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Version 1 - Kirby's Adventure (1993) / Kirby: Canvas Curse (2005)

The very first ability of the Kirby series, it's Beam! Waddle Doo, one of the enemies in the very first Kirby game, has an iconic attack where it creates an electric beam and waves it in an ark. Though Kirby could not copy his enemies' abilities in Kirby's Dream Land, when the copy ability was created for Kirby's Adventure, it only made sense that stealing this notable enemy's moves would be within Kirby's grasp!

Kirby's Adventure created copy abilities, but the now-iconic hats that came with them would come later - so, for now, Kirby simply got the iconic beam whip and no hat to go along with it. Other Kirby games without ability hats typically did not include Beam, instead opting for Spark as their zappy ability of choice, but this version of Beam would return in the hatless Kirby: Canvas Curse much later.

Version 2 - Kirby Super Star (1996) / Kirby Super Star Ultra (2008)

When Kirby Super Star added hats to Kirby's abilities, Beam gained this jaunty little jester's hat covered in stars. Interestingly, though the original ability simply had Kirby swing the beam from his hand, Super Star also gave him a magical scepter to summon the whip from. Beam Kirby also became a cute yellow! Notably, the sprite of Kirby in both Super Star and Super Star Ultra only has the star detailing on the orange side (visible as dots on the sprite), but the artwork for both games have stars on both sides of the hat. Also notably, the coloration of red on the left and orange on the right follows how the sprite appears when facing to the left, as opposed to how later games would switch them for how the sprite appears facing to the right.

Kirby Super Star had a number of hats that were shared between abilities but recolored, and Beam Kirby's hat would be shared with Mirror Kirby. Perhaps this is why Beam Kirby had a scepter added to it, as the scepter is similar to that wielded by the enemy Simirror which granted Mirror Kirby when swallowed.

Version 3 - Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (2002) / Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (2004) / Kirby: Squeak Squad (2006)

When Kirby's Adventure was remade as Nightmare in Dream Land in 2002, ability hats were also added to most abilities. Beam was no exception, gaining a hat that matched the Super Star design, albeit based on the sprite facing the other direction. Interestingly, the scepter would not be included in sprites or in official art, and would remain completely absent for the "single attack" Kirby games on the GBA and DS. Also, though Nightmare in Dream Land included abilities changing Kirby's main palette, something that would be largely dropped from the series starting with Amazing Mirror, Beam Kirby's yellow was not carried over, keeping him pink.

Though many of Kirby's most famous abilities showed up in the anime, Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, Beam would never make an appearance. Mirror would, though. Go figure!

Version 4 - Kirby's Return to Dream Land (2011) - Present

The much-anticipated return to the Super Star-format of abilities with multiple attacks, Kirby's Return to Dream Land merged the Super Star and Nightmare in Dream Land designs by keeping the Nightmare in Dream Land hat but adding on a newly-redesigned scepter. An extra little detail was added onto the hat's headband, too.

Funnily enough the enemy Gemra was also included in Return to Dream Land, which gives beam and has a head resembling Beam's jester hat, including the star pattern. Retroactively, does this mean that Kirby's hat comes from the Gemra enemy? Is Gemra the "pure" version of an enemy that gives Beam, despite only showing up in one game?

Notably, while Beam was not shown off in the trailer for the cancelled Kirby Adventure GCN, Super Smash Bros. Brawl's trophy for Beam Kirby gives us a glimpse of what the ability likely would have looked like in that game, and it is very similar, including the redesigned scepter and Nightmare in Dream Land hat, but lacking the headband detailing. It also brought in Super Star's yellow palette, though updated with orange shoes, which brings us to...

Version 5 - Modern Merchandise

Though modern Kirby games do not have Kirby's palette change with his abilities, presumably to ensure that during multiplayer with differently-colored Kirbies they could be told apart, modern merchandise does not follow this rule. As a result, some merchandise and official artwork has this version of the modern Beam Kirby design but with the Super Star-style yellow Kirby! Most notably, the Beam Kirby Nendoroid figurine takes on this design. So if you were wondering why some art exists of a modern Beam Kirby with Super Star yellow skin, now you know.

Description

<- prev | next ->

Version 1 - Kirby's Adventure (1993) / Kirby: Canvas Curse (2005)

The very first ability of the Kirby series, it's Beam! Waddle Doo, one of the enemies in the very first Kirby game, has an iconic attack where it creates an electric beam and waves it in an ark. Though Kirby could not copy his enemies' abilities in Kirby's Dream Land, when the copy ability was created for Kirby's Adventure, it only made sense that stealing this notable enemy's moves would be within Kirby's grasp!

Kirby's Adventure created copy abilities, but the now-iconic hats that came with them would come later - so, for now, Kirby simply got the iconic beam whip and no hat to go along with it. Other Kirby games without ability hats typically did not include Beam, instead opting for Spark as their zappy ability of choice, but this version of Beam would return in the hatless Kirby: Canvas Curse much later.

Version 2 - Kirby Super Star (1996) / Kirby Super Star Ultra (2008)

When Kirby Super Star added hats to Kirby's abilities, Beam gained this jaunty little jester's hat covered in stars. Interestingly, though the original ability simply had Kirby swing the beam from his hand, Super Star also gave him a magical scepter to summon the whip from. Beam Kirby also became a cute yellow! Notably, the sprite of Kirby in both Super Star and Super Star Ultra only has the star detailing on the orange side (visible as dots on the sprite), but the artwork for both games have stars on both sides of the hat. Also notably, the coloration of red on the left and orange on the right follows how the sprite appears when facing to the left, as opposed to how later games would switch them for how the sprite appears facing to the right.

Kirby Super Star had a number of hats that were shared between abilities but recolored, and Beam Kirby's hat would be shared with Mirror Kirby. Perhaps this is why Beam Kirby had a scepter added to it, as the scepter is similar to that wielded by the enemy Simirror which granted Mirror Kirby when swallowed.

Version 3 - Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (2002) / Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (2004) / Kirby: Squeak Squad (2006)

When Kirby's Adventure was remade as Nightmare in Dream Land in 2002, ability hats were also added to most abilities. Beam was no exception, gaining a hat that matched the Super Star design, albeit based on the sprite facing the other direction. Interestingly, the scepter would not be included in sprites or in official art, and would remain completely absent for the "single attack" Kirby games on the GBA and DS. Also, though Nightmare in Dream Land included abilities changing Kirby's main palette, something that would be largely dropped from the series starting with Amazing Mirror, Beam Kirby's yellow was not carried over, keeping him pink.

Though many of Kirby's most famous abilities showed up in the anime, Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, Beam would never make an appearance. Mirror would, though. Go figure!

Version 4 - Kirby's Return to Dream Land (2011) - Present

The much-anticipated return to the Super Star-format of abilities with multiple attacks, Kirby's Return to Dream Land merged the Super Star and Nightmare in Dream Land designs by keeping the Nightmare in Dream Land hat but adding on a newly-redesigned scepter. An extra little detail was added onto the hat's headband, too.

Funnily enough the enemy Gemra was also included in Return to Dream Land, which gives beam and has a head resembling Beam's jester hat, including the star pattern. Retroactively, does this mean that Kirby's hat comes from the Gemra enemy? Is Gemra the "pure" version of an enemy that gives Beam, despite only showing up in one game?

Notably, while Beam was not shown off in the trailer for the cancelled Kirby Adventure GCN, Super Smash Bros. Brawl's trophy for Beam Kirby gives us a glimpse of what the ability likely would have looked like in that game, and it is very similar, including the redesigned scepter and Nightmare in Dream Land hat, but lacking the headband detailing. It also brought in Super Star's yellow palette, though updated with orange shoes, which brings us to...

Version 5 - Modern Merchandise

Though modern Kirby games do not have Kirby's palette change with his abilities, presumably to ensure that during multiplayer with differently-colored Kirbies they could be told apart, modern merchandise does not follow this rule. As a result, some merchandise and official artwork has this version of the modern Beam Kirby design but with the Super Star-style yellow Kirby! Most notably, the Beam Kirby Nendoroid figurine takes on this design. So if you were wondering why some art exists of a modern Beam Kirby with Super Star yellow skin, now you know.