This is another topic for the fanservice of it all, but this
is actually a complicated power until you REALLY get the hang
of it. Without further ado,
Fighter Kirby!
Fighter isn't one of the more powerful abilities out there, at
least not if you prefer to simply kick back and throw
projectile attacks at enemies. Originating in
Kirby Super Star, this
ability was wll demonstrated by its owner, and one of the most
popular characters in Kirby history... Knuckle Joe. Honestly
speaking, he'd whoop your pink butt if you didn't act quickly,
and you'd deserve the punishment for standing there. His
punches came in a rapid flurry, followed by one BIG punch, or
a straight kick. Sitting still was an exercise in Kirbycide,
as you'd lose maybe half your energy from one barrage of
attacks.
However, Kirby could copy his powers to unleash his own flurry
of physical attacks, from the quick but weak Vulcan Jab to the
more powerful Smash Punch and Spin Kick. Kirby could also do
air kicks, throws, and a weak but muti-hitting uppercut called
Risng Break. Given the red headband Fighter Kirby has, I can
only wonder if the HAL staff played much
Street Fighter II, as
Fighter Kirby seems to be modeled after Ryu... who was
supposedly the easiest fighter to master in that game, but
let's not get into that (Ken was WAY better anyway). It was
tricky to get the position of Kirby's body and the timing of
tapping Forward on the Control Pad and "Y" to grab an enemy to
use an Arm or Tomoe Throw, but it was worth it. Kirby could
clear away enemies that were hit by the thrown foe, but not
blocks. Nor could he throw blocks. So in essence, Throw wasn't
mixed into Fighter... so where DID HAL put it, anyway?
Somewhere I can't figure out, so enough about Throw; I already
dissected it anyway. Fighter was more based on learning to
gently tap as well as firmly press the attack button to alter
your attack strength, and learning where to place Kirby for
up-close attacks like the throws (so you would be used to it
when using such powers as Wing, Jet, etc... Suplex made it too
easy) Each attack had a differing strength. 22 damage went
into the stronger Smash Punch, Spin Kick, and Double Kick
(which didn't really hit twice, but Kirby would leave his foot
thrusted out to do more damage). Vulcan Jab did 5 per hit, and
Rising Break did 2. I'm prety sure the Down Kick and Leg Sweep
(tap "Y" airborne, and tap "Y" dashing, respectively) were in
the 14-18 range. The throws were instant death to lesser foes,
and thrown foes did 70 damage to bosses. However, Knuckle Joe
couldn't do Tomoe Throw for some reason. Then again, if he
wasn't a helper, he didn't do much more than Vulcan Jabs and
Smash Punches, with the odd Spin Kick thrown in for good
measure. As a helper, he was pretty smart. He might
occasionally throw a boss projectile, or use close up air
kicks. Mercfully, the mini-boss with the Fighter ability -
Iron Mom - NEVER came out as a helper, even if Kirby copied
her. Iron Mom didn't do muck more than pound the ground to
shake up stars, and throw her seemingly already detached red
orbs she called hands at Kirby. I don't even want to get into
detail on that freaky dark armored Iron Mom in Megaton
Punch... SCARY.
Fighter Kirby has been a part of the games since KSS, in some
form or another. Kirby's attacks in
Super Smash Bros. and
Super Smash Bros. Melee
seem to be based on Fighter Kirby (plus the inhale, Stone,
Burning, Cutter, and Hammer (and Parasol if Kirby grabs one in
Melee)), Fighter is an ability in the new
Hoshi no Kirby: Large
Labyrinth Mirror game supposedly still with its KSS
attributes, as is a new power based on SSBM Kirby. And for
Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland,
Kirby wears the red Fighter headband if he uses Back Drop.
The animé
has been pretty accurate with Fighter Kirby. The little
pink puff can get this ability by inhaling Knuckle Joe's
projectile attacks (Knuckle Joe is on Kirby's side), or
various weapons or attacks from enemies skilled at
martial arts... or chalk... ask Teacher Creature, not
me! Better yet, ask Nightmare! The only problem is that
Rising Break is made out to be SOOOOOO powerful... well,
it CAN multi-hit, and Kirby usually saves it for a later
attack... but if he uses it, whoever gets hit is done
for. From the 6 dubbed episodes in which Fighter Kirby
appears (6 dubbed, 6 Japanese, so that's it for him),
he's seemingly used every attack available to him,
including both throws, Leg Sweep, AND Down Kick. Double
Kick and Spin Kick seem to get mixed up; the former is a
strong attack in the air, the latter is a dashing ground
kick. However, the dub calls them BOTH "Spin Kick", but
that's probably because 1) It'd be pointless for Kirby
to dash to kick sometimes, and 2) he spins in midair
before kicking. Thus, I'd say they're interchangeable
from their game heritage, and leave it at that. They
have the same power anyway, and it never looks like
kirby kicks twice... no big deal.
Kirby as a martial arts expert seems like an ability derived
from SFII fandom at HAL Laboratories, and implemented to
appeal to SFII fans to promote Kirby as a real fighter... a
departure from his "cute" image abilities (as if Sword, Bomb,
Crash, and Fire weren't enough?). Still, it's a challenge to
get used to, and when you do, it pays off... 8.5/10 for
Fighter Kirby. Hiya!
