Every Donkey Kong Boss Ranked From Worst To Best

Every Donkey Kong Boss Ranked From Worst To Best
An exhaustive analysis of every boss from the mainline Donkey Kong games from a Kremling enthusiast's perspective. Join me as I go through 75 Donkey Kong bosses (condensed into 60 entries) from all 9 mainline Donkey Kong games. This video also serves as something of a retrospective on the series, as I go over some of the weak points and strengths of the games throughout the entries.
Discord: / discord
Video Chapters:
Introduction: (0:00)
Very/Really Gnawty: (1:31)
Master Necky Jr/Sr: (3:08)
Dogadon 1: (4:35)
Congazuma: (5:44)
Giant Spider: (7:09)
Krow: (8:22)
Armydillo 1: (9:23)
Ghastly King: (10:48)
King K. Rool (King of Swing): (13:09)
Toy Monster: (14:46)
Fire Necky: (16:28)
Jungle Beat Rocs: (17:43)
Jungle Beat Hogs: (19:08)
Mega Amp: (20:12)
King K. Rool (Jungle Climber): (21:52)
Colonel Pluck: (24:02)
Queen B.: (26:00)
Boss Dumb Drum: (26:45)
Kerozene: (27:34)
Dragon: (29:00)
Banana Spaceship: (30:02)
Scurvy Crab Crew: (30:55)
Robot Kremling Head: (32:26)
Jungle Beat Tusks: (33:21)
Squirt: (34:54)
Armydillo 2: (35:49)
Mole Miner Max: (37:16)
Sassy Squatch: (38:11)
Mangoruby: (38:53)
King Zing: (39:42)
Jungle Beat Kongs: (41:03)
Arich: (42:01)
Stu: (43:07)
Mugly: (43:55)
Tiki Tong: (44:44)
Kleever: (47:37)
Kudgel: (48:25)
Davy Bones: (49:52)
Belcha: (51:18)
Puftoss: (52:14)
Dogadon 2: (53:48)
Bleak: (55:33)
Kaptain K. Rool (Last World): (56:34)
KAOS: (57:44)
Kreepy Krow: (59:20)
Baron K. Roolenstein (Knautilus): (1:00:16)
Barbos: (1:01:46)
Thugly: (1:03:17)
Pompy: (1:04:27)
Baboom: (1:06:09)
King Kut Out: (1:07:39)
Mad Jack: (1:09:51)
King Krusha K. Rool: (1:12:18)
Skowl: (1:15:02)
King K. Rool (DKC1): (1:16:38)
Fugu: (1:18:50)
Baron K. Roolenstein (Kaos Kastle): (1:21:04)
Bashmaster: (1:23:21)
Kaptain K. Rool (Flying Kroc): (1:26:01)
Lord Fredrik: (1:28:50)
Outro: (1:34:46)
Primary Boss Criteria:
Uniqueness: Is the boss a generic cliche? If not, it's somewhat unique already! This and challenge are generally the most important categories.
Challenge: How difficult is the boss, and is the challenge appropriate for the point in the game in which it is faced? Is the boss so easy that the fight plays itself? Higher challenge gives a better score with few exceptions.
Boss Fight Aesthetics: How cinematic the boss battle, attacks, and arena are. Having very few sprites is a big negative.
Visual Design: The appearance of the boss and how unique it looks.
Characterization: Generic monsters automatically get a zero for this category. On this list, it doesn't come up often, so it's an easy way for characters to pick up some points.
Asset Reuse: Just don't be a copy of another boss or be a watered down version of another boss to avoid losing points from this category.
Gameplay footage credit to: pastebin.com/kJiSN34T
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#donkeykongcountry #VillainousWarlord #donkeykong #krool #kingkrool #kremlings #kremling #diddykong #dixiekong #villains #bosses #fredrik #lordfredrik

[@RusskiBlusski]

The hate Lord Fredrik gets is definitely unjustified, he is a great villain for the game and easily one of the best in the series. I am saying this as a big fan of K.Rool but, I'd rather see our favorite kremlin return in his own installment spaced apart. Having him appear in every game would definitely turn him into a generic bowser villain. Personally I see his lack of return as him scheming behind the scenes for a big return. Definitely needed a break but now due for a return as DKCs most iconic antagonist.

[@doomdimensiondweller5627]

It's not really a fair comparison though. K rool had multiple games and a lot of screen time and dialogue even. Fredrick got like 10 minutes of screen time in one game. I think he has as much personality as he could have.

[@romanpreuss3489]

I liked the snowmads overall but Lord Fredrik was just a K. Rool rip off in my opinion. He runs and jumps around like K. Rool. in dkc 1. He shots icedragons like K. Rool. shooted connonballs in dkc 2. He fights from the backround like K. Rool. In dkc 3.

[@user-jk6iu6lf6b]

Agreed.

[@doodoofartman]

I do wish those ice dragons were used in more advanced ways, though. They're just kinda shot at you for two directions, big letdown for such being a big deal in the intro.

[@Haymdahl]

It's just, the icebear is more creative and fun than Fredrik and not a K. Rool ripoff. Honestly, if the last boss had been K. Rool, I would still criticize it for having no new ideas. However, I would have liked it for being a compilation and best of all 3 K. Rool fights from DKC 1 to 3. However Fredrik having all of K. Rools combined abilities doesn't make any sense. Icebear for last boss ❤️

[@Gekk-rx7nv]

The reason I REALLY enjoyed all of the Tropical Freeze bosses, is that they all have their unique themes, fitting the characters, and the themes are actually bangers. I know nowadays that’s trivial, but I still really appreciate it

[@megazillasaurus]

I enjoy them all too, but mangoruby from dckr is better than all of them (only pompy comes close to being as good as mangoruby)

[@copperfish8816]

It's actually insane how this list doesn't show much nostalgia or bias and instead actually rates the bosses based on how good they are mechanically. That's not a common sight on the internet.

[@waxy1885]

Well, I agree for the nostalgia part, but not for the bias. To me, this list IS litteraly following the most common sight on the internet, which is hating old stuff to make look you avoid nostalgia. Ranking the 6 DKCTF in the top 12 isn't objective at all. Your comment nearly sounds pretty ironic, to be honest.

[@ecstaticwooper368]

@@waxy1885 alternatively, DKCTF just has really good bosses while the old games were hit or miss

[@hunbi1875]

@@waxy1885 you seem to be in denial and think "I grew up with the old ones, the new ones must be bad!!!!' like maybe the one with 6 in the top 12 is just.. good? but no, clearly you MUST be right. youre the biased one buddy.

[@waxy1885]

@@hunbi1875 That comment is exactly the toxic stuff I'm talking about. I've never grown with any DKC games nor said that none of DKCTF bosses don't deserve to be top 10 nor said that my top 10 is only old DKC, and here you're saying I'm biased because of nostalgia. This is a perfect representation of what I said, hating old stuff just to prove to yourself you're avoiding nostalgia. Should I have to elaborate my opinion, explaining why some bosses from old DKC are good in my opinion and why the 6 DKCTF bosses in the top 12 isn't objective for me or do you still think I'm too biased based only on your assumptions ?

[@HOTD108_]

We must have watched different videos, because clearly there was an extreme negative bias. Describing Jungle Beat as "phoned in" is pretty ridiculous considering how many unique ideas it has. Being bias goes both ways, positive and negative.

[@bengoodwin2141]

This is probably nostalgia, but I liked most of DKCR and it's bosses. I wouldn't call them great, but they're at least fun to me. I'd really like to see a rom hack that makes them better without them being pointlessly difficult. Like for example, making tiki tong take advantage of the fakeout with a harder to dodge attack triggered by falling for it

[@Joseph_mother]

Yeah Tiki Tong had some memorable music, and I remember being kinda grossed out by his intro so he stuck with me.

[@willipphittebane5741]

I had an idea for a Tiki Tong rework where there are multiple fights against him throughout the game: one with just a head, one with hands, and one with hands and a full body. Idk, I just think it'd be a cool way to spice up the boss, and make his plan more menacing, not just getting hands, but a massive god-like body he can use to unleash his full power on the world. I honestly probably shouldn't be putting as much thought into this as I am, I'm just a huge DKCR fan.

[@lukebytes5366]

Porky the Eevee Minch I mean hell, as generic as his design is, there's a clear reference that ties in to the theme that goes completely overlooked, HIS HEAD IS A BONGO DRUM! Why isn't this explored on more in the fight?!

[@omaralsharabati5873]

@@willipphittebane5741 something I wish they did for the bosses was when they possessed the animals they turned them into a half hybrid of the regular animal and half hybrid of a tiki like with mugly he turns into a ancient like creature that’s made out of wood I think that just would have made the bosses more memorable imo

[@SeerOfTheWest]

To this day, I still sometimes boot it up to fight the bosses.

[@middleman5484]

I like to imagine that K. Roolenstein’s quotes and cliché dialogue is a sign of the loneliness and insanity the K.rool is suffering from. He has nothing but lifeless robots to keep him company. And even though he is able to command the kremlings with Kaos, he cannot directly communicate with them in person due to the events of DKC2. So perhaps K.rool used TV to keep him company, thus the quotes.

[@gavinsiville9969]

That’s actually very sad

[@middleman5484]

@@gavinsiville9969 thx, it is truly a tragic fall for the Kremling King

[@theclown2257]

Tiki tong may not be very good but man I love his theme.

[@iidoughnutholes3087]

Fr, I love that boss

[@thevenomspino]

We had this idea to help with Lord Fredrik character by having him be present during all the bosses (with the exception of Fugu) and you see how he reacts to the Kong beating his forces and how he feels about his minions. During Pompy fight, he would be in box seat similar to those use in theater. This gives you an idea that Pompy is not only trying to beat the Kongs but also trying to entertain Lord Fredrik. In the intro for Skwol fight, Skwol would look at Lord Fredrik in a balcony, Fredrik would then show a thumbs down before Skwol smashes the banana showing that Fredrik is in charge. For Baboom, he would be see them stealing the bananas from Donkey Kong and laughing at them and would look disappointed with them before yelling at them. The three Babooms would look surprised and scared and then would fight the Kongs. This show how Fredrik feels about his minions and possibly what he will do to them if they fail For Bashmaster, he would look at Bashmaster laying down disappointingly and looks like he is about to leave the arena, but then the Kongs show up, causing Bashmaster to lose his icepop and start to attack and Fredrik stays and watches the fight. This allows him to be a more posing threat and allows him to show a bit more of character from him since he really doesn't have enough time to shine in the game unlike K. Rool who had 4 or more game to shine.

[@omaralsharabati5873]

Agreed he’s still a great character but this would have been great as well still a great fight though

[@doomdimensiondweller5627]

Also the thing with Bashmaster. He has a bit of implied character relative to the rest of the Snowmads. As pointed out in the video the entirety of Juicy Jungle was a giant assembly line for these popsicles. The only one we see eating them is Bashmaster. He is so important to the Snowmads they made this entire supply chain just for him.

[@davidpacifico1019]

For fugu, he could be looking from a cave through an ice wall acting as glass, maybe arguing with a bunch of armed Fish Poker Pops and Chum Chuckler Charlie’s (the walrus enemies with the spikey poles and frozen fish), resulting in them apologizing and begging for mercy. Then he notices the fight that started between the kongs and fugu

[@springdude1165]

I like the idea! Good work.

[@Ghi102]

I like Armydillo as a boss because of the atmosphere of his arena. There's thunder, the music is very intense (compared to the chill music of the first level). I remember being so scared by it as a kid, feeling the pressure "can I really beat this boss?". It nailed First Impressions for me

[@RondoOfBloodX]

The it’s a good thing they took out his deep voice that was heard in the demo. Yep apparently the bosses were gonna talk ar some point.

[@shameyboismith3505]

Do we even need to bring Bowser back? Let's just come up with something completely new and make sure there are no turtles in there

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

I dislike the returning villain trope as much as the next guy, but Bowser is so iconic you can’t just replace him. I agree with that sentiment in franchises like Zelda and Metroid, but Mario without Bowser just wouldn’t hit the same

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

Oops, now I get it lol. Nevermind.

[@shameyboismith3505]

@@geschnitztekiste4111 exactly

[@turkishundelightful5382]

We keep the turtles

[@Hugo-yz1vb]

You didn't had to do my man Bowser so dirty

[@AwesomeCauliflower68]

Great list man. Kaptain K. Rool is my favourite one but Fredrick was great as well. The way you never stop and it’s always moving elevates it over all the other K Rool fights that have you waiting around for a while. Also Tropical Freeze bosses are phenomenal, I remember there being some criticism that they were too long but it’s pretty fair. Great lost can’t wait for more from you.

[@k-leb4671]

I never liked that every boss fight in Tropical Freeze takes nine hits, and every boss fight in Tropical Freeze has those nine hits split equally into three phases. And despite there being such a rigid "phase" structure for every boss, Retro Studios didn't use this as a clear opportunity to include checkpoints in the boss fights. Even if you passed 2 phases and are down to the last hit on the boss, you have to start all the way from the very beginning if you die at the end.

[@lukebytes5366]

K-leb maybe thats why I didn't like the bosses in TF as much as returns, nostalgia aside. I don't like bosses that overstay their welcome, especially when your forced to wait a specific amount of time before you can attack.

[@zacharykenniston748]

Dogadon probably is the most violent and sad battle in the series. You kill his kid and burn him alive both the worst of emotional and physical pain. I honestly feel awful for the draconic insect. I was honestly traumatized by his death as a kid.

[@yowza9638]

What in the what?! I’ve never played DK64, but man that’s messed up

[@autobotstarscream765]

@@yowza9638 The N64 was Rare's dark humor phase.

[@maurycyoseka1057]

1:31 - Very Gnawty and Really Gnawty 3:08 - Master Necky Junior and Master Necky Senior 4:35 - Dogadon (First Incounter) 5:44 - Congazuma 7:09 - Giant Spider 8:22 - Krow 9:23 - Armydillo (First Incounter) 10:48 - Ghastly King 13:09 - King K. Rool (King of Swings) 14:46 - Toy Monster 16:28 - Fire Necky 17:43 - Scruff Roc, Fleet Roc, Hard Roc and Thunder Roc 19:08 - Rouge Hog, Mo Hog, Bloat Hog and Gloat Hog 20:12 - Mega Amp 21:52 - King K. Rool (Jungle Climber) 24:04 - Colonel Pluck 26:00 - Queen B. 26:45 - Boss Dumb Drum 27:34 - Kerozene 29:00 - Dragon 30:02 - Banana Spaceship 30:55 - Scurvy Crab Crew 32:26 - Robot Krleming Head 33:21 - Turret Tusk, Grave Tusk, Torch Tusk and Double Tusk 34:54 - Squirt 35:49 - Armydillo (Second Incounter) 37:16 - Mole Miner Max 38:11 - Sassy Squatch 38:53 - Mangobery 39:42 - King Zing 41:03 - Dread Kong, Karate Kong, Ninja Kong and Sumo Kong 42:01 - Arich 43:07 - Stu 43:55 - Mugly 44:44 - Tiki Tong 47:37 - Kleever 48:25 - Kudgel 49:52 - Davy Bones 51:18 - Belcha 52:14 - Puftoss 53:48 - Dogadon (Second Incounter) 55:33 - Bleak 56:34 - Kaptain K. Rool (Lost World) 57:44 - KAOS 59:20 - Kreepy Krow 1:00:16 - Baron K. Roolenstein (Knautilus) 1:01:46 - Barbos 1:03:17 - Thugly 1:04:27 - Pompy 1:06:09 - Baboom 1:07:39 - King Kut Out 1:09:51 - Mad Jack 1:12:18 - King Krusha K. Rool 1:15:02 - Skowl 1:16:38 - King K. Rool (Country) 1:18:50 - Fugu 1:21:04 - Baron K. Roolenstein (Kaos Kastle) 1:23:21 - Bashmaster 1:26:01 - Kaptain K. Rool (Flying Kroc) 1:28:50 - Lord Fredrik

[@SirNarax]

Your description of Pompy kind of sums up the whole of DKC Tropical Freeze. Retro studios did a fantastic job making a game full of charm and that was consistently good. Some of the earlier games perhaps had greater highs but none of them were that consistent. There was always a few levels that didn't stick well. Some you forgot and some you really wanted to forget but I don't think Tropical Freeze had levels like that. At worst it had levels you forgot about. I too was also initially disappointed that there was no Kremlings but the Snowmads are fun. Should we really be upset or opposed to developers trying new things? If the Nintendo was keen on always making Bowser the final boss we would have never got Wario. In terms of generic enemies Gombas and Koopas barely appear in new Mario games.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

A level that I want to forget from Tropical Freeze: Deep Keep. It's such a high difficulty spike the first time, it's really obnoxious on hard mode and it doesn't really do anything special to stand out among the water levels of the game. Also, the music used on the beach at the beginning is my favorite track in the game alongside the water version of the theme, but unlike Amiss Abyss, it doesn't get an entire level to show off, it's only at the very beginning of this level. Instead, most of the level just has a painfully generic remix of aquatic ambiance, a theme that I've never liked much anyway.

[@LokiThePug]

My boy Fredrik has done it, I loved the tropical freeze game, and boy he is good for what essentially is the same k.rool concept but to a walrus’s body The seal and the bear still my favorites tho

[@itswariotime7543]

For me: Lord Fredrik >>>>>> King K Rool

[@MrMuchZombies]

*AT LEAST SOMEONE DEFENDS FREDERICK.* *HE DID A GOOD JOB, AND HE'S NOT A BLATANT COPY OF ME.* *I WILL ACCEPT YOUR PRAISE AS BEING THE BETTER VILLAIN THOUGH.*

[@itswariotime7543]

I agree, Lord Fredrik is the best villain in the DKC franchise

[@Ityity]

Even if only a few see it that way, I think the tikis are really cool. I really like both their design and the idea behind them. They also had this ominous choir music that I like a lot too. That's why I think it's a shame that some people hate them so much. Of all the villains, I liked them best.

[@lukebytes5366]

I think they'd be so much better if the bosses focused more on them specifically, rather than a random boss with a small musical theme. That being said, I like that they take a different direction from the invasion theme of other games, focusing more on the island itself which works really well imo. At the very least, it's a touch more original than using the same villains for the fifth time and reusing said villains as a base.

[@ED-gw9rg]

I really liked them, too!

[@imnoice]

Same in fact I rather choose this game to be my favorite than all the other games, sure they’re all pretty easy to beat I still enjoyed it

[@prizm9515]

Tiki's we're good. I'm glad they branched out and tried a new villain. Tiki Tong was actually epic.

[@omaralsharabati5873]

@@lukebytes5366 what they should have done was when they possessed them they turn them into a ancient creature version of themselves like mugly turns into a wooden mythical mugly when he gets possessed

[@JanusHoW]

A fun extra thing about Thugly - when he's stumbling backward after he slams himself into the wall, that's actually part of his attack - he won't fall over and become vulnerable until he's close enough to fall on top of you. Also, I really hope Tropical Freeze gets a Switch re-release if it hasn't already - I missed it on the Wii U, and it looks really fun.

[@BlusterTheBenevolent]

Tad late to the party, the “New Funky Mode” version came to switch in 2018.

[@EBTheOriginalMaster]

Lord Fredrick as your number 1 pick was totally unexpected.

[@kittysmak1799]

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

[@theggamer2824]

Can we Atleast agree that the music for the final boss in Returns is a banger?

[@springdude1165]

Yes

[@zarrstrudeltributemaker314]

If you say, it's awesome yes banger sounds stupid

[@haruemirali1126]

Tiki Tong is great

[@StankyKong911]

@@zarrstrudeltributemaker314 it’s a banger

[@GraySheep1717]

@@zarrstrudeltributemaker314 It’s a banger

[@Nbjk01]

love trop freeze bosses just cause of their personalities. each one knew that they were better than DK and were happy to prove it. none of them felt cookie cutter and all made you hate them, from Pompy and baboom thinking you were just a joke, to fugu and skowl just give that old man get off our lawn sort of vibe. while bash master and Fedrick showed no respect to those who didn't respect them. that and the snowmads did the one thing that the kremlings nor the mad tikis didn't do because apparently they were after bigger fish. They not only took over Dk island they un-ceremonially punted dk and crew straight off it, and all the worlds you go through are places that they've already conquered. K-rool may be a classic name stay like bowser, but one can't ignore the personality of some of these one off end game Vilnians. For they only have that one game to impress the gamer and if they can't do that then the game could fail because of it.

[@stormwolf5848]

Yes they are really cool and memorable.

[@omaralsharabati5873]

Agreed

[@jackallen6601]

People on Reddit hate Fredrick I honestly don’t get why. They find him forgettable

[@orangeslash1667]

@@jackallen6601 Remember the game is called Tropical Freeze, meaning the developers wanted to make Ice enemies. The Kremlin's won't work in this game because they're reptiles and reptiles don't work well in the Cold.

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

@@jackallen6601 Well his fight was honestly just a giant K Rool reference that undermines him being a different character

[@willipphittebane5741]

DKCR literally was my childhood, and I hold it in high regard with true masterpiece games due entirely to nostalgia. With that being said, I hated Colonel Cluck when I first played the game and still do today. Even kindergarten age me felt how tedious the fight was, and how out of place the tiki factory was based on the intro cutscene. Also, funny story: I spent several hours on my first attempt of the scurvy crab crew just because my brother and I didn't think to shake next to the first crab for all that time. ...I was a dumb kid.

[@homogenouscountry597]

Same

[@CryWindy]

Huh I know there’s lots of people who loved the Colonel Pluck boss (Me included) but it seems they are just in other comment threads than this video which is disappointing.

[@KycenPetersen]

Jungle beat’s graphics kinda fill a niche for me, I like how it looks. Reminds me of the canceled Kirby GCN game.

[@user-fb4uv4hr2l]

I think Lord Frederick deserved more recognition than he has, he brings together the best of the 3 k rools and has a great theme, being challenging and cool to face and defeat

[@ChevalierSilver]

You must be the only guy that ranked every donkey kong boss ever on youtube. Really liked the video

[@TruecarioZ]

I know almost nothing about DK and this is super interesting. You really went in depth with this, LOVE IT

[@matarthekiller6614]

i find you extremly underrated

[@PoipoleBoi]

I think colonel pluck has amazing boss theme tbh, wish it was talked about more

[@CryWindy]

Agreed I also personally loved the boss fight and I know there are lots of others that do as well in other comment threads.

[@megazillasaurus]

Mangoruby's theme is even better

[@grizzofeu653]

Damn right, and it always reminded me of Crash Bandicoot music

[@Chinarider1972]

The fact that this has an alive community is mind blowing

[@TheMarionick]

Tropical Freeze is my favorite game, but Fugu is the only reason I don’t replay the game on a regular basis

[@gabriel1802x]

8:49 No need to wait until the egg stops bouncing. To make the egg stop faster, just jump on it.

[@k-leb4671]

I love your rant about who Baboom is. I've had the exact same sentiments - who are the two other baboons and are the two phantom baboons in the last phase just random magical clones or are they related to the two baboons who were just defeated? I don't think the developers ever really agreed on it either.

[@ordinarydork2515]

My theory is the babooms are just clones, the ghost versions are like the regular babooms but weaker since the main one got beaten so many times. Its like he is running out of power and his clones are getting weaker

[@k-leb4671]

@@ordinarydork2515 ah yeah, I can get behind all of them except Baboom himself being clones, and his cloning magic getting weaker. Considering the boss is named in such a way that implies there's only one, that makes the most sense.

[@davidpacifico1019]

Actually, in all languages EXEPT ENGLISH AND SPANISH the name makes sense: In Japanese they’re called the baboon brothers In French they are called Ba, Da and Boom In German they are the radical Rambazbas In Italien they are called Bam, Bum and Babum

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

@@davidpacifico1019 *Rambazambas

[@BlusterTheBenevolent]

It’s really great that a list like this is out there. I appreciate the boldness of not having Kaptain as Number one. The citation of some pretty obscure trivia such as Greenbeard’s name shows that homework was done on this list. My own personal favorite is of course Kaptain, because of the ending, buildup, and generously giving out DK Barrels. Least favorite is probably just one of the shameless recolors from Country 1.

[@BullseyeRey]

I like the snowmads so i'm happy to see them place high on the list.

[@jacobtheorangeyoshi8710]

Very nice list! I love how you dedicated so much time to DK’s boss roster!

[@urosasin8979]

39:42 Interestingly, in the International releases, King Zing was changed to move much faster compared to the American version.

[@magicowlofbacon9416]

This is a great video! Love seeing smaller creators putting a lot of effort into making a good video. It just proves that you don't need a large budget or anything, just passion and hard work.

[@cyboyentertainment92]

I've only played a few DK games but Tropical Freeze has the best bosses....sadly we only had 6 of them to fight against (originally 7 different ones according to the concept art). Each boss is well designed and creative, but also difficult. I think my favorite of Tropical Freeze is Bashmaster. In DKC Returns I really enjoyed the Mole Train and Colonel Pluck, although I felt like the bosses in that game aside from Thugly felt underdeveloped or like they weren't taking full advantage of their designs and concepts (unlike Tropical Freeze which nailed each boss perfectly in those standards)

[@joeltehguy]

what was the 7th?

[@kadachinova5302]

@@joeltehguy I believe it was a Narwhal. Honestly, I did like the consistency of the Tropical Freeze bosses - mostly animals found in polar regions, with a few outliers for variety. I'd enjoy seeing that done again.

[@cyboyentertainment92]

7th boss was a caterpillar in a spiky fruit. You can look up the concept art and you’ll see it. It was from a cut world I believe.

[@hornguy04]

What a fun watch! I had thought about doing my own ranking of DKC bosses many years ago but opted instead for a complete ranking of “All 247 Donkey Kong Country series levels, obsessively ranked” posted on GameFAQs. Would you ever consider such a daunting and time consuming task yourself in the future? Looking forward to more of you stuff!

[@n.d.engleson6499]

Everything Chunky does is one hit of damage on Dogadon? I never knew that! I was relying on brute strength this whole time.

[@lemmy15yt]

King Kut Out is hilarious, not only because he makes for a better boss than most of the others in DK64, but his whole concept is just wild. As much as I'd have loved to see Mad Jack again, I'm pretty sure he's canonically dead, as after the fight and he falls down, when the platforms lower he's nowhere to be seen.

[@RamaRama-ko4dp]

Imagine if he survived and replaced his upper body with robotic parts

[@Dylanhennessy]

The way he says "BEEHIVES" 1:26:30 This video was great man, thanks for making it!!!

[@vtubermissingno]

Never even played a dk game yet found this video really interesting. Great job

[@ConquestOfJustice]

1:07:25 I don’t know why but how you say *two unnamed apes* puts a smile on my face

[@bradford9086]

I agree with everything you said about Fredrik. While K. Rool is possibly my favorite character in gaming, I love the different approach that Tropical Freeze took and I think Fredrik is super cool and underrated.

[@NisseDood]

Nintendo love their floaty hand bosses. Its almost a law that every game need to have one.

[@thatrandomredengine9430]

Tropical Freeze is so great, that it doesn’t even need K.Rool to be the big bad. Now that is PROOF that new doesn’t mean bad, just make it good! Lord Fredrick is a great boss, with a great design, and a fun personality! I don’t even want his to return unless they do something unique with him.

[@chellastation]

I can see why most people would not like Lord Fredrik, and I am a fan of King K Rool myself. HOWEVER, it is good to explore other enemies that DK might have had. There is no way that DK only has one group of enemies.

[@ThePikachuKingRJ]

I appreciate this list a lot. Your opinions matter a lot too, and I am glad I got to watch the entire thing. Consider you subscribed, dude. Though, you did forget Kroctpous from the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3, unless you don't count it.

[@user-fy1nq3nf1q]

Dunno why he shouldn't, he added kerosene

[@okwow9724]

Can we all agree they big top bop has the best theme at of all the dk games

[@destineejaimes6756]

I feel bad for tiki tong & Lord Fredrick because everyone hates them because they supposedly replaced King K rool

[@dragonmage372]

I love Tiki Tong because I grew up playing DKCR, but I hate Frederik because the bossfight was very tedious and uncreative, and the theme was obnoxious. However, not saying that I hate the character himself, and I was really looking forward to seeing his boss fight before I got there.

[@Lorsko-fk1gc]

I can't believe this was the first DK boss ranking video and it's somehow to this day still the best one i've seen, great job, I do think Colonel Pluck is too low (imo) but appart from that great vid.

[@colinwedig2552]

what we expected: king k. rool. what we got: a wood head&hands boss that probally nobody wanted.

[@joshsmith130]

I never new/remembered that DK64 had a spider mini boss. Thanks so much for the eye opener.

[@yowza9638]

I see whatcha did there :)))

[@RondoOfBloodX]

I can’t be the only one who hears Crash Bandicoot in Colonel Clucks theme.

[@minermole101]

KONGtroversial? For sure King K. Rool is the more memorable one, but Lord Frederick is definitely the best non kremling boss.

[@mr.niffler9527]

C'mom you have to admit Tiki Tong's theme is a jam

[@cataquackwarlord5389]

The GBA versions of Queen B and Dumb Drum made things a little trickier. Queen B surrounds herself with normal-sized Zingers, while Dumb Drum requires you to throw barrels at it to actually do damage.

[@doomsversus7778]

I love K. Rool as much as the next guy, but yeah I 100% agree. Frederik is the superior designed boss...This isn't a knock against K. Rool, but he DESERVES a boss fight that's just as challenging. I thought I'd hate this list, but I ended up loving it. Thank you very much!

[@590488]

Fugu was the last level I did for 200% because I struggled with him too much

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

My thing with the "Is Krow a chick?" question is that, baby birds are often referred to as "chicks" having nothing to do with whether they're male or female, so in my mind the question "Is Krow a chick?" is more about if he's still a baby. An overgrown baby to be sure, but his model looks more akin to the Mini-Neckys of DKC1 and DKC2 than it does the model of the adult Neckys which are full grown. And since at least in my head, he _is_ a chick-- a baby bird, the eggs he's throwing at the players might be his siblings.

[@BlusterTheBenevolent]

So, killing unborn children or killing unborn siblings? Which one’s worse?

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

@@BlusterTheBenevolent Both are equally terrible and attempting to frame one as "worse" than the other is fucking weird. If they're his unborn siblings, that would implicitly make them unborn children since there's no such thing as an "unborn adult". Unless you're trying to make some kind of a point with that comment, what does it have to do with my original comment? Are you attempting to imply that Krow being female "makes it worse" using lazy misogynist humor to "pwn" FeMaLEs because you're a follower who stopped emotionally maturing when you hit 14? Because I don't get what the point of your glib comment is supposed to be, so all I can do is making wild leaps of assumption with the same "logic" present in your comment. 🤷🏻

[@EdibleIce]

Why does this man only have 900 subs!?

[@alcatrazjyh6293]

So, are we just going to ignore the fact that in the GBA remake of DKC1, you can actually damage Dumb Drum after he spits out his enemies?

[@frostflamegames673]

My theory about Baboom is that the 3 alternates are possibly three baboons that fused into one, or 3 "aspects" of the same character, but that theory would be more likely if each one had a different personality, or at least more differences than just different colored attire.

[@zojirushi1]

We really need a new DKC game already 9 years since DKC Tropical Freeze released. 😩

[@haruemirali1126]

Really?

[@jacksigman3743]

I am so happy you made this

[@trainerlsw]

THAT MUSIC IN THE BEGINNING IS AWESOME! I NEEEEEEEEEED IT!

[@BlusterTheBenevolent]

SSBU’s Gangplank Galleon

[@cosmicspacething3474]

I feel like they definitely could’ve done more creative things with Fredrick. He could’ve given himself dragon wings, used dragon claws to move and manipulate the platforms, etc.

[@KingdomHeartsBrawler]

I would've put Kaptain K. Rool at Number 1. Lord Fredrik is a great boss but his hitbox is a little BS in my opinion. He also spends a little too much time in the background for my liking while K. Rool fights you directly. That being said, it is close. Both are absolutely fantastic final bosses. BTW I like Fredrik. I never hated him and thought he was a legit antagonist. It'd be cool to see him and the Snowmads return alongside K. Rool and the Kremlings in a new DKC. They could both be the villains.

[@unitix]

This was an amazing video. Great job

[@trevthegamedev]

Very well done, and bold move having the courage to be honest about your #1

[@garrettjackson1451]

Honestly DKCR was my first donkey Kong game and really enjoyed it and I didn’t know who king k rool was and honestly tiki tong gave me some star fox andross vibes

[@jraff2735]

1:19:10. I personally found the octopus "boss" in a prior level was FAR harder than this guy. my fav tropical freeze boss tho.

[@AS34N]

Beautiful vid my dude. At first I thought it was just dkc (I FF past the intro...sue me..) but I was so pleasantly surprised:)

[@charliecomer6001]

I will say this for queen b. In the gba version, she summons minions to become invincible. If you aren't quick enough to dodge the minions (especially with their ridiculous flight pattern), you could be stuck for a while

[@lukesmith720]

I think what would have been cool was the Kongs and the Kremlings worked together for a while, and try to stop the nomads.

[@jackallen6601]

Hope to see this done with more franchises! Keep it up!!

[@VillainousWarlord]

Thanks for 100K views! If you like this video, be sure to watch my K. Rool in Smash campaign video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4W8hpuwpNGWqJI

[@crabulonbestgirl9130]

ngl the gba version ost is better

[@impersonatedperson5422]

Where you would have placed Sassy Squatch now?

[@BeeBoi24]

Love the vid looking forward to more from ya

[@ThatguycalledJoe]

No, no, you don't understand. The reason Diddy and Dixie can't beat Klubba is because there are no random TNT barrels appearing out of thin air. He'd be toast if that were happening. Also I like to imagine that Klubba was fully aware of what was going to happen if he kept letting them into the Lost World so he decided to get outta dodge before the island blew, which is why the last Klubba's Kiosk is on DK Island in the K. Rool's Keep map. Incidentally I hardline hate the Swanky minigame in DKC3 GBC. Horrible, that. I really dislike how Baron K. Roolenstein comes off as not even trying. He just wanders back and forth and sometimes presses a button. Wow, the #2 segment is SUPER CRACKLY. What happened here?

[@VillainousWarlord]

Thanks for your feedback. This video essay was only my second video after a very poor quality first, so I was still learning. The editing during #5 is pretty awful too. I've been working on improving in videos afterwards. I didn't really think about the game mechanic of random TNT on Klubba/Kudgel, but that's not something that's intended narratively. I still think it would be nice to make a boss a character with dialogue by combining Kudgel/Klubba. Yes, Baron aimlessly patrolling does come across as really stupid, especially in the Knautilus. I guess we can write it off as him being insane in that game.

[@antoinemayrand7348]

A really good and fair video all around, I really enjoy it! From experience from playing the 5 DKC games, it was refreshing to see all those bosses. Funny enough, I even forgot the chicken throwing bombs in return. If I would give a general score for each game, I would say DKC1 was quite underwhelming, DKC2 was a big step up from DKC1 with overall great bosses (I mean, they even made a bee kind of interesting, that's something) , DKC3 had wacky but fun bosses, DKC return was quite forgetful and DKC tropical freeze is just amazing. I really loved all the games, but I have to admit the bosses were never the main attraction for me since I was going for 100% and already mastered the controls early on. I prefer the levels, and damn does DKC levels are good.

[@kyutogreywolf4292]

i love how you sounded disaproval

[@lynkz1210]

Good video, never played a DK game. Was interesting none the less.

[@pavementpounder7502]

I like how Gnawty/very Gnawty is your reference point for every boss lol.

[@VillainousWarlord]

He is truly the most ideal unit of measurement.

[@rezthemediaruler3768]

Hi. First up: Great Video! You rated all the Bosses fair and square. I wanted to tell you that I, as a dedicated King K. Rool Fan, was indeed a little bummed out by the Fact that K. Rool and the Kremlings wouldn't have any appearances in the Games Retro Studio had made. But these are great Games nonetheless and I advise every DK Fan to give them a Chance. I also participated in the various Super Smash Bros. Character Polls to help get our favorite bad Croc-King into the Game. Soooo happy he made it in^^ You can believe me. If I had to choose three favorite Bosses besides the K.Rool Boss Fights on SNES they would be: 1.Lord Fredrik (called "König Qual" in my Homeland, which is Germany) 2.Bashmaster ("Haulukas der Unkaputtbare") 3.Mad Jack ("Mad Jack") You don't mind if I watch some of your other Stuff, do you? XD Greetings from Germany and have a nice day!

[@VillainousWarlord]

Glad you enjoyed it so much! Yes, I would very much enjoy you watching my other videos

[@Brodsers_Castle]

You know I was thinking about something, if they were going to make another donkey Kong game and king k. Rool returns. I can imagine when you get to him in the final area, you go through hallways and it shows that he was behind all of things that happen from country returns to tropical freeze. Like you see a tapestry of some sort that shows the tikis and you also see a letter or a picture of him and lord Fredrick shaking hands showing that they made a deal and let’s just say that those events were his plans to get revenge on donkey Kong and the gang. I’m just saying that it would be a pretty good way to show that he did a little involvement in the previous games.

[@VillainousWarlord]

It's definitely a nice thought and I would love to see some photo of K. Rool and Fredrik shaking hands. Unfortunately, there seems to be some kind of bizarre policy Japanese studios have about wanting to be "respectful" by not using the work/characters of other development studios, despite how most other people would think it would be more respectful to do the opposite. Point being, I think Retro is done with the DK franchise, and when another company takes the reigns I doubt they will use any of Retro's characters.

[@k-leb4671]

@@VillainousWarlord "there seems to be some kind of bizarre policy Japanese studios have about wanting to be "respectful" by not using the work/characters of other development studios, despite how most other people would think it would be more respectful to do the opposite." How does that explain all the times K. Rool was used in games after Donkey Kong 64? He didn't appear in the Retro games but he did appear in several other titles developed in Japan.

[@VillainousWarlord]

@@k-leb4671 Not every company is the same. The only company that used the DK characters much after Rare's departure was Paon. Unfortunately, Paon couldn't make good games and was only really good for DK character fanservice. Aside from Retro/Tanabe, the big other company related to DK who practices this are the people behind Jungle Beat.

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

I kind of dislike the K Roolenstein fight, why does he just aimlessly fly around with the chillest expression ever?

[@yowza9638]

The boss fight just dies the moment you realize he isn’t actually attacking you

[@jpfoland01]

Look, I love the DKC SNES trilogy to death, but I really enjoyed DKCR Tropical Freeze. Yes, I was disappointed that they didn't use the Kremlings (again), but that's not a reason to hate Tropical Freeze. It was a lot of fun, and way better than DKCR 1; I even 100% it and those last bonus levels are really hard.

[@jaystar4968]

That owl will always be number one for me. That man send literal chills to my spine the perfect intro

[@LethalTicTac]

As much as I want to get mad at you for placing colonel pluck so low, I cant, the fight is pretty simple but the positives are the mech design, simple but cool, and the soundtrack, which is arguably the best soundtrack in dkcr

[@johannykanen8679]

Its jist so awsome to see all the bosses even those I havent known before. And I did not expect the ending. Fredrik?! I am just happy that other too likes the bosses in tropical frezze. Normal tropical tho is allwasy gonna hava a special place in my heart 😄

[@alisablevins8644]

Tiki tong also has a fantastic final boss theme

[@kygigni]

I would rank really gnawty higher than the unfair or sucking bosses. He should be in the middle, althouth he is dissapointing, he is straightup normal and he isn't annoying.

[@SuperRandomNation]

26:05 It's a little worth noting that in the GBA remake Queen B summons minions like a barrier that differs in each phase before you can hit it.

[@BlusterTheBenevolent]

Hey, you made that Ifunny list, haven’t you?

[@SuperRandomNation]

@@BlusterTheBenevolent my reputation proceeds me

[@BlusterTheBenevolent]

@@SuperRandomNation Such infamy does not go away easily.

[@ghostwithknife416]

I thankfully didn't know about K Rool's credits fakeout when I played DKC later in my life for the first time. It actually got me and made me hate him on such a personal level because the only other boss to fake me out like that was a Monster from Monster Hunter 1 that I struggled with way to much to beat my first time as a child.

[@maurycyoseka1057]

My Boss ranking: Dumb Drum 0/10 Squirt 0/10 Krocktopus 0/10 Very and Really Gnawty 0/10 Master Necky Jr. and Sr. 0/10 Toy Monster 0/10 Banana Spaceship 1/10 Krow/Kreepy Krow 1/10 King Zing 1/10 Giant Spider 1/10 King K. Rool (King of Swingers) 1/10 Mega Amp 1/10 Fire Necky 1/10 Puftoss 2/10 Gong Oh Tiki and Stu 2/10 Kroctopus 2/10 King K. Rool (Jungle Climbers) 2/10 Queen B. 2/10 Arich 2/10 Banjo Bottom Tiki and Miner Max 2/10 Rouge, Mo, Bloat and Gloat Hog 2/10 Dragon 2/10 Ghastly King 2/10 Sassy Squatch 2/10 Robot Kremling Head 2/10 Kerozene 3/10 Kludge 3/10 Armydillo 3/10 Davy Bones 3/10 Maraca Gang Tiki and Skurvy Krab Crew 3/10 Kongazuma 3/10 Scruff, Fleet, Hard and Thunder Roc 3/10 Wacky Pipes Tiki and Mangoberry 3/10 Kleever 4/10 Kordian Tiki and Coloner Pluck 4/10 Dogadon 4/10 Bleak 4/10 Dread, Karate, Ninja and Sumo Kong 4/10 Mad Jack 4/10 Belcha 5/10 Barboss 5/10 King Krusha K. Rool 5/10 Wild Sting, Giant Clam and Hadlrd Hat 6/10 King Kut Out 6/10 KAOS 6/10 Turret, Grave, Torch and Double Tusk 6/10 Ba-boom the Boistrous 6/10 Tiki Tong 6/10 King K. Rool (Country) 6/10 Baron K. Roolstein 7/10 Kaptain K. Rool 7/10 Mugly and Thugly 7/10 Pompy the Presumptous 7/10 Skowl the Starteling 7/10 Fugu the Frightning 7/10 Bashmaster the Unbreakable 8/10 Lord Fredrik the Snowmad King 8/10

[@PhazonOmega]

Never played Returns, but I love the idea of the villain actually USING the bananas he stole. Generic/underwhelming final boss aside, seeing the tiki king melt down bananas into hands was equal parts hilarious and intimidating.

[@haruemirali1126]

Yea l also like Tiki Tong

[@samuelmitschele-dauenhauer2984]

I have the compulsion to mention that the GBA version of DKC3 has an extra boss. Moving Barbos to a new water world and putting the new monster in Razor Ridge, it'd probably be somewhere in the middle of this list but still

[@GabrielLopes-yu3dt]

Yeah...

[@capitanpastabase6342]

Great video and list. I'm so happy to see vivid fans of the BEST Nintendo franchise (tied with Zelda).

[@yazmenakamura6750]

Maybe Baboom is summoning Shadow Clones, Naruto-Style?

[@dogwithpropellorhat]

Finally The perfect video to eat to