Zinger
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Zingers are large wasp-like creatures and Donkey Kong's most persistent foes, next to the Kremlings.
History
The first appearance of Zingers is in Donkey Kong Country. In this game, Zingers, along with Neckys, Gnawtys and Slippas were one of the most common enemies in the game. Zingers often acted as obstacles in this game, blocking the path of Diddy and Donkey Kong. Since the wasp has spikes covering all of its body, a Zinger could not be jumped on. The Kongs would need to throw an object at a Zinger (such as a barrel) or employ the use of an Animal Buddy to defeat the baddie. The color of a Zinger is a clue to its flight pattern; they'll either fly vertically, horizontally, in a circular path, or in a U-shaped path. In the game, an apparent 'queen' Zinger is fought as a boss, Queen B. Zingers are also in Donkey Kong Country's pseudo-sequel Donkey Kong Land.
A Zinger appears in the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong Country" as an enemy of Donkey and Diddy Kong. However, it does not attack the pair until Donkey Kong swears at the wasp. Ultimately Donkey defeats the Zinger (which, like every enemy in the comic, is able to speak) by doing a special rolling move and then kicking the enemy. When defeated, the Zinger claims that its stinger is deformed.
Zingers also appear in Donkey Kong Country's "true" sequel Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. They are found in a majority of the levels in this game, except those taking place underwater. This time Zingers only came in two colors, the standard yellow variety, and the red variety (which were completely invincible). Also in this game, Diddy and Dixie meet an apparent 'king' Zinger, King Zing. Also of note, Crocodile Isle, the location where the events of Donkey Kong Country 2 takes place, has several Zinger hives on it, mostly in the region known as Krazy Kremland. This indicates that Crocodile Isle may be the ancestral home of the Zingers, and explains the large amount of Zingers in the game. Zingers also appear in Donkey Kong Land 2.
Zingers did not appear in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble or Donkey Kong Land III. They were replaced by a similar enemy, the robotic bees named Buzzes. Zingers returned in Donkey Kong 64. In this game they are less common than in previous titles and are easier to defeat. In DK Isles and the earlier levels, they will simply dive-bomb on sight, but they are easy to avoid. Later on, they will shoot green grenades on sight, making them somewhat harder to avoid. The Kongs can simply blast the wasp with one of the weapons they can purchase from Funky Kong. Additionally, a new type of Zinger appears, a robotic variety. These "Mecha-Zingers" are found prominently in the level Frantic Factory. They are also more difficult to defeat, presumably due to being made of metal.
Zingers also appear in Donkey Konga and as enemies in DK: King of Swing. Furthermore, Zingers appear as enemies in DK: King of Swing's sequel DK Jungle Climber. Some early promotional material showed that Zingers were going to be rideable in the now canceled game Donkey Kong Racing. In Donkey Kong Barrel Blast Zingers appear as obstacles. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a Zinger appears as a sticker. It raises resistance to slashing attacks (such as Link's sword) by five points.
Levels
Donkey Kong Country
- Ropey Rampage (yellow)
- Reptile Rumble (yellow and orange)
- Barrel Cannon Canyon (yellow and orange)
- Winky's Walkway (pink)
- Bouncy Bonanza (green and yellow)
- Millstone Mayhem (orange)
- Vulture Culture (orange, yellow and pink)
- Tree Top Town (orange)
- Forest Frenzy (orange, yellow and pink)
- Temple Tempest (orange and yellow)
- Orang-utan Gang (pink)
- Snow Barrel Blast (green, yellow, orange and pink)
- Slipslide Ride (orange)
- Rope Bridge Rumble (pink and orange)
- Trick Track Trek (orange, yellow and pink)
- Elevator Antics (yellow and orange)
- Mine Cart Madness (orange, pink and yellow)
- Tanked Up Trouble (orange, pink and yellow)
- Loopy Lights (orange and yellow)
- Platform Perils (orange, yellow and pink)
Donkey Kong Land
- Freezing Fun
- Simian Swing
- Deck Trek
- Tire Trail
- Rope Ravine
- Riggin' Rumble
- Congo Carnage
- Arctic Barrel Arsenal
- Snake Charmer's Challenge
- Swirlwind Storm
- Pot Hole Panic
- Mountain Mayhem
- Track Attack
- Sky High Caper
- Landslide Leap
- Collapsing Clouds
- Balloon Barrage
- Kong Krazy
- Construction Site Fight
- Fast Barrel Blast
- Skyscraper Caper
- Oil Drum Slum
Donkey Kong 64
- DK Isle
- Jungle Japes
- Angry Aztec
- Gloomy Galleon (only one; in an underwater submarine)
- Fungi Forest
- Crystal Caves
Notable Zingers
Trivia
- According to the game's credits, Zingers belong to the "Lazy Landlubbers" enemy class.
- Zingers slightly resemble the conjecturally named Bee'zerks, a bee species from the Mario series, who in turn resemble Stingers.
- In the Donkey Kong Country television series, there are bees in the episode "Buried Treasure" that resemble Zingers.
- Tiki Zings of Donkey Kong Country Returns have some similarities to Zingers in that they're usually used as indestructible obstacles against the Kongs.
Gallery
- Kingzing.jpg
Donkey Kong Country - Zinger.jpg
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - Zinger2.jpg
DK: King of Swing 
DK: Jungle Climber
