Nruff appeared in the 1995 video game called Kirby´s Dream Land 2. Nruff is a large boar with spiky, dark brown fur. Generally, He has a round pink snout (which is changed to tan in later appearances) and pointy little ears. He has slanted eyes and shiny black hooves. In Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Nruff is very large and dwarfs both Kirby and Nelly.
As of Kirby's Dream Land 3, Nruff's appearance was merged with his cohort, Nelly. His newer design consists of the same facial features and overarching appearance, however white stripes were added to his back, his fur is lighter, and is smaller. When Nruff was introduced into the anime, his design was switched back to the old one. This was most likely due to Nelly's re-debut into the series.
Nruff has sharp, silvery-gray tusks in Kirby's Dream Land 2 and the anime, but these tusks are removed in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Kirby's Dream Land 3.