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Dark Mind

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Dark Mind
Dark Mind Spirit.png
Artwork of Dark Mind from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.
Details
First game Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (2004)
Latest game Kirby's Dream Buffet (2022, reference)
Other game(s) Kirby: Squeak Squad (reference)
Kirby: Triple Deluxe (keychain)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (as a Spirit)
Kirby Star Allies (reference)
Copy Abilities Master (Meta Knight and Shadow Kirby)
Fire (red stars)
Ice (blue stars)
Spark (violet stars)
Mix (green stars)
Crash (Screen Bomb)
Many from summoned enemies
Similar to Nightmare, Dark Matter, Zero, King D-Mind, Void
Theme music

Clips of the themes that play when battling Dark Mind's forms.

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High above the skies of Dream Land, the mirror world needs help! A shadowy figure is unleashing chaos on the peaceful world!
— Flavor text from the opening narration of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

Dark Mind is the main antagonist and final boss of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. He is a fearsome deity and wishes to bring the Mirror World under his control. Dark Mind initially takes a humanoid form which resembles Nightmare, but later transforms into a more monstrous form which resembles Zero, similar to Dark Matter.

Dark Mind is fought over six phases, with four dedicated to fights with his first form which subsequently increase in difficulty, then a fifth phase against his second and true form, and a vertical shooter sequence for his final phase. When battling on foot, Kirby mainly fights Dark Mind with the Master ability, obtained from Meta Knight's sword, but this is not strictly a requirement for defeating said boss.

Physical appearance[edit]

And so, Dark Mind was defeated, and his dream of conquering the Mirror World was shattered.
— Flavor text from the ending narration of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

Dark Mind has three forms. In the first, he wears a mask resembling an animal skull with large golden spikes coming out from it that conceals most of his face. The main body is usually covered by his large, fiery cloak, which reveals itself to have a fiery-looking glowing eyeball with seven metallic spikes protruding out from it, including two angled large ones on top. He also has two grey floating hands with long silvery claws, in addition to carrying two hexagonal golden-framed mirrors that can be used in some attacks.

The second form is a glowing orange, fiery-looking eyeball that is essentially a larger version of the one seen on Dark Mind's first form. Further details can be discerned from it, including a black sclera with visible glowing lines as well as a golden-colored pupil. Like before, Dark Mind also has the same two mirrors which this time are used for more elaborate attack patterns. Lastly, Dark Mind's final form resembles a smaller version of the glowing eyeball seen earlier, but with a white aura and lacking the mirrors he used to have on previous forms.

Game appearances[edit]

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror[edit]

First form[edit]

Dark Mind's second battle of his first form in Story Mode.

When the Kirbys defeat Dark Meta Knight, a portal suddenly appears in the center of the arena, sending them into a fight against Dark Mind's first form. To help the Kirbys, Meta Knight tosses in his own sword, which Kirby can pick up to get the Master ability. The battle doesn't start until Kirby picks up the sword.

When the battle against Dark Mind's first form begins, he will initially be intangible to most of Kirby's attacks for a while. Dark Mind is capable of using various attacks from shooting star projectiles to teleporting and even spinning his mirrors to attack the Kirbys. Dark Mind can be attacked at any point, but he has a special weak point (represented by a fiery-looking orange eye) that he sometimes reveals when shooting star projectiles. This weak point can be attacked to make him recoil and take more damage.

Dark Mind's first form is fought four times throughout the main story, with each phase separated by three rest areas featuring optional items and copy abilities found in challenges. If Kirby loses the Master ability before the next rematch, the golden sword will appear once again for him to regain the ability, under similar circumstances. The following lists the various arena formations for each rematch of Dark Mind's first form:

  • Battle 1 - A rocky, flat area with no obstacles.
  • Battle 2 - Similar to the first battle, but features assets based on Radish Ruins, in addition to two thin floors placed on either side of the screen.
  • Battle 3 - A flat area with assets based on Cabbage Cavern, featuring two shallow pools of water on either side of the screen that limit Kirby's movement options when dodging attacks.
  • Battle 4 - Similar to Battle 1, but the floor resembles that of the icy ground from Peppermint Palace and is now very slippery.

The following table lists all of the attacks used by Dark Mind's first form, including those introduced in subsequent rematches:

Dark Mind (first form)'s attacks in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror  
Attack Description Variations Notes
Starting attacks:
Star Shot Dark Mind shoots two colorful star-shaped projectiles at Kirby, which also rebound in a different direction should they hit the ground. Usually, they are shot out once and at a moderate speed, and there are variations where Dark Mind can shoot a pair of projectiles instead. Note that the star-shaped projectiles are shared with various, similar attacks, and always give a different copy ability. More types are added per rematch, which also randomizes which colors are used when spawning these star projectiles:
  • Red - Fire
  • Blue - Ice (starting in the second battle)
  • Violet - Spark (starting in the third battle)
  • Green - Mix (starting in the fourth battle)
Star Volley Dark Mind shoots a rapid volley of star-shaped projectiles in a widespread angle from his eye, usually targeting the first player Kirby. Starting in the third battle, Dark Mind may also slowly move towards Kirby's location. The trajectory of the stars also depends on if Dark Mind was also knocked back by Kirby.
Teleport Dark Mind quickly teleports around the arena, allowing him to temporarily evade Kirby's attacks. This is guaranteed to be performed every time Dark Mind is hit by Kirby while his eyeball is exposed.
Horizontal Star Barrage Dark Mind hovers towards Kirby's relative vertical position and stays on either far side of the screen, then shoots several fast-moving star projectiles at Kirby from either far side of the screen. Starting halfway in the third battle, these star projectiles are shot out more frequently and move faster.
Another variation of this move is present in the fourth battle while Dark Mind's HP is halfway through. It features even more slow-moving star projectiles with more elaborate, randomized angles.
This move is performed starting halfway through the first battle.
Used starting with the second battle:
Mirror Spin Dark Mind spreads out his mirrors and makes them spin very fast. These mirrors become tangible and can hit Kirby should he not be careful.
Homing Corner Stars Dark Mind teleports to the top-left and top-right corners of the screen and prepares two star projectiles that are initially stationary. After some time, these projectiles will eventually fly in at an angle that aims for Kirby's location. A variation of this attack is also used starting in the third battle, which also has Dark Mind teleporting to the bottom-left and bottom-right corners to add two more stars to the attack.
Used starting with the third battle:
Fake Out Sometimes, attempting to attack Dark Mind after he has teleported and has not exposed his weakpoint yet would instead make him shatter into pieces and receive no damage. He will eventually reappear.
Horizontal Star Spread Dark Mind shoots three stars that spread out in an arc from either far side of the screen.
Vertical Star Spread Dark Mind shoots five stars that spread out in an downwards arc and travel in a straight angle.
Used starting with the fourth battle:
Screen Bomb A spherical bomb with a checkerboard pattern in the middle is dropped by Dark Mind, before he zooms off the arena leaving two star projectiles of varying colors in his wake. If the bomb is not Super Inhaled or destroyed in time, it will float towards the center of the screen, darken the entire arena, and deal unavoidable damage. Notably, Stone or Smash Kirby does not take damage if he is still in his stone form while the bomb explodes.
Swallowing the bomb after Super Inhaling it will give the Crash ability.
Star Sweep Dark Mind moves swiftly across the top of the screen, dropping a rain of falling star projectiles that sweep the entire arena.
Rapid Teleport Shot Near the end of the battle, Dark Mind attempts to target Kirby several times by quickly teleporting around and shooting out one star projectile targeted towards him every time. If multiple Kirbys are present in the battle, Dark Mind will not target them except for the first one in order.
Attack names are conjectural unless stated otherwise.

In Boss Endurance, the boss battle with Dark Mind's first form is significantly truncated, being now fought in only one battle on a flat, rocky area. However, he is based on the fourth rematch from the main story, which essentially features most, if not all of his attacks.

Second form[edit]

Battle with Dark Mind's true form.

Once Dark Mind's first form is finally defeated after his fourth battle, Dark Mind appears to be defeated as he explodes in a spectacular fashion while the screen fades to white. However, it instead fades to an ominous arena featuring a scrolling orange sky, and a fiery orange eyeball appears to pulsate in the background. This turns out to be Dark Mind's second form as he grows giant and begins attacking the Kirbys once again. Shadow Kirby appears to toss Meta Knight's sword to Kirby for the Master ability, if he had lost it in any circumstance prior to this battle.

Kirby must attempt to attack Dark Mind by using Master or any other copy abilities. Attacking his eye only deals small damage and stuns the boss temporarily, but the mirrors that Dark Mind uses in most of his attacks also act as his weak spots and deal large damage to the boss, should Kirby attack them. Kirby must take extra caution when attacking these mirrors, as they may sometimes shatter and shoot out flying cutters that can damage him.

While Kirby cannot simply take damage if he comes in contact in Dark Mind, his mirrors and other attacks are instead the ones that can actually hurt Kirby.

Like his first form, Dark Mind's second form's attacks will become more complex to dodge as his health is continuously depleted, with some attacks only appearing after a certain threshold of health has passed. The following table lists all of Dark Mind's attacks when he is fought in his second form:

Dark Mind (second form)'s attacks in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror  
Attack Description Variations Notes
Mirror Spin Dark Mind will stay in one place, then spin his mirrors around in an attempt to hit Kirby. These mirrors can also be hit with Kirby's attacks to damage Dark Mind.
Shooter Cutter If a mirror is shattered during any attack that makes use of Dark Mind's mirrors, it may also release four yellow cutters that fly out in intercardinal directions.
Laser Rebound Dark Mind will position his mirrors a few times across the corners of the stage, then shoot a single laser that rebounds off those mirrors. As the fight progresses, he may increase how many times the laser may ricochet across the arena, by constantly repositioning these mirrors.
Mirror Sweep Dark Mind will lower himself down to the ground, then move across the stage while spinning his mirrors to attempt to sweep the Kirbys. In later parts of the fight, there will also be a variation of this move where Dark Mind will also perform this move in the air.
Mirror Zoom Dark Mind's mirrors will zoom across the arena from the sides, attempting to hit Kirby. This is usually indicated by the mirrors exiting towards the sides off-screen. The last mirror that zooms through the arena will summon various enemies containing Copy Abilities and make them disappear afterward should Kirby not deal with them immediately. A variation of this attack features two mirrors zooming in onto Kirby in various curved trajectories.
The number of times the mirrors zoom across the arena may vary, which sometimes ends up only summoning enemies instead.
The possible enemies that can be summoned with this attack include the following:
Mirror Dance Starting at roughly 75% of his remaining health, Dark Mind will move up or down while making his mirrors dance in a path resembling an infinity symbol, also called a lemniscate (∞). Another variation of this attack also appears where Dark Mind moves to a side of the arena and perform this attack in one place. The orientation of Dark Mind's eye also acts as telegraphing for where the mirrors would move vertically.
Laser Sweep Dark Mind shoots a big, white vertical laser beam that sweeps across the arena. Once the attack ends, the last beam leaves Dropped Stars in its wake. Notably, this is among the few attacks that can damage any of the Kirbys by two health points.
Laser Quick Shot Dark Mind shoots quick rounds of laser beams from his eye across several parts of the arena, usually targeting any nearby players. This is also among the few attacks that can damage any of the Kirbys by two health points.
Screen Bomb A spherical bomb with a checkerboard pattern in the middle is dropped by Dark Mind before he temporarily disappears off the arena. If the bomb is not Super Inhaled or destroyed in time, it will float towards the center of the screen, darken the entire arena, and deal unavoidable damage. Like before, Stone and Smash Kirby do not take damage if he is still in his stone form while the bomb explodes.
Swallowing the bomb after Super Inhaling it will give the Crash ability.
Attack names are conjectural unless stated otherwise.

Final form[edit]

In the final phase, Dark Mind shrinks, then flies off. From there, depending on how many Kirbys were present by the beginning of this phase, one to four Warp Stars appear for them to chase Dark Mind down. The Kirbys must shoot their own star-shaped projectiles to once again deplete Dark Mind's health, by repeatedly pressing the B button. During this battle, Dark Mind will attempt to retaliate by shooting several star projectiles or ramming into the Warp Stars that the Kirbys are riding, which can temporarily stun them if they are hit by these attacks.

When Dark Mind's health is depleted, instead of the battle ending right away, the credits start rolling, and the battle is no longer possible to lose. Instead, a score counter appears which increments each time Kirby lands an additional hit on Dark Mind. Once the credits have finished scrolling, Dark Mind finally explodes, and another 30 points are added to the counter.

The following table lists all of Dark Mind's attacks in his final form:

Dark Mind (final form)'s attacks in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror  
Attack Description
Star Shot Dark Mind shoots out several colorful star-shaped projectiles at Kirby. Usually, they are shot out in a rapid-fire manner, and there are variations where Dark Mind can shoot a pair of projectiles instead.
Sweep Dark Mind attempts to sweep downwards into Kirby's Warp Star, usually in a U-shaped arc or in a straight line.
Star Sweep A variation of Star Shot in which Dark Mind can shoot several rows of star projectiles, which can sweep either a small portion (in threes) or the entirety of the screen, depending on Kirby's progress in this fight.
Star Scatter In a small area, Dark Mind may rapidly shoot five stars of varying speeds down at Kirby.
Spreading Star Shot A variation of Star Shot where Dark Mind shoots three projectiles that spread out downward.
Spreading Star Scatter A combination of Star Scatter and Spreading Star Shot where Dark Mind shoots out a rain of star projectiles that have a fixed fast speed, with some following the closest angles to the target shooting spot in a somewhat widespread arc.
Attack names are conjectural unless stated otherwise.

In the Boss Endurance version of this battle, the credits sequence is completely skipped, as Dark Mind will start to explode right after his HP is finally depleted, concluding the mode.

Kirby: Squeak Squad[edit]

In Kirby: Squeak Squad, Dark Mind appears in one of the Graphics, along with other final bosses.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Dark Mind appears as a unique keychain, which can be found in Royal Road - Stage 2.

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe / Super Kirby Clash[edit]

In Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and Super Kirby Clash, a set of equipment for Hammer Lord can be acquired which is based on Dark Mind. In addition, the boss King D-Mind serves as a direct homage to Dark Mind.

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

In Kirby Star Allies, one of Void's attacks is internally called "Dark Mind Laser", and mimics the way Dark Mind manipulates his mirrors and rebounds lasers off of them in his second phase.

Kirby's Dream Buffet[edit]

In Kirby's Dream Buffet, Dark Mind appears on a Character Treat, using his sprite from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

Dark Mind appears as a ★★★ support spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, using his official artwork from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. As a support spirit, Dark Mind allows the player to start a match with a Franklin Badge equipped.

In his corresponding spirit battle, Dark Mind is represented by a white-colored Reflect Ganondorf equipped with the Franklin Badge, referencing his visual appearance and his prominent usage of mirrors during his boss battle respectively. The battle using Curry-Filled rule and the 02 Battle track makes reference to Dark Mind's second form, which has an appearance comparable to in addition to it resembling a fiery-looking eye.

Trivia[edit]

  • The mask Dark Mind wears resembles Nightmare Wizard, particularly in the large golden horns, long nose, and defined chin. Dark Mind's mask later became the inspiration for Masked Dedede.[1]

Gallery[edit]

Sprites[edit]

Other[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ダークマインド
Dāku Maindo
Dark Mind
Chinese 暗意向[2]
Àn Yìxiàng
Darkness Intention
Dutch Dark Mind -
French Psychédiablik Psychediabolic
From "psyché" (psyche) and "diabolique" (diabolic), as well as a pun of "psychédélique" (psychedelic)
German Dark Mind -
Italian Dark Mind -
Korean 다크 마인드
Dakeu Maindeu
Dark Mind
Portuguese Mente sombria Shadow Mind
Spanish Dark Mind -

References

  1. "Incidentally, the mask's design is a heavily altered version of Dark Mind's mask from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. If you look reeeeeally closely, you might be able to see the similarities. Some very eagle-eyed players may have noticed already!" –Shinya Kumazaki (Kirby: Triple Deluxe "Behind The Scenes" community post on Miiverse (archived link))
  2. Super Kirby Clash