Donkey Kong, also known as DK, is a character that appears in the Mario series and also the main protagonist of his own franchise. He is a strong and carefree Kong from Donkey Kong Island who spends his time gathering bananas and hanging out with his friends, most noticeably his sidekick and best friend Diddy Kong. Heroic in his own right, Donkey Kong will head straight into action to help out his friends and protect his home when trouble appears on his island, though he has occasionally played the role of an antagonist as well. He is recognized by his incredible strength, love for bananas, and the red tie he wears around his neck.
Donkey Kong has appeared in multiple crossover titles alongside Sonic the Hedgehog and his cast, in particular the Mario & Sonic series.
Game appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Donkey Kong makes his third appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series as a playable fighter. In this game, Donkey Kong is a starter character, making him available from the beginning.
In gameplay, Donkey Kong is a large-sized, heavyweight character who possesses high power, many great finishers, and outstanding attack reach. In contrast to his large stature, he also has above-average movements in terms of speed, remarkable mobility, and several fast attack techniques. He has as well the greatest horizontal endurance of all the fighters in the game and one of the strongest vertical endurances in the game, along with a recovery with several advantageous mechanics. These factors together makes Donkey Kong one of the hardest characters to KO. However, his weight also makes him susceptible to combo attacks and similar maneuvers, although the game's universal mechanics do not support this weakness. Also, the majority of Donkey Kong's attacks demonstrate heavy ending lag, which make him easy to hit if he misses with an attack, and his shield is too small for a character of his size. He also lacks a projectile attack, which combined with his size and shield issues makes him vulnerable to camping. Lastly, Donkey Kong's sidestep is the second-slowest in the game, despite his rolls and air dodges being about average.
In addition to his playable appearance in the game, Donkey Kong also appears as a stage hazard in the 75m stage. Here, a presentation of Donkey Kong from the original Donkey Kong sits on the long platform. He normally sits in the background, but will sometimes light up and comes into the foreground for a short period of time. While there, Donkey Kong cannot be touched without inflicting damage and knockback to the characters. He will also throw jacks that does the same in irregular intervals.
In the Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, Donkey Kong is one of the many characters from the World of Trophies that got caught up in the schemes of Tabuu and his minions, whom they would work to defeat together.
Donkey Kong also appears in the game as a few Trophies and several Stickers.
Image | Name | Page | ID | Area of Effect | Effect | User | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NA | PAL | ||||||
DK (Mario Superstar Baseball) | 11 | 29 | Head | Attack +27 | Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong | ||
Donkey Kong (Mario Kart DS) | 26 | 63 | Flame | Resistance +41 | Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong | ||
DK with Barrel (Mario vs. DK 2: MotM) | 44 | 111 | Specials: Directional | Attack +15 | Everyone | ||
Pauline & Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong) | 44 | 113 | Arm | Attack +18 | Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong | ||
Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Country) | 46 | 120 | Electric | Resistance +10 | Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong | ||
Donkey Kong (DK Jungle Beat) | 52 | 131 | Arm | Attack +22 | Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[]
- See also: Donkey Kong (SSB3DS/WU)
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Donkey Kong made his fourth appearance as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. In both versions of this game, Donkey Kong is a starter character, making him available from the beginning.
In gameplay, Donkey Kong is a large and super heavyweight fighter. In comparison to the previous title, Donkey Kong retains his amazing power, surprisingly high mobility for his size, and his options for awareness and ability to counter/dodge enemy attacks. He has also been improved upon in both direct and indirect gameplay. In this title, Donkey Kong has faster attacks, increased combo ability due to his "cargo up throw" technique having been repurposed and modified, and his potential for KOs has been heightened in his up aerial movement. In addition, Donkey Kong has received improved endurance and recovery thanks to changes in the gameplay mechanics, and the rage mechanic supplements his already impressive power and ability to deliver knockbacks at higher damage percents. Despite all these improvements though, Donkey Kong still has his flaws: his hurtbox, for example, has increased in size, which makes him more vulnerable to combo attacks than ever. This is supplemented by his size and weight, which still make him susceptible to combo attacks. Also, his ability to return to the arena after being knocked off it is still mediocre due to his recovery's poor vertical distance and safety and ledge options. Lastly, many of Donkey Kong's attacks are rather unsafe on hits at the lowest percentages, and his shield options are still rather inadequate.
Each version of the game also comes with their own Trophies of Donkey Kong:
Name | Picture | Category | Trophy Box | Description | Acquisition | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NA | PAL | NA | PAL | ||||
Donkey Kong | Fighter | 17: Donkey Kong and His Friends | This king of the jungle really, really loves bananas. His adventures 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.
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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!
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Clear Classic with Donkey Kong. | ||
Donkey Kong (Alt.) | Fighter | 18: Animal Friends and Items | 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 serious damage. If Donkey Kong strikes an airborne foe with this move, they'll go crashing downward.
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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.
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Purchase at the Trophy Shop for 1000G, after clearing Classic with Donkey Kong. | ||
Konga Beat | Final Smash | 90: Final Smashes 1 | 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! | Clear All-Star with Donkey Kong. |
Name | Picture | Category | Description | Acquisition | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NA | PAL | NA | PAL | |||
Donkey Kong | Fighter | This king of the jungle really, really loves bananas. His adventures 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! | Clear Classic with Donkey Kong. | ||
Donkey Kong (Alt.) | Fighter | 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 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. | Clear All-Star with Donkey Kong. | ||
Donkey Kong + Barrel Train | Series Related | 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! | Random |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
- See also: Donkey Kong (SSBU)
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Donkey Kong made his fifth appearance as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. In this game, Donkey Kong is a starter character, making him available from the beginning.
In gameplay, Donkey Kong is once more a large and super heavyweight character. In this game, he has received a new Final Smash for delivering quick KOs. However, he retains his general speed, mobility, power, pros and cons from previous Super Smash Bros. titles. In addition, his animation has been updated to make him more expressive. His weight has sa well been increased to the point that he is one of the third heaviest characters in the game, making him even harder to send flying off the arenas, and his Headbutt technique now briefly gives him super armor. The reintroduction of the direction air dodge has also extended his recovery maneuver, and several additions to the gameplay mechanics have given Donkey Kong more attack options. However, his Giant Punch attack has now more ending lag and his Aerial Spinning Kong maneuver is weaker. Some of his moves have also been renamed.
Outside his playable appearance in the game, Donkey Kong also appears as a stage hazard in the 75m stage. Here, a presentation of Donkey Kong from the original Donkey Kong sits on the long platform. He normally sits in the background, but will sometimes light up and comes into the foreground for a short period of time. While there, Donkey Kong cannot be touched without inflicting damage and knockback to the characters. He will also throw jacks that does the same in irregular intervals.
In the Adventure Mode of the game, "World of Light", Donkey Kong was one of the many fighters that stood up to the threat of Galeem and his army of Master Hands. When Galeem began capturing the fighters, Donkey Kong was defeated off-screen. Thus, the fighters (aside from Kirby, who had managed to escape) were held captive by Galeem so that he could clone them and create puppet fighters for evil spirits to control. During the Adventure Mode, several puppet fighters of Donkey Kong are used for spirit battles. An evil version of Donkey Kong can be fought and defeated so that the true Donkey Kong can be awoken and join the fight to defeat Galeem and later Dharkon.
In this game, Donkey Kong also appears as a Fighter Spirit, a Primary Spirits, and a Support Spirit with the following characteristics:
No. | Name | Image | Series | Acquisition | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spirit | Alternate artwork | ||||
134 | Donkey Kong | Donkey Kong Series |
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Image | Stat statistics | Spirit Battle | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Base | Max | Enemy Fighter(s) | Enemy Power | Stage | Battle conditions | |
Power: 4,047 Attack: 2,386 Defense: 1,432 |
Power: 10,119 Attack: 5,967 Defense: 3,580 |
Giant Donkey Kong (250 HP) Ally: Peach (120 HP) |
13,500 | 75m | Rule(s): Item Tidal Wave
| |
Name | Type | Class | Music | Acquisition | ||
Donkey Kong & Lady | Grab | ★★★★ (Legend) | "Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley" |
| ||
No. | Slots | Ability | ||||
137 | 3 | Strong Throw |
Mario & Sonic series[]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Donkey Kong is a playable character in both the Wii and Nintendo DS version of the game, and one of the four new characters to join the main roster alongside Silver the Hedgehog, Bowser Jr. and Metal Sonic. In the Wii and Nintendo DS version, Donkey Kong also has the special skill, the Hand Slap Dash, which he can use in certain events to gain speed.
In both versions of the game, Donkey Kong has the following characteristics and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Special Skill | Flag | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wii | DS | ||||
Power |
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In the Wii version of the game, a Mii costume based on Donkey Kong can be unlocked in the game after winning five gold or/and 1st place medals in any Olympic/Dream Events with Donkey Kong and then buying the costume in the boutique.
In Adventure Tours mode in the Nintendo DS version of the game, Donkey Kong appears as one of the unlockable characters who can take part in the mode's sports events. He is first encountered in Icepeak, where he can be found crying over one of his bananas having fallen down from a deep cliff and out of his reach. Fortunately, Silver appears and helps get Donkey Kong's banana back up with his psychokinetic powers. Donkey Kong happily thanks Silver and agrees to help Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario on their adventure. However, the player must first beat beat him in a Moguls event with Silver. After that, Donkey Kong will join the player's team. Following that, Donkey Kong will be needed in Polastraits, which Toad will bring up before Donkey Kong. In Polastraits, the player will find a suspicious pole that Donkey Kong will offer to climb and check out. THis will initiate the "Climb to the Top!" mini-game. Here, Donkey Kong has to climb to the top of the pole while dodging falling bombs, smashing falling ice blocks, and eating speed-boosting bananas within one minute. Once the mini-game has been cleared, Donkey Kong will press a button on the top of the pole that will lower a bridge in the overworld. Later in Icepeak, Donkey Kong will be needed when interacting with Vector the Crocodile. When this occurs, Donkey Kong will ask Vector about his headphones. After a short conversation about music, Vector challenges Donkey Kong to a Short Track 500m race in honor of their first meeting. After Donkey Kong’s victory, Vector will join the player's team. Donkey Kong then continues his adventure with the group, eventually taking on Dr. Eggman and Bowser in Blizland to stop their plan of taking over the Olympic Winter Games.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games[]
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In the Wii version and Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Donkey Kong appears as one of the playable characters. In the Wii version, Donkey Kong also has the special skill, the Hand Slap Dash, which he can use in certain events to gain speed.
In this game, across both versions, Donkey Kong has the following characteristics and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats (Wii) | Class (3DS) | Special Skill | Flag |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power | Wild Ones | Hand Slap Dash |
In the Wii version of the game, Donkey Kong also appears as an interactable character in London Party. Here, the player can speak to him in order to play Bonus Games and earn stickers. Also, a Mii costume based on Donkey Kong can be unlocked in the game by either winning it through a Scratch Card or paying ten blank cards.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Donkey Kong belongs to the Wild Ones class and can only take part in sports events selected for this class. In the game's story mode, before the Olympics, Donkey Kong was in the Main Stadium when a Magikoopa came and asked him to compete in an Olympic event with Bowser. Donkey Kong refused at first, though the Magikoopa tricked him into believing that he would get a pile of bananas she had as payment for his services. As Donkey Kong attempted to collect the bananas however, he got knocked out by a Thwomp. Soon after, Bowser showed up and challenged him. After Bowser beat Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong initially got angry with the Magikoopa, though the Magikoopa promised to get him some bananas, leaving the pair to head off.
Donkey Kong was later in ExCeL London preparing to eat a banana after a workout when Tails and Espio came, telling him to get out. Donkey Kong refused however. Soon after though Omega came charging into Donkey Kong, ruining his banana in the process. Initially refusing to challenge Omega when Omega demanded it, Donkey Kong changed his mind after seeing that Omega had ruined his banana. After defeating Omega, Donkey Kong was still upset over his banana. Fortunately, Donkey Kong's match released a chip from inside Omega that had been controlling him. After Omega explained that Dr. Eggman and Bowser were working together to ruin the Olympic Games, Donkey Kong told Omega that he would forgive him if he helped Tails and Espio stop the villains. After Omega agreed to the deal and left with Tails and Espio, Donkey Kong stayed behind to watch the wrestling venue. Donkey Kong would later support Sonic, Mario, Luigi, and Tails when they faced Eggman and Bowser, having helped Knuckles and Vector clear the Phantasmal Fog from the Horse Guards Parade. After everything had been resolved, Donkey Kong came to the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, a badge of Donkey Kong can also be obtained from the badge machine
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Donkey Kong appears as one of the playable characters. In this game, Donkey Kong has the special skill, the Hand Slap Dash, which he can use in certain events to gain speed.
In this game, Donkey Kong has the following characteristics and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Special Skill | Biography | Flag |
---|---|---|---|---|
Power | Hand Slap Dash | This swinging king of the jungle has tremendous strength and agility on his side, and he can't wait to show off his skills. |
In Legends Showdown, Donkey Kong is on the first team, along with Sonic, Tails and Yoshi. Also, a Mii costume based on Luigi can be unlocked in the game by taking all shortcuts in a single Groove Pipe Snowboard match.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Donkey Kong appears as a playable character in the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and arcade version of the game.
In the Wii U version of the game, Donkey Kong is available from the beginning and playable in all events. Also, a Mii costume set based on Donkey Kong can be unlocked in the game by completing Donkey Kong's Carnival Challenge. However, it must be collected in two separate parts, each with their own stat changes.
In the Wii U version of the game, Donkey Kong has the following characteristics, description and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Playable Event(s) | Biography | Flag | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power | Speed | Technique | |||||
Power | 9 | 4 | 5 | All events | Although this mild-mannered king of the jungle isn't the brightest banana in the bunch, he boasts exceptional strength with which he hopes to dominate the Olympic Games. Since DK and his friends normally live in the jungle, these Olympic Games are perfect for his training regimen. |
In the Road to Rio mode in the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Donkey Kong appears as the player's partner for Beach Volleyball in Mario's story.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Donkey Kong is available from the beginning and has the following characteristics:
Artwork | Stats | Playable Event(s) | Challenged in Road to Rio? |
---|---|---|---|
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Sonic's Story Day 6 |
In the arcade edition of the game, Donkey Kong belongs to the main roster of characters. However, in the Japanese arcade version, he needs to be unlocked using the Aime card functionality. In this version, Donkey Kong has the following characteristics:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Recommended Event(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power | Speed | Technique | |||
Power | 9 | 5 | 4 |
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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Donkey Kong is a playable character in both the Nintendo Switch and arcade version of the game. In the latter, he was added to the game on 5 August 2020.[1]
In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Donkey Kong plays a role in the story mode. In this mode, Donkey Kong went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in an attempt to get a good from the top of said building. However, he found the entrance blocked by Metal Sonic and Egg Pawns. He was later met by Tails and Luigi. When the former discovered Donkey Kong had passes to other venues, Tails struck a deal with Donkey Kong: they would get rid of Metal Sonic and his posse and, in return, Donkey Kong would give them his passes. Accepting the deal, Donkey Kong gave them the passes after Luigi made the robots leave. Knowing that Tails and Luigi had a serious situation on hand however, Donkey Kong decided to join them to help out. When the party later needed to charge the Excitement Battery with cheers from the audience, they went to Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach where they could compete against Rosalina. Seeing how the ocean reminded him of his own island, Donkey Kong came forth and would accept Rosalina's offer to challenge her in a Surfing event. After Donkey Kong won, the cheers made would fully charge the Excitement Battery. Later, after everything had been resolved, Donkey Kong would flex with Vector as the Olympic Games were ready to commence.
In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Donkey Kong is only playable in the 2020 events and has the following characteristics:
Artwork | Skill Type | Biography | Wears unique clothing between events |
---|---|---|---|
Power | King of the jungle and superstar of the Kong Family. He's so strong, it isn't funny. He'd do anything for a banana or ten. | ✗ |
In the arcade version of the game, Donkey Kong is only playable in the 2020 events and has the following characteristics and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Wears unique clothing between events | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power | Speed | Technique | |||
Power | 9 | 5 | 4 | ✗ |
Trivia[]
- Donkey Kong was originally going to be playable in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, but was cut from the final character roster. His data remains, however, and he is playable via hacking.
- Donkey Kong's current voice actor, Takashi Nagasako, also voices Big the Cat in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
References[]
- ↑ Sega on Twitter (Japanese). Twitter (5 August 2020). Archived from the original on 5 August 2020.
External links[]
- Donkey Kong (character) at MarioWiki, the Fandom wiki of Mario.
- Donkey Kong on the Donkey Kong Wiki
- Donkey Kong (character) at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Donkey Kong at Super Mario Wiki, the Super Mario wiki.
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---|---|
Nintendo characters | Bowser | Bowser Jr. | Daisy | Diddy Kong | Donkey Kong | Larry Koopa | Ludwig von Koopa | Luigi | Mario | Mii | Peach | Rosalina | Toad | Waluigi | Wario | Wendy O. Koopa | Yoshi |
Mega Man characters | Axl | Bass | Dr. Light | Dr. Wily | Mega Man | Proto Man | Roll | Rush | X | Zero |
Other | Andronic | Chuck | Danica Patrick | Red | Santa Claus | Xbox Live Avatar |