KSS:Common Abilities

Kirby Super Star has a few abilities that are used in speedruns. Most abilities in the game are disregarded in favor of abilities that prioritize speed and damage.

Jet

Kirby with the Jet Ability

Jet is the most common ability in KSS speedruns. It is used throughout the entirety of Dyna Blade, Milky Way Wishes Any%, and most of Revenge of Meta Knight. Jet is one of the best moves for horizontal movement, and is best applied when chained sequentially in the air. Jet is also great at moving up vertically by using its hover, which is faster than Kirby's standard hovering.

Holding Y while standing still will allow Kirby to charge his Jet. This charge can be release immediately or be stored by interrupting the charge through moves such as guarding or jumping. If Kirby presses B in the air while a full charge is stored, he will perform a rocket boost in the air. This is typically used for skipping minibosses and miniboss quick kills.

Standing next to an enemy while holding left or right and pressing Y will cause Kirby to grab and shoot them away (officially called "Jet Blow" in-game). Performing this action with a stored full charge will shoot Kirby into the air ("Rocket Dive"). It is easy to accidentally use these moves when moving with Jet, and doing so can waste a decent amount of time. These moves can be avoided by letting go of the D-pad while pressing Y near an enemy so the move isn't performed.

For more information on the Jet ability, see Jet.

Wheelie Rider

Kirby riding Wheelie

Wheelie Rider is an ability mainly used in Great Cave Offensive Any% and in some of Milky Way Wishes 100%. In GCO, Wheelie is used in tandem with Hammer.

Wheelie is spawned by creating a Helper from a Wheel ability. Wheelie Rider is better than base Wheel because of a faster top speed and having the ability to jump while moving. In addition, Kirby is able to carry a different ability with him while utilizing Wheelie.

Wheelie Rider has the fastest horizontal speed in the game, but is outclassed by Jet in many scenarios because of its lack of vertical speed. Wheelie Rider also requires a Helper, which consequentially gives bosses more health due to having a second player.

For more information on Wheelie Rider, see Wheel.

Plasma

Kirby with the Plasma ability

Plasma is an ability used in some of Revenge of Meta Knight, most of Milky Way Wishes 100%, and The Arena. It can also be used in Milky Way Wishes Any% if opting for Plasma route.

Plasma is one of the strongest abilities in Kirby Super Star. It is charged by pressing multiple D-pad inputs in a row, so the faster someone is able to mash the D-pad, the faster Kirby charges Plasma up to full capacity. Plasma reaches full charge once the D-pad is pressed 16 times.

Mastering Plasma can be tough for runners because of the endurance needed to mash the D-pad throughout runs. If using Plasma for long periods, it is advised to stretch your wrists and/or hands, as well as to take breaks to avoid injury.

For Plasma mashing techniques, see Mashing Techniques. For more information on the Plasma ability, see Plasma.