The Kirby franchise was the directorial debut of Masahiro Sakurai, who would later go on to create the Super Smash Bros series. 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.
One of the exciting parts of a new Kirby game releasing is getting to see brand new Copy Abilities. Kirby's Copy Ability is the main gameplay function of most Kirby games, as well as his moveset in the Super Smash Bros franchise. However, these ten Copy Abilities from the Kirby franchise are perhaps the strangest ones to be included.
10 Doctor
Nintendo's characters are no strangers to the medical profession, as seen with the popular puzzle game franchise Dr. Mario. However, the pink puffball got his opportunity to play doctor starting in Kirby: Planet Robobot for 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 in Super 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.
9 Wheel
The Wheel ability has been a mainstay of the Kirby franchise since Kirby's Adventure for 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 in Kirby's Dream Course to recklessly send Kirby speeding towards the goal post. In the racing game Kirby 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.
8 Yo-Yo
Kirby's Yo-Yo ability brings to mind Ness from Earthbound, 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 in Kirby Super Star, the Yo-Yo ability allows Kirby to attack enemies with moves that incorporate yo-yo tricks.
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 in Super Smash Bros, the Break Spin, which is his Dash Attack in Brawl and Smash 4.
7 Beetle
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's Super Smash Bros moveset!
6 Ball
The Ball Copy Ability debuted all the way back in Kirby's Adventure, but has made scarce appearances since. This ability takes advantage of Kirby's round design to become a bouncing ball. Like the Wheel ability, most of Kirby's attacks in this form involve charging into enemies at top speeds.
Aside from Kirby's Adventure, the Ball ability only appears again in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land for 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 the Kirby series.
5 Parasol
Not to be confused with Princess Peach's handy weapon, this Copy Ability has been a primary feature of the Kirby franchise. First appearing in Kirby'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 the Kirby series 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.
4 Bell
This ability first appeared in Kirby Triple Deluxe for 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.
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 both Kirby Fighters games.
3 Stone
Stone is nothing short of a classic Copy Ability in the Kirby series. It's even become a staple of Kirby's Super Smash Bros moveset. Its function in the crossover fighter is similar to its function in the Kirby games: 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, occasionally Kirby will transform into Easter eggs, like a Mario statue, a Thwomp, or the HAL logo. With every new Kirby game, it's fun to see what new Stone forms will be discovered.
2 Cleaning
Sometimes, Copy Abilities only appear a handful of times in the Kirby series because of how weird they are. That seems to be the case with the Cleaning ability, which debuted in Kirby's Dream Land 3 for the Super Nintendo. It most recently made a comeback in Kirby Star Allies for Nintendo Switch.
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.
1 Smash Bros.
By far the strangest Copy Ability to appear in the Kirby series is one inspired by an entirely different game. The Smash Bros ability allows Kirby to utilize various attacks that are part of his iconic Super Smash Bros moveset. Such abilities include the Hammer Swing, the Final Cutter, and even the Red Shield.
Unfortunately, this Copy Ability is a rare find in Kirby: 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 Lands is set to release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on March 25, 2022.