Welcome to Boss Rush! Each week we analyse and explore different facets of the most memorable and interesting aspects of the world of video gaming villains. For our inaugural edition, I have picked out a true classic to focus on, the game in question is Donkey Kong Country for the SNES and the boss for this week?
King K. Rool
This banana stealing brute plays the primary antagonist to our righteous residents of Kongo Jungle, Donkey and Diddy Kong. The name “King K.Rool” is derived from his occupation as ruler of the Kremlings and is additionally a play on the word “cruel” matching his personality.
In Donkey Kong Country, the Kings dastardly plan involves the crimes of thievery and kidnapping. The Kremlin ruler takes Diddy, who is the younger of the two kongs, and stuffs him inside of a barrel. This buys the cretinous croc time to clear off with his new fruitful bounty. The motivation for his actions have never been precisely made clear by developer Rareware. A prevailing theory amongst fans involves a lingering secret obsession with the yellow fruit itself. A curious keen-eyed observer might see a fault in this theory and suspect a hidden back story behind the villainous croc.
An argument could be made that, If his journey was only for the acquisition of his guilty pleasure food, then he would not have needed to waste the effort of ensnaring Diddy Kong. It isn’t outside the realms of possible to believe that the green gluttonous king has been beseeched by his own jealousy in regards to Donkey Kong. Seemingly, K. Rool has no kingdom of his own. The main island of the game as we know it is named after our titular character and may well have been a battleground of contention that is unmentioned in our narrative. At one stage in the past, K. Rool may have owned the land and been kicked out. It would explain the islands decidedly poor state of being and the reasoning behind Kremkroc Industries having their own section of the island. Chemical factories and bizarre climate shifts affect every aspect of the land. The great banana theft could merely be a means of payback against DK who claimed the territory for his own.
A widely believed underlying message has surfaced online that involves the game being symbolic of a period in our history known as the “Banana Wars”. A period of time where American military forces were an invading force in the islands of the Caribbean.The president during this time was Theodore Roosevelt who sought to monopolize the market of banana trading as it was the number one export of these islands. It is speculated that King K. Rool is an allegory for Mister Roosevelt. Several other elements in the game rather oddly match up with this implied notion. The foot soldier Kremlings are typically draped in military garb and the looming pirate ship off the coast of Donkey Kong Island is reminiscent of the constant threat of the US navy looming over the Caribbean. It’s tough to say if there is any weight to this argument. If you do wish to learn more about the Banana Wars connections, You should check out this link here.
If we put theoretical stories aside we can assuredly acknowledge one true fact about The King. He is undoubtedly a memorable and formidable foe.
Upon your conquest of the seven bosses of the original Donkey Kong Island; You will come to the final stage known as Gangplank Galleon. Aboard this pirate ship is where you can get your measure of revenge on the cape wearing captain himself. King K. Rool’s varied attack range makes him a very fun boss to contend with even if you can memorize his pattern relatively quickly. The jovial pirate music that underscores the fight is iconic in its simplicity. A tune not easily forgotten once you start humming it. However, The real reason many remember this fight is mainly due to its swerve. A fake credits scene will play once you defeat K. Rool and you’ll find yourself snapped right into battle afterwards as he hops up for a second round. This had not previously been done in a game before. It was a sneaky technique to pull on the gamers, that worked well in the fact that it added a cheating nature to the character of the cowardly king. Thankfully after beating him a second time, You get your well deserved real credits scene.
King K. Rool is the second most recurring villain in what we know as the grand Mario continuity. The longevity of the character is maintained by his changing image throughout the years. Whether he dresses like a King, a Pirate or a Boxer….You can be sure that for many years to come we’ll be seeing more of his banana pinching schemes on Nintendo home consoles.