King Dedede
- For fighter info, see King Dedede (SSBB), King Dedede (SSB4), and King Dedede (SSBU).
| King Dedede | |
|---|---|
File:King Dedede KSA.png
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 |
| 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 the primary antagonist (and occasional anti-hero or even hero) from the Kirby series.
Character Description
King Dedede is the selfish, self-proclaimed king of Dream Land. He has appeared as Kirby's rival and nemesis in many Kirby games since Kirby's Dream Land. He is a hammer-wielding penguin-like being with fine robes and a greedy disposition. His powers are vaguely similar to Kirby's; he is able to puff himself up and float (although he only gained this ability through rigorous training after his first defeat at Kirby's hands), and suck up enemies and spit them out as projectiles (unlike Kirby, he cannot copy a foe's ability). While his more heinous actions are influenced by being possessed by Dark Matter, he is usually considered to be the main villain of the Kirby series.
However, 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 actions range from stealing food from the Dream Land residents in Kirby's Dream Land to breaking the Star Rod, source of power in the Fountain of Dreams, into seven pieces in Kirby's Adventure (although this latter was to protect Dream Land from an evil it did not know about). However, he is not above teaming up with Kirby as a friendly rival on occasion, such as in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, or Kirby: Canvas Curse. King Dedede's relationship with Kirby is more along the lines of friendly competition, begrudging admiration, and annoyance on both sides than flat-out hatred or villainy. King Dedede also appears helping Kirby as a playable character in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
In Smash Bros., he is voiced by Super Smash Bros. and Kirby series creator, Masahiro Sakurai, who also voiced Dedede in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.
Dedede's designs in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4 are inspired by his renditions in Kirby games in which his head is smaller and his body is larger. In his most recent titles, Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Dedede's head is larger and his body is smaller, akin to his pre-Kirby: Squeak Squad designs. Many of his expressions in the latter Smash Bros. game are also taken from the aforementioned games.
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
- 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
- Main article: King Dedede (SSBB)
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 uncovered girth (other than his patterned waistband, that is) is now covered by fine robes of a similar color, making his overall wear resemble a kimono. He also has several interesting costume colors, which not only change the color, but the design on his waistband too.
King Dedede currently ranks 12th on the tier list in C+ tier.
Trophy
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.
: Kirby's Dream Land
: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Stickers
| Name | Game | Effect | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Dedede & Kirby | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards |  Attack +21
|
  
|
| King Dedede | Kirby Super Star |  Attack +28
|
|
| King Dedede | Kirby: Squeak Squad |  Attack +30
|
|
.png) King Dedede & Kirby (Kirby 64) |
.png) King Dedede (Kirby Super Star) |
.png) King Dedede (Kirby Squeak Squad) |
In Super Smash Bros. 4
- Main article: King Dedede (SSB4)
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.
Trophies
- King Dedede
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.
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.)
- 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!
- 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!
Classic (3DS)
Classic (Wii U)
- KingDededeAllStarTrophy3DS.png
Alt. (3DS)
Alt. (Wii U)
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Main article: King Dedede (SSBU)
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. It is described as a "Cage Fight" where Masked Dedede attacks any trapped opponents with a barrage of missiles and his Jet Hammer.
Trivia
- In Melee, King Dedede's German name is König Nickerchen, while in Brawl it is König Dedede, a direct translation of his name.
- King Dedede, Charizard, and Ridley are the only three playable characters to appear in some form in every Super Smash Bros. game while not being playable in every game. In case of Dedede, he was both a background character and a trophy before his playable debut.
- King Dedede is the only 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 (Ken'ichi 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.
References
 Kirby universe
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|---|---|
| Fighters | Kirby (SSB · SSBM · SSBB · SSB4 · SSBU) · Meta Knight (SSBB · SSB4 · SSBU) · King Dedede (SSBB · SSB4 · SSBU) |
| Assist Trophies | Knuckle Joe · Nightmare · Chef Kawasaki |
| Bosses | Giant Kirby · Marx |
| Stages | Dream Land · Fountain of Dreams · Green Greens · Halberd · Dream Land GB · The Great Cave Offensive |
| Items | Maxim Tomato · Star Rod · Parasol · Warp Star · Apple · Dragoon · Superspicy Curry · Bomber |
| Enemies | Bonkers · Bronto Burt · Gordo · Parasol Waddle Dee · Plasma Wisp · Shotzo · Tac · Waddle Dee · Waddle Doo |
| Other | Gourmet Race · Whispy Woods |
| Trophies, Stickers and Spirits | Trophies (SSBM · SSBB · SSB4) · Stickers · Spirits |
| Music | Brawl · SSB4 · Ultimate |
| Masterpieces | Kirby's Dream Land · Kirby's Adventure · Kirby Super Star |
