged Up | Charge + or /// | Charge + or / | Daroach stores his charge, letting him move freely and activate Ice Laser or Ultra Ice Laser at any time by pressing B again. | None | 0 |
Ice Laser | Small Charge, then release | Small Charge, then release | Daroach fires an icy laser from his wand, which covers the entire length of the screen and passes through walls. | Blizzard | 8 per hit |
Ultra Ice Laser | Large Charge, then release | Large Charge, then release | Daroach fires an icy laser much like the Ice Laser, but it is wider and deals more damage. | Blizzard | 10 per hit |
Triple Star | + in midair | + in midair | Daroach swings the Triple Star cane, launching three stars diagonally downwards which bounce several times before disappearing. | None | 16 per star |
Daroach Bomb | + press and release | + press and release | Daroach throws a big bomb in an upwards arc, which explodes upon hitting anything. | None | 24 |
Daroach Fire Bomb | + hold briefly, then release | + hold briefly, then release | Daroach charges up, then throws a larger, red-colored bomb covered in flames. It rolls along the ground for a moment before exploding, creating a screen-height pillar of flames that lingers for several seconds. | Sizzle | |
Summon Spinni | + press and release | + press and release | Daroach summons Spinni, who runs straight ahead and slashes at any enemies he runs into for several seconds before disappearing. If the move is used again while Spinni is present, Daroach will summon a Squeaker instead, which slowly hops forwards and disappears after a shorter length of time. | None | 8 (Contact), 16 (Slash), 16 (Squeaker) |
Summon Doc | + hold briefly before releasing | + hold briefly before releasing | Daroach summons Doc, who orbits around him in his UFO for several seconds before disappearing, damaging enemies with an electric forcefield around the UFO in a manner similar to the UFO ability's Star Guard move. | Zap | 16 |
Summon Storo | + hold even longer before releasing | + hold even longer before releasing | Daroach summons Storo, who leaps forwards before slamming down to the ground, crushing enemies and pounding stakes underneath his bulk. He will perform three slam attacks before disappearing. | None | 16 (Contact), 32 (Slam) |
Hunter Claw | Dash + | Dash + | Daroach quickly lunges forwards before slashing with his sharp claws upon stopping. If he dashes off of a ledge, he will slide significantly farther due to not having any ground to stop against. | None | 16 (Initial Hit), 32 (Final Hit) |
Scratch Out | near an enemy | near an enemy | Daroach slashes the enemy twice with his sharp claws. | None | 12 per hit |
Cross Claw | Scratch Out, then | Scratch Out, then | Daroach teleports into the air after slashing the enemy, then teleports back down and slashes his claws in an X shape, launching the hit enemy away and hitting to both sides of himself. | None | 40 |
Smack-in-the-Box | , and then + | , and then + | Daroach produces a big blue treasure chest, holding it as an item like a key. This chest can be thrown and picked up by other players, and after sitting on the ground for a moment, a toy of Dark Nebula will pop out of it on a spring, swinging back and forth while damaging any enemies it hits. The chest can still be picked up and thrown after it has opened, allowing players to carry the jack-in-the-box chest with them. After swinging for a few seconds, the chest will break. | None | 8 (Treasure Box), 24 (Dark Nebula) |
Teleport | /// in midair | / in midair | Daroach teleports to dodge attacks, briefly disappearing as he floats in place in midair. If a direction is held while dodging, Daroach will teleport a short distance in that direction. | None | 0 |
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[]
Daroach appears as two Dress-Up Masks in Merry Magoland: one is based on his normal appearance (Daroach) and the other is based on his possessed appearance (Dark Daroach). When worn, the Daroach mask changes the player character's voice.
The Daroach mask is unlocked after completing the 8th card of the Stamp Rally, and the Dark Daroach mask is unlocked after clearing 60 missions, as well as a golden statue of Daroach in the plaza.
In the Super Smash Bros. series[]
Daroach appears as a collectible sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, using his artwork from Kirby: Squeak Squad. The sticker can be used on any character to strengthen his or her electrical attacks by 24.
Daroach appears as a primary, ace-class attack spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He can be enhanced into Dark Daroach, which is a primary, legend-class attack spirit. His ace-class spirit sports no effect when applied to a fighter, but his legend-class spirit increases fire and explosion attacks.
Music[]
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Theme - Daroach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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See also[]
Quotes[]
“ | Welcome, my little friend! Or should I say...friends? I am Daroach, the captain of the treasure-hunting Squeaks. I have sniffed out a stash of riches that I must possess. Medals, on this island!” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
“ | No? Oh, I see! You are toying with Daroach, like a cat plays with a mouse. You say no when you mean yes! Daroach likes a good sense of humor. And do you know what I like even more? Medals! So help me collect them all. Return to me for hints. Now, good luck!” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
“ | I used to steal the hearts of young ladies by the seaside here. But that was long ago, before King Dedede came to spoil its shores.” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
“ | Returned for more advice? I'm always glad to share info...” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
“ | I wish I could get my hands on one of those Nintendo 3DS systems. Seems like they're worth their weight in gold.” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
“ | As the captain of an airship with all sorts of buttons and blinky lights... I know the value of a good manual.” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
“ | If the power light on your Nintendo DS turns red, it's time to recharge the battery. Seems like a good thing to know.” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
“ | Saving the world from darkness can be exhausting work. Don't forget to take a break now and then.” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
“ | They say to always play games in moderation. That makes perfect sense to me. It leaves some time to scout out treasure!” |
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack |
Related Quotes[]
“ | A hat based on that notorious thief. Perfect for stealing victories!” |
— Headgear description • Kirby Battle Royale |
“ | One of the Dream Friends being added in Wave 2 is Daroach, leader of the mysterious treasure-thieving Squeaks, from the Kirby: Squeak Squad game. Daroach can shoot beams of ice, just like in his boss battle. Enemies that are hit by this will freeze, and you can conveniently take them out all at once.” |
— Kirby Star Allies Channel (Update 7) |
“ | The illustrious thief from Kirby: Squeak Squad is back, and there's nothing he can't-or won't-steal! If making friends is all it takes to find some treasure, this purloiner is happy to tag along with the Squeak Squad in tow!” |
— Flavor Text • Kirby Star Allies |
“ | The famous thief from Kirby: Squeak Squad heard tales of dark, gem-shaped hearts and set out to find them. Such seemingly wicked treasures are certainly worthy of his talents!” |
— Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! Description • Kirby Star Allies |
Etymology[]
Daroach's Japanese name ドロッチェ (Dorotche) may be a portmanteau of the word for "thief", 泥棒/どろぼう (dorobō), and the Italian word feroce, meaning "fierce".
In Other Languages[]
Trivia[]
- It's not mandatory to use the Triple Star after the fight with Dark Daroach, as the player can use Ability bubbles to replace it. Alternatively, the player can have Kirby use the Copy Ability he had before Dark Daroach's defeat if he had one at all; this is done by having Kirby discard his ability, inhale the ability star (without swallowing), and touch the Triple Star. When Kirby swallows upon entering the next area, he regains the Copy Ability he had before.
- Unlike the rest of the Squeaks, Daroach does not seem to have any elemental weaknesses.
- Daroach is the only member of the Squeaks who is not affected at all by Kirby's inhale, due to his status as a major boss.
- "Daroach Reunion", the music played when Kirby visits Daroach in his airship, is a rearranged version of the "Squeak Squad Theme".
- Daroach is one of the few characters in the Kirby series whom Kirby can visit and converse with outside of cutscenes. Others include, but are not limited to, Magolor in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, the inhabitants of Quilty Square in Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, Bandana Waddle Dee and Magolor in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and Super Kirby Clash, and the inhabitants of Waddle Dee Town in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
- Daroach delivers more dialogue than any other character in the series. He has over 300 lines in Kirby Mass Attack, excluding notes he wrote in the instruction manual.
- Kirby: Triple Deluxe categorizes keychains by the game that they originate from. Internally, the game refers to Kirby: Squeak Squad as "Daroach".
- Daroach makes an appearance as a sticker in Kirby: Planet Robobot.
- In Kirby Battle Royale and Kirby Fighters 2, one of Whip's alternative headgear resembles Daroach's hat and ears. The whip also changes design to resemble the Triple Star cane.
- In Kirby Star Allies, on the title, file select, and menu screens, Daroach can sometimes be seen being chased by Nago. This is a reference to the classic "Cat and Mouse" formula.
- Daroach's intro menu in Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! is based on the box art of Kirby: Squeak Squad, even with the Squeaks, apart from Daroach, in the same poses.
- In Kirby Star Allies on the title, file select, and menu screens, Daroach can sometimes be seen riding the Lor Starcutter as Magolor chases the both of them, implying that Daroach stole it. This references his role as a thief. This animation is also ironic, as Magolor himself had initially stolen the Lor Starcutter from its resting place in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
- According to a post on the official Kirby Twitter under the series "The Great Dedede-Directory", Daroach apparently has dry skin.[5]