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Scare Tactics - Part I

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Scare Tactics - Part I
E45 Scene 16.png
Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby are ambushed by a spooky ghost in the woods outside Cappy Town.
Details
First aired Japan August 17, 2002
NA October 25, 2003
Episode # 45
Episode # (US) 52
Copy Ability (Abilities) featured No
Monster(s) featured Particle ghost
Character(s) featured Kirby, Tiff, Tuff, King Dedede, Escargoon
Episode order
War of the Woods Scare Tactics - Part II
Episode order (US)
Air-Ride-in-Style - Part II Scare Tactics - Part II
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Scare Tactics - Part I is the 45th (52nd in the 4Kids broadcast) episode of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! series. In this episode, Kirby and the children of Dream Land are invited by the adults of Cappy Town to participate in a "spook-out" and challenged to make it through a dark woodland and graveyard lined with ghost props and other things meant to scare them as part of an annual tradition. In retaliation for not being invited, King Dedede and Escargoon endeavor to hijack this event to scare everyone themselves, but are driven off when they are scared by Kirby. After clearing the spook-out challenge, a storm kicks up which forces Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff to take refuge in an abandoned mansion, but Tuff is soon separated from the others and is sent off to get Meta Knight to help him get them back out. Inside the house, Kirby and Tiff are set upon by what looks like a real ghost, and the episode ends on a cliffhanger leading into the next one: Scare Tactics - Part II.

Characters[edit]

The following characters appear in this episode:

Cast of "Scare Tactics - Part I"  
Character Selected quote
Primary characters
"Heh heh heh heh heh heh eyuuu..."
"All it is is a bunch of phony ghost dummies out in the woods! This time I'm not gonna let 'em fool me no matter how scary they look!"
"I wish my head was as empty as Kirby's is..."
"That cowardly cop is gonna tell them Cappies these woods really is spooked!"[sic]
"It must be jealousy! They all know you're tops when it comes to terrifyin' tots! Why you could out-spook everybody there!"
Secondary characters
"I met Chief Bookem on a spook-out when I mistook him for a werewolf!"
(no dialogue)
"Come on, Tiffy! Don't be a spoilsport! Just give it a try!"
"From the scream she let out, I'd have to say you're right, Mayor!"
"You can't have a good spook-out without doin' lots of scarin', right?"
"I remember when I was a kid I got spooked so bad I wet my overalls!"
"I held my hubby's hand when the trail got too scary!"
"Well, I guess if everybody else is..."
"I'll go if Tiff goes!"
"How's that? You saw an actual ghost?!"
"Hmm... I wonder who could be behind this nonsense? Take me to this...haunted house."
"Who's behind these sinister spirits, and will Kirby and his friends survive them?! Find out...next time!"
"You're way over your limit, boys!"
"You're brave now, but soon, we'll have you blubbering!"
"The kids these days don't have a clue about what it means to be frightened!"
"Uhh...I'll go if she goes..."
"What good's bein' a kid if you don't have nightmares once in a while?"
(no dialogue)

Locations[edit]

Plot synopsis[edit]

Tiff is spooked by one of Mayor Len's ghost puppets after fetching Kirby from the woods.

The episode begins out in the Dream Land countryside, where Kirby and the kids are playing a game of soccer while Tiff reads nearby. During the game, Kirby is mistaken for the ball and kicked into the woods by Tuff, prompting Tiff to go and get him. After finding Kirby, Tiff proceeds to return from the woods, but gets lost. She then steps on a tripwire that causes a puppet resembling a ghost to swing out at her, giving Tiff a good scare. It is then revealed that Mayor Len Blustergas set up this trap to practice his scaring skills for the upcoming "spook-out". Later on, the kids walk through Cappy Town reading a flyer promoting the spook-out, and notice all of the adult Cappies talking about it; relishing in the opportunity to give the kids a good scare and saying it will make their childhoods complete. Tiff has her doubts, but the others tell her to lighten up a bit and she agrees to give the event a try, intent on not letting herself be spooked. Meanwhile at Castle Dedede, King Dedede is outraged that he was not invited to the spook-out, and decides he will show them up by hosting his own. He sets out to order a monster from Night Mare Enterprises to help with the task, but N.M.E. refuses to send him anything due to his outstanding debt, leaving Dedede to fend for himself this time.

That night, Tiff and the rest of the kids head to the edge of the woods where they formally enter the spook-out set up by the adults. Iro is picked to go in first, but almost immediately comes running right back out in a panic, setting a new record for shortest time spent in the spook-out. Seeing this, Tiff resolves to go next and make it all the way through and picks Kirby to go with her, while Tuff follows suit as to not get left behind. As they make their way along the path, Kirby steps on another tripwire which causes a ghost puppet to drop. Tuff tries to run for it, but Tiff stops him and points out the ghost is a fake. Chief Bookem follows closely behind and admires the ghost puppets that pop up, when he encounters one that was not originally in the plans. Believing it to be a real ghost, he runs off in a panic, but the ghost in question was just Escargoon in a sheet. Him and King Dedede plan on hijacking the event in order to make the Cappies believe there are real ghosts in the woods, and as several of the adults start running out of the woods and relaying their experiences, this plan starts to work and the main group waiting outside makes a run for it.

Escargoon nearly gets his cover blown by Kirby.

As this happens, Tiff starts to lose her nerve, but remains determined, especially when seeing that Kirby is still enjoying himself. When encountering a series of floating blue lights, Tiff chucks a rock into the bush which inadvertently hits Escargoon and pushes on. Seeing this, King Dedede grows more determined then ever to scare them. As they continue, Tiff and Tuff comment on Kirby's apparent lack of imagination, as he remains as care-free as ever. At that moment, Escargoon tries his ghost trick again to scare them and it nearly works, but Kirby jumps onto Escargoon and pulls him down. Before Tiff can recognize him however, Escargoon makes a break for it and disappears into the woods. Escargoon breathes a sigh of relief, but soon realizes he too is now lost in the spooky woods. In a panic, he runs into King Dedede and scares him, causing the King to smack Escargoon repeatedly with his hammer. When Escargoon reveals it's only him, King Dedede gives him a few more whacks for good measure. After assuring himself that there are no real ghosts in the woods, King Dedede turns around and sees a creature wearing a Jack-o-lantern standing on the hood of the Royal Racecar. After scaring both Dedede and Escargoon away, this creature is revealed to be Kirby, and Tiff is relieved to have finally gotten rid of the two of them.

Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby reach the end of the spook-out.

Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby manage to make it out of the woods and reach the graveyard mentioned as part of the tour. Kirby points them to a bunch of arrow signs which they presume to be directing them to the prize that Professor Curio buried for anyone brave enough to get this far. They end up finding the buried treasure and let Kirby open it, revealing a medal with a Cappy superhero on it and a note commending the kids' bravery. Kirby celebrates, but Tiff and Tuff are bemused, having expected a better prize. The celebration is cut short, however, when a sudden storm begins, prompting the group to take cover in a nearby abandoned mansion they did not notice before. As they try to enter, a sudden gust of wind kicks up from inside which leads to Tuff being stranded outside the house while Tiff and Kirby are swept inside and the door behind them locked. From inside, Tiff directs Tuff to go and get help and he runs off. On the way, he runs into Meta Knight and recruits the masked Star Warrior to help him get Tiff and Kirby out of the house. Meanwhile, Tiff and Kirby try to stay strong, but are met by a glowing apparition which forms from several small lights. The episode ends on a cliffhanger as a narrator sets up the scenario for the beginning of the next episode: Scare Tactics - Part II.

Differences between versions[edit]

Japanese-exclusive scene where Mayor Len faints from one of his own ghost puppets.
  • In the Japanese version, there is an extra scene where Mayor Len and Hana walk through the woods. Mayor Len ends up fainting after one of his own ghost puppets startles him.
  • When Tuff first runs into Meta Knight in the Japanese version, Meta Knight is shown as a silhouette. In the international versions, the picture brightness and gamma were adjusted to a higher level so that he can be seen more clearly, though still in shadow.

Dialogue differences[edit]

  • In the Japanese version, the event held by the Cappies is referred to as "Kimodameshi", which is a traditional Japanese event where participants are challenged to brave spooky places. Kirby attempts to pronounce the last part of the word in this version.
  • In the Japanese version, King Dedede and Escargoon openly mock the Cappies by repeating their justification for the event back at them after scaring Chief Bookem out of the woods.
  • In the Japanese version, Chef Kawasaki claims he saw hitodama in the woods. Hitodama are a form of lost soul in Japanese mythology that resemble will-o'-the-wisps.
  • In the Japanese version, Meta Knight explains that he saw the Monster Delivery System operate without anyone using it before heading with Tuff to the haunted house.
  • As is standard, there is no external narration at the end in the Japanese version.

Trivia[edit]

  • In this episode, Tiff and many other characters insist there are no such things as ghosts, despite seeing a real ghost in the Escargoon Squad episode.
  • During the scene when Iro is fleeing from the forest and crashes into the crowd, Tiff's torch momentarily goes out for a few frames before the flame reappears again. This appears to be an animation error, as the burning head of the torch also vanishes in that moment.

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese 真夏の夜のユーレイ!前編
manatsu no yoru no yūrei! zenpen
A Midsummer Night's Scream! - Part 1
A play on words on the Japanese title of the Shakespearean play A Midsummer Night's Dream (真夏の夜の夢).
Brazilian Portuguese Táticas Horripilantes - Primeira Parte Horrifying Tactics - First Part