Donkey Kong (SSB18)

**Donkey Kong** (ドンキーコング, Donkey Kong) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. OC 2018. He is also the sixth of the original 8 (following behind Mario, Link, Pikachu, Kirby and Samus).

## Attributes

As a heavy character, Donkey Kong is a super heavyweight. However, he is also one of the fastest heavyweights in the game in terms of both movement and attack speed, to the point that he defies the typical heavyweight archetype. He has fast walking and dashing speeds, above average falling speed and gravity, very fast air speed, below average air acceleration and is the second heaviest character in the game. His large size also gives his attacks great physical range.

As expected, Donkey Kong's greatest asset is his speed. Almost all of his attacks are faster than any other heavyweight. However, most of his attacks have extremely high power as well, and those that do not can be used for effective set-ups. These attributes give him a capable combo game, with his aerial game being extremely effective at that. His forward and down aerials can meteor smash and can effectively finish off his combos or his opponents, thanks to their high power. His neutral aerial is very quick and can lead into followups, or it can be used to give Donkey Kong some space. His up aerial launches opponents upwards, making it great for combos and KOing. His back aerial is long-ranged, has a lasting hitbox, and can be used to edgeguard opponents. The last three aerials can also autocancel in a short hop, further demonstrating their utility.

In addition, the aforementioned combo abilities pair well with his grab game. His pummel is decently quick, making it great for racking up damage. While his up and down throws are rarely used because of their limited utility, his forward and back throws make up for that. His back throw is among the strongest, with only Baxter, Villager, Spongebob and Luffy cleanly outperforming it, making it one of his safest KO moves. His forward throw is an all-purpose throw, as well as an excellent damage racker. Using it will open up four different throws, commonly known as the "cargo throws". Cargo down throw is a semi-spike and is great for edgeguarding. Cargo back throw deals 12% and can KO at higher percentages. His most notable throw, however, is his cargo up throw, which can lead into any aerial at lower percents. Since it connects directly into his powerful up aerial at most percents, this combo can be used to KO opponents at specific percents, and has since been humorously nicknamed the "Ding Dong".

His special moveset also has a lot of utility. Giant Punch is a deadly KO move, and a fully charged one has super armor, making it difficult to interrupt. Headbutt can bury opponents, leaving them exposed to any move. It also does a lot of shield damage, threatening attempts to block the move. Hand Slap has very long range and allows for stage control, but since it is a quake move, it has no effect on aerial opponents when it is performed on the ground. However, an aerial Hand Slap is now capable of meteor smashing and is not only fairly easy to land, but it is an effective one as well. Finally, Spinning Kong can be used as an out of shield option, thanks to its super armor and high damage output. As a recovery, it lets Donkey Kong move horizontally quickly and for a long time, giving him a very long horizontal recovery.

Despite these advantages, Donkey Kong has noticeable flaws. All of his stats can be turned against him, since his large size makes him very easy to hit. His rolls and ledge recovery options are also very slow, hindering his ability to escape pressure. He is also equally vulnerable to combos and juggling, as his options outside of aerial maneuvering are not effective. His moveset is very slow in regards to ending lag, making him heavily susceptible to punishment. Finally, his vertical recovery is almost nonexistent, due to Spinning Kong's vertical distance being considerably low. This also makes it extremely difficult for him to survive even the weakest meteor smash.

## Moveset

### On-screen appearance

* Bursts out from a DK Barrel and briefly strikes a flexing pose.

### Taunts

* Up: Beats his fists against his chest while scowling.
* Side: Shakes himself as if he was wet, during which he will a toothy grin or the expression seen in his down taunt.
* Down: Faces the camera, shrugs his shoulders, and grunts while making a humorously confused, bug-eyed expression. It originates from Super Smash Bros.

### Idle poses

* Bares his teeth and crosses his eyes.
* Bumps his fist together, then performs an underhand strike.

### Victory poses

* Clenches his hands together and shakes them overhead in a self-congratulatory manner.
* Does a backflip and then strikes a flexing pose. It is identical to his "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros.
* Beats his chest and then faces the screen while sporting a toothy grin.