King Dedede is a longtime rival of Kirby and generally a central character in the franchise, so it’s not surprising that he’s in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Notably though, he seems to be taking a villainous role in the new game, even though he’s often been an ally to Kirby in recent games. Based on his appearance in the new trailer, Dedede may be working with the Beast Pack in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but it’s possible that he’s doing so against his will. Dedede has played a false villain many times in Kirby history, and it looks like he might do so again.
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King Dedede’s History of Villainy
In the latest Forgotten Land trailer, Dedede can be spotted with his back turned, wearing a heavy fur coat alongside some Beast Pack minions. His logo can be seen on the back of the coat, and his hat becomes visible as he starts to turn. Viewers don’t get a very good look at him, but based on details and proportions, it’s clearly Dedede. The implication, therefore, is that he’ll be a major antagonist in Forgotten Land, possibly even putting up a fight as one of the game’s bosses. That’s not particularly strange, since Kirby players have been duking it out with Dedede since the beginning of the franchise.
While King Dedede was the main antagonist of the original Kirby’s Dream Land, he’s served as a red herring or only a minor villain in a lot of games since. Sometimes Kirby misunderstands Dedede’s intentions, like in Kirby’s Adventure where Dedede breaks the Star Rod to protect Dream Land’s citizens. In other games, he falls under the control of a greater villain, like when Dark Matter takes control of him in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. It’s possible that the latter fate has befallen Dedede in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, with the Beast Pack finding some way to take control.
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King Dedede’s Potential Role
King Dedede doesn’t have any clear reason to help the Beast Pack kidnap Waddle Dees, since Waddle Dees are usually on his side. While it’s possible that the Beast Pack has played to Dedede’s greed and gluttony by bribing him, it seems more likely that some greater threat has taken control of Dedede and turned him into an asset of the Beast Pack. He’s been a friend to Kirby in recent games, so it’s hard to imagine Dedede willfully betraying Kirby at this point.
Although Nintendo has revealed a lot of information about Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s mechanics, the game’s overarching plot is largely a mystery. Nintendo hasn’t revealed what the Beast Pack aims to achieve by capturing Waddle Dees, nor has it revealed the true roles of Elfilin and Meta Knight. For a while, it wasn’t clear if King Dedede would be in Forgotten Land at all, but now it’s clear that he has some major part to play - likely as a temporary antagonist. It should be interesting to see how Kirby and the Forgotten Land puts a twist on Dedede’s role.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases March 25, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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