The official DOOM Twitter account has just pulled off something really spectacular and completely unexpected. They shared a fan art piece. It was not just any fanart but a crossover nobody saw coming, mixing the cute pink puffball Kirby with the fierce demon-slaying vibe of DOOM. The fanart by the artist petyankomanju depicts what he calls ‘shield riders,’ and it is a crazy reimagination of the characters from the vintage GameCube game Kirby Air Ride in complete Doomslayer costumes. Meta Knight looks like he has been sent straight from Hell, while a shining star has a ripping and tearing-ready Kirby on it. It’s a combination of different universes that somehow… works?
The post was very simple; it only showed the artwork and the shoutout to the artist. But the reactions? That’s where the main story lies. Gamers stormed the replies, and this set off a debate on crossovers, Nintendo’s choices, and what could have been.
First off, the artist, petyankomanju, must have been very happy, and he sent a very brief but to-the-point response ‘Thank you DOOM!’ which was completely fair. Acknowledgment from the official Twitter account of such a popular franchise is really huge. They even had another tweet in which they celebrated receiving 10,000 likes on the original art and also mentioned that they were excited for the upcoming DOOM: The Dark Ages DLC. Thus, the hype train is certainly real for both sides.
But the players’ comments are the real treasure. One of the first major discussions was initiated by a user called Xamoel, who said, ‘So close to greatness…but Nintendo chooses generic sword anime characters as main playable characters :P.’ This remark sparked a little debate. Another user, chaosman420, chimed in, opining that it could be due to the violent nature of DOOM, to which LeafeonEpic concurred and replied, saying ‘Yep wasn’t Sakurai’s decision at all,’ suggesting that perhaps the higher-ups at Nintendo are the ones who worry about such a violent crossover in a game like Smash Bros. It is a bitter reminder that corporate branding and image are still very significant factors for all the fan dreams.
Nevertheless, the creativity and the demand from the players are almost overwhelming. Many of the replies are simply asking for this to happen in reality. ‘Imagine if we could actually get third-party hats in Air Riders,’ one gamer mused. Another one said, ‘Someone make this with the vehicle customization pls,’ either hoping for a mod or for official content. The most straightforward request came from MasterZenek: ‘You got into Smash Bros., so why not Kirby Air Riders? 💫’ That’s a very good question! If the Doomslayer can be a fighter in Nintendo’s biggest crossover, why not let him get around on a Warp Star?
Then there are the very humorous hypotheticals. ‘Wait… did Kirby eat Slayer??’ one puzzled yet captivated gamer inquired. Another, named Tommy, launched into a power-scaling rant: ‘Kirby turning into the doomslayer is like adding a lake in the ocean of powers Kirby is already busted as is and add on to that the absurd powers of the slayer well holy hells gonna be just gone.’ Which, honestly, is both a frightening and an exciting thought. If Kirby takes the Doomslayer’s power, it will be an apocalyptic event in any universe.
The overall atmosphere is very positive and playful. ‘Doom just be doin whatever huh,’ one user wrote, and that was a perfect encapsulation of the account’s chaotic-good vibe. ‘First Isabelle and now Kirby. Doomslayer is making friends everywhere he goes. Good for him,’ another user remarked, referring to the iconic Animal Crossing crossover memes. It depicts the Doomslayer as an unlikely but effective rough friendship ambassador.
However, not every comment was about the dream of crossovers. Some people couldn’t help but ask for other DOOM wishes. ‘Dark ages is alright and all but switch 2 ports of 2016 and eternal would be 🔥🔥🔥🔥,’ one player mentioned, reminding everyone that the hybrid console is still expecting the latest mainline games. And a few users thought the fanart depicted ‘Masher,’ another character, showing just how intricate the Kirby lore is.
What is super cool here is that an official brand account has opened a direct and celebratory communication with the fan community. They didn’t simply retweet it; they made the post themselves, giving an enormous platform to a fan’s creative work. It fosters this beautiful feeling of community. It conveys to the players, ‘We see you, we love what you’re doing, and we think it’s cool too.’ In a time when companies can be very mechanical, this kind of interaction feels genuine and human.
So what is the lesson learned from all this? Probably not the announcement of a new game for PlayStation or Xbox, but something better: the power of a shared, creative passion.
