King Dedede

King Dedede in Kirby: Squeak Squad
King Dedede
Species	Penguin
Eye color	Black
Voiced by	Masahiro Sakurai (Kirby 64, Super Smash Bros. appearances) Shinya Kumazaki (2009-Present)
Debut	Kirby's Dream Land

King Dedede is one of the main characters of the Kirby series who acts as both an antagonist and a supporting character. He is the tyrannical ruler of Dream Land and seems to constantly be up to some mischief. Much like Meta Knight, King Dedede seems to be a rival to Kirby and the two often fight. However, King Dedede has also teamed up with Kirby and tried to help Dream Land, sometimes in his own misguided way.

Background

The NES/Early Game Boy Era

Dedede debuted alongside Kirby and the rest of the series in Kirby's Dream Land. He had stolen the Sparkling Stars that allowed the people of Dream Land to gather food, as well as all the food they had already collected. Kirby made his way to Mt. Dedede, gathering the Sparkling Stars from four bosses along the way, and confronted the king in his castle. The two dueled in an "anything goes" wrestling match that ended with King Dedede being sent flying.

In Kirby's Adventure, Dedede learned of Nightmare and his plan to attack the Dream Landers' dreams with the Star Rod. Dedede stole the Star Rod and broke it apart as attempt to prevent Nightmare's plan from being fulfilled, then he gave the pieces to his minions. Kirby confronted him at the Fountain of Dreams where the Star Rod once rested, then ran off before Dedede could explain his intentions and returned to fight the king once the scattered pieces had been collected. Dedede was unable to hold Kirby back as the latter restored the Star Rod, instantly summoning Nightmare. As Nightmare began his attack, Dedede sucked up Kirby and the Star Rod and sent them flying toward the monster. Dedede then joined Kirby on his return flight to Pop Star after Nightmare's defeat.

Dedede also appeared in Kirby's Pinball Land as the final boss.

The Super NES/Latter Game Boy Era

King Dedede later stole all of Dream Land's stars and distributed them among his minions in Kirby's Dream Course. Kirby explored Dedede's floating castle and finally battled Dedede. This time, Dedede manned a giant mechanical version of himself during the battle with Kirby, while sending out miniature robot Dededes as well. Kirby was able to wreck the robot and then restored the stars to Dream Land while Dedede wept helplessly. Dedede then competed in the First Annual Dream Lander's Avalanche Competition in Kirby's Avalanche. He was the sixteenth and final opponent Kirby faced in the competition outside the Dream Fountain. With Dedede's defeat, Kirby was able to reach the Dream Fountain and claimed the Dream Fountain Cup.

Within Kirby Super Star, he was featured in several of the sub-games. One of them, Spring Breeze, was a remake of Kirby's Dream Land. In Gourmet Race, he acted as Kirby's rival in a competition that combined eating contests and marathons. He was also featured as an enemy in The Arena and Samurai Kirby (where he was the second-to-last enemy). Dedede also appeared as the hidden final boss of Kirby's Block Ball. He additionally appeared in Kirby's Star Stacker, where Kirby had to defeat him various times in the Round Clear mode.

In Kirby's Dream Land 2, Dedede was possessed by Dark Matter, who wanted to turn all of Dream Land into a dark world. Kirby eventually confronted Dedede at the top of his castle and defeated him in order to release Dark Matter. He was possessed again in Kirby's Dream Land 3. After Kirby defeated him, Dark Matter was once more released to battle Kirby.

The Nintendo 64/Gameboy Color/Gamecube Years

In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, a Crystal Shard landed on the top of Dedede's castle just as Kirby and his friends arrived. Dedede snatched the Crystal Shard before Kirby could prevent him from doing so. This attracted a piece of Dark Matter, which proceeded to possess Dedede. Once again Kirby defeated Dedede in order to exorcise the Dark Matter from him, although this time he was faced in the third stage of the first world. He then reluctantly joined Kirby in his quest to defeat Dark Matter. When summoned, Kirby could ride Dedede to safely cross dangerous terrain, and his hammer could be used to break through barriers. After Dark Matter's defeat, Dedede was awarded with a medal along with Kirby and his other allies.

Dedede was later involved in another scheme to rob Dream Land of its stars in Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble and was defeated again. In Kirby Air Ride, Dedede appeared as a rival in the Vs. Dedede Mode, and he could be unlocked as a playable character by defeating 1000 enemies in Air Ride mode or by defeating Dedede in under a minute for City Trial mode. In this game, Dedede rode around on a Wheelie Bike and could utilize his hammer to attack others.

The Nintendo DS/Wii Era

In Kirby Canvas Curse, King Dedede appeared as an opponent in the Cart Run Mode, and a ball version of Dedede could be unlocked as a playable character through the Medal Swap feature after unlocking Waddle Dee and exchanging 20 Medals. He was the heaviest and largest of the playable characters in the game, with the ability to use his hammer to break blocks. Later on in Kirby Squeak Squad, Kirby came to Dedede in his castle and accused him of stealing his strawberry cheesecake. Dedede denied these claims and engaged Kirby in a battle. While they were busy fighting, the Squeak Squad, who were the true cheesecake thieves, stole a chest from Dedede which they believed to contain ultimate power, but in reality it contained the evil being known as Dark Mind. Dedede then knocked Kirby and the Squeak Squad down a pit and was not seen for the remainder of the game.

Within Kirby Super Star Ultra, Dedede was featured in the same sub-games as in the original version, as well as a new sub-game called Return of the King. That sub-game acted as a harder version of Spring Breeze, in which King Dedede fought Kirby while wearing a metal mask and was known as Masked Dedede. He also offered Kirby his own weapon to use in battle, similar to Meta Knight's behavior when battling Kirby. Masked Dedede also appeared as a boss in The True Arena. During Kirby's Epic Yarn, the evil sorcerer Yin-Yarn created Yarn Waddle Dees to infiltrate Dedede's castle. They tied up all of the real Waddle Dees followed by Dedede himself. Yin-Yarn then pulled Dedede into Patch Land through his sock portal to take over his castle. Dedede, controlled by yarn, then acted as a boss for Snow Land, and he guarded the sixth piece of magic yarn. He was defeated by Kirby and Prince Fluff, and after Patch Land was saved, he jumped through the sock portal to return to Dream Land with the others.

In Kirby Mass Attack, Dedede appeared as the third boss. He initially fought from a hot air balloon with a balloon shaped like his head. He threw bombs that had to be thrown back at him to knock him out of the balloon, at which point he could be fought physically. After being defeated, a red flame flew from his body, implying that he may have been possessed again. Kirby could also potentially fish out an unconscious Dedede during the end credits. Within the game's sub-games, Dedede could send Kirby from his mouth to boss levels in Kirby Brawlball, and he also made recurring appearances as a boss/enemy within Kirby Quest.

In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Dedede was initially seen chasing Kirby with Bandana Waddle Dee, but that was cut short when the Lor Starcutter crashed nearby. Dedede then willingly joined with Kirby, Meta Knight and Bandana Waddle Dee as a playable character in the following quest. This initially involved helping Magolor to return to his planet, and it ultimately became working to stop Magolor after he betrayed them. They then returned to Pop Star.

The 3DS/Wii U Era

In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Dedede's entire castle was lifted to the sky-based kingdom of Floralia by the Dreamstalk, and Dedede was kidnapped by Taranza. This was due to a misunderstanding, as Taranza believed that he was the great hero who could help him, when he was actually looking for Kirby. At Royal Road, Taranza made Dedede into his puppet and forced him to fight Kirby as his Masked Dedede persona. Dedede was defeated, and he was rendered unconscious during the beginning of the ensuing confrontation with Queen Sectonia. After waking up, Dedede was terrified of Sectonia, but he and Taranza proceeded to help Kirby during the final battles. Afterwards, Kirby and Dedede started to fall back down to Dream Land, and Dedede was caught by Taranza. The game also had an extra mode, called Dededetour, which was an alternate version of the game that starred Dedede. It ended with battles against Queen Sectonia DX, Shadow Dedede and Dark Meta Knight. Dedede also starred in Dedede's Drum Dash, a minigame within Triple Deluxe that was expanded into a standalone release called Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe. He also appeared as the final boss of Kirby Fighters Deluxe, where he was accompanied by various smaller copies of himself.

Dedede made a smaller appearance in Kirby: Planet Robobot. In it, his chess game with a Waddle Dee was interrupted when he noticed that the Haltman Works Company was attacking his kingdom and turning it to metal. Dedede attempted to defy them, only to be defeated. The company used Dedede's DNA to make clones of him that acted as the fifth boss of the game. The real Dedede remained buried in his castle's rubble until the end of the game, when he surfaced and was glad to see that his kingdom was no longer mechanized. Within the game's minigames, Dedede only made a cameo appearance in Kirby 3D Rumble. However, in the minigame's expanded standalone version, Kirby's Blowout Blast, Dedede was featured as the final boss. This game also featured Masked Dedede and a stronger version of Dedede known as King Dedede's Revenge. All three variations had a giant form that he could turn into.

In Kirby Battle Royale, he created a machine known as the Kirby Printer and used it to create countless clones of Kirby. He then invited Kirby to a tournament known as the Cake Royale where he would fight the Kirby clones, with a giant cake being offered as an ultimate prize. One Waddle Dee claimed that Dedede spent his entire fortune on the competition. Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee both entered the competition and quickly rose through the ranks, much to Dedede's ire, as he wanted Kirby to suffer a humiliating defeat. Eventually, Dedede challenged them to a battle and was defeated. He proceeded to lure them into the basement, where he attacked them from a giant mech called the Dededestroyer Z. Kirby was able to destroy the machine and the Kirby Printer, and Dedede was sent flying away. He was defeated, but Kirby still spared him the crown from his cake.

The Switch Era

King Dedede appeared as a boss and potential ally in Kirby Star Allies. He was the second boss faced in the game and was battled at his castle. This time, he was corrupted by a Jamba Heart. While the first portion of the battle had him following his standard attack patterns, he then grew extremely muscular for the second phase of the battle. After being defeated, he could be recruited as a Dream Friend.

Abilities

King Dedede primarily uses his hammer for combat. He can also inhale air - sucking up enemies to spit them back out or using the air to float through the air like Kirby.

In the Super Smash Bros. games, he has the following special moves:

• Standard Special Move: Inhale - Dedede sucks up opponents and items, similar to Kirby. He cannot copy abilities like Kirby, but his move is stronger, with a wider range, and he can swallow larger opponents.
• Side Special Move: Waddle Dee Toss/Gordo Throw - This move involves Dedede pulling minions out of nowhere and throwing them. In Brawl, this is the Waddle Dee Toss, and most of the enemies tossed are Waddle Dees. Waddle Doos are less common, and Gordos are rare. In the 3DS/Wii U installment, this is changed to the Gordo Throw, wherein Dedede throws a Gordo around with his hammer.
• Up Special Move: Super Dedede Jump - This move involves Dedede forcefully jumping into the air and then slamming back down.
• Down Special Move: Jet Hammer - With this move, Dedede utilizes a jet within his hammer to attack others. It is a charged move, and it charges very slowly; once it's fully charged, Dedede will start to take damage until he releases the move.
• Final Smash: Waddle Dee Army - This is his Final Smash in Brawl only. After using a Smash Ball, Dedede whistles and summons a horde of minions who will quickly march through the stage. There are mostly Waddle Dees, but there are also Waddle Doos and Gordos within the mix.
• Final Smash: Dedede Burst - This replaced Waddle Dee Army as his Final Smash in the 3DS/Wii U games. With the Smash Ball's power, Dedede inhales nearby opponents, attacks them with flaming hammer spins and finishes by setting off a large bomb.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In Yoshi's Woolly World, a Yoshi design based on Dedede's appearance could be unlocked by scanning an amiibo of Dedede.
• In Super Mario Maker, King Dedede appeared as one of the Mystery Mushroom costumes that Mario could transform into. His costume was a version of his sprite from Kirby's Adventure with a modified size and color. The costume could be unlocked by scanning Dedede's amiibo or as a random prize for clearing a 100 Mario Challenge on Expert or harder.
• In Taiko no Tatsujin: Dokodon! Mystery Adventure, Dedede appeared as a guest character.
• In Bye-Bye BOXBOY!, Qbby could take on an appearance based on Dedede after scanning an amiibo of him.

Super Smash Bros.

Within the Portal: Super Smash Bros. series, King Dedede initially made a cameo appearance floating in the background of the Dream Land stage in the original Super Smash Bros. before later appearing as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He is a heavyweight fighter who attacks with his hammer, his suction ability and by throwing his weight around. In his first appearance, he could throw Waddle Dees as one special attack, with a chance of also throwing a more powerful Gordo. Later games changed the move into one where he only throws a Gordo. Dedede is also known for having a different Final Smash in each of his appearances: Waddle Dee Army in Brawl, Dedede Burst in the 3DS/Wii U game and Dede-Rush in Ultimate.

He was an initially playable character in most of his appearances, but in Ultimate, he had to be unlocked either through the game's variable-based system for unlocking characters or by awakening him in Adventure Mode. In Adventure Mode, he was found at the Gourmet Race area and appeared at the first place stand only if the player managed to set the highest record (of 11 fruits) in the Gourmet Race. In the game's Classic Mode, King Dedede's route was called "Royal Rumble", and it pitted him against other royal fighters while ending in a boss fight against Master Hand (with Crazy Hand on higher difficulties.

Trophies/Stickers/Spirits

Throughout the series, Dedede has also been represented by a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, two unlockable trophies (one being of his Final Smash) and three stickers (from Kirby Super Star, Kirby Squeak Squad and with Kirby from Kirby 64) in Brawl, two trophies for the 3DS/Wii U game, a trophy for his Final Smash in the Wii U game and two Spirits (a Fighter Spirit and an Advance-rank Primary Spirit of Masked Dedede) in Ultimate.

Brawl: The Subspace Emissary

King Dedede played a pivotal role in Brawl's "The Subspace Emissary". He knew of Tabuu's plan and his ability to turn all of the fighters into trophies and so developed special time-activated brooches baring his face that would restore those turned into trophies. He initially had only three, and he set out to collect those whom had already been turned into trophies. He first attacked Luigi and turned him into a trophy in order to lure Wario out of his hover car. Dedede then hijacked the hover car and took Wario's trophies with it, then had his Waddle Dees retrieve the Luigi trophy from Wario. The other trophies Wario had were Ness and either Princess Peach or Princess Zelda. He put the brooches on Luigi and Ness, then had to give up his own brooch to put it on the princess while intending to make another for himself later.

Soon afterwards, Bowser attacked his castle and caused the ceiling to cave in, which turned Dedede into a trophy. However, Bowser was only able to take away the trophy of the princess. The brooches activated after most of the world had been taken into Subspace and all of the heroes had been turned into trophies. Luigi and Ness were restored, and they then restored Dedede. Together the three explored Subspace and set about rescuing most of the trophies and restoring them, while Kirby (who had swallowed the brooch that fell off the princess out of curiosity) saved the rest. Dedede even restored Bowser and then battled him, then showed him that Tabuu was the true enemy. Dedede was also actually happy to see Kirby again and embraced him. After being taunted by their new ally Wario, Dedede and his two companions saluted together and joined with the main party for the final battles.

Other Media

• King Dedede has appeared as a main character in the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. In this version he constantly makes efforts to defeat or defame Kirby, or to further his own selfish ambitions, usually with the aid of monsters he purchases from Nightmare Enterprises. He is usually accompanied by his sidekick, a snail named Escargoon. The American dub of this anime portrayed Dedede with a Texan accent.

Trivia

• King Dedede's name is sometimes spelled King DeDeDe or King De De De.
• He has appeared in every Kirby game except for Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, although a collectible figurine of Dedede appeared in the latter game.
• Although he did not appear as a Super Smash Bros. fighter until Brawl, he had initially been planned to appear in the original Super Smash Bros. as one of the fighters along with several of the other villains until the idea was cut, and he was also considered for Melee as a backup character in case they were not allowed to use Marth.