Bandana Waddle Dee

"Here's something you ought to know..."

- Bandana Waddle Dee

Bandana Waddle Dee, otherwise known as Bandana Dee or simply Waddle Dee, is a character in the Kirby series, debuting in Kirby Super Star. He is a Waddle Dee who wears a blue bandana. He went from being an insignificant, unimportant character in his first appearances to being a prominent character that has appeared in every Kirby game to date since Kirby Mass Attack in 2011.

In his debut, he only made a brief appearance in Megaton Punch, though the remake extends this appearance to Revenge of the King and takes over the role of Arena Waddle Dee. He most often acts as King Dedede's sidekick. He wields a spear as his weapon. He is one of the few Waddle Dees depicted to be on par with Kirby in terms of skill and strength.

Physical Appearance
Bandana Waddle Dee closely resembles an ordinary Waddle Dee. Unlike regular Waddle Dees, however, he is reddish-orange instead of plain orange. His most noticeable feature is the blue bandana he wears on top of his head.

Personality
Bandana Waddle Dee is fiercely loyal to King Dedede, often serving as his closest follower. He is always willing to follow the monarch's orders. Since Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Bandana Waddle Dee has become one of Kirby's best friends. He is said to be friendly toward Kirby and Dedede's allies, but proves himself to be a "brave warrior" against his opponents.

His personality seems to have been given a massive change in Battle Royal, as he appears to be timid and shy, but also smart and cautious, and he is on Kirby's side, rather than Dedede's. He acts as a foil to Kirby and a side character in the story mode of the game. He also seems to have a bigger interest in food, as he is seen fishing in Rainbow Curse, and shows as much excitement as Kirby at the prospect of the cake of his dreams in Battle Royal. Overall, this kind of Bandana Dee would seem like he would fit in the Kirby anime: Right Back at Ya!.

Kirby Super Star
He is first seen in the sub-game Megaton Punch in Kirby Super Star, as the first and easiest of the three opponents, implying he isn't very good at the sport.

Kirby Super Star Ultra
He appears again in Megaton Punch as the first combatant, but he is given a more significant role as King Dedede's adviser in the Revenge of the King sub-game. After Kirby defeats everything else King Dedede threw at him, he sends Bandana Waddle Dee against Kirby, much to his dismay, as he knows he stands no chance against the pink puff. King Dedede decides to spare him, but he still goes ahead regardless out of loyalty to the king.

He has higher hit points than a regular Waddle Dee (also replacing its appearance as an Arena-exclusive boss), but he does not offer much in the way of a threat. He jumps and lands in an attempt to hit Kirby. Kirby can defeat him with a single inhale, and he yields no Copy Ability. Later, Bandana Waddle Dee reappears as the sole cheerer for Masked Dedede when Kirby finally reaches him, waving happily whenever Kirby or his Helper gets hurt. His final appearance is walking beside the King in the sub-game's credits.

Kirby Mass Attack
Bandana Waddle Dee makes a cameo in Strato Patrol EOS cheering for Meta Knight, along with Sailor Waddle Dee.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Waddle Dee is a playable character in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, controllable by players 2, 3, or 4. He was first revealed in the official trailer, running with King Dedede behind Kirby, who is carrying his Strawberry Shortcake. While back to being simply called "Waddle Dee", he wields a versatile spear, which he can throw, jab with, or perform a charge attack where he twirls it above his head like a helicopter blade, which makes him fly as well. In general, his form of attack mirrors that of the Spear copy ability. He is also prominent in cutscenes, similar to his counterpart in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Waddle Dee can be used by Player 1 in The Arena and The True Arena after Kirby has beaten each once.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Kirby: Planet Robobot
In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Bandana Waddle Dee functions very similarly to how Adeleine did in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - he periodically tosses an Assist Star containing an item (typically food or a Pep Brew, or occasionally a Maxim Tomato or Reviving Tomato) from the background for Kirby to catch in the foreground. He only appears prior to boss and mid-boss battles. If the Nintendo 3DS system StreetPasses another person, Bandana Waddle Dee will toss a better item, such as a Maxim Tomato. If a copy of Kirby: Triple Deluxe is in the system when it is StreetPassed, Bandana Waddle Dee will toss Kirby a keychain as well. If two systems StreetPass multiple times, Bandana Waddle Dee will throw three items, often including a rare keychain.

In Kirby: Planet Robobot, Bandana Waddle Dee offers the same service he does in Kirby: Triple Deluxe: throwing Assist Stars to Kirby from the background. Instead of throwing keychains for StreetPass bonuses, he throws normal and/or rare stickers. Additionally, Bandana Waddle Dee serves as the basis for many stickers. Bandana Waddle Dee throws Meta Knight 8 Meta Points in the Meta Knightmare Returns sub-game.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Bandana Waddle Dee appears in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse as a playable character alongside two color variations of himself. While Kirby is in his ball form, Bandana Waddle Dee controls normally in traditional platformer style, and can assist Kirby as he plays through stages. He can perform actions such as picking Kirby up and tossing him to other players. He also can thrust his spear in different directions to attack enemies. This is required when fighting Grab Hands, who appear as mid-bosses regularly throughout the game when more than one player is present. Aside from during the final boss battle, they do not appear in single-player mode, because Kirby has no means of defeating them alone.

Bandana Waddle Dee's abilities change when Kirby has a transformation. When the hero transforms into a tank, Bandana Waddle Dee gains a hat with a cannon mounted on it, enabling him to shoot projectiles. When Kirby transforms into a submarine, Bandana Waddle Dee transforms into one himself. However, he cannot change into rocket form alongside Kirby, and is absent for the full duration of the segments of stages in which it appears. However, Bandana Waddle Dee players still have a limited form of control during these sequences, as they can send speed boosts to Kirby Rocket from offscreen.

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
Bandana Waddle Dee sits near the Gem Apple Tree. Kirby can talk to him to receive tips and other information. Every 12 hours, he can harvest Gem Apples that are growing on the tree, giving them to the player.

Kirby Battle Royale
Bandana Waddle Dee appears in the story mode of this game, and he has the most plot-important role he has ever had. He first shows up in the tutorial, acting as an item to be picked up and carried. He claims that he has been walking all night to get to Dedede's cake royal. He, as well as other members of his species, get a voice, sounding like Miis, or villagers from Animal Crossing. He also seems to be terrified of the warp star, looking panicked when he and Kirby ride it, as well as invigorating him to get is strength back. Once there, he becomes partners with Kirby, and follows him around as an ally, as well as being Kirby's ally in two-player battles. Oddly enough, he uses a blue parasol when he fights, even though the spear ability is in the game.

(Spoiler Alert) He shows skepticism when King Dedede challenges he and Kirby to a fight, and panics when Kirby chases King Dedede to his throne room, and then to the basement of the castle. He then runs off and finds a cannon, which he tosses to Kirby, who uses it the final battle. Once the boss is defeated, he and Kirby emerge victoriously from the basement, where they are hailed as the winners of the cake royal. They then run towards the cake happily. After the credits, an image of he and Kirby enjoying the cake is shown, and he has a kiwi cut in the shape of a star, which was taken from the cake.

Quotes
"If you buy Gem Apples, the tree will grow. That means more apples with every harvest!"

- Bandana Waddle Dee

"If you complete Heroic Missions, you'll receive rewards! Want to know what you'll get? Check before you start a quest or in your profile. It'd be nice if I could get a reward, too..."

- Bandana Waddle Dee

"You can capture an image of the screen by holding down X and pressing L + R. I want to take lots of pictures and show them off to my friends!"

- Bandana Waddle Dee

"When you call on Wandering Adventurers, your Nintendo 3DS friends might come visit. What kinds of weapons and armor will they have? I can't wait to see!"

- Bandana Waddle Dee

"Thank you for protecting everyone in the kingdom when Landia EX went berserk! Things may look peaceful now, but tough times are always around the bend... I suspect that more challenging battles are in your future! The only one who can save the world...is you! I believe in you, Kirby! Good luck!"

- Bandana Waddle Dee

"It's time to torch Tuesday! You'll get double the Fire Fragments from each quest."

- Bandana Waddle Dee

"Have a watery Wednesday! You'll get double the Water Fragments from each quest."

- Bandana Waddle Dee

"Fridays are phosphorescent! You'll get double the Light Fragments from each quest."

- Bandana Waddle Dee

Related Quotes
"Hey, it’s everyone’s idol! Don't let the cute fool you! He’s a brave warrior who may be small, but his spear packs a huge wallop!"

- In-game description

"Unlike his fellow Waddle Dees, Bandana Dee likes to help his pal Kirby."

- Official Kirby: Triple Deluxe website

"This is Kirby's faithful companion during this adventure. He likes to poke enemies with his trusty spear, and he can even pick up and throw Kirby! To be honest, he's just happy getting his fair share of the spotlight..."

- Figurine description

Trivia

 * Bandana Waddle Dee was simply called "Waddle Dee" in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, despite being an actual character and not a regular Waddle Dee. In Kirby Triple Deluxe, however, he is officially named "Bandana Waddle Dee."
 * Bandana Waddle Dee is the only boss in Revenge of the King that didn't appear in The True Arena and instead appeared in The Arena.
 * Despite Bandana Waddle Dee being defeated by Kirby earlier in The Revenge, he comes back when Kirby battles Masked Dedede, even if Kirby has inhaled him, which is the easiest way to defeat him.
 * Bandana Waddle Dee makes a cameo appearance as a purchasable hat in the Nintendo 3DS built-in game StreetPass Mii Plaza.
 * In Waddle While You Work, a Waddle Dee is seen using Spear Copter with a broom.
 * Bandana Waddle Dee is the only major character from Kirby's Return to Dream Land who doesn't appear as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. In addition, he is the only playable character in Kirby's Return to Dream Land not to be playable in any game in the Super Smash Bros. series.