VS. King Dedede

VS. King Dedede is a Stadium event in City Trial mode of Kirby Air Ride. There is only one such arena - no further versions can be unlocked.

Objective
Defeat King Dedede within 90 seconds without getting KO-ed. Unlike Destruction Derby and Kirby Melee, getting KO-ed in this event will retire the player, with the Kirby being knocked unconscious and remaining on the ground.

Primary statistics

 * [[Image:Heart.jpg|25px]]Hitpoint
 * [[Image:Bluething.jpg|25px]]Defense
 * [[Image:Steeringup.jpg|25px]]Turning
 * [[Image:Weightup.jpg|25px]]Weight
 * [[Image:Purpleup.jpg|25px]]Boost

Secondary statistics

 * [[Image:Orange s.jpg|25px]]Offense
 * [[Image:Dashup.jpg|25px]]Top Speed

Important Power-ups

 * [[Image:Lollipop.jpg|25px]]Invincibility Candy
 * [[Image:Defenseup.jpg|25px]]Defense Max

This arena is identical to Destruction Derby Arena 1, but without the destructible rocks and bottomless pits - as such it has wide open spaces. King Dedede rides his Wheelie Bike like his playable character in the game, but his size is several times larger, with very, very high HP and boosted damage from his bike and his hammer. In fact, he can KO most non-defense-oriented, unmodified Air Ride Machines in one hit. Trying to approach him from in front and from the side is tantamount to committing self-destruction.

Against King Dedede solo, there is a surprisingly easy method to win. The player should pick the Swerve Star for the fact that it completely stops while button A is pressed, and hope for the the Needle Copy Ability Patch to spawn. Once it does, the player should pick it up, and tail Dedede, all the while spamming Button A and mashing him with the needles. Done properly, it is possible to defeat him under 10 seconds.

With CPU-controlled Kirbies complicating things, it is often easiest to target them instead with long-range power-ups like the Cannon and take them out first, before proceeding to use the same strategy as outlined before on Dedede, as the Swerve Star is not high on defense and the greatest threat is not Dedede, but collateral damage from the other Kirbies.

Without the Swerve Star, it will take far longer to defeat Dedede, but likewise, pick Needle and approach him from behind before hitting him with a series of spikes. If Needle is not available, Sword is the next-best ability.