Kirby Star Allies (film)

Kirby Star Allies (Japanese: 星のカービィ Hoshi no Kābī) is a 1977 Japanese film directed by Sonny Chiba. It starred Sonny Chiba himself as the protagonist Kirby.

Plot
Based on a true story, the film takes place in a part of space far away from Planet Popstar. A cloaked figure casts a spell on a large crystal heart, causing countless Jamba Heart pieces to scatter across the universe as a result. Many of these pieces fall down to Dream Land, where they corrupt anyone they touch. When one dissolves into Kirby, however, it grants him the ability to throw Friend Hearts that befriend anyone they touch. Kirby notices some Waddle Dees carrying a large amount of food to King Dedede's Castle, which has become surrounded by dark clouds; Kirby sets off to investigate this mysterious phenomenon. After defeating Dedede, Kirby and his friends celebrate, but the celebration is cut short when it is revealed that a Jamba Heart caused the trouble. Kirby purses the escaping Jamba Heart piece, chasing it through Popstar, and eventually freeing Meta Knight from corruption. When a giant fortress then lands on the surface of the planet, Kirby and friends investigate.

Approaching the fortress, which is named Jambastion, the Fortress of Shadows, Kirby and his friends battle Pon and Con, who are guarding Gatehouse Road. Afterwards, Kirby and his friends enter the fortress itself, and work their way up to the top of the structure. Along the way, they encounter the three Jambastion mages: Francisca, Flamberge, and Zan Partizanne. Francisca, the ice mage, is the first one encountered of the three. She explains that her task is to reassemble the Jamba Heart pieces to achieve some evil goal, and she warns Kirby not to interfere; however, the Star Allies soon defeat her and move on. They next battle Flamberge, the fire mage, who is extremely angry that Kirby harmed Francisca. At the top of the structure, however, the group finds Zan Partizanne, the lightning mage and the leader of the three. After commenting that Kirby had turned out to be more of an annoyance than she had expected, she attacks, but is defeated like the others. In desperation, she destroys Jambastion's power core, causing the fortress to crumble. Zan Partizanne escapes, and, with the help of the Friend Circle and Friend Star, the Star Allies do the same.

After escaping the fortress, Kirby and his friends find themselves deep in space, far away from Popstar. Continuing onwards, they traverse the various planets and moons of the galaxy. On Blizzno Moon, Kirby and his friends find Francisca once again, who is continuing her search for Jamba Heart pieces. She is surprised that Kirby survived Jambastion's destruction, and so decides to defeat him once and for all. However, she is the one who loses, and Kirby knocks her into the distance. While traversing through Sizzlai Moon, the Star Allies once again encounter Flamberge, who is taking a rest from hunting for Jamba Heart pieces. After defeating her, Kirby and his friends finally arrive to the mages' base of operations located at the edge of the galaxy, and traveling inward, they enter The Divine Terminus.

At the end of this level, the Star Allies discover a strange altar, where the cloaked figure, Hyness, is performing a ritual on the partially-complete Jamba Heart. Before Kirby can approach Hyness, however, Zan Partizanne appears and blocks Kirby's path to prevent him from interrupting the ceremony. She fights fiercely, but like before, is defeated. Unable to get up, she calls to Hyness, begging him for help. Hyness comes over, and swatting Zan Partizanne out of the way, faces Kirby. He realizes that the Jamba Heart does not have enough energy for the ritual, and upset by the fact, goes into a frenzied rant. Here, Hyness explains his history, stating that his people were banished to the edge of the galaxy because others feared their immense magical power, despite how Hyness' people helped solve a galactic crisis. Hyness yells that throughout the banishment, his only goal has been to revive his Dark Lord, who is contained in the Jamba Heart. To prevent Kirby from interrupting the revival ceremony, Hyness attacks; upon his defeat, Hyness' mask falls off, sending him into madness. He summons the three unconscious Jambastion mages to himself, draining their life force and using their bodies as weapons. Despite this measure, though, Hyness is defeated again and thrown onto the ground. Getting up, he moves slowly over to the altar, realizing that an offering to the Dark Lord is the only option. He throws himself and the three unconscious mages into the Jamba Heart, and the Dark Lord, Void Termina, awakens. The Jamba Heart dissolves into a dark cloud, and Void Termina escapes.

The Star Allies then form the Star Allies Sparkler, and they fly off in pursuit of Void Termina. When they track it down on a circular arena in deep space, it solidifies into a titanic being, and the final battle begins. Midway through the fight, Kirby and his friends enter Void Termina to battle the core, where they find Francisca, Flamberge, Zan Partizanne, and Hyness wrapped in cocoons. After defeating the core for the first time, those four, along with the Star Allies, are ejected, and the fight resumes. Once Kirby and his friends defeat the core for a second time, Void Termina's body dissolves, leaving only the core, its true form, behind. With the help of all the friends Kirby made over his journey, he completely destroys Void Termina, ending the threat. With peace restored, the Star Allies fly back to Popstar, which is now freed from the Jamba Heart's corruption.

Cast

 * Sonny Chiba as Kirby
 * Hideo Murota as Bandana Waddle Dee
 * Kojiro Hongo as Gooey
 * Hideyo Amamoto as King Dedede
 * Hiroyuki Sanada as Marx
 * Shigeru Miyamoto as Meta Knight
 * Jerry Ito as Rick
 * Kōji Tsuruta as Kine
 * Keiji Nakazawa as Coo

Spin-offs
Since 1979, the film is well-known for having its spin-offs under the "Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!" (星の○○○○ スターフレンズでGO!) name, except they're animated unlike the film:
 * 1) Staying Sharp (この剣に誓って) (Blade Knight)
 * 2) Cutting in Style (リターントゥ斬刃) (Sir Kibble)
 * 3) Bombs Away! (空に弾ける花々) (Poppy Bros. Jr.)
 * 4) Rock the World (怒りのヘビーアッパー！) (Rocky)
 * 5) Wild-West Whip (テンガロンハンター) (Wester)
 * 6) Banana Mania (黄色いバナナをもとめては…) (Bonkers)
 * 7) Savage Silence (紫電月影) (Bio Spark)
 * 8) Up-and-Down Dynamo (ギムズプラネットツアー) (Gim)
 * 9) Staff Striker (信じられる友こそが) (Jammerjab)
 * 10) Roaring Fire (燃えろ！ライオンハート) (Burning Leo)
 * 11) Chill Winds (はるかぜそよぐ、そのまえに…) (Chilly)
 * 12) Beam Land (ビームの未知なる可能性について) (Waddle Doo)
 * 13) Powered Up (忘らるる希望の光) (Plugg)
 * 14) Rinse and Repeat (ウルルン！スプリンクル) (Driblee)
 * 15) Psych Out (サイキックエイジス) (NESP)
 * 16) Freedom in the Sky (フリーダムスカイ) (Birdon)
 * 17) Spring Cleaning (世界清浄化宣言) (Broom Hatter)
 * 18) The Contender (遥かなる強者たち) (Knuckle Joe)
 * 19) What's the Bug Idea? (歴戦のインセクトバトラー) (Bugzzy)
 * 20) Unbeatable Beetle (新鋭のインセクトバトラー) (Beetley)
 * 21) A Tangled Web (三つ目スーパースパイダー) (Como)
 * 22) Floaty Dreamer (ふわふわおちて、ひがさして) (Parasol Waddle Dee)
 * 23) A Colorful ♥ (カラフル♥ハートフル) (Vividria)
 * 24) Flavor Attack (突撃！魂の料理人) (Chef Kawasaki)
 * 25) Fight for the Crown (王位の復権) (King Dedede)
 * 26) Scourge of Darkness (その闇、我が剣の糧に) (Meta Knight)
 * 27) The Legend of Dee (レジェンド オブ ワドルディ) (Bandana Waddle Dee)
 * 28) The Animal Trio (陸海空アニマルズ) (Rick, Kine and Coo)
 * 29) Galactic Ambition (銀河に野望を) (Marx)
 * 30) Who...Me? (ココはドコでボクだ〜れ？) (Gooey)

Reception
Since its Japanese release, Kirby Star Allies has received positive reception by critics.