Idle animation

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Idle animation
Kirby performing an idle animation in Kirby: Planet Robobot.
Details
First game	Kirby's Dream Land (1992)
Latest game	Kirby Air Riders (2025)
Similar	Emote

Idle animation refers to any character animation in gameplay (as opposed to cutscenes or other non-playable events) that occurs when that character (typically a playable one) is not being moved around or otherwise controlled by the player. These can range from simple eye blink animations to exaggerated interactions, and mainly serve to impart a sense of life and personality onto the player character. Though exceptions exist across the board, idle animations for characters were generally not a feature in earlier sprite-based games, becoming more common with increasing graphical fidelity, particularly the advent of 3D model-based graphics.

The Kirby series is notable in its use and development of idle animations, and the progression of their use serves to highlight both the larger trend of increasing expressiveness for characters in video games over time, as well as Kirby's own development as a character since his debut in 1992. The scope of this article will include Kirby's idle animations by game, and will also touch on the idle animations of other playable characters (where they differ from Kirby's), as well as those of other characters and entities where applicable. This article will also place a stronger emphasis on occasional "special" animations, as opposed to the more regular idle stances.

Idle animations by game

The following is a list of games that feature notable idle animations or milestones relating to them. Games that do not feature noteworthy or unique idle animations will not be mentioned here:

Kirby's Dream Land

Kirby dancing in a paused Green Greens.

Kirby's Dream Land is notable in that it features no regular idle animations for Kirby whatsoever during normal gameplay. When not being moved by the player, Kirby stands perfectly still, and does not even blink. However, when the game is paused for long enough, Kirby will start to dance in place, breaking the fourth wall in the process. This action does not repeat, however, as once Kirby is done with his dance, he will freeze in place again until the game is resumed.

Kirby's Adventure

Kirby's Adventure is the first game in the series that gives Kirby a blink cycle when he is not moving. The cycle runs on a regular pattern of three successive blinks in a row, with no randomization at play. Aside from that, Kirby has no special idle animations in this game. Notably, this blink cycle does not occur when Kirby is using any Copy Ability, because he uses a different set of sprites for them.

Kirby Super Star

Kirby Super Star features a more elaborate blink cycle for Kirby, though, like before, it is not randomized. Instead, it follows a fixed pattern where Kirby blinks three times in quick succession, with the third being slightly delayed, does this pattern a second time, then closes his eyes for an extended moment, and then finishes with one more pronounced blink before starting the whole loop again. Unlike with Kirby's Adventure, this blink cycle persists even if Kirby has a Copy Ability. Kirby's blink cycle will be reset when he performs most actions, but crouching does not affect the cycle.

None of Kirby's helpers have distinct idle animations.

Kirby's Dream Land 3

Kirby's Dream Land 3 is the first Kirby game to give Kirby an "active" idle stance, where he is constantly swaying back and forth as opposed to standing perfectly still. Despite this, he does not have a blink cycle in this game. The same applies to Gooey and when either is paired up with an Animal Friend.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is the first game in the series to introduce special incidental animations that may play at random when Kirby is holding still. There are three distinct animations that can play, as follows:

1. Kirby puts his arms behind his back and kicks the ground with his feet.
2. Kirby sits down and taps his feet on the ground, then hops back up to his feet after rolling on his back.
3. Kirby looks from side to side, and then looks up and around a bit.

The second and third of these would return in various forms throughout nearly all of Kirby's subsequent 3D appearances.

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble

In-game idle animations in Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble.

One of six idle animations may play at random in the game if Kirby is left alone in a stage.

1. Kirby sits in place with cartoonish swirling eyes.
2. Kirby looks extremely sad and distraught.
3. Kirby jumps angrily.
4. Kirby sits in place with an open mouth and circled by particle effects, as if to indicate being stunned.
5. Kirby jumps indefatigably with a happy smile.
6. Kirby sleeps.

Kirby jumps into each of these, including the sleeping idle animation.

Kirby Air Ride

In Kirby Air Ride, when Kirby is on his Air Ride Machine, he will regularly look back toward the player and motion with his arm if the player waits too long to perform an action. When Kirby is off his machine in City Trial, he may occasionally look left and right.

Kirby: Squeak Squad

Idle animations in Kirby: Squeak Squad.

In Kirby: Squeak Squad, if he has no ability, Kirby will fall asleep if left alone for long enough, and will start to dream of his missing Strawberry Shortcake, then when he wakes up, he will inhale his dream. He has several unique idle animations for specific copy abilities as well, a trait unique to this game.

• With Animal, Kirby will scratch his ear with his foot.
• With Fighter, Kirby will assume a battle-ready stance, occasionally yelling then wiping his nose, or holding his arm out briefly.
• With Magic, a smaller Kirby will pop out of his hat.
• With Ninja, Kirby will assume a ninja pose with a stoic expression.
• With Parasol, Kirby will bounce on his feet.
• With Throw, Kirby will keep his arms raised, as if preparing to grapple.
• With Wheel, Kirby will tug down on his hat.

Kirby Super Star Ultra

Kirby Super Star Ultra features a similar set of animations for Kirby himself. However, all of Kirby's helpers have been given more active idle stances, as opposed to holding completely still like they did in the original game.

Kirby's Epic Yarn / Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn

Kirby's incidental animations in Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn are as follows:

1. Kirby pulls out his Yarn Whip and starts to jump rope with it. He gets more ambitious after a while, but eventually trips and falls over, getting back on his feet a moment later.
2. Kirby lets out a big exaggerated yawn, and then wipes the water from his eyes while quivering with his lips.
3. If Kirby is made to sit down on certain furniture items or scenery, he falls asleep and slumps over on his belly. After a moment, he wakes back up with a startle and gets back into a sitting position.

These animations are also shared with Prince Fluff. In Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, when Prince Fluff appears in a stage holding a Star Bead or Ravel Ball, after a while of not interacting with him, Prince Fluff will suddenly assume the sleeping position, excluding the part where he grows tired and lays down.

• Kirby jumping rope.
• Prince Fluff jumping rope.
• Kirby stretching and yawning.
• Prince Fluff stretching and yawning.
• Kirby falling asleep.
• Prince Fluff falling asleep.

Kirby Mass Attack

In Kirby Mass Attack, each Kirby runs on his own set of the following idle animations, which can occur at random:

1. Sitting down
2. Waving while facing away from the screen
3. Swaying back and forth
4. Looking from side to side

After a while, if the player does nothing, the Kirbys will all fall asleep.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land / Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

Kirby's Return to Dream Land introduced a set of three standard idle animations for Kirby that would persist through every subsequent game in the series that used its style and/or engine as a base, including all of the main-series games up until the present. These three main idle animations are as follows:

1. Kirby sits down and taps his feet on the ground for a moment.
2. Kirby raises his arms and stretches his body upward briefly.
3. Kirby puts his arm over his eyes and looks from side to side.

Kirby's companions - King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Bandana Waddle Dee - also have a set of idle animations. Some are shared between characters, but the unique ones are as follows:

• King Dedede may hold out his hammer and twirl it.
• Meta Knight may hold out and examine his sword.
• King Dedede may let out a big sneeze.
• Meta Knight may stretch in a similar way to Kirby, though his eyes do not close, and flap his wings twice.
• King Dedede may briefly fall asleep before popping back awake again.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land also features idle animations for when Kirby and his friends are waiting on the Warp Star on the title screen. These include the following:

• King Dedede gets Kirby's attention, and then makes a childish face at him, causing Bandana Waddle Dee to chuckle and Meta Knight to shake his head in embarrassment, while Kirby just looks confused.
• Kirby, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee all wave toward the player. Meta Knight initially remains stoic, but eventually joins in reluctantly.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe changes the idle animations of Meta Knight and Bandana Waddle Dee to match their idle animations from Kirby Star Allies, however Bandana Waddle Dee keeps his sitting idle animation that he shared with Kirby in the original game.

Magolor has his own unique idle animations in Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler, though most are exactly the same as his emotes:

• Magolor looks up and around.
• Magolor looks crestfallen and wipes his eyes.
• Magolor scratches his head with a nonplussed look.
• Magolor looks down at his hands with a nonplussed look, and then appears to sigh as he closes his eyes.
• Magolor looks at himself, and then appears to sigh as he closes his eyes.
• Magolor stretches in a similar way to Kirby, then puts on a tired expression.

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition

Kirby has the same set of idle animations in New Challenge Stages as in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Kirby and his copies will also perform some of these animations on the title screen, but never sit down.

In the Kirby's History menu, Kirby has a number of unique animations. By default, he looks toward the player with a closed smile, but if left alone for a moment, he will perform one of the following actions at random:

• Wave at the player with an open smile.
• Look toward the item he is standing next to and admire it with an open smile.
• Get tired and fall asleep for a moment before waking up with a startle.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Kirby has the same set of idle animations in Kirby: Triple Deluxe as in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

In Dededetour, King Dedede has the following unique animations:

1. He may briefly fall asleep before popping back awake again.
2. He twirls and tosses his hammer while giving a stern look toward the screen.
3. He lets out a big sneeze.

Kirby: Planet Robobot

Kirby's idle animations as seen in Kirby: Planet Robobot.

Kirby has the same set of idle animations in Kirby: Planet Robobot as in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. There are no special animations to note for when he is in the Robobot Armor.

In Meta Knightmare Returns, Meta Knight has the following unique animations:

• He stretches in a similar way to Kirby, though his eyes do not close, and flaps his wings twice.
• He puts his free hand up to his eyes and looks around, similar to Kirby.
• He holds out and examines his sword.

Kirby Star Allies

Kirby Star Allies is notable in the sense that every playable friend and Dream Friend has unique idle animations. The following table lists all of the animations which pertain to each character:

Character	Animations	Notes
Kirby	Kirby sits down and taps his feet on the ground for a moment. Kirby raises his arms and stretches his body upward briefly. Kirby puts his arm over his eyes and looks from side to side.	These are the same as in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
Blade Knight	Blade Knight lowers his sword and raises his free hand to his visor, then looks around briefly. Blade Knight relaxes a bit, then plunges his sword into the ground to rest on its hilt for a moment.
Sir Kibble	Sir Kibble pauses briefly, and then works his shoulder by moving his arm in a circle. Sir Kibble takes two quick sharp glances in different directions while raising his hand to his visor.
Poppy Bros. Jr.	Poppy Bros. Jr. puts his hands behind him, and then gently sways left and right while keeping his eyes closed. Poppy Bros. Jr. hops down to a seated position and sways gently for a moment before getting back up.
Rocky	Rocky takes two big side-steps rocking back and forth, similar to a sumo wrestler. Rocky hops down to a seated position and sways gently for a moment before getting back up.
Wester	Wester grabs the brim of his hat and quickly looks from side to side with his feet raised. Wester pauses for a moment and quickly scans the ground while raising his free hand.
Bonkers	Bonkers drops his hammer and yawns into his free hand. Bonkers scratches his head with his free hand, looking confused.
Bio Spark	Bio Spark grabs the hilt of his sword and strikes a ready pose. Bio Spark puts out his hand and beckons, as if to taunt his opponents.
Gim	Gim gets up on his feet, holds out his yo-yo, and plays with it a bit. Gim strikes a bashful pose and kicks out his foot.
Jammerjab	Jammerjab puts his staff in an upright position, leans on it a bit, and lowers his eyelids briefly. Jammerjab quickly tosses and catches his staff.
Burning Leo	Burning Leo raises his arm while closing his eyes, striking a bit of a pose while doing so. Burning Leo takes two quick sharp glances in different directions.
Chilly	Chilly adjusts the bell on his collar with both hands. Chilly brings his hands together and shivers briefly.
Waddle Doo	Waddle Doo slumps over briefly with his eye half-closed. Waddle Doo gets up on his toes and waves forward with his wand-bearing hand.
Plugg	Plugg hops around in a circle, giving the player a good look at the screw on his back. Plugg kicks out one foot, and then the other, in an exaggerated manner.
Driblee	Driblee jumps for joy with two swaying hops. Driblee turns its head to the side and nods gently with its eyes closed.
NESP	NESP twirls around in a graceful floating spin. NESP brings his hands to his mouth and chuckles while swaying back and forth.
Birdon	Birdon flaps his wings to hover off the ground briefly. Birdon pecks gently on his wing to clean it.
Broom Hatter	Broom Hatter hops down to a seated position and sways gently for a moment before getting back up. Broom Hatter relaxes for a moment, and then frantically starts sweeping back and forth for a moment.
Knuckle Joe	Knuckle Joe gets into a hunched fighting stance, swaying his hands back and forth. Knuckle Joe punches his fists together twice.
Bugzzy	Bugzzy does a quick joyful pose by throwing out his arms and fluttering his wings. Bugzzy raises his head while stretching his arms back in a triumphant pose.
Beetley	Beetley taps his foot impatiently while turning toward the screen. Beetley shakes his horn back and forth.
Como	Como waves his arms while swaying back and forth. Como stands on his hands, briefly assuming his pose when on a string.
Parasol Waddle Dee	Parasol Waddle Dee raises his parasol for a moment. Parasol Waddle Dee nods and closes his eyes for a moment.
Vividria	Vividria hops twice in place. Vividria sways back and forth, tilting as she does so.
Chef Kawasaki	Chef Kawasaki adjusts his hat while wearing a proud grin. Chef Kawasaki puts his hand to his chin and ponders to himself while tapping his foot.
King Dedede	King Dedede briefly falls asleep before popping back awake again. King Dedede twirls and tosses his hammer while giving a stern look toward the screen. King Dedede lets out a big sneeze.
Meta Knight	Meta Knight examines his sword at various angles. Meta Knight turns toward the screen and flexes his wings while looking around suspiciously.
Bandana Waddle Dee	Bandana Waddle Dee raises his arms and stretches his body upward briefly. Bandana Waddle Dee holds up his spear and admires it with sparkly eyes.
Rick & Kine & Coo	Rick closes his eyes, then lowers himself onto his belly and falls asleep. After a while, he shifts position a handful of times to get into a comfier sleeping pose. After many such shifts in position, he snaps awake and jumps back onto his feet. Rick scratches his face with his foot, then Coo appears and pecks his wing for a moment, then Kine appears and falls over sideways before reverting back to Rick.	Rick's sleeping animation is by far the longest idle animation of any character in the series.
Marx	Marx hops on his feet, then does a backflip, then spins around on one foot, nearly losing his balance at the end. Marx pulls out his radiant wings while revealing his scarier face for a brief moment, then shakes himself back to normal.	Marx does not have any incidental animations while on his ball.
Gooey	Gooey starts to look around with his eyes pointing in different directions. After a while, he starts flexing from left to right, then does a backflip with his tongue, then a forward flip, then finishes with a higher spinning jump. Gooey waves his tongue as he stretches it out of his mouth while he yawns. After this, he scratches the top of his head with his tongue.	Unlike other characters, Gooey will not repeat his idle animations unless he is moved and stopped again. This may be a glitch.
Adeleine & Ribbon	Ribbon appears and faces Adeleine. The two then give each-other three high-fives before Ribbon disappears again. These high-fives mirror the ones Kirby and Waddle Dee do in the "Adding Adeleine" cutscene from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Adeleine sits down, and then Ribbon appears beside her. The two silently chat with each-other for a moment, finishing off with a spin from Ribbon and a chuckle from Adeleine before Ribbon disappears again and Adeleine gets up.
Dark Meta Knight	Dark Meta Knight examines his sword for a moment, then throws it back and shakes it a couple times, causing some sparkling dust to fall off it. Dark Meta Knight points one of his wings forward while looking alertly in that direction. He then flaps his wings vigorously while briefly closing his eyes.
Daroach	Daroach pulls out his cane with one hand while putting the other up to the brow of his hat. He then looks quickly forward, then backward. Daroach pulls out his cane and taps the head of it against the palm of his other hand a couple times. He then dramatically sheathes his cane by throwing it under his cloak.
Magolor	Magolor cheerily claps his hands while he closes his eyes and then nods his head a couple times. Magolor closes his eyes and moves his hands in a spiraling motion in front of himself, as if to hypnotize whoever is facing him.
Taranza	Taranza yawns in an exaggerated fashion, and then wipes his eye with one hand. Taranza straightens his tie and combs his hair, as if to prepare for a romantic outing.
Susie	Susie ponders to herself for a moment, before appearing to have a sudden bolt of inspiration, whereupon she slams her fist into her palm. Susie waves toward the screen, then out in front of her, and then brushes her hair briefly.	Susie has no additional animations while piloting her Business Suit.
The Three Mage-Sisters	Each of the Mage-Sisters use the same animations. These are as follows: The chosen sister puts her weapon away, and then brings her palms together in reverence, then she opens them in an arc above her head before throwing them to her sides. The chosen sister puts her weapon away, waves toward the screen, then out in front of her, and then brushes her hair briefly.

In addition, the main menu features a large number of "skits" that play out between various characters. For a full list of those, see the Skit page.

Super Kirby Clash

In Super Kirby Clash, Kirby has different sets of idle animations depending on the situation. While in a quest, Kirby has the same idle animations as in Kirby: Planet Robobot:

1. Kirby puts his arm over his eyes and looks from side to side.
2. Kirby raises his arms and stretches his body upward briefly.
3. Kirby sits down and taps his feet on the ground for a moment.

While in the Port Village and Castle Village, Kirby has a slightly different set of animations. In place of the sitting idle animation, he also has one more unique animation that can play out if he has any role other than Hammer Lord:

1. Kirby blinks and looks from side to side without putting his arms over his eyes.
2. Kirby raises his arms a bit further apart and stretches his body.
3. Kirby holds up the equipped weapon and rotates it while smiling.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land / Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World

In Kirby and the Forgotten Land and its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Kirby has the following idle animations:

1. Kirby smiles and gently sways from side to side.
2. Kirby looks around himself quickly.
3. Kirby does a big stretch, raising his arms high while his eyes are closed.

Bandana Waddle Dee has the same set of idle animations as Kirby.

Kirby's sitting pose from previous games has been moved to one of his emotes. Additionally, the player can actively trigger Kirby's looking animation by pressing another of the emote buttons. Some Mouthful Modes also include idle animations that typically overlap with one of their respective emotes.

Kirby Air Riders

In Kirby Air Riders, each rider has a distinct animation that plays while coasting along on their machine if the player makes no input. Most, though not all, have the rider turn directly toward the screen.

• Kirby turns toward the screen and motions with his arm while smiling, similar to his animation from the original game.
• King Dedede turns toward the screen and grins while pointing at himself with his thumb, then motions with his arm as he turns back around.
• Meta Knight warily checks his surroundings with an alert stance.
• Waddle Dee examines the surroundings with curiosity.
• Bandana Waddle Dee turns toward the screen and salutes with a determined face.
• Waddle Doo turns toward the screen and looks around for a little bit.
• Chef Kawasaki turns toward the screen and pats his belly.
• Knuckle Joe pumps the air with his fist as he turns toward the screen.
• Rick turns to his side and sniffs the air.
• Gooey scratches the top of his head with his tongue.
• Cappy raises its mushroom cap and spins it around, waving its arms as it does so.
• Rocky tries to stand up, but stumbles under its own weight and returns to a sitting position.
• Scarfy wiggles a bit and twitches its ears.
• Starman poses toward the screen, flipping its cape over its shoulder.
• Lololo & Lalala examine their surroundings in unison, looking both ways on opposite sides (Lololo looks left when Lalala looks right and vice versa).
• Marx turns toward the screen and happily bounces on his feet the same way he does when balancing on his ball.
• Daroach turns toward the screen and tips his hat.
• Magolor turns toward the screen and applauds.
• Taranza puts five of his hands in a line behind him, moves them in an undulating motion, and runs his sixth hand across the other five before returning them to their original positions.
• Susie turns toward the screen and waves with a smug face.
• Noir Dedede looks over its shoulder warily.

In addition, all Air Ride Machines except Gigantes have idle animations that play while vacant and in the Garage, Paddock, Machine Market, and on the road in Road Trip.

Trivia

• Generally speaking, incidental idle animations will not play when a character is holding an item, is standing on a sloped surface, or is at low health.