of GamingBolt listed Banjo & Kazooie's designs in Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts at fourth in their "Worst Video Game Character Design" list, stating that "If you played Banjo Kazooie and their intermittent sequel, the dynamic duo came across as cute but not overbearingly so. Kazooie's biting wit and Banjo's friendly nature felt just right. So of course, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts had to turn them into more "cutting edge" figures. Kazooie is practically dripping sass while Banjo looks, well, shady. Thanks, Microsoft!" Fan art and numerous fan games featuring the characters have been created over the years. Before being announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Banjo and Kazooie were a popular choice for inclusion in the roster, and were suggested for addition by fans as well as gaming websites, including Screen Rant, IGN, Metro, and Paste. Banjo and Kazooie's popularity has increased, particularly due to the reactions their fans had to their addition to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster. Steve Mayles, a former artist at Rare and the original artist of the characters, said that the addition of the Banjo and Kazooie to the Super Smash Bros. series could end up saving the Banjo-Kazooie series. Mayles also praised the artwork and animation of the duo in Smash Bros. Ultimate, and was surprised by the reception that fans had to the addition of the characters. Cecilia D'Anastasio of Kotaku said that Banjo and Kazooie's appearances in Smash Bros. are puzzling, criticizing their slow moves and lag, and deemed that the characters aren't as good as they seem. Bryce Johnson of Screen Rant put Banjo and Kazooie in eighth on his ranked list of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters. Mitchell Saltzman of IGN praised the design of the characters, saying that it "stays true to their N64 designs while simultaneously making them more expressive than ever." David Lozada of GameRevolution'' claimed that Banjo and Kazooie's reveal was "weird". Various merchandise of the characters has been released, including an amiibo released in 2020, a figure by Totaku, and collectibles and vinyl figures by Youtooz. References Banjo-Kazooie Video game characters introduced in 1998 Fictional duos Animal characters in video games Anthropomorphic video game characters Super Smash Bros. fighters Microsoft protagonists Rare (company) characters