Characters of the Kirby series

This is a list of characters in the Kirby Nintendo video game series.

Main characters

Kirby

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Main article: Kirby (character)

Kirby has been the star of a number of namesake games developed by HAL Laboratory.

Kirby has appeared in over twenty games since 1992 and has starred in his own animated series. The Kirby series has sold over 30 million units worldwide. The core games of the series are platformers. They typically begin with an evil force threatening his home of Dream Land (Pupupuland プププランド) on the planet Popstar, most often the greedy King Dedede or mysterious Dark Matter.

The main games always have Kirby with the same basic abilities; he can walk, run, jump, float, and inhale and spit out or swallow his enemies. Following Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby was able to gain the abilities of the enemies he swallowed, such as: Fire, Sword. Fighter, and cutter. Kirby also can spit water out of his mouth while underwater. Kirby also has his own show called Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.

King Dedede

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King Dedede, as seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

King Dedede (デデデ大王, Dedede Daiō) is a major recurring antagonist of the series. He is a jolly penguin-like monarch, known to be fat and self-centered; furthermore, Dedede causes many problems for the inhabitants of Dream Land through selfish mischief, such as stealing Dream Land's food supplies for a midnight feast, taking all of the stars from the sky, or merely just wanting revenge on Kirby. Despite this, he and Kirby have teamed up on occasions with the purpose of taking down a greater common foe. He has many of the same abilities as Kirby himself does, such as being able to inhale objects and spit them back out with tremendous force, and following Kirby's Dream Land, the ability to suck in air and fly.

Dedede is both an enemy and ally in the various games of the main series. Often he just acts in his own interests, such as stealing the food of Dream Land in Kirby's Dream Land, but in others, such as Kirby's Adventure he breaks up the Star Rod to protect Dream Land from Nightmare. In Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, he is possessed by Dark Matter, and is eventually freed by Kirby. Dedede often is the main instigator and final boss in the side series of puzzle and handheld arcade games, such as Kirby's Ghost Trap, Kirby's Dream Course and Kirby's Block Ball. King Dedede was originally intended to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros., but was cut due to time constraints; he does however appear as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and was finally added as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl due to being one of the most requested characters to be playable in Japan, where his main weapon, the "Jet Hammer" is a mechanized version of his usual mallet.

In the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, King Dedede is presented as the illegitimate and incompetent ruler of Dream Land, with a castle atop a hill overlooking Cappy Town. This version of the character is more rude and malicious, but ultimately ignored by the unimpressed populace. Dedede's main cause of inconvenience is his constant purchasing of monsters from Nightmare Enterprises to enforce his laws, create chaos, or to get rid of Kirby, whom he feels is a threat to his popularity and authority. King Dedede is voiced by Kenichi Ogata in the original Japanese version and Ted Lewis in the English dub. He is voiced by Masahiro Sakurai in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Meta Knight

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Meta Knight, as seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Meta Knight (メタナイト, Meta Naito) is an enigmatic character, created by Masahiro Sakurai. Meta Knight is voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi in the original Japan, Eric Stuart in the English dub of the anime, and Jay Ward in the English version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He follows a code of honor, and lends Kirby a sword before they fight to be fair. He is called Kirby's rival, and often fights with him for different reasons, though they often have the same goal. He wields a powerful sword that is called "Galaxia", which can create tornadoes, waves of fire, and electric force fields. Meta Knight wears a navy blue cloak that he can use as a set of wings, and wears a light blue-silver mask. Under his mask, he looks like Kirby, except that his body is blue and his facial features are white, and a bit more scrawny.

Meta Knight is often a boss in the games. In his first appearance in Kirby's Adventure, he fights Kirby to keep him from taking a piece of the Star Rod to keep it out of Nightmare's hands. He helps to defeat Dark Mind in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror by lending Kirby his sword. In Kirby: Squeak Squad, he works to keep the chest containing Dark Nebula out of Kirby's hands. He is the main antagonist of the "Revenge of Meta Knight" mode in Kirby Super Star, in which he attempts to take over Dream Land in order to stop the inhabitant's lazy lifestyles. He is a playable character in special modes of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and Kirby Super Star Ultra, in which he plays through the adventures of Kirby. He is an unlockable character in Kirby: Canvas Curse and Kirby's Air Ride. Meta Knight appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a trophy, and he also appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where he utilizes his sword as his main weapon to use rapid-fire, though weak, attacks.

Meta Knight is also a regular on the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. He is revealed as a member of the same group as Kirby, the Star Warriors, and is a high ranking and respected member and the only surviving member of the Galaxy Soldier Army which fights against the armies of Nightmare. He works for King Dedede, but is in truth an ally to Kirby and only stays with the king to keep a close eye on his schemes. He wields a golden, spiked sword called Galaxia which has some significance to the show's plot, and acts as a mentor to Kirby, occasionally training him or defending him when needed, but tries to make Kirby learn for himself so he may eventually be able to defeat Nightmare.

Dark Matter

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Dark Matter, as seen in Kirby's Dream Land 2.

Dark Matter is a recurring antagonist of the series. Its main form is that of a planet-sized dark cloud with a single eyeball. It can separate into smaller clouds lined with petal-like extensions. These can possess other beings, putting them under the control of Dark Matter. At the core of the giant cloud is 0, a giant eye, which controls the Dark Matter. It is a force of negative energy that lives a lonely existence. It is jealous of Dream Land's lifestyle, and it wants to make friends but lacks the social skills, so it constantly targets it to recreate Pop Star into a dark world where no one can be happy.

In Kirby's Dream Land 2, one small cloud first appears as a masked, robed being, wielding a magical sword. It assumes its general form afterwards. In Kirby's Dream Land 3, Dark Matter attacks Pop Star, and possesses many of its inhabitants. Kirby eventually obtains the Heart Rod, and defeats it by destroying 0. It returns in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, where it attacks Pop Star and many other planets. After being repelled from all of the planets, it forms as the Dark Star. It is controlled by 0² (Zero Two), an angelic-looking form of 0 with a halo, and geometric, segmented wings, who is destroyed along with the star.

Nightmare

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Nightmare, as seen in Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland.

Nightmare (ナイトメア Naitomea) , also known as the Cloaked Nightmare, is the ultimate villain of Kirby's Adventure and its remake, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. After Nightmare invades the Fountain of Dreams, King Dedede splits up the Star Rod into seven pieces and gives them to his lieutenants, preventing Nightmare from using it to spread bad dreams. Kirby, not knowing this, finds the pieces and reunites them. Nightmare soon tries to steal it, but Kirby ends up using it to defeat him. Nightmare starts out as an orb that shoots stars, and he eventually transforms into a humanoid, vampire-like being with a tornado-like cloak for a body.

Nightmare is also the main villain of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime. He runs 'NightMare Enterprises' . He is given the name of eNeMeE in the English version. He dominates much of the universe from the series' beginning. He uses his ability to create an endless number of creatures known as demon beasts to conquer civilizations. He also sells them to unsuspecting customers for a profit, via a transportation network. His only opposition are the Star Warriors and Galaxy Soldier Army, though they are wiped out before the series begins. He is an embodiment of life's fear and suffering, and so he strives to bring more pain in order to increase his power, and will always exist as long as people hold fear in their hearts. He is destroyed by Star Rod Kirby, whose dream powers proved to be his one weakness.

Supporting characters

Adeleine

Adeleine (アドレーヌ, Adorēnu) is a human painter who originally appears in Kirby's Dream Land 3 as one of the boss characters taken over by Dark Matter; under the name "Ado". Her name was changed for her appearance in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, where she is taken over once again, and later joins with Kirby after he frees her. She has the ability to make her paintings real, either creating monsters while under the control of Dark Matter or providing Kirby with supplies.

Dyna Blade

Dyna Blade (ダイナブレイド, Daina Bureido) is an enormous, armored bird that acts as both a friend and a foe in Kirby Super Star. In her self-titled game, she destroys all of Dream Land's crops to feed her chicks. Kirby defeats her not knowing this, so he ends up feeding the chicks and teaching them how to fly. For doing so, Dyna Blade helps Kirby get back on the Halberd only to be shot down by the ship's crew in the Revenge of Meta Knight game. She makes a cameo appearance in Kirby's Air Ride.

In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Dyna Blade is shown as a legendary bird that is worshiped by the citizens of Dream Land. King Dedede hatches a plot to get rid of Kirby by tricking him into eating her egg, which infuriates Dyna Blade and causes her to chase and attack Kirby for much of the episode, until her chick appears and Kirby feeds it, placating Dyna.

Gooey

Gooey (グーイ, Gūi) is Kirby's best friend, and a friendly blob of Dark Matter. He first appears in Kirby's Dream Land 2, where he appears from bags under certain conditions and helps Kirby. He is Kirby's partner in Kirby's Dream Land 3. He is essentially a small blue blob of goo with a silly expression on his face. Gooey has similar powers to Kirby, though he uses his long tongue to lap enemies up.

Ribbon

Ribbon (リボン, Ribon) is a pink-haired fairy from the planet Ripple Star who appears in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. She is a kind and brave character who attempted to escape her planet with the fairies' power crystal when it was invaded by Dark Matter. In space, Dark Matter blobs ambushed her, shattered the crystal, and made her fall to Pop Star, where she lands on a stargazing Kirby and pleads with him for help. Kirby agrees and they search for the Crystal shards scattered on various planets and thwart Dark Matter's invasion of Ripple Star along with Waddle Dee, Adeleine, and King Dedede. In the final battle, Ribbon and the crystal aid Kirby in defeating Zero-Two, the controlling force behind Dark Matter. In the ending cutscene of the game, she gives Kirby a kiss.

Kirby's Allies

Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3 feature various allies that can team up with Kirby and share powers. Kirby's Dream Land 2 introduces Rick (リック, Rikku) the Hamster, Coo (クー, Kū) the Owl, and Kine (カイン, Kain) the Ocean Sunfish. Kirby's Dream Land 3 introduces Nago (ナゴ, Nago) the cat, Pitch (ピッチ, Picchi) the Bird, and Chuchu (チュチュ, Chuchu) the octopus.

Enemies

Chef Kawasaki

Chef Kawasaki is a enemy that first appears in Kirby Super Star. He throws dishes and uses an extendable frying pan to burn opponents. He appears as a friendly character in Kirby's Dream Land 3, where he plays a game with Kirby. He appears in the anime, where he runs the only restaurant in town. In Kirby Super Star Ultra (The Arena), Chef Kawasaki is in a 3 mini-boss group called Mid-boss All Stars 1, which includes 2 other mini-bosses. Bonkers, and Bugzzy.

Knuckle Joe

Knuckle Joe (ナックルジョー, Nakkuru Jō) is an fighter who utilizes a variety of punches and kicks. He appears in Kirby Super Star as an enemy type and a helper to Kirby, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an summonable assist character. He appears in the anime as the son of a legendary Star Warrior who seeks to avenge his father's death. He attacks Kirby, believing him to be the killer, though Meta Knight explains that his father was killed by him after being changed into a monster. He reappears multiple times to help Kirby. He is voiced by Minami Takayama in Japanese media and by Alésia Glidewell in the American version of Brawl. hi

Kracko

Kracko (クラッコ, Kurakko) is a recurring boss that first appears in Kirby's Dream Land. It resembles a large cumulus cloud with spikes protruding from all sides, and a single large eyeball in the center. It attacks with electricity, rain, and by producing smaller enemies, such as Waddle Doos, Starmen, Co-Krackos, and Flamers. Kracko is typically first seen in an "immature form", sometimes called Mini-Kracko or Kracko Jr. It retains its huge eye, but the eye is surrounded by four orbs, which it either spins rapidly or launches in different patterns. This form either fights as a mini-boss earlier in various games, or immediately prior to transforming to its "adult" form. It appears in the anime as a monster bought by Dedede to defeat Kirby, though it is soon killed. For most of that episode, Kracko appeared as a storm that shot lightning throughout Cappy Town, but when Kirby flew inside the storm, Kracko was shown the same way he is in the games.

Lololo and Lalala

Lololo and Lalala (ロロロ と ラララ, Rororo to Rarara) are two characters based on the pair of characters from the Adventures of Lolo series, another creation of HAL Laboratories. They appear once as a boss in Kirby Super Star, where they push objects in an attempt to hurt Kirby. They also appear in the anime as friendly characters, where they are known as Fololo and Falala in the English dub, and they reside in King Dedede's castle. They are originally a single monster working for Nightmare Enterprises called Fofa, but it is split into two by another monster and sent to Dedede as punishment for being too soft-hearted. They are both voiced by Tara Sands in the English dub.

Meta-Knights

The Meta-Knights (メタナイツ, Meta Naitsu) are a group of soldiers led by Meta Knight, who often uses them to test Kirby's skills throughout Kirby's Adventure, which is their first appearance. The Meta-Knights include Axe Knight (アックスナイト, Akkusu Naito), Mace Knight (メイスナイト, Meisu Naito), Javelin Knight (ジャベリンナイト, Jaberin Naito), and Trident Knight (トライデントナイト, Toraidento Naito). They are four distinct armored soldiers that each wield the weapon they are named after. The Meta-Knights return in Kirby Super Star where they aided Meta Knight in his attempt to conquer Dream Land via his warship, the Halberd.

Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright

Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright are tag-team bosses first appearing in Kirby's Adventure. Mr. Shine appears as a crescent moon with a face and limbs, while Mr. Bright is a sun with similar features. One always stays in the air, raining down projectiles, while the other attacks from the ground. One of their most lethal attacks is when they create a solar eclipse: Mr. Shine will blast the area with flames while Mr. Bright creates a patch of shadow. They return in Kirby's Pinball Land, Kirby's Dream Land 2, and Kirby's Dream Land 3.

Paint Roller

Paint Roller (ペイントローラー, Peinto Rōrā) appears as a boss in Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Canvas Curse. It wears a baseball cap and roller skates, and it is capable of drawing enemies that come to life. It appears in the anime as a monster bought by Dedede to fight Kirby.

Waddle Dees (ワドルディ, Wadoru Di) are the most common enemies in the series. They have small stubby arms and small feet. Their faces are a light tan color, as are their feet, with their main bodies are a dark red. They also appear in other colors, such as yellow, orange, or gold. They generally attack by running into Kirby, but they can also wield parasols and spears. Parasol wielding Waddle Dees can be used as allies in Kirby Super Star, and one appears as a playable character in Kirby: Canvas Curse. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards features one Waddle Dee forming an alliance with Kirby after being freed from the possession by Dark Matter.

Whispy Woods

Whispy Woods (ウィスピーウッズ, Wisupī Uzzu) is a large apple tree whose most common attack is dropping apples from his branches. He generally appears as a boss, usually the first one in many Kirby games and the first boss to appear in the Kirby series. The anime features him as the king of the forest in Dream Land. Whispy is several hundred years old, and very wise, though he has a bit of a temper. He's very kind to his friends, but shows no mercy to those that threaten his kingdom. At first, he believes Kirby and his friends are intruders when they build a campfire around him. It turns out to be a setup by Dedede, who wants to destroy Whispy to build a golf course. After most of the forest is cut down, it is revived by one of Whispy's apples. Dedede continues to constantly try to build his golf course during the series, while Whispy becomes Kirby's ally.

Anime-Only Characters

Escargoon

Escargoon, Doctor Escargon (ドクター・エスカルゴン, Dokutā Esukarugon) in Japanese versions, is an anthropomorphic snail that serves King Dedede in the anime series. He is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta in the Japanese version and by Ted Lewis in the English dub. He originally leaves his mother's farm to become famous and make his mother proud, but ends up serving Dedede instead. He helps Dedede's plots by creating various inventions to help defeat Kirby.

Nightmare Enterprises

Nightmare Enterprises (Holy Nightmare Co. in the Japanese version) is an organization lead by Nightmare. Its purpose is creating monsters selling them to unsuspecting customers through the internet in order to spread Nightmare's empire. One of Nightmare Enterprises' main employees is its salesman (Customer Service in Japan), who sells monsters to King Dedede over the internet. In the Japanese version, he speaks politely but still doesn't pass up a chance to insult customers. In the dub, his personality is more like that of a stereotypical used car salesman. Besides the monsters and by-products, Nightmare Enterprises also creates different kinds of warfare, ranging from laser guns to large ships. The company is housed by a massive spaceship with an eye on its front and cyberspace cities on its exterior.

Sir Ebrum & Lady Like

Sir Ebrum (パーム, Pāmu) and Lady Like (メーム, Mēmu) are the parents of Tiff and Tuff, who work and live in King Dedede's Castle and keep peace between their strong-willed offspring and their rambunctious employer. Sir Ebrum, the Cabinet Minister, is voiced by Takashi Nagasako in the Japanese version and David Lapkin in the English dub, while Lady Like is voiced by Yuko Mizutani in the Japanese version and Kayzie Rogers in the English dub. Lady Like is usually the one out of the two who is suspicious of Dedede's plots since they put her children in danger as well, although even Sir Ebrum gets suspicious sometimes.

Tiff and Tuff

Tiff and Tuff (Fūmu (フーム) and Bun (ブン) in the Japanese versions) are the brother and sister duo that accompany Kirby in the anime series. Tiff is voiced by Sayuri Yoshida in the original Japanese version and Kerry Williams in the English dub. Tuff is voiced by Rika Komatsu in the Japanese version and Kayzie Rogers in the English dub. They live in Dedede's castle along with their parents, Sir Ebrum and Lady Like, and help Kirby in his fight against Dedede's plots and Nightmare's monsters. Tiff is more interested in academics, such as Chemistry and other studies, while Tuff is active in sports and other physical activities.