Ever since his debut in 1981,Donkey Konghas been one of Nintendo’s most beloved characters. Originally an arch-nemesis toMarioin his first ever video game, he would later star in his own spin-off, 1994’sDonkey Kong Country. These games would introduce players to other members of his family as well as their enemies, the crocodile-inspired Kremlins led by the evil K. Rool.
Thirty years after the release of the original Donkey Kong Country, several of these characters are still around, appearing not only in Donkey Kong video games, but crossing over into Mario spin-off titles and theSuper Smash Bros. series. While dozens of characters have been introduced over the years, only a few stand out as the very best.
First Appearance
Donkey Kong Country (1994)
Candy Kong was introduced in the original Donkey Kong Country game as a love interest for DK. Despite his crush on her, she has repeatedly indicated that she isn’t ready to commit to a full relationship with him. Still, she serves as a motivating presence for our ape hero. In the first game, players who encountered her were given the option to save their game. In most of her subsequent appearances, Candy is seen either operating stores or hosting mini-games.
Candy is also a prominent character in the Donkey Kong Country cartoon. She has been redesigned to look more tomboyish than her game counterpart, and is bossier and more short-tempered than before, meaning this incarnation of the character isn’t particularly well-regarded by many.
At first glance, Funky Kong may look like a joke character, but he actually proves to be a very useful ally to the Kong crew. While he may be a laid-back surfer at heart, he is also a very skilled mechanic, often providing you with very useful weapons and transportation. His Funky’s Flights services from the Donkey Kong Country games allow Kongs to return to worlds they have previously visited, and in Donkey Kong 64, he sells weapons to the characters.
Outside his home series,he has also occasionally joined forces with Mario and friends. He made hisMario Kartdebut in Mario Kart Wii and would make his return nearly a decade later for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a DLC racer. He also appears in Mario Super Sluggers as an unlockable character.
First Apperance
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Quest (1995)
The Donkey Kong series got its first female playable character in 1995 when Dixie Kong was introduced in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Quest. The girlfriend of Diddy Kong, Dixie is more than just a gender-swapped version of the chimp sidekick. Her unique power comes from her blonde ponytail, which she can use both as a weapon to strike opponents with and as a way to fly in the air.
In 1996, Dixie would get her first starring role in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! In the game, Dixie and her companion Kiddy Kong rescue Donkey and Diddy Kong after the two go missing. After being relegated to mostly minor roles afterward, she would return as a playable character in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
First Appearance (as Cranky Kong)
Believe it or not, the Donkey Kong that fans all know and love is a different character from the one from the 1981 arcade game. Rather, the original DK was the character now known as Cranky Kong. His first appearance in his new persona came in Donkey Kong Country, where he would serve as the wise but grumpy mentor to the main characters.
Following the Wii-era series revival, Cranky would have a more prominent role than in the SNES titles. In Donkey Kong Country Returns, he would sell items to Donkey and Diddy Kong through his shop. His most notable appearance would come in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, where he would be playable for the first time ever.
The arch-nemesis of Donkey Kong, K. Rool is the leader of the Kremlings, a gang of crocodile-like thugs who constantly terrorize the Kong family, usually in pursuit of their prized banana supply. After debuting in the original Donkey Kong Country as King K. Rool, the next two games would introduce the alter egos of Kaptain K. Rool and Baron K. Roolenstein. The sequels would also up the stakes, as K. Rool would start to kidnap members of the Kong family to hold them hostage for the banana supply.
In Donkey Kong 64, he would return to his original persona, and is now determined to destroy all of Donkey Kong Island. After that game, however, he would be relegated mostly to spin-off games in both the DK and Mario series. His most notable appearance since his heyday came in 2018, when he was added as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
When Donkey Kong got his own series of video games starting in 1994, Nintendo and Rare decided to give him a pint-sized sidekick in the form of Diddy Kong, who would play a similar role to DK as Luigi has to Mario. Diddy has been a franchise staple ever since, with Donkey Kong Country 2 making him the protagonist for the first time and Donkey Kong 64 introducing signature abilities like the Peanut Popguns and Rocketbarrel Boost. Shortly afterward, he would get his own spin-off title on the Nintendo 64 called Diddy Kong Racing.
Diddy would make his Mario Kart debut in Mario Kart: Double Dash for the GameCube, and would return for Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. In 2008, he became the second playable Donkey Kong character in a Super Smash Bros. game with his debut in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and has appeared in every game since then.
First Appearance (as Donkey Kong)
Originally known as Donkey Kong Jr., this character would go on to inherit the Donkey Kong mantle from Cranky Kong in Donkey Kong Country. Since then, DK has become one of Nintendo’s most iconic mascots, starring in over a dozen games of his own, and regularly appearing in the Mario and Super Smash Bros. series, having been with the latter ever since its debut in 1999.
Outside the main Donkey Kong Country series and Donkey Kong 64, other notable games starring the ape include the Donkey Konga series, which are bongo-based rhythm games for the GameCube, andMario vs. Donkey Kong, a series of puzzle games inspired by the original Donkey Kong. In the Super Mario Bros. Movie, DK was voiced by comic actor Seth Rogen.
