Totakeke Slider, more commonly known as K.K. Slider or K.K., is a fictional character within the Animal Crossing franchise. One of the franchise's most popular characters, he debuted in the title Animal Crossing, and has appeared in every installment since. K.K.'s main role is as a musician who performs to the townsfolk, through live performances and purchasable in-game albums. He is based on Nintendo video game voice actor and composer Kazumi Totaka – his Japanese name "Totakeke" being a contraction of "Totaka K." – and has been said to be an animal caricature of Totaka. K.K. Slider has also appeared outside of Animal Crossing several times, such as a costume for the player's Mii fighter in the crossover fighting gamesSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Appearances and role in the series
K.K. Slider was first introduced in the franchise's debut title Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube. His role within the game is as a guitarist who performs songs for the player and townsfolk if requested, and, once finished, gives the player a virtual copy of the song that can be played on a radio in their home. This role remains virtually the same throughout every main series Animal Crossing title with minor changes, up until ', in which he also takes the role of a DJ under the pseudonym DJ K.K. He also has minor roles in ', ' with an amiibo figurine, ', , and in the 2006 filmDōbutsu no Mori. K.K. Slider also opened for a Splatoon concert in Japan in the form of a hologram, and appeared at Nintendo Live in Tokyo. K.K. Slider has also received a costume for the player's Mii Fighter in the crossover fighting gamesSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as well as his own amiibo.
K.K. Slider will appear in the game after the player receives a three star rating in their island. After that, K.K. Slider will appear every Saturday and accept requests for his songs. The first time the player listens to one of his songs, K.K. Slider will slide that song into their pockets - however only one song is received per week.
Reception
named him the second bestAnimal Crossing character. On separate occasions, Kotaku considered the character to be one of the "most awesome video game dog companions" and described him as "the most influential musician of our generation". Nintendo Life wanted K.K. Slider to appear in the then-upcoming video game . Polygon described K.K. Slider as a "fan fave". Thegamer ranked K.K. Slider as their favorite Animal Crossing character and said that "We love K.K. for so many things, including his laid-back persona, boppin' music, and his overall groovy vibes." Softonic.com listed K.K. Slider as one of the "10 coolest dogs in video games". K.K. Slider came in first place in a "popularity poll" by Nintendo Japan.
