Hyness

"We, masters of a matter most dark, vow to be restored, as foretold in the book of legend, which everyone thought was just a fairy tale! It WASN'T! We have already obtained the vessel that contains our Dark Lord, and he will soon awaken and shower us in compassion! Look! The vessel of our Dark Lord is filling up even as we speak! Now the time for his greatness to enter our world has come! Welcome to a new history! A new age! The age of awesome! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARK LORD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

- The conclusion of Hyness' completely insane rant to Kirby and his allies before fighting them.

"Anyone who interrupts our revival ceremony, we must kindly ask that you… PLEASE DISAPPEAR FOREVER!"

- Lord Hyness threatens Kirby.

Hyness (in Japanese: ハイネス, Hainesu) is the central villain of the 2018 videogame Kirby: Star Allies. He is an insane mage and the leader of the Jambastion Cult, as well as the superior of the Jambastion Mages, who desires to bring his dark lord Void Termina back to life by assembling the evil Jamba Hearts.

He was voiced by Shigeru Chiba, who also played F.A.N.G in Street Fighter V in the Japanese dubbed version, and Kefka Palazzo in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia.

Past
Hyness' past is shrouded in mystery, however, he does hint at it very much towards the end of the game. According to Hyness, he and the Jambastion Mages had helped put an end to a "repulsive nightmare of a galactic crisis" using their magic. However, they were later sealed away and banished to the edge of the galaxy seemingly for fear that they were too powerful. Although having their existence erased from history, Hyness and his followers vowed to be restored and bring about the revival of their dark lord Void Termina.

Kirby: Star Allies
Hyness is seen in the opening cutscene of the game, where he is performing a ritual in an attempt to summon Void Termina. This ritual goes wrong, causing Jamba Hearts, both good and evil, to shower across the universe. Many evil Jamba Hearts land on Popstar, possessing the likes of Whispy Woods, Meta Knight, and King Dedede, while a single good Jamba Heart lands on Kirby, giving him the power to turn his enemies into allies. After Kirby defeats everyone who was possessed by the evil Jamba Hearts, one of Hyness' Jambastions arrives on Popstar to collect the hearts, and Kirby has to fight his right-hand generals; Francisca, Flamberge, and Zan Partizanne, the latter of which destroys the station upon her defeat.

These mage generals are the ones that Hyness can be seen abusing throughout his appearance in the final world; he slaps one of them out of the way when they have failed to defeat Kirby, and as a last resort in his boss fight he sucks out their life force to heal himself and uses them as meat shields. It is unknown why the generals are so loyal to him despite being on the receiving end of constant abuse.

When he is defeated in his boss fight, he decides to sacrifice himself and his generals to Void Termina in a final bid. It works, however, Void Termina absorbs him and the generals, being seen in the Core phase of the fight. They are spat out near the end of the fight and seem to be floating in space. It is unknown what happened to him and the generals after Void Termina was defeated.

Heroes in Another Dimension
Following Void Termina's defeat, Hyness and the Jambastion mages found themselves in Another Dimension. Using remaining Void of their fallen leader did Hyness try to resummon Void Termina, only for the Void to corrupt him instead, consumed by the evil within his heart. "Corrupt" Hyness finds himself sealed inside a giant Jamba Heart within the dimension, leaking Void that threatens the universe.

Kirby and allies travel across four terrains of Another Dimension to gather four Heart Spears to shatter the Jamba Heart restraining Hyness, only for his corrupt form to battle them. After his defeat, the Mage Sisters come to his aid and battle Kirby, but are also defeated.

If Kirby had collected at least 100 of the 120 hearts in the four Another Dimension levels, he can create a massive Friend Heart to purify the Mage Sisters, who in return seal away the Void from Another Dimension. After Kirby and allies leave for their home dimension, a single Friend Heart falls from their warp star and purifies Hyness. Once he awakens, the Mage Sisters comfort him and explain to him what all happened.

Corrupt Hyness can later be fought within the Ultimate Choice at Soul Melter EX difficulty.

Appearance
Hyness wears a white cloak to hide his identity. The only part of his face seen is two glowing yellow eyes. His cloak is outlined in golden lines with ancient writings printed on them. On top of his hood is the Jambastion symbol.

When his hood is knocked off, it is revealed that his body is coloured blue with a big nose, chameleon-like eyes, and ears. Both his eyes and ears have yellow stripes on them.

Personality
Unlike past, more subdued Kirby villains such as Magolor, Hyness is completely insane and doesn't try to hide it. He seems to be oblivious to the loyalty and love his mage generals display to him as he constantly abuses them, and is purely focused on reviving Void Termina to not only wipe out all life but all of existence. It is hinted in his long rant seen above that he might have some sort of grudge against the Ancients, important characters in Kirby lore, though it is not entirely clear what it is. As well as that, due to Hyness' deteriorating mental condition, he could be spouting completely unreliable nonsense.

In the game mode, Heroes in Another Dimension, it is hinted that Hyness was once a good man that helped bring a future for the Jambastion Mages, as stated by Francisca, and that his insanity was the result of his heart being trapped in eternal loneliness. His insanity would soon fall further upon entering in another dimension where he would transform into a corrupted being after being swallowed whole by the Jamba Heart. Upon defeating the Jambastion Mages, Hyness wakes up from his coma and seemingly appears to have return back to his sane self, as he is seen alongside the Jambastion Mages with Kirby in an end screen.

Quotes
"Juh? What is this…interference? You… You seem to be in my way. Well then… It seems… we do not have enough energy… to revive our Dark Lord… Must we… allow ourselves… to fall… into oblivion? No. NO! No no no no no no! NONONONONONONONONO!!! NOOOOO, I SAAAAY!!!"

- Hyness upon meeting Kirby, and him beginning his insane rant.

"We are the masters of a power driven to the far reaches of the universe, and we have but one desire! Can one such as you possibly fathom how dearly we have clung to this dream across the aeons? How could you! You couldn't! Never ever ever! We who once faced those who were in such fear of our power that they sealed us away and banished us to the edge of the galaxy! US! As if THAT loveliness wasn't enough, they tried to erase our very existence from history! RUDE! Only through our magic were we able to overcome their science and achieve great prosperity! We alone were responsible for stopping that repulsive nightmare of a galactic crisis, yet this is how you repay us! This won't stand! It won't be forgiven! It won't be forgotten! Never ever EVER! Those who called us mad, are you listening? You left us at the edge of the galaxy to be forgotten, then went along your merry way, probably living somewhere pretty and peaceful! But know this! Your future is a farce! You have none! We, masters of a matter most dark, vow to be restored, as foretold in the book of legend, which everyone thought was just a fairy tale! It WASN'T! We have already obtained the vessel that contains our Dark Lord, and he will soon awaken and shower us in compassion! Look! The vessel of our Dark Lord is filling up even as we speak! Now the time for his greatness to enter our world has come! Welcome to a new history! A new age! The age of awesome! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARK LORD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Grace us, Gloriously Dark Looooooord!"

- Hyness' full rant.

"Juh? JUH… JUH! JUHYAMBAVITRIGOKOPOKOJAAAH!!"

- Hyness immediately after he's unhooded.

"Youuuuu… How could you defeat me… THE Lord Hyness… An offering to our Dark Lord… Perhaps if there is…an offering… What should I do… Only one option remains… Those who harbor the greatest of magic, I call upon you… Make it so… Accept my aid… I pledge myself to you… Dark Lord of Destruction… I do this so that… our Dark Lord… may be rebooooorn… Rise, Destroyer of Worlds… RISE, VOID TERMINA!!"

- Hyness after he was defeated.

"Hyness worships a deity of destruction whom he plans to bring back to life. However, a rite gone wrong has led to the dark power he needs being scattered across the galaxy. Now he seeks to gather this power at an altar. Stop him, Star Allies!"

- Hyness' pause description.

"His once carefully concealed face now exposed, Hyness is on the rampage! Tossing the three unconscious sisters around like rag dolls, it’s clear he’s lost his grip on reality. It’s up to the Star Allies to bring an end to this nightmare, and save…everything!"

- Unhooded Hyness' pause description.

Trivia

 * Hyness' name is an alteration of "highness", fitting his position as the leader of his cult. It could also be an alteration on "heinous", referencing how evil and insane he is.
 * Hyness' has the highest attempted body count in the main Kirby games due to his attempted destruction of the entire universe, with the only one coming close being Star Dream.
 * One of Hyness' pause screen quotes reveal that Hyness has a habit of forgetting Zan Partizanne's name and often apologizes about it, and another reveals that his "heart goes crazy" for her. This may imply that he truely does care for her, but it could also be a sign of his insanity conflicting himself, due to his abusive nature.
 * During the pause screens for each Jambastion Mage in Heroes in Another Dimension, their backstory mentions of a "mysterious traveler" that unlocked their natural talents of magic. It is then revealed by Francisca that Hyness led them to a bright future during their glorious days, likely indicating that Hyness was indeed this mysterious traveler.
 * Hyness went through multiple changes during the concept development. One of his designs depicted him as female, another depicting him slightly older looking, one with him looking closer to that of a bird-like creature, and one reminiscent of Cthulhu.