Kirby recently turned 30 and despite the hard life he has had so far, he looks pretty good for it. If nothing else you'd think the diet he's been on for three decades would have had a terrible effect on his body, but here's the thing. All those enemies Kirby has hoovered up over the years, apparently, he hasn't been eating them. They simply teleport elsewhere once he closes his mouth.
That's according to Kirby director Shinya Kumazaki who was asked what the hell happens to the pink puffball's enemies once they're in his stomach by Polygon (thanks, Nintendo Life). Honestly, I can't believe no one has asked Kumazaki or anyone else in charge of Kirby's canon that question before.
If you've assumed Kirby is just eating everyone and everything in Dream Land while not gaining a solitary pound, you've been assuming wrong. “We have this comical, funny depiction where the enemies poof. When an enemy or creature gets swallowed by Kirby, they may disappear but they do resurface somewhere else in the world,” Kumazaki confirmed. So Kirby isn't eating his enemies, he's simply sending them elsewhere.
That means the Nintendo mascot's stomach is capable of teleporting its contents to random locations, leaving Kirby with the power that teleported party once held. Kumazaki didn't elaborate on whether Kirby can choose where he teleports his swallowed enemies, if their power goes along with them even though Kirby has adopted it, and why the hero is able to spit stars on occasions after he has sucked up a baddie. Seriously Kumazaki, where do the stars come from?
Even though Nintendo hasn't announced anything specific to celebrate Kirby's 30th birthday, he's had a pretty great year or two. The Forgotten Land was a huge success, and Return to Dream Land Deluxe kept the Kirby train rolling last month. A game that added sand as a copy ability, something else Kirby presumably isn't eating. Hopefully we'll be seeing more from Kirby in the coming months to mark what is a pretty significant milestone.