| “ | Every time you take damage, your vitality will be reduced. When it becomes zero, you will lose one Kirby.” |
| — Kirby's Dream Land 3 instruction manual |
A full Vitality Heart.
Health (previously referred to as Vitality) is the visual representation of how many hits Kirby can take before he loses a life. All playable characters have this and bosses, mid-bosses, and in some games, enemies have their own separate health bars shown while fighting them.
Health Bar
Most of the time the health bar is represented by units that disappear as Kirby takes damage while boss characters get a gauge; though in Kirby Super Star, its remake, Kirby: Squeak Squad, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby and his helper use a gauge for their health as well.
Kirby most often has a default of 6 health, but it changes from time to time. In Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, when played on extra mode, Kirby has only 3 units of health. In Kirby's Dream Land 3, he has 10 health points. In Kirby & The Amazing Mirror he could raise his vitality up by 4, for a total of 10 health. In Kirby: Canvas Curse, Kirby starts with 4 health and can increase it to be up to 7 health. In Kirby: Squeak Squad, Kirby could also increase his health gauge.
Recovering Health
Most games have food items that recover lost health by various increments. The most famous of these is the Maxim Tomato, a large red tomato with an M on it that recovers all of a character's health and is said to be Kirby's favorite food. Another common health item is Pep Brew, a bottle of soda that generally recovers only a third of Kirby's health.
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
Hidden in certain treasure chests are Vitality Hearts. There are four of them, and they each increase Kirby's health bar by one.
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Vitality Hearts return as an item that increases Kirby's health. However, is not seen as an actual item, and is only obtainable through Medal Swap. The iconic Vitality Heart also makes an appearance as a painting by Paint Roller in the sub-game Paint Panic.
Kirby: Squeak Squad
Two halves of a Vitality Heart fit together to increase Kirby's health.
In Kirby: Squeak Squad, while Kirby searches all over Dream Land for his Strawberry Shortcake, he collects Treasure Chests. Eight of these chests have half a Vitality Half. If Kirby collects 2 pieces, he will gain additional health permanently.
Vitality Half Locations
- Secret: Second Treasure chest
- Secret: Third Treasure chest
- Secret: Third Treasure chest
- 4-3: Third Treasure chest
- 5-3: Third Treasure chest
- 6-3: Third Treasure chest
- Secret: Third Treasure chest
- 8-3: Third Treasure chest
