TheKirbyfranchise is home to all manner of friendly faces and sinister foes. The pink puffball has been fighting King Dedede since the beginning, even if it’s not always His Highness' choice. Kirby’s circle of friends has also been steadily growing over the years, with just about every major living friend and rival reappearing inKirby Star Allies. Kirby’s other foes are just as iconic and dangerous, withMeta Knight alternating between hero and villainalongside Dedede, and various other threats stepping up to challenge Kirby.
There is a sort of meta plot running through the non-canon post-game modes of manyKirbytitles, with “Soul” bosses referencing one another to demonstrate a legacy of evil. There is also the enigmatic Galacta Knight, considered the strongest warrior in the galaxy who Meta Knight - and later Kirby - challenges to prove his worth. One more entity is hidden deep within Kirby’s last couple games. A mysterious figure named Morpho Knight has shown up near the end ofKirby Star Allies’ andKirby and the Forgotten Land’s post-game content, and there seems to be a lot going on with this new yet familiar face.Spoilers forKirby and the Forgotten Landahead.
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The Meta Origins of Morpho Knight
Morpho Knight was intended to be in theKirbyseries since its potential first 3D offering. There werethreeKirbygames intended for the Nintendo GameCubethat were quietly canceled. One was planned to have both the four player co-op that defined consoleKirbygames, and another had a 3D play space that would only be realized inForbidden Land. The Japanese 20th anniversary booklet revealed that one of these titles was going to have a knight almost identical to Morpho Knight. Fans initially thought that this was a beta design for Meta Knight, but director Shinya Kumazaki later confirmed this was a different character entirely.
Morpho Knight’s Unique Role in the Kirby Series
Morpho Knight debuted in its true form as the final boss ofKirby Star Allies' Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! sub-game. Players who reach the end of the mode and defeat Hyness are greeted by Galacta Knight, one of the traditional bosses fought at the end of bonus modes sinceKirby Super Star Ultra. However, an orange butterfly appears and lands on the knight. Galacta Knight is absorbed and the butterfly transforms into Morpho Knight, which isrepeated inKirby and the Forgotten Landbut this time with Soul Forgo getting absorbed. While Galacta Knight has proven its strength by destroying other bosses in the past, Morpho Knight dwarfs those displays by absorbing other boss characters.
Japanese and English pause screens convey Morpho Knight is an enigmatic being from either “paradise” or the underworld that deals with death, souls, and passing judgment. It seems to arrive in climactic moments seeking powerful souls to absorb, although the anniversary art book implies its fusion with Galacta Knight was out of sympathy. Also of note is that Morpho Knight is canon, meanwhile Galacta Knight technically still isn’t. While Isolated Isles: Forgo Dreams is part ofForgotten Land’s post-game, it is the story’s true ending. Having what has traditionally been a bonus boss kill off the main villain, duel Kirby, and thendrop a Copy Ability based on itselfis unprecedented. There’s a good chance this dimension-hopping fiend will be seen again, and until then,Kirbyfans will be left speculating whether it is part of some larger mystery.
Kirby and the Forgotten Landis available now for Nintendo Switch.
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