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

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

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'?

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

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

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

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

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