Characters of the Kirby series

This is a list of characters in the Kirby universe.

Main characters

Kirby

Main article: Kirby (Nintendo)

Kirby (カービィ, Kābii) 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 that follow a loose timeline matching the release order. 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 devour his enemies. Following Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby was able to gain the abilities of the enemies he swallowed, such as Fire, Sword or Fighter.

King Dedede

King Dedede
'Kirby series character
File:AdventureDeDeDE.gif King Dedede, as he appears in Kirby Super Star
First game	Kirby's Dream Land (1992)
Created by	Masahiro Sakurai

King Dedede (デデデ大王, Dedede Daiō) (also spelled King DeDeDe and King De De De) is the primary antagonist and arch-enemy to Kirby in Nintendo and HAL Labs' long-running Kirby video game series, appearing in every game except Kirby and the Amazing Mirror. It is commonly pronounced Dee Dee Dee, with long E's. It is pronounced this way in the English anime dub. It can also be pronounced like DehDehDeh, as in deck. He is called "DayDayDay" in Japan.

Although he is not necessarily evil, he causes many problems for the inhabitants of Dream Land through selfish mischief, such as stealing their food or building a castle on top of the Fountain Of Dreams, so that the denizens suffer from dreamless sleep. His more heinous actions are more often due to possession by more sinister entity of Dark Matter, along with the rest of the usual franchise enemies. Despite this, he and Kirby have teamed up on occasions with the purpose of taking down a greater common foe.

King Dedede is a large blue penguin creature, dressed in red royal finery, with his personal emblem embossed on the back of his robe. He also wears yellow gloves, and usually wields a large hammer as an offensive weapon. 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 first appeared in Kirby's Dream Land, where he and several thieves acting on his part steal the majority of Dream Land's food and inhabitant's treasured Sparkling Stars. In the following Kirby's Adventure, he breaks up the up the fabled Star Rod from the Fountain of Dreams, but it is revealed that he is just trying to protect Dream Land from Nightmare. Afterwards in Kirby's Dream Land 3, he acts as the main antagonist, but after being defeated, it is revealed that he is possessed by the Dark Matter. In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Dedede is fought very early on in the game, and is possessed by Dark Matter once again. After the Dark Matter is driven out, he allies with Kirby, allowing him to ride on his back in some areas and use his hammer to smash down barriers. He also appears in Kirby: Squeak Squad as the first boss.

File:DeDeDebrawl.jpg

King Dedede's artwork from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Dedede often is the main instigator and final boss in the side series of puzzle and handheld arcade games, such as Kirby's Dream Course, where he operates a giant robot made in his own likeness at the end of the game, or Kirby's Block Ball, where he has built a castle atop the Fountain of Dreams, essentially defacing a symbol of pride for the people of Dream Land.

King Dedede was originally intended to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros., but was cut due to time constraints. Instead, he appears in the background of the Dream Land stage. He is also a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is confirmed to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where his main weapon appears to be his mallet, which has been mechanized. His final smash is the Waddle Dee army which calls in Waddle Dees and some Gordos.

File:AnimeDedede.jpg

King Dedede as seen in the anime with his sidekick Escargoon.

In the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, King Dedede, accompanied by his equally bumbling lackey, Escargoon, is presented as the illegitimate and incompetent ruler of Dream Land, with a castle atop a hill overlooking Cappy Town. He is very ill-tempered and rude, taking pleasure in only the destruction of Kirby and his citizens. Dedede's main cause of inconvenience for the citizens of Dream Land is his constant purchasing of monsters from Nightmare Enterprises to enforce his laws, create chaos, or to destroy Kirby, whom he feels is a threat to his popularity and authority. He is often seen broke or in debt to Nightmare Enterprises by an enormous amount of money. King Dedede is voiced by Kenichi Ogata in the original Japanese version and by Ed Paul in the English dub. Ed Paul has also done voice acting within the Pokemon anime, another Nintendo franchise.

Meta Knight

Meta Knight (メタナイト, Meta Naito) is an enigmatic character. He follows a code of honor, and usually gives Kirby a sword before they fight to be fair. He is called Kirby's rival, and while Kirby often battles him, he is certainly not evil and they have also worked towards the same goals in the past. Little is known of his background other than his rivalry with Kirby, and how they share a similar appearance. He wields a powerful sword that can create small tornados, wears a blue cloak that doubles as a set of wings, and wears light blue-silver mask. In some games, his mask is removed, revealing that he looks like Kirby, except that his body is blue.

Meta Knight is often a boss in the games, but with the exception of the Kirby Super Star subgame, Revenge of Meta Knight, where he attempts to take over Dream Land with the intent to end Dream Land's "lazy lifestyle", he generally helps Kirby. In his first appearance in Kirby's Adventure, he fights Kirby to keep him from taking the a piece of the Star Rod to keep it out of Nightmares hands. He helps to defeat Dark Mind in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror by giving Kirby his sword, Master. In Kirby: Squeak Squad, he works to keep the chest containing Dark Nebula out of Kirby's hands. Meta Knight appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a trophy and will also be appearing as a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where he utilizes his sword as his main weapon.

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 of the Galaxy Soldier Army which fought against the armies of Nightmare, though he end up being the only surviving member. As in the games, 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 shows' plot. He acts as a mentor to Kirby, occasionally training him or defending him when needed, but above all he wants Kirby to learn for himself to eventually be able to defeat Nightmare. Meta Knight is voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi in the origional Japanese version and by Eric Stuart in the English dub.

Dark Matter

Dark Matter is a recurring antagonist of the series. It's main form is that of a planet-sized dark cloud with a single eyeball. It can separate into smaller clouds with spikes around them. 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, 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, the giant cloud 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

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 sub-bosses, preventing Nightmare from using it to spread bad dreams. Kirby not knowing this, finds the pieces, and reunites it. 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, vamire-like being with a tornado for a body.

Nightmare is also the main villain of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime. He runs 'NightMare Enterprises' under the name eNeMeE. The anime version of Nightmare already 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 civilations. He also sells them to unsuspecting customers for a profit, via the Internet. His only opposition are the Star Warriors and Galaxy Soldier Army, but he defeated all but a few of them before the show begins. As told in one of Nightmare's lines later in the series, 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.

Supporting characters

Dyna Blade

Dyna Blade (ダイナブレイド) 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, and plays a role as a legendary bird that is worshipped by the citizens of Dream Land in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!

Escargoon

Doctor Escargon (ドクター・エスカルゴン, Dokutaa Esukarugon) is an anthropomorphic snail that serves King Dedede in the anime series. He is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta in the Japanese version and 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.

Gooey

Gooey is Kirby's best friend, and described as a friendly blob of Dark Matter. He first appears in Kirby's Dream Land 2, and could be found in the various bags in the game under certain conditions. In that game, his only function was to restore Kirby's health, but in Kirby's Dream Land 3 he was a playable character. He is essentially a small blue blob of goo with a silly expression on his face. Gooey has similar powers to Kirby (except that he licks up enemies), and a second player can take control of him while the first player controls Kirby. In a single player game, Gooey can be summoned as a computer-controlled ally and during the game's final battle in space, Gooey's flying form is similar to Dark Matter.

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 the Hamster, Coo the Owl, and Kine the Ocean Sunfish. Kirby's Dream Land 3 introduces Nago, Pitch the Bird, and Chuchu.

Tiff and Tuff

Tiff (フーム, Fūmu) and Tuff (ブン, Būn) are the a 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. Tuf is voiced by Rika Komatsu in the Japanese version and Tara Sands 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 activities, such as Chemistry and other studies, while Tuff is active in sports and other physical activities.

Enemies

Kracko

Kracko (クラッコ) recurring boss that first appeared 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 small "Co-Krackos." 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.

Kracko appears in the Kirby anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya! episode, "Dark and Stormy Knight". It is bought by King Dedede from Nightmare Enterprises to defeat Kirby. It attempts to attack him, but it is eventually defeated by Sword Kirby.

Lololo and Lalala

Lololo and Lalala (ロロロ and ラララ) are fictional characters from the Kirby series of video games created by HAL Laboratory. They are based on a pair of characters from the Adventures of Lolo series, a creation of HAL Laboratories on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Lololo and Lalala first appeared in the Kirby series as bosses in Kirby's Dream Land (which was later remade as Spring Breeze on Kirby Super Star) in the second stage, Castle Lololo. In their stage they would push green boxes around (much like in their own games) on platforms to try and hit Kirby. (This style of boss fight would later be copied by Nruff and Nelly and Pon and Con in later games.)

Meta-Knights

The Meta-Knights 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, Mace Knight, Javelin Knight, and Trident Knight. In the US, their names are Meta Axe, Meta Chain, Meta Droid, and Meta Lance. They are four distinct armored soldiers that each wield the weapon they are named for. Meta Axes move along the floor, swinging axes around, so attack them from behind; they do not turn around. Meta Chains swing their ball and chains over their heads and shoots them out for considerable range and power. Meta Droids look like black pods that jump around the room, and occasionally flashes and summons a spear to grab and spin with, until it discards it. Meta Lances moves forwards and backwards until it tosses an electrified trident at you. He throws them where you are, so range is not important.

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. As their first appearance was in Kirby's Adventure, the four knights also appear in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, the Game Boy Advance remake.

Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright

Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright are tag-team bosses first appearing in Kirby's Adventure at the end of Level 3, Butter Buildings. Mr. Shine appears as a crescent moon with a face and limbs, while Mr. Bright is a sun with similar features. As their type suggests, they love to fight tag-team style. One in the air will rain down beams or make stars falls for Kirby to spit out at the one on the ground, who will throw projectiles or try to ram into him.

Kirby's Dream Land 2 is quite a popular appearance for both of them because of their famous eclipse attack, where they both come together causing Mr. Shine to shade a small part of the area, giving Kirby little time to run there as fast as he can before Mr. Bright attacks with his burning heat. After both are defeated, they crash into each other in the background, making a fireworks display. Ado also paints Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright at the end of Cloudy Park in Kirby's Dream Land 3.

Paint Roller

Paint Roller first appeared as the boss of Ice Cream Island in Kirby's Adventure, in a small room with nothing but a floor, two platforms and four canvases. It wears a baseball cap and roller skates, and rolls around the room, drawing enemies that come to life and attack Kirby. It guarded the second fragment of the Star Rod as King Dedede has instructed. It later appears in the remake of Kirby's Adventure, titled Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, and then later appeared in Kirby: Canvas Curse as one of Drawcia's clones, in a boss level where the player had to help Kirby from being popped by using the Magic Paintbrush to finish all of his games.

Paint Roller also appears in the anime. It appears in the Kirby anime episode, "Dedede's Monsterpiece". He made his debut when he was delivered to King Dedede, who didn't care about fine art. He went to Dedede's newly-built art museum, where he went around messing with the paintings. Kirby inhaled PR's paintbrush, and became Paint Kirby. They dueled and dodged with their paintings, which can come to life, as well as their roller blades. Kirby eventually got the best of Paint Roller with a painted missile of his, which homed in on the monster and his painted bomb, causing a massive, messy paint explosion that took out the entire art museum and splattered paint all over Kirby in the process

Poppy Bros.

The Poppy Bros. are a pair of fictional enemies found in Kirby video games, generally as minibosses, or bosses. An older version of the Poppy Bros. is Poppy Sr. Poppies all wear blue caps and hop around, throwing bombs at Kirby. Kirby can suck up the bombs and spit them back out at the Poppies to cause damage to them. They generally also hop around the area, trying to damage Kirby by touching him. A Poppy can be swallowed by Kirby to obtain the Bomb copy ability, or in Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland the Crash ability, with which he can destroy all the enemies on the screen excluding Gordos and Shotzos. The Bomb ability can also be turned into a Poppy Bro in Kirby Super Star, who will then throw bombs at enemies to help Kirby.

The Poppy Bros. also own one of three pinball tables in Kirby's Pinball Land, where they are featured as bosses. When the battle starts, there is one. By hitting him several times, another Poppy Bro will appear. They throw bombs at Kirby and at the flippers to disable them temporarily. By repeatedly hitting them, Kirby can defeat them.

Waddle Dee

Waddle Dees are the most common enemies in series. Waddle Dees have a similar appearance to Kirby. They have small stubby arms and small feet. Their face is always a light tan color, as are their feet, with their main bodies usually reddish brown. 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 as a playable character in Kirby: Canvas Curse. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards has one Waddle Dee forming an alliance with Kirby after freed from the possession by Dark Matter. Waddle Dee occasionally appears in levels to help Kirby progress through them, usually using random means of transportation such as log rafts and mine carts.

In the Kirby anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, there is a multitude of Waddle Dees who serve as King Dedede's servants. They work around the castle as guards, maids, cooks, repairmen, or any other job that needs doing. However, they are rather clumsy and weak and can often mess up. They serve him because they serve anyone that feeds them and gives them shelter.

Waddle Doo

Waddle Doo is a fictional character and species from Nintendo's Kirby franchise. They look like Waddle Dees, but have only one huge eye. They appear in most games. If Kirby sucks up one of these, it will give him a beam ability, accompanied by a jester's hat in Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland. In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby's friendly Waddle Dee was taken over by Dark Matter, and when he lifted his face back up, he was a Waddle Doo. That was the only Waddle Doo in the game. Waddle Doo is used by King Dedede as a projectile in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Whispy Woods

Whispy Woods (ウイスピーウッズ) 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.

The anime features him as the king of 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 burns, 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.