SATURDAY MORNINGS FOREVER: KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA!

In 1991, HAL Laboratory was developing a video game to be published on Nintendo’s Game Boy handheld system. The game was designed by Masahiro Sakurai with the intention of making it an action game that anyone could pick up and easily play. During the development, Sakurai used a spherical dummy character in place of the game’s main character until the developers designed a more sophisticated one.

Meet Kirby.

However, he and designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata came to like the character and Sakurai felt that design served it better. He was given a pink coloring, red shoes, the name Popopo and the game was called Twinkie Popo. Eventually, it was decided to rename the character from a list of potential names. Miyamoto stated they ultimately settled on the name “Kirby” after American lawyer John Kirby, who defended Nintendo in the case of Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd over the dispute that Donkey Kong was a ripped off from King Kong. They also liked that the guttural-sound of the name contrasted with the character’s cute appearance. Likewise, the game was renamed Kirby of the Stars, and Kirby’s Dream Land in North America.

The game was released on April 27, 1992 in Japan and August 1 in North America. The game focused on Kirby having to save all the food in Dream Land from the gluttonous King Dedede, who had taken it all for a midnight snack. Kirby fought his enemies by inhaling them or objects and either spitting them out as a projectile weapon or by eating them. Power ups included a mint leaf and super spicy curry that allowed him to shoot unlimited air pellets and fireballs, respectively, until the items wore off. Kirby could also puff up his malleable body and use his stubby little arms to flap and fly. The game proved a hit, becoming HAL’s most successful game and eventually selling over 5 million copies in its lifetime.

The evolution of Kirby.

Sequels were inevitable, with 25 games in Kirby’s main series as of this writing. The first came with Kirby’s Adventure for the Nintendo Entertainment System, which introduced Kirby’s ability to copy an enemy’s powers once devoured. Kirby’s Dream Land 2 for Game Boy introduced three helper animals who could alter how Kirby’s copied abilities worked depending on the pairing. Kirby Super Star for the Super NES introduced the concept of Kirby gaining a new hat to represent his stolen ability, multiple fighting techniques from those abilities, and the option to sacrifice his ability and create a good copy of the enemy he swallowed to aid him (or be handled by a second player). Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards for the Nintendo 64 allowed Kirby to combine two copy abilities to form a new one (so far, the only game to do so and to limit Kirby’s flight ability). Kirby’s Return to Dream Land for the Nintendo Wii allowed some abilities to become Super Abilities, making them even more powerful. Kirby’s Epic Yarn for the Wii gave Kirby a whole new move set based on his being made of yarn, which included shape-shifting and a whip ability.

At the turn of the century, Kirby’s popularity encouraged Nintendo to pursue the making of an anime series based on the franchise. Nintendo and HAL invested to create a production company specifically designed to make the anime called Warpstar, Inc. The anime’s production worked closely with the games’ staff including Sakurai. Producer Soji Yoshikawa initially had reservations as videogame-to-series adaptations rarely went well, but over time began to recognize the strength in the character that could make it possible. Sakurai had two firm rules that had to be followed in the anime: 1) Kirby can’t speak in order to keep him endearing and easier to relate to, and 2) there should be no human characters.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (known as Hoshi no Kirby in Japan) took the established Kirby mythos and made some modifications to it. The villain from Kirby’s Adventure, Nightmare (Banjo Ginga & Andrew Rannells), had established a company called NightMare Enterprises (or N.M.E., Holy Nightmare in Japan) thousands of years ago as a front for his army of monsters. The only beings who stood in the way of his universal conquest were the Star Warriors and the Galaxy Soldier Army. However, they were outnumbered and overpowered by Nigthmare’s forces.

Anime promo ad.

Kirby (Makiko Ohmoto) was made a young Star Warrior whose ship crashed on planet Pop Star, specifically near Cappy Town in Dream Land, where it detected monsters being ordered from N.M.E. by the land’s ruler, King Dedede (Kenichi Ogata & Ted Lewis using a Southern accent). Because his awakening was 200 years premature, Kirby was still a baby and seemed harmless. Dedede became jealous of the attention Kirby received from his citizens and it compelled him to order monsters from N.M.E. to try and eliminate Kirby. However, Kirby’s looks ended up being deceiving as he was able to inhale foes and use their abilities against them; growing stronger over time and with experience.

Kirby vs. Knuckle Joe as King Dedede watches.

Chef Kawasaki (Nobuo Tobita & Maddie Blaustein) was a mid-boss in Kirby Super Star who became an ally of Kirby in later games. He was used in the series as one of Cappy Town’s few non-Cappy residents and the owner of the only restaurant in the village. Knuckle Joe (Minami Takayama & Alesia Glidewell), also debuting in that game, was a monster hunter who first came to Cappy Town looking for the Star Warrior that killed his father (which Dedede used to his advantage). Another game character from Adventure was Meta Knight (Atsushi Kisaichi & Eric Stuart using a Spanish accent), an armored Kirby-like warrior whose honor sometimes had him be either friend, as he tried to mentor Kirby, or foe, as he worked for Dedede just as often. It was eventually revealed that he was a Star Warrior and the only one to survive the war with Nightmare. He wielded Galaxia, a sword that only a select few could hold. Assisting Meta Knight were two fellow knights whose lives he once saved: Sword Knight (Hikaru Tokita) and Blade Knight (Chiro Kanzaki).

Dedede and Escargoon with Mayor Blustergas.

Dedede’s other minion was the newly-created Escargoon (Doctor Escargon in Japan, voiced by Naoki Tatsuta & Lewis impersonating Paul Lynde); a snail-like being that faithfully served Dedede as his personal assistant, despite constantly being the subject of his abuse. Dedede directly dealt with Nightmare’s minion, Salesman (known as Customer Service in Japan, voiced by Banjo Ginga & Dan Green). He was polite but not beyond insulting to customers, and often overcharged Dedede for his purchases.

Tiff, Tuff, Sir Ebrum and Lady Like.

Other newly created characters for the series were Kirby’s friends Tiff (Sayuri Yoshida & Kerry Williams) and Tuff (Rika Komatsu & Kayzie Rogers). They were children of the Cabinet Minister, Sir Ebrum (Takashi Nagasako & David Lapkin), and resided in Dedede’s castle. Tiff was the more academic of the two while Tuff was the sportier one, and Tiff was able to control Kirby’s Warp Star because she cared about him. Their mother, Lady Like (Yuko Mizutani & Rogers using an Eva Gabor impersonation), was often suspicious of Dedede’s plans as it often put her children in danger.

The citizens of Cappy Town and Chef Kowasaki.

The Cappy Town residents were creatures with large black eyes and no legs. They all basically looked the same besides any articles of clothing or hair they might have, and their general sizes. The citizenry included Biblio (derived from bibliography, voiced by Blaustein), who ran the local book store; Chief Bookem (Kisaichi, Jerry Lobozzo in seasons 1-3 & Rannells in season 4) was the chief and sole police officer who lived with his wife, Buttercup (Madoka Akita & Lisa Ortiz); Gengu (Japanese for “toy”, voiced by Mizuki Saitoh & Blaustein) was the owner of a toy store and designed toys; Gus (Osamu Hasoi & Stuart) was the resident mechanic and owner of the gas station; Mabel (Mizutani & Ortiz) was the town’s resident fortune teller who didn’t really have any powers, but enjoyed helping the others and did so through information gathered by juice bar owner Samo (Nobuo Tobita & Mike Pollock); Tuggle (Saitoh & Stuart), shopkeeper of the grocery store; Professor Curio (Nagasako & Blaustein), a well-respected elder who ran the antique shop and museum that displayed artifacts from ancient Dream Land; Yabui (Sekine Kazunori & Lapkin), the sole doctor and dentist in town who didn’t often get business due to his painful practices; Melman (Nobuo Tobita & Blaustein) was the town mailman; Honey (Rogers), Iroo (Makiko Ohmoto & Kevin Kolack) and Spikehead (Chiro Kanzaki & Amy Birnbaum) were Tuff’s closest friends; and Len Blaustergas (Nagasako & Pollock) was the town’s mayor who was beholden to Dedede’s rule.

Suck it all in, Kirby.

The anime debuted on October 6, 2001 on Japan’s Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. It ran for 100 episodes, ending in 2003. In 2002, 4Kids Productions licensed the rights to adapt and broadcast the anime into English-language speaking areas. Despite being produced for children from kindergarten to middle school, 4Kids still made some edits to the content before its broadcast deemed inappropriate for American and Canadian audiences. Things like guns and alcohol were removed, any visible text was removed regardless of what language it was written in or of it was gibberish, references to Japanese foods and culture were rewritten for context, the Galaxy Soldier Army subplot was removed entirely and all soldiers became Star Warriors.

The monsters of NightMare Enterprises.

4Kids also replaced all of the Japanese music by Hideyo Takakuwa, Otohiko Fujita and Tomoyuki Asakawa with an original score composed by John Siegler, John Van Tongeren, Louis Cortelezzi, Manny Corallo, Peter Scaturro, Ralph Schuckett, Rusty Andrews and Wayne Sharpe. A completely new series intro was used. The English dub intro put a larger focus on the action of the show than the anime’s, and had a completely new song by Norman J. Grossfeld (who was also an executive producer) and Schuckett. Most of the sound effects were replaced as well, although a few were maintained. Because of Kirby’s lack of dialogue, Ohmoto’s performance was carried over from the Japanese version without alteration.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya! was previewed on September 1, 2002 before making its official debut on September 14, 2002. It aired on FOX a one of the launch programs for 4Kids’ FoxBox programming block (later 4Kids TV); a joint venture between 4Kids and FOX replacing Fox Kids. Although 4Kids had full control of programming, FOX’s standards and practices department still had approval over the content that went out, which resulted in the episode “A Dental Dilemma” not being shown until season 3 due to its showing dentists in a bad light that could scare children (despite its pro-dental message).

Tiff and Tuff look at a majestic Dyna Blade.

4Kids would also air other episodes out of the original Japanese order in order to have themed episodes air to coincide with certain events like holidays or to advertise new Kirby games. For example, the two-part episode “Air-Ride-in-Style” was moved from the end of the series towards the middle for the release of Kirby Air Ride for the Nintendo GameCube. Because it contained elements of the series’ climax, the episodes were heavily edited to make it seem like Kirby and Tiff were having a prophetic dream. The series’ translation was handled by Paul Taylor. Michael Haigney, John Touhey and Lewis wrote the new scripts for the dub. The series as distributed by 4Kids, Nelvana Enterprises and HAL. Although the show was animated in 2D, various characters would receive 3D enhancements, particularly during battle scenes.

Meta Knight in 3D.

The English dub concluded its run in December of 2006. The following year, the Japanese version began airing in reruns on the Tokyo Metropolitan Television station with 4Kids following suit in 2008. In 2009, 4Kids showed it on The CW as part of their The CW4Kids programming block and on their video on demand service and website until the license expired. From 2009-2011 the show was available through the Wii in Japan, Europe and Australia. In 2009, a special CGI episode “Take it Down!! The Curstation Monster Ebizou” was released for the Wii no Ma service in Japan. 4Kids acquired the rights to the special and aired a 3D version of it in two parts on the Nintendo 3DS’ Nintendo Video Service in January of 2012 under the title “Kirby 3D.”

Funimation Entertainment handled the DVD releases for the series. Between 2002 and 2003, they released three volumes containing three episodes each. Kirby: Fright to the Finish! was released in 2005 and featured the final five episodes edited together to form a feather-length film. The first seven episodes were re-released in 2008 on Kirby’s Adventures in Cappytown, with the following seven released later that year on Cappy New Year & Other Kirby Adventures. In 2010, Horng En Culture Co., Ltd. released the first 26 episodes of the series in two box sets in Taiwan. The episodes “Kirby Comes to Cappy Town”, “Crusade for the Blade” and “Waddle While You Work” were included as bonus features in 2012’s Kirby’s Dream Collection; a compilation game celebrating Kirby’s 20^th anniversary. The anime’s second theme used for the last quarter episodes and the English dub theme were included on the respective Japanese and North American versions of Donkey Konga; a music-based Donkey Kong game released in 2003 for the GameCube similar in premise to Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Kirby and Meta Knight with Galaxia in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The anime would come to influence the game franchise from where it originally spawned in the years following its airing. Kirby Air Ride was the first game to use the logo style featured in the English dub of the show, and the first time Meta Knight wielded Galaxia (his original sword was just a regular sword). It and Super Smash Bros. Brawl made extensive use of the original Japanese music from the anime. Castle Dedede, Meta Knight’s ship The Halberd, and an N.M.E. teleporter were all seen in 2006’s Kirby: Squeak Squad. Escargoon, Customer Service, Kawasaki’s mentor Chef Shiitake, fitness-themed foe Max Flexer, and Kirby’s kabuki ability would go on to make appearances in the 2011 game Kirby Mass Attack.

EPISODE GUIDE (original Japanese titles in parenthesis):

Season 1:

“Kirby Comes to Cappy Town (He’s Here! The Pink Visitor)” (10/6/01 JAP, 9/14/02 US) – Kabu prophesizes that a warrior named Kirby will appear and protect Dream Land.

“A Blockbuster Battle (Oh No! The Search for the Soldier’s House)” (10/13/01 JAP, 9/14/92 US) – King Dedede and Escargoon send a monster to spoil Tiff and Tuff’s attempts to find Kirby a home.

“Kirby’s Duel Role (What?! Battle with Sir Meta Knight)” (10/20/01 JAP, 9/21/02 US) – Meta Knight secretly trains Kirby in swordsmanship to fight Dedede’s latest monster.

“Dark and Stormy Knight (Secret of the Star Warrior)” (10/27/01 JAP, 9/21/02 US) – Dedede summons a powerful storm monster that overpowers Kirby while Meta Knight tells Tiff about Kirby’s origins.

“Beware: Whispy Woods! (Angry! Whispy Woods)” (11/3/01 JAP, 9/28/02 US) – While Kirby and his friends are in the woods, Dedede decides to chop it down to erect a country club.

“Un-Reality TV (Check It Out! Channel DDD)” (11/10/01 JAP, 9/28/02 US) – Dedede uses television to brainwash the citizenry against Kirby.

“Kirby’s Egg-Cellent Adventure (Revenge! Dynablade)” (11/17/01 JAP, 10/5/02 US) – Kirby defends Cappy Town from a Dyna Blade who thinks he ate its egg as Dedede attempted to have him do.

“Curio’s Curious Discovery (Curio’s Ancient Pupupu Civilization)” (11/24/01 JAP, 10/5/02 US) – One of the false artifacts Curio placed for Dedede transforms into a rock monster.

“The Fofa Factor (Lololo and Lalala Melody of Love)” (12/1/01 JAP, 10/12/02 US) – A monster splits Kirby into two beings while Fololo and Falala learn about their origins.

“Hail to the Chief (The Renewal of Police Chief Borun)” (12/8/01 JAP, 10/12/02 US) – Tuff and his friends create crimes so that Chief Bookum can keep his job.

“The Big Taste Test (Court Chef Kawasaki)” (12/15/01 JAP, 10/19/02 US) – Popon disguises himself as Chef Kawasaki’s mentor.

“Escargoon Squad (Ghost of Dedede Castle)” (12/22/01 JAP, 10/26/02 US) – Escargoon plots to get revenge on Dedede for a ghostly prank he believes he pulled.

“Cappy New Year (Pupu Village’s Year-End Fireworks Party)” (12/29/01 JAP, 12/28/02 US) – Dedede sends a firework monster to ruin Cappy Town’s annual celebration.

“The Pillow Case (Face of the Dream Pillow Monster)” (1/5/02 JAP, 10/26/02 US) – Dedede orders magical pillows that gives the town nightmares about Kirby.

“Kirby’s Pet Peeve (Birth? Kirby’s Little Brother)” (1/12/02 JAP, 10/19/02 US) – Kirby forms a bond with the robotic dog Nightmare Enterprises sent him.

“A Fish Called Kine (The Fish Who Loved Me)” (1/19/02 JAP, 11/2/02 US) – Dedede sets his sights on Rainbow Coral Reef while a fish falls in love with Tiff.

“The Thing About the Ring (The Ring Story of Parm and Memu)” (1/26/02 JAP, 9/16/06 US) – Kirby accidentally loses the ring Sir Ebrum wanted to give Lady Like.

“Flower Power (Sleeping Pink Ball of the Forest)” (2/2/02 JAP, 11/2/02 US) – Kirby’s friends have to get him the Pukey Flower after he swallows a Noddy and catches sleeping sickness.

“Here Comes the Son (Knuckle Joe Arrives!)” (2/9/02 JAP, 11/9/02 US) – Dedede frames Kirby for the murder of Knuckle Joe’s father.

“Dedede’s Snow Job (Goodbye, Snowman Chilly)” (2/16/02 JAP, 11/9/02 US) – When winter comes Kirby befriends a snowman.

“A Princess in Dis-Dress (Princess Rona’s Holiday)” (2/23/02 JAP, 11/16/02 US) – Tiff befriends a disguised Rona while Kirby fights a Susshi and Dedede duels Vee.

“Island of the Lost Warrior (Decisive Battle on a Solitary Island: An Old Soldier Never Dies!)” (3/2/02 JAP, 11/16/02 US) – Kirby and friends end up stranded on an island by a typhoon.

“The Empty Nest Mess (Stray Dynababy)” (11/23/02) – Dedede captures the baby Dynablade to turn it into a monster.

“Ninja Binge (Ninja, Benikage Appears!)” (3/16/02 JAP, 11/23/02 US) – Dedede sends a former Star Warrior ninja after Kirby.

“Like Mother, Like Snail – Escargoon Rules (Escargon, in Mother’s Eyes)” (3/23/02 JAP, 11/30/02 US) – When Escargoon’s mother visits the citizens all pretend that he’s a king.

“Sword and Blade, Loyal and True – Hour of the WolfWrath (Loyalty! Sword and Blade)” (3/30/02 JAP, 11/30/02 US) – Blade and Sword team-up with Kirby to battle WolfWrath after it paralyzes Meta Knight.

Season 2:

“The Flower Plot (Whispy Woods Falls in Love)” (4/6/02 JAP, 12/7/02 US) – Dedede transforms Whispy’s flower friend into a monster.

“Labor Daze (Dedede’s Terror Factory)” (4/20/02 JAP, 12/7/02 US) – Dedede tricks the citizens into working in his factory to build parts for the Ice Dragon Robot.

“The Hot Shot Chef / A Spice Oddysey (Burning Hot! Family Restaurant War)” (4/27/02 JAP, 12/14/02 US) – Dedede has monster chef Goan show-up Kawasaki and trick the citizens into wanting to eat Kirby.

“Hatch Me If You Can (Kirby’s Mysterious Egg)” (5/4/02 JAP, 12/14/02 US) – Kirby raises a baby Galbo who must choose between him and an evil Galbo.

“Abusement Park (Viva! Welcome to Dede-Vegas)” (5/11/02 JAP, 2/1/03 US) – Dedede transforms his castle into an amusement park trap.

“A Dental Dilemma (A Ridiculous Toothless Story)” (5/18/02 JAP, 9/23/06 US) – Dedede and Tuff have toothaches that require them to get their teeth drilled by Dr. Yabui.

“Junk Jam (What?! The Universe’s Dumping Ground)” (5/25/02 JAP, 2/1/03 US) – Fire Lion is supposed to deal with the trash being dumped over Cappy Town.

“A Recipe for Disaster (Ultimate Iron Man: Cook Oosoka)” (6/1/02 JAP, 2/15/03 US) – The real Chef Shitake visits the town.

“The Kirby Derby – Part I (The Glorious Pupupu Grand Prix – Part I)” (6/8/02 JAP, 2/8/03 US) – Dedede and Kirby enter to race in Cappy Town’s Grand Prix.

“The Kirby Derby – Part II (The Glorious Pupupu Grand Prix – Part II)” (6/15/02 JAP, 2/8/03 US) – Dedede sabotages Kirby’s racer in an attempt to win.

“Watermelon Felon (Crush DededeWide in the Afternoon!)” (6/22/02 JAP, 3/1/03 US) – Dedede uses his media empire to frame Kirby and spread lies about him.

“A Novel Approach (Read It! The Wondrous Million-Seller)” (6/29/02 JAP, 6/21/03 US) – Dedede’s latest monster impersonates a famous author.

“Escar-Gone (Forgotten Escargon)” (7/6/02 JAP, 3/8/03 US) – Escargoon accidentally swallows Erasem and discovers nobody remembers him.

“Monster Management (Monster Hunter Knuckle Joe!)” (7/13/02 JAP, 3/15/03 US) – Knuckle Joe returns in disguise to pursue Masher.

“Prediction Predicament – Part I (Mabel’s Big Prediction – Part I)” (7/20/02 JAP, 3/22/03 US) – Plagued by nightmares of Kirby, Dedede sends Fridgy out to deal with his problem.

“Prediction Predicament – Part II (Mabel’s Big Prediction – Part II)” (7/27/02 JAP, 3/29/03 US) – Tiff tries to find a way to save the town from an asteroid with the castle’s cannons.

“Sheepwrecked (The Sheep’s Rebellion)” (8/3/02 JAP, 4/5/03 US) – Amon changes a herd of sheep into wolves set to destroy the town.

“War of the Woods (Whispy Woods’ Friend: Acore)” (8/10/02 JAP, 4/12/03 US) – Animals help Kirby and his friends protect Whispy’s friend Acore.

“Scare Tactics – Part I (Midsummer Night’s Scream! – Part I)” (8/17/02 JAP, 10/25/03 US) – Dedede plans to crash a scary camp out and scare Kirby off.

“Scare Tactics – Part II (Midsummer Night’s Scream! – Part II)” (8/24/02 JAP, 11/1/03 US) – Tiff and Tuff escape a storm in a haunted house set up by Dedede to trap Kirby.

“Pink-Collar Blues (Come Home, Dear Waddle Dee)” (8/31/02 JAP, 4/19/03 US) – Dedede decides to replace his minions with a domestic servant robot.

“Tourist Trap (Pupupu Land Sightseeing Tour)” (9/14/02 JAP, 4/26/03 US) – Dedede downloads Flame Feeder to entertain the tourists, but he’s programmed to destroy Kirby.

“Cartoon Buffoon (New Animation: Dedede of the Stars)” (9/21/02 JAP, 9/20/03 US) – Dedede creates his own cartoon show in order to cast Kirby as the villain.

“Don’t Bank on It (Save Up! Cursed Bank)” (9/28/02 JAP, 9/27/03 US) – Dedede’s plan to brainwash the citizens with dolls that look like him backfires.

“Kirby Takes the Cake (Sentimental Kirby)” (10/5/02 JAP, 10/4/03 US) – Dedede celebrates the anniversary of Kirby’s arrival with a new monster attack.

Season 3:

“Snack Attack – Part I (Demonic Chocolate Capsules! – Part I)” (10/12/02 JAP, 9/6/03 US) – N.M.E. sells 3 Color Fighters disguised as chocolate causing a candy-toy craze.

“Snack Attack – Part II (Demonic Chocolate Capsules! – Part II)” (10/19/02 JAP, 9/13/03 US) – Kirby battles Dedede’s rare fighter models in a tournament.

“One Crazy Knight (Over-the-Top Knight! Quixano)” (10/26/02 JAP, 11/8/03 US) – When a crazy knight comes to town, he thinks Kirby is a monster and attacks him.

“Sweet & Sour Puss (Dedede’s Certain Love)” (11/2/02 JAP, 11/15/03 US) – Dedede’s latest monster ends up turning him from bad to good.

“Dedede’s Pet Threat (Selfish Pet, Scarfy)” (11/9/02 JAP, 11/22/03 US) – Dedede ditches his Scarfies in the woods and they go on a hungry rampage.

“A Half-Baked Battle (Those Who Laugh at Pie, Cry in Pie!)” (11/16/02 JAP, 11/29/03 US) – Dedede gets his with a giant pie and the entire town erupts into a pie fight.

“eNeMeE Elementary (Teacher Monster Punishment Service)” (11/23/02 JAP, 12/6/03 US) – The local kids make fun of Dedede with graffiti so he opens a school that will teach kids to respect him.

“The Meal Moocher (Greatest Program, Direct Hit! Dinnertime)” (11/30/02 JAP, 12/13/03 US) – Bored with his meals, Dedede starts a cooking show in order to go to the citizens’ homes and eat theirs.

“Crusade for the Blade (Sacred Sword! Galaxia)” (12/7/02 JAP, 2/7/04 US) – Sirica attempts to steal Galaxia in order to avenge her mother’s death at the hands of Kirisakin.

“Fitness Fiend (Fatastrophe! Snack Junkie)” (12/14/02 JAP, 2/14/04 US) – Dedede hires a fitness instructor from N.M.E. after he and Kirby get fat from too many snacks.

“Mabel Turns the Tables (It’s Only Fortune Telling, But It Is Still Fortune Telling!)” (12/21/02 JAP, 2/21/04 US) – Mabel stars in Dedede’s latest show and all her predictions start coming true.

“Something to Sneeze At (The Bitter Cold of December!)” (12/28/02 JAP, 2/28/04 US) – A rumor has Dedede attempting to catch a cold like everyone else in town.

“The Kirby Quiz (New Year! Kirby Quiz Show)” (1/4/03 JAP, 3/6/04 US) – To celebrate the new year, everyone takes part in a quiz show recounting past adventures.

“Masher 2.0 (Knuckle Joe Escaped!)” (1/11/03 JAP, 3/13/04 US) – Knuckle Joe makes his way back to town after narrowly being defeated by a revived Masher.

“The Chill Factor (The Wandering Pengi)” (1/18/03 JAP, 3/20/04 US) – With the winter also comes wandering Pengis.

“The School Scam (Teacher Monster 2)” (1/25/03 JAP, 3/27/04 US) – Dedede tries to pin the poor state of education in town on Tiff.

“Delivery Dilemma (Knockout! Delivery Time)” (2/1/03 JAP, 4/3/04 US) – Kirby is tempted by Kawasaki’s food after he starts a delivery service.

“Trick or Trek (The Eco Tour of Whispy Woods)” (2/8/03 JAP, 4/10/04 US) – On a hike, Dedede and Escargoon set fire to the forest.

“Buccaneer Birdy (The Legend of Lord Tokkori)” (2/15/03 JAP, 4/17/04 US) – The citizens want to get rid of Tokkori, but discover he’s a royal bird.

“A Whale of a Tale (Glued! Whale-Watching)” (2/22/03 JAP, 4/24/04 US) – Dedede organizes a whale-watching cruise to hide his intentions of catching one.

“Waddle While You Work (Waddle Dees for Sale)” (3/1/03 JAP, 9/18/04 US) – Dedede sells his Waddle Dees to pay what he owes Customer Service.

“Dedede’s Raw Deal (Turn! Revolving Sushi)” (3/8/03 JAP, 9/25/04 US) – When the N.M.E. salesman finds a new lunch spot, Dedede orders Kawasaki to turn his restaurant into a sushi bar.

“Caterpillar Thriller (Revenge of Mosugaba!)” (3/15/03 JAP, 10/2/04 US) – N.M.E. supplies Dedede with twins from Postar’s South Sea to get rid of Kirby.

“Fossil Fools – Part I (Dream of a Dinosaur Paradise! – Part I)” (3/22/03 JAP, 10/9/04 US) – Dedede and Escargoon order a mad scientist to create dinosaurs.

“Fossil Fools – Part II (Dream of a Dinosaur Paradise! – Part II)” (3/29/03 JAP, 10/16/04 US) – The scientist uses the DNA from the citizens to create ultimate dinosaurs.

Season 4:

“Dedede’s Monsterpiece (Royal AcaDededemy)” (4/5/03 JAP, 10/23/04 US) – Dedede has a monster ruin Tiff and her friends’ paintings.

“Right Hand Robot (Launch! Robo-Escargon)” (4/19/03 JAP, 10/30/04 US) – Dedede uses Escargoon’s new robot to attack Kirby.

“Goin’ Bonkers (Bonkers Appears!)” (4/26/03 JAP, 11/6/04 US) – Dedede turns Bonkers into a monster when he discovers he’s Kirby’s biggest fan.

“Power Ploy (Robust! Drink Rhapsody)” (5/3/03 JAP, 11/13/04 US) – Dedede and Escargoon order drinks that have opposite effects on the citizens.

“A Trashy Tale (Startling! The Woman Who Doesn’t Clean Up)” (5/10/03 JAP, 11/20/04 US) – Chief Bookem gets what’s left behind in the lost and found, and it turns his house into a mess.

“Cooking Up Trouble (Combining Robot Cookinger Z!)” (5/17/03 JAP, 11/27/04 US) – Dedede uses a cooking contest for the men as a cover to get them to buy the parts that will build the SlicerDicer.

“Teacher’s Threat (Teacher Monster 3)” (5/24/03 JAP, 12/4/04 US) – A monster disguised as a teacher comes to town to teach at Dedede Academy.

“Mumbies Madness (Mr. Curio’s Secret Treasure?)” (5/31/03 JAP, 12/11/04 US) – Dedede tricks Curio into opening a box full of Mumbies.

“A Sunsational Surprise / A Sunsational Puzzle (Mysterious Ultraviolet Rays!)” (6/7/03 JAP, 12/18/04 US) – An ozone layer monster appears from the air conditioners Dedede bought from N.M.E.

“A Chow Challenge (Pupil Showdown! Cook Nagoya)” (6/14/03 JAP, 5/28/05 US) – An old classmate of Kawasaki comes to visit and ends up competing with him for ownership of Kawasaki’s restaurant.

“Waste Management (Attack! Selfish Crow Army)” (6/21/03 JAP, 6/4/05 US) – Dedede chases off the crows he hired to eat his garbage and their leader returns as a monster for revenge.

“Shell-Shocked (Escargon’s Nudity)” (6/28/03 JAP, 6/11/05 US) – Dedede cracks Escargoon’s shell to see what’s in it, and his replacement shell from N.M.E. turns him into a monster.

“Tooned Out (Geek Anime! Fumufan of the Stars)” (7/5/04 JAP, 6/18/05 US) – Dedede’s animated plot goes awry when the animators he ordered decide to do a show about Tiff.

“Born to be Mild – Part I (Blast Run! Dedede’s Race – Part I)” (7/12/03 JAP, 6/25/05 US) – A biker gang comes to town looking for an old biker.

“Born to be Mild – Part II (Blast Run! Dedede’s Race – Part II)” (7/19/03 JAP, 7/2/05 US) – Only Gus can win the race, but he had sworn never to race again.

“Hunger Struck (Waddle Dee’s Great Food Cultural Revolution)” (7/26/03 JAP, 7/30/05 US) – Dedede puts the Waddle Dees on a forced diet which causes them to revolt.

“D’Preciation Day (Kirby Appreciation Day!)” (8/2/03 JAP, 8/6/05 US) – Dedede believes a party the town throws for Kirby is the start of a rebellion.

“Cowardly Creature (Escaped Monster PhanPhan)” (8/9/03 JAP, 10/28/06 US) – Dedede plans to turn Kirby’s new monster friend into a real monster.

“Frog Wild (Devil Kirby!)” (8/16/03 JAP, 11/4/06 US) – A demon frog possesses Kirby and causes chaos in town.

“Air-Ride-in-Style – Part I (Crisis of Warpstar – Part I)” (8/23/03 JAP, 10/11/03 US) – Dedede kidnaps Tiff while Kirby fends off a gang of Air Riders.

“Air-Ride-in-Style – Part II (Crisis of Warpstar – Part II)” (8/30/03 JAP, 10/18/03 US) – N.M.E. prepares to eliminate Kirby with the Air Ride machines.

“Cappy Town Down (Launch! Battleship Halberd)” (9/13/03 JAP, 11/25/06 US) – Meta Knight unveils his battleship and heads for N.M.E.’s fortress.

“Combat Kirby (Destruction! Nightmare’s Huge Fortress)” (9/20/03 JAP, 12/2/06 US) – Kirby covers the battleship as Meta Knight and his crew being their assault.

“Fight to the Finish (Fly! Kirby of the Stars)” (9/27/03 JAP, 12/9/06 US) – Kirby finally battles Nightmare in his sleep.

Special:

“Kirby 3D (Kirby of the Stars Special Episode: Take it Down! The Crustacean Monster Ebizou)” (8/9/09 JAP, 1/14/12 & 1/24/12 US) – Kirby takes on the monster Lobzilla.

Pages

February 18, 2017

KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA!

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