Editing Donkey Kong (universe)

{{Title|''Donkey Kong'' (universe)}}

|caption          = [[File:DKSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]

|developer        = [[Nintendo]]<br>Ikegami Tsushinki<br>Nelsonic<br>[[Rare Ltd.]]<br>[[Namco]]<br>[[Paon]]<br>[[Retro Studios]]<br>Monster Games<br>Hamster Corporation<br>Coleco<ref>[https://medium.com/swlh/how-i-spent-my-summer-of-1982-59638293f358]</ref><br>Arcana Software Design<br>Forever Entertainment<ref>https://www.bankier.pl/wiadomosc/FOREVER-ENTERTAINMENT-S-A-Rozpoczecie-kampanii-marketingowej-gry-zatytulowanej-Donkey-Kong-Country-Returns-HD-8767336.html</ref>

|publisher        = Nintendo<br>Rare Ltd. (''Diddy Kong Racing'')<br>Hamster Corporation<br>Ocean Software<br>Atari<br>Coleco

|genres            = Action adventure<br>Platformer<br>Puzzle<br>Racing<br>Music<br>Shooter

|latestinstallment = ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)}}'' (2024)

By the beginning of 1981, Nintendo had developed a series of cabinet arcade games that were moderately successful in Japan, but its efforts to market them to Western audiences had fallen flat. In the most spectacular representation of this performance, thousands of units of an arcade shooter named ''{{iw|wikipedia|Radar Scope}}'', the first game [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] ever helped develop, were left sitting in warehouse storage. The president of the newly founded Nintendo of America division, Minoru Arakawa, faced financial disaster, so he pleaded with Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi to provide him with a new game that he could install as a replacement into ''Radar Scope'' machines. Miyamoto agreed to the task of "fixing" the game so it would appeal to gamers, and instead of tweaking the original, he designed an entirely new coin-op game out of the ''Radar Scope'' hardware, and created new characters that could then be marketed and used in later games. Miyamoto initially wanted to develop a game based on ''{{iw|wikipedia|Popeye}}'' franchise, but Nintendo could not acquire the license to do so in time, so he combined the dynamic of Popeye, Bluto and Olive Oyl with the feature film ''King Kong.'' This game eventually released as ''{{iw|mariowiki|Donkey Kong|game}}''.

In this seminal entry, then-innovative techniques were used to tell the on-screen story of how the stubborn pet gorilla of "Jumpman" the carpenter (who would later become iconically known as [[Mario]]) steals away his girlfriend, [[Pauline]], and it is up to the hero to save the damsel in distress. The game became an unprecedented critical and financial success for the company, especially in international markets where they previously struggled to get a foothold in. This caught the attention of Universal Pictures, the rightsholder of King Kong at the time, who sued Nintendo for copyright infringement. Nintendo won the case due to being different enough to avoid plagiarism, and this court case is still being used as precedent for infringement cases to this day.  

The success of the game prompted Nintendo to release two arcade follow-ups. The first, ''{{iw|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Jr.|game}}'' in 1982, involves the gorilla's son {{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Jr.}} embarking on a similar quest to free his father from the cage that Mario (in his only truly "villainous" appearance) keeps him trapped inside. ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong 3}}'', in 1983, sees Donkey Kong invade a greenhouse to eat vegetables and stir up flower-devouring insects in the process; a one-time protagonist, {{s|mariowiki|Stanley the Bugman}}, must shoot bug spray both at the bugs and Donkey Kong to protect the flowers and vegetables. Donkey Kong would also appear in other media like {{uv|Game & Watch}} titles, television series, and many forms of merchandise.

While Donkey Kong rivals Mario relatively closely as one of Nintendo's most popular characters today, what was essentially an eleven-year hiatus awaited the character following the release of ''Donkey Kong 3'', as he never made a new "official" appearance in a release during that time period that was not some kind of port or compilation of the original games. Evidently, this was due to Nintendo's newfound focus on nurturing {{uv|Mario}}'s new NES-based franchise that exploded onto the public spotlight as a result of the world-famous, industry-defining ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Bros.}}'' for the NES in 1985. Given that the seminal side-scrolling platformer had singlehandedly defined Nintendo's future styles and practices as a video game company more strongly and specifically than ''Donkey Kong'' had four years earlier, Donkey Kong was, for a time, treated as a relic of Nintendo's past; in fact, ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Kart}}'', a 1992 release for the SNES, features Donkey Kong Jr. as one of the eight playable racers rather than his father. The hiatus was only partially alleviated in June 1994 when a Game Boy game titled ''{{iw|mariowiki|Donkey Kong|Game Boy}}'' was released; while technically a remake of the original coin-op, it retooled the gameplay and provided an enormous increase in stage count (from 4 to 100), making it a standalone title that is considered to be one of the best Game Boy games of all time.

The hiatus for Donkey Kong was definitively ended later that year, however, thanks to the efforts of the British game developer [[Rare Ltd.|Rareware]]. Rare sought out a partnership with Nintendo as a second-party developer and appealed to them with their work at Silicon Graphics using pre-rendered three-dimensional sprites. Nintendo acquired 25% of Rare's stake (which gradually grew to 49%) and commissioned Rare to develop a new game centered on Donkey Kong using this technology. Rare would go on to release ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country}}'' for the SNES in November 1994. This game was a bold reinvention of the ''Donkey Kong'' universe; a 2D sidescrolling platformer that received widespread critical acclaim and became the third best-selling SNES game in the system's lifespan. It was also groundbreaking for being one of the first games on a home console to utilize pre-rendered 3D graphics, in addition to a widely praised score by British composer David Wise. Rare debuted the familiar modern-day incarnation of Donkey Kong with this game, which included his trademark red necktie (which was actually introduced in the aforementioned Game Boy ''Donkey Kong''), and introduced a full supporting cast of expressive side-characters, animal buddies, and enemies all created by Rare during their affiliation with Nintendo. The most well-known of these new side characters is [[Diddy Kong]], Donkey Kong's "little buddy" and partner. Originally intended to be a redesign of Donkey Kong Jr., the character came into his own after Nintendo expressed concern with how drastically different his design had become. Together, the Kongs must traverse their new homeland, Donkey Kong Island, and retrieve their stolen banana board from the clutches of the Kremling leader, [[King K. Rool]].

Some retrospectives express doubt on whether the success of ''Donkey Kong Country'' necessarily reflected the actual quality of the gameplay itself, but regardless Rare essentially became the sole shepherds of the Donkey Kong franchise during the rest of the 1990s, which included two sequels on the SNES: ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest}}'' in 1995, starring Diddy Kong and his newly introduced girlfriend {{s|mariowiki|Dixie Kong}}, and ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!}}'' in 1996, starring Dixie Kong and a gorilla toddler named {{s|mariowiki|Kiddy Kong}}, both of which were reviewed as improvements. All three ''Country'' games were each accompanied by their respective Game Boy counterparts, the ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Land}}'' games. This was a subseries of interquels translating the pre-rendered visuals of the SNES titles onto the original Game Boy. Moving into the [[Nintendo 64]] era, Rare would first develop ''{{s|mariowiki|Diddy Kong Racing}}'' in 1997; the game was retooled from an N64 reboot of the ''R.C. Pro-Am'' series and featured a host of original characters starring alongside Diddy Kong, some of which would later headline their own video game series. Following this, Rare released the first fully-3D ''Donkey Kong'' title, ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong 64}}'' in 1999, a game cut from a similar cloth to their previous work on {{uv|Banjo-Kazooie}}. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong's thoroughly established resurgence in the Nintendo lineup guaranteed he would forever appear in either starring or side-roles not only in future ''Mario'' spinoffs, but in the Nintendo crossover series ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' However, in September of 2002, Nintendo sold 100% of Rare's shares to [[Microsoft]] and left the ''Donkey Kong Country'' brand and characters under Nintendo's full ownership. Several games Rare was planning to develop, including ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Racing}}'' for [[Nintendo GameCube]], ''{{s|mariowiki|Diddy Kong Pilot}}'' and ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers}}'' for Game Boy Advance, were either retooled into different original titles or canceled outright, the first of which was unfinished before Rare was bought by Microsoft, while the last two had set release dates but ended up being unpublished. None of the Rare games except ''{{s|lylatwiki|Star Fox Adventures}}'' were showcased at E3 2002.

Donkey Kong remained a regular in ''Mario'' games as always, and his contributions have included the full ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario vs. Donkey Kong|series}}'' series of puzzle games that pay homage to the original ''Donkey Kong'' coin-op's scenario, particularly building on the foundation of the 1994 Game Boy version. The characters and setting originally introduced by Rare and associated with the ''Donkey Kong Country'' brand also made fairly regular appearances in games published by Nintendo, but are largely developed by a variety of second-party developers: Paon developed the Game Boy Advance puzzle game ''{{s|mariowiki|DK: King of Swing}}'' and its Nintendo DS sequel ''{{s|mariowiki|DK: Jungle Climber}}'', as well as the Wii racer ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Barrel Blast}}''; [[Namco]], meanwhile, developed all three titles in the ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Konga}}'' series of GameCube rhythm games that use a unique bongo drum-themed peripheral for input (a peripheral also used as a controller for the Nintendo-developed GameCube platformer ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Jungle Beat}}'').

 

Throughout the 2000's, the mainline ''Donkey Kong'' series was on hiatus not unlike the buildup to Rare's SNES trilogy. This second hiatus for the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise came to an end when Texas developer [[Retro Studios]] was approached by Nintendo and Miyamoto to produce a new ''Donkey Kong Country'' game. Having concluded their saga with the original ''{{iw|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime}}'' trilogy, along with several core staff leaving the studio to pursue other interests, Retro jumped at the chance to revitalize another dormant Nintendo franchise. The result of these efforts was ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country Returns}}'', a return to the side-scrolling gameplay style of the ''Donkey Kong Country'' games released for the Wii in 2010. Critical reception to this game was incredibly positive, with points of praise going to the level design and challenge while criticism was aimed at the sometimes disruptive motion controls. A port of ''Returns'' by Monster Games was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 featuring an easier difficulty option and additional exclusive levels. Following the Wii version's success, Retro Studios felt there were many opportunities to seize on with a sequel on more powerful hardware. As such a direct sequel, ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze}}'', was released for the Wii U in February 2014. Reception was far stronger to ''Tropical Freeze'' than it was to ''Returns'', with points of praise going to the more ingenious level design, impressive visuals, and musical score by original series composer David Wise. The game was re-released for the Nintendo Switch in May 2018 with a new easier difficulty and featuring Funky Kong as a playable character. Since the Switch port's release, Retro Studios has no plans for a third ''Donkey Kong Country'' game as the team has since shifted focus to developing ''{{s|metroidwiki|Metroid Prime 4: Beyond}}'' for the Nintendo Switch. An HD remaster of ''Returns'' by Forever Entertainment will be released for the Nintendo Switch in 2025.

*[[File:DonkeyKongIcon(SSB).png|50px|right|link=Donkey Kong (SSB)]]'''{{SSB|Donkey Kong}}''' ([[Starter character|Starter]]): Donkey Kong is one of the most famous video game mascots in history. He is a descendant of the original Donkey Kong from the arcade games, now known as Cranky Kong. Unlike Cranky, he is the hero of the franchise, and consistently appears in many ''Mario'' spin-offs as a "big, strong, and slow" archetype. This carries over into ''Smash 64'', where he is the biggest, heaviest character in the game, and one of the slowest. He has a unique grabbing and throwing game, in which he is the only character who can carry his opponent around on his back. His [[neutral special]], [[Giant Punch]], is a chargeable and very powerful punch attack. His [[up special]] is the [[Spinning Kong]], a move where Donkey Kong spins his arms around, propelling him slightly upward. His [[down special]] is his [[Hand Slap]] from ''Donkey Kong Country'', a maneuver where he strongly slaps the ground with the palms of his hands to cause small earthquakes.{{clr}}

*'''{{SSBMusicLink|26: Hammer|26: Hammer}}''': Sped-up chiptune music that occurs when a player picks up the Hammer, in homage to the music that would occur when Mario would pick up a hammer in the original ''Donkey Kong''.

[[File:DonkeyKongIcon(SSBM).png|50px|right|link=Donkey Kong (SSBM)]]

*[[File:KongoJungleIconSSBM.png|right|link=Kongo Jungle (SSBM)]] '''DK Island: {{SSBM|Kongo Jungle}}''' ([[Starter stage|Starter]]): This stage does not represent any specific location in any ''Donkey Kong'' game, but is instead a general representation of one type of location in Donkey Kong's home jungle environment, which is on multiple wooden platforms built into the edge of a waterfall near a cabin. One type of Kremling enemy, a [[Klap Trap]], sometimes flows down the river and snaps at players as it falls off the waterfall. Like in ''Smash 64'', there is a Barrel Canon underneath the stage moving from side to side.{{clr}}

*[[File:JungleJapesIconSSBM.png|right|link=Jungle Japes]]'''DK Island: [[Jungle Japes]]''' ([[Starter stage|Starter]]): This stage, though sharing the name of the first level of ''Donkey Kong 64'', more closely resembles the jungle level tileset from ''Donkey Kong Country''. It is set on multiple wooden platforms built on top of a fast-flowing jungle river, a river that makes it hard for characters to recover from if they fall in. The silhouette of [[Cranky Kong]] is seen passing by the window of a cabin in the background. Klap Traps that swim and jump out of the water to bite at players amount to very powerful stage hazards.{{clr}}

*'''{{SSBMMusicLink|Hammer}}''': Sped-up chiptune music that occurs when a player picks up the Hammer, in homage to the tune that would play when Mario would pick up a hammer in the original ''Donkey Kong''. It is Song 76 in the Sound Test.

''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' debuts the second playable character from the ''Donkey Kong'' series; these two characters occupy a column on the game's roster shared with the stars of the other two ''Mario'' subseries, {{SSBB|Yoshi}} and {{SSBB|Wario}}, which neighbors the column devoted to the core ''Mario'' series itself. {{SSBB|Diddy Kong}} and [[Dixie Kong]] were originally planned to be a tag-team fighter and the player would have been able to swap between the two during battle like in ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest}}''. However, this idea was scrapped due to technical issues and Diddy Kong was left as a solo fighter.<ref>http://www.geocities.jp/bgrtype/gsl/words2/dairantosmabrax/smashbrothersx.html</ref>

*[[File:DonkeyKongIcon(SSBB).png|50px|right|link=Donkey Kong (SSBB)]]'''{{SSBB|Donkey Kong}}''' ([[Starter character|Starter]]): Donkey Kong returns from his ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' appearance with a more natural look to his fur, but with no particular changes to his attack and movement patterns otherwise. His [[Final Smash]] is the [[Konga Beat]], in which he enters an invincible, immobile mode and slaps on bongo drums to the beat of the DK Island Swing theme from ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country}}'' - for each successfully timed button input by the player during this process, DK emits a large damaging shockwave. These drums are a replica of the bongo drum controller peripheral used for the GameCube games ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Jungle Beat}}'' and ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Konga}}'', which in turn was based on an "ultimate musical attack" DK could use in ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong 64}}''. As a fighter, Donkey Kong has regained a good degree of power and force in his attacks, has better mobility and as a result, he is now a mid-tier character; despite this, the different ''Brawl'' environment and his ever-present weaknesses against projectile-using characters in high-level play causes him to remain in the mid tier in the competitive community.{{clr}}

*[[File:DiddyKongIcon(SSBB).png|50px|right|link=Diddy Kong (SSBB)]]'''{{SSBB|Diddy Kong}}''' ([[Starter character|Starter]]): Diddy Kong, a monkey, was introduced as Donkey Kong's nephew and best friend in ''Donkey Kong Country'', and in that game and many games to follow he has become the most prolific "secondary" playable character to Donkey Kong in the latter's games, even being the main character of some of his own games. Due to his introduction in a British-developed title, Diddy Kong is the only character made outside of Japan in the ''Brawl'' roster. His special move arsenal includes generating and tossing [[Banana Peel]] items that trip opponents, as well as some technology from his playable role in ''Donkey Kong 64'' - his [[Peanut Popgun]]s give him a second projectile, while his [[Rocketbarrel Boost]] is usable for recovery. His final smash, [[Rocketbarrel Barrage]], combines these two implements into a temporary flying mode that shoots very powerful explosive projectiles downwards. While this utility, together with Diddy's good overall speed, is offset in concept by his weak smash attacks and weak KO moves, the greatly versatile capabilities of his banana peels - useful for offensive maneuvers, defensive maneuvers, and stage control alike - more than make up for his shortcomings and manage to cement him as one of the game's best competitive character choices.{{clr}}

*[[File:Icon-rumblefalls.gif|right|link=Rumble Falls]]'''[[Rumble Falls]]''' ([[Starter stage|Starter]]): Based on the game ''Donkey Kong Jungle Beat'', Rumble Falls is a large level, filled with ladder-like layers of platforms, in which the camera and the blast boundaries continuously scroll upwards, forcing combatants to constantly climb up while fighting, much like the [[Icicle Mountain]] stage from ''Melee''. The stage is one of few in the game to include [[Ladder (stage element)|ladder]]s that characters can climb, and also has various traps and buttons that can be hit to activate them. Once the top of the waterfall is reached in the background, the stage background fades into the starting waterfall and restarts itself.{{clr}}

*[[File:Icon-75m.gif|right|link=75m]]'''[[75m]]''' ([[Unlockable stage|Unlockable]]): An almost perfect recreation of the elevator stage in the original ''Donkey Kong'' arcade game, rendered in an identical 8-bit style. Another of a few stages that contain climbable ladders, the unorthodox, platform-packed stage includes many stage hazards: mobile fireballs, bouncing jacks across the long top platform, and the original arcade-style Donkey Kong himself at the top left.{{clr}}

*[[File:DonkeyKongIcon(SSB4-U).png|50px|right|link=Donkey Kong (SSB4)]]'''{{SSB4|Donkey Kong}}''' ([[Starter character|Starter]]): He has once again received a furrier appearance than his prior game appearance. While most of his moves are the same, many of them have been buffed. For example, his [[Spinning Kong]] now spins at an angle when used on the ground and [[Hand Slap]] can now be used in midair. His dash attack has also been changed to the {{s|mariowiki|Roll Attack}} from the ''Donkey Kong Country'' games. He sports more exaggerated facial expressions while performing attacks. When Donkey Kong is launched, his eyes will bulge out of his head.{{clr}}

*[[File:DiddyKongIcon(SSB4-U).png|50px|right|link=Diddy Kong (SSB4)]]'''{{SSB4|Diddy Kong}}''' ([[Starter character|Starter]]): He's back again and about time too and this time he's in the mood. He was revealed to promote the Western release of ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze}}''. His proportions have been tweaked to match his recent appearances, like his head being smaller. Due to his arms and legs stretching while performing attacks, several of his moves involving his limbs now have longer range in general. A significant nerf is that he can now only have one [[Banana Peel]] out at a time. Much like Donkey Kong, his general expressiveness has been exaggerated.{{clr}}

*[[File:KongoJungle64IconSSB4-U.png|75px|right|link=Kongo Jungle (SSB)]]{{gameIcon|SSB}}'''[[Kongo Jungle 64]]''' ([[Unlockable stage|Unlockable]]): A wooden complex in a [[mariowiki:Jungle Hijinxs (Donkey Kong Country)|jungle canopy]] from ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country}}'' at sunset. A Barrel Cannon hovers back-and-forth underneath the stage and will launch fighters that fall into it. A flock of [[mariowiki:Necky|Neckies]] flies in the background. This stage is large enough to accommodate [[8-Player Smash]] and is one of the possible stages to appear in Level 3 of [[All-Star Mode]] as a [[home stage]] for Diddy Kong. Its [[Ω form]] is columnar. Its [[Ω form]] is a floating platform. It is one of four stages from the original ''Super Smash Bros.'' to be in ''SSB4'', with the other three being [[Peach's Castle]], [[Hyrule Castle]], and [[Dream Land (SSB)|Dream Land]]. Of the four, Kongo Jungle 64 is the only stage available in the base game.{{clr}}

*'''{{b|Hammer|item}}''' (battering): A large mallet from the original ''{{iw|mariowiki|Donkey Kong|game}}''. The player who picks it up enters a state of constantly swinging it, inflicting damage to opponents who make contact with its head. However, the '''Hammerhead''' occasionally falls off, leaving the user vulnerable as they swing a useless stick. Other players can pick up the Hammerhead and throw it as a powerful projectile. The length of the attack is much shorter than it was in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl''.

The ''Donkey Kong'' series has received a considerable boost in representation, with the ''Donkey Kong Country'' games receiving greater representation. In addition to the returning two veterans, King K. Rool makes his debut as a newcomer along with the first Assist Trophy in the series. This is the first title to have unlockable ''Donkey Kong'' fighters.

*02. [[File:DonkeyKongIcon(SSBU).png|50px|right|link=Donkey Kong (SSBU)]]'''{{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}''' ([[Starter character|Starter]]): The leader of the bunch returns once again as a starter fighter, this time with a  new Final Smash called [[Jungle Rush]].{{clr}}

*36. [[File:DiddyKongIcon(SSBU).png|50px|right|link=Diddy Kong (SSBU)]]'''{{SSBU|Diddy Kong}}''' ([[Unlockable character|Unlockable]]): Donkey Kong's little buddy returns as an unlockable fighter after being a starter in ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4''. During the transition, Diddy Kong received a new Final Smash called [[Hyper Rocketbarrel]].{{clr}}

*67. [[File:KingKRoolIcon(SSBU).png|50px|right|link=King K. Rool (SSBU)]]'''{{SSBU|King K. Rool}}''' ([[Unlockable character|Unlockable]]): The leader of the Kremlings and nemesis of the Kongs, King K. Rool makes his debut as an unlockable newcomer, sporting a design that combines his modern appearance with his original look from ''Donkey Kong Country''. He uses his [[Blast-o-Matic]] from ''{{iw|mariowiki|Donkey Kong 64}}'' for his Final Smash.{{clr}}

*'''{{b|Hammer|item}}''' (battering): A large mallet from the original ''Donkey Kong'' game, functioning largely the same as it did in previous games. Aesthetically, the music that plays when a character picks up hammer now sounds closer to the original arcade game's corresponding theme, and if a hit connects, the corresponding sound and visual effects are shown.

*{{GameIcon|SSB4-WiiU}}'''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Donkey Kong Country Returns (Vocals)}}''': A vocal arrangement of the title theme from ''Donkey Kong Country Returns''. Returns from ''Smash for Wii U''.

*{{GameIcon|SSB4-WiiU}}'''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Jungle Level Jazz Style (for 3DS / Wii U)}}''': A Jazz-influenced arrangement of "DK Island Swing" from ''Donkey Kong Country''. Returns from ''Smash for Wii U''.

*{{GameIcon|SSB4-WiiU}}'''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Jungle Level Tribal Style (for 3DS / Wii U)}}''': An arrangement of "DK Island Swing" led by a shakuhachi flute. Returns from ''Smash for Wii U''.

{{main|Donkey Kong (universe)/Elements appearing in the Super Smash Bros. series}}

The ''Donkey Kong'' universe has media represented throughout the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series with a total of 23 games. The latest game represented in this universe is ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze}}'', released on February 13, 2014.

*The ''Donkey Kong'' universe is one of three universes that currently have multiple playable characters without any semi-clones or Echo Fighters, the others being {{uv|Kirby}} and {{uv|Final Fantasy}}.

*The ''Donkey Kong'' universe is the only series to have all of its fighters not have traditional voice actors, but instead realistic animal noises for their voices.