Banjo

Artwork of Banjo from Banjo-Tooie

“*Guh-huh!*”
―Banjo's signature laugh
**Banjo** is one of the two main protagonists of *Banjo-Kazooie* series, along with Kazooie. He is a brown honey bear who lives in a house on Spiral Mountain with his friend Kazooie and his younger sister Tooty.

## Appearance

Banjo is a brown, stocky honey bear with blue eyes, a large round nose and a bare chest. He is always shown wearing a pair of yellow shorts with a black belt, a shark tooth necklace and a blue backpack, even while under the spell of a transformation.

## Personality

Banjo's personality is very different from that of Kazooie's. Banjo is a well-mannered, easygoing bear with a fondness for an easy life with little hardships. He uses "Mr." or "Mrs." when speaking to people and generally likes to help people out, which contradicts Kazooie's brash attitude. While he always means well, he sometimes comes off as a bit dimwitted and gullible. Banjo wanes a bit when it comes to his bravery - at times he will jump into a situation quickly, but other times he acts timid and doesn't want to commit. In all cases, however, he would much rather sit down and have either honey, pizza or a nap, suggesting he is somewhat lazy and is not searching for trouble. Throughout the series (mostly in *Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts*), many characters including Banjo's allies have referred to Banjo as "stupid" and "fat", to which Banjo does not seem to mind due to his patience and manners. Banjo seems to have also picked up some of Kazooie's personality, as he occasionally uses insults and will sometimes makes sarcastic remarks. (In Nuts and Bolts for the most part.)

Banjo's relationship with his younger sister Tooty probably hints that he cares for her deep down inside, since he did ask about her whereabouts when she was captured and the fact that of all the prizes won at the Furnace Fun in *Banjo-Kazooie*, it was her he cared the most about taking. Banjo doesn't at all seem to mind Tooty's company, since he saw no problem when she began her flute solo in the opening of Banjo-Kazooie.

Banjo's relationship with Kazooie is tightly knit and nearly inseparable, despite at times feeling exasperated by her attitude and brash remarks towards the rest of the game cast. He can sometimes get fairly annoyed by her constant heckling and lets out small bursts of temper against her, such as when he growls angrily and attempts to pull her out of her pack during an idle animation in *Banjo-Kazooie* and *Banjo-Tooie*, though he's always quick to forgive her and apologize or shrug it off as an accident. He is constantly either apologizing to others on Kazooie's behalf or scolding her for being insensitive, (Most of these times exclaiming: "Kazooie!") such as when Kazooie remarked that Bottles wasn't a favorite character in *Banjo-Kazooie* after he had died by Grunty's magic hands.

Banjo very clearly has a dislike for Gruntilda, as she has attempted to murder, kidnap and torture him for the sake of completing her own selfish goals. He remains calm and level-headed, though often can be cocky in later games when seeing her. Banjo seems to have a mutual respect for Gruntilda and her powers but is not afraid to stand up to her in most situations.

## Trivia

* Banjo was named after former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi's grandchild, Banjo.

## External links

* Banjo on Banjo-Kazooie Wiki
* Banjo & Kazooie on Wikipedia