Does the look of the DKC series match the gameplay?

[Zero Kirby]

Oh yeah I don't think Donkey Kong could ever be as big as Mario and that's not what I'm after. I just want people to see him as his own man and not some Mario side-character.

Can't he be both? They're in the same universe, there's no way to completely separate the two and in the cross-over titles, Mario's the one who's going to sell the title, not Donkey Kong.

He gets to be his own character in the Donkey Kong Country games where Mario is only ever vaguely referred to. When him and Mario butt heads though, Mario's gonna be the protagonist. When they play sports together, Mario's gonna be the title character.