Morpho Knight
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“ | On the day of judgment, this fluttery fiend will fly into action. Brought into existence by "the greatest warrior in the galaxy" and reborn as a knight of doom through years of adversity—now begins an epic battle with a pure being twisted by a dark past. | ” | — VS Morpho Knight |
Morpho Knight is a surprise boss who first appeared in Kirby Star Allies at the end of Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!. It is also called the Reborn Butterfly. In Guest Star The Three Mage-Sisters and The Ultimate Choice's Soul Melter EX difficulty, it has a stronger form, called Morpho Knight EX (Dark-winged Disaster), who is fought instead. Morpho Knight is a masked swordsman created as a result of the Butterfly fusing with Galacta Knight. Like Galacta Knight (and Meta Knight), it has a Kirby-like body shape, but its body is completely black with white eyes and pauldrons, and yellow gloves and boots. Despite having gloves and shoulder pads, it has no visible arms, similar to Sir Kibble and Blade Knight. Its red mask and wings have a butterfly motif to them. It also carries a serrated red sword, which it can split in two or enlarge when necessary. Morpho Knight primarily utilizes fire as its element of choice in combat.
In the Japanese and the Chinese versions of Kirby Star Allies, its flavor text describes that it is brought into existence by resonating with the pleas for life from the underworld.[1] What happens to Galacta Knight after their fusion is unknown.
“ | Come judgement day, this fluttery fiend will fly into action. Will it land in a dream world, or a nightmare? It has mastered its new abilities, now all will witness its true power! | ” | — VS Morpho Knight EX |
As Morpho Knight EX, the power Morpho Knight received from Galacta Knight has grown and fully become its own, which is only mentioned in the Japanese and the Chinese versions.[2] Morpho Knight EX has a much darker colTemplate:Our scheme compared to its original form, and its eyes are red rather than white.
Boss Battle
Morpho Knight appears in the following game modes:
Form | Mode | Level | HP (Star Bullet=52) |
Notes |
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Morpho Knight | Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! (all but The Three Mage-Sisters) |
Level 5 | 1380 | It appears as the final boss. |
The Ultimate Choice | Fiery Showdown Infernal Crisis Soul Melter |
920 | In Fiery Showdown, it appears in the final battle. In Infernal Crisis and Soul Melter, it appears in the 12th battle, right after Hyness is beaten and before Void Termina is fought. | |
Morpho Knight EX | Guest Star The Three Mage-Sisters | Level 5 | 2070 | It appears as the final boss. |
The Ultimate Choice | Soul Melter EX | 1380 | It appears in the 13th battle, after The Three Mage-Sisters are beaten and before Void Termina is fought. |
Morpho Knight fights very similarly to Meta Knight in Kirby Star Allies and Galacta Knight from previous titles. Its main repertoire includes sword slashes, guards, teleporting, and flying maneuvers. Morpho Knight's attacks can also release butterfly-shaped waves of fire, which can be difficult to dodge.
Similar to the Meta Knight boss battle in Star Allies, Morpho Knight's sword-based attacks can be interrupted by the Sword ability (including Friends like Blade Knight, Meta Knight, and Dark Meta Knight), which creates a sword clashing effect and stuns it for a while, enabling its other opponents to strike its vulnerable backside.
When its Stamina falls below 60%, Morpho Knight enters its second phase, taking 1/5 damage during phase shifting. Now, the boss can split its sword in two, and use a wider variety of upscaled attacks which cover a large portion of the screen. It can also hypnotize Friends with sound waves, turning them against Kirby and other allies, though their heroic personality is recoverable.
When Morpho Knight is defeated, it gracefully disintegrates into a cloud of red butterflies and vanishes.
The following lists all of Morpho Knight's attacks. Attacks in red are used during the second phase only.
Morpho Knight's Attacks in Kirby Star Allies | |
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Attack | Description |
Teleport | Morpho Knight may teleport at any time.
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Backhand Slash | Morpho Knight performs a backhand slash. |
Backhand Slash - Triple Slash | Morpho Knight performs a backhand slash followed by Triple Slash. |
Hyper Rush - Crescent Shot | Morpho Knight performs a multithrust and then fires a crescent-shaped energy wave.
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Triple Crescent Shot | Morpho Knight fires 3 Crescent Shots in a row. |
Aerial Crescent Shot | Morpho Knight jumps and fires 2 Crescent Shots at the same time.
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Glide Sword | Morpho Knight glides while thrusting its sword, similar to Meta Knight's same attack as a boss. |
Down Thrust | Morpho Knight jumps and thrusts down its sword, leaving two stars on impact. |
Tornado | Morpho Knight requires charging to use this attack, similar to Meta Knight's same attack as a boss.
After releasing its charge, Morpho Knight stabs its sword into the ground to summon giant red tornado(es) that travel across the stage.
If the allies are hit by the tornado, they will be thrown into the air and take damage when crashing onto the ground. |
Upper Calibur | Morpho Knight requires charging to use this attack.
After releasing its charge, Morpho Knight dashes and performs an upper slash. (It may teleport before dashing.)
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極楽冥獣[3] Sukhavati Underworld Beast |
Morpho Knight requires charging to use this attack.
After releasing its charge, Morpho Knight summons red, butterfly-shaped ghosts that travel slowly in various patterns. This leaves three stars in front of it. |
極楽鱗波[3] Sukhavati Scale Wave |
Morpho Knight releases sound waves with its wings. Each sound wave drop two stars.
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極楽冥王斬閃[3] Sukhavati Underworld-King Slash Flash |
Morpho Knight always begins with this attack in the second phase.
He teleports to the center of the stage and splits its sword into two. It takes 0.4× damage when splitting its swords.
Every slash leaves four stars on impact. The area directly underneath Morpho Knight is a safe zone where its sword's slashes cannot hit allies.
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Knight Spin | Morpho Knight can only use this as Morpho Knight EX.
Morpho Knight EX performs a vertical spinnning slash while jumping. |
Counter | Morpho Knight can only use this as Morpho Knight EX.
Morpho Knight EX enters a counter pose, like Meta Knight's Galactic Counter.
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Sukhavati (極楽), or the Western Paradise, refers to the western pure land of Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism. |
Music
Morpho Knight is unique in that its battle music can change depending on its opponent.
Morpho Knight's Theme
Morpho Knight's Theme is composed by Hirokazu Ando and can be found as Track 173 in Kirby Star Allies Jukebox as of Version 4.0.0. It is titled 審判の夢見鳥:バルフレイナイト[4] (Butterfly of Judgement: Morpho Knight) in the Original Soundtrack. This track plays when all characters who are not Dream Friends fight Morpho Knight; prior to Version 4.0.0, the theme was also used when King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Bandana Waddle Dee fought it.
This track features keyboard, piano and notable use of bass guitar. Morpho Knight's Theme resembles "Vs. Meta Knight" from Kirby Super Star in some manner but they have different melodies and time signature (Morpho Knight: 4/4; Meta Knight: 5/8).
Dream Friend music change
During Morpho Knight battle in Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! and Soul Melter (EX) difficulty of The Ultimate Choice, if 1P is a Dream Friend, The Divine Terminus stage, in which Morpho Knight is fought, will feature a different background (Morpho Knight EX's background will always change to the Version 4.0.0. one even if 1P is not a Dream Friend), and Morpho Knight's theme will be replaced by new music remixes (the music change only happens in The Ultimate Choice if 1P is a Dream Friend that has completed Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! at least once).
- If 1P is a Dream Friend from the Wave 2 update, the center of the floor reflects Hyper Zone from Kirby's Dream Land 3 where Dark Matter and Zero are fought.
- If 1P is a Dream Friend from the Wave 3 update, the center of the floor reflects Dark Star from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards where 0² is fought.
- If 1P is a Dream Friend from the Wave 4 update, the center of the floor reflects Another Dimension.
Dream Friend Tracks for Morpho Knight Battle (Version 4.0.0) | |||||
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1P Dream Friend | Jukebox Track No. | Official Title[4] | Arrangement | From | Arranged by |
King Dedede Meta Knight Bandana Waddle Dee |
174 | ナイトメアーズバトル Nightmares Battle |
Vs. Nightmare (Wizard Form) This did not appear until Update 4.0.0. | Kirby's Adventure | Jun Ishikawa |
Rick & Kine & Coo | 175 | ダーククラウディ Dark Cloudy |
Medley: | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | Hirokazu Ando |
Marx | 176 | VS. マルク/スターアライズ ドリーム ver. Vs. Marx / Star Allies Dream ver. |
Vs. Marx (Meddlesome Marx) | Kirby Super Star | Jun Ishikawa |
Gooey | 177 | ダークマター イン ザ ハイパーゾーン Dark Matter in the Hyper Zone |
Vs. Dark Matter (Hyper Zone 1) | Kirby's Dream Land 3 | Hirokazu Ando |
Adeleine & Ribbon | 178 | おとめたちのやみとのたたかい Maidens' Battle With Darkness |
Medley: | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards | Hirokazu Ando |
Dark Meta Knight | 179 | ダークミラージュ Dark Mirage |
Medley:
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Kirby & The Amazing Mirror | Yuuta Ogasawara |
Daroach | 180 | 真!ドロッチェ団のテーマ True! Squeak Squad Theme |
Squeak Squad Appears! / Squeak Squad Theme | Kirby: Squeak Squad | Jun Ishikawa |
Magolor | 181 | 覇王戴冠 ~OVERLORD~ Crowning of the King ~OVERLORD~ |
Medley:
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Kirby's Return to Dream Land | Hirokazu Ando |
Taranza | 182 | 月魄のファントム Phantom of the Moon's Spirit |
Medley: | Kirby: Triple Deluxe | Hirokazu Ando |
Susie | 183 | 幼き日に視たデウス・エクス・マキナ Deus ex machina Seen in Childhood |
Medley: | Kirby: Planet Robobot | Hirokazu Ando |
The Three Mage-Sisters | 195 | 三叉一閃の巫の熱情 Passion of the Tridental-Flashing Mages |
Vs. The Three Mage-Sisters (Second Phase; original track)
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Kirby Star Allies | Hirokazu Ando |
Track title translations are conjectural. |
Etymology
Where Morpho Knight got its name from is unknown. "Morpho" means "changed" or "modified," referencing to how the butterfly transforms into Morpho Knight upon making contact with Galacta Knight. Morpho is also genus of tropical butterflies, although most appear in a blue color instead of Morpho Knight's orange; some, however, such as the Morpho hecuba, do appear in an orange color. However, it should be noted that Morpho butterflies have ocelli (eye spots), which Morpho Knight's butterfly form lacks, and Morpho butterfly wings don't have tails, unlike Morpho Knight's.
Trivia
- Morpho Knight was originally a boss for the cancelled title Kirby GCN.[5] Its concept art can be found on Meta Knight's page in the booklet from Kirby's Dream Collection.
- In its original design for Kirby GCN, Morpho Knight wields a straight sword.
- Morpho Knight's sword in Kirby Star Allies combines the motifs of butterfly wings (the guard, with an eye on it) and the phoenix (the blade, which looks like a bird feather). Several of its unused designs have the guard part featuring the Master Crown.[6]
- Given this connection to Meta Knight, Morpho Knight's English name can be seen as a pun, as both names fit into the word 'meta-morpho-sis' and follow each other.
- Morpho Knight's infernal filename is called "Bknight" (B comes from the first letter of its Japanese name) or "SecretHades".
- Morpho Knight's dual sword attack shares the last two kanji of Galacta Knight's "dimensional rift laser" attack from Kirby: Planet Robobot.
- Galacta Knight: 時界大斬閃 Time-Border Great Slash Flash
- Morpho Knight: 極楽冥王斬閃 Sukhavati Underworld-King Slash Flash
- Morpho Knight is one of the few bosses in the Kirby series that can convert Kirby's allies into enemies during the battle. The others are Void Termina's Final Core (Phase 4) and Void Soul.
- If Guest Star The Three Mage-Sisters is not unlocked (through achieving the happy ending of Heroes in Another Dimension), Morpho Knight EX will be first encountered in Soul Melter EX of The Ultimate Choice instead.
- Morpho Knight EX's Japanese caption, 災来する黒き極蝶, can be literally translated as "Disaster Bringer Black Butterfly Returns" (災来 being a pun of 災 disaster and 再来 return). This format is shared by Francisca, Flamberge and Zan Partizanne in their Story Mode 2nd battle captions, in which 災来する— (lit. "Disaster Bringer XXX Returns" is localized as "Bringer of XXX" in the English version.
- Morpho Knight EX's splash screen cannot be skipped in Soul Melter EX of The Ultimate Choice.
Gallery
- Morpho Knight Intro.jpg
A butterfly approaches Galacta Knight, intent on absorbing him.
- Morpho Knight Fight.jpg
A still from the battle with Morpho Knight.
- Morpho Knight EX Splash.jpg
Splash card of Morpho Knight EX.
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning |
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Japanese | バルフレイナイト バルフレイナイトEX Barufurei Naito |
Derived from English words:
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Traditional Chinese | 冥蝶騎士 冥蝶騎士EX míng dié qí shì |
Underworld Butterfly Knight |
Simplified Chinese | 冥蝶骑士 冥蝶骑士EX míng dié qí shì | |
Dutch | Morpho Knight Morpho Knight+ |
– |
French | Morpho Knight Morpho Knight EX |
– |
German | Morpho-Knight Morpho-Knight X |
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Italian | Morpho Knight Morpho Knight X |
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Spanish | Morpho Knight Morpho Knight+ |
– |
References
- ↑ "銀河最強と言われる 白き騎士が もたらした、長年の 生命のさけびに 共めいし、黄泉からの騎士となって こうりんする。" –VS Morpho Knight (Japanese version)
- ↑ "白き騎士から 受けついだ パワーを 日々ぞうふくさせ、ついに その力を わがものにする。" –VS Morpho Knight EX (Japanese version)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 星のカービィ スターアライズ かんぺきサポートガイド (Kirby Star Allies Perfect Support Guide) (Famitsu), p.91
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kirby Star Allies: The Original Soundtrack
- ↑ "バルフレイナイトのデザインについては、実はゲームキューブ版の王道『カービィ』を考えていた時に敵の新型ナイトボスとして作られていたデザインなのですよ。" –Shinya Kumazaki (Nintendo DREAM July 2018 Issue )
- ↑ Nintendo Switch News Channel - Kirby Star Allies Channel #23