Tick
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Tick is a recurring enemy debuting in Kirby's Dream Land 3. Its appearance is that of a white blob with a pair of big, round eyes, a smiling mouth and an extendable red spike atop its head. Its facial expression changes depending on what it is doing, being able to switch from friendly to malicious and back again.
Ticks walk around harmlessly at first, but stop and attempt to stab Kirby when he is above them. Inhaling and swallowing them awards Kirby the Needle ability.
Game appearances
Kirby's Dream Land 3
Tick makes its debut appearance in Kirby's Dream Land 3. Here, its basic look and behavior was established.
Tick performs a special role in the Jumping Sub-Game. It will jab Kirby if he lands on the wrong space, forcing the end of the game.
Locations
In Kirby's Dream Land 3, Tick can be found in the following levels and stages:
| Tick locations in Kirby's Dream Land 3 | |||||||
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| Stage | Grass Land | Ripple Field | Sand Canyon | Cloudy Park | Iceberg | ||
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| Stage 4 |
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Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Tick makes its debut appearance in 3-D in this game. It behaves largely the same as it did in the previous game, and still provides the Needle ability. Tick appears on the 48th Enemy Info Card.
A larger mid-boss variant of Tick appears in stage 1 of Aqua Star. This larger Tick does not do much, but smaller Ticks appear continuously down below which try to jab at Kirby in the meantime.
Locations
Tick can be found in the following levels and stages:
| Tick locations in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards | |||||||
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| Stage | Pop Star | Rock Star | Aqua Star | Neo Star | Shiver Star | Ripple Star | Dark Star |
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| Stage 2 |
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N/A |
| Stage 3 |
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N/A |
| Stage 4 | N/A |
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N/A | N/A |
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Tick returns in Kirby: Canvas Curse, with a similar look and attack strategy as it had in Kirby's Dream Land 3. It is a fairly uncommon enemy, and can be easily bested by tapping it with the Nintendo DS stylus before running into it with Kirby to gain the Needle ability.
In this game, Tick has a different design. Its body is beige instead of white, and its mouth is not visible, except when defeated.
Locations
In Kirby: Canvas Curse's main game, Tick appears only in the Neo Greo stage Dreamy Darkness.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land / Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Tick appears much the same as in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and has a similar game plan.
Locations
In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Tick can be found in the following levels and stages:
| Tick locations in Kirby's Return to Dream Land | ||||||||
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| Stage | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | |||
| Cookie Country |
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| Raisin Ruins |
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| Onion Ocean |
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N/A | |||
| White Wafers |
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| Nutty Noon |
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| Egg Engines |
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| Dangerous Dinner |
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N/A | N/A | |||
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Tick returns in this game, acting just as it did in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
Locations
In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Tick can be found in the following levels and stages:
| Tick locations in Kirby: Triple Deluxe | ||||||||
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| Stage | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | Stage 6 EX | Stage 7 EX | Stage 8 EX |
| Fine Fields |
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N/A |
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N/A | N/A |
| Lollipop Land |
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N/A |
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N/A | N/A |
| Old Odyssey |
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N/A |
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N/A |
| Wild World |
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N/A |
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N/A |
| Endless Explosions |
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N/A |
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N/A |
| Royal Road |
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N/A |
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Gallery
Artwork from Kirby's Dream Land 3
Model from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
An attacking Tick in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
The Big Tick mid-boss in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Sketch of Tick along with Yariko, Galbo, and Gabon from the False Ending credits of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Illustration of Tick along with Yariko, Galbo, and Gabon from the true ending credits of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Artwork from Kirby: Canvas Curse
Model from Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Tick in Kirby: Triple Deluxe
An attacking Tick in Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | チック Chikku |
From chikkutakku (ちっくたっく), an onomatopoeia for ticking. |
| German | Tick | Tick |
| Italian | Pungicchio | From "pungi" (one of the verb conjugations of to sting) |
| Korean | 틱 Tik |
Tick |