Kid Icarus (universe)

Kid Icarus (universe)
Developer(s)	Nintendo Tose Project Sora Sora Ltd.
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Genre(s)	Platformer Third-Person shooter Rail shooter
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo Entertainment System
First installment	Kid Icarus (1986)
Latest installment	Kid Icarus: Uprising (2012)
Article on Icaruspedia	Kid Icarus (universe)

The Kid Icarus universe (パルテナの鏡, Mirror of Palutena) refers to the Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from Nintendo's Kid Icarus games, which were originally a pair of cult-classic action/platformer games for NES and Game Boy. A twenty-one-year hiatus for the series ensued, and it only ended once Masahiro Sakurai developed and released a third game for the 3DS after debuting a heavy stylistic redesign for the series and its star, the young angel knight Pit, in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Franchise description

During the "golden age" of the Famicom/NES in the late 1980s, one of the original titles and IPs released alongside titles such as Metroid and The Legend of Zelda was Kid Icarus, an action platformer that aimed to blend several genres. The game's development process was stressed by time constraints, and the game was released on NES on July 1987 to mixed critical reception, which focused criticism on its frustratingly high difficulty and some odd design choices; despite all this, the game has long since been regarded as a cult classic for the console, and some of its characters had been featured on the American cartoon Captain N: The Game Master alongside other video game characters popularized by the NES. Following this, a sequel for the Game Boy, Kid Icarus: Of Myth and Monsters, was co-developed between Nintendo and Tose Co., Ltd. and released on November 1991. Reception was decidedly more favorable for the sequel, citing significant improvements to the gameplay all around, though the game never reached the level of public attention that the original had. In an odd twist, Of Myths and Monsters was, for literally two decades, one of few first-party Nintendo games that were not published in Japan.

For fifteen years following the 1991 release of the second game, the Kid Icarus "franchise" made no return appearances in any format, and the two-game series had seemed to have forever been left behind in a state where it would represent nothing more than a curious piece of history from the Nintendo timeline. But then, in 2006, Super Smash Bros. series director Masahiro Sakurai began an ambitious series revival for Kid Icarus, first by announcing through a trailer the inclusion of the main character, Pit, as a new playable fighter in his then-highly-anticipated Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. Sakurai had previously brought another obscure NES title from the era, Ice Climber, back into the public limelight by including its player-characters as playable fighters in 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee, but for Brawl, Sakurai debuted a radical, anime-style redesign for Pit, as well as a more detailed reimagining of Pit's in-game world.

The modern, Uprising-era designs for Pit and Palutena are based on their appearances in Brawl, seen here in The Subspace Emissary.

As Sakurai later noted, the redesigned Pit's appearance in Brawl greatly influenced his decision to jump-start the series' revival with a new installment. Following Brawl's release in 2008, Sakurai directed and wrote the scenario for Kid Icarus: Uprising, a high-budget title for the Nintendo 3DS that features on-rails-shooter segments in the air that are separate from third-person-shooter segments on the ground. The game's overall presentation makes full use of the design style introduced in Brawl, complete with fully voice-acted character dialogue and copious amounts of story-driven cutscenes, but also with a far more satirical tone to the story and dialogue itself. The game was released on March 2012 to glowing reviews; however, Sakurai has yet to confirm interest in a sequel. Nonetheless, the now-familiar modern design for Pit is considered standard for the franchise, and has made a return appearance in Brawl's sequel, Super Smash Bros. 4. Meanwhile, Of Myths and Monsters was released in Japan for the first time in the country's history on the 3DS Virtual Console, a month before the release of Uprising.

The Kid Icarus games themselves are set on a multi-plane Grecian fantasy world called Angel Land, where a plane hanging above the mortal Overworld is the light realm of Skyworld, ruled over by the Goddess of Light, Palutena. In the original game, the goddess of the hellish plane of the Underworld, Medusa, wages war against Palutena and the human world, and Palutena sends her loyal warrior, the young angel knight Pit (note that the name "Kid Icarus" is not the main character's name itself, but more of a comedic descriptor of how he is essentially a child equivalent to the Greek myth of the winged man Icarus), on a quest to defeat Medusa by gathering three sacred combat treasures. In Of Myths and Monsters, Pit similarly battles a demon named Orcos. Many years later in Uprising, Pit must battle Medusa and her minions again, but ends up thrust into a much stranger, multi-sided conflict involving a greatly-expanded cast of literally colorful allies and enemies, several of which are drawn from other figures and monsters in Greek mythology. Pit's fights take him through human cities under siege, temples and caverns in the Underworld, Palutena's residence in the Skyworld, and even outer space.

In Super Smash Bros.

Rumours have claimed that Pit was to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros.; like rumours involving Peach and other characters, however, this rumour has never been definitively proven.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

There are a large number of trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee that depict classic Nintendo games from the past, and a trophy depicting a 3D rendition of the classic-style Pit is no exception. Other than that, however, there is no additional representation of the Kid Icarus franchise in the game.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Kid Icarus is introduced as a primary universe in the Super Smash Bros. series in the third installment, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Character

• 
  Pit: A young angel knight who serves the goddess Palutena and saves the kingdom of Angel Land from the evil of the Underworld goddess Medusa. The name "Kid Icarus" is technically a misnomer, and refers not to Pit as an alternative name, but more as to what kind of entity Pit is. The Greek myth of Icarus is centered around a man possessing wings; since Pit has wings, he can be considered a "kid Icarus" of sorts. For his appearance in Brawl as a fighter, Pit has undergone a major character redesign. He uses the Sacred Bow of Palutena in combat, both to fire arrows, as it always has, and also to demonstrate its previously unseen ability to split in half and be used as a pair of swords for close-quarters combat. Like Kirby, Jigglypuff, Meta Knight, and Charizard, Pit can jump multiple times in the air. His neutral special move is the Palutena's Arrow, which Pit uses in a similar style as Link, Young Link, and Toon Link; however, Pit's arrows travel much faster, unaffected by gravity, and their trajectory can be controlled (i.e. it can be made to curve upwards or downwards) by pressing a direction right after releasing the arrow. His up special move, titled Wings of Icarus, is a unique move giving him the ability of temporary free flight around the stage. His down special move, Mirror Shield, reflects projectile attacks and protects Pit from damage on one side. His side special move is the Angel Ring, a reflector move in which Pit spins the Palutena's Bow at a blinding speed in a full 360 circle, which does damage to his opponents.

On the final character select screen (after all characters are unlocked), Pit shares the fourth column with fellow Famicom/NES-originated characters Ice Climbers, R.O.B., and Samus.

Stage

• 
  Skyworld: This stage, set in the eponymous realm of the franchise's world, features several platforms that can actually be shattered by characters attacks, but they become replaced by clouds that substitute as platforms right after, although the clouds are pass-through.

Music

• Underworld - A small medley consisting of a remixed version of the Underworld level theme and the Grim Reaper's theme. It is used on the Skyworld stage.
• Skyworld - This is a redone version of the Overworld level theme from the original Kid Icarus. It is not the Skyworld level theme as the name would suggest--the track is mislabeled in Brawl. It is the theme of the Skyworld stage.
• Title (Kid Icarus) - A remix of the original Kid Icarus's title screen theme. It is used on the Skyworld stage. This track is also played during Pit's Classic Mode credits.
• Kid Icarus Original Medley - A medley made up of numerous parts of several tracks taken directly from the original Kid Icarus, including the title theme, the fortress theme, and the Skyworld level theme, among many others. It is used on the Skyworld stage.
• Pit's victory theme - Derived from the original Kid Icarus's title screen theme, this fanfare was not actually heard in this form in the first two Kid Icarus titles, but an orchestrated remix of it was included as the victory fanfare for the multiplayer portion of Kid Icarus Uprising.

Trophy

• Pit
• Palutena's Army
• Palutena
• Palutena's Bow

In Super Smash Bros. 4

After the series was revived with Kid Icarus: Uprising, the franchise received a large boost in representation with 3 characters, 3 stages, 2 Assist Trophies, and much more.

Characters

• 
  Pit: Pit returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4, with a new design based on his appearance in Kid Icarus: Uprising. This is reflected by Pit gaining new moves, such as the Upperdash Arm and the Guardian Orbitars.
• 
  Palutena: Palutena was confirmed to be a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4 during the E3 2014 Nintendo Digital Event. She uses various Powers that she would grant Pit and the Fighters in Kid Icarus: Uprising. Along with the Mii Fighters, her custom special moves are completely unique rather than using the same animations, making her a more unpredictable fighter than most.
• 
  Dark Pit: Dark Pit appears as an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He is a clone of Pit, using similar animations and weapons but a different Final Smash.

Common Enemies

• Boom Stomper: A giant enemy in Smash Run that crushes the player.
• Bumpety Bomb: A enemy bomb in Smash Run with two wheels that chase players down and detonate themselves.
• Clubberskull: An enemy in Smash Run that hits players with the skulls on its hands.
• Daphne: A flower enemy in Smash Run that launches flower-like mines.
• Flage: A floating enemy in Smash Run that slashes players with the blades on its hands.
• Lethinium: An enemy in Smash Run that fires a large beam at players.
• Lurchthorn: An enemy in Smash Run that launches projectiles from its body segments.
• Mahva: An enemy in Smash Run that projects a shield around itself.
• Megonta: An enemy in Smash Run that curls into a ball and rolls into players.
• Mimicutie: An enemy in Smash Run that runs frantically and rapidly kicks players as an attack. Like in Uprising, it can pose as a treasure chest.
• Monoeye: A flying enemy type that appears in Smash Run, and attacks the fighters with beams.
• Nutski: A flying enemy in Smash Run flies around and fires seeds at players.
• Orne: A formidable enemy in Smash Run that causes a OHKO on contact.
• Reaper: An enemy in Smash Run that slashes the player with its scythe. It also summons Reapette to home in on the player.
• Skuttler: Another enemy in Smash Run that appears in three varieties. Normal Skuttlers swing their clubs, Skuttler Cannoneers fire long range shots, and Skuttler Mages cast magic from far away.
• Souflee: An enemy in Smash Run that flies around and attacks erratically.
• Zuree: An enemy in Smash Run that transforms from its misty form to slash with its claws.

Stages

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• 
  Reset Bomb Forest: A stage based on an area in Kid Icarus: Uprising appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. The area is based upon a castle, features many wooden platforms, and takes place in front of a war between greed-driven humans and Viridi.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• 
  Palutena's Temple: A stage based on an area in Kid Icarus: Uprising appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. It is an extremely large stage featuring multiple areas, including a cave, a sky platform, a waterfall, and a building with a statue in Palutena's visage.
• 
  Skyworld: A returning stage from Brawl.

Assist Trophy

• Magnus
• Phosphora

Items

• Back Shield: A new protective item that defends the user from attacks from behind.
• Daybreak: A new item that activates upon collecting three parts, similar to the Dragoon. When activated, it will be able to fire a beam at opponents. Its power is implied to be high.
• Killer Eye: A new throwing item that acts like a turret, firing energy shots in the direction it faces.
• Ore Club: A new battering item to the Super Smash Bros. series was introduced in the form of the Ore Club, which first appeared in Kid Icarus: Uprising.
• X Bomb: A new explosive item to the Super Smash Bros. series was introduced in the form of the X Bomb, which first appeared in Kid Icarus: Uprising, also drawing inspiration from Meteos.

Another new item, called the Drill, bears strong resemblances to the Drill Arm from Kid Icarus: Uprising. However, it is referred to as a Drill and is considered part of the Super Smash Bros. universe in game.

Music

See List of SSB4 Music (Kid Icarus series)

• Boss Fight 1 (Kid Icarus: Uprising): This song played in the newcomer trailer for Palutena. It plays in Palutena's Temple in the Wii U version.
• In the Space-Pirate Ship: This song plays on the Palutena's Temple stage in the Wii U version. This song is the only unlockable Kid Icarus song in SSB4.
• Dark Pit's Theme: This song played in the Super Smash Direct during a montage of Nintendo 3DS Stages. This song plays in the Reset Bomb Forest on the 3DS version, and Palutena's Temple on the Wii U version.
• Destroyed Skyworld: This song played in the newcomer trailer for Palutena. It plays on the Palutena's Temple stage on the Wii U version.
• Wrath of the Reset Bomb: Theme of Chapter 12, which goes by the same name, in Kid Icarus: Uprising. This song plays in the 3DS stage Reset Bomb Forest, and on the Wii U stage Palutena's Temple.
• Lightning Chariot Base: This song is featured in the Wii U version of the game, playing on Palutena's Temple.
• Magnus's Theme: The theme of Magnus. This song plays on the Wii U stage Palutena's Temple.
• Hades's Infernal Theme: This song is available on the Wii U stage Palutena's Temple.
• Thunder Cloud Temple: This song plays on the Palutena's Stage in the Wii U version of Smash 4.
• Underworld: Taken from Brawl, this song plays once more on the Skyworld stage.
• Title (Kid Icarus): Taken from Brawl, this song plays once more on the Skyworld stage.
• Overworld: Taken from Brawl, this song plays once more on the Skyworld stage.
• Kid Icarus Retro Medley: Taken from Brawl, this song plays once more on the Skyworld stage. This song used to be called Kid Icarus Original Medley, but its name has been changed to Kid Icarus Retro Medley.
• Kid Icarus Victory Theme: This flourish plays whenever Pit or Palutena win a match.
• Dark Pit Victory Theme: This victory theme plays whenever Dark Pit wins a match, making him one of the few characters not to share the same victory theme as the rest of his universe's characters.

Trophy

This is a list of the known trophies from the Kid Icarus series.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• Pit
• Palutena
• Dark Pit
• Viridi
• Reaper
• Pseudo-Palutena
• Mimicutie
• Nutski
• Space Pirate Ship
• Upperdash Arm

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• Phosphora

Similarities to Super Smash Bros. in Kid Icarus: Uprising

In a similar way to how many fundamental gameplay elements in the Smash Bros. series are inspired by the Kirby series, there are several elements in Kid Icarus: Uprising that are clearly inspired by those in the Smash Bros. series. This is often attributed to Masahiro Sakurai being the lead designer for both games. Some examples include:

• When battling on foot, Pit can execute different, often stronger versions of attacks by quickly tapping the Circle Pad in a direction relative to the direction he is facing. The tapping motion is also used to dash and dodge attacks.
  • In one of Uprising's tutorial videos, Pit directly notes that the dashing technique is familiar. Palutena mistakenly claims that it's from "Super Bash Sisters", Pit corrects her, but she doesn't believe him.
• When knocked down, Pit can perform getup rolls or attacks, and can also press the attack button upon landing after being hit to execute a breakfall.
• Many of the enemies in Uprising appear to be influenced by Subspace Emissary enemies, in terms of design and function. For instance, the Stackjaw enemy operates similarly to the Gamyga. Additionally, several enemies from Uprising appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS's Smash Run mode, making up the majority of the enemies that appear at all.
• Various attacks have differing [[::category:effects|effects]] when they connect, including flame, electric, freezing, darkness, and light.
• The Powers system, which involves placing shaped objects on a grid to utilize extra abilities, is very similar to the Sticker system in Brawl, and nearly identical to the Powers system in Smash Run in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
• The Daybreak item in Together mode operates similarly to the Dragoon, involving a collection of three parts that then fire a one-hit KO attack.
• The menus and idol system are very similar to the menus and Trophy system from Brawl.
• The difficulty setting screen shown before playing over a chapter again is very similar to the ones in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U's and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS's Classic Modes, with even the titles of the difficulty levels being the same (5.0, for example, is "Heatin' Up") and having near identical sound effects and visuals.

Trivia

• The Kid Icarus universe is the only universe introduced in Brawl to have more than one newcomer in SSB4.
• The Kid Icarus universe has by far the largest amount of enemies within SSB4's Smash Run mode, even surpassing bigger series such as Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Sakurai noted that this was because it was easy for his development team to simply port over assets from Uprising into Smash Bros., with both games being on the 3DS.
• Pit, Dark Pit, and Viridi's voices aren't credited in SSB4. This is likely due to the fact that their respective voice actors, Antony Del Rio and Hynden Walch, are union-based voice actors working in a non-union project (Smash 4).
  • This is also one of the many reasons as to why Ali Hillis, Kari Wahlgren, and Fred Tatasciore could not respectively reprise Palutena, Phosphora, and Magnus as Kid Icarus: Uprising was a union-based project.