Editing Donkey Kong (SSB4)

|name = Donkey Kong

|image = [[File:Donkey Kong SSB4.png|250px]]

|game = SSB4

|ssbgame1 = SSB

|ssbgame2 = SSBM

|ssbgame3 = SSBB

'''Donkey Kong''' ({{ja|ドンキーコング|Donkī Kongu}}, ''Donkey Kong'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. His return to the series was announced during the [[Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3]] [[Nintendo Direct]] on June 11th, 2013.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13D1I5s236o Nintendo Direct@E3 2013]</ref> Donkey Kong uses realistic gorilla grunts and roars like in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', although he now has updated voice clips, instead of being voiced by Takashi Nagasako.

Donkey Kong ranks 22nd out of 54 on the [[tier list]], placing him in the C tier. This is also a moderate improvement from Donkey Kong's mid tier placement in ''Brawl'', where he was ranked 21st out of 38, and is his best placement in the series to date.

Donkey Kong retains his outstanding power, deceptively fast mobility, and great [[spacing]] options, but has also been improved both directly and indirectly. Donkey Kong now boasts great combo potential thanks to his "cargo up throw", which has been re-purposed into a very reliable combo starter that boasts guaranteed and extremely damaging follow-ups at varying percentages, alongside [[Combos#Types of combos|KO confirm]]s into his up aerial at a wide range of percents. Changes to game mechanics have also improved DK: the removal of both [[chain grab]]bing and [[edge-hogging]] drastically improve his endurance and recovery, respectively, whereas [[rage]] supplements his power, granting him an effective advantage state.

However, Donkey Kong retains many of his flaws from ''Brawl''. His large hurtbox has become even larger, making him even more susceptible to combos than before. In addition, he remains very susceptible to [[edge-guarding]] because of his [[recovery]]'s poor vertical distance and safety, alongside his ineffective ledge options. Finally, many of Donkey Kong's moves are surprisingly unsafe on hit at very low percentages, and he has major issues dealing with crossups or spaced aerials on shield due to his slow out of shield options.

As the second heaviest character in the game, Donkey Kong is a [[Weight|super heavyweight]], as expected. However, despite his weight, he sports surprisingly excellent mobility and frame data, making him a non-traditional heavy character. He has the 9th fastest [[walk]]ing and [[air speed|air]] speeds, the 22nd fastest [[dash]]ing speed, and above average [[falling speed]], but in contrast has below average [[gravity]] and [[traction]], as well as moderately slow [[air acceleration]]. His large size also gives his attacks a respectable amount of physical [[range]], but at the expense of making him easier to hit and combo.

As expected, Donkey Kong's greatest asset is his power. In typical heavyweight fashion, Donkey Kong has a plethora of reliable kill moves (his [[sweetspot]]ted up tilt, smash attacks and aerials, regular back throw, [[Giant Punch]], and grounded [[Spinning Kong]] being the best examples) and excellent endurance thanks to his extremely high weight and above average falling speed. However, his fast mobility and frame data gives him an effective approach and makes it easier to land his attacks, which is further complemented by his above average reach. Conversely, his moves that lack KO potential are effective for set-ups, thanks to their high speed, low knockback, and favorable launch angles. Thanks to these attributes, Donkey Kong can rack up damage and KO his opponents not only quickly, but safely compared to most heavyweights. Donkey Kong also has the second best vertical and horizontal endurance in the game, being surpassed by only {{SSB4|King Dedede}} vertically and {{SSB4|Bowser}} horizontally.

Donkey Kong's grounded moveset is very useful; his neutral attack can be [[jab cancel]]ed for follow-ups, and can jab lock, as well as being able to set up into grab, his forward tilt is great for spacing, as it has long range and is intangible, his up tilt is a decent combo starter at low percentages, and his down tilt has incredible speed and can trip opponents, making it ideal for starting or extending combos. All of his smash attacks pack incredible power and have very long ranges, while not being particularly slow either. To complement his ground game, Donkey Kong's aerial game is extremely effective. His forward and down aerials can [[meteor smash]] and can effectively finish off his combos or his opponents, thanks to their high power. His neutral aerial is very quick and can lead into follow-ups, or it can be used to give Donkey Kong some space. His up aerial launches opponents upwards, making it great for combos and KOing. His back aerial is long-ranged, has a long-lasting hitbox, and can be used to [[edge-guard]] opponents. The last three aerials can also [[auto-cancel]] in a [[short hop]], further demonstrating their utility. Finally, Donkey Kong's fast air speed allows him to easily pursue opponents in the air.

Donkey Kong's special moveset has a lot of utility. [[Giant Punch]] is a deadly KO move, and a fully charged one has [[super armor]], making it difficult to interrupt. [[Headbutt]] can [[bury]] opponents, leaving them exposed to any move. It also does strong [[shield damage]], threatening attempts to block the move. [[Hand Slap]] has very long range and allows for stage control, but since it is a quake move, it has no effect on aerial opponents when it is performed on the ground. However, an aerial Hand Slap is now capable of meteor smashing and is not only fairly easy to land, but it is an effective one as well.

Finally, [[Spinning Kong]] can be used as an [[out of shield]] option, thanks to its super armor and high damage output. As a recovery, it lets Donkey Kong move horizontally quickly and for a long time, giving him a very long horizontal [[recovery]]. Spinning Kong also retains its ability from ''Brawl'' to completely negate all momentum, against both horizontal and vertical knockback however, this is considered impractical and nearly impossible to utilize due to the changes to [[hitstun canceling]].

Despite these advantages, Donkey Kong has noticeable flaws. His most notable flaw is his poor defensive game. Although his large size gives him high reach, it also makes him very easy to hit, which is further exacerbated by the fact that he has a tie hurtbox. While his out of shield game is strong, Donkey Kong's shield itself is rather poor, due to it being unusually small for a character of his size (like {{SSB4|Ganondorf}}), making him heavily vulnerable to [[shield stab]]bing. His [[roll]]s and [[edge recovery]] options are also very slow. With all of this working against him, Donkey Kong is heavily vulnerable to combos and [[juggling]], worsened by his lack of combo breakers (due to his polarizing aerials) and lack of good dodging options outside of aerial maneuvering.

Chopper Kong does no damage and grants less horizontal distance, but covers more vertical distance, enabling Donkey Kong to survive meteor smashes more effectively. Storm Punch has a push effect, and is very effective for edge-guarding and spacing. Lightning Punch charges much faster, giving Donkey Kong a more readily available KO option in case his moveset can't get the job done. However, it deals less damage, more so than Storm Punch. Jumping Headbutt has more vertical range and a hitbox during most of its descent, making it a good alternative to [[fast falling]], but at the cost of being unable to properly bury opponents. Stubborn Headbutt eschews its role as a pressure move due to its slower start-up. However, it has higher power and grants him super armor throughout its duration, protecting Donkey Kong from any attack. Focused Slap and Hot Slap sacrifice range for [[Paralyze|paralysis]] and vertical range, respectively. Both are also potent KOing options, with the latter having high diagonal knockback, and the former having extremely high vertical knockback.

==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

Donkey Kong has seen a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4'', but was noticeably buffed overall. As for his buffs, the most noticeable improvement has been to his overall speed. His already solid movement speed has also been greatly increased although this is the case for a majority of returning veterans. Donkey Kong has received some new attacks which help him out overall including a new dash attack which covers much more distance and has much less ending lag and an aerial variant of [[Hand Slap]] which gives him a new landing option and edgeguarding tool. He also has additional [[intangibility]] on a variety of his moves. His grab game is significantly more effective as his grabs have more range and his dash grab is less laggy. All variants of his Cargo Throw have been altered and improved but the most significant variant of Cargo Throw which was improved was his up throw. His Cargo up throw has altered knockback which when combined with the removal of [[hitstun canceling]] and the changes to [[DI]], gives it much better combo potential and at certain percents, it can lead into an up aerial for a guaranteed kill at very low percents especially with [[rage]]. Donkey Kong has received many benefits from the game's new mechanics. Donkey Kong heavily benefits from the introduction of [[rage]] as his increased [[weight]] enables him to live for a long period of time and build up rage, which makes his already solid power becoming even more effective and allows his "Ding Dong" (Cargo up throw up aerial) to kill opponents at obscenely early percents. Donkey Kong also benefits from the removal of [[chain grab]]bing as it improves his endurance against certain characters although he lost a couple of chain grabs of his own. Finally, DK benefits considerably from the removal of edge hogging and the introduction of edge stealing, which prevents his poor vertical recovery from being edge-hogged.

Donkey Kong did receive a few noticeable nerfs both direct and indirect. As for indirect nerfs, the weakening to hitstun canceling does not benefit him as much as other characters. It does not grant him much better combo ability and it makes him much easier to combo combined with his higher weight, falling speed and gravity and it significantly hinders his endurance especially horizontally although it combined with his altered Cargo up throw gives him incredible followup potential including his "Ding Dong" (which greatly makes up for the removal of hitstun canceling). The removal of [[glide toss]]ing and [[edge momentum shifting]] also hinder his mobility in certain situations. As for his direct nerfs, his overall damage output and KO power outside of his "Ding Dong" and rage have been reduced and he has less range especially when relative to the cast hindering his ability to wall out opponents and making it easier for his opponents to approach him.

 

Overall, the general changes to ''Smash 4''{{'}}s mechanics benefit him more than they hinder and some of his buffs benefit him quite a bit resulting in him being considered to be more viable than he was in ''Brawl'' despite the various downgrades his ground moves and aerials received. He was initially considered to be much worse in earlier versions of the game although update [[1.1.0]] gave him multiple beneficial changes most notably his "Ding Dong" resulting in players having a much higher opinion of him with most professionals consider him being a high tier character.

*{{change|Due to the aesthetic used in ''Smash 4'', Donkey Kong's skin is sleeker, his tie is more vibrant, and his fur is of a significantly higher visual quality than in ''Brawl''. His teeth are also white instead of straw yellow. Altogether, these changes make Donkey Kong appear virtually identical to his appearance as of ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country Returns}}''.}}

*{{change|Donkey Kong has received two new [[alternate costume]]s.}}

*{{change|Aside from his down taunt's voice clip, Donkey Kong's other voice clips have been updated yet again.}}

*{{buff|Donkey Kong [[walk]]s slightly faster (1.2 → 1.3).}}

*{{buff|Donkey Kong [[dash]]es slightly faster (1.622 → 1.7031).}}

*{{buff|Donkey Kong is considerably [[weight|heavier]] (116 → 122), improving his endurance.}}

*{{change|Donkey Kong [[Falling speed|falls]] slightly faster (1.58 → 1.63), although relative to the cast, it has gone from the 10th highest out of 39 characters to the 22nd highest out of 58. This slightly improves his vertical endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos, compounded by his higher weight and gravity.}}

*{{change|Donkey Kong's [[gravity]] is slightly higher (0.081 → 0.08505).}}

*{{buff|Donkey Kong's [[fast fall]]ing speed is higher (2.212 → 2.608).}}

*{{buff|Donkey Kong's [[shield]] is larger (11.6u → 12.9u), with it now fully covering Donkey Kong while it is at full health.}}

*{{nerf|Donkey Kong's [[Grab release#Ground release|ground release]] animation is considerably longer (FAF 21 → 30), now matching the rest of the cast. This means that Donkey Kong can no longer get a guaranteed punish on his opponent if he breaks out of their grab.}}

*{{change|The changes to [[hitstun canceling]] both help and hinder Donkey Kong. They significantly improve his own combo potential, but drastically worsens his survivavility(considering his strong momentum canceling previously) and makes him more susceptible to combos.}}

*{{buff|The removal of [[chain grab]]bing significantly improves Donkey Kong's endurance in certain matchups, while not significantly impacting his own grab game.}}

*{{change|The removal of [[meteor canceling]] serves as a double edged sword for Donkey Kong. It significantly improves the reliability of his own [[meteor smash]] moves, but makes him significantly more vulnerable to opposing meteor smashes considering his large size and poor vertical recovery.}}

*{{nerf|Spot dodge has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 2-23 → 4-19).}}

**{{change|One of neutral attack's first hit's body hitboxes has altered knockback (0 (base), 100 (scaling) → 35/25) and its angle has been altered ([[Sakurai angle|361°]] → 110°). This makes it connect together better with its second hit but removes its ability to lock.}}

***{{nerf|However, this hinders its jab canceling potential at higher percents no longer being able to reliably lead into a down smash at realistic percents.}}

**{{nerf|Neutral attack's first and second hit have shorter durations (frames 5-7 → 5-6 (first hit), frames 6-11 → 6-7 (second hit)).}}

**{{change|Neutral attack's animation has slightly changed. Donkey Kong now turns farther inward when throwing the [[wikipedia:hook (boxing)|hook]].}}

**{{nerf|Upward angled forward tilt deals 1% less damage (12% → 11%) and has less intangibility (frames 8-37 → 7-11).}}

**{{buff|Donkey Kong's arm is now intangible when performing down tilt.}}

**{{change|Down tilt deals less damage (8% → 7% (arm)/6% (hand)). This allows it to [[lock]] and [[trip]] for longer, but hinders its damage racking and spacing potential.}}

**{{buff|Donkey Kong has a new dash attack, the {{s|mariowiki|Roll Attack}} based on his main attack from "Donkey Kong Country". Compared to the previous dash attack, it covers much more distance, has a longer duration (frames 9-20 → 9-24), and less ending lag (FAF 55 → 42) making it safer and greatly improving its approach potential. The clean hit also deals more knockback (100 (base), 20 (scaling) → 85/53) and the late hit no longer has set knockback (120 (set), 100 (scaling) → 60 (base)/65).}}

**{{nerf|Dash attack deals 1% less damage (11% (clean)/9% (late) → 10%/8%).}}

*{{buff|All smash attacks now have [[transcendent priority]], improving their reliability.}}

**{{nerf|However, this also prevents them from cancelling out projectiles.}}

**{{nerf|Up smash has decreased knockback (40 (base), 93 (scaling) → 30/83), hindering its KO potential. Its hitbox is also smaller (9.5u → 8.8u/7u).}}

**{{buff|Down smash has received hitboxes at the tips of Donkey Kong's fists that deal 18%, improving its safety and slightly increasing its overall duration.}}

**{{nerf|Down smash has decreased knockback scaling (100 → 88) and the new sweetspots also have lower base knockback (35 → 30) hindering its KO potential. Its arms and fists' hitboxes are smaller (7u → 4u/6u).}}

**{{change|Down smash's angles have been altered (115°/98° → 70°, 55°/82°).}}

**{{buff|Neutral aerial [[auto-cancel]]s earlier (frame 39 → 27).}}

**{{nerf|It has increased landing lag (15 frames → 17).}}

**{{buff|Forward aerial has a new animation which decreases its start-up lag (frame 25 → 18), ending lag (FAF 60 → 56), and makes it auto-cancel/grab ledges earlier (frame 60 → 56).}}

**{{buff|It has slightly decreased landing lag (30 frames → 29).}}

**{{buff|The late sweetspot has higher knockback scaling (85 → 100) improving its KO potential.}}

**{{change|The early hit has a longer duration (frames 25-26 → 18-20) but the late hit has a shorter duration (frames 27-29 → 21-22).}}

**{{nerf|Its late hit deals less damage (16% → 15% (clean)/13% (late)), and the early hit and late sourspot deal less knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 30/85 (early), 50/85 → 30/100 (late)).}}

**{{nerf|It has smaller hitboxes (6u/6u/4u/4u → 5.5u/4.5u (early), 7u/7u/4u/4u → 6u/5u (late)).}}

**{{nerf|It no longer has hitboxes which deal extra shield damage (0 (hand/arm)/1 (shoulder) → 0 (all)).}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial has decreased knockback scaling (100 → 97) and has smaller hitboxes (7.6u/6u/6u → 7u/5u/5u (clean), 7u/5u/5u → 6u/4u/4u (late)), hindering its KO and spacing potential.}}

**{{nerf|It has has increased landing lag (15 frames → 18).}}

**{{buff|Up aerial has more duration. (frame 6-9 → frame 6-10)}}

**{{nerf|It deals 1% less damage (14% → 13%), hindering its KO potential.}}

**{{nerf|It has a smaller hitbox (8u → 7.5u).}}

**{{nerf|It has increased landing lag (22 frames → 25).}}

**{{buff|Down aerial has decreased start-up lag (frame 18 → 14) and landing lag (31 frames → 24).}}

**{{change|Due to its angle being altered (270° → 361°), the sourspot is no longer a [[meteor smash]].}}

**{{nerf|The sweetspot has decreased base knockback (38 → 30).}}

*{{change|Grabs' have new animations. Instead of clenching both of his hands to grab his opponent, Donkey Kong now reaches out with one hand and grabs.}}

**{{nerf|In the case of pivot grab, this results in it losing its disjoint, despite having more lateral range.}}

*{{nerf|Standing grab has more ending lag (FAF 30 → 31).}}

*{{buff|Dash grab has less ending lag (FAF 50 → 39).}}

*{{nerf|Pivot grab has more startup lag (frame 10 → 11) with its total duration subsequently increased (FAF 36 → 37).}}

*{{nerf|Grabs have smaller grabboxes (6.24u/5.376u → 5.8u (standing/pivot), 6.24u/5.28u/4.32u → 4.6u (dash)),}}

*{{nerf|Standing grab does not extend as far away from Donkey Kong (z offset: 15u → 13.7u) which along with its smaller size, gives it less range.}}

**{{buff|However, it does overall have slightly more range close to Donkey Kong due to its larger size in comparison to its previous near grabbox.}}

*{{buff|Dash and Pivot grab extend further away from Donkey Kong (z offset: 9 (dash)/-19 (pivot) → z stretch: 17/-24.5), giving them significantly more range.}}

*{{buff|Standing and Pivot grabs extend further close to Donkey Kong (z offset: 7 (standing)/-8 (pivot) → 4/-4), giving them more range inside of him.}}

*{{nerf|Dash grab does not extend as far close to Donkey Kong (z offset: -1.6 → 4), giving it less range inside of him.}}

**{{nerf|Pummel deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%).}}

***{{buff|Cargo forward throw deals 2% more damage (8% → 10%).}}

***{{buff|Cargo back throw deals 4% more damage (8% → 12%), and has increased knockback (80 (base), 50 (scaling) → 70/80).}}

***{{change|Cargo back throw's angle has been altered (55° → 72°). This improves its KO potential near the upper blast line, but significantly hinders its [[stage spike]] potential.}}

**{{buff|Cargo up throw deals 3% more damage (7% → 10%), with altered knockback (90 (base), 30 (scaling) → 58/52) and Donkey releases opponents slightly later (frame 14 → 15). These changes combined with the removal of hitstun canceling grant it combo potential at low to high percentages with it leading into an up aerial at certain percents for a kill confirm.}}

***{{buff|Cargo down throw deals 1% more damage (6% → 7%), and knockback (65 (base), 26 (scaling) → 50/80) improving its KO and stage spike potential.}}

***{{change|Cargo down throw's angle has also been altered (28° → 48°).}}

***{{nerf|Donkey Kong releases opponents from cargo down throw later (frame 16 → 17) but it has more ending lag (FAF 40 → 45). When combined with its increased knockback, this significantly hinders its chain grabbing potential at a wall.}}

**{{change|Down throw's animation has changed.}}

**{{nerf|Down throw releases the opponent much sooner (frame 41 → 24) without compensation on its interruptibility. While this makes down throw harder to DI at higher percents, this significantly hinders its followup potential at lower percents which is further exacerbated by the removal of chain grabbing hindering down throw's damage racking potential.}}

**{{nerf|Donkey Kong has a new edge attack, a [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Forearm club|forearm club]]. Compared to the previous fast edge attack, It has much more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 9-16 → 23-25) and has less range.}}

***{{buff|However, its total duration was only increased by one frame (FAF 55 → 56) giving it less ending lag.}}

*[[Giant Punch]]:

**{{buff|Grounded fully charged Giant Punch has increased super [[armor]] frames (frames 17-20 → 11-20).}}

**{{buff|Giant Punch now has transcendent priority, improving its reliability.}}

***{{nerf|However, this also removes its ability to cancel out projectiles.}}

**{{buff|The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve fully charged Giant Punch's shield pressuring potential despite no longer dealing extra shield damage (2 → 0).}}

**{{nerf|Giant Punch takes longer to fully charge (127 frames → 144) and has increased ending lag (FAF 53 (ground), 46 (air) → 63 (both) (uncharged), FAF 46 (both) → 48 (ground), 63 (aerial) (fully charged)).}}

**{{nerf|The early hit was removed for grounded fully charged Giant Punch increasing its startup lag (frame 18 → 19).}}

**{{nerf|Giant Punch has a shorter duration (frames 18-22 → 18-20 (uncharged/aerial fully charged), 19-20 (grounded fully charged)).}}

**{{nerf|Giant Punch grants less intangibility to DK's arm (frames 4-22 → 4-20).}}

**{{change|Giant Punch's wind-up is lower pitched.}}

**{{nerf|Aerial clean Headbutt deals 4% less damage (14% → 10%), its meteor smash hitbox is more difficult to land and it barely stalls Donkey Kong's descent, significantly hindering its recovery potential. The removal of [[edge momentum shifting]] also hinders its utility.}}

**{{nerf|Headbutt has increased ending lag (FAF 60 → 64).}}

*[[Spinning Kong]]:

**{{buff|Grounded Spinning Kong's first hit deals more damage (5% (arms)/4% (body) → 7%). Additionally, due to their angles being altered (361° → 20°/180°), its loop hits connect together better. Lastly, it has increased super armor frames (frames 10-16 → 8-17).}}

**{{nerf|Grounded Spinning Kong's loop hits deal 1.7% less damage (3% → 1.3%) significantly reducing its maximum damage potential (35% → 18%).}}

**{{nerf|If DK lands with aerial Spinning Kong before he goes into free fall, it will no longer auto-cancel on landing but instead, DK will go through his grounded Spinning Kong ending lag animation making it significantly easier to punish on landing.}}

**{{change|Grounded Spinning Kong's animation has changed. Donkey Kong now performs a series of [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Clothesline|discus clotheslines]] and [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Spinning back fist|spinning backfists]] before striking a flexing pose upon finishing.}}

***{{buff|This new animation lengthens its duration (frames 19-56 → 19-62) and improves its vertical range.}}

***{{nerf|However, the new animation is longer without full compensation on its interruptibility (FAF 85 → 93). The move's longer duration also fails to compensate for its increased ending lag.}}

*[[Hand Slap]]:

**{{buff|Hand Slap can now be used in midair, with its second hit being a meteor smash. These changes grant it edge-guarding potential and give Donkey Kong an extra aerial attack.}}

**{{buff|The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve Hand Slap's shield pressuring potential.}}

**{{nerf|Hand Slap has increased ending lag (21 frames → 35) hindering its use as a spacing tool.}}

*[[Konga Beat]]:

**{{buff|Konga Beat's visual effects have changed. It is now accompanied by a bar that indicates when to press the special button in rhythm with the beat, similarly to the display in ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Konga}}''. This significantly improves its reliability.}}

**{{change|Konga Beat's animation has slightly changed. If Donkey Kong performs all of its button presses with the correct timing, he will strike a thumbs up pose at its conclusion.}}

Donkey Kong has been significantly buffed overall via game updates. Update [[1.0.6]] saw Giant Punch's charging time decreased, whereas update [[1.0.8]] buffed the damage outputs of all variations of his cargo throw, which helped his initially weakened grab game. Update [[1.1.0]] gave DK his most useful buff, however, by altering cargo up throw's knockback to the point of effectively being re-purposing into a very useful combo starter into his aerials, most notably up aerial. Thanks to this new combo, which has been nicknamed the "Ding Dong", Donkey Kong now boasts as a potential [[Combo#Types of combos|KO confirm]], much like how {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}} did with his "Hoo Hah" combo. Outside of this, update 1.1.0 also made his dash attack faster and increased its duration.

*{{buff|Cargo down throw's animation slightly changed. Donkey Kong now hops while performing it, stalling him in the air. This new animation allows Donkey Kong to go off-stage, use it and then more safely recover back to the stage, regardless of whether or not it was used to stage spike an opponent.}}

|neutralname=Jab ({{ja|ジャブ|Jyabu}}) / Upper ({{ja|アッパー|Appā}})

|ftiltname=Kongo Backhand ({{ja|コンゴバックハンド|Kongo Bakkuhando}})

|utiltname=Spiderweb Sweep ({{ja|くもの巣はらい|Kumo no Su Harai}})

|utiltdesc=An overhead arcing swipe. It has a very reliable range and deals more damage and knockback if the target is hit near DK's shoulder.

|dtiltname=Slouch Slap ({{ja|ロースラップ|Rō Surappu}}, ''Low Slap'')

|dashname=Rolling Attack ({{ja|ローリングアタック|Rōringu Atakku}})

|dashdesc=The {{s|mariowiki|Roll Attack}}, his signature attack from ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country}}''. It deals less damage towards its end.

|fsmashname=Dyna Clap ({{ja|ダイナクラップ|Daina Kurappu}})

|usmashname=Jumbo Press ({{ja|ジャンボプレス|Janbo Puresu}})

|usmashdesc=An overhead clap. Unlike other up smashes, it does not launch opponents into the main hitbox, making it somewhat problematic to land if the opponent is not airborne or incredibly close to him. However, it can be effective if used beneath a platform. KOs at 102% and 63% uncharged. At full rage, it is slightly more powerful than his Brawl up smash. Donkey Kong's head and arms are intangible while the hitboxes are out.

|dsmashname=Twin Beat ({{ja|ツインビート|Tsuin Bīto}})

|nairname=Donkey Lariat ({{ja|ドンキーラリアット|Donkī Rariatto}})

|fairname=Hammer Knuckle ({{ja|ハンマーナックル|Hanmā Nakkuru}})

|fairdesc=A [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Double axe handle|double axe handle]]. If [[sweetspot]]ted, the opponent is [[meteor smash]]ed. Like many other moves, its early hitbox is weaker than its meteor smash hitbox, to the point that it is even weaker than the late sourspot despite dealing more damage. However, the early hitbox launches opponents away by dealing extreme horizontal knockback, making it more effective for KOing horizontally. It appears similar to his midair attack from ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong 64}}'', which itself was inspired by this attack due to ''SSB'' debuting before ''Donkey Kong 64''.

|bairname=Kong Rocket ({{ja|コングロケット|Kongu Roketto}})

|uairname=Air Headbutt ({{ja|エアヘッドバット|Ea Heddobatto}})

|dairname=Air Stampede ({{ja|エアスタンピード|Ea Sutanpīdo}})

|grabname=Grab ({{ja|つかみ|Tsukami}})

|pummelname=Grab Chop ({{ja|つかみチョップ|Tsukami Choppu}})

|fthrowname=Kong Karry ({{ja|リフティング|Rifutingu}}, ''Lifting'')

|bthrowname=Reverse Throw ({{ja|反転投げ|Hanten Nage}})

|uthrowname=Coconut Toss ({{ja|ココナッツトス|Kokonattsu Tosu}})

|uthrowdesc=Heaves the opponent upward with one arm.

|dthrowname=Bottom Shoot ({{ja|ボトムシュート|Botomu Shūto}})

|nsdefdmg=10% (uncharged/one wind-up), +2% (per wind-up), 28% (tenth wind-up/fully charged grounded), 25% (tenth wind-up/fully charged aerial)

|nsdefdesc=A wind-up punch which fully charges after ten wind-ups, with an eleventh wind-up letting DK store the maxed charge. A fully-charged punch deals excellent damage, grants super armor, and is overall faster than if used uncharged. Its charge can [[charge cancel]]ed and saved sooner, and chosen when to be released. DK will be rendered [[helpless]] if he uses it in midair.

|nsc1dmg=12% (uncharged), 16% (five wind-ups), 15% (fully charged, six wind-ups), 8% (uncharged aerial) (all punches become 2% weaker from farther away)

|ssdefdesc=A headbutt. The move [[Bury|buries]] the opponent, who will remain submerged longer the more damage they’ve taken. The aerial version will [[meteor smash]] the opponent if they are hit by its [[sweetspot]]. Unlike in ''Brawl'', it will not stall DK in the air. It has a deceptively large range and high shield damage, so full power shields will barely manage to avoid breaking against this move.

|usdefdesc=Rapidly spins around, trapping opponents and damaging them with a series of [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Clothesline|discus clotheslines]] and [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Spinning back fist|spinning backfists]] before launching them. If used in the air, it grants invincibility from frames 3-6, and its initial hitbox deals moderate knockback, making it a good edgeguarding tool. It also serves as an excellent horizontal recovery, but it grants poor vertical recovery. If used on the ground, it grants [[super armor]] at the very start and Donkey Kong spins slower at an angle with more vertical range, making it a decent [[out of shield]] option.

|usc1desc=DK quickly rises vertically, even when used on the ground. DK has less horizontal control and the move completely lacks any hitboxes. This makes the move near useless on the ground, especially in comparison to Spinning Kong although it can be useful in the air, as it is faster than Spinning Kong and it covers more vertical distance, making it a harder move to intercept in some recovery scenarios.

|usc2desc=Donkey performs an initial spin, pulls in opponents in with a windbox while spinning (as well as additional hitboxes in the air), then launches them upwards with its last hit. The grounded version has an initial hit, some windboxes and then a final hit with decent power. While the grounded version does possess super armor, it lacks proper hitboxes for most of its duration, making it an inferior move on the ground overall compared to Spinning Kong. The final hit also launches opponents at an unfavorable angle, making it very susceptible to DI.

 

The aerial version on the other hand is much more potent. The initial hitbox comes out on frame 3 (where DK is also intangible) and has fantastic range. The move does start looping later than Spinning Kong however, the loop hits consist of two weak hitboxes and two very large windboxes with set knockback, to keep the opponent inside of the move, with DK also possessing super armor throughout most of the loop hit's duration. The move then has a final hit with decent damage and vertical knockback, as well as having outstanding range. The large loop hits combined with Donkey Kong having super armor make the move very difficult to challenge, both on stage and in an edgeguarding situation. Opponents can potentially avoid the loop hits and punish DK when his super armor runs out but this will not always work and the timing is strict due to the super armor and the large final hit. The most potent aspect about the move however is that if DK lands before entering free fall (which can be done without too much trouble), the move auto-cancels. This can make the move very difficult to challenge as the move can easily be completely safe when auto-canceled. This also means that DK can potentially follow-up out of the move if it connects. This is especially exploitable on stages with platforms, such as Battlefield, where DK has more opportunities to safely auto-cancel the move.

 

The only real downsides of aerial Kong Cyclone compared to Spinning Kong are that the loop hits have more startup lag and it covers less distance overall, but all of its other traits more than make up for it and it is still a better recovery move overall due to its super armor and potent loop hits. The move is also still quite punishable if Donkey Kong misses the auto-cancel, so the player does have to be careful when using the move.

 

Overall, grounded Kong Cyclone is nothing spectacular but aerial Kong Cyclone is an outstanding move with incredible speed, range, safety and recovery potential. The aerial version is so strong that when Kong Cyclone is selected, the aerial version becomes a core tool in Donkey Kong's kit that the opponent has to play around. Kong Cyclone is not only considered to be Donkey Kong's best custom move but it is also considered to potentially be the best custom move in the entire game due to how potent and spammable the aerial version is. In a setting where custom moves can be used, Kong Cyclone is a clear replacement for Spinning Kong.

|dsdefdesc=[[mariowiki:Ground Pound|Slaps the ground to cause earth-shaking vibrations]]. When grounded, Donkey Kong can keep pounding by repeatedly pressing the special button. The attack gives him some protection from opponents while grounded and has good range, but is unable to KO until extreme percentages due to its very low knockback growth. In midair, Donkey Kong will perform two midair slaps, the second hit being a powerful meteor smash that combos from the first slap. Originates from ''Donkey Kong Country''.

|dsc2dmg=4% (hit 1), 12% (hit 2), 5% (aerial hit 1), 5% (aerial hit 2)

|fsdesc=Takes out the {{s|mariowiki|DK Bongos}} and begins to play them to the beat of "DK Island Swing", which emits shockwaves in the process. The song is accompanied by an indicative bar that will appear above DK, signaling the player when to press the attack button in sync with the beat. The attack’s range and power is determined by the player's input, with successful inputs having the greatest range and power. If the player hits all beats correctly, DK will give a thumbs up at the end of the song.

 

|desc-2=Punches his open palm with his fist, then performs an external shoulder rotation stretch.

{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1"

!{{{name|}}}

|-

! scope="row"|Cheer

|[[File:Donkey Kong Cheer English SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Donkey Kong Cheer Japanese SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Donkey Kong Cheer Spanish NTSC SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Donkey Kong Cheer Spanish PAL SSB4.ogg|center]]

|-

! scope="row"|Description

|D - K! -- Donkey - Kong! || Don - key Kong! || Don - key Kong!

|-

|-

! scope="row"|Cheer

|{{NTSC}} [[File:Donkey Kong Cheer French NTSC SSB4.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Donkey Kong Cheer French PAL SSB4.ogg|center]]||[[File:Donkey Kong Cheer German SSB4.ogg|center]]||[[File:Donkey Kong Cheer Italian SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]

|}

|desc-3=Clenches his hands together and shakes them overhead in a self-congratulatory manner. This is a reference to an animation he performs after winning in a {{s|mariowiki|Bonus Area}} or defeating a boss.

===Most historically significant players===

 

 

*{{Sm|DKwill|USA}} - A prominent labber of the character and one of the best Donkey Kong players in United States along with Tweek and Konga. While he never made any global rankings with the character, he won a regional in {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass}} where he notably double-eliminated Konga in the ditto and made respectable placements at majors/supermajors such as 9th at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2016}} and 25th at {{Trn|GENESIS 3}} and {{Trn|The Big House 6}}.

*{{Sm|HIKARU|Japan}} - The best Donkey Kong player in Japan and one of the best Donkey Kong players in the world. An up-and-coming player in ''Smash 4'', he often placed Top 8 at [[Sumabato]] and placed 33rd at {{Trn|EVO 2016}} and then had an international breakout with his 7th place at {{Trn|2GGC: Civil War}}, upsetting {{Sm|VoiD}}, {{Sm|ESAM}}, and {{Sm|Mr.R}} in his bracket. He continued to attend occasional North American majors with 17th at {{Trn|2GGC: MkLeo Saga}}. These highlights placed him at 48th on the [[PGR 100]].

*{{Sm|Konga|USA}} - Regarded as the best solo Donkey Kong player in the United States and one of the best Donkey Kong players in the world. Placed 5th at {{Trn|PAX Arena at PAX West 2017}} notably defeating {{Sm|ANTi}} and {{Sm|Tweek}}, and while had lower peaks at majors in comparison to other top Donkey Kong players, managed to place 25th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2018}} and 33rd at {{Trn|EVO 2017}}. He was ranked 76th on the [[PGR 100]].

*{{Sm|Larry Lurr|USA}} - The best {{SSB4|Fox}} player in the world and also considered the one of the best Donkey Kong players in both [[SoCal]] and in the world. Despite varying success, he is notable for using Donkey Kong as a secondary throughout the entirety of his ''Smash 4'' career seen at tournaments such as 1st at {{Trn|2GGT: Mexico Saga}} and 9th at {{Trn|2GGC: ARMS Saga}}. He has used Donkey Kong to defeat players such as {{Sm|Tyrant}}, {{Sm|Tsu}}, and {{Sm|Elegant}}.

*{{Sm|Tweek|USA}} - Predominantly used him as a secondary and is regarded as the best Donkey Kong player in the world. He picked up the character around 2017 as a counterpick, using him in certain matchups such as {{SSB4|Sheik}} and in other crucial sets in his career, placing 2nd at {{Trn|Shine 2017}} using Donkey Kong to eliminate {{Sm|MkLeo}} and {{Sm|Nairo}}.

As a result, Donkey Kong was ranked 27th on the first ''4BR'' [[tier list]], then rose to 25th on the second tier list, and then dropped to 28th on the third tier list, losing his title of the best super-heavyweight character to {{SSB4|Bowser}}. Even so, the improved results of players like HIKARU, {{Sm|Konga}} and {{Sm|Tweek}} have allowed Donkey Kong to rise to 22nd on the fourth and current tier list; since the tiers were expanded, Donkey Kong has now become a high-tier character, in addition to recovering his status as the best super heavyweight once again from Bowser. As such, despite him remaining slightly rare in competitive play, his results by the players who use him have been sufficiently high enough to secure his current tier placement with some smashers claiming that he and Bowser should rise up the tier list even more as {{Sm|ZeRo}} has the characters among the top 15 characters in the game also claiming that "they have top-tier potential" while other smashers like {{Sm|Dabuz}} believe that they cannot be ranked any higher due to their many disadvantageous matchups and poor time landing.

==In Solo Modes==

==={{GameIcon|SSB4-U}}[[Event Match]]es===

* '''[[All-Star Battle: Regulars]]''': Donkey Kong is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents are the eight starter characters of the [[List of Super Smash Bros. series characters#"Perfect-attendance crew"|"perfect-attendance crew"]] from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''

* '''[[Guardian of the Jungle]]''': Donkey Kong, aided by two {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}}s, must defeat three {{SSB4|Duck Hunt}}s.

* '''[[The Jungle in Chaos]]''': As Diddy Kong, the player must defeat twenty Donkey Kongs wearing [[Bunny Hood]]s.

* '''[[The Original Heavyweights]]''': As {{SSB4|Mario}}, the player must defeat Donkey Kong and {{SSB4|Bowser}}. 

====Co-op Events====

* '''[[1988]]''': Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must defeat three Marios, each one larger than the last.

* '''[[Flat Fracas]]''': {{SSB4|Wario}} and {{SSB4|Mr. Game & Watch}} must defeat a giant shadow Donkey Kong and a shadow Mario.

* '''[[The Ultimate Battle]]''': Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

SSB4-Wii U Congratulations Classic Donkey Kong.png|Classic Mode

SSB4-Wii U Congratulations All-Star Donkey Kong.png|All-Star Mode

==[[Trophies]]==

Donkey Kong's default trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode as Donkey Kong. His alternate trophy is obtained by clearing All-Star Mode as Donkey Kong in the 3DS version or purchasing it in the Trophy Shop for 1000G in the Wii U version (the latter can only appear after clearing Classic or All-Star as Donkey Kong). The Konga Beat trophy is obtained only in the Wii U version by clearing All-Star Mode as Donkey Kong.

|image-3ds=DonkeyKongTrophy3DS.png

|image-wiiu=DonkeyKongTrophyWiiU.png

|desc-ntsc=This king of the jungle really, really loves bananas. His adventures usually start with people stealing his hoard of them. In Smash Bros., he's known for his incredible strength and long reach. Despite his size, he's still pretty quick. He can even jump carrying heavy items! Use this knowledge well.

|desc-pal=With help from Diddy Kong and his Animal Friends, this banana-loving king of the jungle will take on anyone causing trouble on his turf. The best things about him in this game are his colossal strength, his speed, his long reach and the fact that he can jump while holding heavy items. Make sure you use all that to your advantage!

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=SNES|game1=Donkey Kong Country|release1=11/1994|console2=Wii|game2=Donkey Kong Country Returns|release2=11/2010}}

|gamelist-pal={{Trophy games|console1=SNES|game1=Donkey Kong Country|release1=11/1994|console2=Wii|game2=Donkey Kong Country Returns|release2=12/2010}}

{{clrl}}

|name=Donkey Kong (Alt.)

|image-3ds=DonkeyKongAltTrophy3DS.png

|image-wiiu=DonkeyKongAltTrophyWiiU.png

|mode=Alt

|desc-3ds-ntsc=Donkey Kong pulls no punches when it comes to fighting. Or headbutts, as it turns out. His Headbutt special move will bury anyone on the ground who gets hit, leaving them open to some serious damage. If Donkey Kong strikes an airborne foe with this move, they'll go crashing downward.

|desc-wiiu-ntsc=Donkey Kong pulls no punches when it comes to fighting. Or headbutts, as it turns out. His Headbutt special move will bury those on the ground who get hit, leaving them open to some serious damage. If Donkey Kong strikes airborne foes with this move, they'll go crashing downward.

|desc-pal=Donkey Kong's always been one to use his head. Anyone who's been on the receiving end of his Headbutt special will tell you that. If they're on the ground when it hits them, they'll get buried, leaving them open to a serious walloping. If they're in the air, though, they might find themselves being knocked down. Either way, it's going to hurt.

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=SNES|game1=Donkey Kong Country|release1=11/1994|console2=Wii|game2=Donkey Kong Country Returns|release2=11/2010}}

|gamelist-pal={{Trophy games|console1=SNES|game1=Donkey Kong Country|release1=11/1994|console2=Wii|game2=Donkey Kong Country Returns|release2=12/2010}}

}}

 

|desc-ntsc=In this Final Smash, DK drums on a set of bongos, just like in the Donkey Konga games. Press the attack button in rhythm with the circles to boost the attack's range and power. Enemy attacks won't affect you, but you can't move, either. Auto-scrolling stages will slow down but won't stop—don't get too carried away in the beat!

|desc-pal=In this Final Smash, DK drums on a set of bongos, just like in the Donkey Konga games. Press the attack button in rhythm with the circles to boost the attack's range and power. Enemy attacks won't affect you, but you can't move either. Auto-scrolling stages will slow down, but be careful or you might still self-destruct!

*Donkey Kong's crowd chant references the {{Iw|mariowiki|DK Rap}} from ''{{Iw|mariowiki|Donkey Kong 64}}''.