Nintendo has confirmed the Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star amiibo for Kirby Air Riders, releasing September 3, 2026 at $44.99 USD, with pre-orders already live at Nintendo's official store, Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy. Unlike a standard single-character amiibo, this release pairs Chef Kawasaki as a rider figure with Hop Star, an Air Ride Machine, giving collectors a complete combo unit rather than just a character model.
This is the second Kirby Air Riders amiibo wave of 2026, following King Dedede & Tank Star's release on July 2. Where that pairing leaned into Dedede's heavyweight presence, Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star brings a lighter, quicker combo to the lineup, and Nintendo has built genuine in-game functionality around how the two pieces work together.
This guide covers what's confirmed about the release, how the Figure Player mechanic works, and which EVORETRO products make sense for protecting and displaying it.
According to Nintendo's official product listing, corroborated by Nintendo Life and NintendoSoup, here's what's locked in:
Since this is a two-figure release rather than a single character, it's worth confirming box dimensions against your protector before ordering, since combo packs like this typically ship in a larger format than a standard single-character amiibo.
In Kirby Air Riders, placing the Chef Kawasaki amiibo figure directly onto the Hop Star amiibo creates a combined Rider & Air Ride Machine unit. Tapping the combined figure in-game trains it up as an FP, short for Figure Player, which gains FP levels and machine proficiency the more it's raced. To use it, players scan the amiibo during setup mode, and it becomes their Active amiibo opponent or partner for that session.
Unlike amiibo that simply unlock a single cosmetic item on first scan, the Figure Player system in Kirby Air Riders is built around repeated use. The more races a collector runs with their FP, the higher its level climbs, meaning this amiibo has ongoing gameplay value rather than a one-time unlock. That's a meaningful difference from most other amiibo lines, where the appeal is largely about the collectible itself plus a single in-game bonus.
Chef Kawasaki isn't locked to Hop Star specifically. If a collector owns another Air Ride Machine amiibo, Chef Kawasaki can be placed on that machine instead to form a new Rider & Air Ride Machine combo and earn machine proficiency on it. Notably, Chef Kawasaki retains its FP levels when swapped onto a different machine, so progress carries over rather than resetting with each new pairing. That flexibility gives the release more depth than a simple two-piece bundle, since the rider figure functions independently across a collector's growing machine lineup.
With King Dedede & Tank Star already out since July and Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star confirmed for September, 2026 is shaping up as a genuine launch year for the Kirby Air Riders amiibo line rather than a single isolated release. Collectors planning to build out the full rider and machine roster should expect this pattern, individual combo packs tied to specific character and machine pairings, to continue as the game's amiibo support expands.
Since this release packages a rider and a machine together rather than a single figure, the box is likely to run larger than a standard amiibo case. EVORETRO's larger single standard amiibo protector is sized for bigger box formats and is worth checking against Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star's dimensions once official packaging photos are available.
If you're also picking up individual rider or machine amiibo sold separately elsewhere in the line, EVORETRO's small amiibo PET protector fits standard single-character packaging and keeps the window box free of scuffs and dust.
Once assembled and posed, a Rider & Air Ride Machine combo benefits from an elevated, stable display spot rather than sitting flat on a shelf. EVORETRO's acrylic display risers give the combined figure a dedicated spot alongside the rest of a growing amiibo collection.
To get ready for the September 3 release, start with these:
September 3, 2026, priced at $44.99 USD.
Two amiibo figures: Chef Kawasaki, a rider character, and Hop Star, an Air Ride Machine.
Placing Chef Kawasaki on Hop Star creates a combined Rider & Air Ride Machine unit that can be trained as an FP, gaining levels and machine proficiency through repeated races.
Yes. Chef Kawasaki can be placed on other Air Ride Machine amiibo to form new combos, and it retains its FP levels when switched to a different machine.
No. King Dedede & Tank Star released July 2, 2026, making Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star the second wave in the line this year.
Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star gives Kirby Air Riders collectors a genuinely functional amiibo release, with an FP leveling system that rewards repeated use rather than a single in-game unlock. Since this is a two-piece rider and machine combo rather than a standard single-character figure, checking box dimensions before ordering a protector is worth the extra step, and having display gear ready for the assembled combo makes it easier to show off once it's out of the package.
Keep an eye on Nintendo's official amiibo page for any additional details as the September 3 release approaches.
If you want to learn more about protecting your amiibo and Nintendo collection, these guides may also help:
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