Who created the Kirby series?

Masahiro Sakurai created the Kirby series. While working at HAL Laboratory, Sakurai conceived Kirby around 1990 and directed the first game, Kirby’s Dream Land, which Nintendo released for the Game Boy in 1992.

Kirby began as a simple, ball-shaped placeholder for a planned protagonist. Sakurai and the development team found that the basic design worked so well that it became the final character. The original project went through early names including Popopo and Twinkle Popo before Nintendo adopted the name Kirby for international release.

Sakurai’s role went beyond inventing the character. He designed Kirby, directed Kirby’s Dream Land, and helped establish the series’ accessible gameplay, including Kirby’s ability to inhale enemies and objects. He later created and directed the Super Smash Bros. series, where Kirby also became a playable fighter. Takashi Tezuka, Yoshiaki Koizumi, and Shigeru Miyamoto are important Nintendo developers, but they did not create the Kirby franchise.