Banjo & Kazooie

### Notable Players

CrazyDiamondSP, Garp\_fist, IdontcaresoFoff, Ravio-of-Lorule, Yoshi\_Starstorm, ZekeDaGeek, demon\_cleaner

**Banjo & Kazooie** are a pair of characters who are the main protagonists of their titular *Banjo-Kazooie* series, created by British developer Rareware. Banjo is a small brown honey bear, while Kazooie is a red bird known as a Breegull who often resides in his backpack. The duo act as foils to each other, with Banjo having a very kind and easygoing personality in contrast to Kazooie's large amount of sass and criticism. The series began with two key titles on the Nintendo 64 published by Nintendo, *Banjo-Kazooie* and *Banjo-Tooie*, with both games being 3D platformers known as "collectathons" due to their focus on collecting a ton of different objects throughout the game's levels. In 2002, Microsoft would take over publishing from Nintendo after buying out Rare and all of its original IPs. The duo would have two more titles released on the Game Boy Advance, with Microsoft not competing on the handheld front, and the controversial vehicle-building game *Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts* in 2008 before the series went dormant, with no new releases since *Nuts & Bolts*. Despite falling largely out of relevancy, the duo would continued to be remembered for their breakout platformers on the Nintendo 64, which were largely remembered for their distinct charm and creativity. Many consider the duo to be classic mascots and their series to be easily one of the best to come out of both Rare and the Nintendo 64.

Banjo & Kazooie would end up having a very interesting relationship with the *Super Smash Bros.* series due to their transfer of ownership. The two were fair popular requests early on with the lead-up to *Super Smash Bros. Melee*, but Sakurai claimed that Rare characters would not be added at the time due to the effort required due to their ownership under Rare. Less than a year after Melee's release, Rare would end up under Microsoft and mostly end their strong relationship with Nintendo, making it seem very unlikely that the bird and bear duo would ever join any future Smash installments. While there were a notable amount of people who still wished for the two to join Smash as a fighter, they were largely dismissed due to them being seen as largely unrealistic during the speculation over *Brawl* and *Smash 4'*s base game. That said, speculation over the duo would change forever in 2015 after a few positive turn of events, with the most notable being confirmation from recently-promoted Xbox head Phil Spencer that he would be fine with them joining Smash. These comments happened to occur right around when the Smash Ballot was first announced, leading many to vote for Banjo & Kazooie in it with the hope that Nintendo might actually take up Spencer's offer. While the duo would not make it into *Smash 4* in any form, the fanbase was still full of vigor and placed their hopes in the next installment in the series.

Speculation over Banjo & Kazooie was far more common in different Smash communities like SmashFAQs after Spencer's comments, with their chances seeming more probable with Nintendo collaborating with Microsoft on stuff like the release of Minecraft on Nintendo consoles. While the duo dealt with detractors both in the form of those who still saw them as impossible and those who questioned the lasting appeal of *Banjo-Kazooie*, they were nevertheless a strong presence in terms of requests. Supporters of the duo would end up in a rivalry with Steve from *Minecraft* due to both being owned by Microsoft. Banjo speculation really heated up with the Grinch Leak, which included the duo on it along with other popular requests. Despite the hopes surrounding it, they would end up missing the base game once it was proven fake. DLC seemed like the best chance for the duo, and for over half a year speculation would continue in full force. The rivalry with Steve would eventually devolve into the Banjo vs. Steve wars, heated by things like Vergeben's rumors and the presence of Grotesque Steve. This was worsened by a large number of people within Banjo's fandom openly attacking supporters of Steve and a plethora of other characters, most notably *Dragon Quest*'s Erdrick. Eventually, the duo would finally get their day once they were revealed at E3 2019 to be joining the roster as part of Challenger Pack 3. Many celebrated their inclusion, with it widely being considered one of the largest reveals for *Ultimate*.

The bear and bird have an interesting history on SmashFAQs due to their unique circumstances. Due to their history, they seem to have strong appeal with those in their target demographic while those outside of it often don't have any strong feelings toward the duo. Regardless, they are generally considered the most unanimously approved-of additions to the roster from the first Fighters Pass. Despite this, some fans have proven to be over-sensitive and explode at the sight of the slightest bit of negativity, usually making retaliation threads whining and complaining about "widespread hatred" that doesn't actually exist. These fans are particularly common on GameFAQs, and have occasionally been referring to as the "Banjobois". As a fighter, reactions have ranged from positive to mixed: some praise their simplicity and compare it to the fighters designed back in *64* and *Melee*, while others have deemed them to be uninteresting and too reliant on zoning.

### Phil Spencer's comments and the Smash Ballot

Nintendo held a major Nintendo Direct on April 1, 2015, with the opening segment focusing on DLC for *Smash 4*. This included the first gameplay footage of Mewtwo and the confirmation of Lucas returning, but the biggest shock of all was the reveal of the Smash Ballot, a suggestion box for characters to be included as DLC. This set the whole Smash community into the frenzy and would be one of the main focuses of speculation for the majority of the year. While many had low hopes of Banjo & Kazooie returning to Nintendo consoles, let alone joining *Super Smash Bros.*, hopes began to rise significantly after Phil Spencer, the head of the Xbox brand at Microsoft, dropped a bombshell Tweet confirming that he would be willing to work with Nintendo on Smash DLC featuring the bear and bird duo in response to a question related to the Smash Ballot. [1] This would end up causing a huge wave of support for the characters on the Ballot, with some seeing it as the best chance to encourage a revival of some kind for the IP.

### Ultimate's early DLC and the Wars with Steve

Despite nothing coming out of the base game, there were still strong hopes among Banjo & Kazooie supporters that DLC would be the best bet for the duo. This idea was strengthened further by the discovery of *Blast Corps* and *Jet Force Gemini* featured as game labels for Spirits in Ultimate's data, despite going unused. While this likely had nothing to do with Banjo, fans were still encouraged by Nintendo seeming to have actual interest in Rare representation in Smash. Some supporters, particularly on Smashboards, would end up picking up on what they saw as possible hints and forming theories, with these ranging from reasonable to conspiracy territory. There were even some hopes shortly after the final Smash Direct for *Ultimate* that Banjo & Kazooie could even be the opener for the DLC, though this was quashed right before the North American release by the reveal of Joker from *Persona 5* at The Game Awards 2018. Regardless, Banjo's support base still held onto hope that the duo could take one of the remaining four slots. Despite this optimism among supporters, many Smash fans questioned the hopes of the duo actually joining and debated on whether they were actually big enough to be DLC. They were still seen as fairly unlikely among most, particularly due to their ownership by Microsoft.

Much of Banjo & Kazooie's presence in DLC speculation would end up being in contention against supporters of Steve from *Minecraft*. The characters were considered rivals due to both being owned by Microsoft, and many doubted that there would be two representatives from the company in *Ultimate*. In particular, a group of trolls known as "Steveposters" would end up gaining a lot of traction across the internet, particularly from 4chan. They treated Grotesque Steve as their mascot and created numerous copypastas and bait posts to rile up Banjo supporters. While the Steveposters were undoubtedly toxic in many cases, some hardcore Banjo supporters would end up adding more fuel to the fire themselves. This conflict led to what would be referred to as the Banjo vs. Steve wars. Much of the attention from both sides was directed at either Steve or Banjo, depending on the alliance, but other characters would also end up being targeted for little good reason. Banjo & Kazooie were seen as the big pick among the Smash community and Nintendo fans, while Steve was seen as the bigger choice and featured in a greater number of significant rumors like the 2chan leaks. Despite having their own share of toxicity, Banjo's side was typically painted as the good one by many fans and observers. Much original content (OC) would come about to depict the Banjo vs. Steve wars, and there were many topics debating which character would be the better pick. There were also a good number who didn't care at all and just saw the feuds as a huge joke.

There were many rumors favoring Erdrick from *Dragon Quest* being the second fighter from the pass. The biggest piece of supposed evidence was the discovery of the codename "Brave" in *Ultimate*'s files along with codes for the already-revealed Piranha Plant (Pakkun) and Joker (Jack). The reasoning for this was that "Brave" could be translated from the Japanese word "Yuusha" instead of "Hero". Despite this, other theories would end up arising, with one of the most prominent other candidates being Banjo & Kazooie. Some argued that the codenames might intentionally share a first letter with the character's name, which would seemingly rule out candidates like Erdrick or Sora from *Kingdom Hearts*, and claimed the word "brave" fit Banjo's status as both a bear and a hero. Perhaps the most interesting part of the theory, however, was speculation that a skid Brave possessed in their running stats matched up with Banjo's running animation in the original games. While a number did ponder this theory, the majority began to accept that a Dragon Quest character would be coming soon to the games. This left less room for speculation and apparently less space for Banjo & Kazooie to be included. Despite this, their supporters continued to hold hope they would be included, perhaps even as the finale of the pass due to what was perceived as massive support for the duo. Some supporters unfortunately took a more aggressive approach and would antagonize Erdrick's support base, a trend that would continue all the way up until E3 2019.

The conflict would come to a huge head in the lead-up to E3, with many hoping for a climax in the form of either Banjo & Kazooie or Steve finally being revealed at the event. There were hopes of a double reveal by a fair number of people, with one character likely being a Microsoft representative. A small number were hoping for Master Chief, though they were largely drowned out by Banjo and Steve supporters. Despite lacking much presence in concrete rumors, some fortunate signs would end up appearing for Banjo & Kazooie. One was the presence of then-announced merchandise featuring the duo, which some felt would tie into some sort of reveal at the E3 show, likely either a new game or Smash DLC. By far the biggest happenstance, however, was the insider Shinobi claming a few days before the show that it had been a while since Banjo's last appearance and that he was hoping for a "smashing good time." [2] This led to a huge flurry of speculation about the duo potentially being revealed, majorly shaking up speculation right before Nintendo's E3 showings. This also furthered the escalation of the conflict with Steve and the desire for a resolution in the nasty debate. Finally, Nintendo would end up showing the video featuring Masahiro Sakurai after a pre-show Smash invitational on June 9, 2019, with him giving confirmation of news on the next fighter during Nintendo's presentation that coming Tuesday. Very notably, the wording did not clear up if it would be a single fighter or leave room for multiple reveals. To add one more conspiracy to the crock-pot, some pointed to Sakurai commenting on a real-life recreation of a Smash Ball after it shifted to apparently look like an X, seemingly mimicking Xbox's iconic logo. (It's likely it was supposed to be a Fake Smash Ball, but many didn't care.) Eagerly awaiting the first fighter reveal in over half a year, the fanbase would look onto Nintendo's big showing.

### Reveal and Aftermath

As promised, there would be a Smash reveal in the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct, with it being an opening event for the presentation. In what seemed to be an unfortunate move for Banjo fans, it was clear very early on that the trailer was related to *Dragon Quest*. The fighter was revealed to be a composite of several heroes from the series, including the Luminary from *Dragon Quest XI* and the heavily rumored Erdrick, simply known as the Hero. This not only confirmed the long-standing rumors related to a *Dragon Quest* fighter, but also seemed to bring to doubt any speculation related to other characters. While (spoilers) it would end up not mattering to them in half an hour, a number of Banjo fans would end up throwing a huge fit in that period of around thirty minutes. Many would vigorously attack the inclusion of Hero, expressing great disappointment in their inclusion and irrationally calling them a horrible pick. One particularly noteworthy instance saw Banjo supporter SUPAHJDBAYBEE make a thread sarcastically thanking Nintendo for the inclusion of Hero, make several posts talking about how horrible Nintendo was, and then closed his own account (all within the short timeframe between the respective reveals of Hero and Banjo during E3 2019) [3]. There was also premature hatred towards Shinobi for seemingly misleading them. While many Banjo fans were at least sane, to those following the event on SmashFAQs it was a hellish experience. Despite the incoming wave of possibility, it was still a defining moment for many on the site at the time. In a way, it was another reason to be happy for what happened next, as it put a fairly quick cap to this chaos.

Despite the rash misbehavior from a fair swath of fans, the show still had much to go in terms of reveals. Fans would wait around, and to the surprise of many there would indeed be a double reveal at the show. It was perplexingly a repeat of King K. Rool's own reveal trailer from August of 2018, with the exception of the aforementioned character now being featured prominently at the start. While some did pick up the Rare connection early, Banjo's fans were given a sense of euphoria once they caught eye of a Jiggy bouncing by and later the silhouette of the iconic duo. After a gag involving Duck Hunt, the duo was finally given their formal reveal. The reveal was widely praised across the internet and garnered much attention as the highlight of the show. Despite the previous embarrassing breakdown, SmashFAQs would indeed largely share in this celebration. Even many who did not directly care for the duo were still engrossed in their fans' extremely passionate reaction to their inclusion. Many considered them the best reveal to that point, and even now they are seen by many as the peak part of the first Fighter Pass.

Banjo & Kazooie were slated to release in Fall 2020. Speculation about the duo's content would unsurprisingly be a huge presence on SmashFAQs for several months. One of the most interesting (and quite lofty) expectations was the inclusion of Gruntilda as a new boss. A humorous account bet was made between TheHypist and the infamous better Smashburb over Gruntilda's status as a boss, with the former losing once this idea was confirmed to be false. (Despite TheHypist eventually closing his account, he would later come back under several alts.) In the end, Banjo & Kazooie would get a surprisingly early release on September 4, 2019, announced during a Nintendo Direct earlier that day. Despite correlating with the reveal of Terry Bogard from SNK's *Fatal Fury*, the duo would actually end up hilariously sharing much of their spotlight with a Mii Gunner costume for Sans from *Undertale*, who was revealed towards the end of a presentation dedicated to showing off the fighter. A notable development from speculation surrounding Banjo & Kazooie's release date was the development of theories surrounding both 7/11 ads and amiibo release dates, with the timing they had with the duo's eventual release cementing them as a common presence in speculation for future fighters.

As time has continued to pass since the duo's reveal and inclusion, they have still managed to hold a largely positive reception among the Smash community. While there were mixed impressions on how they actually would play as a fighter, most see the duo's inclusion as a high in *Ultimate*'s historic roster of fighters. Despite the actual *Banjo-Kazooie* series sadly remaining in limbo as before, fans of the series still take joy in its representation in the Smash series. Some would still see the duo as the weakest additions to DLC, more out of disinterest than genuine hatred, though this mantle would end up largely falling on *Fire Emblem: Three Houses*'s Byleth past their reveal. While thankfully never hitting the lows seen in the short intermediate period between Hero and Banjo's reveals, some fairly annoying hardcore Banjo fans have still stuck around, including the likes of ZekeDaGeek (current name of TheHypist), MoneyMan1002, and the very open troll Doomboy. To this day, many on SmashFAQs still call out this part of Banjo's fanbase. [4] These sort of fans in particular have garnered a somewhat rough reception for seemingly only caring for Banjo out of the DLC inclusions, with a wide range of reasons being given to disparage the rest.

In a humorous twist, Steve from *Minecraft* actually WOULD be included as a fighter starting in October 2020. Thankfully, the vast majority of Banjo fans seemed to accept their inclusion, with their rivalry being well in the past at that point.

## Moveset

### Special Moves

Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster
Wonderwing
Shock Spring Jump
Rear Egg

### Final Smash

The Mighty Jinjonator

Compared to many other DLC fighters in Smash, Banjo & Kazooie are fairly standard in their implementation, with many stating that it feels like their moveset could have come straight out of *Super Smash Bros. Melee*. Most of the duo's moves are direct references to moves featured in *Banjo-Kazooie* and *Banjo-Tooie*, ranging from normal attacks to Special Moves. When running, Kazooie will pop out of Banjo's backpack and begin trotting at breakneck speed, giving them a very high running speed. It's also worth noting that Kazooie is usually intangible, with the Talon Trot being one of the few times she's directly vulnerable. Using her wings, the duo is able to have three jumps instead of the normal two, which works extremely well for recovery combined with the Shock Spring Jump and the horizontal momentum from Wonderwing. The most unique mechanic in the duo's moveset comes in how Wonderwing works: it's an extremely powerful move that leaves them invincible outside of grabs, but they can only use it five times per stock. This means that players will have to keep in mind how many uses they have left in order to take advantage of its power. Banjo & Kazooie's Final Smash summons The Mighty Jinjonator to attack a single opponent for massive damage, directly referencing the fight against Gruntilda at the end of *Banjo-Kazooie*. Unfortunately, this Final Smash can not do much against multiple opponents at a time aside from extremely minor damage and knockback to those not caught by the Jinjonator's beak. Overall, the duo's moveset encourages a lot of zoning, which may not be to people's taste both when using them and when on the receiving end. That said, they do have an encouraging easy-to-pick up moveset with some notable tricks up their sleeves to give them some depth, such as shenanigans with the Grenade Egg from their Down B. Overall, like their original games, much of the success when playing Banjo & Kazooie comes from applying moves that may seem relatively gimmicky to the right situations. Out of all things, the best thing their moveset does is make you feel like you're properly playing as the duo. That's not to even mention their animations, which are easily among the best in the game and strongly add to their charm.

## Players on SmashFAQs

* CrazyDiamondSP - main
* Garp-fist - main
* IdontcaresoFoff - main
* Ravio-of-Lorule - main
* Yoshi\_Starstorm - main
* ZekeDaGeek - main
* demon\_cleaner - main or secondary
* Jinzo126 - main or secondary
* Chimichangar - secondary
* HackedDragonite - secondary
* Werewolf-Kirby - frequently played
* Zakawer3 - co-main