Kirby is a genderfluid cosmic god
Nintendo just dropped the trailer for Kirby and the World Beyond, the latest installment of this historic franchise that will reinforce some core facts about the beloved character — namely, that they are a genderfluid, cosmic god. Though the game probably won’t acknowledge the character’s gender identity directly.
As Kirby has taken on countless cosmic horrors during their time onscreen, the games often don’t have the time to speak on this character’s membership in the LGBTQ+ community. But it’s how Kirby is referred to that solidifies them as a genderfluid character, with Japanese creators and versions of the game almost always referring to the pink puffball with neutral pronouns.
This fact, of course, has elicited backlash over the years from the many folks who refuse to see this digital ball of cheeriness as anything other than male. In their defense, there actually is credence to Kirby using he/him pronouns; not only do American versions of the game refer to him as a he, but spin-offs like Kirby: Right Back at Ya! also cast the character as a male. This has led many to discredit any chance of Kirby being queer, with opponents rightfully calling this out as flawed logic that disregards the mountain of other media that uses they/them for the hero.
While these stances have been feuding for years, they each fail to see the reality of the situation: Kirby uses he/him AND they/them pronouns, standing proudly as the genderfluid savior of Planet Popstar.
This identity would explain the myriad of pronouns used for the character across projects, as well as the fact that it’s laughable that Kirby — a nigh-invincible extra-planar being capable of wielding universe-shattering power — would subscribe to human ideals of gender. Based on the long list of evidence, it’s clear that Kirby is a genderfluid character who finds joy in a variety of pronouns and presentations.
And with that established, it’s time to look at an even more contested fact about the character: their status as a cosmic god.
Kirby’s status as an ethereal being has yielded many arguments over the years (the Kirby online fandom is always primed to fight, it would seem). The claim stems from not only the massive power shown by Kirby throughout his games, but the deep connections he has with the universe’s many interdimensional beings. One of the biggest reasons people think Kirby is a deity has to do with one of this franchise’s strongest entities: Void, a reality-warping, omnipresent being.
Delving into Void’s expansive lore would take four articles alone, though here are the ‘character’s’ key points: Void is an ubiquitous being who exists in all realities, with his power transcending the confines of reality and the character only taking on physical form based on the energy used to conjure it.
In one of the final boss fights of Kirby Star Allies our main character squares off with the Void in a fight that shows some shocking similarities between the two. These range from the background music mirroring Kirby’s theme to the pair even sharing animated expressions, though the real resemblance comes when Void is defeated and reforms — into a form that looks shockingly like Kirby.
This has led to many folks believing that Kirby himself is an expression of the Void taken shape, a belief that has been hotly contested by both gamers and the series’ own creatives over the years. Similar to the discussion around Kirby’s gender identity, fans have gone back-and-forth for years over this origin for the character, with some arguing this signals an ethereal beginning while others emphasize that there’s no solid canon backing for the claims. They have become so lost in these arguments that they’ve ignored the fact that, yes, absolutely Kirby is a cosmic god — but it’s not because of some convoluted backstory.
It’s because, as Kirby and the World Beyond is sure to show, Kirby is capable of acts that only an interplanar deity could ever accomplish.
Whether it’s punching so hard that he cracked open a plant or outrunning an interdimsenional entity that captured every other character — some of whom are gods themselves — in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Kirby’s history is filled with outrageous feats only a god could accomplish. And that doesn’t even include when Kirby breaks the fourth wall; in Kirby: Triple Deluxe the little hero manages to suck in the game’s own health bar using his Hypernova ability.
More than any lore, it’s these acts that cement Kirby as one of the true gods of gaming today, with this salmon-colored fighter accomplishing cosmic acts in the cutest fashion possible.
Kirby and the World Beyond seems ready add more credence to this claim, with the first few looks showing the protagonist literally tearing through different worlds. This shows that, while players argue over what’s canon and what isn’t, one needs to only look at the franchise’s long history to learn why Kirby isn’t only one of gaming’s most powerful character, but a god like Planet Popstar has never seen.
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