King Dedede

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" “ I'll be the one to keep the peace! ” ― King Dedede • Kirby Star Allies" " “ Make way for the king of Dream Land! I'm big and burly, just like my hammer. You won't get far without me...so I'm coming too! ” ― King Dedede • Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe" " “ Sing when you want to sing, dance when you want to dance! Everyday, have fun and enjoy life! That’s what it means to be a Great King! ” ― King Dedede • King Dedede’s Great Escape Strategy (translated by deafeninggardenerpanda)"

King Dedede is one of the main deuteragonists of the Kirby franchise, initially introduced as the first antagonist before quickly growing out of that role. He's the self-made king of Dream Land and a good friend of Kirby's, although he prefers to be seen as his "destined rival." He has been a major character in the series ever since the first game, Kirby's Dream Land, and despite debuting as a misguided antagonist driven by his own selfish desires, he has grown into one of Kirby's closest allies and a selfless hero in his own right, helping or straight up accompanying his former nemesis on many adventures.

While he may "rule over" Dream Land, he doesn't exactly care to use his power for anything other than being pampered. He lives in his own castle (named Castle Dedede) atop Mt. Dedede with his massive following of Waddle Dees who serve him purely out of respect and admiration, and although he may not always show it, Dedede is appreciative and grateful of them, even being willing to risk his own life for their safety.

Despite his lazy and carefree personality, Dedede is also an incredibly powerful and determined fighter who is always striving to become stronger, motivated by his rivalry with Kirby. For this reason, he will always be eager to participate in a friendly competition or a challenge (usually because it was issued by him to begin with).

Classic Era (Kirby's Dream Land to Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards)
" “ Surely King Dedede would never steal all the food in the kingdom and hoard it for himself... Why would he do such a vile deed?! ” ― King Dedede 's pause screen description as a boss • Kirby Star Allies"

In his debut, Kirby's Dream Land (as well as its remakes as "Spring Breeze" in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra), King Dedede is established as the top fighter in Dream Land, and he has an arena in his castle where he is the champion and adored by his audience. However, his hubris lead him to believe that he could get away with stealing all the food in Dream Land and its Sparkling Stars. Thankfully, he was quickly thwarted by a pink ball of stars who recently flew in on the spring breeze, Kirby! That first defeat served as a humbling lesson for Dedede, and in the secret ending of the game's Extra Mode, Kirby is the one who tries to comfort him after his loss, despite the fact that it was Kirby who was responsible for Dedede's defeat.

In the second game in the series, Kirby's Adventure, Dedede initially appears to be villain of the game once again, as he has stolen and shattered the sacred Star Rod from the Fountain of Dreams. However his intentions were not to cause mischief, but actually to prevent the true villain, Nightmare, from using it for his own malicious purposes. Kirby was not aware of that at the time, which led to him unknowingly freeing Nightmare after defeating Dedede again. Nightmare's appearance made both Kirby and Dedede panic, but it was Dedede who helped launch Kirby into battling Nightmare, and ultimately vanquishing him once and for all.

From that point forward, Dedede would only fight Kirby when possessed and controlled against his will by evil forces (or self-defense in Squeak Squad's case), and would always return to his senses after being defeated by Kirby. Notably, in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, after Dedede is possessed and freed once more, he actually joins Kirby and his friends on their quest, despite initially seeming reluctant to do so. According to the Japanese website, his motivation for joining is because he was worried about the kids going on such a dangerous trip, and over the course of the adventure, he grows closer to them, having picnics and sitting on the beach with them, letting Kirby piggyback ride on him, helping Adeline escape from an erupting volcano, being sad to leave Ripple Star in the bad ending, and being concerned when Kirby falls over in the good ending. Regardless of which ending, Dedede would've grown attached to his new friends, but in both endings, he still tries to hide it. So, even in the early days of the series history, Dedede is shown to have a big heart and care for others, but seems to try to conceal his true feelings, likely because he wants to be seen as tough and aloof and fears that outwardly showing affection might make him look "softer." This is brought up in the Kirby Portal Personality Quiz, when you get King Dedede as the result.

" “ As a “King Dedede” type, your sense of responsibility is stronger than that of most people, and you firmly believe you can do anything as long as you try hard enough. Adding to that, being trusted by others often brings you great joy and gets you motivated. Since you also have determination, you’re good at putting together a team and acting as its leader. While you are thoughtful and considerate, you’re also the type to not directly show your emotions and affection to others. You might want to try expressing your honest feelings to another person some time. ” ― Kirby Personality Quiz when King Dedede is the result (translated by kaialone) • Kirby Portal"

Modern Era (Kirby Super Star Ultra and Onwards)
This leads to Kirby Super Star Ultra 's Revenge of the King, where King Dedede challenges Kirby to a rematch, and pulls out all the stops in an attempt to defeat him, including the introduction of a new secret weapon and a new masked alter-ego. The match takes place in the same arena where Kirby and Dedede first fought, but this time in an electric cage, with the only spectator being Bandana Waddle Dee, who Dedede chose to spare from fighting Kirby. Dedede shows respect for Kirby as an equal, even giving him a hammer of his own so they can fight fair and square. The Great King said it himself: "Our grudge will be settled at last." And when Dedede ultimately loses once again, he doesn't throw a tantrum or demand another rematch, but instead humbly accepts his defeat, as he shamefully walks towards the setting sun, with his retinue of Waddle Dees in tow, choosing to stay by his side despite his losses, showing that they follow him not because of his self-imposed title, but because they genuinely respect and admire him as a person.

This brings us to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, which marks the first time Dedede is member of the playable cast, being a hero alongside Kirby and friends willingly and happily from the very start of the game, and he has stayed as one of Kirby's closest friends since. The plot of Kirby: Triple Deluxe even entirely revolves around Kirby going out of his way to rescue the King after he was kidnapped by Taranza, with Dedede returning the favor by saving Kirby from the clutches of Queen Sectonia in the final act, being the only reason Kirby was able to succeed. In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Dedede selflessly sacrifices himself for a single normal Waddle Dee after Kirby snaps him out of being mind-controlled again, showing just how much he's grown from the childish tyrant he was in the first game.

He has gone from self ish to self less. He has gone from a "Self-Proclaimed" King, to a Self-Made one. He's not a villain, or a frenemy, or an anti-hero, but a blatant unambiguous hero who has grown into his role as the rightful ruler of Dream Land, and until the rest of the world is able to recognize that, he's going to keep on hammering it home. " “ Once a Great King becomes a great person, he’s gotta commit to the act and stay with it ‘till the very end! ” ― King Dedede • King Dedede’s Great Escape Strategy (translated by deafeninggardenerpanda)"

Macho of Dedede
" “ The king of Dream Land! This big dude is one tough cookie. With his trusty hammer, it’s aim once, WHAM once! ” ― King Dedede ' s pause screen description • Kirby's Return to Dream Land" According to the boss description of Dedede Clone in Kirby: Planet Robobot, King Dedede is considered to be one of the strongest beings on Planet Popstar, which is very credible considering the fact that pause screen descriptions in Kirby series are usually sources of important lore. In the Super Smash Bros. series' codec call easter eggs, Otacon from the Metal Gear series comments that with a single swing of his hammer, Dedede could potentially level an entire building. As his rival, Dedede should be comparable to Kirby, who can crack Planet Popstar in two in Kirby Super Star 's Megaton Punch, send a meteor 9999 light years away with a swing of a baseball bat in Kirby Star Allies ' Star Slam Heroes, and has been stated to wield infinite power in his pause description in Kirby: Planet Robobot. It should be addressed that an interview establishes that while non-canonical, extra content are there to show what Kirby characters are truly capable of outside the main story. With that in mind, in sub-games like The True Arena, Dededetour!, Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! and The Ultimate Choice, Dedede is shown to be just as capable as Kirby when it comes to defeating powerful foes like Galacta Knight, Magolor Soul, Dark Meta Knight, Morpho Knight, and Void, all of which could threaten planets, stars, galaxies, and maybe even entire dimensions. Perhaps the reason Dedede gets possessed so often is because the villains of the series fear and desire his power.

Also, much like Kirby, Dedede has many strange abilities and powers. He can hover by inflating himself just like a balloon, a technique he copied from Kirby, and according to his trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, he had train extensively to do so. Another ability Dedede shares with his rival is the ability to inhale, but strangely enough, Dedede already had this move since the very first game despite having never met Kirby up to that point. Notably, ever since Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Dedede's inhale has gotten a significant upgrade and has been officially renamed to the ビッグバンすいこみ (Big Bang Inhale, Big Bang being the Japanese name of Hypernova) in the Japanese version. If taken literally, this means that Dedede could potentially inhale the same things Hypernova Kirby can without a Miracle Fruit. Among his other abilities, he can ignite his hammer for moves like the decisive Dedede Hammer Flip, or the Hammer Twirl in Dededetour!. In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, he can cause icy spikes to erupt from the ground by hitting it hard enough (using a large pillar that he's strong enough to swing around). In Kirby's Pinball Land, Dedede can shoot lightning out of his hands. None of these elemental abilities are explained.

Outside of his abilities, Dedede's masked alter ego, Masked Dedede, has been implied by Shinya Kumazaki to have connections to the final boss of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Dark Mind. It would explain why Taranza (who also has connections to the Dimension Mirror) was able to give it to Dedede in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, but it only makes the question of how Dedede got his hands on that power-amplifying mask in the first place even more of a mystery, and it wouldn't be the last, as Dedede would go on to have more masked battles as Waning Crescent Masked Dedede (with Waxing Crescent Masked Meta Knight) in Kirby Fighters 2, and Forgo Dedede in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, with the last-mentioned actually made to brainwash Dedede even further, as he was already seen to be brainwashed earlier in his first encounter with Kirby in that game. However, the fact that the Beast Pack felt the need to further cloud his mind, implies that Dedede was beginning to fight off being controlled. He can even be seen trying to take off the mask right before the battle with Forgo Dedede, meaning that Dedede's will is growing strong enough to start resisting being controlled, even if it's by a little bit.

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Related Characters

 * Kirby, the King's Destined Rival
 * Meta Knight, the King's Sworn Partner

Similar Characters

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * They both debuted as misguided antagonists, before becoming allies to the main heroes and forming a close bond with them, though still butting heads and competing on occasion as friendly rivals. They both also have incredible physical strength and are capable of flight through different and equally absurd methods despite being based off of flightless animals. Though they may be prideful and stubborn, they both have hearts of gold and care deeply about their friends. They both are versatile characters, capable of being comedic knuckleheads and also being taken seriously as tough fighters. They both have a strong sense of responsibility, but usually don't do much as things are usually very peaceful on their home up high, however, when trouble arises, they will always be there to help protect their friends and save the world. They both have a history of being manipulated by the true villains, albeit in different ways as Knuckles is usually tricked by Eggman, while Dedede is always forced against his will via possession or brainwashing. They both shattered and scattered a sacred ancient power to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands (the Star Rod and the Master Emerald respectively). And finally, they both have become widely popular memes, thanks to animated adaptations that make them seem less intelligent and capable than they actually are in canon (Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and Sonic Boom respectively).
 * Donkey Kong
 * They both are big and burly powerhouses, who are friendly rivals to the main heroes, and though they both may seem childish and foolish at times, they are reliable heroes in their own right. Although they both hold the title of "king" (DK is often called the "king of the jungle", and in both the Donkey Kong Country TV series and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, he is the heir to the throne of his island), they're too carefree to do any actual ruling. Donkey Kong's appearance in Mario vs. Donkey Kong parallels Dedede's first appearance in Kirby's Dream Land, where DK is the antagonist who stole toys purely out of childish selfishness, but later reconciled with Mario after being comforted by him after his defeat. In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Donkey Kong is a showboating fighter who, while bitter about being defeated by Mario in front of an audience, still clearly enjoys teaming up with him, even if he's too prideful to admit it, which is very similar to Dedede's relationship with Kirby early in the series. Donkey Kong is also seen as a big brother figure to Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, the same way Dedede is to Kirby and his Waddle Dees, speaking of which, they both will choose to save others over themselves when it comes down to it, such Dedede sacrificing himself for a Waddle Dee in Kirby in the Forgotten Land, and DK punching Diddy to safety in Super Smash Bros. Brawl 's Subspace Emissary mode. Both also have a reputation for being memed, because of the goofy comical expressions they make. And finally, they both starred in spin-off rhythm games about drums (Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe and the Donkey Konga series respectively).