DK Coin

DK Coins (originally known as Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins, Cranky Kong's DK Coins , DK Hero coins , or simply Hero Coins ) are first introduced in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. They are generally well-hidden, and are mainly used to increase the file's completion percentage.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest / Donkey Kong Land 2
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Cranky Kong has hidden the Video Game Hero Coins in each level for Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong to find. Some of the places that they are hidden in include secret passages, as an end-of-level prize (in a couple of levels), or even within a level's Bonus Area. There are 40 Video Game Hero Coins in total. A Video Game Hero Coin symbol appears next to a level's name after Diddy and Dixie find the Video Game Hero Coin in that level.

In the Lost World, Bonus Areas have Video Game Hero Coins instead of Kremkoins. Likewise, the Kongs get a Video Game Hero Coin for completing the final boss level, Krocodile Kore.

When the game is completed, Cranky will tally up all the Video Game Hero Coins that have been collected and will then rank the Kongs on how many they have obtained.

In the Game Boy Advance remake, 28 new Video Game Hero Coins have been added, making for a new grand total of 68 Video Game Hero Coins. Of the original 40 Video Game Hero Coins, 39 are located in the same spots as they are in the SNES version. The only exception is the Krocodile Kore fight, which does not reward the player with a Video Game Hero Coin in this version. The remaining 29 Video Game Hero Coins can be obtained by achieving the following:
 * Beat all the missions at Funky's Flights II (7 Video Game Hero Coins).
 * Get first place in all of the Expresso Racing levels (7 Video Game Hero Coins).
 * Fill out the entire scrapbook that Wrinkly Kong gives the Kongs as homework (15 Video Game Hero Coins).

Video Game Hero Coins also make an appearance in Donkey Kong Land 2. As in the original version of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, there are 40 Video Game Hero Coins to be found, with one hidden per level, and one obtained after beating Krocodile Kore.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, DK Coins make a return. There is one per level, as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, but with one difference: an enemy known as the Koin uses a DK Coin as a shield. The Kongs must defeat the Koin to obtain the DK Coin. To defeat the enemy, the Kongs need to throw a Steel Keg over it, then wait for the barrel to rebound against the wall and hit the Koin. However, some levels do not have a wall to bounce the Steel Barrel off of, so the Kongs must find another way to defeat the Koin.

There are a total of 41 DK Coins in this game. When a DK Coin has been collected in a level, a yellow pennant will appear on top of the Level Flag for that level on the world map.

Only one DK Coin is not guarded by a Koin: it is earned by completing the level Knautilus.

Once the player has found all the DK Coins, they can go over to Funky's Rentals and trade them in for a Gyrocopter, which will allow them to fly around the Northern Kremisphere. This will grant them access to the last three secret caves, which are only accessible by using the Gyrocopter.

In the Game Boy Advance remake, there are 46 DK Coins instead, as a new world with six new levels has been added to the game. Additionally, the Knautilus fight only gives bear coins in this version.

Donkey Kong Land III
In Donkey Kong Land III, there are 42 DK Coins hidden in the game. DK Coins are guarded by a Koin in all levels, except in undersea levels, where they are seen floating and spinning as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2. Additionally, 6 of the 42 DK Coins are obtained by playing Memory, a card game found in each world’s Sheepy Shop which is exclusive to this game. A certain number of Bonus Coins are needed to play this card game. The object of the card game is to match pairs until all pairs are found. There is also a time limit, and the game will end if the player fails to match all the pairs when the time runs out.

DK Coins in Donkey Kong Land III are used to enter the Lost World after Baron K. Roolenstein is beaten in Tin Can Valley. All DK Coins and Stop Watches need to be found before the last fight with Baron K. Roolenstein.

Donkey Kong 64
Coins reappear in Donkey Kong 64, where they appear as collectibles during two of the Training Barrel challenges and certain minigames (namely, Stash Snatch, Splish Splash Salvage, Speedy Swing Sortie), all three Mine Cart Rides, the two races against the Mini-Car, the Beetle, and the race against the Seal. In the first three, the player needs to collect a certain amount of them before the time expires. During the minecart rides, the player needs to collect 50 of them (25 in Creepy Castle's version) before reaching the finish line, and, during every race, they need to collect a certain amount of them while simultaneously beating the character the player faces. Completing the criteria in any of these minigames will reward the player with a Golden Banana.

DK: Jungle Climber
DK Coins return in DK: Jungle Climber, and are used to unlock some cheats. There is one found in every level other than Cranky's Teachin's. Their appearance from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! returns.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

 * Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "These huge DK coins are well hidden. One per level."

Donkey Kong Land 2

 * Virtual Console manual bio: "These are hidden throughout stages."