Nintendo wouldn’t exist today were it not for Donkey Kong. The main antagonist of the arcade classic of the same name, Donkey Kong was Jumpman’s first rival before Mario began trading blows with King Koopa. It wouldn’t be until Donkey Kong Jr. where Nintendo would introduce a playable Kong and Donkey Kong Country when Rare would introduce the modern Donkey Kong who the franchise now anchors itself to.
Since then, there have been multiple playable Kongs throughout the series. The Donkey Kong franchise is filled with a surprisingly rich roster of playable characters, where every Kong is designed to play differently.
10 Donkey Kong Jr. (Donkey Kong Jr.)
Donkey Kong Jr. is the son of the original Donkey Kong and the protagonist of the arcade sequel, Donkey Kong Jr. After his father is imprisoned by Mario, Jr. does everything he can to save dear old dad. Donkey Kong Jr. is a rather perplexing figure when it comes down to it.
For years, it was unclear if he was the same Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong Country. He also represented the franchise in a few of strange instances– notably beating the regular Donkey Kong out of the roster for Super Mario Kart.
9 Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
The Donkey Kong most fans are familiar with originated in Rareware’s Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo. Actually the third Kong of his name, Donkey Kong III is the son of Donkey Kong Jr. and the grandson of Cranky Kong.
Unlike his predecessor Donkeys, Donkey Kong III has held firm onto his spot as top banana and doesn’t look to be loosening his grip anytime soon. Considering he wasn’t replaced in the series’ revival with Donkey Kong Country Returns, he’s here to stay.
8 Diddy Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
The Luigi to Donkey Kong’s Mario and perhaps the most popular character in the franchise, Diddy Kong was introduced alongside Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country. Where Donkey Kong was a heavy & large character, Diddy was swift and agile.
Diddy Kong would actually go on to become the main character of the sequel, Diddy’s Kong Quest. After Donkey Kong is kidnapped, Diddy has no choice but to team up with Dixie Kong in order to save his best friend from captivity at the hands of the Kremlings.
7 Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong Country 2)
Diddy Kong’s girlfriend, Dixie filled the role of sidekick while Diddy Kong became the lead for Donkey Kong Country 2. Following the sequel, however, Diddy Kong would be kidnapped alongside Donkey Kong, leaving Dixie to save the day in the final Donkey Kong Country game: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble.
Dixie is arguably the best character in the original trilogy. Not only is she as agile as Diddy Kong, she can hover mid-air with her ponytail– a skill that’s extremely useful for platforming in Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3’s later stages.
6 Kiddy Kong (Donkey Kong Country 3)
Dixie Kong’s baby cousin, Kiddy Kong accompanies Dixie throughout Donkey Kong Country 3. Although a toddler, Kiddy Kong is ferociously powerful and more or less fulfills the same role Donkey Kong did in the original Donkey Kong Country. While he’s a hard character to like, Kiddy does play well.
That said, this lack of popularity has resulted in Kiddy being MIA as of Donkey Kong Country 3. It’s not likely many fans miss the character, though. He really is just “baby Donkey Kong” when it comes down to it.
5 Tiny Kong (Donkey Kong 64)
One of five playable Kongs in Donkey Kong Country 64, Tiny Kong is Dixie’s sister and more or less plays how Dixie would have if she were included in the game. While Tiny was introduced as an incredibly small Kong in her first appearance, she hit a growth spurt right after and has consistently been depicted as taller than Dixie since.
It’s not as if Tiny Kong has had much of a presence in the series since Donkey Kong 64, though. Like the other Kongs introduced in the game, they more or less faded into the background and have yet to return in any meaningful capacity (and likely won’t.)
4 Lanky Kong (Donkey Kong 64)
Another of Donkey Kong 64’s five playable Kongs, Lanky is by far the oddest of the bunch. He doesn’t seem to have any relation to the Kong family, but he’s clearly a member of the clan. Lanky’s play style is a bit odd as well, but that’s a criticism that can apply to Donkey Kong 64 on a whole.
The main problem with Donkey Kong 64’s large playable roster is a lack of personality. While every Kong is certainly colorful, they lack the same attachment players had to the Country characters– in large part because shuffling between two characters is far more intimate than five.
3 Chunky Kong (Donkey Kong 64)
With all that said, if there’s one new Kong that Donkey Kong 64 does justice, it’s Chunky Kong. Kiddy Kong’s older brother, Chunky might be the strongest Kong in the series. A cowardly lion-esque character, Funky is the last Kong players fight King K. Rool as in Donkey Kong 64.
Chunky feels like the real star of the show, more so than Tiny or Lanky. Since then, however, he hasn’t been seen at all. Unlike Tiny and Lanky who have made minor appearances, Chunky has seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth.
2 Cranky Kong (Tropical Freeze)
Cranky Kong was the original Donkey Kong that appeared in the arcades, but he didn’t become a playable character until Tropical Freeze, the sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns. Cranky doesn’t play too poorly either, completely distinct from his grandson.
One does have to wonder if Cranky will become a mainstay playable character for the series, though. While it’s novel tossing him back into the action, said novelty would wear off if his presence became a matter of fact. After all, part of the Country trilogy’s charm is how it juggles the main cast between games.
1 Funky Kong (Tropical Freeze)
Funky Mode was the highly controversial mode added into Tropical Freeze’s Switch port. A glorified easy mode, Funky Mode allowed for players to blast through the game’s levels as Funky Kong– a cool Kong who can make his way past most platforming challenges with next to no effort.
It’s important to keep in mind that Funky Mode is optional, though. While it is a shame that a fan favorite character is overpowered to the point of being dull for platforming veterans, his presence as a playable character is still appreciated.