Maxim Tomato

The Maxim Tomato (sometimes referred to as simply Tomatoes   ) is a recovery item featured throughout the Kirby franchise. They first appear in Kirby's Dream Land, where they are named Bag of Magic Food, or Magical Food. In its appearances, a Maxim Tomato's purpose is generally to restore all of Kirby or another user's health. A Maxim Tomato is often said to be Kirby's favorite food, although in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, watermelons are his favorite food.

Poppy Bros. Jr. sometimes rides on a Maxim Tomato instead of an apple. If Kirby attacks it, he destroys the Maxim Tomato. Kirby can inhale at Poppy Bros. Jr. so that it falls off the Maxim Tomato, allowing Kirby to obtain it.

Maxim Tomatoes are also featured as an item in every Super Smash Bros. series title. In most of these games, the Maxim Tomato only restores half of a user's health.

Physical appearance
Maxim Tomatoes have consistently been depicted as large, bright red tomatoes with a cut green stem and a distinct "M" printed on them.

Modern games typically present the shape of a Maxim Tomato as being largely rounded, with a single circular, seamless face upon which the "M" is emblazoned. Some titles have sometimes presented it as having almost gourd-like seams running down its face, with the "M" sometimes centered on to one of its radial faces, or appearing on the seam between two. The tomato also often ends in a slight taper, although older games and some artwork exaggerate this.

The green stem is a consistent feature of the tomato, despite an associated Maxim Tomato plant never being depicted or mentioned. The leaves on this stem vary between games; with as many as eight in some. The Sanei plush Maxim Tomato has five leaves shaped to form a star when viewed from above.

The "M" is one of the least consistent details; with the font changing between every design, and the common black being inconsistently depicted as purple or yellow in some artwork and games. The more traditional designs often used a clean, sans serif font, but more recent designs have used a rounded, thicker font. Almost all instances of the "M" depict it with a thin white border, resembling that of a sticker.

In line with its unique art style, Kirby Café depicts the "M" with a loop in its center rather than the standard V-shaped center of the letter M.

Main series
Since its debut in Kirby's Dream Land, Maxim Tomatoes typically serve a consistent purpose between the main series titles. Their difference in role between these games.

Kirby: Canvas Curse
In Kirby: Canvas Curse, a Maxim Tomato is one of the objects drawn by Paint Roller in the Paint Panic sub-game.

Kirby Mass Attack
In Kirby Mass Attack, a Maxim Tomato adds 100 points to the fruit meter. Since it takes 100 points to fill the meter, a new Kirby and/or a 10,000 point bonus is always obtained upon eating a Maxim Tomato.

In the Kirby Quest Sub-Game, the first three Chapters' bonus levels involve getting a Maxim Tomato from a certain character: Chef Kawasaki in the first chapter, Max Flexer in the second, and Chef Shiitake in the third. A heals any hurt Kirbys.

Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros., the Maxim Tomato heals a character of 100% of their damage percentage. Starting with Super Smash Bros. Melee and subsequent installments, the Maxim Tomato only heals 50% of damage, due to the inclusion of the Heart Container from The Legend of Zelda series that also heals 100% of a user's health (or all damage if the player is playing Boss Battles or All-Star Mode in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U). If a character is attacked while eating the Maxim Tomato, they absorb the damage, so if an attack does 30% damage, the Maxim Tomato absorbs it and the user only recovers 20% damage.

The Maxim Tomato has a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Maxim Tomato trophy can be unlocked by playing 10 matches.

The Maxim Tomato also appears as a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, using its design from Kirby: Squeak Squad. It doubles the healing effect of eating a Maxim Tomato, but it can only be used by Kirby, King Dedede, and Meta Knight.

Metamato
In Kirby's Epic Yarn, a Metamato (a tomato that resembles a Maxim Tomato made out of yarn) is the source of Yarn Kirby's shape shifting abilities. One is noticeably worn on the hat of the main villain Yin-Yarn, but is mistakenly eaten by Kirby (who thinks it's a Maxim Tomato) in the opening scene. This angers the yarn magician and prompts him to suck the pink hero into the sock around his neck, starting Kirby's adventures in Patch Land.

Maxim Tomato box
In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, some Maxim Tomatoes appear in Maxim Tomato boxes. They are red boxes with a Maxim Tomato on the side. They contain a Maxim Tomato and can be carried around until needed. Once held, the player can choose to either place it on the ground for later use or throw it, which will open it once a few seconds have passed (time in which it can be safely picked up again).

Reviving Tomato
Reviving Tomatoes appear in Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Kirby: Planet Robobot. Always found encased in an Assist Star, they resemble gold tomatoes with a star on the center. They are given to Kirby by Bandana Waddle Dee when he loses to a boss three or more times in a row. In addition to healing Kirby's health when used, they will automatically revive him to full health if he has one in storage when he is KO'd.

Kirby's Dream Land

 * Instruction booklet (page 18): "This bag contains some pretty special food. I can't tell you exactly what's inside, but if I pick one up, I will completely restore all of my vitality."

Kirby's Adventure

 * Instruction booklet (page 26): "Kirby just loves to eat these bright red tomatoes! They restore his vitality completely!"

Kirby's Dream Land 2

 * Instruction booklet (page 21): "Kirby's favorite food. His life meter will be completely restored."

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

 * Instruction booklet (page 19): "This is Kirby's favorite snack. Eat this miracle fruit to regain all your strength!"

Kirby: Canvas Curse

 * Instruction booklet (page 17): "Get this to replenish all of Kirby's vitality."

Kirby: Squeak Squad

 * Instruction booklet (page 23): "This restores Kirby's life gauge to full."

Trivia

 * It is unknown why exactly the name is Maxim Tomato instead of Maximum Tomato, as a maxim is a principle or rule of conduct, although in Latin, the word "maxim" derives from "maxima," which means "largest or most important".
 * Maxim Tomatoes spin 360 degrees in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Despite the fact that Maxim Tomatoes were ported directly from this game to Kirby: Triple Deluxe, the tomatoes in Kirby: Triple Deluxe do not spin. This is also the case with 1UPs.
 * Maxim Tomatoes do, however, spin in Kirby: Triple Deluxe’s sub-game, Kirby Fighters, and its expanded standalone Kirby Fighters Deluxe.
 * The spinning animation was also absent from Kirby: Planet Robobot but returned in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe.
 * These discrepancies are likely due to the fact that being unable to see the prominent "M" on a Maxim Tomato's front could result in visual confusion with the Reviving Tomato, an item only appearing in the main games of Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Kirby: Planet Robobot, which is identical outside of a change in colour and a different symbol printed on its face.
 * During the boss fight against King Dedede & Meta Knight in Chapter 4 of the Story Mode in Kirby Fighters 2, Dedede takes a bite out of a Maxim Tomato, revealing a cross section view of it and its star-shaped placenta.