DK Coin

DK Coins  (also formatted as DK coins), alternatively named Cranky's Video Game Hero Coins, Cranky Kong's DK Coins, Hero Coins,   DK Hero coins, Donkey Kong Koins, or DK Koins, are collectible items that are golden ring-shaped coins bearing the "DK" emblem. They first appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. DK Coins are generally well-hidden, and their main purpose is to contribute to a game file's completion percentage.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Cranky Kong has hidden the Video Game Hero Coins in each level for Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong to find. Some of the places that they are hidden in include secret passages, as an end-of-level prize (in a couple of levels), or even within a level's Bonus Area. There are 40 Video Game Hero Coins in total. A Video Game Hero Coin symbol appears next to a level's name after Diddy and Dixie find the Video Game Hero Coin in that level.

In the Lost World, Bonus Areas have Video Game Hero Coins instead of Kremkoins. Likewise, the Kongs get a Video Game Hero Coin for completing the final boss level, Krocodile Kore.

When the game is completed, Cranky will tally up all the Video Game Hero Coins that have been collected and will then rank the Kongs on how many they have obtained.

In the Game Boy Advance remake, 28 new Video Game Hero Coins have been added, making for a new grand total of 68 Video Game Hero Coins. Of the original 40 Video Game Hero Coins, 39 are located in the same spots as they are in the SNES version. The only exception is the Krocodile Kore fight, which does not reward the player with a Video Game Hero Coin in this version. The remaining 29 Video Game Hero Coins can be obtained by achieving the following:
 * Beat all the missions at Funky's Flights II (7 Video Game Hero Coins).
 * Get first place in all of the Expresso Racing levels (7 Video Game Hero Coins).
 * Fill out the entire scrapbook that Wrinkly Kong gives the Kongs as homework (15 Video Game Hero Coins).

Donkey Kong Land 2
In Donkey Kong Land 2, Video Game Hero Coins have a similar role as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, as there are a total of 40 Video Game Hero Coins to be found, with one hidden per level, and one obtained after beating Krocodile Kore.

In the 49th issue of the Australian Nintendo Magazine System, one is described as being "Kranky Kong's [sic] prize," even though Cranky does not appear in the game.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, DK Coins make a return. There is one per level, as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, but with one difference: an enemy known as the Koin uses a DK Coin as a shield. The Kongs must defeat the Koin to obtain the DK Coin. To defeat the enemy, the Kongs need to throw a Steel Keg over it, then wait for the barrel to rebound against the wall and hit the Koin. However, some levels do not have a wall to bounce the Steel Barrel off of, so the Kongs must find another way to defeat the Koin.

There are a total of 41 DK Coins in this game. When a DK Coin has been collected in a level, a yellow pennant will appear on top of the Level Flag for that level on the world map.

Only one DK Coin is not guarded by a Koin: it is earned by completing the level Knautilus.

Once the player has found all the DK Coins, they can go over to Funky's Rentals and trade them in for a Gyrocopter, which will allow them to fly around the Northern Kremisphere. This will grant them access to the last three secret caves, which are only accessible by using the Gyrocopter.

In the Game Boy Advance version, there are 46 DK Coins instead, as the game introduces a world named Pacifica consisting of six levels, each with their own Koin. Unlike the original version, Dixie and Kiddy are awarded with Bear Coins for defeating Baron K. Roolenstein at Knautilus instead of a DK Coin.

Donkey Kong Land III
In Donkey Kong Land III, there are 42 DK Coins. A DK Coin is guarded by a Koin in every level, except underwater levels, where they are floating in spinning as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2. Additionally, 6 of the 42 DK Coins are obtained by playing Memory, a card game found in each world's Sheepy Shop which is exclusive to this game. A certain number of Bonus Coins are needed to play this card game. The object of the card game is to match pairs until all pairs are found. There is also a time limit, and the game will end if the player fails to match all the pairs when the time runs out.

DK Coins are used to enter the Lost World after Baron K. Roolenstein is beaten in Tin Can Valley. All DK Coins and Watches need to be found before the last fight with Baron K. Roolenstein.

Related items

 * Coins: These items are from Donkey Kong 64, and depict a red DK logo on a yellow coin. Coins appear in various challenges where a number of them must be collected to obtain a Golden Banana.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

 * Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "These huge DK coins are well hidden. One per level."

Donkey Kong Land 2

 * Virtual Console manual bio: "These are hidden throughout stages."