Funky Kong

Funky Kong is a recurring character in the Donkey Kong franchise. Most of the time appears as an operator for many transportation services for the rest of the Kongs.

Why He's Funky

 * 1) He more than lives up to his name through his bold and energetic personality complete with casual phrases.
 * 2) He's a laid-back primate who would still help his friends through other means in various ways he has done.
 * 3) Funky often works as an operator for a lot of transportation services, but he was also a challenge/minigame host, a vehicle builder, and even a weapons sales monkey.
 * 4) Funky made a triumphant return after six years in Tropical Freeze as an owner of an item shop called Funky's Fly 'n' Buy as a replacement for Cranky Kong's role as a shop owner. There, he sells items like DK Barrels, balloons, Banana Juice, Squawks the Parrot, Heart Boosts, and Crash Guards. He can also give you collectible toys from the Capsule Toy Machine.
 * 5) *He became playable on the Switch version of Tropical Freeze in the form of a new mode called "Funky Mode", which is mainly for beginner players with the ability to use a surfboard.
 * 6) Despite his laid-back appearance, stepping in and standing up to evil is not at all out of character for him. From getting to play as him in Tropical Freeze to even defeating a group of Kremlings in the novel Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle. And in the 102% ending Funky drops a bomb onto King K. Rool from the Gyrocopter to stop him from escaping.
 * 7) Funky may not be the "inventor" type, but he sometimes comes up with ideas worthy of one, like the one involving the usage of an entire banana milkshake supply onto the pigs as prevention for flight.
 * 8) In the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country, he now lets Donkey and Diddy call him instead of having to go all the way to visit Funky.
 * 9) He's one of the few characters who were tolerable in the Donkey Kong Country tv show, and his role isn't changed a whole lot.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) He can be a little too loud and frenetic.
 * 2) He was very overpowered in Mario Kart Wii (especially on the Flame Runner), to the point that he became overused in online races.

Trivia

 * Funky Kong's Mario Super Sluggers baseball card listed his Rookie Year as 1999, even though his first appearance was in Donkey Kong Country, which was released in 1994.
 * In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, when the player visits Funky's shop and they highlight the Crash Guard option, Funky will say: "Vehicle troubles? It's dangerous to go alone- take one of these!" This is a reference to the first The Legend of Zelda game in which Link acquires his first weapon by entering a cave and speaking to an elderly man, who offers a wooden sword speaking similar words.
 * He spawned a lot of memes, including ones related to Mario Kart Wii and the New Funky Mode from Tropical Freeze.
 * He and King K. Rool are both voiced by the same actor, Toshihide Tsuchiya.