Donkey Kong


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



Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkī Kongu) is the protagonist from the Donkey Kong series. In his first appearance, Donkey Kong, he was the antagonist of Mario, but he soon starred in the Mario series games which depicted him as a protagonist, though he remains a featured character in Mario spinoff games.

Character description
Donkey Kong as his father made his first appearance in the arcade game of the same name. Here, he was the antagonist who held Mario's 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 Sr. Donkey Kong Sr. 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 classic, until Rareware released Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo, which depicted Donkey Kong's first battle with his arch-enemy King K. Rool. Donkey Kong Country was such a massive success that it helped the SNES take the lead in the 16-bit console war. The series was followed by two sequels in which Donkey Kong was, surprisingly, not playable due to being replaced by Dixie Kong.

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 a 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.

While he has switched between appearing as a protagonist and as a antagonist, Donkey Kong has never truly been "evil" and he remains a part of the Mario universe appearing in many of the Mario spinoff games.

As a playable character

 * Main article: Donkey Kong (SSB)

Donkey Kong makes his first appearance in a fighting game as a starting playable character in the original Super Smash Bros. DK is surprisngly fast for his size and is one of the strongest characters in the game. His Neutral B move is the Giant Punch which becomes stronger depending on how long the player lets DK charge it before using it. His Up B is the Spinning Kong which causes DK to spin around wildly with his arms striking anyone nearby. His Down B move is the Hand Slap which allows DK to pound the ground with his fists repeatedly creating a small earthquake.

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 (NES), Donkey Kong Country (SNES), Mario Kart 64 (N64)

As a playable character

 * Main article: Donkey Kong (SSBM)

Donkey Kong returns in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a starting playable character. He remains mostly the same from the original, but his new B-Forward move, the 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. A big change is that he is no longer the heaviest character; in the game, the newcomer Bowser is in melee.

Trophies
By tradition, Donkey Kong as a playable character is featured on his personal 3 trophies. His normal trophy is acquired by beating the Classic mode with Donkey Kong on any difficulty, and his Smash Red and Smash Blue trophies are acquired the same way 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

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

 * Main article: Donkey Kong (SSBB)



Donkey Kong returns as a starting playable character in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Along with new physics in the game, Donkey Kong can no longer be comboed, 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 (ironically, DK's stage). Though, the screen scrolls much more slowly while the Final Smash is in action.

Trophies
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 (1994)
 * Donkey Kong 64 (1999)

Trivia

 * Donkey Kong, Sonic, Link, and Snake are the only characters to be playable in a different (official) fighting game other than the Smash Bros. series. Donkey Kong was a secret character in Punch-Out!! for the Wii.
 * Donkey Kong is the only character who can walk at a normal speed when carrying a crate, Rolling Crate, Barrel, or Bonsly. He is also the only character who can jump while doing so, as well as the only character who doesn't drop a heavy item when walking off of a ledge. Judging by this, he can be considered to literally be the "strongest" character. However, in Mario spin-off games, such as Mario Golf, Bowser is more powerful than DK, so it might just be DK's build that allows him to lift heavy objects (Bowser has short arms, so he can't lift things like DK can).