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Shadow Kirby

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Shadow Kirby
File:KF2 Shadow Kirby Official Art.png
Artwork of Shadow Kirby from Kirby Fighters 2
Details
First appearance Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (2004)
Latest appearance Kirby Fighters 2 (2020)
Other appearance(s) Kirby: Triple Deluxe (Kirby Fighters)
Kirby Fighters Deluxe
Cameo appearances [[Kirby: Squeak Squad|Template:KSS KMA]]
Kirby Star Allies
Super Kirby Clash
Similar Kirby
Theme music

Shadow Kirby's pre-battle jingle in later rounds of Kirby Fighters 2

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This naughty shadow was said to have been born from the mirror reflecting Kirby's innocently pure soul. He has all the powers of the real Kirby and uses his mirror-copying technique to thwart you!
— Kirby Fighters 2, Shadow Kirby Special Page, Story Mode: The Destined Rivals Chapter 4

Shadow Kirby (also referred to as Mirror-world Kirby[1]) is a naughty dark mirror image of Kirby who first appeared in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. Shadow Kirby is the guardian of the Mirror World, and in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is initially taken to be an enemy. He appears in various places where he will either help or attack Kirby based on the latter's actions, and tosses the pink hero the Master sword during the final battle with Dark Mind if he does not already have it.

Shadow Kirby is also the final opponent of the Kirby: Triple Deluxe Sub-Game Kirby Fighters, where he battles Kirby using his own Copy Ability. He later appears as a playable character in Kirby Fighters Deluxe and a boss in Kirby Fighters 2.

Characteristics

Shadow Kirby appears to have all of the same attributes as Kirby, save for his skin and feet colTemplate:Or, which is murky gray in most of his appearances. While in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, his eyes also resembled those of Kirby's, they were changed to featureless white in the Kirby Fighters games, along with the inside of his mouth. In the original Kirby Fighters and Kirby Fighters Deluxe, Shadow Kirby is purple rather than gray, and he is given a shimmering, nebulous appearance that carries over to Kirby Fighters 2.

Shadow Kirby was born by the Dimension Mirror reflecting Kirby's innocent soul, and thus appears to have all of the same powers as Kirby. However, unlike Kirby's brave and courteous nature, Shadow Kirby appears to be more cowardly and mischievous; he views his battles with Kirby as mere pranks, and instead of fighting Dark Mind directly, he just gives the Kirbys a 1-Up or the Master Ability. Despite this, he is evidently just as powerful and formidable as Kirby, and makes a nuisance of himself when battling the pink puffball in the Kirby Fighters games. Even with their conflict, Shadow Kirby is considered to be generally heroic, and he guards the Mirror World just the same as Kirby protects Dream Land.

Game appearances

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

File:Rainbow Route Warp.png
Kirby runs into Shadow Kirby in Rainbow Route.
Now, at last, peace will return to the mirror world... But they remain on guard... After all, who knows when another evil might arise? Don't worry, though... Mirror-world Kirby will be there to keep them all safe!
— The narrator in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

In Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Shadow Kirby is first seen in the cut-scene where Dark Meta Knight banishes Meta Knight through the Great Dimension Mirror, then shatters the pieces of the mirror, scattering them to the far winds. After Dark Meta Knight leaves the scene, Shadow Kirby appears from off-screen, then follows him through the door.

File:KATAM Shadow Kirby jingle.mp3
The jingle that plays when Shadow Kirby appears.

From there, Shadow Kirby can be encountered in various places throughout the world. When he appears, it is usually from behind a wall, as a sinister music cue kicks in. Shadow Kirby comes with 4 HP and can be easily defeated. In his first appearance in Rainbow Route, he is not actually hostile, and will merely walk into position, then look at Kirby. However in later ones, he will try to attack Kirby with a Copy Ability. If Kirby attacks Shadow Kirby, he will leave behind a present before being "dispatched", either an Invincibility Candy, Maxim Tomato or 1-Up. However, he will not leave a present if Kirby inhales him or does nothing. It is unclear why Shadow Kirby will only leave a present after being attacked. It is also unclear how he survives being inhaled and swallowed by Kirby.

Shadow Kirby gives a Copy Ability or none when swallowed in different areas.

During the final fight with Dark Mind, Shadow Kirby appears to give Kirby another 1-Up (or the Master sword if Kirby doesn't already have it), this time making it clear that he is an ally. He appears again after the credits roll on a Warp Star to see the other Kirbys off back to their own dimension.

Template:KSS KMA

In [[Kirby: Squeak Squad|Template:KSS KMA]], while Shadow Kirby himself does not appear, Kirby can take on his likeness using the Shadow Spray Paint.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Shadow Kirby appearing as the final opponent in Kirby Fighters

Shadow Kirby is the final opponent in the single player mode of Kirby Fighters in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. He always has the same ability as Kirby, and is fought in the Another Dimension stage. In this appearance, he has a more purple hue, and his skin texture suggests he is made of magical energy. When he is defeated, he rises into the air and is dispersed. In a Miiverse post, Shinya Kumazaki revealed that Shadow Kirby uses the same Copy Ability as Kirby to emphasize the idea that "your worst enemy is yourself".

He also cameos in the front row of the cheering audience in the short Kirby Master video, which is obtained upon 100% completion of the game.

Kirby Fighters Deluxe

In Kirby Fighters Deluxe, Shadow Kirby can be unlocked as an [[Color Changes|alternate colTemplate:Or choice for Kirby]] once the game is completed on Very Hard difficulty. Unlike in the original Kirby Fighters, Shadow Kirby is never battled as a boss.

Kirby Star Allies

Shadow Kirby makes some cameo appearances in Kirby Star Allies.

  • From Version 3.0.0 onward, a stone plate of Shadow Kirby and Dark Meta Knight's official art from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror appears before the Meta Knight battle in the Sacred Square stage of Kirby Star Allies.
  • From Version 4.0.0 onward, after clearing Story Mode, Shadow Kirby on a Warp Star may fly over the Jambastion level map on occasion. In an official Twitter post covering this cameo, Zan Partizanne mistakes Shadow Kirby for a shooting star, and she wishes that Hyness could remember her name.[2]

Additionally, according to Shinya Kumazaki, Shadow Kirby was considered as a Dream Friend for Kirby Star Allies, along with other characters such as Drawcia, Elline and Galacta Knight, but ultimately wasn't chosen due to a rule that was established soon after, which only permitted one character per main series title, and Dark Meta Knight was chosen as Kirby & The Amazing Mirror's representative instead.[3]

Super Kirby Clash

Shadow Kirby cameos as a sticker, using his official artwork from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. His sticker comes with the caption "Bye." and plays a Door entering sound when used.

Kirby Fighters 2

Spoilers! Notice: Stop right there, stubby little pink thing!
Spoilers abound! If you do not wish to read them, skip ahead to the next heading or find a different article.
Shadow Kirby's splash screen in Single-Handed Mode
Like Kirby's own shade, Shadow Kirby appears out of nowhere and vanishes again. This naughty shadow rejoins the battle after a long absence! Difficult though it may be, you must defeat this copycat!
— Kirby Fighters 2, Shadow Kirby Special Page, Single-Handed Mode

In Kirby Fighters 2, Shadow Kirby is fought three times at the Decisive Battlefield in Story Mode: The Destined Rivals, and is the final battle of Single-Handed Mode. He does not always have the same copy ability as the chosen character; in his first encounter on Floor 25 in the Final Chapter, he instead mimics the ability of Kirby's buddy. The first time he is fought in Story Mode and when fought on Easy, Normal and Hard in Single-Handed Mode, a remix of "Taranza, the Master of Puppetry" titled 参戦!シャドーカービィ (Enter the Battle! Shadow Kirby) plays, while in later Story Mode battles and on Very Hard difficulty in Single-Handed Mode, a Kirby & The Amazing Mirror medley titled 決戦!やんちゃマインドを超えてゆけ (Decisive Battle! Overcome the Naughty Mind) plays. Both of these remixes were arranged by Yuki Shimooka.[4]

Notably, due to there being additional non-Kirby characters in this game, Shadow Kirby cannot mimic them exactly. Instead, he chooses the most similar ability to the character in question, as follows:

Quotes

Miscellaneous pause and loading captions about Shadow Kirby in Kirby Fighters 2  

"A naughty shadow has appeared. You suspect it was born from the mirror version of Kirby's innocent soul!" --Kirby Fighters 2, "Shadow Kirby Appears" loading screen description, before facing him off in chapter 4 of Story Mode
"Kirby's shadow is back for more! This stubby gray ball seems to think he's pulling a little prank, but he's way too powerful for that!" --Kirby Fighters 2, Shadow Kirby Special Page, Story Mode Final Chapter
"The mightiest Shadow Kirby yet is back for another round! His devastating power suggests he is a guardian of the Mirror World, found far beyond the sky." --Kirby Fighters 2, Shadow Kirby Special Page, Story Mode Final Chapter

Trivia

  • Shadow Kirby's official art from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is just a monochrome, reversed image of Kirby entering a door from the manuals of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. Thus, Shadow Kirby's face cannot be seen in his official art.
  • The relationship between Shadow Kirby from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and the one from the Kirby Fighters games was unclear at first, and it appeared they were separate entities with the same name, particularly since the original Kirby Fighters Shadow Kirby was purple rather than gray. However, several hints in Kirby Fighters 2 (such as Shadow Kirby having his color changed to gray, his pause screen descriptions mentioning the Mirror World, and his theme song being a medley of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror music) suggested they were meant to be the same being. This would later be explicitly confirmed when the Kirby JP Twitter released a Dedede Directory on Shadow Kirby which used images from both Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and the Kirby Fighters games.
    • The discrepancies with Shadow Kirby's appearances between Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and Kirby Fighters are unexplained, however, and are made more unclear by Kirby Star Allies using the original design rather than the updated Kirby Fighters design.
  • In Kirby Fighters, if there is an item (such as Food) under Shadow Kirby when he is defeated, the item will rise and explode with him.
  • For Black Friday in 2020, Shadow Kirby was given his own line of merchandise with the Japanese fashion company AEON, titled "AEON BLACK FRIDAY KIRBY". The line includes a bag, a pouch, and a plush toy, all made out of tweed.[5]

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese シャドーカービィ
Shadō Kābii
Shadow Kirby
Chinese 暗影卡比
Ànyǐng kǎ bǐ
Dark Shadow Kirby
French Kirby Ombre Shadow Kirby
German Shadow-Kirby Shadow-Kirby
Italian Kirby Ombra Shadow Kirby
Spanish Kirby Oscuro Dark Kirby


See also

References

  1. "Mirror-world Kirby will be there to keep them all safe!" - Ending sequence of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
  2. Kirby JP Twitter post on Jan 25, 2019
  3. "There were other characters that we wanted to make special guest appearances, like Drawcia, Elline, Shadow Kirby, Galacta Knight, and so on. But we established a certain rule for our selection process. The rule was to select one character from each title in the main action games over the years, the so-called core Kirby games, the equivalent to numbered sequels." –Shinya Kumazaki (Kotaku interview)
  4. 4th blog post about Kirby Fighters 2, HAL Laboratory site
  5. Kirby JP Twitter post on November 19, 2020

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