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Cutscene

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A cutscene[1] refers to any moment in a video game where gameplay pauses in order to show the player a sequence of events that contributes to the story of the game, whether it be through pre-rendered video or using in-game assets. More formal cutscenes (often referred to as movies) are often showcased in the Theater menu in Kirby games that have them, while minor ones tend to only be viewable during gameplay. This article will primarily focus on the latter case, as movies are detailed on the Theater page.

Cutscenes have been present in the Kirby series since the very first installment, and are present to at least some extent in all subsequent releases. Early games in the series made it a tradition to feature short cutscenes as introductions for levels and/or stages, though this tradition largely died out after Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, with the last such scenes being implemented in Kirby Super Star Ultra's Revenge of the King mode. Apart from those, shorter cutscenes are often used to introduce bosses, explain certain gameplay mechanics, act as moments of transition for certain abilities/powerups, or for other purposes, such as the Kirby Dance. This article will not attempt to be an exhaustive list of every such event in every game, and will instead focus on scenes that stand out story-wise, or are otherwise noteworthy or unique. For brevity, cutscenes that play in sub-games will not be included here (excepting New Challenge Stages).

Cutscenes by game[edit]

Kirby's Dream Land[edit]

Kirby's Dream Land features six cutscenes: the first five are shorter and act as introductions to each of the stages, while the final one plays after defeating King Dedede and includes the staff credits sequence. An overview of the cutscenes are as follows:

Cutscenes in Kirby's Dream Land  
Cutscene Image Description
Green Greens intro KDL Green Greens intro.png Kirby is chasing some butterflies, but then the wind sends both Kirby and the butterflies tumbling away.
Castle Lololo intro KDL Castle Lololo.png On a deck of the castle, overlooking a body of water, Kirby lets out a big sneeze and causes some of the stars in the sky to fall into the water. He sneezes again, causing another star to fall, hit him on the head, and knock him into the water as well.
Float Islands intro KDL Float Islands.png On the shore of a small island, Kirby tries his hand at fishing. He pulls out a fish, then inhales it, getting the remaining fishing hook stuck decidedly in his mouth.
Bubbly Clouds intro KDL Bubbly Clouds.png Kirby falls into a cloud, and disappears from view. Shortly after, the cloud starts churning, then starts raining numerous different copies of Kirby, along with some large stars.
Mt. Dedede intro KDL Mt Dedede intro scene.png Up in the sky, Kirby grabs onto a Warp Star and then flies off to Mt. Dedede, crashing in through the wall of the castle. Once inside, he slides for a bit until reaching the door to the main area of the stage.
Ending scene & Credits KDL Kirby blimp screenshot.png Once King Dedede is defeated, he goes flying out the roof of his castle as its windows adopt a "sad" expression. From there, Kirby gathers all five of the Sparkling Stars and uses them to grow giant, turning himself into a massive blimp that lifts Castle Dedede off its mountain. Kirby then proceeds to fly across Dream Land and spill food out from the bottom of the castle back to the residents it was stolen from. As Kirby continues to fly, the credits roll. Once they conclude, Kirby returns to normal size and falls while the castle is held up by stars. Kirby lands on a podium surrounded by cheering Dream Landers while food rains down around him. Kirby then pulls out a sign that reads "bye-bye", and the scene ends.

Most of these scenes would end up being reused (and altered) for Spring Breeze in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra.

Kirby's Adventure / Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[edit]

Kirby's Adventure, much like its predecessor, has an introductory cutscene for each of its levels. In addition, there is a famous short opening cutscene that plays when starting the game that demonstrates how to draw Kirby. Additionally, if the player waits for long enough on the title screen, a tutorial reel and story intro plays. Lastly, there is an interlude scene that plays between the two forms of Nightmare, and an ending cutscene that plays after defeating Nightmare, which also includes the credits sequence. Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land features the same sets of cutscenes, though graphically updated and with some other differences. For more info on the narration in the opening and ending scenes, see the Narrator page. An overview of the cutscenes are as follows:

Cutscenes in Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land  
Cutscene Image Description Differences between versions
Opening scene KA intro animation.png In this scene, a short jingle plays while instructions on how to draw Kirby are shown to the player. The full text reads:

"First you draw a circle,"
"Then you dot the eyes."
"Add a great big smile"
"And presto, it's Kirby!"

In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, this scene is replaced with a short introduction of 101 Kirbys running from right-to-left all at once to reveal the title screen.
Tutorial & Scenario KA intro.png This scene plays when waiting on the title screen. It includes a brief tutorial on Kirby's abilities, in particular demonstrating the Fire, Spark, Ice, Sword, Parasol, Burning, and Backdrop Copy Abilities. After Kirby hops on the Warp Star, a handful of story screens are shown to set up the scenario for why Kirby is embarking on this adventure. In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, the tutorial is eschewed, and only the story screens are shown. The illustrations and wording for them are different as well.
Vegetable Valley intro KA Vegetable Valley intro.png Kirby and a Blade Knight are dueling atop a wooden walkway in the forest using swords. After a brief back-and-forth, the Blade Knight throws a quick swipe which knocks Kirby's sword out of his hand as he recoils. The Blade Knight then steps forward as an anxious Kirby falls back to the edge of the platform. Cornered, Kirby inhales, drawing the Blade Knight into his mouth. Kirby then swallows it and gains the Sword ability as the scene fades to white. In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, the scene is shorter, as Kirby doesn't initially have a sword and instead starts out by backing away from Blade Knight before getting cornered.
Ice Cream Island intro KA Ice Cream Island intro screenshot.png The scene portrays Kirby reclining in a folding chair on a grassy cliff-side overlooking a tropical beach, wearing a pair of sunglasses and with a fruity beverage aside the chair. While visibly daydreaming of various sweets, a Waddle Doo appears from one of his thought clouds and strikes him with a hammer before disappearing. Having been knocked off of the chair and losing his shades, Kirby looks around frantically for the source of the blow he just received, but finds nothing as the scene fades to white.
Butter Building intro KA Butter Building intro screenshot.png Kirby can be seen walking along a platform aside from a handful of towers when a Poppy Bros. Sr. runs in and knocks Kirby aside, causing him to fall and grab the ledge to catch himself. While Kirby is trying to get back up, the Poppy Bros. Sr. returns and tosses a bomb high into the air before disappearing. Once Kirby gets back onto the platform, the bomb falls on his head, leaving the poor puffball only enough time to notice it before it explodes on him.
Grape Garden intro KA Grape Garden intro screenshot.png Kirby is holding on to three balloons while hopping along a cloudscape, his descent slowed by the balloons. Suddenly, one breaks from his grasp, and he foolishly jumps to it, letting go of the other two. Barely holding on on the last one, he finally lets go, and face-plants onto the fluff below. In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, the balloons are different colors, while they are all red in Kirby's Adventure.
Yogurt Yard intro KA Yogurt Yard intro screenshot.png Kirby is climbing a steep hill, struggling to get a Maxim Tomato. He finally reaches the top and holds the tomato up triumphantly, only to have it roll out of his hand and down the other side of the hill. Kirby panics and runs after it, only to end up rolling down the hillside behind it. In Kirby's Adventure, there is a sign on the hill that points to the top, while this sign is absent in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.
Orange Ocean intro KA Orange Ocean intro screenshot.png Kirby is looking around with a spyglass on the edge of a wooden ship. He loses his balance and falls into the water, where a shark appears and starts chasing him. After Kirby frantically swims off-screen, he appears in the background, still trying to swim away from the shark. In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kirby has a pirate captain's hat on before falling into the water.
Rainbow Resort intro KA Rainbow Resort intro screenshot.png The scene shows Kirby finding himself under a rainbow bar. Thinking it to be a musical note staff, Kirby gets out a stand mike and attempts to sing. The notes fly up to and occupy the rainbow bar, but after Kirby lets out one last shrill note, the rainbow bar breaks, prompting Kirby to immediately get out a Parasol to shield himself from the falling notes. This alludes to the well-known fact that Kirby is a terrible singer and he knows it. Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land's version adds a small thought bubble to Kirby to indicate that he is thinking of a musical staff before he pulls out the mike. This version also sets the background to night rather than day.
The Fountain of Dreams intro KA The Fountain of Dreams intro screenshot.png The scene begins with Kirby posed with the now-completed Star Rod. From there, he begins walking to the right away from the title and frame toward the fountain proper. As he walks, King Dedede jumps onto Kirby's heels and tries to drag him back, insisting that Kirby not return the Star Rod to the fountain. Kirby tries to ignore him and presses on, but Dedede continues to drag at his heels. Eventually, Kirby tires of this and knocks Dedede away using the rod. From there, he jumps onto the fountain and plants the rod in the fountain as Dedede looks on in fear.

Having planted the rod, Kirby jumps back. From there, they observe the Nightmare emerging from the fountain, knocking the Star Rod away and causing Kirby and Dedede to panic. Once the Nightmare orb flies off, Dedede takes some initiative by inhaling both Kirby and the Star Rod, then spitting him with the rod after Nightmare to deal with him.

In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, the fourth wall-breaking effect of walking away from the title frame is not present, and the landscape Kirby traverses is completely flat. The change in sky color when Kirby plants the rod is also not present in this version.
Nightmare interlude KA Nightmare battle screenshot 01.png After defeating Nightmare's Power Orb form and grabbing onto the Warp Star, Kirby chases the fleeing orb up to the moon. Once there, Kirby flies along the surface while Nightmare transforms into his wizard form in the background. Once the transformation is complete, Nightmare throws stars at Kirby that force him off his Warp Star, and the battle starts.
Ending scene & Credits KA Ending narration screenshot.png After Nightmare is defeated, a large hole is blown in the moon to change it to a crescent shape, and Kirby starts flying home on his Warp Star. While he flies, the ending narration plays out and King Dedede comes flying beside him. Kirby waves to King Dedede, recognizing the role he played in foiling Nightmare. The two soon part ways, and Kirby drops the Star Rod off at the Fountain of Dreams once he gets there. From there, he flies off into a blank white space and waves to the player. After the credits sequence, one last view of the fountain can be seen, with a sign that reads "THE END" and a special status icon that reads "BYE-BYE". In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, the narration is worded differently, and there is no final screen after the credits.

Kirby's Pinball Land[edit]

Kirby's Pinball Land features two main cutscenes, one for the game's intro, and one for the "ending" after defeating King Dedede. The details are as follows:

Cutscenes in Kirby's Pinball Land  
Cutscene Image Description
Opening KPL intro.png Kirby is walking along in a grassy field when King Dedede falls from the sky and lands on him. After Kirby recovers from this, King Dedede makes a bunch of bumpers appear in the air and bounces on them to get away. Seeing this, Kirby rolls up into a ball and uses the bumpers to chase after him.
Score threshold celebration KPL Score milestone celebration screenshot.png Every 500,000 points, a small celebratory scene plays that interrupts normal gameplay, showing three Kirbys dancing in various formations on a checkerboard plane.
Ending KPL End Scene.png After defeating King Dedede, Kirby gets on the Warp Star and chases him down to an open field with a checkerboard floor where Dedede lands. After King Dedede gets back up, Kirby seemingly has him cornered, but then a Kabu comes up from behind and flattens Kirby, giving Dedede a chance to get away. A bunch of other enemies follow King Dedede and pass Kirby by while he is still flattened. The last enemy - a UFO - drops a Warp Star behind which Kirby uses to return to the game, resetting it.

Kirby's Dream Course[edit]

Kirby's Dream Course features an opening scene for every course in the game, including the 2P courses. It also has an ending scene and credits sequence for after Robo Dedede is defeated. There are also a large number of tutorial scenes, but for the sake of brevity, those will not be documented here. The cutscenes in Kirby's Dream Course are as follows:

Cutscenes in Kirby's Dream Course  
Cutscene Image Description
Course 1 intro KDC Course 1 intro.png Kirby bounces in to defeat Waddle Dee and then Starman, then uses the Hi-Jump ability to leap over Kabu and defeat Parasol Waddle Doo before bouncing off of Whispy Woods. Kabu transforms into the cup, and Kirby tries to use the Parasol ability to float into it, but just barely misses, which results in him becoming visibly upset.
Course 2 intro KDC Course 2 intro.png Kirby bounces in from the lower-right and tramples Sparky to gain the Spark ability. He then continues bouncing and activates the Spark power, passing underneath Kracko and then through Gordo unharmed, then defeating Whispy Woods. He then heads toward a second Whispy Woods, but his Spark power runs out just before hitting him, causing Kirby to bounce off Whispy. As Kirby lands, he shakes off his surprise as Whispy lets out his characteristic tear.
Course 3 intro KDC Course 3 intro.png Kirby walks up toward Whispy Woods as Waddle Dee and Broom Hatter stand on each side. After making note of the relative distances, Kirby backs up and curls into ball form, then a guide line appears and starts to curve, indicating Kirby is about to do a hook spin. He releases, defeating both enemies as he curves around Whispy Woods. After finishing, he unfurls and does a little celebratory dance.
Course 4 intro KDC Course 4 intro.png Kirby comes in from the right using the Tornado ability to dispatch a Twister. After panting a few times from exhaustion. Kirby spins up again and defeats the remaining three enemies around Whispy Woods. After this, he stops spinning and falls to his side from dizziness.
Course 5 intro KDC Course 5 intro.png Kirby prepares to line a shot past a Gordo on patrol in order to hit a Waddle Dee on the other side. After carefully timing his shot, he makes it through unscathed and defeats the Waddle Dee. Kirby starts to celebrate, but a second Gordo comes in from the left and hits him, knocking him into the first Gordo, who knocks him back to the second, where Kirby is then knocked off to the side, having been hit three times. He is left face-down in a daze.
Course 6 intro KDC Course 6 intro.png Kirby bounces in from the right and activates the Fireball ability to blast through two enemies in a line, causing a third to turn into the cup. After flying off screen, Kirby returns from the left with another Fireball shot, but passes over the cup and slams into Whispy Woods. Kirby rebounds toward the cup, but barely misses it, causing him to get frustrated.
Course 7 intro KDC Course 7 intro.png Kirby is choosing to go after either a UFO or a Broom Hatter. He goes after the Broom Hatter, causing the UFO to transform into the cup. Kirby then bounces back into the cup, but nothing happens initially. He pokes his head out in confusion, but then suddenly gets carried away in the UFO form. He rockets up toward the sky uncontrollably, then gets ejected from the UFO and falls to the ground. As he lands, the UFO picks him back up and then flies away.
Course 8 intro KDC Course 8 intro.png Kirby is standing near Whispy Woods when King Dedede drops in from above and whacks him three times with his hammer from behind. While Kirby is dazed, King Dedede hides behind Whispy. A Gordo passes by in the background as Kirby looks around to see what hit him, not spotting Dedede at first. Dedede then sneaks up and prepares to hit Kirby again, but Kirby spots him and leaps back. Kirby gives Dedede a nasty look as the King freezes in place nervously.
Course Dedede intro KDC Robo Dedede.png When the level starts, King Dedede appears on the board and calls in his giant robot, leaping up to it and getting inside off-screen before it falls onto the board. From there, the battle begins.
Ending scene & Credits KDC Castle Dededestruction.png After Robo Dedede is defeated, King Dedede is left without his robot and is forced to flee. After this, Castle Dedede blows up, and all the stolen stars are released. The following credits sequence has Kirby flying around and placing stars back in the night sky, making various constellations. The last one has him spelling out "THE END" using stars.
Whispy Woods Course intro KDC Whispy Woods Course intro.png Keeby rolls in from the left toward a Waddle Dee as Broom Hatter and Whispy Woods linger in the background and a Gordo passes by further back. Keeby stops just short of hitting the Waddle Dee and pants from exhaustion, when Kirby comes flying in from the right as a Fireball, defeating the Waddle Dee and knocking Keeby away. After he recovers, Keeby goes for the Broom Hatter and takes it out, but Fireball Kirby returns from the left and knocks Keeby away again, taking his star in the process. Kirby lands in the middle of the stage, and Keeby retaliates by jumping at him and activating Needle to attack, knocking Kirby away who hits a passing Gordo and then lands on the ground face-first. Keeby then jumps in celebration.
Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright Course intro KDC Shine and Bright Course intro.png Kirby and Keeby are standing near some enemies. Kirby rolls around in front of Squishy and smacks into Keeby, causing him to fly into a Gordo and get knocked around. As Kirby comes to a stop in the back, Keeby crashes into him inadvertently, throwing Kirby toward the Broom Hatter. As the last normal enemy turns into the cup, Keeby throws himself at Kirby, causing Kirby to crash into the other Gordo, then fly back toward Keeby, hitting him into the cup by accident. As Keeby enters the cup, Kirby jumps over to have a closer look, and sees Keeby flying away on the Warp Star. Kirby is left to fume angrily at this outcome.
Kracko Course intro KDC Kracko Course intro.png Kirby is approaching a Transformer when Keeby knocks him away and collects it, causing Kirby to spin from the impact. Keeby stops for a moment, then activates the Wheel ability, riding under Kracko just before he shoots lightning. Kirby tries to run after Keeby, but Keeby come back from behind and hits Kirby again, knocking him toward the cup. Keeby goes in for another strike, but Kirby ducks quickly into the cup to avoid him. Keeby then rushes toward the cup, but gets knocked aside when Kirby pops out on his Warp Star and flies away. Keeby then falls into Kracko's lightning and gets zapped, leaving him face-first on the ground in pain.
Gordo Course intro KDC Gordo Course intro.png Kirby and Keeby are standing near Waddle Dee, Rocky, and Whispy Woods at the edge of a cliff. Kirby defeats the first two of these, then knocks into Keeby nudging him lightly. Keeby retaliates by trying to squash Kirby with the Stone power (obtained during the hit swap), but Kirby musters a great deal of strength and tosses Keeby off the cliff. Just a moment later, Keeby jumps back up the cliff and runs away in a panic, hiding behind Whispy Woods. Wondering what he was so afraid of, Kirby peers down the cliff, and is shocked to see tons of Gordos down there moving about.

Notably, the original Japanese version of the game also had an opening cutscene that explained the scenario, but for unknown reasons, this was cut from international releases, and relegated to the instruction booklet only.

Kirby's Avalanche[edit]

A typical interlude cutscene in Kirby's Avalanche

Kirby's Avalanche features a handful of interlude cut-scenes where Kirby exchanges dialogue with his opponents. The full details of those scenes is outlined in the Competition section on the main Kirby's Avalanche page.

In addition to these, there are also a handful of other cutscenes, one of which plays after clearing the Easy stage, and the other of which plays after defeating King Dedede. In the former, King Dedede appears at his ring at the Fountain of Dreams and says the following: "Congratulations! You are a fast learner. I underestimated your skill... MAYBE!" In the latter, Kirby can be seen holding a trophy celebrating his victory as the Narrator declares him the "Avalanche Champion", and then a roll call of all the opponents in the game appears, followed by the credits.

Kirby's Dream Land 2[edit]

Much like its predecessors, Kirby's Dream Land 2 features an introductory cutscene for each level, as well as a few extra for the final boss and credits sequences. The cutscenes for Kirby's Dream Land 2 are as follows:

Cutscenes in Kirby's Dream Land 2  
Cutscene Image Description
Opening scene KDL2 Animal Friends intro.png This brief scene plays before the title screen, featuring close-up cutaways of Rick, Kine, & Coo sliding into view.
Grass Land intro KDL2 Grass Land Intro.png Rick and Kirby are in a field. Kirby is holding a Parasol, which he shows to Rick, then they walk into each other. Rick balances the parasol on his nose and bounces Kirby, who is shaped into a ball.
Big Forest intro KDL2 Big Forest Intro.png Coo appears next to Kirby on a rocky cliff, where he helps Kirby pluck a fruit from a hanging branch, but accidentally makes him collide with the side of the cliff where it is hanging, causing him to lose the fruit and angrily yell at Coo.
Ripple Field intro KDL2 Ripple field Intro.png Kirby attempts to feed Kine an apple at the beach. After eating the apple, Kine jumps on shore and eats Kirby.
Iceberg intro KDL2 Iceberg Intro.png Kine and Rick are positioned opposite Kirby, who is standing between them as they each call for him to join them. Kirby then begins to shiver, and decides to join the decidedly warmer Rick, leaving Kine heartbroken as Kirby waves him goodbye.
Red Canyon intro KDL2 Red Canyon intro.png Coo is sleeping on a rocky outcropping, as Rick and Kirby roll on rugged terrain toward him using the Stone ability. When Rick crashes into the wall, it causes Coo's outcropping to crumble on Kirby's head. Kirby transforms into stone form just in time to avoid being hurt, as Coo flies down onto Kirby's head after being startled awake. The two animal friends sigh as Kirby returns to normal.
Cloudy Park intro KDL2 Cloudy Park intro.png The cutscene depicts Kirby bouncing around in the cloud-tops, eventually getting himself stuck. Luckily, Coo flies by. Kirby shouts to Coo to get him out of the clouds. Coo succeeds in doing so, but in the process, finds out that Kirby was stuck because he'd landed in Kine's mouth.
Dark Castle intro KDL2 Dark Castle intro.png Kirby and all three of his friends overlook the castle in the distance. From there, after some 'discussion', Kirby mounts Rick and nudges Kine, then they all move off, with Kine lagging behind.
Bad ending credits KDL2 False End.png If Kirby defeats King Dedede without having obtained every Rainbow Drop, a false credits sequence will play, where Kirby and his Animal Friends walk home in the rain as the enemy roll call plays out. At the end of this sequence, the text "THE END" displays while the friends leave the screen, but Kine lingers for a moment while a "?" is added to the text.
Dark Matter appears KDL2 Dark Matter Appears.png If Kirby defeats King Dedede and has all the Rainbow Drops, a short scene plays where Dark Matter escapes from King Dedede's body and flies off after Kirby assembles the Rainbow Sword. Using the sword, Kirby flies up into the sky after Dark Matter to do battle with it.
True ending & Credits KDL2 End Scene 8.png After defeating Dark Matter, an ending scene plays where Kirby falls from the sky while various Dream Landers look on. After Kirby regains consciousness, he grabs hold of the Rainbow Sword in midair and then uses its power to rebuild the rainbow bridges across the Rainbow Islands as the credits play out, and then the final ending screen is shown.

Kirby's Block Ball[edit]

Kirby's Block Ball features an introductory cutscene for each stage, as well as a scene for clearing the Border Line score in a stage, and false and true ending scenes. Unlike in most previous games, the stage intro cutscenes here are mainly meant as tutorials for game mechanics, though there are still some extra story-like elements to them. The cutscenes for Kirby's Block Ball are as follows:

Cutscenes in Kirby's Block Ball  
Cutscene Image Description
Opening scene KBBa Intro.png In the opening, Kirby floats along the sky riding a cloud. After a moment, he jumps down and lands in the title screen text, inside the "O" in "Block". He then starts to charge up, presumably using the Spark ability.
Stage 1 intro KBBa Stage 1 cutscene.png Twelve standard White Blocks are shown on the left hand side, and a Switch power-up is on the right side. Kirby jumps onto the Switch to change all of the blocks on the left into Through Blocks as the Bonus Chance begins, and then proceeds to fly through the blocks in ball form to clear them. Upon clearing the last one, the word 'PERFECT!' appears in the margin above the scene and Kirby celebrates after reverting to normal.
Stage 2 intro KBBa Stage 2 intro.png This scene demonstrates how to use the Power Paddle action to make Kirby assume full form. Once this is done in the cutscene, Kirby flies up and hits a Cappy, defeating it. After the collision, Cappy's cap falls on Kirby, enveloping him. Kirby struggles to get out of the cap, and then poses with it on his head.
Stage 3 intro KBBa Stage 3 intro.png This scene demonstrates how to obtain and use the Spark ability. Kirby collides into a Sparky to gain the power, and then uses it to blast through an array of blocks. Once finished, Kirby uncurls and hops in place in excitement.
Stage 4 intro KBBa Stage 4 intro.png This scene demonstrates how the Kirby Replica item works. It starts with Kirby flying into the item in an open area, then splitting into two balls. These fall down to an area where a paddle is, and the paddle bats both of them back up. In a different area, another paddle lies below a bed of spikes in the ceiling. The first ball crashes into the spikes and disappears after turning into a star, and the other is batted back down. The remaining ball turns back into Kirby and bounces along some blocks before coming to a stop and posing on the middle-most one.
Stage 5 intro KBBa Stage 5 intro.png This scene demonstrates how the Stone ability works. Kirby collides into a Rocky on the stage to obtain the ability, then bounces up to a vertical line of blocks. Once directly above them, he transforms into a stone and crashes through the blocks, landing on the paddle below. From there, he reverts to normal and poses.
Stage 6 intro KBBa Stage 6 intro.png This scene demonstrates how the Crash item works. Kirby approaches and enters a barricade of blocks in ball form to ambush a Captain Stitch in the middle. Once defeated, a Crash item drops which Kirby then runs into. This causes an explosion which removes all of the Indestructible Blocks from the barricade. After flying off, Kirby comes flying back down, charred from the explosion. He faceplants on the floor, and his foot twitches a couple times.
Stage 7 intro KBBa Stage 7 intro.png This scene demonstrates how the Needle ability works. Kirby bounces into a Spikey in the middle of the area to collect the ability. From there, he bounces upward and uses the ability to stick to a paddle up top, which holds him fast until released again. From there, Kirby unfurls and poses.
Stage 8 intro KBBa Stage 8 intro cutscene.png This scene demonstrates how the Burn ability works. Kirby bounces into a Flamer in the middle of the area to collect the ability. From there, he circles around a Waddle Dee and then, once Kirby is below the Waddle Dee, he activates the power and crashes into the hapless creature to defeat it. After crashing into the Waddle Dee, it flies away charred, and Kirby does a victory dance.
Stage 9 intro KBBa Stage 9 intro.png This scene demonstrates how the Ability Changer functions. Kirby bounces into a Bouncy to defeat it and reveal the item in question. After touching the item, Kirby cycles through all four of his abilities before settling on Stone.
Stage 10 intro KBBa Stage 10 intro.png This scene demonstrates how the Block Flip functions (despite the item appearing in several previous stages up to this point). The scene begins with a grid of nine blocks of checkered shading, with two Waddle Dees guarding them. Kirby bounces into the Waddle Dees, replacing them with Block Flip items, and then hits each Block Flip, causing the blocks to change between White and Gray, then back again. After this, two Kirbys fall into the spots where the Waddle Dees had been, and sport a top hat and a Star Rod. The Kirbys pose by lifting their hats.
Stage 11 intro KBBa Stage 11 intro cutscene screenshot.png This scene reveals King Dedede inside a barrier of Indestructible Blocks. Kirby tries several times to bust through the blocks as the king mocks him by miming. Kirby then hits a Kookler on the right hand side and uses a Crash item to remove the barrier to King Dedede, who becomes paralyzed with fear, and then tries to run away. Kirby crashes into him and knocks him down, then celebrates.
Border Line Clear scene KBBa Border Line cleared.png This scene plays at the end of a stage if the player met the Border Line score. In it, Kirby, holding the Star Rod, leads a parade-like procession with Waddle Dee (holding a trumpet), Broom Hatter, and Bouncy following him.
Bad ending KBBa False Ending.png This scene plays if Kirby defeats Brobo in Stage 10 without having cleared all of the Border Line scores. Kirby will hop down from a cloud and reach the ground, but find nothing there. After looking around (presumably for the missing Fountain of Dreams), he will hoist a traveler's sack over his shoulder and walk off to the right, as 'THE END' appears overhead. Just after Kirby walks off-screen, however, a shadow of King Dedede's image appears in the background sky. Kirby returns and makes one more glance back and a question mark appears over his head, which is then transferred onto the text to spell 'THE END?'. From there, another text crawl appears which reads 'LET'S TRY AGAIN!'.
True ending & Credits KBBa Sparkling Stars ending.png Once King Dedede is defeated, Kirby stands atop his castle while the Sparkling Stars he collected orbit around him. The stars then destroy the castle, revealing that the Fountain of Dreams was being used as its base. Once the castle is destroyed, Kirby falls after realizing he's not standing on anything anymore, and is caught by the spray from the fountain. He proceeds to play in its waters as the credits roll. Once the credits are over, Kirby is shot up by the fountain into the sky, where he lands on the ending title card and becomes part of it while King Dedede is sent flying across the screen.

Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra[edit]

Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra have a wealth of cutscenes, and the latter game organizes most of the more significant ones into a Theater menu (which can be viewed here). What remains includes a number of stage intro scenes, small pauses for dialogue in Revenge of Meta Knight and Revenge of the King, and the Beginner's Room scenes. This section will only focus on the stage intro scenes, as follows:

Stage intro scenes in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra  
Cutscene Image Description Notes
Green Greens intro KSSU Green Greens into screenshot.png Kirby is chasing some butterflies, but then the wind sends both Kirby and the butterflies tumbling away.
Float Islands intro Float Islands KSSU cutscene.png On the shore of a small island, Kirby tries his hand at fishing. He pulls out a Blipper, then inhales it, getting the remaining fishing hook stuck decidedly in his mouth.
Bubbly Clouds intro KSSU Bubbly Clouds intro.png Kirby starts sneezing while standing atop the clouds, causing stars to fall each time. On the second sneeze, one bops him on the head, causing him to tumble into the cloud. This cutscene plays out similarly to the intro cutscene for Castle Lololo in Kirby's Dream Land, which was cut from Spring Breeze.
In Kirby Super Star Ultra, the background for this scene is notably more detailed.
Mt. Dedede intro KSSU Mt Dedede Intro.png Up in the sky, Kirby grabs onto a Warp Star and then flies off to Mt. Dedede, crashing in through the wall of the castle. Once inside, he slides for a bit until reaching the door to the main area of the stage. Notably, the Kirby Super Star Ultra version of this cutscene has no sound effects.
Purple Plants intro KSSU RotK Purple Plants Intro.png Kirby is chasing an orange butterfly off-screen. He briefly rolls back on screen while three Croucars and two Koozers chase him back off screen to the left. These scenes are only present in Kirby Super Star Ultra. They largely mirror their equivalent scenes in Spring Breeze.
Illusion Islands intro KSSU RotK Illusion Islands Intro.png Kirby is fishing in the water. Instead of fishing out a Blipper, Kirby catch a Flotzo, who latches its suction tentacles onto Kirby.
Crash Clouds intro KSSU RotK Crash Clouds Intro.png Kirby sneezes, causing a few tiny stars to fall. He sneezes again, but unlike the original, where Kirby is knocked off by stars, a sleeping Galbel falls onto him. The Galbel lets out a small sneeze while it is sleeping.
Mt. Dedede Sky intro KSSU Mt Dedede Sky intro screenshot.png Kirby hops on a Warp Star from a cloud and flies in toward Castle Dedede. As he approaches, he is bombarded by cannonballs from Kabula. This leads into the "Flying Fortress Kabula" movie which is viewable in the Theater.
The Revenge intro The Revenge KSSU intro.png This scene is quite short, and has Kirby crashing through the wall of Castle Dedede on his Warp Star before landing inside.

Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy & Super Famicom)[edit]

One of the scenes from Kirby's Super Star for Super Famicom's Story Mode, where Mr. Star falls on Kirby's head

Both Kirby's Star Stacker for Game Boy and Kirby's Star Stacker for Super Famicom make use of cutscenes, though they are largely composed of still images. In the Game Boy version, special illustrations are shown to the player for reaching certain milestones in Challenge Mode or for completing difficulties in Round Clear. Additionally, there are "time out" cutscenes involving the Animal Friends Rick, Kine, & Coo that play in all but the highest difficulty in Round Clear. More details on those can be found on the Round Clear page.

In the Super Famicom version, the Story Mode makes use of cutscenes consisting of still images and captions to tell its story. It features an introductory cutscene, small scenes for each opponent Kirby faces, and an ending scene. There is also a very short opening scene for the game involving a giant blimp over Dream Land. More information about these scenes can be found on the Kirby's Star Stacker for Super Famicom page.

Kirby's Dream Land 3[edit]

Much like its predecessors, Kirby's Dream Land 3 features an introductory cutscene for each level. In addition, it has three different ending scenes and an opening scene. Kirby's Dream Land 3 was the first game to have a Theater menu, and the last non-remake to feature traditional level intro cutscenes. It is also notable for having two variations of the cutscenes related to the true ending ("EC 6" and "END 2"): one with Gooey and another without him; the appropriate one is selected in-game based on his presence in the party (the Theater always plays versions with Gooey present). The cutscenes for Kirby's Dream Land 3 are as follows:

Cutscenes in Kirby's Dream Land 3  
Cutscene Image Description
"OP" (Opening scene) KDL3 Opening scene screenshot.png This scene plays when starting up the game. It features a series of still images that fade in and out at various points on the screen, showing Dark Matter invading Pop Star while Kirby and Gooey are fishing. Once Dark Matter has implanted itself on the planet, it sends its tendrils out and influences various characters, including Whispy Woods, Ado, and King Dedede. The last scenes show all six of Kirby's Animal Friends along with Gooey.
"EC 1" (Grass Land intro) KDL3 Grass Land intro.png Rick and Kirby meet on a grassy field, with Kirby holding a Parasol. Rick and Kirby approach, Rick anticipating Kirby hopping on to play, but Kirby walks right past him and meets up with ChuChu instead. As they both go twirling away on the Parasol, Rick is left heartbroken.
"EC 2" (Ripple Field intro) KDL3 Ripple Field intro.png Kirby and ChuChu walk up to the beach. As they converse, Kine swims up from the water. He jumps onto shore and swallows Kirby up. ChuChu and Kine then take turns grabbing Kirby from each-other, until Kine has him fully enclosed in his mouth. ChuChu gets angry at this, trying to reach for Kirby again, but unable to.
"EC 3" (Sand Canyon intro) KDL3 Sand Canyon intro.png Kirby, Rick, and Coo are playing a ball game using Gooey as the ball, while ChuChu is admiring a flower. Coo overshoots, causing Gooey to collide with the wall, then fall and squish the flower. ChuChu gets angry at the others, who are watching in dismay as Gooey licks ChuChu, which then results in her punching Gooey very hard into the wall. After this, ChuChu blushes as the others stare at her in fear.
"EC 4" (Cloudy Park intro) KDL3 Cloudy Park intro.png Nago is tossing Kirby about like a ball, when Pitch flies in from behind. Seeing this, Nago runs over to Pitch, leaving Kirby in midair as Nago rolls Pitch away like a ball instead. After being left behind, Kirby looks around for Nago, spots him leaving, and runs after him, upset.
"EC 5" (Iceberg intro) KDL3 Iceberg intro.png Kirby is building a snowman with ChuChu, Nago and Pitch. Gooey accidentally knocks it over and gets covered in snow, but the others put him back on the snowman thinking it just rolled off. Once they put the hat on, Gooey makes a face similar to a Peloo that pops out of the snowman, which surprises the group.
"END 1" (Bad ending credits) KDL3 False Ending 2.png This ending plays if Kirby defeats King Dedede without having collected all of the Heart Stars. Kirby and Gooey are walking back home in a grassy field in the daytime. Like in Kirby's Dream Land 2, a list of all the enemies and Mid-Bosses are shown to the player along the way. At the end, the camera pans upward to show a large black circle looming in the sky, with the caption of ?. This is the yet-undefeated Zero. From here, the game resets.
"EC 6" (Hyper Zone intro) KDL3 Hyper Zone intro.png Atop the tower where King Dedede was fought, Kirby assembles all of the Heart Stars while his Animal Friends watch on. Once all of them are together, they form the Love-Love Stick. Kirby grabs onto this newly forged weapon, and it carries him into the sky. If Gooey is present in the party (or the cutscene is viewed from the Theater), he also watches as the Love-Love Stick assembles and, once Kirby flies off with it, Gooey transforms into his Mock Matter form with orange petals resembling that of Dark Matter before taking off after Kirby.
"END 2" (True ending & Credits) KDL3 End scene 4.png After Kirby defeats Zero, he grabs onto the Love-Love Stick and uses it to disperse the Dark Matter cloud, releasing a band of three brightly-colored rings that replace the rings around Pop Star which were destroyed at the start of the game. Once the cloud is dispersed, Kirby (alongside Gooey if he is present in the party or the cutscene is viewed from the Theater) floats gently through the air over a now-peaceful land, still carrying the Love-Love Stick. From there, the credits play, which are accompanied by illustrations made by Ado.
"END 3" (Boss Butch Credits) KDL3 Boss Butch credits screenshot.png After completing the Boss Butch, there is an alternate version of the staff credits, which features different illustrations from the original one (many of which are more realistic and/or detailed).

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards[edit]

One of the more noteworthy "in-stage" cutscenes involves King Dedede helping clear away an obstruction for Kirby in the sewers of Ripple Star.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was the first Kirby game to implement cinematic cutscenes which were handled separately from the game proper (though still not yet being pre-rendered). These cutscenes play in the intro, at the start of a new save file, when recruiting Kirby's friends, and after finishing each level. Like in Kirby's Dream Land 2 and 3, there is also a separate False and True ending also handled via these cutscenes, which have their own versions of the staff credits. As usual, details on these scenes can be found in the corresponding Theater section. What's left over is a tutorial reel and a handful of in-stage interactions where control of Kirby is briefly taken away from the player. The following are details on the more noteworthy interactions:

  • In Pop Star - Stage 2, Kirby is briefly stopped when he runs into Waddle Dee, who motions to him to get on a rope-bound lift while Waddle Dee operates it by turning a log on top.
  • In Rock Star - Stage 1, Kirby stops for a moment at the top of a tall room that fills slowly with sand when Waddle Dee busts a hole in the ceiling to let Kirby out.
  • In Rock Star - Stage 2, Kirby is stopped in the last room when King Dedede shows up and offers to take the lead, letting Kirby ride on his back.
  • In Aqua Star - Stage 2, Kirby meets up with Waddle Dee on the river halfway through, and hops into his boat to proceed. At the end of the boating section, the player loses control again for a moment when Kirby and Waddle Dee go tumbling down a waterfall and out of their boat.
  • In Aqua Star - Stage 3, Kirby meets up with King Dedede partway through along the reef, and he uses a wooden see-saw and his hammer to launch Kirby over to the next area.
  • In Neo Star - Stage 2, Kirby falls into a mine cart, which Waddle Dee then pushes and hops into. Like with the boat section, at the end, Kirby and Waddle Dee are forced to crash and get thrown out of the cart.
  • Neo Star - Stage 4 has another meet-up with King Dedede, who takes point like before. At the end of his section, he stops and throws Kirby through the doorway to transition to the next area.
    • Later on in the same stage, Kirby is briefly stopped so that the advancing lava tide in the room can be shown.
  • In Shiver Star - Stage 1, Kirby is stopped for one more ride with Waddle Dee, this time in a sled. As usual, they are forced to crash again at the end.
  • Factory Tour has one more meet-up with King Dedede, who carries Kirby for the conveyor belt and hammer section. At the end, King Dedede once again throws Kirby through the doorway to the next area.
  • In Ripple Star - Stage 2, as Kirby is navigating through the tunnels under the palace, an earthquake causes the path ahead to be blocked off by a boulder. King Dedede shows up, and Kirby motions to him to clear the obstacle, which he does after giving it a few good whacks with his hammer. Once he clears the dust, Kirby can proceed.
  • In Dark Star - King Dedede appears one last time to use a series of connected platforms to launch Kirby and Ribbon up to their final encounter with .

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble[edit]

After King Dedede is defeated, Kirby walks over and comforts him in the only in-game interaction that isn't controlled by the player.

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble is fairly light on cutscenes, only having an opening and a credits sequence as proper scenes. In the opening, Kirby is napping on a cloud, when he notices that King Dedede and some Waddle Dees are walking by carrying various things. When he then heads down to Dream Land, he notices that there are no longer any stars in the sky (since King Dedede has once again stolen them). The credits sequence for Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble is a simple affair, with only a starfield and Kirby riding a Warp Star across the screen to serve as visual elements.

One notable interaction happens in the game, however, at the very end, which the player is not in control of. After Kirby defeats King Dedede in Lvl 8-4, King Dedede starts to sob in defeat. Kirby goes up and comforts him, then they both walk together off-screen. After that, the narration chimes in for a brief moment and the game is complete.

Kirby Air Ride[edit]

Opening scene for Kirby Air Ride

Kirby Air Ride has no formal cutscenes outside of the opening and the credits sequences for each of the game modes. The remaining videos used in the game are all tutorial or demonstration videos, and these can be read about in the corresponding Theater section.

In the opening movie, Kirby is being chased by two Broom Hatters on their brooms down an open field. To get rid of them, he swallows a Heat Phanphan on the road to get the Fire ability and uses it to leave flaming spots on the ground which trip the Broom Hatters up. After this is a series of gameplay clips, before returning to the main cutscene, where Kirby now has the Sword ability. Using it, he dispatches a pair of Sword Knights on hoverboards who try to ambush him, and then he flies off the edge of a cliff where Meta Knight shows up and prepares to strike. The final shot of the scene has four Kirbys racing on various machines off into the distance before the scene pans up into the sky to show the title screen.

There are three separate ending movies that are unlocked in the Checklists for Air Ride, Top Ride, and City Trial. The first two are credits sequences, while the last one is a showcase of nearly all of the Air Ride Machines in the game flying around the city.

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror[edit]

Meta Knight is sealed away by his mirror image in one of the early cutscenes in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror has a handful of cutscenes, mainly near the beginning and end. The scenes are as follows:

  • Before the title screen, Kirby shows up only to be trampled by a large number of enemies from the game, before following them off-screen.
  • In the opening cutscene, narration chimes in describing trouble in the Mirror World. Meta Knight flies into the Dimension Mirror above Dream Land to investigate. Later on, Kirby is strolling in a nearby field when Meta Knight inexplicably returns and slashes him, splitting him into four copies distinguishable only by color, then flies away. The Kirbys get their bearings and then chase after, flying into the mirror. It is later revealed that this "Meta Knight" is actually a dark impostor.
  • Once the Kirbys reach the Central Circle for the first time, a cutscene plays out where two Meta Knights are fighting in front of a giant mirror. The darker knight wins and banishes the lighter one into the mirror, then slashes the mirror, breaking it into eight pieces and scattering the pieces. After this Meta Knight flies off, a dark lookalike of Kirby appears for a moment and then runs off to the right.
  • Once the Kirbys have reassembled the mirror and entered it, they come across the Meta Knight impostor one more time in a dark foreboding place. There, they find the real Meta Knight, who reveals the trick, and the impostor reveals himself formally as Dark Meta Knight.
  • After Dark Mind is defeated, one more cutscene plays out after the credits sequence where Shadow Kirby reveals himself as the protector of the Mirror World to the other Kirbys as they all fly along on Warp Stars. Shadow Kirby sees the four Kirbys off back to their own world. After this, Meta Knight drops his sword off in the Central Circle before leaving as well.

Notably, this would be the first Kirby game to have gameplay during the credits sequence, as it overlaps with the final phase of the battle with Dark Mind.

Kirby: Canvas Curse[edit]

The opening cutscene for Kirby: Canvas Curse features somewhat abstracted illustrations that tell the story along with the narration crawl. In this scene, Kirby is transformed into a ball by Drawcia.

Kirby: Canvas Curse features two main cutscenes: an opening which plays before the title screen, and an ending that plays after the main villain Drawcia is defeated. Both scenes are handled using still images and a crawl of narration text, though the images are highly abstracted to fit the artsy style of the game's aesthetic.

In the opening scene, Kirby is out on a stroll in Dream Land when the landscape changes color and Drawcia Sorceress emerges from out of nowhere and turns Dream Land into a painting. When she makes her exit through a canvas portal, Kirby gives chase, but she casts a spell on him, removing his limbs and leaving him as a ball. Kirby is left helpless until a Magical Paintbrush appears before him. He touches it and it is transported to the player on a beam of light (represented by the Nintendo DS stylus).

In the ending scene, after Drawcia is defeated, Kirby regains his limbs and Dream Land is restored to normal. Kirby has to part with the Magical Paintbrush, but it seems to leave one last gift for him in the form of a rainbow over the sky. Alternate versions of the ending scene are used for each of the other playable characters, though they are simplified to only the final screen and have no narration.

Kirby: Squeak Squad[edit]

Kirby: Squeak Squad features six story mode cutscenes, in addition to a short opening before the title screen and a handful of notice screens for various achievements, including one for 100% completion and one for the player's birthday. The opening has Kirby finding a Treasure Chest, but then getting trampled by the passing Squeaks before he can open it. Once they've passed, Kirby gets back up and inhales a bubble that floats toward him, then the title screen appears.

The six main story mode cutscenes are notable for being longer than typical cutscenes up to this point, and feature largely still images with a small amount of animation to them, along with extensive narrations. They are as follows:

  • The first scene plays upon starting a new game. Kirby is enjoying a peaceful afternoon in Dream Land and is about to chow down on a slice of Strawberry Shortcake in an open field. Before he can eat it, though, his cake is stolen by a fast-moving figure (which can be seen to be a Waddle Dee on close examination). Kirby assumes that King Dedede is responsible, so he heads toward Castle Dedede to teach him a lesson.
  • The second scene plays after defeating King Dedede at the end of Prism Plains. In this scene, Kirby learns a little too late that King Dedede is not responsible for stealing his cake. The real thieves - the Squeaks - make an appearance shortly thereafter. King Dedede picks up Kirby and tosses him at the Squeaks, causing them all to tumble down a nearby pit into a cave leading into Nature Notch.
  • The third scene plays after defeating Daroach in Ice Island. In this scene, Kirby is about to wrestle away a treasure chest being kept by Daroach (which Kirby assumes has his cake inside). Suddenly, Meta Knight swoops in and takes the chest from both of them, flying through a sealed door leading to Secret Sea and closing the door behind him. To open the door, Kirby needs to have found the five Star Seals up to this point.
  • The fourth scene plays after defeating Meta Knight in Secret Sea. Kirby manages to get the chest back from Meta Knight, but then Daroach quickly steals it back again. He opens the chest and is enveloped in a dark mist and vanishes. Kirby is left to try and find him again by taking his Warp Star out into Gamble Galaxy.
  • The fifth scene plays after defeating Dark Nebula in Gamble Galaxy. After Kirby defeats this menace to the galaxy, the Squeaks promise to not make trouble in Dream Land anymore and go hunting for treasure elsewhere. Kirby is left to return home on his Warp Star, though he was not able to find his cake. The credits roll on this disappointing note.
  • The sixth and final scene plays after the credits have rolled. Kirby receives a gift some time later from the Squeaks which happens to be his missing shortcake slice. With this returned to him, Kirby is finally happy again at last, and doesn't hesitate to eat his snack.

Kirby's Epic Yarn / Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn[edit]

One of the incidental cutscenes from Kirby's Epic Yarn, where Kirby and Prince Fluff celebrate the completion of the third floor of Quilty Court

Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn have many long cutscenes (referred to as "flicks") which are not only fully narrated, but voiced (in many languages) as well. Details on these scenes can be found on the corresponding Theater section, and a full transcript of the English narrations can be found on the corresponding Narrator section.

In addition to these scenes, there are also a handful of dialogue interactions that happen between Kirby and his Quilty Court landlord Dom Woole, as Kirby helps him build up the apartment complex and invite more neighbors to move in. Lastly, there is a special animation for unlocking each stage excluding the first ones in each land, all of which are detailed on the Area Patch page.

Kirby Mass Attack[edit]

Kirby Mass Attack uses a similar style of cinematic movies as those seen in Kirby: Squeak Squad for all of its major story events, which are detailed on the corresponding Theater section. Aside from these, Kirby Mass Attack is notable for making heavy use of incidental in-stage cutscenes, frequently taking control away from the player in order to highlight enemies, objects, or other events in the stages. There are so many, in fact, that listing them all here would be an exhaustive and futile endeavor. Details on these events, where mention of them is useful, can instead be found on the appropriate stage pages for Kirby Mass Attack.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land / Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]

Following the example set from Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kirby's Return to Dream Land features pre-rendered cinematic cutscenes for all of its major story moments, though there are significantly fewer of them than there were in Kirby Super Star Ultra. This form of cinematic cutscene use would carry on as the standard for all future main-series Kirby games. These cutscenes would later be graphically updated for Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, though they appear to otherwise be identical in composition. Details on these scenes can be found in the corresponding Theater section.

For in-game interactions, the only ones of note are when Kirby is talking to Magolor in the Lor Starcutter (or interacting with characters in Merry Magoland in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe), and when introducing bosses in boss stages. One of the longer scenes involves a fake-out, where Kirby poses with the Lor Starcutter's lost mast at the end of Nutty Noon, only for it to be pulled away from him and swallowed up by Grand Doomer, who he then has to fight.

Special cutscenes also play whenever Kirby obtains a Super Ability, giving him some time to brandish his newfound power before the player can make use of it in the stage.

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition[edit]

Kirby posing with many other characters at the end of the New Challenge Stages credits sequence

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition has a distinct opening scene, where pixelated versions of Kirby, King Dedede, and Meta Knight appear in a blank white space and interact briefly before an up-to-date Warp Star falls into view. Kirby inhales this star, and upon swallowing, it, everyone assumes their modern (at the time) look. After appraising each other and themselves for a bit, (with King Dedede in particular noticing his increased girth), they see some Waddle Dees carrying Star Blocks and follow them, finding an arrangement of blocks shaped into a giant number '20' with Bandana Waddle Dee sitting on top. Kirby inhales all of these blocks including Bandana Waddle Dee, and then spits out both Bandana Waddle Dee and the title card in the form of a big medal. Kirby then motions to King Dedede to bat him into the medal to complete it, which he does. After this, the rest of the characters pose.

The sub-mode New Challenge Stages features two distinct cutscenes, one upon starting a new game, and another acting as the credits sequence. There is also a short opening sequence for the title screen of New Challenge Stages itself, where Kirby runs toward the screen while copies of him with various Copy Abilities appear behind him until they all pose together under the title card.

  • In the opening cutscene for the mode, Magolor appears inside his ship - the Lor Starcutter - and explains the scenario to the player after introducing himself.
  • The ending credits sequence plays after completing Magolor Race 3 for the first time. In it, Kirby walks along a long flat walkway as various backdrops from Kirby's Return to Dream Land cycle through. Along the way, several other characters pass by or follow him for a moment, most notably Magolor himself. At the very end of the sequence, Kirby meets a large group of other characters gathered together in one spot, and takes a central podium to pose with them.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

Hypernova Kirby inhaling Flowery Woods in a special scene near the end of Kirby: Triple Deluxe's Story Mode

Kirby: Triple Deluxe makes use of pre-rendered cinematic cutscenes for many of its main story moments, which are detailed in the corresponding Theater section. The remainder can be subdivided into two main categories: Hypernova sequences and boss-related scenes.

  • Hypernova sequences are special moments and animations that play when Kirby discovers the Miracle Fruit, gains the Hypernova ability, and uses his Hypernova Inhale on certain targets. The first two cases play out largely the same way every time, though each of the special Hypernova Inhale interactions are distinct. Notable examples include the very first use of the inhale (on a large tree in Kirby's way in Fine Fields - Stage 1), using it on the Magic Pipes in Endless Explosions - Stage 2, or inhaling particularly large opponents such as the Sectra Tank in Royal Road - Stage 3 and Flowery Woods in Royal Road - Stage 5. All of these events and some others take control momentarily away from the player so they can just watch the event unfold.
  • Kirby: Triple Deluxe goes a step beyond its predecessors in introducing most of its bosses by making use of special elaborate in-game cutscenes to introduce them. All of the ones leading up to Royal Road are summoned in some way or another by Taranza while trying to keep ahead of Kirby. While most of the rest after that are handled using cinematic cutscenes, one particular interaction happens in the middle of the battle with Flowered Sectonia, after defeating her first phase. Kirby can be seen celebrating when he is grabbed by a vine and ensnared. He cries for help, resulting in King Dedede and Taranza coming in to rescue him. King Dedede bats him out of the vine's grasp, and then Taranza tosses a Miracle Fruit towards them. King Dedede tosses Kirby at the fruit, granting him Hypernova one more time for the last phase of the fight.
  • Lastly, both of these categories come together for the final phase of the fight with Flowered Sectonia, which finishes with Kirby using Hypernova to inhale Flowered Sectonia's laser pulse and then her health bar, and finishing by releasing it back on her to destroy her.

Kirby Fighters Deluxe[edit]

Kirby Fighters Deluxe has no proper intro or ending cutscenes, since it lacks a proper Story Mode. Its credits sequence is also very basic, consisting only of a text crawl over an abstract background with pictures of various game scenarios. The only incidental scene of note is the special animation that plays when the Team Cannon is used during a battle, as this takes control away from all players for a moment to watch the attack unfold, similar to most Final Smashes from the Super Smash Bros. series.

Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe[edit]

As with the previous game, Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe has no proper intro and ending cutscenes, since it lacks a Story Mode. Its only real scenes take the form of the brief animation of King Dedede bouncing on drums before the title screen, and the two separate credits sequences. Both of these credits sequences are little more than scrolling backgrounds with King Dedede bouncing on by.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse[edit]

The opening scene for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is rendered using claymation, fitting in with the game's aesthetic.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse has only one cinematic pre-rendered cutscene, which is used upon starting a new game. This cutscene is notable in that it was made using actual claymation, as opposed to purely computer-generated imagery. In it, Kirby is enjoying a relaxing day in Dream Land, and starts rolling around after an apple he was about to eat rolls down a hill. Shortly after he bumps into Bandana Waddle Dee, a wormhole appears in the sky, and a beam of light shoots out of it, sucking the color and life away from everywhere it touches. Bandana Waddle Dee notices it and tries to warn Kirby, but is too late, and they are all left frozen still in a colorless world. Shortly after this, Elline emerges from the wormhole being chased by two Grab Hands. To save herself, she repaints Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee, who promptly jump in to save her and bat the Grab Hands away. From here, after getting acquainted, the three decide to travel through the wormhole to save Popstar.

While there are minor interactions in stages that briefly take control away from the player, the only other notable in-game cutscenes that happen occur in The Final Battle, when Kirby and Elline finally reach Claycia's fortress. Before the fight begins, Elline tries desperately to talk Claycia down, but gets batted away, and Kirby steps in to defend her. After Claycia is defeated, her blinder is knocked off and the spell over her broken. From there, she and Elline embrace and all seems well, but then the evil force possessing her - Dark Crafter - emerges from the blinders and flies off. To pursue him, Elline paints Kirby into the Kirby Rocket and sends him off. After Dark Crafter is defeated, one more cutscene plays out, where Kirby returns to Claycia and Elline, and the two of them agree to escort Kirby home by making him a Warp Star, and once they arrive (traveling through space as the credits play out), Claycia and Elline repaint Popstar and then make Kirby as many apples as he wants.

Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]

Susie showing Kirby the initial form of Dedede Clone in one of the in-game cutscenes for Kirby: Planet Robobot

Kirby: Planet Robobot has a wealth of cutscenes, though only two of them - the opening and the ending - are pre-rendered. The rest are handled using the in-game assets, though unlike Kirby: Triple Deluxe, all of them are given space in the Theater menu. Those cutscenes that are not pre-rendered tend to have a fair amount of dialogue to them, moreso than most main-series Kirby games up to this point. All of this dialogue is delivered by the principal antagonists of the game: Susie, President Haltmann, and Star Dream.

In addition to these scenes, there are as in Kirby: Triple Deluxe a handful of incidental cutscenes related to the special mechanic of the game (this time being the Robobot Armor) and a few boss interactions. However, these are generally toned down this time around, especially when comparing Hypernova to the Robobot Armor. The latter has a special activation cutscene, but unlike with Hypernova, it is only used three times during the Story Mode, instead of every time Kirby activates it.

The most notable boss interaction scenes involve the various phases of Star Dream's battle, though these are also present in the Theater menu.

The only cutscenes not listed within the Theater are mainly certain bosses after their defeat. These bosses include Star Dream, Dark Matter Clone, Sectonia Clone, Galacta Knight, and Star Dream Soul OS.

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe[edit]

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe has a handful of text crawls to explain its story, which play at various points in the game. These are all set against a storybook backdrop with the occasional illustration fading in and out. Details on these scenes can be found on the corresponding Narrator section.

There are also a handful of small boss interactions for some fights. The most notable are for Dark Taranza and King D-Mind. In the first of these, Dark Taranza calls forth the Black Mirror and summons King D-Mind from it, only for the enraged King to dispatch Dark Taranza using his hammer. In the second of these, after King D-Mind's Revenge is defeated, Team Kirby uses a magical spell to force him back into the Black Mirror and then shatter the mirror.

Kirby's Blowout Blast[edit]

Kirby's Blowout Blast has no distinct cutscenes, as it lacks a proper Story Mode. However, there are two distinct credits sequences which are similar in character to the one used in New Challenge Stages and the ones used in Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe, which finish with Kirby posing along with a bunch of the game's enemies and bosses. In addition, there are minor boss interactions that play during the game, particularly with King Dedede's various defeat animations.

Kirby Battle Royale[edit]

Still from the opening movie for Kirby Battle Royale, showing many Kirbys entering the arena

Kirby Battle Royale has two distinct pre-rendered cutscenes: one for the opening movie and one for the ending scene. The opening movie primarily features scenes of various Kirbys with different Copy Abilities storming into the Deluxe Coliseum and fighting for the prize cake, interspersed with gameplay footage in a similar manner to Kirby Air Ride's opening movie. The end scene happens after Dededestroyer Z is defeated, and has Kirby (for the only time in the game without an ability) walking with Bandana Waddle Dee out into the courtyard where all the gathered audience watch as the Waddle Dees bring Kirby his prize cake, and he subsequently jumps for joy and then jumps toward the cake.

The rest of the cutscenes in Kirby Battle Royale are handled using in-game assets, including the one that plays upon starting Dedede's Cake Royale. The first scene has Kirby sleeping under a tree, already equipped with the Sword ability. A flyer for King Dedede's new tournament lands on his face, waking him up. When he sees it, he gets excited and heads toward the castle where the tournament will be held. From there, all following scenes before the ending are handled while playing in the lobby areas and in certain other scenarios, and involve a heavy amount of dialogue. Most of this dialogue is between King Dedede and his soldiers or Bandana Waddle Dee talking to Kirby, though other characters have a fair amount to say as well. These scenes include those where King Dedede is having his minions operate the Kirby Printer, and when Kirby is battling Dededestroyer Z.

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

The end cutscene for Kirby Star Allies is dynamic in the sense that it will preserve whatever Copy Ability Kirby had during the final boss fight, as well as whichever Friends he had with him.

Kirby Star Allies features a handful of cutscenes, though slightly less than its immediate main-series predecessors. Notably, it has a separate opening animation highlighting the new Friend mechanic which features a theme very similar to the opening for Kirby Super Star, rendered on a unique comic pop artstyle. The opening scene to its Story Mode is the only one directly related to the story that is pre-rendered, with the rest being handled using in-game assets. The likely reason the ending scene isn't pre-rendered as well is because it preserves whichever Copy Ability Kirby had during the boss fight with Void Termina, as well as whichever Friends he had with him. Unlike with Kirby: Planet Robobot, other cutscenes in-between the opening and ending are not showcased in the Theater menu (with the exception of the scene in Green Gardens where Kirby makes his first Friend), though all four versions of the credits games are, despite technically not being cutscenes.

The remaining cutscenes that play during the Story Mode, Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!, and Heroes in Another Dimension all have to do with The Three Mage-Sisters, their leader Hyness, and Morpho Knight. These occur around these characters' respective boss battles, and most involve a fair amount of dialogue from the bosses in question before and after they engage the Star Allies. The game also makes use of incidental in-game cutscenes to highlight the use of certain Friend Abilities, though the frequency of which these appear can be adjusted in the game's options.

Super Kirby Clash[edit]

Much like with Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, Super Kirby Clash presents most of its story through storybook-like narration and illustrations.

Super Kirby Clash follows the lead of its predecessor Team Kirby Clash Deluxe by presenting almost all of its important story information in the form of still-frame cutscenes with occasional illustrations and text-based narration. The full transcript of this narration can be found on the corresponding Narrator section. The remaining story elements are told via character dialogue in the Village and from interactions during certain boss battles.

The most noteworthy in-game interactions that occur in Super Kirby Clash are between the principal villains of Parallel Nightmare and the Aeon Hero. When Parallel Nightmare is bested one last time by Super Team Kirby, he summons Aeon Hero through a rift through Another Dimension in order to try and get his revenge, though this backfires, as Parallel Nightmare is immediately dispatched by the ancient warrior he summoned. After Super Team Kirby's subsequent battles with Aeon Hero - particularly against Aeon Hero (Dark) - the hero gets sealed inside a giant crystal and is promptly sent back to the dimension from which he came.

Kirby Fighters 2[edit]

Unlike its predecessor Kirby Fighters Deluxe, Kirby Fighters 2 has a proper story mode with cutscenes, though these are handled the same way as in Super Kirby Clash, with text narration over static images. A full transcript can be found on the corresponding Narrator section. Aside from these, the only other cutscenes are boss interactions. The most notable of these are during the battles against King Dedede & Meta Knight, and later their masked equivalents. In the former, after being knocked down initially, King Dedede and Meta Knight get back on their feet and share two halves of a Maxim Tomato to recover their strength for a second go. In the latter, a similar situation plays out, though this time King Dedede reveals the Mask of Dark Bonds and has himself and Meta Knight equip them. This latter fight ends with Kirby and his buddy using the Buddy Star Blaster (an item that has a short cutscene like activation) to defeat their rivals one last time.

The credits sequences for Kirby Fighters 2 are also noteworthy in the sense that both pay specific homage to the endings of Revenge of Meta Knight and Revenge of the King in Kirby Super Star Ultra.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land[edit]

Kirby and the Forgotten Land makes heavy use of in-game cutscenes, especially around boss fights. This scene comes from the ending of the fight against the final hidden boss in this game's boss endurance mode, which does not typically have an extensive ending scene dedicated to it.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is filled with many cutscenes, including the most number of pre-rendered ones since Kirby Super Star Ultra, though only four in total and they are still vastly outnumbered by scenes rendered in-game. Most of these scenes are discussed in the corresponding Theater section. Very little of the game's main story is told without accompanying cutscenes, and the rest is picked up by dialogue between characters, primarily in Waddle Dee Town.

Notably, most of the rest of the game is handled without very many incidental cutscenes, making a departure from previous main-series titles. Aside from its introduction in Point of Arrival, the Mouthful Mode mechanic largely goes without incidental cutscenes, nor is any special cutscene attention given to Kirby's Evolved Copy Abilities. However, sometimes gameplay will be paused and the screen panned if necessary to show events happening in stages, such as a secret door opening after hitting a switch or a blueprint appearing.

The few cutscenes that are not included with the theater consist of bosses, most notably Phantom bosses. Other minor cutscenes include reaching the second phase of certain bosses, such as Forgo Dedede or Chaos Elfilis.

Kirby's Dream Buffet[edit]

Kirby's Dream Buffet only has one main pre-rendered cutscene, which is used for its opening. In it, Kirby finds a large strawberry-decorated cake on a table and prepares to dig in using a nearby fork, but the fork turns out to be the magical Dream Fork which shrinks him down almost immediately after he grabs it. Now the size of a pea, Kirby falls into the cake, soon becoming ecstatic over the idea of eating something so large. He is soon joined by other Kirbys his size, who proceed to race him up the cake by rolling around.

There are no real interactions in Kirby's Dream Buffet proper that can be considered cutscenes. The only other element that would count is the credits sequence, though it is fairly basic, consisting only of a text crawl on a background made up of various logos and symbols.

Gallery[edit]

Main article: Cutscene/gallery

References

  1. "You've unlocked the Theater, where you can rewatch the game's cinematic cutscenes!" --In-game notification from Kirby: Triple Deluxe