With regard to the seriousness of K. Rool, I think you can interpret it different ways, depending on the game. Overall, though, I object to the idea that, just because "it's a game about cartoon monkeys," it must lack any depth. That Rare occasionally had more serious tones in their DKCs (especially 2) made them way more memorable to me than they would have been if their games were just "Wacky Jungle Adventure 496." Honestly, the reason detractors and sites like IGN badmouth DKC is probably partly because they see the series as such a game, rather than digging deeper. In essence, they were cartoony platformers with atmosphere and storyline under the surface if you dig deeper.
K. Rool's leadership and actions fall under that...on the surface, he's a goofy crocodile who steals bananas, but, for starters, did he do it to starve the Kongs? What else was he doing to DK beyond the three seconds of cannonball torture during the rest of DKC2? Why do the Kremlings all have missing limbs and scars in DKC2? It's not some intricate masterpiece, but it's still deeper and more purposeful characterization than it's credited for.
I'm also glad to see them acknowledged Iwata's passing, since this was apparently a project in his vision, you're a caring company, Nintendo. <3
