We go from
semi-automatic shooters to handheld weapons when
discussing abilities, nd this one ranks as both, in a
sense. It's the VERY FIRST ultimate final weapon, and
the last one seen in the animé.
Star Rod Kirby!
Kirby's Adventure
and Kirby: Nightmare
in Dreamland were the only Kirby games to
feature the Star Rod, the source of power to the Dream
Spring. With its power, the dreams flow
like water, bathing Popstar in pleasant slumber. Of
course, King Dedede stole it, but there was a deeper
significance to his crime. For after Kirby recovered
the seven fragments of the Star Rod (one for each
color of the rainbow, and wouldn't the second-to-last
world be named after a fruit that's also a color name,
with the LAST level being Rainbow Resort), he restored
it to its rightful place in the Fountain of Dreams...
and it was promptly knocked off by Nightmare, who just
needed it connected to manifest his evil form in the
skies above Dream Land.
Of course, would Kirby
take lightly to that? Yes. However, Dedede decided to
use his powers to send Kirby skyward, as well as the
Star Rod. Holding it, Kirby can fling star shots at
his foes, and deal some nasty damage. He can also hit
enemies with the rod when firing a shot, or by
jumping, as his jump is an automatic spin. The
mechanics of this ability seem to be a mix of Laser's
straight firing shots with the spin atack used by
Hammer and Sword. Kirby spins in a jump, but when he
attacks in midair, he fires a shot. Useful, and
probably the main reason HAL decided NOT to allow
Kirby to use it in regular stages in NiDL, unlike some
OTHER final weapons, which will be discussed later. In
the first part of the battle with Nightmare, Kirby
faces the Nightmare Orb (Or Nightmare Ball), which I
INITIALLY thought was just an assistant to Nightmare.
Kirby can fling star shots and move around in sort of
a free-float, but there's no ground below him. He's
actually falling to Dreamland's surface, after being
exhaled miles into the upper stratosphere of Popstar
by King Dedede. And no, he's not crushed between the
sky and ground; since Kirby doesn't float down
(because he CAN'T, for a challenge factor, though why
Kirby actually never got the idea in his head to TRY,
that's beyond me), the impact kills him. Yes, even
Kirby can get hurt from a nasty fall. However, that's
only if you take until the next Stone Age to beat
Nightmare... or if you just happen to miss most of
your shots. Nightmare escapes, and you perish, and
Dream Land is doomed to have eternal nightmares, and
it's all your fault! However, if you beat the ball, he
leaves behind a Warpstar, and you take to the second
half of the fight.
NOW is where the real mechanics are used. You're doing
battle on one of Popstar's moons. Kirby's spinning jump, and
the star shots mixed make the second form of Nightmare so
much easier. The Star Shot is stronger than the spinning
attack by a LONGSHOT (no pun intended). Kirby can just tap
Nightmare Wizard with the wand in his glowing vortex beneath
the cape, or slam him with a Star Shot. Nightmare's cape
deflects blasts, but doesn't reflect them. Sorry Nightmare,
but no Reflect Guard for you, and I don't think Kirby would
teach you how to do it. Anyway, Kirby's got the power to
break Nightmare's nasty star blasts with the Star Rod, but
in NiDL, he can also sling Star Shots THROUGH them, and nail
Nightmare that way. That, or Nightmare's shots have more
gaps between them than originally. All I can say for sure
is, it's easier to hit him in NiDL than in KA. In Adventure,
I often relied more on the spinning attack than the Star
Shot. Then again, I think Kirby fires slower in NiDL... Of
course, either way, if you smack Nightmare around enough, he
explodes, blowing a permanent crescent into whatever moon
you're on. Cute. I think you face Marx in the exact same
place in Super Star, but I'm not sure.
Lest I forget, the Star Rod is an item and weapon in the
Super Smash Bros.
games. It holds 16 (or maybe it's 20) Star Shots, which do
decent damage. It also works as a clubbing weapon, and hits
for more power than the stars. If you're good at distancing
yourself, you can sometimes land a clubbing hit AND a Star
Shot in one move. Of course, this requires a Smash attack to
be used, as without it, no Star Shot. It's tougher with some
characters, because of how they use weapons, ESPECIALLY
Captain Falcon (though he can land many star shot in one),
and to a lesser extent, Sheik. (she does two shots in one).
Kirby yet again can batter his foes with it, but now, he can
end up on the recieving end. What's worse, is the Star Rod,
upon expiring its shots, can remain an effective clubbing
weapon, but if the holder chooses to dispose of it, they can
just throw it. It sends opponents flying at a low angle,
which really hurts if you're of the side somewhere. If
you're recovering and this hits you after someone throws it,
you're finished. I think you get more of them than usual on
Fountain of Dreams, which makes sense. That's where it hails
from, so the Dream Spring lends you its power.
Star Rod Kirby is also in the animé, though anyone outside
of Japan hasn't seen him yet. If my information is correct,
when the Warpstar is weakened and shrinks at the end of
"Crisis of the Warpstar" / "Air Ride-In Style", Kirby later
takes the Wing Star to fly with (he uses it very well, from
what I've heard AND seen), and the shrunken Warpstar becomes
the star tip of the Star Rod, which Kirby uses against
Nightmare, who is battled deep in space (from the one
screenshot I saw, I don't think they're on Popstar's moon,
plus the last episodes take place at Nightmare's
headquarters). I'm sure he uses it the way he does in the
games, meaning he uses it as a handheld clubbing device
(probably to bat away Nightmare's attacks), and also shoots
the stars to fend off Nightmare and eventually defeat him...
but as has been said before, you can't KILL an entity of
dreams... for as long as there is fear in the hearts of
people, he will return... But until then, we just have to
wait and see, was the Star Rod the last ability Kirby would
use against his foes, or was this just a tip of the iceberg?
Personally, I hope for the iceberg tip thing myself.
A very nice weapon indeed, and it looks delicious... a
magenta candy cane! I rate Star Rod Kirby a perfect 10!
There's just a soft spot within me for the ultimate ability
and first final weapon I ever used, be it in one of my
favorite Kirby games ever, or as an item in the SSB games.
Fight on, Kirby! Fight on for the happy dreams of all!
