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Inhale

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Artwork of Kirby inhaling from Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe.

Inhale (sometimes called Vacuum or Swallow) is one of Kirby's main abilities, debuting in the first game, Kirby's Dream Land. It is his primary form of attack, and he is able to use it in all of the mainline Kirby games. Kirby performs this ability by opening his mouth wide and sucking in air, which creates a vortex, dragging nearby enemies or other objects toward him and into his mouth. From there, Kirby can either swallow them, effectively removing them from existence, or shoot them back out as a Star Bullet which shatters on impact. In the majority of appearances, Kirby obtains a Copy Ability after swallowing an enemy or object with an applicable ability.

Details[edit]

Assuming he is not interrupted by another action, Kirby can inhale indefinitely as long as the player holds the attack button. Any enemy or object in front of Kirby will then be drawn toward him until it reaches his mouth, at which point Kirby will stop inhaling automatically. When Kirby has something in his mouth, he becomes larger than usual, and he cannot hover or swim. The player can then press the attack button again to exhale a Star Bullet, or crouch to swallow, obtaining a Copy Ability if applicable.

In most games in the series, Kirby's Inhale can work through walls, allowing him to nab enemies through them (and even items like food and keys, in some cases). Oftentimes, doing this is necessary to solve certain puzzles. Kirby can also inhale multiple enemies and objects at once. If he spits them out, it creates a more powerful star projectile known as a Blaster Bullet, which can pass through multiple targets. In some games, the Blaster Bullet grows proportionally to the number of objects inhaled.

The main caveat to inhaling is that Kirby generally has to hold still. He usually cannot walk around while inhaling; only Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Kirby and the Forgotten Land let him do this without a power-up. He also cannot jump while inhaling (though he can inhale in midair), and he can never inhale while hovering. As a result, it is usually difficult to inhale airborne or highly mobile enemies. Kirby also cannot inhale while underwater in most cases — Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is the only game where he can do so without Kine's assistance — with his main form of underwater attack instead being the Water Gun.

According to series director Shinya Kumazaki, enemies are not killed when Kirby inhales them; instead, they "poof" and are teleported elsewhere in the world.[1] In other games, Kirby can inhale his friends, and use them as projectiles, though this does not "poof" them like it does the enemies.

Inhale works on most enemies in the Kirby series, but some enemies are immune to this technique. The most common examples are Gordos, Shotzos, Scarfies, and Mumbies. While there may be a large number of reasons as to why Kirby cannot inhale these entities, the English manual for Kirby's Dream Land states that such enemies are simply "too nasty" for Kirby to swallow.[2] Additionally, Mid-Bosses must be defeated first before they can be inhaled, and most bosses simply cannot be inhaled at all.

Super Inhale[edit]

Kirby making use of the Super Inhale to swallow many blocks at once in a pre-release version of Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

In Kirby & The Amazing Mirror onwards, Kirby can perform a stronger variant known as Super Inhale. This technique is often necessary to swallow large objects or move around heavy blocks. In Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Squeak Squad, a Super Inhale can be performed by inhaling for a short time, but Kirby will get tired and stop inhaling if he uses it for too long.

In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Super Inhale's functionality was tweaked; instead of being performed automatically after inhaling for a while, the player must either shake the controller or input several different directions on the + Control Pad while inhaling to perform this technique. Kirby no longer grows tired, so a Super Inhale can be held for as long as the player wishes. This allows Kirby to inhale many more objects simultaneously than he can with a normal Inhale.

The tweaks to Super Inhale remain in all mainline titles starting with Kirby: Triple Deluxe; however, motion controls are no longer necessary, and Kirby can once again perform a Super Inhale simply by inhaling for a little while. This change also applies to Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe.

Hypernova[edit]

Kirby: Triple Deluxe introduces Hypernova, an ability that functions as a souped-up version of Kirby's inhale, which can be acquired by eating a Miracle Fruit. Using Hypernova, Kirby can inhale massive objects in large numbers, and he can also walk forward and backward while inhaling, which allows him to move around large objects and activate devices that he otherwise could not. In addition, he can even swallow some bosses whole, which is impossible to do with the normal Inhale.

Notable game appearances[edit]

Kirby's Dream Land[edit]

Kirby inhaling a Mike in the third stage, Float Islands.

In Kirby's Dream Land, inhaling is Kirby's primary method of dispatching enemies, either in swallowing them, or spitting them back out. Against bosses, the usual strategy was to inhale any projectiles thrown his way and spit them back. Kirby cannot gain a Copy Ability from inhaling an enemy, as this feature only appears in later Kirby titles.

Kirby's Adventure / Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[edit]

KNiDL Inhale sprite.png Starting with Kirby's Adventure, Kirby can obtain a Copy Ability from inhaling then swallowing an enemy. Additionally, the Throw and Backdrop abilities utilize Kirby's inhale to allow him to grab enemies before tossing them (in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Backdrop instead utilizes a lunging grab).

Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra[edit]

In Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kirby can swallow in midair by pressing the Helper button with something in his mouth.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards[edit]

Kirby using his inhale to save his Waddle Dee friend in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards alone, Kirby is able to use his inhale underwater without assistance from another character like Kine. This is also the first game where he can combine two Copy Abilities together, allowing for combinations like Cutter-Cutter, Bomb-Cutter, and Burn-Needle. This game is also the first instance where Kirby can move forward or backward while inhaling, an ability which would not be seen again until the introduction of Hypernova.

Strangely enough, in this game alone, it is possible for enemies to get 'stuck' on platforms when Kirby is attempting to inhale them. In this case, they will stay in place, spinning around for a moment before being 'defeated' and vanishing.

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror[edit]

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is the first game in the series where Kirby can Super Inhale. Often, he needs to team up with the other three Kirbys to move large objects.

Kirby: Squeak Squad[edit]

In Kirby: Squeak Squad, Kirby can store up to five objects that he has swallowed in his Copy Palette for later use. Kirby is also able to combine certain abilities he has stored away, like combining Sword with Spark to create an electric sword, or two otherwise incompatible abilities to get a random new ability. The Copy Palette feature did not return in later games, though similar features would appear through the Assist Star in Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Kirby: Planet Robobot and Stock Items in Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land / Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]

Kirby using his Super Inhale in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby is able to inhale his friends and spit them out as part of his projectiles. This does not hurt them, making it sometimes a useful strategy to use Kirby's friends as ammunition. If Kirby swallows another player with a Copy Ability, he can steal that ability for himself and take it away from them.

In Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, the option to turn on Auto Swallow returns from Kirby and the Forgotten Land, however it is turned off by default.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

Kirby: Triple Deluxe is where the Hypernova ability made its debut. At one point near the end of the game, Kirby uses it to inhale an entire boss, defeating it in one fell swoop. He also uses it to defeat the final boss of Story Mode.

Kirby's Blowout Blast[edit]

Official art of Kirby inhaling three Waddle Dees at once, from Kirby's Blowout Blast.

Kirby gets particularly big when he inhales a bunch of enemies in Kirby's Blowout Blast. When he releases them, the star that results is referred to as a Blaster Bullet, and can wipe out enemies in a huge area.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land[edit]

In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby is once again able to move around while inhaling, this time in all directions. He's also able to inhale while swimming above water. An option for Auto Swallow is available so Kirby will automatically swallow an enemy or a hat that gives a Copy Ability, which is on by default.

When near an object that can be used for Mouthful Mode, Kirby can inhale it even with an active copy ability. Elfilin will point this out to Kirby if he repeatedly discards his abilities near a "mouthful" object.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

SmashWiki has more information about this subject here.

Kirby uses Inhale as his neutral special move in all of the Super Smash Bros. titles. This allows him to copy his opponents' neutral special attacks when swallowing them. Naturally, Kirby does not destroy his opponent when he does this, though it does deal damage. He can also spit his opponent out as a Star Bullet by pressing the special attack button - said Star Bullet travels a short distance before the opponent returns back to normal; how far it travels depends on Kirby's and the opponent's damage percentages.

Two custom moves can be used in place of the original once unlocked in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. The first, Ice Breath, functions similarly to the Ice ability's attack of the same name and can temporarily freeze opponents solid for a time. In return, Kirby cannot swallow opponents or spit them out. The second, Jumping Inhale, lets Kirby leap forward a ways while inhaling, but any Star Bullets he spits out won't deal any damage.

Games where Kirby does not inhale[edit]

The following are games where Kirby either cannot or does not use his inhale, with further explanations given where appropriate:

Other entities that can Inhale[edit]

Whispy Woods EX trying to inhale Kirby in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Star Dream Soul OS inhaling Kirby in a cutscene in Kirby: Planet Robobot

Kirby is not the only one who can Inhale. The following is a list of other entities that use an Inhale to attack, though most of them cannot Copy abilities or even swallow:

Gobble[edit]

Kirby attempting to use his Gobble in Kirby Fighters 2

In Kirby Fighters 2, Kirby does not have the ability to inhale (due to utilizing Copy Abilities). However, he can use a different technique called Gobble which allows him to eat his opponents and then spit them back out to deal damage. The only functional difference between this and a regular Inhale is that Kirby does not use suction (meaning he has to be up close to catch someone), and he cannot swallow. Gooey and King Dedede also make use of Gobble in this game.

Trivia[edit]

Gallery[edit]

KPR Kirby Inhale clip.png
From Kirby: Planet Robobot
KPR Kirby Inhale clip 2.png
From Kirby: Planet Robobot

Artwork[edit]

Other[edit]

  • Tip image of Kirby inhaling a Blade Knight from Kirby Star Allies

    Tip image of Kirby inhaling a Blade Knight from Kirby Star Allies

  • Tip image of Kirby inhaling an allied Waddle Doo from Kirby Star Allies

    Tip image of Kirby inhaling an allied Waddle Doo from Kirby Star Allies

  • Screenshot of Kirby inhaling in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!

    Screenshot of Kirby inhaling in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!

  • LINE animated sticker from "Kirby's Puffball Sticker Set"

    LINE animated sticker from "Kirby's Puffball Sticker Set"

  • "Inhale" Card stand from the "Kirby Desktop Figure" merchandise line, manufactured by Re-ment

    "Inhale" Card stand from the "Kirby Desktop Figure" merchandise line, manufactured by Re-ment

  • "Waddle Dee & Kirby" figure from the "Swing Kirby" merchandise line, manufactured by Re-ment

    "Waddle Dee & Kirby" figure from the "Swing Kirby" merchandise line, manufactured by Re-ment

  • Set 11 of the Kirby hanafuda cards, featuring Kirby inhaling.

    Set 11 of the Kirby hanafuda cards, featuring Kirby inhaling.

Names in other languages[edit]

Inhale[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese 吸すい込こみ
suikomi 		Inhale
Chinese 吸入
xī rù 		Inhale
Dutch Opzuigen Sucking up
French Aval'tout Swallow all
German Einsaugen Sucking in
Italian Risucchio Sucking up
Korean 빨아들이기
pparadeurigi 		Inhale
Portuguese Aspirar Vacuum
Russian Вдох
Vdokh 		Inhale
Spanish Absorber
Tragar 		Absorb
Swallow


Super Inhale[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese がんばり吸すい込こみ
ganbari suikomi 		Enduring inhale
Dutch Super opzuigen Super sucking up
French Super aval'tout Super swallow all
German Mega-Einsaugen Mega Suction
Italian Super risucchio Super sucking up
Portuguese Superaspiração Super Vacuum
Spanish Superabsorción Superabsorption


Swallow[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese のみこむ
nomikomu 		Swallow
Dutch Inslikken Swallow
French Avaler Swallow
German Schlucken Swallow
Italian Inghiotti Swallow
Portuguese Engolir Swallow
Spanish Tragar Swallow


Gobble[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ほおばり
hōbari 		Mouthful
Traditional Chinese 塞滿嘴
sāi mǎn zuǐ 		Mouthful
Simplified Chinese 塞满嘴
sāi mǎn zuǐ
Dutch Opschrokken Gobble up
French Gober Gobble
German Verschlingen Gobble
Italian Bocca piena Mouthful
Korean 머금기
meogeumgi 		Mouthful
Spanish Zampar Devour


References

  1. ↑ ‘What happens if Kirby swallows a hot man?’ His directors give answers, Polygon
  2. ↑ "Some of the enemies are just too nasty for me to swallow. See if you can find other ways to beat these guys!" –Kirby's Dream Land instruction manual (page 12, North American print)
  3. ↑ Kirby's Dream Land - Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games
v • d • e
Moves
Main series
Copy Ability (Kirby: Canvas Curse only) • Star Dash (Kirby and the Rainbow Curse only) • Touch Dash
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