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Donkey Kong Bananza Teases Return of Fan Favorite Character

On Apr 29, 2025 2:57 pm, by NuclearCoffee

Summary

Rambi the Rhino may return in Donkey Kong Bananza.
The character first appeared in 1994’s Donkey Kong Country.
Donkey Kong Bananza will introduce new characters and enemies when it releases for the Switch 2 on July 17.

The latest Donkey Kong Bananza teaser has a clue that Rambi the Rhino could be making a return appearance. A new Donkey Kong game was revealed during the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct livestream earlier this month, with a trailer of Nintendo’s great ape embarking on a new adventure to recover the Golden Bananas from the evil VoidCo. Donkey Kong Bananza is the first mainline Donkey Kong game since 2014’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and it will launch on the Switch 2 on July 17, 2025.

Donkey Kong Bananza will introduce plenty of new characters and enemies, such as the talking Odd Rock that guides DK on his journey against the sinister apes of VoidCo. A few familiar faces might also be encountered in Donkey Kong Bananza, with many sources confirming that the elderly Cranky Kong will appear at some point. A since-removed promotional image on Nintendo’s Korean website also supposedly featured a girl resembling Pauline, the damsel in distress from the original Donkey Kong game, who recently made a comeback of her own in Super Mario Odyssey and later spin-offs.

Donkey Kong Bananza’s Super Mario Odyssey Prequel Theory Explained

As Nintendo gears up for the Switch 2, theories have emerged that Donkey Kong Bananza may be a tie-in to Super Mario Odyssey.

Now, some fans think Rambi the Rhino could be returning to smash his way through enemies in Donkey Kong Bananza. The Nintendo Today mobile app recently posted a brief video of the redesigned Donkey Kong making funny faces, and the background music sounds suspiciously like Rambi’s theme from Donkey Kong 64. Even Grant Kirkhope, the composer behind Donkey Kong 64‘s iconic soundtrack, noted this on Twitter, believing that this is a sign that Rambi will appear in Donkey Kong Bananza.

Rambi Could Return in Donkey Kong Bananza

Rambi the Rhino first debuted in 1994’s Donkey Kong Country, in which he used his horn and powerful charge to clear enemies and obstacles for Donkey Kong after being rescued by the great ape. He would return in most of the later Donkey Kong Country games and make cameo appearances in a wide variety of connected titles and spin-offs, up to and including his likeness being used as an emblem in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The apparent use of Rambi’s theme music in the latest Donkey Kong Bananza promotional video doesn’t necessarily confirm that he will appear in the latest Donkey Kong game, as it could just be a case of Nintendo reusing a familiar tune in an unrelated way. However, it would be interesting to see how Rambi’s charge abilities would factor into Donkey Kong Bananza’s 3D gameplay, especially since the game will feature destructible environments in an open world similar to Super Mario Odyssey.