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Revision as of 19:22, 31 August 2020
Kirby: Right Back at Ya! is a Japanese anime series based on the Kirby series, first aired in 2001. It was made by a company called 'Warpstar inc.', a joint project of Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. It first aired in Japan on CBCTV, and was later dubbed and brought to North America by 4Kids Entertainment. It has also aired in many other countries and languages, including most of Europe and Asia. The show ran until September 27, 2003 with a total of 100 episodes, ending with "Fright to the Finish" loosely based on the then recently released game Kirby Air Ride. Its acronym, 'KRBaY', is similar to Kirby.
The show follows the title character Kirby, a young and inexperienced Star Warrior, who lives in the peaceful land of Dream Land after accidentally crash landing there. The evil King Dedede and his assistant Escargoon continuously try to get rid of him, usually by ordering monsters from Night Mare Enterprises (N.M.E.). In addition to his dislike for Kirby, Dedede often treats the inhabitants of Cappy Town, (the village of which he is the self-proclaimed king) in a bad way, and Kirby usually gets help from his friends to challenge this behavior. The show features many of Kirby's Copy Abilities from the games, as well as various enemies, Mid-Bosses and bosses, most of which appear in the form of monsters ordered by Dedede. However, as the show ended before the release of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, no elements from that game and later games are seen.
While the show borrows many characters, places, and themes from the Kirby games, the show takes place in its own universe separate from the main series.
In the Japanese version, "Kirby ★ March" plays as the opening theme and "Kihon wa Maru" plays as the ending theme for the first 71 episodes. From episode 72 onward, "Kirby!" plays as the opening and "Kirby ☆ Step!" plays as the ending. The English version has its own theme that plays as the opening and ending theme for all episodes.
Characters
Main Protagonists
Image | Character | Description |
---|---|---|
File:Kirbyanimeartwork.png | Kirby | The star of the show. Kirby is a small alien creature who crashed into Dream Land in order to defeat the monsters that plague it time and time again. Kirby has the mind of a small child and a bottomless appetite, but has limitless potential as a hero and Star Warrior, especially when he gains a Copy Ability. |
Tiff | Kirby's closest friend and supervisor. Tiff is a young and intelligent girl who resides with her family in Castle Dedede. She helps Kirby by working to foil King Dedede's plans and calls the Warp Star for Kirby when he is in trouble. | |
File:Tuff1.png | Tuff | Tiff's little brother. He is immature and headstrong, but very brave. He assists Tiff and Kirby whenever he can, but his foolhardiness sometimes causes trouble for them. |
File:Mkanime.png | Meta Knight | A veteran Star Warrior who feigns to serve King Dedede in order to protect and guide Kirby as he learns to be a hero. He has two apprentices named Sword Knight and Blade Knight and can also be seen assisting and mentoring Tiff and Tuff. |
Villains
Image | Character | Description |
---|---|---|
File:Dededeanime.png | King Dedede | The self-proclaimed king of Dream Land who often spends loads of money contracting monsters from Night Mare Enterprises to either defeat Kirby or drive him out of Dream Land. His greed and vanity often cause problems for his subjects, leading them to resent him. |
File:Escargon.png | Escargoon | King Dedede's right-hand man and personal assistant. Escargoon often behaves cruelly toward King Dedede's enemies, but he is not quite as vain and selfish as the King, and can sometimes be seen cooperating with them instead. |
N.M.E. Sales Guy | The front man of Night Mare Enterprises who sells N.M.E.'s questionable products to gullible buyers such as King Dedede. His professional demeanor masks a cruel and exploitative personality. | |
File:Nightmaredark.png | eNeMeE | The main villain who runs Night Mare Enterprises. He is usually only seen in the shadows, and is responsible for creating many of the monsters he sells. |
Side & guest characters
Side & guest characters in Kirby: Right Back at Ya! | |||
---|---|---|---|
Image | Character | Debut episode | Description |
Acore | War of the Woods | An ancient oak tree who resides in the Eastern Forest, and is home to many animals, including Rick and Coo. | |
Benikage | Ninja Binge | An unskilled ninja who comes to Dream Land to reclaim his ninja scroll. | |
Biblio | Watermelon Felon | A spectacle-wearing Cappy who runs the local bookstore. | |
Biggy, Boney, and Sleepy | Tooned Out | Three animators on contract from Night Mare Enterprises who become overly obsessed with Tiff. | |
Blade Knight | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | One of Meta Knight's apprentices, the other being Sword Knight. The two were once roadside bandits until they met Meta Knight, who saved their lives from WolfWrath, since then; they have become fiercely loyal to Meta Knight and will often be seen by his side. | |
Bonkers | Goin' Bonkers | A renegade hammer-wielding simian who idolizes Kirby and hopes to be a Star Warrior himself. He was once transformed into a monster by Night Mare Enterprises, but was able to recover. | |
Buttercup | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | The wife of Chief Bookem. Despite having little dialogue, she is often portrayed as kind and sincere. | |
File:Doo.png | Captain Waddle Doo | Un-Reality TV | Commander of the Waddle Dees in Castle Dedede. |
File:Kawasaki.png | Chef Kawasaki | A Blockbuster Battle | A notoriously unskilled chef who runs the only restaurant in Cappy Town. |
Chef Nagoya | A Chow Challenge | A wandering chef who once attended culinary school with Chef Kawasaki. He is much more skilled than Kawasaki is, but lacks his own restaurant. | |
Chef Shiitake | A Recipe for Disaster | Number one food critic and Kawasaki's teacher. A false version of him appears in The Big Taste Test. | |
Chief Bookem | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | Chief of police in Cappy Town and Tuff's role model. | |
Coo | A Blockbuster Battle | A wise owl capable of speech who lives in the Eastern Forest and can be seen about Dream Land. | |
Doctor Yabui | A Fish Called Kine | Cappy Town's only physician. Notorious for his effective but painful dentistry. | |
Doron | A Blockbuster Battle | A silent thief who spends most of his time in Cappy Town's jail cell. | |
Dyna Blade | Kirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure | An ancient bird who returns to Dream Land every one hundred years to lay a single egg. She is very protective of her chick and will attack whoever has caused it distress. | |
Dyna Chick | Kirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure | Dyna Blade's chick that newly hatched from her egg. Dyna Chick is known to run into trouble be it King Dedede and Escargoon, or at it's own cause. | |
Escargoon's mother | Escargoon Rules | A kindly elder snail who lives in a country far away from Dream Land. She visits her son who pretends to be the King of Dream Land to please her. | |
Fololo & Falala | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | Two small flying servants of Castle Dedede. They are allies of Kirby and Tiff's family, and despise King Dedede. | |
Gengu | Un-Reality TV | The kind-hearted but simple-minded Cappy who runs the local toy store. | |
Gus | A Blockbuster Battle | A rough-hewn Cappy who runs the local gas station. | |
Hana | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | Mayor Len's somewhat reserved but kindly and loving wife. | |
Honey | A Blockbuster Battle | One of the three main Cappy children. Honey is kind and reserved, but very inexperienced. | |
Iro | A Blockbuster Battle | One of the three main Cappy children. Iro is brave, but often foolhardy and selfish. | |
File:Island Sisters.png | Island Sisters | Caterpillar Thriller | Twin fairies who live with Mosugaba on Embrya Island and can calm the monster with their singing. |
Kabu | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | Dream Land's great idol and sage who the Cappies revere. Kabu has the ability to see the future, and also houses Kirby's Warp Star. | |
Kine | A Blockbuster Battle | One of the intelligent animals of Dream Land. Kine has a crush on Tiff and tries to earn her affection in A Fish Called Kine. | |
Kit Cosmos | Island of the Lost Warrior | A retired Star Warrior who resides on a deserted island. He is extremely paranoid, and initially believes Kirby to be a monster. | |
Knuckle Joe | Here Comes the Son | A young monster hunter and the son of a legendary Star Warrior who fell during the war with N.M.E. He is extremely headstrong, but also a very skilled and cunning fighter. | |
Lady Like | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | A ditsy noblewoman who lives in Castle Dedede. She is Tiff and Tuff's mother and the wife of Sir Ebrum. | |
Mabel | Dark and Stormy Knight | A Cappy Town resident who counsels the villagers in the guise of reading their fortune. She has a close relationship with Samo. | |
File:Mayoranime.png | Mayor Len Blustergas | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | The mayor of Cappy Town who represents the villagers and looks after a flock of sleep. |
Melman | Kirby's Duel Role | The town mailman; often seen asleep. | |
Mr. Chip | Teacher's Threat | A passionate contract teacher who is sent by Night Mare Enterprises to harass the students at Dedede Academy, but cannot bring himself to harm them. | |
Pengy | The Chill Factor | The leader of the Pengy tribe. He has the ability to breathe ice and attempts to take over Dream Land by turning it into a permanent tundra. | |
Princess Rona | A Princess in Dis-Dress | An alien princess who visits Dream Land disguised as her personal bodyguard. She identifies with the commoners and is skilled with a sword. | |
Professor Curio | A Blockbuster Battle | Cappy Town's resident archaeologist. While knowledgeable, he is very meek and insecure. | |
File:Rickartwork.png | Rick | A Blockbuster Battle | One of Dream Land's intelligent animals. He can be seen wandering Dream Land and conversing with the villagers, and lives in the Eastern Forest in Acore. |
Rowlin | A Novel Approach | A famous author who wrote the best-selling book "Pappy Pottey and the Fool's Stone". She is impersonated by a monster in A Novel Approach. | |
Samo | A Blockbuster Battle (Japanese version) | The bartender of Cappy Town. He gathers gossip from his customers and delivers it to Mabel to help with her fortune telling. | |
File:Ebrum1.png | Sir Ebrum | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | King Dedede's cabinet minister, the father of Tiff and Tuff and husband of Lady Like. He is a very timid and nervous man. |
Sir Gallant | One Crazy Knight | A wandering quixotic knight who believes himself to be a comic book hero. | |
File:Sirica.png | Sirica | Crusade for the Blade | A young alien warrior who once battled Meta Knight for the Galaxia over a misunderstanding. She is a potent fighter who wields a weapon stolen from N.M.E. |
Spikehead | A Blockbuster Battle | One of the three main Cappy children. He loves to play games and can be very impatient. | |
File:Swordanime.png | Sword Knight | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | One of Meta Knight's apprentices, the other being Blade Knight. The two were once roadside bandits until they met Meta Knight, who saved their lives from WolfWrath, since then; they have become fiercely loyal to Meta Knight and are often seen by his side. |
Tokkori | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | A cantankerous little talking bird who lives with Kirby in his house. He often rubs other characters the wrong way, but is not bad at heart. | |
Tuggle | Dark and Stormy Knight | A cranky Cappy who runs the grocery store. | |
Waddle Dees | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | The tireless servants of Castle Dedede, who number in the thousands. They are usually silent, and obey King Dedede and his subordinates in exchange for living in the castle. | |
Whales | A Whale of a Tale | A giant sperm whale and calf who visit Dream Land and are harassed by King Dedede. | |
File:Whispyanime.png | Whispy Woods | Beware: Whispy Woods! | A sentient tree who resides over Whispy Woods Forest. King Dedede often tries to chop him down in order to destroy the forest and build a golf course. |
Yamikage | Ninja Binge | A treacherous ninja warrior who used to be a Star Warrior. He is prideful and cruel. |
For information on monsters, see this page. For information on minor Star Warriors, see this page. For information on other minor characters, see this page.
Episodes
Jp | En | Episode title | Copy Abilit(y/ies) | Monster(s) | Japanese airdate | English airdate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | Kirby of the Stars Pilot | Ice, Spark | Various | 2000 | - |
1 | 1 | Kirby Comes to Cappy Town | Fire | Octacon | October 6, 2001 | September 14, 2002 |
2 | 2 | A Blockbuster Battle | Stone | Blocky | October 13, 2001 | September 14, 2002 |
3 | 3 | Kirby's Duel Role | Sword | Bugzzy | October 20, 2001 | September 21, 2002 |
4 | 4 | Dark and Stormy Knight | Sword | Kracko | October 27, 2001 | September 21, 2002 |
5 | 5 | Beware: Whispy Woods! | - | - | November 3, 2001 | September 28, 2002 |
6 | 6 | Un-Reality TV | - | Great Sea Slug Monster | November 10, 2001 | September 28, 2002 |
7 | 7 | Kirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure | - | - | November 17, 2001 | October 5, 2002 |
8 | 8 | Curio's Curious Discovery | Stone | Dedede Stone | November 24, 2001 | October 5, 2002 |
9 | 9 | The Fofa Factor | Cutter | Slice n' Splice, Fofa | December 1, 2001 | October 12, 2002 |
10 | 10 | Hail to the Chief | - | - | December 8, 2001 | October 12, 2002 |
11 | 11 | The Big Taste Test | Cook | Popon | December 15, 2001 | October 19, 2002 |
12 | 13 | Escargoon Squad | - | Ghost Monster | December 22, 2001 | October 26, 2002 |
13 | 29 | Cappy New Year | Fire, Parasol | Sasuke | December 29, 2001 | December 28, 2002 |
14 | 14 | The Pillow Case | - | Noddy | January 5, 2002 | October 26, 2002 |
15 | 12 | Kirby's Pet Peeve | - | Electronic Pet | January 12, 2002 | October 19, 2002 |
16 | 15 | A Fish Called Kine | Tornado | - | January 19, 2002 | November 2, 2002 |
17 | 94 | The Thing About the Ring | - | Honker Stomper | January 26, 2002 | September 16, 2006 |
18 | 16 | Flower Power | Needle | Noddy, Pukey Flower | February 2, 2002 | November 2, 2002 |
19 | 17 | Here Comes the Son | Fighter, Needle | Needle Knuckle Joe | February 9, 2002 | November 9, 2002 |
20 | 18 | Dedede's Snow Job | Ice | Chilly, Ice Dragon | February 16, 2002 | November 9, 2002 |
21 | 19 | A Princess in Dis-Dress | Sword | Susshi | February 23, 2002 | November 16, 2002 |
22 | 20 | Island of the Lost Warrior | Tornado | Tornadon | March 3, 2002 | November 16, 2002 |
23 | 21 | The Empty Nest Mess | - | Green Caterpillar Monster | March 9, 2002 | November 23, 2002 |
24 | 22 | Ninja Binge | Ninja | Yamikage | March 16, 2002 | November 23, 2002 |
25 | 23 | Escargoon Rules | Parasol | Drifters | March 23, 2002 | November 30, 2002 |
26 | 24 | Hour of the WolfWrath | Galaxia | WolfWrath | March 30, 2002 | November 30, 2002 |
27 | 25 | The Flower Plot | Cutter | Lovely | April 6, 2002 | December 7, 2002 |
28 | 26 | Labor Daze | Ice | Ice Dragon Robot | April 20, 2002 | December 7, 2002 |
29 | 27 | A Spice Odyssey | Cook | Monsieur Goan | April 27, 2002 | December 14, 2002 |
30 | 28 | Hatch Me If You Can | Fire | Galbo | May 4, 2002 | December 14, 2002 |
31 | 30 | Abusement Park | Mike | Walky | May 11, 2002 | February 1, 2003 |
32 | 95 | A Dental Dilemma | Tornado | Hardy | May 18, 2002 | September 23, 2006 |
33 | 31 | Junk Jam | Fire | Fire Lion | May 25, 2002 | February 1, 2003 |
34 | 34 | A Recipe for Disaster | Cook | Cobgoblin | June 1, 2002 | February 15, 2003 |
35 | 32 | The Kirby Derby - Part I | - | - | June 8, 2002 | February 8, 2003 |
36 | 33 | The Kirby Derby - Part II | Wheel | - | June 15, 2002 | February 8, 2003 |
37 | 35 | Watermelon Felon | - | - | June 22, 2002 | March 1, 2003 |
38 | 44 | A Novel Approach | Cleaning | Broom King | June 29, 2002 | June 21, 2003 |
39 | 36 | Escar-Gone | - | Erasem | July 6, 2002 | March 8, 2003 |
40 | 37 | Monster Management | Fighter | Masher, Mini-monster horde | July 13, 2002 | March 15, 2003 |
41 | 38 | Prediction Predicament - Part I | Fire | Fridgy | July 20, 2002 | March 22, 2003 |
42 | 39 | Prediction Predicament - Part II | - | - | July 27, 2002 | March 29, 2003 |
43 | 40 | Sheepwrecked | Needle | Amon | August 3, 2002 | April 5, 2003 |
44 | 41 | War of the Woods | Cutter | - | August 10, 2002 | April 12, 2003 |
45 | 52 | Scare Tactics - Part I | - | Particle ghost | August 17, 2002 | October 25, 2003 |
46 | 53 | Scare Tactics - Part II | Fire | Particle ghost, Shaabon, Gabon | August 24, 2002 | November 1, 2003 |
47 | 42 | Pink-Collar Blues | Stone | Domestic Servant Robot | August 31, 2002 | April 19, 2003 |
48 | 43 | Tourist Trap | Fire, Ice | Flame Feeder | September 14, 2002 | April 26, 2003 |
49 | 47 | Cartoon Buffoon | - | - | September 21, 2002 | September 20, 2003 |
50 | 48 | Don't Bank on It | - | Dedede Doll | September 28, 2002 | September 27, 2003 |
51 | 49 | Kirby Takes the Cake | Bomb | Danger | October 5, 2002 | October 4, 2003 |
52 | 45 | Snack Attack - Part I | - | Figure Monsters, Martial Arts All-Stars | October 12, 2002 | September 6, 2003 |
53 | 46 | Snack Attack - Part II | Fighter | Figure Monsters, Martial Arts All-Stars | October 19, 2002 | September 13, 2003 |
54 | 54 | One Crazy Knight | Mirror | Windwhipper | October 26, 2002 | November 8, 2003 |
55 | 55 | Sweet and Sour Puss | Needle | Togeira | November 2, 2002 | November 15, 2003 |
56 | 56 | Dedede's Pet Threat | Hammer | Scarfy | November 9, 2002 | November 22, 2003 |
57 | 57 | A Half-Baked Battle | Bomb | Belly Buster | November 16, 2002 | November 29, 2003 |
58 | 58 | eNeMeE Elementary | Fighter | Teacher Creature | November 23, 2002 | December 6, 2003 |
59 | 59 | The Meal Moocher | Cook | Crab Monster | November 30, 2002 | December 13, 2003 |
60 | 60 | Crusade for the Blade | Sword, Galaxia | Kirisakin | December 7, 2002 | February 7, 2004 |
61 | 61 | Fitness Fiend | Mike | Max Flexer | December 14, 2002 | February 14, 2004 |
62 | 62 | Mabel Turns the Tables | Tornado | - | December 21, 2002 | February 21, 2004 |
63 | 63 | Something to Sneeze At | - | Head Cold Monsters | December 28, 2002 | February 28, 2004 |
64 | 64 | The Kirby Quiz | - | - | January 4, 2003 | March 6, 2004 |
65 | 65 | Masher 2.0 | Fighter | Masher 2.0 | January 11, 2003 | March 13, 2004 |
66 | 66 | The Chill Factor | Ice | - | January 18, 2003 | March 20, 2004 |
67 | 67 | The School Scam | Fighter | Dirk, Kirk, and Smirk | January 25, 2003 | March 27, 2004 |
68 | 68 | Delivery Dilemma | Jet | Delivery Man | February 1, 2003 | April 3, 2004 |
69 | 69 | Trick or Trek | Tornado | - | February 8, 2003 | April 10, 2004 |
70 | 70 | Buccaneer Birdy | Mirror | Mole Monster | February 15, 2003 | April 17, 2004 |
71 | 71 | A Whale of a Tale | - | - | February 22, 2003 | April 24, 2004 |
72 | 72 | Waddle While You Work | - | - | March 1, 2003 | September 18, 2004 |
73 | 73 | Dedede's Raw Deal | Spark | Squishy | March 8, 2003 | September 25, 2004 |
74 | 74 | Caterpillar Thriller | - | Mosugaba | March 15, 2003 | October 2, 2004 |
75 | 75 | Fossil Fools - Part I | - | Doctor Moro, D-Rex | March 22, 2003 | October 9, 2004 |
76 | 76 | Fossil Fools - Part II | Crash | Doctor Moro, Chimera Dinosaurs, Syringe Mosquitoes | March 29, 2003 | October 16, 2004 |
77 | 77 | Dedede's Monsterpiece | Paint | Paint Roller | April 5, 2003 | October 23, 2004 |
78 | 78 | Right Hand Robot | Bomb | Escar-droid | April 19, 2003 | October 30, 2004 |
79 | 79 | Goin' Bonkers | Hammer | Monster Bonkers | April 26, 2003 | November 6, 2004 |
80 | 80 | Power Ploy | Stone | Red Viper | May 3, 2003 | November 13, 2004 |
81 | 81 | A Trashy Tale | Cleaning | Trash Basher | May 10, 2003 | November 20, 2004 |
82 | 82 | Cooking Up Trouble | Spark | SlicerDicer | May 17, 2003 | November 27, 2004 |
83 | 83 | Teacher's Threat | Sword | Rekketsu | May 24, 2003 | December 4, 2004 |
84 | 84 | Mumbies Madness | Bomb | Mumbies | May 31, 2003 | December 11, 2004 |
85 | 85 | A Sunsational Puzzle | Jet, Bomb | Ozomashii | June 7, 2003 | December 18, 2004 |
86 | 86 | A Chow Challenge | Cook | Ebifryer | June 14, 2003 | May 28, 2005 |
87 | 87 | Waste Management | Wing | Crowemon | June 21, 2003 | June 4, 2005 |
88 | 88 | Shell-Shocked | Hammer | Maimaigon | June 28, 2003 | June 11, 2005 |
89 | 89 | Tooned Out | Spark | Anige | July 5, 2003 | June 18, 2005 |
90 | 90 | Born to Be Mild - Part I | - | Fang, Rip, Turbo | July 12, 2003 | June 25, 2005 |
91 | 91 | Born to Be Mild - Part II | Wheel | Fang, Rip, Turbo, Wheelie | July 19, 2003 | July 2, 2005 |
92 | 92 | Hunger Struck | Cook | Fryclops | July 26, 2003 | July 30, 2005 |
93 | 93 | D'Preciation Day | Parasol | Chuckie | August 2, 2003 | August 6, 2005 |
94 | 96 | Cowardly Creature | Throw | Whippy | August 9, 2003 | October 28, 2006 |
95 | 97 | Frog Wild | Fire | Demon Frog, Heavy Anaconda | August 16, 2003 | November 4, 2006 |
96 | 50 | Air-Ride-in-Style - Part I | - | Air Riders | August 23, 2003 | October 11, 2003 |
97 | 51 | Air-Ride-in-Style - Part II | Baton, Water, Iron, Top, Crash | Air Riders | August 30, 2003 | October 18, 2003 |
98 | 98 | Cappy Town Down | Crash | - | September 13, 2003 | November 25, 2006 |
99 | 99 | Combat Kirby | Cook, Ice | Heavy Lobster | September 20, 2003 | December 2, 2006 |
100 | 100 | Fright to the Finish | Bomb, Fire, Star Rod | Air Riders, eNeMeE | September 27, 2003 | December 9, 2006 |
101 | 101 | Kirby 3D | Fire, Kabuki | Lobzilla | August 9, 2009 | January 14, 2012 (Volume 1) January 24, 2012 (Volume 2) |
Development
Outline
As the Kirby series was still struggling in the west, it was decided that a Kirby animated series would be a good way to bring in new fans. Kirby: Right Back at Ya was made as a joint project between HAL and Nintendo, going under the name 'Warp Star'. The main director was a veteran of animation, Soji Yoshikawa. Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai drafted the original proposal and set many of the guidelines for the show. Many of the difficulties in creating an anime for Kirby were detailed in early interviews with Nintendo.
Sakurai had a few things he wanted and didn't want for the show. Firstly, he didn't want Kirby to speak, and secondly, he didn't want there to be any humans. Nearly everyone involved, including Sakurai, admitted that not having Kirby speak was quite a challenge. In addition, without humans they had to come up with unique species and characters. (Yoshikawa compared it to a Finnish children's book series called The Moomins, which had no humans.)
Another of Sakurai's intentions was that Kirby would seem 'like a pet', until he gains a Copy Ability and can battle. His view for Kirby seems to be one of 'hidden strength'. Yoshikawa, who also served as one of the writers, had great visions for making the series widely accessible, using not only facets of the games, but references culture and events from outside of the Kirby series.
Animation
A particular emphasis was placed on the show's animation. Yoshikawa spoke of how the Japanese animation industry had reduced itself to shortcuts and cutting corners. He wanted to have animation where things could 'be moved as much as we pleased'. As such, they made the decision to do a mix of traditional 2D and 3D computer graphics animation.
Because of this, they were able to focus far more on creating lively, smooth animation for the characters. The frame rate of the show is 2-3X higher than most contemporary anime (about 10,000 frames are used in each episode, compared to the 4000-5000 used by most anime on TV). Even with the length of the series, the animation improves noticeably as it goes on, likely as the animators improve their techniques. This is particularly noticeable for the 3-D renders of characters such as Dyna Blade.
English dub
The English dub of Kirby: Right Back at Ya! was produced by 4Kids Entertainment.
Some edits were made to the English version, including changing the background music and the color of King Dedede's Armored Vehicle, the removal of Japanese and many English letters from signs and other objects, turning King Dedede's chainsaw into a laser chainsaw, and removing scenes where guns are fired. Dialogue changes include rewording and altering the Japanese script, and changing the names of several characters and meanings, such as "Fumu" to "Tiff". Notably, Kirby's lines are often left unaltered, but much of his dialogue where he says real words are replaced with more utterances of "poyo". This is particularly notable during battles, as he no longer shouts the names of Copy Ability attacks as he uses them. Additionally, scenes featuring references to alcohol consumption would commonly be cut from the English airing, as well as many scenes where the child characters are subjected to harm. Lastly, several otherwise non-notable scenes are often cut presumably to shorten the run-time, which tends to cut some incidental characters out of episodes altogether.
Further dubs of the show, such as the Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese dub, followed the 4Kids English dub, and as such featured the same changes as said dub.
Trivia
- Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and Kirby Air Ride were released during the time the anime was originally on the air. As such, the two games share many aspects with the anime.
- Much of the official artwork for Nightmare in Dream Land is inspired by the anime, including the game's box art, as well as a commercial animated in the same style.
- Kirby Air Ride uses some music tracks from the Japanese version of the anime (such as the theme for Checker Knights), and in return, a two-part special episode of the anime includes Air Ride Machines from the game.
- The anime was briefly available for viewing on the Kirby TV Channel, a free Wii channel.
- The English theme song for the show is an unlockable song in Donkey Konga, and the Japanese version likewise includes the second Japanese theme song, "Kirby!"
- A trailer for Kirby: Right Back At Ya! was included on the bonus disc that came with preorders for Mario Kart: Double Dash!! The trailer starts off with Kirby: Right Back At Ya! before transitioning to footage of Kirby Air Ride.
Gallery
- Main article: Kirby: Right Back at Ya!/gallery
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning |
---|---|---|
Japanese | 星のカービィ Hoshi no Kābī |
Kirby of the Stars |
External links
- Official CBC website (Japanese)
- Official 4KidsTV webpage (archived)