Donkey Kong (Super Smash Bros. Melee)

This article is about Donkey Kong's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For other uses, see Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong
Universe	Donkey Kong
Also appears in	Super Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. (Wii U and 3DS)
Availability	Starter
Tier	B (17)

Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkī Kongu) is a default character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He returns from the original Super Smash Bros., but given faster moves and agility, as well as an improved recovery.

He is currently 17th on the tier list due to good reach, powerful attacks, and above average speed, his speed being a property usually lacking in heavyweight characters. On the downside, he lacks projectiles and has poor vertical recovery.

Attributes

Donkey Kong is the 2nd heaviest character in the game (second only to Bowser), as well as a large target. His attacks are very strong, but many of them also have long startup times. Donkey Kong is faster than one would expect. He has slightly above average dash speed, very fast air speed, fast falling speed, and a high initial jump.

On the downside, he has a small shield which invites shield stabbing. Donkey Kong has very high range, but he lacks projectiles, as well as a sufficient defense against them. Donkey Kong's Up Special Move, Spinning Kong, serves as his recovery move, covering great horizontal distance, but poor vertical distance. This leaves Donkey Kong vulnerable to Meteor Smashes and Spikes. Donkey Kong has a great dashdance, but he has a poor Wavedash.

When it comes to comboing, Donkey Kong can combo certain characters to high percents with his grab to Cargo Throw to Up Throw to Up Aerial juggle combo. He also has good combo finishing moves, such as his charged Giant Punch, Back Aerial, and Forward Aerial. On the downside, Donkey Kong's very heavy weight, large size, fast falling speed, and very long hitstun leave him extremely vulnerable to combos and chaingrabs.

Moveset

Normal

• Neutral Attack - A jab then an uppercut. 4%, then 5% for 9% damage.
• Dash Attack - Kicks in front. Slides him a bit. 11% damage.
• Forward Tilt - Slaps in front of him. 10% damage.
• Down Tilt - Sweeps with his hand. Very fast. 5% damage.
• Up Tilt - A fast upwards sweep. 9% damage.

Smash Attacks

• Forward Smash - Claps in front of him for big knockback. Somewhat fast. 19% uncharged, 27% fully charged.
• Up Smash - Claps above him. Good knockback, but somewhat slow. 18% uncharged, 25% fully charged.
• Down Smash - Brings his hands high and slams them down. 14% uncharged, 19% fully charged.

Other Attacks

• Floor Attack - Gets up and punches on both sides. 6% damage.
• Ledge Attack - Launches his back to the floor, with huge range for a ledge attack. Does 8% damage.
• 100% Ledge Attack - Gets up and slaps anyone in front of him. 10% damage.

Aerial Attacks

• Neutral Aerial - Rotates his body, good for close situations. 12% damage.
• Forward Aerial - Similar to Mario's, brings his hands together and brings them down. Can Meteor Smash. This is also the only aerial in the game that cannot be auto-canceled. 16%.
• Back Aerial - Fast kick behind him, good edgeguarder. 13% damage.
• Up Aerial - Headbutts upward. 14% damage.
• Down aerial - Thrusts his foot down. 16% damage. Also a Meteor Smash.

Grabs & Throws

• Pummel - Karate chops the foe pretty fast. 2-3% damage.
• Forward Throw - Picks the opponent up. From here, Donkey Kong has other throw options:
  • Up - Tosses foe upward. Does 7%.
  • Down - Throws the opponent like a bowling ball. 6% damage.
  • Back - Tosses opponent behind him for 8% damage.
  • Forward - Launches foe in front of him for 8% damage.
• Back Throw - Tosses foe behind him. Decent Knockback. 10% damage.
• Down Throw - Violently shoves the enemy to the ground. Does 7% damage.
• Up Throw - Throws foe above him with one hand. 9% damage.

Special Moves

Donkey Kong's Special Moves
	64	Melee	Brawl	3DS/Wii U	Ultimate
Standard Special	Giant Punch
Side Special	—	Headbutt
Up Special	Spinning Kong
Down Special	Hand Slap
Final Smash	—		Konga Beat		Jungle Rush

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Melee Character Matchups

Avg.

Changes from N64 to Melee

Donkey Kong was buffed from SSB to Melee. Below is a list of changes:

• Giant Punch is faster, has less lag and charges faster. However, it deals less damage and knockback. It now has a sourspot, but is more effective for combos and still can KO reliably.
• Neutral Combo has a wider hitbox.
• Much slower start-up in his Forward Aerial and only Meteor Smashes in the bottom.
• Hand slap has high lag when he ends. In the original it had no end lag.
• New Forward Smash, Down Smash, Up Aerial, Down Aerial, Back Aerial and Forward Tilt.
• Carry doesn't make damage, but release makes damage on both him and the opponent.
• Darker hair color.
• Increased falling speed, which helps his survivability, being the 2nd hardest to knock vertically.
• Much faster air speed, went from the slowest air speed to one of the faster air speeds in the game, making his in overall a faster character.
• Has a new Special Move, the Headbutt.
• Spinning Kong now has trapping effect, and it also doesn't have set knockback anymore, it's stronger when the foe is behind him and hits during the back part of the start. It also has more starting lag and slightly less ending lag.

In Single-player

Donkey Kong appears in Stage 2 of Melee's Adventure Mode, Kongo Jungle in two parts. In the first part, the player battles two tiny Donkey Kongs on the Kongo Jungle stage and after they are beaten, the player will battle a giant Donkey Kong on the Jungle Japes stage.

Donkey Kong is featured in the following Event Matches:

• Event 2: Lord of the Jungle: As a giant DK, the player battles a tiny DK on the Kongo Jungle stage.
• Event 10: All-Star Match 1: DK is the second opponent fought in this series of staged battles. Players battle him on the Jungle Japes stage, with 2 stock while DK has 1. With a timer of four minutes, the players must defeat him and the other four characters with the overall time and life they have: Mario, Yoshi, Peach, and Bowser.
• Event 13: Yoshi's Egg: As Yoshi, players must protect a Yoshi Egg from Fox, Pikachu, and Donkey Kong on the Rainbow Cruise stage for 55 seconds.
• Event 25: Gargantuans: A scenario designed in homage to old, camp monster movies like Godzilla and King Kong: On the Fourside stage with unlimited time, players control a giant-sized Bowser (symbolically representing "Godzilla") with 1 stock against a giant-sized Donkey Kong (symbolically representing "King Kong") with two stock. Two other characters on the match are a tiny Mario and a tiny Peach, who will be KOd within seconds of the battle between the two main monsters.

Trophy Descriptions

In addition to the normal trophy about Donkey Kong as a character, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with Donkey Kong on any difficulty:

Donkey Kong

The Donkey Kong Trophy

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 Red)

The Donkey Kong (Smash Red) Trophy

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 Blue)

The Donkey Kong (Smash Blue) Trophy

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

Character trophy

Smash Red

Smash Blue

Palette Swaps

Donkey Kong's changeable clothing in SSBM

Trivia

• Oddly, DK has a hurtbox attached to his necktie.

Gallery

Donkeykong.jpg