The Regal Heart of King Dedede - Designing For Kindness

foreign [Music] [Music] you know it's hard to think much of a character like King Dedede at first glance at least the original antagonist of the Kirby Series has served as a Charming doofus for three decades and really there's no need to expect much more of DDD he's got an amazing character design that's both simple and iconic his cartoon Mallet feels great to smack things around with and the guy's just so incredibly expressive and over the top that other characters would wish they have half of ddd's effortless appeal look at that Charisma I mean there's not a great many characters who can get across their entire characterization in just a crouching animation but this guy King dedede's just good simple fun in the same way that the pink puffball he bullies is and just like Kirby the pompous penguins got a lot more under the hood however while Kirby represents boundless potential and optimism in the face of adversity DDD is significantly less symbolic he's an egomaniac with a big hammer and an appetite what he contributes on a multiversal scale isn't much more than being a footnote in Kirby's Adventures that reads oh yeah also deity was there but in spite of his story being so much smaller than kerbos it's exactly that his relationship with Kirby that makes triple D so remarkable King Dedede has seen and experienced all of the world ending existence assimilating nightmare fueling calamities Kirby's faced off with sometimes unwittingly controlled by them sometimes fighting them at Kirby's side and in the face of it all he's grown The Arrogant avian is still kind of a jerk sure but game by game bit by bit DDD has developed from Dreamland shameful Tyrant into a benevolent King to be proud of a character meant is nothing more than a cute looking end boss became a true hero in his own right and it's all due to the heart that Kirby was willing to share with him King Dedede has become proof of the power of kindness [Music] but before all that he was just a dick you punity we better be scared cause I'm the baddest dude on the whole planet in his debut appearance of Kirby's Dreamland DDT doesn't even pretend he's the king of the place only residing in the neighboring Mount deity to let his minions loot all the food and sparkling stars that Dreamland has to offer Kirby a spry young boy volunteers to assail the mountain castle meets its master and has a wrestling match with him okay DDD is a goofball of a final boss jumping way up high in the air for huge splashes falling on his face for a quick tackle bringing in a foreign object to the ring to clobber Kirby with and even stealing Kirby's own signature move to humiliate him these are silly heel tactics 101 and dddy Revels in getting to use them the king is a showy self-obsessed bully looking to humiliate anyone he shares the squared circle with and throw his bulk around and he's pretty dang durable in his first appearance fights with DDD are meant to be an ego trip squash matches that he'll always win but finally here's someone to smack him right in the face and he is shocked every single time you land even one hit on him and when you send him blasting off again activities not gonna learn his lesson looking to get right back at Kirby in extra mode an even harder challenge to really test Kirby's abilities where Pete promptly loses again his ego crushed DDD cries and sulks off all alone before Kirby follows him off screen Kirby never passes up the opportunity to make a friend and this is his first chance foreign land is overall a pretty simple and silly game but it establishes everything that would come to Define King dededy in the future after this single appearance after Kirby extends his hand in Friendship DD doesn't really serve as the main villain of the series anymore sure there are competitions like Battle Royale or retellings of Dreamland like blowout blast but otherwise the guy's most evil appearances are tilt and Tumble but dream course Avalanche King deity will still show up to antagonize Kirby obviously the guy's a sore loser and he wants his run back this defeat and the following sympathy from Kirby changes something with indeedity never all at once but slowly the selfish King who would starve an entire Kingdom because he had the munchies would come to care for those that he looked down upon God was the Fearsome reclusive Tyrant of Mount deity and in his place was the king of Dreamland ready to take some responsibility for those he claimed to rule over [Music] deity's first acted as king is to make it so that all his subjects can't sleep anymore while he uses their holy sanctum as a swimming pool so tell me [Music] and sure portrays his portliness as the main antagonist breaking up the legendary Star Rod to keep the citizens of Dreamland from well dreaming and gives the pieces to his buddies all around the world seeing that triple D is up to no good again Kirby reclaims all the pieces confronts the Penguin and DDD gets his rematch having trained extensively in the art of inflating himself just like a Balu to try and one-up his new rival but in spite of the lazy King actually showing efforts Kirby pretty handily overcomes him reunites the Star Rod and accidentally releases the nightmare wizard from the Fountain of dreams to terrorize Dreamland you see King Dedede only stole the Star Rod to seal away the nightmare ddd's intentions were Noble he wanted to be dreamland's hero he was just exceptionally bad at it and was far too prideful to ask Kirby for any help or tell him anything really but knowing the danger DDD launches Kirby into the upper atmosphere along with the Star Rod to Vanquish the Nightmare and bring sweet dreams back to his kingdom while misguided and very poorly planned as early as his second Mainline appearance King Diddy is trying to be a better ruler for his people he just needs more practice more power and to get one up on that their Kirby and while he would lose a gourmet race or three in the meantime DDD was still growing stronger better and with enough training would surely have the chance [Music] DD spends both Kirby's Dreamland 2 and Kirby streamland 3 possessed by Dark Matter an amorphous sentient star of pure Darkness looking to assimilate all life across the cosmos my man literally sleeps through his Dreamland 2 boss fight and yeah moving on only by gathering the rainbow drops and heart Stars can Kirby exercise the demon from within the king's body and deity for his part seems perfectly complacent to let curvo do his thing and kill a dark God after that Kirby 64 though that's where things really start heating up for the mind-controlled Monarch at first DDD is his regular jerk of a self keeping a crystal Shard from Kirby mostly because he can and it would make Kirby upset before falling for Dark Matters fiendish possession hat trick prank but after being soundly and frankly unceremoniously beaten again and some pleading from waddle d something comes over D to d whether it be care for his subject embarrassment at being beaten so easily again or just guilt building up as he starts wanting to do the right thing deity follows Kirby and becomes one of the gang in this planet hopping Adventure for the first time outside of Samurai Kirby King dededy is playable getting into the thick of certain levels with Kirby and smash it through obstacles with his outstanding strength he's not perfect he still tosses his little rival around like a ragdoll when he gets the chance but DDD really comes to care for ribbon Adeline waddle D and even Kirby himself he helps save adeline's life from an erupting volcano he makes sure Kirby's gluttony doesn't get the low guy stranded on desert Planet he even starts bawling when he has to say goodbye to his new friend ribbon this is DDD doing unabashed completely selfless good for the first time in his life and by the end of it all he's properly recognized as a hero of Ripple star oh come now let alone me a hero surely you Justin his care for others has ceased to be purely out of Glory or obligation primarily anyway and has become genuine the greedy King feels empathy as his heart grows uh anyway Squeak Squad happens next in release order yeah it's weird Kirby gets his cake stolen and assumes his deity so he goes to his house unprompted and beats him up but like deity was just chilling so so he eats Kirby into a hole to beat up some mice and also at some point he imprisoned the lord of the underworld who might be a remnant of dark matter and is just like yeah Kirby will take care of it and just after the first boss fight he's just gone but he's got the enemy transporter from the anime so the anime is real now and I look DDD fought the devil in one but off screen and Kirby doesn't trust DDD at this point to not steal his food I need to say both of those things at some point in this video but Kirby doesn't really have a consistent timeline according to kumazaki and it didn't make sense to say it somewhere else and I don't know how to get out of this section I'm kind of just rambling because I couldn't think of a good way there's still doubt with indeedy's heart if he tried with all of his power using all of his resources everything he learned would his strength be monstrous enough to clobber that dare Kirby he had to try one final chance to prove himself as the most dominant force on Dreamland this wasn't DDD looking for another rematch this was the final and complete revenge of the King [Music] Dedede would pit his fiercest and most loyal subjects against the accursed pink lump reacting in horror as one by one they all falled at Kirby's voracious appetite his waddle D's defending him to his last DDD attempts to spare at least one bandana wearing friend the bandy's loyalty is too great he too tries to challenge Kirby for ddd's dream and he too Falls with nothing left dededy faces off against Kirby in the most honorable duel he can possibly imagine an electrified steel cage match giving Kirby his old Hammer while he uses a cool robot one with rockets and flamethrowers DDD is very good at understanding subtlety and using every trick he knows fighting with all he has cheered on by a rallying bandana D the king duels Kirby and DDD could never beat his rival of course he couldn't even if you push yourself beyond your limits how can you beat someone who's very existence is Limitless King Dedede will never again be the strongest force in Dreamland King doesn't mean being the greatest it means providing all you can and doing the best for your subjects as DDD once again walks into the sunset defeated and depressed it's not Kirby that follows him this time the waddle Dees even in defeat still follow their King King dedede's last battle with Kirby may have ended up the same way as his first but he's no longer alone his actions have earned him friends earned him trust and earned him enough respect that in spite of his weaknesses and buffoonery those closest to deity will still follow him this truly marks the end of deity as a villain he'll still compete cheat and be full of himself but a conquering might makes right Champion he will never be again his compassion has earned him something far far more powerful foreign even spin-offs continue establishing ddd's development while Kirby right Back at you mostly sees his majesty as a commentary on inept leadership and the overindulgence of commercialism in contrast to the simple Joys taught and indulged in by Kirby wonder what ddd's up to based on past experience I think it's safe to say it's something stupid DTD has his moments I mean just two moments really but but when a meteor is going to destroy Dreamland the selfish King decides to use his last moments alive to destroy a monument to himself in order to make room for a playground he invites Kirby over and sits down to swing with the little guy knowing that he's about to die but happy for the first moment of selflessness in his life [Music] [Music] and after surviving that and returning the form by pranking Kirby with live explosives the Fed Up citizens of Cappy Town decide to pull a fast one on the king telling him that Kirby has died due to his actions and are holding a funeral DDD weeps openly for his Fallen rival and when the little guy clumsily reveals this just a prank DDD hugs Kirby in relief telling the puffball that he gives his life meaning it was Dolby and rule on Dreamland 4 you came along I need the enemy Epic Yarn shows a continuation of ddd's care and protectiveness of his subjects in his own Rough and Tumble way you can be mean to my worldies only I can be mean to my waddle Dees the novel King dedede's Great Escape Mission doubles down on the DDD Evolution DTD inspiring a prisoner who'd lost hope in others by proclaiming his devotion ocean for his subjects giving them the push they need to hatch a grand prison escape with him D3 is really started to accept what it means to be a good ruler for his people learning from his encounters with Kirby wanting to give his subjects the kind of life that he wants to live every day every day work without rest every day take a nap when you please sing when you want to sing dance when you wanna dance every day have fun and enjoy life that's what it means to be a great king but of course if we're talking spin-offs there's one king to rule them all foreign initially lumped in with the villain camp in Super Smash Brothers brawls Subspace Emissary DDD quickly defects to do his own thing when he learns of the true nature of taboo the master of Subspace and his life erasing off waves however DDD is far too proud to ask anyone for help other than his waddled ease so he goes around by himself collecting defeated Fighters before the likes of Wario and Bowser can bring them back to the growing darkness in his mountain lair DDD develops a brooch that can revive a fighter from Death making sure that no matter what someone will be there to see the world through and in spite of his arrogance he gives away all of them even The Broach meant for himself to keep as many others alive as possible sure he's still a doofus who makes mistakes and can't ask for help to save his life but he's a doofus who's able to beat Bowser one-on-one the Koopa Kings only got himself to fight for after all and deity has long overcome that loneliness and when it's time for the king to finally reunite with Kirby once again unwittingly helps by ddd's actions dreamland's ruler can't contain himself rapping his little rival in a hug before dragging him off to fight for a new future together a majority of ddd's development to this point had happened outside of the purview of his creator and voice actor Masahiro Sakurai but when writing a new story for the characters he created deity's kindness and selflessness were put at the Forefront in spite of the character passing through so many hands up to this point two things always remained consistent about D to D he's a dork and his friendship with Kirby has slowly but finally become a two-way street Kirby's Return to Dreamland features the first time DDD needs absolutely no coaxing to join Kirby on a quest sure he'll mess with Kirby on the title screen and chase after his cake but DDD actively volunteers to help out magalore with the puffball for no other reason than it being the right thing to do then Triple Deluxe sees the roton Regent kidnapped by teranza mistaken for Kirby is the strongest Warrior on pop star he gets brainwashed masked unmasked and bopped in fairly quick order once Kirby reaches him but Kirby's full motivation through the entirety of this game is simply to rescue his friend at least before he reaches the people of the sky and DTD isn't even embarrassed to be rescued by Kirby this time cowering behind his more powerful buddy when Queen sectonia begins threatening them casting away his pride almost entirely but when push comes to shove DDD does his part blasting Kirby into the final battle with a cannon and freeing the little guy when he gets caught in one sectonia's Vines by Smashing him with a hammer admittedly but hey King dededy and Kirby got to save the world together for the first time since adventure and in far more noble circumstances for one of them DTD really had finally gotten over himself and nothing would prove that more than his own what if Adventure DDD tour I am a superstar Warrior ddd's 3D tour in 3D part of Kirby Triple D on the 3DS shows the Monarch plowing through the kingdom of the sky with nothing more than his strength and the skills he's picked up proving himself just as capable as Kirby at taking on whatever forces May threaten Dreamland however it's this Mode's end that adds the most to deity as Winnie beats sectonia in the Royal Rumble the dimension mirror appears before him this artifact first appearing in Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is something that DDD has never encountered a portal to another dimension that can corrupt and overtake those who gaze into Its Reflection for too long Queen sectonia was driven mad with vanity through its influence Meta Knight had been defeated by his own Doppelganger from the mirror in the past and Kirby well Kirby was lucky that even his dark reflection is a pretty swell guy [Music] and when DDD gazes into the mirror his shadow emerges for a fight Adidas he wins that pretty handily okay then he goes a step further enters the mirror challenges dark Meta Knight to a brawl and beats him too in spite of being possessed and manipulated selfish and arrogant lazy and formerly tyrannical DDD was able to stand up to a pure corruptive influence even Meta Knight couldn't overcome and shatters it to pieces DDD has accepted his demons Works toward becoming better than them and has gained the strength of character that the gluttonous Tyrant of Mount deity could never dream of having and yeah this is a non-canon storyline but soloing Persona 4 and destroying an entire Dimension is still pretty reflective of ddd's character and strength in a way that deserves to be celebrated even when no one's looking D-Day is still growing and while this next bit is entirely conjecture on my part I like to think that when dark mind master of the mirror Dimension appears in the future he chooses to materialize as the one being who's undoubtedly stronger than him the one being that he's never been able to corrupt Kirby Planet robobot doubles down on deity's Power and strength of character being noted as one of the strongest life forms on pop star by The haltman Works company however the Clones of the king that they produce are notably imperfect some obsessed with only food some terrified of insects and all lacking deity's strongest aspect his soul star Ally shows just how far he's come DD proclaiming in his guest star allies mode that I'll be the one to keep the peace wanting to repair His Image and defend the kingdom himself and of course when he's overcome by the Jamba Hearts dark influence and steals all the food in Dreamland again Kirby cannot believe it at this point something has to be wrong for DDD to steal the food of all the people he loves his signature active villainy becoming something unbelievable for the man he is now certainly a far cry from Kirby expecting the king to steal his Shortcake and Squeak Squad his majesty has grown so much over the years but he's still looking for that one chance all he needs is one opportunity one main story appearance to prove beyond the shadow of the doubt that he is strong he is a hero he is and here we are [Music] foreign was crestfallen unable to find the one that he considered to be his destined rival joining up with the Beast pack King Dedede somehow grew even stronger and let the power he'd been build enough for years really get a chance to shine Kirby and the Forgotten land features a deity with absolutely ridiculous strength picking up a stone pillar with relative ease and make it tossing it around looks such a breeze and in spite of Kirby actively seeing deity mistreat and imprison his waddled ease neither Kirby nor bandana waddle D believed the kings in his right mind to do so something that would be seen as second nature for deity before is again thought of as impossible and they're right DVD isn't just brainwashed here he's double brainwashed in order to fight Kirby the pain of his new mask reverting him to a primal form for the pink menace to overcome and after a brutal battle once freed from his mental prison Dave he's just happy to see the Kirby's okay there's no animosity no humiliation from being beaten again no bitterness or competitiveness King deity is truly happy to see Kirby and immediately goes to ensure the Waddles he's captured are okay and not too mad at him DDD is fully ready and willing to follow Kirby into the final battle against and make up for his past mistakes when suddenly a horde of Beast pack soldiers come flooding in while the pop star natives attempt to flee a waddledy trips about to be mufaced by the incoming horde and dddy won't stand for that he rushes to the waddledee's side make sure it's okay realizes there's no time for both of them and hurls the Waddle Dee to safety despite Kirby desperately trying to keep the door open for him King dededy stays behind facing down an army by himself to buy Kirby enough tie to save the world the king manages to survive his ordeal having the waddledees that were with him feed and nurse him back to health and the one whose life he saved will be the first to admit that he's a slothful doofus but he's so cool and strong and the waddle dees are proud to serve a king like him D to these even a bit jealous that Kirby's been saving the waddle Dees while he was busy being brainwashed a shame that he wasn't doing that job himself and all in all this is the finale to ddd's character Arc the king who would have starved the people of Dreamland for his own selfish Indulgence would now gladly give his life just to save one of them but while he's changed his heart who he is the goofy lazy prideful competitor hasn't gone anywhere DDD just knows how to use his strength for the better for others for the sake of kindness [Music] is a silly character I hope you've got on on that he's not a deep manifestation of some ideal or a being with loads and loads of backstory to him he's a funny penguin who tries real hard except when he doesn't but far more important than all of that King deededy is a reflection of everything that Kirby represents and how simple compassion and humility can change a person for the better this is when we cue the music one simple Act of caring took DDD down a journey where who he was at his core didn't change but the way he interacted with and cared about others did ddds are prankster a bragger to Hot Head a glutton an egotist and a buffoon but now he's also a friend both Masahiro Sakurai and shinyakumazaki have voiced him dozens more have guided his path and over 30 years despite being affected by so many Creative Visions King Dedede has been developing into a better person more consistently than his character design and while some interpretations lean into this more than others it's so nice to have a truly healthy and sincere story about becoming a better person Kirby is the embodiment of friendship King Dedede is proof of just how strong friendship can be in his heart his care his desire to be better in every way in every game shows how unbreakable of a bond that truly is that is the power of kindness [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Designing For

Views: 355,306

Keywords: Designing For, Game Analysis, Video Essay, Video Game Analysis, Game Review, King Dedede, Dedede, Character Analysis, Breakdown, Lore, Kirby, Kirby Lore, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Revenge of the King, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Forgotten Land, Roar of Dedede, Forgo Dedede, Kirby's Adventure, Kirby 64, Character Development, Brawl, Kirby Right Back At Ya, Kirby Anime, Waddle Dee, Development, D3, Triple Deluxe, Dededetour, Pause Screen, Kirby's Dream Land, Hero

Id: BqgSqJNFrgY

Length: 32min 47sec (1967 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 04 2022