From new characters to old ones, these Kongs help brighten up the Switch 2’s library in Donkey Kong Bananza.
Donkey Kong Bananza is a fresh start for Donkey Kong. It isn’t a spinoff of the Donkey Kong Country games, and it isn’t a sequel to Donkey Kong 64. That said, there are plenty of callbacks to both of those games, including cameos from other Kongs beyond Donkey Kong himself.
There are new Kongs in the game too, who appear as villains, which is something new for the series. Overall, players may want to know who appears in Donkey Kong Bananza and how well they are implemented. All the Kongs in Donkey Kong Bananza will be ranked according to how well they are used and how much of an impact they have on the story and gameplay. 7
Kong Elder
There are five mystical Elders in Donkey Kong Bananza who grant DK special transformation abilities. The first one, Kong Elder, gives DK the Kong Bananza form, which turns him into a massive ape who can destroy almost anything with ease. Players need Bananergy to transform, which they can get by collecting Gold throughout the underground world.
These transformations make Donkey Kong Bananza better, and Kong Elder is the only ape-like being of the bunch. Technically, he’s not a Kong, but he is an ape, so it’s worth including him here anyway, as he is a cool character if only for a very limited time. The game doesn’t go into Kong Elder’s origins much, and Nintendo will probably never answer any questions regarding them, but it’s best to cover all the bases. 6
Cranky Kong
Technically, Cranky Kong first appeared in 1981 as the titular Donkey Kong in the original Donkey Kong arcade game. After that, he was known as Cranky Kong, the grandfather of the version of Donkey Kong who appeared in Donkey Kong Country. Cranky Kong typically has a supporting role in these games, except for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which made him playable.
