Editing Donkey Kong (SSBU)

'''Donkey Kong''' ({{ja|ドンキーコング|Donkī Kongu}}, ''Donkey Kong'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Donkey Kong is classified as fighter #02.

Donkey Kong retains his realistic gorilla grunts and roars from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', instead of using his voice actor, Takashi Nagasako.

Donkey Kong is unsurprisingly a large [[Weight|super heavyweight]], having the same weight value as {{SSBU|King Dedede}}, and is the third-heaviest character in the game behind {{SSBU|Bowser}} and {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}. Despite this, he is one of the faster heavyweights in the game: his ground speed, aerial movement and attack speed are all quite fast, as he has the 9th fastest [[walk]]ing speed and the 28th fastest [[dash]]ing speed, above average [[falling speed]] and [[gravity]], and is tied with {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Sonic}}, {{SSBU|Little Mac}}, and {{SSBU|Inkling}} for the 12th fastest [[air speed]], but in contrast has below average [[air acceleration]].  

A typical heavyweight is expected to possess moves with much power and Donkey Kong is no exception to this and is possibly his greatest attribute. Donkey Kong has no problem with setting up into KOs with moves that have both high power and decent range at worst: his smash attacks, aerials, back throw, and [[Giant Punch]] are his primary examples. His ability to take stocks due to powerful attacks is made easier with his decent approach. His aforementioned mobility and large size gives him an effective grounded approach and allow longer range for a character of his size, combined allows him to have an easier time to fight in close range and land his attacks on opponents. Another common trait that his archetype grants him is very solid survivability, with his aforementioned high weight and above-average falling speed. This allows Donkey Kong to have the second best vertical and horizontal endurance in the game, being surpassed by only {{SSBU|King Dedede}} vertically and {{SSBU|Bowser}} and {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} horizontally.

Donkey Kong works well with his grounded moveset: His neutral attack has decent damage and startup. Forward tilt's long range makes it one of his main spacing tools and works better with its intangibility. Up tilt is a safe move to interrupt his opponents, with the move covering Donkey Kong's entire body, act as an anti-air, and hits through low platforms such as the ones on [[Battlefield]]. Down tilt allows him to have a long range crouching option and has a chance to [[trip]] opponents. Dash attack being a combo starter and a KO option at low and high percents, respectively. All of his smash attacks are notoriously strong and aren't very slow, mainly his option for KOs or hard reads. His grounded options having their own utility can also be said for his aerial game. His forward and down aerials are some of his best edgeguarding tools due to it [[meteor smash]]ing. His neutral aerial is his fastest aerial, hard to interrupt and help him break out of combos. His up aerial works as a vertical KO option if the specific situation he's in allows for it, and is safe as his head is intangible during the attack. His back aerial is up there with his forward tilt for his most effective spacing tool and is debatably even better, being fast, long-ranged, and has a [[sex kick]]-like hitbox having a long duration. His air speed allows his aerial moves to be used at their fullest potential and, with the exception of forward aerial, are all decently fast.  

Another part of his playstyle, which is very well-known, is his grab game, allowing set-ups into his moveset and having above-average range. Although his down throw has little to no usage, everything else suffices: His [[pummel]] is slower compared to many others in the cast, but deals decent damage, up throw allows some combo potential into his moves, back throw is his primary throw to close out stocks, but his forward throw is easily his most useful one and possibly the most unique part of the character. During his forward throw, Donkey Kong can move, jump and walk off the stage while having the opponent in his hands, acting like he usually would outside of a typical grab (with the exception of being able to use his other moves and having a double jump). Forward throw also gives Donkey Kong different types of throws for the certain direction basically giving him eight throws, these ones are commonly known as the "cargo throws". Cargo forward and down throw work as niche edgeguarding options, with cargo down throw even being a [[semi-spike]]. Cargo back throw has a large damage output and can KO at very high percentages if Donkey Kong is near the upper blast line. It also has its utility as a [[stage spike]] unless his opponent is able to properly tech the throw. Finally, cargo up throw allows more combo potential than his vanilla Up throw being able to combo into his aerials at low percents.

Donkey Kong's special moves are also helpful for his gameplan. [[Giant Punch]] is his surprise KO and punish move, be used to pressure the opponent, and if fully charged has [[super armor]] upon using it. [[Headbutt]] can [[bury]] opponents which can allow him to setup into KOs, and spikes in the air. It has super armor during the move's startup and also does deceptively high [[shield damage]], allowing him to have a shield pressure option or call out poor shield positioning. Grounded [[Hand Slap]] has very long range and allows for stage control, but has no usage for aerial opponents as it leaves Donkey Kong immobile on the ground and its hitbox only deals damage on the ground. The aerial Hand Slap is his last move which can meteor smash and is fast, making it an effective and easy one to land. His final special move, [[Spinning Kong]], acts similar to Bowser's [[Whirling Fortress]] as his primary [[out of shield]] option, it's hard to disrupt and is a multi-hit with high damage. In the air, it works as a incredibly fast horizontal recovery option and deals a lot of damage if all the hits connect.

However despite his versatile moveset and high power, Donkey Kong falls into a plethora of problems. His defensive game is rather poor, a commonality for a character of his size. While his massive size and weight gives him very high endurance and the reason his range is better when compared to other characters like {{SSBU|Mario}} and {{SSBU|Squirtle}}, it becomes a problem when having to dodge attacks which is hard for he is a very large target. His tie hurtbox is also extremely large, exasperating the issue. Funnily enough, just like those two previously mentioned fighters, he commonly has trouble dealing with characters that have disjoints mainly due to his lack of projectiles, mainly swordfighters such as {{SSBU|Shulk}} and {{SSBU|Ike}}, hitboxes on moves such as {{SSBU|Mewtwo}}'s up and back aerials, or fast multi-hits such as {{SSBU|Palutena}}'s neutral air. Donkey Kong's large size also causes him to be vulnerable to combos and [[juggling]], worsened by his lack of combo breakers (outside of neutral aerial) and the reintroduction of directional air dodges makes his aerial defense even more linear, having it made worse with its higher ending lag for all characters, but it debatably hurts a character such as Donkey Kong the most.

In spite of having fast startup in many moves, Donkey Kong's moveset is made much slower by its ending lag and most of his moves not safe to hit with at low percents. This forces him to be more careful with the moves he used as he can be drastically punished for just putting out one attack, and this is made harder to stop due to his aforementioned limited defense. A lot of his moves are also limited despite their strengths: his smash attacks are slow and have very linear hitboxes, a chunk of his throws despite their variety don't have much utility, Giant Punch forces Donkey Kong to get up-close to the opponent to land the attack and needs to be charged for it to even be effective, Headbutt and Hand Slap are both slow causing them to be very hard moves to use for their initial purpose, and Spinning Kong, while having long horizontal recovery distance, gets little to no recovery distance vertically, and is prone to edgeguarding with moves such as {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}} and {{SSBU|Falco}}'s down air.

Donkey Kong's mixture of good speed, long range, high weight, decent combo potential, and high KOing power make him somewhat adept and flexible in many different situations, but KOing and pressuring opponents stand out as his biggest strengths. Despite this, DK's high weight, large hurtbox and lack of a good escape tool make him vulnerable to many combos; his recovery is somewhat linear, and his moveset is moderately punishable due to its overall ending lag. As such, Donkey Kong has to capitalize upon his powerful and ranged moveset to limit opponents' approaches and win matches.

Donkey Kong received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition from ''SSB4'' to ''Ultimate''. However, despite receiving more buffs than nerfs, the latter are more prominent than the former, as they either weakened or removed the traits that he had in the previous game. Because of this, Donkey Kong has been significantly nerfed overall.

Donkey Kong received several useful buffs, especially to his special moves. [[Giant Punch]] no longer leaves him helpless when used in the air, giving him a new edgeguarding option. [[Headbutt]] now grants him super armor before the hit comes, and moves deal their full damage when opponents are buried, which improves the moves' versatility. Aerial [[Spinning Kong]] is now a proper multi-hitting move with a finishing hit, making it more safe. [[Hand Slap]] is generally faster and the aerial version has reduced landing lag, which gives Donkey Kong an excellent combo starter and allows it to confirm into KOs at high percentages.

Other improvements include those to his forward throw, which now grants him more options and turns it into his most versatile throw. His [[dash attack]] also has less ending lag, giving him another combo starter if the late hit is landed. Donkey Kong's already impressive KO power has been further increased, as most of his moves do more knockback. Finally, Donkey Kong also benefits to some of the universal changes, as his already great mobility has improved from faster walking and dashing speeds, the universal 3-frame jumpsquat change allows him for with combo opportunities, and the increased shieldstun makes his attacks even safer on shield.

However, the few nerfs Donkey Kong received are severe enough to eclipse his buffs. Like {{SSBU|Bowser}}, his biggest nerf is that his cargo up throw now has more knockback, which severely hampers both its combo ability (now mostly limiting it to up aerial) and its infamous "Ding Dong" KO confirm at high percentages. Although his grab game was overall buffed, Donkey Kong is one of the characters who suffers the most from the universal nerfing of grabs, making them less safe for him to use. His pummel was also nerfed as well, making it less reliable for racking up damage. Thus, this makes it less feasible to use a grab as his main way to rack up damage, forcing Donkey Kong to use other methods to rack up damage. Other nerfs include his up aerial having shorter range, which hinders its versatility, and Spinning Kong gaining less horizontal distance and no longer granting intangibility on startup, overall worsening his already poor recovery. Many of his attacks no longer have disproportionately long intangibility, now only matching the hitbox duration of attacks such as his tilts and his up aerial.  

Although he has gained some notable benefits from them, the universal changes to gameplay mechanics hamper Donkey Kong more than they help him overall. While the universal increase in mobility, faster jumpsquat and reduced landing lag on aerials improve his own mobility and combo game, it also means opponents are more likely to close in the distance on Donkey Kong and allow for more combo opportunities on him. The increased shieldstun, reduced landing lag and the universal nerfing of grabs also make it harder for Donkey Kong to react to a shielded attack, hindering his [[out of shield]] game. The universal nerfing of grabs is harmful, as it one of his key points to his gameplan, which is hurt with the universal changes. Lastly, the changes to [[air dodging]] also worsen his recovery, as they give him less protection and make him easier to edgeguard. Overall, all of these changes worsen Donkey Kong's defensive game, which is further notable since the game's engine prioritizes more aggressive playstyles than defensive ones, and thus forces him not only to [[approach]] more, but to be more unpredictable at doing so.

In the end, Donkey Kong has potentially received more options for racking up damage and be less predictable, but the worsening of his KO confirm and grabs means Donkey Kong can no longer close out stocks as early as before. While both his strengths and weaknesses are more defined than before, the gameplay mechanics also accentuate more his weaknesses compared to his strengths, which has subsequently caused his nerfs to overshadow his buffs. As a result, Donkey Kong fares noticeably worse in ''Ultimate'' than in ''Smash 4'', and is one of the characters to be nerfed the most in the transition, alongside {{SSBU|Bayonetta}}, {{SSBU|Cloud}}, {{SSBU|Corrin}}, {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} (during the initial release), the {{SSBU|Ice Climbers}}, {{SSBU|Little Mac}}, {{SSBU|Mewtwo}}, {{SSBU|Rosalina & Luma}} and {{SSBU|Sheik}}.

Donkey Kong's overall perception in competitive play has been negative; while he was initially believed to be improved from his already good standing from ''Smash 4'' (doing exceptionally well in early tournaments), as the metagame has evolved, his tournament representation went down significantly to the point in which it is rather poor. Many of his players have either dropped him or become inactive, with his most noticeable player, {{Sm|Konga}}, gathering average to somewhat lackluster placements in tournaments, and temporarily quit competitive play. Most of his other notable players, such as {{Sm|HIKARU}}, have also dropped him (though he would pick him back up as a co-main at the start of 2020), while {{Sm|Tweek}} no longer uses him as a secondary. Currently, top players see Donkey Kong as a low tier character, with some players considering him to be potentially one of the worst characters in the game. Nevertheless, he has seen success from players such as {{Sm|DKwill}}, {{Sm|Runes}}, and {{Sm|YMCA}}, which is further compounded with the buffs he received in 6.0.0. Until further notice, Donkey Kong's tier placement remains debatable.

Donkey Kong has been buffed via game updates. Initially, his most noteworthy buffs were to inconsistencies of two moves: forward aerial now autocancels properly (an issue that had been present since ''Melee'') and Giant Punch's hitbox no longer shifts into the Z-axis, which would result in it missing opponents at point-blank range. Donkey Kong also benefits from the universal nerf on projectiles dealing less shield damage in 3.0.0.

After only receiving minor buffs for the first few game patches, update 6.0.0 gave Donkey Kong more noticeable buffs. His forward tilt deals significantly more knockback to the point of becoming a viable KO move, his neutral aerial deals more damage and knockback and has more range, and his Giant Punch reaches the maximum charge even faster than before and deals slightly more knockback. Spinning Kong was also improved, as the move's super armor starts three frames faster, it connects more reliably against airborne opponents, and the last hit deals more knockback. Finally, Hand Slap on the ground has less startup and less ending lag.  

|neutralname= 

|neutraldesc=A hook followed by an uppercut.

|ftiltname= 

|ftiltdesc=A backhanded slap. Can be angled to deal more damage. It grants intangibility to his attacking arm (frames 6-9).

|utiltname= 

|utiltdesc=An overhead arcing swipe. It deals more damage and knockback if the target is hit near DK's shoulder. It grants intangibility to his attacking arm (frames 5-11).

|dtiltname=Slouch Slap

|dashname=Roll Attack

|fsmashname= 

|fsmashdesc=A lunging {{s|mariowiki|clap}}. It deals slightly less damage if it hits with Donkey Kong's arms. It grants intangibility to his head and arms (frames 6-12). Has fast startup but very high end lag. One of the more powerful forward smashes, KOing Mii Brawler at 44% at the center of Final Destination without DI.

|usmashname= 

|usmashdesc=An overhead clap. It grants intangibility to his head and arms (frames 6-9).

|dsmashname= 

|dsmashdesc=Raises his arms overhead and then quickly swings them downward to perform [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Forearm club|forearm clubs]]. It grants intangibility to his arms (frames 9-12).

|nairname= 

|nairdesc=Quickly spins around to perform [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Clothesline|discus clotheslines]] with both arms, similarly to [[Spinning Kong]].

|fairname= 

|fairdesc=A [[Wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Double axe handle|double axe handle]]. If [[sweetspot]]ted, the opponent is [[meteor smash]]ed. One of the strongest meteor smashes in the game, KOing at around 35%. 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= 

|bairdesc=A back kick.

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=An upward headbutt. It grants intangibility to his head (frames 5-10).

|dairname= 

|dairdesc=A stomp. Its sweetspot is a strong [[meteor smash]], while its sourspot, which is close to Donkey Kong's chest, deals diagonal knockback. Slightly weaker than his forward aerial, but has faster start up.

|grabname= 

|grabdesc=Reaches out.

|pummelname= 

|pummeldesc=A slap. A slow but strong pummel.

|fthrowname=Kong Karry

''Forward'': Launches foes away from DK at a high angle.

''Back'': Heaves the opponent backward using both hands, launching them at a slightly higher trajectory.

''Up'': Heaves the opponent upward. It can be used to start combos.

''Down'': A [[wikipedia:Bear hug|bear hug]].

Kong Karry has its own unique Grab mash frame equation, that being '''163 + Ceiling[3.2 * Opponent's %] - 18 * N (valid inputs) - n (time held before cargo + previous mash before cargo)'''. For the time held and the previous mash, the ''Ultimate'' [[grab]] equation would have to be used, which is '''89 + Ceiling[1.7 * Opponent's %] - floor[14.4 or 8 (Button or Directional mashing) * N (valid inputs)] holding frames'''.  

|bthrowname= 

|bthrowdesc=Flings the opponent backward. DK's most damaging throw, it KOs even the heaviest characters in the game below 170% near the edge without [[rage]].

|uthrowname= 

|dthrowname= 

|dthrowdesc=Shoves the opponent into the ground with one arm. It launches opponents horizontally in front of DK.

|nsdesc=A wind-up punch which fully charges after ten wind-ups. When fully-charged, the punch deals excellent damage, grants super armor and is overall faster than if used uncharged. Its charge can [[charge cancel]]ed and saved, and chosen when to be released after being fully charged. DK will lose his midair jump if he uses the attack in the air.

|ssdesc=A headbutt. The move [[Bury|buries]] the opponent, who will remain submerged longer if the opponent has already dealt a fair amount of damage. The aerial version will [[meteor smash]] the opponent if they are hit by its [[sweetspot]]. The move has [[super armor]] from the startup until the hitbox appears. It has a deceptively large range and high shield damage, so full power shields will barely manage to avoid breaking against this move.

|usdesc=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. It has good horizontal distance, but very little vertical distance. The grounded version grants Donkey Kong super armor on frame 5, making it a reliable tool for powering through many moves. The Grounded version is also a potent KO option, especially at ledge, being able to even KO [[Weight|heavy characters]] around 70%-80% when used on Battlefield's ledge.  

|dsdesc=[[mariowiki:Hand Slap|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''.

|fsdesc=Punches forward. If the initial hit connects, Donkey Kong will then perform a long series of rapid punches. Has about the same range as his forward smash, but extremely powerful, KOing Mario as low as 24% on Final Destination.

Bursts out of a DK Barrel, frontflips thrice, lands and strikes a flexing pose.

===[[Taunts]]===

*'''Side taunt''': Shakes himself as if he is drying off, with a humorous expression.

*'''Down taunt''': Faces the camera and shrugs while making a humorously shocked expression.

*Makes a cross-eyed expression, as if trying to stare at his own nose.

*Fist claps his hand and makes a rotational shoulder stretch.

SSBUDonkeyKongIdle1.gif|Donkey Kong's first idle pose

SSBUDonkeyKongIdle2.gif|Donkey Kong's second idle pose

*'''Up:''' Holds his hands above his head and shakes them (his animation upon completing a bonus game in ''Donkey Kong Country'')

*'''Right:''' Angrily beats his chest then looks at the camera.

==In competitive play==

Donkey Kong was met in the E3 demo build with a degree of cautious optimism. Although players could no longer easily perform the "Ding Dong" combo (now requiring much more precise timing), along with similar throw-based kill confirms from ''Smash 4'', Donkey Kong players were willing to do away with this in favor of better frame data, speed, damage, and hitboxes, most notably on his tilts and dash attack, and hoped that he would play differently from {{SSBU|Bowser}}. Though DK was considered one of the worst heavyweights from the demo, thought to be only marginally better than {{SSBU|Ridley}}, players were excited for this new Donkey Kong's opportunities in competitive play.  

Upon the game's release, however, DK fell out of favor very quickly, for a number of reasons. The biggest issue is his low-percent safety: many of Donkey Kong's moves are punishable on hit at early percents, making his neutral rather egregious in a meta favoring speed and punish games. Although Donkey Kong has been buffed in patches, none of Donkey Kong's biggest flaws were addressed. As a result, in the current metagame, he sees use as an occasional counterpick, but not much beyond that; however, some players have been able to come to terms with his flaws and get impressive results nonetheless, namely {{Sm|YMCA}}, {{Sm|ShiNe}}, {{Sm|Sou}}, and {{Sm|Doctor A Ness}}.  

<!--If you are planning to add a player you consider to be notable, please provide tournament results in some shape or form in the edit summary (be it a link to a results thread or bracket of placing high in a tournament of other notable players or a video of them beating a notable player). Winning tournaments without notable players present is generally not enough to warrant a spot.-->

*{{Sm|Chrome Kingfisher|USA}} - Placed 5th at {{Trn|Launch}}, 13th at {{Trn|The Ultimate Fall Arcadian}}, 17th at {{Trn|The Grind 110}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Glitch 6}}.

*{{Sm|DKwill|USA}} - Considered one of the best Donkey Kong players in the United States. Placed 25th at both {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}} and {{Trn|Tri-state Showdown: Fall 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Doctor A Ness|Australia}} - The best Donkey Kong player in Australia. Placed 5th at both {{Trn|Battle Arena Melbourne 11}} and {{Trn|BigWinChampionship 2}} as well as 9th at {{Trn|Phantom 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Glutonny|France}} (#8) - Has a strong Donkey Kong secondary. Placed 1st at both {{Trn|BURST 4}} and {{Trn|The Ultimate Performance 2}}, and 2nd at {{Trn|VCA 2019}} in conjunction with {{SSBU|Wario}}. Taken a set off of {{Sm|Leon}} with the character.

*{{Sm|HIKARU|Japan}} - Was considered one of the best Donkey Kong players in the world before initially dropping him for {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}}, but has picked him up again. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Umebura SP 2}}, 5th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 12}}, 9th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 3}}, 13th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 2}}, and 17th at {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Konga|USA}} - Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass 2018}}, 65th at {{Trn|2GG: Kongo Saga}}, and 97th at {{Trn|EVO 2019}}. Currently ranked as an HM on the [[Washington Power Rankings]]. He initially quit playing ''Ultimate'', but has since started competing again.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://twitter.com/KongaSSB/status/1170494590480027648|title=Tweet of Konga's initial retirement}}</ref> <ref> {{citeweb|url= https://twitter.com/kongassb/status/1191170077241929728?s=21|title=Konga returning}}</ref>

*{{Sm|Runes|USA}} - Considered one of the best Donkey Kong players in the United States. Placed 13th at {{Trn|Midwest Arena 2: Doubles Masters}}, 49th at {{Trn|2GG: Kongo Saga}}, and 65th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}. Has a win over {{Sm|KEN}}.

*{{Sm|ShiNe|USA}} - Co-mains {{SSBU|Lucas}} with Donkey Kong and is considered the best Donkey Kong player in [[SoCal]] and Taiwan. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Taipei Major 2019}}, 9th at {{Trn|SwitchFest 2019 Kickoff}}, and 17th at {{Trn|2GG: Nightmare on Smashville}}.

*{{Sm|Sou|Mexico}} - The best Donkey Kong player in Mexico. Placed 9th at {{Trn|Ragnarok}} and 17th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 8}}.

*{{Sm|YMCA|USA}} - One of the best Donkey Kong players in the world. Placed 9th at {{Trn|SIEGE 2019}}, 25th at {{Trn|2GG: Nightmare on Smashville}}, and 65th at {{Trn|EVO 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Brandon|Canada}} - The best Donkey Kong player in Canada. Placed 3rd at both {{Trn|Frostfire 2019}} and {{Trn|Press Less 2019}} as well as 25th at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}}. Ranked 20th on the [[Smash Canada Rankings Ultimate]].

*{{Sm|Luigi player|Austria}} - Placed 17th at {{Trn|VCA 2019}}. Has a win over {{Sm|Sirjon}}.

*{{Sm|Tweek|USA}} (#3) - Used Donkey Kong as a secondary and was considered the best Donkey Kong player in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Glitch 6}}, {{Trn|Let's Make Moves}}, and {{Trn|Sky's Ultimate Invitational}} while using him with his other characters.

[[File:SSBU Congratulations Donkey Kong.png|thumb|right|Donkey Kong's congratulations screen.]]

Donkey Kong's path chronicles Donkey Kong traveling from his home to New Donk City via plane. After defeating Diddy Kong, he becomes Donkey Kong's partner for the rest of the mode, referencing the original ''Donkey Kong Country''.

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

|1||{{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} {{Head|Diddy Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||{{SSB|Kongo Jungle}}||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Jungle Level (64)}}''||

|2||{{SSBU|King K. Rool}} {{Head|King K. Rool|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[Kongo Falls]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Gang-Plank Galleon}}||rowspan="5"|{{Head|Diddy Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px}} {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} is a CPU ally.

|3||{{SSBU|Wario}} {{Head|Wario|g=SSBU|s=20px}} and {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}} {{Head|Captain Falcon|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[Pilotwings]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Gear Getaway}}''

|4||{{SSBU|Ness}} {{Head|Ness|g=SSBU|s=20px}} and {{SSBU|Lucas}} {{Head|Lucas|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[Onett]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|The Map Page / Bonus Level (Remix)}}''

|5||{{SSBU|Inkling}}s {{Head|Inkling|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Inkling|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}}||[[Moray Towers]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley}}''

|6||{{SSBU|Mario}} {{Head|Mario|g=SSBU|s=20px}} and {{SSBU|Luigi}} {{Head|Luigi|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||[[New Donk City Hall]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Mario Bros.|New Donk City}}''

|Final||{{SSBU|Master Hand}}||New Donk City Hall ([[Ω form]])||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Smash Bros.|Master Hand}}'' <small>(Less than 7.0 intensity)</small><br>''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Smash Bros.|Master Hand / Crazy Hand}}'' <small>(Intensity 7.0 or higher)</small>||{{Head|Diddy Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px}} {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} is a CPU ally.<br>On intensity 7.0 and higher, {{SSBU|Crazy Hand}} fights alongside Master Hand.

Donkey Kong's Classic Mode character unlock tree includes the following characters in order:  

He can be rescued in a jungle segment of the Light Realm, on a space that looks like the treehouse where he lives on his series.

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"

! style="width:5%;"|No.

! style="width:5%;"|Image

! Name

! Type

! Power

! Stage

! Music

| 02

| [[File:Donkey Kong SSBU.png|center|108x108px]]

| {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}

| [[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]] <center>{{color|#17ba17|Grab}}</center>

| 3,300

| [[Kongo Jungle]] ([[Ω form]])

| ''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Jungle Level (64)}}''

{{-}}

Donkey Kong's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing [[Classic Mode]]. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Donkey Kong in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

Additionally, Donkey Kong makes an appearance in a few Primary and Support Spirits.

Spirits donkey kong.png|134. '''''Donkey Kong'''''

Donkey Kong & Lady.png|137. Donkey Kong & Lady

DK Bongos Spirit.png|169. Donkey Kong & Bongos  

==In Spirit battles==

|{{anchor|Goomba}}[[Goomba]]

|''Super Mario series''

|•Tiny {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} Team {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Red}} (×5)

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|{{anchor|Barrel Train}}Barrel Train

|''Mario Kart series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|•Item: {{b|Bullet Bill|item}}

|{{anchor|Flies & Hand}}[[Flies & Hand]]

|''Mario Paint series''

|•Giant {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=White}}<br>•Tiny {{SSBU|Dark Pit}} {{Head|Dark Pit|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Brown}} (×4)

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|•Assist Trophy Enemies ([[Flies & Hand]])<br>•Item: [[Food]]

|•Survive until the timer runs out<br>•Hostile assist trophies will appear

|{{anchor|Rabbid Kong}}{{s|mariowiki|Rabbid Kong}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{SSBUMusicLink|Nintendo|Arcade Bunny's Theme}}

|{{anchor|Donkey Kong & Lady}}Donkey Kong & Lady

|''Donkey Kong series''

|•Giant {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Yellow}}<br>•Ally: {{SSBU|Peach}} {{Head|Peach|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Red}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|•You lose if your CPU ally is KO'd<br>•The enemy has super armor and is hard to launch or make flinch<br>•Timed [[stamina battle]]

|{{anchor|Donkey Kong Jr.}}Donkey Kong Jr.

|''Donkey Kong series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Cranky Kong}}Cranky Kong

|''Donkey Kong series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Swanky Kong}}Swanky Kong

|''Donkey Kong series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Wrinkly Kong}}Wrinkly Kong

|''Donkey Kong series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Chunky Kong}}Chunky Kong

|''Donkey Kong series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Rambi}}Rambi

|''Donkey Kong series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Professor Chops}}Professor Chops

|''Donkey Kong series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|

|{{anchor|Ninja Kong}}Ninja Kong

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Goron}}Goron

|''The Legend of Zelda series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Darunia}}Darunia

|''The Legend of Zelda series''

|•{{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Yellow}}<br>•{{SSBU|Jigglypuff}} {{Head|Jigglypuff|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}} (×8)

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|{{anchor|Daruk}}Daruk

|''The Legend of Zelda series''

|•{{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Yellow}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Bonkers}}[[Bonkers]]

|''Kirby series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Gengar}}Gengar

|''Pokémon series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Abomasnow}}[[Abomasnow]]

|''Pokémon series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|•The floor is frozen<br>•The enemy is weak to fire attacks<br>•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls ([[Abomasnow]])

|{{anchor|Landorus (Therian Forme)}}Landorus (Therian Forme)

|''Pokémon series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|{{anchor|Bewear}}[[Bewear]]

|''Pokémon series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|•The enemy has super armor but moves slower<br>•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls ([[Bewear]])

|{{anchor|Polar Bear}}[[Polar Bear]]

|''Ice Climber series''

|•{{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=White}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Purple Pikmin}}[[Pikmin (species)|Purple Pikmin]]

|''Pikmin series''

|•Tiny {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} Team {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}} (×10)

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Mr. Sandman}}Mr. Sandman

|''Punch-Out!! series''

|•{{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Red}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Blanka}}Blanka

|''Street Fighter series''

|•{{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Green}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Master Giant}}[[Master Giant]]

|''Super Smash Bros. series''

|•Giant {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Black}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Muddy Mole}}Muddy Mole

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|{{anchor|Sumo Brothers}}Sumo Brothers

|''Rhythm Heaven series''

|•Giant {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} (×2) ({{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Red}}{{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}})

|[[File:SpiritTypeGrab.png|20px|center|Grab]]

|

|{{anchor|Bottles}}Bottles

|''Banjo-Kazooie series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Goda}}Goda

|''River City series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|{{anchor|Pauline}}[[Pauline]]

|''Super Mario series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|•Defeat the main fighter to win<br>•You have reduced jump power<br>•Reinforcements will appear during the battle

|{{anchor|Funky Kong}}Funky Kong

|''Donkey Kong series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeNeutral.png|20px|center|Neutral]]

|•Item: {{b|Bullet Bill|item}}

|{{anchor|Zelda (Breath of the Wild)}}Zelda (Breath of the Wild)

|''The Legend of Zelda series''

|•{{SSBU|Zelda}} {{Head|Zelda|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}}<br>•{{SSBU|Link}} {{Head|Link|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=White}}<br>•{{SSBU|Inkling}} {{Head|Inkling|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Pink}}<br>•{{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} {{Head|Donkey Kong|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Yellow}}<br>•{{SSBU|Falco}} {{Head|Falco|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}}<br>•{{SSBU|Zero Suit Samus}} {{Head|Zero Suit Samus|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=ShortsBlue}}

|[[File:SpiritTypeShield.png|20px|center|Shield]]

|{{anchor|Hockey Players}}Hockey Players

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

|{{anchor|Kyo Kusanagi}}Kyo Kusanagi

|''THE KING OF FIGHTERS series''

|[[File:SpiritTypeAttack.png|20px|center|Attack]]

DKJoinsTheBattleSSBU.jpg|Donkey Kong's unlock notice when obtaining him in [[World of Light]].

SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong1.jpg|Donkey Kong [[grabbing]] on [[Kongo Jungle (SSBM)|Kongo Falls]].

SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong3.jpg|[[Taunting]] with {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} on [[Great Bay]].

===Character Showcase video===

*Donkey Kong and {{SSBU|Joker}}'s {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} routes are the first and only time in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series where [[Master Hand]] is not fought on the respective game's [[Final Destination]], not counting the [[Master Hand glitch]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''.

**Donkey Kong is also one of only two characters whose final round takes place on New Donk City Hall's ᘯ form. The other is {{SSBU|Bowser}}, who faces {{SSBU|Mario}} (before transforming into [[Metal Mario]] upon defeat); the latter of which is the first character unlocked in the former's unlock column of Classic Mode.