Sephiroth and Kirby stop motion video shows what the Super Smash Bros characters do during their downtime

It seems that Super Smash Bros. isn’t the only place where Kirby and Sephiroth can be found interacting with each other, as Kenta Shinohara’s latest video shows the two characters shooting hoops between brawling matches. Also known as Animist, Shinohara uses highly posable figures to create fluid stop motion animations; with the figures in each frame being painstakingly positioned by hand. 

The 20-second animation may be short but based on the behind-the-scenes footage at the end of the video, it looks like it took quite a while to create. Multiple parts had to be swapped between shots and the figures needed to be moved ever so slightly to make their movements flow seamlessly into each other. With the lighting and perfectly timed sound effects as well, editing this video together must have been hard work.  

As with all of Shinohara’s creations, careful consideration was put into showcasing the characters’ abilities. Kirby’s round and squishy nature makes him a good basketball replacement while his ability to fly offsets Sephiroth’s bad free throw game. Sephiroth’s poor basketball abilities, on the other hand, can likely be attributed to the former SOLDIER not growing up with friends or family. 

Shinohara’s other stop motion videos are also worth watching as they are well thought out and full of personality. They often feature popular game and anime characters including those from Street Fighter, Dragon Ball Z and Demon Slayer. You can find more of Kenta Shinohara’s videos on Instagram, YouTube, his main Animist X page, and TikTok.