While some vocal fans may not like the facelift that Donkey Kong got for Donkey Kong Bananza, one artist who worked on the character before is all for it. This Switch 2 game brings everyone's favorite barrel-smashing gorilla back to screens, but its title protagonist has a new character design that sticks out, creating debate among Nintendo fans.

Former Rare artist Kevin Bayliss (now at Yooka-Laylee studio Playtonic), who is credited for redeg the character for Donkey Kong Country, chimed in on X (via VGC) in of the redesign. Bayliss stated, "It's still DK, only better looking," and that observers should "embrace change more." He ended his positive endorsement saying: "All good things get better with age" and "Everyone give a big warm welcome for the new DK!"

Donkey Kong's New Look, Explained

The Evolution Of The Ape

This is not the first time that Donkey Kong has received a makeover. The ape as we know him now is barely recognizable compared to his first appearance in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. Back then, he was just a pixelated primate. Jump to the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, and the ape gained more personality in his design with facial features akin to his face today, along with his iconic necktie. Donkey Kong Country on SNES solidified the character's look, as designed by Bayliss, for the subsequent two decades.

Donkey Kong would receive some of his biggest changes with 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The Donkey Kong Bananza is retooling DK's look once again with a more cartoony, expressive, and exaggerated look. This new design is not that different from Donkey Kongs of the past, but it is still a noticeable change from the classic character — naturally, fans will have strong opinions after being used to Bayliss's iconic interpretation.

Any Character Redesign For A Classic Nintendo Character Will Be Controversial

Don't Touch Our Childhood

Of course, this goes beyond just a Donkey Kong redesign — it's the fact that a staple from most people's childhood has been changed. The same uproar would occur if any classic Nintendo character changed in appearance. Just imagine if Link from the Zelda series showed up with dark hair instead of his classic light hairdo, or Mario was suddenly a few inches taller. People would likely react strongly over such choices.

Change is an inevitable part of life, especially for art and long-running franchises. Again, Bayliss reminds people that Donkey Kong might receive further redesigns in the future, saying: "20 years from now he’ll probably receive another ‘nip and tuck’ here and there to keep him fresh and current." Maybe this is a new era for Donkey Kong that Donkey Kong Bananza is ushering in, and we will all look at the design years from now and appreciate it then.

Source: Kevin Bayliss/X, VGC