Donkey Kong inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Donkey Kong
Other playable appearances	inSSB inMelee inBrawl inSSB4
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Jungle Rush
Tier	B- (53)

Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング,Donkey Kong) is a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Initially teased in the then-unnamedUltimate's announcement trailer, Donkey Kong was, like all veterans, confirmed on June 12th, 2018. He is classified asFighter #02.

Donkey Kong retains his gorilla-like grunts and roars fromSuper Smash Bros. 4, rather than using his voice actor,Takashi Nagasako.

Donkey Kong is ranked 53rd out of 82 on the current tier list, placing him at the end of the B- tier. This is a noticeable drop from his 22nd out of 54 placement inSSB4. Donkey Kong has surprisingly good mobility for a super-heavyweight, having above-average speed both on and off the ground, without giving up much KO power in return. He has a plethora ofmeteor smashes (his forward and down aerials,Headbutt, andHand Slap), which gives him many options to net reverse-edgeguards and early kills on recovering opponents. His aerials all serve a purpose in his strong advantage state, with his back aerial often being considered one of the best in the game. Donkey Kong also possesses one of the most versatile throws in the game with his cargo throw, which can set up edgeguards, net early kill confirms on platforms, and KO outright if opponents DI incorrectly. His specials are also effective for hard punishes and unconventional edgeguarding, making for a respectable moveset overall.

To contrast a slew of desirable moves and attributes, Donkey Kong is held back by notable flaws, the biggest being his disadvantage state, which is among the worst in the game. He has one of the largest hurtboxes, even bigger than his model would suggest, and many of his moves stick his large arms out, often causing him to get clipped by attacks even when attacking or rolling/spotdodging. He also has little to no options to escape from combos or relieve pressure due to a frame 4 air dodge, and lack of moves that are fast enough to break combos, while most of his out-of-shield options are too slow or risky to be practical. His recovery is also one of the most exploitable in the game, as a simple spike is enough for Donkey Kong to quickly lose his stock, sinceSpinning Kong is easily intercepted from above, and offers very little vertical distance. Alongside this, Donkey Kong has a lackluster and riskyneutral game, as many of his attacks have high ending lag and a decent chunk of them are unsafe on hit at low percents.

Overall, Donkey Kong is a speedy heavyweight with unique tools and the potential to convert a single throw or edgeguard into early KOs; however, his disadvantage state means a simple mistake can make it hard for him to fight at all. Although initially unpopular in competitive play, Donkey Kong's representation and results gradually improved in the post-pandemic metagame thanks to the efforts of players such asChunkyKong andHIKARU, before exploding in 2024 thanks to the efforts of other players such asMild na H.O andRarikkusu.

Attributes[edit]

Donkey Kong is unsurprisingly a large super-heavyweight, having the same weight value asKing Dedede, and is the third-heaviest character in the game behindBowser andKing K. Rool. Despite this, he is one of the fastest heavy characters in the game, both in terms of general mobility and attack speed. He has the 10th fastestwalking speed, the 29th fastestdashing speed, the 16th highesttraction, above averagefalling speed and jumping force, and is tied withMario,Sonic,Little Mac, andInkling for the 13th fastestair speed. In contrast, he has below averagegravity and moderately slowair acceleration.

A typical heavyweight is expected to possess moves with high power, and Donkey Kong is no exception to this — it is possibly his greatest attribute. Donkey Kong has no problem with setting up into KOs with moves that have both high power and decentrange: his sweetspotted up tilt, smash attacks, aerials, back throw,Giant Punch, and groundedSpinning Kong are all prime examples. His ability to take stocks with his powerful attacks is made easier with his decent approach. His mobility and size work together to give him an effective grounded approach and longer range, respectively. All of these attributes combined allow him to have an easier time fighting in close quarters and landing attacks on his opponents. He also has very strong survivability thanks to his aforementioned high weight and above average falling speed, which is also common for his archetype. In total, Donkey Kong's attributes give him some of the best overall endurance in the game, with onlyBowser andKing K. Rool surpassing him horizontally.

Donkey Kong works well with his grounded moveset. His neutral attack has decent damage and startup. His forward tilt's long range makes it one of his main spacing tools and works better with its intangibility. His up tilt is a safe move to interrupt his opponents, with the move covering Donkey Kong's entire body, acting as an anti-air, and hitting through low platforms such as the ones onBattlefield. His down tilt gives him a long range crouching option and has a chance totrip opponents. His dash attack works as a combo starter and a situational KO option at low and very high percentages, respectively. All of his smash attacks are notoriously strong and relatively fast, making them his go-to options for hard reads and scoring KOs. His aerial options also have considerable utility. His forward and down aerials are some of his best edgeguarding tools due to both of them beingmeteor smashes. His neutral aerial is hard to interrupt, helps him break out of combos, and is one of the strongest of its type in the game when hit clean. His up aerial serves as an effective vertical KO option (if the situation he is in allows for it) thanks to its high knockback, and it is also safe, as his head is intangible during it and it has modest end lag. His back aerial is his fastest aerial and is debatably an even better spacing tool than his forward tilt, being fast, long-ranged, and having asex kick-like hitbox, with a long duration and high knockback when hit clean. His air speed allows his aerial moves to be used at their fullest potential and, with the exception of the forward aerial, they are all decently fast.

A well-known part of his playstyle is his grab game, as he has a long grab that allows for setups into the rest of his moves. Although his down throw has little to no use, every other option does to some extent. Hispummel is slower compared to many others in the cast, but deals decent damage. His up throw has combo potential into his aerials, and his back throw is his primary kill throw, but his forward throw is easily his most useful one and possibly the most unique part of his character. During his forward throw, Donkey Kong can move, jump, and walk off the stage while having the opponent in his hands, acting like he usually would outside of a typical grab (aside from being unable to use his other moves and having only one jump). The move also gives Donkey Kong different types of throws based on what direction is pressed, basically giving him eight throws; these are commonly known as the "cargo throws". The cargo forward throw is often used offstage as a viable KO option. The cargo down throw is asemi-spike and works as a niche edgeguarding option. The cargo back throw does good damage and is a very solid kill throw. It also has utility as astage spike unless his opponent is able to properly tech it. Finally, the cargo up throw has more combo potential than his vanilla up throw, being able to combo into his aerials at low percents. It also possesses fairly good kill power, since Donkey Kong can jump and then heave his opponents for additional height.

Donkey Kong's special moves are also helpful for his gameplan.Giant Punch is his surprise KO and punish move, can be used to pressure the opponent, and hassuper armor if fully charged.Headbutt canbury opponents, which can allow him to setup into KOs, and spikes in the air. It has super armor during the move's startup and deals very highshield damage while also having deceptively long range, giving him a shield pressure option and the ability to call out poor shield positioning. GroundedHand Slap has very long range and allows for stage control, but has no usage for aerial opponents, as it leaves Donkey Kong immobile and its hitbox only deals damage to grounded opponents. The aerial Hand Slap is his last move which can meteor smash and is fast, making it effective and easy to land. His final special move,Spinning Kong, acts similarly to Bowser'sWhirling Fortress as his primaryout of shield option. It is hard to disrupt and is a multi-hit move with high damage. In the air, it works as an incredibly fast horizontal recovery option and deals a lot of damage if all the hits connect. Due to the speed Spinning Kong has in the air, it can work as an effective combo breaker.

However, despite his versatile moveset and high power, Donkey Kong falls into a plethora of problems. His defensive game is very poor, a common issue for characters of his size. While his massive weight gives him very high endurance, and his large frame is the reason his range is better than characters likeMario andSquirtle, it becomes a problem when having to dodge attacks which is hard for him because he is one of the largest targets in the game. His tie hurtbox is also extremely large, further exacerbating the issue. Coincidentally, just like those two previously mentioned fighters, he has frequent trouble dealing with characters that have disjoints due to his lack of projectiles, primarily against swordfighters such asShulk andIke, hitboxes on moves such asMewtwo's up and back aerials, or fast multi-hits such asPalutena's neutral air. Donkey Kong's size also makes him vulnerable to combos andjuggling, which is worsened by his lack of combo breakers (outside of his neutral aerial and up special). The reintroduction of directional air dodges makes his aerial defense even more linear, and the new air dodge's increased ending lag hurts all characters; it debatably hurts a character such as Donkey Kong the most. Moreover, his otherwise great forward throw (cargo throw) also has certain drawbacks - notably, the risk of trying to slam the opponent into the ledge with a backward cargo throw. Due to Donkey Kong's horrid vertical recovery, if the opponent either DIs fast enough, squat jumps on him or simply has better air reach, this attempt for an easy KO may backfire. The trajectory of both the forward and back cargo throws also possesses a minor challenge. Unlike traditional forward and back throws, Donkey Kong sends the opponent at a high vertical angle instead of horizontal. This makes it more situational if they will KO or not, especially the cargo forward throw. The cargo back throw ironically has more vertical range than his cargo up throw, and therefore has more usage KOing at the top of the screen than the side. Thus, the player may find more reliability in a normal back throw near the edge.

Despite many of his moves having fast startup, Donkey Kong's moveset is made much slower by its ending lag, and most of his moves are not safe on hit at low percents. This forces him to be more careful with the moves he uses, as he can be heavily punished just for putting out one attack (a situation that can rapidly snowball due to his poor defensive options). Unlike the all-around heavyweight Bowser, perhaps Donkey Kong's most glaring weakness is his lack of out-of-shield options. Neither his neutral attack nor his tilts are enough to distance himself from an aggressive opponent if the player forces him to remain in shield. His forward tilt has good range, but lacks the power or perks of other super heavyweights, like Bowser's Tough Guy or King K. Rool's Belly Armour. A lot of his moves are also limited in some way despite their strengths: his smash attacks are slow and have very linear hitboxes; a chunk of his throws, despite their variety, have little utility; Giant Punch forces Donkey Kong to get up-close to the opponent to land the attack and needs to be charged for it to be effective; Headbutt and Hand Slap are both slow, causing them to be difficult to use for their intended purposes; and Spinning Kong, while it has decently long horizontal recovery distance, offers almost no vertical recovery and is prone to edgeguarding against meteor smashes.

All in all, Donkey Kong's mixture of fast mobility, fairly long range, high weight, decent combo potential, and excellent kill power make him adept and flexible in many different situations, but KOing and pressuring opponents stand out as his biggest strengths. Despite this, DK's high weight, large hurtbox, and lack of good escape tools make him vulnerable to many combos. In addition, his recovery is extremely poor, and his moveset is frequently punishable due to the end lag on many of his moves. As such, Donkey Kong has to capitalize on his power and range to limit opponents' approaches in order to win matches.

Changes fromSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]

Donkey Kong received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition fromSSB4 toUltimate. Though he received more buffs than nerfs, the latter are more prominent than the former, as they either weakened or removed some of his best traits fromSSB4. Because of this, Donkey Kong has been nerfed overall.

Donkey Kong has received several useful buffs, with those to his special moves being among the most notable.Giant Punch charges faster and no longer leaves him helpless when used in the air, giving him a new edgeguarding option.Headbutt now grants himsuper armor before the hit comes, and moves also deal their full knockback when opponents are buried, both changes of which improve the moves' versatility. GroundedSpinning Kong has less difficulty linking its multi-hits and has faster super armor, while the aerial version is now a proper multi-hitting move with a finishing hit, making it safer.Hand Slap is generally faster and the aerial version has reduced landing lag, which gives Donkey Kong a useful combo starter and allows it to confirm into KOs at high percentages. Particularly, both it and Headbutt alleviate some of DK's difficulty with landing safely.

His biggest buff, however, comes from a vastly improved forward throw (cargo throw), which is much harder to mash out of and has had its cargo throws' properties improved; this grants him much more options and turns it into his most versatile throw, and arguably the best throw in the game overall. Hisdash attack also has less ending lag, giving him another combo starter if the late hit is landed and making it much safer if shielded. Donkey Kong's already impressive KO power has been further increased as well, as most of his moves deal more knockback. Further miscellaneous buffs include hisup smash's previously infamous hitboxes being larger, making the move much easier to land.

However, the few direct nerfs Donkey Kong received were severe enough to eclipse his buffs. LikeBowser, his biggest nerf is to his previously infamous combo throw — his cargo up throw now has more knockback, which makes its combo potential more strict and noticeably limits the effectiveness of its infamous "Ding Dong" KO confirm at high percentages unless it's initiated on a platform, often requiring a specific amount ofrage to work. Although his grab game was overall buffed, Donkey Kong is one of the characters who suffers the most from the universal nerfing of grabs, making them less safe for him to use. His pummel was nerfed as well, making it less reliable for racking up damage. Thus, this makes it less feasible for Donkey Kong to rely on his grab as his main way to rack up damage, forcing him to use other methods to do so.

Among his other direct nerfs, Donkey Kong's up aerial has had its animation altered, which shortens its range and hinders its versatility. Spinning Kong now gains less horizontal distance and no longer grants intangibility on startup, worsening his already poor recovery. Many of Donkey Kong's attacks, such as his tilts and his up aerial, no longer have disproportionately long intangibility, now only matching their hitbox duration.

The universal changes to gameplay mechanics have brought various notable benefits and hindrances to Donkey Kong, but they hamper him more than they help overall. His already great mobility has improved from faster walking and dashing speeds, the universal 3-frame jumpsquat change improves his ground-to-airout of shield game and allows him for with combo opportunities, and the increasedshieldstun and reducedlanding lag on aerial attacks makes his attacks even safer on shield (despite the reduced shieldstun on aerials); however, these same changes also mean opponents are more likely to close the distance on him, giving them more opportunities to combo Donkey Kong. Particularly, the increased shieldstun, reduced landing lag and the universal nerfing of grabs are especially harmful to Donkey Kong'sout of shield game, as they make it harder for Donkey Kong to react to a shielded attack, especially since his grabs are a key point to his gameplan; this can sometimes limit him to directly contesting them via his moves' super armor to muscle through them, which can be risky despite his large weight. Lastly, the changes toair dodging worsen Donkey Kong's recovery, as they give him less protection and make him easier to edgeguard. All of these changes, in bulk, worsen Donkey Kong's defensive game, which is further notable since the game's engine prioritizes more aggressive playstyles; this forces him not only toapproach more, but to be more unpredictable at doing so.

In the end, Donkey Kong has potentially received many more options for racking up damage and being less predictable, but the sheer limitation of his KO confirm means he can no longer close out stocks as easily and reliably as before. Though he retains most of his strengths fromSSB4, his weaknesses are more defined, and the gameplay mechanics accentuate his weaknesses more when compared to his strengths, causing his nerfs to overshadow his buffs, despite the numerous buffs he received in game updates. As a result, Donkey Kong fares worse inUltimate than he did inSSB4.

Aesthetics[edit]

• Due to the aesthetic used inUltimate, Donkey Kong's model features a more subdued color scheme. His fur appears flatter overall, while his tie features subtle detailing. His facial proportions have also been tweaked. His snout now protrudes out instead of just being nostrils on a flat snout, matching his appearance in later Wii U games such asMario Kart 8 andMario Party 10.
• Donkey Kong faces the foreground at an angle, instead of facing directly forward. In addition, he now faces the screen regardless of whether he's facing left or right, resulting in all of his animations being mirrored and many of them being tweaked.
• Like most of the returning roster, Donkey Kong has become much more expressive than in the previous games. For example, he scowls during multiple attacks, he also appears furious when he fully chargesGiant Punch, with his face turning red and veins being visible.
• Up taunt has a new animation where he moves his body much less, more closely resembling how real-lifegorillas beat their chests.
• Ledge-hanging animation has changed.
• Two of Donkey Kong'svictory poses have been tweaked:
  • His up-inputted victory pose now has him looking at the camera at the freeze frame and shaking his hands as opposed to his whole body afterward.
  • His right-inputted victory pose has him strike a different pose while maintaining an angrier expression.

Attributes[edit]

• Like all characters, Donkey Kong'sjumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 6).
• Donkey Kong isheavier (122 → 127). However, he is no longer the second heaviest character in the game (claimed byKing K. Rool) but instead tied withKing Dedede for the third heaviest. Nevertheless, this noticeably improves his survivability.
• Donkey Kongwalks faster (1.3 → 1.365).
• Donkey Kongdashes faster (1.7031 → 1.873).
  • Donkey Kong'sinitial dash is much faster (1.6 → 2.09).
• Donkey Kong'sair speed is faster (1.15 → 1.208).
• Donkey Kong'straction is much higher (0.0529 → 0.123), going from the 37th highest to the 15th highest.
• Donkey Kong'sgravity is very slightly lower (0.08505 → 0.085). It is also lower relative to the cast, going from the 35th highest to the 53rd highest.
• Forwardroll grants lessintangibility (frames 4-16 → 4-15) and has more ending lag (FAF 30 → 31).
• Back roll has has more startup (frame 4 → 5) and ending lag (FAF 30 → 36).
• Spot dodge has less startup (frame 4 → 3) and ending lag (FAF 29 → 27).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 4-19 → 3-17).
• Air dodge grant more intangibility (frames 4-29 → 4-32).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 35 → 49).

Ground attacks[edit]

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit transitions into the second hit faster (frame 11 → 8).
  • The second hit comes out faster (frame 6 → 4), which alongside the previous change allows it to connect better from the first hit. It also has less ending lag (FAF 35 → 32), and a longer hitbox duration (2 frames → 3 frames).
  • Both hits have a higherhitlag multiplier (1× → 1.5× (hit 1), 1.8× (hit 2)), giving opponents more time toSDI the first hit andDI the second hit.
  • The first hit deals less knockback (0/35/45 base/100/25/25 scaling → 25/20/20 base/35/20/20 scaling) and its outermost hitbox launches opponents closer to Donkey Kong (110° → 180°), allowing it to connect better, but hindering itsjab cancel setups.
• Forward tilt:
  • The move has less startup (frame 8 → 6) and ending lag (FAF 38 → 35).
  • Its hitboxes are larger (4.5u/5u/3.2u → 5.5u/5u/3.5u).
  • It deals less damage when angled up (11% → 9%) and not angled (10% → 8%).
  • It grants much less intangibility on Donkey Kong's arm (frames 7-11 (up), 1-25 (forward, down) → 6-9 (all)), being in line with the duration of the hitboxes.
  • For all angles, it has higher base knockback, but lower knockback scaling (10 base/100 scaling → 50/78). This makes it much safer on hit at low percents, but weakens its KO potential.
    • Due to its higher base knockback, it can no longerlock opponents, and the down angled variant can no longer causetripping.
  • It has an altered animation where Donkey Kong keeps his other arm planted on the ground rather than it twisting with the rest of his body.
    • This new animation shifts his body backwards a considerable distance as soon as it begins; combined with the changes tojostling, this allows him to dodge many close-range attacks as early as frame 1.
• Up tilt:
  • The move deals less damage (11%/10%/9% → 10%/9%/8%) without compensation on knockback, hindering its KO potential.
  • The sweetspot is on the hand instead of the shoulder, making it easier to land overall.
  • The move now has a medium punch sound effect.
• Down tilt:
  • The move has less startup lag (frame 7 → 6).
  • It has a hitstun modifier of +5, improving its combo potential.
  • The hitbox duration is shorter (3 frames → 2 frames).
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 23 → 25).
  • It grants much less intangibility on Donkey Kong's arm (frames 1-9 → 5-7), being more in line with the duration of the hitboxes.
  • The hitboxes on Donkey Kong's arm deal less damage (7% → 6%), matching the sourspot.
    • However, their knockback was not compensated, allowing them totrip opponents for longer.
• Dash attack:
  • The move has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 35).
  • It deals more damage (10% → 12% (clean), 8% → 9% (late)), with knockback scaling compensated (53 → 46 (clean), 65 → 60 (late)).
  • Its hitboxes are larger (6u → 7u (clean), 4u → 5.5u (late)) and further out (Z offset: 7 (clean)/4.2 (late) → 8/5.2), improving its range.
  • It deals more hitlag (1x → 1.25x), making it easier to DI.
• Forward smash:
  • The move deals more damage (20%/19% → 22%/21%) without proper compensation on knockback (30/25 base/91 scaling → 21/18 base/88/86 scaling), improving its KO power.
  • Its animation has been altered: Donkey Kong no longer brings his arms behind him as much when charging the move, doing so before releasing the move.
• Up smash:
  • The move deals more damage (18% → 19%) and has increased knockback (30 base/83 scaling → 40/84), improving its KO potential.
  • Up smash's hand hitbox is higher up (Y offset: 26 → 28) and the arm hitbox is lower down (Y offset: 20 → 18) and extends further outwards (Z offset: -3—3 → -5—5). This improves the move's range above and next to Donkey Kong, allowing it to hit larger fighters on the ground.
• Down smash:
  • The fist hitboxes exchange IDs between the early hit and the clean hit, causing interpolation to cover the floor below Donkey Kong.

Aerial attacks[edit]

• All aerials have less landing lag (17 frames → 10 (neutral), 29 → 17 (forward), 18 → 11 (back), 25 → 15 (up), 24 → 14 (down)).
• The removal ofteching for groundedmeteor smashes improves the combo potential of Donkey Kong's forward and down aerials onstage, compounded further by their reduced landing lag.
• Neutral aerial:
  • It deals more damage (11% → 12% (clean), 8% → 9% (late)) with no compensation on knockback, improving its KO potential.
  • It has larger hitboxes (5u/4u → 5u/5u/5.7u), and the clean hit has received an additional hitbox during its first active frame that is placed further vertically (Y offset: 8u) and horizontally (Z offset: 15u), greatly improving the move's range.
• Forward aerial:
  • The late hit lasts one frame longer (frames 21-22 → 21-23), allowing it to reach farther below Donkey Kong.
  • It has a slightly altered animation, with Donkey Kong spinning at an angle after performing a downwards punch. This new animation is longer (55 frames → 62) increasing the amount of time DK cannot grab the ledge after using it.
• Up aerial:
  • The move grants less intangibility on Donkey Kong's head (frames 1-10 → 5-10), being more in line with the duration of the hitboxes.
  • The move has an altered animation where Donkey Kong doesn't bring his head as far backwards as before, reducing its coverage behind him.

Throws and other attacks[edit]

• Grabs:
  • All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 31 → 39 (standing), 39 → 47 (dash), 37 → 42 (pivot)).
  • Dash and pivot grab have slightly more startup lag (frame 10 → 11 (dash), 11 → 12 (pivot)).
  • Dash and pivot grab have less range (Z2 offset: 17 → 15.9 (dash), -24.5 → -21.5 (pivot)).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals less damage (2.1% → 1.6%).
  • It has much less startup (frame 9 → 2) and ending lag (FAF 16 → 8), but deals considerably more hitlag (4 frames → 15), increasing its effective duration.
    • Relative to the rest of the cast, Donkey Kong's pummel is among the slowest but most damaging, rather than average on both accounts.
  • Its animation has been slightly changed. Donkey Kong chops the opponent's body rather than their head.
• Donkey Kong's throws are no longer weight-dependent. This improves their combo potential on heavyweights, but reduces it on lightweights.
• Forward throw (cargo throw):
  • Cargo throw involves Donkey Kong hauling the opponent over his shoulder, similarly tohis grandfather in theDonkey Kong arcade game and his own carrying animation inDonkey Kong Country Returns andDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
  • Cargo forward throw:
    • The move deals more damage (10% → 12%) without proper compensation on knockback (80 base/50 scaling → 90/46), slightly improving its KO potential.
  • Cargo back throw:
    • Donkey Kong has a new cargo back throw: he holds the opponent with both hands by the legs and hurls them behind himself. This new throw deals more damage (12% → 13%) and knockback (70 base/50 scaling → 85/52), improving its KO potential to the point it can KO middleweights under 150% in the air.
  • Cargo up throw:
    • The move deals more damage (10% → 12%).
    • The move has increased knockback (58 base/52 scaling → 65/53). While this slightly improves its combo potential at low to mid-percentages due to Donkey Kong's faster jumpsquat, it also limits its combo potential into only up aerial. It also noticeably worsens its combo potential past mid-percentages, no longer leading into guaranteed KOs off the top blast line except if initiated on platforms.
      • However, this grants the move KO potential, especially when combined with a jump.
  • Cargo down throw:
    • Donkey Kong has a new cargo down throw: he performs a bearhug instead of throwing the opponent downward.
    • This new throw deals more damage (7% → 11%).
    • It grants Donkey Kong a slight boost upwards if used in the air, giving it more offstage utility.
    • It has altered knockback (50 base/80 scaling → 70/45). Combined with its upward boost, this makes it safer to use at low percentages and keeps its KO potential at high ones if used offstage, but removes its ability tochain grab opponents on moving platforms (such asSmashville's) or against walls, while still lacking KO ability if not used offstage.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw releases the opponent earlier (frame 24 → 19), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 60 → 55), making it harder to DI in time.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (8% → 10%).

Special moves[edit]

• Giant Punch:
  • The move has less lag whencharge-canceled byshielding (8 frames → 4), making it safer to charge.
    • Additionally, it can now be charge-cancelled by shielding at any point, rather than only when DK's arm is behind him at a certain point.
    • It can also now be charge-canceled by jumping or spot dodging, with the same amount of lag beforehand.
    • However, this lag applies to rolls out of the move as well, instead of them being immediate, making it riskier to charge-cancel by rolling.
  • It no longer causeshelplessness when used in the air, much like inSmash 64.
  • The move reaches its full charge much faster (frame 154 → 121).
  • The move gains damage at a different rate (2% per 14 frames → 1% per 6.77 frames). This makes it closer to other chargeable moves.
  • Uncharged Giant Punch deals less knockback (15 base/100 scaling → 45/70). This makes it weaker than the fully charged version regardless of charge.
  • Fully charged Giant Punch deals more knockback that is consistent throughout (10 base/80/50 scaling → 35/73), making it stronger than the almost fully charged version.
  • Fully charged Giant Punch's mid-arm hitbox is larger (5u → 6.5u).
  • The move no longer has a hitbox that hits behind Donkey Kong, removing its situational ability to KO off the top blast line.
  • Donkey Kong charges Giant Punch with either arm due to his mirrored animation. Previously, it was charged with his right arm inSmash 64 and his left arm in the other games.
  • Donkey Kong charges up Giant Punch with more circular arm motions, and trails of electricity appear on Donkey Kong's arm and fist during the charge up and punch of the move (reminiscent of Lightning Punch, one of his custom moves inSmash 4). Additionally, he makes an angry expression when he gets a full charge (including maintaining the expression throughout other animations after its charge), and he winds up faster the closer the move is to being fully charged. He also has an altered pose upon using the punch.
  • Fully charged Giant Punch triggers theSpecial Zoom upon hitting an opponent.
• Headbutt:
  • The move hassuper armor on frames 5-14.
  • The grounded version has an additional hitbox against grounded opponents that is placed higher (Y offset: 5u → 13u), increasing its vertical range.
  • It has one frame less ending lag (FAF 64 → 63).
  • The aerial version stalls less (gravity multiplier: 0.3 → 0.5).
• Spinning Kong:
  • The move's loop hits connect more reliably, especially for the aerial version, which uses theautolink angle (20°/180°/180° → 366°). The grounded version's loop hits hold the opponent in place rather than knocking them back and forth.
  • The move has less landing lag (40 frames → 38).
  • The grounded version's super armor starts earlier and has a longer duration (frames 8-17 → 5-17).
  • The grounded version's last hit has more base knockback (40 → 60), but less knockback scaling (170 → 157), slightly improving its KO potential overall.
  • The aerial version has a final hit that launches opponents away with more knockback (0 base/100 scaling → 72/80), improving its utility.
  • The grounded version has more ending lag (FAF 93 → 105).
  • Both versions of the move deal less total damage, most significantly the aerial version (17.5% → 16% (grounded), 36% → 19% (aerial)). The grounded version deals more damage on its loop hits (1.3% → 1.4%), but less on the first hit (7% → 5%), and the aerial version has 14 hits instead of 8, but they deal drastically less damage (10% (hit 1), 5%/4% (hits 2-5), 2% (hits 6-8) → 5% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-13), 2% (hit 14)) and have inconsistent timing, only dealing full damage to opponents that are very close to Donkey Kong.
  • The aerial version no longer grants intangibility on frames 3-6 upon startup.
  • Donkey Kong glints and strikes a pose upon ending a grounded Spinning Kong, doing another spin before coming to a full stop.
  • The aerial version travels a shorter distance horizontally, but also goes slightly higher overall.
  • The aerial version has a shorter duration due to its animation being sped up (94 frames → 54).
  • Unlike Grounded Spinning Kong, the aerial version no longer produces a visual "blue ring" effect upon startup.
• Hand Slap:
  • The grounded version has less startup lag (frame 18 → 12).
  • Both the grounded and aerial versions have drastically less ending lag (FAF 75 → 47 (grounded), 62 → 50 (aerial)).
  • The aerial version has significantly less landing lag (30 frames → 10), greatly improving its ability to set up combos and tech-chases.
  • The grounded version deals more knockback (82 (base)/23 (scaling) → 85/30).
  • The aerial animation is longer (61 frames → 69), increasing the amount of time mobility is restricted if the move is not interrupted.
  • The grounded version's hitboxes are smaller (13u → 10.3u), and spaced closer together (16u → 15u), reducing the move's range.
  • The grounded version has gained ashieldstun multiplier of 0.58×, thus dealing less shieldstun than inSmash 4 despite it being increased for moves other than smash attacks and aerials. This allows shielding opponents to escape between hits more easily, worsening the move'sshield breaking ability.
• Final Smash:
  • Donkey Kong has a new Final Smash calledJungle Rush, which replacesKonga Beat. It consists of a single punch that, if successfully landed, leads to a barrage of rapid punches that traps the opponent, concluding with an uppercut that launches them. The move, alongside the comical bongo noises it produces, are based off Donkey Kong's attacks inDonkey Kong Jungle Beat.
  • Since the move's first hit only hits in front of Donkey Kong, Jungle Rush can no longer hit opponents behind, above and below him as Konga Beat could, giving it significantly less range.
  • Jungle Rush's hits deals less damage than a perfectly inputted Konga Beat (7% initial shockwave/1% "miss" shockwave/7% "good" shockwave/12% "great" shockwave/15% fourth "great" shockwave → 12% hit 1/1.2% hits 2-19/1.1% hits 20-32/14% hit 33). This makes the Final Smash deal potentially deal less damage than Konga Beat (150~% → 61.9%), but makes it more consistent.
  • Jungle Rush's last hit has stronger knockback than a fourth "great" shockwave from Konga Beat (55 base/90 scaling → 90/96), making it much more powerful and consistent at KOing.
  • Jungle Rush's last hit sends at a vertical angle compared to Konga Beat's horizontal one for the fourth "great" shockwave (361° → 70°).

Update history[edit]

Donkey Kong has been buffed via game updates. Initially, his most noteworthy buffs were to inconsistencies of two moves: his forward aerial now autocancels properly (an issue that had been present sinceMelee), andGiant Punch's hitbox no longer shifts into the Z-axis, which would result in it missing opponents at point-blank range. Donkey Kong also benefits from the universal nerf on projectiles dealing less shield damage in update 3.0.0.

After only receiving minor buffs for the first few game patches, update 6.0.0 gave Donkey Kong more noticeable buffs. His forward tilt deals significantly more knockback to the point of becoming a viable KO move, his neutral aerial deals more damage and knockback and has more range, and his Giant Punch reaches the maximum charge even faster than before and deals slightly more knockback.Spinning Kong was also improved, as the move's super armor starts three frames faster, it connects more reliably against airborne opponents, and the last hit deals more knockback. Finally,Hand Slap on the ground has less startup and less ending lag.

After receiving some minor buffs, patch 13.0.1 buffed Donkey Kong yet again. The second hit of Donkey Kong’s neutral attack was given more active frames and had its ending lag reduced.Giant Punch was given more super armor on both the ground and in the air. Most notably, Donkey Kong’s down tilt was given 5 additional frames of hitstun; this allows him to follow up with another attack in certain situations.

Overall, Donkey Kong has improved by a decent margin compared to how he fared duringUltimate's initial release. However, in comparison to the buffs gained by other lukewarmly received characters, Donkey Kong's buffs are fairly minor, so how much he has benefited from these changes is debatable.

1.2.0

• Donkey Kong has been affected, although the changes are currently unknown.

2.0.0

• Forward aerial autocancels earlier (frame 63 → 56), matching the move'sinterruptibility.

3.0.0

• Giant Punch has more range (5u → 6.5u), no longer missing opponents up close.

3.1.0

• Giant Punch has longersuper armor when using a fully-charged punch.
• Fixed a bug that caused Donkey Kong to not get armor when landing during frames 12-17 of Giant Punch.

4.0.0

• The lag upon waking up from the sleep effect has been adjusted, matching the rest of the cast.

6.0.0

• Forward tilt has much more knockback scaling (55 → 78), KOing at around 160% at the edge ofFinal Destination.
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial deals more damage (11% → 12% (clean), 8% → 9% (late)) with no compensation on knockback.
  • It has larger hitboxes (4.5u/4.5u/5.5u → 5u/5u/5.7u), and the clean hit has received an additional hitbox during its first active frame that is placed further vertically (Y offset: 8u) and horizontally (Z offset: 15u), greatly improving the move's range.
• Giant Punch reaches its full charge faster (frame 131 → 121), and the fully charged punch has more base knockback (20 → 35), but less knockback scaling (78 → 73), slightly improving its KO potential overall.
• Spinning Kong (grounded):
  • Spinning Kong's super armor starts earlier and has a longer duration (frames 8-17 → 5-17).
  • The looping hits have received hitboxes that use theautolink angle (80° → 366°) against aerial opponents, allowing them to connect more reliably.
  • The last hit has more base knockback (40 → 60), but less knockback scaling (170 → 157), slightly improving its KO potential overall.
• Grounded Hand Slap has less startup (frame 15 → 12) and ending lag (FAF 58 → 47).

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased.
• Donkey Kong's head is briefly intangible when activating and deactivating his shield.

9.0.0

• GroundedHeadbutt has an additional hitbox against grounded opponents that is placed higher (Y offset: 5u → 13u), increasing its vertical range.

13.0.1

• The second hit of neutral attack has more active frames (frames 5-6 → 5-7) and less ending lag (FAF 35 → 32).
• Down tilt has 5 additional frames of hitstun on all hitboxes.
• Fully chargedGiant Punch has more super armor on both the grounded (frames 11-20 → 9-20) and aerial (frames 17-20 → 15-20) hitboxes.

Moveset[edit]

For a gallery of Donkey Kong's hitboxes, seehere.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the1v1 multiplier.

Stats[edit]

Announcer call[edit]

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests:Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article, upload ithere.

• English/Japanese/Chinese

• French

• French (PAL)

• Russian

On-screen appearance[edit]

• Bursts out of a DK Barrel, frontflips thrice, lands and strikes a flexing pose.

• 

  Donkey Kong's on-screen appearance

Taunts[edit]

• Up taunt: Beats his chest rapidly while scowling.
• Side taunt: Shakes himself with a humorous expression as if he is drying off.
• Down taunt: Faces the camera and shrugs while bellowing confusedly with a humorously shocked expression.

• 

  Donkey Kong's up taunt.

• 

  Donkey Kong's side taunt.

• 

  Donkey Kong's down taunt.

Idle poses[edit]

• Leans forward slightly and assumes a cross-eyed expression, as if trying to stare at his own nose.
• Lightly punches his open hand and then does a rotational shoulder stretch.

• 

  Donkey Kong's first idle pose.

• 

  Donkey Kong's second idle pose.

Crowd cheer[edit]

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	D - K! -- Donkey - Kong!	Don - key Kong!	Donkeeeey Kong!	Donkey Kong!	Donkey Kong!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Don - key Kong!	Don - key Kong!	Don - key Kong!	Don - key Kong!

Victory poses[edit]

• Left: Does a backflip and flexes his arms (his "character chosen" animation inSuper Smash Bros.).
• Up: Holds his hands above his head and shakes them (his animation upon completing a bonus game inDonkey Kong Country). He then continues to shake his hands while constantly looking left to right, as if thanking an offscreen crowd.
• Right: Angrily beats his chest with a scowl and then looks at the camera.

Incompetitive play[edit]

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also:Category:Donkey Kong players (SSBU)

•  ChunkyKong - The best Donkey Kong player in North America and the first to find consistent success as a solo-main, ranking 71st on theUltRank 2022 as the first solo-Donkey Kong player to rank globally. Initially known for his online performances, he later established himself in the offline metagame in the second half of 2022, including placing 17th atSuper Smash Con 2022 and 13th atLet's Make Moves Miami overKola andAaron. Since then, he has become Donkey Kong's primary representative in North America, especially during the 2024 renaissance, where he defeatedLight atMomoCon 2024 andSHADIC atThe Throne II.
•  HIKARU - Although known for using many characters, he used Donkey Kong extensively in early-Ultimate and as a secondary and co-main from 2022 onward. He was considered the best Donkey Kong player in the early metagame and in the early years of the post-pandemic metagame. He was the first Donkey Kong player to place top 8 at a major, having placed 3rd at bothUmebura SP 2 andUltimate Fighting Arena 2022, and defeatedGlutonny andBloom4Eva at the latter event. He was ranked 34th on theUltRank 2022, the highest a Donkey Kong player has ranked globally.
•  Kuhaku - One of the best Donkey Kong players in Japan during the 2024 renaissance, first known for a series of noteworthy performances in the middle of the year, placing 7th atITSUKUSHIMA 4 and 25th at bothDELTA 8 andKowloon 12 with Kagaribi, in addition to defeatingDoramigi andKome atMaesuma'JAPAN West 24 andFui at DELTA 8. As such, he was ranked 117th on theLumiRank 2024.2. Since then, he has picked upSteve as a secondary/co-main and notably placed 5th atSumabato SP 56 and 13th atKOWLOON 15 with Sumabato 15th anniversary with both characters.
•  Mild na H.O - One of the best solo-Donkey Kong players in the post-pandemic metagame, and one of the most consistent Donkey Kong players during the Donkey Kong renaissance in 2024. Though successful prior, he was first known for his performance atSeibugeki 17, where he placed 13th after defeatingHurt andAkakikusu. He has since achieved several other comparable performances, including placing 5th atSumabato SP 56, 9th atSeibugeki 18, and 17th atSumabato SP 50. He was ranked 67th on theLumiRank 2024.2 as the highest-ranking solo-Donkey Kong player in competitive-Ultimate.
•  Rarikkusu - One of the best Donkey Kong players since 2023. He was the first of several Japanese Donkey Kong players that made up the Donkey Kong renaissance in 2024 and is best known for defeatingSparg0 atDELTA 8, placing 13th overall. In addition, he has also placed 5th atMaesuma TOP 13.5 "U-22", using Donkey Kong to defeatAsimo, and 9th atMaesuma'U22. Though he eventually found greater success while playingFalco, he maintains Donkey Kong as a common secondary or counterpick character.

Tier placement and history[edit]

There was some optimism on Donkey Kong prior to the game's release: although he could no longer easily perform most of his throw-based kill confirms fromSmash 4, including his infamous "Ding-Dong" combo, many players noted how he received better frame data, speed, damage, and hitboxes in the E3 demo build. However, the optimism faded very quickly upon the game's release. Players pointed out how many of Donkey Kong's moves were punishable on hit at early percents, making his neutral game rather egregious in the early metagame, which favored speed and punish games. In addition, his already poor disadvantage state was also made even worse due to his larger hurtbox and his out of shield options remaining poor. Finally, although Donkey Kong saw some early success fromHIKARU, he eventually dropped Donkey Kong for other characters, and no other Donkey Kong player was able to match HIKARU's success, leaving him with below-average representation. As such, although Donkey Kong received a few buffs in subsequent patches, he was widely considered unviable, with a few even calling him one of the worst characters in the game.

2022 became a turning point for Donkey Kong. First, HIKARU began playing Donkey Kong again, and although often only used as a secondary or co-main alongside other characters, it nevertheless gave him some of the best results since the early metagame. Most notable among these results was HIKARU's run atUltimate Fighting Arena 2022, which saw him use Donkey Kong extensively in top 64, defeating several of Europe's best players includingGlutonny andBloom4Eva, before ultimately placing 3rd. In addition,ChunkyKong, initially known for his online performances, began having a bigger impact on the offline metagame with his strong performances at majors, most notably 13th atLet's Make Moves Miami defeatingKola along the way. With both players ranking inOrionRank 2022's top 100, among a few others also ranked with Donkey Kong despite minimal usage, many players began seeing Donkey Kong in a more positive light, and he was no longer considered a candidate for one of the worst characters. However, he is still considered to fall short when in comparison to the rest of the cast, and was regarded to be a character that falls on the lower end of the tier list. This was reflected on his placement on the first tier list, where he was ranked 70th as a lower-mid tier character. His results would remain around the same in the following year: although HIKARU eventually retired and ChunkyKong's results saw a dip,Rarikkusu would break out onto the Japanese scene and begin placing well at events. As such, Donkey Kong remained around the same on the second tier list, rising slightly to 68th and ranking in the D+ tier.

After the release of the second tier list, Donkey Kong experienced a "Donkey Kong renaissance" similar to what was happening tohisMelee incarnation at that time. This renaissance not only saw many Donkey Kong players succeed at majors, but also saw many top players lose to Donkey Kong players, with notable examples being Rarikkusu defeatingSparg0 atDELTA 8, ChunkyKong defeatingLight atMomoCon 2024,MairudonaH.O defeatingHurt atSeibugeki 17,Duplex defeatingMuteAce atS Factor 11, andKuhaku defeatingDoramigi atMaesuma'JAPAN West 24. This sudden rise in Donkey Kong's representation improved his standing in the metagame, and as such he jumped fifteen spots to 53rd on the third list, now ranking in the B- tier.

Classic Mode: Journey to New Donk City[edit]

Donkey Kong'scongratulations screen.

Donkey Kong's path chronicles Donkey Kong traveling via plane (Pilotwings) from the jungle (his home stages) to New Donk City (through urban stages, Onett and Moray Towers). After defeating Diddy Kong, he becomes Donkey Kong's partner for the rest of the mode, referencing the originalDonkey Kong Country.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Diddy Kong	Kongo Jungle	Jungle Level (64)
2	King K. Rool	Kongo Falls	Gang-Plank Galleon	Diddy Kong is a CPU ally.
3	Wario andCaptain Falcon	Pilotwings	Gear Getaway
4	Ness andLucas	Onett	The Map Page / Bonus Level (Remix)
5	Inkling (x2)	Moray Towers	Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley
6	Mario andLuigi	New Donk City Hall	New Donk City
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	New Donk City Hall (Ω form)	Master Hand(Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand(Intensity 7.0 or higher)	Diddy Kong is a CPU ally. On intensity 7.0 and higher,Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand.

Note: Every stage until Round 6 plays a track from theDonkey Kong universe, no matter what universe the stage originates from.

Note 2: In Round 3, the music and stage also reference the Rocket Barrel levels inDonkey Kong Country Returns, with Gear Getaway being among them.

Note 3: In Round 5, the stage references 25m.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Donkey Kong hasDonkey Kong Country Returns (Vocals) accompany the credits.

Character unlock tree[edit]

Donkey Kong's Classic Mode character unlock tree includes the following characters in order:

1. Bowser
2. Pokémon Trainer
3. Rosalina & Luma
4. King Dedede
5. Sheik
6. Greninja
7. Diddy Kong
8. Duck Hunt

Each character can be unlocked by clearing Donkey Kong's Classic Mode, or the Classic Mode of any preceding character, if all preceding characters have been unlocked. Once all the above characters are unlocked, clearing Classic Mode with any of them will default toMario's character unlock tree, starting withSonic.

Role inWorld of Light[edit]

Finding Donkey Kong in World of Light

Donkey Kong was among the fighters that were summoned to fight against the army ofMaster Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Donkey Kong was present on the cliffside whenGaleem unleashed his beams of light. Galeem's light beams vaporized Donkey Kong offscreen, placing him under Galeem's imprisonment along with all the other fighters, excludingKirby.

He can be rescued in a jungle segment ofThe Light Realm, on a space that looks like the treehouse where he lives in his series.

Fighter Battle[edit]

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
02		Donkey Kong	Grab	3,300	Kongo Jungle (Ω form)	Jungle Level (64)

Spirits[edit]

Donkey Kong's fighter spirit can be obtained by completingClassic Mode as Donkey Kong. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold. Unlocking Donkey Kong in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork inUltimate.

Additionally, Donkey Kong makes an appearance in a few primary (albeit in name only)^[1] and support spirits.

In Spirit Battles[edit]

As the main opponent[edit]

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
36		Goomba	Super Mario Series	•TinyDonkey Kong Team×5		1,800	Mushroom Kingdom (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat an army of fighters	Ground Theme - Super Mario Bros.
82		Barrel Train	Mario Kart Series	•Donkey Kong •Diddy Kong		3,500	Spirit Train	•Item:Bullet Bill	•The enemy can deal damage by dashing into you •The enemy has increased attack power •The enemy has increased move speed	Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	Donkey Kong
117		Flies & Hand	Mario Paint Series	•GiantDonkey Kong •TinyDark Pit×4		4,000	Living Room	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Flies & Hand) •Item:Food	•Survive until the timer runs out (1:00) •Hostile assist trophies will appear	Mario Paint Medley	Hand
131		Rabbid Kong	Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle	•BunnyDonkey Kong		1,700	3D Land	N/A	•The enemy's punches and elbow strikes have increased power	Arcade Bunny's Theme
137		Donkey Kong & Lady	Donkey Kong Series	•GiantDonkey Kong (250 HP) •Ally:Peach (120 HP)		13,500	75m	•Item Tidal Wave	•You lose if your CPU ally is KO'd •The enemy has super armor and is hard to launch or make flinch •Timedstamina battle (1:30)	Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley	Original Donkey Kong (currently known asCranky Kong)
138		Donkey Kong Jr.	Donkey Kong Series	•Donkey Kong •GiantDonkey Kong		9,000	Kongo Jungle (hazards off)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy's throws have increased power •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley	Original Donkey Kong (Giant Donkey Kong)
140		Cranky Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Donkey Kong		9,700	Jungle Japes	•Hazard: Slumber Floor	•The floor is sleep-inducing	Opening - Donkey Kong
143		Swanky Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Donkey Kong		1,700	Kongo Jungle	•Item:Beastball	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Funky's Fugue
144		Wrinkly Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•ClearDonkey Kong		3,500	Luigi's Mansion	•Hazard: High Gravity •Hazard: Low Gravity	•Your jumping power decreases when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy is less affected by gravity •The enemy starts with damage but is more powerful	The Map Page / Bonus Level (Remix)
149		Chunky Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Donkey Kong		3,800	Jungle Japes	N/A	•The enemy's punches and elbow strikes have increased power	DK Rap
150		Rambi	Donkey Kong Series	•Donkey Kong		9,100	Kongo Falls (Ω form)	N/A	•The enemy can deal damage by dashing into you	Jungle Level (Brawl)
158		Professor Chops	Donkey Kong Series	•Donkey Kong		1,700	Kongo Falls	•Item:Banana Peel	•The enemy can instantly escape from movement-disabling moves	Jungle Hijinxs	Super Kong
171		Ninja Kong	Donkey Kong Jungle Beat	•Donkey Kong		1,900	Distant Planet (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy's kicks and knee strikes have increased power •The enemy favors side specials	Battle for Storm Hill
197		Goron	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Donkey Kong		1,700	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Item:Bob-omb	•The enemy's dash attacks have increased power •The enemy favors dash attacks	Hidden Mountain & Forest
198		Darunia	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Donkey Kong •Jigglypuff×8		1,400	Gerudo Valley (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Lava Floor	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The floor is lava •The enemy starts the battle with aHammer	Hidden Mountain & Forest
240		Daruk	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Donkey Kong (180 HP)		4,300	Find Mii (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Lava Floor	•The floor is lava •Stamina battle •The enemy's shield has extra durability	Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 Trailer BGM
372		Bonkers	Kirby Series	•Donkey Kong		8,400	Kongo Jungle	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with aHammer •The enemy can swing the Hammer for a long time	Forest Stage
443		Gengar	Pokémon Series	•Donkey Kong		4,300	Luigi's Mansion (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Slumber Floor	•The floor is sleep-inducing	Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley
506		Abomasnow	Pokémon Series	•Donkey Kong		2,300	Summit (Battlefield form)	•Item:Freezie •Hazard: Ice Floor	•The floor is frozen •The enemy is weak to fire attacks •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Abomasnow)	Battle! (Wild Pokémon) - Pokémon Diamond / Pokémon Pearl
530		Landorus (Therian Forme)	Pokémon Series	•Donkey Kong		9,200	Gerudo Valley (hazards off)	•Earthquake	•Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage after a little while	N's Castle
552		Bewear	Pokémon Series	•Donkey Kong		3,500	Kongo Jungle	N/A	•The enemy has super armor but moves slower •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Bewear)	Battle! (Trainer) - Pokémon Sun / Pokémon Moon
608		Polar Bear	Ice Climber Series	•Donkey Kong (160 HP)		9,300	Summit (Battlefield form)	•Earthquake •Item:Freezie	•The enemy has super armor but moves slower •Stamina battle •Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage	Ice Climber (Melee)
807		Purple Pikmin	Pikmin Series	•TinyDonkey Kong Team×10 (20 HP)		3,500	Distant Planet	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy deals damage when falling •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Forest of Hope
937		Mr. Sandman	Punch-Out!! Series	•Donkey Kong (160 HP)		9,700	Boxing Ring	•Hazard: Slumber Floor	•The floor is sleep-inducing •The enemy's smash attacks have increased power •Stamina battle	Minor Circuit (Original)
982		Blanka	Street Fighter Series	•Donkey Kong (140 HP)		3,700	Jungle Japes	•Jump Power ↓	•Stamina battle •All fighters have reduced jump power •The enemy starts the battle with aScrew Attack	Blanka Stage Type A
1,101		Master Giant	Super Smash Bros. Series	•GiantDonkey Kong (160 HP)		9,900	Final Destination	•Bob-omb Festival	•Bob-ombs will rain from the sky after a little while •The enemy has super armor and is hard to launch or make flinch •Stamina battle	Master Core
1,146		Muddy Mole	Mole Mania	•Donkey Kong		1,700	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Item:Pitfall	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Kirby Retro Medley (Float Islands)
1,200		Sumo Brothers	Rhythm Heaven Series Rhythm Paradise Series	•GiantDonkey Kong		1,900	Arena Ferox (Ω form)	•Earthquake	•The enemy's physical attacks have increased power •Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage •The enemy loves to taunt	E. Honda Stage Type B	Red Sumo Brother (red costume) Blue Sumo Brother (purple costume)
1,339		Bottles	Banjo-Kazooie Series	•Donkey Kong		3,900	Spiral Mountain (Bottles)	•Invisibility •Item:Pitfall	•The enemy is invisible •The enemy favors side specials •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Spiral Mountain
1,396		Goda	River City Series	•Donkey Kong •Diddy Kong		2,000	Onett	•Item: Battering Types	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy's side special has increased power •The enemy favors side specials	Golden Forest
1,415		Master Mummy	ARMS	•Donkey Kong		3,400	Dracula's Castle (Ω form)	N/A	•The enemy has super armor but moves slower •The enemy favors grabs and throws	Mausoleum
1,485		Jack-7	Tekken series	•Donkey Kong Team×5 (70 HP)		1,800	Mishima Dojo	N/A	•The enemy has super armor but moves slower •Stamina battle •The enemy favors neutral specials	Abyss of Time	Jack-4s

As a minion[edit]

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
79		Pauline	Super Mario Series	•Peach •Mario •GiantDonkey Kong		13,700	75m (hazards off)	•Jump Power ↓	•Defeat the main fighter to win •You have reduced jump power •Reinforcements will appear during the battle •The enemy tends to avoid conflict	Jump Up, Super Star!	Original Donkey Kong
141		Funky Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Captain Falcon •Diddy Kong •Donkey Kong		9,000	Kongo Jungle	•Item:Bullet Bill	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Funky's Fugue	Donkey Kong
238		Zelda (Breath of the Wild)	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Zelda (50 HP) •Link (60 HP) •Inkling (30 HP) •Donkey Kong (60 HP) •Falco (50 HP) •Zero Suit Samus (50 HP)		9,200	Great Plateau Tower	N/A	•Stamina battle •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •Defeat an army of fighters	Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	Daruk
1,132		Hockey Players	Ice Hockey	•Dr. Mario •Donkey Kong •Luigi		1,500	Pokémon Stadium (Ω form)	•Slippery Stage	•The stage's platforms are very slippery	Core Luge	Large hockey player
1,362		Kyo Kusanagi	THE KING OF FIGHTERS Series	•Captain Falcon •Pikachu •Donkey Kong		9,500	King of Fighters Stadium	•Jump Power ↓	•The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •All fighters have reduced jump power	ESAKA!! - KOF 2002 UM	Goro Daimon

Alternate costumes[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Donkey Kong's fighter card.

• 

  Donkey Kong's unlock notice when obtaining him inWorld of Light.

• 

  Donkey Konggrabbing onKongo Falls.

• 

  ChargingGiant Punch before aBanzai Bill onPrincess Peach's Castle.

• 

  Taunting withDiddy Kong holding abanana onGreat Bay.

• 

  Falling next toKirby onGaur Plain.

• 

  Performing hisup smash onBoxing Ring.

• 

  PerformingSpinning Kong onSkyworld.

• 

  Taunting with Diddy onDistant Planet.

• 

  HeadbuttingMario on Gaur Plain.

• 

  Idling withDitto onBattlefield.

• 

  Captured byKapp'n onBridge of Eldin.

• 

  With Mario, Kirby,Pikachu andSora onMushroom Kingdom U.

• 

  With Mario,Link,Samus,Ice Climbers, Pit,Villager andInkling on Battlefield.

Fighter Showcase Video[edit]

Trivia[edit]

• Donkey Kong,Joker, andSephiroth are the only characters to face Master Hand and Crazy Hand on a stage other than Final Destination, not counting theMaster Hand glitch inSuper Smash Bros. Melee.
  • Donkey Kong is the only one of those three who is not a DLC character.
• Though Donkey Kong's Final Smash has been updated toJungle Rush, the DK Bongos from his previous Final Smash,Konga Beat, remain within his character files. Despite being unused, the model's textures have been updated.^[1]
• The tip of Donkey Kong's second tuft of hair is not closed off, letting players see inside his model with the camera.^[2]

Notes[edit]

1.^ Due toCranky Kong being the original Donkey Kong, the "Donkey Kong & Lady" Spirit technically features him instead of his grandson, the currentDonkey Kong.

References[edit]

v • d • e Donkey Kong universe
Fighters	Donkey Kong (SSB ·SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Diddy Kong (SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·King K. Rool (SSBU)
Assist Trophy	Klaptrap
Boss	Giant Donkey Kong
Stages	Kongo Jungle ·Kongo Falls ·Jungle Japes ·Rumble Falls ·75m ·Jungle Hijinxs
Items	Hammer ·Barrel Cannon ·Peanut ·Spring
Enemies	Kritter ·Tiki Buzz
Other	Dixie Kong ·DK Barrel ·DK Island ·Pauline ·Stanley ·Zinger
Trophies,Stickers andSpirits	Trophies (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4) ·Stickers ·Spirits
Music	Brawl ·SSB4 ·Ultimate
Masterpiece	Donkey Kong
Related content	Mario (universe) ·Banjo ·Barrel

• Characters (SSBU)
• Donkey Kong universe
• Donkey Kong (SSBU)
• Spirits

• Articles in need of audio