Nintendo Confirms Pauline's Age in Donkey Kong Bananza — Leaving Fans Wondering Whether It's a Super Mario Odyssey Prequel, and If Mario Will Appear As a Potential Villain

Nintendo has confirmed the property of Donkey Kong Bananza sidekick Pauline, sparking questions regarding the young character's timeline and however Bananza's communicative volition tally with erstwhile titles — specified arsenic Mario's archetypal arcade game, wherever DK was famously portrayed arsenic the villain and Pauline was his abductee.

In a quality illustration recovered connected Donkey Kong Bananza's Japanese website, Nintendo states that Pauline is simply a "13-year-old miss who loves to sing. She utilized to unrecorded supra ground, but for immoderate crushed she was brought to the underground satellite and transformed into a rock."

Yesterday's uncover of this younger Pauline, during the Donkey Kong Bananza Nintendo Direct, powerfully suggested she was the aforesaid music-loving mentation of the quality seen successful Nintendo Switch platformer Super Mario Odyssey, wherever a grown-up Pauline serves arsenic some the politician of New Donk City and the pb vocalist of a fashionable band.

Nintendo fans person been speedy to item what this mightiness mean for Pauline's wide timeline — and the information that DK and Pauline's affable team-up successful Bananza is simply a precise antithetic vibe to the pair's accustomed narration of kidnapper and victim. Does thing hap to DK, turning him evil? Or person we been getting Pauline and DK's relationship incorrect each these years?

Donkey Kong Bananza sees the 2 characters moving unneurotic to assistance the teenage Pauline get backmost to the surface, successful bid to prosecute her imagination of becoming a satellite celebrated singer. Pauline's quality arsenic a vocalist successful Odyssey suggests that she does so marque it.

But portion Bananza looks story-wise to beryllium an Odyssey prequel, the nonstop timeline present is somewhat unclear. Nintendo has ne'er stated Pauline's property successful Odyssey, oregon successful immoderate of her different appearances, truthful it's chartless however agelong earlier those events it is that Bananza takes place.

But by linking the quality crossed these games done Pauline's philharmonic ambitions, it besides highlights the information that Odyssey's Pauline does code her kidnapping by DK — thing she describes arsenic "traumatic."

Pauline has been kidnapped by DK aggregate times implicit the years. Most notably, she is saved from DK's clutches successful the archetypal Donkey Kong arcade game, but she is past abducted again successful assorted entries wrong the Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 series.

In Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Pauline is snatched by Donkey Kong aft the she dares to prime a acquisition from Mario alternatively of DK. In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, Pauline is kidnapped erstwhile much by an enraged DK, upset that he's missed retired connected a taxable parkland opening.

Later entries successful the Mario vs. Donkey Kong bid overgarment Pauline's interactions with DK successful a kinder light, however, specified arsenic successful Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis connected the Move, wherever the 2 squad up to big a mini-game, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, wherever the brace program Mario a astonishment party.

Does thing hap to sour DK and Pauline's narration astatine the extremity of Donkey Kong Bananza, turning the ape from an state to kidnapper? Will we spot the events of the archetypal Donkey Kong arcade crippled instrumentality spot wrong Bananza, perhaps, with Mario coming successful to prevention the day? Or person we been getting it incorrect each these years?

Some fans person suggested that Bananza volition crook the Mario beingness connected its caput by revealing that DK and Pauline are successful information friends — and that Mario has been the villain each along, efficaciously stealing Pauline backmost erstwhile she's conscionable been hanging retired with her pal.

Hopefully each volition beryllium revealed erstwhile Donkey Kong Bananza arrives arsenic Nintendo's adjacent large Switch 2 motorboat connected July 17, 2025.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social