Kirby's characteristics: Difference between revisions

Kirby is among the smaller and simpler [[Nintendo]] characters, as a pink ball standing only 8 inches (20 cm) tall <ref>{{Cite|The 8-inch high Kirby hails from a distant, peaceful star.||Kirby's in-game description in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''}}</ref><ref name="OnlineMagazine">[http://web.archive.org/web/20230327141303/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0003/miryoku/ Nintendo Japan (Nintendo Online Magazine - Kirby's profile - March 2000 issue covering ''Kirby 64: the Crystal Shards'' release)]</ref><ref>{{Cite|Even though he's only about eight inches tall, Kirby is an extremely skilled technician.||''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' trophy}}</ref><ref name=20th>{{Cite book|quote=高さ:20cmくらい　好きな物:トマト　苦手な物:毛虫　性別:不明　出身:不明 (Height: About 20 cm tall, Likes: Tomatoes, Dislikes: Caterpillars, Gender: Unknown, Birthplace: Unknown)|book=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200609004402if_/https://shogakukan.tameshiyo.me/9784091065117?page=4 20th Anniversary Kirby Pupupu Encyclopedia]|publisher=Shogakukan|page=15}}</ref><ref name="20th_himitsu">Profile of Kirby and other characters compiled to answer questions from magazines, as shown on [https://i.imgur.com/liSCa0L.jpeg page 119 of the Pupupu Encyclopedia] ([https://gigi9714.wordpress.com/2022/07/11/translation-of-kirbys-secrets-from-the-20th-anniversary-kirby-of-the-stars-pupupu-taizen-book/ translation])</ref><ref>{{Cite|He may only be eight inches tall, but you should never underestimate this little pink hero.||[https://kirby.nintendo.com/about/ Kirby Portal] profile}}</ref><ref>In [[Chop Champs]], the Kirbys are roughly the size of the logs, which are 25 cm tall.</ref><ref>[[:File:A_Farewell_to_Kirby_sketch.jpg|The sketch of the "Farewell to Kirby" Celebration Picture]] has a note that says "20cmなので" ("Because (Kirby) is 20cm tall").</ref><ref>[[Masahiro Sakurai]] explains in his ''Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games'' video about [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B0cpF8fQ4s units of speed] that the speeds in ''[[Kirby Air Ride]]'' are rather low because Kirby is the size of a 20cm cube.</ref> with stubby arms and red feet. Kirby's mouth is very important as well - it looks small, but it can open wide to [[inhale]] many objects. Kirby's cheeks feature slight pink blushes, and his eyes are long dark ovals featuring white glare and blue irises. Sometimes, often when surprised, Kirby's eyes change dramatically to be white circles with small black pupils, like [[pikipedia:Captain Olimar|Captain Olimar]]. In ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', Kirby's eyes have iridescent reflections, and change color from blue to teal or even green depending on which angle they are viewed from (as demonstrated in [[:File:KatFL Mouthful Mode Trailer Screenshot.png|this image]]).

His red feet are often mistaken for shoes, but design documents from or before ''Kirby's Adventure'' and later statements by [[Masahiro Sakurai]] confirm that they are his actual feet.<ref name="20th_himitsu"/><ref name="smashflash">Sakurai answering fan questions following the release of ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', pages [http://web.archive.org/web/20041207182342/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/syukeiken/return534.html 34] (ちなみに、カービィの足はクツではありません。) and [http://web.archive.org/web/20041207180203/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/syukeiken/return549.html 49] (カービィに骨はありません。 いちおう歯もありませんよ。); [https://i.redd.it/rjr9m83io3l41.png translation] via [https://old.reddit.com/r/Kirby/comments/feiz16/psa_sakurai_once_stated_that_kirby_does_not_have/ Reddit]</ref> [[Shinya Kumazaki]], meanwhile, replied to a question about Kirby's feet by saying that "the mysterious composition of Kirby's body is top secret".<ref name="feet">Interview with Shinya Kumazaki: ''[https://kotaku.com/the-truth-about-kirby-s-feet-is-top-secret-developer-1833727024 The Truth About Kirby's Feet Is 'Top Secret,' Developer Says]''</ref> While still evidently squishy, they are his primary utensils for fighting when using martial-arts-based abilities.

Kirby tends to be pink with red feet, but this varies often. The exact shade of body color is sometimes altered, but his feet are far more varied, sometimes even being only a shade darker of pink than his body. Some early games also depict Kirby as changing color when copying an ability, such as ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' and ''Kirby Super Star''. Certain abilities in older games even have their own unique colors associated with them, such as red for [[Fire]], blue for [[Ice]], and yellow for [[Beam]], though this has largely been abandoned. The only legacy of this concept is [[Hypernova]], which causes his skin to become a swirling rainbow. While [[Colors|color variants]] of Kirby continue to appear, they tend to represent other members of [[Kirby (species)|his species]] rather than himself.