Hey, so I never shared my favorite Kongs. I wanted to do it a while earlier, but now things are slow I wanna share.
1) Diddy Kong. For the longest he was my most beloved of all the DK characters. If you asked me who my favorite video game characters of all time were, I'd name Crash Bandicoot, Diddy Kong and Rayman as my top 3. I loved playing as Diddy whenever I could; he was MUCH cooler and far more fun to play as than DK, who came off as a slow, boring character in comparison. He just had a charm about him that was really cool to me, then he had a really fun racing game that I loved much more than Mario Kart. When he got the popguns and jetpack in '64, he became even more fascinating. Using his tail as a whip and all his mannerisms was so creative to me, and when he migrated to the Mario spinoffs I was SO happy. When given the chance, I would pair Diddy with Bowser Jr, another favorite character of mine. When he showed up in Brawl I lost my mind; I seriously couldn't contain my excitement as I saw him on the Dojo. Diddy's been my main ever since 2008. It was hard adjusting to Diddy after moving on from Dr. Mario, but it was worth it to learn his ins and outs.
I enjoyed the teamwork angle he and DK had, especially in Retro's games. Of course, he got upstaged in Tropical Freeze, and while I do enjoy playing as Dixie and Cranky more, I always have a soft spot for Diddy.
2) Dixie Kong. I have less childhood attachment to Dixie as she's not in as many games as Diddy, but the moment I played as her in DKC2 I thought she was an amazing Kong. She helped me bypass so many obstacles in the games that I pushed Diddy to the side very much like I did to DK when given the choice between him and Diddy. Call me fickle but the DKC games are hard; the other Kongs came off as basic. They weaved through hazards with little more than dexterity, but Dixie had a superpower. That hair didn't seem like hair, it seemed to have more agency than looking pretty. Attacking with it was interesting, but floating with it was cool, and grabbing/throwing with it was mind-blowing! Not even Rayman and Tails could do that. She also had some nuanced charm like the other Kongs, and they were all individual details. She looked like Diddy, but only in a basic sense. It wasn't the same lack of effort they put between Funky (who I love don't get me wrong) and DK; there was enough distinction in Dixie and Diddy's looks that she didn't feel like Diddy in drag. And while she does look like Diddy, she didn't feel or play like him. Even back then she seemed like her own character. Tough but adorable, girly but not wimpy and honestly more fun than Diddy.
While I tried to balance my helper Kong usage in Tropical Freeze, Dixie was the best option and had more charm than before. I was very happy to see her return and what Retro would do with her.
Then of course, we move onto Smash Bros. Most of us know her speculation history: overshadowed by the Kroc and treated as an afterthought reskin with many justifications. Donkey Kong is my favorite Nintendo series, and I'm very attached to the 3 main Kongs. I can envision a bunch of cool stuff each of them can do and I'm well aware of what makes them standout from eachother, so when the idea of Dixie sharing her man's moveset comes up I'm highly opposed. There's tons of things you can do to have someone with prehensile hair stand out, especially if you treat it like an extra limb, and I don't wanna see Dixie get in and squander that potential. When it comes to SSB, I noticed Dixie got shafted, which is why I put 90-some-odd percent of my efforts into showing that she has a lot going for her. Part of it was out of pity, but it felt like she wasn't getting the recognition she deserved. Up til recently she was a bona-fide underdog.
3) DK. So, when I was 4 I played DKC. I gravitated to Diddy immediately but DK was just there. He was the Kong that I had to use when I accidentally got Diddy killed. Whenever I could switch to Diddy I did with no regrets whatsoever. DK always seemed kinda boring to me. He was portrayed as a big slow ape most of the time, and while DK64 started to make him slightly cool it was still hampered by his new broken English, slapping as a main attack, and overall goofiness. He was the "Hero" which in gaming always means the most basic, beginner-friendly bland character when you have a roster of diverse characters. It didn't help that he felt really unfun in Smash 64 and Melee either. Whenever I saw DK, I'd ask where's Diddy and pretend he didn't exist.
Then Brawl debuted, and DK started to seem tough. Silly at times but he made it clear that he's a gorilla, which meant all the things that came with being one. DK was actually fun to play as in that game; not my main but I had some good fights with him. I was starting to warm up to him, then I got my hands on Jungle Beat for the Wii and man...DK was an absolute BADASS! Such a wild, no-nonsense adrenaline junkie who managed to keep his goofiness in the best possible ways. He didn't feel or look like an oaf anymore, and even in Punch Out Wii they illustrated his wild and crazy side well. Playing as Little Mac made me realize how big and intimidating it would be to fight DK in the ring. He acted silly at first, but piss him off and he'd be throwing combos left and right that I couldn't keep up with. To this day I still haven't beaten him, but the way he jumps around so erratically for someone his size was an eye opener. I really began to appreciate DK in the mid-to-late 2000's, thanks to Brawl, Jungle Beat and Punch Out Wii.
Then, Returns was announced and again, I howled with excitement. A new DKC game that I never thought would come, and the Kong I started to love was the main focus. Returns gave DK and Diddy so much nuance, and the spotlight they put on Donkey made me really appreciate him and his agility. He didn't have that amazing soundwave attack anymore, but he still had his Jungle Beat silliness and action-packed edge, along with his Rareware laid-back feel AND his classic Nintendo stubbornness. I really cherished DK and felt like he, Diddy and I were adventuring together. It also helped that Returns was a well-made game, and Tropical Freeze was far better.
By this point, the 3 hero Kongs were like close friends to me. I was genuinely happy to see DKCTF open with DK celebrating his birthday. I legit would've made him a present if I could, which is why the Snowmads messing up his home made me genuinely angry. It became clear to me that this is my most beloved Nintendo series, and the 3 main Kongs are like lifelong friends of mine. I'm just so attached to each of them, and now I actually like playing as DK in Mario spinoffs.
4) Cranky. Thanks to Tropical Freeze, I now know he can back up his scathing words. Personally IRL and in games I don't like those who are all talk. If you're gonna say bold things you better be bold enough to be as good as you claim, so when Cranky proved it my respect skyrocketed for him. I know that he's DK's grandpappy, but I like the idea of him being his dad, and so that's my headcanon along with Bowser having 8 kids. Cranky's got clever dialogue and always some tricks up his sleeve. I think he's a very fun addition to any game he's in, and if he takes a more active role from now on, i'm definitely down for it.
5) Lanky. Forget the memes, I thought Lanky was so fascinating back in the day. Really goofy, but that was his charm, and his elasticity brings so many possibilities for a Platformer, a fighter, anything TBH. He should return for a DKC.
Honorable Mentions: Funky, Tiny, Chunky, and just for the ghostly aspect, Wrinkly.
SeashoreWar
for the phenomenal art here lately! It's so beautiful and is certainly a blessing to this community!
Even though I still feel Dixie, Toad, and Bandana Dee (arguably) are definitely the last Nintendo All-Stars not playable in Smash yet. But I agree with
BirthNote
that we should keep it. Dixie doesn't bow down to Kremlings!
