Kirby (Kirby)

Kirby is the main character and namesake of the Kirby series. He is a small pink creature who resides on and protects Planet Popstar, though his true origin is unknown. Despite his simplistic appearance, Kirby is easily recognizable by his ball-like stature, his large glossy eyes, and his cheerful demeanor. He is often seen riding a Warp Star, but can otherwise fly by taking in air and puffing up like a balloon. While Kirby has many ways to combat his foes, the most well-known by far is his ability to open his mouth wide to suck up his opponents and then swallow them whole. Doing this allows Kirby to copy the attributes of whatever he just ate, expanding his powers in ways that are difficult to predict. Using these abilities is often crucial for Kirby to overcome the greater challenges he faces on his adventures. Kirby is classified as a "silent protagonist"; that is, he does not speak audibly or in text to the player in most instances. In some supplementary material, he has shown the ability to speak, but this is uncommon and not generally considered canon. Despite this, he is very vocal, using lots of grunts, shouts, and monosyllables; his signature one being his cheery elongated "Hi!".

Since 1992, Kirby has starred in over 30 video games (twelve of which can be considered part of the core series, not counting remakes), has appeared to some capacity in several other Nintendo games and products, has had an anime series and several manga series, and has a great deal of merchandise in the form of figurines, plush dolls, clothing, and the like. Kirby and his series were created by Masahiro Sakurai under HAL Laboratory, with the latter of whom owning the rights to the Kirby series to this day.