After years of waiting and asking, the fans finally have their dream come true. Nintendo and Microsoft worked together to bring Rareware’s Banjo and Kazooie into the roster of Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Arguably one of the highlights of Nintendo’s E3 presentation, the internet collectively lost its mind trying to comprehend the wonderful timeline we live in.
Banjo and Kazooie are going to be the third DLC fighters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, coming after Dragon Quest’s the hero. They will release in the fall. In the meantime, we’ve compiled the internet’s best reactions and memes to this iconic duo announced in the game. It seemed impossible, but Nintendo, Microsoft, and Rare pulled it together to make this happen.
10 I WANT TO GO ON AN ADVENTURE!
Banjo Kazooie starts off by Kazooie desperately wanting Banjo to wake up so the two of them can go on an adventure. Now that the duo is coming to Super Smash Bros Ultimate after being absent for years, they can go on another adventure. This fan art shows the duo leaving their lovely home with a Super Smash Bros envelope on their desk. They’re rushing past Bottles, confident that they don’t need anyone to teach them how to fight against a massive roster of video game characters. We imagine that the two of them would be ecstatic to get into Smash.
9 AFRAID NOT!
When discussing potential DLC characters for Super Smash Bros Ultimate, there were many who expressed that Banjo and Kazooie didn’t deserve a spot on the roster. The reasoning given for this is that the Banjo Kazooie franchise has been long forgotten and is no longer relevant. This led people to speculate that other, more current Microsoft characters would get in over the duo. Since the announcement that Banjo would make it into Smash, though, Nintendo has been getting a lot of eyes in its direction. The response to Banjo and Kazooie has been overwhelming, proving a very clear point.
8 AND I AM BANJO
Most people expected Microsoft to put a character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, but many people thought it would’ve been Steve from Minecraft. Minecraft is one of the biggest games of all time and would appeal to a newer demographic than Banjo and Kazooie would. Rumors seemed to point in Steve’s favor, but it seems that Nintendo had the desires of its fans at heart.
Banjo and Kazooie came out of nowhere with an invitation to the roster. While the Minecraft fans may be disappointed, there’s no denying that there is a much more positive response behind Banjo getting in instead.
7 BEST FRIENDS
Everything about the Banjo and Kazooie reveal was great, especially the trailer itself. It parodied King K. Rool’s reveal, but instead, had the croc king alongside Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong this time. Because all four characters were handled by Rare at a time, it was only fitting that Nintendo’s iconic three would be extremely excited seeing Banjo and Kazooie finally make the cut. In that instance, those three were essentially the audience watching the Nintendo Direct. People all across the world lost their minds at this reveal. It was a moment that Nintendo fans aren’t soon to forget.
6 GYUH-HUH!
With a new character getting in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, it means that Nintendo gets to redesign them for the game, complete with a high-quality render. Banjo and Kazooie’s render was quickly posted on the website as well, and it looks quite good. “Jiggytastic” would be a good word to describe the render.
Not only does it have the high quality seen in most Super Smash Bros Ultimate renders, but the design still captures the style seen on the Nintendo 64 game. Fans often say that Sakurai and his team perfectly redesign older characters, and that sentiment is extended to Banjo and Kazooie.
5 OH BOTHER
Banjo and Kazooie are still a few months out, which means that we haven’t seen their alternate costumes yet. Some people have taken to creative tools to try and make some alternate costumes of their own. Super Smash Bros has referenced other characters subtly through alternate costumes, and Banjo and Kazooie are likely to be no exception.
One Twitter user has made a mockup of the bear looking like Disney’s Winnie the Pooh. Banjo does love honey just as much as Pooh, so it wouldn’t be too far off to have that as an alternate costume.
4 PERFECTLY BALANCED
A character from Dragon Quest was all but confirmed in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. While it certainly pleased a lot of fans of the series, the franchise is only massive in Japan. However, that was better balanced by the reveal of Banjo and Kazooie, who are iconic characters in the west. This means that both audiences for the game got a reveal that they would go crazy over. It was an excellent balance that ensured that no side would feel that their character still didn’t get in the game. Furthermore, these two characters are bound to offer radically different play styles, thus bringing more diversity to the roster.
3 WELCOME BACK, OLD FRIEND
Some have described Banjo’s announcement in Super Smash Bros Ultimate as welcoming an old friend back. There’s no denying that people have a lot of connection to these characters by playing the games back on the N64. Not only has Banjo returned to a popular video game, but he has his classic design, and he will be featured on a Nintendo platform once more. While the series has certainly made its missteps in the past, we’re all just glad that the duo has returned home to fight alongside Mario, Sonic, and many of video gaming’s most iconic faces.
2 THIS IS THE ONE TIMELINE
There are lots of jokes about alternate timelines when it comes to characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Many joke about a timeline that could feature characters like Goku and Master Chief in the game’s roster. Thankfully, we live in the one timeline where Banjo and Kazooie made it into the game. It’s likely that there are 14 million other realities where the duo didn’t get in. There were people even scared that Banjo was going to remain absent after having no appearance at Microsoft’s E3 2019 conference. Thankfully, Banjo’s absence in Microsoft’s conference was all just to built the suspense for Nintendo’s amazing announcement.
1 LOOKING COOL, BANJO!
It’s no secret that Banjo and Kazooie haven’t gotten the best treatment over the years. When appearing in Banjo and Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, the duo got a redesign that didn’t go over so well with fans. Comparing that to how the two look in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, there’s no contest.
Nintendo revived the design seen in the classic games, giving Banjo a more retro yet iconic look. He is the perfect representation of not only his games but the era in which he debuted. Nuts and Bolts may have its defenders, but there’s no denying that the design in Smash Bros is easily the superior version.
NEXT: 10 Characters Missing from Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Who Could Actually Show Up)