Upper Calibur - WiKirby: it's a wiki, about Kirby!
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Upper Calibur is an attack used by Meta Knight and similar knight bosses, which is first introduced in Kirby Star Allies.
Overview[edit]
As its name suggests, Upper Calibur starts with an upper slash after a charging period. If the upper catches any opponent, the user will then perform nine quick aerial slashes to the target, and finish by slamming them onto the ground with a heavy slash. If the upper misses, this attack will stop immediately.
The upper cannot be blocked by guarding normally. In Version 4.0.0 of Kirby Star Allies, the upper can be guarded by some Copy Abilities/friends with a special guard including Ice Kirby/Chilly, Spider Kirby/Como, Rick & Kine & Coo, Gooey, Dark Meta Knight, Magolor and Taranza; prior to Version 4.0.0, the upper could not be guarded by any means. In Kirby and the Forgotten Land and its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Upper Calibur cannot be guarded, but can be parried with Sword's standard attack.
The final slam always deals damage. Whether the upper slash and/or aerial slashes do damage depends on the user and the game.
Users[edit]
Meta Knight[edit]
Upper Calibur was first used by Meta Knight as a boss at Sacred Square in Kirby Star Allies. In his version, the aerial slashes don't do damage, and the final slam does low damage.
Meta Knight can also make use of Upper Calibur in Kirby and the Forgotten Land and its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and if he catches Kirby, the attack plays out with special camera angles. Unlike in Star Allies, all slashes from the attack do deal damage. After the upper, this version has 12 total slashes before the finishing slam, with the first three slashes done at a slower pace compared to the following nine. If Kirby uses Sword or one of its evolved variants to parry the attack, he can use his sword to push back against Meta Knight (via the player mashing the attack button). If successful, Kirby will momentarily disarm Meta Knight and leave him open to attack. If, at that point, Kirby touches his sword to become Meta Knight Sword Kirby, the lone swordsman is forced to use a backup sword for the remainder of the fight. The timer in the Colosseum pauses when Upper Calibur successfully hits Kirby and resumes when the combo ends. If Upper Calibur hits Bandana Waddle Dee, it does not trigger a cutscene, instead simply dealing damage.
Morpho Knight[edit]
When Morpho Knight uses Upper Calibur, it may teleport before the upper. Like with Meta Knight's version in Kirby Star Allies, the aerial slashes don't do damage, and the final slam does low damage.
In Morpho Knight EX's version, the aerial slashes each deal damage, and the final slam does more damage, the total damage being about 40% of Kirby's maximum health. Morpho Knight EX may also use Upper Calibur as one of his possible Counter attacks (similar to Meta Knight and Parallel Meta Knight's Galactic Counter).
Morpho Knight only uses Upper Calibur in Kirby Star Allies, and does not use it in Kirby and the Forgotten Land or Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World.
Dark Meta Knight[edit]
Dark Meta Knight can use his own version called Dark Calibur as a Dream Friend, its command being "Press and hold B, and then release + ↑".
Dark Meta Knight's version functions basically the same as Meta Knight's version but with a few differences: While the upper can catch most common enemies, it does not catch mid-bosses or bosses; instead, when the upper connects to a boss, he will still perform the aerial slashes in the fixed area, but they will stop immediately when the boss leaves the aerial slashes' hitboxes. During Dark Calibur, the upper and the aerial slashes both do damage, and Dark Meta Knight is invincible during the whole attack.
Like most of Dark Meta Knight's moves, Dark Calibur can be granted elemental powers. Notably, if he's given the Bluster element, Dark Calibur will be performed in a similar way to Mach Tornado as he does aerial spin slashes instead.
Parallel Meta Knight[edit]
Parallel Meta Knight, who can be considered the EX version of Meta Knight in Kirby Star Allies, has a souped-up version of Upper Calibur. In his version, the aerial slashes do damage, and the final slam does high damage, the total damage being about 70% of Kirby's maximum health, which is even higher than Morpho Knight EX's version.
Phantom Meta Knight[edit]
Phantom Meta Knight, a neon doppelgänger of Meta Knight who solely appears as a boss in the Colosseum of Kirby and the Forgotten Land and its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, has a souped-up version of Upper Calibur. When fought during the second phase in The Ultimate Cup Z, it may make a duplicate of itself before both of them charge at Kirby. In The Ultimate Cup Z EX, this variant is used in the first phase and the second phase introduces a version where Phantom Meta Knight creates seven duplicates before the charge. Upper Calibur can still be parried by Sword or one of its evolved variants, forcing Phantom Meta Knight to use a backup sword for the remainder of the fight. Like Meta Knight's original version, the timer in the Colosseum pauses when Upper Calibur successfully hits Kirby and resumes when the combo ends. It also does not trigger a cutscene upon hitting Bandana Waddle Dee.
Kirby[edit]
In Kirby and the Forgotten Land and its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Kirby is able to use the Upper Calibur after evolving Sword to Meta Knight Sword with the Blueprint obtained after completing the Meta Knight Cup in the Colosseum. Rather than being a charged attack, it is instead performed by repeatedly attacking after a Sword Slide and Upward Slash, serving as an upgraded variant of Sword Dive.
Trivia[edit]
- Despite being named internally in the game files and officially in Japanese guidebooks, Upper Calibur was not named in-game in Kirby Star Allies. It would only officially receive translated names in other languages for Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
- Based on the Chinese localizations, Upper Calibur's name may originate from Excalibur, the legendary sword.
- Upper Calibur is similar to some Final Smashes from the Super Smash Bros. series, notably Ike's Great Aether and Cloud's Omnislash.
- Meta Knight's Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Darkness Illusion, looks very similar to that of the Upper Calibur, in which he begins with an electric Up Thrust (similar to Meta Knight's Up Thrust when given the Zap Power Effect from Kirby Star Allies or the animation at the start of Meta Knight's Mach Tornado from Kirby Super Star Ultra), then does a series of quick aerial slashes, and finishes by knocking the opponents horizontally instead.
Names in other languages[edit]
Upper Calibur[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | アッパーキャリバー Appā Kyaribā |
Upper Calibur |
| Traditional Chinese | 上霸者劍 Shàng Bàzhĕjiàn |
Upper Calibur 霸者劍/霸者剑 is based on one name for Excalibur (王者之劍/王者之剑). |
| Simplified Chinese | 上霸者剑 Shàng Bàzhĕjiàn | |
| Dutch | Hoge Calibur | High Calibur |
| French | Calibur ascendant | Ascending Calibur |
| German | Empor-Calibur | Upwards-Calibur |
| Italian | Calibur ascendente | Ascending Calibur |
| Korean | 어퍼 칼리버 Eopeo Kallibeo |
Upper Calibur |
| Spanish | Calibur ascendente | Ascending Calibur |
Dark Calibur[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ダークキャリバー Dāku Kyaribā |
Dark Calibur |
| Traditional Chinese | 闇霸者劍 Àn Bàzhějiàn |
Darkness Calibur |
| Simplified Chinese | 暗霸者剑 Àn Bàzhějiàn | |
| Dutch | Duistere Calibur | Dark Calibur |
| French | Calibur noir | Black Calibur |
| German | Dunkelcalibur | Dark Calibur |
| Italian | Calibur oscura | Dark Calibur |
| Korean | 다크 칼리버 Dakeu Kallibeo |
Dark Calibur |
| Spanish | Calibur oscura | Dark Calibur |
| Recurring attacks from the Kirby series | |
|---|---|
Copy Ability and Ally Attacks | |
Enemy Attacks | |
Other Attacks | |