Diddy Kong
- Not to be confused with Kiddy Kong.
| Diddy Kong | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from the Nintendo website | |
| Species | Kong (monkey-based) |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country (1994) |
| Latest appearance | Mario Tennis Fever (2026) |
| Latest portrayal | Katsumi Suzuki (2004–present) |
| Member of | Kong Family |
- “I am the brave Diddy Kong. Show yourself, if you are friendly. If not, then get ready for the fight of your life!”
- —Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong Country (novel)
Diddy Kong, also known as simply Diddy and abbreviated as DD since Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, is a Kong introduced in Donkey Kong Country. He is a member of the Kong Family and the best friend and sidekick of Donkey Kong, assisting him on several of his journeys and appearing commonly in spin-off games of the Super Mario franchise starting with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, effectively taking the role of Donkey Kong Jr. In addition, he is the star of an eponymous racing game, Diddy Kong Racing, and its remake Diddy Kong Racing DS.
Diddy Kong sports a trademark red outfit consisting of a shirt with yellow stars and a hat typically featuring the Nintendo logo. Small in size, he is shown to be comparatively more acrobatic than Donkey Kong, performing cartwheels as a form of attack and using his long tail to hang on to hooks and carry objects[A] in a similar vein to how his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, uses her ponytail. He also often operates equipment, such as jetpack barrels that boost his mobility in mid-air, and one or two peanut-shooting popguns that he wields as weapons, earning him the nickname "peanut-popping powerhouse".[1][2][3][4]
Creation[edit]
Diddy Kong's creation was inspired by Coco the Monkey, the mascot of Coco Pops, whom Kevin Bayliss loved when he was a child.[5] During the development of Donkey Kong Country, the designers wanted the player to be capable of taking multiple hits, but they also aimed for the screen to be as "clutter-free" as possible, thereby forbidding the usage of a health bar. Having noted the "big Mario to small Mario" system used in the Super Mario games, Rare created Diddy Kong as a visual "extra hit." The design for the character was originally intended to be a redesign of Donkey Kong Jr., but Nintendo felt that its design was too different and insisted that Rare either make the design for Junior closer to his original appearance or make the new design an entirely different character. Rare, feeling that the design fit the "updated" Donkey Kong universe that the company was aiming to create, had decided to keep its design. During the process of naming the character, several names were suggested by Rare employees, including "Diet DK," "DK Lite," and "Titchy Kong." The name "Dinky Kong" was chosen, but it was later changed to "Diddy" due to legal considerations[6] with Dinky Toys,[7] although the name would eventually be used as Kiddy Kong's Japanese name.
General information[edit]
Physical description[edit]
Diddy Kong appears to be designed after a spider monkey.[8] He has versatile feet, and a prehensile tail (the only Kong to possess one), which he uses most of the time to hold certain small items or also hang on objects. Diddy Kong's face is somewhat similar to Donkey Kong; however, Diddy Kong has big eyes and a less frowned space between the eyebrows, covered in fur, as opposed to Donkey Kong's. His ears are a bit big, the same size of his eyes. Diddy Kong's eyes are usually depicted as black, although Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong 64 depict him with blue eyes. On the other hand, Super Smash Bros. Brawl gives him brown eyes. The color of his eyelids varies depending on his appearances; sometimes they are either brown (like in Donkey Kong 64 and Diddy Kong Racing DS) or tan (like in Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and the Super Smash Bros. series) and mostly he has no eyelids at all (though he still blinks but his eyes remain open). Upon creation, he originally had four fingers. After the Microsoft acquisition of Rare Ltd., Nintendo now had exclusive rights to Diddy Kong, and altered his hands so that they were five-fingered starting with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. His design was slightly updated beginning with an updated render first seen in a thumbnail in the Nintendo Switch News app in 2025, now sporting slightly segmented eyes, smaller ears, a more pronounced nose, fully visible teeth, and a rounder belly, in a similar vein to his The Super Mario Bros. Movie design.
Diddy Kong's clothing consists of a red cap showing the logo of Nintendo on its front, and a red tank top, with yellow stars on it (the details on his clothes were first introduced in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest). His updated design from 2025 adds the pin with the DD emblem on his cap from The Super Mario Bros. Movie while removing the Nintendo logo, while the stars are slightly smaller.
Alternate outfits[edit]
In Donkey Kong Country, an alternate Diddy Kong's clothing was a yellow tank top and a yellow cap. It appeared when two players wished to play independently. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Diddy Kong appears with another alternate costume as well. In the sequel, Diddy Kong wears a blue costume. In Mario Strikers Charged, Diddy Kong wears armor, protecting him against hazards set in the game. He wears a pair of wristbands, shoulder-pads, and a cuirasse over his tank top to protect his chest. The armor is mainly yellow, but it turns to purple in case that his opponents wear a similar color scheme. Later in Donkey Kong Country Returns, when the Super Guide mode is activated and Super Kong breaks a DK Barrel, Super Diddy Kong appears. Super Diddy Kong has white fur instead of brown, and his red cap and tank top have become blue. Mario Strikers: Battle League features him wearing a soccer uniform, including a specifically shaped pair of cleats, along with options to equip different head, arm, body, and leg gear pieces.
Throughout the Super Smash Bros. series, Diddy Kong has had eight alternate costumes to choose from, including his default appearance. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Diddy Kong has 6 costumes, while in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he has 8 costumes. Diddy Kong's first alternate costume consists of a yellow tank top with red stars and white cap, while his fur is dark brown, resembling his alternate color in Donkey Kong Country's Two-Player Contest mode; his second alternate costume gives him golden brown fur, while his cap and tank top turn pink (the stars also turn white), resembling Dixie Kong; his third alternate costume gives him dark brown fur and a purple tank top and cap, resembling his appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest's Two-Player Contest mode; his fourth alternate costume gives him reddish-brown fur and a green tank top and cap, resembling one of his alternate colors from Donkey Kong 64's multiplayer mode; lastly, his fifth alternate costume gives Diddy Kong a blue tank top and cap, resembling Kiddy Kong. In 3DS / Wii U, Diddy Kong gains his sixth and seventh alternate costumes: the former gives him black fur with a brown tank top and yellow cap, resembling a chimpanzee; the latter gives him light brown fur with a cyan tank top and fur, resembling Donkey Kong Jr.'s design in Donkey Kong Jr. Math.
Personality[edit]
Diddy Kong is a friendly and adventurous character, willing to help out his friends during times of need, evidenced by the Donkey Kong Country series. Diddy Kong is somewhat of a peace seeker, which is an offset to Donkey Kong's more aggressive behavior against his enemies, since he asks a Kremling to "show himself if he was friendly" in Donkey Kong Country. Diddy Kong's defining personality trait is his energy and gaiety, to the point of childishness (in a similar vein to Toad, though he is less humble than the mushroom himself). Diddy Kong always shows excitement in various competitive sports (the Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, and Mario Baseball series) and kart races, as evidenced by his idle and victory animations, which see him cartwheeling, backflipping, sideflipping, jumping up and down, or clapping his hands while yelling and screeching in happiness and enjoyment. Diddy's boisterous, slap-happy personality comes into play in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where he is constantly smiling or showing toothy grins. Diddy Kong's victory animations show him holding his head with both his hands, or firing a peanut from the Peanut Popgun, further showing how excitable he is. In The Subspace Emmissary, he is fearless to the point that he does not consider the danger; eager to fight Bowser while Donkey Kong and Fox McCloud knew this was too dangerous when he had a Dark Cannon at his disposal. Despite his energetic, excitable nature, Diddy Kong becomes sad when he loses to a boss in the Donkey Kong Country games or his opponents in various Super Mario spin-offs and Super Smash Bros. games, thus showing that he does not like to face defeat. In the television show, Diddy has a more snarky than go-lucky attitude.
Speech[edit]
In the early Donkey Kong Country games, as well as the Donkey Kong Land series, there was no voice acting, though Diddy Kong did have a few realistic monkey sounds provided by Mark Betteridge. However, the games' respective instruction manuals showed Diddy Kong being able to speak full sentences. Diddy Kong was able to speak intelligently in the comic Rumble in the Jungle and the Super Mario Kun manga. Diddy Kong first received voice acting in the 1998 computer-animated Donkey Kong Country series, where he was portrayed by Andrew Sabiston. In the GameCube-era Super Mario and Donkey Kong games, Diddy was voiced by Chris Sutherland, who provided him with a mixture of cartoonish monkey noises and actual words/phrases, such as "Uh-oh!" and "Come on!" From 2004 onwards, Diddy Kong has been voiced by Katsumi Suzuki, who solely provided him with a cartoonish monkey voice. In cases where Diddy Kong is intended to speak in full sentences, there is in-game text to show what he is actually saying. The only time in the games where Diddy Kong actually speaks is in Diddy Kong Racing, when he says, "I'm Diddy!" whenever the player selects him to play as him. Most of the time, his speech is in parentheses, thus implying that characters other than Donkey Kong and the other Kongs still have difficulty understanding what he is saying. In the Super Smash Bros. series, Diddy Kong receives realistic monkey noises.
Powers and abilities[edit]
In almost every appearance, Diddy Kong has been shown to be quick and nimble to offset Donkey Kong's great strength. Earlier games make Diddy's lacking muscle a weakness, but later games allow him to use his equipment to circumvent it. One of his signature moves is a cartwheel that damages enemies, with the Donkey Kong Country series and Donkey Kong Land series allowing him to jump out of cartwheels to move faster and farther. Diddy Kong is shown to have a strong skull; he has a special dashing ability in Donkey Kong 64 called Chimpy Charge where he rams into switches, walls, and gongs with a head-first charge. In Donkey Kong Country Returns, crashing into the moon head first following a Barrel Jet mishap only knocks him unconscious, and he fully recovers given time.
It is revealed in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, that Diddy Kong has a prehensile tail due to the fact he can hang onto hooks with it. Profiles for Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Party DS reference this trait. Additionally, in Donkey Kong 64 he is able to use his tail to attack enemies or use it as a spring with Simian Spring to reach higher areas.
While teamed up with Dixie Kong during the events of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Diddy Kong is able to pick up his partner and throw her to high areas or enemies. He can also throw her at collectibles that float above pits.
Diddy Kong is well known for using weapons and gadgets. The pair of Peanut Popguns he wields fire peanuts, which can hurt some enemies, stun others, or activate distant switches. Donkey Kong Country Returns introduces the Popgun Pound, which has Diddy Kong fire repeatedly into the ground to mirror Donkey Kong's Ground Pound with the benefit of the peanuts bouncing forward. The Barrel Jet he wears enables him to fly, easily accessing distant areas. In Donkey Kong 64, it is restricted to the Rocketbarrel Boost move, only usable after entering one of Cranky's Kong Barrels. It can only be used in certain areas. The Rocketbarrel Boost also equips him with the Peanut Popguns for its duration. In Donkey Kong Country Returns, The Barrel Jet instead serves as a hover, and Diddy Kong can carry Donkey Kong while using it. The thrust provided by the Barrel Jet is enough to make Diddy Kong collide with the moon and knock it out of orbit. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Rocketbarrel Boost is changed to only use the Rocketbarrel Pack, with the new move Rocketbarrel Barrage reimplementing the combined usage of it and the Peanut Popguns for his Final Smash.
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Diddy Kong, with his good running stat, also possesses the ability to climb on walls and catch balls that are otherwise fair. He also has Super Catch, ensuring that he does not fumble any routine fly balls. His pitches and batting involve curving the ball in the shape of a banana. This ability is also present in Mario Power Tennis. In Mario Striker Charged, Diddy Kong displays some supernatural abilities, such as summoning a beam of light that subdues his opponents into the sky and psychic abilities during his Mega Strike. In Mario Sport Mix, his special move is throwing a banana like a boomerang, which stuns opponents after being hit by it.
Diddy Kong is capable of juggling, which he does in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest if he does not move for a while; it later returns as his idle animation in Donkey Kong Bananza. Also, his artwork for Mario Super Sluggers portrays him juggling three baseballs. Just like Dixie Kong in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, he is also capable of playing an electric guitar in Donkey Kong 64, which he uses to solve puzzles and destroy surrounding enemies.
Relationships[edit]
Friends[edit]
Donkey Kong is Diddy Kong's best friend and idol. Although they are designed after different species, Diddy Kong has been called a relative of Donkey Kong's in a handful of material mostly in the late 90's. One of the earliest instances appears to be the December 1997 issue of the Official UK Nintendo Magazine, referring to him as Donkey Kong's son.[9] He has also been called Donkey Kong's nephew in 1999, specifically in the English version of Super Smash Bros.,[10] once on Rare's website,[11] and the Donkey Kong 64 Player's Guide,[12] as well as by Diddy's creator Kevin Bayliss;[13] however, non-international releases of Super Smash Bros. do not refer to Diddy as DK's nephew,[14] Leigh Loveday himself uses uncertain language,[15] and the Donkey Kong 64 instruction booklet only considers him "Donkey's little nephew wannabe."[16] The Prima Games guide for the 2003 Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country vaguely refers to them as cousins,[17] and so do the Italian instruction booklets of both the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance remakes of Donkey Kong Country.[18][19] The Italian Club Nintendo magazine defines him as the youngest member of the Kong family.[20] In Super Mario-kun Volume 12, Diddy's introductory description states that he is "Donkey's admirer and otōtobun",[21] a term that refers to a friend that is treated/seen as a younger brother. Most subsequent sources drop the notion of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong being related, but the Donkey Kong Country Returns Kong Gallery refers to one image of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong as a "Family Portrait" in every language except Japanese. According to Gregg Mayles, the Kong characters of Donkey Kong Country were set to be related to each other, but the notion was left ambiguous after deeming design quirks such as Diddy's tail nonsensical.[22]
Cranky Kong considers himself to be a "grandpappy" of sorts to Diddy Kong (as well as Dixie Kong), and while he complains about Diddy Kong receiving a starring role in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest while he was stuck in a gloomy shed, he also calls him a true video game hero and comments that he must take after himself and Donkey Kong. Incidentally, in the episode "Ape Foo Young" of the Donkey Kong Country television series, Diddy Kong tries to pass off Baby Kong as Donkey Kong's nephew, while Cranky Kong states that he does not have one.
Dixie Kong began a relationship with Diddy Kong after the events of Donkey Kong Country,[23] and has accompanied her boyfriend on a few adventures and sports outings, including Diddy Kong Racing DS, in which Donkey Kong does not appear. Their romantic relationship is not often touched upon in the games themselves, but is utilized in the Donkey Kong Country television series. Diddy is shown to be good friends with her sister Tiny Kong in rare interactions, as Diddy freed Tiny in Donkey Kong 64 and Tiny joins his group in Diddy Kong Racing DS.
Enemies[edit]
Diddy Kong, like the rest of the Kongs, is mortal enemies with the Kremlings. A Krusha stuffed him in a barrel when he guarded the banana hoard and the Kremlings, in later adventures, kidnap him and his friends. Diddy has an antagonistic relationship with King K. Rool, almost as much as Donkey Kong. Diddy Kong views him as "King K. Fool" once in DK: Jungle Climber while demanding him to just surrender. In Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast, Diddy has a rivalry with Kip.
Diddy Kong also has another archenemy, the evil Wizpig, who he and a group of friends face in a race after takes over Timber's Island.
History[edit]
Donkey Kong franchise[edit]
Donkey Kong Country series[edit]
Diddy Kong made his debut appearance in the Donkey Kong Country series, having appeared in every game. The only game where he is not playable is Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Diddy has had more playable appearances in this series than Donkey Kong has.
Donkey Kong Country[edit]
Diddy Kong is a playable character in Donkey Kong Country as well as both its first and second remake. He assists Donkey Kong as the second player and sidekick, similarly but not identically to Luigi's relation to Mario's. Diddy is described as being a "Donkey Kong wannabe," wanting to be a video game hero like Donkey Kong.[24] Diddy is inside the first DK Barrel in Jungle Hijinx, after the Kremling Krew raids the banana hoard,[B] overpower him.[25][26][27] Donkey and Diddy Kong have the same basic abilities, such as jumping, running, and rolling. Diddy has his own rolling move, Cartwheel Attack, which he can use to defeat enemies or briefly in midair to gain some momentum. Compared to Donkey Kong, Diddy is more agile, capable of jumping higher, moves faster, and holds a barrel in front of him rather than above his head. However, Diddy is weaker, not only from throwing barrels a shorter distance, but because he cannot defeat Krushas and Klumps by stomping them, and he has to stomp an Army twice to defeat it.
If the player achieves a completion rating of 90% or higher in the second remake, they unlock the "Hero Mode," where Diddy is the only player character, though with a yellow cap and shirt.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]
Diddy is a playable character and the main protagonist in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and its remake. He retains his abilities from Donkey Kong Country, though he is now the first player rather than the second, with Dixie now taking that role. Diddy and Dixie Kong can do a team up move, allowing one of the Kongs to pick each other up and throw another to get across obstacles or reach higher elevations. Diddy has his own time attack mode in the remake, titled Diddy's Dash, where he is controlled through levels without the aid of Dixie.
In the game's story, the Kremling Krew kidnaps Donkey Kong and sends him away to their island, Crocodile Isle. K. Rool, now Kaptain K. Rool, threatens to keep Donkey Kong as a prisoner unless the Kongs give the banana hoard to him. Diddy refuses, so he and Dixie travel through Crocodile Isle. Whenever the player visits the Monkey Museum, Cranky chastises him and Dixie, believing them not to be actual video game heroes,[28][29][30] hence the inclusion of Cranky's Video Game Heroes, an awards ceremony in which Cranky tallies up who has collected the most Video Game Hero Coins, for which he hid in every level.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble![edit]
Diddy is a non-playable character in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! He and Donkey Kong both have a smaller role, though the events begin with them exploring the Northern Kremisphere.[31] Since the two had not returned from their trip, Dixie goes to look for them, with her cousin, Kiddy Kong. In gameplay, Diddy and Donkey are seen only in Kastle Kaos, where after defeating Baron K. Roolenstein, it is revealed that the two were trapped inside of KAOS. Additionally, the remake adds Diddy as one of the Kongs to defend from Kremlings in the Funky's Rentals challenge "Protect."
Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D / Donkey Kong Country Returns HD[edit]
Diddy Kong is a playable character in Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. Diddy is first seen in the opening cutscene, where he is the first to notice the banana hoard being stolen by the animals controlled by the Tiki Tak Tribe and runs ahead of Donkey Kong to stop them. As such, he and Donkey Kong travel across Donkey Kong Island to fight the Tikis and retrieve the hoard.
In single player mode, Diddy Kong is reinterpreted as a power-up of sorts for Donkey Kong. Once freed from a DK Barrel, he stays on Donkey Kong's back. He takes damage instead of Donkey Kong, making him a maximum health increase until he is defeated. Until he is defeated, he upgrades Donkey Kong's Barrel Roll into the Kong Roll and allows Donkey Kong to hover for a short time using the Barrel Jet. In multiplayer mode, Diddy Kong is always controlled by the second player and can move on his own. Diddy has more agility than Donkey Kong, and retains access to the Barrel Jet. In addition, he can use the Peanut Popgun in the air to stun enemies from a distance. This game introduces the Popgun Pound as Diddy Kong's version of the ground pound. Diddy Kong can also climb onto Donkey Kong's back, ceding control of movement, most attacks, and the Barrel Jet to Donkey Kong but allowing him to shoot the Peanut Popguns on the ground or in the air. Diddy Kong can dismount Donkey Kong at any point. Multiplayer mode also changes the game's opening, having Diddy Kong loop back to be available right as the game begins. The game's more difficult Mirror Mode prevents Diddy Kong from appearing, which also means it cannot be played in multiplayer.
All of the game's cutscenes account for Diddy Kong's possible presence, usually having him move around on his own then climb back onto Donkey Kong's back once gameplay resumes. The game's ending has different cutscenes based on if Diddy Kong is present in the final battle. If he is present, he helps Donkey Kong with a gambit to punch the moon into Tiki Tong Tower to destroy it by boosting them down with the Barrel Jet, then carries the both of them safely to the ground. If he is not present, he still appears after the moon punch to rescue Donkey Kong from the fall. In multiplayer, it is possible to complete the game while Donkey Kong is defeated, leading to a third variant where Diddy Kong tries to avoid crashing into the moon with the Barrel Jet, only for it to malfunction and propel him into the moon. This has the same effect as punching the moon, but knocks Diddy Kong unconscious. Donkey Kong catches Diddy Kong just before he collides with the ground. Following all three versions, the two celebrate their victory.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]
Diddy Kong is a playable character in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its port. He is first seen during the game's opening cutscene, appearing to celebrate DK's birthday with Dixie and Cranky, only for the four to be interrupted by the Snowmads and blown away to the Lost Mangroves. With Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong now possible partners with similar mechanics to Diddy Kong, Diddy Kong is released specifically from DK Barrels specially marked with a blue "DD". Diddy retains his moves from Donkey Kong Country Returns, but with added underwater exploration, Diddy can perform the Jet Blast underwater, giving him and Donkey Kong a speed boost. If Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are together, they can use the Kong POW move to turn every enemy into Red Balloons.
Donkey Kong Land series[edit]
Diddy Kong is a playable character in the first two games of the Donkey Kong Land series: Donkey Kong Land and Donkey Kong Land 2. The events of the former game start when Diddy and DK are bet by Cranky Kong that they cannot recover the banana hoard from King K. Rool on an 8-bit handheld,[32] though the two characters manage to travel their way through four worlds and defeat King K. Rool and the Kremlings once more. The events of Donkey Kong Land 2 are a retelling of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest's,[33] so Diddy has the same role and abilities as before.
Diddy does not appear in Donkey Kong Land III, but he and Donkey Kong start the game's events when they enter a contest to discover the Lost World,[34] leaving Dixie and Kiddy Kong behind, both of whom decide to journey as well.
Diddy Kong Racing / Diddy Kong Racing DS[edit]
- “I'll go anywhere they've got bananas.”
- —Diddy Kong, Nintendo Power, volume 102 (Diddy Kong Racing section)[35]
Diddy is the starring character of Diddy Kong Racing and its remake. In the prologue, Diddy gets a letter from Timber, who asks Diddy to help save Timber's Island from Wizpig,[36] which the remake makes an opening cutscene out of. At the end, Diddy, Timber, and their friends manage to expel Wizpig and free the Timber's Island guardians from his mind control. Diddy has average acceleration and handling but below-average top speed, his vehicle number is 1, and his top speed without bananas is 56 mph. Diddy has a blue vehicle color in the original Diddy Kong Racing only. His theme instrument on the character select menu is a muted horn, which plays an arrangement of "DK Island Swing." He is the tenth and final character introduced in the game's intro, piloting a plane and flying away from Wizpig in Fossil Canyon before the sequence fades to the title menu. Diddy is one of four (two in the original version) characters in the game owned by Nintendo, the other three being Krunch, Dixie Kong, and Tiny Kong.
Donkey Kong 64[edit]
- “He's back again and about time too
And this time he's in the mood” - —DK Rap
Diddy is a playable character in Donkey Kong 64. He and a few other Kongs are held hostage by King K. Rool after his Blast-o-Matic is damaged accidentally. Diddy is freed by Donkey Kong in Jungle Japes. Diddy can collect red bananas and coins. Besides being the only Kong who can Double Jump, Diddy has three of his own moves that he can learn at Cranky's Lab, including Chimpy Charge, Rocketbarrel Boost, and Simian Spring. Diddy's musical instrument is the electric guitar, which he obtains from Candy's Music Shop. His weapon is the popguns, which he obtains from Funky's Store. Diddy has two of his own Bonus Stages to complete in Hideout Helm to deactivate the red current flowing within the Blast-o-Matic. Diddy is later selected as the second Kong to fight King Krusha K. Rool in the boxing arena, where he uses his Rocketbarrel Boost to shoot two targets on each of the light fixtures until one gets stuck on K. Rool's head, ending the round.
Diddy has three alternate color schemes in Monkey Smash, which include yellow, green, and blue.
Donkey Konga series[edit]
Diddy, along with Donkey Kong appears in Donkey Konga. In this game, he and Donkey Kong find a pair of bongos. With Diddy worrying that it could be King K. Rool's trap, he and Donkey Kong take them to Cranky Kong. Diddy tries to play it while Donkey Kong claps. The two leave, and continue to play their bongos. Diddy is also a playable character in the game. Diddy Kong appears as a playable character in the sequel, Donkey Konga 2, where Diddy, his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, and Donkey Kong are the three main characters. All of them return in Donkey Konga 3, with Funky Kong being added as the fourth player.
DK series[edit]
DK: King of Swing[edit]
Diddy is a playable character in Jungle Jam and the unlockable Diddy Mode in DK: King of Swing. The Diddy Mode is unlocked by collecting 24 medals as Donkey Kong. Diddy is one of the playable characters in the Jungle Jam, where he can jump high but has a weak attack.
DK: Jungle Climber[edit]
Diddy Kong is the sidekick of Donkey Kong in DK: Jungle Climber. He can be launched by DK to hit objects and reach areas that are otherwise inaccessible. Diddy is required when using either the Hammer, Wings, or Torch powerups. Diddy is raced at the start and in one of the minigames.
Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast[edit]
Diddy Kong is a playable character in Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. He has low speed but a good boost and handling. His rival is Kip. His voice (as portrayed by Katsumi Suzuki) is somewhat lower-pitched in this game unlike in his other appearances.
Donkey Kong Bananza[edit]
Diddy Kong reappears in Donkey Kong Bananza. His design in this game is in line with his updated 2025 render, featuring slightly segmented eyes, a more pronounced nose, and a pin with the DD symbol on his cap. Appearing in the Racing Layer, he runs the Rambi Rumble alongside Dixie Kong, and is also seen riding with her on the back of Rambi. Additionally, his head, along with Dixie Kong's, appears on the massive trophy in that layer.[37]
Club Nintendo[edit]
"Donkey Kong Country"[edit]
Diddy is one of the protagonists in the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong Country," based on the identically titled game. Diddy is put on duty to watch over the banana hoard, though is discovered by King K. Rool and forced into a barrel. After being discovered and rescued by Donkey Kong, the two track down King K. Rool to defeat him. When King K. Rool is fought, Donkey Kong attacks by throwing Diddy up onto K. Rool.
"Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens"[edit]
Diddy lives in a skyscraper in Brooklyn with many other Nintendo characters in "Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens." During the monsters' invasion of the building, Diddy and Donkey are watching TV, but are interrupted by Chuckie, terrifying them, though Mario, Link and Kirby come to save them.
"Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24"[edit]
Diddy is one of the Kongs who goes on an expedition to save Earth from freezing as a giant U.F.O pulls it away from the sun in "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24." When it is revealed that the aliens mistook the planet as being a giant coconut, Diddy decides to give bananas to the aliens, who promise to return the Earth to its original position.
4koma Gag Battle[edit]
Diddy Kong appears throughout the 4koma Gag Battle manga adaptations of: Donkey Kong Country, Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong 64.
Super Mario-kun[edit]
Diddy Kong appears in the fourteenth volume of the Super Mario-kun manga. In the Donkey Kong Country part of the volume, Diddy and Donkey Kong are asked by Cranky Kong to fight King K. Rool, while in the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest part, Diddy and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, have to battle Kaptain K. Rool.
Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle[edit]
In Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle, Donkey Kong introduces his "buddy" Diddy Kong to Funky Kong, who offers Diddy a ride in his barrel plane around Donkey Kong Island. During the flight, Diddy Kong notices smoke coming from Big Ape City, which was believed to have been abandoned. Hoping for an adventure, he is willing to investigate, although Funky Kong prefers to not "go looking for trouble". Returning to his treehouse after the flight, Diddy Kong realizes that he still has Funky Kong's walkie talkie, and trying to contact him reveals that his plane is being attacked by "flying pigs" over Big Ape City. Diddy Kong immediately agrees to travel with Donkey Kong to the city, joined by a reluctant Cranky Kong.
On the edge of the forest in Tree Top Town, the Kongs encounter a group of Kremlings. Diddy Kong performs several