Upon getting our first sneak peek at Mario Kart World when Nintendo first teased the Switch 2, it was immediately apparent that Donkey Kong’s appearance had finally been reworked from his Rare design.
Notably, Donkey Kong had been reusing his old appearance since Donkey Kong Country back when it was released on November 21, 1994. Indeed, it was a bit jarring to see Donkey Kong sporting a completely different look from how fans have seen him for the past 30 years.
Ultimately, Donkey Kong looks very similar to how he does in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released back in 2023. Donkey Kong is also sporting this look in Donkey Kong Bananza, a game releasing for the Switch 2 on July 17, 2025.
Evidently, this will be how Donkey Kong looks in the foreseeable future. But what about Diddy Kong? It just so happens that Nintendo recently released a new render that showcases how Diddy’s design has changed too.
At a glance, Diddy Kong looks very similar to how we’ve always seen him. Nintendo even conveniently has him posing almost exactly how he did in a previous render.
However, there are a number of changes that can be observed. For example, Diddy is now showing his teeth as he smiles. Additionally, his fur appears to be a little fluffier, adding a little more width to his render.
GameXplain recently released a video that details 10 changes that can be observed with the redesigned Diddy Kong look. Check it all out below:
Like Donkey Kong, this will probably be how Diddy Kong looks in future games. This means that if Super Smash Bros. ever comes to the Switch 2, this is theoretically how Diddy will appear.