A Sunsational Puzzle
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A Sunsational Puzzle (also called A Sunsational Surprise) is the 85th episode of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! series. In this episode, Dream Land experiences a sudden spike in ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, and King Dedede starts selling air conditioner units from Night Mare Enterprises to the alerted Cappies. However, the problem worsens, forcing most of the Dream Landers to resort to a nocturnal schedule to reduce their exposure. Eventually, Tiff and Meta Knight discover that a large hole in the ozone layer has formed over the kingdom, caused by the monster Ozomashii which was fed by the air conditioner units' waste gases. A sun-burnt Kirby is sent to stop the monster and - after initially failing with the Jet Copy Ability - is able to defeat Ozomashii using the Bomb ability, sealing the ozone hole off and allowing the people to return to their normal lives.
This episode marks the first time that Lady Like has taken a leading role in the story of an episode, and also marks the final appearance of the Jet Copy Ability in the anime series.
Characters
The following characters appear in this episode:
| Cast of "A Sunsational Puzzle" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Character | Selected quote | Notes |
| Primary characters | ||
 Kirby |
"Ooh...? Oh. Poyo!" | |
 Tiff |
"You can't believe every TV ad you see, especially if the product comes from King Dedede! He's up to somethin'!" | |
 Tuff |
"If Mom wants me to go back inside, she'll have to come out and get me!" | |
 Lady Like |
"Outside?!" *screams* "Those beastly sunbeams are going to attack you! You're not going out there, is that clear?!" | |
 King Dedede |
"Yeah! Gives you wrinkles, blotches, and scabby-lookin' sores that make ya even uglier than usual!" *laughs* "But your worries is[sic] over if you buy this here stuff! DDD Sun Potion blocks them nasty UV rays, plus it instantly D-juvenates your skin and makes it all smooth and silky-like! Looks like a baby's behind!" | |
| Secondary characters | ||
 Blade Knight |
"So we-" *garbled* "-explore the sky!" | |
 Buttercup |
"I had no idea that exposure to the Sun could be so damaging!" | |
 Cappy villagers |
"It's rising!" "Get to bed, quick!" |
|
 Captain Waddle Doo |
(no dialogue) | |
 Chef Kawasaki |
"His head looks redder than a stoplight!" | |
 Chief Bookem |
"Well that's one thing you won't have to worry about!" | |
 Coo |
"Have you heard the one about the sparrow and the crow?" | |
 Doron |
(no dialogue) | |
 Escargoon |
"Uhh... Well, Sire, you look like a roast turkey whose timer never popped up." | |
 Fololo & Falala |
(Fololo) "Tiff sent us to get you!" (Falala) "She has an important job for you!" |
|
 Gengu |
"How long was he out in the Sun for?" | |
 Gus |
"By tryin' to get cooler..." | |
 Hana |
(no dialogue) | |
 Honey |
(no dialogue) | |
 Iro |
"Or math homework either!" | |
 Mabel |
"The future is looking bright! Too bright!" | |
 Mayor Len Blustergas |
"Hello, Mabel!" | |
 Meta Knight |
"I agree. This Sun thing is shady." | |
 N.M.E. Sales Guy |
"Hey there-" *gasps* "A monster!" | |
 Professor Curio |
"Why this is no ordinary air conditioner! These things have been producing harmful CFC gases that destroy ozone!" | |
 Samo |
"What's up? Is something wrong?" | |
 Sir Ebrum |
"Those were the days..." | |
 Spikehead |
"We don't have to do chores anymore!" | |
 Sword Knight |
"We're buildin' a balloon!" | |
 Tuggle |
"What was that?!" | |
 Waddle Dees |
(no dialogue) | |
Locations
Plot synopsis
The episode begins at Castle Dedede, where Tiff and her family along with Kirby are sunbathing on the castle balcony. Shortly afterward, the family starts reminiscing on old pictures of Sir Ebrum and Lady Like when they were young, but during this, Kirby notices that something is off with Lady Like's face, and Tiff points out that her mother is starting to get wrinkles. Lady Like panics and immediately pulls everyone back inside to escape the Sun's rays. Meanwhile, King Dedede is also sunbathing, but his skin has been severely burned in the process. It takes a minute for Dedede to realize this after Escargoon shows him his reflection. Outraged at this turn of events, King Dedede turns to Night Mare Enterprises for an explanation, and the N.M.E. Sales Guy informs him that sunlight contains ultraviolet rays that can burn skin. He then suggests that Dedede buy N.M.E.'s special sunscreen and sell it to the Cappies for profit. King Dedede does so, and proceeds to advertise the product on Channel DDD, using his burnt visage as a warning to the Cappies.
Lady Like immediately buys into the advertisement and buys Dedede's suntan lotion along with the extra air-conditioner unites provided with them, and forbids her family from going outside. The rest of the family becomes more apprehensive as Lady Like is encouraged by the TV to close all of the curtains, leaving the interior space dark. Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby decide to escape while they can, frustrated with the idea of being forced to stay indoors. As the day progresses, several of the Cappies in town become severely sun-burnt without realizing it. As Kirby and Tuff play ball with the Cappy kids, they too becomes severely sun-burnt, and point this out to each-other. Tiff sees how badly the two were burnt, and concludes that something is indeed amiss with the UV conditions in Dream Land. They return home and see that Lady Like's paranoia has worsened further still, as she now intends to be nocturnal to avoid exposure to the Sun. Many of the Cappies in town follow suit, sleeping during the day as they run their air conditioner units.
That night, Sir Ebrum wakes up his children and tells them that their mother has gone missing. They search the castle grounds and find her conversing with Coo in a tree, intent on cementing herself as a night-owl along with him. Tiff and Tuff then venture into town and see that the Cappies too have switched entirely to a nocturnal schedule, being as active as they normally would be during the day. Tiff speculates on the idea that the Sun may be getting stronger to cause these problems, but Meta Knight suggests instead that the planet might be getting weaker. The next morning, Tuff, Kirby and the Cappy kids are playing ball through town, delighted in the idea that nobody will get in their way anymore. King Dedede and Escargoon take advantage of the peace and quiet as well by speeding through town in the Royal Racecar. A short time later, Fololo & Falala are sent by Tiff to collect Tuff and Kirby and return them to the castle, where Tiff and many others are preparing a hot air balloon in the courtyard. Once it is ready, Meta Knight, Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby board the balloon and sail into the sky to find out what may be causing the high UV conditions. Seeing the balloon launch from the castle, King Dedede and Escargoon quickly return to check in with Night Mare Enterprises. Once the balloon reaches 10,000 feet in elevation, Meta Knight tells Tiff and Tuff to put on their UV goggles, and they see a massive hole in the sky.
Back in the castle, The N.M.E. Sales Guy tells King Dedede and Escargoon that a hole was punched in their ozone layer, and falsely blames Kirby and Meta Knight for causing it. He gloats to King Dedede and Escargoon that since this has happened, their whole planet is doomed to be baked to a crisp, and there is nothing any of them can do about it. From there, a metallic object falls from the sky and lands in Cappy Town, disturbing all the night-owl Cappies. They gather around the canister, and Chief Bookem opens it up to reveal a message from Meta Knight which warns them about the air conditioners they bought. Professor Curio opens one of the AC units up and confirms that they have been releasing CFC gases which were rapidly destroying the ozone layer. Meanwhile, back up in the hot air balloon, Meta Knight explains that N.M.E. was plotting to use the ozone hole to destroy Kirby by exposing him to excess UV radiation. To help save the planet, Kirby agrees to try and patch up the ozone hole, and Tiff calls the Warp Star to help him with this task. After mounting the Warp Star, Kirby flies toward the hole, only to find it patrolled by the spectral dragon-like monster Ozomashii. The monster proceeds to sear one side of the Warp Star, making it difficult for Kirby to stand on it, so Tiff and Tuff help Kirby by unscrewing the gas tank for their hot air balloon and tossing it to Kirby so he can swallow it and gain the Jet Copy Ability.
Jet Kirby flies toward Ozomashii and punches a hole in its body as he passes through, but this hole quickly repairs itself. Back in the castle, Fololo & Falala tell Lady Like and Sir Ebrum about the ozone hole and how Kirby is fighting to close it, and Lady Like demands her husband get King Dedede to do something to help. Sir Ebrum tries to rush to King Dedede, but he and his soldiers are instead rushing to try and attack Kirby while he is in the air. Meanwhile, Kirby is struggling against the monster, and ends up losing his Copy Ability. At that moment, King Dedede orders an explosive cannonball launched at Kirby, and he swallows it to gain the Bomb Copy Ability. Using this ability, Kirby launches a barrage of bombs at Ozomashii, which overwhelm the monster and destroy it, closing the hole in the ozone layer in the process. Later on, Kirby and Tiff's family are enjoying some sunbathing at the beach - with Kirby and Tuff having returned to their normal complexion - and spot King Dedede and Escargoon doing the same, though burying themselves in sand to avoid getting sunburned. The episode ends as Tuff and Kirby decide to play a joke on the two and bury their heads in sand as well.
Differences between versions
- In the Japanese version, many of the sun-burnt characters are portrayed with more black and brown skin tones, as opposed to more red tones in the 4Kids version.
Dialogue differences
- In the Japanese version, when Lady Mēmu is told about the ozone hole, she declares war on HolyNightMare Co. and sends her husband out to "fight".
Trivia
- When Lady Like is panicking about getting wrinkles, she briefly breaks the Fourth Wall by pointing directly at the viewer and telling them to stop staring.
- The pattern on the hot air balloon matches the colTemplate:Or and design of Tiff's clothing, but reversed.
- This episode marks the second time in a row that King Dedede tries to blow up Kirby with an explosive, but only ends up giving him the Bomb Copy Ability instead.
Gallery
Tiff's family looks at a photo album of Sir Ebrum and Lady Like when they were young.
Lady Like frets over receiving tiny wrinkles on her face.
Lady Like breaks the Fourth Wall while panicking.
Escargoon points out to King Dedede how sunburned he has become.
Escargoon partakes in a dramatization of the harmful effects of UV radiation on Channel DDD.
King Dedede advertises his "DDD Sun Potion".
Escargoon advertises the air conditioner units that come with the sun potion.
Lady Like overacts while demanding her son stay indoors.
Tuff and Kirby point out how much tanner they have become.
Lady Like endeavors to switch to a nocturnal schedule.
Sir Ebrum finds his wife conversing with Coo in a tree.
The Cappies switch to a nocturnal lifestyle.
The air conditioner units spew dangerous CFC gases into the atmosphere.
Fololo & Falala gather Tuff and Kirby to help Tiff with her expedition.
The hot air balloon's gas canister is activated.
King Dedede and Escargoon spot Tiff's hot air balloon and rush back to the castle.
The N.M.E. Sales Guy explains how Dream Land's ozone layer has been pierced.
The Cappies receive a canister with a letter from Sir Meta Knight.
Professor Curio points out how dangerous the air conditioner units are.
Kirby avoids a deadly UV ray by hiding under his Warp Star.
Tiff and Tuff toss Kirby the balloon's gas canister to give him the Jet ability.
Jet Kirby punches a hole through Ozomashii, but to little avail.
Sir Ebrum catches King Dedede and his soldiers preparing to attack Kirby.
Tiff and Tuff watch Kirby struggle with Ozomashii.
Kirby catches the explosive round fired at him by King Dedede.
Bomb Kirby scatters many bombs around Ozomashii to defeat it.
The final shot of the episode
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | まぼろしの紫外線! |
Mysterious Ultraviolet Rays! |
