Please remember that WiKirby contains spoilers, which you read at your own risk! See our general disclaimer for details.
This page has been deemed "Good" by WiKirby's staff, and is eligible for featuring.

Waddle Dee (anime character)

From WiKirby, your independent source of Kirby knowledge.
Revision as of 18:18, 18 December 2021 by Samwell (talk | contribs) (→‎Gallery)
Jump to navigationJump to search


Waddle Dee
KRBaY Waddle Dee artwork.png
Artwork of a Waddle Dee from Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.
Details
First episode Kirby Comes to Cappy Town
Main role Supporting characters
Other appearance(s) their video game counterpart
Similar characters Captain Waddle Doo, Kirby
 This box: view  talk  edit 
This article is about Waddle Dees as they are portrayed in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. For Waddle Dees in a general context, see Waddle Dee.
Waddle Dees feel that it's their duty to stay and repay their host.
— Professor Curio, regarding the Waddle Dees in the episode Pink-Collar Blues

The Waddle Dees in Kirby: Right Back at Ya! are the mute faithful servants of Castle Dedede, who act as soldiers and labTemplate:Orers, taking care of all of King Dedede's needs. Despite the King's often abusive treatment of them, they stay due to the food and shelter they are provided. The Waddle Dees are commanded by Captain Waddle Doo who, while not the same species as them, nonetheless has a close relation to them. The Waddle Dees can often be seen performing various tasks on Dedede's orders, which often includes trying (though not usually succeeding) to defend him from enemy threats.

Characteristics

The Waddle Dees are largely identical small round furry creatures with no visible mouth and an anatomy similar to Kirby. They number in the thousands and reside in Castle Dedede, where they act as servants and soldiers. Waddle Dees are portrayed as silent in most of their appearances, though they are capable of vocalizing in certain episodes, such as the Japanese versions of A Novel Approach and Hunger Struck. While they do not have visible mouths on their faces, Waddle Dees can eat by absorbing food through their faces and then chewing with hidden jaws. While their primary weapon of choice is a spear, they are comfortable wielding others as well, though they are not very skilled at fighting in general.

Professor Curio explains in Pink-Collar Blues that Waddle Dees may have originated from across the sea, and that they are naturally inclined to faithfully serve anyone who gives them hospitality, else they run free in the wilderness. The Waddle Dees are simple-minded, and will follow nearly any order given to them by someone who takes care of them, though they generally hesitate if asked to fight anything dangerous. They also tend to have trouble comprehending complex tasks, and generally only get them done when working together in coordinated and directed fashion. They are notably ability-neutral, as when Kirby attempts to inhale some in Hunger Struck, he ends up merely spitting them back out.

Role in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!

Waddle Dees appear whenever King Dedede needs something done that requires mass labTemplate:Or, and are often seen in various positions around Castle Dedede. Their role in most episodes is incidental, and whenever they are asked to fight something, they usually only end up being effortlessly knocked aside by whatever the threat is. King Dedede and Escargoon often treat them dismissively, and may berate or abuse them from time to time, but generally do not mind them too much, as they are responsible for the daily maintenance of the castle and performing chores for its inhabitants.

Pink-Collar Blues

The Waddle Dees attack the Domestic Servant Robot who replaced them in Pink-Collar Blues.
Main article: Pink-Collar Blues
Gettin' info out of these Waddle Dees is kinda like interrogating a mime troop!
— Escargoon, regarding the Waddle Dees in the episode Pink-Collar Blues

In Pink-Collar Blues, King Dedede becomes upset when his Waddle Dees fail to bring him tea in a timely manner, so he orders the Domestic Servant Robot from Night Mare Enterprises to replace them. After firing all of the Waddle Dees, they are forced to leave the castle and march in a mass procession through Cappy Town to the sea, which forces the other characters to reckon with them for the first time. King Dedede soon learns his folly when he discovers that the Domestic Servant Robot was stealing things from the castle in order to force Dedede to pay his overdue bill to N.M.E., and calls the Waddle Dees back to defeat the robot for him with Kirby's help. It is then revealed that the Waddle Dees had been guarding King Dedede's treasury for him, since they did not trust the robot and assumed correctly that Dedede would have a change of heart.

Waddle While You Work

The Waddle Dees being sold to the Cappies in Waddle While You Work
Main article: Waddle While You Work
They appreciate your concern, Tiff, but the Waddle Dees are fiercely loyal to their new masters!
— Captain Waddle Doo, in the episode Waddle While You Work

In Waddle While You Work, King Dedede gets an idea to sell off all his Waddle Dees to the Cappies in order to make a profit, assuming that he would never run out. Once all the Waddle Dees are gone, however, he realizes that not only did all his profits get siphoned directly to N.M.E., but now he has nobody to take care of him or his castle. King Dedede becomes a listless bum and roams the countryside looking for anything to eat, which ends up getting him in trouble with Dyna Blade when he tries to eat her chick. Seeing King Dedede in danger like this, Captain Waddle Doo rallies the Waddle Dees to come back and rescue him, and Dedede takes them back, but is punished for his earlier foolishness by being forced to pay for his own tea instead of having it served to him.

Hunger Struck

King Dedede and Escargoon find out how a Waddle Dee eats.
Main article: Hunger Struck
All you gotta do is feed 'em and they'll follow whatever you say!
— Tuff, regarding the Waddle Dees in the episode Hunger Struck

In Hunger Struck, King Dedede learns how much he is spending to keep the Waddle Dees fed, and endeavors to severely cut their rations by hiring Chef Kawasaki to make the woefully inadequate "thin-wiches" for them to eat. After a couple days of this, the Waddle Dees rise up in revolt and threaten to overthrow King Dedede and his court. To stop this, he orders the monster Fryclops to feed them, who then earns the Waddle Dees' loyalty and sends them after Kirby. Kirby responds by using the Cook Copy Ability to feed the Waddle Dees in turn to pacify them, and then defeats Fryclops in single combat, restoring the Waddle Dees' diet to normal in the process.

Trivia

  • The exact number of Waddle Dees living in Castle Dedede is a question oft wondered by the characters in the show. Escargoon attempts to get an exact count in Pink-Collar Blues, but gives up somewhere around the 2,000 margin. In Delivery Dilemma, 2,000 sandwiches are ordered for the Waddle Dees by Captain Waddle Doo, though this does not confirm the exact count either, as later on, King Dedede and Tuggle insist there are tens of thousands in the Japanese version of Hunger Struck.

Gallery

Artwork

Character sheets

Screenshots