Pauline accompanies Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Bananza.
In this 2025 Nintendo adventure, Donkey Kong travels with Pauline through Ingot Isle and a vast underground world. Pauline initially appears in an unusual transformed state after being kidnapped by VoidCo., but she is eventually restored and becomes Donkey Kong’s active companion. Her singing voice is central to the story and to several gameplay situations.
This is a major expansion of Pauline’s role in the Donkey Kong series. She originated as the damsel in distress from the 1981 arcade game, later became closely associated with Mario, and was reintroduced as the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey. Bananza instead places her directly alongside Donkey Kong for much of the adventure.
Tiny Kong, Candy Kong, and Dixie Kong are all established members of the wider Kong cast, but they are not Donkey Kong’s primary companion in Bananza. Dixie and Diddy appear in the game’s broader cast, while Pauline is the character who travels with him through the main story.