Martial Arts All-Stars
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| “ | I love these new martial arts figures! There's a boxer, a tai chi master, a kung-fu expert, a sumo wrestler, and a karate choppa! Believe me, folks! This new team is unbeatable! | ” | — King Dedede describing the Martial Arts All-Stars in Snack Attack - Part I |
The Martial Arts All-Stars are a team of five toy fighter monsters from the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. They are ordered from Night Mare Enterprises by King Dedede in order to get revenge on the people of Cappy Town for their own choco-capsule toy fad and to defeat Kirby in a gladiatorial contest. Each of the all-stars uses a different form of fighting, and each ends up being defeated one-by-one by Fighter Kirby in order to save Cappy Town from the onslaught of the Figure Monsters the fighters came with.
Characteristics
Each of the Martial Arts All-Stars starts out as a small collectable toy figurine which King Dedede advertises on Channel DDD, though secretly, none of the choco-capsules sold to the Cappies contained matching figures. After being formally introduced in the coliseum, they each grow significantly in size until they are larger than Kirby and come to life. Aside from their separate identities and fighting styles, each of the figures have the ability to fire energy beams to attack. These beams grant the Fighter Copy Ability if Kirby inhales them.
The following table lists each of the five individual Martial Arts All-Stars. It should be noted that their Japanese names are used here, since they were never specifically named in the 4Kids dub:
| Members of the Martial Arts All-Stars | ||
|---|---|---|
| Figure | Description | Notes |
 Kung-Fu Lee |
Referred to in the 4Kids dub merely as "the fearsome kung-fu brawler", Kung-Fu Lee is a green-skinned slim fighter who attacks with punches and kicks, and also wields a pair of nun-chucks. | Kung-Fu Lee is a reference to Bruce Lee. |
 Boxer Dyson |
Referred to in the 4Kids dub merely as "the hefty-weight boxer", Boxer Dyson is a beefy figure who attacks by relentlessly punching its opponents. It can also perform the Vulcan Jab. | Boxer Dyson is a reference to Mike Tyson. |
 Karate Kid |
Referred to in the 4Kids dub merely as "a karate-choppin' champ", Karate Kid is a round figure wearing a karate outfit who attacks almost exclusively with karate chops. | Karate Kid is a reference to the titular movie's main protagonist. |
 Old Taikyoku |
Referred to in the 4Kids dub merely as "a tai chi master", Old Taikyoku is a heavily-robed figure with a notably large smile who uses slow leg movements and its braided hair to attack. | |
 Yankee Sekitori |
Referred to in the 4Kids dub merely as "a super-sized sumo wrestler", Yankee Sekitori is a massive bulbous figure who wears sunglasses and an Elvis-like hairstyle and attacks using sumo-based techinques. | Based on its Japanese name and appearance, Yankee Sekitori is likely meant to be an American sumo wrestler. |
Role in Snack Attack - Parts I and II
- Main article: Snack Attack - Part II
The Martial Arts All-Stars are introduced in Snack Attack - Part I as a series of collectable action figures found within choco-capsules, mirroring the Galaxy Soldier Army choco-capsule collection that Gengu and Tuggle were selling throughout the episode. They are not seen in action until Snack Attack - Part II, where they are sent to fight Kirby in a coliseum in order to defeat him. King Dedede initially sends them all out to attack him at once using their energy beam blasts, but Kirby ends up swallowing these beams to gain the Fighter ability. Seeing this, King Dedede switches to a one-on-one format.
Fighter Kirby has to face each all-star and defeat them in turn, fighting them in the order of Kung-Fu Lee, Boxer Dyson, Karate Kid, Old Taikyoku, and Yankee Sekitori. The fights with Boxer Dyson and Yankee Sekitori in particular follow the specific rules of the fighting sports they are emulating. In each fight, Kirby takes a beating from the fighters at first, but eventually taps into his inner instincts in order to quickly gain the upper hand and defeat them. After all of the all-stars are defeated, Kirby is awarded a trophy from Sir Ebrum and the Cappies rush in to clobber the remaining generic Figure Monsters.
Trivia
- Before they are revealed to be monsters, Tiff admits reluctantly that Karate Kid is her favorite of the figures.
- In the Japanese version, Yankee Sekitori repeats the word "Disco".
- The tai chi master is built up to be among the most dangerous and experienced of the all-stars, but ends up being defeated after not much of a fight. This mirrors the common perception of tai chi as a particularly formidable and venerable fighting style, when in reality, it is often practiced merely as a form of active meditation and exercise.
Gallery
Kirby is attacked by Kung-Fu Lee.
Kirby is pummeled by Boxer Dyson.
Kirby turns the tables on Karate Kid.
Kirby lands a blow on Old Taikyoku.
Kirby finishes off Yankee Sekitori.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | カンフー・リー ボクサーダイソン カラテキッド タイキョクロウジン ヤンキーセキトリ Kanfū Rī Bokusā Daison Karate Kiddo Taikyoku Roujin Yankī Sekitori |
Kung-Fu Lee Boxer Dyson Karate Kid Old Taikyoku Yankee Sekitori |
