remember the era of mario party where donkey kong was framed as a sort of saint/angel figure in opposition to bowser. reliably & consistently events & game elements associated with dk would be like, direct opposites of those associated with bowser, but like, more than just being an explicit mechanical counterpart to bowser, dk was often suggested to be in some kind of infinite (manichaean?) struggle against him-- game mechanics associate them with night & day, have them switch places with each other (castaway bay, the way the dk/bowser spaces work in mp8, & of course clockwork castle where theyre all but transforming into each other), their actions in general border on divine interventions to turn the tide of a battle (which can jostle against each other, eg the train car stuff from mp8)... & like, the result is that wanton misfortune is signified by flames & spikes & enormous castles, in contrast to divine providence, which is signified by. palm trees & bananas. the devil is in hell, & god is in a tropical jungle. this was the status quo for 4 numbered entries
