May 8, 2019|

Filed under: Featured, Speculation, Super Smash Bros. Series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Dream Smasher: Magolor

Thanks to NantenJex for helping with edits.

When it comes to the franchises that appear in Smash, Sakurai and his team always make sure they represent them as faithfully as possible. From the stages and music to the fighters especially, it’s not uncommon to see Smash pay homage to both a series’ classic and modern titles. However, there’s one franchise that has infamously been represented in Smash in a very odd way. While the Kirby franchise receives no shortage of new content every Smash installment, it has notably always been in favor of the series’ classic games rather than its more recent ones. Smash has occasionally seen the inclusion of music and Spirits from modern Kirby titles, but it still has yet to receive anything substantial like a stage or fighter, leading to fans often requesting the addition of such content. This is only natural given the abundance of beloved characters who have debuted in modern Kirby titles, so we’re going to look at one of the most popular options in today’s Dream Smasher: Magolor.

Who Is Magolor?

(Courtesy of Voyager)

Debuting in 2011’s Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, Magolor takes on the role of both a supporting character and the game’s primary antagonist. Upon arriving in Dream Land aboard his ship, the Lor Starcutter, Magolor crash lands and loses most of his ship parts as a result. Soon after, Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee arrive and agree to help Magolor repair his ship. After they travel to five worlds and recover the missing ship parts, Magolor thanks the group by taking them to visit Halcandra, what Magolor claims to be his home world. Upon arriving in Halcandra, the Starcutter is attacked by a four-headed dragon named Landia, prompting Kirby and company to defeat it. However, upon the dragon’s defeat, it drops a mysterious crown on the ground. Magolor soon appears and takes the crown for himself, transforming into a powerful wizard and revealing to the heroes that he had been deceiving them all along in order to obtain the Master Crown and gain its immense power. Plotting to take over the universe, Magolor escapes into Another Dimension with Kirby, his friends, and Landia in pursuit. This results in a heated battle between Kirby’s group and Magolor, with the heroes coming out on top and the Master Crown being destroyed. Magolor goes on to reappear in later Kirby installments, seemingly regretting what he did in Return to Dream Land and willing to help Kirby as an ally in games like Team Kirby Clash Deluxe (and, by extension, Super Kirby Clash), where he takes on the role of a shopkeeper, Kirby Star Allies, where he makes his playable debut as one of many Dream Friends, and even Kirby Fighters 2, a platform fighter with glaring similarities to Smash that features Magolor as one of few playable characters who are not a form of Kirby.

Importance to Nintendo/Series

Kirby games always introduce new characters with each main installment, but Magolor is unique in that he’s consistently maintained a strong presence in the series since his debut. While he wasn’t the first character to trick Kirby into doing his bidding, Magolor became one of the most popular characters in the franchise due to his sinister personality, memorable boss fight, and the interesting lore surrounding him. Said popularity has resulted in him making cameos in nearly every Kirby game since Return to Dream Land, whether it be as a collectible keychain in Triple Deluxe or a few stickers in Planet Robobot.

As something of a representative of both Return to Dream Land and modern Kirby as a whole, Magolor has naturally become an increasingly well known Nintendo character, resulting in the creation of various merchandise and promotional material depicting him. He also became a popular Smash candidate as a result of HAL’s push for the character, especially in Japan. In fact, Source Gaming’s own PushDustIn found that, as of 2015, Magolor was one of the most requested potential fighters in Japan, only being beaten out by Bandana Waddle Dee and six other characters who’ve since been added to Ultimate’s roster. With there clearly being a high demand for the addition of a modern Kirby character, Magolor has a significant chance given his role as one of Kirby’s most recognizable villains and allies.

Colors and Design

Like most Kirby characters, Magolor’s design hasn’t seen much alteration since his debut. While he’s taken on different forms and gotten new sets of clothes before, his simple robe and gear-like pattern is his most well known appearance and it continues to be used to this day. Magolor’s design in Smash would likely borrow from his appearance in Star Allies specifically considering that it was the first title to depict the scheming magician in HD. As for Magolor’s palette swaps, they would all naturally depict alternate appearances Magolor has taken on as well as other characters from across the Kirby series. His first palette would be his original form’s blue and yellow color scheme, his second would reference his Player 2 design’s yellow color scheme (as seen in Star Allies and Kirby Fighters 2), his third would reference Taranza‘s red and green color scheme, his fourth would be an alternate costume featuring his shopkeeper attire from the Kirby Clash games, his fifth would reference his boss form’s purple and red color scheme, his sixth would reference Magolor Soul’s dark gray and ivory color scheme, his seventh would reference Hyness’ white and gold color scheme, and his eighth would be a monochromatic color scheme referencing the dimensional rift challenges from Return to Dream Land (which would also match Kirby and King Dedede’s grayscale palettes).

(Courtesy of Voyager)

How Would He Play?

Now, let’s have a look at some stats:

Can they crawl? No
Can they wall jump? No
How many jumps do they have? 2
Are there any exclusive abilities they have*? No
Weight Class: E
Height Class: D
Speed Class: B
Are they mirrored when they face left? Yes

*Like Peach’s float

Whether he is taking on the role of a boss or playable character, Magolor is consistently a straightforward and swift fighter. While his attacks are simple and predictable, they make up for that in strength and flashiness. Naturally, a powerful mage with a small frame like Magolor would be something of a mix between a glass cannon and a zoner with the speed he would need to stay out of trouble. He has virtually never attacked by making physical contact, so much of his Smash moveset would consist of projectiles, spells, and the occasional disjoints. As a limbless character who constantly floats in the air, Magolor would have a very high jump and often have no trouble recovering, but he would also be one of the lightest characters in the game. While playing as Magolor, players would have to be crafty and know when to pick their fights, since they could easily be blown away at any moment despite the powerful moves at their disposal.

Boxing Ring Title: “The Crowned Magician”

Series Icon

Stock Icon

(Courtesy of Voyager)

Kirby Hat

Move Type

Description

On-Screen Appearance:

A star-shaped black hole would appear as Magolor menacingly emerged from within.

Stance:

Magolor would float in place with his arms to his sides.

Idle Animation #1:

Magolor would look around and give a suspiciously pleasant expression as he clapped his hands together.

Idle Animation #2:

Magolor would give a determined glare and prepare to act.

Walk:

Magolor would slowly levitate forward as his cape swayed in the wind.

Dash:

Magolor would put his head down and float faster as his hands trailed behind him.

Jump:

Magolor would bounce upward as he lifted his hands into the air for his first jump, while his second jump would have him floating higher as he extended his hands to his sides to remain balanced.

Damage Animation:

Magolor would close his eyes in pain and struggle.

Crouch:

Magolor would compress his body and stay close to the ground.

Shield: Magic Barrier

Magolor would put a hand over his face as his Magic Barrier appeared in front of him, like in Kirby Fighters 2. Rather than it shrinking to indicate its weakening, the barrier’s parts would disintegrate one-by-one until nothing was left.

Neutral Attack: Magic Sphere

Magolor would simply fire a small ball of energy from his hands that would go a moderate distance forward.

Forward Tilt: Ultra Sword

Magolor would conjure a miniature version of his Ultra Sword overhead and swing it downward.

Down Tilt: Slide

Magolor would simply slide forward on the ground.

Up Tilt: Ultra Swipe

Magolor would pull out a miniature Ultra Sword and slash it in a semicircular arc overhead.

Dash Attack: Magolor Surge

Magolor would launch himself forward as a blast of wind engulfed him, with the attack having a windbox that would repel any nearby opponents that Magolor narrowly missed.

Forward Smash: Revolution Flame

Magolor would fire a blast of three flaming orbs that would go exceptionally far. While it would be a formidable attack, its subpar frame data would leave Magolor open to retaliation if used haphazardly.

Up Smash: Gem Apple Blast

Magolor would pull out one of his Gem Apple Bombs and lift it upward as it blew up and damaged any nearby opponents.

Down Smash: Deadly Needles

Magolor would lift his hands up as two energy spears erupted out of the ground to his sides, launching opponents directly upward.

Neutral Aerial: Revolution Orbs

Magolor would conjure two magical spheres and keep them attached to his hands before spinning horizontally.

Down Aerial: Grand Icicle

Magolor would conjure an icicle and shoot it downward, potentially freezing those it comes into contact with if their damage was high enough.

Forward Aerial: Floating Sphere

Magolor would briefly float in place and fire a single magic sphere, much like his jab.

Back Aerial: Grand Hammer

Magolor would pull out a miniature version of his Grand Hammer and swing it behind him, potentially freezing any enemies in his way if their damage was high enough.

Up Aerial: Ultra Slash

Magolor would conjure two miniature Ultra Swords in his hands and slash them both in an arc overhead.

Grab:

Magolor would wrap the opponent in some magic energy and giggle upon successfully capturing someone.

Pummel:

Magolor would tighten the energy engulfing the opponent.

Forward Throw:

Magolor would snap his finger, launching his enemy forward.

Up Throw:

Magolor would roll a Gem Apple Bomb under the opponent, which would then explode and launch them upward.

Down Throw:

Magolor would conjure his miniature Ultra Sword overhead and slam the opponent into the ground with a downward slash from it.

Back Throw:

Magolor would grab the opponent and turn them around before bashing them with his miniature Grand Hammer.

Neutral Special: Black Hole

Magolor would conjure a pentagram-like circle of magic overhead and could move it in any direction for a brief period of time. The circle would then transform into a star-shaped black hole that would suck in any nearby opponents, leaving them open to more punishment as the wormhole kept them within its center. However, this move’s pitiful frame data would leave Magolor at his enemies’ mercy both before and directly after the hole’s creation.

Side Special: Magoloran Launch

Magolor would conjure a miniature version of the Lor Starcutter overhead and launch it forward. While it would be very small initially and always move at a snail’s pace, Magolor could charge it up to increase its size and power. In team battles, Magolor’s allies could also ride the Starcutter by landing atop it during its creation.

Up Special: Dimensional Vanish

Magolor would conjure a star-shaped portal and disappear into it. Magolor could then move in any direction for a short period of time and evade all but the strongest attacks, but opponents could easily predict where Magolor would reappear due to a ripple in the background giving away his location at all times.

Down Special: Gem Apple Bombs

Magolor would pull out three Gem Apple Bombs and toss them each forward at a slightly different angle. While they wouldn’t do much damage on their own, they would remain after they have hit the ground for a considerable amount of time. During their idling, they would slowly grow in size, with the player inputting the down special again causing them to instantly explode at a magnitude depending on their size at the moment as Magolor laughed at the fruits’ detonation.

Final Smash: CROWNED

Magolor would transform into his infamous boss form and create a massive “pentagram” of energy between his hands before firing a massive beam of light from it. Opponents hit by the pentagram would be stuck in place and thus forced to take the entire brunt of the attack, with Magolor turning back to normal and innocently looking around upon its conclusion.

Up Taunt:

Magolor would spin in place before waving and winking at the camera.

Side Taunt:

Magolor would give a bored expression and put a hand to his cheek.

Down Taunt:

Magolor would close his eyes and triumphantly pump his fists up and down.

Victory Animation #1:

Magolor would grab the Master Crown as it floated in midair before donning it and releasing a blast of energy as a dark aura engulfed his body.

Victory Animation #2:

Kirby would be seen dashing toward a Gem Apple before picking it up, causing the fruit to explode in his face. Magolor would then appear from off-screen and laugh at his supposed best friend as Kirby gave a confused expression.

Victory Animation #3:

Magolor would launch a Revolution Flame forward before turning around and swinging his Grand Hammer into the ground. Magolor would then swipe his hand across his forehead and lay down.

Victory Fanfare: Magolor’s victory fanfare would, naturally, be the intro to CROWNED, his iconic boss battle theme. Since neither Kirby and King Dedede’s fanfare nor Meta Knight’s would fit a character with such a beloved theme of his own, Magolor would need a theme to represent his home game specifically:

Outro

Kirby is a series filled with plenty of unique and memorable characters who would easily fit in Smash given the two franchises’ similarities, and Magolor is definitely one of the most popular options given his standout role in one of the franchise’s fan favorite titles. Return to Dream Land marked a return to form for the Kirby series and spearheaded an era full of fantastic sequels, so fans naturally want to see the game and its successors get the representation they deserve in Smash sooner rather than later. That being said, Magolor’s nowhere near the only character that could appear in Smash and finally give modern Kirby proper representation. After a small detour, we’ll go over another, less conventional option from the modern Kirby games. Until then, why don’t you check out my old concept on Squeak Squad’s Daroach or NantenJex’s concept on Planet Robobot’s Susie?