Fighter Kirby

Fighter Kirby is one of Kirby's copy ability forms, first appearing in Kirby Super Star. An homage to 90's fighting games (particularly Street Fighter), Kirby becomes Fighter Kirby by Inhaling enemies that use martial arts, such as Box Boxer and Iron Mom. As Fighter Kirby, Kirby gains knowledge of martial arts and ki manipulation, forming his body's energy into projectiles that are launched from his hands and feet. Many of this form's attacks can be divided into light and heavy inputs, depending on whether the player taps the button or fully presses it, resulting in sometimes completely different moves. By stringing together punches and kicks with ki using timed button presses the player is able to pummel enemies into submission. The helper for Fighter Kirby is Knuckle Joe.

Kirby's physical (A button) moves in his fighting game appearance in the Super Smash Bros. are heavily inspired by Fighter Kirby, owing to them being easy to understand attacks that Kirby could realistically learn to do even without a Copy Ability.

Appearance

As Fighter Kirby, wears a red headband inspired by the Street Fighter character, Ryu. Starting with Kirby's Return to Dream Land, the headband has a yellow star on the front. In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land the hat for Fighter Kirby was reused for Backdrop Kirby.

Abilities

Fighter Kirby gains the knowledge of a skilled martial artist, delivering flurries of punches and kicks faster than the eye can follow. Supplementing this, he is able to focus his ki or life force into solid form extending the reach of his fists with Vulcan Jab or Smash Punch or releasing a slicing crescent of ki with Spin Kick. By charging ki between his palms Fighter Kirby can release ball of energy as an enormously destructive Force Blast, that can be further charged into a Mega Force Blast or Giga Force Blast giving it the ability to burn targets and light objects affected by the Sizzle property.

Enemies that give Fighter

• Knuckle Joe*
• Boxin
• Blue Golem
• Iron Mam
• Box Boxer

Super Smash Bros. series

Fighter Kirby appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a collectable trophy. Many of Kirby's standard A button attacks are inspired by Fighter Kirby's arsenal either directly or indirectly. His neutral, Vulcan Jab and forward smash, Spin Kick have been staples since the Nintendo 64 installment and in Super Smash Bros. 4 Smash Punch was added as a finisher at the end of Vulcan Jab.

Some of Kirby's Smash original attacks would go on to influence depictions of Fighter in later Kirby games. His forward air since Melee, Triple Kick became a dash attack for Fighter in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror and Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Likewise, his up smash and up air would go on to become the Moon Somersault Kick starting with Amazing Mirror and Return to Dream Land. His back air would become the new animation for Double Kick in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, replacing the previous animation which was a copy of Spin Kick's

From Super Smash Bros. Brawl onward, Knuckle Joe appears as an Assist Trophy, representing his status as the helper for Fighter Kirby in Kirby Super Star and Ultra. When summoned, he seeks out the nearest enemy fighter and tries to pin them down with Vulcan Jab before finishing them off with Smash Punch or Rising Break.

Trivia

• Fighter Kirby's headband was reused as the ability hat for Backdrop Kirby in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.
  • Because of this, Fighter appears on the American box art for the game, using artwork from the Kirby anime, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, despite Fighter Kirby technically not appearing in the game.