Donkey Kong wasn't really meant to have a gap like this though, it was just a variety of factors that unfortunately caused it to be so long.
I'm tired of being scolded for "caring too much about story" in Bananza. I'm so ready for the broader Nintendo fandom to finally love DK as much as I do, and then crap like this
happens. It's honestly pretty demoralizing.
There's even YouTube "comedy" on it:
I realize this is a lot of casual fans' first brush with mainline DK, but these games have always had continuity. Unlike most Mario games, they reference past events and tend not to contradict each other. If Pauline really is a kid without explanation because "the story doesn't matter," that's a pretty substantial break from tradition! It's not weird that people are asking questions!
Sorry for venting, I just wish I could look forward to a new game in my favorite franchise without days (or months) of negativity, hit pieces and fandom drama for once. I know this'll all blow over when the game comes out and Pauline turns back into an adult in the end. Which is what's definitely going to happen, by the way.
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tbf Pauline never interacted with DKC continuity.
The DKC games take place after the arcade games and Donkey Kong '94, where Pauline is an adult kidnappee and the Donkey Kongs are younger.
Like, Nintendo may not "care about the story," but if they made a game where Mario is a baby but Luigi, Peach and Bowser are adults, no one would call you a cringe nerd for thinking there's an in-story explanation.
This.
It's not that Nintendo's about to start making deep lore for the franchise, so much as them making a point of having Pauline in the game and having her be a kid for the first time in franchise history is, in itself, a move that implies there's a story there to explain it.
Even if it's a story completely contained within this one game.
Yeah, there's definitely a story. I just think it's not gonna be the most obvious possible story knowing Nintendo.
My musician page"You should care about DK lore" imbeciles when the Tot K doesn't fit neatly in any Zelda branch: RAAAAAAAAGE!
Is... that not what they're doing? It sounds like you're describing the same phenomenon?
Caring about lore isn't the same as caring about story...
It's a fanatic phenom, people place the history of a world above anything else.
Even in a series like Mario where nothing like that really matters.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.I mean, the comment I reacted to seemed to me to treat people who care about DK lore being hypocritical because they also (theoretically) care about Zelda lore. Which whether it's, like, right or not, seems to not be very contradictory. Besides, didn't this whole diversion start because people were going "you care too much about the lore. The story doesn't matter, why are you thinking about it"?
Either way, ever wondered how many Bananas there are in Donkey Kong Country?
The answer? About eighty-six million bananas. (Edit: To be clear, this video is about the number of bananas in Donkey Kong Country)
Edited by Marchen on Jul 8th 2025 at 11:15:26 AM
Read Otr of the Flame (She/Her)We don't even know if there is new lore yet. Remember, Cranky says (or at least implies) he's the original Donkey Kong. That's why I think Pauline's been magically de-aged; if Nintendo wanted Bananza to be the beginning of a new timeline with a new, younger Pauline, they probably wouldn't keep that shockingly persistent bit of Rare-era lore. It would make much more sense to conflate classic and modern DK into a singular character again.
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I'm pretty sure that was a typo? Like, the people goofing on DK fans for taking the lore seriously probably take Zelda lore seriously.
I'm not sure it's accurate, since the huge glut of new fans that got into Zelda via BotW don't really care about anything prior to BotW and the old guard that cares about timelines does get clowned on. A better comparison may be the Pikmin fans that didn't like that Pikmin 4 retconned some stuff from the first game. I've seen zero backlash to that (not that I think there should be any).
Saying this elsewhere...
Cranky's existence and dialogue are meta, he can say what he says without the actual context being relevant.
He's a self-aware character referring to the overall history of the franchise, not the actual story.
Like, that's his whole character originally.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.I'm in the "this is not a prequel" camp, and weird shenanigans is going on with the Young Pauline walking around.
Is that a basic bitch stance to take? Yes, yes it is.
You know what, I'm about it. I am liking the idea of Young Pauline joining DK and Diddy for simian shenanigans, she feels like a good fit… also drama queen K. Rool is the best.
Self-professed Wild Card who thinks cynicism isn't so bad.Kenta Motokura is the producer of the game while Kazuya Takahashi is the director
. Motokura directed Odyssey while Takahashi is new blood. They also made separate articles like how how Koizumi asked the Odyssey team for a 3D Donkey Kong game
.
Edited by Ookamikun on Jul 10th 2025 at 6:29:03 AM
ok but what if
WHAT IF
this is not DK, or DK Jr
but instead
an entirely separate branch of the Kong family that just HAPPENED to give the character the same name as Cranky's original name, and his son's, and his grandson's.
AND
what if this Kong is actually directly related to Diddy rather than being his uncle/really good friend
...idk i just like the concept of two entirely separate Donkey Kongs running around LMAO
Welcome, my little friend! Or should I say...friends?IGN also has an interview with the developers saying that there is a reason Pauline is 13 in the games and they want players to solve the puzzle themselves.
You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.

Magic de-aging like in the game supposedly? Or just make her old Pauline’s daughter?
You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.