Let's talk about King K. Rool's character design. For many years, detractors would refer to him as "ugly" and cite his design as one of the reasons why. In their preview of Donkey Kong Country Returns, IGN even celebrated the removal of the Kremlings from the Donkey Kong series.

Contrary to what the Nintendo sycophants at IGN say, let me explain why the Kremlings, and K. Rool specifically, are brilliantly designed. Throughout human history, there has always been a rivalry between primates—the mammals—and reptiles.

Not just in Eastern/Western folklore, but also in the geological history of our planet. Following the Mesozoic Era, mammals began replacing large reptiles, like dinosaurs, as the dominant animals on Earth.

There are conspiracy theories that some humans, the reptilians, evolved from reptiles instead of apes. The Ancient Egyptian God, Sobek, has the head of a crocodile and the body of a human. Smash describes the Kremlings as a "race of crocodile people" rather than just crocodiles.

Let's apply this knowledge to the Donkey Kong universe. In the temple stages in Donkey Kong Country, there are Kremling heads engraved onto the walls. Does mean that they were the previous inhabitants of Donkey Kong Island, and K. Rool merely wants to reclaim what was once his?

The Kongs, living in their jungle huts, are seen as the primitive ones while the Kremlings run factories and have access to modern machinery. All of this lore was thrown out in Donkey Kong Country Returns, but Retro did the best they could with the restrictions they were given.

The rivalry between the Kongs and Kremlings has parallels in the real world, and it makes for a far more compelling narrative than a bunch of Tikis that have magically come to life. K. Rool's reveal trailer was titled "The Rivals," so perhaps Nintendo is starting to understand.

Now, let's move onto K. Rool himself. The first thing you'll notice is his obesity, which is a symbol of his gluttony; he's been spoiled by a lifestyle of decadence and royalty. Complemented by the crown, his design immediately suggests "king." There's no ambiguity.

Whenever I watched videos of elders trying to guess the names of the Super Smash Bros. fighters, they would always say "King Crocodile" as soon as K. Rool appeared. Without even knowing his name, there are things you can identify about him. This is indicative of a good design.

K. Rool's bloodshot eye represents his insanity. The Kremling King will stop at nothing to defeat the Kongs, and he's been driven mad by all of his failures. Just by looking at him, you can learn about his personality. No exposition or dialogue is needed. @WinkySteve nailed it.

Unlike the rest of their skin, which is hard enough to withstand bullets, crocodiles have weak underbellies. K. Rool took what is traditionally a weakness and turned it into one of his greatest strengths. They added context for why DK can't just roll into him to inflict damage.

Furthermore, the belly armor bears an uncanny resemblance to a gorilla chest, hence the navel. It's almost as if he's trying to taunt Donkey Kong by flaunting the fact that he has a bigger chest. The way he defiantly slaps it in Smash, as if to say, "Look at me," reinforces this.

And finally, there's the cape. It's a subtle detail, but if you look carefully, the pattern on the bottom looks identical to the girders from Donkey Kong arcade. K. Rool is trying to torment the Kongs by reminding them of a bygone era when the Kongs, not him, were the bad guys.