List of Donkey Kong characters

Donkey Kong[lower-alpha 1] is a series of video games published by Nintendo and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981. The series mainly consists of two genres: single-screen platform/action puzzle games featuring the gorilla Donkey Kong as the main antagonist, and side-scrolling platform games where Donkey Kong and his clan of other apes are the protagonists and player characters who usually battle the crocodilian villain King K. Rool. Additional spin-off titles of various genres have also been released.

From left to right: Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Dixie Kong, Funky Kong, Cranky Kong, Wrinkly Kong and Swanky Kong.

Kongs

Kongs[1] are a group of various primates that live on the Donkey Kong Island. The Kong Family[2][3] (also known as the Kong Klan[4] and the DK Crew[5]) is a group led by Donkey Kong comprising his family and friends. They have numerous non-Kong allies who appear throughout the series, and are commonly antagonised by the Kremling Krew, who steal their valuables (and sometimes kidnap members of the Kong Family) to further their nefarious goals.[6][7][8]

Donkey Kong

Main article: Donkey Kong (character)

Donkey Kong, also known as DK or D. Kong, is a male gorilla, the main protagonist of the Donkey Kong franchise and the leader of the DK crew. Donkey Kong first appears in the arcade game Donkey Kong. However, the modern incarnation of the character introduced in Donkey Kong Country is revealed to be a new character, the grandson of the arcade original character.[9][10]

Donkey Kong Jr.

For the video game of the same name, see Donkey Kong Jr.

Donkey Kong Jr.,[lower-alpha 2] also known as DK Jr. or simply Junior, is the protagonist of the 1982 arcade game of the same name and the son of the original Donkey Kong. Junior wears a white singlet with a red letter "J" on it. His objective in the game is to save his father, who was locked by Mario in a cage. He returns in the 1994 Game Boy video game Donkey Kong, where he teams up with his father, who has kidnapped Pauline, against Mario. Junior also appeared as a playable character in Super Mario Kart, but he didn't return in any of the future installments, he also appeared in the Virtual Boy game Mario's Tennis, and as a hidden character in the Nintendo 64 version of the similarly named Mario Tennis. He also has his own educational video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System: Donkey Kong Jr. Math. Other appearances by Junior includes the Game & Watch games Donkey Kong Jr. (in wide-screen, tabletop and panorama versions) and Donkey Kong II, as well as the Game & Watch Gallery series compilations for Game Boy. He also appears as the physical appearance of the transformed king of World 4 in the Super NES and Game Boy Advance versions of Super Mario Bros. 3. Donkey Kong Junior had his own segment in the first season of Saturday Supercade and was voiced by Frank Welker.[11] Like his father, he had his own cereal brand in the 1980s.

According to Rare, the developers of Donkey Kong Country, there are multiple Donkey Kongs, shortly before the release of Donkey Kong 64 in 1999, Leigh Loveday claimed that "as far as he knew", the modern one who appears in Donkey Kong Country onward is theoretically a grown-up version of Junior himself.[12] However, the Donkey Kong Country manual, Donkey Kong Land, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, stated that Cranky is the original Donkey Kong and is the grandfather of the game's titular character. More recently, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Gregg Mayles of Rare[13] have stated that the current Donkey Kong is the original Donkey Kong's grandson implying that Junior is actually the current Donkey Kong's father.[14]

The character Diddy Kong was going to be an updated version of Donkey Kong Junior. However, Nintendo did not like this idea, suggesting either to give him his old look or make him a new character. Rare chose the latter and Diddy Kong was made.[15]

Diddy Kong

Main article: Diddy Kong

Diddy Kong, also known as Diddy, is a young male monkey or spider monkey[16], the secondary main protagonist of the Donkey Kong franchise, Donkey Kong's sidekick and nephew.[17] His first appearance was Donkey Kong Country. In the game's storyline, Donkey Kong requested for him to protect their Banana Hoard overnight, while he takes a nap. While guarding the bananas, Diddy was captured by the Kremlings and sealed afterwards. When Donkey Kong heard the news, he set off on his adventure, freed Diddy, and they both confronted King K. Rool. The duo managed to defeat him, and recover their stolen bananas along the way.

In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong gets kidnapped by Kaptain K. Rool, and Diddy must team up with Dixie Kong to save him. After rescuing DK and defeating K. Rool, he retreats to his secret island, the Lost World. The Kongs defeat K. Rool a second time, and he gets stuck in Crocodile Isle's generator, which explodes. The Kongs escaped the island and witnessed its destruction.

Later on, both Diddy and DK get kidnapped in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, and the newly named Baron K. Roolenstein uses them as a power source for KAOS, a giant robot to spy on Dixie and Kiddy Kong's adventure in rescuing the apes. Diddy and Donkey Kong are eventually freed by Dixie and Kiddy.

Years after his defeat, King K. Rool returns in Donkey Kong 64; he gets his minions to imprison Donkey Kong's friends, with Diddy being one of them. He attempts to steal the Banana Hoard again. As soon as Diddy is freed from his imprisonment, he can collect red bananas, red coins, play his electric guitar, charge at foes or objects, fly in his barrel jet pack, and shoot peanuts from his guns.

Diddy Kong also appeared in Donkey Kong Country Returns, its 3DS remake and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. He is one of the main characters of the television series adaption. He has many roles in the Mario games, including basketball, kart racing and many more.

Cranky Kong

Cranky Kong[lower-alpha 3] is an elderly grumpy gorilla, known for his scathing, fourth wall-breaking commentary. Introduced in Donkey Kong Country, he has appeared in a number of Donkey Kong games, primarily as a reluctant adviser to Donkey Kong and his various simian pals (in game and in the instruction manuals), as well as running minigames and tutorials. He is currently voiced by Takashi Nagasako.[18]

The Donkey Kong Country instruction manual states that Cranky is the original Donkey Kong character featured in the 1981 arcade game.[9]

The current Donkey Kong (introduced in Donkey Kong Country) was initially described as his grandson, with Cranky having relinquished his name to him.[19][20] However, in Donkey Kong 64, Cranky directly refers to the current Donkey Kong as his son in their first conversation. This was reverted to the original grandson relationship in subsequent games such as the Game Boy Advance versions of Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Donkey Kong Country Returns.

As his name implies, Cranky is perpetually bitter about many things and complains about them to anyone who gives him even the slightest acknowledgment. He is mostly angry about the state of modern video games, once going so far as to complain about how many bits and bytes are used up to simply animate his swinging beard. Every time he sees any such thing he seems to fondly recall his heyday in which he was an 8-bit character with only three frames of animation.

In Donkey Kong Country on the Super NES, Cranky's main purpose was to distribute helpful hints about the game's many stages to Donkey Kong and his sidekick Diddy Kong whenever they dropped by his cabin. Donkey Kong Country 2 saw him play a similar role, although this time the player would have to provide enough banana coins to buy specific hints. In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! he was the player's opponent in a throwing mini game at Swanky's Sideshow; in the GBA versions of Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3, he hosted several minigames, and was briefly playable in one of them.

Donkey Kong 64 saw Cranky deal out potions that granted each of the five playable Kongs special abilities and could be purchased at Cranky's Lab. He also hosted the Jetpac game, and would let one to play it after earning 15 Banana Medals. Achieving 5,000 points in Jetpac earns the Rareware Coin, which was required to beat the game.

Cranky also made cameo appearances in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Jungle Japes stage, as well as appearing in Donkey Konga and its sequels. His most recent appearances have been dispensing tips in DK: King of Swing and DK: Jungle Climber, in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast where he served as a fully playable character for the first time (aside from the Dojo minigame of Donkey Kong Country 3's GBA port), and in Donkey Kong Country Returns and its 3DS remake, where he runs various shops that sell items and helps the player by giving hints and tips when they leave his shop.

In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Cranky becomes a playable character for the first time in a Donkey Kong platformer. His moveset is based around his cane.

Cranky was a regular on the Donkey Kong Country animated series. He was still as senile as in the games, but without his fourth wall-breaking comments. His cabin was where the Crystal Coconut, the mystical bauble that made DK the future ruler of Kongo Bongo Island (as DK Island was called on the show), was kept. Often, Cranky mixed potions, somewhat prefiguring his Donkey Kong 64 role. He was voiced by Aron Tager, and by Ryūsei Nakao in the Japanese dub of the TV series.[21]

Funky Kong

Funky Kong[lower-alpha 4] is a gorilla who usually supplies services to the Kongs such as allowing them to go back to worlds they have previously completed in the game. However, in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, he took on a different role as a vehicle merchant, allowing Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong to reach new areas of the game world. In Donkey Kong 64, Funky switched jobs yet again to become the ammunitions expert of the group, and his business seemed to suggest an army surplus store. He supplied various weapons and upgrades to the Kongs, and donned camouflage clothing, goggles and a large rocket on his back (which is revealed near the end of the game to contain a giant boot) in favor of his old board shorts and sunglasses. He took back on his "surfer" appearance in later games. He is also a playable character in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, as well as in multiplayer modes of DK: King of Swing and DK: Jungle Climber. He is currently voiced by Toshihide Tsuchiya.[22]

Funky was also a regular on the Donkey Kong Country cartoon, where he was voiced by Damon D'Oliveira. One difference is that the cartoon version of Funky had tan fur as opposed to the brown fur his video game counterpart had. He was also given a Jamaican accent. However, like his game counterpart, Funky is keen on surfing (he can be seen surfing in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest), and like in the first game, he runs his own airline service. He often talks about karma and is the best dancer on the island. Funky is obviously not fond of adventuring or fighting the Kremlings, nor is he keen on doing very much work; he often tries to take the easier way out of a situation, or just leave it up to DK and Diddy.

Funky also appears as an unlockable heavyweight character in Mario Kart Wii, his first appearance in a Mario game.

His next appearance in a Mario game was in Mario Super Sluggers for the Wii, where he was a playable character along with the other Donkey Kong characters. Funky uses his surfboard as a bat in the game.

Funky resurfaces in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as the keeper of the Fly and Buy shops, thus taking over the role of shopkeeper from Cranky Kong, who instead becomes a playable character. In the Nintendo Switch enhanced port of Tropical Freeze, Funky also serves as a playable character, headlining the eponymous "Funky Mode" exclusive to that port. In Funky Mode, characters can play as Funky Kong, who has extra health and other perks such as double-jumping or standing on spikes without taking damage. Players can still switch back to traditional Donkey Kong and back to Funky again while playing in Funky Mode if they wish, but Donkey Kong and his partner will both have added health. A save file cannot be changed out of Funky Mode once it has been started.

Candy Kong

Candy Kong[lower-alpha 5] is a female humanoid primate and Donkey Kong's girlfriend who performs various services for the Kongs throughout the different games. Candy Kong first appeared in Donkey Kong Country providing save point stations throughout the game. Her second appearance was in Donkey Kong 64; in this game, she provided instruments for DK and company to use against the Kremlings and gives the Kong family more watermelons which increase the player's life. Candy was redesigned, now wearing headphones, a pink short-sleeve top, pink short shorts, and some sneakers.

She also makes a brief appearance in DK: King of Swing, and is seen cheering on the player characters. She wore a pink bikini top and short shorts, and her torso was redesigned (this appearance has remained in subsequent games). In the GBC and GBA remakes of Donkey Kong Country Candy runs challenges and a dance studio respectively. She also makes brief cameo appearances in the GBA remakes of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. She is currently voiced by Satsuki Tsuzumi.[23]

In the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 2 she appears as a model and assistant on Swanky Kong's quiz show, and she wore a purple dress.

She also made a brief appearance in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast in the mode Candy's Challenges and allowed the players to collect up to a total of 1,000 bananas and to win the tracks in first place. She, along with Swanky Kong are the only two Kongs who have yet to become playable. She was going to be one of the playable characters and replacing Redneck Kong in Diddy Kong Pilot, but that game became cancelled after Microsoft Game Studios bought Rare from Nintendo.

Candy was also a regular on the Donkey Kong Country animated series as well. She was voiced by Joy Tanner. However, in the series, she looked completely different from the pink-clad blonde seen in the games. Also, on the show, she worked at the barrel factory run by Bluster Kong, her boss. This version of Candy also showed off a very quick temper to match her fiery red hair.

In 2007, Games.net ranked Candy Kong #2 on their list of "Top Ten Disturbingly Sexual Game Characters".[24]

Dixie Kong

Dixie Kong[lower-alpha 6] is a young female chimp[25] or monkey[26] with a prehensile ponytail. She is Diddy Kong's girlfriend. Her first appearance is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest as Diddy Kong's sidekick and girlfriend. Dixie later made the starring role of Donkey Kong Country 3, subtitled Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, with Kiddy Kong as her sidekick. She is currently voiced by Kahoru Sasajima.[27]

While she did not return in Donkey Kong 64, her sister, Tiny Kong, served as her replacement. Her next playable appearance was in Donkey Konga 2 on the Nintendo GameCube, a bongo rhythm game. She appeared once again in the Japan only Donkey Konga 3.

She is also a playable character in Diddy Kong Racing DS, DK: Jungle Climber, and Mario Hoops 3-on-3 for the Nintendo DS, DK: King of Swing for the Game Boy Advance, Mario Superstar Baseball for the Nintendo GameCube, Mario Super Sluggers and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast for the Wii, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch, and Mario Kart Tour for mobile phones.

Dixie appears in the Donkey Kong Country TV series. Provided voiceover by actress Louise Vallance.

Wrinkly Kong

Wrinkly Kong[lower-alpha 7] is an elderly gorilla, and the wife of Cranky Kong. Wrinkly first appeared in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for the Super NES, where she ran Kong Kollege. She gave the player advice and allowed the player to save his or her game. She appeared again in Donkey Kong Land 2, and again in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. This time, she resided in 'Wrinkly's Save Cave', where the player could both save their game and deposit Banana Birds, which were found throughout the game. This concept remained sans birds in Donkey Kong Land III, where she resided in 'Wrinkly's Refuge'. In the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country 3, Wrinkly was portrayed as a spiritual follower of the Banana Birds. She is currently voiced by Miho Yamada.[28]

Wrinkly next appeared in Donkey Kong 64. She had apparently died at some point after Donkey Kong Country 3 as she is now a ghost. Every world lobby in the game, with the exception of Hideout Helm, featured five doors with Wrinkly's face on them; each door presented a hint for the level that applied to the Kong that corresponded to the door color (yellow for Donkey Kong, red for Diddy Kong, blue for Lanky Kong, purple for Tiny Kong, and green for Chunky Kong). When the player begins meeting her in Donkey Kong 64, she says, "Don't be afraid of me, young ones! It's only me, Wrinkly Kong," and then she gives the player advice on how to win a Golden Banana on the corresponding level.

Her first playable appearance was in DK: King of Swing and would later return for DK: Jungle Climber, and as an unlockable character in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. She also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Swanky Kong

Swanky Kong[lower-alpha 8] is a Kong entrepreneur. He first appears as the game show hosts a TV show called "Swanky's Bonus Bonanza" in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest in which Diddy and Dixie must answer questions about the game correctly to win extra lives. The questions would range from easy ones such as enemies and worlds featured in the game to more difficult ones such as objects in the background of levels.

After Crocodile Isle was destroyed in Donkey Kong Country 2, Swanky ran "Swanky's Sideshow" in the Northern Kremisphere of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. Swanky would give Bear Coins and Banana Bunches as a reward for winning, or a fraction of each as a consolation prize for losing. In Donkey Kong Country 2, he wears a blue oversized jacket and had an afro hair style. In Donkey Kong Country 3, he wears a white long-sleeved shirt, a gold vest, a bowler hat, black pants, black and white shoes, and had a diamond-topped cane.

In the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country 2, Swanky's role remained the same except that he now has Candy as his assistant. Upon completing all of his quizzes, Swanky will reward the player with a photo of himself to add to the scrapbook. In the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3, Swanky sported his Donkey Kong Country 2 look and now runs "Swanky's Dash", a virtual reality game where stars are collected as Dixie (as Kiddy is too young to play). If enough stars are collected, Swanky will give the player Bear Coins, Banana Bunches, and Extra Life Balloons. Swanky Kong has yet to appear in other games and become playable along with Candy Kong. His relationship to the Kong Family is currently unknown.

Kiddy Kong

Kiddy Kong, known as Dinky Kong[lower-alpha 9] in Japan,[29] is a large baby primate that was introduced in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! as Dixie's sidekick and three year old toddler cousin[30] as well as the younger brother of Chunky Kong. Their mission was to solve a series of mysteries in the Northern Kremisphere and find their missing friends Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.

Kiddy Kong was also playable in Donkey Kong Land III where he joins Dixie in her quest to prove herself worthy by finding the fabled Lost World before DK, Diddy, and the Kremlings. He did not appear in Donkey Kong 64, but was mentioned in the manual as being the baby brother of Chunky Kong. He was slated to appear in Donkey Kong Racing before it was cancelled and so far has yet to appear in any games since then. His abilities included water skipping, being able to roll farther to make longer than average jumps, and throwing Dixie high out of normal jump reach, with Dixie being able to throw him and guide his fall to break platforms and unveil hidden secrets.

Kiddy appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in Dixie Kong's upgraded spirit. He, however, does not have his own spirit.

Tiny Kong

Tiny Kong[lower-alpha 10] is a young, female chimpanzee from the Donkey Kong games who first appeared in Donkey Kong 64. She has blonde hair with pigtails. She is Dixie Kong's younger sister and is a cousin to Chunky Kong and Kiddy Kong, as stated in the manual for Donkey Kong 64. She is currently voiced by Kahoru Sasajima.[31]

In Donkey Kong 64, her clothing was a beanie hat, blue overalls, a white T-Shirt, and white shoes. She was freed by Diddy Kong in the 'Angry Aztec' level in the building near Candy's Music Shop. Her weapon is the Feather Crossbow, her instrument is the 'Saxophone Slam', the Potion enables her for 'Mini-Monkey', 'Pony-Tail Twirl', and 'Monkey-Port'. She can shrink when she jumps into her special barrel, allowing her access to areas other Kongs cannot go. She can do a helicopter-spin, equivalent to Dixie's, to slow down her descent. And she can teleport virtually anywhere when standing on a blue pad.

Tiny was one of the confirmed characters in Donkey Kong Racing for the Nintendo GameCube with Donkey Kong, Diddy, Kiddy, and Taj the Genie, but the game was canceled as Microsoft purchased Rare in September 2002.

She makes a cameo appearance in the Game Boy Advance ports of the Super NES games Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. In Donkey Kong Country 2, Diddy, Dixie, or both must rescue her from the Zingers in a mini-game called Kongnapped and the objective is to rescue six of her in order to win. In Donkey Kong Country 3, she appears in one of Funky's Motorboat challenges. These two games are the only games where she is not a playable character.

In her spin-off debut, Diddy Kong Racing DS, she seems to have grown more mature, making her both taller and more physically developed than her older sister, Dixie. Her clothing now consists of a beanie hat, sweat pants, a midriff revealing spaghetti-strap top, sandals and fur wristbands, as well as earrings that she did not wear in the previous games. She is one of the first eight playable characters. Her acceleration and handling are slightly below average, and she has a medium top speed.

In Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, Tiny is one of the Kongs in this game. It is the first game on the Wii she appears in. It is also the second racing game for her character. She is one of the unlockable characters in this game. She was unlocked by completing Sapphire Mode on a Rookie Setting as one of the Kongs.

Tiny Kong also appears as a playable character in Mario Super Sluggers, this was also Tiny Kong's debut in the Mario franchise.[32]

She later makes a cameo appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a Spirit, using her artwork from Donkey Kong 64, the first time she has done so since the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3.

Lanky Kong

Lanky Kong[lower-alpha 11] is a goofy orangutan who is a distant cousin to the Kong family. Lanky's first appearance was in Donkey Kong 64 as one of the game's five playable Kongs. He was freed by Donkey Kong in the 'Angry Aztec' level in the Llama's Temple. His weapon is the 'Grape Shooter', his instrument is the 'Trombone Tremor', and the potion enables him to do 'OrangStand', walking on his hands to climb steep slopes. 'Baboon Balloon' allows him to inflate himself to reach higher areas, and 'OrangSprint' allows him to run really fast on his hands. In the level, 'Gloomy Galleon', he can transform into Enguarde the Swordfish when he enters the Enguarde Crate. Lanky Kong is known for his lack of style or grace, as well as his goofy-looking face.[33] He is currently voice by Kentaro Tone.[34]

Lanky appears in his spin-off debut, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast as one the unlockable characters.

In Donkey Kong Country, enemy orangutans known as Manky Kong appeared, but it is unknown if they have any relation to Lanky.

Lanky Kong makes cameo appearances as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, as well as a collectible Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Chunky Kong

Chunky Kong[lower-alpha 12] is a large yet ironically very young simian weighing 2,000 lbs and is one of the playable Kongs in the game Donkey Kong 64. Chunky is the older brother of Kiddy Kong and cousin of Dixie Kong and Tiny Kong. He was freed by Lanky in the level Frantic Factory. Before he was freed, he indicates that he does not like heights. Despite his brawny build, he acts somewhat cowardly, childish and lacks some intelligence indicated by him speaking in third person and Broken English. He also seems slower on the ball than the other characters. During the attract mode to Donkey Kong 64, all the Kongs are displayed and their abilities are shown in the manner of a hip hop video. Chunky Kong is dressed in a flare-legged disco outfit with an afro hairstyle, but immediately realizes this is out of style (or out of place for rap) and runs off, immediately returning, wearing more appropriate clothes. One example of Chunky's fears is in the "character select screen spotlight" where he panics and asks the player to choose his more mature cousin Tiny. His weapon is the 'Pineapple Launcher', his instrument is the 'Triangle Trample', and the potion enables him to do 'Hunky Chunky', turning gigantic, 'Primate Punch', unleashing a very powerful punch which can smash down some doors and walls, and 'Gorilla-Gone', turning temporarily invisible. He can carry boulders and other heavy items that the other Kongs cannot carry. It was Chunky, with a combination of the 'Hunky Chunky' and 'Primate Punch' abilities, who defeated K.Rool in the last boxing match in Donkey Kong 64.

He appears as a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He also made a brief cameo appearance in the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 3 in the third challenge of Funky's Rentals, where he was one of the Kongs that he had to be rescued from the Kremlings' kidnapping threat, along with other characters such as Candy, Tiny and Cranky Kong.

In Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, his weapon called the 'Pineapple Launcher' is an item that can be obtained in an item balloon and follows the player ahead of him until it hits them.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he appears as a Spirit, using his artwork from Donkey Kong 64.

Humans

Mario

Main article: Mario

Mario[lower-alpha 13], originally known as Jumpman[lower-alpha 14], appeared as the player character in Donkey Kong. He was the antagonist in Donkey Kong Jr., and further appeared in Donkey Kong Hockey and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.

Pauline

Pauline[lower-alpha 15], originally known as Lady[lower-alpha 16], is the damsel in distress from the original Donkey Kong,[35] as well as the 1994 Game Boy game of the same name.[36] She also appeared in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart Tour. Pauline was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and other developers for the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. She is the earliest example of a female with a speaking role in a video game, and is cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress in fiction.[37][38][39]

Stanley

Stanley[lower-alpha 17], sometimes called Stanley the Bugman, is the protagonist of Donkey Kong 3. Stanley has only made one other prominent appearance as the protagonist of the Game & Watch game Greenhouse, in which he sprays worms attacking his plants. Greenhouse was re-released in Game & Watch Gallery 3, but the Modern Version stars Yoshi instead. Stanley also appears in Donkey Kong 3 microgames in both WarioWare: Twisted! and WarioWare: Touched! and a trophy of him can be obtained in the game Super Smash Bros. Melee. He also appeared in the Saturday Supercade cartoon.

Kremlings

Kremlings[lower-alpha 18] are a villainous group of crocodilian raiders and various other animals that are ruled by King K. Rool and antagonize the Kongs on a regular basis. They make their home on the Crocodile Isle, They come in many sizes, varieties and colors, and with many of the crocodilian enemies being anthropomorphic. Many of their names begin with the letter "K", with the exception of Skidda from Donkey Kong Country 3. In the first Donkey Kong Country, the Kremlings wore military attire, but with the sequel, they switched their gear to pirate-themed ones. In the third game, many of them are seen with no clothing of any sort.

The Kremling Krew is the name used for K. Rool's entire army, which not only consist of the Kremlings, but also of many different animal species (birds, mammals, insects, fish, other reptiles, etc.) on their side. Several machines and ghosts seem to be included in the Kremling Krew as well. Many of these enemies also appeared in Donkey Kong 64 and are playable in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast.

While almost all the Kremlings are enemies of the Kongs, one exception is K. Lumsy, who opens up levels for the Kongs in Donkey Kong 64.

The Kremlings were originally conceived for a game called Jonny Blastoff and the Kremling Armada, an unreleased point & click adventure game that predated Donkey Kong Country.[40]

King K. Rool

Main article: King K. Rool

King K. Rool is a hot-tempered, authoritarian and baleful green Kremling who was the main antagonist of many Donkey Kong games and has been Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's archenemy ever since his creation during the era of Rare development. The despotic king of Kremlings and master of Kremling Krew, he constantly antagonizes the Kongs, referring to them as "filthy apes," "monkey brains," and "ludicrous lemurs" as well as frequently robbing Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. His most distinguishing features are the tic in his left eye, his red cape, his gold crown and wrist bands, and his yellow belly (originally the golden front armor[41]) with an outie navel, his tail seems to change size or disappear completely between appearances. While overweight, K. Rool has huge muscles in his arms and he has proven to have enormous brute strength that matches (perhaps surpasses) both Donkey Kong and Chunky Kong in power. Additionally, according to the Japanese localization, K. Lumsy is his younger brother.[42]

While K. Rool's crown-and-cape look has been his default appearance since Donkey Kong Country, he takes on alternate disguises and personalities to battle the Kongs in other games.

• He is the pirate Kaptain K. Rool who kidnaps Donkey Kong and imprisoned him in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
• He later takes the alias of the mad scientist Baron K. Roolenstein who tries to take over the Northern Kremisphere in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. While doing so, he creates a distraction of a machine called KAOS to observe the Kongs' progress throughout the game.
• He becomes King "Krusha" K. Rool in Donkey Kong 64. This game also features Gloomy Galleon, which features a sunken ship bearing pictures of his previous alias, Kaptain K. Rool. It is unknown whether or not this is 'Gangplank Galleon', the ship in Donkey Kong Country 2.

In the TV series, he appears as a king and often feuds with Kaptain Skurvy (who is based on the Kremling enemy Kannon). Besides the Kritters and Klap Traps, King K. Rool's henchmen are Klump and Krusha. He is portrayed as somewhat pompous with a stereotypical English dialect.

He was voiced by Chris Sutherland in Donkey Kong 64, Benedict Campbell in the Donkey Kong Country TV show, Jūrōta Kosugi in the Japanese adaptation of the show, and currently by Toshihide Tsuchiya in the video games.[43] His name is a pun on the word cruel.

K. Rool also appeared in Mario Super Sluggers (his first appearance in a Mario game) as an unlockable character along with DK, Diddy, and Funky, as well as one of his Kritters. He uses his magical sceptre as a bat.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, K. Rool appeared as a collectible trophy. A Mii Fighter costume based on K. Rool's design appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as downloadable content. K. Rool made his long-awaited debut as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Klump

Klumps[lower-alpha 19] are large, rotund members of the Kremling Krew and appear as King K. Rool's second-in-command in various Donkey Kong games.[44][45] Leading the Kremling Krew army in Donkey Kong Country, a Klump is ordered by K. Rool to steal the Banana Hoard from underneath Donkey Kong's Treehouse, which was being protected by Diddy Kong. After Klump knocks out Diddy with his "enormous bulk," he instructs the Kremlings to stuff Diddy in a barrel and take off with the bananas.[46][47] Klump's main outfit is a green military helmet with three yellow chevrons, a green belt with five pockets, and black boots with white shoelaces. Due to their helmets, they are invincible to Diddy's jump; however, Diddy can defeat them with his cartwheel attack, or by throwing a barrel at them. Unlike Diddy, all of DK's attacks can defeat them in a single hit.

According to the manual for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, the Klumps appear as their pirate alter-ego Kannon.[48] In this game, they wear earrings, a large belt, pirate boots, black eye patch and a large black hat with a human skull and crossbones. They are armed with a cannon that allows them shoot barrels and "Kannonballs" (forward or downward). Without their helmets, Klumps are now vulnerable to Diddy and Dixie Kong's attacks.

In Donkey Kong 64, Klumps reappear and are depicted as much larger enemies with a pink coloration. Their army belt pockets also face the sides instead of the front. They attack by throwing green unripe Orange Grenades at the Kongs, and the only way to defeat them is by using a shock-wave attack or by throwing an Orange Grenade of their own. When defeated, they give out a salute and fall over. In the game's introduction sequence, a Klump is ordered by King K. Rool to distract Donkey Kong by stealing the Golden Bananas and kidnapping the Kong Family so that K. Rool can repair his Blast-O-Matic weapon.

A single Klump appears as a playable character in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. Klump now wears a bucket on his head, and has a brown skin coloration. He shares stats with his rival Lanky Kong. Klump was slated to appear as a playable character in another racing game, Diddy Kong Pilot, which later became Banjo Pilot after Rare was acquired by Microsoft.

In the Donkey Kong Country television series, Klump serves as King K. Rool's second-in-command and is referred to as General Klump. Originally depicted with a tough military-man like exterior, Klump actually has quite the soft side to his personality, as seen by him befriending Dixie Kong in the episode "Klump's Lumps." His skin color is also different compared to the games, with him sporting varying shades of green between seasons. He was voiced by Adrian Truss, and by Keiichi Sonobe in the Japanese dub.

Krusha

Krushas[lower-alpha 20] are blue Kremlings known for their supreme super-strength. Due to their strength, only Donkey Kong can defeat them in the original game and in Donkey Kong Land. They appear in the sequel in pirate gear as Krunchas. Like the previous game, they cannot be defeated with regular attacks, attempting to attack them will result in Krusha becoming enraged and red, they can only be defeated with an animal friend, a crate, a barrel or with Diddy and Dixie teaming-up. Krunchas also appear unchanged in Donkey Kong Country 2's pseudo-sequel Donkey Kong Land 2. Krushas do not appear in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, however, similar enemies known as Krumples appear in their place.

Krusha appears as a secret playable multiplayer character in Donkey Kong 64. He has an Oranges Gun, and he has a sliding ability, similar to Tiny Kong. Similar enemies known as Kasplats appear in the main game. While Krusha doesn't appear in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, a similar blue skinned character by the name Kludge does appear. In the US version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Krunchas and Krumples are mentioned in Kludge's trophy description.

In the TV series, a singular Krusha appears as one of King K. Rool's henchmen. He alongside Klump are considered the show's villainous comic relief. He was voiced by Len Carlson in the show.

Kritter

Kritters[lower-alpha 21] are common enemies in the Donkey Kong franchise and are the main foot soldiers of the Kremling Krew. In the first Donkey Kong Country game, they are usually seen either walking or jumping, Kritters known as Krashes appear riding minecarts in the eponymous minecart stages, as their name suggests, they are hazards that try to crash into the player.

As with most of the Kremlings in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Kritters were dressed as pirates and are outfitted with peg legs. Those who walk are named Klomp and have one peg, while the jumpers are named Kaboing and have two. The Kritters in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! appear to be genetically altered; the walkers named Kobble have extra muscles added, while the jumpers named Re-Koil actually bounce on their spring-loaded tails.

A single leather jacket wearing Kritter known as Krunch appears as a playable character in Diddy Kong Racing. In Donkey Kong 64, Kritters are redesigned and appear sporting similar leather jackets to Krunch, as well as belt buckles with skulls on them. Two specific Kritters are seen piloting K.Rool's Mechanical Island, chasing after one of the Kongs, and serving as referees during the final battle. Krashes also reappeared in Donkey Kong 64, however they were redesigned to be much more muscular, as well as wield clubs to smack the Kongs with. Skeletal and robotic variants of Kritters also appear in Donkey Kong 64.

In DK: King of Swing, Kritters appear as enemies in the main game mode and as a playable character in the game's multiplayer mode. King of Swing would mark the debut of their current muscular design. Kritters appear mostly unchanged in the game's sequel, DK: Jungle Climber. A single Kritter appears as racer in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, sharing the same balanced stats as his rival Donkey Kong.

They would make their Mario franchise debut as spectators in Mario Power Tennis. In the Mario Strikers series, a Kritter serves as a goalie for each team. A Robo-Kritter serves as the goalie for a robotic team in Super Mario Strikers. In Mario Super Sluggers, Kritters appear as playable characters and members of the DK Wilds team.

Kritters appeared as trophies in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, as well as stickers in Brawl. They also appeared as enemies in the 3DS exclusive Smash Run mode, with Green Kritters attacking by biting three times in a row, while Blue Kritters attack by spinning around furiously with their claws.

They also appear in the Donkey Kong Country TV series as King K. Rool's henchmen. A recurring French accented Kritter by the name of Green Kroc appears in the TV series as one of Kaptain Skurvy's shipmates and is voiced by Len Carlson.

Klaptrap

Klaptraps[lower-alpha 22] or Klap Traps are recurring enemies in the Donkey Kong games. They closely resemble the enemy known as Snapjaw from the arcade game Donkey Kong Jr. They appear as small crocodiles with large mouths and come in a variety of colors, but most commonly blue. Similar enemies known as Klampons and Krimps appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! respectively.

Klaptraps would appear as stage hazards and as a collectable trophy in Super Smash Bros Melee, they would reprise their role as stage hazards in future games in the Super Smash Bros. series, as well as becoming Assist Trophies in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.[49] They would also appear as hazards and enemies in the certain Super Mario spin-offs, such as Mario Power Tennis, Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Party 7.[50]

Klaptraps also appear in the TV series, as well as a large Klaptrap known as Jr. Klap Trap or simply Jr. appears as a minor character in the TV series voiced by Ron Rubin.[51]

Other antagonists

Evil Kings

The Evil Kings are a group of villainous Kongs from Donkey Kong Jungle Beat who have invaded Donkey Kong's home turf.[52] The head of this group, Ghastly King, is a giant, shadowy Kong-like figure who serves as the ruler of the Fruit Kingdoms. It's implied that he put a spell on Dread Kong, Karate Kong, Ninja Kong, and Sumo Kong in order to defeat DK. DK must battle these antagonistic Kongs by using conventional fighting methods, like punching and kicking. After Ghastly King is defeated, DK becomes the new ruler of the Fruit Kingdoms where they accept his leadership and congratulate him. Aside from Ghastly King, all of the Evil Kings reappear in Donkey Kong Jungle Fever and Donkey Kong Banana Kingdom, the two medal games based on Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

Karate Kong and Ninja Kong appear as Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Their Spirits are represented by Ryu from the Street Fighter series and Donkey Kong, respectively.[53][54]

Tiki Tak Tribe

The Tiki Tak Tribe are a group of evil Tikis who are the antagonists in Donkey Kong Country Returns and its 3DS remake. The tribe is led by Tiki Tong, a gigantic Tiki with a wooden crown, red eyes, demonic horns, a large mouth, and a carved nose. The Tiki Tak Tribe use hypnosis-inducing music on the animals of Donkey Kong Island (namely elephants, giraffes, zebras, and squirrels) and steal Donkey Kong's bananas, forcing him to retrieve the hoard with the help of Diddy Kong. The Tiki Tak Tribe's hypnotic music does not work on DK or Diddy—presumably because they are more intelligent than ordinary wildlife. Before the final battle against Tiki Tong, it's revealed that the Tikis use bananas as an energy source; the Tiki leader generates a pair of hands by consuming bananas and spewing the juice onto his Tiki minions.[55]

Tiki Goons, the most common members of the Tiki Tak Tribe, make a cameo appearance in Mario Kart 7 on the track DK Jungle where they attack players and make them drop coins. They reappear in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, performing the same function. Several different Tikis appear as collectible trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, as well as a group 'Tiki Tak Tribe' Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Snowmads

The Snowmads are a group of arctic animals that are the main antagonists of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. They are a group of Vikings that have invaded Donkey Kong Island with the soldiers consisting of rabbits, snowy owls, penguins, and walruses. Most of the Snowmads wear horned helmets on their heads. Their invasion caused Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Cranky Kong to band together in order to reclaim Donkey Kong Island. Their name is a combination of the words snow and nomad. Lord Fredrik, the leader of the Snowmads, is a large obese anthropomorphic Walrus who uses his horn to freeze the entire island, including the volcano which the Snowmads use as their base.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, several members of the Snowmad army appear as collectible trophies. Additionally, Lord Fredrik appears as a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His Spirit is represented by King K. Rool.[56]

See also

• List of Mario franchise characters

Notes

1. Japanese: ドンキーコング Hepburn: Donkī Kongu
2. Japanese: ドンキーコングJR. Hepburn: Donkī Kongu Junia
3. Japanese: クランキーコング Hepburn: Kurankī Kongu
4. Japanese: ファンキーコング Hepburn: Fankī Kongu
5. Japanese: キャンディーコング Hepburn: Kyandī Kongu
6. Japanese: ディクシーコング Hepburn: Dikushī Kongu
7. Japanese: リンクリーコング Hepburn: Rinkurī Kongu
8. Japanese: スワンキーコング Hepburn: Suwankī Kongu
9. Japanese: ディンキーコング Hepburn: Dinkī Kongu
10. Japanese: タイニーコング Hepburn: Tainī Kongu
11. Japanese: ランキーコング Hepburn: Rankī Kongu
12. Japanese: チャンキーコング Hepburn: Chankī Kongu
13. Japanese: マリオ Hepburn: Mario
14. Japanese: ジャンプマン Hepburn: Janpuman
15. Japanese: ポリーン Hepburn: Porīn
16. Japanese: レディ Hepburn: Redi
17. Japanese: スタンリー Hepburn: Sutanrī
18. Japanese: クレムリン Hepburn: Kuremurin
19. Japanese: クランプ Hepburn: Kuranpu
20. Japanese: クラッシャ Hepburn: Kurassha
21. Japanese: クリッター Hepburn: Kurittā
22. Japanese: クラップトラップ Hepburn: Kurapputorappu

References

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3. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble Instruction Booklet, Nintendo, 1995, p. 14 (PDF)
4. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Player's Guide, Nintendo, 1996, p. 8
5. DK Rap singer: "He's the first member of theDon DK crew!" - Donkey Kong 64
6. Donkey Kong Country Instruction Booklet, Nintendo, 1994, p. 29 (PDF)
7. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Player's Guide, Nintendo, 1996, p. 13
8. http://oldgamemags.ukprintarchive.com/Nintendo%20Consoles/Nintendo%20Magazine%20System%20(UK)/NMS-UK-051.pdf/#page/22
9. "He groggily rolled over to see the familiar wrinkled, white-bearded, grouchy face of his old granddad "Cranky Kong" peering down at him. In his heyday, Cranky was the original Donkey Kong who battled Mario in several of his own games." - Donkey Kong Country instruction manual, pg. 6
10. "The king of swing, the thrilla gorilla, the prime primate; it's Donkey Kong! But this is not your father's Donkey Kong! Although he is a relative of the classic arcade character, Country's Donkey Kong is a totally new character, with a new look, new moves, and a new attitude." - Donkey Kong Country instruction manual
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