Kirby: Right Back at Ya! is ananime television program which is based on theKirby series. It was produced jointly byNintendo andHAL Laboratory through a subsidiary company called "Warpstar, Inc." and was directed by Sōji Yoshikawa and Mitsuo Kusakabe, with supervision and the original draft coming fromMasahiro Sakurai.^[1] The show originally aired on October 6, 2001 in Japan through CBC Broadcasting and consisted of one hundred episodes aired in the morning on a weekly basis, concluding on September 27, 2003. The show would later be dubbed into English by 4Kids Entertainment, and aired on Fox Box from September 14, 2002 to December 9, 2006 with intermittent pauses and changes in episode ordering. AnHD remaster of the show on Blu-ray was released in Japan on March 14, 2023.^[2]

The show followsKirby, taking the role of aspace-faring hero who has a child-like demeanor and is incapable of regular speech. He crasheshis starship into the kingdom ofDream Land, where he stays in order to battlemonsters summoned by the land's greedy and tyrannicalKing Dedede from the evil intergalactic corporationNight Mare Enterprises. Over the course of the show, Kirby gradually becomes stronger and more experienced - aided by his close friendsTiff,Tuff, andMeta Knight - while consistently foiling the plans of King Dedede, his assistantEscargoon, and the main villaineNeMeE, who has largely conquered the universe and is trying to destroy the remaining Star Warriors who oppose him. Eventually, Kirby and his allies launch an attack oneNeMeE's space fortress inthe final episode, thus putting an end to Night Mare Enterprises, liberating the universe, and depriving King Dedede of his main means of harassing his subjects.

Scenario[edit]

The story and universe ofKirby: Right Back at Ya! aredistinct from that ofthe main video game series, with only minor overlap in terms of design choices and character attributes. Most of the story takes place in the kingdom ofDream Land, which is portrayed as an Earth-like peninsular landmass surrounded by open sea and situated in a tropical climate. The planet which Dream Land is situated on is never explicitly named in the 4Kids dub of the show, but supplementary material confirms it is PlanetPopstar;^[3] in the Japanese version, it is specifically referred to as Popstar bySword Knight inCappy Town Down. Despite this, the planet is never seen as a whole like it is in the games, so it is not clear if it has the same shape and characteristics. Other planets and locations in outer space are sometimes seen in the show, most notablyeNeMeE's Fortress in the final episodes.

Overall plot[edit]

The main story ofKirby: Right Back at Ya! revolves around the intergalactic struggle between the Star Warriors and eNeMeE and his horde ofmonsters. Despite a valiant effort from the Star Warriors which saw the defeat of many monsters and the securing of the sacred bladeGalaxia from eNeMeE's clutches, they were ultimately routed and most of their number killed or turned to evil by eNeMeE. Among the surviving veterans wasMeta Knight, who personally held Galaxia and established himself in Dream Land (where one of the Star Warriors' sanctuaries in the form ofKabu is located) with his newfound apprenticesSword Knight andBlade Knight. In doing so, they pledged themselves (albeit insincerely) toKing Dedede in order to buy some cover and defend the kingdom from whatever monsters the King may order while they worked out a plan to exact revenge on eNeMeE and liberate the universe from his clutches.

For many years, Meta Knight and his allies worked in secret while waiting for the next generation of Star Warriors to be dispersed throughout the cosmos and continue the fight. Eventually, one of the new generation comes crashing into Dream Land, and reveals himself to be the small and harmless-looking but eminently powerfulKirby. Despite his abilities, Kirby is still immature and child-like, and requires assistance from the child charactersTiff andTuff, who live at court inCastle Dedede and also work to stop King Dedede and his assistantEscargoon from harming the Dream Landers. With Kirby's help, they are able to repel the monsters that King Dedede sends their way and later convince the people ofCappy Town to accept Kirby as one of theirs and build hima home in the countryside.

Over the course of the show, King Dedede frequently attempts to drive Kirby out of Dream Land using various schemes, but is consistently thwarted due to the efforts of Kirby and his friends, as well as his own buffoonish nature. Meanwhile, Kirby uses his experience fighting the monsters sent to him byNight Mare Enterprises to improve his skills as a fighter, while Tiff and Tuff in turn become more adept at assisting him under the tutelage of Meta Knight and Kabu. Tiff and Kirby in particular form a close bond, which allows Tiff to summon theWarp Star to help Kirby whenever he is in trouble. In addition, the people of Cappy Town - initially complacent and helpless against King Dedede - gradually learn to stand up for themselves with the help of Kirby and Tiff.

In the series finale, eNeMeE decides to launch an all-out attack on Dream Land in order to finally dispose of Kirby and his friends, sending an armada ofgiant flying saucers to carpet-bomb the kingdom, wrecking every man-made structure in the process. To counter this attack, Meta Knight and his apprentices reveal the secret weapon they had been working on all this time in the form ofa space-faring battleship and recruit Kirby, his friends, and a handful of the bravestCappy villagers to engage in a direct attack on eNeMeE's Fortress. Despite the fortress's considerable defenses, the invaders manage to get in and destroy the fortress from the inside while Kirby personally defeats eNeMeE, finally liberating the universe from N.M.E.'s clutches.

Focus and details[edit]

Although the overall story revolves around Kirby's struggle to defeat eNeMeE, the majority of the episodes have a separate focus on more mundane events which take place in Dream Land, and the show takes a largely comedic and goofy tone most of the time. In particular, the dynamic between King Dedede, his subjects, and the surrounding countryside offer room for a great deal of social commentary relating to the real world. The most notable examples of this are the environmental messages often tied in to the stories of particular episodes, with a prime example being King Dedede's repeated attempts to cut downa sentient forest near the town in order to build a country club. Many of King Dedede's other schemes also end up damaging the local environment, such as causing severe acid rain from factory pollution inLabor Daze, shifting the climate to an unnatural winter inDedede's Snow Job, and creating a hole in the planet's ozone layer inA Sunsational Puzzle.

In addition, the people of Cappy Town act as an analogue to human civilization, and commentary on wider societal issues are often expressed through their collective behavior and attitudes. Notable examples of this are the effects of mass media propaganda inUn-Reality TV, tendencies toward superstition and mob mentality as shown inMabel Turns the Tables, and lack of accountability toward the common good as seen inJunk Jam andA Trashy Tale. Individual characters also have a chance in these episodes to gain character development as they struggle with the problems the episodes throw at them, as well as relating to each-other. Even the perennial villains King Dedede and Escargoon have opportunities to gain sympathy through certain redeeming actions, though the formula that keeps them as Kirby's antagonists is never interrupted by such moments.

Notably,Kirby: Right Back at Ya! takes several opportunities to make references to other popular media outside of theKirby franchise and Nintendo as a whole. As a few examples, many of the show names cited in the in-universe broadcasting serviceChannel DDD are references to real-world movies and TV shows. In addition, several episodes are directly inspired by other media, includingA Novel Approach (based on theHarry Potter franchise),One Crazy Knight (based onDon Quixote), andCaterpillar Thriller (based on theMothra franchise). Smaller references to media such asIkiru,Gone With the Wind, andSteppenwolf are peppered throughout the show through character dialogue, episode names, and visual representations.

Lastly, the show focuses heavily on food and cuisine, which ties in to Kirby's characteristic bottomless appetite. A large handful of episodes focus almost exclusively on food culture, which makes the supporting characterChef Kawasaki more prominent than most. A great amount of focus is taken by the show's illustrators to make close-up shots of food dishes incredibly detailed and life-like, and such dishes are often commented on with specific reference to their names and ingredients. The most prominent examples of this can be found in episodes such asA Recipe for Disaster,The Meal Moocher, andHunger Struck.

Differences from the mainKirby series[edit]

The scenario, events, and character portrayals inKirby: Right Back at Ya! differ greatly from the main video game series, and as such, are considered to be separatecontinuities. The following list goes over the more notable differences between the anime and the video games up to that point, though there are many more smaller differences that are not mentioned here:

• Portrayals of characters common to both series differ in various respects:
  • Kirby is portrayed as more helpless and immature, requiring proper direction in order to defeat his foes and help his friends. Inversely, he is portrayed as much more powerful than his video game counterpart, particularly when usingCopy Abilities.
  • King Dedede is portrayed as much more villainous, haughty, and ignorant. While his characterization is true to how he was depicted in early games, by the time ofKirby 64: The Crystal Shards, he is most often depicted as a well-intentioned friendly rival, with their conflicts usually coming as a result of outside influence or a misunderstanding. In the anime, his intense jealousy of Kirby and his selfishness lead him to be the source of most of the problems in the show, and causes everyone else to despise him to varying degrees.
  • Meta Knight is portrayed as unambiguously heroic and a mentor to Kirby. In games prior to his appearance in the anime, he was often seen as a mysterious character with unclear motives, sometimes aiding Kirby and sometimes antagonizing him. In later games, he would become an ally to Kirby, however he often still has his own motives and sees Kirby as more of a sparring partner to train with.
  • Several other characters from the video games, such as common enemies,mid-bosses, andBosses, are portrayed differently to varying degrees in the anime, with some having their appearances modified, some having different abilities, and some having different characterizations which make them not necessarily hostile to Kirby. Some notable examples of these are the depictions of theCappies,Knuckle Joe,Lololo & Lalala,Chef Kawasaki, andSword Knight &Blade Knight.
• Dream Land itself is portrayed much more realistically when compared to its video game counterpart, having less fantastical terrain (particularly the lack of cloud and energy-based structures).
  • Castle Dedede in particular is much larger and has a different shape than its main video game series counterpart (though it should be noted that the anime design was used in some later games).
  • Cappy Town is unique to the anime series, with no equivalent in the games.
• The main recurring charactersTiff,Tuff,Escargoon, theN.M.E. Sales Guy,Tokkori,Doctor Yabui, and the namedCappies, among others, are exclusive to the anime (barring a few cameo appearances).
• Several of themonsters and guest characters that feature in the anime are exclusive to it.
• Night Mare Enterprises and theStar Warriors are exclusive to the anime.
• TheWarp Star does not function the same way in the anime as it does in the games.

Characters[edit]

Main Protagonists[edit]

Image	Character	Description
	Kirby	The star of the show. Kirby is a small alien creature who crashed into Dream Land in order to defeat the monsters that plague it time and time again. Kirby has the mind of a small child and a bottomless appetite, but has limitless potential as a hero andStar Warrior, especially when he gains aCopy Ability.
	Tiff	Kirby's closest friend and supervisor. Tiff is a young and intelligent girl who resides with her family in Castle Dedede. She helps Kirby by working to foil King Dedede's plans and calls theWarp Star for Kirby when he is in trouble.
	Tuff	Tiff's little brother. He is immature and headstrong, but very brave. He assists Tiff and Kirby whenever he can, but his foolhardiness sometimes causes trouble for them.
	Meta Knight	A veteranStar Warrior who feigns to serve King Dedede in order to protect and guide Kirby as he learns to be a hero. He has two apprentices named Sword Knight and Blade Knight and can also be seen assisting and mentoring Tiff and Tuff.

Villains[edit]

Image	Character	Description
	King Dedede	The self-proclaimed king of Dream Land who often spends loads of money contracting monsters from Night Mare Enterprises to either defeat Kirby or drive him out of Dream Land. His greed and vanity often cause problems for his subjects, leading them to resent him.
	Escargoon	King Dedede's right-hand man and personal assistant. Escargoon often behaves cruelly toward King Dedede's enemies, but he is not quite as vain and selfish as the King, and can sometimes be seen cooperating with them instead.
	N.M.E. Sales Guy	The front man ofNight Mare Enterprises who sells N.M.E.'s questionable products to gullible buyers such as King Dedede. His professional demeanor masks a cruel and exploitative personality.
	eNeMeE	The main villain who runs Night Mare Enterprises. He is usually only seen in the shadows, and is responsible for creating many of the monsters he sells.

Side & guest characters[edit]

Side & guest characters inKirby: Right Back at Ya!
Image	Character	Debut episode	Description
	Acore	War of the Woods	An ancient oak tree who resides in theEastern Forest, and is home to many animals, includingRick andCoo.
	Air Riders	Air-Ride-in-Style - Part I	Soldiers deployed byNight Mare Enterprises who rideAir Ride Machines and are battled by Kirby.
	Benikage	Ninja Binge	An unskilled ninja who comes to Dream Land to reclaim his ninja scroll.
	Biblio	Watermelon Felon	A spectacle-wearing Cappy who runs the local bookstore.
	Biggy, Boney, and Sleepy	Tooned Out	Three animators on contract fromNight Mare Enterprises who become overly obsessed with Tiff.
	Blade Knight	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	One of Meta Knight's apprentices, the other being Sword Knight. The two were once roadside bandits until they met Meta Knight, who saved their lives fromWolfWrath. Since then, they have become fiercely loyal to Meta Knight and will often be seen by his side.
	Bonkers	Goin' Bonkers	A renegade hammer-wielding simian who idolizes Kirby and hopes to be aStar Warrior himself. He was once transformed into amonster byNight Mare Enterprises, but was able to recover.
	Buttercup	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	The wife ofChief Bookem. Despite having little dialogue, she is often portrayed as kind and sincere.
	Captain Waddle Doo	Un-Reality TV	Commander of theWaddle Dees inCastle Dedede.
	Chef Kawasaki	A Blockbuster Battle	A notoriously unskilled chef who runs theonly restaurant in Cappy Town.
	Chef Nagoya	A Chow Challenge	A wandering chef who once attended culinary school with Chef Kawasaki. He is much more skilled than Kawasaki is, but lacks his own restaurant.
	Chef Shiitake	A Recipe for Disaster	Number one food critic and Kawasaki's teacher. A false version of him appears inThe Big Taste Test.
	Chief Bookem	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	Chief of police in Cappy Town and Tuff's role model.
	Coo	A Blockbuster Battle	A wise owl capable of speech who lives in theEastern Forest and can be seen about Dream Land.
	Doctor Yabui	A Fish Called Kine	Cappy Town's only physician. Notorious for his effective but painful dentistry.
	Doron	A Blockbuster Battle	A silent thief who spends most of his time in Cappy Town's jail cell.
	Dyna Blade	Kirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure	An ancient bird who returns to Dream Land every one hundred years to lay a single egg. She is very protective ofher chick and will attack whoever has caused it distress.
	Dyna Chick	Kirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure	Dyna Blade's chick that newly hatched from her egg. Dyna Chick is known to run into trouble be it King Dedede and Escargoon, or at its own cause.
	Escargoon's mother	Escargoon Rules	A kindly elder snail who lives in a country far away from Dream Land. She visits her son who pretends to be the King of Dream Land to please her.
	Fang	Born to Be Mild - Part I	A vicious motorcyclist who leads a biker gang and antagonizesCappy Town. He later transforms intoWheelie.
	Fololo & Falala	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	Two small flying servants ofCastle Dedede. They are allies of Kirby and Tiff's family, and despise King Dedede.
	Gangu	Un-Reality TV	The kind-hearted but simple-minded Cappy who runs the local toy store.
	Gus	A Blockbuster Battle	A rough-hewn Cappy who runs the local gas station.
	Hana	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	Mayor Len's somewhat reserved but kindly and loving wife.
	Honey	A Blockbuster Battle	One of the three main Cappy children. Honey is kind and reserved, but very inexperienced.
	Iro	A Blockbuster Battle	One of the three main Cappy children. Iro is brave, but often foolhardy and selfish.
	Island Sisters	Caterpillar Thriller	Twin fairies who live withMosugaba on Embrya Island and can calm the monster with their singing.
	Kabu	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	Dream Land's great idol and sage who the Cappies revere. Kabu has the ability to see the future, and also houses Kirby'sWarp Star.
	Kine	A Blockbuster Battle	One of the intelligent animals of Dream Land. Kine has a crush on Tiff and tries to earn her affection inA Fish Called Kine.
	Kit Cosmos	Island of the Lost Warrior	A retiredStar Warrior who resides ona deserted island. He is extremely paranoid, and initially believes Kirby to be a monster.
	Knuckle Joe	Here Comes the Son	A young monster hunter and the son of a legendary Star Warrior who fell during the war with N.M.E. He is extremely headstrong, but also a very skilled and cunning fighter.
	Lady Like	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	A ditsy noblewoman who lives inCastle Dedede. She isTiff andTuff's mother and the wife ofSir Ebrum.
	Mabel	A Dark & Stormy Knight	A Cappy Town resident who counsels the villagers in the guise of reading their fortune. She has a close relationship with Samo.
	Mayor Len Blustergas	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	The mayor of Cappy Town who represents the villagers and looks after a flock of sheep.
	Melman	Kirby's Duel Role	The town mailman; often seen asleep.
	Mr. Chip	Teacher's Threat	A passionate contract teacher who is sent by Night Mare Enterprises to harass the students atDedede Academy, but cannot bring himself to harm them.
	Pengy	The Chill Factor	The leader of the Pengy tribe. He has the ability to breathe ice and attempts to take over Dream Land by turning it into a permanent tundra.
	Princess Rona	A Princess in Dis-Dress	An alien princess who visits Dream Land disguised as her personal bodyguard. She identifies with the commoners and is skilled with a sword.
	Professor Curio	A Blockbuster Battle	Cappy Town's resident archaeologist. While knowledgeable, he is very meek and insecure.
	Rick	A Blockbuster Battle	One of Dream Land's intelligent animals. He can be seen wandering Dream Land and conversing with the villagers, and lives in theEastern Forest inAcore.
	Rowlin	A Novel Approach	A famous author who wrote the best-selling book "Pappy Pottey and the Fool's Stone". She is impersonated by a monster inA Novel Approach.
	Samo	A Blockbuster Battle (Japanese version)	The bartender of Cappy Town. He gathers gossip from his customers and delivers it to Mabel to help with her fortune telling.
	Sir Ebrum	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	King Dedede's cabinet minister, the father ofTiff andTuff and husband ofLady Like. He is a very timid and nervous man.
	Sir Gallant	One Crazy Knight	A wandering quixotic knight who believes himself to be a comic book hero.
	Sirica	Crusade for the Blade	A young alien warrior who once battled Meta Knight for the Galaxia over a misunderstanding. She is a potent fighter who wields a weapon stolen from N.M.E.
	Spikehead	A Blockbuster Battle	One of the three main Cappy children. He loves to play games and can be very impatient.
	Sword Knight	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	One of Meta Knight's apprentices, the other being Blade Knight. The two were once roadside bandits until they met Meta Knight, who saved their lives from WolfWrath. Since then, they have become fiercely loyal to Meta Knight and are often seen by his side.
	Tokkori	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	A cantankerous little talking bird who lives with Kirby in his house. He often rubs other characters the wrong way, but is not bad at heart.
	Tuggle	A Dark & Stormy Knight	A cranky Cappy who runs the grocery store.
	Waddle Dees	Kirby Comes to Cappy Town	The tireless servants ofCastle Dedede, who number in the thousands. They are usually silent, and obey King Dedede and his subordinates in exchange for living in the castle.
	Whales	A Whale of a Tale	A giant sperm whale and calf who visit Dream Land and are harassed by King Dedede.
	Whispy Woods	Beware: Whispy Woods!	A sentient tree who resides overWhispy Woods Forest. King Dedede often tries to chop him down in order to destroy the forest and build a golf course.
	Yamikage	Ninja Binge	A treacherous ninja warrior who used to be a Star Warrior. He is prideful and cruel.

For information on monsters, seethis page. For information on minor Star Warriors, seethis page. For information on other minor characters, seethis page.

Episodes[edit]

Development[edit]

Outline[edit]

As theKirby series was still struggling in the West, it was decided that aKirby animated series would be a good way to bring in new fans.Kirby: Right Back at Ya! was made as a joint project between HAL and Nintendo, using a newly-created company named "Warpstar, Inc." (which was restructured into Nintendo Stars, Inc. in 2025). The main director and head writer was a veteran of animation, Sōji Yoshikawa. Kirby's creatorMasahiro Sakurai drafted the original proposal and set many of the guidelines for the show,^[1] and also regularly reviewed the scripts to give his approval.^[4] Many of the difficulties in creating an anime for Kirby were detailed in early interviews with Nintendo.

Sakurai set some requirements for the creators of the show: Kirby was not allowed to speak, and no humans were to appear in the show. Many people involved, including Sakurai, admitted that not having Kirby speak was quite a challenge. In addition, without humans, they had to come up with unique species and characters. Yoshikawa found the series unique among Japanese anime in this aspect, comparing it to works likeThe Moomins, a Finnish children's book series whose fantasy setting and characters gained great popularity in Japan followinga Dutch–Japanese anime adaptation that ran from 1990 to 1991.^[5]

Another of Sakurai's intentions was that Kirby would seem "like a pet" until he gains a Copy Ability and can battle, after which not only do his powers change, but his personality does as well.^[6] His view for Kirby seems to be one of "hidden strength". Yoshikawa, meanwhile, had great visions for making the series widely accessible, using not only facets of the games, but references to culture and events from outside of theKirby series. Examples can be seen in episodes that homage and parody popular media, fromDon Quixote toMothra toHarry Potter.

Animation[edit]

A particular emphasis was placed on the show's animation. Yoshikawa spoke of how the Japanese animation industry had reduced itself to shortcuts and cutting corners. He wanted to have animation where things could "be moved as much as we pleased". As such, they made the decision to use a mixture of traditional hand-drawn animation and 3D computer-generated animation. The use of 3D animation allowed the staff to save time and budget when animating complex designs, and in particular allowed them to give Kirby a smooth and "squishy" feeling to his movements and expressions, tying in to his appearance in the video games and increasing his cutesy appeal.^[7][8]

Because of this, they were able to focus far more on creating lively, smooth animation for the characters. The frame rate of the show is two to three times greater than most contemporary anime (about 10,000 frames are used in each episode, compared to the 4,000–5,000 used by most anime on TV).^[9] Even with the length of the series, the animation improves noticeably as it goes on, likely due to the animators refining their techniques. Cost-cutting 3D renders of characters like King Dedede and Escargoon are gradually used less often, while other renders of characters such asDyna Blade become more detailed and fluid.

Notably, certain episodes serve to satirize the animation industry, and resort tofourth wall-breaking jokes and references in order to do so. InCartoon Buffoon, the main cast of the show are essentially tasked with re-creating the first episode with limited time and experience, lampooning the often cutthroat nature of the industry; inTooned Out, issues relating to the use of CGI to supplant traditional animation techniques as well asmoe andotaku culture are explored.

Music[edit]

The music used for the anime in the Japanese version was largely composed and arranged byAkira Miyagawa, best known for working on theSpace Battleship Yamato franchise alongside his father, Hiroshi Miyagawa. Additional arrangements of music from theKirby series were provided byHAL Laboratory sound staffJun Ishikawa,Hirokazu Ando, andShogo Sakai.

Miyagawa's contributions to the soundtrack were mostly recorded with a live orchestra, and select tracks can be heard on the album releaseTV Anime Kirby of the Stars Original Soundtrack. His compositions are original pieces not tied to the games, which use their own distinctive motifs associated with the characters and the setting.

Ishikawa, Ando, and Sakai's contributions to the soundtrack were mostly synthesized, and select tracks can be heard on the album releaseKirby & The Amazing Mirror Sound Plus. Their compositions are less tied to creating a distinctive sound palette for the animation, and instead serve to tie its musical identity back to theKirby games, such asKirby's Dream Land,Kirby's Adventure, andKirby Super Star.

Because the anime was still airing during the development ofKirby Air Ride, many songs composed for the game are also used in the anime, and vice versa. Later games still occasionally use songs from the anime, with an example beingMosugaba's theme appearing inKirby Mass Attack andKirby and the Rainbow Curse.

In addition, there were several distinct theme songs composed for the anime. In the Japanese version, the songs "Kirby ★ March" and "Kihon wa Maru" were used as the opening and closing theme for episodes 1–71, and the songs "Kirby!" and "Kirby ☆ Step!" were used as the opening and closing themes for episodes 72–100. In the English 4Kids version, the"Kirby: Right Back at Ya!" song is used throughout the whole series for the intro and outro, which is also the case in most other foreign dubs of the series. The Chinese dub used the same songs as the Japanese version, while the Italian dub hadits own theme song during the first half of its broadcast.

English dub[edit]

There were several changes made to the show when it was localized by 4Kids Entertainment into English. One of the more noteworthy examples was changing the paint job of King Dedede'sArmored Vehicle from a military-style camo (left) to a more toy-like orange and red (right).

The English dub ofKirby: Right Back at Ya! was produced by 4Kids Entertainment.

Several visual edits were made to the English version, including changing the color of King Dedede'sArmored Vehicle, removing Japanese and most English text from signs and other objects, turning King Dedede's chainsaw into a laser chainsaw, and removing scenes where guns are fired. Additionally, scenes featuring references to alcohol consumption would commonly be cut from the English airing, as well as many scenes where the child characters are subjected to harm. Further, several otherwise non-notable scenes are often cut presumably to shorten the run-time, which tends to cut some incidental characters out of episodes altogether.

Dialogue changes include rewording and altering the Japanese script, and changing the names of several characters and meanings, such as "Fumu" to "Tiff". Notably, Kirby's lines are often left unaltered, but much of his dialogue where he says real words are replaced with more utterances of "poyo". This is particularly notable during battles, as he no longer shouts the names ofCopy Ability attacks as he uses them.

Lastly, the English dub uses a completely different musical soundtrack than the original Japanese, of which a lot less is known. Generally speaking, music in the English dub is much more omnipresent — often playing in moments that had no music in the original version — while at the same time being less distinct, and in particular, lacking references to the music of the games.

Almost all further dubs of the show — such as the Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Korean dubs — use the 4Kids English dub as the base for both visuals and audio, and as such feature the same changes from said dub. The sole exception to this is the Chinese dub, which uses the Japanese visuals and audio as the base.

Distribution[edit]

Kirby: Right Back at Ya! was initially aired on CBC TV in Japan from 2001 to 2003. The English 4Kids version was aired in North America on Fox Box from 2002 to 2006. Over the course of its initial run-time in Japan, the United States and Canada, several collections of episodes were released on VHS, DVD, or both. In Japan, all 100 episodes were released on VHS across 34 volumes, with the first 36 and episode 49 also available on DVD. In North America, only 23 select episodes were released on DVD with 9 of them seeing VHS releases.

The most notable North American home video release isKirby: Fright to the Finish, which combines the last five episodes of the show into a feature-length production and includesHour of the WolfWrath as a bonus feature. In addition, 4Kids Entertainment published three volumes of the series with three episodes each on VHS and DVD in North America:Kirby Comes to Cappy Town (episodes 1-3),A Dark & Stormy Knight (episodes 4-6), andKirby's Egg-Cellent Adventure (episodes 7-9).^[10] Other North American DVDs released includeKirby's Adventures in Cappy Town (episodes 1-7),Cappy New Year & Other Kirby Adventures (episodes8-14),Cook Kirby (episodes29 and11) andIce Kirby (episodes66 and20).^[10]

The official 4Kids Entertainment website at 4kids.tv (formerly at foxbox.tv) and the official North AmericanKirby series website at kirbykirbykirby.com both featuredKirby: Right Back at Ya! content prominently during the show's run.^[11]Kirby content appears to have been removed from 4kids.tv in 2010.^[12] The officialKirby website remained at kirbykirbykirby.com, from the lyrics to the dub'stheme song, even after the show ended and the website rebranded to promote other games in the series (i.e.Kirby Super Star Ultra andKirby's Epic Yarn).^[13] kirbykirbykirby.com became a redirect to kirby.nintendo.com in 2011, and Nintendo let the original domain lapse in 2022; kirbykirbykirby.com currently redirects to an unofficial website featuringKirby wallpapers.^[14]

After the show's initial airing, a specialWii channel was made for Europe and Australia called theKirby TV Channel, which streamed episodes of the show on a weekly rotation. Through the channel's English run, 50 of the show's 100 episodes were made available up toKirby Takes the Cake, whileA Novel Approach was left out. From Summer 2009 to April 2012, the Japanese Wii no Ma channel featured all 100 episodes in addition to the bonusKirby 3D episode for purchase (initially for 100 Wii Points each, then discounted to 100 points for a five-episode bundle).

Three episodes from the show are available to watch in the extra features ofKirby's Dream Collection Special Edition. These episodes areKirby Comes to Cappy Town,Crusade for the Blade, andWaddle While You Work, which prominently feature Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede and his Waddle Dees.

Several episodes from the show were also available to watch on the Nintendo Anime Channel on European and AustralianNintendo 3DS systems from February 13, 2015 to October 31, 2018.^[15]

TheKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box, an HD remaster box set of the series on Blu-ray, was announced at theKirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival, and released on March 14th, 2023.^[2] All episodes have been remastered in HD for the box set, but have not been modified otherwise (i.e. they are still presented in full screen).^[16] Pre-orders opened on December 15th and ended on January 23rd, 2023. The first print run sold out so quickly that a second print run began during the pre-order period, set to ship in late April 2023. The box set includes all 100 episodes spread across 10 Blu-ray discs, a 100-page booklet filled with anecdotes about the anime's production, all of the storyboards for episode 1, the English version of episode 1, the originalKirby of the Stars Pilot, textless versions of both sets of opening and closing animations, theKirby 3D episode, 17 of the "Pupupu Tsushin" segments aired during the original broadcast, and an acrylicKirby series calendar as a purchase bonus.^[17]

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  Main box from theKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box, which holds the smaller disc boxes
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  First disc box from theKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box, which holds discs 1 through 5
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  Second disc box from theKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box, which holds discs 6 through 10
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  First disc set (discs 1 - 5) from theKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box
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  Second disc set (discs 6 - 10) from theKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box
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  "Special Booklet" from theKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box
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  Storyboard book from theKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box, containing all the storyboards forKirby Comes to Cappy Town
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  Acrylic calendar from theKirby of the Stars HD Remastered Edition All-Round Complete Box, included as a purchase bonus

Legacy[edit]

Elements from the anime series would go on to influence the main video game series, in addition to some smaller references. The more notable of these are as follows:

• Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land was created to tie in to the anime,^[18] and features its character designs, particularly noticeably withNightmare. In addition, it introducedTornado andNeedle's first hat designs, as they had not appeared in a game with Copy Ability hats prior.
  • Hammer,Spark andThrow also gained new hats in the anime, that also appeared inKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. However, these abilities only debuted in the anime after the release of the game, so their exact origins are unclear.
    • Hammer's hat differs a bit between the anime and games, the most notable change being its coloration. While Hammer had appeared before inKirby Super Star, it didn't give Kirby a hat in that game.
  • TheCleaning ability's design inKirby Star Allies also resembles its depiction in the anime, though with different coloration.
• Music from the Japanese version of the anime would later be used inKirby Air Ride and in its direct sequelKirby Air Riders. Later games in the series that were released prior toAir Riders also used or rearranged some of these songs to a lesser extent, notably inKirby Mass Attack andKirby and the Rainbow Curse.
• Kirby's modern design is heavily influenced by the anime, and he has also been heard saying "poyo" inKirby's Epic Yarn,Kirby Mass Attack andKirby and the Rainbow Curse.
• TheWater ability first appeared in the anime before it appeared in the games; however, its depiction is substantially different, as it was originally created by the winner of afan contest.
• Meta Knight's signature sword,Galaxia, was introduced in the anime, though it has been re-designed somewhat since then.
• Castle Dedede would appear with its anime design inKirby: Squeak Squad,Kirby's Epic Yarn, andKirby Mass Attack.
  • TheMonster Delivery System appears in the background during the fight with King Dedede inKirby: Squeak Squad.
• Escargoon, theN.M.E. Sales Guy,Chef Shiitake,Captain Waddle Doo, andMax Flexer cameo in some of theKirby Mass AttackSub-Games.
• TheHalberd owes some of its modern look to its portrayal in the anime.
• King Dedede acts similarly to his anime incarnation inKirby Battle Royale.
• Octacon would cameo as a painting drawn byAdeleine inKirby Star Allies.
• Devil Kirby makes a cameo appearance inKirby Star Allies if the Soul Melter difficulty is selected inThe Ultimate Choice.
• Banjō Ginga, who voiceseNeMeE and theN.M.E. Sales Guy in the Japanese version of the anime, would go on to voiceParallel Nightmare inSuper Kirby Clash and the Japanese male announcer voice inKirby Air Riders. Likewise, Meta Knight andKnuckle Joe retain their Japanese voice actors from the anime in theSuper Smash Bros. series.

Trivia[edit]

• Kirby Air Ride was also released during the time the anime was originally on the air. As such, it shares aspects with the anime andKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.
  • Much of the official artwork forKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is inspired by the anime, including the game's box art, as well as a commercial animated in the same style.
  • Kirby Air Ride uses some music tracks from the Japanese version of the anime (such as the theme forChecker Knights), and three of the last five episodes of the show includeAir Ride Machines from the game.
• Kirby: Right Back at Ya! was planned for release onGame Boy Advance throughGame Boy Advance Video, but it never materialized, with press releases being the only evidence of its existence.^[19]
• A trailer forKirby: Right Back at Ya! was included on the bonus disc that came with preorders forMario Kart: Double Dash!! The trailer starts off withKirby: Right Back at Ya! before transitioning to footage ofKirby Air Ride.
• Of the main cast of the show, there are only five characters who have perfect attendance through every episode (not counting the Pilot). These characters areKirby,Tiff,Tuff,King Dedede, andEscargoon.
• Over the course of the show, many characters and enemies from the mainKirby games show up in the anime to varying degrees. Notably, despite the game's release prior to the show's production, no characters or enemies specific toKirby 64: The Crystal Shards show up in the anime.

Gallery[edit]

Main article:Kirby: Right Back at Ya!/gallery

Names in other languages[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official CBC website (Japanese)
• Official 4KidsTV webpage (archived)
• Nintendo Online Magazine - Issue 039, October 2001, production report

References

• Featured pages
• Anime

• Articles which list Japanese names
• Articles which list Chinese names
• Articles which list French names
• Articles which list German names
• Articles which list Italian names
• Articles which list Korean names
• Articles which list Portuguese names
• Articles which list Spanish names