Throughout his adventure, some of the enemies Kirby encounters will grant him special powers called copy abilities. Copy abilities give Kirby alternate ways of attack, so that while he must otherwise inhale and spit objects to damage enemies without one, Kirby can directly attack his foes once he does have a copy ability. Additionally, some copy abilities have additional uses, the most important of which is letting Kirby obtain the Rainbow Drops hidden on each island.
There are fewer copy abilities in the game compared to its previous installment, Kirby's Adventure. However, this is compensated by the fact that Kirby can partner up with different Animal Friends to modify the copy ability he currently has.
Burning[edit]
- Enemy: Flamer
- Mid-Boss: Efreeti
Burning causes Kirby to charge forward as a fireball, burning enemies in his path. This ability is great if you want to clear levels quickly, particularly in section with enough open space for you to charge the maximum distance. It is a bit impractical when fighting bosses, since the attack can often leave you touching the boss and taking damage.
With Rick, this ability will cause the hamster to spew a stream of fire from his mouth, burning nearby enemies in front of him. With Coo, this will cause both Kirby and Coo to dive down while surrounded by fire, effective in large vertical section, but dangerous to use when above pits. With Kine, this simply lets him spit fireballs that travel in a straight line, the range of which decreases dramatically underwater.
Cutter[edit]
- Enemy: Load Kibble
- Mid-Boss: Waiu
Cutter lets Kirby throw a piercing boomerang that travels in a straight line and returns to Kirby. It has the longest range of all the copy abilities, and you can throw boomerangs really quickly. It doesn't do a lot of damage against bosses, but the range and attack rate lets you chip down any boss' health while remaining at a safe distance.
With Rick, it will cause him to throw Kirby as a boomerang. While the boomerang is larger than the normal cutter, it travels rather slow, and your movement is extremely limited while Kirby is still spinning around. With Coo, this will make him toss three feathers in a spread pattern. This is among the best abilities in the game, covering a wide area in front of you. With Kine, he can fire a crescent beam that grows wider as it moves forward.
Ice[edit]
- Enemy: Master Pengy
- Mid-Boss: Mr. Frosty
Ice lets Kirby breath icy air, which can freeze most enemies into ice blocks. Walking over the ice blocks will cause Kirby to kick them, turning them into projectiles that can be used to attack other enemies. It cannot be used to freeze bosses, but the stream of air will continuously chip away at their health.
With Rick, both Rick and Kirby will turn into an immobile snowman, freezing enemies around them. With Coo, Kirby's ice breath can be aimed 180 degrees below, but cannot attack anything above. With Kine, he will emit a chilly aura that freezes enemies around them. Unlike Rick, Kine can move freely while using this ability, but using it for too long will cause himself to freeze, rendering him immobile and vulnerable to attack.
Needle[edit]
- Enemy: Spikey
- Mid-Boss: Captain Stitch
Needle makes Kirby extend spikes all around his body, harming enemies around him. Kirby cannot move while his spikes are extended. While Needle is similar to Spark, it doesn't do continuous damage against bosses, but has slightly better range.
With Rick, Needle will cause spikes to spring from his back, which is slightly awkward to use as it doesn't affect enemies in front of you. With Coo, it causes Kirby to extend spikes down below. With Kine, it causes him to grow spikes around himself, similar to the normal Needle ability but with slightly better reach due to Kine's size.
Parasol[edit]
- Enemy: Floaty the Drifter
- Mid-Boss: Jumpershoot
Parasol gives Kirby an actual parasol which he holds as long as he has the ability. While held normally, the parasol will slow his descent as well as protect him from any attacks coming from above. When using it as an attack, Kirby will swing his parasol, harming enemies in front of him.
With Rick, he will balance the parasol and Kirby on his nose, hurting enemies above them. With Coo, both him and Kirby will spin rapidly, harming every enemy they touch. With Kine, he will hold the parasol in front of him with his mouth, which hurts enemies and shields attacks from the front.
Spark[edit]
- Enemy: Sparky
- Mid-Boss: Master Green
Spark makes Kirby emit an electric field around him, harming any enemies nearby. Compared to Needle, it has less range, but will continuously damage bosses as long as they're nearby.
With Rick, he will emit a sweeping beam that damages enemies in a pretty wide area. With Coo, both Kirby and him will strike enemies below with lightning bolts. With Kine, he will spit lightbulbs from his mouth. The lightbulb can also light up dark rooms, which is sometimes requires to discover hidden doors.
Stone[edit]
- Enemy: Rocky
- Mid-Boss: Blocky
Stone gives Kirby the ability to turn into a rock, making him impervious to enemy attacks as well as crushing enemies below. While in stone form, Kirby cannot move, but he can roll down slopes.
With Rick, he will turn into a boulder that Kirby balances on top, killing any enemy in their path. With Coo, Kirby will turn into a rock and both him and Coo drops to the ground, crushing enemies below. With Kine, Kirby will turn into stone inside him, causing both of them to drop to the bottom, hurting enemies.