Kirby (series)

This article is about the series starring Kirby. For the titular character, see Kirby. For the species, see Kirby (species).

The series' logo, used since Kirby and the Forgotten Land

The Kirby series is an ongoing franchise of video games starring the eponymous character, Kirby, and created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. It is one of Nintendo's most popular and best-selling franchises, selling over 50 million units since its debut. The series is known for its bright and artistic setting, cute characters, cheerful and upbeat music, and, most notably: the ability for the namesake character to inhale, swallow, and copy the abilities of enemies.

Overview

All the titles in the Kirby series feature a pink, spherical creature named Kirby as the main playable character, hero, and protagonist. The most recurring character in the series besides Kirby is King Dedede, the greedy, hammer-wielding, self-proclaimed ruler of Dream Land; he has appeared in almost every Kirby game usually as a rival to Kirby. Meta Knight is another major recurring character. He appears to be the same species as Kirby (though this is not known) and is a chivalrous but enigmatic warrior who assists the hero on many occasions. Depending on the situation, he sometimes fights Kirby to get the things he desires, or to prevent him from causing a much larger problem. He respects a certain code of honor, and always offers Kirby a sword when fighting with him. Bandana Waddle Dee is the fourth main character in the series, becoming one in the more recent games. He is Kirby's best friend and is always willing to help when someone is in need. He also has strong ties with his leader, King Dedede. He wields a spear and a blue bandana to separate himself from the others.

The games' fictional setting, Planet Popstar, includes many regions of different climates and terrain, which are home to many different creatures. The areas in each game have unique names, but they fall into categories such as fiery caverns, open meadows, water-filled or submerged areas, icy mountains, and similar nature-based environments.

Gameplay

The Kirby series usually involves the player controlling the pink puffball, Kirby, as he saves Dream Land, Planet Popstar, or other planets from threats.

Kirby can walk, run, and jump, but also perform unique moves, like a slide attack and even inflate himself like a balloon by sucking up air to fly. In every game except Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby can float indefinitely. Kirby can shoot out a puff of air to attack his enemies after flying. Kirby Super Star introduced guarding, while Kirby: Triple Deluxe introduced a dodge.

In the first game of the series, Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's main form of attack is inhaling objects or his enemies whole, and spitting them at each other. The first game also featured power-ups like Superspicy Curry and the Mint Leaf, which allowed Kirby to spit fire and air respectively for a limited time to attack his foes. The second game, Kirby's Adventure, and almost every main game after that give Kirby the ability to inhale and swallow his foes to obtain their abilities; for example, swallowing an enemy that is using a sword gives him the Sword ability, and swallowing a flaming enemy gives him the Fire ability. He can use one of these Copy Abilities at a time to give his enemies a taste of their own medicine, and players can try out more than twenty Copy Abilities in most games, sometimes even combining them. Games like Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby: Triple Deluxe give Kirby amplified abilities; in the former, he can swallow certain foes to wield huge hammers or swords, and in the latter, he can eat a special bean to greatly increase his inhale ability — in this state, Kirby can inhale entire trees and trains.

Most Kirby games involve the player moving Kirby to the right of the screen through several levels and worlds that usually follow a theme, like grass, or desert, or lava. Many enemies populate the worlds, some of which are native to one particular world, like fire enemies to lava worlds, or flying enemies to cloud worlds. Some enemies stop Kirby in his tracks, preventing him from progressing until they are defeated. These mid-bosses are usually located near the middle of the level and tend to be larger than normal enemies. They take many more hits and have many more attacks than normal enemies, but can still be swallowed after their defeat, which awards a Copy Ability. The ability that the mid-boss gives is usually necessary to solve an upcoming puzzle that will award some kind of collectible. Bosses are typically giant enemies that seem to govern the entire area. Most bosses can summon smaller enemies to fight for them, and they take even more hits and have even more attacks than mid-bosses. They cannot be inhaled, but they do open the path to the next world after their defeat. Games like Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby Super Star allowed Kirby to summon or partner up with allies that would fight alongside him. Other games, like Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, allow Kirby to travel alongside more of his kind.

Kirby has a set amount of health in the series' games, and food can be found in random areas that will restore his health after he touches an enemy or is hit by an attack. Losing all health results in Kirby losing a life, but 1UPs can also be found in levels. Other hazards, like pits or being crushed, instantly KO Kirby. Invincibility Candy can be found, which stays true to its name and prevents Kirby from taking any damage for a short time. Touching enemies hurts them instead, but instant-death hazards are still effective. Items like Keys and Crackers allow Kirby to pass hazards or attacks enemies without an ability. Levels usually take place in many rooms, and going through Doors allows Kirby to progress. Some doors cannot be reentered after Kirby goes through them the first time. The Warp Star is a large star-shaped item that Kirby can ride to get too far away areas very quickly. In main Kirby games, it steers itself and damages any enemies and breaks through any obstructions in its way. Other objects, such as trolleys and cannons, also serve as a means of transport for Kirby.

List of Kirby games

For a text-only reference list of these titles, see List of Kirby games.

Main Series

Title	Notes	Platform	Release Date	Box Art
Kirby's Dream Land	N/A	Game Boy	August 1, 1992
Kirby's Adventure		Nintendo Entertainment System	May 1, 1993
Kirby's Dream Land 2		Game Boy	May 1, 1995
Kirby Super Star	Known as Kirby's Fun Pak in PAL regions 9 Games in 1 Game Pak. The Spring Breeze sub-game is a short remake of Kirby's Dream Land.	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	September 20, 1996
Kirby's Dream Land 3	N/A	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	November 27, 1997
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards		Nintendo 64	June 26, 2000
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror		Game Boy Advance	October 18, 2004
Kirby: Squeak Squad	Known as Kirby Mouse Attack in PAL regions	Nintendo DS	December 4, 2006
Kirby's Return to Dream Land	Known as Kirby's Adventure Wii in PAL regions	Wii	October 24, 2011
Kirby: Triple Deluxe	N/A	Nintendo 3DS	May 2, 2014
Kirby: Planet Robobot		Nintendo 3DS	June 10, 2016
Kirby Star Allies		Nintendo Switch	March 16, 2018
Kirby and the Forgotten Land		Nintendo Switch	March 25, 2022

Spin-offs

Title	Notes	Genre	Platform	Release Date	Box Art/Logo
Kirby's Pinball Land	N/A	Pinball	Game Boy	November 27, 1993
Kirby's Dream Course		Golf	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	February 1, 1995
Kirby's Avalanche	Known as Kirby's Ghost Trap in PAL regions Not developed or released in Japan.	Puzzle	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	April 25, 1995
Kirby's Block Ball	N/A	Breakout	Game Boy	May 4, 1996
Kirby's Toy Box	Only released in Japan.	Various	Broadcast Satellaview	February 8, 1996 (Japan Only)
Kirby's Star Stacker	N/A	Puzzle	Game Boy	July 14, 1997
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble		Puzzle	Game Boy Color	April 9, 2001
Kirby Air Ride		Racing	Nintendo GameCube	October 13, 2003
Kirby Slide		Puzzle	Game Boy Advance e-Reader	November-December 2003
Kirby: Canvas Curse	Known as Kirby: Power Paintbrush in PAL regions	Platformer	Nintendo DS	June 13, 2005
Kirby's Epic Yarn	N/A		Wii	October 17, 2010
Kirby Mass Attack			Nintendo DS	September 19, 2011
Kirby Fighters Deluxe	Considered a stand-alone game based on the Kirby: Triple Deluxe sub-game Kirby Fighters.	Fighting	Nintendo 3DS eShop	August 29, 2014
Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe	Considered a stand-alone game based on the Kirby: Triple Deluxe sub-game Dedede's Drum Dash.	Rhythm	Nintendo 3DS eShop	August 29, 2014
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse	Known as Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush in PAL regions	Platformer	Wii U	February 20, 2015
Team Kirby Clash Deluxe	Considered a stand-alone game based on the Kirby: Planet Robobot sub-game Team Kirby Clash.	Action Role-Playing	Nintendo 3DS eShop	April 12, 2017
Kirby's Blowout Blast	Considered a stand-alone game based on the Kirby: Planet Robobot sub-game Kirby 3D Rumble.	Platformer	Nintendo 3DS eShop	July 6, 2017
Kirby Battle Royale	N/A	Fighting, Action	Nintendo 3DS	January 19, 2018
Super Kirby Clash		Action Role-Playing	Nintendo Switch eShop	September 4, 2019
Kirby Fighters 2		Fighting	Nintendo Switch eShop	September 23, 2020
Kirby's Dream Buffet		Action, Racing	Nintendo Switch eShop	August 17, 2022

Reissues

Note that this list does not include basic rereleases from the Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online.

Title	Type	Original game(s)	Platform	Release Date	Box Art
Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)	Remake	Kirby's Star Stacker	Super Famicom	November 30, 1997 September 5, 2023 (Nintendo Switch Online)
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land	Remake	Kirby's Adventure	Game Boy Advance	December 2, 2002
Kirby Super Star Ultra	Remake	Kirby Super Star	Nintendo DS	September 22, 2008
3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure	Remake	Kirby's Adventure	Nintendo 3DS	November 17, 2011
Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition	Compilation	Kirby's Dream Land Kirby's Adventure Kirby's Dream Land 2 Kirby Super Star Kirby's Dream Land 3 Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards	Wii	September 16, 2012
Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn	Enhanced port	Kirby's Epic Yarn	Nintendo 3DS	March 8, 2019
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe	Remake	Kirby's Return to Dream Land	Nintendo Switch	February 24, 2023

Real World

Title	Platform	Release Date	Image
Kirby Board Game The only board game in the series. Only released in North America.	Board game	November 2003
Kirby of the Stars: Magical Tower of Medal Land The first arcade game in the series. Only released in Japan.	Arcade	2007
Kirby's Gourmet Race Only released in Japan.	Arcade	2022

Web games

Title	Release year
Quick Draw (Flash version)	2002
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Kirby Mini-Game	2002
Kirby Air Ride Jigsaw Puzzle!	2003
Speed Eaters (Flash version)	2004
Speedy Tea Time (Flash version)	2006
Kirby Shuffle Puzzle 1	2008
Kirby Shuffle Puzzle 2	2008
Kirby Star Ride	2008
Waddle Doom	2008
Kirby's Epic Patchifyer	2011
Kirby Smashifyer	2011
Kirby: Triple Deluxe Match-Up	2014
Hypernova Yourself	2014
Kirby's Quick Draw	2015
Kirby: Planet Robobot Jigsaw Jumble	2016
Robobot Yourself	2016
Kirby Star Allies Jigsaw Jumble	2018
Choose your buddy	2018
Kirby of the Stars Photo Frame	2018
Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn Jigsaw Jumble	2019

Canceled titles

Title	Platform
Kid Kirby	SNES/Super Famicom
Kirby Bowl 64	Nintendo 64
Kirby's Air Ride	Nintendo 64
Kirby Family	Game Boy Color
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2	Nintendo GameCube
Kirby GCN	Nintendo GameCube

List of Super Smash Bros. games

Kirby characters also appear in Nintendo's fighting game series, Super Smash Bros..

Title	Platform	Release Date (NA)	Box Art
Super Smash Bros.	Nintendo 64	April 26, 1999
Super Smash Bros. Melee	Nintendo GameCube	December 3, 2001
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Wii	March 9, 2008
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS	Nintendo 3DS	October 3, 2014
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U	Wii U	November 21, 2014
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Nintendo Switch	December 7, 2018

List of amiibo products

amiibo figures are not games but are toys-to-life figurines used to provide extra functionality to compatible Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch games, including those outside the Kirby series. Common amiibo functionality in the Kirby series includes giving the player items, Copy Abilities, or power-ups.

The first Kirby game to support amiibo functionality was Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.

Title	Release Date	Compatible Games	Image
Kirby (Super Smash Bros. series) amiibo figure	November 21, 2014	Compatibility chart Compatibility chart Compatibility chart
King Dedede (Super Smash Bros. series) amiibo figure	February 20, 2015	Compatibility chart Compatibility chart Compatibility chart
Meta Knight (Super Smash Bros. series) amiibo figure Released exclusively at Best Buy at launch in the United States. Released exclusively at Best Buy and Future Shop at launch in Canada.	February 20, 2015	Compatibility chart Compatibility chart Compatibility chart
Kirby (Kirby series) amiibo figure	June 10, 2016	Compatibility chart Compatibility chart Compatibility chart
Meta Knight (Kirby series) amiibo figure	June 10, 2016	Compatibility chart Compatibility chart Compatibility chart
King Dedede (Kirby series) amiibo figure	June 10, 2016	Compatibility chart Compatibility chart Compatibility chart
Waddle Dee amiibo figure	June 10, 2016	Compatibility chart Compatibility chart Compatibility chart

Other media

These are not necessarily games but are directly related to Kirby nonetheless.

Music

All music releases have only been sold or made officially available in Japan unless otherwise noted.

Soundtracks

• Kirby's Adventure/Mako Miyata- Soundtrack for Kirby's Adventure
• Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Original Soundtrack - Soundtrack for Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.
• Kirby Air Ride Business Trip Sound Test - EP featuring selections from the soundtrack of Kirby Air Ride
• Kirby & The Amazing Mirror Sound Plus - Soundtrack for Kirby & The Amazing Mirror alongside other tracks from Kirby media.
• Kirby Super Ultra Deluxe Original Sound Track - Soundtrack for Kirby Super Star Ultra.
• Kirby Wii Music Selection - Soundtrack for Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
• Kirby: Triple Deluxe Soundtrack - Soundtrack for Kirby: Triple Deluxe made available through Club Nintendo in Japan, Europe, and Australia.
• Kirby: Planet Robobot Original Soundtrack - Soundtrack for Kirby: Planet Robobot. Available internationally on most major music streaming services.
• Kirby Star Allies: The Original Soundtrack - Soundtrack for Kirby Star Allies.
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land: The Complete Soundtrack - Full 115-track soundtrack, including cutscenes and sound effects, of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Four-disc set that also contains a collectible photo frame music box and a 40-page booklet featuring a roundtable discussion from the game's sound staff.
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Sound Selection - Single-disc release featuring 33 selected songs from the Kirby and the Forgotten Land OST.

Compilations

• The Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks - Compilation of various tracks from throughout the Kirby series spanning its inception until Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (2004)
• Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition Compilation Soundtrack - Compilation of various tracks from throughout the Kirby series and a handful of new orchestral renditions. Released internationally alongside Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition (2012)
• The Sound of Kirby Café - Selection of music tracks based on the Kirby series which play in the Kirby Café chain of restaurants (2016)
• Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert - Included in a set with Kirby Memorial Arrangements; contains music performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra for the 25th anniversary of Kirby. Available internationally on most major streaming services (2017)
• Kirby Memorial Arrangements - Included in a set with Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert; contains orchestral renditions of songs from the Kirby series. Available internationally on most major music streaming services (2017)
• The Sound of Kirby Café 2 - Selection of music tracks based on the Kirby series which play in the Kirby Café chain of restaurants (2019)

Narrations

• Mario Kirby Masterpiece (1993)
• Kirby and the Story of the Dream Spring (1994)

Manga and comics

• Kirby of the Stars (Sakuma Yoshiko, from 1992-2009)
• Kirby of the Stars: The Story of Dedede Who Lives In Pupupu (Hirokazu Hikawa, from 1995-2006)
• Kirby and the Mystery of the Slime (Author unknown, 1993)
• Kirby's Biggest Case (Claude M. Moyse, 1996)
• Kirby of the Stars! Moretsu Pupupu Hour! (Asami Taniguchi, from 2007-2016)
• Kirby of the Stars Pupupu Hero (Aoki Kei, Mikamaru, from 2009-2013)
• Ultra Super Pupupu Hero (Aoki Kei, Mikamaru, from 2014-2016)
• Kirby Manga Mania (Hirokazu Hikawa, collections of stories from or based on Kirby of the Stars: The Story of Dedede Who Lives In Pupupu released from 2018-present)

Books

• Kirby of the Stars (Mie Takase, from 2013-present)

Real-World Events

A photograph of the PAX Prime event

• On September 1, 2012, Nintendo hosted an event at PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington. To celebrate Kirby's 20th Anniversary, the company wanted to break the Guinness World Record for the most people in a room blowing a chewing gum bubble simultaneously. Altogether, 536 fans showed up to participate, setting the new record.

Kirby Pupupu Picnic promotional artwork

• A collaboration between Japanese toy store Kiddyland and Nintendo began on August 22, 2015, using special events and exclusive Kirby-themed products to promote the store. The collaboration incorporates a campaign on social media outlet Twitter, photo opportunities, and original stickers given out to customers making purchases of 1500 yen worth of Kirby merchandise. Participating Kiddyland venues also offered an exclusive line of Kirby-themed merchandise including tote bags, hand towels, clear file posters, 'marshmallow seal' stickers, and plush charms. These goods range in price from 380 to 1000 yen. The "Kirby Pupupu Picnic" event was held at the Kiddyland stores in Harajuku and Umeda from August 22 to September 18, 2015.

Kirby Café promotional artwork

• On August 5, 2016, a Kirby-themed café chain named Kirby Café opened in Japan. It served food patterned after Kirby series staples, such as Kirby himself, King Dedede, Waddle Dee, Meta Knight, Whispy Woods, Planet Popstar, Maxim Tomatoes, Invincible Candy, and the Star Rod. Additionally, Kirby Café locations contained a shop section that offers Kirby-themed merchandise and the café's very own soundtrack. Though the café was closed later that year, it reopened in 2018.

Trivia

• The first 27 years of the Kirby series took place during the Heisei Era in Japan. The last Kirby game to be released during this period was Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn.
• The Kirby series has a history of releasing a game as one of the last first-party Nintendo games on a specific platform in the North American market. Kirby's Dream Land 3, released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, released on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, are two examples in which the series claimed the last first-party Nintendo game on their respective consoles.
  • Kirby's Star Stacker for the Game Boy, Kirby's Star Stacker for the Super Famicom, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble for the Game Boy Color, Kirby Mass Attack for the Nintendo DS, and Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition for the Wii was also among the final first-party games released for their consoles.
• Every five years, a Kirby game based on an art form is released, starting with Kirby: Canvas Curse in 2005, then Kirby's Epic Yarn in 2010, and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse in 2015.
  • However, Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn broke this tradition by releasing it in 2019.
  • No art-related game was released in 2020, likely due to the early release of Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn.
• Excluding console add-ons and systems that predate the series, the only Nintendo system that has not had an exclusive Kirby game is the Virtual Boy.
• HAL Laboratory's BOXBOY! series was developed by staff members who regularly work on Kirby projects. The series' director is Yasuhiro Mukae, who was previously a designer for Kirby: Triple Deluxe. He considered using Kirby as the main character of BOXBOY!, but abandoned the idea because having Kirby produce boxes for gameplay he thought would look too unusual.
• The StreetPass Mii Plaza game Puzzle Swap contains many Kirby-themed puzzle panels. These include panels based on Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's 20th Anniversary, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby Fighters Deluxe, Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe, and Kirby: Planet Robobot.

The autographed Kirby plate hangs on 84's wall.

• The 84 is a secret bar in Japan, only accessible to celebrities in the video game industry. Game memorabilia decorate the establishment. A Kirby plush toy and a decorative Kirby-themed plate sporting Masahiro Sakurai's signature are among these decorations.
• The video game system with the most Kirby games is the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, with 16 (17 in Japan) total (eight original games, one port, and eight Virtual Console releases, one being exclusive to Japan).
  • Since the Nintendo 3DS family of systems also has backward compatibility for games from the Nintendo DS family of systems, the Nintendo 3DS family of systems is capable of playing 20 (21 in Japan) Kirby games in total.
• During the March 2016 Nintendo Direct, Bill Trinen stated that the Kirby (Kirby series) amiibo figure "grants him a power you can only get in this game with amiibo." This is untrue, as the UFO ability is also available in the Ability Testing Area after reaching 100% completion. The promotion may have been referring to the fact that the UFO ability cannot be obtained in The Arena or The True Arena without using the amiibo. Due to UFO's obscurity in Story Mode, it is also possible Trinen was misinformed, believing the ability to be inaccessible without amiibo.
• In November 2019, Nintendo of America deleted every existing Kirby microsite hosted on the website, aside from the main Kirby site.
• According to General Director Shinya Kumazaki, the Kirby series has no clear timeline of events.
  • However, there are some exceptions. For example, Kirby: Planet Robobot takes place after Kirby: Triple Deluxe due to King Dedede's implied fear of Queen Sectonia being present in the Dedede Clone's memories, Kirby Star Allies takes place after every main entry from Kirby's Dream Land to Kirby: Planet Robobot due to the appearances of the Dream Friends, Kirby and the Forgotten Land takes place after Kirby Star Allies due to Meta Knight retaining his geokinesis he obtained from the Jamba Heart, and Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and Super Kirby Clash is set after the events of Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, as shown in the credits of Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler.

Artwork

The series' logo, used from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land to Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn

Gallery

Birthday wallpaper (My Nintendo)

Birthday wallpaper (My Nintendo)

Birthday wallpaper (My Nintendo)

Birthday wallpaper (My Nintendo)

Birthday wallpaper (My Nintendo)

Timeline illustrating some of Kirby's different appearances

External links

• List of Kirby media on Wikipedia. It is an incomplete list, but all of the facts are fully cited.
• List of Kirby interviews (1992-2016)