History YMMV / DonkeyKongCountry

** ''[=DKC1=]'' did things with graphics that no one had seen before, but ''[=DKC2=]'' streamlined that gameplay ([[ThatOneLevel for the most part]]), fixed what minor problems there were, got much more creative and fair with the bonus stage locations, included about a half dozen PlatformHell levels and a BonusBoss for players dedicated enough to go for HundredPercentCompletion, and in general made it seem less of a ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' clone and more of its own game.

** In "Vote of Kong-fidence," DK briefly imagines himself in a boxing ring, wearing red boxing gloves, just like in his appearance as the BonusBoss in the Wii version of ''VideoGame/PunchOut''. He can also fight King K. Rool in a boxing ring in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''.

** K. Rool screaming "'''WHYYYYY NOOOOTTTT!!!???'''" from "Bug a Boogie."
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S86XCXalbSE WEEEELLLLLL LISTEN HERE WHILE I MAKE IT CLEAR]]

** I'm gonna be a star!/WE'LL BE DRIVING AROUND IN A FANCY CAR

** Everything from WebVideo/UncleAl's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mUOymWLCqE Donkey Kong Country Abridged]]. And the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gvPvQP5B9k second one]].

** For fans that grew up with the cartoon, Creator/BenedictCampbell is the iconic voice of K. Rool. It helps that K. Rool barely got voiced dialogue anywhere else, ''and'' Campbell gave a memorable performance. So much so that the crew behind the animated ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5-X58Tw6RQ&t Pirate's Scorn]]'' video created a follow-up titled ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eggzBAzCZg Return to Crocodile Isle]]'' that features Campbell as K. Rool alongside multiple other voice actors from the show. Needless to say, the fans ''loved'' it.

** For fans that grew up with the cartoon, Creator/BenedictCampbell is the iconic voice of K. Rool. It helps that K. Rool barely got voiced dialogue anywhere else, ''and'' Campbell gave a memorable performance. So much so that the crew behind the animated ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5-X58Tw6RQ&t Pirate's Scorn]]'' video created a follow-up titled ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eggzBAzCZg Return to Crocodile Isle]]'' that features Campbell as K. Rool alongside multiple other voice actors from the show.

** For fans that grew up with the cartoon, Creator/BenedictCampbell is the iconic voice of K. Rool. It helps that K. Rool barely got voiced dialogue anywhere else, ''and'' Campbell gave a memorable performance.

** The Donkey Kong featured in the DKC games and the modern Mario spin-offs is not the Donkey Kong from the original arcade games, he is a LegacyCharacter who inherited the name from Cranky Kong, who ''is'' the arcade Donkey Kong. Furthermore, the current DK is not an older Donkey Kong Junior either, but Junior's son, as he is consistently stated by Nintendo, Rare, and Retro to be Cranky's ''grand''son, with Nintendo at one point stating Junior to be his father. The fact that Junior has been [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome mostly absent]] since the original ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'' (and some sources do mistakenly refer to DK as Cranky's son) does not help with this misconception. Trying to suggest that DK is either one is a good way to raise the hackles of ''DKC'' fans.

** The Donkey Kong featured in the DKC games and the modern Mario spin-offs is not the Donkey Kong from the original arcade games, he is a LegacyCharacter who inherited the name from Cranky Kong, who ''is'' the arcade Donkey Kong. Furthermore, the current DK is not an older Donkey Kong Junior either, but Junior's son, as he is consistently stated by Nintendo, Rare, and Retro to be Cranky's ''grand''son, with Nintendo at one point stating Junior to be his father. The fact that Junior has been [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome mostly absent]] since the original ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'' (and some sources do mistakenly refer to DK as Cranky's son) does not help with this misconception.

* FandomEnragingMisconception: People will often mistake Diddy and Dixie for siblings. They're supposed to be an OfficialCouple. This bugs fans, especially shippers.

** In one episode, Donkey Kong takes King K. Rool's crown, prompting an angry K. Rool to chase the Kong to get it back. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', K. Rool can have his crown stolen by other players when using his side special, which can end up causing the exact same thing to happen.
** DK's excitement at being a movie star is this when, many years after the show's end, he would be on the big screen for real in ''Film/{{Pixels}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', the latter of which has him played by actual movie star Creator/SethRogen.

** The show as a whole has reached minor memetic status, thanks to the bizarre animation, expressions and storylines, and the rampant insanity of the show in general, having spawned several WebAnimation/{{YouTube Poop}}s.

** The absence of King K. Rool and the Kremlings in Retro's titles has divided the fandom. Some are okay with their absence, arguing that it allows Retro's titles to stand out more from Rare's and that the additions like the Tiki Tong Tribe and the Snowmads do a great job at further expanding upon the ''Donkey Kong'' universe and keeping the games fresh. Others, however, despise their absence, given how much of an iconic staple they are in the ''Donkey Kong Country'' franchise, and consider the Tiki Tong Tribe and the Snowmads to be [[ReplacementScrappy uninteresting and unsuitable replacements]] who don't do anything that couldn't have already been done with King K. Rool and the Kremlings.

* BrokenBase: Fans either view the original [=DKC=] games as classics, or overrated [[FollowTheLeader Mario clones.]]

* TheScrappy: This show's version of Candy Kong is wildly disliked for [[{{Jerkass}} always getting mad at Donkey Kong at the slightest provocation, even if Donkey Kong had nothing to do with it]], and [[EntitledBastard yet acting entitled to his help whenever she needs it]]. Even if she does have PetTheDog momments once in a while like the ending to "Speed", people still hate her for her rude personality. It doesn't help that she has an ugly character design which barely resembles her game counterpart. Notably, [[CreatorsPest even Erika Strobel, the most prolific writer on the show, hated her]].

** The Great Ape War.

** "Follow that Coconut" begins with DK and Diddy talking about an annual soccer game with the Kremlings. Donkey Kong would later go on to be playable in [[VideoGame/MarioStrikers two soccer video games]], with Diddy also appearing in the second. And the goalies in both games are Kritters.

** Upon receiving a head injury in ''Speed'' Krusha turns into a [[TheStarscream power-hungry]] KnightOfCerebus that proves to be far viler and more competent than K. Rool. Despite loads of potential, this would offer to shake up the show's dynamic, Krusha [[StatusQuoIsGod returns to normal after receiving another head injury]] with his more vile personality never resurfacing.

** The Country games had a wide array of supporting characters and bosses that could've appeared but the show only features 6 Kongs from the games with K. Rool being the only boss to appear. While this can be partially explained by the limitations of CGI at the time [[note]]''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' for example, could only have 12 characters on the show at a time[[/note]], the fact Dixie is the only character who debuted after the first ''Country'' game to appear is still disappointing.

** The Country games had a wide array of supporting characters and bosses that could've appeared but the show only features 6 Kongs from the games with K. Rool being the only boss. While this can be partially explained by the limitations of CGI at the time [[note]]''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' for example, could only have 12 characters on the show at a time[[/note]], the fact Dixie is the only character who debuted after the first County game to appear is still disappointing.

** Upon receiving a head injury in ''Speed'' Krusha turns into a KnightOfCerebus Starscream that proves to be far viler and more competent than K. Rool. Despite loads of potential, this would offer to shake up the show's dynamic, Krusha [[StatusQuoIsGod returns to normal after receiving another head injury]] with his more vile personality never resurfacing.

** The entirety of [[ItsAWonderfulPlot "It's a Wonderful Life"]], which takes the premise of "Kong for a Day" and turns up a few notches. The other Kongs act like {{Ungrateful Bastard}}s towards DK and berate him for accidents he never intended (such as breaking Funky's board, causing the barrels at Bluster and Candy's factory to collapse and throwing Diddy's lucky ball too far). Cranky's case is even more noteworthy, as he is mad at DK for giving the [[MacGuffin Crystal Coconut]] an extra layer of protection ''even though Cranky was aware of how dangerous the Coconut was and how K. Rool could use it for evil''! DK then sleeps through the day, only to find all the Kongs angry at him ''because he slept through a dinner where he was the guest of honor'', and they all give up on him and tell him that they'd be better off without him. Poor DK leaves the island, singing about his feelings of rejection until he gets knocked out by a tree branch. He hallucinates Eddie (referred as the "Guardian Angel Yeti") showing him a world in which he never existed, in which Bluster and Candy have been married, Diddy is a tyrant and the new [=MacGuffin=] is a papier-mache lilypad guarded by the Kremlings. But even after DK pleads to Eddie to bring him back to existence, [[InSpiteOfANail things turn out the same way]] and his klutziness causes everyone to be mad at him once again, with the enemy Kongs and Kremlings forming an EnemyMine taking their wrath out on DK. Eventually, Donkey Kong wakes up and realizes that it was AllJustADream, the Kongs apologise to him for being mean earlier and [[EasilyForgiven the conflict is resolved]] [[EarnYourHappyEnding and it ends on a happy note]].

** The Country games had a wide array of supporting characters and bosses that could've appeared but the show only features 6 Kongs from the games with K. Rool being the only boss. While this can be partially explained by the limitations of CGI at the time [[note]]''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' for example, could only have 12 characters on the show at a time[/note]], the fact Dixie is the only character who debuted after the first County game to appear is still disappointing.

** Upon receiving a head injury in ''Speed'' Krusha turns into a KnightOfCerberus Starscream that proves to be far viler and more competent than K. Rool. Despite loads of potential, this would offer to shake up the show's dynamic, Krusha [[StatusQuoIsGod returns to normal after receiving another head injury]] with his more vile personality never resurfacing.
** The games at the time already have numerous characters that could been added to the series' cast. And the games' locales would have led to more interesting episodes.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Some consider Donkey Kong to be this "Its A Wonderful Life", at least when compared to "Kong For A Day" another episode where everyone got angry at him. In "Kong For A Day" he was framed for all of the bad things by King K. Rool, the other Kong's rejected his attempts to apologies and refused to even let him explain his side of the story. In "It's A Wonderful Life" on the other hand, he actually did do the things that everyone was mad at him for, and instead of at least trying to apologize, he just made excuses and ran away, so the others had every reason to be angry with him. And when he sees what the world would have been like if he wasn't around, the narrative doesn't explain WHY Donkey Kong's absence turns Diddy into an evil dictator. It also shows that Candy would have been happy to marry Bluster and the Crocs are good without his presence (even Krusha is more intelligent), all implying that the world is in fact better off without him.

** Krusha's far more dastardly yet far more capable as a villain version seen in ''Speed.'' Some fans have expressed a wish that he continued to appear after his sole appearance thanks to the spice brought to the cast's dynamics.

** The show's iteration of [[BigBad King K. Rool]] is the biggest one of the bunch, ''especially'' after the game version's inclusion in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. His [[EvilIsHammy hammy nature]] and surprisingly good {{Villain Song}}s led this version of the Kremling King being almost as big of a meme as [[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog AoSTH Robotnik]], causing a strong case of CantUnHearIt within the fandom.

** All of DK's friends crossed the horizon in "Kong for a Day," where Donkey Kong gets framed for various things that K. Rool and his Kremlings have done. ''Every'' one of DK's friends turn their backs on him: Cranky strips him of his title of future ruler, right after he makes it look like the Crystal Coconut appointed Diddy as the future ruler, and DK is banished to the White Mountains. Except the crimes they believe DK committed are just minor inconveniences, like losing Funky's surfboard and leaving a banana peel on the ground that Candy slips on. The only one that gets a justifiable amount of outrage is flirting with Dixie due to the apparent age difference between the two. Cranky meanwhile blames DK for wrecking his hut for no reason other than leaving a banana peel behind, a banana peel that Klump left on the floor as "evidence", nevermind that ''all the Kongs on the island eat bananas''. Considering the Crystal Coconut can also be used as a crystal ball and warn others of potential dangers on its own, Cranky doesn't even bother using it to check it to see proof that DK did those crimes, but instead uses it to replace him as the future ruler. By the end of the episode, only Cranky realizes that he went too far, thankfully he reveals [[ChekhovsGun the suitcase he gave DK when he was banished]] was [[PetTheDog full of bananas]], and admits he couldn't banish him without at least letting him take some bananas with him, but everyone else still believes DK did these acts and blames him for them, and Diddy only apologizes to DK in the sense that he admits they need DK's protection from K. Rool. And if that weren't enough, they all turn on him ''again'' in "Hooray for Holly-Kongo Bongo" after DK acts more like a villain but only for a movie that Bluster is working on; a movie that they also let K. Rool and his minions play roles in. When he tells the truth about the Crystal Coconut being stolen, everyone thinks he did it with Cranky banishing him again, yet they all decide to trust K. Rool. Almost makes you wonder if the Kongs ''deserve'' DK's protection.

** An example of ReplacementScrappy music. Opinions on the soundtrack from the GBA version of ''[=DKC3=]'' are mixed, some think it's better, some worse, but almost everyone agrees the music to the tree and ice stages are a significant downgrade to the originals due to not fitting their moods.

* PortingDisaster:
** Out of the three games, the GBA port of ''[=DKC3=]'' is the one with the most glaring faults; It was ChristmasRushed in time for the 2005 holiday season. While there are debates over which version's soundtrack is better, there are several songs in the original that went inexplicably missing. For example, the final boss theme is just the normal boss theme. Rocket Rush just plays the normal vehicle level theme instead of its own song. There are also inconsistencies that are not seen in the original SNES version. There's no surprise why this version was never re-released on the Wii U's GBA Virtual Console. However there is a large camp of people who enjoy the GBA version due to the new soundtrack, the inclusion of an entirely new world with Pacifica, and the new minigames.
** The Game Boy Color version of the first game isn't ''unplayable'', but the game has different physics, and the levels were not redesigned to account for this, meaning there's now FakeDifficulty in spots that weren't very hard in the original. The later Game Boy Advance port, while not without its own faults, is much better as a handheld experience.

* CantUnHearIt: For fans that grew up with the cartoon, Creator/BenedictCampbell is the iconic voice of K. Rool. It helps that K. Rool barely got voiced dialogue anywhere else, ''and'' Campbell gave a memorable performance.

* CantUnHearIt: For fans that grew up with the cartoon, Creator/BenedictCampbell is the iconic voice of K. Rool. It helps that K. Rool never really got voiced dialogue anywhere else, ''and'' Campbell gave a memorable performance.