History NightmareFuel / KirbyRightBackAtYa

[[quoteright:480:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_6917_6.jpeg]]

** Eventually, after Kirby is released from the Demon Frog's control, Dedede captures it and deliberately lets the frog possess him, transforming him into [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FW1EsRwWIAAQKD2?format=jpg&name=large Demon Dedede;]] a giant, uber-muscular version of himself with glowing red eyes and fangs that absolutely pummels Kirby in a direct fight. On top of a horrifying and powerful transformation, it really goes to show [[EvilIsPetty the lengths Dedede is willing to sink to defeat Kirby]].

* At the start of episode 98, Cappy Town is destroyed. When Tiff, Tuff and Kirby try to gather all the Cappies, they all coldly turn towards them; seeing [[HeroWithBadPublicity Kirby as indirectly responsible for the Destroyas being sent over]]. This is especially chilling because [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness they were all nice towards Kirby in every prior episode]].

** The Demon Frog itself. It possesses its victims and amplifies any malicious thoughts a million fold, making them behave like irredeemable scum. ''Anyone'' could be swayed to the side of darkness if their hearts have even a tiny bit of impurity in them; even Kirby, who you might expect to be played as [[IncorruptiblePurePureness the kind of character who's simply too good or innocent]], isn't exempt from this and gets turned into a vicious, sadistic little monster who goes on a violent rampage under its influence. Not even Dark Matter could achieve such a feat! Even Dedede and Escargoon are shocked by it:

-->'''Escargoon:''' [[OoCIsSeriousBusiness Kirby's smashing up Cappy Town like a pink wrecking ball!]]

** The Demon Frog itself. It possesses its victims and amplifies any malicious thoughts a million fold, making them behave like irredeemable scum. ''Anyone'' could be swayed to the side of darkness if their hearts have even a tiny bit of impurity in them; even Kirby, who you might expect to be played as [[IncorruptiblePurePureness the kind of character who's simply too good or innocent]], isn't exempt from this and gets turned into a vicious, sadistic little monster who goes on a violent rampage under its influence. Not even Dark Matter or Zero could achieve such a feat! Even Dedede and Escargoon are shocked by it:

** The Demon Frog itself. It possesses its victims and amplifies any malicious thoughts a million fold, making them behave like irredeemable scum. ''Anyone'' could be swayed to the side of darkness if their hearts have even a tiny bit of impurity in them; even Kirby, who you might expect to be played as [[IncorruptiblePurePureness the kind of character who's simply too good or innocent]], isn't exempt from this and gets turned into a vicious, sadistic little monster who goes on a violent rampage under its influence. Even Dedede and Escargoon are shocked by it:

[[caption-width-right:480:"That’s not Kirby anymore."]]

* One of the last episodes, dubbed Frog Wild in the English version, has Demon Kirby. You wouldn't imagine innocent, little Kirby destroying almost the whole of Cappy Town with such glee, would you? Plus, his NightmareFace! It's surprising 4Kids even let this episode air.
** The Demon Frog itself. It possesses its victims and amplifies any malicious thoughts a million fold, making them behave like irredeemable scum. ''Anyone'' could be swayed to the side of darkness if their hearts have even a tiny bit of impurity in them - even Kirby, who you might expect to be played as [[IncorruptiblePurePureness the kind of character who's simply too good or innocent]], isn't exempt from this and is able to be turned into a twistedly playful little monster under its influence.

!!As a Moments page, all entries are Administrivia/SpoilersOff.

[[caption-width-right:480:”That’s not Kirby anymore.”]]

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** It's even worse in the Japanese version with the animators' finished product, where they not only did they give their version of Tiff [[FanservicePack oversized breasts]], but the ManipulativeEditing is even worse, making it sound like Tiff is trying to [[{{Squick}} seduce the viewer]]. And need we remind you that Tiff is ''[[PaedoHunt a child?]]'' To say Tiff [[BerserkButton had every right to be pissed]] in that moment would be a massive {{Understatement}}.

--> '''Escargoon:''' His Majesty's had low points, but I don't think he's ever been ''this'' [[IncrediblyLamePun down in the mouth]].

-->'''Meta Knight:''' Kirby... but now...[[note]]"It is... true" in the dub[[/note]]

** It's even worse in the Japanese version with the animators' finished product, where they not only did they give their version of Tiff [[BuxomIsBetter oversized breasts]], but the ManipulativeEditing is even worse, making it sound like Tiff is trying to [[{{Squick}} seduce the viewer]]. And need we remind you that Tiff is ''[[PaedoHunt a child?]]'' To say Tiff [[BerserkButton had every right to be pissed]] in that moment would be a massive {{Understatement}}.

* King Dedede's portrayal in the anime. A borderline sociopathic and abusive manchild of a leader who constantly mistreats his citizens. Also, the fact that he would stop at nothing to best and even get rid of Kirby for good, especially calling Nightmare Enterprises to sic demons (monsters in the dub) on him. This includes having monsters attempt to set him on fire, freezing him to death, cooking him and even going so far as trying to convince him into eating Dyna Blade's egg so that she would hunt him down out of retribution. He's arguably even worse in the original Japanese version as he and Escargoon casually threaten to give citizens the death penalty whenever they oppose them. It's truly a miracle that he and Escargoon haven't been kicked out of Cappy Town in spite of everyone resenting them.

* The first half of "Tooned Out" is ''dripping'' with FridgeHorror. A trio of "professional animators" (Biggy, Boney and Sleepy) gain an unhealthy obsession with Tiff. They proceed to stalk her, record her voice without her consent or knowledge, and even take pictures of her ''while she sleeps''. Even Dedede would [[EvenEvilHasStandards cringe at that]]. Sort of.
** It's even worse in the Japanese version with the animators' finished product, where they not only did they give their version of Tiff [[BuxomIsBetter breasts]], but the ManipulativeEditing is even worse, making it sound like Tiff is trying to [[{{Squick}} seduce the viewer]]. And need we remind you that Tiff is ''[[PaedoHunt a child?]]'' To say Tiff [[BerserkButton had every right to be pissed]] in that moment would be a massive {{Understatement}}.

* Escargoon Squad. Very similar to Scare Tactics, it features Escargoon attempting to get revenge on King Dedede. Such examples include a torture room. Also, one lightning flash causes Dedede to go into a horrific state of distortion, almost [[UncannyValley to the point of being unrecognizable.]]

--> '''Dedede:''' [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem "I'm in charge here, copper, and what I say goes! NOW GET BUSYYYYYYY!!!!"]]

-> '''Dedede:''' [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem "I'm in charge here, copper, and what I say goes! NOW GET BUSYYYYYYY!!!!"]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:We ''really'' didn't need to see that.[[note]]Thankfully, in the 4Kids dub, the cuts on his face were taken out.[[/note]]]]

** [[spoiler:His defeat also leads to the destruction of Night Mare Enterprises. His Sales Guy makes a run for it, but in the Japanese original, we can hear him screaming morbidly as the spaceship explodes, implying he didn't make it out. To punctuate that, when Dedede and Escargoon try to call NME again later, all they get is a black screen. Depending on how you look at it, the 4Kids dubs make the scene scarier, as the Sales Guy cannot be heard screaming at all, with Dedede still getting the blank screen at the end. This makes the scene fall into NothingIsScarier territory.]]

** Masher. A KillerRobot filled to the brim with so many weapons, it's not even funny. It also returns a ''second'' time, this time even more dangerous. [[spoiler:The latter episode opens with Knuckle Joe fighting a losing battle against Masher 2.0, and then waking up in the castle after a dream about his dead father, covered in bandages with Tiff and Kirby standing over him. He sports said bandages for the rest of the episode, with Tiff repeatedly telling him to stay in bed, but no option to actually do so because Masher 2.0 has found him]].

** [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Destroya.]] A flying saucer that is more MechanicalAbomination than Masher could ever hope to be. It is [[spoiler: enormous, dwarfing King Dedede's castle. It fires off swarms of homing missiles that tear down the entire castle, and absolutely nothing short of [[OneManArmy Crash Kirby]], the Halberd's lasers or other Destroyas could destroy it. Its missiles were so powerful they could actually damage the Warp Star, putting Kirby in a temporary coma and essentially chipping a sliver off of his soul. '''And then Nightmare Enterprises decides to send down a whole fleet to tear down all of Dream Land.''']]

* Scare Tactics. From the numerous horror movie references (including an homage to the shower scene from ''Film/{{Psycho}}''), the ghosts (like a plasma ghost that leaps at the camera, and a baby ghost with a [[NightmareFace seriously disturbed face]]) to a seemingly bleeding skull (it was [[LessDisturbingInContext red paint]], but still) to ''that clock room'', to a torture room (containing Dedede's apparent death, complete with more red paint) to the chaos of it all, and the fact that it's an elaborate death trap HauntedHouse that [[spoiler:Nightmare sent over without anyone knowing initially]]. In the end, the place burns down, thanks to a mishap with Fire Kirby.

* The fact that Kirby is essentially a ChildSoldier. It's said he's supposed to be in his infancy, and that he was woken up for active duty approximately two-hundred years too early. [[AdultFear Now add Meta Knight's reaction from the first episode when he sees him for the first time...]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aiMhQBJBuE The Night Mare Enterprises Theme]] from the original version is surprisingly terrifying and mysterious.

* Mumbies are mummified assassins that go around hunting and killing star warriors in the night. Not helping was the fact that its HypnoticEyes makes you too sleepy to escape or fight back. If it weren't for King Dedede's stupidity, Kirby might have been destroyed for real.

* The ending to the episode where Dedede has a cavity. Throughout the episode he summons a monster to get rid of the pain only for him to later ask Kirby to destroy it. The scene cuts to Dedede making horrified and crying noises before he gets his cavity taken care of. The episode ends with Dedede passing out while Kirby, Tiff and Escargoon are watching it getting removed. It's a lot more disturbing in the English dub.
--> '''Escargoon:''' His Majesty has had low points, but I don't think he's ever been ''this'' [[IncrediblyLamePun down in the mouth]].

* The episode "Sweet and Sour Puss", in which Dedede spends most of the episode under the influence of a monster that makes him never get angry. In actuality, the monster is storing all of his pent-up rage inside itself, and the fuller it gets the more...''[[StepfordSmiler off]]'' Dedede starts acting. However, none of the characters know this, and take the opportunity to pummel Dedede senseless with hammers. By the time the monster reaches a boiling point, the [[CranialEruption bumps on Dedede's head]] begin ''glowing'' and his eyes start flashing red. In a way, [[NothingIsScarier this build-up is even more terrifying]] than the RoaringRampageOfRevenge Dedede has immediately after.
--> '''Dedede:''' [[MadnessMantra That's okay, that's okay, that's okay, that's okay...]]

* And speaking of DemonicPossession, an earlier episode of the anime dipped its hat in (literally) with "[=eNeMeE Elementary=]". In it, we're introduced to the Teacher Creature, which usually takes the form of a scholar's cap and possesses anyone who wears it into becoming a SadistTeacher of the ninth degree. At one point, it even accidentally lands on ''[[OhCrap Tiff]]''. The headstrong girl who, at one point, shrugged off mind control with ThePowerOfLove, briefly becomes a victim of the cap's powers and attacks Kirby until Tuff knocks the cap off of her. Something this powerful was used for a ''school-based episode?''
* "Cartoon Buffoon" is a BreatherEpisode with a lot of meta-jokes and funny moments, but there's a bit of RealismInducedHorror in how Dedede cracks his staff to work overtime, considering how some animators (or companies in general) often force their employees to work overtime and even stay in the office overnight, which happens here too. Bookem even points out it violates union law.
-> '''Dedede:''' [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem "I'm in charge here, Copper, and what I say goes! NOW GET BUSY!"]]
** [[NightmareRetardant Granted, the final product of all this horrid management veers right back into hilarious.]]
* The fact that Kirby is essentially a ChildSoldier. It's said he's supposed to be in his infancy, and that he was woken up for active duty approximately two-hundred years too early. [[AdultFear Now add Meta Knight's reaction from the first episode when he sees him for the first time...]]

* Anytime [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPmfSq8xxlQ this song]] plays in the original version is sure to give you chills and make you dread, especially considering that it often plays whenever bad things happen. It's even titled "Watch out, Kirby!" on the official soundtrack, and for good reason. A commenter even said that the beginning of the tune almost sounds like something out of VideoGame/ResidentEvil2.
* The first part of the two-parter "Prediction Predicament" starts off with King Dedede having a nightmare about a giant flaming monster with fangs chasing after him that looks strikingly like Kirby, which causes him to think Kirby himself is trying to burn him up. Just the imagination of Kirby being huge, ablaze, and fanged and chasing after you with the psychotic intent of burning you to ashes in your dreams is absolutely terrifying. And don't even get us started on the NightmareFace made by said monster, complete with a SlasherSmile...
* Tiff almost getting crushed by the Dedede Stone. Partly because it's one of the few times King Dedede actually attempts to '''[[WouldHurtAChild murder]]''' her, [[NotSoHarmlessVillain which took a lot of people used to his usual antics by surprise]]. Including our heroes, as Kirby looks on with an "OhCrap" JawDrop and Tuff [[ICantLookGesture covers his eyes as the monster tries to crush her]]. If it wasn't for [[BigDamnHeroes Meta Knight]], she would have been squished for sure.
* The Waddle Dees rebelling in "Hunger Strikes". In addition to [[NightmareFace something so cute turning chillingly unnerving]], they show no mercy as they attack everything and everyone from their BadBoss to even Tiff, Tuff and Kirby ([[MisplacedRetribution who never even had a hand in starving them in the first place]]). It shows how ''fed up'' they are with what King Dedede is putting them through and [[BewareTheQuietOnes that they will not stand for this]].
-->'''Escargoon:''' ''(as the Waddle Dees are chasing him and Dedede)'' I've heard of hunger strikes before, but this is ''ridiculous''!