TheKirbyfranchise was the directorial debut of Masahiro Sakurai, who would later go on to create theSuper Smash Brosseries. The character has gone on to become one of Nintendo’s most popular mascots. His newest adventure,Kirby and the Forgotten Land, is slated to release for Nintendo Switch in late March 2022.
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One of the exciting parts of a newKirbygame releasing is getting to see brand new Copy Abilities. Kirby’s Copy Ability is the main gameplay function of mostKirbygames, as well as his moveset in theSuper Smash Brosfranchise. However, these ten Copy Abilities from theKirbyfranchise are perhaps the strangest ones to be included.
10Doctor
Nintendo’s characters are no strangers to the medical profession,as seen with the popular puzzle game franchiseDr. Mario. However, the pink puffball got his opportunity to play doctor starting inKirby: Planet Robobotfor Nintendo 3DS. The Doctor copy ability debuted alongside the Poison ability and the ESP ability.
Aside from donning glasses and a lab coat, the Doctor ability finds Kirby attacking enemies with capsule pills and scientific compounds. Like Dr. Mario inSuper Smash Bros, it’s a bit odd to see Kirby using medication in combat. Hopefully, the undertones of this Copy Ability don’t register in the minds of little kids.
9Wheel
The Wheel ability has been a mainstay of theKirbyfranchise sinceKirby’s Adventurefor the NES, which originally released in 1993. Despite its longevity in the series, the concept of this ability is peculiar. Donning a backwards baseball cap, Wheel Kirby can transform into, that’s right, a wheel, ramming into enemies at top speed.
Wheel Kirby has found more fitting appearances in certain spin-off titles. It can be used inKirby’s Dream Courseto recklessly send Kirby speeding towards the goal post.In the racing gameKirby Air Ride, it can help Kirby outrun his opponents. Still, one can imagine that this isn’t the most comfortable of moves Kirby can perform.
8Yo-Yo
Kirby’s Yo-Yo ability brings to mind Ness fromEarthbound, not just because of the yo-yo, but because of the backwards cap. However, this ability works very differently than the yo-yos in that RPG series. Debuting inKirby Super Star, the Yo-Yo ability allows Kirby to attack enemies with moves that incorporate yo-yo tricks.
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However, that’s far from the weirdest part of this ability. A lot of Kirby’s attacks while using the Yo-Yo ability also incorporate, for some reason, break-dancing. However, this strange combination of moves ended up inspiring one of Kirby’s moves inSuper Smash Bros, the Break Spin, which is his Dash Attack inBrawlandSmash 4.
7Beetle
Many of Kirby’s Copy Abilities resemble other living creatures, such as the Animal ability or the Spider ability. However, the Beetle Copy Ability probably takes the cake as the strangest of this subgroup. After gaining the Beetle ability, Kirby dons a samurai-esque helmet shaped like a rhinoceros beetle’s horn.
Despite being oddly specific, the Beetle ability is also one of the more unique ones in Kirby’s arsenal. With moves like the Horn Flurry, Rocket Horn, and Horn Upper, this move provides a lot of combat potential for Kirby.Maybe one day it’ll even make its way into Kirby’sSuper Smash Brosmoveset!
6Ball
The Ball Copy Ability debuted all the way back inKirby’s Adventure, but has made scarce appearances since. This abilitytakes advantage of Kirby’s round designto become a bouncing ball. Like the Wheel ability, most of Kirby’s attacks in this form involve charging into enemies at top speeds.
Aside fromKirby’s Adventure, the Ball ability only appears again inKirby: Nightmare in Dream Landfor the GameBoy Advance. It makes sense that the move hasn’t appeared much, as its functions are often covered by other, more unique moves. Sadly, this somewhat obvious ability ends up being a niche part of theKirbyseries.
5Parasol
Not to be confused with Princess Peach’s handy weapon, this Copy Ability has been a primary feature of theKirbyfranchise. First appearing inKirby’s Adventure, the Parasol ability has one of the simplest movesets in Kirby’s arsenal. Moves like the Parasol Swing and Parasol Shield simply see Kirby utilizing the parasol’s main functions.
However, what makes the Parasol such a strange Copy Ability in theKirbyseries is its limitations. Sure, it’s a good ability to have if players find themselves traversing levels that require precise landing techniques. Other than that, it’s just a flashy umbrella with some basic attacks, and not having it probably doesn’t change much.
4Bell
This ability first appeared inKirby Triple Deluxefor the Nintendo 3DS. In terms of Copy Abilities that could be based on musical instruments, the Bell is a strange choice. It would be more expected to see Kirby take on Copy Abilities like Drum or Guitar first and foremost. Hopefully, the door is not closed on those abilities just yet.
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For all intents and purposes, however, the Bell ability is quite useful. Most of Kirby’s attacks are less a result of the Bell itself, and more the sound waves made by its ringing. Perhaps its uniqueness and functionality is why the ability has made more appearances in bothKirby Fightersgames.
3Stone
Stone is nothing short of a classic Copy Ability in theKirbyseries. It’s even become a staple of Kirby’sSuper Smash Brosmoveset. Its function in the crossover fighter is similar to its function in theKirbygames: transforming Kirby into a heavy object to crush enemies, become invincible, or passively move by sliding.
What makes the Stone ability so strange is the randomness of Kirby’s transformations. Often, Kirby simply transforms into a stone, a weight, or a brick. However, occasionallyKirby will transform into Easter eggs, like a Mario statue, a Thwomp, or the HAL logo. With every newKirbygame, it’s fun to see what new Stone forms will be discovered.
2Cleaning
Sometimes, Copy Abilities only appear a handful of times in theKirbyseries because of how weird they are. That seems to be the case with the Cleaning ability, which debuted inKirby’s Dream Land 3for the Super Nintendo. It most recently made a comeback inKirby Star Alliesfor Nintendo Switch.
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This ability essentially finds Kirby fighting enemies through the power of cleanliness. Most of Kirby’s attacks in this form feature a broomstick, which Kirby can also conveniently ride on. It begs the question of why a Witch ability hasn’t been featured in the series, but perhaps HAL Laboratory prefers a neat-freak Kirby to a witchy one.
1Smash Bros.
By far the strangest Copy Ability to appear in theKirbyseries is one inspired by an entirely different game.The Smash Bros ability allows Kirby to utilize various attacks that are part of his iconicSuper Smash Brosmoveset. Such abilities include the Hammer Swing, the Final Cutter, and even the Red Shield.
Unfortunately, this Copy Ability is a rare find inKirby: Planet Robobot.It can only be found as a Copy Essence, which are usually found before Boss Areas rather than by sucking up enemies. However, the ability is a nice tribute to Kirby’s original creator, whose time is usually spent these days focusing on the fighting game phenomenon.
Kirby and the Forgotten Landsis set to release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on Jun 12, 2025.
