Donkey Kong is a true icon of gaming. While he may not be as famous as Mario or Link, the Donkey Kong Country series is still regarded as one of the best platforming franchises of all time, which has greatly helped the character's popularity. However, while it's true that the series has his name in the title, Donkey Kong isn't the protagonist in every single game in the franchise, as there are many instances where there are other characters sharing the spotlight with him, and there are even some cases where he's not in the game at all.