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Halberd
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- This article is about the battleship in the general context. For the stage in Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, see Battleship Halberd (stage). For the Robobot Armor mode, see Halberd Mode.
The Battleship Halberd (often referred to in short as simply Halberd) is a giant flying warship which Meta Knight commands and uses as his main base of operations. With the help of a motley crew of Popstar's residents — most notably the Meta-Knights, Captain Vul, and Sailor Waddle Dee — Meta Knight uses the ship as a display of his power, authority, and leadership. The Halberd is equipped with two large and four small bat-like wings, a series of powerful engines fueled by the Reactor (which is powered by Wheelies), and a large array of guns, the most notable of which being the mighty Combo Cannon. Among its remarkable arsenal, the Halberd is also equipped with a giant robot known as Heavy Lobster. At the bow of the ship is a giant replica of Meta Knight's mask, making it hard to mistake who the ship belongs to. The Halberd is capable of operating in the air, underwater, and even in deep space.
The Halberd was first introduced in Kirby Super Star, where it is the primary setting of the game Revenge of Meta Knight, wherein Kirby infiltrates the ship and gradually blows it to pieces in order to stop Meta Knight from using it to take over Dream Land. Since then, the Halberd has made a number of notable reappearances in the Kirby series. For instance, it is repaired and made operational again in Kirby: Squeak Squad, with some stages of Secret Sea and Gamble Galaxy taking place upon it. Additionally, in Kirby's Epic Yarn, the Halberd is a stage in Dream Land. Furthermore, in Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby and Meta Knight team up and fuse the Robobot Armor with the Halberd into the mighty Halberd Mode in order to take on Star Dream.
The Halberd appears as a prominent stage and setting in the Super Smash Bros. series, starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It also appears in the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, where it is used by Meta Knight and the Dream Landers to take on eNeMeE by assaulting his space fortress.
Design[edit]
The Battleship Halberd has gone through many notable design changes. In its first appearance in Kirby Super Star, the Halberd featured rotund proportions with a bulbous bow and a layered dome-shaped superstructure. Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and, later, Kirby: Squeak Squad featured a design with similar proportions but had larger cannons, a different color palette, and added rocket engines to the wings. The Halberd underwent a major redesign in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This new design removed the bulbous bow, slimmed the proportions of the ship, and adopted a superstructure and armament more accurate to real-world battleships. Kirby: Planet Robobot streamlined the Super Smash Bros. Brawl design, scaling back its armament, enlarging the Combo Cannon, employing bolder colors, and adding a new flame pattern to the ship's mask.
Game appearances[edit]
Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra[edit]
- Main article: Revenge of Meta Knight
The Halberd makes its debut appearance in Kirby Super Star (also appearing in Kirby Super Star Ultra) where it is the principal setting and central plot point of Revenge of Meta Knight. In this first appearance, Meta Knight and his crew prepare the ship for take off, intending to use its might to subjugate all of Dream Land (presumably wrestling control away from King Dedede). Seeing this as a threat, Kirby rides in on the Warp Star and attempts to board the ship multiple times, being repulsed all but the third time by the crew. Once Kirby manages to get on board, Meta Knight's crew panic and frantically try to get rid of Kirby as he worms his way through the ship destroying critical components. He starts by destroying the Combo Cannon, then demolishes the left and right wings while defeating Heavy Lobster, and finally strikes a critical blow by disabling the Reactor and freeing the Wheelies powering the ship. From here, Kirby makes his way to the bridge as most of the crew evacuate and battles Meta Knight directly, defeating him in an honorable sword duel. After this, Kirby rushes to escape the collapsing ship by riding one of the freed Wheelies while Meta Knight tries his best to take Kirby down with the ship. Ultimately, Kirby is able to hop off the ship as it crashes into the ocean, riding off into the sunset, having saved Dream Land from another threat to the peace.
In addition to its appearance in Revenge of Meta Knight, the Halberd is also briefly a setting in the Kirby Super Star Ultra-exclusive mode Meta Knightmare Ultra, where Meta Knight (for some reason) destroys his own ship.
Kirby: Squeak Squad[edit]
In Kirby: Squeak Squad, the Halberd is seen laying at the bottom of the ocean in the level Secret Sea, which is a nod to its fate after the events of Revenge of Meta Knight.[1] Several stages take place inside the ship, including the boss fight with Meta Knight. During this fight, the Halberd takes off again, serving as a transition to the final level, Gamble Galaxy. Here, the first stage takes place on the deck of the Halberd, though now in space, showing off the ship's ability to achieve escape velocity. It uses its design from Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.
Kirby's Epic Yarn / Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn[edit]
- Main article: Battleship Halberd (stage)
The battleship serves as the final stage in Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn. Here, Kirby uses the Star Shooter transformation in a horizontal-scrolling shooter level to take on the many enemies of the battleship. He also combats the Combo Cannon and the Reactor. The background music for this level is an acoustic, jazzy rendition of the exterior Halberd background music from Kirby Super Star (though the in-game description for the song's CD in the American version incorrectly states it as being from Kirby's Dream Land). A similar acoustic rendition of the same theme can be heard in a stage medley on the soundtrack for Kirby Super Star Ultra.
Prior to the stage itself, the Halberd is briefly featured in one of the cutscenes, namely, the one where Meta Knight is captured by Yin-Yarn.
In Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn's Sub-Game Slash & Bead, Battleship Halberd is the setting of Stage 4, once again featuring both Halberd cannons and the Reactor. Additionally, one of the Fuse Bead Mats for Slash & Bead depicts the Halberd.
Kirby Mass Attack[edit]
In Kirby Mass Attack, although absent from the main story, the Halberd appears as Stage 5 of the Sub-Game Strato Patrol EOS, appearing out in deep space past an asteroid belt. The Kirbys approach it from the side at the end of Stage 4 and, after a battle with the Meta-Knights, enter and fly through a central metal hallway full of enemies and traps before battling Meta Knight as the boss of the stage.
Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]
- See also: Halberd Mode
The Halberd also appears in Kirby: Planet Robobot under its current design. In the introductory cutscene for Kirby: Planet Robobot, Meta Knight orders the Halberd to attack the planet-sized spaceship sent down by the Haltmann Works Company to take over Popstar. The battleship does not make it very far before it is shot down by a powerful laser from the colossal spaceship. Meta Knight is then captured by the Haltmann Works Company, though not before entrusting the Halberd to his crew for repairs.[2]
Just before the final battle with Star Dream, Meta Knight returns with the fully-repaired Halberd, and asks Kirby to hop on board the ship. Kirby instead uses the Robobot Armor to scan it, forming the Robobot Armor's Halberd Mode. Using this new weapon, they battle Star Dream and its many forms in space above Popstar. Towards the end of the battle, Meta Knight ejects Kirby and the Robobot Armor from the ship, returning the Halberd to normal. It is seen again in the ending cutscene, where Kirby waves at it before chasing it.
The Halberd Mode is also used to engage Star Dream Soul OS in The True Arena.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
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SmashWiki has more information about this subject here. |
The Halberd has a prominent position in the Super Smash Bros. series starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In this game, it was introduced as a stage, which has the fighters tour around the ship using a separate floating platform which occasionally docks on the main deck of the ship itself, where the fighters then have to avoid attacks from the Combo Cannon. This stage would reappear in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Role in The Subspace Emissary[edit]
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Halberd plays a prominent role in the Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. Here, the ship is stolen from Meta Knight and used by the Subspace Army to deliver Shadow Bugs and Subspace Bombs across the world. While under the enemy's control, the Halberd engages with the Great Fox and its Arwings, ultimately bringing them all down, while the other characters try to chase after the ship. Eventually, a group of heroes along with Meta Knight himself manages to get back on board and wrestle control of the ship away from the Subspace Army. Later on, Meta Knight sacrifices the Halberd to a blast from the Subspace Gunship in order to buy the others some time to launch an assault using their smaller and nimbler vessels.
According to a post on the Smash Bros DOJO!! website, at some point prior to the events of Subspace Emissary, Tabuu launches an attack with the Subspace Army to steal the Halberd for his own. King Dedede engages Meta Knight during the attack, unknowingly making it impossible for Meta Knight to repel the Subspace Army. This event is not seen in the game.[3]
Other appearances[edit]
The Halberd also appears as a trophy in both Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Halberd appears as a support spirit, with a ★★★★ Legendary class and granting the "Armor Knight" bonus when equipped. It can only be purchased at Funky Kong's Shack.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy[edit]
| Name | Image | Appears in | American English Description | British English Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halberd | 
|
SNES Kirby Super Star | "Meta Knight's battleship, built to help Meta Knight take control of Dream Land. It's crewed by Meta Knight and the Meta-Knights and is equipped with the Combo Cannon and a shrimplike robot called the Heavy Lobster. In The Subspace Emissary, the Halberd appears and releases a massive horde of shadow bugs. These creatures form Primids and cause our heroes a lot of trouble." | "Meta Knight's battleship, built to help Meta Knight take control of Dream Land. It's crewed by Meta Knight and the Meta-Knights and is equipped with the Combo Cannon and a shrimp-like robot called the Heavy Lobster. In The Subspace Emissary, the Halberd appears and releases a massive horde of shadow bugs. These creatures form Primids and cause our heroes a lot of trouble." |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS trophy[edit]
| Name | Image | American English description | British English description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halberd |  |
Kirby's rival, the masked warrior Meta Knight, constructed this ship to conquer Dream Land. Just in case you forget who owns it, the ship's bow is designed to look like his mask. How is a small guy like Kirby supposed to defeat a battleship?! Maybe he'll find a way inside... | Kirby's rival, the masked swordsman Meta Knight, built this airship to take over Dream Land. Just so you don't forget who owns it, the ship's bow was designed to look like his mask. How's a little guy like Kirby supposed to take on such a giant battleship?! Guess he'll just have to find a way inside... |
In Kirby: Right Back at Ya![edit]
| “ | I have been working on this since my arrival here in Dream Land! Sword Knight and Blade Knight helped me a great deal! They were sworn to secrecy of course. It is called...Battleship Halberd! | ” | — Meta Knight, in Cappy Town Down |
The Halberd features prominently in the last three episodes of Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. Here, it was constructed in secret underneath Castle Dedede by Meta Knight and his apprentices Sword Knight and Blade Knight, who have been working on it ever since they first arrived in Dream Land. The purpose of this project was to construct a weapon powerful enough to take on eNeMeE and his massive space station. Its existence is not revealed to the rest of the Dream Landers until Cappy Town Down, right after Cappy Town is destroyed by an invading Destroya sent by Night Mare Enterprises. The Cappies are reluctant to help man the ship at first, but when even more Destroyas come to pulverize Dream Land, Kit Cosmos arrives and persuades them to join in.
From there, the Halberd takes off and shows off its power by destroying every Destroya with a single shot from its mighty cannons. The Halberd then flies into outer space and initiates warp speed to travel to eNeMeE's Fortress. On the way, it is attacked by Heavy Lobster, but Kirby and the crew manage to destroy it before it damages the main engine. Once the Halberd arrives at the fortress, it is set upon by the defensive turrets and Destroya armada. These prove to be too much for the Halberd to handle on its own, but backup comes in the form of three rogue Destroyas piloted by Kirby's allies. The Halberd manages to make it into the fortress and deliver its crew intact to the interior chamber, but it is eventually destroyed when more turret fire and Destroyas eventually do it in. The explosion from the ship does manage to take out the last of the defenses inside the fortress, however.
Differences from the games[edit]
The design of the Halberd is similar to its original design in Kirby Super Star, featuring a similar keel and a rounded bridge superstructure, but it has a smoother silver appearance, larger weapons, and wings equipped with rocket engines. Unlike the games, it is not powered by Wheelies or the Reactor, but instead features a singular main engine that is powered by an unknown fuel source. Also unlike the games, this Halberd is equipped with energy shielding and a warp drive that allows the ship to enter warp speed. In place of the Combo Cannon is the Gravity Disruptor, a powerful twin-barrel plasma beam turret capable of taking out Destroyas in a single hit.
King Dedede and Escargoon manage to catch a glimpse of the Halberd underneath their castle.
The Halberd crew prepares to enter warp speed.
The Halberd travels through a wormhole.
The crew gathers on the bridge of the Halberd.
The crew inspects the main engine of the ship.
The Halberd enters a tunnel inside eNeMeE's Fortress.
In the Kirby novel series[edit]
In the Kirby novel series, the Battleship Halberd is a high-tech spaceship owned by Meta Knight, first appearing in Kirby: Meta Knight and the Puppet Princess. He and his crew live there, and use it to travel across the universe. The Halberd is capable of using warp navigation, allowing it to travel to extremely far destinations in a short time. The ship also has weaponry that is powerful enough to be considered the strongest in the universe. Its most powerful weapon is the Combo Cannon, which can blow anything to smithereens.
The Halberd is home to Meta Knight, Captain Vul, Sword Knight, Blade Knight, and the Meta-Knights. When they are not on Popstar, Meta Knight and his crew are typically found travelling through space in the Halberd. Captain Vul is the commander in charge of the Halberd, and Axe Knight's job is to manage communications with the ship. Meta Knight is sometimes dragged into Kirby and King Dedede's matters after receiving a transmission from them. When Meta Knight is with Kirby and his friends, the Halberd is their choice of transportation whenever they need to travel to a far-off location.
In the first novel, Kirby and the Dangerous Gourmet Mansion?!, Meta Knight travels in a small blimp instead of the Halberd for unknown reasons.
Trivia[edit]
- The Halberd likely takes inspiration from the Space Battleship Yamato, a similar-looking space warship from the anime series of the same name.
- In Kirby Super Star Ultra, several smaller aircraft are visible within the Halberd, suggesting the Halberd is capable of deploying aircraft.
- The Halberd is likely named after a medieval weapon incorporating aspects of both an axe and a spear, though its first three letters also allude to HAL Laboratory.
Gallery[edit]
The Halberd in the process of being destroyed in Kirby Super Star
The sunken Halberd seen in the background of Kirby: Squeak Squad
The bow of the Halberd, as seen in Kirby's Epic Yarn
The Halberd appearing in the background in Strato Patrol EOS from Kirby Mass Attack
Artwork for Kirby: Planet Robobot featuring Kirby and Meta Knight battling Star Dream, with the Halberd and Susie in the background
Original sketch of the previous artwork, where the Halberd is drawn very simply, behind Meta Knight
Kirby merging the Robobot Armor with the Halberd to create the Halberd Mode in Kirby: Planet Robobot
Kirby and Meta Knight battling Star Dream using the Halberd Mode
Meta Knightmare Returns credits picture from Kirby: Planet Robobot, featuring the Halberd in a Rest Area
Meta Knightmare Returns credits picture from Kirby: Planet Robobot, featuring Meta Knight standing on the Halberd
Model used for its trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Halberd stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Zoomed out view of the Halberd stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Halberd stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
The Halberd stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Concept art for the Halberd in Kirby Super Star, from 20th Anniversary Kirby Pupupu Encyclopedia
Scan of a page from the official Japanese Kirby Super Star guidebook showing the 3D rendered background of one of Halberd's decks
Artwork of Meta Knight from Kirby no Copy-toru!, including the Halberd down below
Higher quality but cropped version of previous Kirby no Copy-toru! artwork
Artwork for Kirby's 25th Anniversary
Alternate artwork for Kirby's 25th Anniversary
Commemorative artwork from Kirby Art & Style Collection featuring Kirby charging at Susie, where the Halberd is with him in the background
Halberd Travel Sticker from the "Kirby Pupupu Train" 2016 events
"Shooting Gallery" miniature set from the "Kirby Pupupu Japanese Festival" merchandise line, featuring a package of a Halberd ship model
Meta Knight miniature set from the "Kirby's Dreamy Gear" merchandise line, featuring a Halberd figurine
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 戦艦ハルバード Senkan Harubādo |
Battleship Halberd Sometimes romanized as "Halbird". |
| Chinese | Halberd[4] |
- |
| Dutch | Halberd | - |
| French | Halberd | - |
| German | Halberd | - |
| Italian | Halberd | - |
| Korean | 전함 할버드 jeonham halbeodeu |
Battleship Halberd |
| European Portuguese | Halberd[5] | - |
| Russian | Алебарда[6] Alebarda |
Halberd |
| Spanish | Hal Abarda | From HAL and alabarda (halberd) |
References
- ↑ 熊崎 メタナイトの持つ戦艦ハルバードがありますけど、『星のカービィ スーパーデラックス』の「メタナイトの逆襲」で一度水没しているんですよね。ただ、その後に出た『星のカービィ 参上！ドロッチェ団』では戦艦ハルバードは過去に水没したという事実を活かし、海底に存在しています。(Kumazaki: Meta Knight’s battleship Halberd was once submerged in Revenge of Meta Knight of “Kirby Super Star”. However, later in “Kirby: Squeak Squad”, the battleship Halberd is found at the bottom of the sea, taking advantage of the fact that it has been submerged in the past.), Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe interview from the June 2023 edition of Nintendo Dream, translation source
- ↑ https://kirbydevpostarchive.tumblr.com/post/164955084671/hal-laboratory-%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B7%E3%83%80-hallaboratory-08252016-957
- ↑ https://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/gamemode/modea/modea17.html
- ↑ Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- ↑ Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- ↑ Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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