HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN no.1

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by XanderDWulfe

Gallery

Halloween Countdowns

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Last in pool

---FINAL FIVE---
Winner: Kaptain K. Rool - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

"sometimes you just want a character who is mean purely for the sake of being mean." This was a sentiment I shared at the very beginning of this countdown and one that holds true till the very end. For every well written, thought provoking villain out there, there's a counterpart to them that is so cruel purely for the sake of it that their very name can only be a portmanteau to describe said cruelty. But if I. M. Meen is the worst example of this archetype, then King K. Rool is the best example -- or should I say Kaptain K. Rool?

For every point that I. M. Meen deserved dead last, K. Rool deserves top billing. Far from the mincing foil of Meen, K. Rool manages to be equal parts ridiculous and intimidating. Even if all he's doing is stealing bananas, the King K. Rool exudes an aura that demands your attention and the proof is in the banana pudding! We all actively mourned his loss and cheered upon his triumphant return. Indeed, K. Rool is a man amongst crocodilians who defines Donkey Kong Country just as much as DK himself, if not more so in some ways! While I may have shat on the Switch 2 previously (and I still stand by it) I won't deny that King K. Rool's grand return to Donkey Kong Bananza was what inspired my overall decision to not only add him in this year, but give him top billing. It just felt right!

But why specifically Kaptain K. Rool? Why, out of all of the Kremling king's varied personas did I pick the swashbuckling variant? I could tell you that Donkey Kong Country is one of my favorite video game series ever. I could tell you that Donkey Kong Country 2 is my personal favorite among them. I could tell you that this year marks the game's 30th anniversary...but truth be told the real reason is that I had been meaning to draw Kaptain K. Rool for some time now. I knew that after I drew King K. Rool in my own style that I had let the proverbial genie out of the bottle and would have to draw all his other incarnations at some point. Though now that I think of it, Baron K. Roolenstein would have fit for Halloween way more...huh. I guess I should've drawn that instead. Oh well! Too late now!

This year's October has been a bit interesting for me. As I reach the end of my 18th countdown, I find myself growing more introspective. I found myself working in ways I never had, finding clever ways to segway from one entry to another and having beginning and end connect back to each other. It was a lot of fun and something I think I'll continue to pursue as I keep these going.

Unfortunately that brings us to the end of yet another Halloween Countdown and October itself. As always I'm filled with a bitter-sweet feeling as though an old friend is leaving after a long awaited reunion. Just like King K. Rool finally coming back to us Donkey Kong fans, separation makes the heart grow fonder and we will meet again, if only for a brief time.

To all of you, I hope you've had a frightful October and that your Halloweens remain ever haunting. Until we meet again, stay spooky my friends~

Keywords

male 1,241,471, fat 41,309, nintendo 20,951, crocodile 9,115, donkey kong 682, rare 345, halloween 2025 310, kremling 274, king k rool 189, halloween countdown 185, screech 40, donkey kong country 2 8

Details

Type: Picture/Pinup

Published: 13 hrs, 47 mins ago

Rating: General

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