The Mighty Jinjonator

The Jinjonator first appears as a huge stone Jinjo standing above a square base in the centre of the rooftop arena. His spoken introduction uses a normal blue-Jinjo portrait, but the awakened figure is much larger than the other Jinjos and has glowing red eyes. The stone exterior breaks away when he is activated, revealing the living blue character inside. Four smaller Jinjos fly into him before he begins the final assault. During conversation he uses the familiar Jinjo speech style, while his final cry is a much deeper, drawn-out call. His imposing size, red eyes and powerful charge distinguish him from the smaller allies who have just helped the heroes.

The Jinjonator is encountered late in the final confrontation at the top of Gruntilda’s lair. First complete Grunty’s Furnace Fun, return through the upper lair and open the 810-Note Door. Completing the final twenty-five-piece Gruntilda picture opens the room containing Dingpot; normal progression requires ninety-four Jiggies earned to reach this point. Jump into the cauldron when prepared to be launched onto the roof. Extra supply doors and the optional four-Jiggy energy upgrade behind the 882-Note Door can make the fight easier, but they are preparation rather than the Jinjonator’s activation mechanism. His arrival follows the earlier combat against Gruntilda and the smaller Jinjo statues.

After Gruntilda’s aerial fighting phase, she protects herself with a magical barrier and four smaller stone Jinjos appear around the arena. Fire three Blue Eggs into the opening in a statue’s base to awaken its Jinjo. Each freed ally flies into the witch, weakening her position while she continues to attack. The four allies are orange, green, pink and yellow. Activating all four takes twelve successful egg shots and ends with Gruntilda losing her broomstick. The larger Jinjonator then rises in the centre and makes his own request to be activated. His four-sided base begins a new feeding stage, with a different requirement from the small statues.

There is one opening on each of the Jinjonator’s four sides. Fire five Blue Eggs into each opening, for twenty successful shots in total. A completed opening closes, providing a clear indication that this side no longer needs eggs. Move around to the remaining sides and continue until all four are filled. Keep extra ammunition available for misses, and stop shooting at a hole once it has shut. The requirement is five eggs per opening, following the earlier three-per-statue stage. When the final opening is completed, the stone shell breaks and the battle passes into the Jinjonator’s attack sequence without requiring the player to steer him.

Gruntilda continues firing spells while Banjo and Kazooie are trying to awaken their ally. Keep moving through the fireballs, watch for her homing spell and use Wonderwing when needed to absorb an attack safely. This consumes Golden Feathers, so leave enough for the difficult homing shots rather than spending the entire supply at once. Her pause after a volley gives an opportunity to stop, aim at an unfinished opening and fire several eggs. Resume moving as her next attack starts, then return to another opening during the next gap. Work around the base in a consistent direction so it is easy to remember which sides have already closed. Completing the twenty hits safely matters more than trying to finish every side without moving.

Once awake, the Jinjonator receives the four smaller Jinjos and attacks Gruntilda repeatedly. Coloured bursts accompany the impacts as he drives the witch backwards through a ten-hit assault. Before the finishing charge, he pauses and bellows his deep Jinjo cry, then strikes hard enough to send her off the tower. Gruntilda attempts one final spell as she falls, but it misses Banjo and Kazooie. Her impact leaves a crater at the foot of the lair, and a fallen boulder traps her beneath it while Klungo tries to help. This is the outcome of the Jinjonator’s intervention, completing the fight after the heroes have awakened him. In the Xbox version, defeating Gruntilda with his help also earns the twenty-Gamerscore achievement Jinjonatored.

The Jinjonator returned in 2019 in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the centrepiece of Banjo and Kazooie’s Final Smash. The pair summon his stone statue directly in front of them, and the first opponent struck is pulled into a cinematic attack. The Jinjonator bursts free, is empowered by four Jinjos and repeatedly rams the trapped fighter before the finishing charge launches the opponent away. Only one fighter joins the cinematic, although other opponents can be struck by the initial statue. If the statue misses everyone, the attack does not advance to the cinematic. Positioning therefore matters before activating it. The move recreates the original alliance and awakening in a short attack, with the heroes calling on the giant without refilling four egg openings.

The Jinjonator is also spirit number 1,342 in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He is a Neutral primary spirit with an Ace, or three-star, rating and two slots for support spirits. The starting Jinjos spirit can be won through Banjo and Kazooie’s DLC Spirit Board. Raise this primary spirit, number 1,341, to level 99 and choose to enhance it to obtain the Jinjonator. His Giant skill makes the equipped fighter larger temporarily at the beginning of a battle, reflecting the character’s much greater size. The spirit’s power can reach 10,441 as it is trained. This representation sits alongside his role in the Final Smash, allowing the character to contribute both through a spirit setup and through the heroes’ signature finishing attack.