Kirby Lore, Explained

You probably wouldn’t know it from his appearance, but Kirby and his games have some of the more interesting lore and story ever seen in a series. Kirby and his friends mostly live in Dreamland on the Planet Popstar where they spend their days lazing about. He’s done his fair share of travels, usually because his home is in crisis. Kirby’s met many characters during these tribulations, some who you might know by face because of their popularity but nothing beyond that. These are the basics of the game lore that will help you understand a little bit more about the Kirby universe.

The Origins Of Kirby

It’s never explained where Kirby comes from, only that he is one of the most powerful beings to exist in the universe of the games. Many attain this to the fact that he might be a reincarnation of a creation god known as Void. Note that this is not the Void Termina you face in Kirby Star Allies, rather it’s another one of the original Void’s forms. Void as the creation god can absorb negative emotions just like he can positive, which results in the birth of some of Kirby’s vilest enemies. Because Kirby was born from purely positive emotions, he is a powerhouse against the bosses born from dark matter. An unfortunate flaw of Kirby’s purity is that he’s quite gullible, as he’s been tricked by characters like Marx and Magalor into releasing things that become threats to the galaxy.

The Theorized Setting

The universe of Kirby seems to take place in a solar system where humans either became extinct or moved on to other worlds when the earth became inhospitable. The biggest evidence of this is seeing constant references to human life throughout the games in the items they left behind. Shiver Star, the 5th planet in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, seems to resemble a snow covered Earth. Still, the existence of Adeleine proves humans survived somewhere. Adeleine is a character first introduced in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards when she comes to Planet Popstar to study art. Though it is never explained where she came from, she is very clearly human or at the least a descendant of them.

The True Villains

King Dedede is the most commonly known Kirby villain, but he’s far from being the worst. In fact he’s not actually a villain at all in some aspects. He’s simply someone with a lot of arrogance who crowned himself as the King of Dreamland. The main villains of the early Kirby games are the Eyeball monster beings Nebula, Dark Matter, Zero and his later revived counterpart Zero 2. These are Eldritch-like beings that can possess people and want to spread their wickedness throughout the universe. They spawn purely from dark energy in outer space.

Another adversary that Kirby faces is President Haltman, the CEO of the Haltman Works Company. This is a group that wants to use technology to make the world a better place more or less. In Kirby: Planet Robobot, he uses a UFO-like device to mechanize planets, and there are many theories that was it actually him and his secretary Susie who destroyed the earth, and possibly even humans, as the duo see themselves as the superior beings over everyone. Later, Susie takes over the company as the CEO, but it’s unknown if she continues Haltman’s evil practices or not.

The Waddle Dees

In the trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land, you may have seen a scene where an unknown entity kidnaps what are called the Waddle Dees. These NPCs are natives of Planet Popstar and are one of the most common characters seen in the Kirby games. They are sometimes minions of King Dedede but not all. Waddle Dees are usually either foe or friend to Kirby depending on the scenario. They have been seen in the games since the first title, Kirby’s Dreamland.

Meta Knight

Kirby’s sword wielding rival has always been a really interesting enigma in the games. He’s a stoic Knight who holds a code of chivalry and as such will always offer Kirby a sword before a fight. He usually sees Kirby as his ultimate rival, but it’s unknown if Kirby really reciprocates those feelings. While he sometimes might seem like a jerk, Meta Knight isn’t really a villain and has shown a caring side before. Still, he tends to have a narrow minded view of things and feels everyone should only do what he thinks is best. He’s so extreme in this that he once tried to start a war on Popstar because he felt the residents were too lazy.

Hopefully these explanations will help clear any confusion if the specific lore is referenced to in any future Kirby games.