Nintendo Reveals New Diddy Kong Redesign Just Like Donkey Kong

The Nintendo Switch 2 era hasn’t officially started just yet, but one character has been conspicuously missing from Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. We’re talking of course about Diddy Kong, DK’s longtime partner. The character’s absence from even promotional materials had fans fearing the worst, but Nintendo has finally shown off the character’s new design, which has been adjusted to match the new look Donkey Kong is getting. The new look for Diddy was shared through Nintendo News on the Switch system, and features a familiar pose for the character, but with some notable differences.

In this new piece of art, Diddy can be seen standing alongside the Donkey Kong redesign. To casual fans, Diddy might look largely the same, but eagle-eyed fans have already pointed out several changes. As noted by @Stealth40k on Bluesky (who shared the new look), Diddy now has teeth, redesigned feet, and a slightly bigger belly. Most interestingly, Diddy’s hat has been switched up, removing the Nintendo logo. Something else is there instead now, but it’s impossible to tell exactly what has been added.

For many fans, the new art should be something of a relief. Not only has Nintendo stayed faithful to the character’s iconic look, this also confirms that Diddy Kong isn’t going anywhere. There had been rumors online that a certain trial centered around someone else going by “Diddy” might have led Nintendo to drop the character for a bit. That always seemed farfetched; Nintendo probably would have just renamed Diddy Kong the way that they changed Spike’s name in Japan a few years ago. Regardless, Diddy Kong seems to be sticking around, and we’ll have to see where the character shows up next.

Diddy Kong was not one of the original playable characters in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but he was added through the game’s DLC. Many fans have wondered whether or not he’ll be returning in Mario Kart World, but the character was not present during my hands-on last month, and has not been seen in any promotional material. Diddy has also been completely absent from anything shown in Donkey Kong Bananza, which has only confirmed the return of Cranky Kong so far.

RELATED: Donkey Kong Bananza Won’t Have One of the Best Elements from Donkey Kong Country

Diddy Kong has been DK’s partner in crime since the days of the Super Nintendo, debuting in the original Donkey Kong Country. He’s been a fan favorite ever since, so hopefully we’ll see the character show up somewhere soon. Since Nintendo clearly went to the effort of redesigning him, it’s hard to imagine we won’t see Diddy in one or both games… or perhaps in something that we don’t know about yet! Either way, Nintendo Switch 2 is about three weeks away from release, so we should start to get a lot more answers to these questions, one way or another.

How do you feel about this new design for Diddy Kong? Would you like to see the character show up in Mario Kart World or Donkey Kong Bananza? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!