King Dedede was the former ruler of Dream Land, until one of its civilians, Kirby, went on a killing spree, which resulted in the nation being sent into poverty. Unable to save Dream Land, King Dedede left his nation behind and went to the Mushroom Kingdom, where he became one of the four mafia dons plagueing it. However, unlike the other three, he was a pacifist, and preferred not to cause any bloodshed. Eventually, during the Butcher's Reign, King Dedede was mutilated and killed, being the second of the mafia dons to die.