Bandana Waddle Dee (Kirby) – DEATH BATTLE! Analysis

Background

On Planet Popstar, there lives a race of innocent and harmless creatures called Waddle Dees. Mostly living in Dream Land, many of them respect and serve the self-proclaimed monarch King Dedede. But one of these waddling citizens was different than the rest of his kind. Instead of being a simple servant, he was King Dedede’s personal adviser and one of the most loyal Waddle Dees. Distinguishable by his blue bandana, the name Bandana Waddle Dee seems a bit too fitting.

While on one of his many final plots for revenge against the pink puffball Kirby, King Dedede used literally all of his resources in order to defeat him. But no matter what the king threw at him, Kirby got closer and closer to Castle Dedede. With zero lines of defense left, the thought to be cruel monarch was about to send his bandana-wearing adviser into battle against his pink rival, but decided to spare him due to his lack of skills and abilities. Nevertheless, Bandana Waddle Dee attempted to fight Kirby out of sheer loyalty to his king, and unsurprisingly lost. King Dedede, even with his secret weapon, ended up losing to Kirby as well, making his plot for revenge crumble.

Even though Kirby and King Dedede have since gotten along better, Bandana Waddle Dee trained his hardest to become a talented fighter, most likely because of his failure to pose any sort of threat to his king’s rival. He too has become friends with Kirby, and with him, his king, and the masked warrior Meta Knight, has saved Dream Land from galactic threats on multiple occasions. He’s even become a bit independent, no longer only needing to help King Dedede, though he still respects him immensely. No matter what comes his way, the new spear-mastered Bandana Waddle Dee is up to any task.

More Info

• Height: 0’08” | 20.3 cm
• Adviser to King Dedede
• Friend to Kirby
• Skilled spear wielder
• Originally just called Waddle Dee
• Likes apple juice
• Can talk and eat without a mouth somehow

Equipment

Spear

Bandana Waddle Dee’s main weapon of choice is a spear, and he’s a master using it. With it, he can perform various jabs and throw it as a projectile, even multiple back-to-back or at once, but there’s much more that he can do with it. He can drop downward with it pointed below while in the air, charge up to deliver a more powerful jab with it capable of breaking hard materials, rush forward with it before slashing upwards, jump off of it to reach greater heights quickly while tackling into anything above him, spiral downward with it pointed beneath him while in the air to skewer through anything below, or charge up before spinning it above himself so fast that he takes flight like a helicopter while also dealing consecutive damage to enemies above him, though this doesn’t last forever and he’ll slowly descend when his spear twirling slows down.

Other Waddle Dees have even shown some other techniques with a spear, which Bandana Waddle Dee would most certainly be capable of performing. This lets him twirl it beneath him while in the air or charge up before rushing forward with it pointed out. Also, he can just as easily use it underwater as he could on land, and it seems he can increase his spear’s length in order to reach farther. Bandana Waddle Dee can also use his spear to cut ropes, and it can be used as a fishing rod or a latch to hang onto and ride ropes. Lastly, he can carry it on his back for easy access.

Parasol

A simple parasol that Bandana Waddle Dee can use as a weapon. He can swing it forward and all around himself to attack, but that’s not all he can do with it. He can also dive downwards with it while in the air, and when he swings it, his parasol splashes out damaging water droplets. Finally, when he charges up a swing, he can fire off a water bubble projectile to hit enemies from afar. While he has never been shown to be able to do anything else with a parasol, Kirby and other Waddle Dees have, so it’d make sense for Bandana Waddle Dee to be capable of performing those same techniques.

With that in mind, he’d be able to protect himself from above, leave it out after swinging to guard against enemies, dash and drill forward with it, twirl it beneath him to both attack and defend, grab enemies before spinning on top of it and tossing them, cover his whole body with it for protection, slowly drift downward when falling, use it underwater, emit constant star projectiles by spinning it, create forcefields, expand its size greatly for better protection from above, and imbue weapons with water. Bandana Waddle Dee would also be able to combine drilling into enemies with grabbing them in order to pick them up and raise them into the air while spinning them on his parasol before slamming them back down to the ground. Lastly, he can carry it on his back for easy access.

Cannon

A cannon that Bandana Waddle Dee holds over his head and uses to aim and shoot cannonballs. He can also charge it up to transform it and fire off a barrage of cannonballs.

Ninja Garb

An outfit Bandana Waddle Dee can wear. It comes with some tools ninjas usually have, such as a katana to cut stuff, smoke pellets to vanish and appear, and shuriken to swiftly throw.

Super Scope

A long-ranged weapon that shoots energy pellets and has a laser sight feature so that Bandana Waddle Dee can know where he’s aiming. It can be charged up to fire off a larger and more powerful energy pellet.

Inner Tube

An inner tube that Bandana Waddle Dee uses when on the surface of water to stay afloat and swim around. He can fight while in it and hold items above his head in order to not get them wet.

Swim Goggles

Goggles that Bandana Waddle Dee uses when swimming underwater so that he can see better, though he has been in water without them on with seemingly no ill effect to his eyesight.

Foods

Food is a common item that Bandana Waddle Dee can eat to restore health. They come in many varieties, such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and sweets, but he also has unique foods that have greater effects than just the normal ones. He can carry one around in an Assist Star so that he can eat whatever is in it whenever he wants. Any type of food can be shared with an ally after he’s eaten it to give them its effect. The following is a list of all the unique foods Bandana Waddle Dee can consume:

• Pep Brew: An energy drink that restores half of Bandana Waddle Dee’s health.
• Maxim Tomato: A tomato that restores all of Bandana Waddle Dee’s health. They can also be found in Maxim Tomato Boxes that open up when thrown after a few seconds.
• Invincible Candy: A lollipop that envelops Bandana Waddle Dee in a rainbow aura that makes him invincible and faster for a short period of time.
• Reviving Tomato: A tomato that has two uses. When used normally, it restores all of Bandana Waddle Dee’s health, much like a Maxim Tomato. However, should he fall in battle before using it, it will revive him with maximum health.

Items

Various items that Bandana Waddle Dee can find and use. Ones that are carried can be thrown to hurt enemies and be taken underwater. However, most of them can only be used for a limited amount of time before being destroyed. The following is a list of all the items Bandana Waddle can find and use:

• Cracker: A cannon that automatically fires cannonballs non-stop at an angle upward when held. These cannonballs are capable of breaking the hardest of materials.
• Prism Shield: A French horn-like item that creates a wide rainbow forcefield over Bandana Waddle Dee when held that protects him from above and electrocutes enemies who make contact with it.
• Candle: A simple candle that brings light to dark places and can break ice. When not held, the light it gives off is less than if Bandana Waddle Dee was holding it. The candle’s flame will go out after going to other areas or when in water, but it doesn’t have a time limit before being destroyed, only doing so when its flame is out and is let go.
• Invisibility Stone: A mysterious stone that turns Bandana Waddle Dee invisible and intangible while holding it, though while enemies can’t hurt him, he can’t hurt them back as a result. While under its effects, he can also pass through crystal walls. Despite not turning invisible, the stone passes through things alongside him.
• Stomper Boot: A giant boot with spikes on its sole that Bandana Waddle Dee can ride in. With it, he can hop and jump around, stomp on enemies with it, pound pegs flat, and break durable objects. It also lets him go on spikes and hot surfaces, and he can even hide in it.
• Balloon Bomb: A bomb that grows larger and larger when held until it reaches its maximum size. Once it gets to that size, it will detonate after a second. Before that happens, Bandana Waddle Dee can drop or throw it when it’s big enough and glowing red to keep himself safe from its explosion, which is powerful enough to destroy durable objects. The bigger it gets, the bigger the explosion is.
• Maxim Tomato Box: A box that contains one Maxim Tomato for Bandana Waddle Dee to eat. It releases it when thrown after a few seconds.
• Key: A simple key used to unlock doors. Notably, it can unlock any door, and certain keys float on their own and don’t need to be carried. While some keys will be destroyed after a certain amount of time has passed like with other items, other keys will not. 

Powers & Abilities

Pseudo-Flight

While Bandana Waddle Dee can’t fly per se, he can multi-jump in the air for an indefinite amount of time, granting him greater air mobility.

Slide

A technique Bandana Waddle Dee performs by ducking and sliding forward with his foot out to kick an enemy before bouncing off them. He can even slide while holding items, and the kick is strong enough to break weak objects.

Headbutt

While jumping upwards from the ground, Bandana Waddle Dee can headbutt enemies above him. This can also be used to break weak objects or boost others higher into the air. He can also headbutt downwards while falling from the air.

Guard

A stance that Bandana Waddle Dee takes on the ground to greatly minimize the damage he’s about to take from an attack. Weaker attacks even become nullified and don’t hurt him at all. However, guarding can’t protect him from extremely powerful attacks or any sort of grappling move. Bandana Waddle Dee can also perform brief dodges both on the ground and in the air to avoid attacks altogether.

Space Jump

A technique where Bandana Waddle Dee turns into an intangible ball of energy and quickly travels to an ally to regroup. After performing it, he can also surround himself in protective energy until it’s safe for him to come out.

Revive

After charging up for a bit while next to a fallen ally, Bandana Waddle Dee can make them conscious again and give them some health. He can also revive himself after a few seconds have passed, though it takes longer to do it repeatedly.

Weapon Creation

Bandana Waddle Dee is capable of creating weapons from out of thin air. He does this so that he always has a spear in hand, as well as for sending out a barrage of them or throwing multiple of them at once. He can also create cannons. Logically, Bandana Waddle Dee should also be capable of creating parasols and other combative equipment.

Teleportation

Bandana Waddle Dee has the ability to teleport himself to different locations, appearing at his destination with many sparkles signifying where he’ll be and usually doing so to find an enemy before fighting them.

Regeneration

Bandana Waddle Dee possesses impressive regenerative abilities. This lets him survive wounds that would seriously injure or even kill most others, such as being crushed or impaled. Even when he is seemingly killed and exploded into nothing, he can come back in one piece later with no issue.

Shapeshifting

In a puff of smoke, Bandana Waddle Dee can shapeshift himself into a submarine to better maneuver around underwater. His bandana actually becomes his propeller. While in this form, he can shoot torpedoes. He can also charge up to fire off a super torpedo capable of breaking through hard materials and bouncing off of surfaces.

Elemental Manipulation

Bandana Waddle Dee can imbue his spear with whatever element is available to him at the moment, even if it means taking others’ elemental abilities in order to empower it. This increases his spear’s power and lets him manipulate the element in various ways. He can use fire to launch fireballs or make fiery explosions to set things aflame, electricity to make shock waves or electrical bolts, ice to create ice chunks or icicles capable of freezing enemies solid, water to create splashes or giant water bubble projectiles, or wind to propel himself or his spear in various directions or create gusts or twisters. While Bandana Waddle Dee usually only takes elements from his allies, he should realistically be capable of taking his enemies’ elemental attacks, as well as being able to use his parasol to imbue his spear with water whenever he wants, since it can do that for other weapons. The Prism Shield and the Candle should also be able to give Bandana Waddle Dee the ability to imbue it with electricity and fire respectively.

Friend Heart

Bandana Waddle Dee can create a heart that, when thrown at an enemy, forces them to become his friend and help him out while wearing stylish new clothing. He can do this multiple times, and he can have up to three allies. Getting any more makes him get rid of one of them, though Bandana Waddle Dee can get rid of one of them even without reaching this limit by exerting some sort of energy from both of his sides. It can also heal others, hurt enemies who lack a heart and cannot love, knock people out of mind control, and restore people from corruption. One heart can affect multiple people at the same time, and anyone who is under the effects of one gets the ability to use their own Friend Hearts.

Feats

Strength

• Can break through solid steel
• Can launch people far off into space
• Created a crack in Popstar that could be seen from space with a punch
• Helped defeat Meta Knight, who defeated Galacta Knight, who is stated to have enough power to destroy planets
• Helped defeat Magolor, who can create black holes
• Defeated multiple copies of Kirby, who are comparable to the original, who defeated Marx, who can create black holes (calced here)

Speed

• Can dodge Kracko’s lightning
• Can dodge meteors
• Piloted Landia through space at faster than light speeds
• Can outpace Magolor’s black hole
• Kept up with Meta Knight, who flew from one end of the galaxy to the other in seconds
• Kept up with multiple copies of Kirby, who are comparable to the original, who can pilot the Warp Star, which flew across the galaxy in seconds
• Kept up with King Dedede, who dodged a piece of the Jamba Heart, which flew across the universe in seconds (calced here)

Durability

• Can survive getting crushed and impaled
• Took an energy blast from Magolor
• Took hits from Claycia, who can rip holes in time and space
• Took hits from Meta Knight, who defeated Galacta Knight, who is stated to have enough power to destroy planets
• Can survive getting sucked into Magolor’s black hole
• Took hits from Kirby, who defeated Marx, who can create black holes (calced here)

Training & Experience

• Can go underwater and in space without needing to breathe
• Can hurt ghosts and souls
• Can resist transmutation
• Fought off Dark Crafter’s Grab Hands
• Defeated multiple copies of Kirby
• Won Dedede’s Cake Royale alongside Kirby
• Helped defeat Landia, Magolor, Claycia, Meta Knight, and King Dedede

Weaknesses

Bandana Waddle Dee doesn’t have many notable weaknesses. While he used to be a pushover, he’s now a very competent fighter. He may sometimes doubt his own abilities and can’t guard against extremely powerful attacks or grappling moves, but those are very minor weaknesses. The most that can be said is related to very specific things that shouldn’t matter too much in a one-on-one fight, like that he can only carry one food item in an Assist Star at a time. He also only ever uses items like the Cracker or the Prism Shield on the off chance he finds them. They also only last a certain amount before being destroyed. Lastly, while his parasol, the Prism Shield, or the Candle would give him the ability to imbue his spear with water, electricity, and fire respectively, he has no other options to do so with ice or wind, requiring him to get those elements from other sources if he wants to use them.

Summary

Advantages

• Has many ways of fighting underwater, like with his spear, parasol, or by shapeshifting into a submarine
• His parasol and guarding provides great protection against enemies in various ways
• Has many reliable long-ranged equipment
• Has access to easy healing and invincibility thanks to foods he can carry around
• Multi-jumping, Space Jump, and teleportation give him greater mobility
• Can revive himself should he get knocked out
• Will always be able to have a weapon on hand due to being able to create them
• Has impressive regenerative abilities
• Can imbue his spear with elements, even if it’s by using others’ attacks or his other equipment
• Can force enemies to become his friend and help him by using Friend Hearts

Disadvantages

• Can sometimes doubt his own abilities
• Can’t guard against extremely powerful attacks or grappling moves
• Can only carry one food item in an Assist Star at a time
• Doesn’t usually use items like the Cracker or Prism Shield unless he finds them
• Items like the Cracker and Prism Shield can only be used for a certain amount of time before being destroyed
• Can’t imbue his spear with ice or wind by himself, needing outside sources in order to do so