Banjo the Bear

**Banjo the Bear** is one of the two titular main protagonist of the *Banjo-Kazooie* games.

Banjo is a gullible, lazy being who, unless forced to go on an adventure, is usually just laying around Spiral Mountain, sleeping, eating, or playing video games.

In the AWA fics, Banjo is set to appear in a future AWA storyline.

## **Appearance**

Banjo is a brown bear with a beige belly. He wears a pair of yellow shorts, a black belt, a shark tooth necklace and a blue backpack.

## **Personality**

Banjo's personality is very different from that of Kazooie's. Banjo is a well-mannered, sweet-natured, easygoing bear. He uses "Mr." or "Mrs." when speaking to people and generally likes to help people out - which means a lot of damage control when Kazooie opens her beak. While he always means well, he sometimes comes off as a bit slow. He tries to say something witty every now and again, but he usually isn't any good at it. Despite his niceness, he can have short moments of being aggressively straightforward when angry. Banjo flip-flops 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. Throughout the series (mostly in Nuts & Bolts), many characters including Banjo's allies have referred to Banjo as "stupid" and "crazy", but this is a trait not shown in other games in the series.

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 even accepted the fact that of all the prizes won at the Furnace Fun in Banjo-Kazooie, it was her he was thinking on taking along. Banjo doesn't at all seem to mind Tooty's company at times since he saw no problem when she began her flute solo in the opening.

## **Abilities**

Banjo cannot run very fast and his jumping often requires some bird-enabled help. When Kazooie leaves the safety of his backpack, Banjo can use it in a variety of ways, such as an impromptu sleeping bag or a potato sack, not to mention as his sole offensive weapon. The backpack also seems to have an infinite storage capacity, containing most items with ease. Banjo, being a bear, is an excellent swimmer and has learned how to paddle faster and hold his breath longer. Unlike Kazooie, Banjo has the ability to climb structures and grasp ledges with his fingers, allowing access to difficult to reach spots on the duo's adventures.

When Banjo is paired with Kazooie, he has a lot more skills at his disposal. The duo can perform a Forward Roll while running to attack enemies; Kazooie can use Banjo as leverage to perform the Rat-a-tat Rap; they can fly through the use of flight pads and utilize Kazooie's ability to fire different types of eggs.

Banjo also has access to the powerful magical abilities of his allies Mumbo Jumbo and Humba Wumba. Depending on the game, one of the two will grant Banjo and Kazooie the ability to transform into different creatures, each with its own unique skills and powers.

In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, the Bear and Bird have forgotten their abilities and instead must battle their arch-nemesis Gruntilda the Witch by creating awe-inspiring vehicles for all sorts of terrain and conditions. With an almost unlimited assortment of weaponry and gadgets to add to these machines, Banjo and Kazooie will no doubt be ready for whatever challenges their new adventures may bring. Kazooie is also given a magical wrench used to smack enemies as well as magically carry objects and turn pipes. She attacks with it from the safety of Banjo's backpack.

In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing with Banjo-Kazooie, Kazooie pecks Banjo on the back of the head and then drops Jiggies on their opponents with her magical wrench.

## **Trivia**

* In Nuts & Bolts, Banjo seems to have picked up some of Kazooie's personality, as he occasionally uses insults and sometimes makes some sarcastic remarks.
* When Banjo uses the Breegull Bash, he can be heard letting out a small laugh.
* If Banjo tries to jump in the beginning of Nuts & Bolts, he'll cause a small shockwave, causing the camera to shake a bit as he drops to the ground.
* At the beginning of Conker's Bad Fur Day and Conker: Live and Reloaded, when Conker walks into the bar, Banjo's stuffed head can be seen over the fireplace.
* The only time Banjo is heard speaking clear English was in Diddy Kong Racing. When you select him, he says, "I'm Banjo!"
	+ This also reveals that Banjo has a Texan accent.
* In various artworks, Banjo's backpack bears a pin of Rare's logo, due to the fact that Rare made Banjo.
	+ The logo pin can also be seen on his backpack in the Japanese commercial for both Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie.
	+ The pin is also present on Banjo’s in-game model in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
* In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Banjo’s backpack has a second flap at its base, allowing Kazooie to perform her backwards Egg Firing and use her Talon Trot without clipping through the bottom of the backpack.
	+ According to Steve Mayles, he wanted to integrate this feature into Banjo’s model in the original N64 titles, but wasn’t able to due to the limitations of the console.
* In Minecraft, Banjo is a skin the player can use. This skin is most notably used by popular Let's Player and actor Michael Jones of Rooster Teeth Productions and its gameplay division, Achievement Hunter.
* In Viva Piñata there are multiple references to Banjo. The Fizzlybear species attacks using golden puzzle pieces, an item Banjo collects in the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. Also, an accessory called the "Breegull Carrier" is modeled after Banjo's backpack he usually wears (which can be worn by the Fizzlybear species), and also references Kazooie's species, the Breegull.
* Banjo is the only character that can swim underwater when he is separated while Kazooie and Mumbo Jumbo cannot.

* Banjo makes a cameo appearance in Grabbed By The Ghoulies as a ghoulish severed head mounted on a wall.