Nintendo has officially confirmed the age of Pauline, Donkey Kong Bananza's youthful sidekick, sparking a wave of curiosity among fans about her character timeline and how it aligns with past Nintendo titles. In particular, questions arise around how Bananza’s narrative fits alongside classic games like the original *Donkey Kong* arcade title, where DK was portrayed as the antagonist and Pauline as his kidnapped companion.
According to a recently published character profile on the Japanese website for *Donkey Kong Bananza*, Pauline is described as a “13-year-old girl who loves to sing.” The profile adds that she “used to live above ground, but for some reason was brought to the underground world and transformed into a rock.” This revelation, made during the official *Donkey Kong Bananza* Nintendo Direct, strongly implies that this younger version of Pauline is connected to the more mature iteration seen in *Super Mario Odyssey*, where she plays dual roles as the mayor of New Donk City and frontwoman of a popular band.
This new insight has prompted fans to speculate about Pauline’s broader character arc and the evolving relationship between her and Donkey Kong. Traditionally, DK has been depicted as Pauline’s kidnapper — a far cry from the cooperative dynamic shown in *Bananza*. Could something happen to change DK’s behavior? Or have long-held assumptions about their relationship been inaccurate?
In *Donkey Kong Bananza*, the pair team up to help teenage Pauline return to the surface so she can chase her dream of becoming a globally renowned singer. Given that Pauline fulfills that dream in *Super Mario Odyssey*, it seems likely that *Bananza* serves as a prequel to those events. However, the exact placement within the timeline remains ambiguous. Nintendo has never explicitly revealed Pauline’s age in *Odyssey* or any other appearance, making it difficult to determine how much time passes between *Bananza* and later titles.
Still, by linking these two games through Pauline’s musical aspirations, Nintendo subtly reinforces a key moment in *Odyssey*: one where Pauline herself reflects on her previous abductions as "traumatic." This raises intriguing questions about what could cause such a rift between her and DK after the events of *Bananza*.
Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Screenshots
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Throughout the years, Pauline has been captured by Donkey Kong multiple times. Most famously, she was the damsel in distress in the original *Donkey Kong* arcade game. She was later abducted again in several entries in the *Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2* series. For example, in *Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis*, DK kidnaps her after she chooses a gift from Mario instead of himself. In *Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!*, Pauline is taken once more when DK becomes upset over missing out on a theme park opening.
However, later installments in the *Mario vs. Donkey Kong* franchise begin to portray their interactions in a friendlier light. In *Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move*, the duo co-hosts a mini-game together, while in *Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars*, they collaborate to throw Mario a surprise party.
So what might come next? Does something occur at the end of *Donkey Kong Bananza* that turns DK from ally back to aggressor? Will the events of the original *Donkey Kong* arcade game be retold within *Bananza*, possibly even featuring Mario stepping in to rescue Pauline? Or could it be that our understanding of the entire Mario universe has been misguided all along?
Some fans theorize that *Donkey Kong Bananza* may completely reshape our perception of the Mario world by presenting DK and Pauline as close friends — suggesting that Mario may actually be the villain who intervenes and separates them under false pretenses.
While many questions remain, Nintendo has set the stage for what could be a groundbreaking shift in the Mario franchise. All eyes will be on *Donkey Kong Bananza* when it launches as a major title for Switch 2 on July 17, 2025.
