Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 is out, people are racing through Mario Kart World like it’s nobody’s business, but sharp-eared fans are noticing something different about Donkey Kong. In addition to the iconic ape’s new look, he also seems to have a new voice. The new voice also might be taken straight out of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
The Nintendo Switch 2’s Treatment of Donkey Kong
Image from Donkey Kong Bananza courtesy of NintendoFans have already complained about Donkey Kong’s redesign in Mario Kart World and the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza, but Donkey Kong might have a new voice to go with his new look. According to GamesRadar, fans have noticed that Takashi Nagasako, who has voiced Donkey Kong (along with Cranky Kong) since 2004’s Mario Power Tennis on the GameCube, is absent from the Mario Kart World end credits.
A Connection to The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
The Mario Kart World end credits don’t specify which voice actors played which characters. However, fans have noticed that despite Nagasako’s absence, another Donkey Kong voice is listed in the credits. Koji Takeda, who voiced Donkey Kong in the Japanese dub of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, shows up in the credits for Mario Kart World. Does this mean that he’s now the official voice of Donkey Kong in the game world as well as the movie world?
Don’t Jump to Conclusions!
As fun as it would be if Donkey Kong shared a voice with his movie counterpart, it needs to be emphasized that this isn’t confirmed. Takeda could have voiced a different character in Mario Kart World. As of the writing of this article, Nintendo hasn’t made any statements one way or the other about whether or not Takeda is the new voice of Donkey Kong. We might have to wait until the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 game, Donkey Kong Bananza, to find out.
Conclusion
Whether or not Donkey Kong now shares a voice with his movie counterpart remains to be seen. In any case, the Nintendo Switch 2 seems to be starting a new era for the character. If it does turn out that Takeda is the ape’s new voice, there will probably be plenty of fan theories about how the game universe and the movie universe collide. In fact, those theories are probably already brewing.
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