Donkey Kong (universe)

Donkey Kong (universe)
Developer(s)	Nintendo Rare Namco Paon Retro Studios
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Genre(s)	Action adventure Platformer Puzzle Racing Music
Console/platform of origin	Arcade
First installment	Donkey Kong (1981)
Latest installment	Arcade Archives: Donkey Kong (2018)
Article on Donkey Kong Wiki	Donkey Kong (universe)

The Donkey Kong universe (ドンキーコング, Donkey Kong) refers to the Super Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that originate from the subset of Nintendo's Mario franchise that is focused on the character Donkey Kong. It is like the other "sub-franchises" to Mario - Yoshi and Wario - in that its characters are regularly featured in Mario games, but also stars them in its own games. In this case, it is a series that was initially established by developer Rareware, then a second-party developer for Nintendo, to feature Donkey Kong and an extended simian cast, crocodilian enemies, and an exclusive setting. The Super Smash Bros. series therefore saw fit to categorize Donkey Kong and these related properties with its own series symbol, rather than the iconic image of a Super Mushroom assigned to the "main" Mario series. The first two Smash Bros. games featured Donkey Kong as the series' only playable representative, and then added Diddy Kong for Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, and King K. Rool for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Franchise description

The character Donkey Kong was introduced to the fledgling video game industry at the same time as Mario, in the hugely successful 1981 coin-op arcade game named after him that defined Nintendo's future business as a video game company. The game was named after the de facto villain, a gorilla (which was named after the classic 1933 movie monster King Kong), instead of the player-character Mario (or "Jumpman", as he was named at the time), because designer Shigeru Miyamoto felt Donkey Kong had to be the strongest character in the love triangle displayed on-screen - the game used then-innovative techniques to tell the on-screen story of how the stubborn pet gorilla of "Jumpman" the carpenter steals away his girlfriend, Pauline, and it is up to the hero to save the damsel in distress. The success of the game prompted Nintendo to release two arcade follow-ups: Donkey Kong Jr. in 1982, where the gorilla's son Donkey Kong Jr. goes on a similar quest to free Donkey Kong from the cage Mario (in his only "villainous" appearance ever in a video game) keeps him trapped inside, and Donkey Kong 3 in 1983, where Donkey Kong invades a greenhouse to eat vegetables and stirs up flower-devouring insects in the process, and a one-time character and protagonist, Stanley the Bugman, must shoot bug spray both at the bugs and Donkey Kong to keep both the flowers and vegetables intact.

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 Mario's new NES-based franchise that exploded onto the public spotlight as a result of the world-famous, industry-defining 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, in Super Mario Kart for the SNES in 1992, Donkey Kong Jr. was one of the eight playable racers, chosen over his father. The hiatus was only partially alleviated in June 1994 when a Game Boy game titled Donkey Kong was released; while technically a remake of the original coin-op, it retooled the gameplay and provided an enormous increase in stage count (from 3 to 100), making it a project in its own right, and it is acclaimed as one of the best Game Boy games.

The hiatus for Donkey Kong was definitively ended later that year, however, thanks to the efforts of the British developer Rare. Rare sought out a partnership with Nintendo as a second-party developer and appealed to them with their work at Silicon Graphics, Inc. in the field of pre-rendered three-dimensional graphics in animated sprite form, and Nintendo consented to Rare developing a new game centered on Donkey Kong using this technology. Rare adopted the trademark name "Rareware" and released Donkey Kong Country for the SNES in November 1994. The side-scrolling platformer received widespread critical acclaim and became the second best-selling SNES game in the system's lifespan, and was revolutionary for being one of the first games for a mainstream home video game console to use pre-rendered 3D graphics. Rareware debuted the familiar modern-day design of Donkey Kong with the game, which included his trademark red necktie (though this was actually introduced in the aforementioned Game Boy Donkey Kong), and introduced a full supporting cast of side-characters and enemies that were owned by Rareware themselves during their affiliation with Nintendo. The most well-known of these new side characters is Diddy Kong, which was originally intended to be a redesign of Donkey Kong Jr., but Rareware decided he would be a separate character when Nintendo expressed disapproval of how much of a radical change it was from Donkey Kong Jr.'s established design. (Donkey Kong Jr., oddly enough, was forever relegated to extremely occasional cameo appearances in future Mario games following this.)

Some retrospectives express doubt on whether the success of Donkey Kong Country necessarily reflected the actual quality of the gameplay itself, but Rareware released two sequels on the SNES: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, starring Diddy Kong and his newly introduced girlfriend Dixie Kong, and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!!, starring Dixie Kong and a gorilla toddler named Kiddy Kong, both of which were reviewed as improvements. Rareware then created the highly acclaimed and successful Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, and then created the 3D adventure-platformer Donkey Kong 64 in 1999, in a similar vein to their previous work on 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 games, but in the Nintendo crossover series Super Smash Bros.. But then, in late 2002, Microsoft bought out 100% of Rareware's shares, turning Rare into a first-party developer for the Xbox line of consoles and leaving the Donkey Kong Country aesthetic and related characters under Nintendo's ownership (and incidentally letting their last planned console game, Dinosaur Planet for the Nintendo 64, get revised and released as Star Fox Adventures for the GameCube).

Donkey Kong remained a regular in Mario games as always, and his contributions have included the full Mario vs. Donkey Kong series of puzzle games that pay homage to the original Donkey Kong coin-op's scenario. And the characters and setting originally introduced by Rareware and associated with the Donkey Kong Country brand have made fairly regular appearances in games published by Nintendo but, for the most part, are developed by a variety of second-party developers: the Paon Corporation developed the Game Boy Advance puzzle game DK: King of Swing and its Nintendo DS sequel DK: Jungle Climber, as well as the Wii racer Donkey Kong Barrel Blast; Namco, meanwhile, developed all three titles in the 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 Donkey Kong Jungle Beat); and most recently, the "official" return of the side-scrolling gameplay style of Donkey Kong Country was the 2010 Wii title Donkey Kong Country Returns, which was developed by Retro Studios (previously famous for bringing forth the revival of the Metroid franchise with the full Metroid Prime subseries). A Wii U sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, was released in February 2014.

The modern-day Donkey Kong seen in all Mario and Donkey Kong games since Donkey Kong Country is stated by the games featuring Rareware's extended Donkey Kong cast and setting to be the grandson of the "Donkey Kong" that was featured in the classic coin-op arcade games, and this original "Donkey Kong" is depicted in the Rareware-originated series as an elderly curmudgeon named Cranky Kong. (Nintendo has sometimes ignored Rareware's decision on this matter in the past, but nowadays counts this as part of the Mario canon.) Donkey Kong's extended family and friends, all of them simians, are collectively referred to as the Kong Family, living on an island shaped like Donkey Kong's head named Donkey Kong Island, and in every Kong Family-centered game their enemies are an expansive army of humanoid crocodilians called the Kremling Krew. They and their ruler, the comically obese and cantankerous King K. Rool, constantly try to steal the Kong Family's enormous hoard of bananas for unspecified reasons, and to this end they have allies of different species such as vultures and giant spiked wasps; Donkey Kong, his nephew Diddy Kong, and certain other Kong Family members embark on quests to defeat the Kremling Krew and safeguard their bananas, and the Kongs sometimes call on animal allies of their own.

In Super Smash Bros.

At the time, the Donkey Kong Country series was very popular. As such, the Super Smash Bros. series treats Donkey Kong and his series of games as its own universe, separate from the Mario universe. This includes the three Donkey Kong arcade games, where Mario played a large role. The Donkey Kong universe is represented with one playable character, one stage, and one item.

Character

• 
  Donkey Kong: 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.

Stage

• 
  Congo Jungle: This stage features visuals, audio, and layout designed in direct homage to the fifteen level of Donkey Kong Country for the SNES. It is named (albeit with a misspelling) after the first world of said game, Kongo Jungle. The stage is made out of a large, solid, wooden platform with two small semi-solid platforms on the top corners, and a pair of small rotating semi-solid platforms in the center. There is a Barrel Cannon moving vertically below the stage which can be used by fighters to save themselves from falling.

Item

• Hammer: A giant mallet from the original arcade Donkey Kong that could be picked up by Mario and compel him to swing it uncontrollably, pulverizing any obstacles in his way. It is used the same way in Smash 64, picking it up forces the user to uncontrollably swing it for the next ten seconds, unable to discard it. This hammer deals massive damage and knockback.

Music

• 6: A remix of the first level music heard in Donkey Kong Country. It is heard in Congo Jungle, and both the music and the stage were reused in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
• 16: The victory fanfare of Donkey Kong is an orchestration of the "Boss Defeated" music or the theme played after clearing a Bonus Level, first heard in Donkey Kong Country for SNES.
• 26: Sped-up 8-bit 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.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

While Melee features an abundance of new content in general, the Donkey Kong franchise is still only represented by one returning character. However, what stands out about the franchise's representation is that it has a total of three stages, two brand new, and one ported from the previous game. The franchise also has two items, gaining a new one from Smash 64.

Character

• Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong returns as a starter character, once again based on his appearance from Donkey Kong Country. Donkey Kong gains Headbutt as his new side special, which inflicts the new Buried condition - immobilizing the target in the ground. DK has gained a general increase in movement and attack speed, but at the expense of some of his exemplary power and reach. DK is considered to be neither buffed or nerfed from Smash 64 because of this but he is now ranked slightly better in Melee compared to Smash 64.

Stages

• 
  DK Island: Kongo Jungle: 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.
• 
  DK Island: Jungle Japes: 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.
• 
  Past Stages: Kongo Jungle: The original Congo Jungle stage from Super Smash Bros. is one of three such stages to have been ported to Melee; besides a correctly spelled name, it is seemingly an exact replica of the stage, with a slightly larger size and a slight delay to the launch process of the Barrel Cannon that is underneath the stage.

Items

• Barrel Cannon: A portable version of the many empty barrels in the series that Donkey Kong and other characters can launch themselves out of like cannons. In Melee, a player can pick up a Barrel Cannon and throw it at another to trap them inside it, and the victim must wait until the barrel faces a proper direction before they can shoot themselves out of it with a button press.
• Hammer: Returns from Smash 64 somewhat powered down. There is now a one-out-of-eight chance that the hammer's head will fall off its stick, forcing the player to be swinging a non-damaging stick helplessly for the entire duration. The discarded hammer head, meanwhile, can be picked up by a separate character and thrown as a powerful projectile until it disappears.

Music

• 3: Kongo Jungle: A cover band performance of the "DK Rap" made infamous in the opening sequence of Donkey Kong 64, with a much different assortment of instruments and rhythms from its original appearance. It is heard in the Kongo Jungle stage. This is also used one of Donkey Kong's credits theme.
• 4: Jungle Japes: A calm and atmospheric remix of the standard "Jungle music" in various stages of the original Donkey Kong Country. It is heard in the Jungle Japes stage. This is also used one of Donkey Kong's credits theme.
• 27: Kongo Jungle N64: The Smash 64 remix of the standard "Jungle music" heard in the original Donkey Kong Country. It is heard in the same stage, Past Stages: Kongo Jungle.
• 39: DK's Victory: The victory fanfare of Donkey Kong is an orchestration of the "Boss Defeated" music or the theme played after clearing a Bonus Level, first heard in Donkey Kong Country.
• 76: Hammer: Sped-up 8-bit 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.

Full Trophy List

• Donkey Kong
• Donkey Kong [Smash]
• Donkey Kong [Smash] (2)
• Hammer
• Barrel Cannon
• Klaptrap
• Dixie Kong
• King K. Rool
• Donkey Kong Jr.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl debuts the second representative 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, Yoshi and Wario, which neighbors the column devoted to the core Mario series itself. A data package for a third playable character, Dixie Kong, was discovered by hackers following the game's release, suggesting that her inclusion in the roster was considered during development.

Characters

• 
  Donkey Kong: 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 new Final Smash is the Konga Beat, in which he enters an invincible, immobile mode and slaps on bongo drums to the beat of the jungle-tileset theme from 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 Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Donkey Konga, which in turn was based on an "ultimate musical attack" DK could use in 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.

• 
  Diddy Kong: 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 European character 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 Popguns 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.

Stages

• 
  Rumble Falls: 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 ladders 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.
• 
  75m: An almost perfect recreation of the elevator stage in the original Donkey Kong arcade game, rendered in an identical 8-bit style. Another of 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.
• 
  Melee Stages: Jungle Japes: The Jungle Japes stage makes a return appearance as part of Brawl’s collection of Melee Stages, with one primary difference: characters are now buoyant in the rushing river underneath the platforms because of the new swimming mechanic. While the river is still dangerous and carries off characters very fast, it is possible for a character that falls into it on the right side of the screen to be able to jump back out and recover.

Items

The Barrel Cannon is removed as a traditional item, despite a black, metallic variation on it now appearing as a common stage element in various levels of the Subspace Emissary adventure mode. Meanwhile, the Peanuts that Diddy Kong can create are not available as items that can be switched off or on in matches, but while the Banana Peels he creates are official items in and of themselves, they are counted as representative of the core Mario universe instead of Donkey Kong, representing the item from the Mario Kart series.

• Hammer: The Super Smash Bros. Brawl version of the Hammer is virtually unaltered in function or specifics from its Melee version, besides some slightly altered damage values for a hurled Hammer head.
• Spring: This item's design is taken directly from the second level of Donkey Kong Jr., as well as the sound that plays when it is jumped on, though the concept of a spring that can be carried and hurled more closely resembles Super Mario World. As an item, this is a fairly weak throwing projectile, but while grounded, its purple-facing side can propel away characters that bump into it, whether the spring is left lying upright or on its side.

Music

• Jungle Level Ver. 2 - A fast-paced, jazzy, rock-tinged arrangement of the "DK Island Swing" music from Donkey Kong Country. It is the theme of the Rumble Falls stage.
• Jungle Level - Another remix of "DK Island Swing". This remix is taken directly from the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack. It is used on the Rumble Falls stage.
• King K. Rool / Ship Deck 2 - A completely redone version of the song used during the battle against King K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country. It is used on the Rumble Falls stage. This theme is also played during both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's Classic Mode credits.
• Bramble Blast - From Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, where it was known as "Stickerbush Symphony," this is a faster remix of said song, which played in all of the bramble-filled levels. It is used on the Rumble Falls stage.
• Battle for Storm Hill - Music for the first stage of the Durian Kingdom named "Battle for Storm Hill", taken directly from Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. It is used on the Rumble Falls stage.
• DK Jungle 1 Theme (Barrel Blast) - Taken directly from the recently released racing title Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, it is used on the Rumble Falls stage.
• The Map Page / Bonus Level - A combination of two themes taken directly from the Donkey Kong Country—the world map and Bonus Levels. It is used on the Rumble Falls stage.
• Donkey Kong - A techno arrangement of the themes from the original Donkey Kong arcade game, composed by the original game's sound effects producer, Hirokazu Tanaka. It is the theme of the 75m stage.
• Opening (Donkey Kong) - A remix of several themes from the original Donkey Kong arcade game. It is used on the 75m stage.
• 25m BGM - The music of the first level of the original Donkey Kong arcade game, it is used on the 75m stage.
• Jungle Japes (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. A calm and atmospheric remix of "DK Island Swing". It is the theme of the Jungle Japes stage.
• Kongo Jungle (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. A cover band performance of the infamous "DK Rap". It is used on the Jungle Japes stage.
• Donkey Kong victory theme - A whimsical-sounding remix of the victory fanfare played in Donkey Kong Country after defeating a boss or successfully completing a bonus level.

Trophies

Donkey Kong Diddy Kong Konga Beat Rocketbarrel Barrage Hammer Spring Dixie Kong Funky Kong Candy Kong Lanky Kong Wrinkly Kong Rambi Enguarde Kritter

Tiny Kong Cranky Kong Squitter Expresso King K. Rool Kass Kip Kalypso Kludge Helibird Turret Tusk Xananab Peanut Popgun Rocketbarrel Pack

Stickers

Banana Bunch Banana Coin Chunky Kong Cranky Kong Diddy Kong Donkey Kong DK Barrel DK with Barrel Funky Kong Gale Hawg

Kalypso Klaptrap Kritter Junior Lanky Kong Manky Kong Pauline & Donkey Kong Wrinkly Kong Xananab

In Super Smash Bros. 4

The Donkey Kong franchise continues to be well represented within Super Smash Bros. 4. While there are no new characters, other content within the games has been updated to reflect such recent titles like Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong return.

Characters

• 
  Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong returns as a starter character, and 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 his roll attack, the Barrel Roll, from the Donkey Kong Country games. He now sports more exaggerated facial expressions while performing attacks. When Donkey Kong is launched, his eyes will even bulge out of his head.
• 
  Diddy Kong: A returning starter character, revealed to promote the Western releases of 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 also been exaggerated.

Mii Fighter Costumes

Hats

• King K. Rool Hat (DLC)

Costumes

• King K. Rool Outfit (Brawler): This outfit is based on King K. Rool, a reoccuring antagonist of the early Donkey Kong Country series. He has been a highly requested fighter among fans. The outfit was released with a corresponding hat in K. Rool's likeness on July 31st, 2015 as downloadable content. As King K. Rool is not inherently a human-like character, there is no QR code available based on the character.

Enemy

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• Kritter
• Blue Kritter
• Tiki Buzz

Stages

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• 
  Jungle Japes: A familiar stage from Melee and the only Donkey Kong stage on Smash for Nintendo 3DS. With the absence of swimming mechanics in for 3DS, the river functions like how it did in Melee as opposed to Brawl. The hazardous Kremling, Klaptrap, also returns.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• 
  Jungle Hijinxs: A new stage based on the first level in Donkey Kong Country Returns. Notably, the stage has two layers, allowing fighters to travel between the foreground and background areas via Barrel Cannons. After doing so, a character will be covered in non damaging flames. Attempting to use a barrel while in flames will cause an explosion, preventing stalling. While in the background, attacks will cause more knockback to compensate for the further distance from the blast lines. Occasionally, the middle part of the foreground will crumble away and reveal a Barrel Cannon. It explodes after use and leaves the pit open until the ground regenerates. A Screaming Pillar may also appear on the right side of the stage between the foreground and background. Blasting into it from the one side will cause it to fall toward the other side and damage anyone it hits.
• 
  Kongo Jungle 64: An unlockable returning stage from the original Super Smash Bros. This stage is available in 8-Player Smash.
• 
  75m: A returning stage from Brawl. Walk-offs on the right side of the screen have been removed. This stage is available in 8-Player Smash.

Items

• Hammer: An iconic battering item from the original Donkey Kong arcade. When picked up, the fighter enters a state of constantly swinging it. However, there is a rare tendency of having the head of the hammer fall off, rendering the weapon useless and leaving the fighter vulnerable. The fallen Hammerhead can be picked up and thrown as a very powerful projectile. The length of the attack is much shorter than in Melee and Brawl.
• Spring: Another returning item that debuted in Donkey Kong Jr. It functions as before as a bouncy projectile the fighters can hop on. If it falls on its side after being tossed, it'll bounce opponents from the side, similar to the Bumper item. The base and top of the Spring is more stylized than before, with a yellow ring-like pattern on it.

Music

Original tracks

• Jungle Level Jazz Style: A jazzy reorchestrated version of "DK Island Swing", the reoccurring Jungle Level music that debuted in Donkey Kong Country. It plays on Jungle Hijinxs.
• Jungle Level Tribal Style: Another take on "DK Island Swing", this time in an exotic, tribal interpretation. It plays on Kongo Jungle (64).
• Gear Getaway: Played during the item portion of the Smash Bros Direct, a remix of the Rocket Barrel theme from Donkey Kong Country Returns. This remix plays on Jungles Japes and Jungle Hijinxs.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns (Vocals): A rearrangement of the title theme from Donkey Kong Country Returns, with a chorus of singing simians. It plays on Kongo Jungle (64).

Returning tracks

• Kongo Jungle: A theme from the original Super Smash Bros., this calm remix of "DK Island Swing" from the SNES title Donkey Kong Country makes its return after not appearing in Brawl. This version of the song plays on Jungle Japes and Kongo Jungle (64).
• DK Rap: The "Kongo Jungle" track from Melee correctly retitled "DK Rap". For unspecified reasons, the track has been shortened with Lanky and Chunky's verses removed. This piece plays on Jungle Hijinxs.
• Donkey Kong: A returning piece based on the music from the original Donkey Kong. It plays on 75m.
• Opening (Donkey Kong): Another returning piece based on the opening title music from Donkey Kong. It plays on 75m.
• Jungle Level: A faithful reorchestrated take on "DK Island Swing". It plays on Jungle Hijinx.
• Jungle Level Ver. 2: A different, faster paced take on "DK Island Swing" that includes minor vocals. It plays on Kongo Jungle (64).
• King K. Rool / Ship Deck 2: A remix of "Gang-Plank Galleon", the theme played during the fight against King K. Rool in the SNES game Donkey Kong Country. This plays on Kongo Jungle (64).
• Stickerbush Symphony: Formerly known as "Bramble Blast", this is a remix of "Stickerbush Symphony", a theme played on all the bramble-based levels in the SNES game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. This track is available to use in Smash Run and also plays on Jungle Hijinxs.

Source tracks

• 25m Theme: The original BGM that would play on the 25m stage of Donkey Kong. It plays on 75m.
• Battle for Storm Hill: A piece from Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. It previously appeared in Brawl as a track on Rumble Falls, a stage from Jungle Beat that did not return in SSB4. The track now plays on Jungle Hijinx.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns: The title theme music from Donkey Kong Country Returns, taken directly from said game. This plays on Kongo Jungle (64).
• Jungle Hijinx: The Jungle Level music from Donkey Kong Country Returns.
• Mole Patrol: Another barrel theme from Donkey Kong Country Returns, that initially plays in the minecart-based level "Mole Patrol".
• Mangrove Cove: The first level music of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. It has vague similarities to "DK Island Swing".
• Swinger Flinger: The interpretation of "DK Island Swing" arranged for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Curiously, it is mistitled, as the music that plays on the "Swinger Flinger" level in Tropical Freeze is a completely different piece.

Victory fanfares

• Victory! Donkey Kong Series: From Brawl, a remix of the victory fanfare played in Donkey Kong Country after defeating a boss or successfully completing a bonus level.

Trophies

Both Versions

Donkey Kong Donkey Kong (Alt.) Diddy Kong Diddy Kong (Alt.) Peanut Popgun Rocketbarrel Pack Hammer Hammerhead Spring Pauline

Cranky Kong Funky Kong Candy Kong Kritter King K. Rool DK Barrel Dixie Kong Tutorial Pig Kalimba

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Tiki Buzz Rambi Expresso Squawks Squitter Mugly Cap'n Greenbeard

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Konga Beat Rocketbarrel Barrage Enguarde Winky Zinger Wrinkly Kong Tiny Kong Lanky Kong Stu

Mole Miner Max Thugly Colonel Pluck Tiki Tong Pointy Tuck Fish Poker Pops Pompy, the Presumptuous Snowmad Ship

Trophy Box

• Donkey Kong and His Friends
• Animal Friends and Items
• Donkey Kong Country Returns
• Tropical Freeze

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Characters

• Donkey Kong: Returns as a starting character.
• Diddy Kong: Returns as an unlockable character.
• King K. Rool: Debuts as a brand new unlockable fighter.

Assist Trophy

• Klaptrap

Stages

• Kongo Jungle (SSB)
• Jungle Japes
• Kongo Falls: Kongo Jungle returns from Melee under a new name.
• 75m

Music

• A new medley from Donkey Kong Country, including at least Bonus Room Blitz and Simian Segue, played during Diddy Kong's showcase trailer and during the item showcase in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct.
• "Gang-Plank Galleon": A new fast-paced funk remix of Gang-Plank Galleon from Donkey Kong Country.
• "DK Rap"
• "Jungle Level Ver. 2": heard in DK's showcase trailer.

Games with elements from or in the Super Smash Bros. series

Donkey Kong

• Playable Characters:
  • Mario and Donkey Kong, the characters who starred in this game became part of the Smash Bros. gang since the original Super Smash Bros..
  • Mario's down taunt is a reference to his dying animation in this game.
  • Donkey Kong's red costume is a reference to his original sprite from this game.
  • Mario's blue costume is based on his original sprite from this game in the first three Super Smash Bros. games
  • Wario's red and blue costume is based on Mario's original sprite from this game in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4.
  • Peach's red costume in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4 is based on Pauline's dress from the cover.
• Stages:
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a stage known as 75m is based directly on the third level in the game. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• Stage Elements:
  • Pauline appears in the background of New Donk City Hall in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
• Items:
  • The Hammer from this game, as well as the tune that goes with it, is an item in all five Super Smash Bros. games.
• Trophies:
  • Pauline appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for 4.
• Music:
  • Donkey Kong: An arrangement of various songs and sound gets from this game.
  • Opening (Donkey Kong): An arrangement of the title theme from this game, as well as the hammer theme and the riff when Donkey Kong appears from this game.
  • 25m Theme: The original background music for 25m, sourced from this game.
• A section of Donkey Kong's Target Test in Super Smash Bros. Melee resembles the first level of the game.
• The game also appears as a Masterpiece in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 4. It starts the player on the level 75m takes place on.
• Artwork of Donkey Kong holding Pauline for this game appears as a sticker in Brawl.

Donkey Kong Jr.

• Playable Characters:
  • Mr. Game & Watch's down aerial is based on the Game & Watch version of Donkey Kong Jr.
• Item:
  • The spring appears as an item in Brawl and SSB4.
• Trophies:
  • Donkey Kong Jr. appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Donkey Kong Jr. appears as a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

• Music:
  • Famicom Medley (Brawl): Contains the title theme, sourced from this game.
• Donkey Kong Jr. appears as two stickers, one depicting his artwork for this game.

Donkey Kong Country

• Playable Characters:
  • The current "Donkey Kong," believed to be the grandson of Cranky Kong, debuted in this game.
  • Diddy Kong, who made his first appearance in this game, is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
  • King K. Rool, who first appeared in this game, is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
  • Many references are made to Donkey Kong Country in the form of movements, attacks and victory poses.
• Stages:
  • The first area in the game, Kongo Jungle, is a stage in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
  • A stage named after (renamed to Kongo Falls in Ultimate) and loosely based on this game's first stage appears in Melee and Ultimate.
  • The stage Jungle Japes in Melee, Brawl, Smash for 3DS, and Ultimate is based on the jungle levels from this game, as well as featuring Cranky Kong's Hut.
• Assist Trophies:
  • Klaptrap appears as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
• Items:
  • Barrel Cannons appear as an item in Melee.
• Enemies:
  • The Kremlings, specifically the Kritters, appear in the Nintendo 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. 4 in Smash Run, attacking players with spinning attacks on occasion.
• Trophies:
  • Funky Kong, Candy Kong, Cranky Kong, King. K Rool, and a Kritter all appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4.
  • Rambi and Espresso appear as trophies in Brawl and Smash for 3DS.
  • Enguarde appears as a trophy in Brawl and Smash for Wii U.
  • A DK Barrel appears as a trophy in Smash 4.
  • Squawks appears as a trophy in Smash for 3DS.
  • Winky and a Zinger appear as trophies in Smash for Wii U.
• Music:
  • Kongo Jungle: A calm remix of "DK Island Swing" from this game.
  • Jungle Level: Another arrangement of "DK Island Swing" from this game.
  • Jungle Level Ver. 2: A faster paced remix of "DK Island Swing", with minor vocals, from this game.
  • King K. Rool/Ship Deck 2: A remix of "Gang-Plank Galleon" from this game.
  • Jungle Level Jazz Style: A jazzy arrangement of "DK Island Swing" from this game.
  • Jungle Level Tribal Style: A flute-based remix of "DK Island Swing" from this game.
  • A new fast-paced funk remix of Gang-Plank Galleon from this game.
  • A new medley featuring at least Bonus Room Blitz and Simian Segue from this game.
  • Victory! Donkey Kong Series: An arrangement of the victory fanfare after beating a boss or successfully beating a bonus room from this game.
• Donkey Kong Country was originally intended to be included as a Masterpiece: the reason for its removal is unknown.
• In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, when pressing the random button and naming something, one of the names generated is "KROOL," referencing King K. Rool.
• Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and King K. Rool appear as stickers using their artwork for this game.
• Kritter appears as two stickers in Brawl.
• A DK Barrel, a Banana Bunch, Cranky Kong, Enguarde, Klaptrap, Manky Kong, Rambi, and a Zinger all appear as stickers in Brawl.

Donkey Kong Land

• Playable Characters:
  • King K. Rool has a move based on one of his attacks from this game.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

• Playable Characters:
  • One of King K. Rool's attacks involve him pulling out a blunderbuss while putting on a pirate hat and shooting a cannonball which the blunderbuss can then vacuum up the cannonball or any opponents, his attack method in this game.
• Trophies:
  • Dixie Kong, Wrinkly Kong and Squitter the Spider appear as trophies.
• Music:
  • Stickerbush Symphony: Known as "Bramble Blast" in Brawl, this is A remix of "Stickerbush Symphony" from this game.
• A Banana Coin appears as a sticker in SSBB, which depicts its artwork for Donkey Kong 64.
• Wrinkly Kong and Dixie Kong appear as stickers in Brawl.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

• Playable Characters:
  • Baron K. Roolenstein's helicopter backpack appears as part of King K. Rool's up special move.

Donkey Kong 64

• Playable Characters:
  • His neutral special move, the Peanut Popguns, are one of his main weapons in the game, and this becomes his projectile weapon in Brawl. The peanut ammunition used in the move therefore also originated from this game.
  • Diddy Kong's Barrel Jet, which originated in this game, is used as his up special, Rocketbarrel Boost.
  • Diddy Kong's Final Smash, Rocketbarrel Barrage, also came from this game.
  • Konga Beat is Donkey Kong's Final Smash, which is similar to if not the same as Donkey Kong's musical attack from Donkey Kong 64 (Bongo Blast).
  • Donkey Kong's forward aerial originates from this game.
  • King K. Rool uses boxing gloves for his forward smash, his method of attack in this game.
  • King K. Rool fires the Blast-O-Matic on DK Island for his Final Smash, mimicking this game's game over sequence.
• Stages:
  • Jungle Japes is a stage in Melee, Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which takes its name from this game's first level.The
• Trophies:
  • Tiny Kong appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • Lanky Kong also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.The
• Music:
  • DK Rap: A remix of the infamous "DK Rap" from The opening of this game.
• Diddy Kong and King K. Rool appear as stickers, depicting their artwork for this game.
• Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong and Chunky Kong appear as stickers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• In Super Smash Bros. 4, Donkey Kong's crowd cheer is "DK! Donkey Kong!", referencing lyrics in the DK Rap.

Donkey Konga

• Playable Characters:
  • The drums, or bongos, that first appeared in this game as the controllers are used in Donkey Kong's Final Smash, and the strength differs depending on whether the player hits the drums at the right time or not, similar to the scoring system in Donkey Konga.
• The opening theme for Super Smash Bros. Melee is a playable song in the PAL version of the game.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

• Mini Mario, who first appeared in this game, appears as a sticker in Brawl.
• Donkey Kong holding a Barrel appears as a sticker in Brawl, depicting his artwork for this game, though in western releases it is mislabeled as being from its sequel Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.

Donkey Konga 2

• Dixie Kong appears a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, depicting her artwork for this game.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

• Playable Characters:
  • The technique to perform Donkey Kong's Final Smash, Konga Beat, is based on the gameplay from this game.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Donkey Kong has a new Final Smash based on how he attacks in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.
• Stages:
  • The Rumble Falls stage in Brawl is based on the area of the same name from the Pineapple Kingdom.
• Trophies:
  • Helibird, Turret Tusk, Gale Hawg, Hoofer, Party Monkey, and Karate Kong all appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Music:
  • Battle for Storm Hill: The theme of the first level of the Durian Kingdom with the same name, sourced from this game.
• Donkey Kong appears as a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, depicting his artwork for this game.
• Gale Hawg, Hoofer, Karate Kong, and Party Monkey all appear as stickers in Brawl.

DK: King of Swing

• Kritter, Wrinkly Kong and Zinger appears as stickers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, depicting their artwork for this game.

Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku

• Funky Kong appears as a sticker in Brawl, depicting his artwork for this game.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

• Trophies:
  • Kass, Kip, Kalypso, and Kludge all appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Music:
  • DK Jungle 1 Theme (Barrel Blast): The music that played during the DK Jungle 1 level, sourced from this game.
• Kalypso appears as a sticker in Brawl.
• The Banana Bunch item appears as a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, depicting its artwork for this game.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

• Mini Mario appears as a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, depicting its artwork for this game.
• The "DK with Barrel" sticker is labeled as coming from this game on the English version of Brawl, but this is a mistake, as it actually was for the first Mario vs. Donkey Kong game. This was corrected in the Japanese release.

DK: Jungle Climber

• Trophies:
  • Xananab appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Xananab appears as a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

• Stages:
  • A stage based off of this game called Jungle Hijinxs appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.The
• Enemies:
  • An enemy known as the Tiki Buzz appears as an enemy in Smash Run.
• Trophies:
  • Tutorial Pig and Kalimba appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. 4.
  • Tiki Buzz, Mugly, and Cap'n Greenbeard appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
  • Stu, Mole Miner Max, Thugly, Colonel Pluck, and Tiki Tong appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
• Music:
  • Gear Getaway: A remix of the Rocket Barrel theme from this game.
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns (Vocals): An arrangement of the title theme this game, with a chorus of singing simians.
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns: The title theme sourced from this game.
  • Jungle Hyjinxs: The jungle level music sourced from this game.
  • Mole Patrol: The music that plays during the Mole Patrol level, "Lift-Off Launch", sourced from this game.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

• Trophies:
  • The Snomads Pointy Tuck, Fish Poker Pops, Pompy, the Presumptuous, and the Snomad Ship appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
• Music:
  • Mangrove Cove: The song that plays in Mangrove Cove, sourced from this game.
  • Swinger Flinger: A remix of "DK Island Swing" , sourced from this game. This track is actually mislabeled, as the song that plays in the level Swinger Counter is a completely different song.

Trivia

• The Donkey Kong series is the only Mario sub-series to have multiple playable characters in Super Smash Bros.
• The Donkey Kong series is the first franchise in Smash Bros. history to have more than one playable character created outside of Japan.

External links

• Donkey Kong Wiki