If you close your eyes and think of Donkey Kong, you probably hear it instantly. That heavy, barrel-chested grunt. The "OK!" from the 64 era. Or maybe the weirdly expressive panting from the newer Tropical Freeze games. But if you actually sit down and try to figure out who voiced Donkey Kong, the answer gets messy. Fast.
It isn’t just one person. Not even close.
Unlike Mario, who had Charles Martinet as his singular, defining voice for decades, Donkey Kong has been a bit of a communal project. He’s been played by comedians, professional voice actors, and even Nintendo’s own sound designers. Honestly, it’s kinda wild how many people have stepped into those giant, pixelated feet.
The Early Days: Grunts, Beeps, and Shigeru Miyamoto
Back in 1981, Donkey Kong didn’t have a "voice" in the way we think of it now. He had sound effects. He had digital growls. It was basically just electronic noise meant to represent a giant gorilla throwing barrels at a plumber.
There’s a common misconception that there was a dedicated actor back then. There wasn't. For the original arcade game and even into the early NES titles, the "voice" was mostly the work of the sound team at Nintendo. Shigeru Miyamoto and his designers were making those sounds out of thin air. They weren't looking for a performance; they were looking for a vibe.
Then things changed with Donkey Kong Country.
The Rare Era and the Rise of Kevin Bayliss
When Rare took over the franchise in the mid-90s, they needed something more "real." They were using Silicon Graphics workstations to create pre-rendered 3D models that looked mind-blowing for 1994. You couldn't just use bleeps and bloops anymore.
Enter Kevin Bayliss.
Bayliss was a key designer at Rare. He wasn't a professional voice actor by trade, but in those days, game studios were scrappy. If you needed a sound, you grabbed a mic and did it yourself. Bayliss provided the grunts and roars for Donkey Kong in the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy.
It was raw. It was animalistic. It fit the jungle aesthetic perfectly. He wasn't trying to make DK a "character" with a personality so much as a force of nature. If you grew up on the SNES, Kevin Bayliss is the sound of your childhood frustration at the "Mine Cart Carnage" level.
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The Cartoon Curveball: Richard Yearwood
Then 1996 happened.
The Donkey Kong Country animated series is a fever dream of late-90s CGI. It’s weird. It’s musical. And it gave Donkey Kong a full, speaking voice.
Richard Yearwood took the mantle here. He didn't just grunt; he sang. He talked about crystal coconuts. He had a specific, laid-back "dude" energy that felt very of-the-time. Yearwood’s performance is polarizing for some fans, but he’s the one who gave the character a literal voice when the games were still keeping him mostly mute.
Interestingly, Sterling Jarvis actually did the singing voice for DK in that show. So, even within one TV series, the character was split between two different people.
Grant Kirkhope and the "OK!" Heard 'Round the World
If you ask a certain generation of gamers who voiced Donkey Kong, they will immediately shout "OK!" at you in a deep, slightly goofy baritone.
That’s Grant Kirkhope.
Kirkhope is legendary in the industry, mostly for his incredible music scores for Banjo-Kazooie and GoldenEye 007. But while working on Donkey Kong 64, he ended up providing the voice for the big guy.
It’s probably the most iconic version of the character. It’s where DK started to feel a bit more like a lovable goofball rather than just a territorial animal. Kirkhope’s DK was expressive. He was funny. When he gets a Golden Banana and lets out that triumphant yell, it’s pure Nintendo magic.
Kirkhope has often joked in interviews about how he just stepped into the booth and did what felt right. There wasn't some grand casting call. It was just Grant, a microphone, and a lot of personality.
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The Modern Era: Takashi Nagasako
Since 2004, there has actually been a lot more consistency in the casting. If you’ve played Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, or the newer Donkey Kong Country Returns series, you’ve heard Takashi Nagasako.
Nagasako is a veteran Japanese voice actor. He’s done everything from The Legend of Zelda (he’s been Ganondorf!) to SoulCalibur. He took over the role starting with Donkey Konga and has basically been the "official" voice ever since.
What Nagasako did was blend the two previous styles. He kept the animalistic power of the Kevin Bayliss era but injected the personality and "he-man" quality of the Kirkhope era. It’s a versatile performance. He can sound threatening in a boss fight and absolutely ridiculous when he’s celebrating a win in Mario Party.
The Hollywood Shift: Seth Rogen
We have to talk about the 2023 The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
When Illumination and Nintendo announced the cast, people lost their minds. Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong? It sounded crazy. But when the movie actually came out, it kinda worked.
Rogen didn't try to do a "gorilla voice." He basically just played Seth Rogen. He brought his signature laugh and that slightly arrogant, "king of the jungle" swagger. It was a massive departure from Nagasako or Kirkhope, but for a big-budget Hollywood movie, it gave DK a distinct identity that stood up alongside Chris Pratt’s Mario and Jack Black’s Bowser.
Is Rogen the permanent voice now? Probably not for the games. But for a whole new generation of kids, Seth Rogen is the guy who voiced Donkey Kong.
Why the Voice Matters (and Why It Changes)
You might wonder why Nintendo doesn't just stick to one person. The reality is that Donkey Kong serves different purposes in different media.
In a platforming game, you need short, punchy sounds that provide feedback to the player. You need a grunt that sounds like a jump. You need a thud that sounds like a landing. In a movie or a TV show, you need a performance that can carry a plot.
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- Arcade/Early Console: Sound designers (Anonymous)
- SNES Era: Kevin Bayliss
- TV Series: Richard Yearwood (Speaking) / Sterling Jarvis (Singing)
- N64 Era: Grant Kirkhope
- Modern Games (2004–Present): Takashi Nagasako
- The Movie: Seth Rogen
There have been others, too. Souya Ishige voiced him in the Japanese version of the animated series. Even Peter Cullen—the voice of Optimus Prime—voiced a version of Donkey Kong in the 1980s Saturday Supercade cartoon.
It’s a legacy of "whatever works in the moment."
Tracking the Evolution
If you listen to the progression of DK’s voice, you can actually hear the evolution of gaming hardware. The early 8-bit chips couldn't handle human vocal cords. They handled waves. As the bit-rate went up, the voices became more "human."
The N64 was the sweet spot where actors started injecting humor. By the time we got to the GameCube and beyond, Nintendo realized that having a consistent voice actor like Nagasako helped build the brand. People started recognizing the specific pitch of DK’s roar.
It’s also worth noting that DK’s voice usually reflects his design. When he looked more like a realistic gorilla in the Rare years, he sounded like one. When he became more of a "cartoon" in the late 90s, his voice became more melodic and human.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the history of the Kongs, don't just stop at the voice actors. The credits of these games are a goldmine of Nintendo history.
- Check out the Credits: If you own the original Donkey Kong 64, sit through the credits. You'll see Grant Kirkhope’s name not just for the legendary DK Rap, but for the voice work too.
- Compare the Audio: Go on YouTube and search for "Donkey Kong voice evolution." Listening to Kevin Bayliss side-by-side with Takashi Nagasako is a masterclass in how sound design has changed over 30 years.
- Watch the Show (If You Dare): The Donkey Kong Country animated series is available on various streaming platforms and DVD. It’s worth watching at least one episode just to hear Richard Yearwood’s take. It’s a totally different flavor of the character that you won't find anywhere else.
- Follow the Actors: Many of these guys are still active. Grant Kirkhope is very active on social media and often shares behind-the-scenes stories about his time at Rare.
The story of who voiced Donkey Kong isn't a straight line. It’s a messy, multi-decade relay race where the baton has been passed from designers to composers to professional actors and Hollywood stars. Each one added a little bit of DNA to the character we know today.
Next time you’re playing Smash Bros. and you land a giant punch, listen to that roar. You’re hearing decades of history packed into a single sound file.
To get the full experience of the character's vocal history, start by revisiting the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on Nintendo Switch Online to hear the original Rareware soundscapes, then compare them to the cinematic performance in the 2023 film. You'll quickly hear how a few grunts evolved into a full-fledged personality.