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

“	Donkey Kong's trusty partner Diddy Kong uses his light weight and agility to get around quickly! For his Final Smash, Diddy takes to the air with his Rocketbarrel while firing his popguns. The final hit is seriously powerful!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Diddy Kong (ディディーコング, Diddy Kong) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018. 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's voice is once again comprised of his realistic chimpanzee screeches and growls that were used in both Brawl and Smash 4.

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 seventh 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.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Having been one of the most notorious top tier fighters in early Super Smash Bros. 4 and remaining a dominant top-tier character throughout the game's lifespan, Diddy Kong was nerfed from his SSB4 iteration. His Monkey Flip most notably travels a shorter distance, which worsens his overall movement and neutral. Banana also has more startup lag, making it harder for him to instantly grab bananas after he pulls one out. Down tilt was also nerfed which prevents Diddy from being able to combo into up smash and combo off of the move reliably. His up aerial, which was a notorious move in Smash 4, now has a smaller hitbox. His grab game was also toned down, as his grab now has more startup, endlag, and his combo throws have either more endlag or more knockback, which significantly hinders their combo potential. His up special also travels a shorter distance, which nerfs his recovery. Diddy Kong also suffers from having less weight.

He did get some notable buffs, however. Diddy's already impressive mobility was improved as his initial dash, run speed, walk speed, and airspeed are significantly better. Diddy also slightly benefits from the game's mechanics as his aerials have less ending lag).

Diddy Kong's nerfs seem to outweigh his buffs, making him worse than his iteration in Smash 4, but to what extent is currently unknown due to his below-average results in Ultimate's Early Metagame. ZeRo only uses him as a counterpick and MVD, Zinoto and Nietono have dropped him in favor of other characters.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Diddy Kong's model features a more subdued color scheme. Like Donkey Kong, his fur is less detailed than the previous installment.
• Diddy Kong is more expressive. His hat also appears to be "looser" around his head, popping off slightly while performing many actions.
• Diddy Kong now faces more towards the screen. As a result, his stance, moveset, and animations are now mirrored.
• 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 now takes three frames to complete (down from 4).
• Diddy Kong runs faster (1.824 → 2.006).
  • Diddy Kong's 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 is lighter (93 → 90). This makes him less susceptible to combos at the expense of worse endurance.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • Neutral attack no longer has a multi-jab and instead finishes with a quick side kick. This makes the move much more consistent.
    • The loss of the multi-jab hurts its overall damage potential.
  • The first hit can now be held for a consecutive jab.
  • The third hit of neutral attack has less startup (frame 9 → 5).
• Forward tilt
  • Forward tilt deals less knockback, diminishing its KO potential.
• Up tilt
  • Up tilt has less ending lag (FAF 33 → 30).
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has greater knockback, reducing its combo potential at higher percents while still failing to KO at realistic percentages.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 46 → 43).
  • Since opponents can no longer run each other, dash attack can no longer accidentally whiff at extremely close ranges.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has more startup lag (5 → 8).
  • The first hit deals more knockback.

Aerial Attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (Neutral: 13 frames → 8, Forward: 26 → 16, Back: 12 → 7, Up: 21 → 13, Down: 30 → 17).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial auto-cancels significantly earlier (frame 59 → 27).
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has an altered animation where Diddy Kong does not spin as much.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less range in front of Diddy Kong.
  • Up aerial has less ending lag (FAF 39 → 37).

Throws/other attacks

• Diddy Kong now uses one hand to grab instead of both.
• Diddy Kong now has a surprised/shocked expression if he misses his grab.
• Pummel has a altered animation. Diddy Kong no longer hops off the ground while pummeling.
• Pummel deals less damage (2% → 1%).
  • Standing grab has increased startup (frame 6 → 7).
  • Standing grab and dash grab have increased ending lag.
  • Up Throw has more ending lag, and slightly more knockback, which reduces its combo potential.

Special Moves

• Peanut Popgun:
  • Diddy Kong's animation for Peanut Popgun is now mirrored, and can now fire with both his left and right hand.
  • Peanut Popgun has less startup (17 → 15)
  • Peanuts will now bounce once upon hitting the ground, and float upwards before exploding if it hits an opponent. These animations are aesthetic.
• Monkey Flip:
  • Monkey Flip travels a shorter distance.
  • Monkey Flip's grab "pummel" now has him scratch his opponent quickly instead of simply latching on and doing damage. The scratches are faster than the previous pummel while doing the same amount of damage, increasing its damage output.
  • Monkey Flip's throw has significantly more knockback growth, now being capable of KOing at reasonable percents onstage.
• Rocketbarrel Boost:
  • Grounded Rocketbarrel Boost now gains weak heavy armor. It is only sufficient for tanking extremely weak hits, such as the first two hits of most neutral attacks.
  • When knocked off of Diddy Kong, the Rocketbarrel Pack's trajectory can now be somewhat controlled by the player. Depending on the held direction, the pack will move in that direction, though it is still very random and inconsistent.
  • The effect of charging Rocketbarrel Boost has been significantly reduced, to the point where fully charging the move results in gaining less height overall than using the move uncharged.
• Banana Peel:
  • Banana Peel has a snappier animation.
  • Diddy Kong appears to throw the Banana Peel much higher than before.
  • If the Banana Peel is thrown at an opponent once with the respective peel, it no longer disappears until thrown at again, allowing Diddy Kong to quickly pick it up again and reuse it. However, this also means his opponents can do the same when it is out.
    • This change indirectly allows Diddy Kong to setup infinite combos on most characters on platforms.
• Final Smash:
  • Hyper Rocketbarrel, Diddy Kong's new Final Smash, functions differently from Rocketbarrel Barrage. Diddy Kong now flies through the stage in an erratic fashion to punch his trapped opponents. The final hit is where Diddy Kong does a delayed, aimed punch, dealing heavy knockback. Diddy Kong then lands and deactivates his Rocketbarrel Pack at the spot where he first used the move.

Update history

2.0.0

• Neutral air 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.

Moveset

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

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

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Diddy Kong does two alternating inward slaps, followed by an outward side kick. Holding the attack button will have Diddy Kong repeat the first hit. The first 2 hits can lock.
			1.5%
			4%
Forward tilt			10%	Diddy Kong leans to the side and thrusts both of his arms forward in a double punch. Can be angled upwards or downwards.
Up tilt			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.
Down tilt		Hand Clap	5.5%	Diddy Kong claps in front of himself while crouching.
Dash attack			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			5% (hit 1), 11% (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 killing power. However, it is easily punished if missed. Often only used in combination with his banana peel.
Up smash			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.
Down smash			12% (hit 1), 15% (hit 2)	Diddy Kong performs a flare, kicking in front and then behind himself.
Neutral aerial			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 deals a low amount of vertical knockback, which can lead to potential footstools or aerial follow ups (though due to changes regarding footstooling, it is no longer an always-guaranteed option), giving it usage as a combo extender.
Forward aerial		Screw Kick	10% (clean), 8% (late)	Diddy Kong does a dropkick while spinning.
Back aerial			9%	Diddy Kong does a reverse spin kick behind himself.
Up aerial			6%	Diddy Kong performs an overhead kick in an arc.
Down aerial			13% (fists), 10% (arms)	Diddy Kong swings both arms downward in a double axe-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 you input the move shortly before touching the ground. It can also jab lock opponents at low percent ranges.
Grab			—	Diddy Kong reaches out in front of himself.
Pummel			1%	A headbutt.
Forward throw			9%	Diddy Kong tosses his opponent forwards. The throw is based on Diddy Kong's barrel toss animation from Donkey Kong Country.
Back throw			12%	Diddy Kong tosses his opponent backwards. Diddy Kong's strongest and most damaging throw, KOing middleweights around 130%.
Up throw			1% (hit), 4% (throw)	Diddy Kong throws his opponent up and handstand kicks them.
Down throw			7%	Diddy Kong throws the opponent onto the ground and hops over them. Can lead into aerial attacks from low to mid percent ranges
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	2~14.9% (peanuts), 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 afterwards. 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 midair 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 chop them 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.
Up special		Rocketbarrel Boost	10% (launch explosion), 8% (early collision), 6% (late collision), 18% (collision explosion; detached Rocketbarrel Pack); 5% (crash recoil)	Diddy Kong charges his rocketbarrel 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 rocketbarrels 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.
Down special		Banana Peel	N/A	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 kills, 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	0.5% (startup loop), 2.5% (per collision), 20% (final hit), 15% (collateral final hit), 10% (explosion)	Diddy Kong activates his Rocketbarrel Pack and flies up. He then dashes across the screen in multiple directions, dealing 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.

Victory poses

• Shoots the air with his Peanut Popguns, roll towards the camera and shoots near it.
• Spins with his Rocket Barrels then faces the screen, dancing with hands on his head and chin.
• Does a small dance, then holds still 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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Classic Mode: Hey, Little Buddy!

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	Meta Ridley and Dark Samus	Norfair	Nemesis Ridley	Zero Suit Samus is a CPU ally.
3	Ganondorf	Unova Pokémon League	Death Mountain	Zelda is a CPU ally.
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.

Role in World of Light

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

Diddy Kong was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed its beams of light. He attempted to fly away with Rosalina & Luma using his activated 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 Kongo Jungle sub-area reminiscent of the first Donkey Kong Coutry 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

Spirits

Diddy Kong's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking 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. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

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  135. Diddy Kong

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit			Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
147		Lanky Kong	•Diddy Kong Team (x6)	Grab	3,900	Kongo Falls	•Item: Bananas	•The enemy is easily distracted by items •Defeat an army of fighters	DK Rap
148		Tiny Kong	•Diddy Kong	Grab	9,500	Jungle Japes	•Tiny •Hazard: Low Gravity •Hazard: Heavy Wind	•Dangerously high winds are in effect •Timed battle •Gravity is reduced	DK Rap
155		Squitter	•Diddy Kong	Grab	3,600	Jungle Japes	•Move Speed ↓	•You have reduced move speed	Ice Cave Chant
165		Tiki Tak Tribe	•Diddy Kong Team (x4) (	Neutral	1,700	Kongo Falls	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Jungle Hijinxs
179		Octorok	•Diddy Kong Team (×4)	Grab	1,800	Great Bay	N/A	•The enemy's neutral special has increased power •The enemy favors neutral specials	Termina Field
207	File:Deku Link.png	Deku Link	•Diddy Kong	Grab	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	•Diddy Kong Team (×4)	Grab	2,000	Yoshi's Story	•Item: Food	•The enemy becomes more powerful after eating	Obstacle Course - Yoshi's Island
397	File:Andrew Oikonny spirit.png	Andrew Oikonny	•Diddy Kong	Grab	1,700	Corneria	•Attack Power ↑	•The enemy has increased attack power when the enemy's at high damage	Star Wolf (Brawl)
406	File:DashBowman.png	Dash Bowman	•Diddy Kong •Fox	Neutral	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	•Diddy Kong •Wario	Grab	1,700	Gerudo Valley (Battlefield form)	•Item: Banana Peel	•The enemy favors special moves	Mother 3 Love Theme
861		Leif (Animal Crossing)	•Diddy Kong	Attack	3,500	Yoshi's Island	•Item: Timer	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Title Theme - Animal Crossing
992	File:Dee Jay Spirit.png	Dee Jay	•Diddy Kong (x3)	Grab	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	File:Goku & Chao.png	Goku & Chao	•Diddy Kong •Villager	Shield	1,600	Town and City	•Item: Golden Hammer	•Reinforcements will appear during the battle •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Yūyūki Medley
1,239		Prince Saruno	•Diddy Kong Team (×4)	Attack	2,000	New Donk City Hall	•Defense ↑ •Item: Banana Peel	•The enemy has increased defense after a little while	PERFORMANCE

As a minion

Spirit			Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
82	File:Barrel Train Spirit.png	Barrel Train	•Donkey Kong •Diddy Kong	Shield	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!!
141	File:Funky Kong Spirit.png	Funky Kong	•Captain Falcon •Diddy Kong •Donkey Kong	Neutral	9,000	Kongo Jungle	•Item: Bullet Bill	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Funky's Fugue	Diddy Kong
145	File:Dixiekong.png	Dixie Kong	•Isabelle •Diddy Kong	Grab	9,100	Jungle Japes	•Item: Banana Peel	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Stickerbush Symphony	Diddy Kong
912		Roll Caskett	•Isabelle •Diddy Kong	Shield	3,700	Pilotwings	•Item: Hocotate Bomb	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Light Plane (for 3DS / Wii U)	Data
1,070	File:Fleature.png	The Creature & Flea Man	•Giant Mii Brawler (Hockey Mask, Business Outfit) •Diddy Kong	Shield	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	File:Donbe hikari.png	Donbe & Hikari	•Young Link •Villager •Falco •Diddy Kong •Duck Hunt	Neutral	3,500	Duck Hunt (hazards off)	N/A	•Defeat an army of fighters	Shin Onigashima Medley

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Diddy Kong's fighter card.

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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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  With D.K. on Great Bay.

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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.