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KPR Susie artwork This article is about the enemy in Kirby Mass Attack. For other uses, see Skull (disambiguation).

The Skullys used to hide in darkness. That is, until Necrodeus got his magic staff. Then the Skullys changed.
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack

Skully is an enemy in the Kirby series, debuting in Kirby Mass Attack. It is the standard grunt member of the Skull Gang.

Physical Appearance[]

Skully is a white humanoid skull with angular eye sockets and no mandible. It is sheathed in a black and purple cloud. When it attacks, the whole of its body flashes pink, and it exposes two tiny hands with three fingers. A Skully carrying a skull chest has a red skull rather than typical white.

Games[]

Kirby Mass Attack[]

Story[]

Skully's origin is unconfirmed, though it seems to be a creation of Necrodeus. According to Daroach, these enemies mature into more dangerous Skullions after 100 years, meaning the species has existed for at least that long during the events of Kirby Mass Attack. The Skullys hid away in darkness until Necrodeus acquired his staff, at which point they changed their ways.[1] Their native habitat was likely Necro Nebula, as they have a shrine to their creator there. On Planet Popstar, the smoke produced by the volcanoes in Volcano Valley blocked out the sunlight, attracting the darkness-dwelling creatures to that island.[2] The Skullys and their leader, Skullseer, infested the island and erected the Skull Tower as a lair.[3]

Skullys Attack

"Suddenly, Skullys appeared behind the Warp Star!"

The Skull Gang's ultimate goal is to drown Planet Popstar's light, as it is the brightest star in the universe and the gang hates light.[4][5] To ensure their success, they attempt to destroy the planet's hero, Kirby. When the Kirbys take a Warp Star to Sandy Canyon, a swarm of Skullys ambush them, abducting all but one. (If the player initiates the Dark Shadows cutscene with only one Kirby, the foes are completely unsuccessful.) They do this any time the heroes travel between islands but cease their patrol once Skullord is defeated.

With Necrodeus' destruction at the end of the game, the Skull Gang is vanquished. It is unknown if any Skullys survived the adventure.

As an enemy[]

Skully does not physically attack Kirbys, but instead attempts to snatch them. Once it grabs one, it floats around and eventually flees into the sky, instantly KOing the Kirby and stealing him from the player's total. Before it does, the player can flick the heroes into it to save their teammate. Only a few Kirbys are needed to defeat Skully. To make up for this vulnerability, these enemies travel in large swarms.

!Skullys 2

Skullys attack the Kirbys.

Skully only appears in dark locations. Most dwell in a secret area only accessed by obtaining a skull key. Swarms hiding here have one red Skully among their ranks—these carry skull chests that contain medals. To escape from this area, the Kirbys must survive until sunrise or defeat the red Skully. Doing the latter makes the skull chest accessible, and the player can open it if the Kirby holding the skull key survives. The player should bring a large group of Kirbys into this place for the best results.

Skullseer summons Skullys during his battle in Stage 5 of Volcano Valley.

Sub-games[]

Skully is featured in the sub-games Kirby Brawlball and Strato Patrol EOS. In the former, the player can access a secret area with a roulette machine. Lining up three Skully slots earns the player 1,000 points. In the latter, Skullys carry additional Kirbys. Shooting them down rewards the player an additional Kirby. Some Skullys pursue the heroes and attempt to steal from them. If successful, they either abduct a Kirby from the player's total or attempt to flee with his/her power-ups.

Etymology[]

Skully's name comes from the fact that it is a skull.

Its Japanese name, ドクロン (Dokuron), comes form the Japanese word for skull, ドクロ (dokuro).

Trivia[]

  • Unused Skully sprites are buried in Kirby Mass Attack’s memory. These sprites depict Skully, shocked, making a call on a walkie-talkie. Other sprites exist of a massive purple and black energy beam created by a skull-shaped cloud. Together, these sprites may indicate that Skully would have had a powerful attack in which it called in an energy strike against the Kirbys.[6]
  • Like the rest of the Skull Gang, Skully's color scheme is more significant than it appears. Its clouds are black and purple because in Japanese culture, those colors symbolize night and death, respectively.
  • Dethskullk, an enemy from Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, bears a noticeable resemblance to Skully.

Related Quotes[]

The Skull Gang that patrols this island is unrelenting. If only we could get them to slack off, our jobs would be much easier.
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack
Flies through the air, trying to carry Kirby off. A member of the Skull Gang who are plotting to cast the world into darkness.
— Official European Kirby Mass Attack website[7]

See Also[]

Artwork[]

Gallery[]

Sprites[]

References[]

  1. "The Skullys used to hide in darkness. That is, until Necrodeus got his magic staff. Then the Skullys changed." - Daroach, Kirby Mass Attack
  2. "This island was once a ring of volcanoes. They billowed with smoke, but it was still no real threat. But the Skullys found that it was easy to live here, shielded from the sun by all that smoke. They've infested the island, and now it's plagued by magma bursts and ruled by dark forces." - Daroach, Kirby Mass Attack
  3. "This island holds the lair of the Skullys, the Skull Tower." - Daroach, Kirby Mass Attack
  4. "Your home, Popstar, is the brightest star in space. It was only a matter of time before Necrodeus decided to smother its light." - Daroach, Kirby Mass Attack
  5. "Necrodeus hates light and wants to steep the world in darkness." - Daroach, Kirby Mass Attack
  6. The Spriters Resource
  7. Kirby Mass Attack European website (screenshot)
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