Animal Buddies in Donkey Kong Series

In the Donkey Kong Country series and some related games, animal buddies are special animal companions for the Kong characters that can be ridden through levels. Most of them are more powerful and/or have greater mobility than the Kongs along, making them useful for defeating enemies and/or reaching new areas. Animal buddies are most commonly found within crates, although in some games, the Kongs can instead transform into the animal buddies with useage of special barrels. They seem to be inspired by Yoshi from the Super Mario series.

Donkey Kong Country

Rambi

Rambi is a powerful rhino whose horn can destroy most enemies and obstacles, especially when charging forward. He seems to be the strongest of the animal buddies in general. Rambi's only disadvantage was his lack of jumping power, making chasms his greatest enemy.

He appears in the first two Donkey Kong Country and Land games as well as Donkey Kong 64 and the Donkey Kong Country Returns games.

Enguarde

Enguarde is a swordfish who acts as the Kong's aquatic protector. He is almost like an underwater version of Rambi in that Enguarde's sharp bill can cut through nearly any obstacle. He is only ineffective when it comes to spikes. Enguarde is one of the most recurring of the animal buddies, being the only one to appear in all of the Rareware-developed Country games, including Donkey Kong 64]]/

Squawks

Squawks is a green parrot who serves the Kongs in different ways throughout their adventures. There seems to be more than one Squawks. In some games (including its debut in 'Donkey Kong Country), Squawks is shown as a small parrot, too small to help the Kongs beyond carrying lanterns or delivering messages. A larger Squawks has also appeared, able to transport the Kongs with its talons and spit eggs at enemies. Purple varieties have also appeared.

Expresso

Expresso is a helpful ostrich who is gifted with great speed. His long legs also allow him to step over smaller enemies, and his small wings can give him a boost in the air. However, he has no means to defend himself against the larger enemies and can be beaten much more easily then the other animal buddies. His only appearances as an animal buddy were in the first Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land, but he has made various smaller appearances in other games.

Winky

Winky the Frog is an amphibian with exceptional leaping ability. Not only can he jump very high, but he can harm most enemies by pouncing on them. He only appears in Donkey Kong Country, but he has made several cameo appears in other games.

Donkey Kong Country 2=

Rattly

Rattly the Rattlesnake was a reptile with the ability to bounce high in the air with his coiled up tail. He essentially acts as a replacement for Winky, as he is capable of leaping high and pouncing on enemies. He only appears in Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2.

In the Donkey Konga games, artwork of Rattly could appear while playing in the Freestyle Zone, and images of Rattly were seen carved into a bridge in the background of an area in Donkey Konga 2. In Super Mario Odyssey, he was referenced in the form of a New Donk City street named "Rattley Street". Rattly also appeared in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an Advanced-rank Support Spirit, with the effect of increasing jumping ability. When fought in a Spirit battle, Rattly's Spirit would possess a Yoshi with a boosted leaping ability.

Squitter

Squitter was an orange spider who wore sneakers and whose abilities were based around spitting webs. He could shoot projectile webs to defeat enemies, or special webs that expanded into platforms on command. With web platforms, Squitter could go nearly anywhere he wanted, but the platforms were only temporary. Aside from his web projectiles there was nothing to protect Squitter from enemy attacks.

Squitter initially appeared in Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2, but he also appeared in both Donkey Kong Country 3 and Donkey Kong Land III. In the former game, he was featured in a K3 level where Squitter had to navigate a large factory while dodging fireballs being launched by a bazooka in the foreground. Squitter also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Clapper

Clapper is a seal who helps the Kongs without being ridden. Instead, Clapper is found near bodies of water, and bouncing on him will cause him to spray out ice breath into the water that temporarily makes things more manageable for the Kongs. He appears in two levels of Donkey Kong Country 2. In the first level within Crocodile Cauldron, Clapper's breath made the boiling water safe to swim in for a limited amount of time. His next level was in K. Rool's Keep, where he froze over Snapjaw-infested waters so that the Kongs could walk over them.

Several seals who dress and talk like sailors appear in Donkey Kong 64, but none are conclusively identified as Clapper.

Glimmer

Glimmer is a small anglar fish living in the dark depths of Krem Quay. Like Squawks in the first Donkey Kong Country, he cannot be ridden, and instead he shines a light through murky waters to act as a guide for the Kongs. He is only featured in one level known as Glimmer's Galleon.

In Donkey Kong Land 2, Glimmer was replaced with a series of barrels that temporarily provided light when activated.

Donkey Kong Country 3

Ellie

Ellie the elephant was just a baby when she aided Dixie and Kiddy Kong in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble. Despite her age, she was a capable fighter. Ellie's nose could suck up barrels or water that she could spit at enemies. Her only weakness was her fear of mice that she never really overcame- one look at a Neek would send her running.

Ellie's big baptism of fire came when she had a one-on-one boss fight with Squirt in Cottontop Cove. Squirt spat jets of water in an attempt to shove Ellie over the cliff, but Ellie fought water with water by spraying Squirt's eyes until he fell. Ellie continued to help the Kongs in Donkey Kong Land III, but hasn't done much since. Ellie still hangs around Donkey Kong Island and was one of the first to hear Donkey Kong play the Pokemon theme with Bongo drums in Donkey Konga.

Parry

Parry is one of the new friends who accompanies the Kongs in their latest quest in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble. He's a parallel bird so he always travels at the same distance directly above Dixie or Kiddy, always changing his altitude to parallel theirs, never once meeting them directly. Parry was useful for collecting high items or beating Booty Birds. And if he was delivered safely to the end of a level he'd leave behind valuable items- once even an actual Bonus Barrel. Unfortunately Parry was vulnerable to all the other high-flying hazards, which made protecting him a burden on the Kongs.

Nibbla

Not exactly an Animal Buddy, a Nibbla does follow Dixie and Kiddy Kong through an underwater level of Donkey Kong Country 3. His appetite is shown through his color; he is blue when his hunger is content, but he slowly turns red as he gets hungrier. If he gets hungry enough he will attack Dixie and Kiddy. Thus Dixie and Kiddy must make sure he eats alot along the level, although eating Lurchins will only make Nibblas hungrier.

Donkey Kong 64

Glower

Glower is a small, tadpole-like creature found only in the Gloomy Galleon area of Donkey Kong 64. He fulfills Glimmer's role, as he uses a light attached to his head to guide the Kongs through some of the Gloomy Galleon's darker areas.

• Note: Glower is an unofficial name.

Jungle Beat

Hoofer

One of Donkey Kong's animal companions in "Jungle Beat". Hoofer was a fast moving ram that Donkey Kong could ride to take down anything that got in his way. This was best put to use by taking down as enemies to gain beats. After eating fruit, Hoofer was capable of making incredibly long jumps which Donkey Kong could use to gain even more beats. However besides making Hoofer jump, DK had no way of controlling the creature's direction.

Orco

A killer whale that would allowed Donkey Kong to take a ride. As to be expected it was found underwater generally just swimming about aimlessly. By grabbing on to the dorsal fin, DK could take a high speed ride underwater. Orco's bulky size was excellent for breaking down barriers. In addition the whale could jump out of the water quite high, enabling DK to get more beats or reach places he couldn't normally reach on his own.

Flurl

A flying squirrel often found sleeping, conveniently around a cliff of some sort. In "Jungle Beat", DK would use Flurl as a way to safely float down a chasm and reach a safe place. Although Flurl only floated downwards due to DK's weight, he could gain a slight air boost if a upward air current caught him.

Helibird

A species of flying birds often found among the forests. During Jungle Beat, Donkey Kong often used the birds to reach new heights. As they were often several Helibirds, he could quickly transfer to one Helibird from another (and easily earn Beats this way). However he wasn't the only one to use the birds, as the small white monkeys did as well as the Ninjapes.

The Helibird appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.