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King K. Rool

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King K. Rool
Donkey Kong character
File:King K. Rool Smash Ultimate.png
First appearanceDonkey Kong Country (1994)
Created byGregg Mayles
Designed bySteve Mayles
Mark Stevenson (scientist)[1]
Voiced by
Information
SpeciesKremling
OriginCrocodile Isle[2][3]

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King K. Rool (Japanese: キングクルール, Hepburn: Kingu Kurūru) is a fictional anthropomorphic crocodile and the main antagonist in Nintendo's Donkey Kong video game franchise, as well as the archnemesis of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. K. Rool is the villainous leader of a group of crocodilian raiders known as the Kremlings, who have crossed paths with the Kongs on many occasions. First appearing in the 1994 video game Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, he has been described as being "to Donkey Kong what Bowser is to Mario".[4] He is depicted as unstable, adopting different personae and titles and utilizing a variety of weapons to his advantage. K. Rool resembles an overweight crocodile with an infected, bulging eye. The name "K. Rool" is a play on the word "cruel", a reference to his malevolent nature. He also appeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. series. In addition to video games, K. Rool has appeared in the manga adaption of Donkey Kong Country, the Donkey Kong Country animated series, comics and several pieces of Nintendo merchandise.

In the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, its Game Boy Advance ports and Donkey Kong 64, K. Rool's voice was provided by former Rare developer Chris Sutherland.[5][6][7] K. Rool was voiced by Japanese voice actor Toshihide Tsuchiya, who also provides the voice of Funky Kong.[8]

Characteristics[edit]

File:Krudd Prototype.png
Two prototype Kremlings; Krudd is an early version of King K. Rool.[9]

In his debut appearance, King K. Rool is depicted as a large obese crocodile with a red cape, golden wristbands, a golden belly plate, large crown and a large bloodshot eye. He was designed by Steve Mayles, an artist who worked at Rare and brother of Donkey Kong Country designer Gregg Mayles. In later appearances, K. Rool's attire changes depending on which persona he is masquerading as. His aliases include Kaptain K. Rool (Japanese: キャプテンクルール, Hepburn: Kyaputen Kurūru), Baron K. Roolenstein and King "Krusha" K. Rool. K. Rool has also been seen piloting a variety of vessels, including Gangplank Galleon, a large pirate ship in Donkey Kong Country, the Flying Krock, a steampunk inspired flying machine while in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and the Knautilus, a fish-shaped submarine that appeared in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!.

From DK: King of Swing onward, K. Rool was redesigned with a more cartoony appearance with brighter green skin, a smaller and less bloodshot eye, no tail, a tan-colored underbelly and a smaller crown. This incarnation of K. Rool also makes an appearance in Mario Super Sluggers for the Wii, wearing Maya king attire and wielding a green sceptre.[10] His overall design in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is based on this appearance, but with elements taken from his previous design, such as his tail, golden belly plate and dark green skin.

K. Rool is described as being "demented" and "unbalanced" in his Super Smash Bros. Melee trophy description, citing his desire to blow up DK Isles in Donkey Kong 64.[11] In a former Rareware.com scribes column, Leigh Loveday stated that K. Rool's motivation for stealing the banana hoard is that he wants Donkey Kong to starve to death so that he can occupy his "cosy treehouse pad" or perhaps that he simply likes bananas.[12] The latter explanation is supported by the manual of the first game[13] and a picture of K. Rool reading a Banana Cookbook book by Steven Mayles[14], but contradicted in DK: Jungle Climber, as K. Rool states that he hates bananas.[15] When asked what the K in "K. Rool" stands for, Mayles said: "It was just a way of making him seem more important, that he'd added it to inflate his ego", joking that "it could have been something tonal like 'Kremling' or something deliberately out of character, like Keith".[16]

Appearances[edit]

Main appearances[edit]

Donkey Kong Country[edit]

File:Donkey Kong Country Final Boss.png
King K. Rool made his debut appearance as the final boss of Donkey Kong Country. He battles by tossing his crown at the player.

King K. Rool appears in Donkey Kong Country as the final boss. Here he steals the Kongs' banana hoard and must be fought on his pirate ship, Gangplank Galleon.[17] This ship later appears as the introduction stage of Donkey Kong Country 2, and again as a sunken ship in Donkey Kong 64. During this battle, K. Rool attempts to punish the Kongs by running into them, jumping on them from above, tossing his crown, and summoning a downpour of cannonballs, presumably from the ship's mast. Halfway through the battle, K. Rool feigns defeat, causing the game's "Kredits" to roll. This is an attempt to deceive the player, as he gets back up soon after and must be jumped on a few more times before the battle truly ends.[18]

Donkey Kong Country 2[edit]

In Donkey Kong Country 2, K. Rool is given the "Kaptain" moniker and kidnaps Donkey Kong.[19] He wears a pirate costume resembling that of real pirates during the Elizabethan era, complete with a large, black bicorne hat, frock coat, and a blunderbuss as his weapon of choice. This disguise complements the pirate motif of Donkey Kong Country 2. The Kongs confront Kaptain K. Rool aboard the Flying Krock, a crocodile-shaped aircraft that hovers above Crocodile Isle. During this battle, they must avoid an onslaught of cannonballs and toxic gases that can either reverse the player's controls, slow them down, or briefly stun them. To damage K. Rool, the player must jam his blunderbuss with cannonballs while he uses the firearm's vacuum function. Twice during the battle, K. Rool falls unconscious as Donkey Kong tries to escape being tied up, only for K. Rool to revive and scare him away. The third time K. Rool collapses, DK finally wriggles free and sends him flying with a punch.[20]

Kaptain K. Rool is fought a second time in Krocodile Kore, a volcano located in the Lost World of Crocodile Isle.[21] To gain access to this level, players must collect every bonus token and present them to Klubba, a muscular Kremling who guards the Lost World, which is heavily implied to be the Kremlings' place of origin.[22] After K. Rool is defeated once more, a cutscene takes place showing Crocodile Isle exploding against a sunset, with the Kong family observing K. Rool escape on a sailboat from a nearby cliff.[23]

Donkey Kong Country 3[edit]

Following the events of Donkey Kong Country 2, K. Rool goes into hiding due to the destruction of Crocodile Isle. This time he kidnaps both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, imprisons the Queen Banana Bird, and heads to the Northern Kremisphere. Here he resides in Kastle Kaos, and takes on the role of a helipack-wearing mad scientist, aptly named Baron K. Roolenstein. He tricks the heroes Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong into believing that he has been defeated and KAOS—a Frankenstein-esque robot—is responsible for kidnapping the other Kongs.[24] Once they reach the castle, they are shocked to learn that K. Rool has been the true mastermind behind the plot. He states that, "I'd have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids", a reference to Scooby-Doo.[25]

Baron K. Roolenstein is battled twice; first in Kastle Kaos, and again in the Knautilus, a submarine that is located in this game's hidden world, Krematoa.[26] The name Krematoa is likely derived from the volcanic island Krakatoa. During both boss fights, K. Rool utilizes electricity and technology to torment the Kongs. After being defeated for a second time, K. Rool is chased around the North Kremisphere by the vengeful Queen Banana Bird.[27]

Donkey Kong 64[edit]

Rather than just kidnap the other Kongs and steal bananas, King K. Rool decides to take a more barbaric approach by planning to blow up Kong Isle with his "Blast-o-matic" laser.[28] K. Rool wears his traditional King attire for the majority of the game, but in the final battle against the Kongs, he wears a boxing outfit under the ring name of King "Krusha" K. Rool and does battle with them in front of his Kremling subordinates. This final boss fight has five rounds due to there being five playable characters. Much like in his original appearance, K. Rool would get back up after being knocked out. After being distracted by Candy Kong in a brief cutscene, Funky Kong delivers the final blow to the Kremling King with a mechanical boot.[29]

Other appearances[edit]

Video games[edit]

In addition to his primary roles in Rare's Donkey Kong Country games, King K. Rool appears in Donkey Kong Land games. He also appears in several Donkey Kong games following Microsoft's acquisition of Rare in 2002,[30] including Donkey Konga, DK: King of Swing, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, and DK: Jungle Climber. K. Rool's first playable appearance outside of the Donkey Kong series was in Mario Super Sluggers. He is the strongest right-handed batter in the game, but has poor stamina and fielding. He shares good chemistry with Kritter and King Boo, and bad chemistry with the Kongs and Bowser.[31]

K. Rool was planned to appear in Diddy Kong Pilot for the Game Boy Advance, which was later reworked into Banjo-Pilot due to Rare no longer having the authorization to use the Donkey Kong license. Leaked beta footage shows K. Rool wearing an aviator outfit.[32]

In the Super Mario Odyssey level New Donk City, there are several street name signs that reference Donkey Kong characters, including K. Rool.[33]

In the Super Smash Bros. series, K. Rool initially appeared as a collectible trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and every title since. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, an outfit bearing his resemblance was made available for download as a Mii fighter costume.[34] He is a playable character in Ultimate, becoming the third character representative for the Donkey Kong franchise.[35] K. Rool's moves are based on his various appearances throughout the Donkey Kong series, including his crownerang from Donkey Kong Country, his belly flop from Donkey Kong Land, his blunderbuss from Donkey Kong Country 2, his propellerpack from Donkey Kong Country 3, his boxing gloves from Donkey Kong 64, and a Donkey Kong 64-inspired Final Smash that involves K. Rool firing his Blast-o-matic laser.[36] In his weekly Famitsu column, series director Masahiro Sakurai stated that K. Rool was selected to join the roster because he "received a ton of votes" in the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot.[37]

K. Rool, along with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, are featured prominently in Banjo & Kazooie's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal trailer, titled "Best Friends".[38] This trailer continues where K. Rool's trailer left off, showing the Kremling King sleeping in Donkey Kong's treehouse alongside his nemeses.[39] All three characters celebrate their reunion with Banjo and Kazooie, who have connections to the Donkey Kong universe via Diddy Kong Racing and Rare.[40]

In other media[edit]

King K. Rool appears as a main character in the Donkey Kong Country animated series, portrayed by Canadian theater actor Benedict Campbell, who gives him a formal British accent. In most episodes, K. Rool attempts to steal the Crystal Coconut, an ancient relic that is said to possess extraordinary power.[41] This iteration of K. Rool has slimmer proportions, a shorter cape, and no tail. His left eye, while retaining the tic from the games, is no longer bloodshot. He is accompanied by his two Kremling henchmen, Klump and Krusha, who originally appeared in the Donkey Kong Country video game as generic enemies. In 2023, Campbell reprised his role as K. Rool in the fan-made animation DKC: Return to Krocodile Isle.[42]

Reception[edit]

Since his debut in 1994, King K. Rool has received a mostly positive critical reception. K. Rool's appearance in Donkey Kong 64 was ranked number 85 on New York Magazine's list of '100 Hardest Video Game Bosses'.[43] On her list of 'The Top 25 Most Powerful Nintendo Villains', Ashley Glenn of Comic Book Resources stated that K. Rool is not only "iconic", but "he's also one of the few villains that does something new every game we see him in".[44]

In 2015, Game Revolution gave K. Rool the number two spot on their list of characters who deserve a spot in Super Smash Bros., arguing that "it's been far too long since we've seen the Kremlings get some proper representation, with the reptilian foes being conspicuously absent from both of Retro Studios' DKC titles. It's time, Nintendo. Bring back K. Rool!"[45] Game Rant listed K. Rool at number eight on their list of the 'Top 10 Most Iconic Nintendo Villains': "We've been waiting patiently for K. Rool to pop up in one of Retro's Donkey Kong Country games, but at this point, we'd settle for a spot on the Super Smash Bros. roster instead".[46] Playtonic Games, a development team containing many former Rare employees, campaigned for his inclusion as Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U downloadable content.[47][48][49] Additionally, many fan conducted polls had found King K. Rool to be a highly requested character in the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot, an online survey Nintendo held to determine future DLC contenders.[50][51][52][53] King K. Rool appeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. His reveal was accompanied by a pre-rendered and gameplay trailer titled "The Rivals".[54][55] Fans responded to K. Rool's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by sending series director Masahiro Sakurai a "thank you" letter.[56][57][58] Jeremy Parish of Polygon ranked 73 fighters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "from garbage to glorious", listing King K. Rool as 58th.[59] In 2018, Paste magazine writer Holly Green ranked King K. Rool as her fourth favorite newcomer in Smash Bros. Ultimate.[60] Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek ranked King K. Rool as 20th of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters, stating that "the character also makes for an imaginative contrast to the big, heavy villain types in Smash".[61]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Mark Stevenson talking about Baron K. Roolenstein
  2. Nintendo Power, vol. 76, September, 1995, p. 26 - "CAPTURED: The home island of K. Rool holds creatures that bite and sting and crush and claw - rats on the shipwrecks, beed in the hives, porcupines in the woods, pufferfish in the sea".
  3. Cranky Kong: "Well done, Diddy, m'boy! Who'd have known you'd be able to rescue that lazy grandson of mine and dump K. Rool in his own filthy island?" - Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA)
  4. Namco Bandai (November 28, 2015). Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Wii U. Nintendo. Level/area: Trophy description. Search this book on
  5. "David Wise on Twitter: "That would be the Multi-talented Chris Sutherland"". Twitter. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  6. "Chris Sutherland". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  7. "Donkey Kong 64 (Video Game 1999)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  8. "Toshihide Tsuchiya". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  9. Craddock, Ryan (August 13, 2018). "Donkey Kong Country Designer Shows Off Early King K. Rool And Kremling Art Concepts". NintendoLife. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  10. "Mario Super Sluggers - Characters Gameplay 1". YouTube. June 21, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  11. Hal Laboratory (December 3, 2001). Super Smash Bros. Melee. GameCube. Nintendo. Level/area: Trophy description. Search this book on
  12. Loveday, Leigh (August 25, 1999). "Scribes, August 25th, 1999". Archived from Rareware.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2002. Retrieved November 3, 2015. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  13. Donkey Kong Country Instruction Manual. Nintendo. November 21, 1994. p. 4. Search this book on
  14. The twitter for Playtonic games posting an artwork K. Rool reading a book on banana recipes.
  15. Paon (September 10, 2007). DK: Jungle Climber. Nintendo DS. Nintendo. Level/area: Planet Plantaen. King K. Rool: Oh, sweet, creamy, potassium-rich irony! I hate bananas anyway! Search this book on
  16. Martinez, Phillip (August 10, 2018). "King K. Rool Creators Give Origin Details After 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' Reveal". Newsweek. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  17. "Donkey Kong Country". Nintendo.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2015. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  18. "Donkey Kong Country :: SPEED RUN Live (0:58:17) (101%) [SNES] by NewAgeRetroHippie #AGDQ 2014". Speed Demos Archive. March 3, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  19. "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest". Nintendo.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  20. "Donkey Kong Country 2 :: SPEED RUN Live (0:46:14) by Reflected #AGDQ 2014". Speed Demos Archive. March 4, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  21. "Lost World". Giant Bomb. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  22. Donkey Kong Country 2 Instruction Manual. Nintendo. November 20, 1995. p. 2. Search this book on
  23. "Donkey Kong Country 2 (102%) - #33 S-boss "Krocodile Kore" + Secret Ending". YouTube. September 1, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  24. "Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!". Nintendo.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  25. "Donkey Kong Country 3 :: SPEED RUN (0:52:47) by MorKs #AGDQ 2014". Speed Demos Archive. March 4, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  26. "Krematoa". Giant Bomb. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  27. "Donkey Kong Country 3 Alternate Final Boss Knaulitus + True Ending". YouTube. April 16, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  28. "Donkey Kong 64 - Intro Story". YouTube. March 7, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  29. "Donkey Kong 64 SPEED RUN in 0:53:40 by Cfox7 (Awesome Games Done Quick 2013) N64". Speed Demos Archive. March 4, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  30. "Microsoft Acquires Video Game Powerhouse Rare Ltd" (Press release). Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Corp. September 24, 2002. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  31. "Mario Super Sluggers - Full Roster". YouTube. June 22, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  32. "Beta versions of Diddy Kong Pilot and Banjo Kazooie GBA now leaked and preserved". Unseen64. November 7, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  33. "All the Super Mario Odyssey Easter eggs and secrets you might have missed". GamesRadar. November 11, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  34. Campbell Evan (July 29, 2015). "New Super Smash Bros. Update Adds Tournaments, King K. Rool Costume". IGN. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  35. Reed, Chris (August 10, 2018). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds King K. Rool, Donkey Kong's Rival". GameSpot. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  36. "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ANALYSIS - King K. Rool Reveal Trailer (Secrets & Easter Eggs)". YouTube. August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  37. Reed, Chris (August 22, 2018). ""More Information about the Smash Direct" Sakurai's Famitsu Column Vol. 561". SourceGaming. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  38. "'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Best Friends – Nintendo Switch'". YouTube. June 11, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  39. Martinez, Phillip (June 11, 2019). "Banjo-Kazooie Coming to 'Smash Ultimate' As DLC In Fall 2019". Newsweek. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  40. Lane, Gavin (June 11, 2019). "Banjo-Kazooie Confirmed For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate This Fall". Nintendo Life. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  41. "Donkey Kong Country". Nelvana. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  42. Reynolds, Ollie (May 10, 2023). "Random: OG Donkey Kong Country TV Series Cast Reunites For Animated Short". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  43. Rivera, Joshua (September 22, 2017). "The 100 Hardest Video-Game Bosses, Ranked". New York. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  44. Glenn, Ashley (January 24, 2019). "The 25 Most Powerful Nintendo Villains, Officially Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  45. Osborn, Alex (September 30, 2015). "Top 10 Characters Who Deserve a Spot in Smash Bros". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  46. Cooper, Dalton (October 26, 2015). "Top 10 Most Iconic Nintendo Villains". Game Rant. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  47. McFerran, Damien (April 9, 2015). "Former Rare Devs Playtonic Want Donkey Kong Country Villain K. Rool In Super Smash Bros". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  48. Deschamps, Marc (April 9, 2015). "Playtonic Games Wants to see Banjo and King K. Rool in Super Smash Bros". Nintendojo. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  49. Bernocchi, Pablo (April 9, 2015). "Playtonic propone un altro personaggio per Super Smash Bros. ed è King K. Rool". VG247. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  50. "Super Smash Bros. Ballot Community Exit Polls". Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  51. Lemeric, Wendy (October 12, 2015). "'Super Smash Bros. 4' DLC rumors: who among the player favorites will make it to the roster?". Christian Today. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  52. Auon, Michael (April 6, 2015). "Survey Sample Says Shovel Knight and King K. Rool are Leading the Smash Ballot". Gamnesia. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  53. PushDustIn (September 13, 2015). "Perception of Smash DLC in Japan, Redux". Source Gaming. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  54. "'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – The Rivals – Nintendo Switch'". YouTube. August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  55. Allegra, Frank (August 8, 2018). "Donkey Kong villain King K. Rool is in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate". Polygon. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  56. Doolan, Liam (August 26, 2018). "Random: Smash Fans Thank Sakurai For Adding King K. Rool To Ultimate". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  57. Moyse, Chris (August 27, 2018). "King K. Rool fans offer heartfelt thanks for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate inclusion". Destructoid. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  58. Raymond, Nicholas (August 27, 2018). "King K. Rool Fans Thank Super Smash Bros. For Including Character". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  59. Parish, Jeremy (2018-12-03). "We rank the Smash Bros. (and friends)". Polygon. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  60. Green, Holly (December 26, 2018). "Ranking Super Smash Bros Ultimate's New Fighters". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  61. "Super Smash Bros. Characters Ranked". Den of Geek. March 7, 2019.

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