Editing Banjo

{{character infobox
|image=[[File:Banjo DKR art.jpg|200px]]<br>Artwork from ''Diddy Kong Racing''
|full_name=Banjo the bear<ref>"{{cite|archive=web.archive.org/web/19990218060558/http://www.nintendo.com.au/games/n64/games/dkracing.html|deadlink=y|title=''Diddy Kong Racing''|publisher=Nintendo of Australia}}</ref>
|species={{wp|Honey bear|Honey Bear}}<ref>{{cite|url=www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-64/Banjo-Kazooie-269415.html|title=Banjo-Kazooie {{!}} Nintendo 64 {{!}} Games {{!}} Nintendo|publisher=Nintendo of UK|language=en-gb|accessdate=May 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>North American ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' Manual, Page 24</ref>
|first_appearance=''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' ([[List of games by date#1997|1997]], overall)<br>''{{wp|Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie}}'' (1998, home series)
|latest_appearance=''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' (Challenger Pack 3) ([[List of games by date#2019|2019]])
|portrayed_by=[[Chris Sutherland]] ([[List of games by date#1997|1997]]–present)<ref>{{cite|author=Christopher Niosi|url=youtu.be/Q83W5_srddA?t=6m37s|title=Talkin' Rare & Playtonic Games w/ Chris Sutherland (feat. Shadyvox) - Kirblog 6/17/17|timestamp=00:06:37|publisher=YouTube|language=English|accessdate=May 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>Credited in the sound test menu in the Japanese version of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''.</ref>
}}
{{quote|I'm Banjo!|[[Banjo]]|[[Diddy Kong Racing]]}}
'''{{wp|Banjo & Kazooie|Banjo}}''' is one of the two protagonists of former [[Nintendo]] partner [[Rare Ltd.|Rare]]'s {{wp|Banjo-Kazooie|''Banjo-Kazooie'' series}}, along with his best friend, [[Kazooie]]. He is characterized as a honey bear with light-brown fur, tan skin, blue eyes, and a black nose, and he wears a shark-tooth necklace, yellow shorts, and a blue backpack that houses Kazooie. Banjo made his debut, both overall and in the ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' franchise, as a playable character in ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'', and he and his series were owned by Nintendo up until the acquisition of Rare by Microsoft in 2002, with ''Banjo'' characters making some appearances in the ''Mario'' franchise during that period.

==History==
===''Diddy Kong Racing''===
[[File:Carbanjo.png|thumb|left|Banjo, as he first appears in ''Diddy Kong Racing'']]
Banjo incidentally made his first appearance in ''Diddy Kong Racing''. When [[Wizpig]] invaded [[Timber's Island]], [[Timber]] calls for [[Diddy Kong]]'s assistance. In turn, he sends [[Squawks]] to contact his friends, one of whom is Banjo. All the characters compete in a variety of racing challenges to liberate the island and decide who would race Wizpig. Eventually, the eight racers, with the help of [[Taj]] and [[T.T.]], drove Wizpig back to his home planet, [[Future Fun Land]]. However, Wizpig returns, and the racers go to his homeworld. At the end of the world, the winning character races Wizpig again, who rides on a rocket missile for the rematch. On the character selection screen, Banjo's theme instrument is the banjo. The menu's theme is re-composed in a banjo when the player highlights him. Like the other characters, Banjo says his name when he is selected. As a heavyweight racer, Banjo has slow acceleration, which is compensated for a high top speed (57 MPH without [[Banana]]s). His handling is below average but still exceeds [[Krunch]]'s.

Since Microsoft had direct ownership over Banjo and Conker, both of them do not appear in ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]''. Instead, they were replaced with [[Tiny Kong]] and [[Dixie Kong]], respectively. Despite this, Banjo's theme instrument was left intact, and it plays both on the character selection and the game's introduction sequence. Banjo's statistics were also retained for Tiny Kong, who was likely redesigned for Banjo's heavyweight feature.

===''Mario no Bōken Land''===
Banjo makes a small, non-speaking cameo in the ''Diddy Kong Racing'' story segment of ''[[Mario no Bōken Land]]'', titled "Go Go Diddy!". The comic shows him participating in a race with his friends, with him being in sixth place.

===''4koma Gag Battle''===
Banjo appears throughout the ''[[4koma Gag Battle]]'' manga adaptation of ''Diddy Kong Racing''. A certain four panel comic provides an explanation for what was in his backpack during ''Diddy Kong Racing'', since Kazooie was absent: the backpack was filled with a beehive full of bees.

===''N-Gang''===
Banjo and Kazooie make a brief cameo at the end of the ''[[N-Gang]]'' comic "[[N-Gang#Freeze Frame|Freeze Frame]]", where they are seen celebrating alongside many other Nintendo characters.

Banjo appears in the ''N-Gang'' comic, "[[N-Gang#N-Gang vs. Nintendo|N-Gang vs. Nintendo]]", where he played on the same soccer camp team with Kazooie, [[Wario]], [[Yoshi]], [[Princess Peach]], [[Donkey Kong]], and [[Lanky Kong]]. [[Mario]] refereed the match.

Banjo makes an appearance in the ''N-Gang'' comic "[[N-Gang#Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht|Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht]]". After Gruntilda transformed [[N-Gang#Toni|Toni]] and [[N-Gang#VIP|VIP]] into hot dogs and leaves to reek havoc into the city, [[N-Gang#Big B.|Big B.]] and [[N-Gang#Gecko|Gecko]] arrives and devise a plan to defeat Gruntilda. They then use VIP's machine to bring Banjo into the real world, and then launches eggs at the witch to defeat her. After that, they all celebrate.

===''Mario Artist: Paint Studio''===
Banjo appears in some of the character stamps in ''[[Mario Artist: Paint Studio]]'', along with other characters from ''Diddy Kong Racing'' and ''Banjo-Kazooie''.

===''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''===
{{SSB fighter infobox
|color=purple
|align=right
|title=Banjo & Kazooie
|emblem=BanjoKazooieEmblem.png
|image=BanjoKazooie SSBU.png
|games=''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' (downloadable)
|standard=Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster
|side=Wonderwing
|up=Shock Spring Jump
|down=Rear Egg
|final=The Mighty Jinjonator
|entrance=Banjo appears from a Jiggy-shaped portal with Kazooie, bowing.
}}
{{main-wiki|SmashWiki|Banjo & Kazooie (SSBU)}}
Banjo, alongside Kazooie and the [[List of fighters debuting in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate#Hero|heroes]] of ''Dragon Quest'', were announced as playable fighters in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' during the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct on June 11 (PDT). Banjo & Kazooie were released on September 4, 2019 (PDT) as part of Challenger Pack 3. The duo's moveset and appearances are directly pulled from their first two games, ''Banjo-Kazooie'' and ''[[jiggywikki:Banjo-Tooie|Banjo-Tooie]]'', though they also sport a few original attacks. [[smashwiki:Spiral Mountain|Spiral Mountain]], the location of their home, serves as the representation for their stage. Regarding weight, Banjo & Kazooie are collectively a heavyweight, being heavier than [[smashwiki:Link (SSBU)|Link]], [[Yoshi]], [[smashwiki:Captain Falcon (SSBU)|Captain Falcon]], [[smashwiki:Mii|Mii Gunner]], and [[smashwiki:Min Min (SSBU)|Min Min]], but lighter than Wario, [[smashwiki:Ike (SSBU)|Ike]], [[smashwiki:Ridley (SSBU)|Ridley]], [[smashwiki:Simon (SSBU)|Simon]], and [[smashwiki:Richter (SSBU)|Richter]], while having the same weight as [[Solid Snake|Snake]] and [[R.O.B.]] Their special moves are [[smashwiki:Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster|Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster]], [[smashwiki:Wonderwing|Wonderwing]], [[smashwiki:Shock Spring Jump|Shock Spring Jump]], and [[smashwiki:Rear Egg|Rear Egg]] and their Final Smash is [[smashwiki:The Mighty Jinjonator|The Mighty Jinjonator]].

The reveal trailer for the duo heavily references [[King K. Rool]]'s original reveal trailer, with [[Donkey Kong]], [[Diddy Kong]], and King K. Rool looking outside the window of DK's tree house and seeing a silhouette of Banjo & Kazooie. It is then revealed to be [[Duck Hunt (character)|Duck Hunt]] playing a prank, much like how the K. Rool reveal trailer had [[King Dedede]] pretending to be King K. Rool. Banjo & Kazooie then appear from the sky and knock Duck Hunt out of frame, with Banjo holding his namesake instrument.

Prior to Banjo's inclusion in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', he and Kazooie were among the most requested ''Super Smash Bros.'' characters of all time. A Rare employee wrote on their website back in 2009, that although they had not been considered for ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', many Rare franchise trophies were originally in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''.<ref>{{cite|author=Lerako|url=www.raregamer.co.uk/scribes-september-18th-2009|title=Rare Scribes|date=September 18, 2009|accessdate=October 30, 2020}}</ref> Vice President of Microsoft's gaming division, {{wp|Phil Spencer}}, made a Tweet in 2015, stating "it would be cool" to see Banjo and Kazooie appear as DLC fighters in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' / ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U|Wii U]]''.<ref>{{cite|author=Campbell, Evan|url=www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/03/xbox-head-phil-spencer-says-it-would-be-cool-to-see-banjo-in-super-smash-bros-for-nintendo-3ds-and-wii-u Xbox Head|title=Xbox Head Phil Spencer Says 'It Would Be Cool' to See Banjo in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U|publisher=IGN|date=April 3, 2015|accessdate=May 11, 2024}}</ref> He doubled down on the comments in 2018, a year before Banjo and Kazooie's reveal in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.<ref>{{cite|author=Winslett, Ryan|date=March 21, 2018|url=www.cinemablend.com/games/2391161/microsoft-is-willing-to-put-banjo-in-smash-bros|title=Microsoft Is Willing To Put Banjo In Smash Bros.|language=en|publisher=Cinemablend|accessdate=May 11, 2024}}</ref>

====Classic Mode route====
Banjo & Kazooie's Classic Mode route pits them against fighters that work as a team. Their final bosses are Master Hand and Crazy Hand, who both work as a team and are fought in any difficulty.
{|class="wikitable"style="margin: auto;"
!colspan="5"|Perfect Partners
|-
!width=20px|Round
!width=200px|Opponent(s)
!width=150px|Stage
!width=300px|Song
|-
!1
|[[Duck Hunt (character)|Duck Hunt]] (brown/red costume)
|[[Spiral Mountain]]
|Main Theme - Banjo-Kazooie
|-
!2
|[[Rosalina]] & [[Luma]]
|[[Tortimer Island]]
|Treasure Trove Cove
|-
!3
|[[Ice Climbers]]
|[[Summit]]
|Freezeezy Peak
|-
!4
|[[Link]], [[Princess Zelda|Zelda]]
|[[Mushroomy Kingdom]]
|Gobi's Valley
|-
!5
|[[Fox]] (dark costume), [[Falco Lombardi|Falco]] (dark costume)
|[[Luigi's Mansion (stage)|Luigi's Mansion]]
|Mad Monster Mansion
|-
!6
|[[Donkey Kong]], [[Diddy Kong]]
|[[Jungle Japes (stage)|Jungle Japes]]
|Donkey Kong Country Returns
|-
!Final
|[[Master Hand]], [[Crazy Hand]]
|[[Final Destination]]
|Master Hand / Crazy Hand
|}
{{br}}

===Unused appearances===
====''Donkey Kong 64''====
[[File:BanjoKazooieTreehouse.jpg|frame|150px|right|Banjo and Kazooie's cameo in an early build of ''Donkey Kong 64'']]
Both Banjo and Kazooie made a cameo in [[List of Donkey Kong 64 pre-release and unused content|early versions]] of ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'', but were ultimately cut from the final game. Their faces were going to appear on a shower stall in [[DK's Tree House]].

==Profiles and statistics==
===''Diddy Kong Racing''===
*'''Character stats'''
**'''Weight:''' Heavy
**'''Acceleration:''' 2/5
**'''Handling:''' 2/5
**'''Speed:''' 3.5/5
**'''Color:''' Turquoise
*'''Instruction booklet bio:''' "''(Low acceleration, heavy weight, good handling, high top speed) Even before the start of his future partnership with Kazooie, Banjo isn’t one to turn down the chance of an adventure. So when Squawks brings the message from his pal Diddy Kong, the Honey Bear stuffs a few things into his trusty backpack and takes to his heels.''"<ref>{{cite|title=''Diddy Kong Racing'' manual|page=24|date=1997|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=American English}}</ref>
*'''[[Nintendo Power#Player's Guides|Player's Guide]]:''' "''When Squawks brought Diddy’s call for help, Banjo didn’t hestitate—he strapped on his trusty backpack and hit the road immediately. He has also agreed to take on a totally different adventure with his partner, Kazooie, so this busy bear will have a lot to keep him occupied for some time to come.''"<ref>{{cite|title=''Diddy Kong Racing'' Player's Guide|page=7|date=1997|publisher=Nintendo of America|author=Swan, Leslie|language=American English}}</ref>
*'''''[[Nintendo Power]]'' Volume 103:''' "''Like Conker, Banjo is sort of hanging out on Timber’s Island while his own game gets polished for release. The happy-go-lucky honey bear has good handling for a heavy guy, but his acceleration is what you would expect from a bear. On the other hand, Banjo has excellent top-end speed for straightaways.''"<ref>{{cite|title=''Nintendo Power'' Volume 103|page=14|date=December 1997|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us}}</ref>
*'''Diddy's Drivers Ed''': "''Banjo is another heavyweight racer, but his acceleration and handling are acceptable. He's a great choice for piloting a hovercraft. In many instances, Banjo will have to use the sharp turn technique to take corners cleanly.''"<ref>{{cite|archive=web.archive.org/web/19981206065714/http://www.dkr.com/driversed.html|title=Diddy's Driver Ed|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref>
*'''''Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition'' [[Prima Games|Prima]]'s Official Strategy Guide:''' "''Banjo is one of the harder characters to control, and his acceleration is low. Of course, his heavier weight also means that, once he builds up some momentum, his top speed is second only to Krunch. On a tightly turning course, however, there’s little chance for his extra speed to come into play: He’s always in the process of accelerating, and then skidding through the next turn.''"<ref>{{cite|date=April 7, 1999|title=''Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition Prima's Official Strategy Guide''|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|isbn=0-7615-2103-7|page=37}}</ref>
*'''Rarewhere''': "''Even before the start of his future partnership with Kazooie, Banjo isn’t one to turn down the chance of an adventure. So when Squawks brings the message from his pal Diddy, the Honey Bear stuffs a few things into his trusty backpack and takes to his heels.''"<ref>{{cite|deadlink=y|archive=web.archive.org/web/19990902205540/http://www.rareware.com/recent/games/racing/castlist/cast_banjo.html|language=en-gb|title=DKR Cast List {{!}} Banjo|publisher=Rarewhere|accessdate=May 11, 2024}}</ref>

===''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''===
{{spirit
|no=1337
|name=Banjo & Kazooie
|image=[[File:SSBU Banjo and Kazooie Spirit.png|x100px]]
|series=''{{wp|Banjo-Kazooie}}'' Series
|type=Fighter
|obtain=Classic Mode as Banjo & Kazooie
}}

*'''Official website:''' ''The missing piece of the puzzle is found as Banjo & Kazooie join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable fighter! With Banjo’s bare hands to bruise rivals up close and Kazooie’s egg-cellent shooting skills, your rivals will be singing the blues in no time. For their Final Smash, these perfect partners call upon a flock of Jinjos and the Mighty Jinjonator to deal the final blow to any “feeble jerk” that may stand in their way!''

====Palutena's Guidance====
Banjo & Kazooie share this stock conversation with all other Fighters Pass characters. It was originally used for [[smashwiki:Mewtwo (SSBU)|Mewtwo]], [[smashwiki:Lucas (SSBU)|Lucas]], [[smashwiki:Roy (SSBU)|Roy]], [[smashwiki:Ryu (SSBU)|Ryu]], [[smashwiki:Cloud (SSBU)|Cloud]], [[smashwiki:Corrin (SSBU)|Corrin]], and [[smashwiki:Bayonetta (SSBU)|Bayonetta]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', who are downloadable fighters in that game. 
*'''[[Pit (character)|Pit]]:''' Who is THAT? 
*'''[[smashwiki:Palutena (SSBU)|Palutena]]:''' I have no data on this fighter. I can't believe it!
*'''[[Smash Taunt#Viridi|Viridi]]:''' It must be an intruder from another dimension!
*'''Pit:''' Whoever it is, the goal remains the same: to fight and win!

==List of ''Super Mario'' appearances==
{{appearances list
|title1=''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]''
|role1=Playable character
|release1=1997
|format1=[[Nintendo 64]]
|title2=''[[Mario Artist: Paint Studio]]''
|role2=Character stamps
|release2=1999
|format2=[[Nintendo 64DD]]
|title3=''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''
|role3=Playable character via DLC
|release3=2019
|format3=Nintendo Switch
}}

==Gallery==
{{main-gallery}}
<gallery>
Club Nintendo N-Gang.jpg|"N-Gang vs. Nintendo"
DKRJPNC.png|''Diddy Kong Racing'' Japanese commercial
BKMarioArtist.png|''[[Mario Artist: Paint Studio]]''
Banjouken.png|''[[Mario no Bōken Land]]''
Banjo4Koma.jpg|''[[4koma Gag Battle]]''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=バンジョー
|JapR=Banjō
|JapM=According to [[Gregg Mayles]], Banjo's name is based on the name of Banjō Yamauchi ({{ruby|山|やま}}{{ruby|内|うち}}{{ruby|万|ばん}}{{ruby|丈|じょう}}), [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]]'s grandson; both names have the exact same pronunciation.
|Spa=Banjo
|Fre=Banjo
|Ger=Banjo
|Ita=Banjo
|Rus=Банджо
|RusR=Bandzho
|RusM=Banjo
|Kor=반조
|KorR=Banjo
|KorM=Banjo
|Chi=班卓
|ChiR=Bānzhuō
|Chi2=阿邦 (''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'')
|Chi2R=Ābāng
|ChiM=Banjo
|Chi2M=In Chinese, adding an 「阿」 in front of a given name makes it a diminutive form.
}}

==Trivia==

[[File:DK in Banjo Kazooie.gif|200px|thumb|Donkey Kong's portrait in a prototype version of ''Banjo-Kazooie''.]]
*A portrait of [[Donkey Kong]] appeared in prototype versions of ''Banjo-Kazooie''.<ref>{{cite|author=TCRF contributors|title=[[tcrf:Prerelease:Banjo-Kazooie|Prerelease:Banjo-Kazooie]]|publisher=The Cutting Room Floor|accessdate=May 12, 2024}}</ref>

==External links==
*{{iw|jiggywikki|Banjo}} on Jiggywikki

==References==
{{NIWA|SmashWiki=1}}
{{Wikipedia|Banjo & Kazooie|Banjo}}
<references/>
{{Crossover characters}}
{{DKR}}
{{SSBU}}
[[Category:Bears]]
[[Category:Siblings]]
[[Category:Club Nintendo]]
[[Category:Playable characters]]
[[Category:Third-party characters]]
[[Category:Downloadable content]]
[[Category:Donkey Kong allies]]
[[Category:Diddy Kong Racing characters]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighters]]
[[de:Banjo]]
[[it:Banjo]]