Kirby: Right Back at Ya!

Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, known in Japan as Kirby of the Stars (星のカービィ, Hoshi no Kābī), is an anime series based on the Kirby franchise. The series was produced by Warpstar Inc., a company formed between a joint investment between Nintendo and HAL Laboratory, Inc.

Premise
The series is about the adventures of Kirby and his friends after his Warp Star crash lands on the planet Pop Star, in the country of Dream Land. In this series, Kirby is a legendary Star Warrior destined to save Dream Land from destruction by the evil Nightmare. King Dedede, the ruler of Dream Land, wants to drive Kirby away, and orders up fearsome monsters from Nightmare's company, Nightmare Enterprises. The monsters usually end up attacking Kirby and the people of Dream Land, but Kirby and friends always save the day.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya! uses the characters and concepts from the preceding game series as a basis rather than copying the games' events and lore word-for-word. It is best viewed as an alternate universe, having no direct connection to timeline of the events in the games. Being self-contained, it is easier for those unfamiliar with the game series to understand it.

The series is rifled with satire and parody, some of it self-referential in nature. Homages to old movies are common, as are references to modern popular culture, politics and news events.

Story
Centuries ago, The Evil Demon known as Nightmare, craving the rule of the universe, made himself known and created a company called Nightmare Enterprises. It was to function as a front, and fund his operations and manufacturing of great armies of monsters, which he used to take over much of the galaxy. His actions devastated countless planets. There were those who stood to combat his evil, and they are the Star Warriors and the Galaxy Soldier Army. Both sides fought for many thousands of years, but Nightmare's monsters outnumbered them and only Meta Knight survived to see the aftermath.

Nightmare eventually threatens the peaceful country of Dream Land on the planet Pop Star, as it seems likely to be Nightmare's next target. The inhabitants are told that legendary hero will come to save them - the Star Warrior, Kirby of the Stars.

Everyone is quite surprised when Kirby's ship crashes close to Cappytown (Pupu Village in Japanese). At first glance, he doesn't look like much, as Kirby is tiny, round, pink, and only a baby! However, he is quick to save anyone who is in danger and soon befriends the siblings Tiff and Tuff (Fumu and Bun in Japanese), along with their friends (servants) Fololo and Falala (Lololo and Lalala).

The mean ruler of Dream Land, King Dedede, is jealous and suspicious of Kirby the moment his starship crashes. He and his sidekick Escargoon (Escargon) try to get rid of Kirby with creatures and machines provided by Nightmare. The attempts always fail, however, due to Kirby's natural abilities in one way or another. Just as in the games, Kirby can inhale enemies and gain the use of their powers.

The series deals with Kirby's day-to-day trials, and how he grows and becomes stronger before his final battle against Nightmare. Story progression is slow paced, and themes mostly light-hearted with some darker undercurents running throughout. Although the series is episodic and episodes are mostly self-contained, because of some story-arcs it is best to watch them in order.

Development
In an interview, producer Soji Yoshikawa speaks at length about the challenges faced by the creators of the Kirby anime. He expressed worry about potential failure, as past videogame to anime adaptations did not go well, but as time went on, he began to see a character with strength, and felt that it could be successful.

Two of the main challenges were set by Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai. He said that there were to be no humans, and Kirby must not speak.[citation needed] Yoshikawa acknowledges the difficulty of having a main character who does not speak, as well as coming up with entirely unique settings and characters. Without any humans in the cast, he likens it to the Finnish series The Moomins, which was quite popular in Japan.

The series is animated with combined 3DCG and traditional 2D drawings, and as a result, animators were able to use a much higher framerate than most TV anime, anywhere from 1.5-3x more on average. About 10,000 frames are used in each episode, compared to the 4000-5000 used by most TV anime of the same length.

The main concern was to have as much movement as possible, as Japanese animation has come to rely on shortcuts to reduce production costs. The success becomes apparent upon watching, as the character animations are fluid and there is a low incidence of stock footage or still frames. Despite being such a long series, there is no degradation of the animation quality towards the end.

Nintendo had big plans for releasing the series in the US, putting $10 million dollars into an advertising campaign to make Kirby "the next Pikachu", Kirby has enjoyed high levels of popularity and financial success in Japan, selling a wide range of merchandise. Unfortunately, Nintendo's efforts in the US appear to be unsuccessful, judging by comparatively lackluster reviews and TV ratings the animated series received there. The official websites had much information about Kirby toys and other merchandise, but almost nothing was actually released outside of DVDs.

By 2010, nearly all merchandise regarding the Kirby anime ran out of print worldwide, especially in Japan.

Main characters

 * Kirby (Makiko Omoto)
 * Tiff (Kerry Williams)
 * Tuff (Kayzie Rogers)
 * Meta Knight (Eric Stuart)
 * King Dedede (Richard Yearwood)
 * Escargoon (Ted Lewis)
 * Customer Service (Dan Green)
 * Nightmare (Andrew Rannells)

See also:
 * List of minor characters in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
 * Demon Beast

Broadcast
In Japan, the series was first aired by Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. on October 6, 2001, and finished in 2003 after 100 episodes. The second broadcasting began on June 28, 2007 on the Tokyo Metropolitan Television station and ended after May 21, 2009.

The anime was licensed in North America by 4Kids Entertainment under the title Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and aired on 4Kids TV (formerly known as FoxBox). airing ended in 2006 in the US. The second broadcasting began on June 21, 2008 until October 2009 at 11am on Saturday mornings on 4Kids TV, and for a time, the content was available via the 4Kids Video On Demand Service and at www.4Kids.TV. As of the year 2009, 4Kids no longer holds the license for the show, but the exact date when the license expired is not known.

The series has been released on digital media in other languages, including Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Serbian, Korean and Hebrew.

Digital Distribution
As of June 2011, all 100 episodes of the original Japanese version are available on the Wii no Ma, (lit. Door/Gateway of Wii) which is the Wii's video-on-demand service, with each episodes worth 100 Wii Points. There is an additional video within Kirby's section (also worth 100 Wii points) showcasing all of Kirby's copy abilities as seen in the anime.

On June 23rd 2011,, Nintendo released the 4Kids version to Australia / New Zealand and much of Europe through the Wii Channel. Every Monday and Thursday, a new episode is added to the channel, with older ones being relegated to an archive, which is available for intermittent viewing. The planned release schedule will not be covering all 100 episodes dubbed by 4Kids, but rather only about 50. At two releases per week, the schedule spans 6 months.

The list of European countries it is available in is: the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Australia and New Zealand.

Home Video Release


Funimation Entertainment was the main DVD licensor to the 4Kids dub of Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. All the DVDs show the edited TV dub version only. Most of these DVDs are still available as new and used copies. Uncut DVDs are not available.

Kirby: Right Back At Ya! was released in 3 volumes with 3 episodes in each:
 * Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Volume 1: Kirby Comes to Cappytown (Episodes 1-3) (Released 12th Nov 2002)
 * Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Volume 2: A Dark and Stormy Knight (Episodes 4-6) (Released 20th Jun 2004)
 * Kirby: Right Back At Ya! Volume 3: Kirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure (Episodes 7-9) (Released 4th Nov 2003)

The Final Five Episodes were released in a movie format:


 * Kirby: Fright to the Finish - Movie (Episodes 96-100) (Released: 14th Jun 2005)

Other sets:

Funimation was also planning to release "Escargoon Squad" on DVD, but was canceled in 2006.
 * Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Cook Kirby (Episodes 11, 27) (Released 15th Nov 2005)
 * Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Ice Kirby (Episodes 66, 20) (Released 15th Nov 2005)
 * Kirby's Adventures in Cappytown (Episodes 1-7) (Released 19th Feb 2008)
 * Kirby: Cappy New Year & Other Kirby Adventures (Episodes 8-14) (Released 30th Sep 2008)

Satire and Parody
While a great many video game to anime adaptations are created for the sole purpose of merchandising, the creators of Kirby had the goal as they had when creating the games themselves - to create something that could be enjoyed by anyone. The director described his vision for the show as a 'Life Drama'.

The show is rife with references to popular culture, history, current events and classic literature. Many episodes deal with what was current news and politics in Japan, from issues to North Korea to the very common theme of environmental protection. They even poke fun at American president George W. Bush by having the main villain Dedede make comments about 'Axis of Evil' and 'Weapons of Mass "DeDeDestruction"'.

Old American movies are commonly referenced, including King Kong, Gone with the Wind, Planet of the Apes, Modern Times, newer classics like Jurassic Park, and the works of Alfred Hitchcock such as Psycho and The Birds. Of course, classic Japanese movies such as Mothra get their screentime as well, in addition to others that might be more obscure to American audiences.

Books referenced range from the classic Don Quixote to the current hit Harry Potter novels, and even the Holy Bible.

One episode's plot strongly references a period of history known as the Chinese Cultural Revolution, except the ones revolting are the Waddle Dees.

Game Differences
For those familiar with the lore in the game series, the anime has some rather different takes to certain characters and events, and this discrepancy has resulted in a varied range of opinions in the Kirby fandom.

In fact, the anime was closely supervised by the same people who worked on the games, including Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai. In an interview with Famitsu Magazine he is quoted as saying, "I was considerably involved with the production of the anime. The aim was to create an anime that could be enjoyed by children and parents as much as they enjoyed the games. At first, 'Kirby' began as a game that even a beginner could enjoy. I believe such a spirit was achieved in the anime."

One of the largest deviations from the games is Kirby's status as a legendary Star Warrior who is to Pop Star. In the games, he isn't described as being any kind of special soldier, nor are there any legends associated with him. Star Warriors are a concept unique to the anime.

Although it has always been hinted that Kirby is young, Kirby's age is lowered even more in the anime, to imply that he is only a baby, which is the explanation for why he doesn't talk as Sakurai mandated. While many characters from the games appear, they are often more or less changed to better fit in.

Dedede and Meta Knight lose certain abillities in the anime. Meta Knight is never shown with wings or flying abillities, while Dedede is unable to float or inhale enemies.

In addition, Dedede is portrayed as an evil(ish) character in the show, and his looks are slightly changed to reflect that as well. In the games, Dedede is not evil, but just tends to be a bit of a nuisance. The basis and means of aggression between Kirby and Dedede in the games is not nearly as severe as in the animated series.

Certain characters in the anime are enemies/bosses in the games, but are friendly towards Kirby in the anime. Chef Kawasaki, Meta Knight, Bonkers, Lololo and Lalala, and the Cappies are prime examples of this statement.

Kirby's inhaling ability is a lot more powerful than what it was in the games.

Influences to the Games
There are a few features from the anime that have made appearances in the games. They are listed below:


 * A lot of the musical pieces featured in the Japanese episodes was used in Kirby Air Ride and Super Smash Bros. Brawl along as Cappy Town most likely being the basis of the City Trial mode.
 * Spear-wielding Waddle Dees appear as enemies in Kirby Canvas Curse, Kirby Super Star Ultra, and Kirby's Epic Yarn.
 * Castle Dedede appears on the map of Prism Plains and as the location of where Kirby fights Dedede in Kirby: Squeak Squad. When fighting Dedede in his throne room, the player can see the NME Teleporter in the background. The Halberd makes an appearance with its anime design, and Meta Knight uses Galaxia as opposed to his regular golden sword.
 * Kirby's voice in Kirby's Epic Yarn is the same in the anime. King Dedede's Castle looks like the one in Kirby: Squeak Squad, which is modelled after the one in the anime.
 * What appears to be Water Kirby, first seen in the anime, is featured in Kirby Wii albeit after a redesign.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, when the player gets Knuckle Joe out of his trophy he sometimes says "Vulcan Jab" and other attack names like his character in the anime.

Theme Songs
Japanese version (Hoshi no Kaabii)

Openings Endings
 * "Kirby March" by Shanchii (Eps. 1-71)
 * "Kirby!" by Hiroko Asakawa (Eps. 72-100)
 * "Kihon wa Maru" (First draw a circle) by Shanchii (Eps. 1-71)
 * "Kirby Step!" by KONISHIKI (Eps. 72-100)

U.S. (Kirby: Right Back at Ya!)

Opening
 * "Kirby Theme (Kirby Kirby Kirby!)" by Norman J. Grossfield and Ralph Shuckett (Eps. 1-100)

Ending
 * "Kirby Theme (Instrumental)" by Ralph Shuckett (Eps. 1-100)

Trivia

 * Besides Meta Knight and King Dedede in the games, Kirby: Right Back At Ya! is the only part of the Kirby franchise to give Kirby long-lasting affiliations.

Wii no Ma episode thumbnails
These images are from Nintendo Japan's Wii no Ma section dedicated to Hoshii no Kābī. The two-part episodes are meant to be displayed side by side; they are marked by green lettering and have a background with a multitude of screens behind Kirby. Kirby's image on the front represents the most significant Copy Ability transformation in the episode, with the exception of Air-Ride-in-Style - Part I, where he flies the Formula Star. If Kirby isn't shown having an ability or standing with something associated with one, it means none is featured within that episode.

Click on the little white button at the top right to expand the table.