After being MIA from Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza trailers, Nintendo confirms Diddy Kong is still kicking with a new design his original creator says looks "better than ever"

Donkey Kong Bananza is my most anticipated game of this year, but myself and other fans of the series have been asking one question. Not the mystery of the Kong family tree (which is also important), but rather, where the hell is Diddy Kong?

Not only has Donkey Kong's pal (nephew? Again, deepest lore) not shown up in any trailers for Bananza; he's also been nowhere to be seen on Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World – the game that has the cow and a dead fish as playable characters – not featuring him.

But a spark of hope was felt within the Donkey Kong community yesterday, as a user on Reddit spotted that Nintendo updated a thumbnail on the OG Switch's Nintendo News app featuring Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. Where the original thumbnail used their designs that have been present since Rare redesigned DK and created Diddy in 1994, the update changed it to that new DK we've seen in Bananza as well as a brand new render showing a fresh Diddy Kong design.

They Casually CHANGED THE THUMBNAIL of a news video they uploaded 2 days ago with 2 NEW RENDERS INCLUDING DIDDY from r/donkeykong

Diddy's redesign isn't quite as drastic as Donkey Kong's, as he still looks the same size, has his potbelly, and wears his t-shirt and hat. However, the Rare Donkey Kong characters' retractable teeth are gone, with Diddy's teeth now being visible, and he now has a space between his eyes, resulting in a more expressive design.

Also of note is he no longer seems to have the Nintendo logo on his hat, which takes away the existential implication that Diddy is aware of his creator.

Diddy's new design looks more in-line with his cameo in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which gives us a clue of what Dixie and Chunky Kong may look like in this new style too, should they make a return to the series.

Naturally fans are excited about this new design, as not only does it mean Diddy hasn't been forgotten, but it brings up the possibility that Diddy could show up in Bananza. Among the fans of this design are Kevin Bayliss, the former Rare designer who was responsible for the original Donkey Kong redesign (who has been outspoken about his love of his new design), as well as the creation of Diddy Kong to round out the D.K. Crew.

Bayliss took to Twitter, saying, "Thank you Nintendo for improving your Diddy Kong character, and being sympathetic towards my original design. They both now look better than ever. I can now rest in peace."

He adds: "All he needs now is a racetrack, and a massive Pig in a purple cape to challenge him to a race!" in reference to the N64 classic, Diddy Kong Racing, which we can only hope comes back some day.

Diddy Kong isn't the only classic character who may appear in Donkey Kong Bananza, as Nintendo Korea accidentally posted a potential spoiler in their upload of the game's art.