| “ | The brave Guardian Angel suddenly attacked the kingdom! Calm the dragon!” |
| — Quest Description • Team Kirby Clash Deluxe |
Landia is a four-headed dragon that appears in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. He is revered as a guardian of Halcandra, the inhospitable planet on which he lives, for keeping the legendary treasures of Halcandra safe since ancient times, most notably the Master Crown. He is the boss of the seventh level, Dangerous Dinner.
Physical Appearance
Landia is a red-orange dragon that has four heads that is roughly the size of Dyna Blade when compared to Kirby. The position of the heads are that of the four cardinal directions of a compass. The northernmost head wears the Master Crown, which has a blue jewel in its center. Each of the heads have dark green eyes, two red-orange ridges along the sides of their faces, and dark red marks shaped like stars across their faces. Around the necks of Landia's heads is a mane of what appears to be white fur. His wings are like that of a bat, with the webbing colored yellow and a single light red talon atop each wing. Each head has pink and magenta striped horns on it, with the side heads having three horns and the top and bottom heads each having two. Landia has two large orange feet, each foot having three light red claws on them. His underside is a shade of peach and he also has a long red-orange tail that ends in purple arrowhead with small red stripes.
When knocked to half his health, Landia taps into the power of the Master Crown and splits into four smaller dragons after roaring. One of the dragons still retains the Master Crown on his head, which now has a green jewel in it. His eyes turn from green to red and each dragon has two face-ridges instead of three. The smaller Landias each have two striped horns and their own manes of white fur now. Their wings lose the talons they previously had and their feet are much smaller, each only having a single dark orange claw. The ends of their tails also lack the purple arrowhead from before.
In Extra Mode, he looks almost the same, save for a different color scheme: He is purple instead of red-orange. Landia EX also has a light blue underside, black star-shaped facial markings, brown eyes, and yellow fur around his necks. His horns, claws, and arrowhead for his tail are all black, and he has orange webbing for his wings. His eyes still turn red when he splits into four after he loses enough HP. The Master Crown's jewel during this fight is orange and remains the same color even after Landia EX splits.
Games
Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Story
Before the events of the main story, Landia was once in his deep slumber, but something caused him to wake up and go on a rampage. Magolor had stolen the Lor Starcutter and had attempted to steal the Master Crown from Landia. Landia had fought Magolor and won, forcing Magolor and the Lor to create a dimensional rift to Planet Popstar and flee to the planet.
After Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Bandana Waddle Dee help Magolor find the Lor’s scattered parts, he takes them to Halcandra as a reward for helping him. However, once they arrive there, Landia blasts the Lor Starcutter out of the sky and causes it to crash once again. Right after that, Magolor sets his plan in motion, and asks Kirby and the gang to defeat Landia for him. The heroes then head toward Landia, unaware of Magolor’s scheme.
The heroes manage to defeat the dragon and begin cheering in victory. However, Magolor floats down from the sky, slowly clapping as he congratulates them. He then picks up the Master Crown and puts it on his head, using its power to transform into an evil wizard. He then explains his entire plan and his true intentions to rule the universe, starting off with the home planet of the heroes, using a dimensional rift to travel there. The heroes stand there in shock over what had just happened, but then one of Landia’s smaller forms picks up Kirby and throws him onto his back, forgiving the heroes for their mistake. The other three dragons let the other heroes jump onto their backs, and they all chase after Magolor in the dimensional rift. Here, the gameplay turns into a side-scrolling shooter, where Landia is used to attack enemies.
Right after the heroes had defeated the Lor, they begin closing in on Magolor, who starts throwing dark energy orbs at them in an attempt to stop them. One by one, each hero and dragon is hit, sending them falling into an unknown area, where Magolor heads after them to finish them off.
After the heroes defeat Magolor, the entirety of Another Dimension begins to collapse around them. The portal to their home world begins to close as they helplessly float around in the air. Just then, Landia’s smaller forms return with the Lor to save the heroes, grabbing each one and putting them on their backs. With the help of the Lor, they make their way back to Planet Popstar, where they then drop off the heroes. After Kirby and the gang wake up, the dragons and the Lor fly into a dimensional rift while the heroes wave goodbye.
Moveset
| Move | Controls | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Star Breath | 1 | Landia fires a small, star-shaped fireball that can be used rapidly. |
| Burst Breath | Hold 1, release | Landia fires a larger, more powerful star-shaped fireball. |
| Landia Cannon | 1 + shake, release or 1 + +Control Pad, release | Landia fires three very large, star-shaped projectiles, one straight ahead and two at 30 degree angles up and down. |
| Spiral Dragon | 2 | Landia spins forward briefly and is surrounded by flame, rendering him invincible and dealing damage on contact. |
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Landia makes a cameo appearance during the game's second boss battle. Paintra draws four images of Landia's smaller dragon form in the background, but one of them is a decoy that immediately falters and falls to the ground. The other three let out a stream of fire that they blast full-force at Kirby. Paintra DX uses the same attack, but with the Landias colored to resemble their EX form.
These aren't the actual four dragons encountered in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, but rather imitations, identical in nature to the creations of Adeleine. Landia's appearance is a direct callback to those fights, which also featured painted versions of bosses from previous games.
Kirby: Planet Robobot
| This section contains information that does not coincide with the main series canon. | (Similar) |
Landia appears as the final boss of the Team Kirby Clash sub-game and its expansion game, Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. He retains his attacks from Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Landia EX is fought as a bonus quest.
Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
| This section contains information that does not coincide with the main series canon. | (Similar) |
Landia is first fought in the Empyrean after being unlocked for 22 Gem Apples. He is in the Tough boss category and must be defeated before the player can access Taranza. He uses his attacks from Team Kirby Clash.
Landia EX is fought as an Ordeal boss in the Decisive Battlefield after being unlocked for 90 Gem Apples. Here he is in the Tougher boss category, and must be defeated before the player can access Parallel Susie. Landia EX uses his attacks from Team Kirby Clash as well. He is treated as a fake final boss, as the game's credits roll after his defeat.
An alternate version of the dragon called Parallel Landia appears later in the Decisive Battlefield. This game confirms Landia's gender: male.
Battle
Main Game
Boss portrait
Landia in his first form will use a variety of attacks, such as shooting fireballs at a downward angle, blowing wind with his wings that sends energy blades along the current, and flying down low across the screen. Another attack Landia has is to fly in the center of the screen and have his two side-heads belch out streams of fire at the ground. He will then use his two heads to sweep the flames across the ground, sometimes rising high into the air to cover more ground. Another variation of this attack is for Landia to shoot out the fire-streams underneath himself, then fly to another spot to breathe down fire again. Landia can also hover low to the ground and use his tail like a whip by spinning forward a total of three times. The dragon may sometimes spit out a single fireball in between tail-whips.
After taking out half of his health, Landia will turn into four smaller dragons with one head each. They will start out by flying to the top part of the screen and will spit a fireball downwards. They will repeat this action several times, but quickly fly to random spots and altitudes, making the attack hard to dodge. After shooting about four rounds of fireballs, they will move to new locations and surround themselves in electricity. Each Landia will shoot out an electrical beam to connect to another and move about in random patterns. The beams can be arranged both vertically and horizontally. After enough patterns have been done, the Landias will each gather into groups of two and stare at the middle of the room. Each pair will then take a turn to perform a spinning swoop towards the ground in order to hit Kirby and his friends. Another attack for them is for each dragon to move into a corner of the screen, and one will spit up a fireball. The dragons will then take turns passing it around to each with their wings. After they pass it around for a bit, one will knock the fireball into the background where it will then come crashing back down into the center of the room. It can be noted that during this attack, each Landia will move his tail slightly forward. Should enough time pass by while battling them, the four small Landias will eventually reform into their combined form and can split again into four if enough time passes by.
Extra Mode
Landia EX
Landia’s fight is quite different in the Extra Mode, and this is signified with a new intro. Landia flies in from the background in his normal design, but then apparently uses the Master Crown’s power to enhance his own when roaring, turning him into his EX form. The main differences are his new purple and blue color scheme and alterations to its attacks. His heads spit out two fireballs at a time that actually aim for the player characters in rapid succession and when it flaps its wings for the wind, it will fly to the opposite side of the screen and perform the attack a second time. The energy blades that ride along in its wind-currents also home in on the player character faster. When Landia EX touches down for its tail-whip attack, he strikes at a much faster pace with no pauses in between. His fire-stream attack now has it slowly move from left to right as he breathes fire at the ground. Landia EX can also sometimes fly into the background and quickly dive at the characters.
Things become a bit more frantic after Landia EX splits into four. He now uses his lightning attack in a different manner than before. One Landia, each in the corners of the field, will surround themselves with electricity to form vertical beams and move across the field while flickering their power on and off, acting in a similar manner to the Spark Sphere Doomer's lightning attack, only the electricity lasts longer. When the four of them start spitting fireballs at the ground, they may actually begin to follow the player's position as a group and attack several times in a row. Sometimes, three of the Landias will be spitting out fireballs, while the one wearing the Master Crown will attempt to tackle the player from the air. The newest change to the dragons' moveset is after they start passing their large fireball around. The four will start moving closer towards the center of the room as they take turns passing, trying to give the player characters less room to avoid the fireball. After they eventually move back to their corners, they will toss the fireball into the sky like before; only this time, three fireballs will rain down instead of one. Like before, if enough time passes, the four dragons will revert to their four-headed form. Once defeated, Landia’s colors will revert back to normal.
In the Super Smash Bros. series
Landia appears as a primary, Advanced-class attack spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. When applied to a fighter, the fighter’s jumps increase.
Related Quotes
| “ | Kirby... That dragon... Its name is Landia. It's lived on this planet for ages, but it's always been fast asleep. Recently, however, it awoke and went on a rampage! Please, Kirby, you must defeat that crazy dragon!” |
| — Magolor • Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
| “ | Kirby, I believe it's time for the final showdown. And Landia truly is one formidable foe... So team up if necessary, and use your combined powers to fell the beast!” |
| — Magolor • Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
| “ | Kirby, it's finally time. Landia is a truly fearsome foe. Super fearsome, even. So team up if necessary, and use your combined powers to fell the beast!” |
| — Magolor • Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
| “ | A four-headed dragon that sleeps on Halcandra, Landia has been revered as a protector since ancient times…until now.” |
| — VS Landia • Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
| “ | Landia has lived on Halcandra since ancient times, protecting the land and guarding the world’s most legendary items, but …” |
| — VS Landia EX • Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
| “ | Landia to the rescue in Planet Popstar’s – no, the entire universe’s – time of need! Joining up with Kirby, the dragon takes to battle!” |
| — Pause Screen description • Kirby's Return to Dream Land |
| “ | Dark clouds loom over the mountaintop... Prepare to fight the Four-Headed Guardian Angel!” |
| — Team Kirby Clash Quest description • Kirby: Planet Robobot |
| “ | The four-headed Guardian Angel has descended and unleashed its true power. Only you can stop it!” |
| — Team Kirby Clash Quest description for Guardian Angel Landia EX • Kirby: Planet Robobot |
| “ | The Guardian Angel brings his true power to the last, decisive ordeal!” |
| — Landia EX Quest Description • Team Kirby Clash Deluxe |
| “ | Thank you for protecting everyone in the kingdom when Landia EX went berserk! Things may look peaceful now, but tough times are always around the bend... I suspect that more challenging battles are in your future! The only one who can save the world...is you! I believe in you, Kirby! Good luck!” |
| — Bandana Waddle Dee • Team Kirby Clash Deluxe |
| “ | The hilt of this sword takes the shape of the courageous four-headed dragon, Landia, the good-natured Guardian Angel.” |
| — Weapon Description • Team Kirby Clash Deluxe |
| “ | A helm embodying the strength of the four-headed dragon, Landia, protector of ancient treasures.” |
| — Armor Description • Team Kirby Clash Deluxe |
Music
| Name | Music Track |
|---|---|
| ”Vs. Landia" |
Trivia
- Landia was not the first multi-headed dragon considered for the series. Kirby: Canvas Curse concept artwork suggests that a three-headed dragon was considered as a boss near the end of that game.[1]
- Landia's combined form is the only boss in the Kirby series to be a single entity with multiple heads, excluding tag teams, Computer Virus, and Twin Woods.
- When the battle starts, Landia's eyes are green (brown in Extra Mode); when he separates into four dragons, they turn to red, and when Landia is finally defeated and helps the party, they turn blue.
- Although introduced as a four-headed dragon and described as such in the background info, Landia does not recombine after being defeated and spends the rest of the game as four separate dragons that seem to share the same mind, even departing Popstar in this state. It is therefore not clear if the combined form is Landia's natural form or a result of the Master Crown's power.
- It is possible that Landia started as a four-headed dragon, relying on the Master Crown's power to separate and recombine himself; when the crown was lost, he was stuck in its separated form. This is supported by the fact that Landia has to visibly tap into the crown's powers in order to accomplish the split for the first time.
- Landia is one of the few characters in the Kirby series to start as a villain and to become an ally of Kirby's later in the same game; ironically, Magolor does the exact opposite shortly before Landia allies with Kirby.
- Landia's theme music is reused for the second phase of the battle with HR-D3 and later in The True Arena for the first phase of Galacta Knight.
- Although all of Landia's smaller forms register damage to their shared health bar, attacking the dragon that is wearing the Master Crown will do more damage than attacking the other three.
- Many of Landia's attacks are similar to those of the Great Dragon summoned by the Computer Virus.
- Landia's concept may be based around the mythological dragon known as the Hydra. Both are dragons with multiple heads. According to the myth, once a hydra's head is cut off, two heads would grow from the stump; this could be the inspiration behind Landia's technique of splitting into four dragons halfway through the battle.
- In Team Kirby Clash and Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, if Landia is defeated with a Team Meteor while separated into four smaller Landias, the dragons bounce around the screen rapidly before smashing into each other, defeated.
- Landia's flavor text in Another Dimension parallels part of Magolor's final monologue. Both state that Planet Popstar will be affected by Magolor's power, then correct themselves by mentioning that the whole universe will be impacted, adding to the gravity of the situation.
- Like Gigant Edge, Landia is shinier in games for the Nintendo 3DS.
- The music for Landia EX's battle in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe is an arrangement of the music heard in Castle Lololo in Kirby's Dream Land, which also plays during the first phase of King D-Mind's battle.
- This music was reused for Goldon & Silvox's battle in Kirby Star Allies.
Artwork
Concept artwork
Gallery
Sprites and Models
