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Born to Be Mild - Part II
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Born to Be Mild - Part II is the 91st episode of theKirby: Right Back at Ya! series, and continues the story from the previous episode:Born to Be Mild - Part I. In this episode, the race in the DDD Speedway commences between the villainousFang and his opponents. As Fang proceeds to pick off the other racers one-by-one,Tiff and her friends manage to locateGus who was trapped in theCastle Dedede dungeon and free him, andMelman persuades Gus to get in the race and go after Fang. He does so, but soon finds himself in trouble when Fang ties him down. At that moment, the legendary biker Steppenwolf rides in and frees Gus, then causes Fang to crash before disappearing again. Fang retaliates by transforming into themonsterWheelie and going afterKirby, who gains theWheelCopy Ability to fight back.King Dedede tries to set several traps on the racetrack to trip Kirby up, but this only ends up harming Wheelie instead, who spins out and causes the raceway to collapse while Kirby and Gus take the win. Later, it is revealed that Steppenwolf was Melman the whole time, and he urges Tiff and her friends to keep his alter ego a secret to Gus.
This episode and the previous can be considered a sequel toThe Kirby Derby - Part I andPart II. This episode marks the only time thatMelman has served a leading role in a story. It also marks the final appearance of theWheelCopy Ability in the anime series.
Both the English names for this episode and itssister episode are references to the 1968Steppenwolf song "Born to Be Wild". The band itself is directly referenced in the name of Melman's alter ego.
Characters[edit]
The following characters appear in this episode:
| Cast of "Born to Be Mild - Part II" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Character | Selected quote | Notes |
| Primary characters | ||
| "Poyooo..." | ||
| "You know, Melman? Maybe you were right. I'll make it up for all the trouble I caused!" | ||
| "You caused a lot of trouble when you were younger, but this is your chance to make up for it! Take that chance while you still can!" | ||
| "Listen! According to this chemical analysis, the fuel in Fang's motorcycle couldn't have come from this planet!" | ||
| "You ain't got a chance on that puny little thing!" | ||
 Wheelie | (no dialogue) | |
| Secondary characters | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| "Roigh' strange!" | ||
| "My poor Bookie-wookie!" | ||
| "Yeah!" "I hate that statue's face!" | This dialogue only appears in the Japanese version, so it is translated from that version. | |
| "Hurry up!" | ||
| "I thought the only thing I'd get hit with today was food poisoning!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| "That grease monkey must've got out!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| "Gus!" | ||
| "Honey! Behind you!" | ||
| "That punk jockey ain't got a chance of beatin' Fang now!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| "Leave him alone, you bully, or I am coming out there to flatten you!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| "Come! Let's search the dungeon!" | ||
| "What a surprise! It looks like our bad boy biker has been de-fanged by a rough-riding old-timer with a need for speed!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| "You don't scare me, Fang!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| "Meta Knight! Take a look at this!" | ||
| "That was a close one, Tiff!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
Locations[edit]
- Dream Land
- Castle Dedede
- DDD Speedway
Plot synopsis[edit]
After a brief recap of the events ofBorn to Be Mild - Part I, the episode begins where that one left off, at the beginning of the race in the DDD Speedway.Fang begins by gaining a significant lead over the other racers, and proceeds to start ramming the others while he laps them. After givingKirby a close call, Fang moves up and pressuresMayor Len to accidentally ram intoChief Bookem's car, forcing the chief to crash and retire from the race. As they watch,Tiff andTuff are called to byMelman, who show themGus's lost handkerchief. Proving their suspicions, Tiff, Tuff, and Melman leave the stadium and head towardCastle Dedede to find and rescue Gus. Along the way,Meta Knight joins them and suggests they check the castle dungeon first. Meanwhile, back at the race, Fang goes afterSamo next. He uses a spiky apparatus in his front wheel to give Samo's car a flat tire, forcing it to spin uncontrollably and hit the wall, sending Samo flying into the rafters and out of the race. As this happens, Tiff, Tuff, and Meta Knight manage to find and free Gus from his cell and urge him to return to the race, but Gus seems hesitant to go up against Fang.
Back at the race, Fang uses his spikes to take out Mayor Len's car, leaving onlyGangu and Kirby to oppose him. In the dungeon, Gus then relays his story about how he and Fang tried to challenge the legendary biker Steppenwolf to a race, and how Fang tried to play dirty with him and failed. When Steppenwolf told Gus off for using his bike for bad purposes, Gus swore he would never ride again. To that end he remains obstinate about riding the bike again, but Melman comes in and berates him for his cowardice, which proves effective. Despite Gus's reservation about the race having already started, he is then convinced to return to the race. Once they get back, they see how few racers there are left and begin to lose hope, whenSword Knight andBlade Knight rush in to show the group that Fang is not using native gasoline, suggesting he was sent from another world to deal with Kirby. Shortly thereafter, Fang intimidates Gangu and forces him to pull into the entryway where the others were watching. This gives Gus the opportunity to hop on his bike and enter the race. He shortly lines up with Fang and begins to spar with him, while Kirby is forced to recover from another hit and Mayor Len is finally evacuated from his car.
As the others watch, Tiff grows concerned for Gus's safety, but Melman assures her that Gus is the better biker of the two before walking away mysteriously. Meanwhile, Fang uses an opportunity to nearly throw Gus off his bike by having him run into the wreck of Mayor Len's car, but Gus manages to stabilize himself. Fang then moves in and takes another strike at Gus, lassoing him in with his chain and forcing a close encounter. At that moment, the legendary biker Steppenwolf appears on the track and moves in. Steppenwolf breaks the hold on Gus using his wheel, then counters Fang's attempt to retaliate by grabbing his chain and throwing it at his wheel, forcing Fang to crash his bike. Steppenwolf then makes his exit by using Mayor Len's car wreck as a ramp and launching out of the stadium before Gus can get any word in. The fight is not over yet, however, as Fang steps out of his wrecked bike and transforms into themonsterWheelie to continue the race. Wheelie proceeds to head straight for Kirby, and Kirby retaliates byinhaling a nearby wheel from Samo's wreck to gain theWheelCopy Ability.
As Wheel Kirby transforms and spars with Wheelie, King Dedede and Escargoon move to make things more difficult by greasing up the raceway with an oil slick. This only ends up giving Wheelie trouble, as it is thrown out of the stadium and flattensChef Kawasaki in the process. King Dedede tries another trap, this time throwing a bunch of caltrops into the raceway. Once again, Wheel Kirby skillfully avoids these, but Wheelie ends up catching several and spins out. This allows Kirby and Gus to finish the race first, and the DDD Speedway subsequently collapses due to the damage done by Wheelie during its crash. As Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby escape the stadium, they spot Steppenwolf who is emerging from his wrecked bike, which he had crashed into a tree. They then realize that Steppenwolf was Melman the entire time, and Melman tells them to keep his alter ego secret. Later on, Gus reminisces about the race with Melman and the kids. The episode ends as he comments on how Steppenwolf looked strangely familiar to him.
Differences between versions[edit]
- The Japanese version starts the episode at an earlier point in Part I.
- In the Japanese version, when Gus gets on his motorbike, an arrangement of "Cocoa Cave" plays.
Dialogue differences[edit]
- In the Japanese version, Mabel threatens to never tell Samo's fortune again if he loses the race.
- In the Japanese version, it is explained that Fang was using altered fuel to max out his horsepower, rather than using fuel from another world.
- In the Japanese version, Kirby shouts "WHEEL KIRBY!!" as he transforms.
- In the Japanese version, King Dedede refers to his oil slick trap as "Kirby-Killing Oil Hell".
- In the Japanese version, Kirby says "Moso!" (Melman's Japanese name) as the episode ends.
Trivia[edit]
- In the English version, despite the use of an external narrator in Part I, Tiff provides the episode recap in Part II.
- Kirby's vehicle is based on theWheelie Scooter.
- The bells used to signify laps during the race resembleKine.
- Gus's initial hesitance to break his vow and hop on his bike contradicts the events of the previous episode, where he had already gotten on his bike to chase after Fang and his gang. In the Japanese version, it is explained that he felt guilty about roping everyone into trouble with Fang by chasing after him.
- It is unclear howKing Dedede andEscargoon knew aboutFang's monstrous form. It is heavily implied either Fang told them off-screen, or theN.M.E. Sales Guy told them in eitherpart 1 or sometime earlier in part 2.
Gallery[edit]
Fang batters Kirby around with his motorbike.
Chief Bookem is forced to retire after crashing.
Melman shows Tiff and Tuff Gus's handkerchief.
Tiff, Tuff, and Meta Knight run into the castle to find Gus.
Fang reveals the spikes built into his wheels.
Samo is sent flying into the stands and crashes into Chef Kawasaki.
Gus is found inside the Castle Dedede dungeon.
Gus refuses to break his oath to never ride his bike again.
Fang takes out Mayor Len's wheels.
The ladies associated with the drivers all faint from shock.
Gus pulls out his photo of him with Fang.
Gus recounts how he and Fang tried to race Steppenwolf.
Gus recounts how Steppenwolf berated him for using his bike to attack others.
Melman and the kids convince Gus to return to the race track.
Kirby pulls up to Fang and Gangu on the race track.
Gangu wipes out and crashes into the entryway.
Gus mounts his bike and goes after Fang.
The Waddle Dees manage to pull Mayor Len out of his wrecked car.
Melman makes his exit mysteriously.
Fang and Gus become interlocked.
Steppenwolf appears on the racetrack.
Steppenwolf forces Fang to crash.
Steppenwolf makes his exit by leaping out of the stadium.
Fang transforms into Wheelie.
Kirby inhales a spare wheel on the road.
Wheelie and Wheel Kirby ride side-to-side.
King Dedede greases the race track to try and slip up Kirby.
Wheelie falls victim to some caltrops intended for Kirby.
Tiff rescues a panicking Kirby from the collapsing stadium.
Steppenwolf recovers after crashing his bike into a tree.
Melman urges Tiff not to reveal his secret to anyone.
Gus conflates Melman with Steppenwolf without connecting the dots.
The final shot of the episode
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 爆走！デデデス・レース 後編 Bakusō! Dededesu Rēsu Kōhen | Boom! Dedede's Race - Part 2 |
| Italian | Non è mai troppo tardi! (seconda parte) | It's never too late! (part two) |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Nascido para ser Rápido - Segunda Parte | Born to be Fast - Second Part |
