| This article contains information that does not coincide with the main series canon. | (Similar) |
| “ | Although your future's looking grim, very soon you will be slim!” |
| — Max Flexer • Kirby: Right Back at Ya! |
Max Flexer is the hyperactive fitness-themed foe who first appears in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.
In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Max Flexer doing his routine.
Max Flexer's first appearance in the series was as a monster who appears in episode 61, Fitness Fiend. He was ordered to do a fitness workout with King Dedede and Kirby after the two ate too much of Nightmare Enterprises malicious, fattening chips. Max Flexer's methods are both extremely dangerous and unorthodox. He uses several machines to whip his clients into shape while shouting and rhyming. During these exercises, his clients also have to fight to survive. Max Flexer's methods worked, however, and he crushes Kirby's belly, causing him to upchuck the snacks and return to normal. Kirby then inhaled Max Flexer's headset and became Mike Kirby. Kirby sang a terrible tune, prompting Max Flexer to cover his ears, though he was nevertheless overwhelmed by the terrible singing. He was finally destroyed in a huge explosion that caused Castle Dedede to crumble and Kirby to be destroyed
Games
Kirby Mass Attack
Max Flexer faces off against Kirby once more.
Like a few other characters that originated in Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (namely Chef Shiitake, Escargoon, and the N.M.E. Sales Guy), Max Flexer reappears in Kirby Mass Attack. He appears in the Kirby Quest sub-game, in Stage 17 of Chapter 2. Instead of acting as a regular foe, Max Flexer is faced in a bonus round of sorts, and thus does not counterattack. If the player misses during one of their turns, he will flee, ending the battle. He has 330 HP and gives a whopping 1400 EXP when defeated.
The arena where Max Flexer is fought is based heavily on his stage in the anime. In addition to the arena's visuals, the music that plays during the battle often uses the word "'はい" (Hai) in it, which was the main word that Max Flexer used in his song in the Japanese version of the anime. "Hai" is Japanese for "yes" or "yeah". The music remains the same in the overseas version of the game as well.
Max Flexer dances around, occasionally saying "Hey!" in a deep voice, while balancing a Maxim Tomato on his head. This tomato is the source of the EXP gained by the Kirbys after Max Flexer's defeat.
Physical Appearance
Max Flexer appears dressed as a traditional fitness instructor. Being a fitness instructor, he is also in great shape. He has curly pink hair, red wristbands, white shoes, and wears a retro-styled yellow jumpsuit with a red stripe running down it. He also wears a headset on the right side of his face and has brownish, tanned skin. He has stereotypical trainer's sunglasses that almost always have a shine on them. His mouth is very large, even larger than Kirby's, and is full of pearly white teeth.
Powers and Abilities
On his own, Max Flexer posses no real abilities, he is shown to be able to make a stage appear from under him and can run at incredible speeds, but he mostly relies on his machines to "help" overweight victims, these include.
- A pair of pincer claws to pick up, spin and/or hold down the overweight persons.
- A pair of shake machines to shake up the victims.
- A pair of tickling machines to tickle the victims and later on electrocuting them.
- A pair of stretching machines to stretch the victims.
- A treadmill machine were the victims must run away from a spinning spiked pillar.
- A pair arms with boxing gloves to punch the victims.
- A giant steamroller for which the overweight victims must run away from or else their get squished,
- A giant wrecking ball (also known as The Cruncher) hidden inside of disco-ball that can crush the overweighted victims, Max Flexer's real plan was to crush the overweighted Kirby, but it only made him up chucked all of the chips, returning Kirby back to normal.
Etymology
Max Flexer's name alludes to "maximum flexing," but it is also a parody of the famous cartoonist Max Fleischer.
Trivia
- Max Flexer's voice, mannerisms, and profession make him an obvious parody of the real-life fitness expert Richard Simmons.
- While Max Flexer makes Dedede and Kirby exercise in the Japanese version, King Dedede's iconic theme can be heard in the background.
- At the end of the exercise sequence (in the Japanese version of the episode), Kirby's Dream Land’s credits song (Riding on the Spring Breeze) can be heard.
- Max Flexer is one of the few monsters that can talk.
- Max Flexer is one of the few monsters to actually fulfill its purpose, the others being Hardy in A Dental Dilemma, Delivery Man in Delivery Dilemma, Paint Roller in Dedede's Monsterpiece, and Cold Virus in Something to Sneeze At.
- Max Flexer is the only monster that has a last name.
- Mike Kirby's singing is loud enough to actually crack Max Flexer's sunglasses.
- Part of the lyrics of his routine's musical number in the Japanese version references "Kihon wa Maru".
Quotes
| “ | Treadmills are a lot of fun. You'll be fitter when we're done! Better keep on moving fast, or this race will be your last! [Japanese]: Unless you run, you'll be split in two. You'll join the other world if you don't run ahead. You'd better keep running if you want to live. Punishment heaven, Go go heaven!” |
| — Max Flexer • Kirby: Right Back at Ya! |
| “ | Everybody dance!” |
| — Max Flexer • Kirby: Right Back at Ya! |
Gallery
