Donkey Kong (SSBU)

Donkey Kong (, Donkey Kong) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Initially teased in the then-unnamed Ultimates announcement trailer, Donkey Kong was, like all veterans, confirmed on June 12th, 2018. He is classified as Fighter #02.
Donkey Kong retains his gorilla-like grunts and roars from Super Smash Bros. 4, instead of 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 sizable drop from his 22nd out of 54 placement in SSB4. 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 of meteor smashes (his forward and down aerials, Headbutt, and Hand 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 the best in the game. Donkey Kong also possesses one of the most versatile throws in the game in Kong Karry, 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, since Spinning Kong is easily intercepted from above, and offers very little vertical distance. Alongside this, Donkey Kong has a lackluster and risky neutral 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 as and , before exploding in 2024 thanks to the efforts of other players such as and .
==Attributes==
Donkey Kong is unsurprisingly a large super-heavyweight, having the same weight value as , and is the third-heaviest character in the game behind and . 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 fastest walking speed, the 29th fastest dashing speed, the 16th highest traction, above average falling speed and jumping force, and is tied with , , , and for the 13th fastest air speed. In contrast, he has below average gravity and moderately slow air 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 decent range: his sweetspotted up tilt, smash attacks, aerials, back throw, Giant Punch, and grounded Spinning 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 only and 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 on . His down tilt gives him a long range crouching option and has a chance to trip 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 being meteor 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 a sex 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. His pummel 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 a semi-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 a stage 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 has super armor if fully charged. Headbutt can bury 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 high shield damage while also having deceptively long range, giving him a shield pressure option and the ability to call out poor shield positioning. Grounded Hand 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's Whirling Fortress as his primary out 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 like and , it becomes a problem when having to dodge attacks which is hard for him because he is a very large target. 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 as and , hitboxes on moves such as 's up and back aerials, or fast multi-hits such as 's neutral air. Donkey Kong's size also makes him vulnerable to combos and juggling, 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 from Super Smash Bros. 4==
Donkey Kong received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition from SSB4 to Ultimate. 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 from SSB4. 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 him super armor before the hit comes, and moves also deal their full knockback when opponents are buried, both changes of which improve the moves' versatility. Grounded Spinning 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. His dash 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 his up 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. Like , 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 of rage 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-air out of shield game and allows him for with combo opportunities, and the increased shieldstun and reduced landing 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's out 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 to air 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 to approach 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 from SSB4, 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 in Ultimate than he did in SSB4.
==Update history==
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 since Melee), and Giant 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 during Ultimates 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.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
==Moveset==
For a gallery of Donkey Kong's hitboxes, see here.
===Stats===
===Announcer call===
Donkey Kong English Announcer SSB4-SSBU.wav|English/Japanese/Chinese
Donkey Kong French Announcer SSBU.wav|French
Donkey Kong French EU Announcer SSBU.wav|French (PAL)
Donkey Kong Russian Announcer SSBU.wav|Russian
===On-screen appearance===
*Bursts out of a DK Barrel, frontflips thrice, lands and strikes a flexing pose.
DonkeyKongOnScreenAppearanceSSBU.gif|Donkey Kong's on-screen appearance
===Taunts===
*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.
SSBUDonkeyKongTaunt1.gif|Donkey Kong's up taunt.
SSBUDonkeyKongTaunt2.gif|Donkey Kong's side taunt.
SSBUDonkeyKongTaunt3.gif|Donkey Kong's down taunt.
===Idle poses===
*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.
SSBUDonkeyKongIdle1.gif|Donkey Kong's first idle pose.
SSBUDonkeyKongIdle2.gif|Donkey Kong's second idle pose.
===Crowd cheer===
 	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===
*Left: Does a backflip and flexes his arms (his "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros.).
*Up: Holds his hands above his head and shakes them (his animation upon completing a bonus game in Donkey 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.
DonkeyKongVictoryPose2SSBU.gif
DonkeyKongVictoryPose1SSBU.gif
DonkeyKongVictoryPose3SSBU.gif
==In competitive play==
===Most historically significant players===
See also: :Category:Donkey Kong players (SSBU)
* - The best Donkey Kong player in North America and the first to find consistent success as a solo-main, ranking 71st on the UltRank 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 at and 13th at over and . Since then, he has become Donkey Kong's primary representative in North America, especially during the 2024 renaissance, where he defeated at and at .
* - Although known for using many characters, he has 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 during this time, and was best known for using Donkey Kong for most of , placing 3rd while defeating and along the way, marking the best performance for the character at a major. He retired in mid-2023, and has only attended a few events since.
* - One of the best Donkey Kong players in Japan during the 2024 renaissance, though less consistent compared to Mild na H.O or Rarikkusu. He is best known for a series of noteworthy performances in the middle of the year, placing 7th at , 17th at , and 25th at both and , in addition to defeating and at and at DELTA 8. He was ranked 117th on the LumiRank 2024.2.
* - 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 at , where he placed 13th after defeating and . He has since achieved several other comparable performances, including placing 9th at and 17th at . He was ranked 67th on the LumiRank 2024.2 as the highest-ranking solo-Donkey Kong player in competitive-Ultimate.
* - 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 defeating at , placing 13th overall. In addition, he has also placed 5th at , using Donkey Kong to defeat , and 9th at . Though he eventually found greater success while playing , he maintains Donkey Kong as a common secondary or counterpick character.
===Tier placement and history===
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 from Smash 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 from , 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 at , which saw him use Donkey Kong extensively in top 64, defeating several of Europe's best players including and , before ultimately placing 3rd. In addition, , initially known for his online performances, began having a bigger impact on the offline metagame with his strong performances at majors, most notably 13th at defeating along the way. With both players ranking in OrionRank 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 is 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, 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 to his Melee 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 defeating at , ChunkyKong defeating at , defeating at , defeating at , and defeating at . This sudden rise in Donkey Kong's representation improved his standing in the metagame, and as such he jumped to 53rd on the third list, now ranking in the B- tier.
==: Journey to New Donk City==
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 original Donkey Kong Country.
Round 	Opponent 	Stage 	Music 	Notes
1 	 	Kongo Jungle 	 	
2 	 	Kongo Falls 	 	Diddy Kong is a CPU ally.
3 	and 	Pilotwings 	 	Diddy Kong is a CPU ally.
4 	and 	Onett 	 	Diddy Kong is a CPU ally.
5 	(x2) 	Moray Towers 	 	Diddy Kong is a CPU ally.
6 	and 	New Donk City Hall 	 	Diddy Kong is a CPU ally.
Bonus Stage	Bonus Stage	Bonus Stage 	Bonus Stage 	Bonus Stage
Final 	 	New Donk City Hall (Ω form)	(Less than 7.0 intensity) (Intensity 7.0 or higher)	Diddy Kong is a CPU ally.On intensity 7.0 and higher, fights alongside Master Hand.
Note: Every stage until Round 6 plays a track from the universe, no matter what universe the stage originates from.
Note 2: In Round 3, the music and stage also reference the Rocket Barrel levels in Donkey 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 has accompany the credits.
===Character unlock tree===
Donkey Kong's Classic Mode character unlock tree includes the following characters in order:
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
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 to 's character unlock tree, starting with .
==Role in World of Light==
Donkey Kong was among the fighters that were summoned to fight against the army of Master Hands.
During the opening cutscene, Donkey Kong was present on the cliffside when Galeem 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, excluding .
He can be rescued in a jungle segment of The Light Realm, on a space that looks like the treehouse where he lives in his series.
===Fighter Battle===
No.	Image	Name 	Type	Power	Stage 	Music
02 	 	Donkey Kong	 	3,300	(Ω form)	
==Spirits==
Donkey Kong's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing 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 in Ultimate.
Additionally, Donkey Kong makes an appearance in a few primary (albeit in name only) and support spirits.
SSBU spirit Donkey Kong.png|134. Donkey Kong
SSBU spirit Donkey Kong & Lady.png|137. Donkey Kong & Lady
SSBU spirit Donkey Kong & Bongos.png|169. Donkey Kong & Bongos
==In Spirit Battles==
===As the main opponent===
Spirit	Spirit	Spirit 	Spirit 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters 	Inspiration
No. 	Image 	Name 	Series 	Enemy Fighter(s) 	Type 	Power 	Stage 	Rules 	Conditions 	Music 	Character
36 	 	Super Mario Series 	•Tiny Team ×5 	 	1,800 	(Battlefield form) 	N/A 	•Defeat an army of fighters 	 	 	
82 	 	Mario Kart Series 	• • 	 	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 	 	Donkey Kong 	
117 	 	Mario Paint Series 	•Giant •Tiny ×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 	 	Hand 	
131 	 	Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle 	•Bunny 	 	1,700 	3D Land 	N/A 	•The enemy's punches and elbow strikes have increased power 	 	 	
137 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	•Giant (250 HP)•Ally: (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•Timed stamina battle (1:30) 	 	Original Donkey Kong (currently known as Cranky Kong) 	
138 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	• •Giant 	 	9,000 	(hazards off) 	N/A 	•Defeat the main fighter to win•The enemy's throws have increased power•Reinforcements will appear during the battle 	 	Original Donkey Kong (Giant Donkey Kong) 	
140 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	• 	 	9,700 	Jungle Japes 	•Hazard: Slumber Floor 	•The floor is sleep-inducing 	 	 	
143 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	• 	 	1,700 	Kongo Jungle 	•Item: Beastball 	•The enemy is easily distracted by items 	 	 	
144 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	•Clear 	 	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	 	 	
149 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	• 	 	3,800 	Jungle Japes 	N/A 	•The enemy's punches and elbow strikes have increased power 	 	 	
150 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	• 	 	9,100 	Kongo Falls (Ω form) 	N/A 	•The enemy can deal damage by dashing into you 	 	 	
158 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	• 	 	1,700 	Kongo Falls 	•Item: Banana Peel 	•The enemy can instantly escape from movement-disabling moves 	 	 	
171 	 	Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 	• 	 	1,900 	Distant Planet (Battlefield form) 	N/A 	•The enemy's kicks and knee strikes have increased power•The enemy favors side specials 	 	 	
197 	 	The Legend of Zelda Series 	• 	 	1,700 	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Item: Bob-omb 	•The enemy's dash attacks have increased power•The enemy favors dash attacks 	 	 	
198 	 	The Legend of Zelda Series 	• • ×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 a 	 	 	
240 	 	The Legend of Zelda Series 	• (180 HP) 	 	4,300 	Find Mii (Battlefield form) 	•Hazard: Lava Floor 	•The floor is lava•Stamina battle•The enemy's shield has extra durability 	 	 	
372 	 	Kirby Series 	• 	 	8,400 	 	N/A 	•The enemy starts the battle with a •The enemy can swing the Hammer for a long time 	 	 	
443 	 	Pokémon Series 	• 	 	4,300 	Luigi's Mansion (Battlefield form) 	•Hazard: Slumber Floor 	•The floor is sleep-inducing 	 	 	
506 	 	Pokémon Series 	• 	 	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) 	 	 	
530 	 	Pokémon Series 	• 	 	9,200 	Gerudo Valley (hazards off) 	•Earthquake 	•Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage after a little while 	 	 	
552 	 	Pokémon Series 	• 	 	3,500 	 	N/A 	•The enemy has super armor but moves slower•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Bewear) 	 	 	
608 	 	Ice Climber Series 	• (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 	 	 	
807 	 	Pikmin Series 	•Tiny 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 	 	 	
937 	 	Punch-Out!! Series 	• (160 HP) 	 	9,700 	Boxing Ring 	•Hazard: Slumber Floor 	•The floor is sleep-inducing•The enemy's smash attacks have increased power•Stamina battle 	 	 	
982 	 	Street Fighter Series 	• (140 HP) 	 	3,700 	Jungle Japes 	•Jump Power ↓ 	•Stamina battle•All fighters have reduced jump power•The enemy starts the battle with a 	 	 	
1,101 	 	Super Smash Bros. Series 	•Giant (160 HP) 	 	9,900 	 	•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 	 	 	
1,146 	 	Mole Mania 	• 	 	1,700 	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Item: Pitfall 	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle 	(Float Islands) 	 	
1,200 	 	Rhythm Heaven Series Rhythm Paradise Series	•Giant 	 	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 	 	Red Sumo Brother (red costume)Blue Sumo Brother (purple costume)	
1,339 	 	Banjo-Kazooie Series 	• 	 	3,900 	Spiral Mountain (Bottles) 	•Invisibility•Item: Pitfall 	•The enemy is invisible•The enemy favors side specials•The enemy is easily distracted by items 	 	 	
1,396 	 	River City Series 	• • 	 	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 	 	 	
1,415 	 	ARMS 	• 	 	3,400 	Dracula's Castle (Ω form) 	N/A 	•The enemy has super armor but moves slower•The enemy favors grabs and throws 	 	 	
1,485 	 	Tekken series 	• 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 	 	Jack-4s 	
===As a minion===
Spirit	Spirit	Spirit 	Spirit 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters 	Battle parameters	Battle parameters 	Inspiration
No. 	Image 	Name 	Series 	Enemy Fighter(s) 	Type 	Power 	Stage 	Rules 	Conditions 	Music 	Character
79 	 	Super Mario Series 	• • •Giant 	 	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 	 	Original Donkey Kong	
141 	 	Donkey Kong Series 	• • • 	 	9,000 	 	•Item: Bullet Bill	•The enemy is easily distracted by items 	 	 	
238 	 	The Legend of Zelda Series 	• (50 HP)• (60 HP)• (30 HP)• (60 HP)• (50 HP)• (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 	 	 	
1,132 	 	Ice Hockey 	• • • 	 	1,500 	Pokémon Stadium (Ω form)	•Slippery Stage 	•The stage's platforms are very slippery 	 	Large hockey player 	
1,362 	 	THE KING OF FIGHTERS Series	• • • 	 	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	 	Goro Daimon 	
==Alternate costumes==
							
							
==Gallery==
SSBU Donkey Kong Number.png|Donkey Kong's fighter card.
Donkey Kong unlock notice SSBU.jpg|Donkey Kong's unlock notice when obtaining him in World of Light.
SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong1.jpg|Donkey Kong grabbing on Kongo Falls.
SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong2.jpg|Charging Giant Punch before a Banzai Bill on Princess Peach's Castle.
SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong3.jpg|Taunting with holding a banana on Great Bay.
SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong4.jpg|Falling next to on Gaur Plain.
SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong5.jpg|Performing his up smash on Boxing Ring.
SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong6.jpg|Performing Spinning Kong on Skyworld.
SSBUWebsite16.jpg|Taunting with Diddy on Distant Planet.
SSBUWebsite17.jpg|Headbutting on Gaur Plain.
SSBUWebsiteDitto2.jpg|Idling with Ditto on .
SSBUWebsiteKapp'n2.jpg|Captured by Kapp'n on Bridge of Eldin.
SSBUSoraFiveManParty.jpg|With Mario, Kirby, and on Mushroom Kingdom U.
8-PlayerSSBU 1.jpg|With Mario, , , , Pit, and on Battlefield.
===Fighter Showcase Video===
==Trivia==
*Donkey Kong, , and are the only characters to face Master Hand and Crazy Hand on a stage other than Final Destination, not counting the Master Hand glitch in Super 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 to Jungle 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.Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - The Cutting Room Floor
*The tip of Donkey Kong's second tuft of hair is not closed off, letting players see inside his model with the camera.What if You Play on SMASHVILLE in DIFFERENT TIMEZONES? -- Random Smash Ultimate Facts
==Notes==
:1.Due to being the original Donkey Kong, the "Donkey Kong & Lady" Spirit technically features him instead of his grandson, the current Donkey Kong.
==References==
 
Category:Spirits
es:Donkey Kong (SSBU)