| Zero | ||
|---|---|---|
 Kirby's Dream Land 3 artwork | ||
| Gender | None | |
| First appearance | Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997) | |
| Latest appearance | Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe (2023; reference) | |
Zero (sometimes shortened to 0), also dubbed ? in the False Ending, is both the true final boss and primary antagonist of Kirby's Dream Land 3. It is the leader of the Dark Matter species. Zero is somewhat infamous for its debut appearance's copious amounts of blood and hints of gore.
In canon[]
Zero is the game's final boss and main villain. It first appears in the second phase of the final battle, which takes place in the center of the giant Dark Matter cloud known as Hyper Zone, an area which can only be unlocked by collecting all the Heart Stars of the game. Zero is fought right after Dark Matter is defeated. To hurt Zero, Kirby must simply hit the boss many times with projectiles from the Love-Love Stick in his hands.
Once Zero's life meter is depleted in it's first form, Zero's eyeball will detach from the rest of its body in a very bloody and gruesome matter, and the body will float away and pursue Kirby as a last resort. Kirby can simply hit it in 8 shots (or 10 shots if Gooey is also in battle), and, if Kirby defeats Zero itself for good, grants the Kirby's Dream Land 3's good ending.
Although Zero never made another physical appearance again after it's debut, it's legacy throughout the series is quite vast, as several subsequent final bosses would reference or resemble it.
In fanon[]
Kirby: Hero (October 24, 2011-April 24, 2014)[]
Zero is the main antagonist of the Dark Matter saga, and as a result of his massive impact on the series as a whole, is the main antagonist of the series. He is the leader of the Dark Matter race, and a cruel, heartless being of destruction who simply causes carnage because he can. Zero has a massive hatred for Dream Land, not understanding why people are friends with each other so easily. While he is defeated by the Rainbow Sword, Zero killed Magolor before his death, thus causing the events of the Necrodeus Saga. Dark Matter, his right-hand man, also would serve Nightmare with ulterior motives to bring Zero back, which he did in the form of Zero-Two.
Kirby: Right Back At Ya Comic (March 1, 2012)[]
Kirby: Legend of the Stars (March 28, 2012)[]
In Kirby: Legend of the Stars, Zero is again revived in the form of Overlord Zero, created from the amassed energy of Dark Nebula.
Kirby: Return of the Squeak Squad (December 21, 2012)[]
In Kirby: Return of the Squeak Squad, Zero returns once more, possessing Daroach, setting the plotline for the game. It is the true final boss, and a robotic version of its Kirby 64 incarnation appears as the false final boss.
Kirby Fusion (July 23, 2013)[]
In Kirby Fusion, he sends his shadowy minions to possess Meta Knight. When Kirby makes it to Last Stand, Zero takes on the form of a cross between himself, Marx, Magolor, and his own minion, Sword Dark Matter. He battles Kirby in a final battle. As always, Kirby defeats Zero and he starts to cripple and collapse and burn into the dark fires he was created from.
Kirby’s Final Chance (October 25, 2013)[]
In Kirby's Final Chance, he is the real cause for the return of all the bosses and the true final boss (in place of Marx Soul, in both cases) in the form of Dark Zero Soul.
Kirby And The Crimson Palace (April 26, 2015)[]
In Kirby And The Crimson Palace, he manages to take over Planet Popstar for the 1st time. But not as Zero Soul. Instead, as Zero Legacy. He battles Kirby once more. But as always, gets defeated. However, this isn't the true final battle. That's just 1 boss away from his right hand man...
Kirby: Tear in the Dimensions/Code (January 4, 2020)[]
In Kirby: Tear in the Dimensions, Corruptia infects them with corruption, causing them to turn into Corrupt Zero. They gain eight points and ten worms coming out of them. They remodel their entire fleet of Dark Matter into Corrupt Matter and even includes some of Corruptia's corrupt fleets. In Kirby: Tear in the Code, Corrupt Zero is the main source of problems for Kirby's dimension. They are the fake final boss of the dimension, with Corruptia being the true final boss.
Corrupt Zero has a second form where their spikes and worms detach from battle wounds. They then reseal their cracks, only to let a massive fanged mouth take form, with Zero's eye being a part of their insides. Some worms regrow on the opposite side of Zero's mouth, and the whole form is somewhat gory.
Upon death, they will stop in midair, then suddenly blow up in a series of violent explosions.
Attacks[]
| Attack | Description |
|---|---|
| Spinning Charge | Corrupt Zero faces towards the screen before drifting off of it. He will reappear from either the left or right, charging through the bottom or top half of the screen. |
| Devourer of Hope | Corrupt Zero flies to a corner of the screen. Then, four of their worms appear on every side of the screen in a + shape. They then charge forward to attack you, leaving a slight delay before charging in which you can escape. |
| Cursed Shot | Corrupt Zero goes to the center of the screen and into the background. The worms attached to him move into the foreground to shoot cursed fireballs at the player. |
| Blade Ballet | Corrupt Zero moves to a side of the screen. Then spikes will appear in rows on both the top and bottom of the screen. They will move opposite from each other, requiring you to weave in between them. |
| Worm Strike | Corrupt Zero quickly moves to an upper corner of the screen before aiming its worms at you. It then gives a quick charging animation before launching its worms at where it aimed. This repeats 5 times. |
Upon their HP dropping to zero, they will activate their second form, which lets them access some new attacks.
| Attack Name | Attack Description |
|---|---|
| Raging Charge | Corrupt Zero will charge across the screen like Spinning Charge, but will bite down constantly. He can also appear from the top or bottom of the screen, making this attack harder. |
| Corrupt Flamethrower | |
Kirby: Returning Legends (October 21, 2019)[]
Zero made a cameo as a silhouette when Dark Matter Swordsman called out the villains after wounding the controlled Gala. However, he has yet to interact with Kirby in the sequel. Zero also shows more hatred for Kirby when the Dark Matter Swordsman was destroyed, bleeding while cursing the puffball.
Kirby: Triple Deluxe 2 (2021)[]
In Kirby: Triple Deluxe 2, Zero is possessed by Queen Sectonia and is fought after Dark Matter. In the retold version, Zero doesn't appear at all.
Kirby Star Allies 2 (May 28, 2022)[]
Zero appears as a surprise boss in Kirby Star Allies 2, where it is fought in the Fountain of Stars, titled as the Vital Core of Death. It is replaced by 02 in the Aegis Arena, and Zero Soul in the Soulless Arena.
Kirby Star Allies 3 (2023)[]
In Kirby Star Allies 3, Zero appears in Guest Star_Dark Matter Swordsman as the final boss. He also appears in the subgame, Boss Endurance. Zero Two is the main antagonist of Kirby Star Allies 3.
Kirby: Fall of Allies[]
Zero, for the first time in a long time in Shadow Dedede's fanon verse, returns as a boss fought before Crowned Taranza. The rest of his incarnations are also fought as bosses, alongside two new ones, Moon Zero and Zero-Five.
Knightmare of a Galactic Crisis[]
Zero is seen as a cameo during Professor Halikay’s explanation of how Void works. This also implies that it is Voidspawn.
See also[]
Trivia[]
Official[]
- While it has not be officially confirmed by any official sources, Zero appears to have been succeeded by 0². A popular fan-theory is that the band-aid on top of 0²'s head is where Zero's original eye used to be when it detached from the rest of Zero's body when defeated in Kirby's Dream Land 3, as well as the obvious similarities between these two.
- Zero's boss theme is the first in the franchise to have a reprise of the ''Kirby's Triumphant Return'' motif.
Fanon[]
- In Kirby: Tear in the Dimensions, Zero is referred to as they, which is an idea inspired by Undertale, where the human is referred to in such a manner, as they had no gender.
Gallery[]
Official[]
Fanon[]
