Diddy Kong (SSBU)

Diddy Kong in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Donkey Kong
Other playable appearances	in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Hyper Rocketbarrel
Tier	S- (9)

Diddy Kong (ディディーコング, Diddy Kong) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018 alongside Olimar and the rest of the returning roster. Unlike his previous appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, Diddy Kong is now an unlockable character instead of a starter character. Diddy Kong is classified as Fighter #36.

Diddy Kong once again retains his realistic chimpanzee screeches that were used in both Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4 instead of being voiced by Katsumi Suzuki.

Diddy Kong is currently ranked 9th out of 82 characters on the current Ultimate tier list, ranking him in S- tier. This is a slight drop from his ranking in Smash 4, where he was tied with Cloud at 2nd/3rd out of 54, and is technically his lowest placement in the series. Diddy Kong possesses many strengths that are core to his gameplan. He has a strong neutral with his signature item being the Banana Peel. It offers him an extensive and flexible array of options at his disposal, using it for combos or setups into KOs or edgeguards. His small size makes him generally hard to hit or pin down. Diddy Kong also has good frame data on his moves, allowing him to box out his opponents at ease. He also possesses a command grab which can also be a burst option in Monkey Flip to condition foes to shield.

Despite these strengths, Diddy Kong has some weaknesses. For example, since his Banana is an item, opponents can use it against him, allowing for their own combo or KO confirm on Diddy. Diddy Kong also does not have many reliable ways to secure stocks at high percents if his opponents are past KO confirm percentages, which is further exacerbated by his light stature as he cannot take advantage of rage as effectively, making him rely on stray hits. Finally, his recovery is relatively exploitable as if he gets hit during Rocketbarrel Boost, he is in a lot of endlag until he can recover again.

Overall, while Diddy has a lot of strengths to contend with the best of the best, he has some weaknesses that can be exploited from players who know the matchup. He has seen strong tournament results from most notably Tweek, who has won several majors with him, and other players, such as Aaron and Ryuoh.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Diddy Kong being the 37th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Donkey Kong or any character in his unlock tree, being the 7th character unlocked after Greninja.
• Have Diddy Kong join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Diddy Kong must then be defeated on Kongo Falls. In World of Light, he is fought on the Ω form of Kongo Jungle.

Attributes

Diddy Kong is a small middleweight with typical attributes for his weight class; he has very fast dash, run, and walk speeds, which allows him to move on the ground very well. In contrast, his air mobility is rather lacking, as his air speed and air acceleration are both below average. Overall, while Diddy outspeeds many characters on the ground, his air game is rather clunky due to his lackluster air attributes.

Similar to other characters of his weight and size, Diddy Kong has very fast frame data, which allows him to throw out a flurry of moves at his opponent while still being able to chase them with his strong grounded mobility. In fact, nearly all of his moves, with the exception of his forward smash, down aerial, and special moves, come out before frame 10, with many of them also having low endlag. Thanks to these attributes, Diddy has a strong, flexible combo game, allowing him to use multiple different moves to string into each other and continually pressure his opponent even if they escape his combos, as he has multiple ways to keep them in a disadvantageous position.

Another important aspect of Diddy's combo game is his excellent selection of combo starters, which lets him start combos reliably both in the air and on the ground and also lets him create mix-ups and play unpredictably. One of his main combo starters is from a grab, as both his down and up throws have low endlag and send at great angles for immediate follow-ups, as down throw can lead into a forward or back aerial and up throw can lead into any of his aerials except for down aerial. Up throw also has potential KO setups into up aerial, although these are inconsistent and unreliable. His dash attack has a long duration and extremely low endlag and sends the opponent upwards, which lets Diddy follow up with an up, back or forward aerial. His neutral aerial has a long lasting hitbox and can lead into another aerial from low to high percents, with the late hit being particularly useful at high percents due to its lower knockback. Diddy's up and down tilts are both excellent combo starters themselves, with the latter having the ability to KO confirm into an up-smash at high percents. Additionally, all of Diddy's aerials except for neutral and up aerial can lead into a grab when landed on grounded opponents thanks to their low knockback and landing lag.

Diddy's special moveset also comes with several unique options. His neutral special, Peanut Popgun, is a small projectile with low range and knockback when uncharged. It is useful for pestering the opponent in the neutral game and can be charged, giving it extreme power when fully charged, although it has extremely high lag, doesn't shoot at a distance, and its charge cannot be saved like other chargeable projectiles(such as Samus' Charge Shot). He can also cancel charging the move by shielding, dodging, or spotdodging. His side special, Monkey Flip, has Diddy leap forward and will act as a command grab when landed on the opponent or will be a fast kick if the player presses the attack button again during the duration of the move. Due to its fast speed and decent distance, low endlag, and ability to edge-cancel off platforms or the ledge of the stage, it can be used as both a movement option and a way to approach, as its speed can compensate for his poor air mobility. It can also be used for horizontal recovery. His up special, Rocketbarrel Boost, is Diddy's main vertical recovery option. Uncharged, the move has unremarkable distance, but when fully charged, it moves much faster and travels much further. However, this requires Diddy to stay in place while charging the move in the air, leaving him highly vulnerable to gimps or edgeguards. The move also has a unique property in that if the opponent hits Diddy while using the move, the barrels will fly off and will irregularly move around, with the player having a small amount of control over their trajectory before they lose control. This gives him a useful, although niche stage-controlling option and the barrels will deal high damage and knockback when landed on an opponent. Lastly, Diddy's down special, Banana Peel is his most useful special and one of his best moves. It has him pull out a Banana Peel over himself, which can be picked up and thrown by both Diddy and his opponent. If Diddy places it down before the opponent could grab it, then they will be tripped by it if they attempt to pick it up. This lets Diddy land almost any attack he wants on his opponent if he times it before the tripping animation is done and allows for a plethora of combo options and even KO confirms into his smash attacks. Thanks to its ease of use and low commitment due to him only having to throw it at the opponent for it to work, it is integral to his kit and lets him punish missed attacks, have a strong advantage in the neutral game, create extremely long combos, and take control of the stage. He can also use a held banana as an excellent out-of-shield option when thrown. The only true downside to his Banana Peel is that the opponent can also catch and throw it just like he can, which allows them to use it against Diddy and take away one of his most important tools. Additionally, only one Banana Peel can be used at a time and it disappears when hit by an opponent or thrown twice.

Despite very strong strengths, Diddy isn't without his weaknesses. His two main flaws are a lackluster disadvantage state and predictable recovery. Monkey Flip, while fast, can be extremely predictable when used in a disadvantagous position, as it is Diddy's main way of getting out of juggle situations, due to his horrible air mobility. Diddy especially suffers when the opponent is able to consistently keep him in disadvantage state, not allowing banana to be pulled. This can snowball in some matchups, making it extremely hard to catch up to the opponent if diddy is not able to get his gameplan started. Diddy's other main weakness, his recovery, is arguably worse however. Monkey Flip has respectable distance and safety when the kick version is used, but has some endlag and also doesn't allow him to use Rocketbarrel Boost afterwards. Rocketbarrel Boost itself grants Diddy a relatively long ranged recovery option, the drawback being that it leaves Diddy wide open for attacks. If diddy is hit out of the Rocketbarrel Boost with a weak move he will become helpless and slowly fall to his death, making it easy to gimp him. Diddy Kong also suffers from a lack of range, though this is somewhat offset by his banana, which provides him with a fast and transcendent projectile.

Diddy Kong falls into a quick, bait and punish heavy playstyle. He must control the neutral game with his banana and great ground moves, capitalising on his opponents' mistakes by repeatedly getting them offstage or juggling them to rack up damage. Diddy can use his fast and non-committal down tilt to set up for kills at high percent or use his banana to set up for a smash attack, ending the opponents' stock even earlier. However, players must be smart in how they use his Banana Peel, as the opponent could potentially hinder his options by taking it away from him and also exploiting his linear recovery. Overall, his strengths outweigh his weaknesses and is generally considered to be a solid high tier-, or even top tier character. Diddy has also seen great results and representation in competitive play, indicating that he is still a very viable character, although not to the same extent as in Smash 4.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Diddy Kong was one of the most dominant characters in both of his first appearances thanks to his useful moves and the ability to produce items, namely Banana Peels, which grant him an amazing control of the neutral game. Even after receiving nerfs in game updates in SSB4, Diddy would continue dominating other characters, ending his run in top tier (3rd out of 58 characters). Most likely owing to his overwhelming success, Diddy Kong was initially nerfed significantly in the transition to Ultimate, though he would later receive significant buffs in various updates to compensate. Ultimately, Diddy Kong is considered to be slightly nerfed overall.

Diddy's neutral game has been toned down due to many of his staple moves being worsened in various ways. Up and down tilts, down smash, forward aerial's late hit, up aerial, and grab all have less range, making it harder for Diddy to take advantage of these moves at their highest range. Banana Peels cannot be grabbed as quickly due to him releasing one at a higher arc, and they have a cooldown before they can be produced again after disappearing. Rocketbarrel Boost travels a drastically shorter distance when fully charged, and the charge time itself was reduced by a third, worsening his already vulnerable recovery when hit very far offstage. Diddy is also lighter, making him easier to KO.

Further exacerbating these nerfs, the universal changes hinder Diddy overall. The reduced shieldstun for items and increased lag on grabs weaken his approach and defensive game with Banana Peel; the latter change is compounded by the nerfs to his grabs' range. The faster knockback physics reduce his up throw's combo potential, no longer having reliable combos or KO setups at high percents. He also suffers from the universal increase in jump speed, as he can no longer reliably hit small characters with his back aerial from a rising short hop.

Despite this, Diddy Kong has also received notable buffs to help compensate, some of which have been received through game updates. His neutral attack no longer has an infinite portion, which decreases its damage potential but allows it to connect much more reliably, improving its overall consistency and utility as a close range option. Some of his moves have more range and/or reduced lag that increases their combo ability, namely neutral aerial (which can now autocancel from a SHFF) forward aerial's clean hit, dash attack, up tilt, down aerial, and down throw, the latter working better as an alternative to his up throw at lower percents. A few of Diddy's moves also have more power, such as his up and down smash attacks.

His special moveset has also been improved in a number of ways. Monkey Flip has reduced startup lag and much more range, which when coupled with the changes to jostle mechanics greatly improve its utility as an offensive tool. Peanut Popgun has faster startup, deals more damage and charges significantly faster. Rocketbarrel Boost goes further when uncharged and makes Diddy fall much slower during the charge period, slightly improving his recovery overall. Finally, Banana Peels benefit from the item's tweaked natural properties: they now possess transcendent priority, making them unable to trade with attacks and thus riskier to pick up; and they can now be thrown twice at opponents before disappearing (though this does potentially give opponents more opportunities to use the item against Diddy). Finally, in terms of gameplay changes, the universal increase in mobility benefits Diddy, as his already fast mobility has been further improved, allowing him to keep up with the rest of the cast.

Overall, Diddy Kong's nerfs moderately outweigh his buffs, even accounting for game update changes. Diddy must now take more risks in order to win the neutral game with his standard moves, and his Banana Peels have been nerfed to be less spammable. However, he has been generally compensated in terms of moveset utility and power, and still possesses an oppressive factor courtesy of his fast frame data and movement speed, and Banana Peels remaining a strong tool in the neutral game, which is further noticeable due to their new inability to trade. General optimizations and shifts in the metagame, combined with his changes from game updates, have also been benefitial to him. Because of this, Diddy performs overall slightly worse than his SSB4 iteration, but remains a noticeably strong character, especially in the recent competitive metagame.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Diddy Kong's model features a more subdued color scheme. Like Donkey Kong, his fur is less detailed and appears flatter. The fabric of his hat and shirt has subtle detail, and his facial proportions have been tweaked.
• Diddy Kong faces the foreground at an angle, instead of facing directly forward. In addition, most of his animations are mirrored while some are slightly altered. However, he reverts to his previous idle animation while holding a small item.
• Diddy Kong is more expressive, he appears angry during his up and down throw as well as grabbing onto a ledge.
• Diddy Kong's hat has greater independent physics; it appears to be "looser" around his head, popping off slightly while performing many actions.
• Up taunt has an altered ending animation. Diddy Kong now fixes his hat as it lands crooked on his head.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Diddy Kong's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Diddy Kong runs faster (1.824 → 2.006).
  • His initial dash is significantly faster (1.7 → 2.09).
• Diddy Kong walks faster (1.25 → 1.313).
• Diddy Kong's air speed is higher (0.88 → 0.924).
• Diddy Kong's traction is much higher (0.0484 → 0.093).
• Diddy Kong is lighter (93 → 90), worsening his endurance.
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-15 → 4-14) and has more ending lag (FAF 28 → 29).
• Back roll has more ending lag (FAF 28 → 34).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 26 → 24).
• Spot dodge has more startup and grants less intangibility (frame 2-16 → 3-14).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 2-26 → 2-27).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 32 → 45).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first and second hits have significantly less ending lag (FAF 34 → 20 (hit 1), 37 → 21 (hit 2)), no longer being among the slowest to interrupt.
  • The first and second hits have altered angles (105°/78°/45° (hit 1), 100°/78°/45° (hit 2) → 361°/180°) and knockback (16/18/24 set/100 scaling → 25/20 base/25/15 scaling (hit 1), 20 base/25/15 scaling (hit 2)) to keep opponents on the ground and closer to Diddy Kong, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and jab lock.
  • The first hit transitions into the second hit faster (frame 9 → 6), which transitions into the third hit faster (frame 9 → 7). The third hit also has less startup lag (frame 9 → 5).
  • The first hit can be held for a consecutive jab.
  • The infinite portion has been removed; the third hit instead launches at a different angle (90°/85°/60° → 361°) and no longer deals set knockback (25/37 set/100 scaling → 60 base/80 scaling).
    • This makes the neutral attack much more consistent, no longer risking opponents escaping it before the final hit and punishing Diddy Kong. The third hit also has less ending lag compared to the previous neutral infinite's finisher (FAF 39 → 35).
    • However, the move deals much less damage overall as a result, despite all three hits having their damage values increased (1.2% → 2% (hit 1), 1.2% → 1.5% (hit 2), 2% → 4% (hit 3)). The third hit is also weaker compared to the previous neutral infinite's finisher, no longer KOing under 300% from the center of Final Destination.
  • All hits have a shorter hitbox duration (2 frames → 1 frame).
  • All hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.6× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2), 2× (hit 3)).
  • The third hit has an altered animation, being a side kick rather than a back kick.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt's arm hitboxes have a longer duration (1 frame → 2 frames), and the hand hitboxes retain full damage for longer before transitioning to sourspots (1 frame → 3 frames), improving the consistency of both the range and damage output of the move.
  • The late hit has a longer duration (11-13 → 13-16).
  • The hitboxes on Diddy Kong's fists are larger (2.7u → 3.8u).
  • It sends opponents at a lower angle (361° → 35°), improving its ability to set up tech chases and edgeguards, and improving its KO potential.
  • Forward tilt has more base knockback (10 → 60), but less knockback scaling (100 → 60). This increases its safety on hit at low percents, but reduces its KO potential at high percents, and removes its ability to lock.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has less ending lag (FAF 33 → 30), improving its combo potential.
  • It has an altered animation where Diddy Kong does not leap as high, decreasing its vertical range. It can no longer hit opponents on the middle platforms in Battlefield.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt's farthest hitbox is noticeably smaller (4.2u → 3u), reducing its range.
    • It is also lower down (Y offset: 2.25 → 1.8).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has less startup (frame 9/18/24 → 8/16/22) and ending lag (FAF 46 → 41), improving its combo potential.
  • Due to the changes to jostle mechanics, it can no longer whiff if initiated too close to an opponent.
  • The first and second hits have lower hitlag multipliers (1× → 0.5× (hit 1), 0.8× (hit 2)) and an additional hitbox, as well as different launch angles for aerial opponents, with the second and hit's also being larger (3.5u → 4u). The second hit also uses different set knockback values (55/40/70 → 45/45/70) and the third hit has a larger hitbox (4.5u → 5.5u), allowing the move to connect more reliably.
  • The second and third hits have a longer hitbox duration (1 frame → 2 frames).
  • The third hit launches at a slightly higher angle (78° → 83°).
  • Diddy Kong sports an angry expression at the third hit.
• Forward smash:
  • The first hit uses different angles (90°/60°/30° → 10°/45°/80°/22° (clean), 0° (late)) and set knockback values (28/35/42 → 20/35/25/42 (clean), 20 (late)), as well as weight-independent knockback, allowing it to connect more reliably into the second hit.
  • The second hit has one frame less startup (frame 22 → 21).
    • However, its total duration remains unchanged, giving it one frame more ending lag.
• Up smash:
  • The first and second hits have received various changes to their angles and set knockback, and the second hit uses weight-independent knockback like the first, allowing the move to connect more reliably.
  • The third hit deals more knockback (50 base/129 scaling → 55/131).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash deals more knockback (40 base/72 scaling → 46/77 (hit 1), 35 base → 38 (hit 2)).
  • The second hit has less startup (frame 16 → 12).
    • However, it has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 16-18 → frame 12), with its total duration not fully compensated, giving it more ending lag (FAF 53 → 51).
  • Both hits have two hitboxes instead of three, which are smaller, significantly reducing its range (4u/4u/5u → 3.9u/3.3u).
  • The first hit has slightly more startup (frame 6 → 7).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (13 frames → 8 (neutral), 26 → 16 (forward), 12 → 7 (back), 21 → 9 (up), 28 → 17 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has regained its much faster auto-cancel window from Brawl (frame 59 → 27), allowing it to auto-cancel in a short hop fast fall once again.
  • It has noticeably larger hitboxes (2u → 3.5u).
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial's early hit has noticeably larger hitboxes (4u → 5u).
  • Forward aerial's late hit has much smaller hitboxes (5u → 2.7u).
  • It has an altered animation where Diddy Kong does not spin as much.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less ending lag (FAF 39 → 36), matching its ending lag from SSB4 prior to update 1.0.8. This allows it to combo slightly better into itself.
  • It deals more damage (6% → 7%) with only base knockback compensated (64 → 57), slightly improving its KO potential.
  • Up aerial has an altered animation where Diddy's attacking foot is positioned higher up on frame 4 (with the move's hitbox timing and duration unchanged), noticeably reducing the move's horizontal range in front of Diddy Kong, especially against grounded opponents.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial has less startup (frame 17 → 15), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 49 → 47).
  • The removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes improves down aerial's combo potential onstage, compounded further by its reduced landing lag.

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • All grabs have more startup (frame 6 → 7 (standing), 8 → 10 (dash), 9 → 11 (pivot)) and ending lag (FAF 32 → 37 (standing), 39 → 45 (dash), 37 → 40 (pivot)).
  • All grabs have less range (Z2 offset: 8.3u → 7.8u (standing), 9.9u → 9.5u (dash), 13.9u → 13.6u (pivot)).
  • Diddy Kong uses one hand to grab instead of both. He also has a surprised expression if he misses his grab.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals more hitlag (4 frames → 11), but has less startup (frame 2 → 1) and significantly less ending lag (FAF 17 → 7), shortening its effective duration.
  • It deals less damage (2% → 1%).
  • It has an altered animation where Diddy Kong no longer hops off the ground while pummeling.
• Up throw:
  • Up throw has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 27).
    • However, the faster knockback physics hinder up throw's combo potential at high percents despite this, no longer having a KO setup into up aerial unless initiated at the top platform of Battlefield.
• Down throw:
  • Diddy Kong releases opponents from down throw later (frame 19 → 22). While this does make it easier to DI, this also improves its combo potential, as its total duration was unchanged.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Peanut Popgun:
  • Peanut Popgun has less startup lag (frame 18 → 16) and charges much faster (frame 120 → 94 (full charge), 123 → 97 (explosion)).
    • However, its total duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
  • It has gained a melee hitbox that deals 3%, increasing its utility at point blank range by allowing it to rack up more damage and negate reflectors.
  • The peanuts deal more damage (3.6%-12% → 4.8%-13.8%).
  • Diddy Kong's animation for Peanut Popgun is mirrored, and he can fire with either his left or right hand.
  • Peanuts bounce once upon hitting the ground, and float upwards before exploding upon hitting an opponent, although these animations are only aesthetic.
• Monkey Flip:
  • Monkey Flip has less startup lag (frame 20 → 18).
  • The grab has more horizontal range (Z offset: 3u/2u → 4.5u/4u).
  • The jump attack now immobilises the opponent for exactly 20 frames if the move does not cause tumble, regardless of hitstun, increasing the stun time if hitstun is lower than 20 frames, but lowering it if hitstun is between 20 and 32 frames.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 44 → 48).
  • The grab's automatic pummel has Diddy Kong repeatedly scratch the opponent instead of simply latching onto them.
• Rocketbarrel Boost:
  • Rocketbarrel Boost's clean hit has larger hitboxes (3.5u → 4u).
  • The uncharged boost is larger (initial speed: 2.2 → 3.1).
  • The additional boost per frame of charge is smaller (0.031 → 0.019).
  • Its maximum charge time has been significantly reduced (90 frames → 60), combined with the previous change, this significantly reduces the height of the fully charged version to the point where it barely grants more distance than the uncharged version if used while falling, hindering Diddy Kong's recovery.
  • The boost multiplier when used in the air is lower (1.12× → 1.05×), and thus the height gained when using the move in the air isn't increased as much compared to when used on the ground, further reducing the distance it travels in the air.
• Banana Peel:
  • The Banana Peel can hit opponents twice before disappearing rather than only once, bouncing off in a high arc on the first hit. This allows Diddy Kong to pick it up and throw it again, but shielding opponents can likewise punish Diddy Kong and steal the Banana Peel, leaving him more disadvantaged. However, it drastically improves the moves combo potential.
  • The Banana Peel now has transcendent priority making it phase through other hitboxes. This allows it to be used much more effectively for spacing and edgeguarding, as it can combo into down air when z dropped at the ledge.
  • Diddy Kong throws the banana in a higher arc, causing it to take longer for him to pick up.
  • The amount of time that must pass before Diddy Kong can generate another banana peel is much higher (12 frames → 85). This makes the move more restrictive, and more importantly prevents Diddy Kong from exploiting the new Banana Peel properties to perform an infinite.
  • The move has a snappier animation.
• Final Smash:
  • Diddy Kong has a new Final Smash, Hyper Rocketbarrel, which functions differently from Rocketbarrel Barrage. Diddy Kong generates a Special Rocketbarrel Pack, multiplys himself, and flies across the stage in all directions, attacking his trapped opponents. The final hit is where Diddy Kong does a delayed, aimed attack, dealing heavy knockback to opponents he attacked the most. Diddy Kong then lands at the spot he blasted off from.

Update history

Due to the engine changes and the direct nerfs to his most useful tools in the transition from Smash 4 to Ultimate, which overall significantly hindered his viability, Diddy Kong was buffed significantly via game updates. Update 2.0.0 only brought one, but substantial change to his neutral aerial; the move now autocancels significantly earlier. Update 3.0.0 also granted Diddy Kong with some worthwhile buffs. His dash attack is now faster overall with less startup on all of its hitboxes and the move ends slightly sooner. However, the first hitbox now lasts only one frame instead of two due to a frame speed multiplier being used without proper compensation. On the flipside, his forward tilt gained late hitboxes, overall increasing the move's hitbox duration. His down smash was made stronger, his neutral aerial now has bigger hitboxes and his up aerial deals more damage without fully compensated knockback, making the move much stronger.

Update 3.1.0 was the biggest patch for Diddy Kong, bringing him many plentiful and noteworthy buffs. The second hit of his neutral attack now connects more reliably into the first hit. The final hit of up smash was made stronger and the move now connects much better overall. His up aerial was buffed once more with less startup and ending lag. His down aerial also received similar buffs, with less startup and a shorter overall duration. Peanut Popgun also was graced with considerable buffs, with every charge instead of the max level dealing more damage. The move also charges much faster overall. And finally, his once previously weak recovery, Rocketbarrel Boost, was given two buffs. Diddy Kong now falls slower while charging the move (only applies to the first charge) and the move now flies higher after charging.

After a small buff intangibility buff in update 7.0.0, Diddy Kong was buffed once more in update 8.0.0. His forward tilt now launches opponents at a lower angle, the fist hitboxes were made bigger, and the late hitboxes added in update 3.0.0 now lasts two frames longer, further increasing the move's hitbox duration. The second hit of dash attack now links more reliably into the third hit, with the aforementioned hit now having larger hitboxes. Down smash now has two frames less startup on both hits and a shorter duration overall, making the move end sooner. And finally, the clean hit of his forward aerial has bigger hitboxes.

While Diddy was mostly buffed, he has also received two notable nerfs to his Banana Peel, thanks to update 8.0.0 and once more in update 11.0.0, it now takes longer for Diddy to respawn another Banana. As a result, all of his infinite banana combos are obsolete, though this change is negligible to his gameplay outside of the infinite.

Overall, Diddy Kong was one of the most buffed characters in Ultimate, going from a mid-tier to a high tier, debatably top tier character. While Diddy Kong is still weaker than his Brawl and Smash 4 incarnation, he is still a character that should not be underestimated and continues to receive good placements in tournaments.

2.0.0

• Neutral aerial autocancels earlier (frame 50 → 27). It is now early enough to buffer short hop and fastfall with no landing lag.
• Monkey Flip release glitch has been fixed.

3.0.0

• Dash attack has less startup lag (frame 9/18/24 → 8/16/22) with identical ending lag, shortening its duration (FAF 43 → 41).
• Forward tilt has a new late hit on frames 13-14 that deals less damage (10% → 7%) but increases its duration overall.
• Down smash deals more knockback (Hit 1: 40 base/72 scaling → 46/77; hit 2: 35 base → 38).
• Neutral aerial has more range (2u/2u/2u/2u → 3.5u/3.5u/3.5u/3.5u).
• Up aerial deals more damage (6% → 7%) with base knockback not fully compensated (64 → 57).

3.1.0

• Neutral attack 2 has more range and connects more reliably from neutral attack 1.
• Dash attack's final hit sends at a slightly more vertical angle (78° → 83°).
• Up smash's hits connect more reliably.
• Up smash's final hit deals more knockback (50 base/129 scaling → 55/131).
• Up aerial has less ending (FAF 37 → 36) and landing lag (13 frames → 9).
• Down aerial has less startup lag (frame 17 → 15) with identical ending lag, shortening its duration (FAF 49 → 47).
• Peanut Popgun's peanut projectile deals more damage (with shield damage compensated: 0 → -1) (3.3%-15% → 4.3%-13.8%) and charges faster (max charge: frame 121 → 94, explosion startup: 123 → 97).
  • However, they deal less damage at full charge (15% → 13.8%).
• Diddy Kong falls slower while charging Rocketbarrel Boost.
• Rocketbarrel Boost travels more vertical distance when charged.
• Hyper Rocketbarrel's explosion and jet at the start deal more damage (total: 7% → 16%).
• Hyper Rocketbarrel's tackle deals less damage (2.5% → 2%).
• Hyper Rocketbarrel's final tackle deals slightly less overall knockback (135 base/47 scaling → 115/58).

4.0.0

• The glitch that resulted Rocketbarrel Boost to disappear instantaneous when hit by a certain move (ex. Palutena's neutral aerial) during the release has been fixed.

7.0.0

• Diddy Kong's right arm is briefly intangible when activating his shield.

8.0.0

• Forward tilt:
  • The move launches at a lower angle (45° → 35°), improving its ability to set up tech-chases and edgeguards.
  • The hitboxes on Diddy Kong's fists are larger (2.7u → 3.8u).
  • The late hit has a longer duration (frames 13-14 → 13-16).
• Dash attack:
  • The second hit has more consistent set knockback (55/40/70 → 45/45/70), allowing it to link more reliably into the third hit.
  • The third hit has a larger hitbox (4.5u → 5.5u).
• Down smash:
  • The move has less startup (frame 9/14 → 7/12), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 52 → 50).
  • The second hit has a longer duration (frame 14 → frames 12-13).
• Forward aerial's clean hit has larger hitboxes (4u → 5u).
• Rocketbarrel Boost no longer launches Diddy Kong at an unusually high speed if he is hit during the charge frames.
• The time until Diddy Kong can produce another Banana Peel after releasing the previous one has been significantly extended (12 frames → 61), removing his "pyramid scheme" infinite combo.

11.0.0

• Banana Peel takes 24 frames longer to throw after having thrown a previous one. This removes all remaining infinites.

Moveset

• Diddy Kong can crawl, wall cling, and wall jump.

For a gallery of Diddy Kong's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Right Flap (ライトフラップ) / Left Flap (レフトフラップ) / Foot Push (フットプッシュ)	2%	Diddy Kong does two alternating inward slaps, followed by an outward sidekick. Holding the attack button will have Diddy Kong repeat the first hit. The first 2 hits can lock.
			1.5%
			4%
Forward tilt		Double Arm (ダブルアーム)	10% (clean), 7% (late)	Diddy Kong leans to the side and thrusts both of his arms forward in a double punch. It can be angled upwards or downwards.
Up tilt		Overhead Slap (オーバーヘッドスラップ)	6%	Diddy Kong swats in the air above him with a slap in a similar fashion to an uppercut. Hits quite quickly and can combo into most of Diddy Kong's aerial attacks at low to mid percent ranges. It can also kill at around 160%.
Down tilt		Hand Clap (ハンドクラップ)	5.5%	Diddy Kong claps in front of himself while crouching. An extremely versatile combo starter, as it can combo into a variety of moves at nearly any realistic percentage, including down tilt to up smash as a KO confirm.
Dash attack		Rolling Slap (ローリングスラップ)	2% (hits 1 and 2), 3% (hit 3)	Diddy Kong performs his signature Cartwheel attack from Donkey Kong Country, concluding with a double-handed ground-slap. The final hit has largely vertical knockback and can combo into aerials at low to mid percent ranges.
Forward smash		Slap & Beat (スラップ&ビート)	5% (hit 1), 11%/9% (hit 2)	Diddy Kong jumps forward while spinning, and performs an open-handed slap followed by a spinning back fist with his opposite arm. The first hit combos into the second, which has good knockback and KO power. However, it is easily punishable if whiffed or on shield. Often only used in combination with his banana peel.
Up smash		Triple Attack (トリプルアタック)	2.5% (hits 1 and 2), 6% (hit 3)	Diddy Kong leaps upward and performs a stationary cartwheel, attacking upwards with an open-handed slap, a reverse heel kick, and an uppercut. It is the fastest up smash in the game, coming out on frame 5. However, it is somewhat weak, not KOing until around 130%. It is mostly used as a follow-up from down tilt or as a close-range out-of-shield option.
Down smash		Turning Leg (ターニングレッグ)	12% (hit 1), 15% (hit 2)	Diddy Kong performs a flare, kicking in front and then behind himself. A fast smash attack with respectable power, KOing opponents at around 110% at the ledge. The back hit is stronger than the front hit KOing around 10% sooner.
Neutral aerial		Diddy Roll (ディディーロール)	6%	Diddy Kong does an aerial cartwheel similar to his dash attack. Very high ending lag, so much so that Diddy Kong should avoid using this move offstage. However, it does a low amount of vertical knockback, which makes it an excellent combo starter on landing. It can combo into all of Diddy's aerials (even down aerial, which can KO at around 50% if done by the ledge). Additionally, it has a very generous autocancel window, being able to do so in a short hop fast fall.
Forward aerial		Screw Kick (スクリューキック)	10% (clean), 8% (late)	Diddy Kong does a dropkick while spinning. Comes out very fast with a long hitbox duration, generous autocancel window and great range, making it one of Diddy's core spacing tools. It is moderately powerful, KOing at around 145% at the edge. However, it has a bit of ending lag, making it unable to combo into itself unless landing with it. It is often considered one of the best forward aerials in the game due to its combination of speed, range, power and safety.
Back aerial		Quick Backspin (クイックバックスピン)	9%	Diddy Kong does a reverse spin kick behind himself. Has very low start-up and ending lag, allowing it to be used twice in one short hop and combo into itself at low to mid percents. It also has decent range and KO power killing at around 130% at the edge, although it is somewhat weak compared to other moves of its type.
Up aerial		Turn Kick (ターンキック)	7%	Diddy Kong performs an overhead kick in an arc. Tied for the fastest in the game (frame 4 startup) with good coverage above and behind Diddy. However, it posseses a blindspot in front of Diddy, making it unable to hit most characters in a rising up air. Despite its hitbox issues, it is a great juggling tool, as it has above average base knockback, giving it strong combo potential at low percents and KO Potential at higher percents.
Down aerial		Hammer Meteor Knuckle (ハンマーメテオナックル)	13% (fists), 10% (arms)	Diddy Kong swings both arms downward in a double ax-handle punch. A strong meteor smash and Diddy Kong's strongest aerial overall, though it is also his slowest. It has a large auto-cancel window at the beginning of the attack before the hitbox starts, which makes it a good tool for landing provided that the move is inputted shortly before touching the ground. It can also jab lock opponents at low percent ranges. It also combos into his other aerials on landing.
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—	Diddy Kong reaches out in front of himself.
Pummel		Grab Headbutt (つかみヘッドバット)	1%	A headbutt.
Forward throw		Rock Throw (ロックスルー)	9%	Diddy Kong tosses his opponent forwards. The throw is based on Diddy Kong's barrel toss animation from Donkey Kong Country. Diddy Kong's second strongest throw, KOing middleweights around 156% at the edge of Final Destination. It also has low ending lag, which allows it to combo into dash attack, forward- and back aerial at very low percentages.
Back throw		Back Rock Throw (バックロックスルー)	12%	Diddy Kong tosses his opponent backward. Diddy Kong's strongest and most damaging throw, KOing middleweights around 140% at the edge of Final Destination .
Up throw		Grab Kick (グラブキック)	1% (hit), 4% (throw)	Diddy Kong throws his opponent up and handstand kicks them. It works as a good combo starter at a wide range of percents and can even potentially set up KO confirms into up aerial in specific circumstances. However, it deals low damage and knockback, being unable to kill even at very high percent.
Down throw		Leap Frog (リープフロッグ)	7%	Diddy Kong throws the opponent onto the ground and hops over them. This is among his best combo starters, as it has extremely low ending lag and low knockback. It can set up into back aerial, forward aerial and up aerial very reliably depending on the opponent's DI, and can continue this string, especially on platforms. It can be used as a kill confirm into back air at the edge at around 110%, and into up aerial for the "Hoo Hah" KO confirm at around 90%-145% depending on weight, rage, and DI. However, the timing is somewhat strict.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Diddy Kong gets up and kicks on both sides.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Diddy Kong gets up and kicks on both sides.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Diddy Kong gets up and kicks on both sides.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	A spinning tail slap.
Neutral special		Peanut Popgun	4.8%-13.8% (peanuts), 3% (close range), 23% (explosion)	Diddy Kong shoots a peanut from his Popgun. A safe projectile attack that is rather useful in neutral. It can also be canceled in the air if the shield button is held before inputting the special button, which is useful for B-reversing to make Diddy Kong's movement harder to predict. The peanuts have the property of items and can be caught and thrown. The peanuts also bounce off of opponents and solid surfaces, but they lose their hitbox afterward. The longer Diddy Kong charges the attack, the farther and quicker the peanut will fly. If Diddy Kong overcharges the attack, however, it will cause a very powerful explosion that leaves him vulnerable but possesses massive knockback.
Side special		Monkey Flip	14% (clean mid-air kick), 12% (mid midair kick), 10% (late midair kick), 1% (grab loop), 3% (grab attack, hit 1), 7% (grab attack, hit 2), 3% (jump attack, hit 1), 8% (jump attack, hit 2)	Diddy Kong performs a back-flipping forward leap that has him cling onto an opponent. Inputting the move as a smash attack increases the distance of the jump. Once he has clung onto the opponent, he will continuously scratch them. During this time, he can perform an action depending on what button is pressed: pressing the attack or special move button will cause Diddy Kong to attack them with a double-handed cho and then leap away, while pressing the jump button will cause him to perform a pseudo footstool jump, which can meteor smash at high percentages. If the attack or special button is pressed during the jump, Diddy Kong will attack with a flying kick instead of latching on to his opponent. However, if Diddy Kong chooses to use the flying kick he will not be able to use his rocketbarrel pack unless he touches the ground first, making it a risky option offstage. This move is very useful in the neutral to pressure shielding opponents alongside the Banana Peel.
Up special		Rocketbarrel Boost	10% (launch explosion), 8% (early collision), 6% (late collision), 18% (collision explosion; detached Rocketbarrel Pack) 3.75%~4.33% (flying Rocketbarrel Pack); 5% (crash recoil)	Diddy Kong charges his rocket barrel pack from Donkey Kong 64 in a powerful attack. Can potentially fly very far and very fast when charged, however hitting a surface, or being hit, will make Diddy Kong lose his rocket barrels before falling a huge distance while being unable to perform any action, often falling too far to survive. Diddy Kong will also take recoil damage for hitting a surface. It travels significantly more horizontal/diagonal distance than it does vertically.
Down special		Banana Peel	3.8%~5.3%	Diddy Kong tosses a Banana Peel over his shoulder and into the air to have it fall onto the ground. Grounded opponents who touch the peel while on the ground or are hit by the peel when thrown will slip and trip on the floor. An integral part of Diddy Kong’s kit, as it allows him to take control of the stage, extend and create combos, set up KOs, easily punish missed attacks from his opponents even if they are spaced properly, and otherwise dominate the neutral game. A held banana also serves as one of the best out of shield options in the game when thrown. Only one banana peel can exist at one time, and it disappears when hit by an opponent or when thrown twice.
Final Smash		Hyper Rocketbarrel	1% (startup loop), 2% (per collision), 20% (final hit), 15% (collateral final hit), 10% (launch/ending explosion)	Diddy Kong activates his Rocketbarrel Pack and flies up. He then dashes across the screen in multiple directions, doing damage to whoever he touches. After a while, he will lock on to whatever opponent has taken the most damage and unleash one final dash attack that launches the targeted opponent, as well as any other nearby opponents. After this last attack, Diddy Kong descends back to his original position. His Rocketbarrel Pack explodes before he lands, which damages nearby opponents.

Stats

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump height	Double jump height
Value	90	2.09 – Initial dash 2.006 – Run	1.313	0.093	0.008	0.924	0 – Base 0.05 – Additional	0.125	1.75 – Base 2.8 – Fast-fall	3	41.21 - Base 19.9 - Short hop	41.21

Announcer call

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article, upload it here.

• English/Japanese/Chinese

• French

• French (PAL)

• Russian

On-screen appearance

• Bursts out of a DK Barrel and claps his hands above his head.

• 

  Diddy Kong's on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up taunt: Tosses his cap in the air and has it land on his head. This is a reference to his victory pose in Donkey Kong Country after he defeats a boss or wins in a Bonus Area.
• Side taunt: Angrily does a playful fighter's stance while cackling, trying to assert his dominance.
• Down taunt: Claps his hands above his head four times, switching feet in the process.

• 

  Diddy Kong's up taunt.

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  Diddy Kong's side taunt.

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  Diddy Kong's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Scratches his rump, gets down on all fours, and shakes his fur.
• Jumps in place twice.

• 

  Diddy Kong's first idle pose.

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  Diddy Kong's second idle pose.

Crowd cheer

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer			File:Diddy Kong Cheer Italian SSBU.ogg
Description	Did - dy Kong!	Diddy Kong!	Diiii - ddy Koooo - ong! *clap 4 times*	Di - ddy! Diddy Kong!	Di - ddy Kong!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer		File:Diddy Kong Cheer Spanish NTSC SSBU.ogg
Description	Diddy Kong!	Diddy Kong! Cha - cha - cha!	Diddy Kong! *clap 2 times*	Di - ddy Kong!

Victory poses

• Left: Shoots 3 times with his Peanut Popguns (first with the right, then with the left, then the right again). Afterwards rolls towards the camera, and fires one more shot from his left Peanut Popgun.
• Up: Rises from the ground with his Rocket Barrels. After doing a spin, he dismounts from them, causing them to fly away. Upon landing, he then faces the screen, dancing with hands on his head and chin.
• Right: Performs an inverted spin kick, followed by a slap, and then he slams both of his hands on the ground, performing a front flip. He ends up balancing on his hand in a breakdance-like pose, clapping his feet together.

A cover of the short track that plays in Donkey Kong Country and subsequent games whenever a playable Kong defeated a boss or completed a bonus game.

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In competitive play

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Diddy Kong players (SSBU)

•  Aaron - One of the best Diddy Kong players in the world. Placed 7th at both Smash Ultimate Summit 3 and Get On My Level 2022, 9th at both Low Tide City 2021 and GENESIS 8, and 13th at Super Smash Con: Fall Fest with wins over players such as Light, Tweek, and Riddles. Ranked 30th on UltRank 2022.
•  Dakpo - One of the best Diddy Kong players in the United States. Placed 2nd at DreamHack Anaheim 2020, 13th at Low Tier City 7, 17th at Ultimatum, and 25th at both Mainstage and GENESIS 7 with wins over players like Glutonny, Lui$, and ANTi. Currently ranked 4th in the Las Vegas Power Rankings.
•  Etsuji - The best Diddy Kong player in Japan prior to his retirement. Placed 5th at Maesuma TOP 8, 7th at Kagaribi 5, 13th at EPI 2, and 17th at Kagaribi 4 and Seibugeki 8 with wins over players like ProtoBanham, Asimo, and HIKARU.
•  Firehao - One of the best Diddy Kong players in Chile. Co-mains Diddy along with Snake. Placed 1st at Iwanna Torneo Nacional!, 5th at Smash Chile - Civil War and 49th at 2GG: Kongo Saga with wins over Lui$, Frido and VinS. Currently ranked 2nd on the Chilean Power Rankings.
•  Legit - One of the best Diddy Kong players in the United States. Placed 7th at Super Smashed Fest, 25th at GENESIS 7 and Mainstage, 33rd at 2GG: Prime Saga, and 49th at GENESIS 6 with wins over Goblin and Joker. NorCal Ultimate Power Rankings.
•  Rivers - One of the best Diddy Kong players in the United States. Placed 2nd at Play With Heart, 13th at 2GG: SwitchFest 2019, and 17th at 2GG: Kongo Saga with wins over HIKARU and Lemmon. Currently ranked 5th on the New Jersey Ultimate Power Rankings.
•  Ryuoh - The current best Diddy Kong player in Japan. Placed 1st at Wave 1, 7th at Sumabato SP 28 and Sumabato SP 29, and 13th at Kagaribi 7 and JAPAN 24. Has wins over players such as HIKARU, Kome, and Sigma.
•  Tweek - The best Diddy Kong player in the world. Placed 1st at Let's Make Big Moves 2023, Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024 and Smash Ultimate Summit 3 as well as 2nd at Mainstage 2022 and Collision 2022. Ranked 7th on LumiRank 2023.

Tier placement and history

This article or section may require a cleanup. The editor who added this tag believes this page should be cleaned up for the following reason: Outdated You can discuss this issue on the talk page or edit this page to improve it.

Diddy Kong's role in Ultimate competitive play has fluctuated over its lifetime. On release, top professionals immediately noticed his weaknesses, which include inconsistent KO'ing at higher percent and his greatly nerfed recovery. Many of Diddy Kong's top players, such as MVD and Zinoto, dropped him in favor of other characters. In the early months of Ultimate, Diddy was perceived as a mid-tier character.

When update 3.1.0 dropped, Diddy received a multitude of buffs to his kit to compensate for his main problem of KOing as well as his previously weak recovery. Some players further optimized Diddy's moveset, such as an infinite being discovered on platforms, which was named the Pyramid Scheme. In addition, several dedicated mains, including Aaron, Dakpo, Rivers, and Legit, started to see better and more consistent results at nationals. Because of this, the general opinion of Diddy Kong started to improve, with some players, such as Samsora, Maister, and Dabuz viewing him as a solid high-tier character.

During the online metagame, patch 8.0.0 removed Diddy Kong's Pyramid Scheme infinite. However, due to the additional buffs received, players such as Tweek and Aaron continued to achieve impressive results. Tweek especially won Get On My Line 2020 and TNS: Pandemic Monthly 5.5 with the character.

Following the return of offline play, both players continued to see high placements with Diddy Kong, with Tweek notably winning Smash Ultimate Summit 3. As such, the current view on Diddy Kong has improved further compared to before the pandemic, with some players believing that he might reassess himself as a top-tier character, albeit still weaker than his previous incarnations. Dabuz in particular has come out and said that he believes that Diddy Kong is top 10. However, some other players such as ESAM, Light and even Tweek believe that he is overrated and is a high tier at best.

Regardless, Diddy Kong is still seen as a strong character, making him ranked 12th on the first tier list and 9th on the second, although it is still widely agreed that he is slightly worse than in Brawl and Smash 4.

Classic Mode: Hey, Little Buddy!

Diddy Kong's congratulations screen.

In Diddy Kong's path, he serves as the "little buddy" to the hero of various Nintendo franchises and fights the respective villains or final bosses. In the penultimate stage he finally teams up with his true partner, Donkey Kong, to defeat their nemesis King K. Rool. Donkey Kong is also Diddy Kong's partner for the final fight against Master Hand and Crazy Hand. The title originated from the manual of Donkey Kong Country and was popularized by the Donkey Kong Country TV series; Diddy Kong is also referred to as Donkey Kong's "little buddy" in games such as Brawl and Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Bowser and Bowser Jr.	Princess Peach's Castle	King Bowser - Super Mario Bros. 3	Mario is a CPU ally.
2	Ridley and Dark Samus	Norfair	Nemesis Ridley	Zero Suit Samus is a CPU ally.
3	Ganondorf	Unova Pokémon League (Battlefield form)	Death Mountain	Zelda is a CPU ally. The stage references Ganon's Castle.
4	Mewtwo	Spear Pillar	Battle! (Dialga/Palkia) / Spear Pillar	Pokémon Trainer is a CPU ally.
5	King Dedede and Meta Knight	Fountain of Dreams	King Dedede's Theme (Brawl)	Kirby is a CPU ally.
6	King K. Rool	Jungle Japes	King K. Rool / Ship Deck 2	Donkey Kong is a CPU ally.
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand and Crazy Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand / Crazy Hand	Donkey Kong is a CPU ally.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Diddy Kong has Stickerbush Symphony accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Diddy Kong in World of Light

Diddy Kong was among the fighters that were summoned to fight the army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Diddy Kong was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed its beams of light. He attempted to fly away with Rosalina & Luma using his Rocketbarrel Pack, but a beam of light hit him and he was vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment along with the other fighters, excluding Kirby.

To find Diddy Kong, the player must access the DK Island sub-area reminiscent of the first Donkey Kong Country game, where he's found right at the end.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
36		Diddy Kong	Grab	9,000	Kongo Jungle (Ω form)	Stickerbush Symphony

Spirit

Diddy Kong's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Diddy Kong has been unlocked. Unlocking Diddy Kong in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in Ultimate.

• 

  135. Diddy Kong

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
147		Lanky Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Diddy Kong Team ×6		3,900	Kongo Falls	•Item: Bananas	•The enemy is easily distracted by items •Defeat an army of fighters	DK Rap
148		Tiny Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Diddy Kong		9,500	Jungle Japes	•Tiny •Hazard: Low Gravity •Hazard: Heavy Wind	•Dangerously high winds are in effect •Timed battle (1:00) •Gravity is reduced	DK Rap
155		Squitter	Donkey Kong Series	•Diddy Kong		3,600	Jungle Japes	•Move Speed ↓	•You have reduced move speed	Ice Cave Chant
165		Tiki Tak Tribe	Donkey Kong Series	•Diddy Kong Team		1,700	Kongo Falls	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Jungle Hijinxs
179		Octorok	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Diddy Kong Team ×4		1,800	Great Bay	N/A	•The enemy's neutral special has increased power •The enemy favors neutral specials	Termina Field
207		Deku Link	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Diddy Kong		3,700	Distant Planet (Battlefield form)	•Item Tidal Wave •Item: Lip's Stick	•The enemy favors neutral specials •Certain items will appear in large numbers after a little while •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Saria's Theme
320		Ukiki	Yoshi Series	•Diddy Kong Team ×4		2,000	Yoshi's Story	•Item: Food	•The enemy becomes more powerful after eating	Obstacle Course - Yoshi's Island
397		Andrew Oikonny	Star Fox Series	•Diddy Kong		1,700	Corneria	•Attack Power ↑	•The enemy has increased attack power when the enemy's at high damage	Star Wolf (Brawl)
406		Dash Bowman	Star Fox Series	•Diddy Kong •Fox		1,500	Corneria (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Return to Corneria - Star Fox Zero
586		Salsa	EarthBound Series	•Diddy Kong •Wario		1,700	Gerudo Valley (Battlefield form)	•Item: Banana Peel	•The enemy favors special moves	Mother 3 Love Theme
861		Leif (Animal Crossing)	Animal Crossing Series	•Diddy Kong		3,500	Yoshi's Island	•Item: Timer	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Title Theme - Animal Crossing
992		Dee Jay	Street Fighter Series	•Diddy Kong ×3 (50 HP)		1,600	Wuhu Island (Frisbee Dog Park)	•Jump Power ↓	•Stamina battle •The enemy favors side specials •All fighters have reduced jump power	Dee Jay Stage Type B
1,139		Goku & Chao	Famicom Mukashibanashi Series	•Diddy Kong •Villager		1,600	Town and City	•Item: Golden Hammer	•Reinforcements will appear during the battle •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Yūyūki Medley	Goku
1,239		Prince Saruno	Tsukutte Utau: Saru Band	•Diddy Kong Team ×4		2,000	New Donk City Hall	•Defense ↑ •Item: Banana Peel	•The enemy has increased defense after a little while	PERFORMANCE
1,338		Tooty	Banjo-Kazooie Series	•Diddy Kong •Banjo & Kazooie		3,500	Spiral Mountain	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy shields often •Magic attacks aren't as effective against the enemy	Main Theme - Banjo-Kazooie
1,369		Grookey, Scorbunny, & Sobble	Pokémon Series	•Diddy Kong •Bunny Incineroar •Squirtle		9,600	Onett (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy has increased attack power when badly damaged •Reinforcements will appear during the battle •The enemy starts the battle with a Lip's Stick	Road to Viridian City - Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue	Grookey

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
82		Barrel Train	Mario Kart Series	•Donkey Kong •Diddy Kong		3,500	Spirit Train	•Item: Bullet Bill	•The enemy can deal damage by dashing into you •The enemy has increased attack power •The enemy has increased move speed	Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	Diddy Kong
141		Funky Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Captain Falcon •Diddy Kong •Donkey Kong		9,000	Kongo Jungle	•Item: Bullet Bill	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Funky's Fugue	Diddy Kong
145		Dixie Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Isabelle •Diddy Kong		9,100	Jungle Japes	•Item: Banana Peel	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Swinger Flinger	Diddy Kong
912		Roll Caskett	Mega Man Legends Series	•Isabelle •Diddy Kong		3,700	Pilotwings	•Item: Hocotate Bomb	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Light Plane (for 3DS / Wii U)	Data
1,070		The Creature & Flea Man	Castlevania Series	•Giant Mii Brawler (Moveset 1333, Hockey Mask, Business Outfit, Low Voice Type 11) •Diddy Kong		4,500	Dracula's Castle (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Zap Floor	•The floor is electrified •The enemy is giant	Out of Time	Flea Man
1,130		Donbe & Hikari	Famicom Mukashibanashi Series	•Young Link •Villager •Falco •Diddy Kong •Duck Hunt		3,500	Duck Hunt (hazards off)	N/A	•Defeat an army of fighters	Shin Onigashima Medley	Matsunosuke
1,396		Goda	River City Series	•Donkey Kong •Diddy Kong		2,000	Onett	•Item: Battering Types	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy's side special has increased power •The enemy favors side specials	Golden Forest	Godai

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Diddy Kong's fighter card.

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  Diddy Kong's unlock notice.

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  Diddy Kong taunting on Kongo Falls.

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  Striking Kirby with Monkey Flip on The Great Cave Offensive.

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  Grabbing towards Ness on Moray Towers.

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  Charging his Peanut Popgun on Saffron City.

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  The Peanut Popgun exploding on Spear Pillar.

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  Tossing a Banana Peel on Great Bay.

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  Taunting with Donkey Kong on Distant Planet.

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  Taunting with Donkey Kong on Great Bay, holding a Banana Gun.

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  Wall clinging onto Alolan Exeggutor with Bayonetta on Big Blue.

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  Diddy Kong and Lucas being attacked by Marshadow on the Bridge of Eldin.

Trivia

• Diddy Kong's blog mentions his Final Smash utilizing his popguns. However, his new Final Smash, Hyper Rocketbarrel, no longer utilizes the popguns he wielded like in Rocketbarrel Barrage.
• Diddy Kong and Toon Link are the only characters who gain a CPU ally in every round of their Classic Mode (excluding the Bonus Game).
• Barring a few small differences, Diddy Kong's Ultimate artwork is essentially a mirrored version of his artwork in Brawl.
• Oddly, Diddy Kong's stock icon does not change his fur and skin color to match the costume.