Ability Item

Ability Item
KSSU Kirby tossing Ability Hat artwork.jpg
Artwork of Kirby tossing an Ability Item to his Helper from Kirby Super Star Ultra.
Details
Use Obtaining/transferring abilities
Obtained From abilities, enemies, and helpers.
Game(s) Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Kirby Star Allies
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Comparable to Copy Essence, Ability Star
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This article is about the items that can be inhaled for Copy Abilities found in a few Kirby games, and should not be confused with Ability Stars or Copy Essences.

An Ability Item[1] is a special representative object which can be inhaled for a Copy Ability, which appears in Kirby Super Star, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kirby Star Allies, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. In those first two games, Kirby can create these items by discarding his currently-equipped ability while a helper is on screen, or if he uses the Normal Beam on his helper. In Kirby Star Allies, these items are mainly created by defeating the appropriate enemy with the Friend Star or by defeating a Mid-Boss. In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, these items take the place of Ability Stars.

How to createEdit

Ability Items are created in different ways depending on the game, as follows:

How to create an Ability Item by game  
Game How to create Notes
Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra Here, the player can press the A button (X in Kirby Super Star Ultra), which is the same button used to call a helper. Once done, Kirby discards his ability, and tosses the created item a short distance ahead of himself. In addition, Ability Items can be made by using the Normal Beam on a helper, which transforms the helper into the corresponding item. As before, the player can do this by pressing the A button (X in Kirby Super Star Ultra), but only when Kirby does not have an ability equipped. The item created will resemble the ability in question, whether it be the weapon associated with it, the discarded hat, or some other item.
Kirby Star Allies In addition to creating them by "unfriending" appropriate allies, regular ability-providing enemies will leave behind an Ability Item if they are defeated using shots from the Friend Star. Also, if a Mid-Boss is defeated and subsequently bursts out of existence, an Ability Item will be left behind. If Kirby tries to Make Friends with a Bomber, Walky, or Don Puffle, they will be immediately turned into Ability Items rather than being recruited as allies.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Kirby automatically creates an Ability Item when he discards his Copy Ability or is otherwise made to drop it. Mid-bosses will also drop their corresponding items upon defeat. Ability Items effectively completely replace Ability Stars from previous games.

PropertiesEdit

Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star UltraEdit

 
Kirby tossing a Bomb Ability Item to his Waddle Doo Helper in Kirby Super Star

An Ability Item acts like most other items in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, in that it does not move of its own accord and will fall to the nearest available floor. Unlike most items, however, it will not automatically activate when Kirby touches it. Instead, it must be inhaled and swallowed to activate. The Ability Item can also be spat out as a Star Bullet, but it cannot be recovered afterward if used in this way. Additionally, if an Ability Item is left behind or left alone long enough, it will disappear, unlike other items.

Much like with Copy Essences, if a helper touches an Ability Item, it will automatically change into the corresponding helper for that item, and have its health fully restored. Transforming a helper with no health left into an item and then re-summoning it can be a useful method of saving the helper before it bursts out of existence.

Types of itemsEdit

Most copy abilities in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra have a corresponding Ability Item. These items are as follows:

Ability Picture
(KSSU)
Description  
Beam   A bronze magic wand with a crystal ball attached
Bomb   A round black bomb
Copy   Tac's bag
Cutter   A hat resembling the one Kirby wears
Fighter   A boxing glove
Fire   A hat resembling the one Kirby wears
Hammer   A wooden mallet
Ice   A hat resembling the one Kirby wears
Jet   A toy jet
Mirror   A golden magic wand with a crystal ball attached
Ninja   A hat resembling the one Kirby wears
Parasol   A parasol
Plasma   A hat resembling the one Kirby wears
Stone   A stone with a headband, resembling Rocky
Suplex   A wrestling champion's belt
Sword   A sword in a scabbard
Wheel   A wheel
Wing   A colorful bird which flaps its wings on occasion
Yo-Yo   A hat resembling the one Kirby wears

Abilities that do not have items include: Cook, Crash, Mike, Paint, Sleep, Starship, and Wheelie Rider.

Kirby Star AlliesEdit

 
Kirby standing next to a Bomb Ability Item in Kirby Star Allies.

In Kirby Star Allies, there is an Ability Item which corresponds to every standard Copy Ability in the game. Instead of taking on the form of a representative object, the item resembles the corresponding hat which Kirby wears. Unlike in Kirby Super Star and its remake, Ability Items in this game float in the air for a moment after they are created, and then slowly drop back down. They then disappear after a few moments if not interacted with. If Kirby touches or inhales an Ability Item, he will obtain that ability. If he tosses a Friend Heart at it, the item will be made into a Friend (assuming a corresponding Friend exists for that Ability Item). If a regular Friend touches an Ability Item that can be made into a different Friend, they will be turned into that Friend (otherwise, nothing happens). Originally, Dream Friends would also be changed if this happened, but this behavior was removed in version 4.0.0, unless the Dream Friend is currently riding in any position on the Friend Star. This also cannot happen to the P1 character in Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!, even if they are not a Dream Friend.

Kirby and the Forgotten LandEdit

In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Ability Items take the form of hats or weapons inside bubbles. They stay in place after appearing, slowly drifting to the ground if created in the air, and will vanish after a short time. Similar to Kirby Star Allies, Mid-Bosses will drop their corresponding Ability Item upon defeat. Like Ability Stars, Kirby can inhale these and spit them out as Star Bullets, or swallow them to gain the ability.

When Kirby has an Evolved Copy Ability set, all Ability Items corresponding to it will have the appropriate evolved ability hat/item inside.

ProfilesEdit

Kirby Super Star UltraEdit

  • Instruction manual bio (page 21): "Gives Kirby a new Copy Ability when swallowed."

TriviaEdit

  • Oddly enough, any created Ability Items disappear immediately when Kirby cycles between or selects Copy Essences Deluxe in Milky Way Wishes.
  • In Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, some items, such as those for Parasol and Wing, fall slowly to the ground.

References

  1. Name taken from Kirby Super Star Ultra Instruction Booklet (NA print), page 21