Donkey Kong

For fighter info, see Donkey Kong (SSB), Donkey Kong (SSBM), Donkey Kong (SSBB), and Donkey Kong (SSB4).

Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Official artwork of Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Universe	Donkey Kong
Debut	Donkey Kong (1981)
Smash Bros. appearances	SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014/2018)
Console/platform of origin	Arcade
Species	Kong
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Donkey Kong Island
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto
Designed by	Kevin Bayliss
Article on Donkey Kong Wiki	Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkey Kong), often shortened to DK, is the main protagonist from the Donkey Kong series, and a major character in the Mario series. In his first appearance, Donkey Kong, he was the antagonist of Mario, but he soon starred in the Donkey Kong Country games which depict him as a protagonist. However, he remains a featured character in Mario spinoff games.

Character description

Official artwork of Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong 64.

A character named Donkey Kong made his first appearance in the arcade game of the same name. Here, he was Mario's first enemy who held his girlfriend, Pauline, captive over a construction building. Mario had to make his way to the top of the tower to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong would later return in Donkey Kong Jr. which saw his young son rescuing him from the now antagonist Mario. He would once again be featured in Donkey Kong 3 which saw him go up against Stanley the Bugman.

After this, Donkey Kong seemed to be largely forgotten in the video game industry aside from remakes of the arcade classics, until Rareware released Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo. Donkey Kong Country saw the appearance of Cranky Kong, who claimed to be the original Donkey Kong from the Donkey Kong arcade games. The current Donkey Kong appearing from Donkey Kong Country onwards is the original Donkey Kong's grandson. Donkey Kong Country depicted Donkey Kong's first battle with his arch-enemy King K. Rool, and was such a massive success that it helped the SNES take the lead in the 16-bit console war. The game was followed by two sequels in which Donkey Kong was kidnapped by King K. Rool, having to be rescued by Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong. As such Donkey Kong was not playable, with Dixie Kong being the second player.

However, Donkey Kong would be featured in Super Smash Bros. which marked his first appearance in a fighting game. He would then finally be featured once again as the first playable character in Donkey Kong 64 for the Nintendo 64. He would then be featured in Super Smash Bros. Melee before starring in the Donkey Konga series and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. After appearing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Donkey Kong Country series received some new games - including Donkey Kong Country Returns and its 3DS remake, as well as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

While he has switched between appearing as a protagonist and sometimes an antagonist, Donkey Kong had always essentially been good and never really been evil. He remains a part of the Mario universe appearing in many of the Mario spinoff games along with Wario since Mario Kart 64. Donkey Kong also appeared as a baby in Yoshi's Island DS; and in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, where Mario and Donkey Kong are rivals once again.

In Super Smash Bros.

As a playable character

Official artwork of Donkey Kong in Super Smash Bros.

Donkey Kong makes his first appearance in a fighting game as a starting playable character in the original Super Smash Bros. His appearance on his profile icon is based on his appearance from Donkey Kong Country. DK is surprisingly fast for his size and is one of the strongest characters in the game. His neutral special move is Giant Punch, which becomes stronger depending on how long the player lets DK charge it before using it. His up special is Spinning Kong, which causes DK to spin around wildly with his arms striking anyone nearby. His down special move is Hand Slap, which allows DK to pound the ground with his fists repeatedly creating a small earthquake. He is ranked 9th out of 12 on the current tier list.

His in-game description is as follows:

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong and Mario started out as arch-rivals, but they've patched things up in recent years. These days DK spends his time searching the jungle for bananas instead of kidnapping beautiful maidens. In the past few years, other members of the Kong family have cashed in on DK's fame as well, including his favorite nephew, Diddy.

Works:

• Donkey Kong (Arcade),
• Donkey Kong Country (SNES),
• Mario Kart 64 (N64)

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

As a playable character

Donkey Kong, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Donkey Kong returns in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a starting playable character. His appearance is still based off his Donkey Kong Country appearance. He remains mostly the same from the original, but his new side special move, Headbutt, allows DK to embed his opponents into the ground giving him some free hits. Donkey Kong is known for his incredible strength -- he is capable of walking and jumping while carrying Crates, Barrels, and Party Balls, items that normally decrease a character's walking speed and cause them to become unable to jump. He is also no longer the heaviest Super Smash Bros. character; the newcomer Bowser surpassed him. Donkey Kong is now ranked slightly higher, but still low-mid tier, being ranked 17th out of 26 on the current tier list in E tier.

Trophies

As a playable character, Donkey Kong has three trophies, a normal trophy acquired by beating the Classic Mode with Donkey Kong on any difficulty, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies won by beating the Adventure and All-Star Modes, respectively.

His normal trophy reads:

Donkey Kong
While he now prefers the laid-back jungle lifestyle to construction site mischief, DK is often forced back into action by the Kremling Krew. The great ape is quite fast despite his burly physique, and he keeps his strength up with a steady diet of his favorite food: bananas. His one extravagance (and only piece of clothing) is a monogrammed necktie.

• Donkey Kong, Arcade 1981

• 

  Classic Mode trophy

• 

  Smash [Adventure Mode] trophy

• 

  Smash [All-Star Mode] trophy

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Donkey Kong, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Donkey Kong returns as a starting playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is no longer the sole representative of his series, as Diddy Kong appears alongside him as well. His appearance is based on his current design from the Mario spin-off games and the later Donkey Kong games. With new physics in the game, Donkey Kong can no longer be comboed as easily, like in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and his power, range, recovery and speed stats have slightly improved and is no longer in top falling speed. His Final Smash is the Konga Beat in which DK takes out the Bongos and plays them. By timing their button presses, the attack power can be increased. During this move, DK is invincible, but it is more risky when playing on a moving stage like Rumble Falls. Though, the screen scrolls much more slowly while the Final Smash is in action. He also appears as a stage hazard along with springs in the 75m stage. He is now ranked around the middle of the tier list, placing 21st out of 38 in the D tier.

Trophies

The Donkey Kong trophy in Brawl.

Donkey Kong has a trophy that is awarded each time the Classic Mode is completed with Donkey Kong on any difficulty. See Konga Beat for the trophy description of Donkey Kong's Final Smash:

Donkey Kong

A carefree jungle dweller with the charisma of a natural leader. He keeps busy by foiling the plans of the Kremlings and their boss, King K. Rool. As his physique suggests, this ape is a powerhouse. He's got speed to match too, and his love for bananas is second to none. His famous necktie is adorned with his initials, DK.

: Donkey Kong Country

: Donkey Kong 64

Stickers

Name	Game	Effect	Character(s)
DK	Mario Superstar Baseball	AttackHead+027 Attack +27	DK Diddy
DK with Barrel	Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis	AttackSpecialsDirect+015 Attack +15	All characters
Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong Jungle Beat	AttackArm+022 Attack +22	DK Diddy
Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong Country	DefenseElectric+010 Resistance +10	DK Diddy
Donkey Kong	Mario Kart DS	DefenseFlame+041 Resistance +41	DK Diddy

DK (Mario Superstar Baseball)

DK with Barrel (Mario vs. DK 2: MotM)

Donkey Kong (DK Jungle Beat)

Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Country)

Donkey Kong (Mario Kart DS)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Donkey Kong as he appears in Super Smash Bros. 4

Donkey Kong returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His design is based on his appearances in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

On the current SSB4 tier list, Donkey Kong ranks 22nd out of 55 characters, placing him in C tier. He has been buffed overall, with faster attacks and improved combo ability, especially with his cargo up throw. The new rage mechanic benefits Donkey Kong very well, which when combined with his heaviness, allows him to deliver greater knockback at higher damage percents. Donkey Kong's trademark power and speed are retained from past games too. Although he is regarded as one of the game's best super heavyweights along with Bowser, he still suffers from common weaknesses that plagued him in the past, such as vulnerability to combos due to his weight and size, and his recovery in Spinning Kong still gaining little vertical distance. Nonetheless, Donkey Kong's strengths have allowed him to secure decent tournament representation and above average results.

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 (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 + Barrel Train

This mean machine may look like it was meant for the tracks, but really it was made to soar. That fine wood finish isn't so great in the water, though. I bet more than a few players have fond memories of the Barrel Train and its first driver, Diddy Kong.

This kart might look like it needs to be on rails, but it's actually great in mid-air. Like any barrel, though, it has a tendency to float. In a race that comes down to speed in water, it'll get left behind. The name "Barrel Train" might ring a bell for Mario Kart veterans - it was Diddy Kong's kart!

• Donkey Kong Trophy.png

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• Donkey Kong All-Star Trophy.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Donkey Kong + Barrel Train

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch

A silhouette of Donkey Kong's hair can be seen in the first trailer for the unnamed Super Smash Bros. title for Nintendo Switch; as such, it is implied that Donkey Kong will be returning to the upcoming game, although this has not yet been explicitly confirmed.

Trivia

• Unlike in most Donkey Kong games and Mario spin-offs, where Donkey Kong has a cartoonish voice, voiced by Takashi Nagasako, the Super Smash Bros. series has him using more realistic, gorilla-like roars. This also applies to Bowser, with realistic roars instead of Kenneth W. James, Bowser's current voice actor in most Mario games.
• Donkey Kong is the only character in the series who can walk at a normal speed when carrying a heavy item such as a Crate or Barrel; he also is the only character who can jump and fall while doing so. This originates from his ability to easily carry and throw barrels from Donkey Kong Country.
  • Additionally, starting with Melee, Donkey Kong moves faster when carrying heavy items if he is tiny.
• In all games in the Super Smash Bros. series, whenever Donkey Kong uses an item like the Fire Flower or the Ray Gun, he will grasp the top of his head while firing them, as if he is not sure what to make of the weapon.
• Counting sub-series, Donkey Kong is the only overall Mario character who has never been able to produce a projectile with his moveset in the Super Smash Bros. series.