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Pon & Con

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Pon & Con
KDL3 Pon Con artwork.jpg
Artwork of Pon & Con from Kirby's Dream Land 3.
Details
First game Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997)
Latest game Kirby's Dream Buffet (2022, reference)
Other game(s) Kirby: Triple Deluxe (keychain)
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (reference)
Kirby Star Allies
Copy Abilities Fire and Ice (Bomb Drops in Kirby Star Allies)
Relative(s) Goldon & Silvox
Similar to Lololo & Lalala
Nruff and Nelly
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Pon & Con block the way! Kitted out in sinister black armor, these combat-ready critters have got a gate to guard, and they aren't about to let the Star Allies through without a fight!
— VS Pon & Con Pause Screen description in Kirby Star Allies

Pon & Con are a dual boss consisting of a brown tanuki (Pon) and a yellow kitsune (Con). They are natives on Planet Popstar. While not normally hostile to Kirby, they have been possessed by more malevolent forces and made to fight him in the games in which they appear.

Game appearances[edit]

Kirby's Dream Land 3[edit]

KDL3 B PonCon.png

Pon & Con are fought at the end of Sand Canyon. Their fight is similar to the one with Nruff and Nelly from Kirby's Dream Land 2, as they run around on decked platforms in and out of the screen with their children in tow. Kirby can attack them - if he has no ability - by inhaling these children and spitting them back at their parents. An additional caveat exists though, in the form of a large Gordo with a skull insignia on it, that occasionally falls in various places and eventually explodes to block off a path to Kirby.

Both Pon and Con have separate health from each other, though it is displayed as one life bar, each with 160 HP. Both of them need to be defeated separately in order to win the fight.

While the Star Bullet does 32 damage in Kirby's Dream Land 3, the Blaster Bullet notably only does 32 damage to both Pon and Con as well instead of 64 damage normally.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Pon & Con both appear as a single keychain, using their sprites from Kirby's Dream Land 3.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse[edit]

Page 19 of the Secret Diary, Junk TV.

In Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Pon & Con appear in the page 19 of Elline's Secret Diary, "Junk TV", where they are seen as comedians in the "Comedy Special".

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

Pon & Con, titled the Dual Defenders, return in Kirby Star Allies after a long absence, now under the control of the Jambastion force, wearing armor bearing the Jambastion emblem. Their fight is largely the same as it was in Kirby's Dream Land 3, as their children follow them in tow like before. They are fought at Gatehouse Road in the Fortress of Shadows Jambastion, as well as in Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! and The Ultimate Choice on the Mild Stroll, Zesty Expedition, Spicy Adventure and Sizzling Threat difficulties.

Pon & Con both have 240 HP in Story Mode and Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!, and 180 HP in The Ultimate Choice (for reference, a Star Bullet does 52 damage). When their total health is below 60%, they will enter the second phase and take 0.2× damage during the transition. Just like in Kirby's Dream Land 3, the two of them have separate health despite the health bar saying otherwise and both need to be defeated separately to win the battle. They cannot be defeated as they transition phases, as both their HP gets locked to 1 each until they finish roaring. This also applies to Goldon & Silvox later in the game.

Once they are defeated in the Story Mode, Kirby must toss a Friend Heart at them to make them friendly to him. They will then open the gatehouse for him, and participate in his victory dance. In other modes, Friend Hearts have no effect on them.

While the duo is not fought again after that point in Story Mode and in Guest Star ????, a metal version of them, Goldon & Silvox, appears on Mareen Moon. They are a harder version of Pon & Con and behave similarly, however, they are different characters.

The following table lists all of Pon & Con's attacks in Kirby Star Allies:

Pon & Con's Attacks in Kirby Star Allies  
Attack Description
単独移動
Solo Movement
Pon or Con runs across a decked platform with no Junior.
Jr.を引き連れて移動
Movement with Juniors
Pon or Con runs across a decked platform with a number of Juniors.
Jr.のみで移動
Junior-only Movement
Only the Juniors run across a decked platform. On occasion, a Waddle Doo might run among the Juniors.
突進移動
Rushing Movement
During the second phase of the fight, Pon & Con from left-to-right or right-to-left quicker than usual after a brief charge-up.
爆弾落とし1
Bomb Drop 1
The Juniors on the ceiling drop a fire bomb, creating flames in explosion.
  • The ceiling Juniors can be inhaled/defeated. Doing so prevents the fire bomb from appearing.
  • The fire bomb has 80 HP.
  • The fire bomb can be swallowed for the Fire ability.
  • The fire bomb (and its corresponding flame) can be destroyed in one hit from Blizzard, Bluster or Splash attacks.
爆弾落とし2
Bomb Drop 2
The Juniors on the ceiling drop an ice bomb, creating icicles in explosion.
  • The ceiling Juniors can be inhaled/defeated. Doing so prevents the ice bomb from appearing.
  • The ice bomb has 80 HP.
  • The ice bomb can be swallowed for the Ice ability.
  • The ice bomb (and its corresponding icicle) can be destroyed in one hit by Sizzle attacks.
Guarding does not fully prevent contact damage from Pon & Con.
Attack names are taken from Kirby Star Allies: The Complete Support Guidebook.

Kirby's Dream Buffet[edit]

In Kirby's Dream Buffet, Pon & Con appear together on a Character Treat, depicting their sprites from Kirby's Dream Land 3.

Role in Kirby: Right Back at Ya![edit]

Pon & Con
KRBaY Pon artwork.pngKRBaY Con artwork.png
Pon & Con as they appear in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Details
First episode Beware: Whispy Woods!
Main role Minor characters
Similar characters Nruff and Nelly, Rick
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We would never hurt our friend!
— Pon
Yeah! We protect him from trouble!
— Con

Pon & Con make a few minor appearances in the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. Here, they are portrayed as intelligent animals capable of speech who live within the Eastern Forest, taking refuge in the ancient tree Acore who they help defend from intruders. Unlike Rick who also lives in Acore, Pon & Con are never seen outside of the forest.

Unlike in the video games, Pon & Con do not send their children out to attack, and instead fight on their own. They attack mainly by mauling their foes or throwing objects at them.

Trivia[edit]

  • Tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog) and kitsune (fox in Japanese) are a recurring duo in Japanese folklore, and Pon & Con is one of their popular culture appearances.[1]
    • Pon & Con are referred to as Raccoon & Fox on Page 34 of the English manual of Kirby's Dream Land 3. Tanukis are often localized as raccoons in video games despite them being different species.
  • When Pon & Con are defeated in Kirby Star Allies, their armor crashes into each other and makes a metal sound. In Goldon & Silvox's case, the same metal sound is made from their collided metal bodies instead.
  • The Pon & Con boss battles may also be a reference to Maru-chan Red Kitsune Udon and Green Tanuki Tempura Soba ramen noodles by Toyo Suisan.
    • In Kirby's Dream Land 3, when Pon & Con are hit, Pon flashes in green while Con flashes in red.
    • In Kirby Star Allies, when Pon & Con roar, Pon releases green effects while Con releases red effects; when they are defeated, Pon is knocked out with green smoke while Con is knocked out with red smoke.

Gallery[edit]

Videos[edit]

Battle with Pon & Con in Kirby Star Allies (The Ultimate Choice).

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ポン&コン
Pon to Kon
阿吽あうん護獣ごじゅう ポン&コン
Aun no Gojū Pon to Kon
Pon & Con
A-un Guardian Beasts, Pon & Con
  • "Pon" is the sound of a tanuki's belly drum in Japanese folklore.
  • "Con" is the sound of a fox cry in Japanese.
  • A-un, derived from Sanskrit, is often used in Shinto and Buddhist architecture to describe the paired statues common in Japanese religious settings.
Traditional Chinese 守門獸 阿狸&阿狐
shǒu mén shòu ā lí & ā hú
Gate Guardian Beasts, Tanuki & Fox
Simplified Chinese 守门兽 阿狸&阿狐
shǒu mén shòu ā lí & ā hú
Dutch Pon en Con Pon and Con
French Pon & Cot Pon & Con
  • "Cot" is used instead because "con" is a vulgar word in French.
German Verteidiger-Duo, Pon & Con Defender-Duo, Pon & Con
Italian Pon & Con -
Korean 퐁&콩 (Keychain)
Pong & Kong
수비 복식조 퐁&콩 (Kirby Star Allies)
Subi Boksikjo Pong & Kong
Pon & Con

Defensive Doubles, Pon & Con
Portuguese Pon e Con Pon and Con
Spanish Pon y Con Pon and Con

References