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Escargoon Rules

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Escargoon Rules
E25 Scene 23.png
Parasol Kirby faces off against King Dedede and his Drifters.
Details
First aired Japan March 23, 2002
NA November 30, 2002
Episode # 25
Episode # (US) 23
Copy Ability (Abilities) featured Parasol
Monster(s) featured Drifter
Character(s) featured Kirby, Escargoon, Escargoon's mother, Tiff, King Dedede
Episode order
Ninja Binge Hour of the WolfWrath
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Escargoon Rules is the 25th (23rd in the 4Kids broadcast) episode of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! series. In this episode, Escargoon pleads with the people of Cappy Town to help him pretend to be King of Dream Land while his mother is visiting due to a lie he told her in a letter. The town agrees to this, but King Dedede is deeply offended by this notion. He plays along initially, but then sets a trap to embarrass Escargoon and force him to reveal his ruse, and then sends out a bunch of Drifter monsters to attack the townsfolk. Kirby defends them by inhaling the Drifters to gain the Parasol ability and uses it to battle the remaining monsters, tossing King Dedede away in the process.

This episode marks the debut of the Parasol Copy Ability in the 4Kids dub.

Characters[edit]

The following characters appear in this episode:

Cast of "Escargoon Rules"  
Character Selected quote Notes
Primary characters
"Huh? Eyo?"
"But poor Mom's gonna be cryin' when she finds out the only crown I wear is on one of m' four teeth!"
"Oh, Escargoon. I don't care what you are! You're my little boy and I'll always love you no matter what!"
"She's gonna be mad if she's anything like you!"
"Ah! You two is Escar-dentical!"
Secondary characters
*unintelligible*
(no dialogue)
"He's a spittin' image of his mom!"
(no dialogue)
"He always says my food stinks!"
"Thanks to your son, crime is pretty low here...course our taxes are pretty steep!"
(no dialogue)
(Fololo) "The rain's fake!"
(Falala) "Dedede made it!"
(no dialogue)
(no dialogue)
(no dialogue)
"Wait 'til she finds out her little snail is a snake."
"Let me get this straight. You want us to pretend Escargoon is the king?"
"Not much today, just the usual love letter."
"Kirby has transformed into...Parasol Kirby!"
"I'd imagine it all the time..." (in response to Escargoon joking about Curio having a proper museum)
(no dialogue)
"I suppose she'll be a tad disappointed when she learns the truth."
(no dialogue)
"King Escargoon?"
"Heads up, hauncho! You Know Who's turning the castle upside-down lookin' for ya! " Tokkori's head is a fair bit larger in proportion to his body than it usually is in this episode.
"Dedede's gonna flip out when he finds you took his job!"
(no dialogue)
(no dialogue)

Locations[edit]

Plot synopsis[edit]

Escargoon changes his tune with the kids after receiving a letter from his mother.

The episode begins at Castle Dedede, as Escargoon shamelessly antagonizes Tiff and Tuff, confident in that moment he will never need to be on good terms with them. Just a second later, Melman shows up and gives Escargoon a letter, and after he reads it, he immediately changes his tune and begs the kids for help, explaining the letter is from his mother. He explains to the kids that he had been "stretching the truth" in letters to his mother, telling her that he had been made king of Dream Land instead of merely being a king's lackey. He reveals to the kids and their parents that his mother is planning on visiting Castle Dedede, and begs them to pretend he is the king while she is around. The court family balks at this initially, but Sir Ebrum agrees to give it a shot for Escargoon's mother's sake. They then appoint Kirby to accompany Escargoon's mother during her trip to Dream Land, since he has no chance of blowing Escargoon's cover.

Out on the road to Dream Land, Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby find Escargoon's mother and Kirby goes to greet her. Kirby hands her a note given to him by Escargoon for her to read, which acts to continue the charade. After introducing herself to Kirby, a gust picks up that carries her umbrella off, but Kirby acquires an umbrella-like plant and gives it to her. Meanwhile, down in Cappy Town, Escargoon, Sir Ebrum, and Lady Like manage to get the town on board for the charade just in time for Escargoon's mother to arrive in town. The town sets up a greeting ceremony for her as she arrives. Escargoon himself arrives wearing a hastily-improvised crown, having Sir Ebrum drive him in using the Armored Vehicle. As the two embrace, the Cappies comment on their similarities and Escargoon nearly fumbles his speech to them, getting bossed around by his mother in the process, which entertains the crowd.

King Dedede encounters Escargoon during his tour.

Escargoon proceeds to give his mother a tour of the kingdom, starting with Kawasaki's, then moving on to Professor Curio's shop, the police headquarters, and Kirby's House, as various comments are exchanged to prop up the charade. As the group stops for cookies, Escargoon's mother spots the castle and requests to be taken there next. Escargoon panics for a moment, since King Dedede is not likely to take up the charade, but Tiff and Tuff pull him together. As they travel to the castle, King Dedede is searching for Escargoon, and finds him once he arrives in the courtyard. He is set to blow Escargoon's cover right away, but is taken aback when he sees Escargoon's mother with him. Tiff then covers for Escargoon, explaining that King Dedede is playing as king as part of his role as court jester. Escargoon's mother buys this due to the King's mannerisms, and gives "Jester Dedede" a bag of cookies as the group continues their tour.

King Dedede is left without a safe way down.

As the tour proceeds through the castle, Meta Knight and his apprentices gawk at the situation and a dinner is hosted in the banquet hall. King Dedede barges in, upset that he wasn't invited to the table, and becomes more and more upset at Escargoon's mother's insistence on him being the jester. King Dedede just about loses it, but Tiff pulls him aside and tells him what they are trying to do. King Dedede agrees to play along, but in his own way. That night, another banquet is held at the castle which the whole town is invited to. King Dedede plays along at first, but he soon starts to turn the tables on Escargoon by revealing some of the bad schemes he has been involved with, like helping King Dedede send monsters after the townsfolk. He then prompts a "rain storm" and gives everyone a green umbrella. After turning off the downpour, all of the umbrellas come to life, revealing themselves to be Drifters which attack their holders.

With this attack, King Dedede prompts Escargoon to admit to his mother that he was only pretending in order to avoid responsibility for the Drifters. Against his expectations, his mother forgives him for the charade and condemns King Dedede for the attack. Dedede retaliates by sending some Drifters after them, but Kirby steps in to inhale them and gains the Parasol ability. Kirby then battles against the remaining Drifters and captures King Dedede using the Circus Throw technique. King Dedede is tossed into one of the fireworks cones and gets launched into the air, where he tries to use his last Drifter to float down, but it is ruined by additional fireworks and he falls out of the castle grounds. The next morning, Escargoon, Kirby, and the kids see Escargoon's mother off. As soon as she is out of sight, Escargoon quickly reverts to his normal snarky behavior and returns to the castle amid complaints from the kids. The episode ends with Kirby by himself on the roadside.

Differences between versions[edit]

  • In the Japanese version, the commemorative banner outside Pupu Village reads "Welcome Queen Mother" instead of showing an image of Escargoon with a crown on.

Dialogue differences[edit]

  • In the Japanese version Dr. Escargon is attempting to forbid the kids from playing in the courtyard, rather than denying their request for a playground there.
  • In the Japanese version, Escargon tries to copy King Dedede's manner of adding "-zoi" to the end of his sentences when addressing the crowds. King Dedede in turn mocks him by using Escargon's typical sentence finisher of "-degesu".
  • When King Dedede first finds Escargoon, he points to his mother and asks why Escargoon is wearing a crown. This appears to be an error on part of the 4Kids dub, since in the Japanese version, the implication is that King Dedede initially confused him with his mother and did not mention the crown.
  • In the Japanese version, King Dedede mentions that DNA is a scary thing when referring to Escargon and his mother. This contradicts a later dialogue point in Fossil Fools - Part I, where King Dedede does not know what DNA is.
  • In the Japanese version, when Meta Knight and his apprentices first observe the touring group, they comment on how Escargon and his mother look alike, rather than the notion that Escargon is playing as king.
  • In the Japanese version, Escargon's mother toys with the assembled Cappies at the dinner party for copying her catch phrase, rather than making a joke about her cookies.
  • In the Japanese version, after Escargon reveals the charade of being king, his mother comforts him by saying she knew it all along.
  • In the Japanese version, Meta Knight comments on the specific moves Parasol Kirby is using during his fight with the Drifters.

Trivia[edit]

  • Melman appears to have violated the Melman Mailman Oath in this episode by peeking in Escargoon's letter to find out what it was before giving it to him.
  • This episode marks the first time the Armored Vehicle appeared without King Dedede ever being in it.
  • During one of the panorama shots after King Dedede falls out of the sky, Tuff can be seen wearing the crown that Escargoon dropped beforehand. He is not seen with it again afterwards.

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese エスカルゴン、まぶたの母
Esukarugon, Mafuta no Haha
Escargon, and the Mother of His Distant Memories
まぶたの母 (or 瞼の母) specifically refers to the image of one's mother that one has not seen for a long time.
German König Escargoon King Escargoon