Background
King Dedede is the greedy ruler of Dream Land, and famed ‘Frienemy’ to Pop Star’s defender, Kirby. Little about his backstory is known. In the anime, Dedede claims to be the 17,052nd ruler of Dream Land, and from a long line of kings.Though given he later attempts to plant fake evidence of the history of his lineages’ rule, this is likely a lie on his part to keep himself in power.
Questionable claim to royalty aside, Dedede has been a constant source of havoc for Kirby and co. All the way back to the original Kirby’s Dream Land, he and his servants stole all of Dream Land’s food, for no apparent reason other than to cause trouble. Kirby naturally defeated him, but Dedede would continue performing a variety of other schemes throughout the years, undeterred. This includes: Stealing all of the stars in the sky (twice), hosting a combat tournament with loosely defined rules, and commissioning a multitude of monsters from Nightmare Enterprises specifically to clobber dat Kirby.
Despite this, some of the more nefarious things King Dedede has done were under the influence of other villains, usually Dark Matter. Such as in Kirby’s Dreamland 2, when he became possessed by Dark Matter, who planned to use him to rule Dream Land. And still other ploys of Dedede’s were done with good intentions, the best demonstration being his plan to separate the Star Rod in Kirby’s Adventure, which was done with the intent of keeping Nightmare from awakening. Unfortunately, it also made it so the citizens of Dream Land couldn’t sleep, so Kirby had to put an end to it.
Through it all, Dedede has become a fairly prominent enemy and friend (?) of Kirby’s,
assisting in his adventures multiple times, fighting alongside him in the Crystal Shards, Return to Dreamland, Star Allies, and even helping save him from Queen Sectonia in Kirby Triple Deluxe.
Experience
-King Dedede has played a role in over 20 Kirby games. While he isn’t always prominent, or cognizant in them, he has still assisted Kirby and friends multiple times. Factoring out all the times he was possessed, or influenced by an outside power, Dedede has…
Stolen all the food in Dream Land then battled Kirby (Kirby’s Dream Land).
Separated the Star Rod into different pieces to prevent Nightmare from awakening (Kirby’s Adventure).
Stole the stars out of the sky twice (Kirby’s Dream Course & Kirby Tilt n’ Tumble).
Competed in a puzzle tournament (Kirby’s Avalanche).
Raced against Kirby in a literal speed eating competition (Gourmet Race).
Attempted to steal Dreamland’s food again (Spring Breeze), then tried to take revenge against Kirby for beating him and all of his minions (Revenge of the King).
Helped Kirby and Co. gather the Crystal Shards, and defeat 02. This primarily consisted of segments where Kirby would ride on Dedede’s back, as Dedede hammered through barricades (Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards).
Fought Kirby again (Kirby Squeak Squad).
Fought alongside Kirby, when he, Mega Knight and Bandana Dee, travelled around Pop Star, and then the universe, to gather energy spheres for the ship, the Lor Starcutter. He and the other playable characters would eventually do battle with Magalor (Kirby’s Return to Dreamland).
Provided some minor assistance in rescuing Kirby and helping him defeat Queen Sectonia (Kirby Triple Deluxe).
Hosted a tournament that pitted Kirby against several different foes, including copies of Kirby, made through Dedede’s Kirby Printer. Dedede eventually fought Kirby himself, doing battle in his own personal robot the Dededestroyer Z.
Most recently, Dedede helped Kirby take down the evil cultist, Hyness, and the being Void Termina that was trapped in the Jamba Heart.
-Dedede is stated to have underwent countless hours of training to replicate some of Kirby’s noteworthy abilities (see the abilities below).
-Dedede has also had a few solo adventures, such as Dededetour. Of particular note is that Dedede faces off against Dark Meta Knight and Queen Sectonia in this adventure. Some have deemed the mode non-canon, but… Well, setting aside the fact that Kirby canon is loosely defined, if it is non-canon, it’s non-canon in the sense that it’s a story of what would happen if Dedede went through the same obstacles Kirby did in Triple Deluxe. Knowing the role he’s had in Return to Dreamland and Star Allies, I think it’s reasonable to include anything he did in this game mode.
-While Dedede isn’t shown to be much of a ruler or diplomat, when he wants to he has enough skill as a ruler to organize events such as the Cake Royale.
-It isn’t a measure of his experience per-say, but it’s worth noting that despite often being used for comedic effect, or a host for the real big bad (or both), Dedede is still considered one of the most powerful lifeforms on Pop Star.
Arsenal
Jet Hammer: While Dedede’s regular hammer looks like a wooden mallet, it actually has a built-in jet-like mechanism, that can be charged, and used to increase the momentum and force of his swings. Though charging the mechanism for too long has been known to hurt him.
Masked Dedede & Hammer: When Dedede gets serious he will don a mask and new hammer. The mask apparently amplifies his power, though to what extent is unknown. The hammer can emit electricity, shocking anything it comes in contact with. This includes the ground beneath Dedede, which it can send electricity through for an AOE attack. The hammer also has a built in flamethrower, and rocket launcher, with a seemingly endless supply of rockets.
Star Hammer: Dedede’s newest hammer from Kirby Fighters Deluxe. How he got the hammer is unknown, though its design clearly bears a semblance to the Star Rod. The hammer seemingly gave Dedede the ability to create anywhere between 21 and 64 miniature copies of himself. These copies are clearly not as powerful as the real thing, but are still capable of many of the same moves and abilities as Dedede.
If he wants, Dedede can create and fight alongside two larger clones that are more physically capable and durable than the smaller ones. Other miscellaneous abilities include: Being able to fire spheres of energy, increase his size, produce an AOE shockwave, and perhaps the oddest of all, throw key chains at the screen to obscure the player’s vision.
The hammer is energized by the Fountain of Dreams, meaning it likely has similar power and properties to the Star Rod.
Wheelie: In Kirby Air Ride, Dedede uses a custom Wheelie to get around. The single-seat wheel is naturally very fast, and presumably comparable in speed and power to Wheel Kirby.
Gordos: Dedede can throw Gordos at opponents, a sentient sphere of spikes that harms anything it comes in contact with. It is worth noting that it is one of the few objects in the Kirby series that can’t be inhaled or eaten.
Bombs: In one of the mini-games from Kirby’s Adventure Dedede has access to standard explosive bombs. In addition, Kirby Mass Attack gave him access to a variant of these bombs that either detonate after a set amount of time, or if the bubble the bomb is encased in pops.
Abilities
Aside from general superhuman strength, speed, durability, and physiology, King Dedede has...
Inhale: After losing his bout with Kirby, Dedede trained himself to replicate several of Kirby’s abilities, the key one being his Inhale. Dedede can suck up foes like a vacuum, and spit them out at high speeds. He cannot swallow or copy any abilities from opponents, but it is nonetheless a useful skill.
Flight & Inflation: The other ability Dedede learned was to float by inhaling air. This inflates him like a balloon, and lets him fly around with ease.
Superhuman Acrobatics: King Dedede is capable of jumping many times his own height with the Super Dedede Jump.
Shockwaves: The ensuing landing of Dedede’s jumps or hammer swings often produce shockwaves, capable of travelling several meters.
Electrokinesis: Something exclusive to Kirby Pinball Land. Apparently, Dedede can shoot concentrated blasts of electricity from his hands.
Mind Control (Via Friend Hearts): The newest power Dedede and most of the Kirby cast has gained is Friend Hearts. With this new power, Dedede can materialize a heart that turns foes into friends, presumably via some form of mind control or affection manipulation. Up to 3 individuals can be controlled at once.
Expert Mechanic: It’s somewhat vague as to where many of Dedede’s vehicles and devices come from, but they are implied to be Dedede’s own creations. Waddle Dee comments in Kirby Battle Royale that Dedede likes machines.
Underwater & Outer Atmosphere Survival: Dedede can survive underwater indefinitely, and has no trouble being in the vacuum of space.
Special Moves
Hammer Flip: Dedede charges his hammer by pulling it back before making a vertical strike.
Hammer Cannon: Dedede pulls his hammer back, but creates a horizontal strike rather than a vertical one. The swing creates a shockwave that can cut through enemies.
Hammer Wave: Dedede slams his hammer to the ground, sending a wave of energy through the floor.
Hammer Throw: Dedede charges his hammer, then throws it for an immense amount of damage.
Head Slide: Dedede leaps at his opponent, sliding across the floor upon landing.
Giant Dedede Swing: Dedede charges towards his opponent, spinning himself and his hammer in the process in a top-like fashion. In Kirby Triple Deluxe, this move has an ice affinity, and can freeze lava.
Hammer Twirl: An airborne attack, in which Dedede holds his hammer to the ground and spins it in a drill-like fashion, harming anything beneath him. The move has fiery properties in Kirby Triple Deluxe, and can be used to set things aflame
Air Bullet: Another move taken from Kirby in which Dedede exhales air at high speed to form an air bullet.
Other
Machines and Vehicles
King Dedede is in possession of several different mechanical devices, and modes of transportation.
HR-D3: A large mechanical robot featuring a large drill arm. While Dedede is only shown with it in the Kirby Quest mini-game from Kirby Mass Attack, it is also a boss fight in Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, albeit, without Dedede piloting it.
Robo Dedede: Another machine of Dedede’s that appears in Kirby’s Dream Course, and Return to Dreamland in two different variants. The first variant can send forth smaller mechanical Dededes (Chibi Dededes). The variant from Return to Dreamland fires bombs from a hammer equipped to its back, dash around with jet-powered feet, throw larger canister-shaped time bombs, and rapidly spin with the aforementioned hammer.
Dededestroyer Z: The newest machine Dedede uses in Kirby Battle Royale. It’s equipped with a printer that prints Kirbies, a large hammer that can ignite with fire, a large laser with Dedede’s emblem emblazoned onto it, and lock on missiles.
Air Balloon: A simple air balloon with Dedede’s face emblazoned onto it. He uses it to fight Kirby in Kirby Mass Attack.
Feats
Strength & Destructive Power
-Can casually hammer apart collumbs of stone and steel doors.
-Hit Kirby with enough force to break Queen Sectonia’s grip.
Speed & Agility
-After Nightmare awakens, Dedede spits Kirby and the Star Rod out of Pop Star’s atmosphere using his inhale ability. There’s a fade to black, so there unfortunately isn’t a definitive timeframe. But at bare minimum, the speed Dedede fired Kirby at would have to hit around escape velocity
-Managed to use his inhale ability to reach the upper atmospheres of Pop Star in the ending of Kirby’s Adventure.
-Avoided and moved in-tandem with a piece of the Jamba Heart as it crossed the universe and collided with his castle
Durability & Survivability
-Survived getting knocked out of his castle into the sky.
-Like Kirby, Dedede was at the epicenter of the planet-eclipsing explosion that ensued after Sectonia’s defeat.
Scaling
Who does King Dedede scale to
King Dedede scales to most of the top tier characters in the Kirby series on account of assisting and showing himself to be comparable to Kirby and Meta Knight in Return to Dreamland and Star Allies, defeating Queen Sectonia and Dark Meta Knight in the Dededetour mode in Triple Deluxe, regularly surviving bouts with Kirby, and being outright referred to as one of the most powerful life forms on Pop Star. While he isn’t as powerful as several of these characters (the big one being Kirby), and has consistently lost to Kirby, this simply means he scales to, and is in their range of power, rather than scaling above them.
Kirby
-Flew to the moon in seconds on his Warp Star
-Batted a meteor 9999 light years away in under 20 seconds
-Pulverized enough terrain to send a crack through Pop Star visible from space
-Imploded Pop Star
-Eradicated multiple planets with the aforementioned meteor
Meta Knight
-Can casually cross interplanetary distances
-Upon defeating Galacta Knight, flew from the edge of the galaxy back to Pop Star in seconds
Magolor
-Created and collapsed a black hole
Hyness
-Dispersed the Jamba Hearts across the universe
02
-Exploded in a blast that decimated Dark Star
General Enemies
-Knuckle Joe sent a crack through Pop Star and dislodged a large chunk of the planet into space
-Even garden variety Kirby enemies like the Laser Ball can utilize a laser that both reflects off surfaces, and is specifically described as… “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation - And it ricochets off hills, too!“
Weaknesses
It should be obvious by this point, but King Dedede has a tendency to get possessed by other entities. He has been possessed on at least 5 different occasions. Thrice by Dark Matter, once by Taranza, and once by the Jamba Heart. And despite being Dream Land’s ruler, Dedede is… Pretty dumb, and has never quite managed to defeat Kirby, even with multiple powered up states, a variety of different machines, and the ability to literally print his own Kirbies to fight for him.
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