Kirby: Right Back At Ya! (which is known as Kirby of the Stars in Japan) is an anime based on Nintendo’s Kirby franchise. However, this series has no direct connection to the game timeline; the anime series is usually seen as an “alternate universe.” The anime was produced by Warpstar Inc., and was directed by Soji Yoshikawa. The one hundred episodes produced of Kirby aired on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co. Ltd. from October 6, 2001 through September 27, 2003. 4Kids Entertainment holds the U.S. licensing rights for the Kirby anime.

The anime opens with Kirby crash landing in Dream Land, which is located on the planet Pop Star. Kirby turns out to be a legendary star warrior destined to save the planet from destruction by the Nightmare, the series’ main antagonist. King Dedede, the greedy ruler of Dream Land, orders monsters from Nightmare’s company, which he uses to attack Kirby and the people of Dream Land. Kirby is able to use his abilities to inhale and copy an enemy’s power to save the day.

Kirby has a couple of friends who help him out during his adventures. Tiff is the daughter of Dream Land’s Cabinet Minister. She’s intelligent for her age, and has an interest in the environment. However, Tiff is also bad-tempered and tends to speak her mind on things. However, Tiff has a mother/child or brother/sister relationship with Kirby. Tuff is Tiff’s younger brother, who can be quite the troublemaker, even when he’s trying to help.

King Dedede is greedy and scheming, and likes buying new “toys.” He has a tendency to act like a spoiled child, and is jealous of the attention that Kirby gets. Escargoon, an anthropomorphic snail, has worked for King Dedede for many years (as an assistant and as a punching bag). While Escargoon tends to go along with King Dedede’s plans, he can actually be a nice guy at heart who follows along in order to get Dedede’s approval. Sir Meta Knight works for King Dedede, and it turns out he’s also a Star Warrior. He carries a sacred sword called Galaxia. Sir Meta Knight acts as a kind of mentor for Kirby, but only when he absolutely has to.

Nightmare is the President of Nightmare Enterprises, and he thrives on suffering. He creates monsters that he sells through his company. Nightmare also uses his arms to bring himself more power and to try and conquer the universe. Customer Service is the public face of Nightmare Enterprises, and he handles the company’s sales and advertising. He can be quite sarcastic, and enjoys finding ways to make things difficult for King Dedede.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya! contains a lot of satire and parody. This can include homages to old movies, or references to pop culture, politics, and news events. The anime is slow paced and is primarily light hearted. However, there are some darker themes that run throughout the series. Personally, I would recommend Kirby: Right Back at Ya! to anime viewers who are five or six years of age and older.