Kirby Air Riders was just shown through a Nintendo Direct on August 19, 2025, showing a deep dive into the gameplay of the racing title. One notable mechanic was the inclusion of Special moves that give various benefits to different characters. Although not every Special was revealed, the ones that were shown off will undoubtedly shake up how races work as you play.
So far, nine different Specials have been shown off from specific Riders, although many more characters were revealed in total. In order to build a Special in Kirby Air Riders, it seems like you need to build a unique resource before pressing the “Y” button to unleash your unique move. Since every character has their own Special, not one figure racing will be able to do the same thing.
9
Kirby – Ultra Sword
Slash At Nearby Riders With A Massive Blade
The first Special displayed in the Direct belongs to Kirby, but only when the familiar adorable pink protag is in their base form. This Special, called Ultra Sword, sees Kirby wildly slash around their Glider, hitting any target nearby. This Special culminates into a final, wider slash that seems to have more reach than the initial strikes.
Ultra Sword might be great for knocking back both obstacles on a racetrack and opponents on rival Gliders. The large amount of space this could cover doesn’t seem to increase Kirby’s speed, but does look very disruptive to slow down the competition.
8
Red Kirby – Burn
Add Some More Fuel To Your Fire
The Red Kirby variant character has the Burn Special, which sees Kirby travel forward as a moving ball of flames at much higher speeds. Red Kirby can torch everything in his path, charging in a straight direction at high speeds to his next destination on a course.
During the Direct, the game director of Kirby Air Riders stated that only Kirby has four different Specials depending on which variant of the character you play. With his status as a protagonist who can copy abilities, it makes sense for Kirby to have multiple skills.
This Special may be harder to control, as Red Kirby might only be able to travel in a linear direction when using his Special. However, the flames of Red Kirby during their Special state will likely burn opponents too, making them slow down to give you the lead.
7
Blue Kirby – Snow Bowl
Ramp Up Speed Through Icy Growth
When you play as Blue Kirby, you can use Snow Bowl as your Special, turning into a small ball of ice and snow at first. This is one of the most entertaining Specials to me, as you steadily grow larger as you travel as a snowball, eventually becoming a huge avalanche of ice that can knock away anything in your path.
From the shown footage, you seem to pick up more speed the larger you get while using Snow Bowl. That being said, it also looks like you lose some steering control in this state, at least until you eventually pop out from the snowball when the Special is finished.
6
Yellow Kirby – Crash
Detonate While Your Rivals Are Ahead Of You
The final variation of Kirby, Yellow Kirby, has an explosive Special in the form of Crash. When you use this Special, Kirby flies forward of his glider before detonating a huge explosion ahead of him, which wipes out anyone and anything within the vicinity.
This could be a tricky Special to use, as Yellow Kirby could easily get caught in the blast if they aren’t careful. The innovation in Kirby Air Riders surrounding multiple abilities for Kirby and other Riders using copying abilities won’t matter much if you debuff your speed simply by having Crash backfire at the worst time.
5
King Dedede – Jet Hammer
Coronate Courses With Sudden High-Powered Speed
Jet Hammer is a simple Special for King Dedede, where the royal figure unlocks the special jet engine in his hammer to give himself a huge speed boost. This rocket-powered buff gives King Dedede incredible mobility, without any loss of handling seen in the brief clip shown during the Direct.
During the Jet Hammer state, King Dedede may not be able to use other skills while the Special is active. This exchange for speed instead of power adds some nuance to the character compared to other Riders.
Although it’s hard to tell, King Dedede’s Special could have some extra elements to it beyond just speed. At this point though, it’s impossible to tell before more gameplay is shown of the character.
4
Chef Kawasaki – Superspicy Cooking
Serve Food That Will Make Your Opponents Preoccupied
Although most Specials have attacking or speed properties, Chef Kawasaki’s Superspicy Cooking ability is far different compared to others. When using this Special, Chef Kawasaki throws plates of spicy curry onto the course, causing opponents who pick it up to spew flames.
Anyone spitting these flames slows down on the racetrack, allowing Chef Kawasaki to zip by them and take the lead. For one of the most obscure characters in Kirby games, this Special is perfectly suited to placing down obstacles that your rivals have to avoid.
Unfurl Your Wings To Fly Fast
Similar to King Dedede, Meta Knight has a Special tied to increasing his speed. When you activate the Night Wing Special, Meta Knight opens his wings and begins to fly forward at much greater speeds, giving you a huge boost of mobility that you can control freely.
From the footage shown, it seems like Meta Knight can still activate an ability in their Night Wing form to drill forward with his sword. This attack knocks away enemies and causes Meta Knight to surge ahead at the same boosted speed, likely disrupting rival Riders if they get in his way.
2
Cappy – Booster Cap
Put On The Right Gear For More Speed
Surprise character Cappy comes into Kirby Air Riders‘ growing roster with a fairly simple Special ability called Booster Cap. When Cappy uses this Special, they put on a special mushroom hat that unleashes a burst of propulsion to boost the character forward.
This explosion of speed seems potent on straight areas of a racing course, but as of this time of writing, it is hard to tell how much control Cappy still has while using the Special. Even if it lasts for a shorter time than some other Special abilities, Cappy’s skill might charge up faster by comparison.
1
Bandana Waddle Dee – Spear Cyclone
Defend Against Attacks Or Rise Into The Air
The last Special shown in the Direct was Spear Cyclone, an ability that can only be activated by Bandana Waddle Dee. When you spend the Special gauge for this skill, Waddle Dee begins to spin their spear, either creating a shield in front of himself or a propeller that lifts him into the sky.
From the limited footage shown, it is unclear if Bandana Waddle Dee’s Special must committ to one of its two functions when activated, or if players can freely switch between its uses while Spear Cyclone lasts.
The shield from Spear Cyclone can block attacks, maybe even other Specials used by different characters. This will likely help Waddle Dee avoid obstacles, but the propeller could achieve a similar goal too. By switching to the propeller mode of Spear Cyclone, Waddle Dee rises into the air, maintaining his speed while getting out of the way of rivals who would disrupt him.
With more characters to be announced before the game’s launch, I’m sure we’ll see more unique abilities as the launch date gets closer and closer. With Kirby Air Riders looking to be a definitive title for the Switch 2 console, the roster size could be made huge, leading to an absurd number of Special abilities revealed in the future.
Kirby Air Riders
- Released
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2025
- Developer(s)
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HAL Laboratory
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
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Kirby
- Number of Players
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1-4 players
