Nintendo lists Pauline in Donkey Kong Bananza as a 13-year-old singer. The company states her age and her gameplay role directly, but it has not explained how this younger Pauline fits chronologically with the adult Pauline of Super Mario Odyssey or with Lady, the woman in the original arcade Donkey Kong. In a developer interview reported in March 2026, the producer declined to confirm her identity. So the age is a confirmed design fact, while any timeline or identity theory remains interpretation.
What Nintendo confirms about Pauline
Donkey Kong Bananza launched on July 17, 2025, and requires the Nintendo Switch 2. Three points about Pauline come from Nintendo’s own material:
- Age and description. Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Bananza: Story & Characters page describes her as “A talented (though slightly unsure) 13-year-old singer trying to make her way back home to the surface.”
- Story setup. A sudden storm sends Donkey Kong underground. He and Pauline pursue separate goals as they travel toward the Planet Core, and hers is getting back to the surface.
- Gameplay role. Nintendo’s July 17, 2025 launch article says her singing helps Donkey Kong use special transformations, including Kong, Zebra, and Ostrich forms.
Why the young design makes sense inside the game
In Nintendo’s Ask the Developer Vol. 19: Donkey Kong Bananza, Part 3, the team says Pauline was considered as a character players could identify with, and that her singing was connected to the Bananza transformation mechanic. Nintendo does not directly tie her age to that goal, so any link between the two is an inference. The clearer point is structural: a companion with her own objective gives the underground journey a second perspective, and making her voice the key to transformations gives her a mechanical job rather than a cameo role.
How this Pauline compares with the Odyssey Pauline
The two portrayals share a name and a love of singing, but the official descriptions differ on nearly every point that matters for the timeline.
#1 Best Overall
- Explore a vast underground world—by smashing your way through it!
- A brand-new 3D platforming action adventure starring Donkey Kong and Pauline
- 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
- Pair up with Pauline to use Bananza Transformations: smash through obstacles with the raw strength of Kong form, gallop with incredible speed as a Zebra, and more
- Team up with a friend in two-player co-op as Donkey Kong and Pauline! Blast foes and terrain alike with Pauline’s voice as you explore together
| Point | Bananza Pauline | Odyssey Pauline |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 13, per Nintendo’s Story & Characters page | Not stated in the Nintendo developer interview cited here |
| Role | Singer trying to return to the surface; travels with Donkey Kong | Mayor of New Donk City in the Metro Kingdom |
| Singing | Powers Kong, Zebra, and Ostrich transformations | Sings “Jump Up, Super Star!” |
| Source | Nintendo story page; July 17, 2025 launch article | Nintendo developer interview, Ask the Developer Vol. 19, Part 3 |
Identity and chronology: what remains open
Identity
Asked whether Bananza’s Pauline is the same character as the later one, producer Kenta Motokura declined to confirm it. Speaking through a translator in an interview GamesRadar reported on March 13, 2026, he said: “I have to apologize to Dustin, but we’re going to have to leave that to your imagination for now.” This is GamesRadar’s report of his remarks, not a statement Nintendo published.
Chronology
Nintendo’s published material on Bananza does not place the game relative to Odyssey, the original arcade Donkey Kong, or the Donkey Kong Country games. A child Pauline makes an earlier setting plausible to some players, but her age alone does not establish that the game comes before Odyssey.
Rank #2
![Donkey Kong Bananza Standard - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Xv8olm5RL._SL160_.jpg)
- Uncover a wide variety of environments, like forest, canyon, and lagoon, as you delve underground
- Reshape the world as you tear through it, with the help of…an Odd Rock?
What “timeline” can mean
The phrase can refer to two different things: a shared setting in which Mario and Donkey Kong characters appear across games, or a strict, ordered chronology with dated events. Nintendo’s published material does not present the second for the whole series, so arguments that treat every release as a fixed point in one sequence go beyond what Nintendo has said.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- The next evolution of Nintendo Switch
- One system, three play modes: TV, Tabletop, and Handheld
- Larger, vivid, 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR and up to 120 fps
- Explore a vast underground world—by smashing your way through it!
- A brand-new 3D platforming action adventure starring Donkey Kong and Pauline
Rank #4
![Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush Standard - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qtRWiIToL._SL160_.jpg)
- Full version of game required to use DLC. Sold separately.
Rank #3
- Embark on a brand-new Donkey Kong adventure exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.
- Explore the Underground World with dynamic environments and hidden secrets.
- Battle VoidCo and its minions using DK’s signature strength and powerful punches.
- Team up with a mysterious new companion with unique gameplay abilities.
- Recover the Golden Bananas across thrilling, action-packed levels.
The main readings fans propose
| Reading | Status in Nintendo’s material |
|---|---|
| Bananza is a prequel to Odyssey | Not confirmed. The child portrayal suggests it, but does not prove it. |
| Bananza’s Pauline is the same person, at an earlier age | Not confirmed. The producer declined to confirm identity. |
| Bananza’s Pauline is a relative of the later Pauline or of Lady | No support in the official material cited here. |
| Bananza’s Pauline is a separate character who shares the name | Not confirmed. Nintendo has not addressed it. |
| Bananza’s Pauline is a time-displaced version of the character | Not supported by the available sources. |
How to judge new Pauline claims
- Treat Nintendo’s stated facts as confirmed: her age, her role, and the singing–transformation link.
- Treat developer comments as evidence of intent only when they are quoted in full and attributed to the person who said them. Translated paraphrases can shift meaning.
- Treat deductions from ages, cameos, or artwork as hypotheses until Nintendo addresses them.
- Check the game’s own dialogue before claiming family ties or references. This article does not cover unquoted in-game dialogue, and the official material cited here does not provide it.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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