Throughout the ages, many different animal companions have assisted Link on his journey across the land of Hyrule. Some animals form an unbreakable and unconditional bond with Link, such as the wonderful Epona becoming a dear companion to him regardless of the era. Some animals, however, have a more transactional relationship with the hero. One such animal is Kiki the Monkey, a mischievous little monkey who has a history of helping out, but only at a price.
In Link’s Awakening, Kiki is found around Kanalet Castle and is one of many chains in a long trading quest. Though the trading quest extends further after this, Link must, at the very least, complete trading a Banana to Kiki in exchange for building a bridge to Kanalet. Link does get a Stick as well, which he can use to get a Honeycomb later on. Interestingly, if you approach Kiki with BowWow, the chain chomp that helps Link through the swamp, then she will start a fight with it!
While this is the extent of Kiki’s role on Koholint, Link’s Awakening is not the only game in which she appears.
In A Link to the Past, Kiki makes a similar appearance as a roadblock to Link, as he demands a sizeable 100 rupees for passage into to the Dark Palace, a required stop on Link’s journey towards saving Zelda. As a notable detail, it seems the trigger to opening the door to the Palace is a small switch on top of the temple, which Kiki simply flips to open the door.
There isn’t much left to Kiki in his appearance here, though, which leaves one to wonder if he is the same monkey in Link’s Awakening that somehow found its way to Koholint. However, despite their shared name and behavior, as well as their close proximity in appearance on the timeline, this Kiki and the Kiki from Link’s Awakening are completely different.
Kiki brings a level of playfulness and mischief that adds to the atmosphere of the world. I’m personally surprised we haven’t seen Kiki again since the last appearance, as the character is a fun concept that I found very memorable. Even though it was a little frustrating to be arbitrarily stopped by a monkey who demanded something out of you, I believe it brings a level of depth to the world that’s worth the hassle.
