Tiff

Tiffany Ebrum, better known as Tiff, (Fumu in Japan) is Tuff's older sister, who appears in the anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. She lives with her family in King Dedede's castle. Tiff is known to be the smartest inhabitant of Dream Land besides Meta Knight. Tiff is the only one who has an ability to call upon the Warp Star when needed, because she is the one who cares about Kirby the most. Though her last name is never exactly explained, it can be assumed it is 'Ebrum' because her father is called 'Sir Ebrum'. She is the deuteragonist of the show.

In the anime, she is voiced by Sayuri Yoshida, and in the English dub by Kerry Williams.

Physical Appearance
Tiff is a young girl living with her family in Cappy Town. She is about twice Kirby's height. Her skin is pale yellow, as is her long hair which she keeps in an ornate ponytail held by purple and orange clasps. She always wears a one-piece outfit which is pink on the top and green on the bottom, separated by a zigzag. She has orange feet and has large, expressive green eyes.

Neither Tiff nor her family are Cappies. The only similarity between them is the yellow skin color. Other than that, the design of their heads, eyes, and limbs are different.

Personality
Tiff is best known from her intelligence and short temper. She loves to read, learn, and teach. Her favorite subject is marine biology, and she has a large collection of seashells. She also enjoys archeology, and often joins Prof. Curio in his research.

She's very interested in the environment and nothing annoys her more than when people like King Dedede try to ruin it.

However, Tiff is a very high-strung individual who gets angry easily, and is sometimes quick to resort to violence. (Though she's not always happy to.) Despite her intelligence, she tends to be very naive and idealistic, reflecting her youth and inexperience.

Relationships


Tiff is the first person that Kirby meets after crashing on Pop Star. She had hoped Kirby was a tall, dashing knight when she first heard about him, and was disappointed at first to find that he was just a little pink creature. She became Kirby's strongest supporter, and is the only person who can summon his Warp Star from Kabu because the Warp Star is only able to be summoned by someone who truly loves and cares for Kirby, according to Meta Knight.

They have a relationship somewhat like a mother and child or older and younger siblings. Tiff tends to be protective of him, and is one of the few characters who tries to keep in mind that he's just a baby. Sometimes, Tiff gets annoyed with Kirby at times too, but still cares about him. Despite Kirby's one-track mind for food, Kirby will do anything he can to keep Tiff out of harm's way, proving how important Tiff is to Kirby as well.

Her father is the Cabinet Minister, Sir Ebrum, and her mother Lady Like. Her parents aren't nearly as bright as their daughter, and often go along with what Dedede wants, much to her chagrin.

Her younger brother, Tuff, is basically her polar opposite. He's mischievous, rambunctious, and not all that bright. They do get along, however, and will team up to investigate Dedede's schemes and cheer Kirby on during fights. She gets annoyed with Tuff at times, but still cares deeply for his wellbeing.

Tiff's least favorite person in the world is probably King Dedede. She knows perfectly well that most of what Dedede does are schemes to get Kirby or to harm the environment of Dream Land, and blames him if something unexpected happens or something goes wrong despite having no proof. Dedede also knows that there is little that Tiff can do to stop him most of the time, and so he regularly taunts and teases her.

Since Dedede will do anything to keep Kirby away from advantage, he sometimes captures Tiff like he does to Dyna Chick, and threatens to turn her into a monster if she wouldn't tell him something. Throughout the course of the series though, despite Dedede hating her like the way Tiff hates him, he does not appreciate hurting her or actually carrying out any one of his threats while she is in captivity. Demon Bonkers, MT2, and the Pengy are several of the other villains that have captured her before.

Meta Knight is kind of a friend and mentor to her. They get along due to their intelligence and mutual dislike of Dedede, but Tiff gets annoyed with Meta Knight's somewhat cold-hearted way of handling things. (Such as the time when he lets Kirby get beat up in order for him to push past his limits.) In addition, Meta Knight tends to be very laid back about things in contrast to her quick temper. He often helps Tiff when she needs advice, but usually he will only give her hints to allow her to figure things out on her own. She and Meta Knight are the two people who watch over Kirby, though she tends to worry about his well being far more than Meta Knight.

The person who probably likes Tiff the most is Kine the sunfish. Despite being a completely different species, he has a huge crush on her. Even though they can't feasibly be together, Kine asks about her whenever he gets the chance. He always calls her 'Fumu-san' (Miss Fumu) in the original version and "Tiffy" in the dub.

The villagers respect Tiff's opinion, including the adults, but they don't always listen when she warns them about Dedede's schemes.

Concept
While it isn't confirmed, it's suggested that the yellow-skinned female character in the Kirby of the Stars Pilot is an early design of Tiff. As they have the same color of skin and basic body design, as well as being a friend of Kirby, it's a strong possibility. She also has a quick temper like Tiff.

The early design doesn't seem to wear any clothes, her entire body being yellow, making her look more like a Cappy in Kirby: Right Back At Ya!. Her hair is instead in two pigtails with red bows. Her eyes are just black ovals with no whites, and she wears a rather ornate tiara. She also has the ability to fly.

She is the first person Kirby encounters in the pilot. Despite rumors, she has no known official name or status.

Quotes
"My parents work for the King, and we live in the castle. In case you were wondering, my name's Tiff."

"Kabu! Send the Warp Star!"

"It's gotta be impossible, but your name wouldn't happen to be 'Kirby'?!"

"WE USED TO HAVE LIVES BEFORE TELEVISION!!!!"

"Oh please, I've had toothaches funnier than King Dedede."

"Hm, bet he's cute!"

"Why don't you suck it up!? *tastes the custard* UUUUUGGGHHH!!!"

(Replying to Meta Knight about Masher being a real heavyweight) "You said it!"

"You brought Kirby here because this is where you make nightmares! But he's not afraid of you and your tricks."

"eNeMeE is really a living nightmare, so the only place you could beat him was inside a dream. Good work, Kirby! You are the only Star Warrior who gets the secret of the Star Rod and can use it against eNeMeE!"

(About Tuff, Meta Knight, and the Cappies) "We better go look for the others now."

''"And so Kirby saved the universe and proved himself to be the greatest Star Warrior of all... and life in Dream Land went back to normal. But I suppose that with Kirby around, life will always be an adventure. Isn't that right, Kirby?" - Final lines in the series.''

''"Me, your girlfriend?!" - A Fish Called Kine ''

Trivia

 * Tiff voices her dislike for violence when seeing Tuff, Sir Ebrum, and Lady Like watching a show of a robotic King Dedede beating up another enemy robot (probably parodying the Transformers series) on Channel DDD. This shows her somewhat hypocritical side, as she herself sometimes resorts to impulsive violence the first chance she gets, like beating up Escargoon when she saw him poking Kirby with a pencil instead of pointing this out to Mr. Chip in Teacher's Threat.

Artwork
Tip