Editing Donkey Kong (SSBM)

{{ArticleIcons|melee=y}}

{{disambig2|Donkey Kong's appearance in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''|the character in other contexts|Donkey Kong}}

|name = Donkey Kong

|image = [[File:Donkey Kong SSBM.jpg]]

|symbol = preBrawl

|game = SSBM

|ssbgame1 = SSB

|ssbgame2 = SSBB

|ssbgame3 = SSB4

|tier = C-

|ranking = 16

|rankingPAL = 17

Donkey Kong's voice consists of modified stock animal grunts and roars, similar to his sounds in ''Super Smash Bros.'' newcomer {{SSBM|Bowser}} also uses stock sounds, but they are different from Donkey Kong's.

He is currently 16th out of 26 on the tier list, placing him in the C- tier. This is a moderate improvement to his previous placement in ''Smash 64'', where he was ranked 9th out of 12. Donkey Kong, true to being a heavyweight, is difficult to KO, and this is aided by his fast [[falling speed]]. Donkey Kong also has powerful attacks, and he has excellent range to boot. For a heavyweight, Donkey Kong is unusually agile; most of his attacks are executed swiftly, he has high [[air speed]], and his jumping prowess is solid. His mobility facilitates combos, and this is further aided by his remarkable [[grab]] range. However, Donkey Kong himself is vulnerable to combos due to his large size and high falling speed, and his recovery, while covering a significant amount of horizontal distance, fails to cover much height.

Contrary to what his archetype might suggest, Donkey Kong has surprisingly high speed for a character of his power and weight class. In raw characteristics, Donkey Kong boasts a fast walking speed, above-average running speed, high air speed, and high falling speed (though unlike other high-fallers, Donkey Kong's gravity is average as opposed to above-average, with him having the lowest gravity value amongst the high-fallers; he shares the same fall speed as the significantly lighter {{SSBM|Roy}}), aspects that lead to a short wavedash, but an average SHFFL, and long, safe dash dance.

Owing to his relatively high speed, Donkey Kong possesses a decently versatile comboing game. On the ground, Donkey Kong's various tilts are all fast and can be used to start aerial combos, and in the air, Donkey Kong's fast, low-lag neutral, up, and back aerial attacks can allow him to continue attacking enemies with little penalty against him; adding to this, his high air speed can allow him to pursue enemies that have been popped up into the air. Arguably his most important combo tool, however, consists of his throwing game; despite a below-average grab range, Donkey Kong's various throws have low-knockback and low ending lag, making them excellent combo starting tools. His forward throw, known as the "cargo throw" or "cradle", is especially useful, due to its ability to easily combo into his practical air options. While carrying his opponent, Donkey Kong is free to move around the stage, allowing him to move to areas where he can more easily combo his opponents without interference from platforms or other hazards. He can also use this feature of the cargo throw to either perform a [[sacrificial KO]] by walking off the edge of the stage after cradling an enemy or throwing the enemy underneath the stage to [[stage spike]] them.

As expected for a character of his weight class, Donkey Kong also has a plethora of powerful attack options in addition to his faster, weaker offerings. All of his smash attacks can cover significant distances away from him, as well as packing significant power in order to KO opponents. Three of his aerials (back, down and forward) can be potent finishers to complement his aerial game, and his [[Giant Punch]] can easily be one of the most powerful attacks in the game if landed, though it does require a particularly good read or combo in order to be most effective.

Due to being a heavyweight with a high falling speed, Donkey Kong owns a below-average recovery. While these traits make Donkey Kong highly resilient to the upper blast line, Donkey Kong's survivability on all other blast lines is poor. [[Spinning Kong]] grants above average horizontal distance, but poor height, making [[meteor smash]]es and [[spike]]s extremely powerful against him. Owing to a lack of other options concerning his recovery, this also means that he has very poor recovery options compared to other characters; none of his specials can reduce his falling speed, and he cannot wall-jump or use any other tactics in conjunction with Spinning Kong, and as such, he  is simple to edgeguard.

Much like fellow heavyweight Bowser, Donkey Kong's various attributes also make him very easy to combo. In addition to having among the largest raw hurtbox sizes in the game, Donkey Kong's high falling speed and weight make it easy for characters to [[chain throw]] him, as well as combo him in the air. Compounding this is Donkey Kong's poor defensive game; a large hurtbox (including a tie hurtbox) causes him to have a small [[shield]] that can easily make him vulnerable to [[shield stabbing]], and his lack of a projectile can discourage him from approaching enemies that own one.

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

Donkey Kong has received a large mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition from ''Smash 64'' to ''Melee''. However, whether he was buffed or nerfed overall is debatable since the nerfs and buffs he received were both significant. While he has lost his previously abusable grab release, the generally faster falling speeds have given DK a new type of chaingrab against fast-falling opponents, particularly with his newly buffed cargo throw, and his new up and down throws. However, his reach has been reduced (though it remains among the best) and his power is lower as well, but many of his attacks are faster to execute. He is also more vulnerable to combos due to his faster falling speed and his overall endurance is much worse due to him being much lighter.

Regardless, Donkey Kong ranks better relative to the cast in ''Melee'' than he does in ''SSB64'', now ranking 16th out of 26 characters rather than 9th out of 12. Due to the faster mechanics, however, other characters have been given buffs in varying degrees, which results in Donkey Kong still struggling to make a presence in high-level tournaments.

*{{change|The graphical upgrades of the Nintendo GameCube give Donkey Kong a more proportionate build. His fur is more detailed and has a more pronounced muscular physique.}}

*{{change|Donkey Kong's hair color on his default costume is now a darker shade of brown.}}

*{{change|His other costumes have different ties to them (black has blue; red has a slightly darker blue than the black costume; blue has purple; and green has a red tie that is very similar to the original costume, but is a little darker).}}

*{{change|The voice clips when Donkey Kong taunts and is KO'd in ''Smash 64'' are switched in ''Melee''. His voice clips are also retained from the previous game, though with better quality.}}

*{{change|Donkey Kong always faces the screen when he taunts, regardless of which direction he is currently facing.}}

**{{nerf|Donkey Kong does not move as far into the Z axis when taunting removing his head's ability to avoid projectiles.}}

*{{change|Donkey Kong's green alternate costume is now available for Free-for-all, instead of being exclusive to Team Battle. The costume also uses his normal skin color, as opposed to being green like in ''Smash 64''.}}

 

*{{nerf|Donkey Kong's [[initial dash]] is much slower (2 (60) → 1.6) and covers less distance.}}

*{{change|Donkey Kong [[falling speed|fall]]s significantly faster (1.867 (56) → 2.4). This improves his vertical endurance and with the introduction of the SHFFL technique, he can make strong use of the technique due to his falling speed, but also makes him considerably more vulnerable to combos and worsens his already poor vertical recovery.}}

**{{nerf|Considering that Donkey Kong's vertical endurance hasn't significantly improved from ''Smash 64'' due to his significantly lighter weight in ''Melee'', this falling speed increase hurts him overall.}}

*{{buff|Donkey Kong can throw heavy items ([[Crate]]s, [[Barrel]]s, [[Barrel Cannon]]s and [[Party Ball]]s) above and below him, which he could not do in ''Smash 64''. He also walks slightly faster and gains small amounts of [[armor]] when carrying them.}}

 

**{{buff|The second hit has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 6-11 → 5-11).}}

**{{buff|Donkey Kong has a new forward tilt: an open outward hand swat. It has less startup (frame 12 → 8) and ending lag (FAF 43 → 34) compared to the previous forward tilt.}}

**{{nerf|Forward tilt deals less damage (13% (up)/12% (forward)/11% (down) → 11%/10%/9%) without full compensation on its base knockback (0 → 10) hindering its KO potential.}}

**{{nerf|Forward tilt has a shorter duration (frames 12-17 → 8-11).}}

***{{nerf|When combined with its increased ending lag (and the changes to shields), this means that the move no longer gives DK frame advantage on shield or even on hit at lower percents; making it more punishable and greatly hindering its setup potential.}}

**{{nerf|Dash attack has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 3-26 → 9-12 (clean)/13-20 (late)).}}

***{{buff|This makes the sweetspot on his arms slightly stronger.}}

 

**{{nerf|Forward aerial has a new animation which is longer than the previous one (49 frames → 59). This increases the move's total duration (FAF 50 → 60) as well as the amount of time the move cannot auto-cancel and the amount of time DK cannot grab the ledge after using the move.}}

***{{buff|However, the move has less ending lag overall due to its increased startup lag (now having 30 frames of cooldown instead of 34).}}

**{{nerf|The late hit's angle has been altered, now sending opponents straight down (-70° → 270°). When combined with the aforementioned changes to its landing lag as well as the weakening of L-canceling and the introduction of [[meteor canceling]]; this significantly hinders the move's utility on stage as well as its reliability off stage.}}

**{{buff|Donkey Kong has a new back aerial, he kicks backwards with his right foot. It has slightly reduced startup lag (frame 8 → 7), and much less ending lag (FAF 60 → 32).}}

**{{buff|Down aerial deals more damage (13% (clean), 10% (late) → 16% (foot), 13% (body)) and has increased base knockback (15 → 38/20).}}

***{{nerf|Despite the removal of the late hit, down aerial still has a weaker sourspot which is situated on Donkey Kong's body.}}

 

**{{nerf|DK's opponent will no longer take damage when he picks them up with forward throw (6% → 0%).}}

**{{buff|DK has received a (separate) back throw, an up throw and a down throw from his forward throw, giving DK more options to combo or KO.}}

**{{nerf|The introduction of wall [[tech]]ing has significantly hindered forward throw's stage spiking capabilities.}}

***{{nerf|Cargo forward throw deals less knockback (70 (base), 80 (scaling) → 80/50) and sends opponents at a less favorable angle (45° → 55°).}}

**{{change|Back throw is now weight dependent.}}

**{{buff|Under 100% edge attack has a new animation. This animation decreases its ending lag (FAF 60 → 55) and allows the move to hit opponents that are standing directly near the ledge.}}

**{{nerf|Under 100% edge attack has less intangibility (frames 1-10 → 1-5), a shorter duration (frames 9-18 → 9-16) and slightly less range.}}

**{{buff|Over 100% edge attack has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 49-54 → 37-50), less ending lag (FAF 90 → 70), more range and deals 4% more damage (6% → 10%).}}

 

**{{change|Giant Punch now has a new animation: Donkey Kong winds up his fist back instead of merely behind himself, and now performs the attack with his left arm.}}

**{{buff|Giant Punch has a longer duration when uncharged (frames 10-12 → 17 (back hit)/18-21 (front hit)).}}

**{{change|Uncharged Giant Punch has a new hitbox behind DK's arm which deals vertical knockback (361° → 80°).}}

**{{buff|DK no longer has to windup his fully charged Giant Punch decreasing its startup lag (frame 23 → 17).}}

***{{nerf|However, this means that DK can no longer shield before using his fully charged Giant Punch to protect himself and still maintain the charge.}}

**{{nerf|Fully charged Giant Punch deals much less damage (36% → 30% (grounded), 27% (aerial), and knockback (0 (base), 100 (scaling) → 10/90) hindering its KO potential to the point where DK's nine wind Punch is now stronger than the fully charged variant.}}

**{{nerf|Giant Punch now leaves DK [[helpless]] when used in the air making it much riskier to use off stage despite its decreased ending lag.}}

**{{nerf|If DK is hit out of Spinning Kong, he will now lose the charge for his Giant Punch. This only applies in NTSC versions of the game.}}

**{{change|Hand Slap has a new animation: Donkey Kong now alternates slapping the ground with each hand without hopping, instead of slightly hopping and successively slapping both hands onto the ground as he did in ''Smash 64''.}}

**{{buff|Hand Slap's first slap has less startup lag (frame 17 → 6) making the move loop significantly faster despite the loop starting later (frame 37 → 41).}}

***{{nerf|When combined with the introduction of [[DI]] and the universal decrease to hitstun, this significantly hinders Hand Slap's combo potential, removing its ability to set up for easy and consistent KO confirms.}}

 

 

*{{buff|If Donkey Kong is hit out of Spinning Kong, he will no longer lose the charge for his Giant Punch.}}

|ftiltdesc=Quickly swats his outstretched hand. A good move for [[spacing]]. Can be aimed up or down.

|utiltdmg=9-11%

|utiltdesc=Quickly swipes his hand in the air. A decent [[juggling]] move.

|dtiltname=Slouch Slap ({{ja|足もとビンタ|Ashimoto Binta}}, ''Foot Slap'')

|dtiltdesc=Quickly swats his hand across the ground. Very fast with long range.

|dashdmg=11% (clean), 9% (late)

|dashdesc=Skids to a halt and does a side-kick. Has high ending lag and surprisingly short range.

|usmashdesc=Claps both his hands above his head, dealing good knockback. Somewhat slow, not to mention this will not hit a grounded foe at all. DK's head and both of his arms are [[intangible]] while the hitboxes are active.

|dsmashdesc=Does a double back-handed punch by bringing both his fists down 90˚ at both sides. Very fast and deals great vertical knockback.

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

|nairdmg=12% (clean), 10% (late)

|nairdesc=Quickly spins in the air with both of his arms extended. Has quick startup and small ending lag.

|fairdesc=Puts his fists together above his head, then does a powerful ax-handle swing downwards. This move can [[meteor smash]] opponents the moment Donkey Kong swings his hands in front of his face. Resembles his midair attack from ''Donkey Kong 64''.

|bairdmg=13% (clean), 9% (late)

|bairdesc=Performs a quick kick directed behind him that lingers briefly. A good [[edgeguarding]] move.

|dairdmg=16% (foot), 13% (body)

|pummeldesc=Karate chops the foe.

|fthrowdesc=Regardless of the opponent's size, DK heaves the opponent onto his back. Then, he can perform any of the following throws listed below. One side note is that Donkey Kong will receive 10% damage if the opponents breaks free of his grab by [[button mashing]].<br/>

Back: Tosses opponent behind him.<br/>

Down: Tosses opponent like a bowling ball, similar to Kiddy Kong's throwing animation in ''Donkey Kong Country 3''.

|bthrowdmg=11%

|bthrowdesc=Swings his arm back and throws the opponent behind him.

|uthrowdesc=Throws foe upwards with one hand. Can [[chaingrab]] fastfallers, much like his cargo up throw.

|dthrowdesc=Violently slams the opponent into the ground with one hand. Can chaingrab.

|floorfdesc=Gets up and swats both sides of himself.

|nsdesc=Donkey Kong winds up and thrusts out his arm as a potentially powerful attack. He can swing his arm up to 11 times, with each swing adding 2% damage. The attack itself has good range and decent speed. Donkey Kong will become [[helpless]] whenever he unleashes the punch in the air.

|ssdesc=Donkey Kong slams his head downward. When performed on the ground, the opponent is [[buried]] and will remain submerged the more damage the opponent has taken. When performed in the air, this attack becomes a meteor smash. This attack can also be used to quickly break shields.

|usdmg=Ground: 12% (startup), 8% (loop early), 3% (loop late)<br/>Air: 10% (startup), 4-5% (loop early), 2% (loop late)

|dsdesc=Donkey Kong delivers an earth-shaking blow to the ground, sending nearby enemies skyward. It has considerable power, consistent and repetitive damage, and a large quake hitbox. This attack has [[Priority#Transcendent_priority|transcendent priority]] and will only hit grounded opponents.

 

|run = 1.6

|rtrac = 7-13

|rair = 6-9

|rjumpsquat = 16-22

|jumpheight = 37.8

|djump = 28.968

|cast = 26

|weight = 114

|rweight = 2

|dash = 1.6

|rdash = 9

|run = 1.6

|rrun = 8-10

|walk = 1.2

|rwalk = 6-10

|trac = 0.08

|rtrac = 7-13

|airfric = 0.02

|rairfric = 4-9

|air = 1

|rair = 6-8

|baseaccel = 0.02

|rbaseaccel = 2-23

|addaccel = 0.02

|gravity = 0.1

|rgravity = 12-13

|fall = 2.4

|ff = 2.96

|rjumpsquat = 16-22

|jumpheight = 37.8

|shorthop = 10.66

|djump = 28.968

===[[Announcer]] call===

[[File:Donkey Kong Announcer SSBM.wav]]

===[[Taunt]]===

{{Taunt/SSBM|char=DonkeyKong|desc=Looks at the camera, shrugs his shoulders, and then makes a confused noise.}}

===[[Idle pose]]===

 

===[[Crowd cheer]]===

|char=Donkey Kong

 

===[[Victory pose]]s===

{{Victory/SSBM

|char=DK}}

 

===Most historically significant players===

:''See also: [[:Category:Donkey Kong players (SSBM)]]''

 

*{{Sm|Bum|USA}} - Gathered notoriety as one of the first strong Donkey Kong players. His 4th place run at {{Trn|MLG Long Island 2007}} marks the strongest placement for the character during the MLG era. At the same tournament, he also garnered multiple wins over {{Sm|Isai}} and {{Sm|ChuDat}}.

*{{Sm|ckyulmiqnudaetr|USA}} - Formerly a Fox and Ice Climbers player who switched to Donkey Kong, becoming the second best in the world behind Junebug, currently ranking 29th on [[SSBMRank Summer 2024]]. Has maintained consistently strong placements at both majors and regionals, placing 13th at {{Trn|Get On My Level X}} and {{Trn|Supernova 2024}}, 9th at {{Trn|Riptide 2024}}, as well as 1st at {{Trn|BODIED 7}} with wins over {{Sm|KJH}}, {{Sm|Zuppy}}, {{Sm|Ossify}}, {{Sm|Kevin Maples}}, and notably defeating {{Sm|Moky}}

*{{Sm|Green Ranger|USA}} - Previously considered the best Donkey Kong player in the world. He placed 9th at {{Trn|Fight Pitt V}} while making an upset over {{Sm|Duck}}, and made decent placements at other tournaments, such as 25th at {{Trn|Super Nebulous 3}} and 49th at {{Trn|Royal Flush}}.

*{{Sm|Junebug|USA}} - The best Donkey Kong player in the world. He has won several regionals with Donkey Kong, including [[Tournament:Xanadu Legends - Xanadu 500 Edition|Xanadu Legends 500]] and {{Trn|Patchwork 2024}}, along with high placements at several majors, including 13th at {{Trn|The Big House 11}} and 17th at {{Trn|Collision 2023}} with wins over top players such as {{Sm|Magi}}, {{Sm|Polish}}, {{Sm|Ginger}}, and {{Sm|Salt}}, and became the first Donkey Kong player to be ranked top 50 in the world, most recently ranking 27th on the [[SSBMRank Summer 2024]], all of which started a major discussion for Donkey Kong's true viability as a character. His 3rd place finish at {{Trn|Supernova 2024}} marked not only the character's first major top 3, but Donkey Kong's best placement and performance of all time, taking sets over {{Sm|Joshman}}, {{Sm|Axe}}, and {{Sm|Zamu}}.

*{{Sm|Moe|Denmark}} - One of the best Donkey Kong players in the world later in the game's lifespan. He has shown the best Donkey Kong placements in Europe, with 9th at {{Trn|Valhalla IV}} and 17th at {{Trn|Fête 3: By the Sea}}, where he notably defeated {{Sm|Frenzy}} 3-0 and went game 5 with {{Sm|Aklo}}. He has been the best player in Denmark for years, being ranked first in the country from 2019 to 2022.

*{{Sm|Phish-It|USA}} - Previously considered the best Donkey Kong player in the world during the early 2010s. He made great major placements such as 9th at {{Trn|Zenith 2014}} and supermajor placements of 33rd at both {{Trn|EVO 2013}} and {{Trn|The Big House 4}}, which were considered some of the best supermajor results of the character at the time.

*{{Sm|Ringler|USA}} - One of the best Donkey Kong players in the world. He came to prominence with his 25th at {{Trn|Mainstage}} with a notable upset over {{Sm|La Luna}} in his bracket. While he is more inactive in the post-Slippi era compared to other Donkey Kong players, he has maintained strong placements at national events he has attended, finishing 25th at both {{Trn|Mainstage 2021}} and {{Trn|Pat's House 4}}, and 33rd at both {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2022}} and {{Trn|Riptide 2023}}. He has beaten players such as {{Sm|KoDoRiN}}, {{Sm|Joshman}}, {{Sm|Westballz}}, and {{Sm|Shroomed}}.

Donkey Kong is currently ranked as 16th on the tier list in the C- tier, making him a situational character in high-level tournament play at first glance. This tier placing, however, is significantly better than his initial tier placings; Donkey Kong was initially viewed as a low-to-bottom tiered character in the early ''Melee'' metagame, placing at 20th/21st with Roy on the first tier list. In the next few tier lists, Donkey Kong would frequently appear at this rank, with his lowest ranking being 22nd on the sixth tier list. Much like Bowser, Donkey Kong was often derided for his large hurtbox and high falling speed, making him an easy target for combos and attacks in general, and despite his superior base speed compared to Bowser, he was regarded as too slow to keep up with many characters that were higher-tiered than him.

 

However, devoted Donkey Kong mains began to improve the character’s metagame, notably by demonstrating that his supposed speed issues were inaccurate; players have demonstrated Donkey Kong had a surprisingly fast and powerful aerial game, and that his dash-dance was also effective, especially when compounded with his unforgiving punish and throwing game. Thanks to the efforts of players like {{Sm|Phish-It}} and {{Sm|Green Ranger}}, Donkey Kong would jump to 16th on the seventh tier list, formally entering the middle tiers, and would maintain similar rankings on future tier lists.

 

In 2022 and 2023, another “Donkey Kong renaissance” would occur thanks to a massive upswing in Donkey Kong's usage and a stronger level of consistency at higher level tournaments. 2023 saw the character’s strongest year yet; three Donkey Kong players placed in the top 100 of the [[SSBMRank 2023|2023 SSBMRank]], spearheaded by {{Sm|Junebug}}, who was ranked 40th due to performances such as his 13th-place finish at {{Trn|The Big House 11}}, the best Donkey Kong placement in over a decade. In 2024, all three Donkey Kong players ranked in the previous year were ranked in the top 50 for the first half of the year, with Junebug and {{sm|ckyulmiqnudaetr}} scoring big wins at regionals {{Trn|Patchwork 2024}} and Bodied 7 respectively, the former considered by many as DK's biggest win to date, as well as an impressive 3rd place showing from Junebug at {{Trn|Supernova 2024}} marking the character's first major top 8. As a result of these considerable metagame developments, Donkey Kong has become a more respected presence in high-level play, and many agree his tier list placement is no longer accurate.

==In 1-P Mode==

==={{SSBM|Classic Mode}}===

Donkey Kong appears in a one-on-one, as an ally, on a team with {{SSBM|Fox}}, in a giant battle, in a multi-man battle, or in the metal battle. Donkey Kong appears in {{SSBM|Kongo Jungle}} or [[Jungle Japes]] except the metal battle, where he appears in {{SSBM|Battlefield}} instead.

===[[Adventure Mode]]===

Donkey Kong appears in Stage 2 of ''Melee''{{'}}s Adventure Mode, {{SSBM|Kongo Jungle}}, in two parts. In the first part, the player battles two tiny Donkey Kongs on Kongo Jungle stage and after they are beaten, the player will battle a giant Donkey Kong on [[Jungle Japes]].

 

===[[All-Star Mode]]===

Donkey Kong and his allies are fought on {{SSBM|Kongo Jungle}}.

 

*'''[[Event 2: Lord of the Jungle]]''': As a giant DK, the player must defeat a tiny DK in a two-stock match on {{SSBM|Kongo Jungle}}.

*'''[[Event 10: All-Star Match 1]]''': Donkey Kong is the second opponent to be fought in this series of staged battles. The player battles him on [[Jungle Japes]], which will transition to the next stage if Donkey Kong gets defeated. With a timer of four minutes, the player must defeat him along with {{SSBM|Mario}}, {{SSBM|Yoshi}}, {{SSBM|Peach}}, and {{SSBM|Bowser}}.

 

==[[Trophies]]==

In addition to the normal trophy about Donkey Kong as a character, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing both [[Adventure Mode|Adventure]] and [[All-Star]] modes respectively with Donkey Kong on any difficulty:

|image=Donkey Kong Trophy Melee.png

|mode=Classic

|desc=While he now prefers the laid-back jungle lifestyle to construction site mischief, DK is often forced back into action by the Kremling Krew. The great ape is quite fast despite his burly physique, and he keeps his strength up with a steady diet of his favorite food: bananas. His one extravagance (and only piece of clothing) is a monogrammed necktie.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|game1=Donkey Kong|release1=Arcade 1981}}

|name=Donkey Kong

|image=Donkey Kong Trophy (Smash).png

|mode=Adventure

|desc=Donkey Kong is a huge target in a fight, so he hates crowds. When he's in the fray, his Giant Punch deals serious damage to multiple opponents. The big ape's Headbutt hits so hard that it temporarily buries opponents in the ground. DK is a lot faster than he looks, and he's lethal in the hands of a master.

|gamelist=:B: Giant Punch

|image=Donkey Kong Trophy (Smash 2).png

|desc=Being the strongest simian around, DK has the upper hand once he grabs an opponent. He can even lift his foe up and make him or her an unwilling traveling companion; if DK grabs you, shake your Control Stick as fast as you can to break his grip. His Spinning Kong covers more lateral distance than vertical, so use it quickly to recover.

|colspan=5|[[File:Donkey Kong Palette (SSBM).png]]

|{{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBM|s=25px}}

|{{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBM|s=25px|cl=Black}}

|{{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBM|s=25px|cl=Red}}

|{{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBM|s=25px|cl=Blue}}

SSBM Donkey Kong HQ.jpg|Official artwork of Donkey Kong

SSBMWebsiteDonkeyKong1.jpg|[[Jump]]ing on [[Jungle Japes]].

SSBMWebsiteDonkeyKong2.jpg|Using [[Spinning Kong]] on {{SSBM|Fox}} on [[Temple]].

SSBMWebsiteDonkeyKong4.jpg|Carrying [[Ice Climbers (SSBM)|Nana]] off the stage on Temple.

LuigiAdventureMode.jpg|Using his [[up smash]] on [[Great Bay]].

*Donkey Kong is the only character in the game to have an aerial attack that cannot be [[auto-cancel]]ed, being his forward aerial (auto-cancels on frame 85, but only has 60 frames in its entire attack duration). However, the coding of the move shows that it was intended to be able to, but it cannot due to a minor error caused by using the wrong type of timing function. Likewise, his up smash was supposed to interrupt on frame 40, but due to using the wrong type of timing function, it lacks IASA frames. Both of these errors were carried over in ''Brawl'' and ''SSB4'', though in ''SSB4'', his up smash now has IASA frames (interrupts on frame 50).

*Donkey Kong's [[Headbutt]] and the [[Poké Ball]] Pokémon [[Togepi]]'s Magnitude are the only attacks in ''Melee'' that can [[Buried|bury]] opponents.

*Whenever Donkey Kong enters the stage on certain modes in 1-P Mode (excluding Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, Event matches, and the first stage in All-Star Mode), he can be seen briefly in his [[bind pose]] position.

*If the [[Launch rate|damage ratio]] of a match is 0.5, and DK [[grab]]s, [[throw]]s, and quickly re-grabs, and cargo carries a [[Artificial intelligence|computer player]] before they touch the ground, the computer player will never break free by themselves, even if they become [[invincible]]; they can only break free when DK decides to throw them or they are affected by something (getting [[attack]]ed, changing size, and so on).

[[Category:Donkey Kong (SSBM)| ]]

[[Category:Trophies (SSBM)]]

[[es:Donkey Kong (SSBM)]]