Jump

This article is about one of Kirby's main moves. For the copy ability, see Hi-Jump. For the Sub-Game in Kirby's Dream Land 3, see Jumping. For the Sub-Game in [[Kirby: Canvas Curse|Template:KCC KPP]], see Dash! Jump!.

Artwork of Kirby jumping in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

A Jump refers to the action of forcefully leaving the ground and traveTemplate:Ling through the air for a short time before falling back down or initiating a Hover or another move. Jumping is an essential action for any platforming video game, and as such, is no stranger to the Kirby series.

Overview

When Kirby jumps, he makes a considerable distance off the ground, and is able to maintain his speed moving forward, or change direction mid-jump in order to avoid bottomless pits, climb cliffs, or get around other obstacles. In most titles, the height of Kirby's jump depends on how long the jump button is held. While in the air, attempting to jump again will typically result in Kirby puffing up and hovering, which will allow him to stay in the air and move higher, albeit more slowly. When Kirby jumps, his momentum can sometimes be used as a weapon, as he Headbutts enemies directly above him.

Some Copy Abilities can enhance Kirby's jump, most notably the Hi-Jump ability, which in more recent iterations also allows Kirby to jump in mid-air. With most other abilities, jumping is a necessary prerequisite in order to perform certain aerial moves.

Aside from Kirby, many playable characters and enemies are also capable of jumping, with some able to jump quite a bit higher than the pink puffball. One of the most famous examples of this is King Dedede's Super Dedede Jump, which can send him rocketing all the way to the top of the screen, then back down. Additionally, nearly all playable characters who cannot fly or hover make use of a technique called Infinity Jump in order to move through the air. This technique is arguably more effective than Kirby's hover in many instances, because it allows the user to act out of "flying" immediately with most of their attacks, rather than having to let out an Air Bullet first. Lastly, there is a technique in most games featuring multiplayer called Space Jump that allows characters to immediately teleport back to the position of player 1, but despite the name, this technique is not really a jump.

Jump variants

Fighter Kirby's Rising Break attack allows him to gain significant height without using his regular jump.

Aside from Kirby's standard jump (and those of most other characters), the following are more notable examples related to jumping:

The Hi-Jump ability, as mentioned above, revolves centrally around the concept of jumping extra high and allowing Kirby to defeat enemies and break blocks while jumping. In [[Kirby's Return to Dream Land|Template:KRtDL KAW]], this ability was reworked, making it feel more like soaring upwards and downwards like a rocket rather than jumping.
Several other Copy Abilities have attacks that involve jumping to varying extents, and can be used to gain height in lieu of actually using a regular jump. This includes moves like Wrestler's "Flying Grab" and "Meteor Plancha" attacks, several Circus attacks (most notably "Trampoline"), Fighter's "Rising Break" attack, and Staff's "Pole Vault" technique, among others.
The Metal Copy Ability is the only one which inhibits Kirby's standard jump, while other abilities - like UFO, Cupid, and Ball - remove it entirely.
Both Rick and the Stomper Boot are unable to jump in midair, but they do possess the ability to jump off the heads of enemies to gain additional height without incurring damage to the user.
In the Kirby Fighters games, the Dash Shoes effect increases jump height in addition to attack speed.
In Dedede's Drum Dash and Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe, King Dedede's bounce height off the drums varies depending on how many times the A button was pressed in succession on each landing. Each jump type has a name in the latter game: called "normal jump", "High Jump", and "Super Jump" in ascending order of height.

Trivia

Kirby's jumps are measured by multiples of his own height. In [[Kirby Super Star|Template:KSS KFP]], this was fixed at 3.2 'Kirbys' high, but in more recent titles, Kirby can jump as high as 4.3 Kirbys.
Kirby is not able to jump in all his adventures. Examples include all of the touch-based Kirby titles, where the DS or Wii U stylus are necessary to get Kirby moving, and most of the ball-based Kirby titles, where Kirby can only roll around and needs external assistance to gain any height.
In [[Kirby Super Star|Template:KSS KFP]] and Template:KSSU, Kirby and his Helper can jump off each-others' heads to gain additional height.