Donkey Kong


 * For Melee fighter info, see Donkey Kong (SSBM).
 * For more character history refer to the DKWiki article or the DKWikia article



Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング) is the protagonist from the Donkey Kong series. He made his first appearance in 1994 in Donkey Kong Country as the main protagonist, his franchise first began with Donkey Kong in 1981.

Character description
Donkey Kong's franchise began 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 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.

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. 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 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.

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)

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—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.

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


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 (ironically, Diddy's and 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)

As a playable character
''Not much is known about DK's appearance in the next SSB, but he has been confirmed as playable.

Trivia

 * 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.
 * Donkey Kong, along with Link, Snake, and Sonic the Hedgehog, are the only characters in the Smash series to appear in another fighting game. Donkey Kong also appeared in Punch-Out!! for Wii as a boss.
 * 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.