The magic of Kirby Air Riders has always been its deceptive simplicity. With just a single button to control acceleration and flight, the game invites everyone to jump in and experience its unique brand of chaotic racing. The key to success involves good driving skills, sure, but it leans more toward your selection of rider-machine combos.
Every playable character, from Kirby to Taranza, has inherent strengths in areas such as attack, defense, and weight. The difference between a casual cruise and a dominant victory often hinges on pairing the right pilot with the perfect ride. We’re going to dive into the art of the rider-machine combo setup, analyzing the stats and interesting properties that create the most effective pairings and how they give you a slight edge in races.
Noir Dedede And Rex Wheelie
Noir Dedede is a heavyweight rider with naturally high defense and a powerful Jet Hammer special attack. His unique ability, the Shadow Ride, is what makes him special. It grants a powerful temporary speed boost upon taking damage or successfully attacking, which cancels out the speed loss that comes with him being a heavyweight rider.
It’s the best combination for the City Trial, as it provides high top speed and boosts for racing challenges. This combo creates an unstoppable force designed for maximum impact. The machine’s brute force is enhanced by Dedede’s natural weight, and his special move really helps with the machine’s only weakness: poor acceleration and handling.
As mentioned above, it’s good for the City Trial as it excels at the Destruction Derby and Single Race stadiums, where the weight can be used to your advantage to ram and destroy opponents. If you’re looking to equip this combo, then you can unlock Noir Dedede through the Checklist. As for the Rex Wheelie machine, you can unlock that by defeating 100 or more enemies by exhaling stars, or just purchase it in the Miles shop.
Kirby And Warp Star
Kirby is the all-rounder with perfectly balanced stats and no clear weaknesses. His greatest strength, however, is his ability to use Copy Abilities based on the enemy he inhales. This provides unmatched adaptability to any course or any situation. This combo is great for beginners and serves as a good base for players freshly entering the game, trying to find their perfect rider-machine combo setup.
Just like Kirby, the Warp Star is the most balanced machine, too. It has no major flaws or strengths. Pairing these two together creates the neutral setup that most players look to achieve. The combo is user-friendly, highly adaptable, and viable in every scenario, which allows players to focus purely on skill and Copy Ability usage.
Kirby + Warp Star serves as the best combo in Air Ride and Top Ride since it’s the ultimate beginner setup, so it’s capable of winning on any course. The machine also lets you benefit maximally from collected stat boosts.
Rocky And Bull Tank
Rocky is a small but incredibly sturdy heavyweight rider, and his key strength is in his Defense and Weight. As such, he’s extremely resistant to slipping, shaking, or being knocked out. His unique attack, Meteor Rocky, gives him an invincible crushing attack. This makes him a viable character both on defense and offense.
The Bull Tank, like its rider, is also a heavyweight machine with very high defense, HP, and offense stats. The unique ability of this machine is its capability to boost charge without instantly draining the gauge, which allows for quick, consecutive boosts. This combo is the ultimate defensive combo as it’s aggressive. Rocky’s stability ensures that you never lose control, and the machine’s bulk allows you to block and ram through obstacles and rivals with ease.
This combo fits well in City Trial, Field, and Big Battle. Rocky and Bull Tank dominate Destruction Derby and are excellent for surviving intense combat in the final minutes. That’s not it, though, as it’s also strong in Drag Races because of its high speed. You can unlock Rocky through the Checklist, and Bull Tank can be unlocked either via the Checklist or from the Miles Shop.
Meta Knight And Winged Star
Meta Knight is a highly defensive rider whose special ability, Night Wing, allows him to slice rivals with his sword and gain temporary speed while gliding. This rider is one of the few who actively benefit from being airborne. This ability also gives him the name of the Glide Specialist.
This combo works well as the Winged Star is the game’s top Gliding machine. It can glide across vast distances at high speeds, having one of the longest glide distances available, so if you’re someone who prefers being airborne, this combo could be the one for you. This is a specialized pairing since Meta Knight’s sword offers offensive capability to the frail machine. His natural gliding proficiency fully exploits the Winged Stars’ full potential.
Meta Knight and Winged Star have an unrivaled dominance in the stadium mode, especially in the Air Glider Stadium. It does well on courses with many ramps and hazards, too, as it can completely bypass ground obstacles and traffic. Meta Knight has been available since the start of the game, and so is the Winged Star.
Knuckle Joe And Battle Chariot
Knuckle Joe is a fierce fighter who has a special ability called Knuckle Rush. This allows him to speed up while throwing a flurry of punches. He excels at mid-range combat and can charge his boost to unleash a powerful Rising Break attack, allowing him to be an attack-heavy rider.
His machine fits well with him, being a durable, heavyweight vehicle known for its reliable agility in sharp corners despite its size and weight. It has high defense and is classified as an offensive machine. The connection of the two is self-explanatory here: the machine provides the durability and smooth handling, while Knuckle Joe’s speed and attack power are utilized in traffic. These two work well in aggressive pursuit and melee combat in congested areas.
This combo is great in City Trial, exceptional for actively seeking out and destroying rivals to steal Copy Abilities or stat boosts. They also dominate stadiums like Kirby Melee and Destruction Derby with Knuckle Joe’s special move. This combo can be equipped by unlocking Knuckle Joe through the Checklist and by unlocking Battle Chariot by completing a lap within a set time on Airtopia Ruins, or simply purchased with Miles.
