| “ | Here's a trick a platypus taught me.” |
| — Rick • Kirby: Right Back at Ya! |
Rick is a friendly and energetic hamster that befriends Kirby. Alongside Ribbon, Rick is arguably the most well-known of the helpers Kirby has had over the years. Rick first appeared alongside Coo and Kine in Kirby's Dream Land 2. Whereas Coo and Kine are most helpful in the air and in the water, Rick was best suited for land. The name Rick is also derived from riku, a Japanese word for land. In Kirby's Dream Land 3, Rick met his match- Nago the cat. The two were both skilled at trekking the land. Rick has a love interest named Pick.
In recent games, Rick has simply been reduced to small cameos. He appeared with Coo and Kine in Kirby's Star Stacker, and in a statue form in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and Kirby: Triple Deluxe as a random result of the Stone Copy Ability. The statue from Kirby's Return to Dream Land appears sometimes when Smash Kirby uses his Stone attack in Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition. Rick also appeared as a collectible trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He also made a surprise appearance in the continue screen of Kirby Mass Attack's Kirby Quest, which includes Coo and Kine as well. The screen itself is based on the "game over" screen of Kirby's Dream Land 2. Along with the two other Animal Friends, Rick appears in the Kirby Fighters sub-game of Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
Physical Appearance
Rick is a round little hamster. He has white fur with small patches of orange on him. The orange patches are most noticeable on his head and on his back. He has little pink feet and a small, pink, button-shaped nose. A real hamster would have pink hands, but Rick does not. Rick is almost twice the size as Kirby, so he can't fit into smaller places and tight passageways. He can also jump from wall to wall and crush enemies with his astounding girth. Like Kirby, Rick can inhale enemies (This was later changed to stuffing the enemy into his mouth). However, Rick is unable to harness the power to hold his breath to float like Kirby. Rick can be used to jump on walls.
In Games
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby earns Rick's trust and friendship when he saves him from a horde of mid-bosses. Rick is able to withstand treacherous terrain and doesn't skid on slippery platforms such as ice. Like the rest of Kirby's friends in this game, Rick can merge abilities with Kirby to make stronger ones:
| Base Ability | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Burning | Rick shoots fireballs out of his mouth. |  
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| Needle | The hair on Rick's back sticks out, like a porcupine. This attack only protects Rick from behind, so he needs to turn around to get an enemy facing his front. |  
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| Spark | Rick fires an electricity whip from his mouth, in a way similar to Beam. |  
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| Cutter | Rick throws Kirby like a boomerang. |  
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| Ice | Kirby and Rick become a large two part snowman and create a blizzard that acts exactly like the Freeze ability. |  
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| Parasol | Rick puts his parasol on his nose and his partner rolls around on top of it. This attack is not very useful offensively, but it will block projectiles from the top, as well as break any Star Blocks above the duo. |  
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| Stone | Rick becomes a giant boulder. His partner will then stand on top and roll him around. Rick is invincible, but Kirby is not. |  
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Kirby's Dream Land 3
Rick has gained several new abilities, such as jumping from wall to wall. He is the only Animal Friend not slowed down by normal sand surfaces in this game, although he'll still be affected by moving sand surfaces. His inhaling technique however, was replaced by the power to stomp enemies flat. Instead of inhaling enemies, Rick charges forward with his gaping mouth wide open. This game also introduces Rick's love interest- Pick. For transportation Kirby sits on Rick's back for a ride. Rick can once again combine his abilities with Kirby:
| Base Ability | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Burning | This move is unchanged from Kirby's Dream Land 2. | 
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| Needle | This move is unchanged from Kirby's Dream Land 2. | 
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| Spark | This move is unchanged from Kirby's Dream Land 2. | 
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| Cutter | This move is unchanged from Kirby's Dream Land 2. | 
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| Ice | In this game, the move works similarly to how it did in Kirby's Dream Land 2, but it instead snows down snow from the top of the snowman. | 
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| Parasol | This move is unchanged from Kirby's Dream Land 2. | 
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| Stone | This move is unchanged from Kirby's Dream Land 2. | 
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| Clean | Rick dusts in front of him with a duster. It is very similar to Clean Kirby's primary move. | 
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Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
The ability Animal Statues allows Kirby to turn into a stone Rick. He acts like he normally does, but without an ability to use. He can, however, climb up walls if a player holds the +Control Pad against the wall and presses jump in rhythmic succession.
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Rick appears in Paint Panic as one of the paintings Paint Roller draws.
Kirby Mass Attack
Rick makes a cameo in Kirby Quest if Kirby loses.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition
Stone Kirby can transform into a statue of Rick, Coo, and Kine. In Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition, Smash Kirby can transform into this statue by using the Stone attack.
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Though he is not a playable character, Rick appears in the Kirby Fighters sub-game (as well as in the downloadable Kirby Fighters Deluxe). In the stage based off of Kirby's Dream Land 3, he occasionally steps through doors and attacks the Kirbys by using his Burning attack: flame breath. He then proceeds to reenter the door he came from.
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Rick, Kine, and Coo appear together as a stone statue produced by either Kirby's Stone or Smash Bros. ability. He also appears a collectible sticker.
Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
Rick will appear as a villager of the city after the defeat of Taranza, sitting at the bench behind the password shrine.
Kirby Battle Royale
Rick appears in Slam Hockey, He can be seen on the left side of the crowd in Normal Arena.
Kirby Star Allies
Rick appears as a Dream Partner as in the next update, the only move we have seen of Rick is his Burning ability from Kirby's Dream Land 2 and 3.In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Rick's once semi-important role has been reduced greatly. Rick quite isn't an acquaintance of Kirby, nor do the two really interact all that much. Rick lives in Whispy Woods Forest inside the roots of the great tree Acore. Rick shows no change in personality though. He also speaks with an Australian voice in the dub. Despite his lack of appearances in the episodes, Rick has still appeared more than any of the other animals, let alone the animal helpers, in the anime. His first appearance in the anime was in A Blockbuster Battle, when he helped to build a treehouse for Kirby (which was wrecked later in the episode by King Dedede and Escargoon). Rick's feet were changed to a light purple color.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
Rick appears as a collectible trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Music
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Related Quotes
| “ | Like all your friends, Rick adds his life bar to yours. He'll leave if his meter reaches zero, but you'll be able to go on.” |
| — Description • Nintendo Power (Volume #72) |
| “ | Rick made his debut alongside Kirby's other friends, Coo and Kine. He looks like a meek hamster, but when he puffs himself up, he's bigger than Kirby. When he's carrying Kirby on his back, he can mimic Kirby's copy powers with some special moves of his own. Rick's claim to fame is his exceptional traction on icy surfaces.” |
| — Trophy description • Super Smash Bros. Melee |
Trivia
- Of the three Animal Friends who appear in the anime, Rick is the only one that has any kind of conflict with Kirby. This instance was only in the episode, War of the Woods.
- When Ado draws Rick in the Boss Butch credits of Kirby's Dream Land 3, she gives him toes.
- Rick is the only Animal Friend that consumes enemies himself. All others allow Kirby to inhale the foes or, in ChuChu's case, drag the foes into Kirby's mouth.
- Rick makes a cameo appearance in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, along with Coo and Kine, when Kirby is transforming into Kirby Tank.
- Rick, along with Coo and Kine, make an appearance in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe after certain Ordeals are cleared.
- Rick, alongside Coo and Kine, in the American TV commercial for Kirby's Dream Land 2, was depicted unusually: In particular, aside from being given angry eyes and a menacing grin, Rick was shown to lift up a biker upon entering a bar and throw him right at a sofa with other bikers sitting on it and knock them over in a similar manner to bowling pins.
Artwork
Gallery
Sprites and Models
