King Dedede

"The king of Dream Land! This big dude is one tough cookie. With his trusty hammer, it’s aim once, WHAM once!"

- In-game description

King Dedede is Kirby's arch-enemy and the primary antagonist in Nintendo and HAL Laboratory's long-running Kirby video game series, appearing in every game except the games Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, making him the most recurring major character of the series besides Kirby and Waddle Dee. He is the greedy self-proclaimed king of Dream Land, which is located on the quaint planet Planet Popstar.

Due to an ambiguous description of the geography of Planet Popstar, it is never made entirely clear how much of the planet King Dedede assumes leadership of, though he seems to have castles and fortresses all across the planet. Even so, he seems to perform no administrative functions, and for the most part, the planet seems to ignore any edicts that are issued by him.

Physical Appearance
King Dedede resembles a large penguin-like creature dressed in red royal finery, with his personal emblem (either a picture of himself performing the peace sign, or, in the anime and later games, just the peace sign alone) embossed on the back of his robe, as well as most of the items or weaponry he owns and/or endorses. King Dedede himself is rather portly, is blue-skinned and has a yellow mouth (which has been depicted as more of a beak). He is consistently seen with his round red cap, which has a yellow or golden rim and a white ball at the top (a crown in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and the anime pilot). He has blue flipper-like hands, though they are usually covered by a pair of yellow mittens. He has a tan piece of clothing, but these are not shown in some games, revealing a blue belly. In addition, he has a red and yellow zigzag-patterned girdle-like band stretched across his waist. His trademark weapon is a large star-studded hammer which he can swing around with the greatest of ease. He is able to inhale objects and spit them out in a manner similar to Kirby. According to Super Smash Bros. Melee, he apparently underwent a series of rigorous training programs to learn and master the use of inhaled air to fly like Kirby. This occurred after the events of Kirby's Dream Land.

Personality
Although Dedede is a primary antagonist, he is not necessarily evil. Several of his deeds are performed when under possession by some other entity — three times by the Dark Matter, once by Yin-Yarn, and once by Taranza. Whenever he is the villain of his own volition in the games, however, it is usually due to selfish mischief, such as stealing food or trying to prove himself better than Kirby. Despite his greed and selfishness, he sometimes has pure intentions behind his actions. His role as the antagonist of Kirby's Adventure was ultimately to protect Dream Land from Nightmare by hiding the Star Rod. He has also willingly helped Kirby in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and the Subspace Emissary story of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Dedede is sometimes seen to be on friendly terms with Kirby, especially in the more recent games. He shows no apprehension towards helping Kirby in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and is visibly very happy to see him towards the end of the Subspace Emissary, even going as far as to run up to hug him. Despite this, he is still the main antagonist (or the tertiary but more active antagonist compared to Customer Service and Nightmare, who both prove to be a much bigger threat) in the anime, although it is revealed near the end that he enjoys their one-sided rivalry to an extent and that he does not actually wish for Kirby to die, which eliminates his role as a villain at the anime's conclusion.

Although King Dedede's authority and influence over Dream Land is seldom questioned in the games, events and descriptions in several spin-offs and references including Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, and Dedede's trophy description and a Codec conversation with Colonel Campbell in Super Smash Bros. Brawl suggests that it is highly subjective depending on context. King Dedede himself takes it for granted, and his army of Waddle Dees serve him and staff Castle Dedede. Meanwhile, other creatures happily go about their business with or without him. In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, when his people choose to defy him whenever he oversteps his bounds, he has little to no enforcement of his authority to stop them, short of ordering monsters from Nightmare Enterprises and having it backfire on Escargoon and himself.

Kirby's Dream Land
King Dedede first appeared in Kirby's Dream Land as the main antagonist, where he and several thieves acting on his part steal all of the food in Dream Land and, in either an attempt to crush morale or simply to cause needless mischief, he steals the inhabitants' treasured Sparkling Stars and gives them to his underlings. Appearing as the final boss of the game, his actions are reversed by Kirby upon his defeat, with a finishing blow that sends him flying through the ceiling of his castle. In the ending, he eventually lands, expresses shock, and then throws a fit regarding his loss before storming off.

Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
In Kirby's Adventure and its remake, Dedede has broken up the fabled Star Rod and removed it from the Fountain of Dreams, giving him full control over the fountain. This leaves the people of Dream Land unable to dream, and Kirby is dispatched with the task of recovering all the pieces and punishing the king for his selfish actions. In a key plot revelation, defeating King Dedede makes it apparent that he was actually trying to protect Dream Land from the Nightmare that took residence in the fountain, and even goes so far as to spit out Kirby into outer space so Kirby can defeat them. This is one of the few instances where he is seen as helping Kirby as opposed to hindering him. Nonetheless, this started a popular trend in the series where King Dedede would serve as the apparent final boss, but collecting all the pieces of the game's key item would reveal the true instigator of Dream Land's problems.

Kirby's Avalanche
In Kirby's Avalanche, Dedede makes an appearance twice: The first time is at the ending of Easy mode, where he announces the Dream Fountain cup of the Avalanche tournament. The second appearance is as the final boss, where he challenges his rival, Kirby, for the championship. His dialogue with Kirby is as follows:


 * King Dedede: "Kirby!! Your dream has carried you far but here it ends. The Dream Fountain Cup will be mine!"
 * Kirby: "Welcome King Dedede. And good luck to you too."

Kirby's Dream Land 2
In what is seen as one of the darker points of the series, Dark Matter takes control over King Dedede's body in Kirby's Dream Land 2, plotting to rule Dream Land after separating the Rainbow Islands by destroying the Rainbow Bridges. After battling Dedede's associates across the seven separated islands, Kirby made his way to King Dedede's chamber in Dark Castle's looming tower. Under Dark Matter's control, Dedede was trapped in an unnatural sleep throughout his confrontation with Kirby, but otherwise fought exactly as he did in Kirby's Dream Land. He could also power himself up in fits of rage, making his attacks more explosive and giving them wider range, even being able to toss his hammer at Kirby, which would explode on contact.

Although Kirby could face his rival at Dark Castle to his heart's content, only after collecting the seven Rainbow Drops could he truly save the day. After defeating Dedede with the seven drops in hand, Kirby was rewarded the Rainbow Sword as Dark Matter emerged from the king's limp body, and the two dueled high in space. As shown in the game's ending, Dedede finally awoke and recovered after the battle, and was even glad for Kirby when Dark Matter was expelled from the land.

Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra
In Spring Breeze, the first sub-game of Kirby Super Star, King Dedede plays the same role he did in Kirby's Dream Land. He is also fought in The Arena and can be raced in Gourmet Race, in which he challenges Kirby to eat more food than him while running a marathon against him. He is also in the sub-game Samurai Kirby where he is the penultimate enemy (the last being Meta Knight).

In Kirby Super Star Ultra, Dedede has all the same roles that he had in Kirby Super Star, but here his role was greatly expanded when he was given a new villain role in another sub-game, Revenge of the King. Here he plots Kirby's doom by once again stealing four of the Sparkling Stars to lure him into some old enemies that have gotten stronger. After Kirby fights his way through to the end of Dedede's castle, Dedede forces Kirby to take up a hammer for their final battle (though Kirby can opt not to use it by not picking it up and waiting). Dedede then reveals himself, wearing a mask and wielding a new, mechanized hammer, intending on settling the score with Kirby once and for all. The fight style here is similar to the Meta Knight battles where the similar weapon is offered, and their mask breaks after they are defeated. He does not offer the hammer in The True Arena.

During the fight against him as Masked Dedede, Dedede is armed with the "brand-new Dedede Hammer" and is capable of a much larger moveset, in addition to a lack of his signature flinching when taking damage (though only during attacks that utilize the Dedede Hammer in some way). Four of his new attacks include firing miniature rockets from his hammer, using it as a flamethrower, performing a spinning attack similar to Hammer Kirby's "Giant Swing", and making the hammer electrified in order to send out a wave of electricity along the floor after slamming it down. He still uses his trademark jump, but three times in a row this time. He also had apparently carefully thought up his revenge plot, to the point where he puts an electric cage around the arena, restricting Kirby's flight. Upon defeat, King Dedede is sent flying in a similar fashion to when he lost in Spring Breeze. He is seen in the ending credits dejectedly walking through a desert under a setting sun, in the company of his Waddle Dees. The desert area is similar to the one Kirby and Wheelie goes through at the end of Revenge of Meta Knight.

Kirby's Dream Land 3
King Dedede fought Kirby again in Kirby's Dream Land 3, this time as the boss of Iceberg.

Soon after meeting up with Dedede at the top of his castle, it quickly became apparent that he was taken over by a Dark Matter-like force once more. When the puppet king confronted Kirby (and Gooey) this time, he displayed not only his typical fighting skills, but some new and disturbing ones as well. At first he used his normal abilities, but once the finishing blow was landed, he became surrounded by an eerie mass of dark energy and began floating in the air, gaining an entirely new health bar. In this form, what appears to be Dark Matter finally shows itself, peeking its eye out of Dedede's body to shoot blobs of dark energy that would home in on Kirby and attempt to ram into him. Perhaps the most disturbing attack was when the king's stomach would split open into a large snarling mouth filled with sharp teeth and then would promptly chase after the player.

Defeating King Dedede and getting all of Iceberg's Heart Stars expelled the fiendish entity from his body. Further collecting all thirty of them revealed the way to the Hyper Zone, the cloud which housing Dark Matter and Zero, the source of all the strange behavior. King Dedede, alongside Kirby's animal friends, will bear witness to Kirby taking off to fight and defeat Dark Matter once and for all.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, King Dedede is fought very early on in the game and is possessed by one of the Dark Matter forces once again. King Dedede, while surveying his kingdom, discovers a Crystal Shard and attempts to inspect it. Kirby attempts to retrieve it for Ribbon, but King Dedede stubbornly refuses and continues to inspect it. However, both are knocked back by a Dark Matter orb and ends up possessed by Dark Matter when the latter discovers that it holds the Crystal Shard. Although significantly weaker, his attacks are similar to the ones from the previous game; using his hammer and spitting out small Dark Matter-like blobs. After Dark Matter is driven out, he gives his Crystal Shard (albeit bitterly). While the gang is departing, Waddle Dee tries to convince him to come along with them, which he clearly detests in doing, though he grudgingly follows and joins their group.

In some levels where Kirby wouldn't normally do much and probably wouldn't travel far, King Dedede comes and offers Kirby a lift. When controlling Dedede, the player will find that he can't do multiple jumps, but he can swing a hammer, which can break objects that Kirby couldn't, such as large walls or boulders. He can also charge his hammer, but it won't do any extra damage.

If the player loses all six units of life while controlling King Dedede, he falls unconscious with Kirby unharmed—he tries to shake Dedede awake and pulls off the white crown on Dedede's cap in the process. Despite the fact that Kirby is unharmed, the player still loses a life and has to start the room over again. Upon the completion of a Dedede portion, Kirby will direct Dedede as to where to go, to which Dedede will then grab Kirby and hurl him to his destination, waving goodbye as he does so.

When infiltrating Ripple Star's castle, Dedede will arrive to clear away a roadblock caused by cave-in.

In the false ending, Dedede is seen crying when departing from Ripple Star.

In the true ending, Dedede will accompany the party to Dark Star to destroy the Dark Matter threat once and for all. Dedede will then launch Kirby into the air by slamming a pedestal so he could fight the core of Dark Star, 02. Afterward, he along with the rest of the party are awarded medals made from the Crystal for their heroism by the Fairy Queen.

On an additional note, this was King Dedede's last appearance without mittens on.

Kirby: Canvas Curse
In Kirby: Canvas Curse, a fake version of King Dedede appears in the game Cart Run as the opponent the player plays against. The king also appears as one of the drawings in Paint Panic.

Once the player defeats Drawcia using Waddle Dee, the player can unlock the real King Dedede in the Medal Swap section of the game. He is the biggest and heaviest unlockable character in the game. If the player taps him with the stylus, he will use his hammer, which is useful for breaking certain blocks, wooden pieces and taking down enemies. King Dedede has seven vitality points and costs 20 Medals to unlock.

Kirby: Squeak Squad
King Dedede makes a first in the Kirby series by standing as the first boss in Kirby: Squeak Squad. Kirby suspects that Dedede had stolen his afternoon snack and confronts him. Dedede's attacks are the same as in other games, but he gains a new one: Whenever he screeches, a Parasol Waddle Dee will float down from the top of the screen. After his defeat, the Squeaks (who were really behind the robbery) attack and take his treasure chest thinking it contains an ultimate power and begin to run off with it, but the furious King Dedede quickly grabs Kirby and tosses him at them, knocking all of them into a pit that led to a cavern in Nature Notch. King Dedede is never seen in the game again.

Kirby's Epic Yarn
King Dedede serves as the boss of Snow Land in Kirby's Epic Yarn. However, he first appears back in his castle in Dream Land, bossing his Waddle Dees around. Noticing that one of them looks strange, Dedede is attacked by Yin-Yarn and his impostor Waddle Dees. Yin-Yarn then sucks Dedede into his magical sock, which transports him to Patch Land.

When starting the fight against Dedede, he spots Kirby, but just before he can act, a strange puppeteer-device flies at him and connects him to four strings that control him from above. His attacks range from jumping up and then slamming into the ground with his hammer, jumping up and down making shock waves and Gordos appear, and belly sliding across the slick icy floor. After the four strings have been plucked, the puppeteer-device is destroyed and Dedede is freed from its control. Kirby and Prince Fluff then obtain the sixth strand piece of Magic Yarn.

King Dedede appears once more in the game, following Kirby, Prince Fluff and Meta Knight back home to the yarn version of Dream Land, where his castle has been converted into a floating stronghold. There are also some King Dedede collectibles to be found such as a mini version of Castle Dedede and one of his robes. A doll of him can be bought from Chaise Woole in Quilty Square.

In the Japanese version of his dialogue, he tends to end his sentences with "-zoi" like he does in the original version of the anime.

Kirby Mass Attack
Dedede is fought as the third boss in Kirby Mass Attack. He starts out in a hot air balloon (which resembles his head) and tosses time bombs onto the Kirbys. These bombs must be bounced back at Dedede, so that they explode in his face when the clock strikes "0". After several hits, Dedede falls to the ground, where the Kirbys must tackle him to perform damage. After a few times of this, the balloon will float away and Dedede will resort to using stomp and hammer attacks. At this point, the Kirbys' only chance to damage him is to get behind him when he uses his hammer attack and tackle him from behind. He is the only boss that can be accessed with only one Kirby (with the exception of the Boss Rush on Necro Nebula), and there is a checklist reward if the player can defeat him using only a single Kirby.

When defeated, a black/purple smoke is released from his body, implying that he may have once again been possessed, although it is never really explained.

King Dedede also appears in the Kirby Brawlball sub-game, where he will send Kirby to one of the boss levels when Kirby goes into his mouth. He also appears three times in the Kirby Quest RPG sub-game; as the boss of the first chapter, driving HR-D3 as the boss of the second chapter, and as a regular enemy in the final chapter.

Unused sprites of King Dedede exist in the coding of the game. These sprites show him as a playable character in Strato Patrol EOS. Rather than spitting a constant stream of stars like Kirby, he would have thrown a constant stream of hammers.

In the credits, if Kirby keeps fishing, it is possible to fish out Dedede. However, he appears to be knocked out.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land
King Dedede is a playable character in Kirby's Return to Dream Land for the Wii. Unlike in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards where he was reluctant about joining forces with Kirby, this time he is eager and willing right from the start. Of the four playable characters, Dedede is treated as the group's comic relief.

Dedede has almost the same exact moveset as Hammer Kirby, but with two notable changes. The first being that he is unable to perform the Giant Swing move (that is, Kirby's midair move in which he spins the hammer around his body); instead Dedede just swings the hammer in front of him when in midair, not much differently than from his normal hammer attack.

The other difference is that Dedede is able to perform the Hammer Throw attack as often as he wishes. Normally Kirby would sacrifice his ability when he uses this last-ditch attack, but Dedede does not, basically giving him infinite projectile attacks.

Another interesting detail is that since Dedede inflates himself to fly like Kirby does, he can also use the Air Pellet as an attack.

Also notable is that the Hammer Twirl attack, a downward hammer spinning attack which both Hammer Kirby and Dedede can use, was originally introduced as one of Dedede's attacks in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition
Besides his roles in Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Stars and the three included episodes of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime, Dedede makes an appearance in the game's opening.

In the game's opening, Dedede, Meta Knight, and Kirby, meet each other appearing as their Kirby's Adventure sprites. After Kirby sucks in a Warp Star that he discovers, the three transform into their 3D appearances. They all strike poses and Dedede's stomach jiggles, distracting the king and causing him to irritably poke at his own belly. Two Waddle Dees run past carrying Star Blocks, and the group notices that they're building a "20th" monument out of them. Kirby, despite Dedede's warnings, sucks in the blocks (as well as Bandana Waddle Dee) and spits out a circular coin (as well as Bandana Waddle Dee). Dedede then, at Kirby's beckoning, swats Kirby into the coin with his hammer, forming the logo.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Dedede's castle is lifted high above the ground into a kingdom known as Floralia one night by a beanstalk called the Dreamstalk. The next morning, a spider-like creature named Taranza enters his castle, dispatches his Waddle Dee guards, and kidnaps him. Taranza ascends the Dreamstalk with Dedede in tow as Kirby follows behind, trying to save Dedede. King Dedede is a 'damsel in distress' character for the bulk of the game until the end, where he becomes the penultimate boss of Royal Road. Taranza takes possession of him by using silk strings like a marionette and magically materializes a mask and mechanized hammer, forcing him to fight Kirby as Masked Dedede.



Masked Dedede's attacks are similar to those in Kirby Super Star Ultra, but with minor differences. The most noticeable difference is that Dedede's inhale is stronger and that he spits Kirby at the screen. When he is defeated, Masked Dedede's hammer breaks and his mask cracks after the first round. Taranza then strengthens him, causing him to roar angrily as his robes turn purple and he steals a large decorative axe, hoping to take his revenge on Kirby. Masked Dedede's Revenge can spin his axe around like he did with his hammer, dizzying him for a few seconds afterwards. He can also walk across the whole screen while swinging his axe in many directions. After Kirby defeats him, Taranza tries to awaken him but fails.

Taranza then summons Queen Sectonia, who confronts Kirby. King Dedede wakes up with his will returned as Kirby defeats Sectonia, only to watch in horror as Sectonia fuses with the Dreamstalk. The Dreamstalk's vines cover Planet Popstar as Dedede and Kirby panic. Several of the People of the Sky (which Kirby previously rescued) arrive with a cannon-like device that Dedede uses to fire Kirby into the Dreamstalk's overgrowth, weakening it, and creating an opening to Sectonia herself. Dedede fires Kirby through the opening and he confronts her for the second time. After defeating her, Kirby is grabbed by a vine. Taranza then lifts Dedede into the sky and throws him at Kirby. Dedede smacks Kirby free with his hammer and throws him at Taranza, who tosses a Miracle Fruit to Kirby, transforming him into Hypernova Kirby. Kirby then defeats Sectonia for the third and final time, causing her vines to disintegrate as the king and pink puff fall from the sky. Taranza catches Dedede while the People of the Sky catch Kirby, and they all admire Floralia as flower petals fall from the sky.



The player can play as King Dedede in Kirby: Triple Deluxe ' s Extra Mode, Dededetour. Dedede's moveset is similar to Kirby's Hammer ability and his moveset in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, though his neutral attack sends a shockwave along the ground at full health, and his charge attack fires a red beam. Dedede can still float and spit Air Bullets. When Dedede defeats Queen Sectonia DX, he must battle a dark version of himself named Shadow Dedede. After defeating Shadow Dedede and Dark Meta Knight's Revenge, the king smashes the Dimension Mirror, ending Dededetour.

One of the sub-games, Dedede's Drum Dash, allows the player to control Dedede as he bounces on drums while classic Kirby tunes play in the background. Collecting Musical Coins and hitting backbeats awards points.

Dedede's play control in Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe is identical to that of Dedede's Drum Dash. He can unlock his mask from Kirby Super Star Ultra (and Kirby: Triple Deluxe) and wear it during the game, along with masks of Kirby, Meta Knight, Waddle Dee, and Taranza.

Dedede appears as the final boss of Kirby Fighters Deluxe, alongside 23-63 miniature duplicates of himself (with the final two being orange and slightly larger). The amount of duplicates depends on the difficulty and the number of attempts. After defeating all of his Mini Dededes, Dedede will grow large.

Kirby: Planet Robobot
In the upcoming 3DS title, King Dedede is first seen playing chess with one of his Waddle Dees, when he notices some mysterious invaders turning his kingdom into a twisted world of metal. The monarch retaliates by firing at them with his castle's cannons, but is hopelessly overpowered by their technologically superior artillery and ends up with his castle partially ravaged.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
King Dedede's appearance in the anime, Kirby: Right Back at Ya! is just like his appearance in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (excluding the gloves), with a blue stomach and a tan robe covering it. King Dedede's role is very much the same in the games except he has less of a soft side and is portrayed as more evil than he is in the games, with a meaner disposition (he is also much less intelligent and more bumbling). In the Japanese version of the anime, King Dedede has a verbal tic, ending most of his sentences with ぞい (-zoi), which carries no meaning. This is later carried over to the voiceover for his Japanese dialogue in Kirby's Epic Yarn. In the English dub, he speaks with a thick Southern/Texas accent (the accent is similar to Foghorn Leghorn) and often says ridiculous things. He is voiced in the Japanese version by Kenichi Ogata and in the English dub by Ted Lewis (who was credited as Ed Paul). He is the main antagonist of the show.

In the Kirby of the Stars Pilot, Dedede tries to get rid of Kirby using Wile E. Coyote-esque tricks and traps, only for them to quickly backfire in his face. He tries to help out when the sky darkens, but he gets zapped by what seems to be Nightmare. Strangely, his hat actually has a crown on it instead of the white bobble, reminiscent of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.



In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Dedede is the main villain of the show (next to Nightmare in the movie). His role is similar to his game roles — except that he has less of a good side and is much more malicious, annoying, and very selfish. He constantly ignores or shrugs off any negative comments from the townsfolk, believing them to be below him. In addition, he has very little respect for anyone in town, treating their safety and desires as secondhand in his goals for whatever greedy thing he wishes. Despite this, the citizens of Cappy Town still call him their king, and few Cappies can stay mad at him, as all he has to do is say something appealing to win back their favor. He now has a sidekick in the show named Escargoon, making a somewhat comical duo. He is angry at Kirby for having all the townspeople like him, and takes his anger out on Cappy Town. For instance, Tiff tries to stop Dedede, however, she usually fails and is done by the choice of the King, which is the way she is captured, after all, Tiff is Kirby's best helper so Dedede has to aim for the right one, the girl herself. Dedede can't defeat Kirby himself, so he orders monsters from Nightmare Enterprises and sends them after Kirby. He is very jealous of Kirby as he thinks Kirby gets more respect than him and is angry because he is seen as mean in the Cappy's eyes, the irony being that his bad attitude and poor moral judgement is what constantly gets people angry at him. However, despite his jealousy of Kirby, he actually does deep down enjoy Kirby's company, believing ruling Dream Land is far more interesting when he has an enemy. His castle is guarded by an innumerable amount of Waddle Dees and one Waddle Doo general, who seems to be able to translate what they say. On three instances, he has used the Waddle Dees for his own personal gain, once fired them all when he purchased a robot from NME, but he rehired them when he found out that said robot was stealing his riches and giving them to Nightmare Enterprises in order to pay off Dedede's huge debt to them. , again during a situation trying to repay Nightmare Enterprises by putting the Waddle Dees up for sale, and once more when he slashed their meal rations from their original dinner amounts to very poor and malnourishing sandwiches, which resulted in a revolt by the Waddle Dees. He was slightly redesigned for the show, looking somewhat "less cute". Dedede's attire never deviates from his royal finery similar to those he wears in the games. The only other things he is seen wearing every so often are a shower cap which he sometimes dons when taking a bath, a pair of green pajamas and nightcap when he's sleeping, and a pair of outrageous purple sunglasses in the shape of his peace sign when he is sunbathing.



He claims that he's the 17,052nd ruler of Dream Land and that the Dedede clan has been ruling over the Cappies for a long time. None of the Cappies believed him so he tried to "prove it" by placing fake artifacts and fossils in the ground and having them excavated (with Curio's help). He was found out, however, and his plans were dashed by Stone Kirby when he unleashed the Dedede Stone, Thus it has not been proven nor disproven if King Dedede is telling the truth, however, the intent to cover it up with fake artifacts may imply it is a lie.

His favorite food is apparently Turban Shells (or possibly what's inside them), which he often cooks and eats over a barbecue. Because of this, at one point, he nearly cooks Escargoon alive after the snail takes refuge in a particularly large one after the King himself broke his old shell. Dedede is often criticized about his weight, particularly by Knuckle Joe who would call him "Tubby", amongst other things (the Knuckle Joe incident, however, is dub-only; in Japan, Knuckle Joe called him the equivalent of "gramps"). He is also insulted often by Escargoon, because of his body weight and intelligence, but that usually ends up with him being the victim of Dedede's trusty hammer (sometimes Dedede doesn't understand what Escargoon means when he insults him, but pummels him anyway), although there are situations where King Dedede is clearly insulted about his intelligence by Escargoon or others, but agrees with the criticism. In "D'Preciation Day", King Dedede admits he is aware he is far stupider than Escargoon (while crying under the assumption he accidentally killed Kirby).



In a few episodes, it is emphasized that Dedede can't read unless he is read aloud to. However, in some episodes, he can read (at one point, Dedede even says he prefers books with pictures in them). One episode even reveals that part of his head is hollow, as if he has no brain. Why he's brainless is unknown but, despite this, he has attempted three times to create an education system to the people of Cappy Town. Each time has been led to failure and the destruction of the School.

In Kirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure, it is implied that he is an avid birdwatcher (though that was the only episode that this was witnessed). He also has an ambition to clear out the Whispy Woods's forest so he can build a country club and play his second favorite sport — Golf. His first favorite sport is apparently beating Escargoon to a pulp.

In some episodes, his trademark Hammer would be inhaled by Kirby to get the Hammer ability.

He eventually turns against Nightmare Enterprises nearing the finale, with Dedede and Escargoon also exacting revenge against Customer Service by force-feeding him one of Chef Kawasaki's poorly prepared meals.

Modes of Transportation


In early episodes, Dedede would ride in a tank-like Jeep, often in the gunner seat, where he would often fire the cannon (in particular, it was Dedede firing the cannon that wrecked Kirby's spaceship, leaving him stuck in Dream Land. As usual, he blamed it on Escargoon). The tank was simple, but it was effective for scaring people off and doing damage to whatever was in its way. In later episodes, starting from The Kirby Derby - Part I, he would be seen in the passenger seat of a car resembling an old-fashioned Rolls Royce Limousine he purchased from Nightmare Enterprises. The Limousine is apparently fast and full of sneaky tricks and traps. Both the tank and the limousine were driven by Escargoon. No origins has been given to how the King got his Jeep, or why he got rid of it, though it's likely that he also purchased his Jeep from Nightmare Enterprises as well, possibly as one of his first purchases.

Dedede also owned a practically indestructible tour bus for one episode. It was never seen since that episode.

It is notable that Dedede is one of only two characters that own and frequently drives an automobile. The other character is Mayor Len Blustergas.

Kirby
In the anime, for most episodes, Dedede sees Kirby as his enemy and ally. For the first few, he is jealous. However, deep down, he sees Kirby as the real hero of Dream Land and cares for him. In the later episodes, Dedede's plots start to less involve defeating Kirby and more of humiliating him. In some episodes, such as the episode where the Pengi clan invades Cappy Town, Dedede actually teams up with Kirby. In the episode "Prediction Predicament Part II", Dedede even swings peacefully with Kirby and doesn't even mind his presence. It is shown that Kirby might have a few harsh feelings for Dedede, too, as he sometimes shows he doesn't like his plans (mainly if it's against food), and seems to find pleasure in pulling pranks on him and scaring him. However, it is also to note Kirby was the only individual who was happy to come give King Dedede a present on his Appreciation Day (even though he ate it). Point being of all this, King Dedede respects Kirby, but doesn't show it.

Dedede's respect for Kirby was fully shown in "D'Preciation Day". After feeding Kirby bombs as a prank, Tiff got the town to agree to a pretend funeral. A letter was sent to King Dedede for Kirby's "memorial", driving Dedede into thinking that Kirby was dead, which resulted in King Dedede crying over the fake gravestone of Kirby. However, once he realized that Kirby wasn't dead, and Kirby's funeral was a counter-prank by the Cappies, Dedede was overjoyed, and instead of being angry at the Cappies for fooling him, claimed that he always needed Kirby as someone to compete with.

In the games, King Dedede initially started out as an enemy and a true rival. He stole the Sparking Stars in the very first Kirby game and the food, nearly starving all the residents of Dream Land. However, as the games progressed, Dedede became a bit more friendly with Kirby, and became his ally at points. In Kirby Super Star Ultra, he returned in Revenge of The King as the main villain, where he was beaten by Kirby. Since then, he has supposedly dropped the grudge with Kirby, as he gave Kirby his full support in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Waddle Dees
"You can't be mean to my Waddle Dees. Only I can be mean to my Waddle Dees!"

- King Dedede

The Waddle Dees are the king's most loyal servants. They serve King Dedede's every whim as well as keep the castle clean and perform guard duty.

In the anime, King Dedede owns many Waddle Dees. In "Pink-Collar Blues", it is mentioned that Waddle Dees are wanderers from across the sea and will settle down in an area where they are shown hospitality to return the favor. It can be inferred that Dedede is rather ungrateful for their work, as he has gotten rid of all of them twice. They seem to enjoy their work and do not have problems with King Dedede's personality. There are a few times where he shows appreciation for their loyal services. Most notably, in "Waddle While You Work", after he sells them all he realizes how much he needs them and is truly touched by their loyalty.

On one instance, King Dedede was shown by Escargoon that food costs for the Waddle Dees was astronomically high, resulting in him (rather greedily) reducing the food they got to thin mini sandwiches (to which Tuff remarks that they are transparent because they are so thin), which resulted in a revolt by the Waddle Dee's against the King. Luckily for the King, Kirby fixed the situation.

In Kirby Super Star Ultra, he keeps a bandana-wearing Waddle Dee as a personal assistant who keeps him calm during his panic attacks. This Waddle Dee is also seen following the king after his defeat in Revenge of the King. In Kirby: Squeak Squad, King Dedede summons platoons of them to help him fight. They also help him in Kirby Mass Attack, where they attack the Kirbys with bombs. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, they distract Wario so Dedede can steal the Luigi trophy. They're also part of his attacks called the Waddle Dee Throw and the Waddle Dee Army. Interestingly enough, the Waddle Dee trophy description states that they don't consider themselves to be affiliated with Dedede, despite their actions. Waddle Dees attack King Dedede in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, so not all of them may be controlled by the king (though this might just be for gameplay purposes).

Meta Knight
Although there are many episodes where Dedede and Meta Knight are seen together, they rarely interact. This may be a sly allusion to the games. However, it is known that Dedede respects Meta Knight, although he falsely believes that Meta Knight is "on his side."

In the games, King Dedede and Meta Knight are rarely seen interacting with each other. One notable example is in the opening of Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition, as when Dedede is poking his stomach with his hammer, Meta Knight's eyes thin out, almost looking exasperated or disturbed.

Escargoon
Dedede sees Escargoon as his primary punching bag, even when it isn't Escargoon that makes him angry. Escargoon repeatedly insults Dedede, although there are times when Dedede does not respond, either because he's busy or is too dimwitted to notice.

At times, Dedede seems to feel sympathy for Escargoon, but for the most part he is just simply cruel to him, such as stealing his prized jewel collection for selfish purposes. Dedede even started scaring Escargoon until Escargoon got back at him. The two do work together—for example, setting up traps for the Cappies—but most of the time, the traps would backfire on the two. Dedede often treats Escargoon like a child, making him wear silly bibs and bonnets while eating.

Tiff
Tiff is Dedede's opponent and criticizes him publicly more than anyone else. She is constantly suspicious of him, but often cannot find enough evidence or do anything to stop him until it is too late, so Dedede doesn't worry about her too much. Dedede never goes as far as killing her, although he still despises her nonetheless. He uses her as bait for Kirby, so he can be able to pummel him. He has used Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby as his targets, which has harmed them in many ways, such as trying to trick them into doing something for him and then trying to defeat them and destroy Kirby. But he was usually foiled by his pink rival.

He often makes fun of her just because he has the opportunity to do so. Dedede sees her brother and other children as pests. King Dedede doesn't really get along with Tiff, but they do work together with Kirby and the others towards the end of the anime to save Dream Land.

NME Salesman
Throughout the anime, King Dedede regularly deals with an individual he only sees from the waist up via video conversation. The NME Salesman seems to be fully aware of King Dedede's stupidity and uses every opportunity to use it to his advantage. Whether it's distracting the King with a new item, tricking the King into buying something needless or expensive, or simply taking advantage of the King's intellect in general, the NME Salesman uses the King at any chance.

King Dedede holds no respect for the NME Salesman either, often stating he has no intention of ever paying his bills, openly yelling at and criticizing the NME Salesman often. Dialogue between King Dedede and the NME Salesman (with Escargoon typically around) often results in King Dedede being openly aggressive, while the NME Salesman laughs off anything King Dedede says while being passive aggressive.

The NME Salesman is the one who sells King Dedede his monsters. Despite constantly being taken advantage of, King Dedede always returns for more monsters. In the movie, King Dedede finally gets his revenge by tormenting the NME Salesman with Kawasaki's bad cooking while openly laughing.

Playable Appearances
Though the villain of the series, Dedede has had a handful of playable appearances in some of the more recent games.

Kirby Air Ride
"King Dedede on a bike. Is he really a king?"

- King Dedede's Flavor Text

King Dedede makes his first playable appearance in Kirby Air Ride, riding a burgundy Wheelie Bike and wielding his signature hammer. King Dedede's Air Ride Machine, the Wheelie Bike Dedede Custom, is similar in size and appearance to the available Wheelie Bike in the game, by which it is outclassed almost entirely. He has excellent offense, defense, weight, and above average top speed, but poor jump, handling, and acceleration. King Dedede also has a unique charge meter.

King Dedede appears in this game as a boss in the fourth variation of the Destruction Derby, in which his theme will sometimes play. Here, he is much larger, has higher stamina, and moves slower.

Playable Appearances

 * In Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, in addition to being a playable ally in some levels of the game, King Dedede is a playable character in the sub-games.
 * In Kirby Super Star, Dedede is playable in the two-player version of Quick Draw.
 * In Kirby: Canvas Curse, he is a Medal Swap unlockable after obtaining Waddle Dee. He is the heaviest of all available balls and sinks in water easily. He also has seven HP, the most of any other ball. When tapped, he swings his Hammer around him, which can still press down switches and stakes.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he is a playable character.
 * In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Dedede is playable by Players 2, 3, or 4. He is also playable in The Arena and The True Arena after both are beaten with Kirby.
 * In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Dedede is a playable character in the Dededetour sub-game, which is unlocked after beating the main game. He is also the main character in the Dedede's Drum Dash sub-game, as well as the downloadable Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe.
 * In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, he is a playable character.

Dedede's Theme Music


King Dedede's theme song often plays during battles against him. The song was used for the Dedede battle in Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby's Dream Land 2 (as well as the Mt. Dedede section of the Dream Land stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS). In Kirby Super Star, the theme was extended and the new version was used for subsequent games. His theme music was not in the original NES version of Kirby's Adventure, however; the generic boss fight music plays instead. It was added in the Game Boy Advance remake, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land for the mid-boss tower stage in Rainbow Resort. A remixed version of the song plays during the races against the fake Dedede in Kirby: Canvas Curse. The version of the song from Kirby Super Star also appears in Kirby Air Ride, as an unlockable music for the Fire track. In Kirby Super Star Ultra's Revenge of the King, Masked Dedede's theme is a remix of the extended theme.

Besides his own theme, King Dedede is also associated with the Gourmet Race theme from the sub-game in Kirby Super Star. An orchestral version of this theme originally debuted in the Fountain of Dreams stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and a remix of this was employed during battle against him in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Both King Dedede's theme and the Gourmet Race theme feature as alternate music for the Battleship Halberd Stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the former being a remix of the SNES version, the latter being a heavy metal remix. The orchestral version from Melee returns as alternate music used for the Green Greens stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Gourmet Race theme was used again for the Castle Dedede stage of Kirby's Epic Yarn. In Kirby Mass Attack, the theme is used as the music for the bosses (with the exception of Skullord and Necrodeus, who use their own battle themes), including King Dedede. Its track name is "Tough Enemy". It also plays in Stage 5 of Nutty Noon in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, which itself is a reference to the boss tower in Kirby's Adventure, but even more so its remake.

In the Super Smash Bros. series


"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."

- Trophy Description

King Dedede was meant to be in the original Super Smash Bros. game, but was taken out due to memory limitations and time constraints. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, he was taken out supposedly due to Sakurai not wanting to over-represent the Kirby franchise at the time. However, he appears in the background of Dream Land in both of the games and as a trophy in Melee. He finally appears in the Super Smash Bros. series, along with Meta Knight, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Dedede is voiced by Masahiro Sakurai, as he was in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. There are three stickers which feature him — one focusing on him giving Kirby a piggyback ride from the aforementioned game, another utilizing his design from Kirby: Squeak Squad, and the last being his design from Kirby Super Star.

He also returns in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as a playable character once more. King Dedede receives a number of changes such as a new side special and a new Final Smash, but one of the major aesthetic changes he received are his more exaggerated facial expressions (while getting hit, during specific actions, grabbing onto the ledge or during some of his victory poses), similar to his incarnation in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.

Role in the Subspace Emissary
King Dedede was crucial in the capture and occupation of the Halberd by the Subspace Army. He attacks Meta Knight, unintentionally keeping the knight from repelling the Subspace Army's assault. King Dedede finds out about Tabuu's nefarious plot and the immense power of his Off Waves during the Halberd's capture. He starts worrying about the world's fate if all the heroes become trophies. No one will exist to revive the trophies, and the entire world will belong to Tabuu.

These scenes were to be incorporated into the Subspace Emissary, but were cut, presumably for time.

So he prepares a special type of brooch that fans have dubbed the Dedede Cap or Dedede Badge, though it is referred to as a Timed Badge for the cutscene. They are set to work on a timer; when the timer runs down, the brooch will restore a fighter from his or her trophy state back to their original form. All that needs to be done is to set the brooch on a fighter that had been turned into a trophy and leave it there. He puts the badges on Luigi's nose and Ness' shoulder. When he could not find anymore with him, he realizes he has one on himself. He rather selflessly takes it off and puts it on the princess's gem. He may be posted as a hero, because he stole trophies from Wario, probably because Wario would just keep them for himself.

When King Dedede learns that Bowser and Wario have joined the Subspace Army and are using Dark Cannons to turn fighters into a collection of trophies, he decides to start his own collection. He hides the fighter trophies he collects in his castle, confident the brooches will bring them back eventually just in case something goes wrong, however, he ends up using the brooch he had made for himself on Peach (or Zelda), intending to make himself another one later.

The first time Dedede is shown, he uses his Waddle Dees to ambush an unsuspecting Luigi and turn him into a Trophy. It's implied that he did this so Luigi will act as bait for Wario before Dedede ambushes the latter. Then as Wario approaches on his bobsled carrying two Trophies (a princess and Ness), he tries to take the new Luigi trophy and is suddenly ambushed by a herd of Waddle Dees who throw Luigi into the sled. Dedede then steals the sled with the Trophies in tow.

Dedede is turned into a trophy by Bowser. Bowser then steals Peach (or Zelda).

After Tabuu turns everyone into a Trophy using Off Waves, the Timed Badges go off, reviving Ness and Luigi, who in turn decide to revive Dedede. Kirby is also revived because he ate the brooch that Dedede put on one of the princesses (this cutscene was humorously called "Kirby Revived By Hunger").

Eventually, Dedede goes to the Subspace where the players fight the final boss. He revives Bowser, but the Koopa king attacks Dedede. Dedede wins the fight and revives Bowser again, telling him that they should fight the main villain instead of each other. Dedede also finds his rival, Kirby, but is actually happy to see him alive. While Dedede is walking up a staircase, Wario attacks him. However, Wario backs off when he realizes that Luigi and Ness will aid Dedede, outnumbering Wario. Dedede, Luigi, and Ness then point the staircase, and Wario decides to help them fight the final boss.

Special Moves
Other notes about Special Moves:
 * Inhale, much like Kirby's Inhale and Wario's Chomp, can be used on items to swallow them. Some items may or may not have their effects activated upon swallowing as it depends on the item(s) swallowed. However, Dedede, like the two other aforementioned characters, will harm himself from the inside if he inhales any explosives (and thus receives a small amount of damage), and not all items can be swallowed.
 * Waddle Dee Toss only appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, while Gordo Throw replaces the former move in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Gordo Throw can also be angled in terms of both throwing direction and bounce pattern.
 * While rising upward during Super Dedede Jump, King Dedede gains super armor/launch resistance until he comes back down. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the attack previously could be cancelled by tapping down instead of up (a change done in Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U).
 * If Super Dedede Jump is cancelled too close to the ground, Dedede will be left even more vulnerable due to fumbling around for a bit upon landing.
 * When Dedede uses Jet Hammer and charges for long periods of time, it will stop damaging him when he reaches a certain damage percentage (150% in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and 100% in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U).

Misc. abilities

 * His Dash Attack, Inhale and Super Dedede Jump (and possibly his Forward Smash to some extent) are inspired by his attacks in Kirby's Dream Land.
 * He is able to jump in mid-air up to four times using his puff-up and fly ability (like Kirby).
 * He is classed as a heavyweight along with other Nintendo villains such as Bowser. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he even possesses the fastest falling speed and the lowest horizontal air speed, which gives him hampered mobility compared to the rest of the cast.
 * King Dedede carries his hammer around with him at all times, like the Ice Climbers. He also possesses hammer-twirling moves akin to theirs.
 * When Dedede gets a Hammer or Golden Hammer, he swings both his own hammer, and the Hammer/Golden Hammer together, alternating swings for each hammer, though his own hammer will do no damage whatsoever, especially evident if the Hammer breaks or is actually the Squeaky Golden Hammer.
 * He enters a stage on a throne being held by four Waddle Dees. Though this may be a reference to his apparent laziness, in certain cultures (particularly in ancient times), it is said that a king/ruler should not go into battle on foot, and are thus carried to the battlefield by servants or commoners.
 * Dedede's crouching animation is different because he actually lies down on his side. Combined with the pose he makes, some players may use it as a taunt.
 * King Dedede can chain grab most characters with his down throw. To do this, King Dedede must do the down throw, dash up and grab the character again, do another down throw, and repeat. This only works on heavy characters such as Bowser or Samus, as well as himself. However, this also only works in Super Smash Bros. Brawl due to the ability to combo throws into each other being removed in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, his forward smash attack is the strongest in the game in terms of knockback if sweet-spotted, but has notable startup.
 * Dedede was to be made into a character for the original Super Smash Bros., but scrapped from the game due to time constraints and space limitations.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
His Final Smash is the Waddle Dee Army. A fitting Final Smash for someone who likes to leave all the hard work for everyone else, Dedede blows a whistle and calls forth a swarm of Waddle Dees to raise a ruckus across the stage. The Waddle Dees are much faster than the ones he normally summons, so players need to watch out to make sure they do not suddenly get swept off the screen. What makes this Final Smash even more dangerous is that Waddle Doos and Gordos appear in the riot.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, his new Final Smash is Dedede Burst. Dedede inhales his foes in a similar manner to a Super Inhale. Anyone caught in this will then be rapidly hit by a series of flaming hammer swings before being blasted away by a bomb similar in design to Bomber and the Balloon Bomb, with an explosion resembling the latter.

Snake's Codecs
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, if a player plays as Snake in the stage Shadow Moses Island and quickly inputs down taunt (referred to as a Smash Taunt), Snake can enter a conversation, talking about one of the present fighters, with his support team, along with Slippy as a cameo when talking about Falco. Here is the following conversation if King Dedede is present:


 * SNAKE: Look at the size of that hammer...


 * COLONEL: That's King Dedede you're fighting, Snake.


 * SNAKE: Dedede? You mean it's not a penguin, Colonel?


 * COLONEL: He's the King of Dream Land. Well, so he says, anyway.


 * SNAKE: Are you sure he's not a penguin?


 * COLONEL: One full swing from that hammer can level an entire building. It may look like just a big wooden mallet, but it's actually outfitted with special mechanical systems like turbo jets and precision bearings to boost its effectiveness.


 * SNAKE: I don't think I could even lift that thing. And here he's swinging it around like it was nothing...


 * COLONEL: But he also leaves himself wide open. Just make sure you avoid the swing, Snake.

Palutena's Guidance
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, if a player plays as Pit in the stage Palutena's Temple and inputs a Smash Taunt, Pit can enter a conversation, talking about one of the present fighters, with Palutena and Viridi (and Chrom as a cameo when talking about Robin). Here is the following conversation if King Dedede is present:


 * PIT: Who's this, Lady Palutena?


 * PALUTENA: That's King Dedede.


 * PIT: So what do I need to know about him?


 * PALUTENA: He's a heavyweight but has the ability to fly. And his hammer attack is no joke. But every fighter has a weakness. For example, when King Dedede throws his spiky Gordo, you can hit it right back at him. If you could eliminate him by reflecting the Gordo, that will count as your KO.


 * PIT: Uh... What's a KO?


 * PALUTENA: Good luck, Pit.

Related Quotes
"Dedede's the self-proclaimed king of Dream Land. While he says he's king, Dedede performs 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 the vigorous training he undertook after being bested by Kirby."

- Trophy description

"Big, heavy, and mallet-toting!"

- In-game description (playable)

"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-naturedly at speed-eating contests and minigames."

- Trophy description

"A fated bout with King Dedede! What can Kirby do against his new Dedede Hammer?!"

- Pause-screen description (boss) as Masked Dedede

"Looks like it's time for the big showdown with King Dedede! I'd say that the first thing to do is to get him out of his balloon and down to the ground. Watch the bombs he lobs down. Send them back his way at JUST the right time. They'll blow up in his face and take down his ship soon enough. I'd suspect that he'll lose his cool and start stomping you with his hammer. Stay on your toes and avoid those attacks. If you can get behind him, you might just have a chance!"

- Daroach

"This selfish Dream Land king wields a big hammer that's almost as big as his mouth!"

- King Dedede's Cast Description

"Under the influence of Taranza's hypnosis magic, and now donning a mysterious mask, the powered-up king wants to do battle with Kirby. Come to your senses, King Dedede!"

- VS Masked Dedede

"The revitalized king overflows with power after suffering defeat at the hands of Kirby! Kirby's rival has had his limiter removed, and now he swings a giant axe around with ease. Be careful--this battle machine is on the fritz!"

- VS Masked Dedede's Revenge

"At long last—Dededetour! This land will not be ruled by Queen Sectonia. No! It will be ruled by the king! The self-proclaimed Great King of Dream Land embarks on his own adventure!"

- In-game description (playable)

"Energized by the Fountain of Dreams, the original king is here with his team in tow, ready to cause some ruckus! He's hoping his royal pride and some solid teamwork will help him feel like a final boss once again!"

- VS Team DDD24

"The king is back, looking for a last shot at revenge. His team members may be miniature, but they sure mean business! "Hey! You pesky pink puffball! Are you ready for a team battle? Then let's go!"

- VS Team DDD64

"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."

- Trophy description

"Being a self-proclaimed king, Dedede clearly doesn't care too much about the whole "politics" thing. 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."

- Trophy description (PAL version)

"For the Gordo Throw side special, King Dedede smacks 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!"

- Trophy description

"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!."

- Trophy description (PAL version)

"The self-proclaimed King of Dream Land loves to swing his giant hammer and breathe in lots of air. He spent countless hours in training learning how to fly just like Kirby. He appears here in figurine form only."

- Figurine Description

Trivia

 * For some reason, his theme plays while fighting Meta Knight in Kirby: Squeak Squad.
 * In illustrations or cutscenes, King Dedede has one of two symbols on the back of his robe.
 * An illustration of himself giving a peace sign, used in earlier games, including Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Adventure and Kirby Super Star.
 * An emblem of a hand giving the same sign. This is more commonly used, but its design is slightly changed in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.
 * On his sprites in Kirby's Dream Land, the back of Dedede's robes originally had a white "0" outline.
 * In Kirby Super Star, it was changed to a yellow square outline, but the closeup during the Gourmet Race intro had an illustration of him giving the v-sign.
 * In Kirby's Dream Land 3, that was simplified to a yellow circle with a red image of a hand giving the same symbol (though his robes had a yellow circle with a black swirl in the intro).
 * In Kirby's Super Star Stacker, the circle became white and the symbol itself became yellow.
 * In subsequent games, he has consistently been given a yellow circle with the silhouetted v-sign in blue for 3D portrayals, and a bare version of the same symbol for 2D depictions (though his robes were once bare red in Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble).
 * In Kirby's Dream Land, King Dedede's name was spelled as King DeDeDe. This spelling was also reused for the English localizations of Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, although it has since been phased out. His mountain was also spelled Mt. DeDeDe in Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby Super Star.
 * In Kirby Air Ride, King Dedede's vehicle looks like the Wheelie Helper.
 * Although spin-offs imply he has a hatred of stars, his hammer is shown with an image of a star on it.
 * Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land are the only Kirby games that do not play King Dedede's battle theme when fighting him.
 * Even though he is a boss in almost every Kirby game, he is never the main antagonist in any game, with the exception in Kirby's Dream Land.
 * Dedede's portrayal and artwork in Kirby: Squeak Squad most resembles his appearance in the anime. His castle, as seen in the background and cutscenes, also resembled how it appeared in the anime. When fighting Dedede, the machine in the background bears a resemblance to the monster delivery machine in the anime.
 * This also applies to his recent appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, where many of his new facial expressions are also reminiscent of his incarnation in the anime.
 * When fighting Dedede in Spring Breeze, Mario, Luigi, Birdo, and Toad appear in the crowd (Peach is also faintly visible, and Bowser is off-screen but part of the game data). In the remake, Peach, Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Toad appear, while the former set still appears in Megaton Punch.
 * When fighting Dedede in Revenge of the King, the only one in the crowd is Bandana Waddle Dee, because Dedede has already sent everyone else after Kirby. King Dedede solemnly declares the ensuing fight to settle their grudge. Obviously, this is not the case in later games. This fact is again refuted in Kirby Fighters Deluxe, as King Dedede appears as the final boss. The flavor text for the fight during Very Hard mode even suggests that this attempt is his last at revenge.
 * In Quick Draw, Dedede is the fifth and final challenger, wielding a large gun that shoots a retractable boxing glove. If Kirby is faster, the king will be dispatched by a cannon. In Samurai Kirby, he is the fourth challenger, with Meta Knight taking his previous place. King Dedede uses a hammer here, though Kirby can defend against this with a party cone if he is fast enough.
 * Masked Dedede's theme is based on the theme of King Dedede in Kirby's Super Star Stacker, which explains why they sound similar.
 * Despite his girth, King Dedede runs fast in Gourmet Race, as he is able to catch up with Kirby.
 * King Dedede shares Kirby's immense appetite for food. In the episode Fitness Fiend, Dedede ate enough bags of potato chips to have the bags scattered all over his throne room.
 * In Kirby's Epic Yarn, Dedede cannot use his inhale attack. This may be because he was turned to yarn like Kirby.
 * There is a glitch in Spring Breeze. When the player defeats King Dedede in co-op wireless play, King Dedede might yell Mike Kirby's final move sound rather than the usual "NOOOOOO!" There is also a similar occurrence in Revenge of the King, in which Kirby's final Mike sound will play as opposed to the sound of its first use. It is unknown whether or not this was intended or a glitch. However, said sound was put in the soundtrack, so it was possibly intended. This glitch also occurs in Kirby Super Star, although still very rare.
 * King Dedede's name is translated "Roi Dadidou" in the French versions of the Kirby series. "Dadidou" is a common onomatopoeia to describe the sounds babies make, and "roi" means king.
 * The German name for this character is "König Dedede" (formerly "König Nickerchen" which means "King Nap" in German).
 * King Dedede is one of the few bosses to help Kirby. The others are Meta Knight, Landia, Bandana Waddle Dee, Dyna Blade, Daroach, and the Lor Starcutter. This does not include the monsters in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Solid Snake discusses with the colonel about the hammer King Dedede carries, and how it is far too heavy for Snake to even remotely lift, despite King Dedede waddling around with it with no issue, implying King Dedede has massive strength. Whether his hammer is heavy or if this is because his hammer is mechanical in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is not said.
 * Because of his role in Subspace Emissary, King Dedede, along with Wolf, is the only one of the Nintendo Rogues gallery to not be evil in the game. He did serve the Subspace Army at one time, but left as soon as he became privy about Tabuu's true plans. This reflects Dedede's role in most Kirby games, where he is initially a foe and turns into an ally near the end of the game.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, unlike in the main Kirby series, Kirby is able to Inhale King Dedede and gain his Copy Ability. This results in Kirby basically keeping his own inhale ability, but not being able to copy other foes as long as he is wearing Dedede's hat, only being able to spit them out as stars (as was the case in Kirby's Dream Land).
 * His Dedede Hammer in Kirby Super Star Ultra could be based on the fact that his hammer in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is mechanical.
 * Although his real species is unknown, it is believed that he may be a penguin due to his appearance. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Snake calls him a "giant penguin" when speaking to the colonel.
 * King Dedede's voice actor in the anime (as well as Escargoon's), Ted Lewis, is also known for doing a majority of the voice of another huge antagonist in a Nintendo TV show: Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket in the Pokémon anime.
 * Dedede's iconic theme is used as the standard boss theme in Kirby Mass Attack.
 * Dedede's hat in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is different than all other games as he has spikes on his hat rather than a sphere.
 * When making a custom emblem in Mario Kart DS, an available "template" for use is the v-sign sometimes found on the back of Dedede's robes.
 * In the Japanese version of the anime, King Dedede usually ends his sentences with "zoi", which means nothing and is just a verbal tic common with some anime characters (such as Naruto's "dattebayo").
 * King Dedede's most notable feature in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is his infinite chain grab. This has been the primary reason why many stages (such as Bridge of Eldin) have been banned in tournaments.
 * King Dedede is one of two Super Smash Bros. characters (the other being Meta Knight) to have been planned to be a playable character twice (in the first one and Super Smash Bros. Melee).
 * King Dedede ranked first in  Super Smash Bros. Brawl' s Japanese character inclusion poll.
 * King Dedede has the fastest falling speed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, yet paired with Zelda for having the third slowest dash speed and slowest air speed in the game.
 * In the Spanish versions of the Kirby games, he is known as "Rey Dedede", "Rey" meaning 'king' in Spanish.
 * In Kirby's Epic Yarn, it says that King Dedede's theme is new, but it was in many games before that.
 * Several pre-release screenshots of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards show that King Dedede was playable without Kirby riding him at one point in development.
 * When fighting Masked Dedede on his second phase in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, a remix of his Masked Dedede Theme from Kirby Super Star Ultra plays.
 * King Dedede makes a cameo appearance as a purchasable hat in the Nintendo 3DS built-in game StreetPass Mii Plaza.
 * In Kirby's Avalanche, his AI is used by Satan in Puyo Puyo. However, he does shake the board similar to Zoh's AI, which Heavy Mole uses, but their AI is not the same.
 * In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition, and Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Dedede is voiced by Shinya Kumazaki. Kumazaki was also the director of all three games.
 * A slightly distorted version of Dedede's roar from Kirby: Triple Deluxe is produced by Dark Crafter at the beginning of his battle in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.
 * In the non-canon Kirby Super Star manga, there presumably is a Queen Dedede. This is not mentioned elsewhere.
 * Masked Dedede's mask is apparently power-amplifying and its origins are unknown.
 * His mask's design is also a heavily-altered version of Dark Mind's mask.