Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Encyclopedia
Kirby: of the stars, known in Japan
Kirby right back at ya!', is an anime
series based on Nintendo
's Kirby
franchise. The series was produced by Warpstar Inc., a company formed between a joint investment between Nintendo
and HAL Laboratory, Inc.
The series, which takes place in a village called Pupupu Village (Cappy Town in the 4kids dub) on the planet Pop Star, focuses on the adventures of the title character Kirby, who fights off constant threats to the village's well-being.
In Japan
, the series aired on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
, and aired in North America
on 4Kids TV
under the name Kirby: Right Back at Ya! The series has since been released in other languages, including Bulgarian
, Chinese
, French
, German
, Hebrew
, Spanish
, Portuguese
, Italian
, Serbian
, Korean
and Russian
.
The ruler of Dream Land, King Dedede, is jealous and suspicious of Kirby from the start. He and his sidekick Escargoon constantly try to get rid of Kirby with demon beasts provided by the company for a high fee, though Escargoon shows a great deal more reservation and morals. However, these attempts usually fail because of Kirby's natural abilities. Just as in the games, Kirby can inhale enemies and gain their powers, transforming into forms such as Fire Kirby with the ability to spit flames, or Sword Kirby to literally slice foes into pieces.
Kirby grows and becomes stronger before his final battle with Nightmare. It is slow paced, and mostly light-hearted with some darker themes running throughout. Though it's somewhat episodic, because of some story-arcs it is best to watch in order.
Kirby is only based on the game series, taking characters and concepts rather than copying any of the games word-for-word. It is to be taken as an alternate universe
, having no direct connection to the game storyline. Being mainly self-contained, it can be easier for those unfamiliar with the game series to understand.
speaks in length about the challenges faced by the creators of the Kirby anime. He expressed concern as most video game to anime adaptations don't go well, but as time went on, he says he began to see a character with strength, and felt it could be successful.
Two of the main challenges were set by Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai
. He said there were to be no humans, and Kirby must not speak. Yoshikawa says in his interview how difficult it was to have a main character who does not speak, as well as coming up with entirely unique settings and characters. Kirby is unusual in that it has no humans in the cast. He likens it to the Finnish series The Moomins, which was quite popular in Japan.
The series boasts very smooth animation that combines 3DCG with traditional 2D drawings. Because of this, the animators were able to use a much higher framerate than most TV anime, anywhere from 1.5-3X more on average. (About 10,000 frames are used in each episode, compared to the 4000-5000 used by most TV anime.)
The main concern was to have as much movement as possible, as Japanese animation has come to rely on shortcuts to reduce production costs. This attention to detail becomes apparent upon watching, as the character animations are fluid and there is a low incidence of stock footage
or still frames. Despite being such a long series, there is also no degradation of quality as the show progresses.
Nintendo had big plans for releasing the series in the US, putting $10 million dollars into an advertising campaign to make Kirby "the next Pikachu". Kirby has enjoyed high levels of popularity and financial success in Japan, selling a wide range of merchandise, but Nintendo's efforts in the US appear to have failed, judging by comparatively lackluster reviews and TV ratings the series received there. The dub as been claimed to be "a stab at educational value, but really all about fighting monsters" and "More pandering kiddy fluff from the Fox Box". The official websites spoke much about Kirby toys and other merchandise, but almost nothing was actually released outside of the DVDs.
in Japan, a special Kirby DVD was released with a popular video gaming magazine. It had clips from episodes and different games, and also a short 'pilot anime' that seems to be an early form of the show. No information was given about it, and it was not narrated with any voice acting. It was done in a mix of 3D computer graphics and 2D animation, much like the current series.
It first shows Kirby in space, sleeping on his Warp Star which then crashes down onto a planet (presumably Pop Star). A young, yellow skinned girl in a tiara who resembles Tiff is the first to find him. The two soon become friends, but Dedede, likely to be the princess' angry father, also appears. He tries to get rid of Kirby with a series of weapons and pranks reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote, but each plot fails or backfires, leaving Kirby unharmed. Kirby then gives him a hot dog on a fork, completely unaware of what was going on, causing Dedede to start crying.
At the end, dark clouds appear along with animated versions of many Kirby game enemies, such as Dark Matter, Ice Dragon and Meta Knight. But Kirby quickly goes into battle, inhaling them to gain their powers. Though he doesn't gain his signature hats as with the current anime, he does gain their abilities. This is what happens in games like the original Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Kirby defeats them all, and he, Dedede, and the girl are happy. All of the sudden,Nightmare appears and attacks the trio with an electric shock. Kirby wakes up on his Warp Star, only to find that his adventure was all a strange dream.
Both the Japanese original and the English-language dub are rife with satire and parody, some of it self-referential in nature. Homages to old movies are common, as are references to modern popular culture, politics and news events, so adults as well as children can find aspects they can relate to and enjoy. Many episodes deal with what was current news and politics in Japan, from issues to North Korea
to the very common theme of environmental protection. They even poke fun at former American president George W. Bush
by having the main villain Dedede make comments about 'Axis of Evil' and 'Weapons of Mass "DeDeDestruction"'.
Old American movies are commonly referenced, from King Kong
, Gone with the Wind
, Planet of the Apes
, Modern Times
, newer classics like Jurassic Park
, to the works of Alfred Hitchcock
, Stephen King
, Michael Crichton
, and H.G. Wells, such as Psycho
, The Birds
, Carrie
and The War of the Worlds
. Of course classic Japanese movies such as Mothra
get their screentime as well, in addition to others that might be more obscure to American audiences.
Books referenced range from the classic Don Quixote to the current hit Harry Potter
novels.
One episode's plot strongly references a period of history known as the Chinese Cultural Revolution, except the ones revolting are the Waddle Dees.
However, a little publicized fact is that the anime was closely supervised by the same people who worked on the games - including Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai
. In an interview with Famitsu Magazine, he is quoted as saying "I was considerably involved with the production of the anime. The aim was to create an anime that could be enjoyed by children and parents the same as the games. At first, 'Kirby' began as a game that even a beginner could enjoy. I believe such a spirit was achieved in the anime."
One of the largest differences from the games is how Kirby is changed to be a legendary Star Warrior fated to save Pop Star. In the games, he isn't described as being any kind of special soldier, nor are there any legends associated with him. (Star Warriors are a concept unique to the anime.)
Although it has always been hinted that Kirby is young, Kirby's age is lowered even more so he is only a baby, likely to act as an explanation for why he doesn't talk as Sakurai mandated. While many characters from the games appear, they are often changed slightly to better fit in.
Another major difference is how Dedede and Meta Knight lose certain abilities in the anime. Meta Knight is never shown with wings (although in the original test pilot [see above] he was shown as an enemy and has his wings) or flying abilities, and he is never seen without his mask on. Dedede is unable to float or inhale enemies.
into English
for North America
, the anime didn't get heavily edited
: however content that was still deemed inappropriate for American audiences, including gun
s, alcohol
, religious imagery, and toilet humor, was cut out. Some of the visible text, whether it was English, Japanese, or even gibberish, was digitally removed. However, direct references to Japanese foods or culture (such as onigiri
) were not removed, but rewritten for context. However, the Galaxy Soldier Army subplot was removed entirely, and all soldiers are referred to as Star Warriors.
The Japanese score was completely replaced with original music. The original Japanese score played a mass variety of music to fit the individual moods of each scene (relaxed, heroic, comedic, etc.), while the dub score songs still did fit the individual moods of each scene but in their own way, (The Mike Kirby scenes however played a song that reflected on how terrible Kirby's singing was rather than the song Kirby was singing). Some of the original sound effects where retained while some of them where replaced with a new sound effect, for instance, when a sound effect could not be retained. Some of the sound effects in the original version were already in 4Kids sound library.
A few of the characters' personalities, relationships, and speech patterns were changed for the English dub. For example, Meta Knight has a Spanish
accent
to compliment his Zorro
-like qualities; and King Dedede speaks with a Southern accent
with poor grammar, when he originally spoke perfect Japanese (albeit having a verbal tic
, ending all sentences with "zoy"). All characters who originally had high-pitched voices were given deep voices for the English dub, and all silent characters were also given speaking parts. Makiko Ōmoto's performance of Kirby is the only voice that was preserved in the English dub.
Some episodes aired differently from their original order, sometimes to put a holiday-themed episode closer to that holiday, or to advertise the latest merchandise products. For example, "A Novel Approach," which parodied the Harry Potter
books, was aired in conjunction with one of the real books' release. One large and controversial move took episodes 96 and 97, "Crisis of the Warp Star" from the end of the series and aired them toward the middle to advertise the Kirby Air Ride
game for the Nintendo GameCube
. The episodes were placed in the proper order on the Kirby: Fright to the Finish!!
DVD of the final episodes.
Michael Haigney originally stated in an interview that the Fox Network would not let it air the episode "A Dental Dilemma" because it shows dentist
s in a bad light and could scare children (although it was meant to encourage children to brush their teeth and go to a dentist if they thought they had a cavity). This applied to all other countries that used the 4Kids dub as well.
, the series has aired on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
since October 6, 2001. It was licensed in North America
by 4Kids Entertainment
under the title Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and seen on 4Kids TV
(formerly known as FoxBox). The North American version of the anime was distributed by 20th Century Fox
, Nelvana Enterprises, and HAL Laboratory, Inc. It ended in Japan in 2003 with 100 episodes, and the series finished airing in 2006 in the US.
The series began rebroadcasting in Japan on June 28, 2007 on the Tokyo Metropolitan Television
station, then on June 21, 2008 in the US, Saturday mornings at 11am EST on 4Kids TV
, and ended along with all other 4Kids TV shows on December 27, 2008. On June 6, 2009, Kirby, along with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward, rebroadcast in the US again, and aired at 7:30am EST on The CW4Kids
. The series used to be seen on 4Kids's video on demand service and on www.4Kids.tv. However, the show was removed from the 4Kids TV website on October 2009. A moderator on the 4Kids forums states that 4Kids no longer holds the license. Since May 21, 2009, the Tokyo MX website has stated that the show has been removed from the air.
To today, all 100 episodes are currently available for streaming via the Everyone's Theater Channel for the Wii
in Japan only, with each episode worth 100 Wii Points. On June 23, 2011, the show has made a comeback to Europe and Australian audiences on the Wii, for the first time in high definition
.
beasts are. Kirby's ship detected the creatures Dedede was ordering and he was awakened 200 years before schedule. Due to this early awakening he is still only a child
.
Despite this, he readily fights for his friends. During battle he shows great skill, though he needs a little help sometimes.
Otherwise, Kirby is like any other child, though with a much larger appetite. He loves to play and sleep, and can be utterly fascinated by even the most mundane things. He has a strong spirit and loves to help people - sometimes even his enemies. He even demonstrates a maternal side on occasion.
He does not speak much, only saying "poyo". Certain characters such as Kine and Meta Knight have acted as if they understand him and Kirby uses it quite expressively. Occasionally he speaks their language, his favorite word being 'suika' (Japanese for watermelon) or repeating snippets people have said. He also commonly announces his own copy abilities or shouts out his attack names (Of course much of what he says is removed entirely in the English dub). Like Pikachu
from Pokémon
, Kirby also retains his original Japanese voice for the dubbed version, and is notable for being the only character who does so. However the dubbed version does also include some additional voice work for Kirby which was not present in the original Japanese.
Kirby often shows that he understands language- he simply doesn't have the motivation to reproduce it himself, though he has the ability. It was stated by Meta Knight that Kirby should have slept in his starship for 200 years, and because he was 'born' too early, he lacks knowledge and training.
The official explanation of why Kirby doesn't speak was that his creator Masahiro Sakurai
did not want him to. Characters who don't speak are often created that way to be seen as more endearing and easier to relate to. There is also the "window for the gamer" factor- this is expressed more in Link of the Legend of Zelda series
, created by Shigeru Miyamoto
. Soji Yoshikawa
cited examples such as Snoopy
and the like, but said it was rather difficult to have a main character who didn't speak.
Tiff is the only one who can summon Kirby's Warp Star when he is in danger. Meta Knight said that Kirby cannot keep it safe himself, so she can control it because she truly cares for him.
She was not sure if Kirby was a real hero at first, but he quickly proved her wrong. They have a sort of mother/child or brother/sister relationship, and she's the character who most often treats him like the child he is, carrying him and holding his hand to lead him places. Tiff is voiced by Sayuri Yoshida
in the Japanese version and by Kerry Williams
in the 4Kids dub.
is Tiff's little brother. He is in many ways her complete opposite, preferring to play outside rather than read books. He can be quite a troublemaker, even when he's really trying to help. Impetuous and always getting into mischief, such as pulling pranks and cracking jokes. He is now friends with Kirby, even though he gets jealous of him sometimes. He is voiced by Rika Komatsu
in the Japanese version and by Kayzie Rogers
in the 4Kids dub.
Meta Knight appears as a sort of mentor, helping Kirby and others- though only when he absolutely has to. He is a rather strange person with many odd quirks. He has a habit of stating the obvious and appearing seemingly from nowhere, helping Kirby and his friends in times of need. He commonly stands on top of things: tables, statues, trees, rocks, etc. (Some have theorized he does it to compensate for his height.) In some ways he parodies the usual cliché of stoic, mysterious characters, but still manages to be a serious character with a lot of depth.
In the original, his voice actor is serious, with occasional random English thrown in, possibly in reference to Meta Knight being similar to English knights, with honor and valor
. In the dub, he has a Spanish accent, possibly as reference to Zorro
.
He is the second strongest Star Warrior in the universe.
Meta Knight is the voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi
in the Japanese Version and by Eric Stuart
in the 4Kids dub.
He loves buying new 'toys' and acts like a spoiled child, despite his age. He's jealous of the attention Kirby gets, and while at first he even wanted to kill Kirby (and at one point Tiff, Tuff and the others because they were defending Kirby, which Dedede detests and often threaten them with death), later he focuses more on trying to kick him out or just make him look bad. Of course, he has a kinder, gentler side, but it only shows in the most extreme of circumstances. (Like in the Kirby appreciation day episode where he played a prank on Kirby which blew him up which made Dedede so upset that he thought he actually killed Kirby, and in the episode where the Phantom Star was going to hit Pop Star, so he built a playground to make up for his mistakes.)
, lived with his mother on a farm before leaving to make it big. But despite the fact Escargoon is well educated, knowing a great deal about chemistry and electronics (even writing a book on botany), he’s been working for Dedede for many years as an assistant and punching bag. But it seems that he truly cares for the king and is always concerned for his welfare, despite the abuse he receives from him on a daily basis.
While Escargoon usually goes along with what Dedede wants and helps him with his schemes, he may actually be a nice guy at heart who only acts mean because he wants Dedede's approval.
Escargoon speaks politely in the original, in a sort of exaggerated way, but the dub made him far more openly sarcastic. His voice in the 4Kids dub is modeled after Paul Lynde
.
His name is a pun on both the foodstuff escargot and, in the dubbed version, the derogatory epithet "goon
".
Much like Nightmare, Customer Service's full form is only seen in the final episodes, in which it is revealed that he only has top and a mid-section. His mid-section ends in two round-ish feet, and he is only a bit taller than Kirby. (For the entire series, save for the last episode and the Kirby Quiz Challenge though it's hard to notice, he is only shown from the waist up.)
His name is never mentioned in the dub, but the official English website lists his name as "Salesguy."
Nightmare is most often referred to in the dub as N.M.E. However, as he first appears in Kirby's Adventure
in 1993 with the name Nightmare, this name is the most accurate.
.
On May 6, 2010, the first 26 episodes were released on DVD in complete season format in Taiwan.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Kirby right back at ya!', is an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series based on Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Kirby
Kirby (series)
The series is a fantasy video game series developed by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo, and produced by Nintendo. The gameplay of a majority of the games in the series consists mainly of action, platform and puzzle-solving elements...
franchise. The series was produced by Warpstar Inc., a company formed between a joint investment between Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and HAL Laboratory, Inc.
The series, which takes place in a village called Pupupu Village (Cappy Town in the 4kids dub) on the planet Pop Star, focuses on the adventures of the title character Kirby, who fights off constant threats to the village's well-being.
In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the series aired on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network and its television service affiliated with the Japan News Network and the TBS Network.-Radio:Frequency...
, and aired in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on 4Kids TV
4Kids TV
4Kids TV was a Saturday morning television programming block on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The block was part of the Fox Network schedule...
under the name Kirby: Right Back at Ya! The series has since been released in other languages, including Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
Plot
Thousands of years ago, a being known as Nightmare appeared and created a company called NightMare Enterprises, otherwise known as N.M.E. It was in truth a front for his great armies of monsters, which he used to take over much of the universe. They devastated countless planets. But there were those who stood to combat his evil, in the form of the Star Warriors and the Galaxy Soldier Army. They fought for many thousands of years, but Nightmare's demon beasts outnumbered them, and killed most. However, everyone is quite surprised when Kirby's ship crashes close to Pupupu Village (Cappy Town in the 4kids dub). They find he's tiny, round, pink, and a child, unlike Fumu/Tiff's desire of a strong knight. Despite his hardly warrior-like characteristics, he is quick to save anyone who is in danger. He is soon befriended by the siblings Tiff and Tuff, along with their servants Fololo and Falala.The ruler of Dream Land, King Dedede, is jealous and suspicious of Kirby from the start. He and his sidekick Escargoon constantly try to get rid of Kirby with demon beasts provided by the company for a high fee, though Escargoon shows a great deal more reservation and morals. However, these attempts usually fail because of Kirby's natural abilities. Just as in the games, Kirby can inhale enemies and gain their powers, transforming into forms such as Fire Kirby with the ability to spit flames, or Sword Kirby to literally slice foes into pieces.
Kirby grows and becomes stronger before his final battle with Nightmare. It is slow paced, and mostly light-hearted with some darker themes running throughout. Though it's somewhat episodic, because of some story-arcs it is best to watch in order.
Kirby is only based on the game series, taking characters and concepts rather than copying any of the games word-for-word. It is to be taken as an alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
, having no direct connection to the game storyline. Being mainly self-contained, it can be easier for those unfamiliar with the game series to understand.
Production
Producer Soji YoshikawaSoji Yoshikawa
is an animator, a scriptwriter, a director of anime, and a stage director. He has worked under the aliases , , and . He dropped out of senior high school, entered an Mushi Production, and became an animator...
speaks in length about the challenges faced by the creators of the Kirby anime. He expressed concern as most video game to anime adaptations don't go well, but as time went on, he says he began to see a character with strength, and felt it could be successful.
Two of the main challenges were set by Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai
Masahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese video game designer, the creative force behind both the Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series on Nintendo platforms. He is currently Director of Software Development for the video game developer's Sora Ltd. and Project Sora. He is also the author of a weekly column for Famitsu...
. He said there were to be no humans, and Kirby must not speak. Yoshikawa says in his interview how difficult it was to have a main character who does not speak, as well as coming up with entirely unique settings and characters. Kirby is unusual in that it has no humans in the cast. He likens it to the Finnish series The Moomins, which was quite popular in Japan.
The series boasts very smooth animation that combines 3DCG with traditional 2D drawings. Because of this, the animators were able to use a much higher framerate than most TV anime, anywhere from 1.5-3X more on average. (About 10,000 frames are used in each episode, compared to the 4000-5000 used by most TV anime.)
The main concern was to have as much movement as possible, as Japanese animation has come to rely on shortcuts to reduce production costs. This attention to detail becomes apparent upon watching, as the character animations are fluid and there is a low incidence of stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
or still frames. Despite being such a long series, there is also no degradation of quality as the show progresses.
Nintendo had big plans for releasing the series in the US, putting $10 million dollars into an advertising campaign to make Kirby "the next Pikachu". Kirby has enjoyed high levels of popularity and financial success in Japan, selling a wide range of merchandise, but Nintendo's efforts in the US appear to have failed, judging by comparatively lackluster reviews and TV ratings the series received there. The dub as been claimed to be "a stab at educational value, but really all about fighting monsters" and "More pandering kiddy fluff from the Fox Box". The official websites spoke much about Kirby toys and other merchandise, but almost nothing was actually released outside of the DVDs.
Pilot anime
To celebrate the release of Kirby Air RideKirby Air Ride
Kirby Air Ride,or カービィのエアライド in Japan, is a racing game video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console starring Kirby, one of HAL's characters....
in Japan, a special Kirby DVD was released with a popular video gaming magazine. It had clips from episodes and different games, and also a short 'pilot anime' that seems to be an early form of the show. No information was given about it, and it was not narrated with any voice acting. It was done in a mix of 3D computer graphics and 2D animation, much like the current series.
It first shows Kirby in space, sleeping on his Warp Star which then crashes down onto a planet (presumably Pop Star). A young, yellow skinned girl in a tiara who resembles Tiff is the first to find him. The two soon become friends, but Dedede, likely to be the princess' angry father, also appears. He tries to get rid of Kirby with a series of weapons and pranks reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote, but each plot fails or backfires, leaving Kirby unharmed. Kirby then gives him a hot dog on a fork, completely unaware of what was going on, causing Dedede to start crying.
At the end, dark clouds appear along with animated versions of many Kirby game enemies, such as Dark Matter, Ice Dragon and Meta Knight. But Kirby quickly goes into battle, inhaling them to gain their powers. Though he doesn't gain his signature hats as with the current anime, he does gain their abilities. This is what happens in games like the original Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Kirby defeats them all, and he, Dedede, and the girl are happy. All of the sudden,Nightmare appears and attacks the trio with an electric shock. Kirby wakes up on his Warp Star, only to find that his adventure was all a strange dream.
Satire and parody
While a great many video game to anime adaptations are created for the sole purpose of merchandising, the creators of Kirby had a very similar goal as they had when creating the games- to create something that could be enjoyed by anyone. The director described his vision for the show as a 'Life Drama'.Both the Japanese original and the English-language dub are rife with satire and parody, some of it self-referential in nature. Homages to old movies are common, as are references to modern popular culture, politics and news events, so adults as well as children can find aspects they can relate to and enjoy. Many episodes deal with what was current news and politics in Japan, from issues to North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
to the very common theme of environmental protection. They even poke fun at former American president George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
by having the main villain Dedede make comments about 'Axis of Evil' and 'Weapons of Mass "DeDeDestruction"'.
Old American movies are commonly referenced, from King Kong
King Kong (1933 film)
King Kong is a Pre-Code 1933 fantasy monster adventure film co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman after a story by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film tells of a gigantic island-dwelling apeman creature called Kong who dies in...
, Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (1968 film)
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
, Modern Times
Modern Times (film)
Modern Times is a 1936 comedy film by Charlie Chaplin that has his iconic Little Tramp character struggling to survive in the modern, industrialized world. The film is a comment on the desperate employment and fiscal conditions many people faced during the Great Depression, conditions created, in...
, newer classics like Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
, to the works of Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
, and H.G. Wells, such as Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
, The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
, Carrie
Carrie (novel)
Carrie is American author Stephen King's first published novel, released in 1974. It revolves around the eponymous Carrie, a shy high-school girl, who uses her newly discovered telekinetic powers to exact revenge on those who tease her...
and The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
. Of course classic Japanese movies such as Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
get their screentime as well, in addition to others that might be more obscure to American audiences.
Books referenced range from the classic Don Quixote to the current hit Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
novels.
One episode's plot strongly references a period of history known as the Chinese Cultural Revolution, except the ones revolting are the Waddle Dees.
Game differences
There has always been a certain amount of argument in the Kirby fandom over how the anime was made to be quite different from the games. It only uses them as a basis, rather than following them exactly - which while a breath of fresh air for many, is an annoyance for others.However, a little publicized fact is that the anime was closely supervised by the same people who worked on the games - including Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai
Masahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese video game designer, the creative force behind both the Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series on Nintendo platforms. He is currently Director of Software Development for the video game developer's Sora Ltd. and Project Sora. He is also the author of a weekly column for Famitsu...
. In an interview with Famitsu Magazine, he is quoted as saying "I was considerably involved with the production of the anime. The aim was to create an anime that could be enjoyed by children and parents the same as the games. At first, 'Kirby' began as a game that even a beginner could enjoy. I believe such a spirit was achieved in the anime."
One of the largest differences from the games is how Kirby is changed to be a legendary Star Warrior fated to save Pop Star. In the games, he isn't described as being any kind of special soldier, nor are there any legends associated with him. (Star Warriors are a concept unique to the anime.)
Although it has always been hinted that Kirby is young, Kirby's age is lowered even more so he is only a baby, likely to act as an explanation for why he doesn't talk as Sakurai mandated. While many characters from the games appear, they are often changed slightly to better fit in.
Another major difference is how Dedede and Meta Knight lose certain abilities in the anime. Meta Knight is never shown with wings (although in the original test pilot [see above] he was shown as an enemy and has his wings) or flying abilities, and he is never seen without his mask on. Dedede is unable to float or inhale enemies.
4Kids adaptation
The anime is a children's anime, which is an anime targeted at young Japanese children from kindergarten to middle school. When adapted by 4Kids Productions and dubbedDub localization
Dub localization, also often simply referred to as localization, which is a form of a voice-over. It is the practice of voice-over translation altering a foreign language film, art film or television series by voice actors to further adapt the material for a "local" audience.Dub localization is a...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
for North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the anime didn't get heavily edited
Editing of anime in American distribution
Editing of anime in American distribution describes the process of altering anime to prepare it to be distributed in the United States and forms part of the process of localization. This process is generally applied only to series intended for broadcast on American television; series released...
: however content that was still deemed inappropriate for American audiences, including gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s, alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
, religious imagery, and toilet humor, was cut out. Some of the visible text, whether it was English, Japanese, or even gibberish, was digitally removed. However, direct references to Japanese foods or culture (such as onigiri
Onigiri
, also known as or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori . Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume , salted salmon, katsuobushi, kombu, tarako, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative...
) were not removed, but rewritten for context. However, the Galaxy Soldier Army subplot was removed entirely, and all soldiers are referred to as Star Warriors.
The Japanese score was completely replaced with original music. The original Japanese score played a mass variety of music to fit the individual moods of each scene (relaxed, heroic, comedic, etc.), while the dub score songs still did fit the individual moods of each scene but in their own way, (The Mike Kirby scenes however played a song that reflected on how terrible Kirby's singing was rather than the song Kirby was singing). Some of the original sound effects where retained while some of them where replaced with a new sound effect, for instance, when a sound effect could not be retained. Some of the sound effects in the original version were already in 4Kids sound library.
A few of the characters' personalities, relationships, and speech patterns were changed for the English dub. For example, Meta Knight has a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
accent
Accent
-Speech and language:* Accent , pronunciation characteristic of a certain locality* Accent , of a word* Stress , tone levels and emphasis used in many languages for words or grammar* A diacritical mark is also known as an accent....
to compliment his Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
-like qualities; and King Dedede speaks with a Southern accent
Southern American English
Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...
with poor grammar, when he originally spoke perfect Japanese (albeit having a verbal tic
Tic
A tic is a sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups. Tics can be invisible to the observer, such as abdominal tensing or toe crunching. Common motor and phonic tics are, respectively, eye blinking and throat clearing...
, ending all sentences with "zoy"). All characters who originally had high-pitched voices were given deep voices for the English dub, and all silent characters were also given speaking parts. Makiko Ōmoto's performance of Kirby is the only voice that was preserved in the English dub.
Some episodes aired differently from their original order, sometimes to put a holiday-themed episode closer to that holiday, or to advertise the latest merchandise products. For example, "A Novel Approach," which parodied the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
books, was aired in conjunction with one of the real books' release. One large and controversial move took episodes 96 and 97, "Crisis of the Warp Star" from the end of the series and aired them toward the middle to advertise the Kirby Air Ride
Kirby Air Ride
Kirby Air Ride,or カービィのエアライド in Japan, is a racing game video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console starring Kirby, one of HAL's characters....
game for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
. The episodes were placed in the proper order on the Kirby: Fright to the Finish!!
Kirby: Fright to the Finish!!
Kirby: Fright to the Finish— The Movie is a direct-to-video feature-length film released June 14, 2005 in the USA. Released by the Home Entertainment division of 4Kids Entertainment, the movie starred the popular Nintendo character Kirby....
DVD of the final episodes.
Michael Haigney originally stated in an interview that the Fox Network would not let it air the episode "A Dental Dilemma" because it shows dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
s in a bad light and could scare children (although it was meant to encourage children to brush their teeth and go to a dentist if they thought they had a cavity). This applied to all other countries that used the 4Kids dub as well.
Broadcast history
In JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the series has aired on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network and its television service affiliated with the Japan News Network and the TBS Network.-Radio:Frequency...
since October 6, 2001. It was licensed in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
under the title Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and seen on 4Kids TV
4Kids TV
4Kids TV was a Saturday morning television programming block on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The block was part of the Fox Network schedule...
(formerly known as FoxBox). The North American version of the anime was distributed by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, Nelvana Enterprises, and HAL Laboratory, Inc. It ended in Japan in 2003 with 100 episodes, and the series finished airing in 2006 in the US.
The series began rebroadcasting in Japan on June 28, 2007 on the Tokyo Metropolitan Television
Tokyo Metropolitan Television
thumb|Tokyo Metropolitan Television old headquarters : Telecom Center Building is the only commercial television station in Tokyo, Japan that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon Television, TV Asahi, Tokyo Broadcasting System, TV Tokyo, and Fuji Television, all of which are...
station, then on June 21, 2008 in the US, Saturday mornings at 11am EST on 4Kids TV
4Kids TV
4Kids TV was a Saturday morning television programming block on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The block was part of the Fox Network schedule...
, and ended along with all other 4Kids TV shows on December 27, 2008. On June 6, 2009, Kirby, along with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward, rebroadcast in the US again, and aired at 7:30am EST on The CW4Kids
The CW4Kids
The CW4Kids is a Saturday morning cartoon block on The CW Television Network that premiered on May 24, 2008 in the place of Kids' WB...
. The series used to be seen on 4Kids's video on demand service and on www.4Kids.tv. However, the show was removed from the 4Kids TV website on October 2009. A moderator on the 4Kids forums states that 4Kids no longer holds the license. Since May 21, 2009, the Tokyo MX website has stated that the show has been removed from the air.
To today, all 100 episodes are currently available for streaming via the Everyone's Theater Channel for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
in Japan only, with each episode worth 100 Wii Points. On June 23, 2011, the show has made a comeback to Europe and Australian audiences on the Wii, for the first time in high definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
.
Kirby
is a young Star Warrior. He is spoken of in legend as Kirby of the Stars, because a Star Warrior's ship is designed to go wherever demonDemon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
beasts are. Kirby's ship detected the creatures Dedede was ordering and he was awakened 200 years before schedule. Due to this early awakening he is still only a child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
.
Despite this, he readily fights for his friends. During battle he shows great skill, though he needs a little help sometimes.
Otherwise, Kirby is like any other child, though with a much larger appetite. He loves to play and sleep, and can be utterly fascinated by even the most mundane things. He has a strong spirit and loves to help people - sometimes even his enemies. He even demonstrates a maternal side on occasion.
He does not speak much, only saying "poyo". Certain characters such as Kine and Meta Knight have acted as if they understand him and Kirby uses it quite expressively. Occasionally he speaks their language, his favorite word being 'suika' (Japanese for watermelon) or repeating snippets people have said. He also commonly announces his own copy abilities or shouts out his attack names (Of course much of what he says is removed entirely in the English dub). Like Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
from Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
, Kirby also retains his original Japanese voice for the dubbed version, and is notable for being the only character who does so. However the dubbed version does also include some additional voice work for Kirby which was not present in the original Japanese.
Kirby often shows that he understands language- he simply doesn't have the motivation to reproduce it himself, though he has the ability. It was stated by Meta Knight that Kirby should have slept in his starship for 200 years, and because he was 'born' too early, he lacks knowledge and training.
The official explanation of why Kirby doesn't speak was that his creator Masahiro Sakurai
Masahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese video game designer, the creative force behind both the Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series on Nintendo platforms. He is currently Director of Software Development for the video game developer's Sora Ltd. and Project Sora. He is also the author of a weekly column for Famitsu...
did not want him to. Characters who don't speak are often created that way to be seen as more endearing and easier to relate to. There is also the "window for the gamer" factor- this is expressed more in Link of the Legend of Zelda series
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
, created by Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
. Soji Yoshikawa
Soji Yoshikawa
is an animator, a scriptwriter, a director of anime, and a stage director. He has worked under the aliases , , and . He dropped out of senior high school, entered an Mushi Production, and became an animator...
cited examples such as Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
and the like, but said it was rather difficult to have a main character who didn't speak.
Tiff and Tuff
is daughter of the Cabinet Minister, she has lived in Dedede's castle her entire life. She's very intelligent for her age, with much of her interest being in the environment. Her favorite subject is marine biology. She can also be short-tempered and definitely speaks her mind on things, especially when she thinks King Dedede is up to no good.Tiff is the only one who can summon Kirby's Warp Star when he is in danger. Meta Knight said that Kirby cannot keep it safe himself, so she can control it because she truly cares for him.
She was not sure if Kirby was a real hero at first, but he quickly proved her wrong. They have a sort of mother/child or brother/sister relationship, and she's the character who most often treats him like the child he is, carrying him and holding his hand to lead him places. Tiff is voiced by Sayuri Yoshida
Sayuri Yoshida
, born , is a female Japanese voice actress who is currently best known for voicing Himeno Awayuki in Prétear and Inaba Mizuki in Full Metal Panic!...
in the Japanese version and by Kerry Williams
Kerry Williams
Kerry Williams is a voice actress who works on the properties of 4Kids Entertainment.Kerry Williams grew up in the Tidewater area of Virginia and has worked in Florida, Japan and California as a dancer prior to pursuing a Seiyū career in New York City.She is most famous for voicing Nami in One...
in the 4Kids dub.
is Tiff's little brother. He is in many ways her complete opposite, preferring to play outside rather than read books. He can be quite a troublemaker, even when he's really trying to help. Impetuous and always getting into mischief, such as pulling pranks and cracking jokes. He is now friends with Kirby, even though he gets jealous of him sometimes. He is voiced by Rika Komatsu
Rika Komatsu
is a female seiyū born February 25 in Kōchi. Currently, , she works for Aoni Production.-Anime:*Animation Runner Kuromi *Animation Runner Kuromi 2 *Boys Be.....
in the Japanese version and by Kayzie Rogers
Kayzie Rogers
Kayzie Rogers is an American voice actress. She is best known for her work in animated television series....
in the 4Kids dub.
Meta Knight
works for Dedede as well, along with his followers Sword Knight and Blade Knight. However, it is revealed that Meta Knight is a Star Warrior like Kirby, and one of the only ones to survive the war with Nightmare. He is called the pride of the Galaxy Soldier Army, and is greatly respected. He carries the sacred sword Galaxia, which only a select few can wield.Meta Knight appears as a sort of mentor, helping Kirby and others- though only when he absolutely has to. He is a rather strange person with many odd quirks. He has a habit of stating the obvious and appearing seemingly from nowhere, helping Kirby and his friends in times of need. He commonly stands on top of things: tables, statues, trees, rocks, etc. (Some have theorized he does it to compensate for his height.) In some ways he parodies the usual cliché of stoic, mysterious characters, but still manages to be a serious character with a lot of depth.
In the original, his voice actor is serious, with occasional random English thrown in, possibly in reference to Meta Knight being similar to English knights, with honor and valor
Valor
Valor or valour may mean:* Valor , by J. W. Cockerill* Courage, a similar meaning* Valor , roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause"* Valor , a DC Comics superhero...
. In the dub, he has a Spanish accent, possibly as reference to Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
.
He is the second strongest Star Warrior in the universe.
Meta Knight is the voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi
Atsushi Kisaichi
Atsushi Kisaichi is a seiyū who was born in Tokyo. He works for Aoni Production. His hobbies are baseball and tennis.-Anime:* Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Shōgo Asahina...
in the Japanese Version and by Eric Stuart
Eric Stuart
Eric Stuart is a voice actor, voice director, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. As the lead singer of his own band, the Eric Stuart Band , he is an award-winning independent artist with a growing US and international fan base.Stuart gained acclaim as a voice actor not only because of his...
in the 4Kids dub.
King Dedede
Kirby's archnemesis who seeks to destroy Kirby by any cost. He has ruled Dream Land for 300 years (Or, so he claims), and is still going strong, but is not regarded actually as a King. Despite the fact Dedede is greedy, scheming, and even outright sadistic- even going as far as to say that people’s suffering amuses him- no one has ever tried to dethrone him, despite the fact that he also threatens the children. He's actually harmless for the most part, but his intense dislike of Kirby compels him to purchase demon beasts from HolyNightMare Co. and cause mayhem for the people of Dream Land.He loves buying new 'toys' and acts like a spoiled child, despite his age. He's jealous of the attention Kirby gets, and while at first he even wanted to kill Kirby (and at one point Tiff, Tuff and the others because they were defending Kirby, which Dedede detests and often threaten them with death), later he focuses more on trying to kick him out or just make him look bad. Of course, he has a kinder, gentler side, but it only shows in the most extreme of circumstances. (Like in the Kirby appreciation day episode where he played a prank on Kirby which blew him up which made Dedede so upset that he thought he actually killed Kirby, and in the episode where the Phantom Star was going to hit Pop Star, so he built a playground to make up for his mistakes.)
Escargoon
, an anthropomorphic snailSnail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
, lived with his mother on a farm before leaving to make it big. But despite the fact Escargoon is well educated, knowing a great deal about chemistry and electronics (even writing a book on botany), he’s been working for Dedede for many years as an assistant and punching bag. But it seems that he truly cares for the king and is always concerned for his welfare, despite the abuse he receives from him on a daily basis.
While Escargoon usually goes along with what Dedede wants and helps him with his schemes, he may actually be a nice guy at heart who only acts mean because he wants Dedede's approval.
Escargoon speaks politely in the original, in a sort of exaggerated way, but the dub made him far more openly sarcastic. His voice in the 4Kids dub is modeled after Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
.
His name is a pun on both the foodstuff escargot and, in the dubbed version, the derogatory epithet "goon
Goon
A goon is someone that is employed as someone's personal enforcer, such as either a personal bodyguard or a ruffian who is kept on staff to intimidate or assault people.Goon may also refer to:*A performer in The Goon Show...
".
Customer Service
As the public face of Holy Nightmare, he handles much of the company's sales (and advertising) from the center of Nightmare's Fortress. In both the Japanese and English versions he can be quite sarcastic, and enjoys finding ways to make things difficult for King Dedede, although he much more subtle about it in the original. In the English dub, he went through a drastic personality change; his persona is more that of the stereotypical "slimy used-car salesman," using a large amount of slang. In the original, his image is that of a polite Japanese salesperson, using a large amount of honorific language (even when he insults customers like Dedede). The English dub makes it seem like he wants nothing more but to defraud or swindle Dedede for every money amount he has, rather than actually helping him.Much like Nightmare, Customer Service's full form is only seen in the final episodes, in which it is revealed that he only has top and a mid-section. His mid-section ends in two round-ish feet, and he is only a bit taller than Kirby. (For the entire series, save for the last episode and the Kirby Quiz Challenge though it's hard to notice, he is only shown from the waist up.)
His name is never mentioned in the dub, but the official English website lists his name as "Salesguy."
Nightmare
The main antagonist of the series and the president of HolyNightMare Co. Nightmare only appears in the shadows for most of the series, his full form is only seen in the series finale. Very little is known about him or his origins, but as his name suggests, he is a living dream. He thrives on suffering, creating demon beasts to sell in his company and use in his armies to continue his conquest of the universe in order to bring himself more power. He also gives off the illusion of being invincible, since he can open his cloak and suck all attacks into the area where his stomach and chest should be.Nightmare is most often referred to in the dub as N.M.E. However, as he first appears in Kirby's Adventure
Kirby's Adventure
Kirby's Adventure, known as in Japan, is a platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was first released March 26, 1993 in Japan, and was later released in North America on May 1, 1993, and in Europe on...
in 1993 with the name Nightmare, this name is the most accurate.
DVD
All North American DVD releases of Kirby: Right Back at Ya! were licensed by Funimation EntertainmentFunimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
.
- Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Volume 1: Kirby Comes to Cappytown (November 12, 2002)
- Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Volume 2: A Dark and Stormy Knight (January 7, 2003)
- Kirby: Right Back At Ya! Volume 3: Kirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure (November 4, 2003)
- Kirby: Fright to the Finish!!Kirby: Fright to the Finish!!Kirby: Fright to the Finish— The Movie is a direct-to-video feature-length film released June 14, 2005 in the USA. Released by the Home Entertainment division of 4Kids Entertainment, the movie starred the popular Nintendo character Kirby....
(June 14, 2005) - Kirby's Adventures in Cappytown (February 19, 2008)
- Kirby: Cappy New Year & Other Kirby Adventures (December 9, 2008)
On May 6, 2010, the first 26 episodes were released on DVD in complete season format in Taiwan.
External links
- Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Company page about Hoshi no Kirby
- Kirby: Right Back at Ya! at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Kirby's Rainbow Resort Anime Section
- The Kirby Wiki