Kirby (character)
| Kirby | |
|---|---|
| 'Kirby series character | |
| File:Kirbysqsq.png Kirby, as he appears in Kirby: Squeak Squad | |
| First game | Kirby's Dream Land (1992) |
| Created by | Masahiro Sakurai |
Kirby (カービィ, Kābii) is a fictional character and hero of Nintendo's Kirby video game series created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. The Kirby series is one Nintendo's more notable game franchises, spanning nearly twenty games since 1992.[1] Kirby's first appearance took place in the 1992 video game Kirby's Dream Land, where he was portrayed by a two-dimensional sprite; Kirby has also been conveyed by a three-dimensional computer-generated image on some occurrences. The character Kirby has been featured in other video games from Nintendo, on Nintendo's merchandising, on comic books, and even on a television show about the Kirby series.
In the games, Kirby is described as a small, spherical creature who is a denizen of Dream Land (Pupupuland プププランド) on the planet Pop Star.[2] The main games always have Kirby with the same basic abilities- he can walk, run, jump, float, and inhale and spit out or devour his enemies. Most of Kirby's games adhere to the same basic idea behind Kirby's creation - that his is a series for beginners, not only children. As such his games can be beaten by a player of nearly any age, but offer deeper challenges for more experienced gamers.
Kirby often journeys across the planet Pop Star (and sometimes other planets), defeating evil forces such as the greedy King Dedede or the ominous Dark Matter. Kirby also often crosses paths with the enigmatic Meta Knight. To defeat his foes, Kirby uses his signature ability of inhaling large objects and spitting them out with incredible force. Following Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby was able to gain the abilities of the enemies he swallowed, aptly known as Copy Abilities. In several games in the series, Kirby obtains a mystical weapon during the climax of the battle against his enemy, which is often required to defeat the final boss.
Concept and creation
Kirby was originally named Popopo, and his model was created as a blob placeholder sprite during the development of what would be the first Kirby game. (Which was originally to be titled 'Twinkle Popopo' instead of the current 'Hoshi no Kaabii' or Kirby of the Stars.)[3] After working with it for a while, creator Masahiro Sakurai started to prefer the placeholder's design over the one they originally had in mind. He was later quoted with saying how he envisioned Kirby as a 'game for beginners'.
Sakurai intended Kirby to be pink. However, Shigeru Miyamoto had envisioned him as yellow.[4] Because of this ambiguity, Nintendo of America was left with a bit of confusion when the game was ported to the West. As a result, the American box art, cartridge label, instruction booklet, and even the television commercial for Kirby's Dream Land features Kirby entirely white in color. The Japanese box art, however, depicts Kirby as pink.
There is a good deal of debate on the origins of Kirby's name. A widespread myth is that Kirby adopted his Western name from the Kirby Corporation, which is a vacuum cleaner company and would suit Kirby and his appetite. The other explanation is that Kirby was named in honor of Nintendo's legal counsel, John Kirby of Latham & Watkins LLP, after John Kirby saved Nintendo during a copyright infringement lawsuit over Donkey Kong filed by Universal Studios.[5] Mr. Kirby himself has confirmed this. However, Masahiro Sakurai has been quoted as saying he doesn't remember how Kirby got his name, leaving the issue vague.
Actor portrayal
Kirby is voiced by female seiyū Makiko Ōmoto in the Super Smash Bros. series, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, and in the anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (Kirby of the Stars). She considered the time doing Kirby's voice and working with others on the show and games as being a great experience.[6] However, in a 1994 educational video starring himself and Mario, he was voiced by Mayumi Tanaka.[7]
Characteristics
Kirby is a small, pink, spherical creature with large red feet, stubby arms and trademark pink cheek-blushes. His body is soft and flexible, allowing him to be flattened. He is roughly 8 inches tall and his weight is unknown, although several parts of the anime and the Super Smash Bros. games suggest that he is light enough to be carried. He hails from the planet Pop Star, where he lives in a dome-shaped house in Dream Land. His appearance has changed subtly over the years, becoming more rounded and defined, mainly in his face and larger eyes. The new design has been used in all subsequent games.
Personality
Kirby has a positive attitude, and helps to save Dream Land through the use of his unique powers. His age is never stated, although in the manual for Kirby's Dream Land he is called a 'little boy' and in the show he is called a 'baby'.[8] This, along with his high-pitched voice, suggest that he is young. He is referred to as male in the animated series.[9]
Kirby is cheerful and innocent. He loves to eat and sleep, especially during the day. His favorite food is Maxim tomatoes, a special kind of tomato found in all of Pop Star. He is said to dislike caterpillars. His other hobbies include singing, although he is tone-deaf.[10] He can be impulsive, such as how he accuses Dedede of interfering with the Fountain of Dreams in Kirby's Adventure, without even letting Dedede explain himself.[11]
Kirby is a character of few words, mainly only saying 'Hi!' cheerfully in such games as Super Smash Bros. and speaking in the stories written in some games' English instruction manuals, but he never speaks in-game. The only exception is in Kirby's Avalanche, where he is depicted as rude and smart-alecky. However, as this is an American-made spin-off of the Puyo Puyo games (similar to the Sonic title Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine) and never released in Japan, it is not considered canon. The concept of Kirby being mostly mute is supported by Masahiro Sakurai's insistence that Kirby not speak in the anime series. (See: Kirby Anime Development)
Kirby is given little in the way of background in his video game series. Nothing about his origins or family is known.
Abilities
Kirby's main attack is inhaling enemies (both his mouth and body expand to allow him to inhale things much larger than himself) and swallowing them. He can also spit enemies out as stars to attack others. Certain enemies, when swallowed, give Kirby new powers called Copy Abilities.
In most early games, an ability does not change Kirby's appearance drastically, aside from his colour changing to orange or cyan in Kirby's Adventure, or wielding a weapon for abilities like Sword or Hammer. However, beginning with Kirby Super Star, Kirby would gain a unique hat for each ability, such as a burning headdress for Fire, a frozen crown for Ice, or a backwards baseball cap for Yoyo and Wheel. The hats have become a staple of the series.
In Kirby Super Star, Kirby could use an ability to create a 'Helper', a good version of the enemy he had devoured, that would be controlled by the game or a second player. This feature has, as of yet, not been included in later Kirby games.
Kirby also uses his powers to attain food items to heal himself, or other special items like lollipops that grant him temporary invinciblity. (Kirby Super Star and recent games have a feature where Kirby can share his food with the second player, a motion that resembles kissing. It became a very popular topic to parody in the Japanese manga series.[12])
Kirby can suck in air and make himself lighter, flying slowly by flapping his arms. He can attack enemies by quickly exhaling a puff of air. Other games have developed his powers even further, such as allowing him to block attacks in Kirby Super Star, but on a whole his basic moves have stayed the same with new Copy Abilities being added in each new game. In a future game announced for the Wii, Kirby is again given the ability to release his absorbed enemy as an ally.
Appearances
Main series
Kirby set off on his first adventure in Kirby's Dream Land when the self-made ruler of Dream Land, King Dedede stole everyone's food. Since then, more dangerous enemies have threatened Kirby's home. His journeys have become more daunting as creatures like Dark Matter possess and control his friends against their will. Kirby maintains a brave and cheerful persona despite it all, gaining new powers and allies to aid him.
Super Smash Bros. series
In the Super Smash Bros. series, Kirby retains his most notable abilities: the ability to float (in the form of a five-use multi-jump) and the ability to inhale and swallow enemies, which allows him to copy other players' normal B-button special moves to use. Unlike in other Kirby games, he is able to use a few abilities without the need to first copy them, such as Cutter, Stone, and to some extent, even Fighter and Suplex/Backdrop. Kirby is one of the smallest characters and also one of the lightest, although he has somewhat more power than many of the light fighters. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Kirby was given the Hammer ability, and his weight and attack power were noticeably decreased.[13]
As seen in the trailer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Kirby will be making a return appearance, and his rival Meta Knight will also be a playable character. In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, Kirby can use his moves from Super Smash Bros. Melee by defeating and swallowing a scaled-down version of Master Hand, the final boss from both Super Smash Bros. games.
In anime, manga, and comics
Kirby stars in an anime titled Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (Hoshi no Kābī (Kirby of the Stars) in Japanese after the original game title). It is currently licensed in North America by 4Kids Entertainment and the Canadian company Nelvana, and was produced by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory, Inc.. It aired on 4Kids TV, formerly the Fox Box (since 2002), via Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (since 2001 which has done 100 episodes).
Unlike the games and manga, the anime contains darker themes such as war and death (not in the American version), though it still maintained most of the cheerful and surreal themes from the games. Kirby's creator, Masahiro Sakurai, was greatly involved in its creation, so it did not stray far from his vision of how Kirby should be.[14]
Kirby also stars in several manga series, none of which have been released outside Japan. The longest running series is also titled Kirby of the Stars, and was written by Hirokazu Hikawa (ひかわ 博一 Hikawa Hirokazu).[15]
Other Kirby manga are typically one-shot comedy 4koma based on the games, and have multiple artists. They usually have recurring themes and running gags, despite having different creators.
Kirby was also in a short, still-animated educational video that was only released in Japan, designed to teach kanji to young children. In it, he helps a lost puppy find its mother.
Kirby also appears in a few German comics, which feature him as a detective and King Dedede as his friend. His other friend is one of a few blue fish who works at a bar known as the Blue Fish Bar, who is also one of Kirby's informants. His animal friends also appear in the German comics as pets of a female Kirby look-alike with red glass slippers, ostensibly one of Kirby's girlfriends. In one comic, he meets Lolo, Lala, and Lulu, the stars of the Adventures of Lolo series. The German comics were meant to let German Kirby fans know of Kirby games that would be released there.
Other information
Kirby in the anime
Kirby's image in the animated series is similar to his in-game image. He has the same light-hearted persona and huge appetite; the two main differences are his age and origins, and his preference for watermelon over tomatoes.[16] Design-wise, his feet are a deeper shade of red than in the games. (However, on most anime-related merchandise, his feet are the same shade of red as they typically are in the games.)
Only in his anime series is his background given any significance. On the show, Kirby is a legendary Star Warrior who according to legend is fated to save Pop Star from destruction. No such legends are ever referred to in the games. He is also revealed early in the series to be a creation of an ancient evil entity called Nightmare.
It was also said in the anime that Kirby was meant to sleep for 200 years but was awoken too early by mistake, which is why he is only a baby.[17] Because of his age, he depends even more on the help of his friends to pull through tough situations.
Though Sakurai said Kirby wasn't to speak, he allowed him to use a small vocabulary. Kirby will often shout his ability and attack names, or say a few favorite words like 'suika' (Japanese for watermelon.) While Kirby is fully capable of speaking, he is simply too young to know very much. However, nearly all of his lines are removed in the 4Kids dub.
Kirby is described as kind-hearted, sometimes to the point that it is considered a weakness. He often shows a strong, almost maternal caring side for younger and weaker people. He is also fearless - though other characters comment that it is only because he is cheerfully oblivious.
Relationships
Starting in Kirby's Dream Land 2 on the Game Boy, Kirby was assisted in his quest by several animal friends,[18] with new ones appearing later in Kirby's Dream Land 3. He can be seen in cutscenes interacting with them before each level.
In Kirby's Dream Land 3 he is joined by a goofy looking blob called Gooey. According to the game's instruction manual, he is made out of the same substance as Dark Matter, but is not evil. Gooey can float and swallow enemies like Kirby does, but with a long sticky tongue.
A variety of 'Helpers' were introduced in Kirby Super Star. They are 'good' versions of the enemies Kirby meets in the games. If Kirby inhales one to obtain its ability, he can give up his power to create a Helper to aid him. (The Helper is then either controlled by the game or by a second player.) In more recent games he is aided by multicolored copies of himself.
Meta Knight has appeared as both Kirby's ally and enemy. While Kirby often faces him as the boss of a level, Meta Knight has also aided Kirby and tried to help save Dream Land from evil forces. The surprise twist is that when the player defeats him, his mask breaks off to reveal he has a similar face to Kirby except in color and facial features. In the anime series, Meta Knight is on Kirby's side and helps to train him- though he acts rather cold towards him.
In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby traveled with a wide variety of friends. Throughout the game, he meets the fairy Ribbon from Ripple Star, the painter girl Adeleine, King Dedede and a Waddle Dee. They all help Kirby in his quest to find the pieces of the broken crystal and defeat Dark Matter. The game marks one of the few times in which Dedede actually helps Kirby. At the end of the game, Ribbon kisses Kirby on the cheek in thanks for saving her home world, causing him to become dizzy in embarrassment and fall over. She is the only character shown to have any sort of romantic affection for Kirby.
In the anime series, Kirby's two best friends are the siblings Tiff and Tuff. Tiff acts as a protective, almost maternal figure to him. Kirby often plays with Tuff and the other children in the village, but being younger he is sometimes left out. Some of the animal friends also appear, but Kirby does not have close friendships with them.
Kirby is generally willing to make friends with anyone, though more so in the anime than games.
Shadow Kirby
In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, the Mirror World is introduced, an alternate dimension that in some ways is a reflection of Kirby's own. In it exists Shadow Kirby (also known as Mirror-World Kirby according to the ending cutscene), a dark version of Kirby with a gray body and black feet. He appears before the player at various points in the game, occasionally popping out of walls, and sometimes attacks before retreating. However, if the player attacks he will leap backwards, at the same time dropping items such as 1-Ups, candy, and food. It is revealed in the end that Shadow Kirby wants to save his own world just as Kirby does his, and they work together towards the same goal. Shadow Kirby throws Meta Knight's sword back to Kirby if Kirby loses it in the final battle against Dark Mind.
Species
Kirby's species has been a common topic of debate in his fandom. Unlike many other video game mascots, such as Link being Hylian, Kirby's kind has never been given an official name.
However, while Kirby is the one most often emphasized, he is not the only member of his kind. This is evidenced by similar looking characters seen in the ending of Kirby's Dream Land and the remake Spring Breeze in Kirby Super Star and potentially Meta Knight, who looks nearly identical to Kirby aside from color and facial differences. In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, different colored Kirbies appear as other players in multi-player games. In the case of the former, they are the result of Kirby being divided into four by Dark Meta Knight.[19]
In general, members of the species all look similar, except sometimes with different colored skin, eyes and feet. They are commonly referred to as Kirbies, similar to how Yoshi in the Mario series is the name of both the species and character. However, Kirby has only ever been used as the name of one character. Often terms like creampuffs or puffballs are used, referring to their soft, round appearance. In the English manual of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, the term Kirbys is used at points, to illustrate the feature of having four different colored versions of Kirby active in the game simultaneously.
Another common term is Dream Landers, a term used in the instruction manual for Kirby's Adventure. However, this also refers to anyone who lives in Dream Land, including characters like King Dedede. The Super Smash Bros. bio says Kirby is a denizen of Dream Land rather than a citizen, though the writer may have misused the word. Additionally, it says "Kirby hales from a distant star of peace", implying he may be from another planet, since he was not born in Dream Land.
Kirby's race, however, is not called Star Warrior, Warpstar Knight or any variation thereof. Star Warrior, which is a term found solely in the anime series, is not the name of his species or any other. It is a term used to describe a group of legendary warriors that consists of many different races.[20] The terms Warpstar Knight and Warpstar Warrior have only ever been used in advertisements, and have never appeared in any game or the anime.
In Kirby's Dream Land 3, mysterious characters appear called Batamon. They look very similar to Kirby aside from a more flattened shape and different face, and are unique in that the player can never directly come in contact with them. They are always seen walking past walls or ceilings beyond Kirby's reach.[21] Considering it is the only Kirby-like creature to ever be given a name, some say Batamon is a default name for Kirby's species, or a closely related one- or perhaps just an imposter such as Anti-Kirby from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX.[22]
In the anime, aside from Kirby and Meta Knight, four others that appear to be of their race appear. Four members of the Galaxy Soldier Army and likely Star Warriors, Sir Arthur, Nonsurat, Dragato, and Falspar. They resemble Meta Knight, wearing full armor and masks. The only new information given about them is that they have a potential lifespan of hundreds of years, as suggested by Meta Knight saying that Kirby was meant to sleep for 200 years, and Meta Knight himself is implied to be much older.
See also
References
- ^ 'Gameography' of the Kirby series Kirby's Rainbow Resort URL Accessed April 23, 2007.
- ^ Super Smash Bros. Melee in-game trophy description.
- ^ Interview with Masahiro Sakurai Nintendo Online Magazine URL Accessed Oct 25, 2006.
- ^ Interview with Masahiro Sakurai Nintendo Online Magazine URL Accessed Oct 25, 2006.
- ^ Kirby's Rainbow Resort URL Accessed Jan 21, 2007.
- ^ Makiko Ōmoto's personal website URL Accessed Dec 07, 2006.
- ^ Mario and Kirby Masterpiece Video URL Accessed Oct 25, 2006.
- ^ Kirby's Dream Land Instruction Manual Kirby's Rainbow Resort. URL Accessed Oct 25, 2006.
- ^ Kirby Kirby Kirby Website Official Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Site. URL Accessed Oct 25, 2006.
- ^ Kirby Profile Nintendo.co.jp URL Accessed Dec 11, 2006.
- ^ Kirby's Adventure Instruction Manual
- ^ Kirby Official Manga Kirby's Rainbow Resort. URL Accessed Nov 21, 2006.
- ^ Super Smash Bros. Melee Kirby bio IGN. URL Accessed May 28, 2006.
- ^ Kirby article Famitsu Magazine. URL Accessed Dec 07, 2006.
- ^ "Kirby - Manga : Vol. 21". Nippon Export. 2004-12-01. Retrieved 2006-09-21.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Kirby Bio Kirby's Rainbow Resort. URL Accessed Oct 25, 2006.
- ^ Kirby episode 4 synopsis Kirby's Rainbow Resort. URL Accessed Dec 07, 2006.
- ^ Kirby's Dream Land 3 character page Nintendo.co.jp URL Accessed Oct 25, 2006.
- ^ Kirby & the Amazing Mirror Story Nintendo.co.jp URL Accessed Nov 21, 2006.
- ^ Star Warrior Article Kirby's Rainbow Resort URL Accessed Nov 11, 2006.
- ^ Kirby's Dreamland 3 Enemies Kirby's Rainbow Resort URL Accessed Nov 11, 2006.
- ^ Kirby Cameo in Zelda Kirby's Rainbow Resort URL Accessed Nov 11, 2006.
External links
- Kirby's Official U.S. homepage
- Kirby's Official Japanese homepage
- Kirby's Rainbow Resort
- TV Tome—Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
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