10 Hopeless Video Game Protagonists

During the Nintendo 64 era, Rare were renowned for stuffing their games to the brim with Nintendo-level quality and polish. It was in pure charm and personality, however, where the British company were able to exceed even the Big N and create memorable worlds populated with magnetic characters.

This is clearly demonstrated in their over-stuffed 3D platformer, Donkey Kong 64, which features two characters that could’ve easily made this list.

Lanky Kong and Chunky Kong are two members of the Kong family that were introduced in this entry and, tragically, never seen again in a substantial playable capacity. What makes the latter interesting, however, is that he represents a complete antithesis of the title’s main hero.

Where Donkey Kong exudes bravado and an eagerness to fight, Chunky Kong is a shy and fearful monkey whose muscles are only outweighed by his heart. Despite his sheer brawn, this doesn’t stop him from trying his hardest to dissuade the player from selecting him on the character select screen and whimpering at the beginning of boss fights.

This gentle nature even extends to his interests, which include butterflies, ballet and playing the triangle. Truly, this Kong’s one hell of a guy.