The Maxim Tomato in Kirby Air Ride
Maxim Tomatos are glowing, big red tomatoes with big dark black "M"s in the center. They are found in most Kirby games and restore all of Kirby's health when eaten or inhaled. They are said to be Kirby's favorite food.
The foe Poppy Bros. Jr. is sometimes seen riding on a Maxim Tomato instead of an apple. If Kirby attacks Poppy with anything other than Inhale, he will destroy the Maxim Tomato. Inhale will suck the Poppy Bros. Jr. off and allow Kirby to pick up the Maxim Tomato.
In Kirby's Epic Yarn, a Metamato (a tomato that resembles a Maxim Tomato) is noticebly worn on a hat by the main villian Yin-Yarn, but is mistakenly eaten by Kirby in the opening scene, which angers the yarn magician and prompts him to suck the pink hero into the sock around his neck, starting Kirby's adventures in Patch Land.
In Super Smash Bros.
The Maxim Tomato is a recovery item in all the Super Smash Bros. games.
In the original Super Smash Bros., the Maxim Tomato healed a character of 100% of their damage percentage. In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl, the Tomato only heals 50% of damage, due to the inclusion of the Heart Container recovery item from the Zelda series that also heals 100% of the player's health. If a character is attacked while using the Maxim Tomato, it will "absorb" the damage. For example, if an attack does 30% damage, the tomato will absorb it and the user only recovers 20% damage. Like all other Smash Bros. items, it appears as a Trophy in both Melee and Brawl. It also appears as a sticker where the design from Squeak Squad is used.
Trivia
- The instruction book for Kirby's Dream Land mistranslates it as Bag of Magic Food.
- Maxim Tomatoes don't appear in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, but are replaced by watermelons, which are Kirby's favorite food in that continuity.
- The Maxim Tomato is drawn by Paint Roller in the Paint Panic subgame.
