K.K. Slider
Animal Crossing character
K.K. Slider as featured in promotional art for Animal Crossing: New Horizons
First appearanceDōbutsu no Mori (2001)
Voiced byShun Oguri (Dōbutsu no Mori)
In-universe information
SpeciesDog

Totakeke (Japanese: とたけけ, Hepburn: Totakeke), more commonly known as K.K. Slider or K.K., is a fictional character within the Animal Crossing franchise. One of the franchise's most popular characters,[1] he debuted in the title Animal Crossing, and has appeared in every installment since. K.K.'s main role is as a musician who performs to the townsfolk, through live performances and purchasable in-game albums. He is based on Nintendo video game voice actor and composer Kazumi Totaka – his Japanese nickname "Totakeke" being a contraction of "Totaka K." – and has been said to be an animal caricature of Totaka.[2]

K.K. Slider has also appeared outside of Animal Crossing several times, such as a costume for the player's Mii fighter in the crossover fighting games Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[3][4][5]

Concept and creation

K.K. Slider was created for the 2001 video game Doubutsu no Mori for the Nintendo 64, later released on the Nintendo GameCube as Animal Crossing. K.K. Slider is based on the composer, Kazumi Totaka. His music was composed by various members of the compositional staff across the series; some songs were composed because some members were skilled in a specific genre, while others were composed so they could challenge themselves.[6]

Appearances

K.K. Slider was first introduced in the franchise's debut title Doubutsu no Mori for the Nintendo 64, later released on Nintendo GameCube as Animal Crossing . His role within the game is as a guitarist who performs songs for the player and townsfolk only at a certain time and day each week and, once finished, gives the player a virtual copy of the song that can be played on a radio in their home.[7] This role remains virtually the same throughout every main series Animal Crossing title with minor changes, up until Animal Crossing: New Leaf, in which he also takes the role of a DJ under the pseudonym DJ KK.[8] He also appears in Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Amiibo Festival, Pocket Camp, and New Horizons. In New Horizons, he appears after the player's island has a three-star rating.[9] Four new K.K. songs were added in New Horizons,[9] with 12 additional songs being added in the game's 2.0 update.[10] In the Happy Home Paradise DLC, DJ KK will appear on the main archipelago once the player has constructed thirty homes and designed all five facilities.[11] A concert related to his appearance in the DLC was held in October 2022.[12] K.K. Slider has also received a costume that can be worn by Mii Fighters in the crossover fighting games Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,[3][4][5] as well as his own amiibo.[13]

He appears in the 2006 film Dōbutsu no Mori. In October 2019, K.K. Slider – in the form of a hologram – opened for a Splatoon concert that took place during Nintendo Live in Tokyo, Japan.[14][15]

Reception

K.K. Slider has received generally positive reception, with UGO identifying him as the most famous Animal Crossing character in a 2013 article.[7] K.K. Slider came in first place in a 2019 popularity poll by Nintendo in Japan.[16] Abby Lee Hood of NintendoLife noted him as a breakout character for his music appearing through remixes, social media videos, and TikTok.[17] Kotaku writer Nina Corcoran discussed K.K. Slider's influence, noting that he introduced people to new music genres and that he has inspired multiple people to create covers of his music, as well as covers of other songs in K.K. Slider's style.[18] Polygon described K.K. Slider as a "fan fave".[19] Cameron Faulkner of The Verge considered K.K. Slider his favorite artist of 2020, talking about how much he appreciated him being a "beam of positivity" during 2020, which he considered a difficult year. He felt that the music didn't resonate with him on 3DS, attributing it to the 3DS' smaller speakers, but found it much better on his TV.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Lambie, Ryan (January 22, 2018). "6 Surprising Facts About Nintendo's Animal Crossing". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  2. ↑ Jackson, Kai (May 8, 2013). "Profile: Kazumi Totaka - The Man Behind Animal Crossing's K.K. Slider". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "The Undertale Sans skin and other Smash Ultimate Mii costumes that should be actual fighters". GameRevolution. September 9, 2019. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Whitehead, Thomas (June 1, 2015). "K.K. Slider Hat and Outfit Confirmed as DLC for Super Smash Bros". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Newell, Adam (December 6, 2018). "Here are all the Mii Fighter costumes available in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  6. ↑ Ginsberg, Gab (May 27, 2020). "Inside 'Animal Crossing' Composer Kazumi Totaka's Meticulous Process". Billboard. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "K.K. Slider - Top 20 Animal Crossing characters". UGO.com. December 9, 2009. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  8. ↑ Ishaan (April 29, 2013). "Meet Four Of Animal Crossing: New Leaf's Characters". Siliconera. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Lynn, Lottie (2020-04-20). "Animal Crossing K.K. Slider: how to unlock K.K. Slider concert, get K.K. songs and the complete K.K. song list in New Horizons explained". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  10. ↑ Lee, Julia (2021-11-08). "Animal Crossing: New Horizons K.K. Slider song list, music guide". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  11. ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (2021-11-29). "Animal Crossing Happy Home Paradise's 'ending' is a vibey New Leaf callback". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  12. ↑ Justin (2022-10-13). "Watch Animal Crossing's DJ K.K Concert Performance At Nintendo Live 2022 With Isabelle & More! (Recording)". Animal Crossing World. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  13. ↑ Wallace, Jamie (November 7, 2017). "Jelly Deals: 3 for 2 on amiibo while stock lasts today". Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  14. ↑ Lee, Julia (October 14, 2019). "Hologram K. K. Slider opened for a Splatoon concert in Japan". Polygon. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble get the mascot costume treatment". Nintendo Wire. October 14, 2019. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  16. ↑ "キャラクター人気投票結果発表／上位２０位". www.nintendo.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  17. ↑ "2020's Breakout Star? It Has to be Animal Crossing's K.K. Slider". 9 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Corcoran, Nina. "K.K. Slider Is The Most Influential Musician Of Our Generation". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  19. ↑ Frank, Allegra (October 25, 2017). "Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trades two fan faves for in-game cash". Polygon. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  20. ↑ "My favorite artist of 2020 was Animal Crossing's singing dog". 17 March 2021.
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