yk i feel like everyone is also overlooking the fact that EVERY character got a redesign for this new mario kart, it’s not even just DK (his is just the most noticeable imo) it’s probably gonna end up just like mario wonder’s art style change; a fairly self contained stylistic choice
This!!! For all we know this is just the style of the new game and not new global designs for every Mario character. Might just be localized to this one game.........also I'm a fan of his new design anyway haha
But the other characters didn't change as much compared to DK. Yes Mario looks more like his wonder design but in the past 20 years Mario's design hasn't changed anywhere near as much as this DK design. DK in mario kart 9 isn't comparable to the other characters.
@SonicTheHedgehogX15 no i agree 100%, everyone seems to have more of an n64-esque redesign but DK kinda looks more akin to the SNES DK jr. to match a lil better ig
Redesign? Bro is just deciding not to slick his hair and finally went to anger management. He was a much happier ape until Rool messed up his life. Now that they found peace in Smash (bro is literally sleeping in DK's cabin), Donkey Kong is looking mighty jolly these days.
The only things they did, from what I've seen, is move up his eyebrows, darkened his fur and made him beefier, if anything, they've made him look more strong and gave him more room for expression.
Darkened fur has been a thing for a while, first appearing with Donkey Kong 64 and Jungle Beat, and they've been darkening his fur again post-Tropical Freeze for many renders and models for a while now, so that has nothing to do with this redesign.
@@zynux8252 fur color is a complex issue because it mainly depends on visibility reasons. But yes, generally speaking is less red and (a bit) darker from GCN era onwards (I would not say DK64...). But it looks even darker in MK9 footage. Probably for light issues I think: it seems that DK's model has not fur shading and lightining for now so it may look darker
@@banjobro64 Fur color sometimes isn't consistent even in the same game. For example the recent Mario vs Donkey Kong remake he has light brown fur in-game, but in the cutscenes he has darker fur
The main thing this tells me, along with Mario Wonder, is that Nintendo finally decided to allow some liberty with their characters‘ artstyles. Even if this is the only look for DK, I doubt we‘ll never see the old loon again. Rather, I think we might get to see more alternate takes instead!
which is cool, because they used to be fairly fast and loose with the design. it gave each game its own charm; he might not look the exact same, but that’s still mario (etc.)!
This whole debate regarding DK's redesign reminds me when Nintendo revealed, almost 24 years ago, the Wind Waker and we saw Toon Link for the first time. Yet now days, most people will include WW in their top 5 Legend of Zelda games...
Go look at the first footage released. It DID look like arse. That's on Nintendo. The more they showed, the more people got on board. Was still a bit of an overreaction and yes, a certain crowd just wrote it off altogether.
LAMO I still remember that. Then again I laugh now cause that's the color I thought his arms were as a kid even had drawings and everything. Yet I also had a plushy of Sonic so..IDK how I never noticed till Boom lol.
People say the new design comes from the movie, but Nintendo has used a very similar design for Donkey Kong before. Just check Nintendo's 2020 recruitment booklet
I feel like everyone is completely missing the fact that every characters design is different and that this is purely a style choice and not a permanent redesign
Well... it kind of is. Some official artwork has been redone to reflect the higher brow and rounder snoot, but some of it is staying the same (like at the universal theme parks). My guess is that this *IS* a mario wonder art style version of a redesign they might be using for future mario spin-offs. But hey, that's just a theory. (Insert matpat joke here)
@TheRedCometKid Not really. In SMBW the characters were short and had different facial features than this. But in MK9, their hight is still the same it's always been
Honestly, I totally get why they want to redesign Donkey Kong a little, as it'd allow him to be a little more expressive than he was before. Plus, I quite like his design in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which in itself was more founded on the character's original pre-Rare design, so it doesn't bother me too much. All in all, this reminds me of the ''fiasco'' revolving around King Dedede's redesign in Kirby & The Forgotten Land and Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe; from my perspective, the self-made king's supposed to be big, burly and a bit of a grump, and the new design present in those games gets those points across quite well while still allowing him to be expressive. It's one of my absolute favorite designs for the character, in all honesty, so if I'm not bothered by that, how will I get bothered by Donkey Kong's new look? And hey, it's not like Donkey Kong's new design is THAT major of an overhaul or anything; he'll still look like the DK we're more familiar with if he just furrows his brow a bit!
Well yes that is the official canon. Donkey Kong from '81 is now Cranky Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. is the father of the current Rareware DK (hasn't been seen since Mario Tennis)
The only thing bothering me about this design is people saying it comes from the movie when the design from the movie and this one both are inspired by pre-DKC Donkey Kong's design
Donkey Kong did originally look like this "new" desing. While modern -version desinged by Rare is awesome, the original character was just as popular in early 80s.
Yeah it was shown long enough amd clear enough for people to have a definitive opinion on it. People are allowed to like or dislike something. I don't hate it, but I do think the outrage is justified. Nintendo purposely showed him in that trailer, so they definitely wanted some form of a reaction from people. I just don't think they expected it to be THIS kind of reaction lol
Here the thing, in some shots when DK get angry he looks like his old design just like how it was in the Mario Bros movie. Just be happy they kept his original design as one of his emotions
The video is just strawmanning. Lore isn't relevant and he's wrong about said lore anyway. Apparently Yoshi's Island DS and New Super Mario Bros doesn't exist. Plus everyone in the comments just decided that they have no foresight for some reason. Why would Nintendo NOT be setting a precedent here?
@user-vp6cq4sv3d what? Why wouldn't nsmb "exist" in the timeline? First off, there is barely a timeline for mario games lol and second, the nsmb games are the most generic and least harmful to any timeline you might want to try and put together for the series. I'm confused as to why you think that game in particular doesn't "exist"
I feel like the new design takes the best from the Rare and OG (DK94) designs. He looks more ‘Mario like’ now, which makes sense given the character’s origins. Honestly, if this is the character’s look moving forward, I think the haters will warm up to it, and it’ll be a non-issue fairly quickly.
The problem is that a lot of people wanted to get attention on drama similar when Sonic fans complaining a lot about his blue arms rather than how good the entire character design in Sonic Boom
That is why I hate rage-baits. Especially from spam bots' replies on the comments of multiple SMG4 and Glitch Productions videos. They just want attention.
I think people forget that his ‘new’ design is just his original design before Rareware altered it to the one we know, love, and have been used to today. And it’s also like however since Kirby and the Forgotten Land came out it seems that HAL is trying to change or alter King Dedede’s design to his Kirby 64 version (the one that came back in Forgotten Land) and now was the look for his appearance in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
bro Rare's design is the first attempt to design DK as a character, the "original" DK design just does not exist, since it was portrayed differrently in each illustration. That wasn't a "design" technically speaking. Also, those illustrations were quite different than the movie design (e.g. the eyes)
@@banjobro64 I’m talking about the fact that the original Donkey Kong design (Miyamoto’s) is the one that looks more like the Mario Movie Design (also his new MK design). Rareware is the one that started to make his design have the angry-looking eyebrow in every design they made. Literally just look up his original design and you’ll see the difference between Rare’s and Miyamoto’s.
@@cultoosk we can agree on the fact that there are some elements of the pre-Rare DK that have been revived in movie-DK but it's more like an homage. Rare designed DK to look different also according to Nintendo's directive, in order to differentiate the series. Nintendo kept the same design even later for a reason. While after Starfox adventures Nintendo redesigned Fox's face and height to look more like the oldest Nintendo design so in that case it was quite clear that they wanted to step back
Thank you! People are freaking out over the tiniest little change. And besides, I like new DK. The angry eyebrows always bothered me. Now he's silly, like DK's personality always has been!
You misunderstood DK's personality in Donkey Kong Country, he was made intentionally less silly since he was a different character from the Arcade games, leaning into the more "chill", "tough" and "cool" personality. The manuals make this incredibly clear.
@zynux8252 The manuals aren't the game itself. In the game itself, DK plays slapstick with Diddy, dances around and saves a bunch of bananas. He's silly.
@@alliesangalli1757By that logic Super Mario Galaxy shouldn't exist because the devs for Jungle Beat had some tough looking kongs to fight. Why would the manual not be a valid resource? Why do you think people read them apart from the obvious?
@@user-vp6cq4sv3d What? The manuals are a valid resource, but they're just supplemental material. You have to assume that a good chunk of players will never read them, so an interpretation based exclusively on the game is valid. And, in the game, DK is cool, but still silly.
Personally, I like DK's new design. it has a lot more opportunities for animation techniques like squash and stretch with his more round plushy look he has going for him, and given what we have seen in the trailer in the animation department, The new design will definetly work in its favor over all. while yes, I have a fondness for the old design, to be real, it was never super flexible animation wise even with modern rigs, as trying to apply the previously mentioned principals of squash and stretch, it always looked wonky. (and to go with it, exaggerated expressions will be made easier too)
I kinda like it tbh. Reminds me of his pre-Country days such as DK Jr. I don't know if I'd like it as the standard DK design moving forward, but I feel like it's gonna be a one-time thing.
It has nothing to do with the original design, which has no dark around the eyes and has no "beak". This one is just a soft, dumb and goofy version of Rare's design
Personallly, people saying this is only going to be used for Mario games feels like copium to me. But I this whole thing is seriously overblown, the DK fanbase looks like the Sonic fanbase right now. The new design is fine and DK has always been kind of dumb and goofy. It's by design.
DK looks extremely Derpy in the trailer, I liked it in the movie but in the game he just looks bad and brainless… Hopefully in the actual game he looks a lot better and it’s only the trailer that frames him badly Edit: In the actual movie I really liked his design and loved the expresiveness so I’m not against the new design at all
People, you would probably have a different look on your face when driving a go cart compared to when your killing giant crocodiles & constantly risking falling to your death too; he was just never able to express it before
Thank you for mentioning the part about him being more expressive now, the biggest change is the shape of his brow, and that part of the face is so important when it comes to expressions, and DK's is very stiff, he mostly emotes with his mouth and eyes, otherwise his brow always stays in a annoyed "M" shape.
From the footage, the design seems messy. A weird mix of various designs. Hope that in the final game they make it less drastic or give the possibility to choose the exact Rare design vs the (exact) Movie design
@@Puzzle-Portals64 I guess it's gonna be a new design for all games. DK is iconic and can't have confusing versions. Also, showing an alternative skin in a teaser wouldn't make sense. I I think it is plausible (at least I hope so) they make a partial step back and adjust the final version. If they were so confident about this design being "final" they would have shown him better. It's just 5 seconds with no fur shading, no lightning and just two goofy expressions. I am ok with more expressions but I don't want him to look like a goofy pet or an inaccurate imitation of movie-DK. Smash DK in K. Rool's presentation has a great design and more expressions: they should start from there and just make minor adjustments
@@Puzzle-Portals64 No, man, just accept reality. In the next DKC, you’ll be maneuvering a goofy, chubby-armed, furry Kirby. Because that’s what Japanese kids love.
If you're that triggered and worried about a cartoon monkeys face-changing in your video game you might have other more important issues in life to deal with...
I think it’s great for Nintendo to break away from their own norms, especially because they usually follow them so religiously. Back in their early days nothing was set in stone and I loved comparing how characters looked between games
There’s strong enough evidence to suggest it’s an alt or a one-off for the game’s art style. I don’t like DK’s supposed new design, and I can’t understand why Nintendo would pick a Mario Kart trailer of all places to reveal a redesign to one of their most beloved characters.
Also, even Donkey Kong looked somewhat goofy back when he was the villain of his titular game. In fact, Miyamoto said that he wanted Donkey Kong’s original design to reflect the fact that he’s not evil, just stubborn.
I think people should be angry about it. Nintendo has done everything they could to distance themselves from Rare for years. Changing DK's design would really be the final straw. Heck, even DKCR and TF didn't include any of Rare's enemies. Nintendo has and always will hold a grudge against them because they were matching and even outdoing them regarding triple A game design at a fast pace on the 64. Miyamoto even has publicly bashed DKC because he was struggling to make Yoshi's Island graphically on par with it. BUT with that said, if Nintendo is planning to make more racers per race, then maybe this was a different character altogether, like the original DK and his grandson are both in the game?
@@mariajimenafigueroa233 That's because the Smash creator is not Miyamoto. He has been on record bashing Rare's DK. Just look it up. They held a grudge against Rare for years, and I don't think they've ever let it fully go. And I feel as if Nintendo uses Rare's characters because it is an easy expansion to the Kong universe. It's convenient, because they are well known characters.
Now hold on, if I hit people with shells while playing as donkey kong and he does the Seth Rogan laugh, I might just have to start playing as donkey kong more often
Finally, someone talking some sense! Like, holy hell, I grew up with the Rare design too, but I had no idea people were THAT attatched to it. If I’m being completely honest, I never really did like the “angry” eyebrow so I think the new design fits DK more as he was always supposed to look kinda silly. Just put this design next to the Arcade and DK ‘94 art and it doesn’t even really look that out of place.
People feel entitled by the smallest changes. This is 2025. And also the internet. You always hear and read the loudest opinion, not the most common one. People who like the new design or are indifferent aren't saying this out loud. I personally think most people don't even care or really notice this at all at the end.
Fr or yo what they could do They can also have DK’s iconic design as an alternate costume Take for example Link in MK8D Have his iconic green tunic and his breath of the wild tunic So they can do that with DK Have his new design and his iconic design as costumes so they can let us fans choose whatever we want Take another example Wario in Smash Bros His Default Biker Costume from the Warioware series and his Alternate Classic iconic Overalls (Aka Classic Wario)
It's not THAT bad. It made him more soften but rather brighter and more emotions. Probably this is culture differences, which westerners prefer characters to be more aggressive because its cool and powerful, and sells better through marketing as they prefer cuteness and nice sucks bad. *Yeah, a huge disrespect to Japan which it is...* 🙄
Welp, I'm in the process of making a video talking about these exact same points, but now I wonder if it's even worth the time. I did, however, intend to go into a bit more detail about the history of DKs design and how this new design relates to the movie design and the classic design. Maybe I should keep going with it.
I would have liked to have explored that more, but the video was already taking long enough as it was haha. I think there's definitely an angle there to explore and i'd personally love to see your take as well!
Keep in mind, this is a tiny low quality image from a screenshot of what is assumed to be early gameplay. He'll look even just a little better in the final game
The old design is the RareWare look, as they hold the rights, they probably designed the new look for the movie and games to get the rights and avoid paying MS for using it
Sometimes I just don't understand why people go crazy over even the smallest things. If this is how he will look going forward, then there's no need to complain about it. He is still the same character no matter what.
The head shape is changed, the mouth was changed, the eyes were changed, his ears were changed and the ridge was made smaller and changed default expression. Completely restructuring how his head is designed would count as a "new design" to me.
The brow dimension and shape is changed, there is more "dark", the mouth is less a "beak" but larger, the chin is less masculine, slightly different head and hairs, the expression is more harmless, the muscles are less defined (chubbier?). So basically DK is no longer an athletic chad doing push-ups (DK64) or beating Kong-invaders (Jungle Beat). Now is a goofy fluffy pet
There are also two other options, even though they are likely incorrect. First, his look could change between now and when the game releases. This current look could very well be a beta version, as the game could still be in the final stages of development. Second, it may be possible that, like in Smash Bros., some or all racers could have alternate costumes or designs, with DK having one that makes him appear like the original Rareware design or how he did in the Mario movie.
For me, the main issue is simply that the new design comes across as "change for the sake of change," and I just straight up don't see what's worth celebrating about that.
I think this rejection from DK fans to the new design is just them going through their denial phase that Rareware is long gone from Nintendo, as a Banjo fan I already went through that phase years ago, but that old DK design was still a constant reminder that didn't allow its fans to move on, I know what it feels like, give me your hand DK fans, it'll be ok, let go. lol.
When I first saw his "new design," I was exactly like, "Nintendo only showed a brief introduction of the Switch 2 and already they screwed everything!!!!". ...But...now that I saw this video, Audre, I think you're absolutely right about it not being a problem. It's good to have users like you around. 👍
The rareware Donkey Kong isn't limiting that's just an excuse from developers I bet I can make him be more expensive. You are just a blind Nintendo fanboy as usual you always stick up for Nintendo. 🙄
@Puzzle-Portals64 Same maybe it's a character reskin similarly to pink gold peach except obviously this would be called movie Donkey Kong either way I don't like it but if it's just a reskin while we get the original then I'm okay with that. Damn I'm not a fan of this it's like Sonic in the games getting replaced with movie Sonic's design.
@Puzzle-Portals64 People say all Mario kart characters look different and I don't see it because Mario still looks like Mario nothing much have changed from the usual design compared to Donkey Kong I almost thought it was a new Kong character until I saw his iconic tie.
The interesting thing is, how did nobody else complain before this? At super Nintendo world, the DK merch has him in his new designs. Even more so, Diddy Kong also looks different too. The DK hot dog has a picture of them on your dog. Both look different.
I really hope this isn’t the finalized design moving forward. I always enjoyed that look of coolness that Rare gave him. If anything, my tune might change if they polish up the model a bit.
@@scmtuk3662 He still sounds like that, especially in the DKC games. it's just that he's not bonking anything and really adventuring in Mario spin-offs.
I really don't get everyone's issue with the new design. I think he looks awesome! Also, it's still very recognisably DK which is all that matters, they've not changed anything too significant about him. People are acting like they've made his fur black, removed his tie and got rid of his hair tuft. He still has all his recognisable features. The only significant change I can actually see is his eyes. Honestly if you look at a frame of the MK trailer where you get a good look at his face and just imagine his eyes further apart people would barely notice any difference in the designs
i'm not bothered by the redesign per se, i'm bothered by the facts that they gave him the seth rogan proportions from the movie (lots of animated movies have done this recently, giving the characters some proportions from their voice actors) i don't want DK to remind me of seth rogan
Honestly him being more expressive doesn’t even matter to me even when he’s doing that smug look I just… DONT like how he looks. I never liked the original design of Donkey Kong before Rare and I didn’t care much for the movie look. I can’t really explain it either I just dont
Remember when Wind Waker showed and people acted like toddlers cause they didn't want the game to look all cartoony and wanted something more realistic like what was shown in the tech demo? Yeah, now we're running it back again with this now. Same when Dedede kept the Forgotten Land design in RtDL DX.
My favorite redesign so far would have to be luigi, espeically how he looks at 5:34. He looks so much like the n64 renders when his head was more rounder and im in love with it
"The Mario movie a couple years ago." time is passing by way fast
Feels like 5 years ago
yk i feel like everyone is also overlooking the fact that EVERY character got a redesign for this new mario kart, it’s not even just DK (his is just the most noticeable imo)
it’s probably gonna end up just like mario wonder’s art style change; a fairly self contained stylistic choice
This!!! For all we know this is just the style of the new game and not new global designs for every Mario character. Might just be localized to this one game.........also I'm a fan of his new design anyway haha
@@Zone_of_Perception Same. I love that Mario Kart is going back to the more cartoony art style of 7 and Tour compared to the realistic one of 8.
The thing is, everyone has n64- render look, but dk was the noticeable one as even back in those 64 days he had rare design
But the other characters didn't change as much compared to DK. Yes Mario looks more like his wonder design but in the past 20 years Mario's design hasn't changed anywhere near as much as this DK design. DK in mario kart 9 isn't comparable to the other characters.
@SonicTheHedgehogX15 no i agree 100%, everyone seems to have more of an n64-esque redesign but DK kinda looks more akin to the SNES DK jr. to match a lil better ig
Redesign? Bro is just deciding not to slick his hair and finally went to anger management.
He was a much happier ape until Rool messed up his life. Now that they found peace in Smash (bro is literally sleeping in DK's cabin), Donkey Kong is looking mighty jolly these days.
The only things they did, from what I've seen, is move up his eyebrows, darkened his fur and made him beefier, if anything, they've made him look more strong and gave him more room for expression.
Heck they basically just gave him expression period
I Love the new Design
He feels more allive and buffer
Darkened fur has been a thing for a while, first appearing with Donkey Kong 64 and Jungle Beat, and they've been darkening his fur again post-Tropical Freeze for many renders and models for a while now, so that has nothing to do with this redesign.
@@zynux8252 fur color is a complex issue because it mainly depends on visibility reasons. But yes, generally speaking is less red and (a bit) darker from GCN era onwards (I would not say DK64...). But it looks even darker in MK9 footage. Probably for light issues I think: it seems that DK's model has not fur shading and lightining for now so it may look darker
@@banjobro64 Fur color sometimes isn't consistent even in the same game. For example the recent Mario vs Donkey Kong remake he has light brown fur in-game, but in the cutscenes he has darker fur
The main thing this tells me, along with Mario Wonder, is that Nintendo finally decided to allow some liberty with their characters‘ artstyles. Even if this is the only look for DK, I doubt we‘ll never see the old loon again. Rather, I think we might get to see more alternate takes instead!
which is cool, because they used to be fairly fast and loose with the design. it gave each game its own charm; he might not look the exact same, but that’s still mario (etc.)!
This whole debate regarding DK's redesign reminds me when Nintendo revealed, almost 24 years ago, the Wind Waker and we saw Toon Link for the first time. Yet now days, most people will include WW in their top 5 Legend of Zelda games...
Oh man, the reactions really really were something else at the time!
@@GameXplain people also forget dk used to look like this back at back then
Go look at the first footage released.
It DID look like arse.
That's on Nintendo.
The more they showed, the more people got on board.
Was still a bit of an overreaction and yes, a certain crowd just wrote it off altogether.
Time is a circle
I'll see you guys in 8 years then, then this design will be an "underrated design". After all, that’s how everything bad goes down the drain.
0:11 bro when me and my sister were little we used to joke that dog poo on the grass was just donkey kong chilling underground
Lmao
Personally the design doesn’t bother me too much, it doesn’t hurt to have some change
let's update the gameplay, not my best friend's face
I hope to god the redesign is just for the new Mario Kart game and nothing else
This is equally as dumb as the time Sonic fans were crying about Sonic's arms being blue when Sonic Boom was announced.
LAMO I still remember that. Then again I laugh now cause that's the color I thought his arms were as a kid even had drawings and everything. Yet I also had a plushy of Sonic so..IDK how I never noticed till Boom lol.
Oh God don’t remind me of that. A design change so hated someone pepper sprayed an employee at a GameStop.
@@misterniceguy429 Fucking hell I completely forgot that omg.
@@misterniceguy429 That someone was Chris Chan, BTW. And compared to the other stuff he's done, that's nothing.
Not at all. And it's not "the sonic fans" it was Chris Chan, learn your lore before posting FUNNEH stuff zoomie.
People say the new design comes from the movie, but Nintendo has used a very similar design for Donkey Kong before. Just check Nintendo's 2020 recruitment booklet
Yeah it's not from the movie. The movie design is actually based on his classic pre DKC design.
Nintendo has a recruitment booklet? Recruitment for what?
I feel like everyone is completely missing the fact that every characters design is different and that this is purely a style choice and not a permanent redesign
Well... it kind of is. Some official artwork has been redone to reflect the higher brow and rounder snoot, but some of it is staying the same (like at the universal theme parks). My guess is that this *IS* a mario wonder art style version of a redesign they might be using for future mario spin-offs. But hey, that's just a theory.
(Insert matpat joke here)
@@TheRedCometKidExcept... this doesn't look anything like Super Mario Bros Wonder? These are all mostly based on old Mario Kart 64 designs
@jesse4437 I would describe them more mario wonder-ish, but the rounder features of those designs are more akin to n64 era renders.
@TheRedCometKid Not really. In SMBW the characters were short and had different facial features than this. But in MK9, their hight is still the same it's always been
I hope you're right. I hope it's not a permanent design
Nintendo: Lifts up the eyebrow wrinkle thing on a monkey's face
Everyone: 😱
lol @ eyebrow wrinkly thing 🤣
*APE
0:14 And you took away DK's Strength.
FYI, Haircuts is Donkey Kong's Kryptonite as it's explained in the DKC Cartoon.
Honestly, I totally get why they want to redesign Donkey Kong a little, as it'd allow him to be a little more expressive than he was before. Plus, I quite like his design in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which in itself was more founded on the character's original pre-Rare design, so it doesn't bother me too much.
All in all, this reminds me of the ''fiasco'' revolving around King Dedede's redesign in Kirby & The Forgotten Land and Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe; from my perspective, the self-made king's supposed to be big, burly and a bit of a grump, and the new design present in those games gets those points across quite well while still allowing him to be expressive. It's one of my absolute favorite designs for the character, in all honesty, so if I'm not bothered by that, how will I get bothered by Donkey Kong's new look?
And hey, it's not like Donkey Kong's new design is THAT major of an overhaul or anything; he'll still look like the DK we're more familiar with if he just furrows his brow a bit!
I hope to god the redesign is just for the New Mario Kart game and nothing else
I always thought Rare's Donkey Kong was the grandson of OG Donkey kong?
Oui, mais justement, c'était LEUR Lore. (Exprimé dans DK64.)
Et après le rachat de Rare par Microsoft, Nintendo l'a annulé.
Pour Rare, Cranky était LE DK Arcade.
Well yes that is the official canon. Donkey Kong from '81 is now Cranky Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. is the father of the current Rareware DK (hasn't been seen since Mario Tennis)
@@PK_SNESS C'est seulement la vision de RareWare. Nintendo a annulé cette version de l'histoire.
Mario movie Cranky Kong should have just been renamed to Cringey Kong.
To be honest, Donkey Kong’s new design has a slight resemblance to his original design prior to Donkey Kong Country
The only thing bothering me about this design is people saying it comes from the movie when the design from the movie and this one both are inspired by pre-DKC Donkey Kong's design
Donkey Kong did originally look like this "new" desing.
While modern -version desinged by Rare is awesome, the original character was just as popular in early 80s.
I can’t part from my classic DK design, I just straight up don’t like the new one that much.
Yeah it was shown long enough amd clear enough for people to have a definitive opinion on it. People are allowed to like or dislike something. I don't hate it, but I do think the outrage is justified. Nintendo purposely showed him in that trailer, so they definitely wanted some form of a reaction from people. I just don't think they expected it to be THIS kind of reaction lol
You’ll get used to it.
Here the thing, in some shots when DK get angry he looks like his old design just like how it was in the Mario Bros movie. Just be happy they kept his original design as one of his emotions
The video is just strawmanning. Lore isn't relevant and he's wrong about said lore anyway. Apparently Yoshi's Island DS and New Super Mario Bros doesn't exist. Plus everyone in the comments just decided that they have no foresight for some reason.
Why would Nintendo NOT be setting a precedent here?
@user-vp6cq4sv3d what? Why wouldn't nsmb "exist" in the timeline? First off, there is barely a timeline for mario games lol and second, the nsmb games are the most generic and least harmful to any timeline you might want to try and put together for the series. I'm confused as to why you think that game in particular doesn't "exist"
I love how expressive and funny and goofy dk looks in his new design
I like the design. He looks huggable
And I think Wario's Warioland design is more iconic than his Warioware design
I feel like the new design takes the best from the Rare and OG (DK94) designs. He looks more ‘Mario like’ now, which makes sense given the character’s origins. Honestly, if this is the character’s look moving forward, I think the haters will warm up to it, and it’ll be a non-issue fairly quickly.
The problem is that a lot of people wanted to get attention on drama similar when Sonic fans complaining a lot about his blue arms rather than how good the entire character design in Sonic Boom
Especially Chris Chan...
That is why I hate rage-baits. Especially from spam bots' replies on the comments of multiple SMG4 and Glitch Productions videos. They just want attention.
I think people forget that his ‘new’ design is just his original design before Rareware altered it to the one we know, love, and have been used to today. And it’s also like however since Kirby and the Forgotten Land came out it seems that HAL is trying to change or alter King Dedede’s design to his Kirby 64 version (the one that came back in Forgotten Land) and now was the look for his appearance in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
bro Rare's design is the first attempt to design DK as a character, the "original" DK design just does not exist, since it was portrayed differrently in each illustration. That wasn't a "design" technically speaking. Also, those illustrations were quite different than the movie design (e.g. the eyes)
@@banjobro64 I’m talking about the fact that the original Donkey Kong design (Miyamoto’s) is the one that looks more like the Mario Movie Design (also his new MK design). Rareware is the one that started to make his design have the angry-looking eyebrow in every design they made. Literally just look up his original design and you’ll see the difference between Rare’s and Miyamoto’s.
@@cultoosk we can agree on the fact that there are some elements of the pre-Rare DK that have been revived in movie-DK but it's more like an homage. Rare designed DK to look different also according to Nintendo's directive, in order to differentiate the series. Nintendo kept the same design even later for a reason. While after Starfox adventures Nintendo redesigned Fox's face and height to look more like the oldest Nintendo design so in that case it was quite clear that they wanted to step back
Maybe it’s Kiddy Kong, Chunky Kong or DK JR from the NES era
Thank you! People are freaking out over the tiniest little change. And besides, I like new DK. The angry eyebrows always bothered me. Now he's silly, like DK's personality always has been!
You misunderstood DK's personality in Donkey Kong Country, he was made intentionally less silly since he was a different character from the Arcade games, leaning into the more "chill", "tough" and "cool" personality. The manuals make this incredibly clear.
@zynux8252 The manuals aren't the game itself. In the game itself, DK plays slapstick with Diddy, dances around and saves a bunch of bananas. He's silly.
@@alliesangalli1757By that logic Super Mario Galaxy shouldn't exist because the devs for Jungle Beat had some tough looking kongs to fight. Why would the manual not be a valid resource? Why do you think people read them apart from the obvious?
@@user-vp6cq4sv3d What? The manuals are a valid resource, but they're just supplemental material. You have to assume that a good chunk of players will never read them, so an interpretation based exclusively on the game is valid. And, in the game, DK is cool, but still silly.
Personally, I like DK's new design. it has a lot more opportunities for animation techniques like squash and stretch with his more round plushy look he has going for him, and given what we have seen in the trailer in the animation department, The new design will definetly work in its favor over all. while yes, I have a fondness for the old design, to be real, it was never super flexible animation wise even with modern rigs, as trying to apply the previously mentioned principals of squash and stretch, it always looked wonky. (and to go with it, exaggerated expressions will be made easier too)
Everybody’s freaking out about a blurry image of donkey Kong. 😂
I kinda like it tbh. Reminds me of his pre-Country days such as DK Jr.
I don't know if I'd like it as the standard DK design moving forward, but I feel like it's gonna be a one-time thing.
The problem with making it a one-time thing is that Nintendo would look like flip-floppers if they did that.
It has nothing to do with the original design, which has no dark around the eyes and has no "beak". This one is just a soft, dumb and goofy version of Rare's design
Personallly, people saying this is only going to be used for Mario games feels like copium to me.
But I this whole thing is seriously overblown, the DK fanbase looks like the Sonic fanbase right now. The new design is fine and DK has always been kind of dumb and goofy. It's by design.
I hope god the redesign is just for the new Mario Kart game and nothing else
DK looks extremely Derpy in the trailer, I liked it in the movie but in the game he just looks bad and brainless… Hopefully in the actual game he looks a lot better and it’s only the trailer that frames him badly
Edit: In the actual movie I really liked his design and loved the expresiveness so I’m not against the new design at all
I hope god the redesign is just for the new Mario Kart game and nothing else
People, you would probably have a different look on your face when driving a go cart compared to when your killing giant crocodiles & constantly risking falling to your death too; he was just never able to express it before
Thank you for mentioning the part about him being more expressive now, the biggest change is the shape of his brow, and that part of the face is so important when it comes to expressions, and DK's is very stiff, he mostly emotes with his mouth and eyes, otherwise his brow always stays in a annoyed "M" shape.
From the footage, the design seems messy. A weird mix of various designs. Hope that in the final game they make it less drastic or give the possibility to choose the exact Rare design vs the (exact) Movie design
I hope god the redesign is just for the new Mario Kart game and nothing else
@@Puzzle-Portals64 I guess it's gonna be a new design for all games. DK is iconic and can't have confusing versions. Also, showing an alternative skin in a teaser wouldn't make sense. I I think it is plausible (at least I hope so) they make a partial step back and adjust the final version. If they were so confident about this design being "final" they would have shown him better. It's just 5 seconds with no fur shading, no lightning and just two goofy expressions. I am ok with more expressions but I don't want him to look like a goofy pet or an inaccurate imitation of movie-DK. Smash DK in K. Rool's presentation has a great design and more expressions: they should start from there and just make minor adjustments
@banjobro64 NO DONT SAY THAT! IT'S GOTTA BE JUST FOR THE NEW MARIO KART GAME AND NOTHING ELSE
@@Puzzle-Portals64 No, man, just accept reality. In the next DKC, you’ll be maneuvering a goofy, chubby-armed, furry Kirby. Because that’s what Japanese kids love.
@@banjobro64NO NEVER
If you're that triggered and worried about a cartoon monkeys face-changing in your video game you might have other more important issues in life to deal with...
I just find it out of place, literally was the first thing I noticed when he became visible. If they touch the model up a bit then I'm fine with it
I prefer Rareware design
@Puzzle-Portals64 same
@@DJBurns-jq8mn let's hope to god that the redesign is just for the new Mario Kart game and nothing else
@Puzzle-Portals64 idc if it replaced the design tbh. I just want it to look decent
@DJBurns-jq8mn i want the current design to stay
A suspicion it's just a new costume for dk. Not a permanent design.
I hope to god your right
Why would they show him wearing a costume while everyone else has their normal designs
Dumb take.
I honestly think it's a permanent change and I'm here for it. I think the new design is better
@@drewlmao I HOPE TO GOD ITS NOT
The New Design was based on the DK 94 Design from the Original Gameboy.
I love this design!! It's pure Miyamoto design. Love it in the Movie. ❤️
I still think that this is part of Mario dreaming and he will wake up into Super Mario Oddysee 2 🙏🏼
yesssssss!!!!
Nintendo: keeping character designs the same for 10+ years
Fans: we hate it
Nintendo: changes character design
Fans: nooooo go back 😢😢
I hope to god they'll keep the characters designs
@ I'm sure they will keep them
@ultraenzo good and I hope theyll also keep DK current design
And then they complain that Nintendo doesn't take risks anymore.
So in short, Donkey Kong will be treated like King Boo. With different design depending ob the franchise
People who are genuinely mad at this redesign are sad souls. Have some whimsy.
I hope it's just a costume. I CAN'T accept the new design...
Same
Seriously i hope to god it's indeed a costume
I think it’s great for Nintendo to break away from their own norms, especially because they usually follow them so religiously. Back in their early days nothing was set in stone and I loved comparing how characters looked between games
Andre....shaving DK's head was just trauma in it's purest form...
Wasen't there an episode of the DK cartoon where he got his head shaved?
@@mariajimenafigueroa233 I can't recall. Maybe.
He’s got his movie design now. Guess he’ll have that design for Smash 6. If not, then he could have his Jamboree design.
The Movie Design is inspired by the original and rares Design is Not the original...
I hope not
@@Puzzle-Portals64 why?
@JoiningIrons3306 idk i dont the redesign but I prefer the current design
@@Puzzle-Portals64 not sure which design he’ll have in the next Smash, but we’ll see what happens.
There’s strong enough evidence to suggest it’s an alt or a one-off for the game’s art style. I don’t like DK’s supposed new design, and I can’t understand why Nintendo would pick a Mario Kart trailer of all places to reveal a redesign to one of their most beloved characters.
Honestly I really don't mind his new design, in fact, in my opinion, I actually think it looks more modernized and cool.
It looks st0pid and f0gly.
I also don't care much about the desing change. In fact the Smash version of DK triggers me way more with those weird grunts instead of his DKC voice.
Everyone else: “HOW DARE THEY REDESIGN A CLASSIC CHARACTER! THIS IS HORRIBLE AND LOOKS AWFUL!”
Me: “heh heh, funny monkey”
I prefer the current design
Also, even Donkey Kong looked somewhat goofy back when he was the villain of his titular game. In fact, Miyamoto said that he wanted Donkey Kong’s original design to reflect the fact that he’s not evil, just stubborn.
I think people should be angry about it. Nintendo has done everything they could to distance themselves from Rare for years. Changing DK's design would really be the final straw. Heck, even DKCR and TF didn't include any of Rare's enemies. Nintendo has and always will hold a grudge against them because they were matching and even outdoing them regarding triple A game design at a fast pace on the 64. Miyamoto even has publicly bashed DKC because he was struggling to make Yoshi's Island graphically on par with it.
BUT with that said, if Nintendo is planning to make more racers per race, then maybe this was a different character altogether, like the original DK and his grandson are both in the game?
Just wait until Nintendo gets a huge backlash
I hope to god they'll keep using the current design
Smash Ultimate did had K.Rool and the Mario movie from 2023 brought back Chunky and Swanky
@@mariajimenafigueroa233 That's because the Smash creator is not Miyamoto. He has been on record bashing Rare's DK. Just look it up. They held a grudge against Rare for years, and I don't think they've ever let it fully go. And I feel as if Nintendo uses Rare's characters because it is an easy expansion to the Kong universe. It's convenient, because they are well known characters.
movie dk is perfection. who suddenly decided it looks bad?
I hope god the redesign is just for the new Mario Kart game and nothing else
As long as he isn’t voiced by Seth Rogen, I’m fine with it.
Well, this a game not the movie. Of course he won't be voiced by Seth Rogen!
@ i can assure you that I realize that. It was intended as a joke.
Now hold on, if I hit people with shells while playing as donkey kong and he does the Seth Rogan laugh, I might just have to start playing as donkey kong more often
I wonder if his retractable teeth are still canon 😂
Finally, someone talking some sense! Like, holy hell, I grew up with the Rare design too, but I had no idea people were THAT attatched to it. If I’m being completely honest, I never really did like the “angry” eyebrow so I think the new design fits DK more as he was always supposed to look kinda silly. Just put this design next to the Arcade and DK ‘94 art and it doesn’t even really look that out of place.
It just the freaking eyebrow. People need to chill
I'm kinda in the middle. I find DK's movie design tolerable, but I liked the old one better.
I personally love this new look
I don't hate it i prefer the current
Thing is, the design of DK (and of the other characters) in the MK snippit are all retro callbacks from their designs in the 80s. And I love that!
People feel entitled by the smallest changes. This is 2025. And also the internet. You always hear and read the loudest opinion, not the most common one. People who like the new design or are indifferent aren't saying this out loud. I personally think most people don't even care or really notice this at all at the end.
As long as the original design is still in Smash 6, I don’t care. The new one takes all his edge away, and that affects hype factor for fights.
Is Is DK’s New Design Really THAT Bad? design really THAT bad?
I dont hate DK'S new design i just prefer the current
Fr or yo what they could do
They can also have DK’s iconic design as an alternate costume
Take for example Link in MK8D
Have his iconic green tunic and his breath of the wild tunic
So they can do that with DK
Have his new design and his iconic design as costumes so they can let us fans choose whatever we want
Take another example Wario in Smash Bros
His Default Biker Costume from the Warioware series and his Alternate Classic iconic Overalls
(Aka Classic Wario)
I don't think he ever looked better than he did in the original DKC games. The new design is... fine, but I agree on the goofy side.
I hope god the redesign is just for the new Mario Kart game and nothing else
I love the new design tbf, he looks much more expressive and Nintendo-like
2:11 they could of gotten Kevin Afghani to re-record all of Mario's lines for thousand year door and Mario Vs Donkey Kong but they didn't.
Exactly; Nintendo didn't perceive it to be an issue.
I'm glad they didn't
It's not THAT bad. It made him more soften but rather brighter and more emotions.
Probably this is culture differences, which westerners prefer characters to be more aggressive because its cool and powerful, and sells better through marketing as they prefer cuteness and nice sucks bad. *Yeah, a huge disrespect to Japan which it is...* 🙄
1:24 Why do you have to remind me!?!?!? 😭😭😭
Sorry 😭
STOP HURTING MY EYES WITH THE CRYBABY EMOJI!
@@GameXplain🙄🙄🙄
Why shouldn't I? It looks UGLY.
Would you prefer that Nintendo adds a Fixed DK character to the roster like with Rillaroo in CTR: Nitro-Fueled.
People are gonna bitch and moan about any small detail these days
Is it even official that it's him or not DK Jr?
It's literally the same thing with a slightly lifted eyebrow. It's barely even a change. That's obviously not going a different character.
Welp, I'm in the process of making a video talking about these exact same points, but now I wonder if it's even worth the time. I did, however, intend to go into a bit more detail about the history of DKs design and how this new design relates to the movie design and the classic design. Maybe I should keep going with it.
I would have liked to have explored that more, but the video was already taking long enough as it was haha. I think there's definitely an angle there to explore and i'd personally love to see your take as well!
I hope to god they dont actually redesign Donkey Kong
He's perfect how he is
Keep in mind, this is a tiny low quality image from a screenshot of what is assumed to be early gameplay. He'll look even just a little better in the final game
The old design is the RareWare look, as they hold the rights, they probably designed the new look for the movie and games to get the rights and avoid paying MS for using it
Yeah, this change isn't very drastic IMO. Gives me vibes of Sonic fans getting angry when his arms changed color.
Sometimes I just don't understand why people go crazy over even the smallest things. If this is how he will look going forward, then there's no need to complain about it. He is still the same character no matter what.
People want the 00s design forever.. grow up. You get used to it
As i said in another video, it's just regular dk without the angry brows, doesn't even register as a new design to me
The head shape is changed, the mouth was changed, the eyes were changed, his ears were changed and the ridge was made smaller and changed default expression. Completely restructuring how his head is designed would count as a "new design" to me.
@@zynux8252 exactly. Changing eyes and mouth literally means changing the main things in a toon character.
The brow dimension and shape is changed, there is more "dark", the mouth is less a "beak" but larger, the chin is less masculine, slightly different head and hairs, the expression is more harmless, the muscles are less defined (chubbier?). So basically DK is no longer an athletic chad doing push-ups (DK64) or beating Kong-invaders (Jungle Beat). Now is a goofy fluffy pet
There are also two other options, even though they are likely incorrect.
First, his look could change between now and when the game releases. This current look could very well be a beta version, as the game could still be in the final stages of development.
Second, it may be possible that, like in Smash Bros., some or all racers could have alternate costumes or designs, with DK having one that makes him appear like the original Rareware design or how he did in the Mario movie.
For me, the main issue is simply that the new design comes across as "change for the sake of change," and I just straight up don't see what's worth celebrating about that.
I hope to god Nintendo will keep using DK'S current design
I think this rejection from DK fans to the new design is just them going through their denial phase that Rareware is long gone from Nintendo, as a Banjo fan I already went through that phase years ago, but that old DK design was still a constant reminder that didn't allow its fans to move on, I know what it feels like, give me your hand DK fans, it'll be ok, let go. lol.
I cant!
When I first saw his "new design," I was exactly like, "Nintendo only showed a brief introduction of the Switch 2 and already they screwed everything!!!!". ...But...now that I saw this video, Audre, I think you're absolutely right about it not being a problem. It's good to have users like you around. 👍
The rareware Donkey Kong isn't limiting that's just an excuse from developers I bet I can make him be more expensive. You are just a blind Nintendo fanboy as usual you always stick up for Nintendo. 🙄
I hope to god Nintendo will keep using DK'S Rare design
@Puzzle-Portals64 Same maybe it's a character reskin similarly to pink gold peach except obviously this would be called movie Donkey Kong either way I don't like it but if it's just a reskin while we get the original then I'm okay with that. Damn I'm not a fan of this it's like Sonic in the games getting replaced with movie Sonic's design.
@Puzzle-Portals64 People say all Mario kart characters look different and I don't see it because Mario still looks like Mario nothing much have changed from the usual design compared to Donkey Kong I almost thought it was a new Kong character until I saw his iconic tie.
@MadSociety-uy6zg i hope to god your right
Clearly someone missed all of our recent DKCR HD vids somehow. Or our TOTK discussion.
The interesting thing is, how did nobody else complain before this? At super Nintendo world, the DK merch has him in his new designs. Even more so, Diddy Kong also looks different too. The DK hot dog has a picture of them on your dog. Both look different.
What if it’s a grown up Donkey Kong Jr?
"From the back all DKs pretty much look the same"
How I met my wife
Not suprised. If nintendo drones cry over one bad review of their beloved franchises what would you expect over a small redesign. Buncha babies.
Kinda reminds me of his original look mixed with the rare one. They changed the design for the movie, and nobody batted an eye
Everyone: New dk bad
change bad
wahh wahh waahh
Me: 4:04
Look at how smol luigi looks
he looks adorable
Luigi is adorable in general :)
I love Donkey Kong’s new design. There. I said it. He’s returning to his roots.
I really hope this isn’t the finalized design moving forward.
I always enjoyed that look of coolness that Rare gave him.
If anything, my tune might change if they polish up the model a bit.
Why did Rare's Donkey Kong have a kind of "Yeah", "Coooool!" feel to it, particularly in DK64, but more recently he started sounding like Scooby-Doo?
@@scmtuk3662 He still sounds like that, especially in the DKC games. it's just that he's not bonking anything and really adventuring in Mario spin-offs.
I really don't get everyone's issue with the new design. I think he looks awesome! Also, it's still very recognisably DK which is all that matters, they've not changed anything too significant about him. People are acting like they've made his fur black, removed his tie and got rid of his hair tuft. He still has all his recognisable features. The only significant change I can actually see is his eyes. Honestly if you look at a frame of the MK trailer where you get a good look at his face and just imagine his eyes further apart people would barely notice any difference in the designs
people are allowed to have opinions.
I don't hate the redesign, but I prefer the current design
As long as DK keeps his game personality, I could get used to the new design. There is NO way Gnok Yeknod is becoming the new standard.
i'm not bothered by the redesign per se,
i'm bothered by the facts that they gave him the seth rogan proportions from the movie (lots of animated movies have done this recently, giving the characters some proportions from their voice actors)
i don't want DK to remind me of seth rogan
Honestly him being more expressive doesn’t even matter to me even when he’s doing that smug look I just… DONT like how he looks. I never liked the original design of Donkey Kong before Rare and I didn’t care much for the movie look. I can’t really explain it either I just dont
I think he looks less cool, I don’t really want him to look softer like Mario
Remember when Wind Waker showed and people acted like toddlers cause they didn't want the game to look all cartoony and wanted something more realistic like what was shown in the tech demo? Yeah, now we're running it back again with this now. Same when Dedede kept the Forgotten Land design in RtDL DX.
My favorite redesign so far would have to be luigi, espeically how he looks at 5:34. He looks so much like the n64 renders when his head was more rounder and im in love with it
I hope to god the Redesign is just a skin and nothing else