List of Banjo-Kazooie characters
The Banjo-Kazooie series features a constant set of characters, with only a few additions made with each game. Said additions are mostly limited to supporting characters, while the main protagonists always remain Banjo and Kazooie, opposed by the antagonist Gruntilda. The only constant change is that of the duo's mentor, with Bottles in Banjo-Kazooie, his brother Jamjars in Banjo-Tooie and their ancestor Bozzeye in Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge. In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, this role is occupied by the Lord of Games. Since most characters appear since the first game, a lot of the dialogue or humor in later games is made by referring to previous games or events.
The only playable characters in the single player mode of each game are Banjo and Kazooie, with Mumbo being playable in Banjo-Tooie. The multiplayer of Banjo-Tooie allows the player to also control other characters such as Jamjars, Humba or Gruntilda. The spin-off Banjo-Pilot features some of the cast racing against each other, while Banjo and Kazoooie have also appeared in some games outside the series.
Since within the series timeline, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge is set between Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, the biographies of characters involved in all three games will be structured according to the aforementioned timeline.
Major Characters
Banjo
Banjo the Honey Bear is an anthropomorphic brown bear inhabiting Spiral Mountain. He made his video game debut in the racing game Diddy Kong Racing a few months before the release of Banjo-Kazooie. In the former, he receives a phone call from his friend Diddy Kong to help him fight the evil wizard Wizpig. He used to be content with his quiet and peaceful way of life but his sister Tooty and best friend Kazooie convince him to go on an adventure. The day said adventure is set to start; however, his little sister is kidnapped by Gruntilda for her beauty and Banjo is forced to save her by entering Gruntilda's lair and collect jiggys to reach the top of the tower. With the help of his friend Kazooie he is able to complete the worlds within the castle and save his sister and throw Gruntilda from the top of the tower, burying her under a large rock.
In Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, set 2 months later, Banjo has to travel back in time after Gruntilda transferred her soul in a robot, kidnapped Kazooie and time-traveled 20 years into the past to prevent the two from ever meeting. After the time travel, Banjo is already being expected by Bozzeye, who was informed by Mumbo, who mentores him through the first two worlds, after which Kazooie is retrieved. The two reunite and free the other worlds from Grunty's control and confront her in her lair, destroying her host body and forcing her to travel back to present into her original body, preventing her from altering the past.
After that, Banjo enjoys peace in Spiral Mountain until two years after Banjo-Kazooie, Gruntilda's sister Blobbelda and Mingella arrive, freeing Gruntilda from her prison. The three wreak havoc on the Isle o' Hags, where Spiral Mountain lies, and suck out the life force out of the inhabitants, killing Bottles. Banjo and Kazooie once again set out to stop the witch and avenge their friend. This time, they have to fight their way through the entire island and confront the witch on the top of Cauldron Keep. Gruntilda is once again defeated and life and peace on the island are restored.
Eight years pass between Banjo-Tooie and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. In this time, Banjo and Kazooie fixed half of their house but mostly ate pizza and slept, becoming lazy and obese. Gruntilda's skull returns to Spiral Mountain and challenges the two to a final duel to determine the true owner of the land. The Lord of Games, annoyed by their pitiful performances, appears and offers to let them have a true challenge in a world he created, Showdown Town. While the winner gains Spiral Mountain's deeds, the loser has to work in L.O.G.'s factory for the rest of his life. He restores their physical fitness but takes away their moves and they once again have to make their way through several worlds to confront Gruntilda in a final challenge. Once again defeating her, the two win the deeds for Spiral Mountain.
Banjo's personality is portrayed as easygoing, friendly, wise, peaceful and polite, always trying to solve problems diplomatically and apologizing for Kazooie's behaviour. However, he is also quite lazy and lacks courage, refusing to go on adventures and becoming obese in the time between Banjo-Tooie and Nuts and Bolts. Banjo is named after the eponymous instrument and also plays it. In Grunty's Revenge and Banjo-Tooie, he is able to separate himself from his partner, while most of his moves involve his backpack. In Nuts and Bolts, he operates the vehicles while Kazooie uses the magical wrench. He appears as a playable character in Banjo-Pilot and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.
Kazooie
Kazooie the red-crested Breegull is a bird of the fictional breegull species and Banjo's best friend. She always tried to convince him to go on an adventure. After she finally succeeds, Banjo's little sister Tooty is kidnapped by Gruntilda for her beauty and Banjo is forced to save her by entering Gruntilda's lair and collect jiggys to reach the top of the tower. Kazooie assists him and together they are able to complete the worlds within the castle and save Banjo's sister and throw Gruntilda from the top of the tower, burying her under a large rock.
In Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, set 2 months later, Gruntilda transferred her soul in a robot and kidnaps Kazooie to time-travel 20 years into the past with her to prevent the two from ever meeting. She is held hostage in Breegull Beach until Banjo comes to save her. The two reunite and free the other worlds from Grunty's control and confront her in her lair, destroying her host body and forcing her to travel back to present into her original body, preventing her from altering the past.
After that, Kazooie enjoys peace in Spiral Mountain until two years after Banjo-Kazooie, Gruntilda's sister Blobbelda and Mingella arrive, freeing Gruntilda from her prison. The three wreak havoc on the Island o' Hags, where Spiral Mountain lies, and suck out the life force out of the inhabitants, killing Bottles. Banjo and Kazooie once again set out to stop the witch and avenge their friend. This time, they have to fight their way through the entire island and confront the witch on the top of Cauldron Keep. Gruntilda is once again defeated and life and peace on the island are restored.
Eight years pass between Banjo-Tooie and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. In this time, Banjo and Kazooie fixed half of their house but mostly ate pizza and slept, becoming lazy and obese. Gruntilda's skull returns to Spiral Mountain and challenges the two to a final duel to determine the true owner of the land. The Lord of Games, annoyed by their pitiful performances, appears and offers to let them have a true challenge in a world he created, Showdown Town. While the winner gains Spiral Mountain's deeds, the loser has to work in L.O.G.'s factory for the rest of his life. He restores their physical fitness but takes away their moves, much to her dismay, and they once again have to make their way through several worlds to confront Gruntilda in a final challenge. Once again defeating her, the two win the deed's for Spiral Mountain.
Unlike Banjo, Kazooie is rude and foul-mouthed, frequently provoking and insulting others, especially her mole mentors (who often give her nicknames as well). She is also shown to be brave and rather reckless, never shying away from a fight. Hence her name, she plays the kazoo. In Grunty's Revenge and Banjo-Tooie, she is able to separate herself from Banjo, enabling her to run faster and jump farther. In Nuts and Bolts, she uses the magical wrench, while Banjo operates the vehicles. She appears as a playable character in Banjo-Pilot and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.
Bottles
Bottles the Mole is Banjo and Kazooie's tutor in the first game. He eyewitnesses Tooty's capture and being of her best friends, he assists Banjo and Kazooie in freeing her by teaching them new moves. In Banjo-Tooie, he is killed by Gruntilda's magical spells when he refuses to take shelter, believing Mumbo's report to be a fraud. He then waits in front of Banjo and Kazooie's house as a ghost until he is brought back to life, with his brother Jamjars taking over as tutor. In Nuts and Bolts, he is turned into a Showdown Town tour guide by L.O.G.
He is revealed to have a wife and two children, Speccy and Googles, in Banjo-Tooie. He does not get along with Kazooie at all, with the two frequently insulting and provoking one another. He is a playable character in Banjo-Pilot, being the most effective driver in the game.
Mumbo Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo is a shaman and a close friend of Banjo and Kazooie. His past largely remains a mystery but he frequently states that he was the best student at the Handsome Shaman Institute. He used to be Gruntilda's teacher in the art of magic but she turned to dark magic and transformed his head into a skull.
Mumbo first appears in Banjo-Kazooie as the "best shaman in all game". Found in multiple worlds starting in Mumbo's Mountain, he transformed Banjo and Kazooie into animals and plants in return for Mumbo Tokens, as Mumbo wanted to help the bear and bird beat Grunty to get his face back. Despite Grunty being buried under a large boulder, Mumbo's face remained a skull. Mumbo remained a friend of Banjo, while he and Kazooie got into dust-ups.
When Kazooie is kidnapped and taken into the past by Grunty in Grunty's Revenge, Mumbo sends Banjo back in time, too and informs Bozzeye and his past self by sending letters back in time as well. The mumbo from the past assumes a similar role as in the first game and helps the two by transforming them.
In Banjo-Tooie, his role largely differs from the first game, as transformations are taken over by Humba Wumba. He can now be controlled by the player himself and is found in every level, where he can unleash a specific spell like healing the yellow sickly Styracosaurus named Scrat. In the beginning of the game he eyewitnesses Grunty's resurrection and warns the others to take shelter. After Gruntilda was defeated once more, his face still remained a skull.
In Nuts and Bolts his role is once more changed drastically, as he is turned into a car mechanic who runs his own garage by L.O.G. He builds cars for Banjo and Kazooie. He also appears in different roles in L.O.G.'s worlds, much to his dismay.
While generally helpful, he carries a huge grudge against Humba Wumba and sometimes gets into fights with Kazooie. He also appears as a playable character in Banjo-Pilot.
Jamjars
Drill Sergeant Jamjars the Mole is Bottle's brother and takes over his duties as mentor after his brother's death in the beginning of Banjo-Tooie. Like Bottles, he does not get along with Kazooie but displays a more militaristic and strict behaviour towards the duo in general. He does not reside in molehills but in hatches and teaches new moves in rhymes to a marching song. In Nuts and Bolts, he has become the MC of Spiral Mountain's local radio station and tells the duo how their appearance looks like since the time of their first game.
Humba Wumba
Humba Wumba is a female Native-American shaman and introduced as Mumbo's rival in Banjo-Tooie and carries a huge grudge towards him. She takes over the role of transforming Banjo and Kazooie in the various worlds, residing in a wigwam, into many creatures including a stonie, a detonator, a van, a submarine, a T-Rex, a washing machine, a snowball, and a bee. In Nuts and Bolts, L.O.G. has turned her into a saleswoman for blueprints and vehicle parts. She also appears as a playable character in Banjo-Pilot.
Bozzeye
Bozzeye the Mole is an ancestor of Bottles and Jamjars who inhabited Spiral Mountain 20 years ago. He is informed of Banjo travelling back in time by Mumbo and mentors Banjo and Kazooie during the events of Grunty's Revenge. He is old, has a long white beard and two lazy eyes, a fact that Kazooie frequently mocks him for.
Lord of Games
The Lord of Games, often referred to as L.O.G., is the lord of all videogaming and as such has created every videogame. Within the gaming world, he has omnipotence, being able to stop time, create new worlds in an instant and ascribe new jobs to video game characters. He is sick and tired of the ongoing rivalry between Banjo, Kazooie and Grunty and, being annoyed by their pitiful performances in the opening of Nuts and Bolts, offers them a final competition in a new world he created: Showdown Town. The opponents have to fight through other worlds he created, while the winner gains the deed's for Spiral Mountain, with the loser having to work an eternity in his video game fabric. He restores Banjo and Kazooie's fitness, gives them a magical wrench and gives Gruntilda an artificial body and a new sidekick, Piddles. To make the contest more fair, he takes away Banjo and Kazooie's moves as well as Grunty's magic. Also, he imposes new jobs in Showdown Town on some other characters from the series. He appears as a referee in the final showdown for Spiral Mountain and congratulates Banjo and Kazooie on their victory.
Antagonists
Gruntilda Winkybunion
Gruntilda the Witch, with the full name Gruntilda Winkybunion, commonly referred to as Grunty, is the main antagonist of the series. She lives in a tower resembling her head and is stylized as a stereotypical evil witch. Her outward appearance changes drastically with each game, while she has green skin in the first part, she is skeletonized by the time of Banjo-Tooie due to the amount of time spend underground since the first game. In Nuts and Bolts, only her skull remains but she is granted an artificial body by L.O.G., resembling her original one with a jar for her skull. In Grunty's Revenge, she transfers her soul into a giant robot build by Klungo and is referred to as Mecha-Grunty. In every game except Banjo-Tooie, she talks solely in rhyme form, with her sisters forbidding her to rhyme in the second game.
In the beginning of Banjo-Kazooie, she kidnaps Banjo's little sister Tooty, as she wants to steal her beauty with a machine to become as beautiful herself, as she does not tolerate people being more good-looking than her. As Banjo and Kazooie try to stop her, they have to fight their way through her massive lair filled with worlds she has created to stop them and collect the jiggies necessary to reach the top. As this did not stop the duo, she engaged them into a game show focusing on her and the levels, called "Grunty's Furnace Fun". Banjo and Kazooie succeeded, however, and won Tooty in the process. After that, she battled the two at the top of her tower but was once again defeated, thrown off the building and buried under a huge rock.
After her henchman Klungo tried to free her for two months, he built a giant robot called Mecha-Grunty, for the witch to transfer her soul into and she kidnapped Kazooie and traveled back in time with her to prevent the duo from ever meeting, setting the events of Grunty's Revenge into motion. Banjo followed them and freed Kazooie and, although fighting them repeatedly throughout the worlds, she lost again in a battle in her lair, where her body was destroyed and she was sent back to present. After she was trapped under the rock again, she ordered Klungo to go get her sisters.
After almost two years, her sisters finally arrive and free her from her tomb. However, she is now completely skeletonized. Mumbo witnesses her return and warns the others, so she blows up Banjo's house, killing Bottles. The three wreak havoc on the Isle o' Hags with their new machine to suck out the life force out of others to restore her life again. Banjo and Kazooie again set out to defeat her, this time fighting through several worlds located on the island, finally confronting her in the Cauldron Keep. Again, she has prepared a quiz with her sisters as contestants, the "Tower of Tragedy Quiz". As her sisters lose; however, she kills them and confronts Banjo and Kazooie atop the tower with her giant drill-tank. Being defeated once again, she tries to kill them with a powerful spell, which however backfires and destroys all of her body except her skull. Being used as a football by Banjo and Kazooie's party, she vows revenge.
It takes her skull eight years to crawl back to Spiral Mountain by the beginning of Nuts and Bolts, once again challenging Banjo and Kazooie for a final duel for the deed's of the land. The Lord of Games stops them, being annoyed by their constant rivalry and their pitiful performances. He offers them a true competition in a world he has created, Showdown Town. He restores the duo's fitness and grants Gruntilda a new body, as well as a new sidekick, Piddles. To make the competition more fair, he on the other hand takes away their moves and magic, respectively. Gruntilda studies mechanics and builds Gruntbots, mechanic minions to stop Banjo and Kazooie, as well as appearing in each world as a boss. In the final showdown in Spiral Mountain, she is again defeated and has to work in L.O.G.'s video game fabric for an eternity, with Piddles being her supervisor, although she implies that it would have acted to her benefit anyways to create her own game. She also appears as a playable character in Banjo-Pilot.
Klungo
Klungo the Loyal Henchman or Minion with a Mission is Gruntilda's minion for the first three games. He is a green familiar spirit/gruntling who creates machines and potions to aid Grunty in her schemes. He uses poor grammar when he speaks, and extends the letter S in words; for example, "Mistress" would become "Missstresss".
Klungo first appears in Banjo-Kazooie where he was only seen in a few cutscenes, helping Grunty all the way. He created the machine that would transfer Tooty's beauty to Gruntilda, and is required to throw the switch to activate it. After Gruntilda is defeated, he tries to push the huge rock off her body.
In Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, set two months later, he realizes that this is leading nowhere and builds a robotic host body for Grunty, in which she transfers her soul. After that, the two kidnap Kazooie and travel back in time to prevent their enemies from ever meeting. Klungo appears as a boss four times, using force shield and invisibility potions as well as ghosts. After Gruntilda is defeated, he is also sent back to the future, where he is advised by Grunty to get her sisters and tries to push of the rock in the meantime once again.
After her sisters appear and free Grunty, the three wreak havoc on the Isle o' Hags with the H.A.G. and the B.O.B. and Klungo follows them by foot. His role is expanded compared to the first game, as he appears as a boss three times, where he can turn himself invisible, into a giant and create copies of himself with the aid of potions. Each time he loses, he goes to Grunty to get himself punished and appears more battered from battle to battle. In the end, he quits aiding Gruntilda and joins Banjo's group, attending their party and eating all the pizza. As he leaves Cauldron Keep, he mutters about going off to make "ssstupid gamesss"
In Nuts and Bolts, he indeed achieved that goal, as he runs an arcade in Showdown Town, where one can play his own game Hero Klungo Sssavesss Teh World. In the DLC "L.O.G.'s Lost Challenges" he has also created a sequel, named Hero Klungo Sssavesss Teh Universsse. His injuries from Grunty's abuse are still present. He also appears as a playable character in Banjo-Pilot.
Blobbelda and Mingella Winkybunion
Blobbelda and Mingella are the two younger witch sisters of Gruntilda. While Blobbelda is short and fat, Mingella is long and thin. The two arrive to rescue her in Banjo-Tooie, after Grunty orders Klungo to go get them after losing in Grunty's Revenge. They build a giant driller from the remains of her sister's robotic host body and free her from her tomb. The three wreak havoc on the Isle o' Hags and use the B.O.B. to suck the life out of its inhabitants, killing Bottles. In the Cauldron Keep, the two are killed by Gruntilda after losing the "Tower of Tragedy Quiz" against Banjo and Kazooie.
Piddles
Piddles the Cat is introduced by L.O.G. as Gruntilda's new sidekick in Nuts and Bolts. Gruntilda initially refuses her and kicks her away but is in return attacked by Piddles. She aids Gruntilda by her schemes in some of the levels. In the final battle in Spiral Mountain, she and Gruntilda suffer a defeat and after that are forced to work in L.O.G.'s video game factory, where Piddles acts as Grunty's supervisor.
Supporting Characters
Tooty
Tooty the Honey Bear is Banjo's younger sister and has always tried to convince him to go on an adventure with her. The day said adventure is set to start; however, she is kidnapped by Gruntilda, who wants to absorb her beauty. Her brother Banjo and her best friend Kazooie set out to rescue her. She is the first prize in "Grunty's Furnace Fun" and is saved by Banjo-Kazooie after their win.
Brentilda
Brentilda is one of the four Winkybunion sisters. Unlike her witch sisters, she acts as a fairy godmother and helps Banjo and Kazooie by telling them disgusting facts about Gruntilda, which help them succeed in Grunty's Furnace Fun.
Captain Blubber
Captain Blubber is a sea hippo pirate. He first appears in Treasure Trove Cove in Banjo-Kazooie, where the duo needs to rescue his treasure from his shipwrecked ship, The Salty Hippo, because he cannot swim. In Grunty's Revenge, set 20 years before the first game, he appears as a child version of himself, referred to as Little Blubber. He challenges Banjo to a minigame. In Banjo-Tooie, his ship has sunk completely and he now runs an unsuccessful wave racer shop. In the end of the game, he is seen riding the UFO Saucer of Peril. By the time of Nuts and Bolts, where he appears in some worlds, he has crash-landed it in Showdown Town.
Boggy
Boggy the Polar Bear is an obese bear that loves sledding. He first appears as an opponent in Banjo-Kazooie's Freezeezy Peak, where he can be challenged for two races. In Banjo-Tooie, he and his family have moved to the icy side of Hailfire Peaks. As he is hungry but to lazy to leave TV, he offers Banjo and Kazooie a jiggy if they can bring him food. In Nuts and Bolts, he runs a small gym in Showdown Town, as his wife kicked him out to go work and appears in several worlds.
Gobi
Gobi the Camel is a camel found in several worlds in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. After they freed it in Gobi's Valley, the duo jumps on him to release his water safings in both the same world and Click Clock Wood in the first game, and they are done in the next game the same manner. For that, he carries a certain grudge for and fear from the two. While not appearing in Nuts and Bolts, he has two vehicles designed after him.
King Jingaling
King Jingaling is a yellow Jinjo who is the king of all Jinjos and the ruler of Jinjo Village. He is turned into a zombie in Banjo-Tooie, when the B.O.B. sucks his life force out of him. When hit, he gives the duo tips on how to defeat enemy bosses. After Banjo Kazooie complete the "Tower of Tragedy Quiz", they reverse the machine, giving him his life back. In Nuts and Bolts, he runs a bingo business in Showdown Town. While not appearing in Grunty's Revenge, there is a chopped off stone head in front of Grunty's castle, indicating that it might have been his.
Master Jiggywiggy
Master Jiggywiggy is the leader of a sect, dedicated to worshiping a giant crystal jiggy in their temple. As revealed in Grunty's Revenge, Gruntilda has cursed the jiggy priests, so that they cannot touch the jiggy's, thus relying on Banjo and Kazooie to collect them. When the duo has gathered enough jiggys, he allows them to use the crystal jiggy to open new worlds in Grunty's Revenge, while they have to complete a puzzle in Banjo-Tooie. While not appearing in Nuts and Bolts Jolly Dodger sells a jiggy named "Mr. Jiggywiggy", as his head is a jiggy.
Honey B
Honey B is a giant bee, selling additional honeycombs in her hive. She proclaims herself to be the "Mistress of the Honey"; however, she later confesses that she is merely an "Apprentice of the Honey" after the final honeycomb piece is redeemed.
Jolly Roger
Jolly Roger is a frog and the mayor of the eponymous lagoon, in which he also runs a tavern. He asks the duo to go find his business partner for the approaching happy hour and rents them a room in which one of Jamjar's hatches is placed. In Nuts and Bolts, he is turned from mayor into a shady bootlegger who sells stolen jiggies to Banjo and Kazooie and has changed his name to Jolly Dodger. He also appears in some of the game's worlds. He is a playable character in Banjo-Pilot.
Mr. Fit
Mr. Fit the Aardvark is a sport-obsessed aardvark that premieres in Banjo-Tooie. He appears in Cloud Cuckooland, where he challenges Banjo and Kazooie to three sport contests. When succeeded, he awards the duo with a jiggy. He reappears in Nuts and Bolts, where he can be found in several worlds.
Trophy Thomas
Trophy Thomas the Cheetah is an overly competitive inhabitant of Showdown Town who also appears in several worlds of Nuts and Bolts. In every challenge of the game, he has set a certain requirement above those of a regular jiggy. If a duo meets said requirement, they are awards a T.T. Trophy, four of which equal a bonus jiggy he gives the player by his house in Showdown Town.
Pikelet
Pikelet the Pig is the obese chief of the Showdown Town Police and enforces his laws in the city, although he can be bribed. He also appears in several worlds of Nuts and Bolts.
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