Kirbopher

"Well...maybe this is about as good as it's gonna get." - Kirbopher, after the Forbidden Power is disposed of.

"I am not, a squire; I am not, an imp; AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE THIS SHIT ANY LONGER!! IT'S PRONOUNCED "KIRBOPHER," GODDAMMIT!!!!! - Kirbopher, snapping before his fight with bitshrum.

Kirbopher, sometimes shortened to "Kirb," is one of the five main characters in TOME, of the Swordsman class with an Enchanted Sword.

Cynical and short-tempered, his character is based on that of the series creator, who shares the same username. Many people mispronounce his name, whether it be in joke or misunderstanding.

Biography

History

Season 1

Kirbopher first appears in episode 1, looking down from a cliff as Alpha logs in. He challenges him to a battle and promptly loses. Kirbopher and Alpha then meet up with the rest of the gang, who are gearing up to go fight a couple o f hackers that have been terrorizing Lavendera.

Kirbopher refuses to join them, as he wants to play "the fun freakin' part of the game." He heads off into the woods to fight a few players, but ends up getting ganged up on. He fortunately runs into Flamegirl and Alpha, who reluctantly help him fend off the attackers before leaving to fight the hackers. Kirbopher appears at the end of the episode, slashing Rockoon in half as he attempts an escape. When Alpha doesn't notice his entrance, he goes berserk and initiates a battle.

Episode 2 begins with Kirb logging into the game, looking for a round of late-night battles in ;Lavendera. He then runs into Sniperwheel, who is ready for one last battle before logging off for the day. Kirbopher narrowly defeats him, and is about to challenge him to another match, when he sees Gamecrazed leaving the crowd.

He promptly follows him. Along the way, Nylocke joins him, and together they follow Gamecrazed to a mysterious mansion that is supposed to be off-limits. Gamecrazed enters the mansion, with the duo following him. Eventually, they lose track of him and run into Asterob, who is working on completing the Mansion's graphics before it opens. Suddenly, all three of them are attacked by Splat, who incapacitates Nylocke and Kirbopher before demanding Asterob's shield.

Gamecrazed appears and defends Asterob, ultimately defeating Splat. After exiting the mansion, Gamecrazed asks Nylocke and Kirbopher why they were following him. Kirbopher explains that they know almost nothing about Gamecrazed, but admits that following him probably was a dumb idea and he forgives him.

Kirbopher reappears in episode 4, joining the rest of the gang on a quest to build and defeat the Shadow Guard Idol. Kirbopher is chosen to find the idol's head at the edge of ;Lavendera, which he reluctantly agrees to do. He quickly finds it, but runs into Rockoon on his way back, who is not too happy about the outcome of their previous encounter. He steals the idol's head and runs off, but accidentally trips and breaks part of its ear. Kirbopher loses him, but does find the head and hurries back to the others, who have found their pieces. They assemble the idol, noting that part of its ear seems to be missing, and then wait in ;Lavendera for the moon to rise.

During the interim, the group discusses hanging out in real life, with Kirbopher being as cynical about the whole idea as ever. When the moon rises, the Shadow Guard Idol comes to life, but Rockoon appears and hacks into the monster, bonding with it and knocking Alpha out of the arena. Kirbopher and the gang's attacks have no effect until Alpha reappears and reunites the piece of the ear with Rockoon, making him vulnerable. Kirbopher uses his wind powers to help defeat Rockoon, before threatening to chop him into pieces again. Rockoon flees, and Kirbopher complains about the lack of reward for completing a hacked quest.

In episode 5, Kirbopher first appears training with the others for the Gemini Tournament. He initiates a training round with Alpha, giving him pointers on how to fight with the most energy. When Flamegirl compliments Alpha on his technique, Kirbopher starts to argue with her about Alpha's friendship, insulting her, angering Alpha, and causing much discomfort for the rest of the group. Suddenly, Tigerlilly appears and knocks Kirbopher away, before using her Sonic Screech ability to bring out the Forbidden Power inside Alpha. When Alpha turns into his demon form and destroys Tigerlilly, Kirbopher thinks that Alpha is ready for a fight and challenges him. Although they fight evenly for a good while, Kirbopher tells Alpha to show him "the real deal," and Alpha responds by attacking Kirbopher with the Forbidden Power, severely injuring him and defeating him. He is not seen for the rest of the episode.

Kirbopher reappears briefly in Episode 6, talking to Gamecrazed in ;Mechcity. When Nylocke arrives, he shows surprise at seeing Kirbopher back in the game, as he had been gone for two days. Kirbopher asks Nylocke to give him some advice. He had wanted to ask Alpha to be his partner for the Gemini Tournament, but after what he said in episode 5, he isn't sure how Alpha will react to him. Nylocke freezes, as this serious question is not something he wants to experience while playing the game. He dodges around the question, giving a vague answer about choosing the right path in friendship.

Kirbopher sighs and says he should probably just wait to talk with Alpha and Flamegirl, and Nylocke enthusiastically agrees with him. Kirbopher then asks if Nylocke would be his partner, but Nylocke also nervously dodges that question, and tells Kirbopher to continue training until his "destined brother-in-arms" reveals himself. Disappointed, Kirbopher logs off, saying that he might stay away from the game for a little while longer.

Kirbopher finally logs back in in Episode 7, where he is determined to finally talk with Flamegirl and Alpha about the incident in episode 5. Unfortunately, he gets held up by Archy, a rabid fan who has been following Kirbopher. Although Kirbopher repeatedly shuns him, Archy keeps attempting to ask Kirbopher to be his partner for the Gemini Tournament.

These interruptions prevent Kirbopher from getting to Alpha before he is possessed, and thus he shows up just as Flamegirl uses the anti-virus to stabilize Alpha. Misreading the situation, he meets up with them later outside the Balanstadium gates in ;Mechcity, just after Alpha and Flamegirl sign up as a team for the Gemini Tournament. Internally crushed, Kirbopher laughs it off and states that it's better this way, as he can now defeat Alpha in front of the entire world. As he dejectedly walks away, Archy reappears, and Kirbopher grudgingly accepts him as his partner.

Not getting Alpha as his partner has drastically upset his plans, so during the Gemini Tournament, Kirbopher acts much more serious and surly than normal.

In Episode 8, Kirbopher faces Skeight and Rockoon (under the guise of "Raccoon") in the first round. Archy is quickly defeated, and Rockoon disposes of Skeight at his earliest chance. Leaving the two of them alone, Rockoon attempts to defeat Kirbopher with his aptly-named "Kirb Stomp," but is impaled on Kirbopher's sword, leaving Kirbopher the victor.

When he sees Alpha and Flamegirl win their next round, he states that he is "not having a good time," but does not elaborate on what is irking him. Alpha tries to talk to him and warn him about Zetto, but Kirbopher tells Alpha that he's just wasting his time and that he's going to end this as soon as possible. In his next match, against Zetto and Kizuna, he simply walks into the arena and raises his arms, allowing Zetto to destroy him instantly. He is not seen for the rest of the tournament.

Kirbopher appears briefly during the credits sequence of Episode 9, sitting in ;Lavendera with a grieved look on his face.

in Episode 10, Kirbopher first appears in the forest of ;Lavendera with Gamecrazed, gearing himself up to try and repair his relationship with Alpha and Flamegirl. When they do arrive, he congratulates them on their performance in the tournament, but before he can try to ask for their friendship, a large group of players assaults them, aiming for Alpha. Although the group is defeated, Alpha begins to lament that he is sick and tired of the Forbidden Power and just wants to be rid of it forever. With a guilty look, Kirbopher slips away and heads to the ;Mechcity docks, where he disconnects from the game and logs into TOME's moon as Zetto. This was the official revelation that Kirbopher is, in fact, an alternate account for Zetto. Kirbopher only reappears as himself at the end of the episode, standing in front of the crater in the Balanstadium where Zetto had been defeated, with a tired look on his face. Gamecrazed is there with him, telling him, "It's over."

Season 2

Kirbopher returns in 3pisode 11, back to his usual cynical self. He is first seen walking towards ;Sanctuary from ;Mechcity, when he is challenged by Alpha. Victorious as usual, Alpha invites him to the anniversary event with the rest of the gang. Kirbopher does indeed show up, and is present, along with Nylocke, when Gamecrazed is selected for the Challenge of the Netkings quest.

When Alpha and Flamegirl agree to join Gamecrazed's team, Kirbopher nearly refuses, but then caves in when the rest of the group insists that he join the team, "just like old times," as Alpha puts it. He then joins the gang the next day at the Netking statues, where he and the other four are taken up to HOME. He isn't fazed by the somewhat unexpected look of the first room, and encourages the others to get going.

When Execk appears, Kirbopher taunts him, causing Execk to freeze him in a block of ice. Flamegirl thaws him out only after Alpha defeats Execk, stating he "needed the time out." Alpha says that Kirbopher helped him by revealing some of Execk's powers before the match, to which Kirbopher replies that he completely meant to do that. When a portal appears to the next room, Kirbopher follows Nylocke, telling him to slow down. In the next room, a large crystal cavern, Alpha says that something feels different about this area, but Kirbopher counters that it's probably just the Netking putting on a show. A giant crystal then rises out of the ground and shatters, revealing what appears to be Zetto, which absolutely shocks Kirbopher.

Episode 12 picks up right where Episode 11 left off. "Zetto" begins bragging in a very over-the-top, dramatic way, before revealing himself to be Rubirules in disguise. Kirbopher is incredibly weirded out by the experience, and almost starts the fight with Rubirules. Nylocke takes his place instead, saying that Rubirules' appearance as Zetto has made the battle personal. Nylocke eventually defeats Rubirules, and the group heads into the next area through another portal.

This area seems to be a temple in the clouds, and Kirbopher once again reminds the gang that the area design means nothing. Kindarspirit then appears and greets the group using her system voice. Kirbopher tells her that she doesn't need to be in character around them, and that they know it's just a game. With that said, Kindarspirit reverts to her true personality and goes crazy over how cute Kirbopher is, grabbing him and hugging him. She then traps him in a cloud and sends him up to the ceiling. Flamegirl offers to "save" Kirbopher and defeats Kindarspirit. Kirbopher is freed, now very angry at his lack of battles, and the group proceeds to the next area. Before fighting the next Netking, the group discusses what their prize should be if they win.

Alpha suggests that they should set up some sort of meet-and-greet with the creators, and Kirbopher surprisingly agrees to the idea. Bitshrum then appears and challenges one of them to topple him from his throne. As Gamecrazed will fight the last Netking, Kirbopher must fight Bitshrum. Kirbopher is none too happy that he has to fight "the mushroom guy," and this is only made worse as Nylocke begins describing the glorious battle between a squire and a king. At this, Kirbopher loses his cool and charges Bitshrum, screaming that he's not a squire and he's not an imp. He carves through Bitshrum's box powers and defeats him, Super Mario Bros. style. From atop the throne, Kirbopher screams that he is the greatest player in TOME, better than any of the Netkings. After a bit of coaxing, he hops down from the throne. When the next portal opens, Nylocke allows Kirbopher to go before him, calling him "Your Majesty." Webmaster appears on the other side, and after a fierce battle, Gamecrazed defeats him.

After the group is congratulated by the Netkings, Zetto and Kizuna are revealed to be former Netkings themselves. Kirbopher notices that Alpha starts getting worked up when this is mentioned and tries to stop him before he says anything. Alpha ignores him and asks the Netkings about the Forbidden Power. Kirbopher states that the group isn't obligated to keep anything the Netkings say secret. The Netkings refuse to reveal anything when they see the Power approaching HOME and forcefully log the players out.

In Episode 13, Alpha confronts Kirbopher at a park in Mechcity to request his help for a mission to infiltrate D-Buggers. Kirbopher states that he's not going and snaps at Alpha, telling him he needs to stop trying to play the hero and just play the game for what it is. Alpha says he has to do this, in which Kirb remarks that he's crazy. They both part ways afterwards and Kirb isn't seen for the rest of the episode.

Personality

Kirbopher usually aims to enjoy himself in TOME, usually not getting involved in such pointless drama. He's shown to be very spazzy, short tempered, and very serious when it comes to playing the game. In season 2, he is shown to exhibit even shorter temper, accompanied with his occasionally vulgar language, possibly stemming from stress and deep frustration after the events of Episode 10.

Despite their conflicts in recent episodes, Alpha seems to be his closest friend in the game. Kirbopher can be cold and harsh when that friendship is threatened, such as when he argued with Alpha in Episode 5.

Though Kirbopher does act very snarky and sarcastic to his friends and can get annoyed with them sometimes especially with Nylocke, there are times he really does care about them and has a sort of sensitive side, although he tends to not show it much.

As a rule, he never joins the others to fight hackers, using the excuse that he only wants to play the game for fun. This could actually be an attempt to discourage the others from fighting hackers, as Zetto's plan revolves around using hackers to find the Forbidden Power, and he has stated that the others were getting in the way of that plan.

He's the 3rd longest running player in the group and has plenty of experience playing the game, as he is later revealed to be Zetto.

Relationships

Allies

Kirb with friends — Kirbopher challenges Alpha to another match.

Alpha: Kirbopher and Alpha are very good friends, and seem to have known each other for quite a while. Kirbopher sees Alpha as a friendly rival to test his skills against, though sometimes he gets jealous of the amount of attention Alpha gets. In the latter half of season 1, however, they become rather distant from each other ever since Alpha unintentionally hurt him with the Forbidden Power in episode 5. After an argument with Flamegirl, Kirbopher feels bad for how he acted and wants to apologize. In Infectuation, Alpha is relieved that Kirbopher is all right, but Kirbopher gets upset when Alpha says that Flamegirl is his partner for the Gemini Tournament as he thought his plan would've gone smoother. Later on in the season he seem to be even more distant from the group because of the circumstances with the Forbidden Power.

Fortunately, by the events of the second season, Alpha has moved on from the Gemini Tournament conflicts, and insists that Kirbopher join the group on the Challenge of the Netkings quest. Things are back to normal until Episode 13, where Kirb and Alpha's conflicting goals and views cause them to separate once again.

Kirb with nylocke — Kirb with Nylocke in the mansion

Nylocke: Although Nylocke and Kirbopher tend to get along with each other pretty well, Nylocke is the one who Kirbopher shows aggravation at the most out of anyone else. However, when Kirbopher is feeling upset in episode 6, he immediately goes to Nylocke for help, even though Nylocke is unable to give him a straight answer. Kirbopher even considered asking Nylocke to be his partner if his plan didn't turn out as he hoped.
Flamegirl: Kirbopher and Flamegirl are good friends but before he seemed to generally dislike Flamegirl. There are times where he insults her about her feelings for Alpha, and because of that they often get into fights and arguments with each other. They disagree on several things, such as whether or not their time in TOME should be spent fighting hackers instead of playing the game like normal. In season 2 however their relationship has gotten better but they still tease eachother in a more playful manner.
Gamecrazed: Due to his quiet nature, Gamecrazed has not had much interaction with Kirbopher. In episode 2, Kirbopher and Nylocke attempt to tail Gamecrazed in order to learn more about him. The attempt is foiled, however, when Splat attacks the mansion. Gamecrazed was also the first person Kirbopher talks to after his fallout with Alpha and Flamegirl, and it is hinted that Gamecrazed may be privy to Kirbopher's secret.
Archy: Kirbopher tolerates Archy at best and outright insults him at worst. Although not stated, it is implied that Archy has been following him for quite some time, causing Kirbopher to become rather annoyed when he appears. Archy becomes his Gemini partner only because Kirbopher's other choices (Alpha and Nylocke) were taken.
Zetto: It was first revealed in Episode 10 that Kirbopher was an alternative account of Zetto. It was through Kirbopher that Zetto was able to monitor Alpha's condition. There are several occasions where Kirbopher logs in both as Zetto and himself; in Episode 8, he purposely let Kirbopher take Zetto's Breaker Beam in order to continue through the Gemini Tournament as Zetto; in Episode 10, he is shown to unhook himself from Kirbopher and eventually log himself in as Zetto to confront Alpha and the Forbidden Power. After a fierce battle, Zetto once again unhooks himself and regains Kirbopher's control, his body badly damaged.

Enemies

Rockoon: Although Kirbopher does not actively fight the hackers, his accidental encounter with Rockoon has caused the two to have a mutual aversion to each other. However, in Episode 13, he seems to be sympathetic towards Rockoon after he witnesses Rockoon's fallout with Skeight. This may be due to him seeing the kind of trouble that occurs when a person uses two characters at the same time without admitting they are the same person.

Attacks and Moves

Spin Slash - An aerial cutting attack in which the user spins rapidly into a powerful cut. This technique can be turned into a Shockwave upon finishing.

Ice Knives - A projectile attack where a swarm of sharp icicles spread out from a slash of the user’s weapon.

Dust Tornado - A slow, but forceful projectile attack that can entrap the opponent and allows for a swift follow-up combo.

Shockwave - A powerful attack that travels along the ground and trips up the opponent upon impact.

Gallery

Trivia

Kirbopher and TOME in general make allusions to the number "11" in some shape or form.
- The release date for Episode 1 was 11-11-11, and the end of the original About TOME trailer showed Kirbopher running up and slicing the date in half.
- In the original TTA, Kirbopher was named "Kirbopher15". 15 is 1111 in binary.
- In Episode 10, the time when Alpha arrives at Balanstadium to meet Zetto is 11:11:11.
- Episode 11 shows Kirbopher's player ID is 001-501-111.
During Episode 11, Bishipp pronounces Kirbopher's name as "Kirbofor." This may be a reference to the April Fools Special short, in which a spoofed version of Kirbopher15 from TTA appears, named Kirbo4.
His design seems to be loosely inspired by Link from The Legend of Zelda.
Chris Niosi, along with Alpha's voice actor Blake Swift, sings TOME's first season main theme (Battle On!).
Kirbopher's height is somewhat inconsistent. He is clearly the shortest of the others, but in some scenes he stands more than a foot shorter then his friends, and in other shots he is almost as tall as Alpha or Flamegirl.
Before Zetto's reveal as Kirbopher in Episode 10 and Plan Z, clues were dropped throughout The Gemini Tournament arc and Episode 10 to indicate Zetto and Kirbopher are the same person.
- Both Zetto and Kirbopher were interested almost solely in the fighting part of the game.
- Kirbopher stood immobile when battling Zetto; this is likely because the player could not play as both Kirbopher and Zetto.
- With the exception of the Gemini Tournament, Zetto never appeared at the same time as Kirbopher.
- Both Kirbopher and Zetto have had similar dialogue. When first introduced in the show, their first lines are both, "Well, it's about time." During Kirbopher's fight with Demon Alpha and Zetto's tournament fight with Alpha, both characters say, "Quit screwing around and show me the real deal!"
- As the Webmaster stated at the end of Episode 10, players who left the game without logging off remained in the game with their eyes turned grey. When Kirbopher's eyes turned grey, Zetto immediately logged into the game. Conversely, when Zetto's eyes turned grey after losing to Alpha after being controlled by the Forbidden Power, Kirbopher was moving around normally in the game.
- Another clue exclusive to the "Kirbopher" account is in Episode 7 he hears Demon Alpha's scream and panics a bit, also telling Archy to get lost, implying that he already knows about the Forbidden Power.
- Both are voiced by the same voice actor, although this was not revealed until Episode 10.
- Also, in Episode 1, during the "Continue?" end scene, Kirbopher is identified with the color blue and Alpha with the color red. When Zetto is introduced, his color is also blue, to Alpha's red.