Kirby (character)

Kirby
Kirby series character
Kirby as he appears in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
First appearance	Kirby's Dream Land (1992)
Created by	Masahiro Sakurai
Designed by	Masahiro Sakurai Shigeru Miyamoto Satoru Iwata
Voiced by	Taeko Kawata (1994) Makiko Ohmoto (1999-present)

Kirby (カービィ, Kābī^?, Japanese pronunciation: [kaːbiː]) is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the Kirby series of video games owned by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. As one of Nintendo's most famous and familiar icons, Kirby's round appearance and ability to copy his foes' powers has made him a well-known figure in video games, consistently ranked as one of the most iconic video game characters. He first appeared in 1992 in Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy. Originally a placeholder, created by Masahiro Sakurai, at the age of 19, for the game's early development, he has since then starred in over 20 games, ranging from action platformers to puzzle, racing, and even pinball, and has been featured as a playable fighter in all Super Smash Bros. games. He has also starred in his own anime and manga series. His most recent appearance is in Kirby: Planet Robobot, for the Nintendo 3DS. Since 1999, he has been voiced by Makiko Ohmoto.