What is the ability Kirby uses to inhale enemies and gain their powers?

Kirby uses the Copy Ability to inhale enemies and gain their powers.

The Copy Ability lets Kirby absorb an enemy's characteristic skill after swallowing it. Depending on the foe, Kirby can become a swordsman, breathe fire, throw ice, use electricity, wield a hammer, or access many other specialized movesets. Each ability usually changes both his attacks and his appearance, giving him a themed hat or costume.

The mechanic debuted in Kirby's Adventure in 1993, the second main Kirby game. Kirby's Dream Land, released the previous year, already allowed Kirby to inhale enemies and spit them out, but it did not let him copy their powers. Kirby Super Star later expanded the system with multiple techniques for each ability and the option to create Helpers for another player or computer-controlled partner.

“Swallow,” “Suck,” and “Inhale” describe parts of the process, but they are not the name of the power-copying system. Inhaling is how Kirby captures enemies, while swallowing or spitting them determines what happens next. Later games added variations such as upgraded Copy Abilities and Mouthful Mode, which lets Kirby inhale and control large objects.