Nintendo has confirmed that the Sword Kirby & Dragoon and Noir Dedede & Hydra amiibo for Kirby Air Riders will launch on November 12, 2026. Both figures are part of the game’s rider-and-machine amiibo line and use the same modular design as earlier releases, allowing the rider figure to be physically placed on different compatible Air Ride Machines. Nintendo’s official store pages now list the November 12 release date for both sets.
Sword Kirby is paired with the Dragoon, one of Kirby Air Ride’s most recognizable legendary machines. In Kirby Air Riders, scanning the amiibo creates a Sword Kirby and Dragoon Rider & Air Ride Machine combination that can be used as a Figure Player, or FP. As the FP takes part in races, it gains levels and builds proficiency with the machine it is using.
The modular design means Sword Kirby is not permanently tied to the Dragoon. Players who own another Kirby Air Riders machine amiibo can move Sword Kirby onto that machine to form a different rider-machine pairing, while the rider keeps its existing FP level. Machine proficiency is tracked separately, giving players a reason to train the same rider across multiple machines rather than keeping one permanent configuration.
Noir Dedede works the same way and comes paired with the Hydra. Nintendo describes Hydra as a legendary Air Ride Machine associated with destructive power, while Noir Dedede is presented as one of Kirby Air Riders’ more unusual alternate riders. Like Sword Kirby, Noir Dedede retains his FP level when moved to another compatible machine and can build proficiency with each machine separately.
Kirby Air Riders stores progression directly through the amiibo system. Players can scan a compatible Kirby Air Riders figure from the game’s amiibo menu, train the FP through supported modes and then scan the figure again to save its updated level and machine proficiency. Nintendo also allows players to change an FP’s appearance and learning behavior before sending it into races.
The figures can participate in several of the game’s modes rather than functioning only as collectible unlocks. Depending on the mode, an FP can replace a CPU-controlled racer or participate alongside the player, and trained figures can also be brought into online paddocks. Standard amiibo scanning additionally provides in-game rewards, while Kirby-series figures may offer different or additional bonuses compared with amiibo from unrelated series.
Sword Kirby & Dragoon and Noir Dedede & Hydra join an expanding Kirby Air Riders amiibo lineup. Kirby & Warp Star and Bandana Waddle Dee & Winged Star launched alongside the game in November 2025, followed by Meta Knight & Shadow Star in March 2026 and King Dedede & Tank Star in July. Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star arrived on September 3, leaving the newly dated Sword Kirby and Noir Dedede sets as the next additions.
The amiibo rollout has become one of the more distinctive parts of Kirby Air Riders because Nintendo designed the figures around physical rider-and-machine combinations instead of single fixed characters. The game itself lets players mix riders and machines independently, and the amiibo mirror that system by allowing riders to be swapped between compatible bases. That gives the figures a direct mechanical relationship with how racers are configured in-game rather than using them only for cosmetic rewards.
Kirby Air Riders remains one of Nintendo’s major Switch 2 releases, and the company is continuing to expand the wider Kirby lineup beyond the racing game. A separate Kirby and the World Beyond adventure is also scheduled for Switch 2 in spring 2027, while other first-party titles such as Pikmin 4’s Switch 2 Edition are also arriving on November 12.
Sword Kirby & Dragoon and Noir Dedede & Hydra will both launch on November 12, 2026. Their arrival expands Kirby Air Riders’ swappable amiibo system with two more riders and two legendary machines while preserving the Figure Player progression used throughout the existing lineup.
