Kirby (novel series)

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Banner featuring the main characters of the Kirby novel series.

This article is about the Japanese novel series based on the Kirby series. For the character in the series, see Kirby (novel character). For other uses of Kirby, see Kirby (disambiguation).

“

When problems disturb the yawning peace of Dream Land, Kirby and his friends Waddle Dee, King Dedede, and Meta Knight will be there to stop them. Whether it's an original plot that can only be found in the novels, an adaptation of the popular games, or a side story starring characters like Meta Knight, you're sure to have fun reading it! So, grab some Copy Abilities and head out on an exciting adventure!

”

— Unofficial translation of the series description on the official novel website

Kirby is an ongoing series of light novels based upon the Kirby series, written by Mie Takase, illustrated by Tau and Poto Karino, and published by Kadokawa Tsubasa Bunko. The series was originally exclusive to Japan until the first volume was officially translated and published into French by Mana Books in 2022. Usually, two or three new volumes are published per year.

The books are intended for young adult readers, and as such, each volume usually consists of roughly two hundred pages, split into around ten chapters. A few dozen black-and-white illustrations are additionally used in each of the books to accompany specific scenes. The titles of volumes one through nine are officially localized in the Kirby Art & Style Collection book. Volumes after these are not, however, and have only been directly translated from the original Japanese titles unofficially.

Much like in the anime, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, the series takes place in its own unique canon that does not correlate with the games. It is much more accurate to the series overall compared to the anime series, however. Many volumes in the series take inspiration from the games by including characters, objects, and storylines from particular entries, though they do not solely take from the games, as many aspects are unique to the books just the same. Some installments take aspects from other media in the overall Kirby series, such as the real-world Kirby Café, and several merchandise series, using them as a base for more fleshed out plotlines. The series stars Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee as the main characters. Kirby stars as the protagonist in most volumes, while King Dedede and Meta Knight occasionally receive their own respective novels where they are the protagonist instead. Waddle Dee has yet to star in a volume as the protagonist.

Characters

Protagonists

Character	Description
Kirby	A pink puffball with the ability to wield Copy Abilities by inhaling certain creatures. He is very naïve and oftentimes becomes distracted by the thought of food, sometimes making it his priority even in dire situations. However, he will toughen up and stand up for his friends when necessary.
King Dedede	The self-proclaimed short tempered king of Dream Land. He is selfish and often treats his servant Waddle Dee harshly when upset. He also sees Kirby as his rival and does not take kindly to his presence. Deep down, he genuinely cares for the puffball, but rarely openly admits it.
Meta Knight	A mysterious caped swordsman who wears a mask at all times. He is respectful and skilled with his blade, but has a short temper which can easily be set off if he is humiliated in any way. Although his true motives are usually unknown, he will step up to help his friends when they need him.
Waddle Dee	A timid Waddle Dee prone to worry who is deeply loyal to King Dedede as his servant, despite the faulty treatment he receives in return. He is best friends with Kirby despite the rivalry between Dedede and the puffball. He often must switch between sides unknowingly to keep things from spiraling out of control. He is willing to help his friends when possible, and quick to finish a requested task. Starting with Kirby's Decisive Battle! Battle Royale!!, he gains a blue bandana, making him more analogous to Bandana Waddle Dee.

Guest & recurring side characters

Guest & recurring side characters in the Kirby novel series
Character	Exclusive to novels?	Appears in	Description
Active Blade		Kirby Meets the Squeak Squad!
Burning Leo		Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!, Kirby and the Big Panic in Gloomy Woods!	One of King Dedede's subordinates. Has a bad temper and is hard to control when he goes berserk.
Chef Kawasaki		Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!, Kirby and the Big Panic in Gloomy Woods!	A professional cook who owns the most popular restaurant in Dream Land.
Kerota, Keroji, and Kerolina		Kirby and the Big Panic in Gloomy Woods!	Three siblings who become determined to eat the tastiest fruits in the universe and seek to become notorious for their carefully crafted schemes.
Mrs. Parfaitski		Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!	A gourmet who moved to Dream Land and built a mansion heavily inspired by sweets. She is often selfish and extremely picky about what food she is served, prone to overreact when her expectations are not precisely met.
Woodkeeper		Kirby and the Big Panic in Gloomy Woods!	An old man claiming to be the guardian of the "Gloomy Woods" area within Dream Land. In reality, he is a fickle thief whose priority is to become rich.

• A "guest character" is considered to be a novel exclusive character, who usually only makes an appearance in a single volume and drives the plot forward in some significant way.
• A "recurring side character" is considered to be a character who usually is originally from the games, and appears at least twice over in the series, even if their role is insignificant.

Characters who deviate from these guidelines are considered minor characters, and are covered on this page.

Volumes

In total, there are currently over twenty volumes in the series. These are as follows:

List of volumes
#	Cover	Title	Publication date	Original story?	Notes
1		Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!	August 12th, 2013		This volume has sold over one million copies since its original publication, and is currently the only volume in the entire series to have been published outside of Japan after it was officially translated into French.
2		Kirby and the Big Panic in Gloomy Woods!	March 15th, 2014		Takes slight inspiration from Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
3		Kirby Meets the Squeak Squad!	August 15th, 2014		Takes inspiration from Kirby: Squeak Squad and Kirby Super Star—more specifically, Dyna Blade and The Great Cave Offensive.
4		Kirby: Meta Knight and the Puppet Princess	February 15th, 2015		This is the first volume in the series to star Meta Knight as the protagonist.
5		Kirby: Big Race in Pupupu Land!	August 15th, 2015		Takes inspiration from Kirby Air Ride and Kirby Super Star—more specifically, Gourmet Race.
6		Kirby's Labyrinth Rescue!	February 15th, 2016		Takes inspiration from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.
7		Kirby and the Great Planet Robobot Adventure!	July 15th, 2016		Takes inspiration from Kirby: Planet Robobot.
8		Kirby: Meta Knight and the Galaxy's Greatest Warrior	March 15th, 2017		Takes inspiration from Kirby Super Star Ultra—more specifically, Meta Knightmare Ultra.
9		Kirby Clash Team Unite!	August 15th, 2017		Takes inspiration from Team Kirby Clash—more prominently, Team Kirby Clash Deluxe.
10		Kirby's Decisive Battle! Battle Royale!!	March 15th, 2018		Takes inspiration from Kirby Battle Royale.
11		Kirby Star Allies: The Great Friend Adventure!	July 14th, 2018		Takes inspiration from Kirby Star Allies.
12		Kirby Star Allies: The Universe is in Trouble?!	August 15th, 2018		Takes inspiration from Kirby Star Allies.
13		Kirby: Big Trouble in Patch Land!	March 15th, 2019		Takes inspiration from Kirby's Epic Yarn / Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn.
14		Kirby: Save the Rainbow Islands!	July 15th, 2019		Takes inspiration from Kirby's Dream Land 2.
15		Kirby: Super Team Kirby's Big Battle!	December 13th, 2019		Takes inspiration from Super Kirby Clash.
16		Kirby and the Search for the Dreamy Gears!	March 14th, 2020		This is the first volume in the series to take inspiration from Kirby media that is not a game installment. Instead, it takes inspiration from the Kirby's Dreamy Gear merchandise series.
17	File:Kirby Meta Knight and the Knight of Hades Cover.jpg	Kirby: Meta Knight and the Knight of Hades	July 14th, 2020		Takes inspiration from Meta Knightmare Returns and Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!.
18		Kirby: Uproar at the Kirby Café?!	December 15th, 2020		Takes inspiration from the real-world Kirby Café.
19		Kirby Fighters: The Destined Rivals!!	March 12th, 2021		Takes inspiration from Kirby Fighters 2.
20		Kirby: King Dedede's Great Escape Mission!	July 14th, 2021		This is the first volume in the series to star King Dedede as the protagonist.
21		Kirby: The Mysterious Incident on the Pupupu Train?!	December 15th, 2021		Takes inspiration from the Kirby Pupupu Train merchandise series.
22		Kirby: Welcome to the Starlight Theater!	March 9th, 2022		Takes inspiration from the Starlight Theater merchandise series.
23		Kirby: Lor Starcutter and a Magician of Falsehood	April 27th, 2022		Takes inspiration from Kirby's Return to Dream Land. This volume was published on the day of Kirby's 30th anniversary, and commentary by Shinya Kumazaki is featured at the end of the book. The volume was also advertised early in the previous volume. This volume is not part of the Tsuabasa Bunko series and is instead published in a deluxe stand-alone format.

Upcoming volumes

The following are volumes in the series which have been announced to be published in the near future:

#	Cover	Title	Planned publication date	Original story?	Notes
24		Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Start Running to the New World!	August 8th, 2022		Takes inspiration from Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Gallery

• 

  Kirby JP Twitter post featuring the Channel PPP Crew, made to celebrate the first volume in the series having sold one million copies since its original publication

Video

Load video YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy ContinueDismiss Official Japanese video showcasing the series.

Load video YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy ContinueDismiss Official announcement video made for the French version of Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!.