Donkey Kong Bananza Character Leak Spurs Speculation Over DK Lore

A Donkey Kong Bananza promotional image posted by Nintendo Korea may have accidentally revealed one of the game's major characters--a young girl who looks suspiciously similar to Pauline.

As picked up by GamesRadar, the character's appearance in the Nintendo Korea box art has led to a flurry of speculation as fans try to decipher what role Pauline might play in the game, and whether her young appearance means Bananza is in fact a prequel.

For those less familiar with the extended Mario/Donkey Kong universe, Pauline is a side character who first appeared as the iconic damsel in distress in the 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game. While she disappeared from the games for some time after that, she reappeared as the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey, and has since become a regular character in Mario spin-off titles.

Now, it appears that she may be returning to the Donkey Kong series, according to a piece of cover art that was posted to the Nintendo Korea website. The art shows what looks like a younger Pauline holding onto Donkey Kong's tie as he smashes his way through the ground.

The art has now been replaced on the Korean site with an image that swaps Pauline for the crystalline purple sidekick known as Odd Rock. This has only led to further speculation after eagle-eyed fans noted that Pauline, in the original image, was wearing a purple crystal bracelet that seems to resemble Odd Rock.

The appearance of Pauline as a young girl has led fans to question the game's place in the Donkey Kong timeline, with some suggesting that Bananza could be a prequel game starring the original Donkey Kong--the character we've known as Donkey Kong from Nintendo's recent games is the grandson of the original, though The Super Mario Bros. Movie refers to him as his son.

Other theories speculate that the mystery character is actually Pauline's daughter, that Odd Rock is taking on her appearance, or that she has been aged down by some kind of magic or device.

Donkey Kong Bananza will launch on July 17, when we'll find out for sure if the mystery girl is Pauline, and what role she'll be playing in the world of Donkey Kong.

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