Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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For an asset recycle, the production values are still rather high:
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This might not be the first instance of a boss rush in the Kirby series, but it IS the codifier of many elements of what would become not only the series standard (with some deviations, of course), but also a bit of a Masahiro Sakurai staple when dealing with extensive endurance modes like in Super Smash Bros. and beyond.

The setup is fairly simple: every boss fight in the game (more or less, with some particular diversions and alterations along the way), 19 battles in a row. You can pick any (standard) ability you want to start, therefore create any hepler you need, visit the break room between each with a finite persistent stock of Maxim Tomatoes, and a couple of random ability selections that refresh every visit.

The only one that's actually fixed in placement is the final one, but othewise no two runs will be exactly the same... although having a favorite ability and mastery thereof will stabilize your performance quite a bit. Even better if you can handle several as the situation demands, but it's really not THAT troublesome for most abilities to handle the whole affair solo. (Which would later be the foundation for certain sub-games in later Kirby games, but that's neither here nor there at the moment.)

Fringe case, and we've had shades of encountering this phenomenon prior to now... but besides being basically Kirby in a different look, but with extra benefits (intangible guard state, full heal every time copying an ability), T.A.C. does rapid, frankly massive damage for tossing a nearly full-screen projectile that often outright vanishes when making contact with an enemy... meaning in a ton of cases, it can just be fired immediately afterwards, since the one projectile onscreen at a time policy for those sticky mitts is effectively short-circuited, and you can just hammer the attack button to absolutely MELT lots of bosses.

The exceptions are seemingly arbitrary, but since you can't actually inhale bosses themselves, they just flat out tend to not need to follow through on the return flight of the hand where T.A.C. would absorb the ability in question. If anything, the biggest "struggle" would be against standard ability-bearing minibosses... wherein you simply HAVE to fight them through their limited durability just like anyone else. Except you can copy them before they expire... or just dump the ability again and punch 'em a few more times.

Curious side note that's popped up a few times already, but since T.A.C. can't copy one-off abilities like Cook, you get one of a few arbitrary abilities at random out of Chef Kawasaki (Cutter, Sword, Wing, or Beam... SOME of which feel vaguely culinarily-themed, but others...?), but this is presumably because copying Cook against a miniboss would be completely worthless and unable to actually inflict damage... besides the whole point that T.A.C. would be incapable of taking on that ability in the first place.