Diddy Kong

"After all we did to get them back last time? Donkey Kong would go crazy if he lost his bananas again!"

- Diddy Kong

Diddy Kong is Donkey Kong's little buddy who has gone on countless adventures with him. Diddy Kong is a creation of the British company, Rare Ltd.; however, he has a Nintendo logo on his trademarked red hat, probably because Nintendo owned Rare and the rights to the Donkey Kong franchise at the time.

The name "Diddy Kong" is a slang word used in some parts of northern England for "small", as Diddy Kong is. Diddy Kong has gone on many adventures by himself occasionally with his girlfriend Dixie Kong, and has even starred in his own racing game for the Nintendo 64 and later for the Nintendo DS.

Concept and creation
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 their design was too different, and asked that Rare either include Junior with his original appearance or make the new design an entirely different character. Rare, feeling that the design fit the "updated" Donkey Kong universe that they were aiming to create, had decided to keep their 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 was later changed to "Diddy" due to legal considerations, although the name would eventually be used as Kiddy Kong's Japanese name. .

Donkey Kong Country
Diddy Kong first appears in Donkey Kong Country, as the co-star of the game with Donkey Kong. Here, he is still Donkey Kong's apprentice and an "in-training video-game star". On one night, Diddy Kong is given the task of guarding Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. However, the Kremling Krew attacks and defeats him, trapping him inside a barrel. After being released, he and Donkey Kong set off across Donkey Kong Island to save the Banana Hoard and drive off the Kremlings. At the end of their journey, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong reach King K. Rool, the leader of the Kremlings, and by defeating him, the two win back Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard.

In this game, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong share the same basic abilities (jumping, running, cartwheeling, etc.). However, Diddy Kong is weaker than Donkey Kong, unable to jump on enemies such as Krushas or Klumps to defeat them, but Donkey Kong can. Despite this flaw, Diddy Kong is still faster than him and can jump higher than him. Diddy Kong also carries barrels in front of him, allowing him to protect himself from an enemy, but he cannot throw it as far as Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Diddy Kong is the main hero. The Kremling Krew kidnaps Donkey Kong and sends him away to their own island, Crocodile Isle. K. Rool, who is now Kaptain K. Rool, threatens to permanently hold Donkey Kong prisoner unless he is given the Banana Hoard. Diddy refuses to give it up because he and Donkey Kong took plenty of effort recovering it in the previous game. Diddy and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, venture through Crocodile Isle and rescue Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool. Near the end of Diddy's Kong Quest, while Donkey Kong is rescued by Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, Crocodile Isle sinks into the ocean.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Diddy Kong is captured in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, and Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong must save him. Diddy and Donkey decide to go vacationing in the Northern Kremisphere, planning to return to Donkey Kong Island in a few days time, but the duo never comes back. Dixie, worried about the two Kongs, decides to venture to the Northern Kremisphere to search for them with her baby cousin Kiddy Kong. After Dixie and Kiddy defeat Baron K. Roolenstein they discover that KAOS, K. Rool's stand-in leader for the Kremling Krew, contains Diddy and Donkey. It seems K. Rool has abducted Diddy and Donkey for the purpose of using their brain energy to power KAOS. After being rescued Diddy and Donkey goes back to Donkey Kong Island while Dixie and Kiddy defeat the Kremling Krew.

Donkey Kong Country Returns
Diddy Kong appears in the Wii game, Donkey Kong Country Returns and the 3DS remake Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. He is the first Kong to notice the Banana Hoard being stolen by animals that are hypnotized by the Tiki Tak Tribe, and attempts to pursue them to retrieve it. However, Diddy fails, and he is presumably shoved into a barrel. In it, he and Donkey Kong go on another quest to reclaim the Banana Hoard, which has been stolen by the Tiki Tak Tribe by hypnotizing the animals on the island. After defeating Tiki Tong, he and Donkey Kong get the Banana Hoard back from the Tiki Tak Tribe. Diddy can also be controlled in this game by a second Wii Remote, and his jetpack can be used.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Diddy Kong appears as one of the playable characters in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. He can be found inside barrels marked with a blue "DD". He retains his ability to use his jetpack to hover as well as the Peanut Popgun from Donkey Kong Country Returns. When using the Kong POW with Diddy, all enemies are turned into red Extra Life Balloons.

"Donkey Kong Country"
Diddy also appears in the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong Country", serving a similar role to the one in the game of the same name. Diddy's task is to watch over the Banana Hoard. However, King K. Rool finds him and puts him into a Barrel. Donkey Kong soon discovers him, and they track down King K. Rool to defeat him.

"Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens"
In comic "Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens", published in the same magazine, Diddy Kong lives in a skyscraper in Brooklyn with many other Nintendo characters. Due to a contract signed by Wario, the skyscraper is invaded by several monsters. One of them, Chuckie, invades the Kongs' room while Diddy and Donkey are watching TV. They are terrified by the evil doll, but they are rescued by Mario, Link and Kirby.

"Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24"
Diddy makes another appearance in the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24". The Kongs have to save the world from freezing, since a giant U.F.O, is pulling the Earth away from the sun. With Donkey, Dixie, Kiddy and Cranky, Diddy enters a space shuttle and flies into space to talk to the aliens. As it turns out, the reason for them pulling away the Earth is that they mistook the planet for a giant coconut. Diddy finds a solution to this problem by giving bananas to the aliens, and in return they promise to return the Earth to its original position.

Super Mario-Kun
Diddy Kong appears in the fourteenth volume of the Super Mario-Kun manga comics. Even though a majority of the volume is based on Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the end of it contains Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest content. In the Donkey Kong Country part of the volume, Cranky Kong asks Diddy and Donkey Kong to battle King K. Rool. He also appears with his girlfriend, Dixie Kong to battle Kaptain K. Rool in the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest part.

Donkey Kong Land
Diddy Kong and Donkey Kong are tricked into a bet by Cranky Kong in Donkey Kong Land, and the two travel again to reclaim Donkey's Banana Hoard from King K. Rool. After traveling through four lands, Diddy and Donkey Kong manage to defeat King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew again.

Donkey Kong Land 2
Diddy Kong reapears in Donkey Kong Land 2, Donkey Kong Country 2's pseudo-port for the Game Boy, where he has the same abilities and role in the plot. However, the gameplay is slightly different, and some levels have been renamed in this game.

Donkey Kong Land III
Diddy Kong and Donkey decide to enter a contest to find the recently re-sunken island of Lost World while leaving Dixie and Kiddy Kong behind. Despite having an integral role in Donkey Kong Land III Diddy (along with Donkey) do not actually appear in the game. Where the two Kongs are during the events of the game is unknown.

Donkey Kong Country television series
Diddy Kong is featured as a main character on the Donkey Kong Country television series. In most of the episodes, Diddy usually is seen watching over the Crystal Coconut with his buddy, Donkey Kong. Diddy Kong's physical appearance in the game is very similar to his appearance in Donkey Kong Country, which is a red shirt with Yellow stars on it and a red hat. Diddy is voiced by Andrew Sabiston during the entire run of the Donkey Kong Country cartoon. Sabiston had previously voiced Yoshi on the Super Mario World television series seven years earlier. Sabiston also voices Klaptrap, another character from the series.

Diddy Kong Racing
In Diddy Kong Racing, Diddy Kong gets a letter from his long-time friend Timber. The letter is asking Diddy Kong for help, as Wizpig has invaded Timber's Island. Timber needs Diddy Kong's help to get rid of him. Diddy Kong, Timber, and their friends, eventually manage to drive off Wizpig and release those who are under his mind control. Diddy is a balanced middleweight racer in the game with no major strengths or weaknesses. Diddy Kong drives a blue vehicle in this game.

Diddy Kong Racing DS
Diddy Kong reappears in Diddy Kong Racing DS, a remake of Diddy Kong Racing. In this game, he has to save Timber's Island again from Wizpig. His girlfriend, Dixie Kong, and her sister, Tiny Kong are also playable. Diddy Kong's stats are the same as his in Diddy Kong Racing.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
Diddy Kong returns to racing as a playable character in the Wii game, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. Diddy Kong has low speed, but a good boost and handling. His rival is Kip, and is one of the six characters playable at the start of the game.

Donkey Kong 64
Diddy reappears in the Nintendo 64 game, Donkey Kong 64. In the beginning of the game, King K. Rool, attempts to attack Donkey Kong Island to seek revenge. However, K. Rool's weapon, the Blast-o-Matic is damaged after the new Crocodile Isle crashes into a small island. To buy time to repair his weapon, K. Rool steals Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard and kidnaps several Kongs, with Diddy being one of them.

Diddy is eventually freed from captivity in Jungle Japes by Donkey Kong early on in his journey. From then on Diddy aids Donkey and the other Kongs with shutting down the Blast-o-Matic and getting rid of King K. Rool by collecting red bananas and coins and using his abilities gained from Cranky, as well as his electric guitar from Candy and his popguns from Funky. Eventually K. Rool is defeated by the Kongs in a wrestling match. The method for defeating him permanently involves a plan by Funky and Candy, which Funky brings a shoe gun to kick him out of the ring.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Even though he has always been connected to Mario through Donkey Kong, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour is the first game to feature Diddy Kong in the Mario series. He is a playable character in the game, appearing as Donkey Kong's partner. Diddy Kong briefly appears in the opening of this game.

Mario Golf: World Tour
Diddy Kong returns as a playable character in Mario Golf: World Tour. Oddly enough, some of his voice clips are recycled from Donkey Kong 64.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Diddy Kong appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. He is a lightweight character, along with Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Bowser Jr., Toad, and Toadette. His special weapon is the Giant Banana. This item is shared with Donkey Kong, his partner. His personal kart is the Barrel Train.

Mario Kart Arcade GP
In the arcade game, Mario Kart Arcade GP, Diddy Kong makes a cameo appearance. He appears in a course from the DK Cup, Bananan Ruins. When the player crosses the finish line to start a new lap or to finish the race, Diddy can be seen in the crowd cheering.

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Diddy Kong makes a cameo in the arcade game, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, where he can be seen cheering in the crowd in the same way as the previous game.

Mario Kart Wii
Diddy returns as a playable character in Mario Kart Wii. He appears as an unlockable, playable character. Diddy is classified as a middleweight character. He is unlocked by winning the 50cc Lighting Cup or by playing 450 races. Diddy Kong is a staff ghost for course Maple Treeway. Diddy features a small acceleration and drift bonus while getting a strong mini-turbo bonus. Diddy Kong is one of three Kongs who appear in this game. The other two are Donkey Kong and Funky Kong.

Donkey Konga series
Diddy, along with Donkey Kong appears in Donkey Konga. In this game, he and Donkey Kong find a pair of bongos. The two take it 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 Nintendo GameCube game, Donkey Konga 2. Diddy, his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, and Donkey Kong are the three playable characters.

Diddy reappears in the Japan-only Nintendo GameCube, Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku. Again, he is a playable character, along with Donkey Kong, Dixie Kong, and Funky Kong.

Mario Power Tennis
In Mario Power Tennis, Diddy Kong is a speedy character, and is usually paired with Donkey Kong. His Offensive Power Shot, Acrobatic Banana, makes him hit the ball in a curved trajectory while standing on his head. Any opponents that return his power shot have their controls reversed and a banana picture shows the effect. His Defensive Power Shot, Barrel Jet, allows him to return any balls that are out of his reach.

Mario Tennis Open
In Mario Tennis Open, Diddy Kong reappears as a speedy character again. He is usually paired with Donkey Kong again too. His gameplay is based on acrobatic moves, like in the previous tennis game. Like the other characters of the game, he has a tennis outfit based on himself, available to purchase in the Tennis Gear Store, and also his own Mii Costume, which is unlocked by meeting 20 Mii characters via Streetpass.

DK: King of Swing
In DK: King of Swing, Diddy Kong is capable of being played as in the games adventure mode by collecting twenty-four DK Coins in the games adventure mode with Donkey Kong. He, with Donkey Kong, helps to save the Jungle Jam from the Kremling Krew. After the player defeats the game as Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong can be played in adventure mode.

DK: Jungle Climber
Diddy Kong appears in DK: Jungle Climber as well. In this game, DK can use him as a launch to hit objects and reach areas where DK can't reach. Diddy is also required to use three powerups: Hammer, Wings, and Torch. The player has to race Diddy at the beginning of the game, and in one of the minigames, the player also has to race Diddy. Diddy plays a role in the plot as Donkey Kong's sidekick, as usual.

Yakuman DS
Diddy Kong appears in the Japan-only mahjong game Yakuman DS as an opponent. Unlike in most other Mario games he appears in, he appears only as a computer opponent. Diddy is one of twenty-one opponents and his best friend, Donkey Kong, appears as an opponent, too.

Mario Superstar Baseball
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Diddy Kong is once again a playable character. He is a Team Captain in Exhibition Mode, and a Sub-Captain in Challenge Mode. During Challenge Mode, Diddy plays on Donkey Kong's team. His special ball is the Boomerang Ball, which launches the ball out like a Boomerang to trick the other team. This is also the first traditional Mario game appearance of Diddy Kong's girlfriend, Dixie Kong.

Mario Super Sluggers
Diddy Kong also appears as a captain in the Wii game, Mario Super Sluggers. In challenge mode, he is on Donkey Kong's team, the DK Wilds. His team name, is the Diddy Monkeys. Diddy's star swing is the Banana Swing and his star pitch is the Banana Ball.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Diddy Kong is playable in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. Diddy Kong is a default player, and is a part of the speedy class. His Special Shot is the Jet Shot, which summons a jet pack, and attaches to Diddy Kong's back. He then flies towards the basket. Additionally, Dixie Kong also manages to appear in this game, once again, as an unlockable character.

Mario Strikers Charged
Diddy Kong is also an unlockable captain in Mario Strikers Charged. He is unlocked when the player beats Diddy Kong in the Crystal Cup. Diddy Kong is a Playmaker Captain, and he is very swift and agile. His Super Ability is Red Card!, which summons a beam of light that pulls any player, except for Diddy Kong, into the skies for fifteen seconds. A new trait of Diddy Kong in this game is that he does not smile very often, with the exception of his victory scenes, as do most other players.

Diddy Kong gains some new abilities in this game. He is shown to have super natural powers, as seen with Red Card!, which summons a beam of light to take players out of the field, and his Mega Strike. When he uses his Mega Strike, he launches in the air, moves into a Buddha position, and touches it with the tip of his tail which makes the ball go flying.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Although Diddy Kong doesn't appear in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, there is a suit based on him that the player can purchase from the boutique for Miis to wear.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Like the previous game, Diddy Kong doesn't appear in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but there is a suit based on him that the player can unlock for Miis to wear. It is unlocked after playing against a friend 20 times in Single Event mode.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games
Like the previous game, Diddy Kong doesn't appear in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, but there is a suit based on him that the player can unlock for Miis to wear. It is unlocked after completing 3 areas in Legend Showdown.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Unlike previous games, Diddy Kong makes his first playable appearance in the Mario and Sonic series in this game.

Mario Party DS
Diddy Kong has a non-playable role in Mario Party DS. In the third stage of Story Mode, Donkey Kong is transformed into a statue by a Dry Bones. Mario and friends help him recover Donkey Kong, and soon defeat the Dry Bones. After its defeat, Diddy hands Mario and friends the third Sky Crystal, while Donkey Kong heads off to Bowser's Castle. Diddy Kong also appears as one of the unlockable figures and badges.

Mario Party 9
Diddy Kong makes another non-playable appearance in Mario Party 9. This time, he is the mid-boss for DK's Jungle Ruins.

Super Smash Bros. series


Diddy Kong joins the Super Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and returns in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. He is swift, agile, and very acrobatic, just like he is in the DK series.

Diddy Kong's special moves are Peanut Popgun, which lets him shoot peanuts at his opponents, Monkey Flip, which lets him leap forward and pummel his opponents, Rocketbarrel Boost, which can be charged to fly through the air, and Banana Peel (move), which when thrown makes his opponents slip and fall. His Final Smash is Rocketbarrel Barrage, and it combines two of his special moves, Peanut Popgun and Rocketbarrel Boost, together. Diddy Kong is the first character to represent the Donkey Kong series in a Super Smash Bros. game since Donkey Kong himself. While Diddy Kong does not appear in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee in any capacity, he is mentioned in both games. Diddy Kong was revealed for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U on February 21st 2014, the day of the North American/European release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Early on in the game's lifetime, Diddy became notorious in competitive play for his very powerful and easy-to-use throw combos, leading to some of his moves being slightly weakened in later balance patches.

For the Super Smash Bros. series, Diddy is given a more realistic monkey voice, instead of the cartoonish voice he is commonly given in Mario series titles.

The Subspace Emissary
In the Jungle, Diddy Kong helps Donkey Kong recover bananas stolen from the Koopa Troop, only to have Bowser appear and attempt to use his Dark Cannon on the Kongs. Donkey knocks Diddy away to safety before anything happens, however, although at the cost of Donkey Kong being turned into a trophy in the process. At the Lake, Diddy encounters Rayquaza, teams up with Fox McCloud by force, and fights False Bowser, but they end up fleeing from the real Bowser. As they reach the Swamp, Bowser successfully attacks Diddy, turns into a static trophy and clones him into False Diddy Kong with shadowbugs. After Diddy is revived, he defeats the clone and teams up with Falco Lombardi, again by force.

Upon discovering that Donkey is being taken to the Island of the Ancients, Falco drops Diddy for the little Kong to rescue him. After receiving help from Captain Falcon and Captain Olimar to fend off the Subspace Army, all four of them end up at the Subspace Bomb Factory. Upon meeting Samus and Pikachu, R.O.B. reveals himself just before they are forced to evacuate the island as it is sucked into Subspace.

In Subspace, Tabuu turns all of the gathered heroes, including Diddy, into trophies. However, Diddy is among the fighters rescued by King Dedede and his team before they all head into the Great Maze to defeat Tabuu and save the world, with help from Sonic the Hedgehog.

Mario Sports Mix
Diddy Kong appears in Mario Sports Mix as a playable character. He is a speedy character that has a slightly higher technique stat countered with a slightly lower power stat, along with other three speedy characters, Bowser Jr., Toad and Cactuar. His Special Shot has him throwing a banana that acts like a boomerang, attempting to stun any players that try to counter his shot.

In Volleyball, Diddy Kong can give his full power shots an added curve, which is something that is typically seen with the Technical characters.

Fortune Street
Diddy Kong appears as a playable character in the Wii follow-up to Itadaki Street DS, Fortune Street. He is a Level D character, alongside Birdo, Donkey Kong, Slime and Yangus.

Super Mario Maker
While one is playing Super Mario Maker, one can place Diddy Kong's amiibo onto the Wii U GamePad and scan it to reveal a Mystery Mushroom in the game. This mushroom offers the player's character the possibility to transform into Diddy, once it is collected. Diddy Kong is only rendered in 8-bit, since it is only possible to play as him in the Super Mario Bros. style of the game. His motion is based on the one from Donkey Kong Country, whence he comes from.

Other appearances
Diddy was to star in both Diddy Kong Pilot and Donkey Kong Racing as a main character and a sidekick, respectively, but these games were canceled before they could be released when Rare Ltd. moved to Microsoft.

In 1998, despite not yet being part of the Mario series, he was featured alongside Mario, Yoshi and Koopa Troopa in a Pez dispenser set. Diddy Kong also appears in Nintendo Monopoly, where he costs $260, and took the role of Ventnor Avenue.

The 2009 WiiWare game WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase featured a microgame entitled DK Country, which is based after the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country 2. The player takes control of a moving Bonus Barrel, from which Diddy gets shot into the air. The monkey must avoid an energic red Zinger and collect two rows of bananas, in order to win the game.

Diddy Kong will be appearing in the upcoming game Skylanders: SuperChargers as part of the SuperCharged version of Donkey Kong's vehicle, the Barrel Blaster.

Physical appearance
Diddy Kong shares several traits to a Spider Monkey. He has versatile feet, and a prehensile tail, which he uses most of the time to hold certain small items or also hang on objects. Diddy Kong's face is somehow 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 reveals blue eyes. On the other hand, Super Smash Bros. Brawl gives him brown eyes. The colour of his eyelids varies depending on his appearances, sometimes they're 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, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U) and mostly he has no eyelids at all (though he still blinks but his eyes remain open).

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). 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. For the recent edition of Super Smash Bros. series, Diddy has a wider selection of alternate color costumes. 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 open, Super Diddy Kong appears. Super Diddy Kong has white fur, a white cap, and a blue tank top.

Powers and abilities
In almost every appearance he makes, Diddy Kong has been shown to be very quick and nimble to offset Donkey Kong's great strength. As a result, Diddy has more trouble defeating larger enemies. In many games he has appeared, such as in Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong 64, he is able to use his cartwheel to attack opponents but also to jump farther in Donkey Kong Country. Diddy Kong is shown to have a strong skull; he has a special dashing ability in Donkey Kong 64 called Chimpy Charge where he ram into switches, walls, and gongs with a head-first charge and in Donkey Kong Country Returns, after defeating Tiki Tong, he brings the moon down with just his head.

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.

In some games, Diddy Kong can also use his Jetpack to fly to hard-to-reach areas. However, in Donkey Kong 64, this Jetpack is only given to him after entering one of Cranky's Kong Barrels, and it can only be used in certain areas. During the time Diddy Kong uses his Jetpack, he is also equipped with Peanut Popguns, which allow him to defeat or stun distant enemies and activate switches. During Donkey Kong Country Returns, Diddy Kong can use his Jetpack in order to carry Donkey Kong over pits. It's 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. Additionally, in Donkey Kong 64 he is able to use his tail to attack enemies or use it as a spring to reach higher areas. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he is able to combine his Jetpack and Peanut Popgun for his final smash. He can also perform Wild Moves in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast.

In Mario Superstar Baseball, Diddy Kong, with his good running stat, also possess 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 natural abilities such as summoning a beam of light that subdue 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. 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.

Friends
Donkey Kong is Diddy Kong's best friend and idol. Diddy Kong does not appear to be related to Donkey Kong since they are different species, but he has been called Donkey Kong's nephew on occasion, such as in the English version of Super Smash Bros. or once on Rare's website; however, the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. did not call him DK's nephew, Leigh Loveday himself uses uncertain language, and the Donkey Kong 64 instruction booklet only considers him "Donkey's little nephew wannabe." The idea was soon dropped, and the usual story returned to them just being close friends.

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.

Dixie Kong has accompanied her boyfriend Diddy Kong on a few adventures and sports outings, including Diddy Kong Racing DS, in which Donkey Kong did not appear. Their romantic relationship is not often touched upon in the games themselves.

Official profiles and statistics
Diddy Kong is usually introduced as Donkey Kong's buddy in his official bios, with Dixie Kong being mentioned occasionally as well. He is typically described as being small and agile, and his stats in most spinoffs accordingly make him a lightweight and/or speed character.

Trivia

 * Diddy Kong's concept name of "Dinky Kong" would later be used as Kiddy Kong's Japanese name.
 * Diddy Kong appears on Mario Kart Wii Trading Cards as a normal and foil card. On the back of his card, there is a description of him but with a spelling error saying "...he his one fun driver", instead of saying "...he is one fun driver".
 * Diddy Kong has appeared more times as a playable character in the Donkey Kong Country series than Donkey Kong has.