Fractone

Fractone
Artwork from Donkey Kong Bananza
First appearance	Donkey Kong Bananza (2025)
Latest appearance	Tetris 99 (48th Maximus Cup, cameo) (2025)
Variants Elephant Fractone Fragment Giraffe Fractone Lion Fractone Monkey Fractone Ostrich Fractone Snake Fractone Zebra Fractone
Notable members Architectone Banandiumtone Bloomintone Chiptone Collectone Constructone Exploritone Fragmentone Glamtone Groovetones Growtone Hiddentones Iron Jailer Quiztone Securitone Seekertone Smashintone Stufftone Styletone Trustytone

Fractones are stone-like creatures native to the Underground World in Donkey Kong Bananza. They come in various shapes and materials and have large expressive eyes. Some change their shape at will, such as when Donkey Kong approaches, while others are either unwilling or unable to change their shape.

Most Fractones are composed of Fractonium, a soft, crystalline material of different colors, usually a shade of azure blue. Fractones made of other materials also exist. Donkey Kong can punch Fractones to partially or completely destroy their bodies. They do not react to this, and some even appreciate it, should it free something obtrusive from inside their body. After a few seconds, the Fractonium regenerates, and the Fractone returns to their original state - as a result, a single Fractone can provide an unlimited amount of material. DK can also throw soft materials at them to add to their bodies, converting the material to match theirs.

Fractones appear in every layer of the Underground World; however, they are first encountered in the Hilltop Layer, as they are not present at the Ingot Isle Cave-In or Lagoon Layer until the post-game. Some Fractones mimic the appearance of animals on the layer they are found in, such as zebras and elephants. Other Fractones take the appearance of giraffes (in the Canyon Layer) and lions (in the Feast Layer), animals that no longer reside in the Underground World.

When talking, Fractones use nosism, and they refer to themselves and one another with plural they/them pronouns. Non-Fractones such as Poppy Kong and Pauline refer to individual Fractones with "it". Fractones also make vocalizations that adaptively harmonize with the background music in the area. Additionally, Fractones often speak in rhymes, and most are friendly to other characters; the Fractones in the Forbidden Layer are notably less friendly than others, warning outsiders to turn back and leave, which is implied to be due to the fact that King K. Rool is sealed there. The Fractones that mimic animals also copy the speech mannerisms of those animals, such as those that look like zebras often ending sentences with "brah". The Fractones in the Planet Core have difficulty speaking due to not being used to it (having been taught to speak by Exploritone) implying they naturally communicate some other way.

One Fractone, the Exploritone, explored the Underground World in hopes of discovering the origin of the Fractones. It is implied they were created in the Planet Core by the Banandium Root, as the Exploritone's supposed gravestone refers to the root as "the Mother".

In the Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC, two Fractones are shown to work for Void Kong, having been brought in from the Forbidden Layer and taken an interest in Void Kong since they found him amusing, albeit noisy.

In Tetris 99, Fractones appear as the Tetriminos while the Donkey Kong Bananza theme is in use.

Profiles

• Nintendo Today! description

  • Character Intro: Fractones: Chipper rock creatures that have lived in the Underground World since ancient times. They'll regrow any part of their body, no matter how much they're fractured or smashed!
• Nintendo Switch News app:
  • F is for Fractone.
  • These gentle folks will spare you some time.
  • They often give advice and talk in rhyme.

Gallery

• 

  Loading screen artwork

• 

  Screenshot of a regular Fractone

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  A Monkey Fractone

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  A Giraffe Fractone

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  A Zebra Fractone

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  An Ostrich Fractone

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  An Elephant Fractone

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  A Snake Fractone

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  A Lion Fractone

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  Donkey Kong Bananza ending

Naming

The name "Fractone" is a portmanteau of "fractal" (a geometric shape with detailed structures at small scales) or "fracture" (referencing their breakability) and "stone" or "tone".

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ワレルヤの民たみ Wareruya no Tami	From a portmanteau of 「割われる」 (wareru, "to break") and 「ハレルヤ」 (hareruya, "hallelujah"), and 「～の民たみ」 (no tami, "people of") Fractones use the pronoun 「ワレワレ」 (wareware) to refer to themselves, which is a pun on 「我々われわれ」 (wareware, plural first-person pronoun) and 「割れる」, and is consistent with the plurality of 「ワレルヤの民」.
Chinese	碎碎岩居民[?] Suìsuìyán Jūmín (Mandarin)	Fracture-Rock Inhabitant A direct translation of the Japanese name, without an explicit sense of plurality.
Dutch	Fractoon	From fractuur ("fracture") and toon ("tone")
German	Frakton	Fractone
Italian	Frattale	Fractal
Spanish	Fractono	Fractone