King K. Rool
- For fighter info, see King K. Rool (SSBU).
| King K. Rool | |
|---|---|
  
Official artworks of King K. Rool from Donkey Kong 64 and DK: Jungle Climber, respectively. | |
| Universe | Donkey Kong |
| Debut | Donkey Kong Country (1994) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Mario Super Sluggers (2008) |
| Console/platform of origin | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Species | Kremling |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of origin | Crocodile Isle |
| Created by | Steve Mayles Gregg Mayles |
| Designed by | Steve Mayles |
| Article on Super Mario Wiki | King K. Rool |
King K. Rool (キングクルール, King K. Rool) is the main antagonist of the Donkey Kong series. The arch-nemesis of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, King K. Rool usually seeks to plunder the Kong Family's Banana Hoard in order to starve them to death and/or to satisfy his own love of bananas.[1]
After making cameos as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. 4, as well as a Mii Costume in SSB4, King K. Rool made his debut as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Origin[edit]
King K. Rool is the leader of the Kremling Krew, and King of the Kremlings. He is a sinister, boisterous, burly reptile who antagonizes Donkey Kong, much like how Bowser antagonizes Mario. Much like Bowser, K. Rool alternates between a genuine threat to the Kong family's safety and way of life or a goofy and cartoonish character. Also like Bowser, he has occasionally teamed up with the Kongs or competed with them in competitions. Unlike Bowser, K. Rool has various alter-egos, whom each act a little differently from one another.
K. Rool is the main antagonist of most games in the Donkey Kong Country series and the archenemy of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, making his debut in Donkey Kong Country as the final boss. In that game, he steals Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's banana hoard for unknown reasons. Two official reasons given are either that he likes bananas, or he stole them in order to starve Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong and occupy their treehouse.[1] Donkey and Diddy must traverse through from the jungle they call home to K. Rool's factories, and then finally challenge him on his pirate ship, the Gangplank Galleon.
King K. Rool made his return in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, albeit under his pirate alter-ego "Kaptain K. Rool", where he kidnaps Donkey Kong and demands the Kongs' banana hoard for ransom. In response, Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong travel to his home island, Crocodile Isle, in order to rescue Donkey Kong. Upon being freed, Donkey Kong uppercuts him into the ocean where he is attacked by piranhas. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! has K. Rool assume the alias of a mad scientist named "Baron K. Roolenstein", as well as kidnap both Donkey and Diddy in order to use them to power his robot, KAOS, in his bid to control the Northern Kremisphere. However, Dixie and her younger cousin Kiddy Kong stop these plans. Both of these games have secret worlds where K. Rool is fought a second time - The Lost World in Kong Quest, which hosts the Krocodile Core, the power source of Crocodile Isle, and is sunk into the sea and presumably destroyed alongside Crocodile Isle when K. Rool is launched into the Core, and Krematoa in Double Trouble, where you fight him in his sub Knautilus, before chasing his hovercraft down with the Banana Queen, who will trap him in an egg.
In the Donkey Kong Land games, his alter-egos correlate to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, owing to them being rough handheld counterparts to the series. However only Donkey Kong Land 2 has the same plot and levels as its Country counterpart.
In Donkey Kong Land, Cranky Kong makes a bet with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong that they could not complete an adventure on an 8-bit console and hires K. Rool to steal the banana hoard to win the bet. King K. Rool is fought in the final level on a blimp, fighting similarly to his Country counterpart, but with a new bellyflop attack.
In Donkey Kong Land III, K. Roolenstein competes with Dixie and Kiddy Kong in the contest to find the legendary Lost World. K. Roolenstein is first battled in Tin Can Valley and attacks by flying around whilst shooting various electrical beams and trying to stomp the Kongs. K. Rool is battled again in the games hidden Lost World, with new bomb attacks. After being defeated by the Dixie and Kiddy, K. Rool attends the award ceremony and rewards the Kongs with access to the time trial mode.
In Donkey Kong 64, he reappears in a new mechanical version of his old island, plotting to destroy DK Island with his Blast-O-Matic, but it gets damaged on arrival. He thus has Diddy, Lanky, Tiny, and Chunky captured, as well as Donkey and Diddy's banana hoard stolen again, to buy time to repair the weapon. Once the Kongs disable it, K. Rool flees, but crashes his airship on DK Island, where the final battle takes place: an extended boxing match where he adopts "King Krusha K. Rool" alterego (with a typical champion boxer getup). While 64 has an even more comedic tone than the already-witty Country games, K. Rool acts as an intimidating mastermind in this game, with a deep, bestial voice, foreboding theme song for the cutscenes where he appears (most of which are parodies of the James Bond villain Blofeld) and a game over cutscene where his Blast-O-Matic is implied to have destroyed Donkey Kong Island — however, his final boss fight is in key with the irreverent tone of the rest of the game, with K. Rool engaging in wacky antics, the player having to outsmart him by covering his head with the boxing ring's lights then placing banana peels for him to trip over and shrinking down to tickle his toes, followed by his ultimate defeat from Funky Kong firing a giant boot at him while Candy Kong distracts him by flirting.
He also appears in the Paon-developed titles DK: King of Swing, DK: Jungle Climber, and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. In these games, his design underwent some changes, the most notable of which were a smaller crown, his tail being removed entirely, and the removal of his golden breastplate in favor of a tan underbelly. In Mario Super Sluggers, his only appearance to date in a Mario title, he dons an Egyptian inspired outfit. In Donkey Konga, he appears as a cameo, both in the main rhythm mode where dances to Donkey Kong's music, and in a whack-a-mole-style mini-game known as "Bash K.Rool"[sic]. He does not appear in either game of the revived Donkey Kong Country series developed by Retro Studios (Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze), alongside the Kremlings. Instead, they have been succeeded by the Tiki Tak Tribe and the Snowmads, respectively.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
King K. Rool appears as a trophy.
Trophy[edit]
- King K. Rool
- The demented head of the Kremlings and big boss in the Donkey Kong series, K. Rool is a giant, greedy glutton with a serious eye tic. While he fits the evil boss mold nicely, he's just enough of a bumbler to have gained a few fans over the years. His plan to blow up the DK Isles with his Blast-o-Matic shows how unbalanced he is.
- Donkey Kong Country (11/94)
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
King K. Rool appears as both a trophy and a sticker.
Trophy[edit]
The King K. Rool trophy is unlocked by clearing Target Smash level 4 with all characters.
- King K. Rool
- The supreme commander of the Kremling Krew. King K. Rool steals bananas from Donkey Kong and ends up kidnapping Diddy Kong. He is so good at playing dead that sometimes the credits even roll as he lies there, feigning defeat. His brother, Kaptain K. Rool, made an appearance in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
: Donkey Kong Country
: Donkey Kong 64
Sticker[edit]
| Name | Game | Effect | Fighter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| King K. Rool | Donkey Kong 64 |  Attack +29
|
|
.png) King K. Rool (DK64) |
In Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]
As a costume[edit]
King K. Rool is the basis for a paid downloadable Mii Costume. Although the King K. Rool Hat can be worn by any type of Mii Fighter, only Mii Brawlers can wear the King K. Rool Outfit. The costume features aesthetics from K. Rool's Rare and modern designs, much like his later design in Ultimate.
Trophy[edit]
The King K. Rool trophy appears in both versions of the game.
- King K. Rool
Whereas Mario often squares off against Bowser, Donkey Kong must fight against King K. Rool. He's a big croc with a big attitude...and a tiny crown. He probably could have been Donkey Kong's most trustworthy animal friend. Think he'll ever have a change of heart? Not likely.- : Donkey Kong Country (11/1994)
- : Donkey Kong 64 (11/1999)
This guy is to Donkey Kong what Bowser is to Mario. This crowned Kremling has a serious attitude problem. If only he could have been one of DK's Animal Friends instead... Maybe with just a little change of heart, he still could be! On second thoughts...nope. Never gonna happen.- : Donkey Kong Country (11/1994)
- : Donkey Kong 64 (12/1999)
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
King K. Rool appears as a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and was formally announced alongside Simon, Richter, Chrom and Dark Samus during the Super Smash Bros. Direct on August 8th, 2018.[2] According to Super Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai, he used the Super Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot as a list of candidates to potentially include in a playable role for Ultimate. Due to King K. Rool having "received a ton of votes" on the Fighter Ballot, he was chosen to become a playable character in Ultimate.[3] As the first character unlocked in Link's unlock tree, King K. Rool can potentially be the first character unlocked.
King K. Rool has a composite design: his bestial voice, pronounced scales and golden breastplate[4] are from his Rare design, while his clawed fingers, smaller crown and slightly modified cape are from his modern design. In addition to this, King K. Rool has a short tail, which can be seen as a composite between the long tail from his Rare design and the complete absence of it from his modern design. However, Sakurai also admitted that K. Rool's overall size was slightly shrunken compared to his usual depictions (similarly to Ridley),[3] which is humorously referenced at the end of his reveal trailer.[2]
A number of King K. Rool's moves are derived from his various appearances, with most of his special moves being the prominent examples. In addition to the Blast-o-Matic being his Final Smash, K. Rool's side special move involves him throwing his crown like a boomerang as in Donkey Kong Country. His "Kaptain" and "Baron K. Roolenstein" personas are also directly referenced: the blunderbuss from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is his neutral special move, whereas the Propellerpack from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is his up special move.[2][3]
Aside from these references, K. Rool's breastplate also functions as more than just an aesthetic throwback: it grants passive protection during certain moves, and can function as both a counterattack and reflector via his Gut Check down special move.[3][5] However, the breastplate has a set amount of durability that slowly regenerates over time and will stun K. Rool once it is fully depleted.[3]
As a costume[edit]
The King K. Rool costume for Mii Fighters reappears, albeit as unlockable content instead of downloadable content.
Spirits[edit]
Fighter spirit[edit]
136. King K. Rool
Primary spirits[edit]
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Class | Slots | Base 
|
Max
|
Base 
|
Max
|
Base 
|
Max
|
Ability | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 162 |  |
Kaptain K. Rool |  |
★★★★ | 2 | 4232 | 10583 | 2243 | 5609 | 1989 | 4974 | No Effect | Donkey Kong Series |
| 163 |  |
Baron K. Roolenstein |  |
★★★ | 3 | 2933 | 8826 | 1584 | 4766 | 1349 | 4060 | No Effect | Donkey Kong Series |
Gallery[edit]
Costume of King K. Rool for the Mii Brawler
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
キングクルール, King K. Rool | — |
 English |
King K. Rool | — |
 French (PAL) |
King K. Rool | — |
 French (NTSC) |
Roi K. Rool | King K. Rool |
 German |
King K. Rool | — |
 Spanish |
King K. Rool | — |
 Italian |
King K. Rool | — |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
库鲁鲁王, King K. Rool | — |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
庫魯魯王, King K. Rool | — |
 Korean |
킹크루루, King K. Rool | — |
 Dutch |
King K. Rool | — |
 Russian |
Кинг К. Роль | "К. Роль" is a wordplay with Король (king) |
Trivia[edit]
- While King K. Rool has a voice actor in his own series, with his current voice actor being Toshihide Tsuchiya, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate does not give King K. Rool a voice actor. Instead, Ultimate gives him realistic crocodile bellows and grunts, similar to his appearances in some Donkey Kong games, such as DK: King of Swing. The same thing happens to Donkey Kong, who is given realistic gorilla grunts instead of reusing Takashi Nagasako's voice clips from other games; Diddy Kong, who uses realistic chimpanzee screeches instead of reusing voice clips from his current voice actor Katsumi Suzuki; Bowser, who uses realistic roars instead of reusing voice clips from his current voice actor Kenny James; and Petey Piranha, who uses monstrous roars instead of reusing voice clips from his current voice actor Toru Minegishi.
- Although King K. Rool's name is the same between Japanese and English, the announcer pronounces it differently between regions: the English version pronounces it as "King Kay Rool", while the Japanese version pronounces it "King Cruel", which is the basis of the pun on which his name is built.
- King K. Rool is the third character in the Super Smash Bros. series to be created outside Japan, and the second character to originate from Europe.
- While most characters in the Japanese version omit their royal honorifics and titles (such as King or Princess) from their names, K. Rool is an exception, as he keeps the title of King in his name. In the English version, he shares this peculiarity with King Dedede.
- King K. Rool's trophy in Brawl erroneously states that Kaptain K. Rool is his brother, rather than his alter-ego.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Scribes column on August 25, 1999 at Rareware.com
- ^ a b c Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct 8.8.2018
- ^ a b c d e "More Information about the Smash Direct" Sakurai's Famitsu Column Vol. 561"
- ^ Steve Mayles on Twitter: "@dkvine Armour. Wonder no more."
- ^ Sakurai Tells More Details About Smash Ultimate's Development
| Character Inspirations for Mii Fighter Costumes in Super Smash Bros. 4 | |
|---|---|
 Mii Brawler
|
Akira · Captain Falcon · Flying Man · Heihachi · Jacky · King K. Rool · Knuckles · Toad |
 Mii Swordfighter
|
Ashley · Black Knight · Chrom · Dunban · Gil · Link · Lloyd · Monster Hunter · Takamaru · Viridi · Zero |
 Mii Gunner
|
Fox · Geno · Inkling · Isabelle · K.K. Slider · MegaMan.EXE · Proto Man · Samus · Tails · X |
| Headgear only | Barbara · Chain Chomp · Chocobo · Daisy · Inkling Squid · Luigi · Majora's Mask · Mario · Meta Knight · Peach · Red Shell · Sheik · Shy Guy · Spiny · Super Mushroom · Waluigi · Wario · Zelda |
 Donkey Kong universe
| |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Donkey Kong (SSB · SSBM · SSBB · SSB4 · SSBU) · Diddy Kong (SSBB · SSB4 · SSBU) · King K. Rool (SSBU) |
| Assist Trophy | Klaptrap |
| Boss | Giant Donkey Kong |
| Stages | Kongo Jungle · Kongo Falls · Jungle Japes · Rumble Falls · 75m · Jungle Hijinxs |
| Items | Hammer · Barrel Cannon · Peanut · Spring |
| Enemies | Kritter · Tiki Buzz |
| Other | Dixie Kong · DK Barrel · DK Island · Pauline · Zinger |
| Trophies, Stickers and Spirits | Trophies (SSBM · SSBB · SSB4) · Stickers · Spirits |
| Music | Brawl · SSB4 · Ultimate |
| Masterpiece | Donkey Kong |
| Related universe | Mario |
