Leongar

“	Here sits the powerful commander of the ferocious Beast Pack. He's become a pawn for an invading specimen from beyond the stars, tasked with gathering food, capturing the Waddle Dees to use as a power source, and-most importantly-retrieving the lost subspecimen tagged as ID-F87...”
	— Gotcha Figurine Description • Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Leongar, also known by his true name, Leon, is a character in the Kirby series, debuting as the secondary antagonist of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but would later become an ally. He is the ruler of the animal kingdom alongside Clawroline, and the former leader of the Beast Pack.

Physical Appearance[]

Leongar is a muscular, anthropomorphic lion with brown eyes, five digits on each of his hands, and four toes on his feet. He has an orange-brown body, red mane, black bracelets, orange markings running along his eyes and upper arms, and a brown streak on his underbelly. Before the first fight, Leongar wears a large red cape with ruffled white feathers and blue gems interlocked by a golden chain; he discards these when he goes into battle.

History[]

Many, many years after the people of the ancient civilization that once inhabited the forgotten world abandoned the planet for unknown reasons, Leon and Carol rose up and became the rulers of the animal kingdom that was left behind. Under their rule, the animals of the forgotten world lived in peace together, including Elfilin, who, although they fought with sometimes, they got along with just fine.

One day, Leon came across the abandoned Lab Discovera and ventured inside, where he stumbled upon Elfilin's other half, Fecto Forgo. Sensing an opportunity to escape their confinement, Fecto Forgo used the psychic power emitted by their dreams to brainwash Leon into serving under them. Leon, now calling himself Leongar, then started behaving strangely, speaking in a language the other animals couldn't understand. However, Carol and the others stood by his side. Eventually, Carol and all the other animals fell under Fecto Forgo's control as well, becoming violent and forming the Beast Pack in order to track down Elfilin so Fecto Forgo can become complete once more, forcing Elfilin to go into hiding.

Games[]

Kirby and the Forgotten Land[]

Story[]

After Fecto Forgo's powers ran amok and opened dimensional rifts to Dream Land, bringing the residents to the forgotten world, they saw the Waddle Dees as a useful power source, and they thus had Leongar command the Beast Pack to capture the Waddle Dees and bring them back to Lab Discovera to fuel the energy required for their escape. With these orders, the Beast Pack raided Waddle Dee Town, destroying it and kidnapping all the Waddle Dees. Kirby and Elfilin then set out on a quest to rescue the Waddle Dees.

Once King Dedede, who had also been brainwashed by Fecto Forgo and joined the Beast Pack, had returned to Lab Discovera with a captured Elfilin, Leongar placed a mask onto him, keeping him under Fecto Forgo's control and turning him into Forgo Dedede, who he then sends off to protect the entrance to Lab Discovera.

After Kirby defeats Forgo Dedede and infiltrates the ancient laboratory to rescue Elfilin, he at last encounters Leongar, who is sitting on his throne. Leongar first introduces Kirby to Fecto Forgo before he explains that he intends to reunite Elfilin and Fecto Forgo into Fecto Elfilis once more so that they will grant him and his followers the power to travel through dimensions, just as it did the people of the ancient civilization. He then summons members of the Beast Pack to deal with Kirby, but he defeats them. Leongar throws off his cape and battles Kirby himself, but midway through it, Fecto Forgo takes full control of his mind to finish off Kirby themself. However, Kirby prevails, sending Leongar flying through the glass containing the Eternal Capsule that Fecto Forgo is trapped within.

Once Kirby frees Elfilin from the capsule he was trapped him, Fecto Forgo begins speaking through Leongar's body. Enraged that Kirby had foiled all of their plans, they break through the Eternal Capsule and melt into a teal, goop-like mass, which absorbs Leongar. Fecto Forgo also absorbs other members of the Beast Pack, turning into a chimera-like abomination before chasing down Kirby and eventually capturing Elfilin, reuniting into Fecto Elfilis.

After a grueling battle with Kirby and having their physical form destroyed, Fecto Elfilis' mind, called Soul Forgo, retreated to Isolated Isles: Forgo Dreams, a world created by their dreams, taking Leongar along with them. Having decided to use Leongar as their vessel in order to continue their invasions of planets, Soul Forgo shattered Leongar's soul and scattered the pieces throughout the world. Kirby and Elfilin, having entered the world through a dimensional rift in Waddle Dee Town, begin collecting the Pieces of Leon's Soul.

Kirby and Elfilin venture through the world before collecting all the soul pieces, which shine the way to Forgo Land, where Leongar's body is held. Upon arriving, Elfilin gives the soul pieces back to Leongar, who reawakens. The three of them prematurely celebrate before Soul Forgo takes over Leongar's body once again, turning him into Forgo Leon. Kirby battles and defeats the possessed Leongar, expelling Soul Forgo from his body. The hero then battles and defeats Morpho Knight after a surprise appearance when it absorbed Soul Forgo.

At the end of the onslaught of battles, Kirby and Elfilin attempt to wake Leongar. However, they are unable to do so, and thinking he had perished in the incident, they look down in sadness. Then, Carol and the rest of the Beast Pack arrive, holding more pieces of Leongar's soul. They all send the soul pieces back to Leongar, who reawakens once more. Now restored back to Leon, the animal king and his followers all celebrate before heading back to Waddle Dee Town.

Battle[]

Leongar[]

During the first half of his boss fight, Leongar uses a variety of hard-hitting physical attacks against Kirby. His primary attack is a claw swipe, which he may use twice in a row; he can also attack by dragging his claws through the floor until he gets close to Kirby and then performing a flaming uppercut. Other attacks used by the King of the Beasts include a ground slam that produces a shockwave and a pouncing lunge. Leongar will sometimes simply walk towards Kirby, but his primary mode of movement (aside from the aforementioned attacks) is to try to jump on top of Kirby.

After roughly two thirds of his health is gone, Leongar will become completely possessed by Fecto Forgo and begin using a very different set of attacks. The possessed beast will begin using an energy attack where he produces a successive trio of damaging patterns from his claws, either in a V shape or an X shape; he also gains the ability to fire a large laser beam from his mouth, which will initially be pointed towards the floor but will slowly be redirected towards Kirby and the roof. Leongar's only real means of movement across the room during this phase is to rapidly crawl across the floor towards Kirby while biting his jaws in an unsettling manner; should Kirby dodge this attack sufficiently early, Leongar may turn around and repeat the attack. Leongar takes half damage from all attacks during this phase.

Forgo Leon[]

“	The specimen tagged as ID-F86, left formless and floating after a humiliating defeat, fled to Forgo Dreams to plot their next steps: create a new army of phantom beasts, then claim Leongar's body as their own. When Kirby arrived to force them out, ID-F86 had no choice but to reveal their own phantom form.”
	— Gotcha Figurine Description • Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Forgo Leon is the form Leongar takes when he is possessed by Soul Forgo.

At the start of the battle, Elfilin will give Kirby a Maxim Tomato and two Copy Essences of Bomb and Cutter; after a few seconds have passed, Forgo Leon will begin attacking.

His first phase is almost identical to Leongar's second phase; he fires "X" and "V"-shaped energy waves, fires a massive beam from his mouth that initially is directed at the floor but is then redirected towards Kirby and the ceiling, and drops to all fours to charge at Kirby while snapping his jaws. The only difference is that Forgo Leon takes full damage from all attacks in this phase, likely because - unlike Leongar's second phase - he has a full health bar in this battle.

When Forgo Leon is almost defeated, Soul Forgo appears and will power him up and restore his health to full as the second phase begins. They also engulf Forgo Leon's face in a dark cloud with two large glowing white eyes. At this point, Forgo Leon will start using enhanced versions of the attacks from Leongar's first phase; his claw-dragging slash leaves damaging fiery trails on the floor, his two-handed fist slams (which can be used up to three times in a row) create shockwaves with lightning bolts around the edges, and his slashing combo (also capable of being used three times in succession) can be followed by a variant of his mouth laser, which is rapidly redirected towards the ceiling and sweeps back and forth at it, causing electrified rocks to drop from the ceiling (similar to one of Meta Knight's attacks).

After losing about half of his second health bar, Forgo Leon will jump to the back of the arena and begin screaming as a spectral image of Soul Forgo is released from his body. The specter will begin charging energy as Forgo Leon releases four claw waves in succession; an "X", a pair of vertical waves, and then two horizontal waves one after the other. He'll follow up with a very fast version of his mouth laser before stopping to catch his breath; at this point, Soul Forgo will appear near Kirby and release an enormous explosion of dark energy that deals massive damage and cannot be blocked. If Kirby avoids the attack, he'll have an extended opportunity to attack the defenseless Forgo Leon; the explosion will release several stars as it dissipates, valuable if Kirby does not have a Copy Ability at this point.

Once Soul Forgo returns to their host, Forgo Leon will resume using his second phase's attacks, with one more twist; the spectral image of Soul Forgo will regularly appear and fire an energy orb at Kirby, which releases a shockwave when it hits the ground. This move does nothing to interrupt Leon's attacks, making dodging more difficult. Forgo Leon will also repeat his opening attack from the third phase if the battle goes on long enough.

Quotes[]

“

Take a good look, pink intruder... Isn't this a beautiful sight? You're not even seeing the Great One in full form. They're incomplete without their other half. Long ago, the Great One granted the people of this world a miraculous power... Those people left this world behind...and entered a land of dreams. Once the Great One is complete again... I know we will also receive this miraculous power. We, the ones they left behind in this forgotten land. And now...the time has finally come! That's right. This small creature here...is the Great One's missing half! Finally, after all our planning and effort, we can help the Great One reach their complete form. We've dreamed of this moment for so many years... If you dare to stand in our way... We'll feast on your hide!”

— Leongar • Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Related Quotes[]

“	After their fight with Kirby, ID-F86's body was destroyed, but their powerful mind survived. They fled to the isolated isles of their own dreams...and brought Leongar with them. To prepare this new vessel, they cast out Leongar's soul, shattering and scattering it throughout the realm of Forgo Dreams.”
	— Piece of Leon's Soul Figurine Description • Kirby and the Forgotten Land

“	The soul fragments collected by Kirby and Clawroline have been returned to their owner. Leongar-now restored as Leon-is free of ID-F86's corrupting mind control. This world is in good paws once again!”
	— Meow! Meow! (Wake Up, Leon!) Figurine Description • Kirby and the Forgotten Land

“	These two were famous leaders of the animal kingdom...until Leon found ID-F86. After that, he began speaking in a language Carol couldn't understand-she only speaks in meows-and formed the brutal Beast Pack. She still believed in him, so she created a new identity of her own and followed along.”
	— Leon & Carol Figurine Description • Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Etymology[]

Leongar's name may be derived from "Leon," a name of Greek origin meaning "lion," and "garuru," the Japanese onomatopoeia for growling, particularly from an animal. His true name, Leon, is simply the aforementioned name.

Trivia[]

The song that plays when fighting Leongar, "The Raging Lion Roars," is divided into parts. The first six bars that form the song's intro play when Leongar discards his cape to prepare for the fight. When Leongar begins his battle proper, the next 64 bars play until Leongar's health drops to around 60%. At that point, the next 16 bars play on loop. When he enters his possessed phase, the last 26 bars play before the song loops normally, the last six bars before the loop duplicating the first two bars and if the intro and chopping off the intro's last two bars.
- As Forgo Leon, the first 6 bars play at the start of the fight, the next 64 bars play on loop until Leongar has his health bar drained almost to the threshold of his second phase, then the next 16 bars play on loop until that threshold is reached, at which point the last 26 bars play before the song loops normally.
- Fecto Elfilis also has this trait when fought in the main story, however, Chaos Elfilis does not.
Unlike most similar segments during Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby is not confined by a wall of energy when fighting the Beast Pack members Leongar summons; thus, it is possible for Leongar to be struck by a ranged attack before Kirby defeats both waves of his minions, in which case the battle with Leongar would immediately begin and the remaining enemies would disappear. This does not have any effect on Leongar's health bar, however.
- Directly approaching Leongar during this fight also immediately triggers his boss battle.
Leongar’s boss title, "King of the Beasts," as well as his position as ruler of the animal kingdom, is a reference to the lion's well-known reputation as an animal of royalty.
Leongar's role parallels President Haltmann from Kirby: Planet Robobot.
- Leongar is the leader of the Beast Pack, while President Haltmann is the leader of the Haltmann Works Company.
- They share an important connection with a female antagonist, Clawroline and Susie, respectively, who serves as the third boss of their respective game.
- They both are manipulated and ultimately possessed by another being, Fecto Forgo and Star Dream respectively, which later become the true main antagonist of their respective game.
- They both serve as a penultimate boss.
  - In their respective boss fights, both Leongar and President Haltmann share moves with their game's respective female antagonist. (Leongar takes his claw and pouncing attacks from Clawroline, while President Haltmann is essentially an upgraded Susie.)
- One key difference between the two is unlike Haltmann who ends up getting destroyed after Kirby destroys Star Dream, Kirby manages to save Leongar after defeating Fecto Elfilis. Additionally, Fecto Forgo is also fought between Leongar himself and Fecto Elfilis.
The music that plays when Leongar explains his plan to Kirby, "The One Who Controls the World," is a remix of the music that plays in boss stages, "The Smell of a Scary Beast."
As part of Fecto Forgo's chimera form, Leongar has his ears replaced with the left horn of a Buffahorn and the right ear of a Primal Awoofy.
Leongar is one of two bosses to have different defeat animations across their battles in the game, the other being Fecto Elfilis, who merely collapses when it is defeated in the Colosseum and disintegrates when it is defeated in Story Mode. In Story Mode, Leongar gets sent flying above his throne and into the containment chamber holding Fecto Forgo's body. In Isolated Isles: Forgo Dreams as Forgo Leon, he simply stumbles backwards onto a his throne. In the Colosseum, Leongar falls and breaks his fall by planting one of his arms onto the ground.
- Fecto Forgo's spasming when defeated isn't counter for this. However, when it is defeated in the main story, a cutscene plays where Fecto Forgo consumes the body of Elfilin; the cutscene where it absorbs him does not play in the Colosseum.