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King Dedede

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For fighter info, see King Dedede (SSBB), King Dedede (SSB4), and King Dedede (SSBU).
King Dedede
File:King Dedede KSA.png
KirbySymbol.svg

Official artwork of King Dedede from Kirby Star Allies.

Universe Kirby
Debut Kirby's Dream Land (1992)
Smash Bros. appearances SSB
Melee
Brawl
SSB4
Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance Kirby Star Allies (2018)
Console/platform of origin Game Boy
Species Unknown (presumably avian)
Gender Male
Place of origin Dream Land
Created by Masahiro Sakurai
Designed by Masahiro Sakurai
Voice actor Masahiro Sakurai
Article on Wikirby King Dedede

King Dedede (デデデ大王 Great King Dedede) is a character from the Kirby series. Although he occasionally appears as a villain, he is more commonly an anti-hero or even a hero.

Character description

Artwork of King Dedede from Kirby's Dream Land 2. This design influenced his appearance in Smash 64.

King Dedede is the selfish, self-proclaimed king of Dream Land who has appeared as Kirby's rival and nemesis in several Kirby games since Kirby's Dream Land. He is a hammer-wielding penguin-like being with fine robes and a greedy disposition. His outfit consists of a fur-trimmed red coat over a striped obi. His powers are vaguely similar to Kirby's; he is able to suck up enemies and spit them out as projectiles (though unlike Kirby, he cannot copy a foe's ability) and puff himself up and float (although he only gained this ability through rigorous training after his first defeat at Kirby's hands). In early Kirby games and spin-off titles, Dedede is depicted as the central antagonist, but he has slowly evolved out of this role, although he remains the most well-known antagonist in the series.

In fact, a common misconception about King Dedede is that he is an "evil" character. He seems to be more selfish than evil, and appears to otherwise have a good heart. King Dedede's evil actions range from stealing food from the Dream Land residents in Kirby's Dream Land to stealing all the stars from the sky in Kirby's Dream Course. In other games, such as Kirby's Dream Land 3 and Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Dedede's evil actions are not from his own volition; he is manipulated by a greater evil through mind control or possession. His intentions are also occasionally misguided; in Kirby's Adventure, Dedede breaks the Star Rod (the power source of the Fountain of Dreams) to protect Dream Land from the evil Nightmare, but its inhabitants are unable to dream as a consequence.

Dedede's relationship with Kirby also varies, from a rival to a partner. While he appears to view Kirby with general annoyance or reluctant friendship, Kirby himself bears no such grudge. The duo partake in friendly speed-eating contests in Kirby Super Star's Gourmet Race sub-game, and Dedede even teams up with Kirby as a playable character in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and Kirby Star Allies.

In Smash Bros., he is voiced by his creator, Masahiro Sakurai, who also voiced Dedede in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. His appearance in the Smash Bros. series is primarily influenced by Kirby Super Star. However, there are additional details original to the series, such as his kimono-like robes and mechanically-enhanced hammer. This design later influenced other Kirby games, including Kirby Mass Attack and Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

In Super Smash Bros.

King Dedede, as he appears in the background of Dream Land in Super Smash Bros.
King Dedede as he appeared in the background of the Dream Land stage in Super Smash Bros.

In the original Super Smash Bros., King Dedede only made a mere brief cameo in the background of the Dream Land stage. However, according to a page on the Japanese Super Smash Bros. site, King Dedede was planned to be included as a playable character, but was cut; Bowser and Mewtwo are also mentioned as having been planned but cut, though no other information is available. [1]

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

King Dedede only reappeared in the Dream Land stage once again, and also making another appearance as a trophy.

As a trophy

King Dedede makes an appearance as one of the collectible trophies in the game that can be found through the Trophy Lottery.

Trophy description

King Dedede trophy from Super Smash Bros. Melee.
King Dedede's trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Dedede is the self-proclaimed king of Dream Land. While he says he's king, Dedede prefers no administrative functions and the citizens of Dream Land continue to live as they always have. He's able to suck in air and fly like Kirby does, but only as a result of vigorous training he undertook after being bested by Kirby.
  • Kirby's Dream Land 9/92

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a playable character

Main article: King Dedede (SSBB)
Taken from Smash Bros Dojo!!.
King Dedede in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

King Dedede is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, making him the third playable character from the Kirby series. He wields his trademark hammer, swinging it in most of his standard attacks, like the Ice Climbers, and has very powerful hammer-based attacks. His special moves are Inhale, Waddle Dee Toss, Super Dedede Jump, and Jet Hammer. Inhale is very similar to Kirby's trademark move, but King Dedede lacks the ability to copy abilities. Waddle Dee Toss lets the king throw his minions at foes, sometimes producing not only Waddle Dees but also more deadly Waddle Doos and Gordos. It is also possible for Dedede to throw out capsules containing items. Super Dedede Jump is an effective recovery move, sending King Dedede high into the air, then crashing into the ground to damage foes. He can also cancel out of doing this. Finally, King Dedede mechanizes his hammer with Jet Hammer. The hammer's power is charged up by holding the special attack button, and then released for a mighty swing. King Dedede incurs damage after charging for too long, however. His dash attack, forward smash, Inhale and Super Dedede Jump all come from Kirby's Dream Land.

Like other playable characters, King Dedede appears visually similar to his canon incarnations, but greatly enhanced graphically; most notably, his usually-exposed girth (other than his patterned waistband) is now covered by fine robes of a similar color, making his overall wear resemble a kimono. Additionally, his alternate costumes not only change the color of his outfit, but the design on his waistband, as well.

King Dedede currently ranks 12th on the tier list in C+ tier.

Trophy

King Dedede trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
King Dedede trophy in Brawl.

The self-styled king of the amazingly peaceful Dream Land. He continually does things unbecoming a king, like stealing the kingdom's food supplies or all the stars from the sky. He's not all bad, though, and sometimes performs good deeds. While he and Kirby often battle, they've been known to compete good-natured at speed-eating contests and minigames.

Game Boy: Kirby's Dream Land
N64: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Stickers

Name Game Effect Characters
King Dedede & Kirby Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards AttackSpecialsDirect+021SpecialsDirect.png Attack +21 Kirby Meta Knight King DededeKirbyHeadSSBB.pngMetaKnightHeadSSBB.pngKingDededeHeadSSBB.png
King Dedede Kirby Super Star AttackLeg+028TypeIcon(Foot).png Attack +28 Kirby Meta Knight King DededeKirbyHeadSSBB.pngMetaKnightHeadSSBB.pngKingDededeHeadSSBB.png
King Dedede Kirby: Squeak Squad AttackThrowing+030TypeIcon(Throwing).png Attack +30 King DededeKingDededeHeadSSBB.png
Brawl Sticker King Dedede & Kirby (Kirby 64).png
King Dedede & Kirby
(Kirby 64)
Brawl Sticker King Dedede (Kirby Super Star).png
King Dedede
(Kirby Super Star)
Brawl Sticker King Dedede (Kirby Squeak Squad).png
King Dedede
(Kirby Squeak Squad)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

As a playable character

Main article: King Dedede (SSB4)
King Dedede as he appears in Super Smash Bros. 4.
King Dedede, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. 4.

King Dedede returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He has a more cartoonish look than his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, reminiscent of his appearance in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. He has gained a new Final Smash, Dedede Burst.

King Dedede has seen a large fall from his previous tier list spot for Brawl, now ranking 52nd out of 55 characters for SSB4. While still maintaining his high power and disjointed reach with his hammer, he lost his effective chain grab, a technique removed from SSB4. This removes what made him so effective in Brawl. His back aerial was also changed for the worse, no longer being as versatile as it once was. King Dedede also has a new side special: Gordo Throw. Since he now throws only Gordos, the new move has consistent power compared to the random nature of Waddle Dee Toss. However, this new attack can also be a hindrance for Dedede, as the Gordos are easily sent back to him by reflectors or any attack that does 2% or higher. His large size also makes him vulnerable to combos, as well as camping due to his slow movement. Due to the loss of his effectiveness from Brawl, Dedede is regarded generally poorly in competitive play despite some notably high tournament results from players like Big D and Zaki.

Trophies

King Dedede
North America 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.
Europe Being a self-proclaimed king, Dedede clearly doesn't care too much about the whole "politics" things. He's just a bit greedy. In this game, his weight and hefty hammer make him slow, but he can still jump four times in mid-air anyway, making it easy for him to get back to the stage. Fully charge his Jet Hammer for ultimate destruction.
King Dedede (Alt.)
North America 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!
Europe For the Gordo Throw side special, King Dedede hits a Gordo with his hammer, sending it bouncing along the stage. It'll bounce off walls, or sometimes get stuck in them. Then, after a while, it'll disappear. If an enemy hits the Gordo with an attack, it'll fly back towards you. Use the special again to whack it back at them!

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a playable character

Main article: King Dedede (SSBU)
King Dedede, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

King Dedede returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His appearance is very similar to his appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. His Final Smash has been replaced yet again and is now called Dede-Rush. It is described as a "Cage Fight" where, in his "Masked Dedede" form, he attacks any trapped opponents with a barrage of missiles and his Jet Hammer. Unlike Brawl and Smash 4, he is an unlockable character rather than a starter character.

Spirits

Trivia

  • In Melee, King Dedede's German name is König Nickerchen, while in Brawl it is König Dedede, a direct translation of his name.
  • In some languages, King Dedede's name is pronounced as "Dee-Dee-Dee" (like English) and others as "Day-Day-Day" (like Japanese).
    • Additionally, the announcer does not say King Dedede's title in Japanese; he is simply referred to as "Dedede".
  • King Dedede is one of two playable characters to appear in every game of the series who was not playable in every iteration, the other being Charizard.
  • King Dedede is the only playable Kirby character in the Super Smash Bros. series who does not speak dialogue, and whose voice is not reprised by his voice actor from the Kirby anime series (Kenichi Ogata).
  • In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, the Hammer ability received a new move called Hammer Twirl, which is directly inspired by King Dedede's down aerial from Brawl in which he twirls his hammer below himself.
  • King Dedede is one of four characters to have appeared since Brawl to have a different Final Smash across every installment; the other three are Pit, Zero Suit Samus, and R.O.B..
    • He is also the only Kirby character to never keep a Final Smash, as Kirby keeps his Smash 4 Final Smash in Ultimate, and Meta Knight keeps his Brawl Final Smash in Smash 4.

References