Cranky Kong

Cranky Kong "You're only reading this because you're bored!" Gender: Male Type: The original Donkey Kong Age: Elderly Species: Gorilla Portrayed by: Aron Tager (TV series) Takashi Nagasako Fred Armisen (The Super Mario Bros. Movie franchise) Status: Alive Media of origin: Donkey Kong

Cranky Kong is a central character who appears in the Donkey Kong series. He is portrayed as Donkey Kong's grandfather and paternal figure. Believe it or not, Cranky was the original Donkey Kong that appeared in the arcade games including doing antics like kidnapping Pauline in games such as Donkey Kong and fighting Stanley in a greenhouse in Donkey Kong 3. After the game Donkey Kong for the Game Boy, he retired, changed and relinquished his name to his grandson.

Why He's Cranky In A Good Way

1. Ever since he appeared in Donkey Kong Country, he gives randomly selected advice on the game's various items and locations. Unlike in later games, this game won't allow you to use any fee for his advice. Even then, Cranky was still able to teach the Kongs in other games like DK Jungle Climber and DK King of Swing.
2. Cranky's quotes are pretty funny and clever with him making remarks on various things including the flaws of other Kongs (mainly Donkey Kong) or even the very games he appears in.
3. His backstory. Let's just say that it is interesting at the least. As crazy as it may sound, this is actually being a callback to the original Donkey Kong games that you see in the arcade. This can be also noticed in the opening of Donkey Kong Country where he is seen using a phonograph playing the theme song from the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Donkey Kong atop 25m.
4. If Diddy and Dixie were to see Cranky after being Kaptain K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Cranky will tally the hero status by how many DK coins you have collected.
5. In the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, Cranky has a dojo where players can control him during the Cranky's Dojo segment. If you beat it once, he will reward you with other prizes like bananas, a bear coin, a red balloon, and a Banana Bird.
6. Cranky became a professor in Donkey Kong 64 where he can be seen in his lab making potions for new powers and abilities. Collect fifteen Banana Medals and he will give you Jetpac. Beat the Jetpac game and you will get a Rareware Coin. Cranky Kong in Donkey Kong 64 also became a coach during their fight against King Krusha K. Rool.
7. Cranky in Donkey Kong Country Returns and its Nintendo 3DS port Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D now runs a shop where he can make money just by selling items that are useful for Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.
8. He finally gets to be fully playable in a mainline Donkey Kong game and that would be Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. His cane is useful to defeat certain enemies other Kongs can't. However, this wasn't the first time he was playable as the first time he was playable was Donkey Konga 3. Speaking of Donkey Kong County: Tropical Freeze, it's one of those moments where Cranky helps out in the games outside of being non-playable and in terms of being playable.
9. Though not a video game, Cranky did not show much of his grouchy traits in the comic Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24 where he helped out Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, and Kiddy on a mission to save the Earth from a UFO.
10. He's one of the few characters who are tolerable in the Donkey Kong Country TV show complete with hilarious and entertaining moments he provided like "GO HOME AND LET ME GET SOME SLEEP!", this makes him a likable character. Also Cranky was far less arrogant in the show.
11. Despite his cranky characteristics, he does praise his fellow Kongs on exceptional occasions like in DK: Jungle Climber being a good example of this.
    • DK: Jungle Climber portrayed Cranky as more good-natured and wiser than he ever was in other games of the series.
12. Believe it or not, Cranky Kong does admit that Mario is a true video game hero and looks back at his nostalgic antics with fond respect.
13. The late Aron Tager in the Donkey Kong Country TV show does a great job voicing Cranky as his voice also fits Cranky's personality perfectly.
    • Takashi Nagasako also does a great job voicing Cranky in the games, and Fred Armisen gives a great performance as Cranky in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
14. His design is great, especially with his purplish-pink vest and his brown cane.
    • His design is awesome in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as he wears a Aztec-styled crown and a red shirt.
15. He at least cares about people, such as Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and he loves his late wife, Wrinkly Kong.

Cranky Qualities

1. Is cranky hence his name, despite this being a great and memorable part to his character.
2. He can be pretty cocky thinking that he is the best video game icon as well as claiming that he is always better than his grandson despite being old. His cockiness got him jealous in Donkey Kong Land where he gives a wager to Donkey and Diddy Kong to see if they can beat King K. Rool only in an 8-bit system according to the manual. In the end, Cranky retracts his doubts when Donkey and Diddy once again defeat K. Rool and the Kremling Krew despite wanting to admit that Donkey and Diddy would be adequate gaming heroes.
3. His arrogance plays a factor in his poor sportsmanship.
4. His identity is confusing. He was created as the older version of the Donkey Kong that appears in the earlier Donkey Kong games yet his exact relation to the current Donkey Kong has been disputed.
   • The promotional VHS video of Donkey Kong Country named Donkey Kong Country Exposed called Cranky the "dad or grandfather" of Donkey Kong despite Cranky calling Donkey Kong as "Junior" in a review of the same game by UK's Nintendo Magazine System.
   • Other bios as seen in other games like Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Super Smash Bros. (and Super Smash Bros. Melee) implies that the Donkey Kong in the arcade may be the current Donkey Kong, yet it was contradicted in Mario Superstar Baseball. Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sticks with the story that the original Donkey Kong is the current Donkey Kong's grandfather.
   • There have been assumptions that Donkey Kong Jr. is the father of Donkey Kong while others claim that the current Donkey Kong is a grown Donkey Kong Jr..
5. Yet not game-related, he tried to kiss a random girl which led to him getting in trouble with Wrinkly Kong during Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24.
6. Depending on your view, Fred Armisen's voice in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for Cranky Kong, while great, doesn't sound old and sounds way too young for his character.
7. Hypocrisy: In the TV series, he tells Donkey Kong his pranks aren't funny, yet he pulls a prank on him.

Trivia

• He admits to being a big fan of the Game & Watch games with him considering playing the original Donkey Kong game when Donkey and Diddy are not visiting him.
• Cranky has an unused walking animation in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version of Donkey Kong Country which would later be used in the Game Boy Advance version.
• In an unused pitched for a Donkey Kong game called DK and the Golden Bananas, there is a character named Grandpa Kong who was similar to Cranky only different design. That pitch had Donkey Kong Junior being present instead of Diddy.
• Unused dialogue for Donkey Kong Country suggested that he was going to be more kind.

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