In Donkey Kong Bananza, collect five Banandium Gems to earn one Skill Point, then spend it in the Skill Menu on stat boosts, moves, and Bananza-form upgrades. Base skills are available through the menu as the adventure progresses; transformation skills require first learning that form from its Elder. Below is the full standard skill list, each form’s upgrade tree, and the story gates for unlocking the transformations.
How to earn and spend Skill Points
Every five Banandium Gems grant one Skill Point. Open the Skill Menu by pressing Up on the Left Joy-Con 2 directional button. Nintendo’s official game tips explain that Skill Points can be spent on different skills, and that additional skills become available as the adventure progresses.
Skills have different jobs: some raise health or increase how many juice cans DK can carry, while others improve collection, movement, combat, or Bananza forms. For example, Punch Power reduces the number of punches needed to break tougher terrain, while Better Sonar increases the Hand Slap’s range for detecting hidden items.
Skill Points and Bananergy are separate systems. Skill Points come from Banandium Gems and buy upgrades; gold builds Bananergy, the meter used to activate a Bananza form.
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- Bash through just about anything in groundbreaking exploration! Crash through walls and carve tunnels—the more you smash, the more areas open up to you
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Base skills: effects and upgrade steps
The following 13 categories make up the standard base skill tree. “Upgrade steps” is the number of improvements listed for that skill, not the number of Skill Points needed for every other skill in the tree.
| Skill | Effect | Upgrade steps |
|---|---|---|
| Health | Raises maximum health. | 7 |
| Punch Power | Reduces punches needed to smash terrain. | 4 |
| Jump Shot | Lets DK double-jump while holding a chunk and fire it below to hit the ground. | 1 |
| Apple Juice | Raises the number of Apple Juice cans DK can carry. | 4 |
| Better Collecting | Extends Hand Slap’s range for collecting gold. | 3 |
| Better Turf Surfing | Makes ridden terrain chunks dissolve more slowly. | 1 |
| Melon Juice | Raises the number of Melon Juice cans DK can carry. | 4 |
| Better Sonar | Extends Hand Slap’s sonar detection range. | 3 |
| Surf Surf | Lets DK skim over water while Turf Surfing with a held chunk. | 1 |
| Bananergy | Extends Bananza duration. | 4 |
| Charge Slap | Clears stray terrain chunks by charging Hand Slap. | 1 |
| Drumbeat | Reduces the time needed to activate a Bananza. | 3 |
| Spin Jump | Adds a spinning attack to a jump. | 1 |
What to unlock first
Nintendo Life’s guide recommends Better Sonar and Punch Power early: finding more hidden items can help you locate Gems, while stronger punches make breaking terrain less time-consuming. Bananergy is another useful choice for longer Bananza sequences. If staying alive is the immediate problem, consider Health and Apple Juice instead. These are guide recommendations, not an official ranking.
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Transformation skills and upgrade steps
Each learned Bananza form has its own upgrade tree. The trees become usable after the story unlocks the corresponding transformation; spend Skill Points to buy the upgrades.
| Form | Upgrades and steps | Guide recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Kong | Charge Punch (2); Fast Charge (3); Kong Armor (1) | Charge Punch first |
| Zebra | Brake Blast (2); Charge Dash (2); Spin Slam (1); Spin Shot (1) | Charge Dash first |
| Ostrich | Glide (2); Better Flutter (1); Egg Bomb (3) | Glide first |
| Elephant | Trunk Room (1); Better Inhaling (2); Stronger Lungs (2); Quick Storage (1) | Better Inhaling and Stronger Lungs |
| Snake | Jump Burst (1); Better Glare (3); Better Charge Jump (1); Meteor Punch (1) | Better Glare and Better Charge Jump for platforming |
The recommendations in the table are Nintendo Life’s editorial advice, rather than official priorities. Choose according to the terrain and challenges you are finding difficult.
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Spoilers: how to unlock all five Bananza forms
The following routes reveal later story layers and transformation tasks. In each case, the transformation’s Elder is central: complete the layer-specific requirement, return the Ancient Record pieces where required, and speak with the Elder again to learn the form.
Kong Bananza — Lagoon Layer (SL101)
Destroy the pillars holding the three plugs to restore the water. Cross the new bridge and speak with the Kong Elder. After returning the Ancient Record, speak to the Elder at the microphone again to learn Kong Bananza.
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Zebra Bananza — Freezer Layer (SL501)
Pass through the cavern to find the Zebra Elder. Return three Ancient Record pieces, then speak with the Elder again.
Ostrich Bananza — Forest Layer (SL600)
Reach the Eggshell Hotel and retrieve two Ancient Record pieces from its pool and garden. Bring them back and speak with the Elder again.
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Elephant Bananza — Tempest Layer (SL900)
After meeting the Elephant Elder, retrieve two Ancient Record pieces from the lava caverns of SL901. Once the Disc is restored, speak with the Elder to learn the form.
Snake Bananza — Radiance Layer (SL1201)
Complete the four signposted artwork challenges and recover their Ancient Record pieces. Return the pieces to the turntable by the Snake Elder.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Post-credit skills and how many Gems the trees take
Nintendo Life reports that story progression after the credits unlocks one additional skill for each transformation. Its guide does not identify those skills by name, so their names and individual unlock requirements cannot be listed reliably here.
Nintendo Life reports 749 Banandium Gems to fill the standard base and transformation upgrades in its July 17, 2025 skill-tree guide. It also reports 125 additional Gems associated with post-credit skills and 777 Banandium Gems in total; the page stating 777 does not give a publication year. These are guide-reported figures, not totals published by Nintendo. The guide also notes that additional Gems can be bought at Chip Exchange stores, so the collectible total alone should not be treated as proof that every skill is covered.
For the standard trees, the practical unlock loop is straightforward: gather Gems, use the resulting Skill Points in the Skill Menu, and unlock each transformation tree by progressing to its Elder and completing that layer’s task. Post-credit upgrades are additional content beyond the standard trees.
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