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Ability Star

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Ability Star
KSA Tip Image Copy Ability Drop.png
In-game tip image of Kirby discarding an Ability Star from Kirby Star Allies.
Details
Type Character object
Function Contains the essence of a Copy Ability
Found Generated by Kirby
Game(s) Various
Similar to Dropped Star, Ability Item (Kirby and the Forgotten Land)
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This article is about the star-like objects containing Copy Abilities found in many Kirby games, and should not be confused with Ability Items, Assist Stars, Copy Essences, or Dropped Stars.

An Ability Star[1] (also referred to as a Power Star[2]) is a star-shaped object that holds the essence of a Copy Ability within it. Kirby can voluntarily generate the object whenever he wants to discard his current ability, or involuntarily when he is hit by a strong enough attack. Swallowing an ability star will yield the Copy Ability that it held. It can also instead be spat out as a Star Bullet if the ability is no longer desired. Generally speaking, Ability Stars take priority over all other inhalable objects (except in Kirby Super Star, where they have lower priority).

Appearance and properties[edit]

Ability Stars debuted in Kirby's Adventure, along with Copy Abilities themselves, and have appeared in every subsequent main-series game up to Kirby Star Allies. When they appear, they bounce along the ground, in a similar manner to a Super Star from the Super Mario series. They resemble Dropped Stars and Star Bullets, apart from their propensity to bounce about the place. If left for too long, or if it makes contact with an environmental hazard such as magma or Spikes, the Ability Star bursts and disappears. Kirby can inhale them and swallow them to gain back his ability, or spit them out as ammunition against his foes.

When in deep water, an Ability Star is basically irretrievable and will burst after a few seconds, unless Kirby has Kine to help him swallow it back up. However, in Kirby: Squeak Squad, Ability Stars will float upwards in the water, and are only irretrievably lost if they get caught under a solid object.

In Kirby Super Star, Kirby can only manually drop Ability Items, and only drops Ability Stars if he takes heavy damage. The ability to manually drop Ability Stars was added in Kirby Super Star Ultra.

Exclusively in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Ability Stars have many more pointed facets, and come in specific colors determined by the ability it represents. Power Combo stars, called "Combo Stars",[3] are larger, and alternate between the colors of the two abilities that were combined. Here, they do not bounce, and instead can be held and tossed by Kirby, even underwater. Tossing a singular star at a compatible enemy will transform that enemy into a Combo Star, which can then be swallowed for the ability. Miracle Matter can be damaged by Ability Stars which are the same type as its current form (including Combo Stars, as long as one of their component abilities is the one Miracle Matter is using).

From Kirby's Return to Dream Land onward, Ability Stars have a consistent design style. Like in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, they are color-coded for each ability, and they also have the insignia of their designated Copy Ability inset. Exclusively in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and its remake, Ability Stars can be held and tossed like other items, and will not shatter when held. As such, one of Kirby's friends can hold an Ability Star for him while he does something else, then can retrieve it later.

Super Ability stars are larger than their standard counterparts, and do not bounce. They always emerge in star form from a defeated super enemy if defeated in a manner other than inhaling. Unlike normal Ability Stars, Kirby simply has to touch one to activate the ability, and will always override Kirby's current ability in the process.

In Kirby Star Allies, if Kirby drops an elemental weapon's Ability Star, it will lose the element after a few seconds. Tossing a Friend Heart at an Ability Star will create the respective friend, and if it's an elemental weapon's Ability Star, the created friend will come with that element too. In The Ultimate Choice, Kirby can never lose his ability except when playing as Normal Kirby. In some ability-exclusive rooms of Heroes in Another Dimension, Kirby can never lose his current ability as well.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first main-series game since the introduction of Ability Stars to not feature them at all. Kirby instead drops Ability Items in all instances.

Trivia[edit]

  • In Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Squeak Squad, both the Master and Triple Star abilities bounce about like Ability Stars when discarded, but still resemble their respective held forms. Neither of them disintegrate either.
  • When it first emerges from Daroach's body, Dark Nebula takes the form of an Ability Star, and after it does, it bounces away on its own accord.
  • In the Super Smash Bros. series, Kirby can discard his Copy Ability via a taunt, but no Ability Star is dropped. Instead, when he discards the ability, a star is generated and disintegrates immediately.

Gallery[edit]

Main article: Ability Star/gallery

References

  1. "Method 3: Throw an Ability Star at an enemy." -Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition North American manual, page 18
  2. "If you take a hit from an enemy, though, you may lose your Power Star - and the copied power." -Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards European manual, page 16
  3. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards English manual, page 17