The Crystal Coconut

Among the various stock locations of the Donkey Kong Country television series, the most prominent is Cranky’s Cabin. The cabin serves as the home of the Crystal Coconut, and as such is surrounded by a maze of boardwalks laden with booby traps to prevent the schemes of King K. Rool.

This stage will be set in front of the cabin, the cabin’s door open so that the coconut will be on full display. The boardwalks making up the stage will be walk-offs and lined with the barrels used to set off the traps. Jumping on them will, well, set off the traps, which could be used to great effect in battle.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTGMS3jDxV0

Snowmad Fleet

Tropical Freeze introduced a fun new set of villains in the Snowmads, a horde of Viking warriors made up of arctic animals who travel the world, freezing every island they come to, making it more inhabitable for themselves.

This stage will represent the Snowmads and Tropical Freeze as a whole. It will be set on their fleet of longboats as they make their way slowly through the oceans, the fighters moving from boat to boat as they pass. Water will fill the bottom of the stage, but it will freeze solid intermittently, forming a floor.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_3SPM7VPSI

Rumble Falls

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat was a bit of a radical departure from the normal series structure, being one of the first game’s produced after the departure of Rareware. It made use of the bongo controllers and featured a bit more vertically-oriented levels.

Now, Rumble Falls was a stage in Brawl, but if I had my choice, I would eradicate all vertical-scrollers completely, especially ones as complicated as that one. That said, a vertical scroller would fit the game’s representation as well, so I’d prefer it be at least heavily simplified.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz73tJZDrlo

River Raft

Donkey Kong Country 3 had a fully distinct aesthetic to it from its predecessors, using a new engine and heavily altered graphics. The game likewise featured Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong getting around through the use of a large inflatable raft.

This stage will represent this game as a whole, setting the action on top of Dixie and Kiddy’s raft, sized up to accommodate the battle, as if drifts down the river, the locations and buildings of the Northern Kremisphere passing by in the distance.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mspjf4cACiY

Minecart Madness

Speaking of minecarts, one of the most memorable recurring level themes throughout the games are the minecart levels, where in Donkey and Diddy, or whoever you’re playing as, will pile into a cart and navigate a complex roller coaster ride of a course.

This stage will recreate one of those levels. It will take place entirely on a giant minecart with room enough for the fighters as it winds its way through a maze of tracks, often going over jumps and forcing fighters to move to new carts along the way.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2y12kv-n-o

K. Rool's Lair

The Donkey Kong Country television series saw a handful of core locations where most of the action took place. King K. Rool and his Kremling minions spent most of their time in a spacious cave in a cliffside, at a junction point for the minecart tracks.

As a stage, K. Rool’s Lair will recreate the inside of the lair, with a long, flat floor leading off either side. King K. Rool’s platform will rise up and down in the middle as its own platform, and minecarts will regularly speed in and out.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42ZiOfpILDo

Kongo Jungle

The single most common stage type in the Donkey Kong series is the very first one we ever see, a basic jungle level full of trees in the background, with barrels floating here and there to launch you to the next section of the path.

This type of level has been portrayed multiple times in the series so far, with Kongo Jungle of 64 and Kongo Falls and Jungle Japes of Melee all carrying some various aspects of it. I’d honestly be fine bringing back one of these or maybe an amalgam of their best parts.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j94t_nQJcLY

Kongo Bongos

For a stretch there in the mid-2000s, the Donkey Kong series produced a set of bongos that acted as controllers, producing a series of games to work with them, including an adventure game, a racing game, and a trilogy of musical games called Donkey Konga.

This stage will represent the Donkey Konga series, as well as the bongo controllers as a whole. The stage will be set on a pair of giant bongos, the two drums and the little connecter in the middle acting as the three platforms. Below the stage, a line of notes will pass by, the drums thumping with the respective notes and slightly bumping the players. These notes will damage the players if touched.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrYUsLvOl7s

King of Swing

The DK handheld games were odd ones. Based on the game Clu Clu Land, it featured a mechanic of moving Donkey and his pals by spinning around on floating pegs and launching them to the next section.

This stage will attempt to capture the feel of these two games. It will take place on a handful of stationary platforms as numerous pegged blocks float in the air around them. I would like for the characters to be able to grab the pegs, but I don’t know if that would interfere with gameplay or not.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRFYqVtTzZw

Jungle Hijinxs

Donkey Kong Country Returns breathed new life into the Donkey Kong series, Retro Studios giving it a new look and a new engine, complete with the distinction of having a foreground and background section of the level to play on.

Honestly, the Jungle Hijinxs stage that appeared in Smash for the Wii U is one of my favorite Donkey Kong stages and one I was disappointed to see not return for Ultimate. I would dare say, it was the best way to represent the game and I couldn’t improve on it if I tried.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Jk8SMLw3I

Greenhouse

Though often forgotten in the mix of history, Donkey Kong 3 completed the trilogy of the original Donkey Kong games and introduced a unique hero apart from Mario who could have gone on to his own great adventures.

The stage will recreate the layout of the original game, with the small stack of platforms for Stanley to move around on, his plants sitting on their edges, with hives hanging from the top that occasionally release bees to cause trouble for the fighters. Although this may be hypocritical after my critique of the Wrecking Crew stage, I’d kinda like to see it recreated in HD with a fully realized greenhouse in the background.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_KAPpH0boI

Gloomy Gulch

One common level-theme often brought up by those who talk about the game’s revolutionary graphics style is the underwater levels, large, winding mazes full of realistic images of coral and seaweed.

This stage will capture the spirit of these levels. Much like Cheep Cheep Lagoon, the stage will have a unique physics engine that will let the characters swim around a bit. The stage will take place on a large platform that will navigate its way through one of these levels as common underwater enemies swim through.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAPpVplHiDE

Gangplank Galleon

One of the most iconic locations, at least in regards to King K. Rool, is the pirate ship where his very first final battle takes place: the Gangplank Galleon, which would likewise open the sequel game, creating a sense of continuity.

The stage will be huge, with the long stretch of deck where Donkey and Diddy faced K. Rool in battle at the stage’s bottom, with a maze of rigging and masts above that characters can chase each other around.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjs1O_NBLmw

Funky's Flights

Throughout the series, Funky Kong has played the near constant role of running Funky’s Flights, using his big bi-plane made of barrels to transport our heroes back to previous levels that they might want to revisit.

The stage will function similar to the current Pilotwings, taking place entirely on the wings of Funky’s biplane as it takes off from his landing strip and moves from island to island, all based on various locations of the Donkey Kong series. Bluster Kong’s barrel copter will occasionally appear in the background.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8mgAP-tTF0

Frantic Factory

Just like the Super Mario Bros. series, Donkey Kong Country had its own fair share of recurring level themes. One of the most chaotic of these was the factory levels, full of moving platforms, living barrels that threw fire at you, and other moving parts and obstacles.

This stage will be hectic but fun. It will take place on two large platforms, one slightly higher than the other, with a line of vertically moving platforms on one side, a crushing piston coming down on the other, a living barrel in the center that will try to cause trouble, and a bouncy tire sticking out of the floor.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v18pEFQb3EM

Donkey Kong Jr.

If we include a stage for the original arcade game, we can’t forget about its nearly equally popular sequel either. I think the first and most memorable level of the game works best.

The stage will be set in the game’s first setting, a jungle-looking area with a sectioned ground floor parted by sections of water, and an upper section where Mario and Donkey Kong would normally stand. The vines might be usable in some way, but if not, I’d say they can just jostle with the fight going on around them.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmFgcIR5SsY

Donkey Kong

We can’t forget the original arcade game that started it all, 1981’s Donkey Kong. Most who know anything about gaming can easily recognize the various beams and ladders of the construction site where the struggle between Mario and Donkey Kong took place.

The third section of the game, 75m, is already a stage in Smash, but no offense to Mr. Sakurai, I feel that was the single worst of the game’s four levels to adapt to Smash. 25m, 50m, and 100m are all constructed way better to accommodate a Smash fight, so . . . take your pick.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKYUNtGrShc

DK Isle

Like many early 3D games, Donkey Kong 64 featured a large hub world from which the characters could explore and access the entrances to the game’s other worlds. For this game, it was the island itself, shaped to look like a giant Donkey Kong head, with King K. Rool’s broken down cannon floating nearby.

This stage will incorporate both the island and the Blast-o-Matic. The island will take up the bulk of it, platforms being comprised of the beach and some higher sections on the head, with the top of the cannon acting as another one. Water will surround the stage.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npuuTBlEb1U

Big City

1994’s Donkey Kong game for the Game Boy was a unique entry in the series, starting off as a mere remake of the original arcade game but then expanding into a full adventure of Mario chasing Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. all over the world to rescue Pauline.

This stage will be set in the first major world of the game following the end of the arcade portion, the city around the construction site and incorporating elements of the plane from the second world. It will be set on top of said plane as it sits on a landing strip before taking off and circling the city, showing sections that match levels from the game.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMHoLHDa_9U

Banana Temple

Probably initially inspired by the banana trip of DK: Jungle Climber, most recent Donkey Kong games tended to feature a dream bonus level that saw Donkey and Diddy frolicking around a temple full of giant bananas.

This stage represents the general idea of those levels. It will have one main platform in the middle, the altar of said temple, but golden bananas and other fruits will be perpetually floating through the stage, forming platforms whenever they come close enough.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxB18Jc1Er0

Donkey Kong Roster

And here's the Donkey Kong roster, with every character more tied to Donkey Kong than Mario, including the TV show characters. My question to you, as always, if this were a real roster for a real game, who are ya mainin'?

Lord Fredrik

At the forefront of this new invading army stood an imposing walrus draped in furs. Pulling out a giant horn, he blows into it with a mighty breath, producing forth a dragon made of ice that swirls around the island and freezes it whole, blowing Donkey Kong and his companions away.

This fearsome leader of the Snowmads is Lord Fredrik. He leads his forces from island to island, transforming each one into an environment more suitable for them and forcing the current inhabitants to flee. He fights against the Kongs using his massive size and the ice powers granted from his magic horn.

As a fighter, Fredrik is big and strong, but with a surprising amount of speed. His moves pull primarily from his boss battle, allowing him to throw his weight around as well as freeze anything that gets in his way.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause

Tucks

Donkey Kong Country Returns proved successful enough for Retro Studios to produce a sequel, considered by many to be one of the best games in the series. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze saw Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky celebrating Donkey Kong’s birthday, only for it to be interrupted by a fleet of Viking ships manned by hordes of arctic animals.

Most prominent of these were chubby little penguins called Tucks. Tucks were the basic troops of the Snowmads, wandering warriors spreading ice and snow wherever they went. Across the game, the Tucks proved quite versatile, making use of several weapons including swords, snowballs, and thrown fish.

As fighters, the Tucks are small and slow, but get good speed when they slide around on their bellies. Their moves pull from all across the game, utilizing the many tools their various versions used.

Likelihood rating: Never gonna happen

Tiki Tong

After a long period of uncertainty, Donkey Kong Country finally found new life under Retro Studios, who put together a brand new platformer game that proved a strong success. Rather than King K. Rool as the villain, however, the new game saw the island conquered by a race of ancient tikis, awakened by a volcanic eruption.

They are led by Tiki Tong, an ancient evil who had lain dormant on the island for years before his awakening. Together, he and his soldiers hypnotize all of the animals of the island into collecting all of the island’s bananas for Tong’s own consumption.

As a fighter, he will be floaty but powerful. His moveset will pull from his own personal boss battle at the start of the game, but will also incorporate the numerous tikis that act as his minions.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

Xananab

During this time, the Donkey Kong series also saw a couple of odd little handheld games heavily based on the old Nintendo game Clu Clu Land, that required the characters to move around by spinning on floating pegs and then launching themselves to the next one. That was weird enough, but then the second game in the series saw a plot where Donkey and Diddy teamed up with an alien banana from a planet of bananas who had come there in his banana ship only for King K. Rool to steal his magical banana and harness its magical banana powers.

This alien is Xananab, a rather unique oddity. My personal stance is he is the result of a bad trip on clearly banana-flavored drugs. Either way, apart from the unique mechanics of the games he comes from, he also helps the Kongs out by transporting them to a dimension of crystals and using strange alien magic.

As a fighter, he will be light and small, with not too much power physically. His moves will pull from the unique peg mechanics of the game, the powers demonstrated by his crystal banana, and his own unique powers.

Likelihood rating: Never gonna happen

Kalypso

Another game that made use of the bongo controllers was the racing game Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. Rather than cars, the characters raced each other with twin rockets, each rocket controlled by a different side of the bongos. The game featured a number of returning faces, with a few brand-new faces filling out the Kremling side of the roster.

The most memorable of these was Kalypso, a tall female Kremling with a bright purple afro. As the most unique new racer to the game, she works best as the game’s representative and embody its unique mechanics.

As a fighter, she will be fast and almost solely reliant on aerials, zipping around on her twin barrel rockets. Her moveset will pull from the game, including the various items available to the racers.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

The Evil Kings

With the start of the Game Cube era came some severe upheavals for the Donkey Kong franchise. Rare got bought out from under Nintendo by Microsoft, taking Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, and many of their other franchises with it. Donkey Kong managed to stick with Nintendo, but under new management less familiar with the property. During this time, the franchise leaned heavily into the bongos Donkey Kong frequently played, releasing a set of bongos that could act as limited controllers with several games produced to make use of them. One was an adventure game that pitted Donkey Kong, not against K. Rool, but a quartet of evil martial artist apes.

These were the Evil Kings: Dread Kong, Karate Kong, Ninja Kong, and Sumo Kong. We’re not sure what they’re evil plan was, except that they worked under a pair of more powerful villains: Cactus King and Ghastly King. They fought Donkey Kong in one-on-one showdowns, each pushing Donkey Kong to his limit.

As fighters in this hypothetical game, these four would act as the first four color swaps of each other. Their moves would pull from their own battles, but would also incorporate elements of the unique bongo-based gameplay that set it apart from the rest of the series.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

Metal Head

The Donkey Kong Country animated series did well enough to warrant a second season, though that season would only run half its length before being cancelled. During this season’s run, one of the most remembered episodes sees Donkey Kong accidentally switching brains with a robot Cranky had constructed to help Bluster.

I will be calling this robot Metal Head, named after the song Donkey Kong sings when he discovers his predicament. The robot was designed to build barrels, and throughout the episode, it demonstrates several abilities using its robotic body, including removing its own head.

In the game, Metal Head will be slow and heavy, a robot after all, with some decent strength behind it. Its moves will pull from the episode, both moves the robot demonstrates and moves Donkey Kong performs in its body.

Likelihood rating: Non-game

Chunky Kong

The fifth and final member of the DK Crew comes in the form of a huge, towering gorilla with immense strength, the older brother of Kiddy Kong and the cousin of Dixie and Tiny.

This is Chunky Kong, a gentle giant who serves as the sheer power-hitter of the team, able to smash through obstacles the others would have been stuck behind. Despite what a certain YouTube comedian might say, he is probably not dead, but has not appeared since Donkey Kong 64.

As a fighter, naturally he will be a bruiser, big and slow with massive amounts of strength behind him. His moves will likewise pull from his own abilities in game.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause

Lanky Kong

The third ally Donkey Kong manages to rescue is a distant cousin of the Kong family, with long stretchy arms and a malleable body that can shape itself however he needs it, with a strange personality to match.

This is Lanky Kong, an orangutan King K. Rool managed to capture as well. He served as the oddball of the group, having stretchy attributes that let him get to places and do things the others never could. He only appeared once more, in the racing game Barrel Blast.

As a fighter, he will have average stats across the board compared to his cousins, his skills relying more on his malleable body rather than any strength or speed. His moveset comes from his abilities within the game.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Tiny Kong

A few years into the Nintendo 64’s life, Rare finally produced a proper 3D game for the Donkey Kong series, in the same general style as their smash hits Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. This one saw King K. Rool menacing the island with a giant cannon capable of blowing the thing to smithereens and capturing all of the Kongs except Donkey. Donkey then had to travel around the island, fighting the Kremlings and freeing his allies, starting with Diddy, followed by a little Kong with pigtails.

This is Tiny Kong, the little sister of Dixie Kong who inherited her ability to fly by spinning her hair around. She was the smallest and most nimble of the party, capable of shrinking down to get into tiny spaces her allies couldn’t get too. She’d recur multiple times in the games, going through puberty at point and shooting up to a tall and shapely teenager, even though her older sister didn’t.

As a fighter, Tiny will be able to swap between her child and teenage self as part of her size changing mechanics, switching her stats around when she does so. Her moveset will pull partially from Dixie as well as her own abilities in Donkey Kong 64.

Likelihood rating: Good possibility

Kong Fu

Donkey Kong was predestined to be the guardian of the Crystal Coconut and the future ruler of the island, as spoken by the idol that created it himself. He has to be constantly on his toes though, as yearly, he is allowed to be challenged for the title by anyone who wishes to try. Though King K. Rool or Bluster Kong often put up little real challenge for him, he found himself nearly losing the title one year to a mysterious martial artist who stepped up to try.

This is Kong Fu, an Asian gorilla who came to the island to take the title of protector and future ruler for himself, allying himself with the Kremlings to do so. He bests Donkey Kong in both mental and physical challenges, only conceding the title in the end when Donkey chooses to show compassion and not take advantage of his crippling fear of the dark.

As a fighter, Kong Fu will have strong stats across the board, in speed, agility, and strength, though with weak defense as a means to try and reflect his one weakness. His moves will pull from his competition with Donkey Kong, and the boasts of the song he sings in his introduction.

Likelihood rating: Non-game

Eddie the Mean Old Yeti

While the Kongs and the Kremlings go back and forth throughout the series, their battles frequently take them up to the top of the icy mountain in the center of the island, where their presence incurs the wrath of a grumpy abominable snowman who doesn’t care for visitors.

This is Eddie the Mean Old Yeti, a hermit who lives alone in the mountain, frequently complicating the Kong and Kremling fights with a less-than-friendly third party. He’s not all bad though, and really just wants to be left alone.

As a fighter, Eddie will be among the strongest of the Donkey Kong fighters, lumbering along without a lot of speed and mobility. His moveset will pull from his various appearances and the actions he takes to get rid of his interlopers.

Likelihood rating: Non-game

Kaptain Skurvy

While King K. Rool and his minions Klump and Krusha act as the primary antagonists throughout the animated series, another band of villains would crop up from time to time, likewise seeking the power of the Crystal Coconut.

These villains are a band of pirates, led by Kaptain Skurvy, something of a stand-in for Kaptain K. Rool. He and his men: Polly Roger, Kutlass, and Green Kroc, would regularly attack the island in their pirate ship, attempting to get at the coconut he had discovered and lost so many years before.

In the game, his stats and attributes will be nearly identical to Klump, his long-lost little brother. His moves, however, will pull from the various aspects of both him and the tree members of his pirate crew.

Likelihood rating: Non-game

Baby Kong

While these games were being produced, the animated series got itself fully off the ground. One of the first episodes featured Donkey Kong accidentally ingesting a magical potion concocted by Cranky, turning himself into a baby.

This baby version of him is called Baby Kong. This . . . character model, at least, will appear one more time in the series, as a separate character Donkey Kong is babysitting, probably a stand-in for what was planned to be Kiddy Kong.

As a fighter, he will be light and small, but still with Donkey Kong’s sizable strength behind him. His moves will pull from his two episodes, the tantrums he throws and the trouble he gets himself into.

Likelihood rating: Non-game

Wizpig

Diddy Kong arrives on the island to find his friends on the run, being chased around by a giant pig wizard who had taken over the island and reshaped it in his own image.

This is Wizpig, an alien wizard who had come down to their island to use it as an extension of his interstellar amusement park. He would menace them multiple times throughout the game, racing them and battling them at least twice.

As a fighter, he will be sized-down a little, a la Ridley-style, but he will still be large and heavy, with powerful magical attacks rather than strong physical strength. His moves will pull from his two races and boss battles throughout the game.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

Timber

With the jump to 3D on the Nintendo 64 console, rather than immediately developing a 3D Donkey Kong adventure for the switch, Rare instead developed a racing game featuring Diddy Kong and a host of new original characters, some of whom would go on to their own spinoffs. The story centered around Diddy Kong being summoned to a distant island, where a bunch of his friends were being threatened by an evil wizard.

These friends included Timber the Tiger, Pipsy the Mouse, Tiptup the Turtle, Bumper the Badger, Drumstick the Rooster, Banjo the Bear, and Conker the Squirrel. The game was a racing game, so the characters spent all of their time in cars, or planes or boats, as they raced around courses using special items to help them get ahead.

As a fighter, the different color swaps will switch between Timber between Timber, Pipsy, Tiptup, Banjo, Drumstick, and Krunch the Kremling. Diddy, Banjo, and Conker could fill the other slots, though their status in other games complicates that. They will be fast, being Karts, and their moveset will pull from the items they use.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

Kiddy Kong

While the series was struggling a bit to get off the ground after its pilot, a third game was produced with a bit of a reworked engine and slightly lacking graphics after the first two games. The story starred Dixie Kong, setting out to rescue both Donkey and Diddy, accompanied by her baby cousin she was stuck babysitting.

This is Kiddy Kong, Dixie’s companion throughout the game. Kiddy is big and lumbering, with unbridled strength he hasn’t learned to manage yet, complementing Dixie’s floaty qualities. He wouldn’t prove very popular, and as such, wouldn’t appear again throughout the series.

As a fighter, he will be big and slow with a massive amount of strength behind him. His moves will pull exclusively from Donkey Kong Country 3, specifically anything unique to that game and his own personal abilities.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause

Bluster Kong

Both Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2 proved to be a huge success, and the French animation company Teletoon picked it up for an animated series using the same kind of 3D animation seen in Beast Wars and ReBoot. The series reworked the concept to center around a powerful mcguffin called the Crystal Coconut, which was Donkey Kong’s duty to protect. The series starred most of the main cast of the first game, with Dixie Kong coming in a little later. Candy Kong now had a job at a barrel-making factory, where she constantly dealt with the sexual advances of her boss.

This was Bluster Kong, a self-obsessed and egotistical ape and the son of the barrel factory’s owner. He spends his time on screen either harassing Candy or trying to compete with Donkey Kong and is generally an unlikeable presence in the series.

That said, across the series, he demonstrates moves pulling from the workings of his factory as well as the few times he stumbles into a power-up that lets him outshine Donkey Kong for a short time. He will be slow, with very little strength, but little bursts of power from various moves.

Likelihood rating: Non-game

Wrinkly Kong

Just like Candy and Funky in the first Donkey Kong Country game, Donkey Kong Country 2 likewise provided players with supporting Kongs who would help out in various ways. Most prominent of these was the introduction of Donkey’s grandmother, Cranky’s wife, who provided players with hints on how to move forward.

This is Wrinkly Kong, a sweet, elderly ape whose personality is entirely opposite from her husband’s. She will reappear again and again throughout the games, passing away of old age before Donkey Kong 64, but still lingering on as a ghost for many more games to come.

As a fighter, Wrinkly will appear in her ghostly form, making her floaty with good defense like all other ghost characters. Her moves will pull from her various supporting roles as well as from one of her rare playable appearances in DK: King of Swing.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause

Dixie Kong

The first Donkey Kong Country proved a rampant success and a major stepping stone in gaming’s journey on its way to the jump to 3D and more realistic graphics. A sequel was developed and released a year later, this time starring Diddy Kong as he and his girlfriend journeyed to rescue a captured Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool.

This girlfriend is Dixie Kong, a little chimp with a pink beret and a blonde ponytail she can spin at high speeds and use to fly. Over the course of their adventure, these two would work together to overcome any obstacle, Dixie becoming popular enough to take the lead in the later second sequel.

As a fighter, Dixie will be light and floaty as she was to complement Diddy’s speedier playstyle. Her moveset will pull from this game, its sequel, and her later appearances in games like Tropical Freeze.

Likelihood rating: Strong

King K. Rool

All the Kremlings defeated, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong make their way onto the deck of the Kremling ship, the Gangplank Galleon and face off with their leader, a large rotund Kremling wearing a red cape and a golden crown upon his head.

This is King K. Rool, the primary villain of the Donkey Kong series and king of the Kremling crew. He will crop up time and time again, sometimes in new guises such as Kaptain K. Rool and Baron K. Roolenstein. Sadly though, he seems to have dropped off the map a bit in favor of new villains.

As a fighter, he will be both strong and fast, with good defense thanks to his ironclad belly. His moveset will pull from all of his various boss battles throughout the game, both as King K. Rool and his two alter egos.

Likelihood rating: Already in

Krusha

Toward the end of their adventure, as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong close in on King K. Rool and his gang, the big guns start coming out to play. Most prominent among them is a huge musclebound Kremling wearing camo gear who resists nearly all of the Kongs’ attacks.

This is a Krusha, the bruisers of the Kremling Krew that require specific conditions to defeat. Like the Klumps, one Krusha plays a role in the animated series, as the big dumb muscle of the trio who proves on many occasions to be kind of a big sweetheart.

As a fighter, the Krushas will be almost exclusively focused on strength with decent defense to back it up. Their moves will pull from all of the larger and stronger Kremlings of the series, as well as the one Krusha’s role in the TV series.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Funky Kong

Saving isn’t the only quality-of-life option the game provides you with. Most levels will also have a spot called Funky’s Flights, where players can board a plane made out of wood to fly back to a previous world they want to revisit, run by a cool Kong wearing shades and carrying a surfboard.

This is Funky Kong, one of the more popular characters of the Donkey Kong series. He would go on to be a supporting character in nearly all later games and in the television series, even becoming playable once or twice in games like Tropical Freeze and the Mario Kart series.

As a fighter, he will be fast and strong like Donkey Kong, though a bit more laidback in both of these stats. He will have great defense and good aerials as well, mirroring his easy mode in Tropical Freeze. His moveset will pull from his playable appearances as well as the support he provides here and there.

Likelihood rating: Strong

Candy Kong

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong fight long and hard to fight through the Kremlings and get back their bananas, but sometimes they will need to take a rest. If the player needs to, each world provides a save point their can visit, where a tall, busty ape in a bathing suit will save their progress.

This is Candy Kong, Donkey Kong’s voluptuous girlfriend who would appear in supporting roles time and time again throughout the series, though for some reason, never in a playable appearance. The television series would expand on her, however, making her an active player in their adventures.

As a fighter, Candy will not have too much in the way of strength or skill, likely due to sitting out a lot of the Kongs’ adventures. Her moveset will pull a little from the support she gives in the games, but even more so from her role in the television series.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Klump

As Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong head out on their adventure to reclaim their stolen bananas, they encounter numerous enemies, including Kritters and other Kremlings. Toward the end of their first level though, they encounter a large Kremling with a big belly, stronger and more durable than the regular Kritters.

These are the Klumps, the heavyset generals of King K. Rool’s forces. They would crop up time and time again among the Kremling forces, often as a serious threat and often as comic relief. One single Klump would play a role in the animated series as King K. Rool’s right hand man, a not-too-bright but surprisingly deep character.

As a fighter, Klumps will be big and slow, with a lot of power and a lot of defense. Their moveset will pull from a number of the larger Kremlings and those resembling the Klump subspecies, as well as the character’s moves within the television series.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Kritter

Diddy Kong does his best to guard the banana horde, but soon, he finds himself accosted by a gang of crocodile soldiers who grab him, stuff him in a barrel, and make off with the fruit, leaving behind only an empty cave for Donkey Kong to discover later.

These crocodile soldiers are Kritters, the main basic members of the Kremling race and the grunts of King K. Rool’s army. Across the series, Kremlings come in many shapes and sizes, including several who seem to be merely Kritters with specialized weapons.

As fighters, the Kritters will be comparable to Donkey Kong in strength and speed, often acting as his rivals in non-adventure games. Their moveset will pull from all across the Kremling race, at least those bearing a distinct resemblance to them.

Likelihood rating: Good possibility

Diddy Kong

The story opens late one night as Donkey Kong leads his little buddy, a small monkey in a red hat, to his banana horde, charging him to guard it and protect it at all costs.

This little monkey is Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong’s best friend and constant sidekick throughout the series. He acts as the player 2 of this game, acting as a lighter, more agile counterpart to Donkey Kong’s muscle. He would go on to lead in the game’s sequel and maintain a constant presence throughout the rest of the series.

As a fighter, Diddy Kong will be light and agile, with good speed but not a lot of power behind him. His moves will pull from most of his major appearances, including this game, the game’s sequel, and Donkey Kong 64.

Likelihood rating: Already in

Cranky Kong

For a while, the Donkey Kong franchise remained not quite dormant but stagnant, largely only seeing re-releases of the old arcade games on new systems while the Mario series got bigger and bigger. That was until Rare came along and completely overhauled the series, setting it in the jungle and effectively breaking it free of the Mario series. The first game would open on an elderly ape in a rocking chair, letting the player know this wasn’t your grandpa’s Donkey Kong.

This old ape was Cranky Kong, the grandfather of the new Donkey Kong and the original ape from the arcade games. He’d apparently retired in the years since his battles with Mario, and now spent his time talking about “kids these days” and how much better he is than them, effectively setting up the plot of the new games by challenging Donkey to go on an adventure of his own. He would appear throughout the series, mostly in supporting roles, but would get his chance to shine again in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

As a fighter, he will be slower and weaker than Donkey Kong, having let himself go a bit in his old age. His moveset will pull both from the old arcade games he took part in, as well as his abilities in Tropical Freeze and the various ways he helps Donkey Kong throughout the series.

Likelihood rating: Good possibility

Stanley the Bugman

At the same time Mario was branching off into his own games, Donkey Kong also saw a third sequel. This time, he found a new enemy in an exterminator working in a greenhouse trying to stop him from disturbing the delicate plants and beehives inside.

This is Stanley, Stanley the Bugman. He would only really appear in this one game, though he would have an appearance in one episode of Saturday Supercade as a scientist developing a super-plant.

As a fighter, Stanley will be quick and nimble, but otherwise about the same attribute-wise as Mario. He will use his spray can of pesticide as his main weapon and his moveset will pull from his entire game as well as his appearance in Saturday Supercade.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause