DK Coin
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- Not to be confused with Coin.
- “A very large coin with 'DK' on it, each level has one, cunningly hidden by Cranky. Collect these to increase your status as a video game hero.”
- —Wrinkly Kong, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
| DK Coin | |||
 Donkey Kong Country series and Donkey Kong Land series artwork | |||
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) | ||
| Latest appearance | DK: Jungle Climber (2007) | ||
| Effect | Most appearances Adds to the completion total Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2 Contributes to Diddy's ranking in the Video Game Heroes contest Donkey Kong Country 3 Unlocking the Gyrocopter Donkey Kong Land III Unlocking the Lost World Donkey Kong 64 Collecting a number of them in certain challenges earns the Kongs a Golden Banana DK: Jungle Climber Unlocking cheats | ||
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DK Coins are a collectible type of coin featured in several Donkey Kong games, especially the ones developed by Rare. They make their first appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Collecting every DK Coin is one of the requirements to achieving a full completion rating in every game that DK Coins appear in.
History[edit]
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, there is a DK Coin in every regular level, and they are usually floating in midair, out of plain sight. At the Kong Kollege, Wrinkly Kong tells Diddy and Dixie that Cranky hid them around Crocodile Isle. On rare occasions, a DK Coin is found inside of a Bonus Level or as one of the End of Level Target prizes. From the world map, a DK Coin icon is displayed next to the name of a level where the Kongs have obtained its DK Coin. This also applies to worlds where they have obtained every DK Coin.
In the Lost World, clearing a Bonus Level rewards the Kongs with a DK Coin instead of a Kremkoin, as these must be paid to Klubba to enter into the Lost World itself, so DK Coins are not found in the main Lost World levels themselves. Similarly, defeating Kaptain K. Rool in the boss level, Krocodile Kore, yields a DK Coin as a reward instead of a Kremkoin. There are a total of 40 DK Coins to collect.
During the ending cutscene, Cranky ranks Diddy Kong's position in the Cranky's Video Game Heroes contest, where Diddy has to compete against three other Nintendo characters: Mario, Yoshi and Link, who have collected 39, 29, and 19 DK Coins, respectively. Mario is only one DK Coin short of the total, so by collecting all 40, Diddy earns first place on the podium.
Donkey Kong Land 2[edit]
In Donkey Kong Land 2, DK Coins have the same role as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, and there are still a total of 40 DK Coins. The Video Game Heroes contestants — Mario, Yoshi, and Link — all retain the same ranking and number of DK Coins collected. The End of Level Targets no longer yield any reward, including a DK Coin.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble![edit]
In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, there are a total of 41 DK Coins, each guarded by a Koin in one of the regular levels. A Koin holds a circular stone plate containing a DK Coin, and can be defeated by throwing a Steel Keg at its back. On the world map, a Level Flag (or Krem Flag, if the level has not yet been completed) with a yellow pennant on top of it indicates that Dixie and Kiddy have already collected its DK Coin. The last DK Coin is obtained after beating Baron K. Roolenstein in Knautilus.
Once Dixie and Kiddy have obtained every DK Coin, they can go over to Funky's Rentals for Funky to build a Gyrocopter for them.
Donkey Kong Land III[edit]
In Donkey Kong Land III, a DK Coin is guarded by Koin in most levels except the underwater coral levels, where a DK Coin is instead hidden. There are a total of 42 DK Coins, six of which must be obtained from Sheepy Shops by playing the Memory minigame. To enter the Lost World, Dixie and Kiddy must have 35 DK Coins (the highest number possible at that point). To fight K. Rool for the last time in K.Rool's Last Stand, all 42 DK Coins and the six watches must be collected.
Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance)[edit]
The Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country 2 adds 29 more DK Coins, none of which are obtained within a level, and a DK Coin is no longer the reward for clearing Krocodile Kore. Of these DK Coins, 15 are handed out by Wrinkly at Kong Kollege per each scrapbook page filled with photographs. The other 14 DK Coins are each obtained by clearing a specific minigame challenge, with 7 being for winning first in an Expresso Racing race and the other 7 being for clearing a Funky's Flights mission. On the world map, aside from levels and worlds, the DK Coin icon is shown next to the name of any Cranky's Hut and Funky's Flights II where the Kongs have completed its Expresso Racing and Funky's Flights challenge, respectively.
Because of the additional DK Coins, the Cranky's Video Game Heroes contestants have a different number of DK Coins, with Mario, Link, and Yoshi now having collected a total of 67, 50, and 35 DK Coins, respectively. Furthermore, Link and Yoshi were swapped to having their default rankings to second and third place respectively, presumably owing to Link being a recognizable star of The Legend of Zelda franchise.
Donkey Kong Country 3 (Game Boy Advance)[edit]
In Donkey Kong Country 3 for the Game Boy Advance, five more DK Coins have been added from the original version, making for a total of 46 DK Coins. This is because the game introduces an exclusive world, Pacifica, and its six levels have a Koin that must be defeated for its DK Coin. Unlike the original version, Dixie and Kiddy are awarded with Bear Coins for defeating Baron K. Roolenstein at Knautilus instead of a DK Coin.
DK: Jungle Climber[edit]
In DK: Jungle Climber, there is a DK Coin in nearly every level except Cranky's Teachin's. Their purpose is to unlock cheats.
Gallery[edit]
Alternate Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land series artwork
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! animated sprite
Donkey Kong Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land III (Game Boy) sprite
Trivia[edit]
- During the Time Attack mode of the games Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, the time taken by the player for clearing each level is evaluated by Bronze, Silver, Gold and Shiny Gold medals. The same medals display a "DK" emblem on them, making these medals similar to DK Coins.
