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 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. will be ranked according to how well they are used and how much of an impact they have on the story and gameplay.

There are five mystical Elders in Donkey Kong Bananza who grant DK special transformation abilities. The first one, , 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.

Technically, 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.

That was his greatest adventure, but in Donkey Kong Bananza, he just rambles on about old stories and then gives DK a Banandium Gem at the end. It is nice that Cranky Kong is accompanied by Rambi, though, one of the mounts from Donkey Kong Country.

first appeared as DK’s partner in Donkey Kong Country. , Diddy’s best gal pal, appeared in the sequel, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, which made Diddy the star. The two are inseparable, as seen in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, so it made sense to pair them up in Donkey Kong Bananza.

They will challenge DK to a race in the Racing Layer, and that’s pretty much it for their contributions to the game. If there were more races, then maybe they would have ranked higher, but Diddy and Dixie Kong are only marginally better utilized than Cranky Kong. Dixie also mentions Candy Kong, DK’s girlfriend who first appeared in Donkey Kong Country, but she never makes an appearance in Donkey Kong Bananza.

is a new character in Donkey Kong Bananza and one of Void Kong’s subordinates within Void Company. She’s a company spy who uses potions to turn herself invisible, which is a cool power. Unfortunately, compared to the other new villainous Kongs, Poppy doesn’t get to fight DK as often.

She’s more of a behind-the-scenes sort of corporate ninja, which is cool on paper, but less cool in practice. Plus, she does become an ally later on who helps break DK out of jail. She would make for a great lead character in a Sly Cooper-like spinoff with stealth, platforming, and ninja action, but in Donkey Kong Bananza, she's very middle-of-the-pack.

is the head of Void Company and the primary villain for most of Donkey Kong Bananza. It’s kind of telling that he is evil, but not smart, as everything he uses is due to Grumpy Kong’s ingenuity, from his remote control to his flying banana. His speech patterns and costume make him look like he belongs in a Yakuza game.

Void Kong is a bit of a try-hard who gets what’s coming to him in the end. He is fun to hate on, though, like a Saturday Morning Cartoon villain, so in that way, he’s a good addition to the Donkey Kong franchise as a whole. In the end, his whereabouts are unknown, so he could return to seek revenge in a sequel or DLC.

is another new Kong in Donkey Kong Bananza who works for Void Kong. He is the technician for Void Company who designed almost every random enemy and boss that players will face. True to his name, Grumpy is not a happy camper, but he does love his work, and he will clash with DK multiple times.

Even though he isn’t the head of Void Company, his mechanical abilities are top-notch, which makes him a bigger threat to DK. Like Poppy, Grumpy also eventually becomes an ally, but his reappearance only happens in the post-game.

Donkey Kong Bananza is the reboot needed on many levels. His strength is better showcased, as he never truly got to be a powerhouse in any of his previous games, from Donkey Kong Country to Donkey Kong 64. Smashing walls in an open-world game has never felt this good before.

Even though he can’t talk, DK’s expressions are fantastic and thoroughly convey how the big ape is feeling. He’s not all muscle, though, as his partnership with Pauline is sweet and a big part of what makes the game sing. Hopefully, DK won’t have to wait this long to be the star of his own video game again.