Donkey Kong (SSB4)

Donkey Kong in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Donkey Kong
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Konga Beat

Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkey Kong) was confirmed as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 Nintendo Direct. He is among the first wave of compatible amiibo figures for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Donkey Kong also retains his realistic gorilla grunts, albeit with a new set of voice clips.

Attributes

Donkey Kong, as most of Smash 4's heavyweights have become, defies what power heavyweights usually are. Donkey Kong is one of the faster characters in the game (in both mobility and attack speed), which is aided by his extreme power and very long reach. He also has among the best horizontal recoveries in Smash 4, with his recovery move Spinning Kong being very fast and going very far horizontally and does massive damage to edgeguarders to the side of Donkey Kong. He also is one of the best edgeguarders in the game, with four meteor smashes (forward air, down air, Headbutt, and Hand Slap and a powerful wall in his back air (which is similar to King Dedede's back air from Brawl: it has very little startup, ending, or landing lag, decent power, a lingering hitbox, and massive reach), making Donkey Kong deadly to characters with poor recoveries. He also has among the best endurances in the game due to being the second heaviest character in the game behind Bowser and having one of the fastest falling speeds in the game. He also has one of the best grab games in Smash 4, with his cargo up throw being a powerful combo throw which can lead to an early KO on lightweights, especially with rage.

Despite these advantages, Donkey Kong has his flaws. One of his biggest weaknesses is also one of his greatest strengths: while his size gives him among the longest reach in Smash 4, it also makes him one of the easiest characters to hit, compounded by his shield, which is far too small for someone of his size. Another one of his greatest strengths comes with a price. While his heavy weight and fast falling speed make him arguably the character with the best overall endurance in the game, it also makes him one of the easiest characters to combo. His Achillie's heel, however, is his recovery. While his horizontal recovery excels, his vertical recovery is one of the worst in the game. Spinning Kong goes a very short height, he had no options to extend it and has no vertical protection, making him susceptible to meteor smashes. Despite this, Donkey Kong's strengths generally overpower his flaws, and he has seen moderate tournament representation.

Donkey Kong is arguably the character who benefits the most from customs: Storm Punch adds to his already deadly edgeguarding kit and Focused Slap and Hot Slap sacrfiice some ground control for very powerful KO moves. The crux of his custom metagame, however, is Kong Cyclone: it pulls opponents in for powerful knockback, and has super armor, with very long range for its suction (the suction can potentially be used to pull opponents with poor recoveries straight into the bottom blast line), and grants him protection against meteor smashes, as it has aforementioned super armor. Overall, Kong Cyclone gives Donkey Kong one of the best neutrals in Smash 4, as well as one of the best recoveries.

Changes from Brawl

Donkey Kong has been considerably buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. The most noticeable improvement has been to his overall speed; his attacks, such as his signature Giant Punch, are now performed faster, and his already excellent movement speed has also been greatly increased, allowing him to better keep up with, and in quite a few cases, even out-speed lightweights. Donkey Kong's is also much heavier, which allows him to withstand potential KOs easier and enables him to become an effective user of the new rage mechanic, which results in his already fantastic power becoming even more effective. In addition, Donkey Kong is a lot harder to combo than before due to the removal of chain grabbing. Finally, DK benefits considerably from the removal of edge-hogging and the introduction of edge-stealing, which prevents his poor vertical recovery from being edge-hogged and thus, significantly improves his recovery.

Although he was buffed, Donkey Kong did receive a few noticeable nerfs. His grab game was slightly weakened and many of his attacks now deal less damage. Even with the removal of chain grabbing, his increased falling speed and large hurtbox enable him be comboed easily regardless, although he is still less susceptible to being juggled. However, these nerfs are considered to be largely negligible due to the impact of his initial buffs and especially because of the subsequent buffs he received in game updates. Update 1.0.6 saw Giant Punch's charging time decreased even further, making it even more viable as a KOing option. Update 1.0.8 buffed the damage outputs of all variations of his cargo throw. Lastly, update 1.1.0 noticeably improved DK's combo game due to cargo up throw's base knockback being decreased considerably, along with a faster and longer lasting dash attack.

Aesthetics

• Donkey Kong appears to have more stylized fur, even more so than he did in Brawl. His proportions seemed to have been tweaked slightly to be more reminiscent of his recent appearances in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Most of his motions now have more fluid animations. His general expressiveness has been greatly exaggerated as well, with many of his moves and animations now accompanied with smirks, toothy grins, or a look of utter confusion. When Donkey Kong is launched, his eyes will even bulge out of his head, much like in the original Donkey Kong Country series.

Attributes

• Donkey Kong walks slightly faster (1.2 → 1.3).
• Donkey Kong dashes slightly faster (1.622 → 1.7031).
• Donkey Kong's air speed has been increased even further (1.081 → 1.15), now tied for the 6th fastest.
• Donkey Kong is heavier (116 → 122).
• Donkey Kong has slightly increased fall speed (1.58 → 1.63). This makes him more susceptible to combos, but less vulnerable to being juggled.

Ground attacks

• First hit of jab no longer has the Sakurai angle.
• Down tilt deals slightly less damage (8% → 7%).
• Donkey Kong's has a new dash attack: a forward rolling tackle from the Donkey Kong Country series. The new attack has slightly less startup (frame 10 → 9), a longer lasting hitbox (frames 10-21 → 9-24), and much less cooldown compared to the old one (IASA frame 55 → 41).
• Dash attack deals slightly less damage (11%/9% → 10%/8%).
• Forward tilt has increased cooldown (IASA frame 34 → 38).
• Forward smash (5.0u → 5.7u) and up smash (7.5u/6.0u → 8.8u/7.0u) have much bigger hitboxes.
• Forward smash now has intangibility on the head and arms on frames 20-26.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial (15 → 17 frames), back aerial (15 → 18 frames), and up aerial (22 → 25 frames) have more landing lag.
• Forward aerial (30 → 29 frames) and down aerial (31 → 24 frames) have less landing lag.
• Down aerial is significantly faster (hits on frame 14 instead of 18) and now has a powerful sourspot at his chest that deals horizontal knockback.
• Forward aerial has significantly less start up (27 → 18 frames).
• Forward aerial deals less damage (16% → 15%/13%) with its knockback compensated.
• Up aerial deals less damage (14% → 13%) with its knockback compensated.

Throws/other attacks

• Pummel is slightly faster.
• Pummel deals less damage (3% → 2.1%).
• Donkey Kong's dash grabs have been slowed down slightly (9/10 → 10/11 frames).
• Dash grab has significantly reduced cooldown.
• All Cargo tosses deal more damage (forward: 8% → 10%, back: 8% → 12%, up: 7% → 10%, down: 6% → 7%).
• Cargo back toss has significantly higher knockback scaling (38 → 80).
• Cargo back toss' angle was modified.
• Cargo up throw has significantly less knockback (90 base/30 growth → 58 base/52 growth), allowing for easier follow-ups and mix-ups.
• Donkey Kong now hops while performing cargo down toss.
• Donkey Kong has a new ledge attack that involves him performing a forearm club to the ground. It is slower and has less range.
• Floor attacks (front and back) deal more damage (6% → 7%).

Special moves

• Giant Punch comes out faster and Donkey Kong now quickly retracts his fist after throwing the punch.
• The reduced start-up of Giant Punch makes it slightly harder to utilize the super armor that comes before throwing the punch.
• Headbutt significantly benefits from the removal of damage reduction on shields, allowing it to bring shields to a silver of health. It also has longer range.
• Headbutt deals less damage in the air (14% → 10%), no longer stalls, and has slightly increased cooldown.
• Spinning Kong now instead spins at an angle instead of completely horizontally when used on the ground, increasing the attack's vertical range. The aerial version is now a multi-hit attack that deals much more damage.
• Grounded Spinning Kong deals significantly less damage (36% → 17%), severely limiting Donkey Kongs's ability to rack up damage. The removal of hitstun canceling removes Spinning Kong's powerful momentum canceling, severely limiting his endurance.
• Hand Slap can now be used in midair, which meteor smashes foes. It also has a larger hitbox on the ground.
• Hand Slap has significantly increased cooldown.
• Konga Beat is now accompanied by an indicating bar that shows when to press the attack button.
• While using Konga Beat, if Donkey Kong performs all button presses with the correct timing, he will perform a thumbs up at the end of the Final Smash.

Update history

1.0.6

• Giant Punch comes out faster after being fully charged: 172 frames → 144 frames.
• Headbutt no longer stalls.
• First hit of jab no longer has the Sakurai angle.

1.0.8

• Cargo forward toss deals more damage: 8% → 10%.
• Cargo back toss deals damage: 8% → 12%.
• Cargo back toss' angle has been modified.
• Cargo back throw's knockback scaling increased: 38 → 80.
• Cargo up toss deals more damage: 7% → 10%.
• Cargo down toss deals more damage: 6% → 7%.
• Donkey Kong now hops while performing cargo down toss.

1.1.0

• Up smash's hitbox size has increased: 7.5u/6.0u → 8.8u/7.0u.
• Forward smash's hitbox size has increased: 5.0u → 5.7u.
• Forward smash's bone intangibility on head and arms have added frames (20-26).
• Dash attack's hitbox duration and start-up have been altered: 10-21 → 9-24.
• Dash attack's ending lag has been reduced: 48 → 41.
• Cargo up throw's base knockback lowered: 90 → 58. This allows easier follow-ups and mix-ups.
• Cargo up throw's knockback growth increased: 50 → 52.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			4%	Donkey Kong performs a quick cross punch followed by an uppercut. The tip of the first punch's hitbox will knock targets towards Donkey Kong instead of away.
			6%
Forward tilt	↗		11%	Donkey Kong quickly swats his outstretched hand.
	→		10%
	↘		9%
Up tilt			11% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)	Donkey Kong very quickly swipes his arm in an arcing motion. It has very reliable arch range and deals more damage and knockback if the target is extremely close to Donkey Kong's behind.
Down tilt			7% (sweetspot), 6% (sourspot)	Donkey Kong does a quick swat across the ground. Slightly less powerful around his fingers. In addition to great speed and range, it has a chance to trip opponents, allowing for guaranteed follow-ups such as Giant Punch, Headbutt, or a grab.
Dash attack			10% (sweetspot), 8% (sourspot)	Donkey Kong performs his trademark forward rolling tackle from Donkey Kong Country. Deals less damage towards the end.
Forward smash			20%-21%	Donkey Kong performs a very forceful clap, KOing as low as 50% when fully charged. DK now smirks as he performs the move.
Up smash			18%	Donkey Kong performs a very powerful clap above his head, swinging both of his arms 90˚ in the process. Unlike other up smashes, it does not scoop opponents into the main hitbox, making it somewhat problematic to land if the opponent is not airborne or incredibly close to DK.
Down smash			14% (arms), 17%-18% (fists)	Donkey Kong swings both of his clenched fists down 90 degrees to perform forearm clubs. It has decent range, extremely fast start-up for a smash attack and has great vertical knockback. It KOs starting at 80% and is especially good for punishing rolls, laggy attacks and lots of attacks in general as an out of shield option. It could arguably be considered one of the best down smashes in the game, despite it having a fair amount of endlag.
Neutral aerial			8-11%	Donkey Kong quickly spins around with arms extended similarly to Spinning Kong. Quite possibly his most useful aerial, since it is very quick in both start-up and ending lag. Incredibly powerful when landing the clean hit (can KO under 100%) and the late hit is an excellent combo tool when SHFF'd.
Forward aerial			16% (early), 15% (sweetspot), 13% (late)	Donkey Kong quickly performs a double axe handle. If sweetspotted, the opponent is meteor smashed. This move inspired Donkey Kong's jumping attack in Donkey Kong 64. Unlike many other moves, the early sourspot hitbox is actually stronger than the meteor smash hitbox, sending opponents away with extreme horizontal knockback, making it more effective at higher percentages.
Back aerial			8-13%	Donkey Kong performs a back kick that lingers briefly. It is powerful and mostly used for initiating a Wall of Pain.
Up aerial			13%	Donkey Kong performs an upward headbutt. It is deal for combos and is a useful KOing option.
Down aerial			16% (sweetspot), 13% (sourspot)	Donkey Kong performs a stomp while flexing his arms in comedic "macho" pose. Its sweetspot will meteor smash foes with great power. Its sourspot is present close to Donkey Kong's chest.
Grab			—
Pummel			2%	A fairly quick slap.
Forward throw			10% (forward), 12% (backward), 10% (upward), 7% (downward)	Donkey Kong cradles the opponent on his back, allowing him to move and jump around while still holding the victim. This gives him access to forward, up, and down throws (as well as a back throw that can only be performed in the air) that are distinct from his normal grab. Forward throw: Throws the opponent upwards diagonally. Back throw: Same as the forward throw, but sends the opponent at a slightly higher trajectory and can only be done in the air. Up throw: Hurls the opponent over his head. Has very low base knockback, allowing for follow-ups such as his up aerial twice in a row or his neutral aerial followed immediately by his back aerial. At middle to high percents, Donkey Kong can set up an early KO with his up aerial, making it reminiscent of Diddy Kong's "Hoo-Hah" combo. Down throw: Performs a backbreaker, knocking the opponent sideways. At low percentages, it can be used off-stage as a surprise option against opponents with poor recoveries to potentially send them too far away to recover. When the opponent is too damaged to escape in time, all of these throws allow for easy stage spikes. Donkey Kong can simply walk off the ledge, pull back and throw them against the underside. However, this carries significant risk, as the opponent can tech it and result in Donkey Kong ending up too low to recover if the timing is off.
Back throw			11%	Donkey Kong flings the opponent with stunning force. DK's strongest throw in terms of damage and knockback, being not much weaker than Ness'.
Up throw			9%	The opponent is tossed upwards.
Down throw			7%	Donkey Kong slams the opponent into the ground. It has rather weak knockback with a horizontal knockback angle in front of DK.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Donkey Kong swats at the opponent.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Donkey Kong tries to clasp the opponent.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Donkey Kong does a wind-up spin to the opponent.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Donkey Kong climbs onto the ledge and performs a forearm club.
Neutral special	Default	Giant Punch	10% (uncharged), +2% (per wind-up), 28% (tenth wind-up/fully charged)	Donkey Kong winds up and forcefully thrusts out his fist as a potentially powerful attack. The attack is at fully charged after eleven windups and gains super armor. The punch deals more knockback but lacks launch resistance at ten windups. The punch can be saved and chosen when to be released after being fully charged.
	Custom 1	Lightning Punch	10% (uncharged), +1% (per wind-up), 16% (five wind-ups), 15% (fully charged)	An electrical version of the Giant Punch. Takes less time to fully charge (six wind-ups at increased speed), but deals less damage and lacks super armor at full wind-ups.
	Custom 2	Storm Punch	8% (uncharged), +2% (per wind-up), 18% (fully charged)	Does less damage, but produces a powerful windbox that will push back opponents and takes less time to charge. Has super armor.
Side special	Default	Headbutt	10% (ground/sweetspot aerial), 8% (sourspot aerial)	Donkey Kong slams his head downward. When performed in the air, the struck opponent is meteor smashed if hit by the sweetspot. When performed on the ground the opponent is buried and will remain submerged longer if the opponent has already dealt a fair amount of damage. Unlike in Brawl, DK will not stall in the air. Full power shields will barely manage to avoid breaking against this move.
	Custom 1	Jumping Headbutt	5% (aerial), 10% (ground)	Donkey Kong jumps before slamming his head downward. Buried opponents can break out faster. Will SD Donkey Kong if used off-stage out of ledge-grabbing distance.
	Custom 2	Stubborn Headbutt	13%	A modified Headbutt that has longer start-up time, but deals more damage (and subsequently even more shield damage) and gives him high knockback resistance. Grants super armor.
Up special	Default	Spinning Kong	7% (grounded first hit), 1% (grounded hits 2-6), 4% (grounded seventh hit), 10% (aerial first hit), 2% (aerial subsequent hits)	Donkey Kong spins with his arms outstretched. DK has launch resistance when using this move. Strong horizontal recovery, weak vertical recovery. If used on the ground, Donkey Kong spins at an angle, increasing the move's vertical range.
	Custom 1	Chopper Kong	0%	Has increased vertical recovery, but does not deal any damage.
	Custom 2	Kong Cyclone	4% (grounded first hit), 3% (aerial first hit), 15% (grounded second hit), 12% (aerial second hit)	Donkey Kong pulls in opponents in with a windbox while spinning, then launches them with the final hit. On the ground, has no hitboxes except for the first and last hits. In the air, it deals no damage except for the first and last hits, but does deal hitstun. Does not go as high as Spinning Kong.
Down special	Default	Hand Slap	14%	Donkey Kong repeatedly slaps his hands against the ground, causing earth-shaking vibrations in the process. The attack gives him some protection from opponents while grounded and has good range. The attack originates from Donkey Kong Country. Donkey Kong can now use the move while in midair, although only twice in a row. The second hit meteor smashes foes.
	Custom 1	Focused Slap	7% (first hit), 14% (second hit)	A modified Hand Slap that sacrifices range for increased hitstun and knockback.
	Custom 2	Hot Slap	4% (first hit), 12% (second hit)	Donkey Kong slaps his hands against the ground, causing flaming pillars to erupt on impact. It does not reach behind him at all, and not very far in front. It has much less start-up lag and much higher knockback growth than Hand Slap, meaning that it can potentially KO. However, it does not meteor smash if used in the air.
Final Smash		Konga Beat	Varies	Donkey Kong will take out a pair of bongos and begin to play them to the beat of "DK Island Swing", sending out shock-waves in the process. The attacks range and power is determined by the player's input. The player must push the attack button in succession with the song's beat in order have the greatest range and power. While this was difficult in Brawl, the Final Smash now is accompanied by an indicative bar that will appear above DK. It will let the player know when to press the attack button.

Taunts

• Up: Beats his clenched hands against his chest. DK now smirks as he does so.
• Side: Shakes himself as if his fur was wet. DK now has a large toothy grin as he does so.
• Down: Faces the camera, shrugs his shoulders, and makes a confused grunt. It originates from Super Smash Bros..

On-Screen Appearance

Donkey Kong bursts from a DK Barrel and briefly strikes a pose.

Idle Poses

• Bares his teeth and crosses his eyes.
• Bumps his fist together, the perform an underhand strike.

Victory Fanfare

A flourished remix directly from Brawl based on the jingle that would play whenever Donkey Kong completely cleared a bonus room or defeated a boss in Donkey Kong Country. He shares this with Diddy Kong.

Victory Poses

• DonkeyKongPose3WiiU.png
• DonkeyKongPose2WiiU.png
• DonkeyKongPose1WiiU.png

• Holds his hands above his head and shakes them.
• Does a back flip and holds up his arms. It is identical to his "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros..
• Beats his chest and faces the screen with a large toothy grin.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Donkey Kong	3233	3231	3232	1233	1231
	1232	2233	2231	2232	1333

Notable players

•  Average Joe
•  Bill
•  Mew2King
•  Riot Lettuce
•  Will

Trophies

Donkey Kong

This king of the jungle really, really loves bananas. His adventures usually start with people stealing his hoard of them. In Smash Bros., he's known for his incredible strength and long reach. Despite his size, he's still pretty quick. He can even jump carrying heavy items! Use this knowledge well.

With help from Diddy Kong and his Animal Friends, this banana-loving king of the jungle will take on anyone causing trouble on his turf. The best things about him in this game are his colossal strength, his speed, his long reach and the fact that he can jump while holding heavy items. Make sure you use all that to your advantage!

: Donkey Kong Country (11/1994)

: Donkey Kong Country Returns (11/2010)

Donkey Kong (Alt.)

Donkey Kong pulls no punches when it comes to fighting. Or headbutts, as it turns out. His Headbutt special move will bury anyone on the ground who gets hit, leaving them open to some serious damage. If Donkey Kong strikes an airborne foe with this move, they'll go crashing downward.

Donkey Kong's always been one to use his head. Anyone who's been on the receiving end of his Headbutt special will tell you that. If they're on the ground when it hits them, they'll get buried, leaving them open to a serious walloping. If they're in the air, though, they might find themselves being knocked down. Either way, it;s going to hurt.

: Donkey Kong Country (11/1994)

: Donkey Kong Country Returns (11/2010)

Konga Beat

In this Final Smash, DK drums on a set of bongos, just like in the Donkey Konga games. Press the attack button in rhythm with the circles to boost the attack's range and power. Enemy attacks won't affect you, but you can't move, either. Auto-scrolling stages will slow down but won't stop-don't get too carried away in the beat!

In this Final Smash, DK drums on a set of bongos, just like in the Donkey Konga games. Press the attack button in rhythm with the circles to boost the attack's range and power. Enemy attacks won't affect you, but you can't move, either. Auto-scrolling stages will slow down, but be careful or you might still self-destruct!

• Donkey Kong Trophy.png

  Classic (3DS)

• Donkey Kong All-Star Trophy.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Konga Beat

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Regulars: Donkey Kong is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are starter characters from the original Super Smash Bros. game.
• Guardian of the Jungle: Donkey Kong, aided by 2 Diddy Kongs, must defeat 3 Duck Hunts.
• The Jungle in Chaos: Diddy Kong must defeat 20 Donkey Kongs wearing Bunny Hoods.
• The Original Heavyweights: Donkey Kong and Bowser must be defeated by Mario.

Co-op Events

• 1988: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must defeat 3 Marios, each one larger than the last.
• Flat Fracas: A shadow Mario and a giant shadow Donkey Kong are opponents fought by Wario and Mr. Game & Watch.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Donkey Kong in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

• 

  Donkey Kong's amiibo.

• 

  Donkey Kong's appearance during E3 2013.

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  Donkey Kong's appearance in the 3DS version of the game.

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  Donkey Kong using Spinning Kong on the ground in the Wii U version.

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  Donkey Kong using Hand Slap in the 3DS version of the game.

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  Being hit by a smash attack from a Home-Run Bat.

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  Grinning while next to Diddy Kong.

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  With Kapp'n.

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  With King Dedede, Mario, and Bowser.

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  Holding a Bomb with Toon Link and Link.

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  With Wii Fit Trainer.

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  Pikachu footstooling on Donkey Kong.

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  The Wii Fit Trainer lifting Donkey Kong.

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  Donkey Kong attacking next to Pikachu

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  Donkey Kong fighting against enemies in Smash Run.

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  One of Donkey Kong's custom special moves, the Storm Punch.

Trivia

• Donkey Kong's crowd chant in this game references the DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64.
• Donkey Kong's default moveset has the most meteor smashing attacks of the roster, at four.