Donkey Kong

"My bananas and my buddy, Diddy, they are gone! The Kremlings will pay! I'll hunt them down through every corner of my island, until I have every last banana from my hoard back!"

- Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong, also known as DK, is a powerful hero Kong from Donkey Kong Island. He is a carefree simian who spends his days collecting Bananas and spends time with his friends, particularly his buddy Diddy Kong. However, when trouble arises, Donkey Kong jumps headfirst into the action to help his friends and protect his island. Donkey Kong's character design was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the Donkey Kong arcade game.

Creation
Donkey Kong's exact role in the Mario series is somewhat sketchy. His original appearance portrayed him as a villainous or confused ape with unequaled strength. In these games, Donkey Kong didn't wear a tie like he does now.

However, with the release of Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong was given a new personality, a new home, and a single piece of clothing (a tie with the letters "DK" printed on them). Donkey Kong Country also saw the appearance of Cranky Kong, who claimed to be the original Donkey Kong from the old arcade games. It was confirmed that the tie-wearing Donkey Kong was a different character from the original Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong's Mario Superstar Baseball bio, where it makes a reference to "his ancestor (the original Donkey Kong)....". Thus, it is widely believed now that Cranky Kong is an older version of Mario's age-old nemesis, while the current Donkey Kong (who inherited his ancestor's name) is the older version of Donkey Kong Jr. However, in the Solid Snake's Codec conversation in Brawl, Otacon had said that the original "Donkey Kong" was this Donkey Kong's grandfather, and not his father. This argument still goes on today.

Additional confusion has been caused by the appearance of a character called Donkey Kong Jr. in some recent Mario sports games, who appears to be younger than the present Donkey Kong. This could be disregarded however, since Baby Mario also sometimes appears alongside Mario during spin-offs. Also, with the creation of Baby Donkey Kong, it is most likely that the two are different characters regarding the designs.

Background
During Donkey Kong's infancy, he is stolen from his treetop home by Kamek and his Toady army during their massive kidnapping spree. However, DK meets the Yoshis and greatly helps them in their quest to defeat the Koopa Troop. When riding on a Yoshi's back, Donkey Kong helps the Yoshis perform many special moves, such as climbing vines and charging. It is unknown if this Baby Donkey Kong is a younger Cranky Kong or the current Donkey Kong.

''Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong's first appearance is in the Arcade game of the same name, where he was actually younger Cranky Kong, in which he is the main villain. In the game, Donkey Kong makes off with Mario's girlfriend Pauline and carries her to the top of a high construction site. He is pursued by Mario and attacks him by throwing Barrels and creating living Fire. He is eventually pursued to the top of the construction site, where Mario causes the bars supporting him to crash, sending him to the ground. Donkey Kong tries to kidnap Pauline yet again in the Game Boy game Donkey Kong, this time accompanied by his son Donkey Kong Jr.. Donkey Kong's tactics in this game remain virtually the same, attacking mainly by throwing a variety of objects at the hero.

''Donkey Kong Jr.
Donkey Kong takes the role of damsel-in-distress during Donkey Kong Jr. In this game, Mario actually kidnaps Donkey Kong and stands guard next to his cage with a whip, sending various enemies like Snapjaws and Nitpickers to attack Donkey Kong Jr. In the end, Donkey Kong Jr. defeats Mario to free Donkey Kong.

''Donkey Kong 3
In Donkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong is a main villain once again, although this time, he does not fight Mario (who had gone on to star in his own series and would not meet with Donkey Kong again until much later). In this game, Donkey Kong goes on a rampage inside a greenhouse, and a local exterminator called Stanley the Bugman is called in to defeat him (along with various insects that are destroying plants in the greenhouse). Donkey Kong uses a system of ropes to lower himself to the greenhouse floor. When he reaches the floor, the game ends, and Donkey Kong is able to destroy the rest of the greenhouse. After Stanley sprays Donkey Kong with insecticide three times to keep him off of the greenhouse floor, he runs away. In the final stage (though after this the first stage follows again, tougher than before), Donkey Kong is forced back and gets his head stuck in a beehive.

Donkey Kong Country series
Sometime after the battles between Donkey Kong and Mario play out, the original Donkey Kong gives his name to his grandson. The young ape forges lasting friendships with many of the other Kongs, including his eager friend and nephew Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, and his girlfriend Candy Kong. During this point in time, the original Donkey Kong takes the name Cranky Kong. He eventually begins his reign over the island's jungle. Much of the ape’s time is spent collecting Bananas to add to his Banana Hoard, and he lives a relatively laid back lifestyle as compared to his grandfather, Cranky.

However, a band of Kremlings known as the Kremling Krew forms during this time. Their acts of violence and thievery put them at odds with Donkey Kong constantly, forcing him to guard his Banana Hoard every night.

''Donkey Kong Country
On a stormy night, the Kremling Krew arrives at Donkey Kong Island and steals the Banana Hoard. When Diddy attempts to guard it, the Kremling soldiers trap him in a barrel. The events enrage Donkey Kong upon his return to the Hoard, and he sets out to reclaim his stash. Rescuing Diddy from his barrel prison along the way, the two of them slowly defeat the enormous Kremling forces during their travels throughout Donkey Kong Island with the aid of Candy Kong and Cranky Kong.

Eventually, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong find King K. Rool, the leader of the Kremlings. After defeating the slightly deranged king, the Kongs reclaim the Banana Hoard and return home.

''Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
After his long adventures, Donkey Kong decides to rest on the beach. During the day, the Kremlings kidnap the ape, leaving their footprints, a smashed chair, and a note behind them. Donkey Kong is locked in a cage on Crocodile Isle, the latest Kremling hideout. Using Donkey Kong as a bargaining chip, Kaptain K. Rool, the new identity of King K. Rool, offers to return him in exchange for the Banana Hoard. However, instead of giving in, Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong defeat the Kremlings and rescue Donkey Kong. Crocodile Isle sinks into the ocean afterward, but Kaptain K. Rool escapes on his ship.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
One day, Donkey Kong decides to take his friend and nephew Diddy Kong on a fishing trip in the Northern Kremisphere. While there, they are overpowered and captured by the Kremlings, who claim to now be ruled by an unusual mechanical being named KAOS. Back home, Dixie Kong grows suspicious when the Kongs do not return. She, along with her cousin Kiddy Kong, who she was babysitting at the time, set out to investigate, eventually discovering that Baron K. Roolenstein, another identity of King K. Rool, is behind the entire plot. Defeating him, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are released. However, shortly after Cranky Kong criticizes Dixie and Kiddy Kong for their fight, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong approach Cranky Kong ominously with the intention of beating him up in retribution.

''Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong returns as a playable character in the Wii game, Donkey Kong Country Returns, along with his little buddy Diddy Kong. In this game, the two Kongs set off on another quest to reclaim their banana hoard from a group of evil creatures known as the Tiki Tak Tribe. In this game, a volcano erupts, releasing Tiki Tong and his tikis, who hypnotize the animals living on Donkey Kong Island. The Kalimba tiki is the most seen, considering the fact that he is seen hypnotizing animals and stealing Donkey Kong's bananas with them. When Donkey Kong finds this out, he is furious, but before he can react, Kalimba tiki enters and tries to hypnotize him, but for some reason, the Kongs can't be hypnotized by the tikis. DK knocks the tiki out of his house, bursts his door down, and starts his adventure. Donkey Kong manages to defeat the Tiki Tak Tribe by sealing Tiki Tong back into the volcano by punching the moon hard enough to briefly destabilize its orbit to push Tiki Tong back in. Consequentially, the Volcano ends up erupting bananas that presumably were the banana hoard and the animals hypnotised by the Tikis where saved.

''Donkey Kong Land
Cranky Kong approaches Donkey Kong with a bet. Cranky believes that video games have become easier with the progression of technology. Therefore, he argues, Donkey Kong is not able to defeat K. Rool on an 8-bit system as opposed to the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Cranky challenges Donkey Kong to defeat K. Rool on the Game Boy.

After Donkey Kong agrees, Cranky Kong contacts K. Rool and arranges for the adventure to be repeated. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong defeat the Kremlings again, proving that they are heroes.

''Donkey Kong Land III
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong hear of a contest to discover the Lost World of the Northern Kremisphere. Once there, they set out to find the special area. Under their noses, the Kremlings begin anew the KAOS plot. However, Dixie and Kiddy, who also enter the contest, are able to defeat them.

''Donkey Kong 64
His plots to kidnap Donkey Kong continuously coming short, King K. Rool ditches all traces of pretense and develops a machine, the Blast-O-Matic, capable of completely destroying Donkey Kong Isle. However, due to the incompetence of his underlings, K. Rool's Ship crashes into rocks offshore and delays the blast. Squawks the Parrot, a friend of Donkey Kong, witnesses these events and reports to Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong discovers that all 201 of his Golden Bananas are stolen and four of his friends are kidnapped: Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Chunky Kong, locked behind cages throughout the island.

Donkey Kong discovers a floating isle attached to the main mechanical island. Inside, K. Lumsy, an enormous, disobedient Kremling, is locked up for not destroying the island. When DK promises to get him out of the cage, K. Lumsy jumps for joy, opening up a pathway to Jungle Japes. Once there, Donkey Kong finds Diddy Kong and frees him. Many other friendly faces are found among the Kremling armies, including Funky Kong, Cranky Kong, Snide, Troff, and Scoff. In a later area, Candy Kong also joins the fight. One of her gifts to Donkey Kong is a set of Bongos, which affects Donkey Kong's later life.

As Donkey Kong frees his buddies, they in turn help him find his Golden Bananas and the keys to K. Lumsy’s cage. Eventually, the team is able to take on K. Rool in a boxing match. After his defeat, K. Rool flees the island.

''Donkey Konga
Donkey Kong discovers a magical set of bongos on a beach. Once Cranky Kong realizes his grandson’s potential for being a professional, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong set out to become famous. On their travels, they revisit many locales and play popular songs through cooperative performances and musical face-offs.

''Donkey Konga 2
When Dixie Kong joins Donkey and Diddy for a practice session, the trio realizes their potential for musical chemistry. Shortly after, they set out on another tour, which is very similar to Donkey and Diddy Kong's first one. However, they change up their song list to include current popular songs of the time.

''Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong sees a television commercial for the new Mini Mario toys. Infatuated with the new fad, he rushes to the nearest toy store, only to find that other ravenous fans of the products had bought every last one. In frustration, Donkey Kong succumbs to his violent nature and breaks into the Mario Toy Company, where he makes off with a sack full of Mini-Marios. However, Mario is hot on his trail, using the toys dropped by the ape as allies. Eventually, Mario catches Donkey Kong and destroys his robot, but rather than make the same mistake as was made with Cranky Kong, Mario forgives his old friend, and they continue their lives.

''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis


In the sequel, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, he now works in the Mario Toy Company. Donkey Kong then kidnaps Pauline, the V.I.P. guest, when she chooses Mario's Mini-Mario toy over his Mini-DK toy. It is likely that he is the manufacturer of the Kong toys (besides Mini-DK) that appear in the game.

''Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, Donkey Kong is waiting in a line to buy a ticket for the opening of Super Mini Mario World Theme Park but is too late to buy his ticket to get in. So, he becomes enraged, breaking into the park and stealing Pauline. Once again, the Mini-Marios have to save her.

''Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem, Donkey Kong arrives at Mini-Land to desperately get a Mini Pauline, only to find out that he is the 101st guest to arrive, and the factory all out of toys. Donkey Kong gets incredibly mad and, in his rage, kidnaps Pauline once again, forcing Mario and his force of Mini Marios to rescue her.

''Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
In Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, it is never clear what compelled Donkey Kong to travel to the Banana Kingdom and its sister lands. Nevertheless, the ape sets out on a mission to take down the possessed Dread Kong who ruled it. Upon doing so, he sets out to the other nearby kingdoms. Utilizing his great strength, Donkey Kong, with no support other than his own, fights through sixteen such kingdoms, eventually conquering the evil Cactus King. After the fight, the other kings meet Donkey Kong, now free of Sumo Kong’s curse. Presumably, Donkey Kong allows them to resume their duties. Donkey Kong may not have had honorable intentions for entering the kingdoms, instead desiring more bananas and to improve his reputation.

''DK: King of Swing
Donkey Kong has more work to do during DK: King of Swing. It is time for the annual Jungle Jam, a festival for the Kongs. However, King. K. Rool returns and steals all of the medals needed to have the festival. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong go after him to get the medals back. In the end, they defeat K. Rool, and the festival is celebrated.

''DK: Jungle Climber
In DK: Jungle Climber, Donkey Kong, along with Diddy, Dixie, Cranky, Wrinkly, Funky, and Candy, is resting on the beach when Diddy notices a giant banana. Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Cranky go up to the top and find a Banana Spaceship. Donkey Kong fights this spaceship and finds Xananab. They find that K. Rool and the Kremlings have escaped with his five Crystal Bananas, and he needs them back. Donkey Kong and friends agree, and the four travel through the islands, going through wormholes and other lands, such as Glass Labyrinth, Toybox, and Veggie Patch. At the end of each island, Donkey Kong fights one of K. Rool's assistant Kremlings and eventually defeats the third Kremling. K. Rool then flees to the King Kruiser IV. Donkey Kong chases him and eventually reaches K. Rool's spaceship. There, he defeats the fourth Kremling as K. Rool goes through a wormhole. Donkey Kong follows, and the group lands on Xananab's home planet. There, they fight K. Rool, which is no easy task. Eventually, the DK Crew once again wins, and Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Cranky get to eat as many bananas as they desire.

''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
DK and his friends then decide to go on a new adventure, a race with a plethora of Kremlings and their leader, K. Rool. Donkey Kong and his friends and foes alike compete in the Jungle Grand Prix, in which everyone rides on jet-powered bongos. His rival in this game is a Kritter, and his stats are all average.

''The Saturday Supercade
Donkey Kong, along with Mario and Pauline appears in several episodes of The Saturday Supercade. Here, Donkey Kong is a circus escapee and is now traveling across the country, Mario and Pauline on his tail. Donkey Kong Jr. is also featured in a few of The Saturday Supercade's episodes. On the show, DK Jr., along with his pal Bones, travels across the globe searching for Donkey Kong.

''Captain N: The Game Master
Donkey Kong makes occasional appearances on Captain N: The Game Master. Here he is more or less a giant, bestial, monster. Oftentimes on the show, Donkey Kong is manipulated by Mother Brain and her minions to do their bidding. Donkey Kong also appears in the Captain N comics.

Mario sports games
He is also playable in all of the golf, tennis and other sports titles. He is usually portrayed as a slow but powerful character. He often takes unconventional approaches to certain sports, like swinging a Golf Club one-handed or using a Boxing Glove for a Baseball Bat. The most interesting of these is the fact that he regularly uses his hands when playing soccer, to the point of holding the ball in one hand as he prepares to punch it with the other.

''NES Open Tournament Golf
Donkey Kong appears in various Mario sub-series. In NES Open Tournament Golf, a monkey looking exactly like Donkey Kong, except for the fact that it was wearing white clothes, appears. It is presumed that this monkey is Donkey Kong. This monkey tells the player how much money he or she has. In later golf games, he appears as a playable character.

Mario Tennis series
Donkey Kong appears in Mario Power Tennis as a playable character. His offensive power shot is the Barrel Cannon Blast, and his defensive power shot is the Boomerang Banana Return. When Donkey Kong wins the championship, Toad brings him the trophy, and he grabs it with Toad still holding on. He waves it around, shaking up Toad in the process. When he finally stops, Toad faints, and DK scratches his head. Donkey Kong's taunt is showing muscles.

''Nintendo Adventure Books
Donkey Kong appears in the sixth Nintendo Adventure Book, Doors to Doom, in a recreation of the original game (though Mario and Luigi are trying to reach the top to rescue Princess Peach instead of Pauline). Assuming the Mario Bros. successfully reach the top of the tower, Donkey Kong is ultimately sent plummeting out of sight when Peach jabs him in the backside with her crown.

''Mario Kart 64
Donkey Kong first appears in the Mario Kart series in the Nintendo 64 game, Mario Kart 64. In this game, he is classified as a heavyweight character, along with Bowser and Wario. His personal track is D.K.'s Jungle Parkway.

''Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Donkey Kong reappears as a heavyweight character in the Game Boy Advance game, Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Again, Wario and Bowser join him as the heavyweight characters. Donkey Kong does not have his own course in this game.

''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, along with another Kong, Diddy Kong. Donkey Kong, again, is classified as a heavyweight character. Besides Bowser and Wario, King Boo and Petey Piranha also appear as heavyweight characters. Donkey Kong also gets his own personal track, DK Mountain. He and Diddy share an item, the Giant Banana. Donkey Kong's kart is the DK Jumbo.

''Mario Kart Arcade GP
Donkey Kong appears in the arcade game, Mario Kart Arcade GP. He has four special items. They are the Barrel, the 10T Hammer, the Giant Banana, and the Conga. Like most of the characters, Donkey Kong has his own cup, which is simply named DK Cup. In this cup, two of Donkey Kong's personal tracks appear, Donkey Kong Jungle and Bananan Ruins.

''Mario Kart DS
Donkey Kong appears in the Nintendo DS game, Mario Kart DS. Like with his past appearances, Donkey Kong is a heavyweight character, but in this game, he's the lightest heavyweight; the other heavyweight racers include Wario, Bowser, and R.O.B.. Donkey Kong has three personal karts, the Standard DK, the Rambi Rider, and the Wildlife, and he has one personal track, DK Pass.

''Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Donkey Kong appears in the second Mario Kart arcade game, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. He is a power racer, along with Wario and Bowser. His personal cup is renamed DK Stage, but the same courses appear in the cup.

''Mario Kart Wii
Donkey Kong also appears in the Wii game, Mario Kart Wii. He is classified as a large-sized character, along with Wario, Waluigi, Bowser, King Boo, Rosalina, Funky Kong, and Dry Bowser. He has three courses in this game, with two of them being retro courses; they're DK's Snowboard Cross, DK's Jungle Parkway, and DK Mountain. Donkey Kong receives a small boost of weight, acceleration, and handling, along with a small mini-turbo boost in this game.

''Mario Kart 7
Donkey Kong appears as a racer again in the Nintendo 3DS title, Mario Kart 7, and has his own personal track, DK Jungle. He is classified as a Cruiser-type character in this game, and his speed, weight, and off-road stats are given a slightly above average boost.

Club Nintendo
He is also the main character in the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong Country", which tells the story of the game of the same name: with Diddy Kong, he tries (and manages) to fetch the Banana Hoard back from King K. Rool.

During the events of the comic "Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens", published in the same magazine, he 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 Donkey and Diddy are watching TV. They are terrified by the evil doll but get rescued by Mario, Link, and Kirby. Afterwards, Donkey claims that had he and Diddy defeated the monsters, they would only have taken "half of the time."

He once again appears as the main character in "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24". The Kongs have to save the world from freezing, since a giant UFO is pulling the Earth away from the sun. Together with Diddy, Dixie, Kiddy, and Cranky, Donkey enters a space shuttle and flies into space in order to talk to the aliens. As it turns out, the reason for them pulling away the Earth is that they mistake the planet for a giant coconut. When the Kongs bring them some bananas, they agree to return the Earth to its original position. In the comic, Donkey appears as the bravest of the Kongs, as he is the one to start talking to the aliens.

Donkey Kong Country television series
Donkey Kong is a main character in the 1996 TV series of Donkey Kong Country. In it, Donkey Kong is an anthropomorphic ape who is predicted to be the future ruler of Kongo Bongo Island. However, King K. Rool wants to steal the Crystal Coconut, which will proclaim Donkey Kong the ruler, and DK and his pals have to stop him and the Kremling Krew, as well as another villain, Kaptain Skurvy. On this show, Donkey Kong is depicted as somewhat of a slacker who loves bananas above all else, much like his portrayal in recent games.

Mario Party series
He is playable in all of the Mario Party games up until Mario Party 5. Here, he leaves and starts hosting his own space. He is basically the opposite of Bowser, since when a character lands on his space, something good happens. His board is the third party board in Mario Party DS. Donkey Kong is turned to stone by a Dry Bones while he and Diddy run to Bowser's Castle in search of food. The player has to win the game and beat the Dry Bones to free Donkey Kong. The ape then runs away to the castle. At the end, he is seen with Diddy enjoying the meals Bowser had prepared as traps for the 8 "party characters". Additionally, the Mario Party 3 instruction booklet claims that Donkey Kong's favorite item is the Reverse Mushroom.

Game & Watch series
Donkey Kong has played different roles in the Game & Watch Gallery titles.

Game & Watch Gallery 2
In Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong would attempt to stop Mario by throwing barrels at him.

Game & Watch Gallery 3
Donkey Kong gets captured by Mario in Donkey Kong Jr.. The player uses Donkey Kong Jr. in an attempt to save him.

Game & Watch Gallery Advance
Donkey Kong played three roles in this game. He maintains his roles in Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr., but he also appears in Donkey Kong 3. In that game, he'll attempt to send a Boo or a fireball at Mario by hitting them with bubbles.

Super Smash Bros. series
Donkey Kong is playable in all three Super Smash Bros. games. Donkey Kong is always one of the strongest characters in the game. When he picks up a character, he also has the power to carry them a short distance, which is something that none of the other characters can do. He can also carry large objects, such as barrels and crates, without having his speed hindered.

''Super Smash Bros.


In Super Smash Bros. he is a default character. In one-player mode, the player must fight Giant Donkey Kong. This is the only fight in which the player is given two partners to help them instead of one. Giant Donkey Kong can withstand about 350% damage before being knocked off the stage.

''Super Smash Bros. Melee
DK is also a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Once again, he is a default character. In the new one-player mode, Adventure, the player must first fight two Tiny Donkey Kongs and then fight Giant Donkey Kong at Jungle Japes. By picking up a Super Mushroom, Donkey Kong can transform into Giant Donkey Kong for a few moments. A Giant Donkey Kong also appears in the Event Mode, in two particular events: First in Event 2, where the player controls him and must defeat Tiny Donkey Kong, then in Event 25 where the player must defeat him using Giant Bowser. Donkey Kong can transform into Giant Donkey Kong by using a Super Mushroom (it only lasts for brief moments) or playing Giant Melee.

''Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Donkey Kong reappears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. His moves are carried over from Melee, and he, like other characters, is given a Final Smash, his being is the Konga Beat, probably inspired by the games Donkey Konga and Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. Some even go as far to say Donkey Kong's Final Smash is based on his instrumental attack from Donkey Kong 64, in which he uses a pair of Bongos to create a shock-wave that can defeat any enemy on which it is used, except bosses (mainly because they can't be used in any boss battles). Donkey Kong also gets a new white recolor.

Unlike in the Mario series titles, Donkey Kong is given a gorilla voice for the Super Smash Bros. series. This is even more noticeable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Also, an 8-bit Donkey Kong appears on the 75m stage (which is based on the 2nd level (3rd level in the arcade version) in the original Donkey Kong).

Even though Donkey Kong is a Mario series character, his emblem is the DK symbol, which represents his own series.

Donkey Kong appears in several events, usually in giant form.
 * First he appears as a secret opponent in Event 9: "The Monster beneath the Earth". If the player does not KO the two Diddy Kongs fast enough, Giant DK must be fought as well.
 * He also appears in Event 22: "Monkeys Unite", as Diddy Kong's partner, in which the player uses Diddy to defeat Sheik and Lucario.
 * He is fought in Event 27: "Three-Beast Carnage" as well, alongside Giant Bowser and Giant Charizard.

Solid Snake Codec Conversation

 * Snake: Otacon, there's a gorilla wearing a tie here. He's huge.
 * Otacon: That's Donkey Kong. As you can tell, he's got strength to spare. He may be king of the jungle, but he lives in a house just like you or me. And he seems pretty smart--well, for an ape, anyway. The Donkey Kong who fought that epic battle with Mario was this guy's grandfather.
 * Snake: That was a long time ago. What about this Donkey Kong? Does he get along with Mario?
 * Otacon: Nope, they're still at it. Seems like they're always competing in something--kart racing, sports, you name it.
 * Snake: A chip off the old block....

Role in the Subspace Emissary
The Koopa Troop and Bowser steal Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. As a Hammer Bro. drives a car which contains all the bananas of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong watches it from a cliff. Hammer Bro. and the Goombas aboard the car spot Donkey Kong and shoot Bullet Bills at him. However, Diddy Kong comes out from a bush, and, with his Peanut Popguns, shoots the Bullet Bills. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong then follow the Hammer Bro. to retrieve the Banana Hoard. After following it, they see Bowser with a Dark Cannon, revealing that he is working for the Subspace Army. When Bowser charges the cannon, Donkey Kong charges his Giant Punch. He then launches Diddy to the sky and out of the way, sacrificing himself. Bowser shoots him with the Dark Cannon, which turns him into a trophy. Later, Diddy Kong, Fox McCloud, and Falco Lombardi meet up with a ship carrying Donkey Kong as a trophy to a mysterious floating island. Falco then helps Diddy by following it with his Arwing and taking the little Kong with him. He then drops him, and Diddy gets on his Rocket Barrel, takes out his Popguns, and shoots the ship. After seeing this, Captain Falcon and Captain Olimar decide to help him and jump to the ship. Diddy frees Donkey Kong, and all four fight the Primids and other enemies.

The ship takes them inside a factory producing Subspace Bombs, and they encounter various R.O.B.s that live on the island. They later meet up with Pikachu and Samus Aran and see the Ancient Minister and a plethora of R.O.B.s. After Ganondorf manipulates the R.O.B.s into activating all of the Subspace Bombs, the Ancient Minister is shown to be R.O.B., the leader of all the lesser R.O.B.s who were forced to work for the Subspace Army. R.O.B. then fights with the others. When trying to escape, Captain Falcon calls for his Falcon Flyer and tries to leave the cave. Meta Ridley then appears, forcing the heroes to fight him. After that, they all meet up with the other heroes.

Donkey Kong and the other heroes enter Subspace and meet Tabuu, who turns everyone into trophies with his Off Waves. However, King Dedede had anticipated this and created badges that revived certain fighters back into their original forms without having to touch them. With his team, consisting of Luigi and Ness, Dedede rescues Donkey Kong and most of the others, although some of them are rescued by Kirby. They also recruit Bowser, Ganondorf, and Wario after they are informed about Tabuu. At the end of the Great Maze, Sonic the Hedgehog shows up and helps weaken Tabuu's Off Waves so that Donkey Kong and the others are able to beat him.

Giant Punch
Giant Punch is a move used by Donkey Kong in all three Super Smash Bros. games. It is used by just simply pressing. Donkey Kong will swing his arms back and forth, getting faster with each swing. The more time the player spends winding up Donkey Kong's arm, the stronger the punch will be. Donkey Kong can walk with his punch loaded (much like Samus Aran can). However, when is pressed again, the move will be released, sending a strong punch to whoever is in front of Donkey Kong. When charged to its maximum, it will sometimes have enough energy to result in an instant KO. Giant Punch can also be used by Kirby if he copies Donkey Kong's powers.

Headbutt
Headbutt is a move used by Donkey Kong in the games Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is performed by pressing Side and. When executed, Donkey Kong will swing his head forward, dealing minor damage to enemies. This move will also plow a character into the ground. The foe will be unable to move once caught, leaving him or her open to a barrage. The grounded player can get up by rotating the Control Stick or, if he or she so chooses, by doing nothing. A good strategy is to plow the foe into the ground with Headbutt and then using Hand Slap.

This move also has Meteor Smash properties, but it's usually rather easy to Meteor Cancel it in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Spinning Kong


Spinning Kong is one of Donkey Kong's special moves seen in all three games in the Super Smash Bros. series. It is executed by pressing Up plus. As the name suggests, Donkey Kong will spin using this attack. He can use this when falling off a ledge, or use it to attack players. As a lot of Donkey Kong's moves take a while to use, and usually hit one player, Spinning Kong can be used as a last minute resort when Donkey Kong is surrounded by foes. This move, along with Link's Spin Attack move, acts different when on the ground.

Hand Slap
Hand Slap is one of Donkey Kong's special moves in all games from the Super Smash Bros. series. It is executed by the buttons Down +. Donkey Kong will slap the ground, severely damaging any characters near him. The attack is very useful in the event Donkey Kong is surrounded by opponents. However, the attack takes a while to use, but once used, all the player must do is hold the control stick down and continuously tap. Donkey Kong will keep using the attack over and over, and he will not stop until the player stops tapping or is hit by an opponent. Hand Slap is very useful to use in the Multi-Man Melee challenges. However, the move cannot be executed in mid-air.

While the move has a set knockback in Super Smash Bros. Melee, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it can send high damaged opponents flying further than when at low damage.

The attack originates from Donkey Kong Country, in which Donkey Kong is capable of pounding the ground (originally to get items hidden in the ground, which he can do here).

Konga Beat
The Konga Beat is Donkey Kong's Final Smash in the game Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When using it, Donkey Kong will put out two Bongos and start playing the music from the first level of Donkey Kong Country. The player can make the attack stronger by pressing the buttons in tune with each beat of the song.

Donkey Kong is invincible during the move. Unfortunately he is also unable to move, making the move very risky to use on scrolling stages that requires the player to keep on moving (ironically, this is a requirement in one of Donkey Kong's very own stages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Rumble Falls).

''Punch-Out!!
In the Wii title, Punch-Out!!, an updated sequel of the classic NES game, Donkey Kong appears as a hidden bonus opponent, found initially in the game mode, Mac's Last Stand. If the player fights Donkey Kong in that game mode, he/she can fight him at any time in Exhibition mode.

''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
In the Wii and Nintendo DS versions of the video game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, he is a power playable character.

''Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Donkey Kong returns in the third installment Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, as once again a power type playable character.

''Mario Sports Mix
Donkey Kong appeared in Mario Sports Mix, where he was classified as a Powerful type character. While his technique is average, along with a very high power stat, Donkey Kong's speed is quite slow. His stage court is DK Dock.

Donkey Kong's special shot involves slamming the ground (which would briefly stun opponents) and then aiming the ball/puck at the goal, or at an opposing player. In Dodgeball, Donkey Kong can repel dodgeball attacks by spinning his body while having his arms stretched out. However, this defensive maneuver is rendered useless when the dodgeball is equipped with an item.

Cancelled Appearances
He was going to appear in the now-canceled Diddy Kong Pilot, Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers, and Donkey Kong Racing.

Physical Appearance
Donkey Kong is an ape with muscular pecs, a slim stomach, and large triceps and biceps; all surrounded in chocolate brown fur. The fur on his head gives off the appearance of a human hairstyle. He wears a single item of clothing: a red necktie with the "DK" logo printed on it in yellow.

Powers and Abilities
Unlike most characters, who have some kind of special power, Donkey Kong relies mainly on his brute strength to get his way through. In the original Donkey Kong he had a seemingly unlimited supply of Barrels, and could throw them easily. This carried on to the Donkey Kong Country games, where he can pick up and throw Barrels with ease. Also in Donkey Kong Country, he can destroy certain enemies that Diddy Kong cannot hurt with a single jump. In Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, his strength is shown yet again, it makes him so strong that when he Claps, a sound-wave is produced. This is his main attack throughout the game. In the ending of Donkey Kong Country Returns, DK is shown to be strong enough to knock the Mushroom World's Moon out of its orbit and into the planet's atmosphere with a single punch.

Diddy Kong
Diddy Kong is Donkey Kong's "little buddy" and nephew. Diddy Kong has gone on countless adventures with his more popular friend, and has even rescued Donkey Kong a couple times. Diddy seems to have a more happy-go-lucky personality than his friend, which is probably due to his youthful age. The relationship between Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong seems to be similar to the relationship of Mario and Luigi, only the two Kongs are not brothers. Although it's never mentioned in the TV series, Diddy is said to be DK's nephew.

Cranky Kong
Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong's crabby and constantly rambling ancestor. He has usually found a way to help Donkey Kong out in his adventures, though it usually entails giving out advice.

Donkey Kong Jr.
Donkey Kong Jr., is the son of the original Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong. This means that Donkey Kong Jr. is either the current Donkey Kong or his father, as the original Donkey Kong is now known as Cranky Kong. Donkey Kong Jr. saved his father from the clutches of Mario in Donkey Kong Jr.

Candy Kong
Candy Kong is the girlfriend of Donkey Kong. According to Super Smash Bros. Brawl however, she is only his "rumored" girlfriend. Also, Donkey Kong in the Mario series of games, has shown interest in Pauline instead of Candy Kong.

Mario
Donkey Kong and Mario have had quite the rivalry since the Donkey Kong Jr. era. Their rivalry has even taken a new course as witnessed in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. However, their rivalry sometimes takes a new spin in the sports games and party games. Though Donkey Kong is large in size, he is still quite a bit younger than Mario.

Pauline
Pauline was kidnapped by Cranky Kong in the original Donkey Kong game and the current Donkey Kong in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2, and Mario had to rescue her. The relationship between Pauline and Donkey Kong is unknown, but she was probably kidnapped because the ape thought that she was "pretty".

Super Smash Bros. Profile

 * Instruction Booklet Bio: "Mario's former enemy, this mighty ape is bestowed with tremendous power and overwhelming attacks."
 * Game Bio: Donkey Kong and Mario started out as arch-rivals, but they've patched things up in recent years. These days Donkey Kong spends his time searching the jungle for bananas instead of kidnapping beautiful maidens. In the past few years, other members of the Kong family have cashed in on DK's fame as well, including his favorite nephew, Diddy.

Instruction Booklet
"An ape with overwhelming girth and power."

''Mario Hoops 3-on-3

 * Baller Name: Dunky Monkey
 * Type: Powerful
 * Special Shot: Konga Dunk
 * Letter to Tap: M

''Mario Superstar Baseball

 * Team Captain: Yes
 * Player Type: Power
 * Star Swing: Banana Ball
 * Star Pitch: Banana Ball
 * Special Skill: Clamber, Laser Beam

Good Chemistry

 * Diddy Kong
 * Dixie Kong
 * Petey Piranha

Bad Chemistry

 * None

Stats

 * Batting: 8
 * Pitching: 7
 * Fielding: 4
 * Running: 4

Bio
''"A gorilla known for raw power, DK lives a carefree jungle life... unless someone messes with his bananas, in which case he just loses it. His ancestor, the original Donkey Kong wore no necktie. His talents lead in beating on primate foes and kart-racing. Fear his Banana Ball."

''Mario Power Tennis

 * Type: Power
 * Offensive Power Shot: Barrel Cannon Blast
 * Defensive Power Shot: Boomerang Banana Return

Bio: DK's every swing is a thing of heroic proportions as he relies on his simian strengh to blow the ball by his opponents.

''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

 * Partner: Diddy Kong
 * Class: Heavy
 * Personal Kart: DK Jumbo
 * Special Item: Giant Banana
 * Bio: How fast is Donkey Kong? Just look at the size of his feet! When he stomps on the gas with his big, hairy ape-foot, it's go-go-go time!

''Mario Kart: Super Circuit

 * Speed: **
 * Weight: ****
 * Bio: Adventurer, rapper and master driver. Is there anything Donkey Kong can't do? DK is heavy enough to avoid being pushed around, but he still has decent speed.

''Mario Strikers Charged Football

 * Type: Power
 * Super Ability: Thunder Wham!
 * Deke: Pounds his chest to hit opponents back.

Stats

 * Movement: 3
 * Shooting: 10
 * Passing: 3
 * Defense: 10

''Mario Kart Wii

 * Size: Large
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Weight: +1
 * Acceleration: +1
 * Handling: +1
 * Mini-Turbo: +1

Online Collectible Card Bio
''As king of the jungle and captain of the DK Wilds, Donkey Kong packs some serious punch at the plate. Pairing him up with his pals Diddy Kong and Funky Kong in the outfield makes for some hairy defense.''

''Fortune Street

 * Bio: A soft-hearted, yet hard as nails hero of the jungle. Is he only here for the banana-selling fruit stalls?

Mario Kart 7

 * Class: Cruiser
 * Stat Boosts
 * Speed: 3.75
 * Acceleration: 2.5
 * Weight: 3.75
 * Handling: 2.5
 * Off-Road: 3.75
 * Site Bios:
 * Flag of USA.png "This big and burly primate is slow to accelerate in a kart race, but his top speed approaches hyper levels."
 * Flag of Europe.png "Donkey Kong is a driver with a wild side, and he's ready to smash his rivals off the track."

In ''Donkey Kong Country

 * "Ok, little buddy, as part of your hero training, you've got to stand guard tonight over my bananas... I'll relieve you at midnight, so try and stay awake until then!"
 * ''"My bananas and my buddy, Diddy, they are gone! The Kremlings will pay! I'll hunt them down through every corner of my island, until I have every last banana from my hoard back!"

In ''Donkey Kong 64

 * ''"What did Cranky mean about training? Donkey all confused..."
 * ''"Yes, Donkey will help K. Lumsy!"

In the Donkey Kong Country cartoon

 * ''"Banana-slamma!!"
 * ''"I would have called Cranky Kong something else, but you were present."
 * ''"Aye aye, nose nose, throat throat, ablast me hardies, and shiver me tree trunks!"
 * ''"Hmmm, to know everything, I must give up everything... HEY! Little buddy, I'm giving you my tie collection!"
 * ''"Ohh... feels like I got the stuffing knocked out of me... Oh no! I did get the stuffing knocked out of me! Where's my stuffing?!"
 * "Arr, you got me confused with someone else. I'm Donkey Kroc the pirate, arr, and I'm looking for Donkey Kong the (mimics monkey) ape."
 * ''"That's not mine! Look, there's still a piece of banana inside! I never leave a banana bit! Can I have it?"
 * ''"I've never known any problem that couldn't be solved with a little nap."
 * ''"Help, Diddy! I've fallen, and I can't get up! Can you pass me a banana, little buddy?"
 * ''"It's hard to believe anybody this cute could have everybody so mad at him."
 * ''"It's the company's fault for making you want it so much."
 * ''"Back off or I'll have to slam you."
 * ''"It's more fun bein' in one of these biplanes than on top of some skyscraper!"
 * ''"I think HE'S the one with problems"
 * ''"It's the dreaded..daba..blaba..curse of double dabble wa...doo be doo!"
 * ''"Then let's give them something to really listen to."

Trivia

 * In Banjo-Tooie, for the N64, Goggles, a minor character, plays with a Donkey Kong doll.
 * Donkey Kong's artwork for Super Smash Bros. has the DK initials on his necktie flipped.
 * The name "Donkey Kong" is an elaborate play on words deemed to mean "stupid monkey." Hence the "donkey" part.
 * Donkey Kong, along with Birdo, Goomba, and a few others, were originally planned to appear as playable characters in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, but were scrapped prior to the end-product for unknown reasons.
 * Surprisingly, Donkey Kong made an appearance in Punch-Out!! Wii, as the final boxer Little Mac had to fight with.
 * Although usually faster than Bowser, Donkey Kong appeared as the slower character in Mario Super Sluggers. Why Bowser had the higher running stat in that game is unknown.
 * Oddly enough, in the DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Donkey Kong had a higher power stat than Bowser. Even though usually, Bowser is stronger than Donkey Kong.
 * In some of his appearances, Donkey Kong has teeth, but in others, he lacks teeth.
 * According to the talking microphone that serves the announcer for the fight against K. Rool in Donkey Kong 64, Donkey Kong weighs 800 pounds.
 * A Monster Truck based on Donkey Kong appeared at Monster Jam 2007.
 * Donkey Kong appears as a property in Nintendo Monopoly. He takes the place of Marvin Gardens and costs $280.