Kirby Air Riders character unlock guide every character and how to unlock them in Kirby Air Riders

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From hidden racers to powerful secret forms, Kirby Air Ride is packed with surprises waiting behind every challenge. Here’s how you can earn every character and fill your roster with the game’s fastest, toughest stars.

How to unlock all characters and alternate colors in Kirby Air Riders

Complete checklist tasks in Air mode, Top mode, City mode, and Trip mode to access the full roster of 21 characters, starting with defaults like Kirby, King Dedede, Waddle Dee, and Meta Knight. Each character’s initial box on the grid fills upon finishing their specific race objective once, making them playable across all modes, while repeating the same task multiple times grants additional color schemes with unique traits like Blue Kirby’s Snow Bowl ability. Check the collection board for hints on requirements, as adjacent completed grid squares reveal clues for the next ones in each mode.​

Note that some characters can only be unlocked in specific race courses with certain settings or in specific stadiums. We’ve detailed that below. Note that some characters don’t have as many alternate colors as others.

Character

Unlock requirement #1

Unlock requirement #2

Unlock requirement #3

Bandana Waddle Dee

(City Trial) Destroy 2 boxes within 30 sec. of the start of the match

(Road Trip) Clear Top Ride challenges a total of 3 times

–

Cappy

(Top Ride – Flower) Complete a lap within 0:30.00 with Warp Star

(City Trial) Clear without getting any power-down items

–

Chef Kawasaki

(Air Ride – Mount Amberfalls) Eat the onigiri from the teahouse

(Road Trip) Clear Air Ride challenges a total of 3 times

–

Daroach

(Air Ride) Find and defeat the special enemy, Gemaine

(Top Ride) Win after lapping 1 other rider

–

Gooey

(Top Ride – Air) Win after getting swept up in the tornado 3 times

(City Trial – Skydive 1) Get 2,000 points in a single match

–

King Dedede

(Air Ride) Win with course, rider, and machine selections set to random.

(City Trial – Gourmet Race) Get 80 points in a single match

–

Kirby

(Air Ride) Finish without crashing into any walls

(Top Ride – Flower) Win without getting any Copy Abilities in a single race

(City Trial – Big Battle 2) Defeat a rider while shrunken

Knuckle Joe

(City Trial) Steal a machine that another rider is actively riding

(Road Trip) Power up all stats to 1 or higher

–

Lololo & Lalala

(Air Ride – Crystalline Fissure, Laps) Finish within 3:30.00

(Road Trip) Defeat 10 riders that are riding on star-type machines

–

Magolor

(Top Ride) Send the same rider flying 2 times with the Drill Driver.

(City Trial) Enter all secret rooms

–

Marx

(Air Ride – Free Run) Complete an entire lap without dropping below 19 mph

(Road Trip) Spend 300,000 Road Miles

–

Meta Knight

(Air Ride – Nova Belt, Laps) Finish a lap without crashing into walls more than 2 times.

(Top Ride – Nova) Complete a lap without attacking another rider

–

Noir Dedede

(Road Trip) Defeat the true boss in Road Trip and watch the ending

–

–

Rick

(Top Ride – Mountain) Win with at least 5 sec. between you and 2nd place

(Road Trip) Enter the shop 3 times

–

Rocky

(Top Ride) Use a total of 30 items

(Road Trip) Open a treasure chest on the road

–

Scarfy

(Air Ride – Waveflow Waters) Defeat an enemy Scarfy without making it mad

(City Trial) Destroy a rider’s machine within the first 60 sec.

–

Starman

(Top Ride – Crystal) Complete 4 laps in the lead position

(City Trial) Fall for 6 sec. after only Boosting once

–

Susie

(Air Ride) Perform a perfect landing 5 times in a single race

(Road Trip) Hit 3 enemies with a single attack.

–

Taranza

(Air Ride – Beanstalk Park, Time) Ride for a total of 5,489 yd

(City Trial) Win a Short Race

–

Best method to unlock Magolor quickly in Kirby Air Riders

The fastest way to unlock Magolor in Kirby Air Riders is in Top Ride mode by hitting the same rider twice with the Drill Driver item during a single race.​

Quick Setup

Select Top Ride > Race, then tweak Rules: set Items to “Many,” Riders to 2 (1 CPU on low difficulty), and increase laps (e.g., 20+ or 99 for safety).​

  • Choose a simple course like Forest/ Meadows (initial map), as Drill Driver spawns more reliably there than on Mountain or Cave.​

  • Grab the Drill Driver (looks like a spinning drill), position behind the CPU, and strike them twice- one use can sometimes multi-hit if timed well.​

Execution Tips

Apply a +4 Handicap to the CPU for easier targeting without them pulling away.​
Stay close after the first hit to land the second quickly, completing the challenge in under 5 minutes typically.​
Once cleared, Magolor joins your roster; repeat for colors unlocks later.​

Best Top Ride settings to unlock Magolor fast

The best Top Ride settings for unlocking Magolor fast focus on maximizing Drill Driver item spawns and simplifying targeting.​

Optimal Rules Setup

Access Top Ride > Race > Rules menu, then apply these tweaks for quick completion in 1-5 minutes:

  • Items: “Many” (boosts Drill Driver frequency).

  • Number of Riders: 2 (1 CPU opponent only).

  • CPU Difficulty: Lowest (1-star).

  • Handicap: +4 to CPU (keeps them slow and hittable).

  • Laps: 20-99 (extra time ensures item pickup).​

Course and Strategy

Choose Forest/Meadows (default/initial map)-Drill Driver appears reliably here, unlike Mountain or Cave.​
Grab the Drill Driver item, tail the CPU closely, and hit them twice in one race (one use often multi-hits if positioned right).​

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Leigh Alexander

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