I feel like DK needs something to keep it popular and relevant between game releases so I did a whole outline of a new animated series pulling from all the past games/eras. looking for opinions if it actually seems like something watchable/enjoyable.
I brainstormed this little by little over the course of a few years cause I feel like the series deserves its own proper show dedicated to it again, one that brings together from all the games, both Rare and new ones, and the animated series. That's why I pulled from all of them, plus a few new additions from Bananza, to have what I have now and am looking for opinions how this looks as a concept. give honest critiques and hey even pitch some possible episodes ideas.
DK island would be renamed to just Kong Isle and would basically keep the design/makeup it had in DKC returns/tropical freeze, though somewhat expanded in size and density like a real landmass. It would also have some additional terrains; a snowy terrain around the upper parts of the volcano and a vast underwater/coral reef realm. Aside from the Kongs, the only other primary sentient race would be the moles, similar to how we saw them in Returns. There would also be some members of the tiki tak tribe awake and present as well. Events similar DKC and DKC2 have already taken place and would be alluded too, explaining why the kremlings have permanently made their way to the island.
Episodes would mostly be self-contained stories with only very occasional story arcs or ongoing plots. Typically it would focus on dealing with major and minor threats the kremlings or some other antagonist pose or dealing with normal hi-jinks in the kongs’ lives. Cranky having the crystal coconut, a powerful relic, which K rool wants, would be carried over from the original cartoon, but not with as great of importance. K rool simply wants the coconut as a power source/weapon but is primarily driven by schemes to simply cause chaos, torment the kongs, disrupt their lives/lifestyles and generally make life hell for the isle inhabitants, mostly out of malice but at times simply out of sheer boredom.
**Kongs-**in addition to named/notable kongs, there would also be some others that were background inhabitant. I imagine their being a total of around 50 kongs on the isle. Some may be new Kong characters as well. The kongs primarily live in the jungle, beach, forest and cliff regions, with some exceptions.
Donkey Kong-called DK normally; has his Bonanza redesign. His personality would incorporate some elements from his cartoon(absent minded oaf, messy with bananas) and the mario movie(attention loving showoff) iterations but would also still take his hero duties seriously. He is also obsessed with a legend of kongazuma’s giant golden banana. He would eventually find it and its power grants him the kong bananza form. One of his faults early on would sorta still not giving diddy and dixie as much respect and only seeing them as sidekicks before realizing they were capable and taking training them as heroes to heart. He also loves playing bongos and drums.
Diddy kong and Dixie kong- always together and both acting as DKs sidekicks and heroes in training, their relationship would occasional spotlight in eps. They both initially still have some hero worship for DK but the series would progress their growth as their own heroes, aided by flashbacks to their achievements in events identical to DKC2. Diddy is more the ego and showoff while dixie is more the intuition and pragmatist.
Candy kong-she would have her DK64 look but her height and proportions would be closer to the others, like funky and dk when they stand upright. She would run the local music store and dance studio. She loves and supports DK and would mostly act fairly passive/aloof but was just as tough as DK when pushed.
Funky kong-has his newer design from returns/tropical freeze, also has a bit of the zen surfer dude energy of the animated series version, though is also pretty tough in a fight. Tawks also aids him with his various businesses, like funky’s flights. His beach side shack, the Kongo Bongo, is the islands main Kong hot spot.
Cranky kong- personality basically what we got in the games and the cartoon, lots of stories and unwanted advice. hints would be dropped of him having his classic game background, going to human cities and kidnapping damsels in distress. He would have the larger, more intricate hut from the cartoon, also still being in the high trees and walkways of the forest region. he has a few Tiki Torches living around his hut for light. Though old and kinda frail, not all the fight has gone out of him yet.
Elder Kong-based on the same character from Bananza, he would reside in the golden temple and be the “technical” leader of the kongs though he mostly relegates that responsibility to others, preferring to either sleep or host parties.
Kongazuma-a legendary warrior and founder of the island, he resembles Rare era DK but with aztec dressings/adornments, and his statues/artwork across the island depict him as the wielder of the crystal coconut and giant gold banana. It is hinted that cranky, donkey kong jr and DK are of his lineage. He was the one who originally defeated tiki tong and legend has it discovered the rare element banandium.
Wrinkly kong-cranky’s wise and caring departed wife who was too stubborn to move on and has stuck around the isle as a ghost. Despite cranky loving her in life, he finds her constantly hanging around annoying; her ghost popping up would be played for similar comedic effect as cranky’s holograms from the cartoon. Some flash backs would show her when she was alive, having been a school teacher on the island.
Donkey Kong jr-DKs dad and cranky/wrinkly's son, he was a legendary hero for the kongs who was killed by the kremlings when DK was young. Flashbacks would show how time with him shaped DK.
Chunky kong & kiddy kong-the heavy hitter of the kongs, he is one of the strongest on the island but also the nicest and chillest when he isn’t needed. He prefers to dote on his oversized baby brother.
Tiny kong-would have her DK 64 design but would have an ep dedicated to her gaining an age potion that gives her her older appearance to try to be better than dixie. She spends most of her time with her cousins, chunky and kiddy.
Lanky kong- the happy go lucky “class clown” of the kongs and best friends with chunky
Queenie kong-based in look and personality on the animated series version of candy kong, but now a new character. Noe made to be more orangutan-like and being the sister of lanky and manky
Manky kong-the wild and unhinged brother of lanky and queenie
Swanky kong-would have his DKC3 design, and be something of a showman and charlatan businessman, but a charming and friendly one
VoidCo-an unscrupulous organization that controls the construction of barrels and banana groves on the isle; has some shady dealings with the kremlings and hope to steal the moles mining operations. Its personnel include void kong, poppy kong, grumpy kong, bluster kong, queenie kong and the Prospector Monkeys. They mostly have control of the factory and cliff regions.
Yeti kong-based on eddie the mean old yeti but with a buffer and more brutish appearance, he lives in the new snowy region on the volcano and is very territorial.
Crash kong-based on the kong from the mario movie who assembles the carts, he runs the carts course on the island that the kongs use for fun. Would be a little intense/moody in personality and not talk very much.
Uncle kong-Dks sleazy and untrustworthy uncle who always breezes through looking to get ahead for himself in some way. He is disliked by nearly every other kong.
kong fu-a serious and snooty martial arts master who owns a dojo on the island. Has some Bruce Lee energy about him.
Redneck kong-a simple minded and easy going kong who isnt bothered by much and is often found fishing
Karate kong, dread kong, sumo kong and ninja kong-a force of dark warriors dedicated to reviving their master, an ancient evil kong known as Ghastly King.
A few new Kong character ideas; diddy’s mother; a young girl kong with a giant mallet(sorta amy rose inspired); a brainy, intellectual nerd kong; a clown/mime themed kong; an overly dramatic militarized kong.
Other Inhabitants
Moles-led by mole miner max, they are very industrious but reclusive. They will do business with and aid the kongs if its not to much trouble but prefer to keep to themselves underground and have their mining operations left alone. They built the many mine cart tracks that span across the island. They mostly reside in the cave and ruins regions.
Annoying tiki- A singular tiki, who’s design is a fusion of tiki goon and tiki doom, who often pops up or follows DK and his friends in their lives out of interest. Though his absent-minded presence gets annoying, he genuinely looks to be helpful and has been in serious situations. When the tiki tak tribe reawaken he would not follow along with their plan and after tiki tongs defeat, would convince many other tikis to live more peaceful lives alongside the kongs.
Squawks-a friend to most kongs and one of the main messengers across the island
animal buddies:rambi(DK’s fav), expresso(dixie’s fav),enguarde(funky’s fav), winky(diddy’s fav),ratty(cranky’s fav), squitter(wrinkly's fav), glimmer, clapper,ellie(candy’s fav). In addition to the species of the animal buddies, other common animal species are girraffe, zebra, zingers, armys, spinys and giant crabs.
Scoff & Troff-a hippo and pig who are always together and always end up wandering in on big battles
Snide-a weasel engineer and technician of questionable morals who has been hiding on kong isle and has ties to both the kremlings and VoicCo.
Inka Dinka Doo-a sentient stone idol possessed by a powerful spirit hidden within an ancient temple on the island with ties to both the crystal coconut and kongazuma.
Banana fairies-mysterious mythical creatures who appear on the isle on occasion that legend says are the ones that make the bananas stay riper longer and make the kongs stronger.
Taj-and elephant genie who's lamp has been buried by pirates on the island who diddy and dixie eventually find.
Xananab-an alien resembling a giant banana, he occasionally makes contact with DK for different reasons, but DK always ends up forgetting it or is not believed by others about his existence.
Bear Brothers-a large family of bears from the land north of the isle, the kongs have good relations with them and they will occasionally come to the isle to trade.
Kremlings: after events similar to DKC and DKC2, the kremlings permanently relocated to Kong Isle, as crocodile isle had been sunk, on the now aquatic Flying Krok. They have begun setting up a new fortress in the temple of Kongazuma, set at the coast beneath the cliffs region, with the intent of conquering the whole island. The temple interior now somewhat resembles the kremlings industrial lair from the cartoon. The kremlings loosely follow a military structure similar to the cartoon, at least among the lower positions, but is also prone to shift based on their situation or K rools current whims.
King K. Rool-just as temperamental and flamboyant as his cartoon version, though not quite as eloquent, he is also prone to sporadic flights of fancy or random style changes, such as his pirate phase, and other such motifs ,which his kremlings are forced to conform to. He loves his blunderbuss and his now aquatic Flying Krok more than anything else. He always has his helicopter jetpack under his cape in the case of needing a quick get away. His big eye is prone to going completely bloodshot red when he loses his temper. He would also not be quite as big, being only a bit over ahead taller than DK when hes standing upright. At the very end, after the defeat of tiki tong, k rool would siphon his energy to become “Tiki God K. Rool” and launch his ultimate offensive against the kongs. His primary on-call goons are klump, kalypso and kludge.
Klump-would have his DK64 design and mostly his cartoon series personality, being a bubbling general to K rool who weakly tries to enforce military protocols/jargon and keep the others in line. He’s fond of explosives, to a somewhat unhealthy degree and is considered funky’s counterpart
Kalypso-one of the more practical minded of K rools main goons, but also very sarcastic, vain and arrogant; a rival to candy kong
Kludge-an angry and hulking brute, he’s the muscle of the kremlings and the most violent. he’s not really dumb, just single minded and considers chunky kong his rival but will take any opportunity to try to prove his strength over DK.
Kip & Kass- K rools niece and nephew, they often mock their uncle, as well as his other kremling goons. They are both very inventive and devious/mischievous. They often act as a foil to diddy and dixie
Kopter- a somewhat unhinged kremling specializing in flight tech who acts as one of their primary spies/scouts, usually from the air and is usually followed by falling.
Kaboom-a jittery kremling spy who accidentally hid in a TNT barrel and is too scared to crawl out for risk if it exploding, though it also keeps prying eyes away. He is one of K rool spies.
Kasplatt- the aloof head of security for the kremlings base, however, his focus on looking cool often means a LOT goes under his radar. He has a small team of Kremling cops and Robokremlings under his command for security purposes.
K lumsy-the giant, simple minded kremling is K rools “little” brother and is only kept around out of familiar bonds. K rool largely ignores him when he isn't causing trouble and is left to his own childish devices. For not being a bad kremling, he is actually mostly friendly with the kongs.
Krusha-an extremely strong but very dumb kremling soldier used mostly for fodder or labor. He is mostly ignored except by klump, who would use his aid in demonstrations and operations. He would eventually suffer an accident that would boost his intelligence, as well as his deviousness and cruelty. He would launch a brief coup against k rool but is cast out by the other kremlings, save klump, when his scheme against the kongs fails. Out of spite he would then seek out and cause the awakening of the tiki tak tribe. In the chaos of the tiki’s invasion, he would suffer another accident that would restore his old intelligence and klump would bring him back to the kremlings
Kressa and Klubba-two kremlings who have walked away from working for k rool and act as hired muscle, usually for voidCo.
Krunch- a more amiable kremling who does not hate the kongs to the extent of the others and often shirks his duties to ride carts at crash kongs driving course
Kuff n’ Klout-twin muscle-bound kremlings used for rare heavy duty work or fighting.
Kritters would make up the primary force of the kremling army. They would mostly have their new designs from king of swing/barrel blast with the shorts/belt and bracers but also include the shoulder armor of the original DKC designs. Most of which would be the dark crocodile greenof the animated series but rare variants of other colors might appear to spotlight certain individuals. The kritters are made up of male and female but look so similar their voice is the only way to tell the difference. I’d say there is between 80-100 kritters total. Klaptraps and Klampons also work with the kritters much like attack dogs. Some scattered Kobbles, Re-Koils, Koins and Krumples are also part of the kremling army.
Rock krocs- an ancient breed of elemental kremlings that were used in K rools original banana theft against the kongs, they have since retreated into the depths of the island to sleep, occasionally coming into conflict with the moles and VoidCo. K rool hopes to one day bring their great strength under his command again,
Kerozene-a titan sized kremling who guarded K rools lair on crocodile isle. He would only bee seen in flashbacks of how diddy and dixie beat him.
Other villains
Tiki Tong-king of the tiki tak tribe and an ancient island deity who fought with kongazuma. He and most of his tribe were banished to a void hidden deep below the island. An outcast krusha would eventually seek them out and free them, unleashing a terrible attack by way of taking control of all the animals to horde all the bananas from the kongs, while also desiring the power of the great golden banana. They would eventually be defeated and tiki tong drained of much of his power by k rool before going into hiding to regain his strength.
Pirate kremlings-a group of kremlings who embraced the pirate persona when k rool was in his kaptain k rool faze and abandoned him to become true pirates when his schemes destroyed crocodile isle. They are led by kaptain Skurvy(kannon) and his crew consists of Kruncha, klobber, kaboing, krook, klinger, Kutlass & screech. They frequent Kong isle to hunt/stash treasure or cause general mayhem. They hate k rool as much, if not more, than the kongs. It would be explained that Skurvy used to be called kannon, and more closely resembles him, before taking the new name.
Kreepy Krow-the wraith like specter of one of the guardians of crocodile isle that diddy and dixie defeated who has returned to seek vengeance on them.
Kleever-an evil sword possessed by an ancient kremling tyrant, known only as Mr. X, which survived the sinking of crocodile isle and seeks anyone to challenge. It can possess anyone who wields it.
Snowmads- an army of viking-like invaders from the far south who plunge the isle into a deep winter and try to conquer it.
Davy Bones-a terrible sea serpent who slumbers in the ocean near the isle and will occasionally wreck any ships or loiter near the shores of the island before going back to sleep. Based on the King of Swing boss but not undead.
