KSSUltimateSculptures: Burnin' Leo

☆ Burnin' Leo (バーニンレオ) is so-far exclusive to Kirby Super Star and Super Star Ultra, where he is the Helper for Fire, and one of the stage enemies for the Ability. Burnin' (or, Burning) Leo is my favorite designed member of Kirby's Helpers because of his indisputable (yet discreetly clever) Japanese influences-- but more on that later! Burnin Leo has a basic Dream Landian blob shape, with a large head/body, colored periwinkle, same as his spherical hands, and wears green shoes on his feet, with a similarly colored green tiara/headband above his two fierce eyes. Leo is another of the mouthless characters, but has fiery hair which takes up half his height, which displays most of the character's detail. The sideburns of his great luminous mane are always held in his hands. This may be an indication that the blaze atop his head is not actually his real hair, but rather, a wig held in place by his hands and headband. One detail that is lost in the newer game's sprites, is the group of four claws that secure a round red ruby in place, in the center of Leo's headband. His headpiece is so distinctive by early games' standards-- it is possible that Ability hats were single-handedly conceived from the design worn by old Leo!

☆☆ Like Chilly, as an enemy, Burnin Leo has different attacks from when he is a Helper. Here, the salmon-colored Leo can spit a homing fireball that travels all the way across the screen-- a handy projectile move that the Helper Leo sadly lacks. Helper Burnin Leo plays the same as Kirby with Fire Ability, and with that playstyle comes relatively short-ranged and light-weight attacks, compared to some of the other heavy-hitting Helpers. He is able to blow fire breath, spin into a flaming ball and roll, and imitate the soaring Fireball attack used by Burning Ability. However, my favorite (and strongest) of his attacks is the "Fireball Inferno": working exactly like you think it would, the user shortens their stream of fire breath, until it falls back on and actually ignites the user in a bonfire ablaze! I think this technique is interesting, because it recalls Buddhist Monks' self-immolation demonstrations of the 1960's, except with less self-destruction. Being associated with Fire, Burnin Leo is the first choice for when you need to light a fuse, triggering a cannon blast to a secret area. Finally, to further distinguish the two Leos (Helper and enemy) from one another, the enemy version plods across stages on two feet, like any other normal character would move, while Helper Leo has a very distinctive walk cycle. He actually rolls his hair and skips across the ground as he walks! You wonder why? Well, read the next paragraph that explains it all~

☆☆☆ Burnin' Leo is very dear to me, for only I (as far as I know) have made the connection between him and traditional Japanese Kabuki theater! Allow me to elaborate: there are several reasons why I believe that Burnin Leo is in fact derived from the iconic and imposing "Lion Spirits" (Shishi), dancers of the aragoto style . First, let's look at his name, "Burnin LEO"- this is enough to create an association with lions, if you are at all familiar with astrology. Secondly, take a close look at his design- Leo's "hair" is the most noticeable feature about him, and it's colored white and red, like fire. Likewise, the Lion Spirit is also popular for his extremely long mane-like wig, colored either red or white, and which sideburns are held in his hands, just like Burnin Leo. Also, notice Leo's eyes are just a little different (even from similar eyed enemies, such as Bronto Burt) as they are outlined and drawn to give the effect of eyeliner, which is another obvious trait of kabuki's "kumadori" face-makeup. Finally, the most striking similarity between the two lions is reflected in their movement-- it's the iconic hair-flip that gives it away! The most popular part of a kabuki Shishi dance is when the actors rear up and revolve their heads, causing the hair of their wigs to trail in a wide, circular fashion. This action, perhaps, is simplified, yet still basically retained, in the Kirby games, if you recall Burnin' Leo's unique walk-cycle that has him flipping his fiery mane in a circle as he moves about. Yes, I am certain that this most beloved of KSS Helpers is indeed a reference to Japanese Theater! And, that's why I love the Kirby series so-- how characters like Leo are so subtly and wittily designed and integrated in a childlike wonderland~

☆Dedede-Daimyo-Koikoi☆
Burning Leo © HAL Labs & Nintendo