Banjo & Kazooie

"Banjo & Kazooie Get Jiggy With It!"

Banjo & Kazooie are the eponymous protagonists of Rare's Banjo-Kazooie franchise, with Banjo first appearing in Diddy Kong Racing before the duo's proper debut in Banjo-Kazooie.

They are also playable characters in Nexed.

Real-World History
Banjo & Kazooie stem from Rare's cancelled Project Dream, an RPG intended for release on the Super Nintendo and later the Nintendo 64. As the game's development progressed and began leaning towards fairy-tale themes and platformer gameplay, developed Rare began to feel that the game's main protagonist, a boy named Edson, was becoming too generic and irrelevant. This led to Edson being replaced with a bunny, before the game's final protagonist was designed by Gregg Mayles, that being Banjo.

Banjo was designed to "primarily appeal to a younger audience but, at the same time, give them enough humour and attitude not to discourage older players." As development progressed, the idea of giving Banjo a pair of wings which sprouted out of his backpack was pitched, which led to the idea that a character was inside Banjo's backpack. This character would become Kazooie, with her name stemming from the annoying nature of both a kazoo and Kazooie's personality.

While the resulting Banjo-Kazooie was planned for a Christmas 1997 release, it had to be delayed to add polish. This led to the release of Diddy Kong Racing; Banjo would be a playable character in this game, with Kazooie being mentioned in its manual. This was followed by the official release of Banjo-Kazooie the following year, which was met with critical acclaim.

A sequel in the form of Banjo-Tooie would be released in 2000, two years prior to Microsoft's acquisition of Rare. The Banjo-Kazooie franchise would see three entires under Microsoft's ownership; Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge and Banjo-Pilot would be released on the Game Boy Advance, with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts releasing on Xbox 360.

The franchise has recieved general praise, with Banjo & Kazooie being hailed as icons of the Nintendo 64. After a 11-year period of dormancy, the characters would return as downloadable fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Gameplay Information
"Banjo and Kazooie are a pair of laid-back animals residing on Spiral Mountain. While Banjo is laid-back and friendly, Kazooie tends to be more snarky and adventurous. Despite their differences, the two are best friends and regularly team up to save their home from the evil witch Gruntilda!

It’s been a while since the two have heard from the wicked witch, though, and Kazooie’s been raring for some more action. She overheard about a fighting tournament and quickly decided that she wanted in. However, she was just as quick to recruit her best bear buddy for the battle!"

Banjo & Kazooie are all-around fighters, boasting no major strengths or weaknesses. They do have a above-average recovery, with two recovery specials and three jumps; Combined with their heavyweight nature, this makes them difficult to KO. As a whole, the duo are fairly balanced statwise.

However, Banjo & Kazooie struggle with combos, with many of their hits being stronger and unsuitable for combos. In addition, they struggle against zoners due to their need to approach and lack of a reliable projectile.

Moveset

 * Multiple Midair Jumps: Banjo & Kazooie can perform two midair jumps.
 * Crawling: Banjo & Kazooie can crawl.

Grounded Moves

 * Jab: Banjo throws a claw swipe.
 * Dash Attack: Banjo performs a rolling somersault.
 * Forward Light: Banjo uses the Beak Bayonet from Banjo-Tooie, stabbing Kazooie’s beak forward.
 * Up Light: Kazooie props Banjo up to perform an upwards kick.
 * Down Light: Banjo performs the Beak Barge from Banjo-Kazooie, sliding forwards as Kazooie extends her beak.
 * Forward Strong: Banjo uses the Breegull Bash from Banjo-Tooie, slamming Kazooie on the ground.
 * Up Strong: Kazooie performs a vertical version of the Bill Drill from Banjo-Tooie, spinning above Banjo with her beak extended while being able to deal multiple hits of damage.
 * Down Strong: Kazooie slams one wing on each side of Banjo.
 * Counter: Kazooie covers Banjo with her wings as the duo rams into the opponent, resembling Wonderwing from Banjo-Kazooie.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Kazooie performs the Wing Whack from Banjo-Tooie, spinning her wings around Banjo.
 * Forward Air: Kazooie performs the Rat-a-tap Rap from Banjo-Kazooie, pecking forward three times.
 * Back Air: Banjo throws a claw swipe behind himself.
 * Up Air: Kazooie claps her wings above Banjo.
 * Down Air: Banjo & Kazooie perform the Beak Buster from Banjo-Kazooie, diving downwards with Kazooie’s beak extended. Opponents hit in the early frames of the move can be spiked.

Grabs / Throws

 * Grab: Banjo grabs the opponent with both hands.
 * Pummel: Kazooie pecks the opponent.
 * Forward Throw: Banjo rears back before tossing the opponent forwards.
 * Back Throw: Banjo throws the opponent behind him before Kazooie claps them with her wings.
 * Up Throw: Banjo tosses the opponent upward before Kazooie pecks them.
 * Down Throw: Banjo throws the opponent into the ground, launching them away.

Stage Intro
Banjo & Kazooie jump through a Jiggy silhouette before entering their battle stance.

Taunts

 * Kazooie pecks Banjo on the head, retreating into the backpack as Banjo looks behind him.
 * Banjo & Kazooie pose.
 * Mumbo Jumbo appears and briefly turns Banjo into a random form from the Banjo-Kazooie series.
 * Banjo bows twice while saying “Guh-huh!” each time, referencing an animation from Banjo-Kazooie.

Victory Animations
Banjo & Kazooie's victory theme is the Jiggy fanfare from Banjo-Kazooie, as composed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
 * Banjo jumps up and poses with a Jiggy before Kazooie eats it. Banjo then gives a thumbs-up while saying “Guh-huh!” This references the Jiggy animation from Banjo-Kazooie.
 * Banjo marches in place before performing two bows, with Kazooie poking out of his backpack after the second.
 * Banjo & Kazooie play their respective instruments before posing.

Colors / Costumes


Trivia

 * Banjo & Kazooie's Side Special was originally planned to be the Turbo Talon Trot, a move from Banjo-Kazooie repurposed as a nerfed version of the Wonderwing from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This was replaced with the Beak Bomb as it made more sense as an attack and was already used in the duo's Up Special.
 * Banjo & Kazooie's Level 1 Nexus Attack originally used a honeycomb to restore HP.

Gameplay-Related

 * Kazooie carries Banjo on her back while dashing, referencing the Talon Trot from Banjo-Kazooie.
 * Kazooie covers Banjo with her wings during their guard animation, referencing the Wonderwing ability from Banjo-Kazooie.