Difference between revisions of "Banjo"

|image=[[File:N&B Banjo Kazooie.jpg|200px]]<br>Artwork of Banjo and Kazooie in ''Nuts & Bolts''

|game=''[[Project Dream]]<br>[[Diddy Kong Racing]]<br>[[Banjo-Kazooie]]<br>[[Banjo-Tooie]]<br>[[Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge]]<br>[[Banjo-Pilot]]<br>[[Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts]]<br>[[Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing with Banjo-Kazooie]]''

|icon=[[File:BK Banjo icon.png|Nintendo 64]] [[File:GR Banjo icon.png|''Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge'']] [[File:Chatter icon Banjo (BK) (XBLA).png|Xbox Live Arcade]]}}

'''Banjo''' is one of the two eponymous stars of the [[Banjo-Kazooie (series)|''Banjo-Kazooie'' series]], the other one being [[Kazooie]]. He is a brown honey bear who lives in a [[Banjo's House|house]] on [[Spiral Mountain]] with [[Kazooie]], and has a younger sister named [[Tooty]]. He is named after the [[wikipedia:banjo|banjo]] musical instrument. He is voiced by [[Chris Sutherland]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20141207230814/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/188055/interviews/banjo-kazooie-nuts-and-bolts-qa/ ComputerAndVideoGames: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts Q&A]</ref>

==History==

===''Dream: Land of Giants''===

Banjo was originally planned as a supporting character in the cancelled Super Nintendo game, ''[[Dream: Land of Giants]]''. Shortly shifting development to [[Nintendo 64]], the developers felt the main character, [[Edison]], was "losing his edge". One of their considerations for a main character was a rabbit, but they eventually decided on Banjo. Early sketches showed Banjo with a sword and another in a sleeveless shirt.

Before having his own series, Banjo appeared as one of the playable characters in ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]''. He was among the characters who responded to Timber's call for help in banishing Wizpig out from Timber's Island. Banjo competed in races and world challenges to decide who can ultimately race Wizpig. Banjo is heavyweight and has slow acceleration, but this is compensated for a high top speed. He also has average handling capabilities. Banjo's top speed without Bananas is 57mph.

Banjo's theme instrument is the banjo, which is also his theme instrument in his own series. Banjo and [[conkerwiki:Conker the Squirrel|Conker]] did not return in ''[[mariowiki:Diddy Kong Racing DS|Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'', likely as a result of [[Microsoft]]'s 2002 acquisition of [[Rare]], although the remake's main theme still features his theme instrument, the banjos. Statistically, Banjo was replaced with [[mariowiki:Tiny Kong|Tiny Kong]].

In his debut adventure, ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'', Banjo and Kazooie went on an adventure to rescue Tooty from Gruntilda. Before heading out to save her, Banjo and Kazooie stumble upon their long-time friend, [[Bottles]], whose role is teaching [[ability|abilities]] to the duo throughout the game. After learning a few moves in Spiral Mountain, the duo cross over a high bridge to enter into [[Gruntilda's Lair]], where most of the game takes place—from the nine levels hosted within.

Along their journey, aside from learning more moves from Bottles, the duo meet a large shaman named [[Mumbo Jumbo]], whose role is transforming Banjo into another object or creature in exchange for [[Mumbo Token]]s. The main collectibles are [[Jiggy]]s, which are required for Banjo and Kazooie to unlock later levels. They must also free five [[Jinjo]]s in each level, and collect [[Musical Note]]s to access paths in Gruntilda's Lair that were previously blocked off by [[Note Door]]s.

Banjo and Kazooie slowly travel up higher into Gruntilda's Lair as they unlock new levels. After finishing all nine levels, Banjo and Kazooie engage in a final battle against Gruntilda from the [[Top of the Tower]]. With the help of [[The Mighty Jinjonator]], Gruntilda collapsed from the tower, crashed into the ground, and became trapped beneath a large boulder.

In ''[[Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge]]'', two months after the events of ''Banjo-Kazooie'', [[Klungo]] designed a new mechanical suit, [[Mecha-Grunty]], for transporting Grunty's spirit into. With her new suit, Mecha-Grunty kidnaps Kazooie and travels back in time, in an attempt to prevent Banjo and Kazooie from ever meeting. Mumbo then uses his magical power to send Banjo in the past as well. Banjo would relearn his moves from Bottles' ancestor, [[Bozzeye]], since he forgot them while traveling to the past. He would also travel by himself for a fraction of his adventure.

Later in the second world, [[Breegull Beach]], Banjo found Kazooie imprisoned by Mecha-Grunty. After defeating her for a first time, Banjo reunited with Kazooie, and they stuck together for the rest of their adventure. The duo eventually entered [[Grunty's Castle]], where they fought Mecha-Grunty for a last time. Collaboratively, Banjo and Kazooie destroyed Mecha-Grunty's suit, causing her spirit to return back into her normal body, under the large boulder.

Two years later, in ''[[Banjo-Tooie]]'', Gruntilda was freed from under her boulder by her sisters, [[Blobbelda]] and [[Mingella]]. Meanwhile, Banjo and his friends were playing poker. Mumbo finds out about the [[HAG 1]] and warns the others to escape from [[Banjo's House]]. The HAG 1 then fires, destroying Banjo's House and killing Bottles.

Grunty and her sisters use their newly-invented [[Big-O-Blaster]] for sucking the life force out from other characters to restore Grunty. Banjo and Kazooie head on another journey to stop Grunty. Since Bottles died, Banjo and Kazooie learn new abilities from Bottles' brother, [[Jamjars]]. They can enter new worlds by returning Jiggies to [[Jiggywiggy's Temple]]. Banjo and Kazooie also make use of the [[Split-Up Pad]]s, which allow them to explore areas by themselves.

Before engaging in a final battle against Grunty, Banjo and Kazooie use the Big-O-Blaster to revive [[King Jingaling]] and Bottles. Eventually, the duo defeat Gruntilda and destroy the HAG 1 in battle. The ending shows Banjo and Kazooie celebrating at [[Bottles' House]] with the other characters.

[[File:Banjo B-P art.jpg|thumb|200px|Appearance in ''Banjo-Pilot'']]

Banjo appears as the main and titular character of the racing spinoff, ''[[Banjo-Pilot]]''. He has the most average stats in the game, aside from [[Mumbo Jumbo]]. Banjo is the champion of Beehive Cup, where the player competes against him at the end, in the dogfight match "Banjo Brawl". Like the other characters, Banjo drops a different projectile behind him in the match rather than [[Ice Egg]]s, in his case, [[Washing Machine]]s.

In the eight years leading up to ''[[Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts]]'', Banjo and Kazooie became obese, as they spent most of their days eating pizza, playing games, and sleeping. Eventually, they get in a competition with Grunty over who claims ownership over Spiral Mountain, which [[Lord of Games|L.O.G.]] starts a competition over. Unlike his previous adventures, Banjo would utilize vehicles for most of his adventure, instead of using the abilities he forgot over time. Banjo eventually won at the challenge and Spiral Mountain's deeds.

Both Banjo and Kazooie appear as playable racers in ''[[Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing with Banjo-Kazooie]]'', making it their first appearance in a crossover game.

Banjo and Kazooie race together in a vehicle named the [[Bolt Bucket]], which is based on the vehicles in ''Nuts & Bolts''. They have an All-Star Move named "Jiggy Rain", where Kazooie pokes her head out of Banjo's backpack, pecks on Banjo, and utilizes the [[Magic Wrench]] to rain Jiggies down from the sky.

==Other appearances==

*An early screenshot of ''[[mariowiki:Donkey Kong 64|Donkey Kong 64]]'' revealed that Banjo and Kazooie's heads would appear on shower stall in Donkey Kong's Treehouse.

*Artwork of Banjo's ''Diddy Kong Racing'' appearance was featured in ''[[mariowiki:Mario Artist: Paint Studio|Mario Artist: Paint Studio]]''.

*In ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'' and its remake, ''Conker: Live & Reloaded'', a mounted head of Banjo appears over the fireplace in The Cock and Plucker.

*In ''Minecraft'', Banjo is a skin the player can use. This skin is most notably used by popular Let's Player and actor [[wikipedia:Michael Jones (actor)|Michael Jones]] of [[wikipedia:Rooster Teeth|Rooster Teeth]] Productions and its gameplay division, [[wikipedia:Achievement Hunter|Achievement Hunter]].

*In ''Viva Piñata'' there are multiple references to Banjo. The Fizzlybear species attacks using golden puzzle pieces, an item Banjo collects in the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' franchise. Also, an accessory called the "Breegull Carrier" is modeled after Banjo's backpack he usually wears (which can be worn by the Fizzlybear species), and also references [[Kazooie]]'s species, the [[Breegull]].

==General information==

===Physical appearance===

Banjo is always shown wearing a pair of yellow shorts, a shark tooth necklace and a blue backpack, even while under a transformation. The Rare logo appears on his backpack, as shown in various artworks.

In ''Nuts & Bolts'', Banjo was redesigned to have a more block-shaped appearance, and his fur became animated.

===Personality===

Banjo's personality is very different from that of [[Kazooie]]'s. Banjo is a well-mannered, easygoing bear. He uses "Mr." or "Mrs." when speaking to people and generally likes to help people out - which means a lot of damage control when Kazooie opens her fat beak. While he always means well, he sometimes comes off as a bit slow. He tries to say something witty every now and again, but he usually isn't any good at it. Despite his niceness, he can have short moments of being aggressively straightforward when angry.

Banjo flip-flops a bit when it comes to his bravery - at times he will jump into a situation quickly, but other times he acts timid and doesn't want to commit. In all cases, however, he would much rather sit down and have either honey, pizza or a nap, suggesting he is somewhat lazy but he at least does not have the issue of shoving food into their fat mouth constantly while thinking up new lies and imaginary situations to produce. Throughout the series (mostly in ''[[Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts|Nuts & Bolts]]''), many characters including Banjo's allies have referred to Banjo as "stupid" and "crazy", but this is a trait not shown in other games in the series. The real issue is mental instability and basically compulsive lies, once come to terms with just maybe a happy life may be possible. Also, Banjo seems to have picked up some of Kazooie's personality, as he occasionally uses insults and sometimes makes some sarcastic remarks.

Banjo's relationship with his younger sister [[Tooty]] probably hints that he cares for her deep down inside, since he did ask about her whereabouts when she was captured and even accepted the fact that of all the prizes won at the Furnace Fun in ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'', it was her he was thinking on taking along. Banjo doesn't at all seem to mind Tooty's company at times since he saw no problem when she began her flute solo in the opening.

===Abilities===

[[File:B-T Banjo Kazooie art 5.png|thumb|200px|Banjo and Kazooie often utilize an ability together, such as Egg Aiming]]

Banjo cannot run very fast and his jumping often requires some bird-enabled help. When Kazooie leaves the safety of his backpack, Banjo can use it in a variety of ways, such as an [[Snooze Pack|impromptu sleeping bag]] or a [[Sack Pack|potato sack]], not to mention as his [[Pack Whack|sole offensive weapon]]. The backpack also seems to have an infinite storage capacity, containing most items with ease. Banjo, being a bear, is an excellent swimmer and has learned how to paddle faster and hold his breath longer. Unlike Kazooie, Banjo has the ability to [[Climb|climb structures]] and [[Grip Grab|grasp ledges]] with his fingers, allowing access to difficult to reach spots on the duo's adventures.

When Banjo is paired with Kazooie, he has a lot more skills at his disposal. The duo can perform a [[Forward Roll]] while running to attack enemies; Kazooie can use Banjo as leverage to perform the [[Rat-a-tat Rap]]; they can [[Flight|fly]] through the use of [[Flight Pad|flight pads]] and utilize Kazooie's ability to fire different types of [[eggs]].

Banjo receives assistance from two shamans, [[Mumbo Jumbo]] and [[Humba Wumba]], who are able to transform him into various creatures and objects. Each [[transformation]] has its own skills and purpose.

In ''[[Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts]]'', Banjo and Kazooie have forgotten their abilities and have gained obesity over time. If Banjo attempts to jump in this state, he creates a small shockwave, causing the camera to shake a bit as he drops onto the ground. L.O.G. refuses to grant their abilities back, and rather has them compete against Gruntilda by creating awe-inspiring vehicles for all sorts of terrain and conditions. Kazooie is also given the Magic Wrench, which can be used for smacking enemies, carrying objects and turning pipes.

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