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
Tier	D (1)

“	Donkey Kong is finally here, performing for you!	”
—Introduction Tagline

“	Okay!	”
—HIKARU

Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkey Kong) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return to the series was confirmed on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 Nintendo Direct. As in previous installments, Donkey Kong also retains his realistic gorilla grunts, albeit with a new set of voice clips.

Donkey Kong is currently ranked 1st out of 58 on the tier list, placing him in the D tier, which is the best tier because it stands for dong. This makes him the second highest ranked super heavyweight and is an improvement from his placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 21st out of 38. Donkey Kong retains his signature power, mobility, and spacing options, with his renowned back aerial remaining a quick and powerful option to stop approaches and deal damage. However, Donkey Kong now boasts great combo potential thanks to his "cargo up throw", which allows for guaranteed follow-ups at varying percents and even a guaranteed KO combo at a small range of percents.

However, Donkey Kong retains many of his flaws from Brawl. His large hurtbox has become even larger, which makes him even more susceptible to combos than before, while his poor vertical recovery continues to render him very susceptible to edgeguarding. Nevertheless, Donkey Kong's advantages generally outweigh his disadvantages, to the point that he has achieved above average results in competitive play, largely thanks to DKwill and Larry Lurr.

Attributes

As the second heaviest character in the game, Donkey Kong is a super heavyweight. However, he is also one of the fastest heavyweights in the game in terms of both movement and attack speed, to the point that he defies the typical heavyweight archetype. He has fast walking and dashing speeds, above average falling speed and gravity, and very fast air speed, but below average air acceleration. His large size also gives his attacks great physical range.

As expected, Donkey Kong's greatest asset is his speed. In typical heavyweight fashion, Donkey Kong has a plethora of reliable KOing options (all of his smash attacks, his forward, back, up and down aerials, his back throw, Giant Punch, and grounded Spinning Kong) and high survivability thanks to his high weight and fast falling speed. However, his aforementioned mobility and frame data (almost all of his attacks are faster than any other super heavyweight) gives him an effective approach and makes it easier to land his attacks, further complemented by his large reach. Also, his moves that lack KO power can be used for effective set-ups, thanks to their high speed, low knockback, and favorable launch angles, giving him a capable combo game. Thanks to these attributes, Donkey Kong can rack up damage and KO his opponents not only quickly, but safely, compared to most heavyweights.

Donkey Kong's grounded moveset is very useful; his neutral attack can be jab canceled for follow ups, his forward tilt is great for spacing, his up tilt is a decent combo starter at low percents, and his down tilt has incredible speed and can trip opponents, making it ideal for starting or extending combos. All of his smash attacks pack incredible power and have very long ranges, while not being particularly slow either. To complement his ground game, Donkey Kong's aerial game is extremely effective. His forward and down aerials can meteor smash and can effectively finish off his combos or his opponents, thanks to their high power. His neutral aerial is very quick and can lead into followups, or it can be used to give Donkey Kong some space. His up aerial launches opponents upwards, making it great for combos and KOing. His back aerial is long-ranged, has a long-lasting hitbox, and can be used to edgeguard opponents. The last three aerials can also autocancel in a short hop, further demonstrating their utility. Finally, Donkey Kong's fast air speed allows him to easily chase opponents in the air.

In addition, the aforementioned combo abilities pair well with his grab game. Donkey Kong's grab range is the second largest non-tether grab in the game (being surpassed only by Greninja's), while his grabs are decently fast, making them very easy to land. His pummel is decently quick, making it great for racking up damage. While his up and down throws are rarely used because of their limited utility, his forward and back throws make up for that. His back throw is among the strongest in the game, being surpassed only by Ness, Toon Link, Mewtwo and Villager's making it one of his safest KO moves. His forward throw is an all-purpose throw, as well as an excellent damage racker. Using it will open up four different throws, commonly known as the "cargo throws". Cargo down throw is a semi-spike and is great for edgeguarding. Cargo back throw deals 12% and can KO at higher percents. His most notable throw, however, is his cargo up throw, which can lead into any aerial at lower percents. Since it connects directly into his powerful up aerial at most percents, this combo can be used to KO opponents at specific percents, and has since been nicknamed the "Ding Dong".

Finally, Donkey Kong's special moveset has a lot of utility. Giant Punch is a deadly KO move, and a fully charged one has super armor, making it difficult to interrupt. Headbutt can bury opponents, leaving them exposed to any move. It also does a lot of shield damage, threatening attempts to block the move. Hand Slap has very long range and allows for stage control, but since it is a quake move, it has no effect on aerial opponents when it is performed on the ground. However, an aerial Hand Slap is now capable of meteor smashing and is not only fairly easy to land, but it is an effective one as well. Finally, Spinning Kong can be used as an out of shield option, thanks to its super armor and high damage output. As a recovery, it lets Donkey Kong move horizontally quickly and for a long time, giving him a very long horizontal recovery. Spinning Kong also seems to retain its ability from Brawl to completely negate all momentum, against both horizontal and vertical knockback however, this is considered impractical and nearly impossible to utilise due to the changes to hitstun canceling.

Despite these advantages, Donkey Kong has noticeable flaws. His most notable flaw is his poor defensive game. Although his large size gives him high reach, it also makes him very easy to hit. While his out of shield game is strong, Donkey Kong's shield itself is rather poor, due to it being unusually small for a character of his size (like Ganondorf), making him heavily vulnerable to shield stabbing. His rolls and ledge recovery options are also very slow. With all of this working against him, Donkey Kong is heavily vulnerable to combos and juggling, worsened by his lack of combo breakers (due to his polarizing aerials) and lack of good dodging options outside of aerial maneuvering. His moveset, despite being very fast in terms of startup, is slow in regard to ending lag, making him susceptible to punishment without careful spacing. Finally, his vertical recovery is almost nonexistent, due to Spinning Kong's vertical distance being considerably low. This also makes it extremely difficult for him to survive even the weakest meteor smash.

Custom moves can give Donkey Kong considerable benefits, more so than most other characters. Storm Punch has a wind effect, and is very effective for edgeguarding and spacing. Jumping Headbutt has more vertical range and a hitbox during the entire descent, making it a good alternative to fast falling, but at the cost of being unable to properly bury opponents. Stubborn Headbutt eschews its role as a pressure move due to its slow startup. However, it has higher power and super armor, protecting Donkey Kong from any attack. Focused Slap and Hot Slap sacrifice range for paralysis and vertical range, respectively. Both are also potent KOing options, with the latter having high diagonal knockback, and the former having extremely high vertical knockback. Kong Cyclone is often considered to be Donkey Kong's most valuable move, as well as the best custom in the game, as it has super armor, a suction effect, more power, and the aerial version has greater maneuverability and speed, as well as autocanceling capabilities, significantly improving his neutral game.

Overall, Donkey Kong is a potent character, and is perhaps the most effective of all of the super heavyweights. With speed, power, range, survivability, and easy-to-use combos, there are very few matchups he cannot overcome. He has average tournament representation and above average results, with dedicated mains such as DKwill.

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 certain lightweights. He 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.

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 larger hurtbox enable him be easily susceptible to combos 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 has received in game updates. As a result, he is considered to be more viable than he was in Brawl.

Aesthetics

• Donkey Kong's fur is of a higher visual quality than in Brawl. His proportions also seemed to have been tweaked slightly, with his design now being reminiscent of his appearances in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Additionally, his teeth are now white, rather than yellowish white.
• Most of Donkey Kong's animations are now more fluid. His general expressiveness has been greatly exaggerated as well, with many of his moves and animations now accompanied with smirks, toothy grins, or even a look of utter confusion. When Donkey Kong is launched, his eyes will even bulge out of his head, much like in the Donkey Kong Country games for the SNES.
• Donkey Kong has updated voice clips.

Attributes

• Like other large characters, such as Bowser and King Dedede, Donkey Kong's general size in proportion to the other playable characters is also greater than in previous installments. This improves his range, but makes his hurtbox larger.
• Donkey Kong is heavier (116 → 122). This improves his endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos.
• Donkey Kong walks faster (1.2 → 1.3).
• Donkey Kong dashes faster (1.622 → 1.7031).
• Donkey Kong's air speed is faster (1.081 → 1.15), making it tied for the ninth fastest in the game.
• Donkey Kong falls faster (1.58 → 1.63). This makes him less susceptible to juggles, but more susceptible to combos.
• The changes to hitstun canceling both help and hinder Donkey Kong. They improve his offense by granting many of his attacks combo potential. However, they significantly hinder his overall endurance, as he can no longer use Spinning Kong to cancel momentum despite his increased weight.
• The removal of meteor canceling both helps and hinders Donkey Kong. It results in his meteor smashes becoming even harder to recover from than in Brawl. However, his faster falling speed and poor vertical recovery have made him even more susceptible to meteor smashes.

Ground attacks

• Upward angled forward tilt deals 1% less damage (12% → 11%).
• Down tilt deals 1% less damage (8% → 7%) and has decreased base knockback (20 → 10), reverting it to how it functioned in Melee and thus hindering its spacing potential.
• Down tilt's reduced knockback gives it better tripping potential.
• Donkey Kong has a new dash attack, the Barrel Roll from the Donkey Kong Country series. Compared to the previous dash attack, it has less start-up (frame 10 → 9) and ending lag (FAF 55 → 42) and has a longer duration (frames 10-21 → 9-24).
• Dash attack deals less damage (11%/9% → 10%/8%) compared to the previous dash attack. However, this grants it combo potential.
• Forward smash has decreased knockback growth (94 → 91). It also has a smaller hitbox size overall (6.4u/6.8u/4.3u/3u → 5.7u/3).
• Forward smash now has intangibility on Donkey Kong's head and arms on frames 20-26.
• Up smash has decreased knockback (40 (base)/93 (growth) → 30/83), now KOing in the 100%-125% range rather than the 80%-100% range in Brawl. Its hitbox size is also smaller (9.5u → 8.8u/7u).
• Down smash has received a hitbox that deals 18% and occurs when Donkey Kong's arms hit the ground.
• Down smash has decreased knockback growth (100 → 88), hindering its KO potential. Its new hitbox also does not compensate for its decreased knockback growth, especially since it has less base knockback (35 → 30).
• Down smash knockback angle has been modified (115° → 70°).

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, back, and up aerial have increased landing lag (15 frames → 17 (neutral), 15 frames → 18 (back), 22 frames → 25 (up)).
• Forward aerial and down aerial have decreased landing lag (30 frames → 29 (forward), 31 frames → 24 (down)).
• Forward aerial has decreased start-up lag (frame 25 → 18).
• Forward aerial's sourspot deals less damage (16% → 15%/13%), though its meteor smash hitbox's knockback was compensated. Its early hitbox also has decreased knockback growth (100 → 85), hindering its KO potential.
• Back aerial has decreased knockback growth (100 → 97).
• Up aerial deals 1% less damage (14% → 13%) without its knockback being compensated. These changes slightly hinder its KO potential.
• Down aerial has received has a sourspot at his chest that deals strong horizontal knockback. It is also faster (frame 18 → 14).
• Down aerial's sweetspot has decreased base knockback (38 → 30). Its duration is also shorter (frames 18-23 → 14-16).

Throws/other attacks

• Dash grab has significantly decreased ending lag.
• Pivot grab has increased start-up lag (frame 10 → 11).
• Pummel deals 0.9% less damage (3% → 2.1%).
• Pummel is slightly faster.
• Cargo forward throw deals 2% more damage (8% → 10%).
• Cargo back throw deals 4% more damage (8% → 12%) and has altered knockback (80 (base)/50 (growth) → 70/80).
• Cargo back throw's angle was altered.
• Cargo up throw deals 3% more damage (7% → 10%) and has altered knockback (90 (base)/30 (growth) → 58/52), allowing it to combo into other moves.
• Cargo down throw deals 1% more damage (6% → 7%) and has altered knockback (65 (base)/26 (growth) → 50/38).
• Donkey Kong has a new edge attack, a forearm club. Compared to the previous edge attack, it is slower and has less range.
• Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).

Special moves

• Giant Punch charges, comes out and ends faster.
• Giant Punch deals less shield damage (2 → 0).
• Aerial Headbutt deals 4% less damage (14% → 10%) and it no longer stalls Donkey Kong in the air, removing its recovery potential.
• Headbutt has increased range.
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the significant increase to shieldstun both significantly improve Headbutt's pressure potential, as they allow it to bring shields to a sliver of health.
• Headbutt deals less shield damage (30 → 25) and has slightly increased ending lag.
• Grounded Spinning Kong is now a multiple hit attack, improving its damage racking potential. It also spins at an angle instead of completely horizontally, improving its vertical range.
• Grounded Spinning Kong's animation has changed. Donkey Kong now performs a series of discus clotheslines with both arms and it concludes with him striking a flexing pose.
• Spinning Kong has increased ending lag.
• Hand Slap can now be used in midair, with its second hit being a meteor smash. It also has a larger hitbox on the ground.
• Hand Slap has significantly increased ending lag.
• Konga Beat is now accompanied by a bar that indicates when to press the button in rhythm with the beat, similar to the display in Donkey Konga. This improves its reliability.
• Konga Beat's animation has slightly changed. If Donkey Kong performs all button presses with the correct timing, he will strike a thumbs up pose at its conclusion.

Update history

Donkey Kong has been significantly buffed overall via 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 Donkey Kong's cargo throw, which helps his initially weakened grab game. Update 1.1.0 gave him a faster and longer lasting dash attack and noticeably improved his combo game due to cargo up throw's base knockback being decreased considerably, which gave Donkey Kong new follow-up options. The most famous follow up, jumping cargo up throw to up aerial, has been affectionately nicknamed the "Ding Dong", which expands the dong.

Update 1.1.1 reduced the shield damage dealt by Giant Punch and Headbutt, but this was compensated by the increased shieldstun allowing Hand Slap to break shields more easily. The shieldstun changes in general significantly benefit Donkey Kong's powerful, high hitlag attacks by making them safer on shield. While the changes to shield mechanics it also inhibit his effective out of shield options and his already poor shield game, this nerf is largely negligible.

Overall, Donkey Kong's buffs outweigh his nerfs, to the point that he is considered to be significantly better than he was during SSB4's initial release.

1.0.6

• Giant Punch's charge time decreased: 172 frames → 144.
• Headbutt no longer stalls Donkey Kong in midair, removing its recovery potential.
• Neutral attack's first hit no longer launches opponents at the Sakurai angle.

1.0.8

• Cargo forward throw deals 2% more damage: 8% → 10%.
• Cargo back throw deals 4% more damage: 8% → 12%.
• Cargo back throw's knockback growth increased: 38 → 80.
• Cargo back throw's angle altered.
• Cargo up throw deals 3% more damage: 7% → 10%.
• Cargo down throw deals 1% more damage: 6% → 7%.
• Cargo down throw's animation has slightly changed. Donkey Kong now hops while performing it.

1.1.0

• Up smash's hitbox size increased: 7.5u/6u → 8.8u/7u.
• Forward smash's hitbox size has increased: 5u → 5.7u.
• Forward smash's bone intangibility on Donkey Kong's head and arms have received additional frames: 20-26.
• Dash attack improved. Its start-up lag decreased: frame 10 → 9, its ending lag decreased
• Cargo up throw's knockback altered: 90 (base)/50 (growth) → 58/52. This re-purposes it into a combo starter, which can be performed even up to high percents.

1.1.1

• All variations of Giant Punch deal shield damage: 2 → 0.
• Headbutt and Stubborn Headbutt deal less shield damage: 30 → 25.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			4%	A hook followed by an uppercut. At very low percents, it can combo into itself or work as a fairly reliable set-up for a fully charged Giant Punch. However, its first hit can also be jab canceled into forward tilt, down tilt or a grab, which is further supplemented by the first hit's tip launching the opponent towards Donkey Kong instead of away from him.
			6%
Forward tilt	↗		11%	A backhanded slap. Can be angled, with the upward angle dealing the most amount of damage and the downward angle dealing the least.
	→		10%
	↘		9%
Up tilt			11% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)	An overheard arcing swipe. It has very reliable range and deals more damage and knockback if the target is extremely close to Donkey Kong's back.
Down tilt			7% (sweetspot), 6% (sourspot)	A crouching swat. Slightly less powerful around his fingers. In addition to its 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)	The Barrel Roll, his signature attack from the Donkey Kong Country series. It deals less damage towards its end.
Forward smash			20% (hands), 21% (arms)	A lunging clap. It deals slightly more damage if it hits with Donkey Kong's arms, but has a noticeable blind spot at DK's chest. KOs at 92% uncharged and at 54% fully charged without rage.
Up smash			18%	An overhead clap. 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. However, it can be effective if used beneath a platform. KOs at 119% and 73% uncharged. At full rage, it is slightly more powerful than his Brawl up smash.
Down smash			14% (arms), 17%-18% (fists)	Swings both of his clenched fists down 90° to perform forearm clubs. It has decent range, fast start-up for a smash attack, and deals great vertical knockback. It KOs starting at 110% when sweetspotted, it is especially good for punishing rolls and laggy attacks, and is a reliable out of shield option. It could arguably be considered one of the best down smashes in the game, despite its fair amount of ending lag.
Neutral aerial			11% (clean), 8% (late)	Quickly spins around to perform discus clotheslines with both arms, similarly to Spinning Kong. It is not the fastest of DK's aerials, but has the longest lasting hitbox and the lowest amount of ending lag. Additionally, its late hit has excellent combo potential when SHFF'd, but it requires good timing due to its hitbox not being optimally positioned compared to his other aerials.
Forward aerial			16% (early), 15% (meteor smash), 13% (late sourspot)	A double axe handle. If sweetspotted, the opponent is meteor smashed. Like many other moves, its early hitbox is weaker than its meteor smash hitbox, to the point that it is even weaker than the late sourspot despite dealing more damage. However, the early hitbox launches opponents away by dealing extreme horizontal knockback, making it more effective for KOing horizontally. It appears similar to his jumping attack from Donkey Kong 64, which itself was inspired by this attack due to SSB debuting before Donkey Kong 64.
Back aerial			8-13%	A back kick. A useful move courtesy of its decent power, large, lingering hitbox and minimal start-up, ending and landing lag. Its low ending lag allows it to initiate a wall of pain.
Up aerial			13%	An upward headbutt. DK's head is intangible as soon as it begins. Its high damage output and knockback make it a viable KOing option and an ideal follow-up from "cargo up throw".
Down aerial			16% (sweetspot), 13% (sourspot)	A stomp. Its sweetspot is a strong meteor smash, while its sourspot, which is close to Donkey Kong's chest, deals diagonal knockback. However, it is a rather laggy attack despite its fairly quick start-up.
Grab			—	Reaches out. Donkey Kong's grab range is above average, while his dash and pivot grabs have even greater ranges.
Pummel			2.1%	A karate chop. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			10% (forward), 12% (backward), 10% (upward), 7% (downward)	Cradles the opponent on his back, allowing him to move and jump around while still holding the opponent. This gives him access to forward, back, up, and down throws that are distinct from his normal grabs. Forward: Throws the opponent vertically. Back: Heaves the opponent backward using both hands, launching them at a slightly higher trajectory. Can only be done in midair or by strongly tilting the control stick backward while grounded. Up: Heaves the opponent upward. Its very low base knockback allows for follow-ups, especially when preceded by a jump, such as his up aerial (which can be performed twice in a row) or his neutral aerial (which can be followed immediately by his back aerial). At medium to high percents, Donkey Kong can set up an early KO with his up aerial when preceded by a jump, making it reminiscent of Diddy Kong's "Hoo-Hah" combo. This combo is referred to by players as the "Ding Dong" combo. Down: A gorilla press slam. It launches the opponent horizontally, which allows it to be used off-stage as a surprise KOing option against opponents with poor recoveries, such as Little Mac. 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 edge, pull back and throw them against the underside. However, this carries significant risk, as the opponent can tech it and thus result in DK ending up too far below the edge to recover if his timing is off.
Back throw			11%	Flings the opponent backward. DK's strongest throw in terms of damage and knockback, KOing the heaviest characters in the game below 170% near the edge without rage.
Up throw			9%	Heaves the opponent is upward with one arm.
Down throw			7%	A body slam. It has rather weak knockback and launches opponents horizontally in front of DK.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Performs a swat.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Claps behind himself and then in front of himself.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Throws a spinning, wind-up punch.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Performs a forearm club while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Giant Punch	10% (uncharged), +2% (per wind-up), 28% (tenth wind-up/fully charged grounded), 25% (tenth wind-up/fully charged aerial)	Winds up his right arm and then throws a powerful punch. The attack is at fully charged after eleven wind-ups and gains super armor. The punch deals more knockback but lacks super armor at ten wind-ups. Its charge can be saved and chosen when to be released after being fully charged. DK will be rendered helpless if he uses it in midair.
	Custom 1	Lightning Punch	10% (uncharged), +1% (per wind-up), 16% (five wind-ups), 15% (fully charged)	An electrical version that 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)	Deals less damage, but produces a powerful windbox that will push back opponents and takes less time to charge. Higher ending lag and lacks super armor.
Side special	Default	Headbutt	10% (grounded/sweetspot aerial), 8% (sourspot aerial)	A headbutt. The grounded version buries the opponent, who will remain submerged longer if the opponent has already dealt a fair amount of damage. The aerial version will meteor smash the opponent if they are hit by its sweetspot. Unlike in Brawl, it will not stall DK in the air. Full power shields will barely manage to avoid breaking against this move.
	Custom 1	Jumping Headbutt	5% (aerial), 10% (grounded)	A jumping headbutt. Buried opponents can break out faster and Donkey Kong will self-destruct if he uses it off-stage out of edge grabbing distance.
	Custom 2	Stubborn Headbutt	13%	Has longer start-up, but deals more physical and shield damage while granting super armor for its entire duration.
Up special	Default	Spinning Kong	7% (grounded hit 1), 1% (grounded hits 2-6), 4% (grounded hit 7), 18% (all grounded hits connect), 10% (aerial hit 1), 2% (aerial subsequent hits), 36% (all aerial hits connect)	Rapidly spins around, trapping opponents and damaging them with a series of discus clotheslines and spinning backfists before launching them. It grants super armor at the very start and excellent horizontal recovery, but grants poor vertical recovery. If used on the ground, Donkey Kong now spins at an angle, increasing the move's vertical range.
	Custom 1	Chopper Kong	—	Grants increased vertical distance, but almost no horizontal distance and deals no damage.
	Custom 2	Kong Cyclone	4% (grounded hit 1), 3% (aerial hit 1), 15% (grounded hit 2), 12% (aerial hit 2)	Pulls in opponents in with a windbox while spinning, then launches them with its last hit. The grounded version has no hitboxes except for its first and last hits. The aerial version deals no damage except for its first and last hits, but does deal hitstun. Both the grounded and aerial versions have super armor during the spin, but the aerial version does not rise as high as Spinning Kong.
Down special	Default	Hand Slap	14%	Slaps the ground to cause earth-shaking vibrations. The attack gives him some protection from opponents while grounded and has good range. Donkey Kong can now use the move while in midair, although only twice in a row. The second hit is a powerful meteor smash that is fairly easy to land. Originates from Donkey Kong Country.
	Custom 1	Focused Slap	7% (hit 1), 14% (hit 2)	Has increased hitstun and knockback, but decreased range and is unable to meteor smash.
	Custom 2	Hot Slap	4% (hit 1), 12% (hit 2)	Flaming pillars erupt instead of earth-shaking vibrations. It does not reach very far in front and does not reach behind DK at all, but it has much less start-up and much more knockback growth than Hand Slap, making it have better KO potential. However, it does not meteor smash if used in the air.
Final Smash		Konga Beat	Varies	Takes out the DK Bongos and begins to play them to the beat of "DK Island Swing", emitting shockwaves 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 to perform properly in Brawl, Konga Beat is now accompanied by an indicative bar that will appear above DK, which signals the player when to press the attack button in sync with the beat.

On-screen appearance

• Bursts out from a DK Barrel and strikes a flexing pose.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Beats his fists against his chest while scowling.
• Side taunt: Shakes himself as if he was wet, during which he will sport a toothy grin or sport the expression seen in his down taunt.
• Down taunt: Faces the camera, shrugs his shoulders, and grunts while making a humorously confused, bug-eyed expression. It originates from SSB.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Bares his teeth and crosses his eyes.
• Bumps his fist together, then performs an underhand strike.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	D-K! Donkey Kong!	Don-key Kong!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix based on the jingle that would play whenever Donkey Kong completely cleared a bonus room or defeated a boss in Donkey Kong Country.

• Clenches his hands together and shakes them overhead in a self-congratulatory manner.
• Does a backflip and then strikes a flexing pose. It is identical to his "character chosen" animation in SSB.
• Beats his chest and then faces the screen while sporting a 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

Active

•  Average Joe - 9th at Glitch, 25th at The Big House 5, ranked 17th on the MD/VA/DE Smash 4 Power Rankings, regularly attends Xanadu tournaments.
•  DKwill - The best Donkey Kong player in America, 4th at SKTAR 4, 9th at Get On My Level 2016, 25th at GENESIS 3 and The Big House 6, 33rd at Apex 2015, EVO 2015 and CEO 2016, ranked 9th on the New York City Power Rankings.
•  HIKARU - The best Donkey Kong player worldwide, usually places Top 8 at Sumabato tournaments, 7th at 2GGC: Civil War, 9th at Sumabato for THE BIG HOUSE, 33rd at EVO 2016.
•  Konga - Ranked 9th on the Washington Smash 4 Power Rankings. Placed 2nd at Don't Park on the Grass.
•  Larry Lurr - Mostly uses DK as a secondary, 3rd at Olympus, 1st at 2GGT: Mexico Saga, has beaten DKwill in the ditto.
•  RiotLettuce - 33rd at EVO 2015, ranked 3rd on the current Central Florida Smash 4 Power Rankings, nowadays he uses DK as a strong secondary.
•  Tweek - Uses DK primarily as a secondary, with set wins over MkLeo, komorikiri, Mr.E, and Tyrant.
•  Vex Kasrani - 13th at KTAR XIII, 7th at KTAR XVII.

Inactive

•  Mew2King - 3rd at PAX Prime 2015, 5th at SKTAR 4.

Tier placement and history

Upon the SSB4's release, Donkey Kong was considered a bottom-tier character, despite the good buffs he had received in his transition from Brawl. This was due to players thinking of his poor frame data and hitbox placements, below average grab game despite his grabs having above average ranges despite not being tethered, an average damage output despite being a super heavyweight, and laggy finishers. Opinions of Donkey Kong would slowly start to improve, as players later noticed he had indeed gained more than what he lost in the transition to SSB4, leading him to be seen as a low-tier character rather than a bottom-tier character in most eyes.

While he would gain dedicated mains like DKwill and buffs via game updates, it was not until update 1.1.0 that Donkey Kong's reputation would improve considerably. This was due to said update granting him a massive buff for his grab game in the form of his now-famous "cargo up throw", which allows for what is known as the "Ding Dong" combo, which is reminiscent of Diddy Kong's "Hoo Hah" combo, albeit not to the same extreme degree. Because of the huge benefits as well as the true combos that can be performed with this throw, Donkey Kong's popularity started to increase at all levels of play, with professionals such as DKwill, Average Joe, HIKARU and Mew2King making a larger impact in tournaments.

As a result, Donkey Kong was ranked 27th on the first 4BR tier list, and then rose to his ranking of 25th on the second tier list, before dropping to his current ranking of 28th on the third tier list, and losing his title of the best super-heavyweight character to Bowser. Despite Donkey Kong remaining slightly unpopular in competitive play, his results by the players who main him have been sufficiently high enough to secure his current tier placement.

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)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Konga Beat

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Regulars: Donkey Kong is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents are the eight starter characters of the "perfect-attendance crew" from Super Smash Bros.
• Guardian of the Jungle: Donkey Kong, aided by two Diddy Kongs, must defeat three Duck Hunts.
• The Jungle in Chaos: As Diddy Kong, the player must defeat twenty Donkey Kongs wearing Bunny Hoods.
• The Original Heavyweights: As Mario, the player must defeat Donkey Kong and Bowser.

Co-op Events

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

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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

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  Donkey Kong's amiibo.

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  Donkey Kong's appearance during E3 2013.

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  Donkey Kong's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Using Spinning Kong on Mario and Samus in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Using Hand Slap on Kirby and Link in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Being hit by Toon Link's Home-Run Bat.

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  Alongside Diddy Kong.

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  Alongside Kapp'n.

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  Taunting alongside King Dedede, Mario, and Bowser.

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  Holding Toon Link's Bomb.

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  Alongside Wii Fit Trainer.

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  Pikachu footstool jumping on Donkey Kong.

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  Wii Fit Trainer using her up throw on Donkey Kong.

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  Using Spinning Kong alongside Pikachu.

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  Using Spinning Kong on enemies in Smash Run.

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  Using Storm Punch, one of his custom moves.

Trivia

• Donkey Kong's crowd chant references the DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64.
• Donkey Kong's default moveset has four meteor smashes, the most out of the entire cast.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Donkey Kong's mouth has a tendency to become oddly contorted if he is pummeled. However, this is merely a graphical issue.
• The DK 64 sound effects were originally going to be in the game, but were ultimately scrapped.