Nintendo has officially confirmed the age of Donkey Kong Bananza's sidekick Pauline, raising questions about the character's timeline and how the events of Bananza will align with earlier games—such as the original Donkey Kong arcade title, where DK was famously the villain and Pauline the victim of his abduction.
A character profile on the Japanese Donkey Kong Bananza website reveals that Pauline is a "13-year-old girl who loves singing. She previously lived above ground, but was brought underground for unknown reasons and transformed into a rock."
The reveal of this younger Pauline during the recent Donkey Kong Bananza Nintendo Direct strongly implies she is the same music-loving character seen in Super Mario Odyssey, where an adult Pauline serves as mayor of New Donk City and frontwoman of a popular band.
Fans have been quick to discuss the implications for Pauline's overall timeline—noting that the cooperative dynamic between DK and Pauline in Bananza starkly contrasts their usual kidnapper-victim relationship. Does something happen later that corrupts DK? Or have we misunderstood their friendship all this time?
Donkey Kong Bananza centers on the duo working together to help teenage Pauline return to the surface and pursue her dream of becoming a world-famous singer. Her appearance as a singer in Odyssey strongly suggests she succeeds.
While Bananza appears to serve as a prequel to Odyssey, the exact timeline remains unclear. Nintendo has never specified Pauline's age in Odyssey or other appearances, leaving the timeframe of Bananza’s events up for speculation.
By connecting these games through Pauline's musical ambitions, the series also recalls how Odyssey's Pauline references her "traumatic" kidnapping by DK.
Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Screenshots
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Pauline has been kidnapped by DK on multiple occasions. Most famously, Mario rescues her in the original Donkey Kong arcade game, and she is later abducted again across several Mario vs. Donkey Kong sequels.
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, DK kidnaps Pauline after she chooses a gift from Mario over one from him. She is taken once more in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, when an angry DK retaliates for missing a theme park opening.
Later entries in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, however, depict a friendlier dynamic. In Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, Pauline and DK co-host a mini-game, while in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, they team up to plan a surprise party for Mario.
Could something happen toward the end of Donkey Kong Bananza that turns DK from ally to kidnapper? Might we witness the events of the original arcade game unfold within Bananza, with Mario riding in as the hero? Or has the classic narrative been misinterpreted?
Some fans speculate that Bananza could flip the Mario universe on its head—revealing that DK and Pauline were actually friends all along, and that Mario was effectively the villain for "rescuing" her when she was merely spending time with her companion.
All should be answered when Donkey Kong Bananza launches as Nintendo’s next major Switch 2 title on July 17, 2025.
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