Kirby Air Riders, the long awaited sequel to Kirby Air Ride, released today over 20 years after the original. To celebrate the launch, we thought this was a good time to discuss Kirby goods!

There are SO many types of goods related to the Kirby franchise available in Japan, but unfortunately, most of them don't leave the country. Stores like HLJ do sell some of the hobby goods and collectibles though, so be sure to check back regularly (especially in the Fun Goods category) so you don't miss out!

Where To Buy Kirby Goods

First, let's talk about where to buy Kirby goods in Japan. I would say there are 3 "main" stores: the Nintendo Store which features a Kirby section in addition to other Nintendo products, the Kirby Cafe stores which have unique cafe themed Kirby goods and tableware, and Kirby's Pupupu Market, which is a small store selling a variety of Kirby goods and features special limited themed items. All of these can be found in Tokyo, but have secondary locations in different parts of Japan. Kirby fans should definitely check these places when visiting. Even if you can't secure a reservation to eat at the cafe, you can enter the gift shops for some awesome themed goods.

But as mentioned above, there are so many Kirby goods that you can actually find them in a wide variety of places in Japan. Major retailers that sell electronics and toys (like Yamada Denki) will often sell Kirby goods in addition to the video games. Any place that has gacha machines will most likely have at least one featuring Kirby at all times, and arcade machines frequently have Kirby prizes. Even some supermarkets carry Kirby goods like trading figures or food items with a Kirby prize.

So let's take a closer look at some of the types of Kirby series goods.

Food Items

It's common in Japan to find snacks or chocolate that come with a toy prize. One common example is the wafer cookies that come with cards featuring anime and game characters. There have been a good amount of food items themed after the Kirby series, some of which come with a neat toy or collectible. For example, in the image are the collectible items from the recent Kirby chocolate egg, gum pack, gummies, and candy tin.

While not hobby goods, Family Mart is also currently running a Kirby collaboration with themed food items to promote the new game.

Gachas

Over the years, Kirby has gotten a lot of gacha goods, like toys, trading figures, vinyl figures, keychains, bracelets, and more. One cool thing about the gachas is the variety of games they cover. You can find gacha prizes referencing the classics titles, modern games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and even the small digital only game Kirby's Dream Buffet! For those who've played Kirby and the Forgotten Land, they've actually started releasing the figurines from the game as real gacha figures! While Kirby overwhelmingly takes the spotlight, Waddle Dee is also often featured in the gacha prize list, and fan favorites like King Dedede and Meta Knight also make an occasional appearance.

Nendoroids

Kirby has gotten a few Nendoroid series figures, showcasing his different colors and copy abilities. The great thing about them is how easy it is to mix pieces, so you can combine your favorite Kirby color and ability. Waddle Dee, Meta Knight, and King Dedede have also gotten Nendoroid figures, and there's even the Robobot Armor from Kirby: Planet Robobot as an accessory! The Nendoroid series figures are a good choice for dedicated fans of Kirby looking for a higher quality figure.

Plushies & Toys

Of course, a character as cute as Kirby is bound to have plushies. For Kirby, there are many variations in size, copy abilities, and poses available. In addition, a lot of the other characters from the series, both good and bad, have gotten plushies too! As a big fan of villains like Kracko and Chef Kawasaki, it's great to see them get some love.

Kirby has also seen a lot of toy products, like soft vinyl figures, toy cars and trains, and even a light up star rod toy!

Kirby Cafe

This deserves its own category, since it's a unique lineup of goods with a cafe theme. They often feature Kirby and Waddle Dee dressed up in cafe worker uniforms, with Chef Kawasaki as the head chef (of course). You can find a variety of accessories, tableware, plushies, and small collectibles themed after the cafe. They even have different designs as the seasons change!

Trading Figures

Separate from those found in the gacha products, Kirby has a variety of trading figures and Re-Ment products. The trading figures cover a lot of different Kirby poses, copy abilities, and other characters. The Re-Ment sets often depict scenes from different Kirby games, or put Kirby and friends in a variety of scenarios, letting you create your own display with the pieces. If you like completing collections or decorating scenes, these are recommended for you.

Kirby For All Your Daily Needs

Keychains, magnets, hair clips, mirrors, musical instruments, baby toys, stationery products, home goods: there's no end to what Kirby goods cover! It would take too long to go over everything, so I'll wrap it up talking about Kirby Air Riders merchandise. Excluding game purchase bonuses and the convenience store collaboration items, so far we only have the Nintendo Amiibo products related to the game. However, considering Kirby's track record, I'm hopeful we'll see a lot more goods for Kirby Air Riders in the near future!

Check out all Kirby goods available at HLJ HERE!