Super Ability
A Super Ability is a special form of Copy Ability that was first introduced in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Super Abilities are exaggerated and powerful forms of normal Copy Abilities which are obtained by swallowing star-studded "super" enemies and objects, granting Kirby the ability to clear away large obstacles and swathes of enemies in a single go. Super Abilities also grant Kirby the power to open rifts to Another Dimension (though only in specific areas), where he can then obtain Energy Spheres from Sphere Doomers. Unlike standard Copy Abilities, however, all Super Abilities operate on a timer, and once the timer runs out, Kirby loses the ability. Kirby will also lose a Super Ability if he is defeated, exits the stage he found it on, has it forcefully dispelled from him by a boss, or enters a rift to Another Dimension. In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Super Abilities typically appear for the final stretches of certain stages, where Kirby needs to make use of their specific powers to interact with the varying devices, hazards, and enemies therein.
Abilities[edit]
| Super Abilities in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ability | Obtained from | Description |
| Super Waddle Doo | This is a super version of the Beam ability. It allows Kirby to freely control an electric ball that can destroy star-marked enemies and obstacles as well as electrify Beam lamps. | |
| Super Bonkers | This is a super version of the Hammer ability. It gives Kirby three stages of charge to hammer down giant stakes and produce shockwaves. | |
| Super Hot Head | This is a super version of the Fire ability. It gives Kirby the ability to summon a fiery dragon that flies horizontally and destroys star-marked enemies and obstacles on its way. | |
| Super Chilly | This is a super version of the Ice ability. It gives Kirby the ability to become a large snowball that can roll and jump, destroying star-marked enemies and obstacles on his way. This is notably similar to the Ice-Ice Power Combo from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. | |
| Super Blade Knight | This is a super version of the Sword ability. It gives Kirby a large sword (with several variations) that can destroy star-marked enemies and obstacles. | |
Enemies/obstacles that require Super Abilities[edit]
These enemies/obstacles are marked with stars on their body. Inside the parentheses are the Super Abilities required.
- Beam lamp* (Flare Beam)
- Bomb Machine (Monster Flame)
- Burner Box (Grand Hammer)
- Drill Machine (Flare Beam, Monster Flame)
- Fire Majin Statue* (Grand Hammer)
- Giant Flotzo* (Monster Flame)
- Giant ice pin* (Snow Bowl)
- Giant magma pin* (Snow Bowl)
- Giant spring* (Grand Hammer)
- Merman Statue* (Monster Flame)
- Moai Block (Flare Beam)
- Surprise Box* (Grand Hammer)
- Wire Box* (Flare Beam)
* names are conjectural translations.
Obtaining Super Abilities[edit]
There are five enemies in Kirby's Return to Dream Land that provide Super Abilities. These are as follows:
- Super Blade Knight (Ultra Sword)
- Super Bonkers (Grand Hammer - this enemy is a Mid-Boss)
- Super Chilly (Snow Bowl)
- Super Hot Head (Monster Flame)
- Super Waddle Doo (Flare Beam)
Grand Hammer can also be obtained through a glowing hammer summoned by Magolor EX. Super Abilities can be obtained from these enemies in typical fashion by inhaling them, but the Ability Stars will also drop from these enemies when defeated in any other way, and Kirby will don the Super Ability merely by touching these stars, overriding any other Copy Ability Kirby may have had in the process.
All Super Ability-providing enemies, excluding Super Bonkers, can be made to reappear after their defeat without restarting the stage by leaving the area they appeared in and coming back. Doing so can grant Kirby a second Super Ability for further use in those instances, should he lose the first one. However, it is never necessary to have a Super Ability to clear a stage.
Kirby can also drop the Ability Star for a Super Ability at any time he desires. Ability Stars for Super Abilities will eventually break in the original game, but in the remake, they never break. Inhaling a dropped Super Ability will reset the timer in the original, which is not the case in the remake.
If multiple players are playing as different-colored Kirbys, any one of them can gain a Super Ability, but only one can be active at any time — if another player gains a Super Ability while one is already present, the existing Super Ability is removed.
In multiplayer, a player that is using a Super Ability can attack other players with it. Any other players that are attacked receive knockback, but will sustain no damage. In Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, Super Abilities can trigger Meta Knight's Galactic Counter, which will have no effect.
Bosses that require Super Abilities[edit]
In both the Story and Extra modes of Kirby's Return to Dream Land, the bosses Grand Doomer and Magolor will be equipped with star-studded shields when their health is almost fully depleted, which require the Super Abilities obtained from the spawned enemies to destroy. The Grand Doomer fight makes use only of the Ultra Sword ability, while Magolor's fight makes use of multiple Super Abilities — Monster Flame and Flare Beam in Story Mode, Snow Bowl and Grand Hammer in Extra Mode, and both ending with Ultra Sword. Notably, while special animations are used when Kirby is finishing off his opponent with the Ultra Sword, this ability is not actually required to defeat either boss once their shields are gone. Dealing the last blow with any normal attack causes them to be defeated in a manner similar to how it works in The Arena and The True Arena.
Additionally, Magolor's second boss form and Magolor Soul are able to use attacks named after Super Abilities, with Magolor Soul having an exclusive "Grand Snow Hammer" attack that combines Grand Hammer and Snow Bowl. It should be noted that these attacks only resemble their namesake Super Abilities, and do not have the same properties as those of Kirby.
Appearances and references after Kirby's Return to Dream Land[edit]
While Super Abilities are still largely exclusive to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, they have appeared (or at least have been referenced) in the following subsequent games:
- Kirby: Triple Deluxe - One of Stone Kirby's rare transformations depicts Ultra Sword Kirby.
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U - Kirby's Final Smash was changed to the Ultra Sword, which he uses to deal big damage to any enemy fighter he manages to strike with the initial swing.
- Kirby: Planet Robobot - The Ultra Sword appears as a sticker. Additionally, one of Stone Kirby's rare transformations depicts Ultra Sword Kirby wielding the fish.
- Kirby Battle Royale - Some of the headgear for the Sword, Hammer, and Ice abilities resembles their Super Ability equivalents.
- Kirby Star Allies - Magolor appears as a Dream Friend in this game. One of his moves is a replica of the Ultra Sword attack, conjuring his own version of the sword to swipe at enemies. Additionally, one of Stone Kirby's transformations depicts Ultra Sword Kirby wielding the fish.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Kirby retains his Ultra Sword Final Smash from the previous Super Smash Bros. games. Additionally, there is an Ultra Sword spirit.
- Kirby Fighters 2 - The Ultra Sword Rare Hat for Sword Kirby returns from Kirby Battle Royale. Magolor also retains his Ultra Sword attack from Kirby Star Allies.
- Kirby's Dream Buffet - Ultra Sword, Monster Flame, and Snow Bowl appear as Character Treats.
Trivia[edit]
- Two Super Abilities were considered, but were left cut:
- "Super Cutter" was mostly complete before it was cut, having a modeled hat, icons, and most of its animations left over. It may have been cut due to similarities with Ultra Sword.
- "Super Spark" was also considered, but it only has an icon left over, and may have been cut due to similarities with Flare Beam.
- Excluding boss battles, each Super Ability appears exactly three times in the stages.
- Flare Beam: Raisin Ruins - Stage 2, Nutty Noon - Stage 2, Egg Engines - Stage 3.
- Grand Hammer: White Wafers - Stage 2, Nutty Noon - Stage 4, Dangerous Dinner - Stage 2.
- Monster Flame: Cookie Country - Stage 4, Onion Ocean - Stage 3, Egg Engines - Stage 1
- In Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, Monster Flame appears in the newly added HAL Room in Dangerous Dinner - Stage 2, making it the only Super Ability to appear in stages more than three times (excluding boss battles).
- Snow Bowl: Onion Ocean - Stage 1, White Wafers - Stage 4, Dangerous Dinner - Stage 1.
- Ultra Sword: Cookie Country - Stage 1, Raisin Ruins - Stage 4, Dangerous Dinner - Stage 3.
- Super Abilities are programmed to have 10000 power (for reference, the basic Star Bullet has 52 power), which makes them able to defeat every enemy in one hit. If a Super Ability is hacked into a boss battle where it isn't intended to appear, it will also defeat the boss in one hit. This behavior can be seen in this tool-assisted speedrun of The True Arena, where Ultra Sword is hacked in.
- One pattern of the title screen animations in Kirby Star Allies features Blade Knight, Waddle Doo, Chilly and Bonkers, whose super forms provide the Super Abilities. Hot Head is absent in Kirby Star Allies so it's not present in this pattern.
- All Super Abilities' base forms (including the scrapped ones) come from Kirby's Adventure.
Gallery[edit]
Artwork[edit]
Flare Beam artwork from Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Grand Hammer artwork from Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Monster Flame artwork from Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Snow Bowl artwork from Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Ultra Sword artwork from Kirby's Return to Dream Land
"FIGHT FOR THE CROWN!" Celebration Picture from Kirby Star Allies, featuring Kirby using Ultra Sword
Pause screen artwork of Ultra Sword from Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Pause screen artwork of Grand Hammer from Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Pause screen artwork of Monster Flame from Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Pause screen artwork of Flare Beam from Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Pause screen artwork of Snow Bowl from Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Screenshots[edit]
Kirby after getting Ultra Sword
Kirby after getting Grand Hammer
Kirby after getting Flare Beam
Kirby after getting Monster Flame
Kirby after getting Snow Bowl
Using Ultra Sword in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Using Monster Flame in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Using Flare Beam in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Using Snow Bowl in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Using Grand Hammer in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Using Ultra Sword to finish off Magolor
Videos[edit]
Official Kirby Portal video showcasing Super Abilities
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Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スーパー能力 Sūpā nōryoku |
Super Ability |
| Traditional Chinese | 超級能力 chāo jí néng lì |
Super Ability |
| Simplified Chinese | 超级能力 chāo jí néng lì | |
| Dutch | Superkracht | Super Power |
| French | Super pouvoir | Super ability |
| German | Super-Power[1] Super-Fähigkeit[2] |
Super-Power (Derived from "Spezial-Power", the German name for copy abilities) Super-Ability |
| Italian | Super abilità | Super ability |
| Korean | 슈퍼 능력 syupeo neunglyeog |
Super Ability |
| Portuguese | Super-habilidade | Super Ability |
| Spanish | Superhabilidad | Super Ability |
