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The 12 Greatest Video Game Monkeys

Apr. 11 12:24 PM by KenTheGreat1

(Authored by the LongHairedOffender, posted by KenTheGreat1)

Who doesn't have a soft spot for our primate cousins? From Nintendo's longstanding Donkey Kong series to the Ape Escape games, there have been countless iconic monkeys, gorillas, and other apes appearing in many of our favorite games. Read on as we round them up into one hairy feature and celebrate the greatest video game monkeys ever to appear in a video game!

#12: Data
(the Mega Man Legends series)

Aww! Look at his face! Look at that widdle face!

Easily one of the most underrated monkeys on our list, Mega Man Legend's Data is a robotic monkey from about the size of Mega Man's foot who speaks in a sort of robot-gibberish that only Mega Man can comprehend. Not only is he adorable, but Data's also the keeper of Mega Man's memories - like a hairy, short little ringbearer.

#11: Specter
(the Ape Escape series)

Warning: Do not attempt to feed. Incredibly evil.

While he may not appear to be very monkey-like in appearance, Specter, Ape Escape's primary villain is. Although this albino monkey does share many qualities with his human brothers such as superior intelligence and an emo-haircut that obscures one of his eyes. The backstory of Specter is also of particular interest--after putting on a high-tech helmet created by the Professor, he gained incredible intelligence and soon became bent on the destruction of human beings.

#10: Kiddy Kong
(Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Donkey Kong Land III)

We're not changing this diaper.

Kiddy, the baby monkey from the third game in the Donkey Kong Country series for Super NES, may be extremely adorable, but he's also one of the mightiest video game infants we've ever played as, providing the brawn to help out his female cousin Dixie. We still can't help but chuckle at the sight of his shriveled pajama-covered toddler legs kicking wildly when he runs out of life and has one of his temper tantrums.

#9: Pogo the Monkey
(the Grand Theft Auto series)

Less nutty than our current president.

Pogo the Monkey (who has springs for legs) comes from the notorious Grand Theft Auto series as a fictional video game character that serves as a parody of overdone anthropomorphic video game protagonists. Although you can't actually play the Pogo the Monkey game, Rockstar's site describes it as a game where you can "play through tons of levels, killing scientists, and becoming the President of the United States."

#8: Ukkiki the Monkey
(Super Mario 64)

Look out behind you!

This little bastard primate is one of the more frustrating characters you'll meet in a Mario game. Ukkiki steals your hat in Tall Tall Mountain, possibly in revenge for you taking a shiny key from his grubby little paws. This monkey seems to have nothing better to do than stalk you throughout the level, too. Once you lose your hat to Ukkiki, you unfortunately have to drop whatever you're doing to get it back - you take twice the damage from everything when you're hat-less. Grrr.

#7: Amigo
(Samba de Amigo)

Fun to jam with, but still creepy.

Before gamers were blistering their fingers shredding in Guitar Hero, there was the shake-shake action of Samba de Amigo, starring the monkey Amigo. This guy's not a one-trick monkey either, since he drops his maracas at the first sight of new game - airboarding, tennis, pinball. He's also a bit of a stalker, like Ukkiki - Sonic the Hedgehog can't seem to outrun this ape, no matter what platform he's on.

#6: Wiki
(Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure)

Best part? He doesn't steal your damn hat.

Part bell and part ape, Wiki the magical golden monkey has a variety of special abilities as the official sidekick and pirate to Zak from the puzzle-loaded adventure game for the Wii, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. While the little guy is multi-talented, he's best known for his ability to transform objects into various useful items.

#5: AiAi
(the Super Monkey Ball series)

Impervious to vertigo, like any good monkey.

Super Monkey Ball's banana-addict protagonist AiAi is certainly one of the most lovable video game monkeys ever. Even though AiAi has not quite reached the level of popularity as some of his monkey game character peers, the translucent ball he rolls around in, his positive attitude, and his curly ears all help him make our list of the best virtual monkeys around.

#4: Diddy Kong
(the Donkey Kong series)

Not so innocent: Diddy muscled Donkey Kong Jr. out of existence.

First emerging out of the Donkey Kong series in the original Donkey Kong Country, the red hat-sporting Diddy has had a long ride in establishing himself among the countless relatives of DK appearing in the franchise over the years. Diddy has certainly proven that he's more than just a slimmer version of Donkey, becoming a character that can stand on his own.

#3: Andross
(the Star Fox series)

Aim for the eyes: there's no escaping this ape.

The original space monkey, Andross put the Fear of God into any gamer brave enough to make it through the planet Venom. This ambitious ape's ego is only outsized by his gigantic freaking head, which will literally chew up your Arwing and spit it out. Play around with this monkey and any careless pilot will get crushed.

#2: George
(the Rampage series)

All he really wanted was to destroy all humans. Is that so wrong?

Many of the primates on our lists are more of the benevolent kind, and no ape on our list has been responsible for wreaking havoc on mankind than the massive King Kong lookalike from Midway's building-smashing Rampage. On top of being able to demolish skyscrapers with George's giant monkey fists, you could also make him pluck humans out of their apartments and off the ground, eating them for nourishment.

#1: Donkey Kong
(the Donkey Kong series)

Anger management: Even Donkey mellowed out after the 80s.

What good is a list of memorable video game primates without Nintendo's beloved and famous gorilla Donkey Kong? Appearing in too many games to name, DK has grown in popularity with gamers over the years, putting his name right up there with some of Nintendo's other all-stars such as Mario, Kirby, and Link. Donkey Kong first reared his furry pixelated head in the coin-gobbling classic arcade game that shares his name, showing up as Mario's (known as "Jumpman" at the time) original nemesis before the days of King Bowser. Fun fact: some claim that the reason why his name is "Donkey" Kong is because the creator of the game believed that "Donkey" meant "Stupid."

Honorable Mentions:

-Gray the Monkey (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)
Wearing diapers and drinking too much soda/juice isn't just for old people anymore!

-TimeSplitters Monkeys (the TimeSplitters series)
Quoted from an actual gamer: "Ahhh! Ahhh! Stupid (BLAM!) little hairy (BLAM!) sonofa -- AHHH! My eyes! AHHHHH!"

-Professor Monkey-for-a-Head (the Earthworm Jim series)
Going to the crapper couldn't possibly be more awkward.

-Candy Kong (the Donkey Kong series)
The only girl hairier than your weird Uncle Leo. Brrr.

-Uwe Boll, not technically a monkey
No monkey slings a bigger load of poop than this guy. Only he collects the poop, crams it into a film reel, and puts it on the sliver screen.

It's like I'm seeing double!

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