Necky
- "Buzzard" redirects here. For information about the friendly non-playable character that appears in Donkey Kong 64, see Buzzard (character).
| Necky | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A Necky in Donkey Kong Country | |||
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country (1994) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (cameo) (2018) | ||
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- “Watch out for this high-flying foe!”
- —Donkey Kong Country instruction booklet, page 29
Neckys[1][2] (alternately pluralized as Neckies)[3] or Buzzards[4][5][6] are large brown vultures and recurring enemies in the Donkey Kong franchise, their first appearance being Donkey Kong Country. Neckys have a smaller variant, Mini-Neckys, who appear in more games despite being a variant.
History
Donkey Kong Country
In Donkey Kong Country, Neckys are common enemies who appear in many levels, especially in Vine Valley. There are two types of Neckys: one is perched and throws coconuts at Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong while the other flies horizontally in a straight line. The flying Neckys appear in more levels than the coconut-throwing variant. There are two Necky bosses, both of whom are only seen by their head, Master Necky and Master Necky Snr.
The Kongs can defeat both Necky variants by either jumping onto them or throwing a barrel at them. In addition, the coconut-throwing variant can also be defeated from the Kongs rolling into them. If either Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong is hit by a perched Necky's coconut, the player loses that Kong.
The flying Neckys are often required to cross gaps or to enter a Bonus Barrel, such as the ones at the start of Tree Top Town and Snow Barrel Blast. This role is given to the functionally identical Hogwash the Flying Pig in Donkey Kong Land and Flitter in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
Donkey Kong Land
Perched, nut-throwing reappear in Donkey Kong Land along with Mini-Neckys, although normal Neckys are exceedingly rare from only appearing in two levels. While only the perched type appears, their defeat sprites resemble upside-down flying sprites.
Donkey Kong 64
In Donkey Kong 64, two Buzzards appear in Angry Aztec. One of these Buzzards is in the Temple where Tiny Kong is imprisoned. Lanky can find the Buzzard by swimming underwater and then entering a room with a pyramid-shaped structure. There, Lanky must Simian Slam on a Lanky Pad to release a Buzzard from the walls. The Buzzard is holding on a Golden Banana with its talons, and can be defeated when Lanky shoots five grapes at it. When the Buzzard is defeated, Lanky can obtain the Golden Banana.
The other Buzzard is not an enemy, and he challenges Diddy Kong to a race. If Diddy wins the race, he is rewarded a Golden Banana.
Donkey Kong Country Barrel Maze
Buzzards appear in levels 3, 8, and 9 of Donkey Kong Country Barrel Maze. They fly above the playable barrel, attempting to drop coconuts on it. If the barrel gets hit by a Buzzard's coconut, it loses some energy.
DK: King of Swing
Although Neckys themselves do not return in DK: King of Swing, the second boss, Fire Necky, is a type of Necky.
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
Neckys appear as obstacles in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. They are obstacles in three courses, Mt. Dynamite, Cranky's Temple, and Temple Heights. If a racer hits into a Necky, it latches on them, slowing them down. A Necky can be defeated by one hit, and they help a racer perform Wild Move combos.
Super Smash Bros. series
Neckys only appear in the background of two stages in the Super Smash Bros. series. In Super Smash Bros., Neckys sometimes appear in the sunset sky of the Kongo Jungle stage, using their original sprites; they return with the stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Featureless bird silhouettes that are likely intended to be Neckys also fly across the distant background of Jungle Japes in Super Smash Bros. Melee, returning in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Unused appearances
Donkey Kong Racing
Neckys appear in the trailer of the canceled Donkey Kong Racing. They appear in the background at the start when the logo displays, and in a stampede at the end, where Kiddy Kong and Ellie are accompanied by other enemies.
Levels
Donkey Kong Country
- Jungle Hijinxs (throw coconut)
- Winky's Walkway (flying)
- Millstone Mayhem (throw coconut)
- Vulture Culture (flying and throw coconut)
- Tree Top Town (flying)
- Forest Frenzy (flying)
- Temple Tempest (flying)
- Snow Barrel Blast (flying)
- Slipslide Ride (flying)
- Ice Age Alley (flying)
- Trick Track Trek (throw coconut and flying)
- Mine Cart Madness (flying)
- Tanked Up Trouble (flying)
- Necky Nutmare (throw coconut and flying) (GBC only)
- Loopy Lights (throw coconut)
- Platform Perils (flying)
Donkey Kong Land
Gallery
Artwork
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country
Sprites and models
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)
Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)
Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Advance)
Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Advance)
Screenshots
Perched Neckys throwing coconuts in Vulture Culture in Donkey Kong Country
A Necky holding the letter "V" in Donkey Kong Country (GBC)
Miscellaneous
Artwork used for a puzzle based on Donkey Kong Country
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ネッキー Nekkī ハゲタカ[7] (Donkey Kong 64) Hagetaka |
Necky Vulture |
| Spanish | Necky Neky |
- Necky |
References
- ^ M. Arakawa. Donkey Kong Country Player's Guide. Page 54."The wooded areas of the island greet the Kremling bashers with an array of stage settings. The first, Vulture Culture, is full of Neckys and Mini-Neckys (hence the vulture tag). Some of the Neckys spit out nuts and can cause great problems for unwary apes. Precise jumping and brave barrel-blasting are required to get through this stage. You’ll be able to find the Golden Letter N in the third Bonus Area."
- ^ DK: King of Swing European instruction booklet. Page 22. "Fire Necky The head honcho of the Neckys spits out burning rocks. Attacking him won’t work, but try using those rocks to your advantage."
- ^ DK: King of Swing North American instruction booklet. Page 22. "Fire Necky The head honcho of the Neckies spits out burning rocks. Attacking him won’t work, but try using those rocks to your advantage."
- ^ Barton, Jeff, Mario De Govia, and Donato Tica. Donkey Kong 64 Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Pages 56 and 60.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20000229030636/http://www.nintendo.com/n64/donkeykong64/aa.html
- ^ "Help" screen in Donkey Kong Country Barrel Maze. "BUZZARD: Flies above and tries to cause damage by dropping coconuts on your barrel."
- ^ 「ドンキーコング64任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook). Pages 43–44.
