Jinjo

Jinjos (, Jinjo) are recurring allies and collectibles in the franchise.

Origin
Jinjos are magical bird-like creatures that appear prominently throughout the Banjo-Kazooie games. In the original three platforming games, Gruntilda kidnaps the Jinjos from their homes in Jinjo Village and scatters them throughout the worlds of each game, where they are found signaling for Banjo and Kazooie to come for them; rescuing a group of Jinjos rewards the duo with a Jiggy. In Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, this means collecting each of the five different-colored Jinjos in a particular world, whereas in Banjo-Tooie, different-colored Jinjo families come in different sizes and can span multiple worlds, and the duo are required to collect all of a particular color for a Jiggy. The original Banjo-Kazooie introduced five different colors: blue, green, orange, purple, and yellow. Four new colors—white, brown, red, and black—are introduced in Tooie, with a deceased grey family mentioned. Grunty's Revenge, which is set before Kazooie, features the five colors of said original game, as well as the aforementioned grey Jinjos.

In the original Banjo-Kazooie, in addition to their collectible status, Jinjos play a key role in the final boss battle against Gruntilda. In the penultimate phase of the fight, she casts a shield that grants her immunity to all of Banjo and Kazooie's attacks. Four Jinjo statues then rise from the ground, with each one summoning a Jinjo when activated via Kazooie's eggs; these Jinjos then attack Gruntilda and eventually destroy her broom. After this, a single, large Jinjo statue rises, dubbing itself "The Mighty Jinjonator." Once the Jinjonator is activated, the four previously summoned Jinjos are absorbed by it, and it proceeds to ram into Gruntilda multiple times, eventually knocking her off of her tower; she is then sealed underground by a falling boulder.

Banjo-Tooie introduces Minjos, the arch-enemies of the Jinjos, who serve as identical-looking impostors that attack Banjo and Kazooie if they come close. Also introduced is King Jingaling, the king of the Jinjo Village, who tasks Banjo and Kazooie with rescuing each of the Jinjo families before Gruntilda turns him into a zombie using the Big-O'-Blaster. The game also includes a Jinjo as a selectable character for the first-person shooter multiplayer mode, who is very small and fast but has minimal health.

In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Jinjos are found throughout the game's worlds on their own will, rather than as a result of Gruntilda. They challenge Banjo and Kazooie to various vehicle-based challenges, such as going over a set speed, racing the Jinjo, or retrieving an object that the Jinjo has lost; these challenges then reward the duo with a Jinjo Token, with a color corresponding to that of the Jinjo, that can be used to win vehicle parts and Musical Notes in King Jingaling's Jinjo Bingo. Additionally, in the game's hub world, six prison cells that are supposed to contain Minjos instead have innocent Jinjos that were swapped out by Gruntilda, whom Banjo and Kazooie must rescue.

In Banjo-Pilot, a purple Jinjo is a playable racer as one of the four starter racers. It has very low top speed, but good acceleration and handling. Additionally, an unlockable Jinjo GP mode pits the player against seven randomly-colored Jinjos.

As a moveset element
's Final Smash in Ultimate summons The Mighty Jinjonator, who is powered by four Jinjos - one purple, one orange, one green, and one yellow - as it is in Banjo-Kazooie. After being summoned, the Jinjonator rams into the opponents multiple times before dealing one final blow. The other four Jinjos from the boss fight are also seen flying towards the opponents.

As a background character
Jinjos make a cameo as background characters in the Spiral Mountain stage. Groups of Jinjos fly around the mountain in circular patterns, leaving a colored trail behind them as they fly.

Spirit
Jinjos also appear as two different primary spirits in the Banjo-Kazooie Spirit Board.

Jinjos use an army of puppet fighters and is fought on the Summit stage's Ω form. During the battle, a Giant Mr. Game & Watch puppet fighter appears after the Mr. Game & Watch Team is KO'd, referencing how the Jinjos combine into The Mighty Jinjonator. Also, the Mr. Game & Watch puppet fighters deals damage by dashing into the player's fighter, referencing the final boss battle against Gruntilda in Banjo-Kazooie in which the Jinjos assist in defeating Gruntilda by ramming into her protective shield.

The Mighty Jinjonator can be obtained by enhancing the Jinjos spirit at level 99.