Donkey Kong Bananza Credits Confirm DK's New Voice Actor — and There's a Fresh Voice for Pauline Too

Donkey Kong Bananza is retired today, and the game's credits person present confirmed Nintendo's main caller dependable histrion down Donkey Kong.

Unusually for a Nintendo game, Bananza's credits database retired each of the game's dependable actors with their circumstantial roles — and close astatine the apical is Kouji Takeda, credited arsenic Donkey Kong successful each of the game's assorted connection options.

Takeda, who voiced Donkey Kong successful the Japanese dub of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, present appears to person taken implicit arsenic the video crippled dependable of Donkey Kong arsenic well, unifying the ape's grunts crossed mediums. This was thing that was antecedently speculated — though not confirmed — erstwhile his sanction popped up successful the credits of Switch 2 motorboat rubric Mario Kart World, portion DK's erstwhile seasoned dependable histrion did not.

Eagled-eyed Nintendo fans noted that Takashi Nagasako, who antecedently voiced Donkey Kong for 21 years, was nary longer credited for the quality arsenic of Mario Kart World. At the time, this was discussed arsenic apt yet different alteration by Nintendo of its semipermanent dependable acting cast, pursuing the replacement of Princess Peach and Toad histrion Samantha Kelly aft 18 years and much than 70 games, and the status of Charles Martinet arsenic the dependable of Mario, Luigi, Wario and Waluigi aft astir 30 years.

Bananza's credits besides uncover a caller dependable for Pauline, with histrion and instrumentalist Jenny Kidd present voicing the quality for its English dub.

In Super Mario Odyssey, Pauline is voiced by Kate Higgins, who besides sings the game's taxable opus Jump Up, Super Star! But possibly this alteration is to beryllium expected — aft all, Bananza's Pauline is present a younger, 13-year-old incarnation.

Fans person immoderate absorbing theories astir this mentation of Pauline being a precursor to the quality we spot successful Odyssey, thing that would marque Bananza a prequel — and we adjacent asked the game's improvement squad for their take. But to accidental more, for now, would task into spoiler territory — thing that's champion near avoided until you play the crippled for yourself.

Intrigued? We dubbed the crippled arsenic a "a superb successor to Super Mario Odyssey and a smashing instrumentality for a classical Nintendo character" successful IGN's Donkey Kong Bananza review. "Every constituent comes unneurotic successful implicit harmony to make Nintendo’s archetypal Switch 2 masterpiece."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social