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Star Bullet

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KNiDL Spit Star artwork.png
Kirby launches a Star Bullet.
(Artwork from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land)

A Star Bullet (otherwise known as a Spit Star, Spitting Star, Exhaled Star or just Star in shorthand) is a glowing star-shaped projectile that Kirby can spit out after inhaling an enemy or object (notably the Drop Star left by bosses). It is his primary method of attacking at range, and deals a considerable amount of damage to anything vulnerable to it.

Overview

To launch a star bullet, Kirby must first inhale something. Instead of swallowing, the player must then press the same button used to inhale to make Kirby spit the object back out as a star. It will travel at significant speed in a straight direction until it hits something, upon which it will shatter, pass through, or be deflected, based on the power of the star, and the nature of the thing it hits.

Star bullets are capable of dealing a considerable amount of damage, more so in many cases than most Copy Ability attacks, but naturally, using them requires Kirby to inhale something first. Anything that can be inhaled can be used as a star projectile, even Kirby's friends in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby Star Allies. The trajectory of the star can be influenced by some environmental hazards or by hitting enemies at a certain angle, though this is a rare occurrence. Star bullets are also useful for clearing away blockades and hitting switches at a distance.

Blaster Bullet

KBBl Blaster Bullet artwork.png
Kirby launches a Blaster Bullet.
(Artwork from Kirby's Blowout Blast)

Starting from Kirby's Adventure, Kirby can swallow multiple objects at once to create a more powerful star that can pass through enemies as it hits them. This is referred to officially as 貫通かんつう 星型弾ほしがただん ("Piercing Star Bullet") in Japanese or a Blaster Bullet in English as described in Kirby's Blowout Blast.

Prior to Kirby: Squeak Squad, the Blaster Bullet remains the same if Kirby inhales more than 2 objects. From Kirby: Squeak Squad onward, inhaling 3 or more objects makes the bullet even bigger and stronger, which is officially referred to as ビッグ貫通かんつう星型弾ほしがただん ("Big Piercing Star Bullet") in Japanese.

Dash Damage Boost

Kirby Super Star introduced a game mechanic that a Star Bullet can do more damage if Kirby launches it while dashing. This has been featured in main series games since Kirby's Return to Dream Land, but is absent in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Damage Value

The following table lists the damage value of the Star Bullet and its variations in some Kirby games. Notably, Kirby Super Star, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot and Kirby Star Allies have the same damage system. The Star Bullet's power is increased in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, possibly to match the Powered Up ability stats, and the amount of inhaled objects required to reach the maximum damage output is much lower. However, its overall damage system is largely similar to the aforementioned titles.

Star Bullet damage in the Kirby series  
Game Star Bullet Star Bullet (dash) Blaster Bullet Blaster Bullet (dash)
10 No 25 No
10 No 20 No
52 60 60 70
32 No 64 No
1 No 2 No
40 No 2 objects: 50
3+ objects: 60
No
52 60 2 objects: 60
3 objects: 65
4 objects: 69
5 objects: 73
6 objects: 77
7 objects: 81
8 objects: 85
9 objects: 89
10 objects: 93
11 objects: 97
12+ objects: 100
2 objects: 65
3 objects: 70
4 objects: 74
5 objects: 78
6 objects: 82
7 objects: 86
8 objects: 90
9 objects: 94
10 objects: 98
11 objects: 102
12+ objects: 105
80 No 2 objects: 120
3 objects: 190
4+ objects: 300
No

Game appearances

Kirby series

Star Bullets were first introduced in Kirby's Dream Land, where they were Kirby's only method of defeating most bosses. Since then, they have remained mostly unchanged throughout the Kirby series.

A few exceptions include:

  • Some legendary items can fire Star Bullets too, such as the Star Rod and the Triple Star Cane.
  • In Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, Wheelie Rider can fire Star Shots in 2-player gameplay only. They are smaller in size and closer in range, but can be fired in 8 cardinal directions.
  • In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Star Bullets have the color of the Copy Ability yielded by the swallowed object, instead of the traditional yellow. Additionally, if Kirby inhales an enemy and then immediately spits it back out, he will spit that enemy as a projectile instead of a star like in the other games.
  • In Kirby Air Ride, Star Bullets have slight homing properties.
  • In Kirby: Squeak Squad, Blaster Bullets formed by 3 or more stars can also pass through walls and destroy Metal Blocks.
  • In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Blaster Bullets travel more slowly and can become much larger than usual.
  • In Kirby: Planet Robobot, a special variation of the move called the Planet Buster is used by Robobot Armor's Halberd Mode.
  • In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby once again spits out the enemies and objects he inhales unchanged in appearance, rather than always spitting out stars. This is even true if he inhales multiple things at once, which come out "orbiting" each-other until they hit something. In addition, projectiles Kirby spits can ricochet off walls, and will automatically seek enemies close to their flight path, with an auto target range of 40 degrees in Spring Breeze Mode and 20 degrees in Wild Mode.[1]

Super Smash Bros. series

SmashWiki has more information about this subject here.

In the Super Smash Bros. series, Kirby and King Dedede can inhale and shoot their opponents (or sometimes their teammates) out as star bullets, though they behave differently. They travel more slowly, always pass through enemies they hit, and the person transformed can revert back by button-mashing, or revert back normally after traveling some distance. The power of the star depends on the weight of the opponent spat out, meaning that an opponent like Jigglypuff would make for a weak star, while a fighter like Bowser would make for a very strong star.

Trivia

  • In some old games, if the Star Bullet is launched underwater, it will get affected by gravity and fall down instead, including UFO's Star Bullets in Kirby's Adventure. For example, if a Blaster Bullet is launched underwater in Kirby's Adventure, it will fire in a parabolic manner.
  • The state in which Kirby can launch Blaster Bullets in Kirby's Blowout Blast is officially referred to as まんぷくカービィ[2][3] (Manpuku Kirby, "full-stomach Kirby") in Japanese and "Full Belly Kirby"[4] or "super-stuffed Kirby"[5] in English.
    • This form of Kirby makes a cameo appearance as one of the Painter attacks from the Artist ability in Kirby Star Allies.
  • Blaster Bullets do increased damage in Heroes in Another Dimension and The Ultimate Choice's Soul Melter EX of Kirby Star Allies.

Gallery

Names in other languages

Star Bullet

Language Name Meaning
Japanese 星型弾
Hoshigatadan
Star Bullet
French Tir étoile Star shot
German Wurfstern Throw star
Polish Gwiezdna Kula[6]
Gwiezdny Pocisk[7]
Star Bullet (literally Star Ball)
Star Bullet
Russian Звездную пулю[8]
Zvezdnuyu pulyu
Star bullet


Blaster Bullet

Language Name Meaning
Japanese 貫通星型弾
Kantsū Hoshigatadan
Piercing Star Bullet
French Tir puissant Powerful shot
German Durchschlagstern Piercing star
Portuguese Projétil potente Powerful projectile

References