---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
1,243,188,
fat
41,382,
nintendo
20,983,
crocodile
9,128,
donkey kong
682,
halloween 2025
397,
rare
348,
kremling
277,
king k rool
190,
halloween countdown
185,
screech
40,
donkey kong country 2
8
Details
Published:
6 days, 9 hrs ago
31 Oct 2025 08:03 CET
Initial: 556ce0485658aec2d007c5b54f91b6ed
Full Size: eabaced13a3f6fd8e26c48b4990aabc3
Large: 551958f591cc5db4ff3078667c367e5a
Small: 8cc86e7128090370c1cf594271dda316
Stats
43 views
9 favorites
1 comment
