King Dedede

King Dedede
King Dedede's artwork from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Series	Kirby
First Appearance	Kirby's Dream Land
Year Created	1992
Created by	Masahiro Sakurai
Voiced by (English)	Ted Lewis (anime) Masahiro Sakurai (games) Shinya Kumazaki (games)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Kenichi Ogata (anime) Masahiro Sakurai (games)

King Dedede (デデデ大王, Dedede Daiō) is the main antagonist of the Kirby series, and the archenemy of Kirby. He has appeared in almost every game in the series (with the exception of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror). While he is the main antagonist, he sometimes helps Kirby when there is a more evil entity at large.

As such, he is the most recurring major character of the series besides Kirby 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 debated whether or not Dedede is the main (or even an) antagonist any longer.

He is the greedy self-proclaimed king of Dream Land, which is located on the quaint Planet Popstar. Due to an ambiguous description of the geography of Planet Popstar, it is never made entirely clear how much of the planet King Dedede assumes leadership of, though he seems to have castles and fortresses all across the planet. Even so, he seems to perform no administrative functions, and for the most part, the planet seems to ignore any edicts that are issued by him.

Kirby series

Kirby's Dream Land

His first appearance was in Kirby's Dream Land, where he and several thieves acting on his part stole the majority of Dream Land's food, and in either an attempt to crush morale, or simply to cause needless mischief, he stole the inhabitant's treasured Sparkling Stars. Appearing as the final boss of the game, his actions are reversed by Kirby upon his defeat, with a finishing blow sending him flying through the ceiling of his castle.

Kirby's Adventure, and Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland

In Kirby's Adventure, he has broken up the fabled Star Rod from the Fountain of Dreams, causing the people of Dream Land to be unable to dream, and Kirby is dispatched with the task of recovering all the pieces. 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 Super Star Ultra

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

In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Dedede is fought very early on in the game, and is possessed by Dark Matter once again. 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, he allies with Kirby, 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 not the main antagonist, Yin-Yarn the sorcerer is. 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 Planet Robobot

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.

Abilities

King Dedede using his hammer

Aside from his great strength, Dedede has a handful of abilities. One of them is his ability to suck in objects, similar to Kirby, but is not able to consume and copy the enemy's powers, which Kirby can do. Dedede is even capable of flight by inhaling air, again, like Kirby. 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. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U

After years of waiting, King Dedede appeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

King Dedede was originally intended to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros., but was cut due to time and storage constraints along with a host of other characters including Mario enemy Bowser as well as Princess Peach. Instead, he appears in the background of the Dreamland stage. He is also a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. 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 is set to return as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U.

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)

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.