Gnawty

Gnawties (sometimes called Gnawty Beavers) are lazy-eyed beaver enemies in the Donkey Kong franchise. They first appear in Donkey Kong Country as one of the weakest and most basic enemies, fulfilling a role similar to Goombas in the Super Mario series.

Characteristics

Gnawties are small, round, bipedal beavers with prominent buckteeth, short limbs, and a flat tail. They usually have a simple color scheme, such as green or blue, depending on the game, and wide, unfocused eyes that give them a goofy, slightly vacant look.

Standard Gnawties go down in a single hit from almost any attack, but Very Gnawty and Really Gnawty can survive multiple stomps and even jump farther as the battle progresses. Millstone Gnawties are visually similar to regular Gnawties but stand on huge rolling stones and cannot be defeated by direct attacks, instead forcing Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong to either avoid or outpace them.

History

Donkey Kong Country

In the original Donkey Kong Country, Gnawties are among the first enemies that Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong encounter, alongside Kritters, in the level Jungle Hijinxs. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong take damage if they touch a Gnawty, but they can defeat it by either stomping it, rolling into it, or by throwing a barrel at it. Besides Jungle Hijinxs, Gnawties appear in various levels of later worlds, but not to the extent of Kritters and Zingers.

In Millstone Mayhem and Temple Tempest, there are Gnawties who ride millstones that continuously roll along the ground. Since they are invulnerable, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must time their movements to run under gaps, jump over the millstones, or otherwise stay out of their path. Two large Gnawties are fought as bosses: the very first, Very Gnawty, is in Kongo Jungle, and the fourth, Really Gnawty, is in Gorilla Glacier. Both Very Gnawty and Really Gnawty have been named "Gnawty Beaver" in the 26th issue of Nintendo Magazine System (UK).

Donkey Kong Land

Gnawties return in Donkey Kong Land. They again function as basic enemies that patrol platforms and hurt Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong on contact. Gnawties can still be defeated with the same attacks as before. While the game’s graphics are simplified due to hardware limitations, Gnawties still keep their recognizable beaver‑like outline and buckteeth in their spritework.

Donkey Kong 64

Gnawties appear a third time in Donkey Kong 64, where they are generically referred to as Beavers. Gnawties are commonly found in Jungle Japes and around the shores of DK Isles, and several also show up in Crystal Caves. Gnawties appear in light-blue and sometimes gold colors, but they continue to act as simple, low‑tier foes. Donkey Kong and the other Kongs can defeat Gnawties with standard attacks like basic strikes or ground moves. Around Cranky's Lab in Jungle Japes, there are Gnawties that are roughly the size of Very Gnawty, but they are just as weak as the other Gnawties. Gnawties are also featured in the Jungle Japes Battle Arena challenge Beaver Brawl, where waves of them attack the player's Kong in a confined space.

In the unlockable Rambi Arena, the goal is for Rambi to defeat as many Beavers as he can before time runs out.

In the Bonus Stage Beaver Bother, the player controls a Klaptrap who has to herd as many Beavers into a hole within the center of a barrel before time runs out.

Behavior

In Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land, regular Gnawties typically move in a single direction, ignoring obstacles until they fall off edges or are stopped by a wall, in which case they begin to walk the opposite direction. Gnawties do not actively chase the Kongs but become threats because they often appear in groups or in tight spaces, forcing players to plan their jumps and rolls carefully. Since they are weak, Gnawties are effective for if Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong want to roll through multiple of them in a row, like Kritters.

Millstone Gnawties ride rolling stones that occupy large portions of the ground and cannot be destroyed. Instead of acting as simple obstacles, they function more like moving hazards that can trap the Kongs in narrow corridors, requiring precise timing and sometimes fast movement to outrun them. In Donkey Kong 64, groups of Gnawties can overwhelm the player's Kong in arena challenges if they are not defeated quickly, especially when they appear in large waves.

Etymology and names

The name "Gnawty" combines the word "gnaw," referring to a beaver’s habit of chewing on wood with its front teeth, and "naughty," capturing the idea of a mischievous or troublesome animal. Boss names like Very Gnawty and Really Gnawty expand on this pun by swapping "naughty" for the species name and adding intensifiers.