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Kirby (series)

Kirby (series)

Overview
The series is a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place on fictional planes or planets where magic is common...

 video game series developed by HAL Laboratory
HAL Laboratory
is a Japanese video game developer that was founded on February 21, 1980. Its name comes from the HAL 9000 computer in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The company is most famous for its character Kirby, the protagonist of the eponymous game series, as well as the Super Smash Bros. series...

 and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel...

, and produced by Nintendo. The gameplay of a majority of the games in the series consists mainly of action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand-eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games....

, platform
Platform game
Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...

 and puzzle-solving elements. The series is known for its bright and artistic settings, simplistic gameplay, cute characters, upbeat, cheerful music, and the in-game ability to inhale enemies, thereby gaining a characteristic ability from them.
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Encyclopedia
The series is a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place on fictional planes or planets where magic is common...

 video game series developed by HAL Laboratory
HAL Laboratory
is a Japanese video game developer that was founded on February 21, 1980. Its name comes from the HAL 9000 computer in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The company is most famous for its character Kirby, the protagonist of the eponymous game series, as well as the Super Smash Bros. series...

 and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel...

, and produced by Nintendo. The gameplay of a majority of the games in the series consists mainly of action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand-eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games....

, platform
Platform game
Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...

 and puzzle-solving elements. The series is known for its bright and artistic settings, simplistic gameplay, cute characters, upbeat, cheerful music, and the in-game ability to inhale enemies, thereby gaining a characteristic ability from them. As of September 2008, the Kirby series includes a total of twenty games.

Overview


All of the games in the Kirby series feature a pink spherical creature named Kirby as the main playable character and protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, video game, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to share the most empathy...

. Kirby frequently saves the world he resides in from various powerful antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or an institution, who represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...

s, the most recurring one being King Dedede, the self-proclaimed ruler of Dream Land (a region of Pop Star). King Dedede has appeared in every Kirby game except for Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, known in Japan as , is a Kirby video game released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. It is the only Kirby title where Kirby's nemesis King Dedede does not make an appearance, and is Kirby's last game for the system....

. Another major character of the series is the enigmatic Meta Knight, a chivalrous warrior who often assists Kirby, but, depending on his intentions, will fight against Kirby to get things as he desires.

The games' fantasy world of Pop Star includes many regions of different climates and terrains, which are home to many different creatures. Each game features uniquely-named areas, but all games feature typical locations such as fiery caverns, open meadows, water-filled or submerged areas, icy mountains, and similar nature-based places. Most games in the series also contain a castle, which more often than not belongs to King Dedede.

The main Kirby games feature a mixture of basic side-scrolling platform gameplay
Gameplay
----Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems, especially formal games. Proper use is coupled with reference to "what the player does"...

, unique puzzles, and a number of hidden items that either unlock more parts to the game or are simple incentives to collect, and are usually required to collect to achieve a 100% completion rate in the game. These elements have remained constant throughout most the series, with each game having its own unique twist to affect gameplay. There are also several unique "side" games in the series, which involve a variety of different gaming genres such as pinball
Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby's Pinball Land, known in Japan as is a 1993 pinball video game for the Game Boy starring Kirby as the ball. The game features three pinball tables, each owned by a classic boss of the Kirby series: Wispy Woods, Kracko, and the Poppy Brothers....

, puzzle, racing
Kirby Air Ride
is a racing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube video game console starring Kirby, one of HAL's characters.Kirby Air Ride has the players and computer-controlled racers ride on Air Ride Machines...

, even a game based on motion-sensor technology. A number of these side games take advantage to Kirby's unique ball-like appearance.

Nearly every platform Kirby game involves traversing through a number of areas, each containing around one to six stages, and defeating the boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle...

 enemy of each area along the way. Kirby's signature method of dispatching enemies found in the stages is by using his ability of inhaling with extreme power, literally sucking the enemies into his mouth. If Kirby inhales and eats the correct enemy, he can acquire a special ability from them, which he can then use to attack further enemies. Each of these abilities are unique, such as breathing fire, wielding a sword, launching sparks in every direction, or attacking enemies with direct hand-to-hand combat.

In the platform games, several of the bosses have a special item, which must be taken from them by defeating them. These special items usually relate to the final boss of the game, most often used to create a special weapon required to defeat it. In some games, the special weapon is optional and can be used in the game regularly after defeating the final boss with it.

While a traditional Kirby game can be called a side-scrolling platform game, it cannot really be called a traditional platformer. One of the things that sets a Kirby game apart from most of them is Kirby's ability to inflate and fly for as long as he likes—however, in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
is one of few Kirby titles not directed by Masahiro Sakurai, released on the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000 and on Virtual Console on February 25, 2008 in North America and March 7, 2008 in Europe. It is the first 3D video game which stars Kirby. The game is notable for Kirby's ability to merge two...

, he can get tired after a while. Like a stereotypical platform game character, Kirby can also land on his enemies to attack them—though, unlike most of them, Kirby must fall from an appropriate altitude to do this.

History


The first game in the Kirby series, Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Dream Land, also abbreviated as KDL and known in Japan as , is a 1992 platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory, Inc. and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America...

, was released in Japan and the United States in April 1992. A simple game, consisting of only five levels, it introduced the main protagonist Kirby, main antagonist King Dedede, and Kirby's ability to inhale enemies and objects. The game features a second adventure, known as the "Extra Game", which features stronger enemies and half the normal amount of vitality. It is one of only two games where Kirby was shown on screen as colored white, rather than pink; indeed the North American box art also showed a white Kirby, although the Japanese box art had the correct pink coloring.

The second game, Kirby's Adventure
Kirby's Adventure
Kirby's Adventure, known in Japan as , is a platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...

, was first released in the U.S. in May 1993. Kirby's Adventure introduced the concept of 'copying' the abilities of enemies, and as one of the last games created for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...

, featured astonishing graphics and sound that pushed the hardware's capabilities to the limit. It was re-released in 2002 on the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color...

, retitled as Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, featuring greatly updated graphics and sound.

After Kirby's Adventure, the Kirby series received a number of "side" games. Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby's Pinball Land, known in Japan as is a 1993 pinball video game for the Game Boy starring Kirby as the ball. The game features three pinball tables, each owned by a classic boss of the Kirby series: Wispy Woods, Kracko, and the Poppy Brothers....

, released in November 1993, is a pinball game featuring Kirby as the pinball (because this was a Game Boy game, Kirby again appeared white on the screen, although he was pink in the box art). Kirby's Dream Course
Kirby's Dream Course
Kirby's Dream Course is a 1994 golf video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was first released in Japan on September 21, 1994, in North America on January 1, 1996, and in Europe on August 24, 1996...

, released in the U.S. in February 1995, is a unique golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...

-based game which features an isometric graphic design. Kirby's Avalanche
Kirby's Avalanche
Kirby's Avalanche is a Puyo Puyo game developed by Compile and HAL Labs, released by Nintendo in 1995. It was a clone of the Japanese game Super Puyo Puyo in much the same way that Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine cloned the Sega Mega Drive's Puyo Puyo...

, released in February 1995 only in the U.S. and Europe, is a puzzle game known to be a cloned version of the Japanese game Puyo Puyo
Puyo Puyo
is the inaugural game in the Puyo Puyo series originally released in 1991 by Compile for the MSX2. Since its creation, it uses characters from . It was created by Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani, the founder of Compile, who was inspired by certain elements from the Tetris and Dr...

.

Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby's Dream Land 2, known in Japan as , is a platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan on December 5, 1994, and was later released in North America on December 12, 1994...

, released in Japan and the U.S. in March 1995, continued using the ability-copying idea first featured in Kirby's Adventure, but lowered the number of abilities to seven. The game introduced three animal companions: Rick the Hamster
Hamster
Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 24 species, classified in six or seven genera....

, Coo the Owl
Owl
The Owls are the order Strigiformes, comprising 200 birds of prey, species. Most are solitary, and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, though a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except...

, and Kine the Ocean Sunfish
Ocean sunfish
The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of . The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally...

. Pairing up with any of these three alters how Kirby's abilities work. Also introduced was Gooey, a dark-colored blob-like creature, who could be found in a bag. The game was to be remade for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27 1998 in UK. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than the Game Boy Pocket. As with the original Game...

 as Kirby's Dream Land 2 DX, but was cancelled.

Kirby's Block Ball
Kirby's Block Ball
Kirby's Block Ball is a Breakout-style Game Boy game developed by HAL Laboratory.-Gameplay:Kirby bounces around a field littered with blocks and enemies. He can destroy the blocks and enemies by touching them. The object of the game is to keep Kirby in play by bouncing him against four paddles on...

, released in November 1995 in the U.S., is a variation
Breakout clone
A Breakout clone , is a sub-class of the "bat-and-ball" genre introduced with the Magnavox Odyssey's Tennis and Atari's Pong...

 of the game Breakout, featuring multiple levels, some of Kirby's copy abilities, and various enemies in unique boss battles.

Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star, known in Europe as Kirby's Fun Pak and in Japan as is a 1995 platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was first released in Japan on July 31, 1995, in North America on...

, known as Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe in Japan and Kirby's Fun Pak in Europe, was released in the U.S. in September 1996. Kirby Super Star is composed of eight separate games, and features several characters and abilities which have not appeared since in the series. The game features "Helpers" to help the player dispatch enemies.

In 1996, a Kirby mini-game series entitled was released via the St.GIGA
St.GIGA
is the name of a defunct satellite radio company that was formed as a subsidiary of satellite television company WOWOW and later became semi-independent, forming a keiretsu with its parent. Using the BS network to broadcast digital radio via direct broadcast satellite as a test on November 30,...

 satellite broadcasting system for the Nintendo Satellaview
Satellaview
The was a satellite modem add-on for Nintendo's Super Famicom system in Japan released in 1995. It retailed for ¥18,000 .The Satellaview system was developed and released by Nintendo to receive signals broadcast from satellite TV station WOWOW's satellite radio subsidiary, St.GIGA...

. These mini-games were not released simultaneously but were each given a unique broadcast date. Mini-game titles included: Arrange Ball, Ball Rally, Baseball, Cannonball, Guru Guru Ball, Hoshi Kuzushi, Pachinko, and Pinball.

Released in 1997, Kirby's Star Stacker
Kirby's Star Stacker
Kirby's Star Stacker is a 1996 puzzle video game developed by HAL Laboratory for the Game Boy. This game is Kirby's first puzzle game that is not a clone of an existing title....

is a puzzle game which involves touching two or more similar blocks together that have Kirby's animal friends on them. The game received a sequel on the Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...

 in 1998 in Japan as Kirby no Kirakira Kizzu.

Kirby's Dream Land 3
Kirby's Dream Land 3
Kirby's Dream Land 3, known in Japan as , is the fifth platformer video game starring Kirby. Specifically, it is the third game under the Kirby's Dream Land name. Although the first two games were largely unrelated, Dream Land 3 features many similar characters to Dream Land 2...

, released in November 1997 in the U.S., is a direct sequel to Kirby's Dream Land 2, as it features the return of Rick, Coo and Kine, as well as the introduction of Nago the Cat, Pitch the Bird and Chuchu the Octopus. Similar to Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3 features a few copy abilities which are modified when Kirby pairs up with one of his now six animal friends. Also reintroduced was Gooey, who can now be played as a second character.

The first 3D game of the Kirby series, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
is one of few Kirby titles not directed by Masahiro Sakurai, released on the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000 and on Virtual Console on February 25, 2008 in North America and March 7, 2008 in Europe. It is the first 3D video game which stars Kirby. The game is notable for Kirby's ability to merge two...

, was released on the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released on June 23, 1996 in Japan, September 29, 1996 in North America, March 1, 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1, 1997 in France and December 10,...

 in the U.S. in June 2000. The game features a unique compound ability system that allows two of the seven abilities in the game to be merged together, making a new compound ability.

The next game in the Kirby series, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, known in Japan as , is a 2000 action puzzle video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color handheld video game console...

became one of Nintendo's first motion-sensor-based games in August 2000. Players are instructed to tilt the Game Boy Color to move Kirby on the screen. Quickly flicking the Game Boy Color upwards would make Kirby jump into the air. Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble is currently the only Kirby game to have a special cartridge color (transparent pink).

The only Kirby game for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The is Nintendo's fourth home video game console with Wii being fifth, and is part of the sixth generation console era. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and predecessor to Nintendo's Wii....

, Kirby Air Ride
Kirby Air Ride
is a racing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube video game console starring Kirby, one of HAL's characters.Kirby Air Ride has the players and computer-controlled racers ride on Air Ride Machines...

, was released in the U.S. in October 2003.

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, known in Japan as , is a Kirby video game released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. It is the only Kirby title where Kirby's nemesis King Dedede does not make an appearance, and is Kirby's last game for the system....

was released in October 2004 on the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color...

. It is the second game released on that system, following Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland. It features Kirby in a maze format, unique to the series. Also unique was the in-game phone, which can be used to summon up to three additional copies of Kirby to fight enemies and solve puzzles.

The next game in the series is Kirby: Canvas Curse
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Kirby: Canvas Curse, known in Europe as Kirby: Power Paintbrush and in Japan as , is a 2005 platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory, Inc. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console...

, released on the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in Canada, the United States, and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside—with the bottom one being a touchscreen...

 in Japan on March 24, 2005, North America on June 13, 2005, Europe on November 25, 2005, and Australia on April 6, 2006. Unlike most previous Kirby games, the player does not directly control Kirby with a directional pad
D-pad
A D-pad is a flat, usually thumb-operated directional control found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers and on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, smart phones, with one button on each point...

, analog stick
Analog stick
An analog stick, sometimes called a thumbstick, control stick, or occasionally a c-stick is an input device for a controller that is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a popular variation of a joystick. It consists of some sort of protrusion from the controller, and the input is...

, face buttons, or shoulder buttons. Instead, Kirby is a helpless ball, and can only move when he gains momentum, the player painting paths with the stylus to direct his movement.

This was followed by Kirby: Squeak Squad
Kirby: Squeak Squad
Kirby: Squeak Squad, known in Europe as Kirby Mouse Attack and in Japan as , is a 2006 platforming video game developed by Flagship and Natsume and published by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console.Unlike the previous Nintendo DS title Kirby: Canvas Curse,...

in late 2006, also on the Nintendo DS, which revived traditional Kirby gameplay.

An untitled Kirby platform game
Kirby (video game)
is the ninth platform installment of the Kirby video game series, in development by HAL Laboratory for the Wii. Early in development, the game was planned to be a Nintendo GameCube title; however, after failing to be completed in time, development was shifted to focus on the GameCube's successor...

 originally planned to be released on the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The is Nintendo's fourth home video game console with Wii being fifth, and is part of the sixth generation console era. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and predecessor to Nintendo's Wii....

, was thought to be canceled for some time, before being reannounced for the Wii
Wii
The is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...

.

Kirby Super Star Ultra announced for Nintendo DS in early fall 2007 and released September 22, 2008 in North America, is a remake of Kirby Super Star. In addition to the eight games from Kirby Super Star, eight new games have been added. It features updated graphics, in-game cutscenes and a map on the touchscreen.

Fictional universe


The Kirby series has developed a considerably large universe
Universe
The Universe comprises everything that physically exists, the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter and energy, and the physical laws and constants that govern them...

 over its many releases. The setting of the games was originally Dream Land, which was revealed to be a part of the planet Pop Star in Kirby Super Star. Kirby’s adventures went on a planetary scale in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
is one of few Kirby titles not directed by Masahiro Sakurai, released on the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000 and on Virtual Console on February 25, 2008 in North America and March 7, 2008 in Europe. It is the first 3D video game which stars Kirby. The game is notable for Kirby's ability to merge two...

, where Kirby and friends visited other similarly-named planets in the galaxy Pop Star belongs to while collecting the shards of a crystal that Dark Matter had shattered. Kirby also visits nearby planets in Milky Way Wishes, one of Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star, known in Europe as Kirby's Fun Pak and in Japan as is a 1995 platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was first released in Japan on July 31, 1995, in North America on...

's subgames. However, these planets have yet to appear again, as all of Kirby's further adventures have occurred entirely on Pop Star.

Nature of the protagonist



Kirby is a small, pink, spherical creature with large red feet, stubby flap-like arms and trademark pink cheek-blushes. His body is soft and flexible, allowing him to be flattened. He is referred to as male in the animated series, and is roughly 8 inches tall. He is 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.

Kirby does not commonly speak, mainly only saying "hi" in such games as Super Smash Bros., Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, and speaking in the stories written in some games' instruction manuals. He rarely speaks in-game, the only exception being Kirby's Avalanche. He narrates the functions of Copy Abilities on the start menu in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Squeak Squad. Most in-game talking Kirby does is in Kirby's Star Stacker
Kirby's Star Stacker
Kirby's Star Stacker is a 1996 puzzle video game developed by HAL Laboratory for the Game Boy. This game is Kirby's first puzzle game that is not a clone of an existing title....

, where Kirby explains the game's rules and gameplay.

Other incarnations


There are some other Kirby media
Mass media
Mass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such...

 creations that have been licensed by Nintendo, but are not officially acknowledged as part of the series canon
Canon (fiction)
A canon, in terms of a fictional universe, is a body of material that is considered to be "genuine" or "official", that can be directly referenced as, or as if it were, material produced by the original author or creator of a series...

.

Anime



The Kirby series was made into an anime
Anime
is animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...

 in October 2001, originally titled Hoshi no Kirby, which was produced by Warpstar Inc., a company formed between a joint investment between Nintendo and HAL Laboratory, Inc. It is currently licensed in North America by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is a Worldwide International American film and television production company and it was claimed to be one of the world's largest distributors in children's television. It is known for dubbing anime, specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's...

, under the title Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, on 4Kids TV
4Kids TV
4Kids TV is a children's video website owned by 4Kids Entertainment. It was formerly a Saturday morning television programming block on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The block was part of the Fox Network schedule...

. The show was distributed by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation , also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox, is one of the six major American film studios...

, Nelvana Enterprises, and HAL Laboratory, Inc. It ended in Japan in 2003 with 100 episodes.

The show is about adventures Kirby has with his friends after he crash lands in Dream Land, on Pop Star. He is a legendary Star Warrior destined to save the planet from destruction by the evil Nightmare. The ruler of Dream Land, King Dedede, orders monsters from Nightmare's company, Nightmare Enterprises, to attack Kirby and the people of Dream Land. The show is based on the game series, using characters and concepts, rather than completely copying any of the games.

Comics and manga


Kirby stars in several manga
Manga
Manga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...

 series, none of which have been released outside Japan. The longest running series is Kirby of the Stars (a rough English translation of Hoshi no Kirby), written by Hirokazu Hikawa.

Other Kirby manga are typically one-shot comedy 4koma based on the games, and have multiple artists. They have recurring themes and running gag
Running gag
A running gag is a literary device which often takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....

s.

Kirby also appears in several German comics, featuring him as a detective and King Dedede as his friend. His animal friends also appear in the German comics as pets of a female Kirby look-alike with red glass slippers. In one comic, he meets Lolo, Lala, and Lulu, the protagonists of the Adventures of Lolo series. The German comics were meant to let German Kirby fans know of Kirby games which would be released there.

Cancelled games


In the lifetime of the Kirby series, several video games have been in development that, for various reasons, were ultimately abandoned. Such titles include Kirby's Air Ride and Kirby Bowl 64 on the Nintendo 64 (the former eventually being released on the Nintendo GameCube as Kirby Air Ride
Kirby Air Ride
is a racing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube video game console starring Kirby, one of HAL's characters.Kirby Air Ride has the players and computer-controlled racers ride on Air Ride Machines...

), and Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble 2 on the Nintendo GameCube, which was supposed to use a combination of motion-sensor technology and connectivity to the Game Boy Advance via the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable.

In 2005, a Kirby game was announced as a GameCube game but never released. In 2007, it was announced as a Wii game for release that year, but no further information has since been released.

Kirby in other video games


Kirby appears in Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros., known in Japan as , is a crossover fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan on January 21, 1999, in North America on April 26, 1999, and in Europe on November 19, 1999. Super Smash Bros. is the first game in...

for the Nintendo 64, a crossover fighting game featuring many Nintendo characters, such as Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his eponymous video game series, created by video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...

 and Link. Kirby also appears in the game's sequels, Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...

and Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by Sora and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. Brawl was announced at a pre-E3 2005 press conference by Nintendo president and Chief...

. In Brawl, Meta Knight and King Dedede are also playable characters. Kirby has also has cameo appearances in other games such as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
is an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the fourth installment in The Legend of Zelda series and the first for a handheld game console...

, EarthBound
EarthBound
EarthBound, known in Japan as , is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super NES video game console. It was designed by Shigesato Itoi, who also developed its predecessor, Mother, which was released only in Japan. EarthBound was...

and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, known in Japan as , is a role-playing game developed by AlphaDream and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The game is the third Mario role-playing game, following Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES, and Paper Mario for the...

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