The BEST Kirby Character Design?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มิ.ย. 2024
- #TheBestKirbyDesign #TheArtistMarkFlynn #Nintendo
Kirby is the most requested video of all time on this channel, so today we explore that design evolution! This was an intensive video to make with tons of research and editing, so I really hope you enjoy it!
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A pink ball, cute beyond belief, mean as hell in certain regions and an icon of simplistic character design. Kirby is one of the most requested characters I've ever been asked to analyse and it's not a design I would have expected to be honest. I'd imagine at a first click, some of you are even thinking to yourself right now… Kirby!? The pink balloon from Smash Bros? That character hasn't even changed once you absolute moron, and to that I'd say… Hush your gums.
While I've never been an avid player of the Kirby franchise, there is obviously a key strength to this character that has resonated with audiences. For nearly three decades Kirby has been a Nintendo mainstay, with releases across every system. With a simplistic look that can easily be altered, Kirby has become a chameleon of sorts for gameplay styles, whether he's platforming, functioning as a pinball, playing a round of golf or smashing someone's face in. He can seemingly do it all and his form factor and expressions don't allow him to ever look out of place doing it.
Though his design hasn't steered too far from its original depiction there is a clear difference in Kirby over his different eras. Though, there are so many slight alterations in his design that I'm throwing up a white flag, I can't analyse them all in specific detail… But, I have taken a look at a LOT of Kirby designs and picked out the ones that I think are most memorable in terms of quality and uniqueness as well as exploring his natural evolution. This also isn't a best KIRBY HAT video, the video would truly never end if I listed each of these power ups… I speak slow enough as it is, but if that's a video you would like to see, just vote in the top right, and let me know which power ups you like most in the comments.
I'm the Artist Mark Flynn, and let's find out which Kirby design, I think, truly is best. - เกม
Hello! I realise I will continue to get comments telling me that Nightmare in Dreamland isn't a remake of Dreamland... But I must digress.
Yes, I goofed and uttered the word "Dreamland", instead of "Adventure". I am a useless peon.
Also, I goofed again, Kirby with a knife was the best design.
Everyone makes mistakes but they just need to stop
How could you
@@floatingduck6232 I'm a monster
My blob boi should get a new knife ability
It’s all good Mark bc I know what you’re saying about the remake 👦🏾👍🏾
The best Kirby design is the pink one.
Winner
@@ArtistMarkFlynn 😎
So not keeby or meta knight
Chalk Kirby, though.
no its the red one
You said cute 13 times
You said adorable 7 times
Now where is my nothing.
Here it is
👍
@Skull the Puff you're welcome
Sorry everyone, I'm quite low on nothing at the moment.
Fun fact:
If you're new to the series and don't know which game Sakurai worked on, take a Warpstar.
If Kirby can't land it and crashes, Sakurai worked on it.
If Kirby's attitude is more goofy with his friends and is the butt of all jokes, Shimomura made it.
If the lore is intense, it's Kumazaki's doings.
I'm now going to yell "SAKURAIIII!" when I see Kirby crash a star.
I honestly completely forgot that Kirby used to be awful at landing warpstars.
@@darkspinekirby Yeah, Modern Kirby got used to it but Sakurai Kirby is still mediocre at it, haha
Kirby lore is crazy and I love it.
Shimomura is the lead developer of the dark matter trilogy, rigth?
I’d love to see a Bowser video. He’s had a lot of drastically different designs, especially in the NES era.
PKFiRE great suggestion! This would be awesome
big agree
Bowser is definitely coming at some point. He's been on my list for a while!
The Artist Mark Flynn awesome!
There's grey Bowser
There's manga Bowser
There's 8 bit Bowser
There's 8 bit interpretation Bowser
And more
I'd like to mention a little something about Kirby Star Allies.
But *SPOILERS* of the reward you unlock at the very end of the game (after all the updates, by beating the harder harder final boss).
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
When you 100% the game, you unlock a button that change Kirby design to its "original" one in 3d.
More pointed "arms", black lines on the cheeks, a paler pink, and different eyes.
That's really a nice reward, and it's really cool to see (and play) the first design of Kirby in 3d.
I wish I had known that before I made this because I've now seen it and love it unconditionally.
one thing about the shift in kirby's design that brought it to where it is today that I never really see anyone point out is the fact that pretty much all the changes made to it have been done to reflect kirby's original ingame sprite as opposed to the box art. his bigger face, the ovals for cheek blushes, rounder limbs, even his iconic dot mouth expression seem to be lifted right out of the 8-bit sprites
Ah yes Kirby Star Alice. That game where Kirby travels to Wonderland to help Alice stop the Mad Hatter from resurrecting the God of Hats.
...Makes more sense than Squeak Squad.
Sounds much more interesting than the actual game we got.
The story of epic yarn and star Allies together but Alice in wonderland
Kirby's Adventures in Wonderland.
I can't even watch this yet because I'm too drunk and it's far too late for us Americans, but I cannot wait to watch this when I wake up.
🤣
don't drink kids, you won't be able to watch da kirb
"So who won the best design contest for this video?"
"Kirby did of course!"
18:00 Actually, they scaled Kirby way up for the Smash series. His canon height is only 8 inches/20 centimeters.
8 inches.
This 8 inch boy can devour gods and destroy universes.
So yeah, no matter what, he still is a bit of a unit.
Eric Carlson not true actually, he’s been staged to be 8 inches but it’s hard to believe due to the fact Adeline is confirmed to be a Human, and Samus appears canonically in Kirby Dreamland 3, and Samus had a canon height before Kirby did. If Kirby was 8 inches, Samus is exactly 1’ 9”
I did some research and pixel counts and Kirby is 18 pixels with Samus is 48 pixels, so Kirby is actually 2’ 4” and this makes sense when also seeing Kirby at the Kirby cafe as the plushies you sit with are scaled and much bigger than 8 inches
@@vicctretamaj7289 I'm not entirely sure if samus' appearance is canon, and adeline is a tough one to be certain about, as I've never heard any confirmation of her being human. She is likely a child explaining the lack of height, and lives in dreamland. If she were human she would more than likely be native to shiver star but it is a few planets away with no means of travel aside from a dimensional rift in space-time.
Alexander Martens I mean, idk what else she would be...
Alexander Martens and even if she’s young, she’s clearly not a baby or an infant. She can’t be literally a foot tall, that’s impossible
@@vicctretamaj7289 Like I said, it's hard to know for sure.
Nightmare in Dreamland is a remake of Kirby's Adventure, not Dreamland!
Yeah Marx
yeah marx
yeah Marx
Yeah Marx
Yeah Marx
"Kirby Star Aleeeees"
Kirby star alleys
@@OttoGraff-fu8pj kirbae staaaaar alies
He had a stroke from saying cute and adorable too much
BOOM! There we go! The most requested video is done. Had a really hard time with this one, don't know much about the Kirby series so TONS of research and time went into this one... Also completely forgot to record a whole section of audio too. That was fun to edit XD.
But yes, a big thanks to everyone as always for watching and for giving me ideas for videos. Can't really put into words how much I love having an audience to share videos with. It's awesome. Hope you enjoyed this one.
The Artist Mark Flynn Nice video. I can’t find the poll for the most requested hat design or whatever the poll was.
@@shadowstephen8296 that is because I forgot to add it. 😂
Also, you know Kirby is related to Dark Matter, right?
With how little Kirby's design has really changed, I think they're all flawless. But the most recent is my personal favorite.
Just wanted to point out that Nightmare in Dream Land is a remake of Kirby's Adventure. I know,it's confusing. ;)
Also,as a follow up,maybe Dedede? His design has changed A LOT over the years.Mainly his eyes and body proportions.
Keep up the good work Flynn!
Not to mention, but, kirby super star ultra for the ds is a remake of kirby super star for the snes
I was kind of hoping he would compound the error by making up stuff about Kirby and the Amazing Mirror as well.
"Kirby's initial foray into games on the Game Boy Advance would come in the form of 2002's Nightmare in Dream Land, a remake of the original Dream Land, and 2004's Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, a remake of Kirby and the Frankly Rather Uninteresting Mirror."
@@polocatfan exept in smash bros
@@cinnamonnoir2487 If only I'd been so wise.
@@polocatfan but dedede with human hands is cursed
3:46 Turns out Kirby with a gun is no new thing. Shame we missed out on this cowboy Kirby.
My favorite abilities:
1.Yo-Yo
2.Mirror
3.Beam
I see you are a man of culture as well.
My absolute favorite ability HAS to be Animal. I'm still waiting for it to return. I'm also really big on Cutter, and I'd like to see more done with Laser. Pole in Star Allies was sooo much fun.
@@TheAbsol7448
I think Animal is kind of slow and isn't useful against bosses, but otherwise, yeah, it's a great ability.
yo(yo) are right
@Dante Betancourt it feels like it was made for super star (not a bad thing) which makes sense given it's technically the first kirby game to allow multiple attacks per ability.
It’s really hard for me to pick one design as I feel the reason Kirby hasn’t changed much is because the very basic design is super iconic and is so perfect 😊 Here’s what I gotta say tho
For 3D renders, Smash Ultimate seems like a mix of both modern and more SNES Kirby, so theoretically it would be the best, especially since it’s involved with Sakurai
For 3D renders tho, I feel Dream Collection is the cleanest and nicest looking in terms of proportions with the eyes being more narrow and the mouth being more wide. The only thing I don’t like is the coloration, it’s closer to the anime color
For 2D, I love the GBA sprites and artwork, but I like the sprites of Kirby Super Star Ultra a lot more. He feels more expressive in the sprite work, but the major difference is the artwork having thicker outlines and an overall softer feel compared to the GBA designs. Again, not huge on the coloration, but the overall rounder look and feel has some of the most detailed and stylized artwork
The only handheld Kirby games I can play are up to the DS because they use sprites, while the 3DS is stuck with ugly pixelated 3D models.
Sorry, but the absolute best Kirby design doesn't appear in _any_ video game. It comes to us from the wonderful world of licensed plush toys made in the 1990s.
That's right, I'm talking about *kirb*
tbh the best model/sprite (in game) for me is the newest one, (star allies / super kirby clash) he looks adorable & cute, very round and he feels like he really stands out. i think it also really fits the part of "kirby" in kirby (yea this makes no sense i know)
No need for logic when we are talking about a fictitious pink blob! I definitely think cuteness is one of the most important factors in a Kirby design.
Factz
Great Kirby design review! Another unique detail of the GBA Kirby art style is that the character's black outline tends to curve gently over corners, such as where his arms and feet attach to the body, smoothing out sharper angles. I always thought that as an interesting design choice~
Nightmare in dreamland is a remake of adventure btw
Too many games. Much confusion. Thanks for pointing out!
I get why you got it confused I mean it’s literally called nightmare in DREAMLAND
While my favorite game and kirby's determination will go to planet robobot.
Theres something I did love in the GBA era especially the sprite work.
Hope we get a game like it again in the future.
This video was the first I've seen of yours in the recommended and I did enjoy myself giving ya the sub^^
Out of all the characters that had a n64 design, Kirby looks the best because he’s literally just a couple of balls, also there were 10 Kirbys spinning
Kirby's one of the few characters who actually looked _good_ in early N64 graphics.
i suggested this already, and you may or may not have seen it, but i stand by my suggestion of a Yoshi video. he's changed quite a bit over the years
(also classic megaman is a good one too if you ever wanted)
also lovely video thank you for doing all of these, its very interesting to explore all of the designs like this
This was cute and adorable.
My favorite is the star allies design. Least favorite is the smash melee one. Specifically the melee one. i don't like the "lips".
I don’t have a joke to put here so oh well.
That live action Kirby's going to be in my nightmares. Thanks a lot.
I honestly don’t understand the appeal of angry Kirby, I mean he may vore enemies to defeat them and drain their energy to become stronger and fight eldritch abominations but come on its Kirby, it looks cute regardless. Why would you want a pissed pink fluff ball over a happy pink fluff ball?
But saying that it’s America so what am I to argue logic lol
I don't understand it either. But I guess the sales prove it's effective somehow.
I think it’s because it adds more depth to him and is good contrast.
Of course I am fine either way
I really can't decide on a best design for the Pink Puffball, but I can relate to your love for the GBA designs, the lineart and expressions in it have a great charm. I also really like classic Kirby from his appearances in Dream Land 2 and 3. A similar design was also used in the SNES japanese exclusive game Kirby's Super Star Stacker, which is pretty neat.
Wow I did not expect closed captions but I'm glad you have them :)
Best intro evaaa (would put a bubblegum emoji here if there was one)
I like to think Kirby’s design alterations are just him aging :)
That classic sign of old age. Massive eyes.
With such a simple design, I shouldn't be surprised by how small changes in outlines and proportions can have such huge effects. Yet, only now have I really stopped and considered why Mass Attack Kirby is so darn cute and why Kirby designs with black outlines stick out more in my mind. Cool stuff!
As for me, I have a soft spot for the Kirby's Adventure rendition. There's something about his tiny little face that warms my heart.
My fave Kirby hat has to be mic Kirby, I love to see him sig his little heart out.
Nightmare in Dreamland is a remake of Kirby's Adventure on NES, not the original Dreamland.
The one with the tiny beady eyes holding a knife.
Bold line art is absolutely the way to go for Kirby
My favorite design gotta be Star Allies'. I just love the fact that you can see space in his eyes.
My main in smash bros has Appeared could it be that he's a Ultra super star
One of my favorites is the super star ultra sprite and box art.
The box art just looks, really pretty to look at, and the sprite, was changed quite a bit from the gba sprite, and I think it looks way better in my opinion.
The BEST Impa character design?
Interesting idea! Think I will do zelda before impa though!
Good video bro!
"he is a bit of a unit" he's canonically less than a foot tall lmao
Star Allies also features an unlockable 3D model based on the original version.
I am curious to know what you think of the comic book-esque shading of battle royale and its artwork! great video though
I freaking love the Kirb design before the memes. Great job once again! How about... best Pokémon Trainer Design?
9:48 excuse me, what?
Yeah no alright, it doesn’t matter, but, but, but, I mean... c’mon!
(Btw canvas curse’s end game screen is the best Kirby)
You put this nicer than others 🤣
It's funny how even for a look as simple as Kirby's, there's still the little things in each design that make a world of difference for some. I myself don't have a favorite look in particular, I mean its Kirby! (Right Back at Ya's Kirb swapping from hand-drawn to CG model always weirded me out though). Great vid.
I still await the day you decide to make an analysis on Rayman &/or Crash.
I passed out in bed waiting for this video to be uploaded, good thing it's the weekend and not a school night.
I'm from America btw.
also I would really like you to do the crash ability
Edit: OMG my comment is loved! *cries*
😢
My fav abilities:
1:beam
2: *SUCC*
3:rock/stone
Cute adorable cute adorable cute adorable cute adorable.
Seriously though, I really like the designs that have a different art-style to them, making it look like clay or a hand-drawn sprite.
I wish more games had these styles.
I wonder if you could do a "Best Ridley design?" video if you ever have time.
I have a video suggestion to do a “Which Dedede design is best?” with forgotten land introducing a radically new and different design now seems like the perfect time 👀
Super Star Ultra, Mass Attack, and Star Allies' designs are my fav. Big fan of Kirby having stars in his eyes.
My favorite 2D Kirby design is the one from SuperStar Ultra (and Mass Attack)
My favorite 3D Kirby design is the one from Star Allies
There are tons of good Kirby hats! They originated in Super Star on the SNES, and my favorites were always the ones that changed Kirby's color! Ninja and Mirror had especially cool colors in my opinion. I was really sad in the later games when they stopped changing Kirby's color when he got a specific powers! It just doesn't seem right to be Ice Kirby and not be light blue.
Anyway disregarding color, I think the especially interesting hats are the ones that changed in Return to Dream Land. Stone, Ninja, and Bomb come to mind, but there might be more! Also, Crash (and Mike, but it was always kinds just represented by the headphones) got a hat for the first time in the series, which was cool to see.
This is starting to get long. Haha I just love Kirby so much! My favorite Kirby hat is probably Beam because it's so iconic. But there's tons of good ones that make Kirby look cool (Plasma/Spark), silly (Freeze), or cute (Sleep). I could go on and on about this, clearly. Hahaha
Deapite the few differences, kirby has a very delicate design
0:51 Oh, right. Despite being made in the early 90's, Kirby *has* been on every Nintendo system, hasn't he? That's something you don't really think about until it's brought up.
You should do a Dedede character design evolution. He changed a lot more than Kirby over the years.
Kirby Super Star Ultra is the quintessential look for kirby in my book, both in game and in box art. It just looks so great.
It's basically the same sprite as the GBA games and Squeak Squad, but just enlarged so show more of him.
2:16 actually it was still gonna be a Kirby game though, he’d have the same names down all, but a different design right?
I like the pointy Hat, that he has with the Bomb Power-Up in (Kirby Fighters Deluxe), the most.
I would love to see an episode on Yoshi someday. Noting the changes in design especially with the craft and wool aesthetics in particular titles.
I would have never thought you'd do that since i always thought that kirby had gone trough no changes at all...
But i wanted you to do it so bad, so thanks.
No worries!
I think the best design is the one where he’s super round
My favorite Kirby designs (Dreamland 3/Air Ride/Mass Attack/Smash Ultimate) tend to be the ones with smaller proportions of hands and feet.
They all look great
Correct!
My favorite Kirby powerup from Kirby games is the Smash and Stone Abilities. My favorite Kirby hat and power from smash are Fox:Blaster(I wish he got shine), Ness:Pk Flash, and Captain Falcon:Falcon Punch.
Really can’t go wrong with any of the designs but Mass Attack Kirby is just so cute and adorable I must pick him as my favorite.
I’ll be waiting for Pac-Man and Mega-Man designs
Fitting this video was posted a day before my birthday.
On top of Kirby's appearance in the 32-bit games, I just adore how the backgrounds look like pixelated painted murals. It reminds me a fair bit of FFVI's backgrounds.
King Dedede's design does change a lot, you should make a video
green feet kirby was always my favorite color palette i'm a sucker for opposite colors
The first game I beat was a Kirby game, and now I find out one of them was released in the year I was born? I'm pretty sure I'm legally required to play it at some point, now.
9:47 nightmare in dreamland is a remake of kirby's adventure, not kirby's dreamland lol
I know, I dun goofed!
How about more Kirby characters like king dedede
I agree with you on that it’s the best for sprite art.
The KNiD-KatAM-KSSU artstyle is by far my favourite!!!!
Im Truly stunned this video for a featureless blob man was this extensive n lengthy.
It's shocking isn't it 😂
When I saw the title of this video I expected it to be in April fool's joke
The GBA games as well as Kirby Super Star Ultra honestly have my favorite artwork and designs B)
Kirby looked his absolute best in Amazing Mirror. That entire game looked incredible. AAAAAHHH. WE AGREE. His sprite looks soooo good.
I like that.
Carried by time
kirby color Evolved
from White then white but little pink then a pink but little white, then a full pink
You should of mentioned Kirby battle Royale’s box art style... it’s really cool
What is the best Banjo design?
I just realized how much I wanted a cowboy kirb
I have always preferred the Japanese box art when it comes to Kirby. I think it really captures the character more then the other regions.
Good choice Mark. I love GameBoy Kirby, too.
Thanks!
For some reason i thought this video would be about the kirby series characters as a whole-
Great video!
...now do a video about Dedede's 15 redesigns.
If I were to choose the best kirby design, other than his modern design, I think his Kirby Superstar/ Dream Land 3/Tilt'n Tumble/ and Star Stacker/ design was the best.
Would you ever do a design video for Jak from Jak and Daxter? I’d think that’d be pretty interesting, as his design changes each game while keeping the same basic elements. Also, love these design videos. Keep up the great work.
Thank you very much! I'd be keen to explore any episodes in the future to be honest as long as I'm doing this! Jak isn't massively one I'm looking to do at the moment though, the list is just way too long lol
Kirby Golf 1:01
You should do a video on Nintendo's cowardly hero himself, Loogi!
Old Kirb from Game Boy era is one of the best honestly
i'm amazed that you managed to make a 20 minute video analyzing the disign eveloution of a circal with eyes and limbs
but good on you
🤣
Yes this is what I wanted