Funky Kong

Funky Kong
Funky Kong in Mario Kart Wii.
Information
First Appearance	Mario Kart Wii (2008)
Total Appearances	Mario Kart Wii Mario Kart Tour
Weight Class(es)	Heavy

Funky Kong was first seen in the Donkey Kong series as a minor character. Mario Kart Wii marks his first appearance in a Mario Kart game. He is also exclusively playable to Mario Kart Wii.

Funky Kong is widely used among competitive players due to his very high-speed stat. In fact, as of January 8, 2020, 23 of the 32 shortcut records and 12 of the 14 non-shortcut records on the main page of the Mario Kart Wii world records website were set using Funky Kong, while the others were done using characters like Daisy and Yoshi.

Funky Kong also has a strong off-road bonus.

Funky Stadium is a Battle Stage named after him in Mario Kart Wii. He has not appeared since, likely due to his extremely powerful stats in Mario Kart Wii.

Characteristics

Funky Kong in Donkey Kong 64

His first appearance was in the Donkey Kong Country trilogy as a mechanical and pilot of Kongs, even helping when necessary. Although he is mainly associated with his red bandana and cool shades, his look was modified in Donkey Kong 64, appearing more as a soldier than a hip-hop gangster. He had black combat boots, a dark green, camouflaged tank top shirt with matching pants and an ammunition bandoleer around his waist. He also had red sunglasses and an army cap with the same camouflaged design as his shirt.

In Mario Kart Wii, his design is more reminiscent of his Donkey Kong Country appearances. He now wears blue pants that are torn off at his knees, a black belt now replaces his ammo belt, and his tank top is now white. His shades are now a dark color, and he now has a red bandana with white dots on it. His frame is very similar to Donkey Kong, and he even retains DK's classic smile.

Karts and Bikes

• Standard Kart L
• Offroader
• Flame Flyer
• Piranha Prowler
• Jetsetter
• Honeycoupe
• Wario Bike
• Standard Bike L
• Flame Runner
• Shooting Star
• Spear
• Phantom

How to Unlock

• Unlock any 4 Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials
• Win 25 WFC Ghost Races
• Play 2,250 combined races/battles

Staff Ghost Tracks

• GCN DK Mountain (Wii*)

* = Retro course

Battle Stages

• Funky Stadium

In other games

Funky Kong is not usually featured as a playable character in most Donkey Kong games, but more of a side character that helps Donkey Kong and friends along the way by giving them new abilities or equipment. One of his most famous appearances was in Donkey Kong Country 3 where he make vehicles to Diddy and Dixie Kong that help to explore the map and find collectibles. The exception to this is the re-release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Switch, where he made his first playable appearance.