K. Rool's Blunderbuss
The blunderbuss in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The blunderbuss is a weapon utilized by Kaptain K. Rool during the events of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2. It resembles a real-life blunderbuss but with a large, horn-shaped barrel at the end.

HistoryEdit

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest / Donkey Kong Land 2Edit

In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2, Kaptain K. Rool uses the blunderbuss during the first duel with Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong aboard The Flying Krock, his personal airship. Before the boss battle, he is seen battering Donkey Kong with the butt of the gun and firing Kannonballs at him while he is tied up.

Throughout the battle, the blunderbuss is used to fire Kannonballs, spiked Kannonballs, Kannonballs encased in barrels, and status-afflicting mists that can freeze (blue), slow (red), or reverse the controls (purple) of their targets. Ammunition can be launched at varying heights and speeds, in different ways (straight, bouncing, or swirling), and in diverse patterns. Additionally, Kaptain K. Rool can propel himself forward at high speeds by aiming the gun in the opposite direction and blasting fire out of it like a makeshift turbojet exhaust. Lastly, Kaptain K. Rool also occasionally uses the blunderbuss as a vacuum to pull the Kongs toward him so he could strike them with the butt of his gun. This attack can be countered by throwing a Kannonball into the barrel, causing the gun to spark, misfire, and explode in his face (though attempting to hit him with a Kannonball at any other time results in the projectile bouncing off harmlessly). The Kongs exploit this flaw nine times over the course of the fight, ultimately defeating him.

K. Rool uses the blunderbuss one final time in Krocodile Kore. His first shot comically releases only fish from the barrel. In the ensuing boss battle, he fires projectiles in increasingly complex patterns, at times shooting them through one another by varying the projectile firing speed, before shooting a single Kannonball in a barrel and resorting to his vacuum attack. When the weapon is jammed again, it misfires and sends Kaptain K. Rool hurtling into the core of Crocodile Isle, triggering the island’s destruction as it sinks into the ocean. The blunderbuss is last seen with him as he floats away on a raft in the game’s ending.

Donkey Kong 64Edit

Paintings of K. Rool wielding the blunderbuss can be seen in the sunken ship segments of Gloomy Galleon in Donkey Kong 64.

Super Smash Bros. UltimateEdit

The blunderbuss appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where it serves as King K. Rool's standard special move. When taking out the blunderbuss, King K. Rool dons his pirate hat, referencing his "Kaptain K. Rool" alter-ego. King K. Rool fires a Kannonball out of the blunderbuss, dealing damage to enemies in its path. The blunderbuss can also suck in opponents or its own Kannonballs (if reflected back at King K. Rool, or if they hit the opponent), and spit out its Kannonballs and other projectiles for extra damage, or spit opponents out for minimal damage; spat-out opponents also inflict collision damage if they come into contact with another opponent. He can also slip through platforms while using it.

Donkey Kong BananzaEdit

Although his classic blunderbuss does not appear in Donkey Kong Bananza, King K. Rool can form one of two similar banana-based firearms across his boss encounters in Planet Core and New Donk City, taking the form of K. Rool, King of Rot in the latter encounter.

The first weapon is a triple-barreled, revolving blunderbuss that K. Rool summons instantly to fire three rolling Banadium Mush Kannonballs in succession. Each Kannonball creates a trail of mush walls along its path. In the New Donk City battle, K. Rool may fire these cannonballs in such a way that they bounce or spiral across the ground rather than simply roll forward in a straight line. Additionally, in the latter battle, K. Rool can fire ordinary metal Kannonballs into the air, causing them to rain down on the battlefield in a radial pattern (one in the center of the arena, and eight positioned evenly around it). If not punched away quickly, these Kannonballs glow green and release Banadium Mush in all directions after a brief delay before eventually exploding.

The second firearm is a significantly larger, single-barreled blunderbuss. In one attack, K. Rool takes noticeably longer to summon the weapon, which he then charges (as indicated by concentric rings of bananas forming around the muzzle) before firing a reinforced metal Kannonball that travels in a straight line and does not leave any Banadium Mush. Alternatively, he can instantly call in the same weapon to use as a vacuum in an attempt to suck in Donkey Kong before launching him back out.

As with his original blunderbuss, throwing a projectile into the suction path of the vacuum attack will jam the gun, forcing K. Rool to stop and attempt to dislodge it, which triggers an explosion that damages and briefly stuns him. Additionally, all Kannonballs fired from these weapons can be sent back to him by Donkey Kong in his Kong Bananza form using a well-timed Charge Punch, with the resulting damage and stun duration depending on the strength of the punch. When battling K. Rool in his King of Rot form, deflecting a Kannonball with a fully charged punch will forcibly revert him to his default state, though he can restore his King of Rot form upon recovering by drumming his belly.

GalleryEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese パイレーツキャノン[?]
Pairētsu Kyanon
Pirate Cannon
French Tromblon[?] Blunderbuss
German Donnerbüchse[?] Blunderbuss
Italian Cannondrillo[?] From cannone ("cannon") and Coccodrillo ("Crocodile")
Norwegian Donderbus[?] Blunderbuss
Russian Мушкетон[?]
Mushketon
Carabiner
Spanish (NOA) Cañón Pirata[?] Pirate Cannon
Spanish (NOE) Trabuco pirata[?] Pirate blunderbuss