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King Dedede(JP), simply called Dedede, is a main character in the Kirby series, first appearing in Kirby's Dream Land. He is Kirby's rival, a large blue penguin and the self-proclaimed "King of Dream Land". Though, in actuality, he performs no administrative function for the people, and for the most part, is ignored by most of Dream Land's populace. Nonetheless, he seems to have a lot of wealth and with it a sizeable army of followers and castles and fortresses all over the country.
Originally a villain, he became more of an anti-hero in later installments starting with Kirby's Adventure. King Dedede and Kirby frequently butt heads owing to Dedede's selfish and self-centered behavior as well as his jealousy for the admiration the people of Dream Land hold for Kirby. However, King Dedede will frequently team up with Kirby whenever a greater foe such as Nightmare, Dark Matter or Queen Sectonia threatens Dream Land.
He has appeared in almost every game in the series (with the exception of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror). As such, he is the most recurring major character of the series besides Kirby, Meta Knight and Waddle Dee. Nintendo has described Dedede as Kirby's "Arch frenemy," and as he has helped more than harmed him since Kirby's Return to Dream Land, it is debatable whether or not Dedede is even a real antagonist anymore since most of his recent fights with Kirby were out of his control, as he has a tendency to be mind controlled by the real threat of every game. King Dedede's trademark weapon is a large star-studded hammer which he can swing around with the greatest of ease. He is also able to inhale objects and spit them out in a manner similar to Kirby. According to Super Smash Bros. Melee, he underwent a series of rigorous training programs to learn and master the use of inhaled air to fly like Kirby at some point after the events of Kirby's Dream Land. King Dedede is playable in Super Smash Bros. series since Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Kirby series[]
Kirby's Dream Land[]
King Dedede is the main antagonist of Kirby's Dream Land. One night, under the cover of darkness, he and several thieves acting on his part swoop down from his castle on Mt. Dedede and steal the majority of Dream Land's food for a gluttonous feast. Additionally, five of the Dream Lander's magical, treasured Sparkling Stars needed to obtain more food were confiscated by King Dedede and given to his four strongest minions, keeping one for himself.
King Dedede is the boss of the final level Mt. Dedede. When Kirby arrives, he finds the entrance to the throne room locked requiring him to refight the previous game's bosses first. Upon gaining access to the throne room, King Dedede fights Kirby in a custom-made wrestling ring. King Dedede attempts to hit Kirby with his hammer, leap high into the air before slamming the ground and charge at Kirby before tripping and falling on his face. Occasionally he will even use Kirby's inhale ability in an attempt to suck up Kirby before spitting him into the wrestling ropes. When he uses his hammer and jump attacks, the impact with the floor creates stars that Kirby can inhale and spit at Dedede. His actions are reversed by Kirby upon his defeat, with the finishing blow sending him flying through the ceiling of his castle.
In the game's extra mode, King Dedede fights largely the same as before, however there is little downtime between his attacks, and he moves much faster.
Kirby's Adventure, and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[]
King Dedede is seemingly up to no good once again, when one day the people of Dream Land lose the ability to dream. Asking around Kirby finds out that the mist given off by the Fountain of Dreams, located high above Dream Land, is the source of all good dreams. Kirby travels there and sees King Dedede bathing in the fountain's sacred waters. King Dedede casually explains that he has broken up the fabled Star Rod that powered the Fountain of Dreams and given the pieces to his most trusted minions for safekeeping. Thinking King Dedede is once again up to no good, Kirby defeats his minions and recovers the pieces of the Star Rod. After a rematch with King Dedede, Kirby places the restored Star Rod into the fountain against Dedede's protests and the sky turn pitch black.
In a key plot revelation, defeating Dedede makes it apparent that he was actually trying to protect Dream Land from the sinister Nightmare whom he sealed in the fountain by breaking the Star Rod. King Dedede even goes so far as to spit out Kirby into outer space so Kirby can give chase and defeat Nightmare. This is one instance where he is seen as helping Kirby as opposed to hindering him. Nonetheless, this started a popular trend in the series where Dedede would serve as the apparent final boss, but collecting all the pieces of some key item would reveal the true instigator of Dream Land's problems.
Kirby's Avalanche[]
He is at the final stage of this video game in the competition. When Dedede's blobs land, his half of the screen shakes slightly. This has no effect on gameplay, however. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Dark Prince (Satan in Puyo Puyo releases in Japan), though his screen-shaking effect comes from Zoh Daimaoh.
Kirby's Dream Land 2[]
King Dedede is the fake final boss. He is fought on the roof of Dark Castle. The boss fight proceeds similarly to previous games, however King Dedede's behavior is incredibly strange, acting as if he's sleepwalking. After taking enough damage, he will occasionally go into a rage and perform more powerful, explosive versions of his normal attacks. If the player has failed to collect all of the Rainbow Drops, the game ends here and the player receives the bad ending.
If the player has collected all of the Rainbow Drops, they gather together and form the Rainbow Sword, expelling Dark Matter from King Dedede's body.
Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra[]
King Dedede is the final boss of Spring Breeze, a remake of the original Kirby's Dream Land. In this game, King Dedede is fought four times. he is first fought in the sub-game Spring Breeze at the last stage, Mt Dedede. Here he is fairly easy to beat, but, after all, he is quite stubborn when it comes to being beaten. The next time you see him is in the sub-game Revenge of the King, where some of the bosses are tougher, especially King Dedede (or in this case, Masked Dedede). You once again fight King Dedede in The Arena and Masked Dedede in the True Arena.
Kirby's Dream Land 3[]
In what is seen as one of the darker points of the series, a possessed Dedede fights Kirby in Kirby's Dream Land 3, his stomach tearing open and revealing a set of teeth with which he attempts to devour Kirby. Defeating Dedede once all 30 Heart Stars have been found reveals Dark Matter as the true final boss of the game, and the source of Dedede's surreal abilities.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards[]
After being rescued from Dark Matter, King Dedede becomes a reluctant ally to Kirby. The third level of Planet Pop Star is set in King Dedede's castle. On the roof of the castle Kirby, Ribbon, Adeline and Waddle Dee run into Dedede who has just found a Crystal Shard and refuses to give it to his rival Kirby. After a brief squabble, the duo is attacked by a cloud of Dark Matter and King Dedede is once again possessed. His attacks are similar to the ones from previous games; using his hammer and spitting out Dark Matter. After the Dark Matter is driven out, Waddle Dee convinces King Dedede to ally with Kirby and he joins the party for the remainder of the game, allowing him to ride on his back in some areas.
Kirby: Squeak Squad[]
Interestingly enough, Dedede is also fought very early in Kirby: Squeak Squad, as he is actually the very first major boss in that game, making this the first Kirby platformer to place him in such a capacity. After his defeat, the Squeaks attack and take his treasure chest thinking it contains an ultimate power and begin to run off with it, but the furious King Dedede grabs and throws Kirby at them, knocking all of them in a rather large pit (which seemingly appears from nowhere).
Kirby's Epic Yarn[]
In this title, King Dedede is the game's fifth boss, under the possession of Yin-Yarn the sorcerer. Dedede does not even enter Patch Land until very late in the game, when he is sucked into it by Yin-Yarn. He is fought soon after he enters this world, and therefore has a pretty minor part in the game. When he is fought, he is being puppet-controlled by Yin-Yarn and has no control over his actions. After being defeated, he is seen in a short cutscene with Kirby, Prince Fluff, and Meta Knight as they return to Dreamland to undo the damage that Yin-Yarn has caused. After that, Kirby never has to come across him again. Dedede is the boss of Snow Land, the third-to-last boss of the game.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land[]
King Dedede is a playable character in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Unlike in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, where he is reluctant about joining forces with Kirby, this time he eagerly and willingly does so from the start. Of the four playable characters, Dedede is treated as the group's comic relief.
One sunny day, King Dedede and Bandana Waddle Dee, are chasing Kirby (presumably for the Strawberry Shortcake he's holding). Soon after passing Meta Knight, the group notices a wormhole open in the sky. A ship called the Lor Starcutter emerges from it and breaks apart. Dedede and the other Dream Landers investigate it and meet Magolor inside. Dedede pitches in to help him repair the ship by scouring Popstar's five corners for Energy Spheres and the mandatory parts. After reassembling the Lor, a grateful Magolor takes the four to his home planet as a reward. There, they are ambushed by the ferocious Landia, so King Dedede and the others head out into the hostile environment to defeat the beast. After their victory, Magolor interrupts the celebration and reveals that he had deceived the quartet from their first meeting. He seizes the source of Landia's power and abandons them to start his plans for universal domination. The four then team up with Landia to make things right and head to Another Dimension. After clearing the realm's perils, and defeating the Lor, they attempt to take down Magolor. But he shoots them down and ambushes them after they've sorted themselves out. After two phases of the final battle, Magolor is vanquished. With Landia and the Lor's help, the Dream Landers escape the crumbling dimension back to Popstar, waking up in the fields. They then watch as Landia departs with the Lor.
Dedede has almost the same exact moveset as Hammer Kirby, but with three notable changes. The first and most notable change is that almost all of his attacks are weaker than Hammer Kirby's, most notably the Hammer Flip, which does not have a flame effect. The second change is that he is unable to perform the Giant Swing move (that is, Kirby's midair move in which he spins the hammer around his body); instead, Dedede just swings the hammer in front of him when in midair, not much differently than from his normal hammer attack. The last difference is that Dedede is able to perform the Hammer Throw attack as often as he wishes. Normally Kirby would sacrifice his ability when he uses this last-ditch attack, but Dedede does not, basically giving him infinite projectile attacks.
Another interesting detail is that since Dedede inflates himself to fly like Kirby does, he can also use the Air Gun as an attack.
Kirby Triple Deluxe[]
King Dedede finds himself becoming a damsel in distress when one night, a giant beanstalk starts growling in Dream Land carrying his castle as well as Kirby's house into the sky. The next morning, a spider mage, named Taranza, arrives at Castle Dedede and easily overpowers King Dedede and his Waddle Dee guards before kidnapping the self-proclaimed monarch. Kirby, who arrived at the castle just in time to see all this going on, gives chase up the beanstalk and into the floating country of Floralia.
It is latter revealed that Taranza had kidnapped King Dedede by mistake on behalf of his boss Queen Sectonia, the tyrannical ruler of Floralia. The Floralians had used the last of their magic to create the Dreamstalk, and sent it down to Dream Land in search of a chosen hero that could save their kingdom. When the Dreamstalk picked up King Dedede's castle, Taranza thought it meant King Dedede was the chosen hero and so kidnapped him in order to prevent the prophecy. Taranza uses his webbing to mind control King Dedede and sends him after Kirby. After the fight, Queen Sectonia takes control of the Dreamstalk and attempts to use its vines to overrun Dream Land, but King Dedede is able to clear a path and launch Kirby past the vines to Sectonia's main body. He also gives Kirby a miracle fruit so that he can become Hypernova Kirby. At the end of the game, the possibility is left open that King Dedede was the chosen hero all along.
Kirby: Planet Robobot[]
Unlike the previous game, King Dedede's role in Kirby: Planet Robobot is relatively minor. When the Haltmann Works Company attacks Dreamland with its mothership, Access Ark, King Dedede attempts to use his castle's cannons against it only to be defeated and buried under the rubble of his castle.
It is later revealed that during the attack, Susie was able to obtain genetic material from King Dedede and create a Clone to serve as one of the company's top generals. Clone Dedede is fought as the boss of the game's fifth world, Rhythm Route. He is constructed out of an unstable purple goo and splits into multiple smaller Dededes as the fight rages on.
Kirby Star Allies[]
In this game, King Dedede is one of the characters who gets possessed by a Jamba Heart when they begin raining down in Dream Land. Afterwards, he has his Waddle Dees begin hording food and bringing it all to his castle, which Kirby notices and decides to investigate. When Kirby and his allies arrive at his castle and find the mountains of food he's taken, a battle commences. Partway through, Dedede will use the power of the Jamba Heart to make his arms very big and muscular, then pounds the ground to send Kirby and his allies to another area to continue to fight, From this point on, he can continue to pound the ground, as well as toss food from the pile at them and swing around certain pillars to attack. However, after taking more hits, he will eventually be defeated, return to his normal size and be released of his possession. After this, you can select him later on as a Dream Friend whenever you reach a Dream Palace with the Dream Rod to assist you, or right away if you throw a Friend Heart at him right after defeating him.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land[]
Dedede was sent to the Forgotten Land by one of Fecto Forgo's portals before Kirby even arrived here. There, he fell victim to the creature's psychic waves and fell under its control like the Beast Pack. Once Kirby and the Waddle Dees arrived in the Forgotten Land, Dedede was acting as one of the leaders of the Beast Pack and was launching raids with the Beast Pack to capture his own subjects to use them as labor for Fecto Forgo. Once Kirby defeats him for the first time, he manages to sneakily capture Elfilin and bring him all the way to Forgo's confinement room where the Beast Pack are planning to reunite them as they were originally a single entity and Forgo remains imperfect without it. There, he is given a strange mask by Leon, Forgo's main pawn, that greatly enhances his fighting power. He is then tasked with guarding the entrance to Forgo's lab. After being freed from their influence by Kirby, he stays behind to hold back the Beast Pack and allow Kirby to run ahead and defeat Leon and Forgo. Dedede doesn't reappear until after Forgo's defeat, but he is confirmed to be alive and well in Waddle Dee Town, where he can be found relaxing just outside of the Colosseum. If Kirby talks to one of his Waddle Dee minions, who happens to the same one he saved earlier, he will give him the blueprint for the Masked Hammer ability upgrade on Dedede's behalf to thank him for saving them.
In spin-offs[]
Though he has been relegated to a position of relative inferiority in the main series, Dedede often is the main instigator and final boss in the side series of puzzle and handheld arcade games, such as Kirby's Dream Course, where he operates a giant robot made in his own likeness at the end of the series, or Kirby's Block Ball, where he has built a castle atop the Fountain of Dreams, essentially defacing a symbol of pride for the people of Dream Land. These actions often appear as more harmless as an inconvenience for Kirby and the other Dream Landers, often fueled by a rivalry with Kirby, but it demonstrates a capability to cause trouble outside of the influence of Dark Matter. In Kirby Battle Royale, Dedede holds a tournament using a Kirby copy machine and lures the actual Kirby with a giant cake. He ends the game in a giant mech trying to smash Kirby after he won everything.
Kirby: Right Back at Ya![]
In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, King Dedede serves as one of the villains of the story, though the role of true villain belongs to eNeMeE. He rules over Dream Land, which includes the residents of Cappy Town, though said residents do not treat him with must respect or loyalty. His Castle Dedede is situated on a high cliff overlooking the town. Other castle residents include his main lackey Escargoon, Meta Knight and his apprentices Kirby and Blade Knight, Sir Ebrum, Lady Like, their children Tiff and Tuff, and a retinue of Waddle Dee led by Captain Waddle Doo.
King Dedede is characterized in the anime as a jealous, short-tempered, and foolish tyrant who tries constantly to remove Kirby from Dream Land, whether that be by attempting to destroy him with a monster purchased from Night Mare Enterprises or by attempting to subvert Cappy Town's support of the pink Star Warrior. Most of his rage when these plans are foiled is directed at his assistant Escargoon, who puts up with this abuse on the regular. He is also shown to be extremely childish, and is prone to attacking other characters with his hammer when he doesn't get what he wants. He does, however, have a rarely-seen compassionate side, and is occasionally shown treating Escargoon or Kirby as a friend. He is shown to be unable to read. In the Japanese version of the show, King Dedede ends most of his sentences with "zoi".
Abilities[]
King Dedede using his hammer
King Dedede possesses great physical strength and is almost never seen without his signature massive wooden mallet, used to clobber sources of irritation. Like Kirby's Hammer ability, he is able to swing it with enough force to send foes flying and easily smash stone walls and boulders. In Super Smash Bros., Colonel Roy Campbell states that he is able to level an entire building in a single swing in his Codex to Solid Snake and in Kirby and the Forgotten Land he is shown to be strong enough to carry and swing massive stone pillars like a baseball bat. Despite his portly appearance, King Dedede is surprising agile, able to run nearly as fast as Kirby in Gourmet Race and jump many times his height when he uses his Super Dedede Jump. Aside from his strength and agility, Dedede has a handful of other abilities. One of them is his ability to suck in objects, similar to Kirby's Inhale. Though, unlike Kirby, King Dedede is not able to consume and copy the enemy's powers. From Kirby's Adventure onward, Dedede is shown to be capable of flying by inhaling air and flapping his arms, like Kirby. In his trophy description in Super Smash Bros. Melee, its stated that Dedede underwent intense physical training after his defeat in Kirby's Dream Land because he was jealous of Kirby's ability to fly. Dedede is also able to summon Waddle Dees and Gordos to assist him in battle.
King Dedede always wields a hammer in battle, and he can swing it with great strength. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, his hammer has become mechanized, so he can perform Jet Hammer, which attacks foes with its engine. Dedede can charge it up for greater power, even while waddling, but if it is charged too much, it will overheat, continuously damaging Dedede until released. In other versions, the overcharged hammer will explode, instead of overheating. The explosion damages Dedede and knocks him back.
Super Smash Bros. series[]
King Dedede from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
King Dedede made his debut as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Just like in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, series creator Masahiro Sakurai voiced Dedede in the games. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, King Dedede is a heavyweight fighter wielding his trusty hammer, which has been mechanized with a jet engine for stronger swings. Although quite slow, his forward smash attack is the strongest in the game. He can also jump multiple times like his rival Kirby summon minions such as Waddle Dee, Waddle Doo and Gordo. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, King Dedede's Final Smash is calling an army of Waddle Dees to attack his opponents. He's one of the heaviest characters in the game, and he wields a gigantic mallet as he does in the series.
King Dedede was originally intended to be a playable character as far back as Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64, and Super Smash Bros. Melee, however, he was cut both times due to time and storage constraints, and instead appears as a cameo on the Dream Land stage and as a collectible trophy in Melee.
King Dedede returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. He is slightly faster and stronger than his Super Smash Bros. Brawl counterpart. His side special was also changed, as in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Dedede would randomly throw either a Waddle Dee, Waddle Doo, or Gordo. In this game, King Dedede will only throw a Gordo. His Final Smash was also changed from the Waddle Dee Army, to the Dedede Burst. King Dedede inhales enough air, which results in the creation of a mini-tornado. Anyone caught in the mini-tornado will be sucked towards King Dedede. Dedede will then hit the opponent(s) with his hammer two to three times, while it is engulfed in fire. He then finishes the Final Smash by throwing a bomb at the opponent(s).
King Dedede returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. While his moveset and abilities remain the same compared to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, he is slightly faster and heavier than before and his moves have larger hitboxes. His Final Smash has changed yet again, this time featuring Masked Dedede called "Dede-Rush". He will trap one player into a caged wrestling ring and fires missiles and jets from his hammer, before using his hammer to smack the opponent out of the ring. His Classic Mode campaign is called "Royal Rumble", where Dedede battles other fighters with royal titles before a showdown with Master Hand.
Masked Dedede also makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a primary attack-type spirit, who can be summoned using cores from the Reporter & Wrestler and Hammer Bro Spirits.
Attacks[]
His specials are:
- Neutral Special: Inhale
- Side Special: Waddle Dee Toss (Brawl)/Gordo Throw (3DS/Wii U)
- Down Special: Jet Hammer
- Up Special: Super Dedede Jump
- Final Smash: Waddle Dee Army (Brawl)/ Dedede Burst(3DS/Wii U)/Masked Dedede (Ultimate)
Appearance and Costumes[]
Subspace Emissary[]
King Dedede was crucial in the capture and occupation of the Halberd by the Subspace Army. He attacks Meta Knight, unintentionally keeping the knight from repelling the Subspace Army's assault. King Dedede finds out about Tabuu's nefarious plot and the immense power of his Off Waves during the Halberd's capture. He starts worrying about the world's fate if all the heroes become trophies, as no one will exist to revive the trophies, and the entire world will belong to Tabuu. These scenes were to be incorporated into the Subspace Emissary, but were cut, presumably for time.
Dedede prepares a special type of brooch that fans have dubbed the Dedede Cap or Dedede Badge, though it is referred to as a Timed Badge for the cutscene. They are set to work on a timer; when the timer runs down, the brooch will restore a fighter from his or her trophy state back to their original form. All that needs to be done is to set the brooch on a fighter that had been turned into a trophy and leave it there.
When King Dedede learns that Bowser and Wario have joined the Subspace Army and are using Dark Cannons to turn fighters into a collection of trophies, he decides to start his own collection.
The first time King Dedede is shown, he uses his Waddle Dees to ambush an unsuspecting Luigi and turn him into a trophy, using him as bait for an approaching Wario. As Wario approaches on his hovering bobsled carrying two trophies of Princess Peach/Princess Zelda and Ness, he tries to take the new Luigi trophy and is suddenly ambushed by a herd of Waddle Dees who throw Luigi into the sled. Dedede then steals the sled with the trophies in tow and speeds away.
King Dedede then speeds past Mario and Pit/Link and Yoshi, who had just defeated Link and Yoshi/Mario and Pit after a misunderstanding over the former pair defeating a clone of Zelda/Peach lead to a fight. King Dedede picks up the defeated pair's trophies with his stolen vehicle's claw hand. Before he can get away, Kirby appears out of nowhere and uses Final Cutter on the claw, causing the Link and Yoshi/Mario and Pit trophies to be flung from the cargo and allow him to revive them. The restored Link/Pit fires an arrow at the vehicle, damaging the engine. Kirby, Mario, Yoshi, Link, and Pit then chase after King Dedede to rescue the remaining trophies. The five notice the vehicle abandoned at the entrance to a cave and, after exiting the caverns, see King Dedede's castle in the distance.
In his castle, King Dedede puts his badges on Luigi's nose and Ness's chest. Noticing he doesn't have a badge for Peach/Zelda, he decides to give her the one he intended for himself, placing it on her brooch/shoulder. Suddenly, Bowser and the Koopa Troop invade the castle, causing the ceiling to collapse. King Dedede is knocked unconscious when a ceiling piece falls on his head and is buried along with the trophies in the rubble. Bowser only notices the princess's trophy in the debris and escapes with it. After both the Koopa Troop and Kirby's group vacate the area, the Ancient Minister has a Subspace Bomb detonated and the castle, along with Dedede, Luigi, and Ness, is sent into Subspace. Either from being knocked unconscious and buried in rubble or sent into Subspace, King Dedede was turned into a trophy.
Much later, after Tabuu turns many fighters into trophies using Off Waves, the Timed Badges go off and revive Ness and Luigi, who in turn revive Dedede upon realizing it was his badges that restored them. Dedede then leads them into the Subspace, finding many of the fighters' trophies and revive them later on. The three notice the limp Master Hand, a staircase created by Tabuu, and Bowser's trophy, who had been betrayed by his accomplice Ganondorf. Dedede revives Bowser, who awakens in rage and fights Dedede, only to be defeated and reverted back into a trophy. Dedede again restores Bowser, who once again awakens in a rage. Unafraid, Dedede gives him a sharp flick across the nose, snapping him out of his rage. Dedede shows him the defeated Master Hand and the stairway leading to Tabuu, telling him they should fight the real enemy instead of each other. Dedede also finds his rival, Kirby, who had been revived from swallowing the badge that fell off Peach/Zelda and found the remaining fighters, and tackles him in a hug. Dedede points to Tabuu and drags Kirby along so they can confront him. About to climb the stairway to the final battle, King Dedede is attacked by Wario, who had been revived by Kirby, likely as payback for ambushing him. However, Wario backs off when he realizes that Luigi and Ness will aid Dedede, outnumbering Wario. Dedede, Luigi, and Ness then point the staircase, explaining that Tabuu is a bigger threat than him. After thinking it over, Wario decides to help defeat Tabuu.
With the help of Sonic, Dedede and the others defeat Tabuu, releasing most of the areas from Subspace. Dedede is seen along with the other thirty-one fighters standing at cliff, looking at where the Isle of Ancients, which couldn't be restored, once stood.
Trophy Descriptions[]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Character
- "He calls himself the King of Dream Land, but he doesn't have a lot of interest in ruling. He really loves to eat, so it's no surprise he's a heavyweight fighter. Despite his size and low speed, he can easily recover with his four jumps. His Jet Hammer will leave a mark on everyone he meets."
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Alternate
- "For the Gordo Throw side special, King Dedede sends a Gordo bouncing with a hammer strike. It bounces off walls --- or sometimes gets stuck in them. After a while it'll disappear, if an enemy hits one, it'll bounce back toward you. Use the special again to whack it back at them!"
King Dedede's theme[]
King Dedede is widely recognized for the theme song that often plays during battles against him. The song was used for the Dedede battle in Kirby's Dream Land 1, 2, and 3, Kirby Super Star, and Kirby: Squeak Squad. Although it was not in the original NES version of Kirby's Adventure, it was added in the GBA remake, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, for the Mini Boss Tower stage. A remixed version of the song was also used during the races against the Dedede Painting in Kirby: Canvas Curse. The version of the song from Kirby Super Star also appears in Kirby Air Ride, as an unlockable song for the FIRE track. Another theme associated with King Dedede is the theme from the Gourmet Race mini-game in Kirby Super Star Ultra. An orchestral version of this theme is employed during battle against him in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, as well as the Fountain of Dreams stage of Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Playable appearances[]
Dedede has had a handful of playable appearances in some of the more recent games.
- In Kirby no Kirakira Kizzu, he is playable in the VS. Mode of the game. Both Player 1 and Player 2 can select him at the character select screen.
- In Kirby 64, in addition to being a playable ally in some levels of game, he is a playable character in the mini-games.
- In Kirby Air Ride, he is an unlockable character, obtained after defeating 1,000 or more enemies scattered across the game's racetracks.
- In Kirby Super Star he is playable in the two-player version of quick draw, only Player 2 can play as him. As Player 2, the player may need to start the game many times to play as Dedede, since every time he plays a match, Player 2's character is chosen at random while Player 1 is always Kirby.
- In Kirby: Canvas Curse, he is a Medal Swap unlockable after obtaining Waddle Dee, and for a third time allies himself with Kirby in an endeavor to take down a common enemy. However, Dedede also appears in that game as an enemy in the Truck Chase mini-game.
- In Kirby's Return to Dreamland, he is playable by players 2, 3, or 4, alongside Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee. He uses his hammer instead of copy abilities.
- In Kirby Triple Deluxe, King Dedede becomes playable after completing story mode as Kirby. He is played through a mode called DededeTour, which is just the regular story mode but with portals, allowing to skip less important parts of Story Mode, and go straight to more powerful versions of the bosses fought in Story Mode as Kirby.
Trivia[]
- Dedede's robe has sported two different symbols on the back, him giving a peace sign or a hand giving a peace sign, though the latter has been more commonly used.
- Dedede is one of the most recurring characters in the Kirby games, second to Kirby and Waddle Dee. He is present in every main installment with the exception of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.
- Though he is a boss in almost all of the games, Dedede hasn't been the main antagonist of any main game since Kirby's Dream Land (although he has taken the role in spinoff titles such as Kirby Fighters Deluxe).
- King Dedede's name in the French versions of the games is Roi Dadidou, König Dedede and sometimes König Nickerchen ("King Nap") in German, Re Dedede in Italian, Kongen Dedede in Danish and Norwegian, Rei Deduzir in Portuguese, Kung Dedede in Swedish, Mfalme Kujitolea in Swahili, Brenin Dedede in Welsh, Rí Dedede in Irish, Dé Dé Wáng (德德王) in Chinese, King De Dede (킹 데 데데) in Korean, Raaja Ka Samarpan (राजा का समर्पण) in Hindi, Rey Dedede in Spanish, and Rex Dedede in Latin.
- Dedede's species has never been outright stated, although he is widely regarded as a penguin.
- Dedede's theme music is used as the theme for boss battles in Kirby Mass Attack.
- His theme is also oddly used during Meta Knight's fight in Squeak Squad.
- In a poll for which characters were to be included in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Dedede came in first. He was originally going to be in the first Super Smash Bros., but was scrapped due to time constraints and memory limitations. However, he does make a cameo appearance in the first game, flying through the background of the Dream Land stage.
- On the Dream Land stage from the Super Smash Bros. series, King Dedede will always appear in the background unless he is participating in a battle. A glitch can occur on the stage in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS where he can appear in the background even if he is participating.
- Early versions of King Dedede showed him not wearing gloves. This was later changed for him to wear tan gloves.
- Dedede is one of the four Super Smash Bros. fighters to have a different Final Smash since every installment when they were introduced to the series; the others being Pit, Zero Suit Samus, and R.O.B.
- In Kirby Fighters 2, Dedede's four battle entrance poses are references to his appearances in other media; these include his Dream Friend pose from Kirby Star Allies, infused with an element from Kirby Star Allies, his Kirby series amiibo figure, and his artwork from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
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| Helpers and friends in Kirby | |
|---|---|
| Super Star | Biospark • Birdon • Blade Knight • Bonkers • Bugzzy • Burnin' Leo • Capsule J/2 • Chilly • Gim • Knuckle Joe • Parasol Waddle Dee • Plasma Wisp • Poppy Bros. Jr. • Rocky • Simirror • Sir Kibble • Starship • Tac • Waddle Doo • Wheelie • Sword Knight (Ultra only) |
| Star Allies | Beetley • Broom Hatter • Chef Kawasaki • Como • Driblee • Jammerjab • NESP • Plugg • Vividria • Wester • Bandana Waddle Dee • King Dedede • Meta Knight • Marx • Rick/Kine/Coo • Gooey • Daroach • Dark Meta Knight • Adeleine and Ribbon • Magolor • Taranza • Susie |
| Bosses in Kirby: Triple Deluxe | |
|---|---|
| Bosses | Flowery Woods • Paintra • Kracko • Coily Rattler • Pyribbit • King Dedede • Queen Sectonia • Shadow Dedede • Dark Meta Knight |
| Bosses in Kirby Star Allies | |
|---|---|
| Bosses | Whispy Woods • King Dedede • Meta Knight • Pon & Con • Francisca • Flamberge • Zan Partizanne • Yggy Woods • Grand Mam • Goldon & Silvox • Kracko • Twin Kracko • Hyness • Void Termina • Morpho Knight |