Donkey Kong

For fighter info, see Donkey Kong (SSB), Donkey Kong (SSBM), Donkey Kong (SSBB), Donkey Kong (SSBWU/3DS) and Donkey Kong (SSBU).

Donkey Kong
Official artwork of Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Alternate names	DK D. Kong Donkey
Universe	Donkey Kong
Debut	Donkey Kong (1981)
Appears in
Console of origin	Arcade
Species	Kong
Gender	Male
Homeworld	DK Island
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto

Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkī Kongu^?) is the former antagonist of Mario (Jumpman) in the Donkey Kong series (1981), later becoming the protagonist of the Donkey Kong Country series (1994).

Character description

Donkey Kong's franchise began as his grandfather 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 and was Mario's rival. 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. At some point between Donkey Kong 3 and Donkey Kong Country, the original Donkey Kong would take the name Cranky Kong and allow the title of Donkey Kong to pass to his grandson.

Donkey Kong Jr. would make another appearance in the 1992 game Super Mario Kart, but the Donkey Kong franchise would not see its own direct game until 1994 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., marking 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 an 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. Donkey Kong also appeared as a baby in Yoshi's Island DS; and in the Mario vs Donkey Kong games, which brings back Mario and Donkey Kong's rivalry from the original Donkey Kong.

In Super Smash Bros.

As a playable character

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)

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

As a playable character

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, as 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 is.

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.

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

Donkey Kong [Smash]

Donkey Kong is a huge target in a fight, so he hates crowds. When he's in the fray, his Giant Punch deals serious damage to multiple opponents. The big ape's Headbutt hits so hard that it temporarily buries opponent's in the ground. DK is a lot faster than he looks, and he's lethal in the hands of a master.

• B: Giant Punch
• Smash B: Headbutt

Donkey Kong [Smash]

Being the strongest simian around, DK has the upper hand once he grabs an opponent. He can even lift his foe up and make him or her an unwilling traveling companion; if DK grabs you, shake your Control Stick as fast as you can to break his grip. His Spinning Kong covers more lateral distance than vertical, so use it quickly to recover.

• Up & B: Spinning Kong
• Down & B: Hand Slap

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a playable character

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.

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, as the stage can move on and he will self-destruct (ironically, Rumble Falls is Diddy's and DK's home 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)

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U

As a playable character

Donkey Kong returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, revealed during the E3 Nintendo Direct on June 11, 2013. His design is now based on his appearances in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

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.

• (SNES) Donkey Kong Country (11/1994)
• (Wii) 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.

• (SNES) Donkey Kong Country (11/1994)
• (Wii) Donkey Kong Country Returns (11/2010)

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.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a playable character

Donkey Kong returns as a veteran in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His design is slightly changed, and so are his attacks. He is floatier with slight buffs to some of his moves. He also has a completely new Final Smash, replacing Konga Beat.

Trivia

• Donkey Kong, alongside Mario, Link, Samus, Pikachu, Kirby, Fox, and Yoshi are the only characters that are starters in every single Smash Bros. title.
• Unlike in most DK games and Mario spinoffs, where Donkey Kong has a cartoon-like voice, the Super Smash Bros series features him vocalizing with gorilla-like roars, most likely for intimidation. This also serves to make Donkey Kong seem more realistic.
• 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. Although this doesn't necessarily make DK the strongest character, it speaks to his agility, and matches his "strong yet agile" character style. Another showcase of his strength is his ability to throw opponents farther than other strength-based characters, such as Bowser or Ganondorf. This could also be a reference to him throwing barrels in the original Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Country, since his pose when carrying barrels in the Smash Bros. series is similar to the way he did in DKC.

  

• The origin of Donkey Kong's name was an event lost in translation: when Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to name the character, he wanted it to be a synonym something along the lines of "Stubborn Monkey". When looking up an English synonym for "stubborn", he found the word "donkey" and decided to use it. However, he forgot to take in to account that a donkey is also an animal.

External links

• Donkey Kong Wiki's article on Donkey Kong