He’s cute. He’s round. He’s always smiling. And he terrifies me.

March 8, 2020 11:49 AM

Figuring out the truth of Kirby [YouTube] “It might seem strange to be scared of a small pink orb, but I promise it’s justified. The thing that scares me the most about Kirby is that he is simultaneously an adorable creature and a being that possesses infinite power. These two truths cannot coexist. A sweet and simple resident of Dream Land should not be able to punch through a planet. How can Kirby only care about eating and sleeping while also being able to destroy cosmic horrors like Necrodeus or Void Termina? This dichotomy has haunted me for years,” [via: Polygon]

• The Accidental Origins Of Kirby [Kotaku]

“But before Kirby could go on to be a mainstay in the Smash Bros. series or star in his own cartoon, he needed an identity. The character from the original game could have been almost anything really. There’s a generic quality to the character that’s stuck with him to this day. He absorbs powers and has undergone slight transformations, being rendered in clay and yarn, and even with his shoes off, but his underlying essence is simple, consistent, and almost characterless: a pink ball with a penchant for puffing up his cheeks. The rest of the character’s defining aspects—his color, shape, and name—were after thoughts. So it’s maybe unsurprising that Sakurai managed to develop most of the game without ever giving a whole lot of thought to the character beyond its simple animations and monochromatic appearance. “I needed a dummy character to represent what the real character would be doing in the game,” he said in an interview once. “I just put a Kirby-shaped blob in my presentation as a place-holder, but everyone liked it so much we decided to keep it in the game without any major changes.””

• Kirby’s creepy past makes him the perfect hero for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate [Polygon]

“The practice of depicting celestial beings as beautiful, terrifying creatures isn’t new in the world of video games; Shin Megami Tensei and Bayonetta draw inspiration from the Jewish angelic hierarchy for their enemy designs. But Kirby’s flirtatious relationship with religious iconography is much stranger due to its reputation as a series for children and not a post-apocalyptic RPG or titillating action-adventure. Kirby games are adorable, yes, but it’s become clear over the last two decades that something alien creeps at the edge of its universe, seemingly angelic yet leering at Popstar and its inhabitants with a sinister hunger. The aforementioned H.P. Lovecraft based many of his stories around a fear of the unknown (now interpreted as an extension of the author’s own racism). Protagonists in these stories often come up against celestial forces they simply can’t comprehend with their limited knowledge of the world around them. Some of these ancient beings are so outside the realm of human understanding that simply gazing upon them can drive someone insane. On the surface, the Kirby franchise seems like the furthest one could get from these sensibilities, but many games have proven that even his own small corner of the world isn’t safe from existential threats.”

• Finally Nintendo Confirms That Kirby Was Always the Star of Smash Bros. [Vice Gaming]

“You mean to tell me that the character who can literally borrow any opponent's powers is not the hero? Imagine if I went around eating other people and exhibiting their skills for a set amount of time. I would be so powerful. Also, let me remind you that if any other character had been chosen, all the others would be dead both in body and spirit. But the spirits of every Nintendo character killed in that trailer live on thanks to Kirby's benevolent cannibalism. He's like Christ in reverse—think about it. Mario got some hats in Odyssey, but our beloved happy glutton has had cool hats this whole time. Sure, Kirby is not the go-to for winning pro-level tournaments (particularly in Melee), because there are loads of other characters experts can use to greater effect. I can concede that point. But that's not why you're playing Smash Bros. You're playing it with your friends as an excuse to hang out, and this makes Kirby the best because he was practically designed for this very purpose.”

posted by Fizz (13 comments total)

"Holy shit do we think fans are going to love Kirby’s fur in this movie."
posted by oulipian at 12:25 PM on March 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

This is my favorite Kirby music mashup
posted by motdiem2 at 1:05 PM on March 8, 2020 [2 favorites]

Here's a fun article that has a very lovely image.
posted by Fizz at 2:16 PM on March 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

The Polygon video guy is very good.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 2:51 PM on March 8, 2020 [4 favorites]

I feel obligated to mention Kirby's Dream Band's: The Pink Album.
posted by tocts at 3:07 PM on March 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

I can not recommend every Unraveled enough with the words available to me in the English language. It’s one of my favorite things.
posted by Caduceus at 5:15 PM on March 8, 2020 [8 favorites]

I like how Kirby is cuter on Japanese cover art and angrier/scarier on NA releases.

Kirby is one of my favorites precisely because he’s cute but insanely powerful and also kind of simple.

Another good example of the type is Guu, who looks like a normal little girl but can actually swallow an entire universe.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:52 PM on March 8, 2020 [2 favorites]

The Polygon video guy is very good.

Waluigi, Unravelled may be his best work, but I Used the Sims to Perfect My Apartment is competitive.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 10:55 PM on March 8, 2020 [4 favorites]

I was a little surprised that this didn't get into the (quite solid, IMO) theory that Kirby is the result of pure-hearted, positively-energized Dark Matter. The lore and forms of the final bosses in Kirby Star Allies strongly hint at this, and we've seen friendly Dark Matter in the form of Gooey - who shares Kirby's signature capabilities. Kirby can take down all those universe-threatening monstrosities because he is their peer and kin. Kirby is perpetually kind, gentle, and innocent because if he wasn't he'd be a final boss instead.
posted by NMcCoy at 1:29 AM on March 9, 2020 [7 favorites]

Honestly the Pokerap is my favourite Unravelled just because it reaches for something that should be impossible and by god it achieves it
posted by Merus at 4:35 AM on March 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

I lost it at "A circle survived."
posted by Young Kullervo at 6:51 AM on March 9, 2020

Weird Polygon is the best Polygon.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:43 AM on March 9, 2020

Brian David Gilbert is a wholesome island in a toxic swamp of gaming media. His (AFAIK) unremarked habit of wearing nail polish on camera also gives me hope for seeing less restrictive gender representations in the future.
posted by WaylandSmith at 4:24 PM on March 9, 2020