Going Ape

Grilla Drilla spent years of his life as a guard for the Drilla King and became known for his bravery and leadership skills. After an army of trolls invaded their subterranean jungle lair and kidnapped the king, Grilla Drilla immediately stepped in to rescue him. He was subsequently selected as the new leader in response to his heroic acts, but he chose to join the Skylanders and defend the people of the Skylands instead. Giving up power is never easy, but his decision was informed by a desire to maximize the number of individuals he could protect. Like most characters from the Skylanders franchise, Grilla Drilla’s name says something about his skills and abilities. With powerful drills fashioned to his arms and an unshakable drive to protect those in need, Grilla Drilla proves that where there’s a drill, there’s a way.

Not to be confused with a deviant sexual act of the same name, Gorilla Mask is simply a gorilla who wears a mask. More specifically, he wears a luchador mask and compliments it with luchador moves. With an assortment of suplexes and high flying moves at his disposal, Gorilla Mask is a force to be reckoned with. He’s persistent, too. After being defeated, he shows up again with a new set of moves. Under normal circumstances, a wrestling gorilla who performs moonsaults would likely have been ranked higher on this list. Alas, Gorilla Mask is actually just a regular human luchador who wears a convincing gorilla costume. Some will argue that he doesn’t belong on this list at all, but I appreciate his devotion and decided to include him since he’s so committed to the gorilla theme.

An argument could be made that the main characters in the Monkey Ball series are actually apes rather than monkeys. After all, none of them have tails. While it’s true that nearly all monkeys in the real world have tails, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility for fictional monkey to lack a tail. That said, Dr. Bad-Boon is obviously based on a baboon and I’m comfortable describing him as an ape even if we concede that his rivals are monkeys. The evil genius from the future is responsible for many nefarious acts. He steals all of the bananas from Jungle Island, he puts a bomb in a volcano, and he shrinks his enemies down to size. Most of his plans are hatched for the purpose of winning the heart of a sweet monkey named Meemee, but it’s safe to say that Bad-Boon has a lot to learn about love.

Bonkers doesn’t necessarily get as much recognition as some of Kirby’s other enemies, but the hulking brute is a recurring mid-boss who has opposed the hero of Dream Land for a number of decades. He arms himself with a giant hammer and swings the weapon with enough force to create shockwaves. He can also mow through his enemies with his deadly hammer twirl technique. The hammer is used in a variety of devastating maneuvers, but Bonkers has many of the same skills as Kirby does and has enough lung capacity to inhale explosive coconuts and spit them out with the force of a canon. According to the animated series, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Bonkers once lived a peaceful life in a jungle before being kidnapped by a circus. Is it any wonder why he wants to smash everything in sight?

Sten is a member of a militaristic race called Highlanders and one of the few who survived the legendary Goonheim War. Although regarded as a hero by his people, Sten actually deserted his post out of fear after seeing the true face of war. He seeks to make amends for his past actions and is plagued by survivor’s guilt. Despite his personal baggage, Sten is known for his carefree attitude and laid-back personality. He also has the reputation of being a bit of a womanizer and hits on anything that moves, regardless of their species. After failing to land a date with a couple of hot babes, he decided to tag along with them on their adventure as a way of apologizing for his shameful ogling. He’s immature and refuses to take anything seriously, but his agility and attack power make him a valuable ally.

Before competing in the leagues of Monday Night Combat, Sir Cheston Wyndham Kampanga was a renowned actor of stage and screen who broke box office records and earned an Academy Award for “Best Gorilla in a Leading Role.” Following his death, his DNA was used to create a near-perfect clone that captured his most famous role – farting gangster gorilla, Bananas Monihan. Armed with a tommy gun and a bedazzled cane, Cheston was thrust back into the spotlight. An enforcer who can absorb an enormous amount of damage, Cheston excels at close-quarters combat. Killing bots and rival stars is a far cry from his Shakespearean roots, but it’s probably still a step above “The Mob Goes Bananas.” Whether he’s performing on stage or in combat arenas, Cheston has a flare for the dramatic.

One of the earliest examples of a playable video game ape, George is a mutated human who contends with military forces while wreaking havoc on cityscapes. The giant monster scales buildings like King Kong, but George is a lot more destructive. As a requisite for progressing from one stage to the next, George will reduce buildings to rubble, eat people by the handful, and destroy any helicopters or tanks that oppose him. George also has to be mindful of electrical appliances, dynamite, and blinding camera flashes. In the event that George takes too much punishment, he will be reverted to his original human form and will be an easy target for his enemies. Incidentally, it’s a lot easier to eliminate a naked man than it is to take out a giant gorilla monster. George is one of three mutated monsters in Rampage and easily the most iconic.

One of many genetically-engineered gorillas on board the Horizon Lunar Colony, Winston’s gene therapy resulted in rapid brain development and caught the attention of Dr. Harold Winston. The young gorilla developed an appreciation for peanut butter and human ingenuity, but his world was thrown into chaos after a gorilla-led uprising took control of the colony. After making himself a rocket and adopting the name of his caretaker, Winston escaped to the pail blue dot that he often dreamed about. After reaching Earth, Winston found a new home with an organization called Overwatch that represented everything Winston admired about humanity. Although he’s a gorilla, Winston serves as a champion for humanity’s potential. He is prone to bouts of raging anger, but his anger is well-placed.

Andross is a brilliant scientist who once had pure motives, but his lust for power drove him to the brink of insanity. After conducting a number of dangerous and unethical experiments, Andross was banished to a desolate planet. His sentence only served to make him more powerful. Andross named himself emperor, built himself an army, and declared war on the entire Lylat System. As if his legions of followers and hired mercenaries didn’t make him dangerous enough already, Andross also transformed himself into a bio weapon through the power of telekinesis. He often manifests himself as a floating face who shields himself and attacks with a myriad of metallic panels, but his true form is that of an ape. The full extent of his powers are unclear, but the dude is bananas regardless of how he presents himself.

Although many consider Mario to be the definitive hero of the video game world, there should be little doubt that he was actually overshadowed by the villain in his first outing. When gamers were first introduced to Mario in 1981, it was Donkey Kong’s name on the marquee. Heck, Mario didn’t even have a name until the game had already been out for over a year! Although creator Shigeru Miyamoto envisioned him as a big, stupid ape, Donkey Kong still managed to carry himself with a certain element of class. After all, would a stupid ape be distinguished enough to wear a neck tie? Some will write Donkey Kong off as a King Kong knockoff. Sure, their names are similar and, yes, they both kidnap girls and hold them captive at the top of large structures. But, again, can you imagine King Kong in a red neck tie? Case closed!