Kirby Air Riders hides one of its trickier unlocks behind an enemy the game barely explains: the special foe Gemaine. Beating Gemaine in Air Ride is what opens up Daroach’s checklist square and one of his color variants, and it has confused a lot of players because there’s no course marker or obvious trigger.
What Gemaine is and why it matters
Gemaine is a unique “special enemy” that appears during Air Ride races. It behaves like a comeback assist: it only shows up when you’re significantly behind the leaders. Defeating it fulfills the Air Ride checklist goal “Find and defeat the special enemy, Gemaine” and unlocks Daroach in the character roster. That same square can also be tied to one of Daroach’s alternate colors depending on what you’ve already cleared on his row.
Daroach has two key unlock conditions overall:
| Mode | Condition | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Air Ride | Find and defeat Gemaine | Daroach / one of his colors |
| Top Ride | Win a race after lapping another rider | Remaining Daroach color |
How Gemaine spawns in Air Ride
Gemaine doesn’t live on one track, and it isn’t tucked away in a hidden route. It’s a roaming, rare spawn that appears only when the game decides you’ve fallen far enough behind that you deserve help.
Two rules matter:
- You must be in Air Ride mode (not Top Ride, City Trial, or Road Trip).
- You need to be well behind the pack for a sustained period. Players consistently see Gemaine (and the UFO enemy) when they’re trailing badly rather than fighting for first.
Once those conditions are met, Gemaine can appear on almost any Air Ride course, flying along the track. You then have a short window to chase it down and destroy it to clear the checklist square.
Best setup to force Gemaine to appear
The easiest way to force Gemaine to spawn is to deliberately sandbag a race instead of trying to win it. The goal is to create a large distance between you and the leaders as quickly as possible so the game flips into “comeback” mode.
| Setting | Recommended value | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Air Ride (Laps) | Gemaine only appears in this mode |
| CPUs | Level 9 | They pull away faster, putting you far behind sooner |
| Course | Cavernous Corners or Waveflow Waters | Players report frequent special-enemy spawns here |
| Machine | Any comfortable pick | You only need enough control to chase Gemaine down |
Once the race starts:
- Do almost nothing for 20–30 seconds. Let the CPU riders disappear into the distance.
- Keep an eye on the distance readout to the leader; Gemaine often appears when you’re around 200m or more behind, though the exact threshold is fuzzy.
- After you’re well behind, start moving again and follow the main racing line, watching for a distinctive special enemy ahead of you on the course.
Tip: If you’re not seeing any special enemies at all after multiple attempts, vary the course or let the lead grow even larger before you start moving again.
Where Gemaine shows up most often
Gemaine is not locked to a single stage, but some tracks make the hunt less painful because of their layout and enemy density.
| Course | Why it’s useful |
|---|---|
| Cavernous Corners | Twisty tunnels, plenty of line-of-sight corners; players frequently report Gemaine and other comeback enemies here. |
| Waveflow Waters | Open sections and clear visibility make it easier to spot special enemies over the water. |
| Other loop tracks | Any course with a clear loop and consistent enemy spawns can work if you keep falling behind by a large margin. |
Gemaine behaves similarly to the UFO enemy, another comeback-focused spawn. If you’ve ever seen UFO drop in while you were massively behind, you’re looking for the same kind of situation.
How to defeat Gemaine once it appears
When Gemaine finally shows up, you still need to destroy it before it disappears or the lap finishes. Treat it like any other airborne enemy, but prioritize it over everything else on the track.
- Close the gap quickly. Boost, glide, or cut corners to get within attack range.
- Use Copy Abilities if you have them. Ranged abilities or strong melee swings make the takedown safer.
- Stay on the racing line. Gemaine tends to follow the track, so don’t waste time on side paths.
As soon as you land the finishing blow, the Air Ride checklist entry tied to “Find and defeat the special enemy, Gemaine” will clear, and Daroach’s associated unlock will trigger the next time you back out to the menu.
How to get Daroach’s other unlock requirement done fast
The other big hurdle for Daroach lives in Top Ride: you need to win a race after lapping another rider. On a small, chaotic course, pulling ahead by a full lap can be annoying if everyone is playing properly. The simplest approach is to set up a “dummy” second player that never moves.
Use this setup:
- Start a local Top Ride race with at least two players.
- On the second controller, hold the accelerate button at the starting line so that rider barely moves or stays stuck on the wall.
- Let your main player drive normally; with only one active racer, you’ll lap the idle rider automatically.
- Make sure you still finish the race in first place after completing the lap on the stationary rider.
This satisfies the “win after lapping 1 other rider” requirement in a controlled way, guaranteeing the remaining Daroach color without needing a perfect run against aggressive CPUs.
Troubleshooting: when Gemaine refuses to spawn
If you’ve followed all of the above and still haven’t seen Gemaine, the issue is almost always that you’re not falling far enough behind for long enough, or you’re repeating the same conditions that the spawn logic happens to dislike.
Run through this checklist:
- Are CPUs at a high level? If not, increase them so they leave you in the dust quickly.
- Are you moving too soon? Try waiting longer at the start so the distance gap gets truly huge.
- Have you tried multiple tracks? Rotate between Cavernous Corners, Waveflow Waters, and a couple of other loop-based courses.
- Are you finishing races too fast? If you catch back up and end the race quickly, the game has less time to roll special spawns. Spend more of the race behind.
Tip: Treat the first minute of each attempt as “setup” where your only job is to lose badly. Once you’re far behind, then start watching for Gemaine.
Once Gemaine is down and Daroach’s Top Ride condition is cleared, both versions of the treasure-thieving mouse are permanently added to your roster. From that point on, you can ignore Gemaine entirely and focus on the rest of Kirby Air Riders’ enormous checklist.
