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 buddy and companion who has gone on countless adventures with him. He is a creation of the British company, Rare, Ltd.; however, he has a Nintendo logo on his trademarked red hat, probably to signify the publisher of the entire Donkey Kong series. The name 'Diddy' is a slang word used in some parts of northern England for 'small', as Diddy is. Diddy has also gone on many adventures by himself and has even starred in his own racing game for the Nintendo 64 and later for the Nintendo DS.

''Donkey Kong Country
Diddy Kong first appeared in Donkey Kong Country, here he was still Donkey Kong's apprentice and an in-training video-game star. Wanting to humor an over eager Diddy, Donkey decided to let Diddy guard his Banana Hoard. Unfortunately, when DK assigned this duty to Diddy he hadn't expected the Kremling Krew to attack. Unable to hold off an attack by a Krusha, Diddy was sealed in a barrel. The next morning Donkey awoke and, realizing his bananas were missing, he found and released Diddy and the two set off to reclaim them and drive the Kremlings off of Donkey Kong Island. Eventually Donkey and Diddy managed to defeat King K. Rool and the Kremling Krew.

''Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Disaster soon struck in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, when the Kremling Krew kidnapped Donkey Kong and whisked him away to their own island, Crocodile Isle. K. Rool threatened to never return Donkey Kong unless he was given the Banana Hoard, which Diddy refused to give because all the trouble that he and Donkey Kong went through to recover it in the previous game. It was up to Diddy and Dixie to venture through Crocodile Isle and rescue Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool. Near the end of Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong was rescued by Diddy and Dixie and Crocodile Isle sank into the ocean.

''Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Diddy ended up captured in the events of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. Diddy and Donkey decided to go vacationing in the Northern Kremisphere, planning to return to Donkey Kong Island in a few days time. The duo never came back. Dixie, worried about the two Kongs, decided to venture to the Northern Kremisphere to search for them, her cousin Kiddy Kong in tow with her. After Dixie and Kiddy defeated Baron K. Roolenstein they discovered that KAOS, K. Rool's stand-in leader for the Kremling Krew, contained Diddy and Donkey. It seemed K. Rool had abducted Diddy and Donkey for the purpose of using their brain energy to power KAOS. After being rescued Diddy and Donkey went back to Donkey Kong Island while Dixie and Kiddy took care of what was left of the Kremling Krew.

Donkey Kong Country Returns
Diddy Kong appeared in the new Wii game, Donkey Kong Country Returns. In it, he and Donkey Kong set off on another quest to reclaim the Banana Hoard, which has been stolen by a group of evil creatures called Tikis.

"Donkey Kong Country"
He also appeared 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. When discovered by Donkey Kong, both start searching for the villain.

"Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens"
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 together 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 get 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 ufo is pulling the Earth away from the sun. Together with Donkey, Dixie, Kiddy and Cranky, Diddy 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 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.

''Donkey Kong Land
Diddy Kong and Donkey Kong were tricked into a bet by Cranky Kong in Donkey Kong Land, and the two once again set off to reclaim Donkey's Banana Hoard from King K. Rool. After traveling through four dangerous lands, Diddy and Donkey Kong managed to defeat King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew once more.

''Donkey Kong Land 2
In Donkey Kong Land 2, Diddy and the rest of the Kongs once again went back to relaxing. Unfortunately, K. Rool and the Kremlings struck again. After raising their island back up to the surface, the Kremlings kidnapped Donkey Kong once more. Diddy and Dixie had to, once again venture to Crocodile Isle and rescue Donkey Kong.

''Donkey Kong Land III
Diddy and Donkey decided to enter a contest to find the recently re-sunken island of Lost World with leaving a disgruntled Dixie, Kiddy and K. Rool behind. Despite having an integral role in Donkey Kong Land III Diddy (along with Donkey) doesn't actually appear in the game. Where the two Kongs were during the events of the game is unknown.

Donkey Kong Country television series
Diddy Kong was featured as a main character on the Donkey Kong Country television series. Here he was still Donkey Kong's little buddy who went on countless adventures with him.

Diddy was 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.

''Diddy Kong Racing
In Diddy Kong Racing, while lazing around one day while the rest of the Kong clan was out, Diddy eventually got a letter from his long-time friend Timber. The letter was asking Diddy for help, as an intergalactic bully named Wizpig had invaded Timber's Island and Timber needed Diddy's help to get rid of him. Diddy and Timber, along with a few friends eventually managed to drive off Wizpig and release those who were under his mind control.

''Diddy Kong Racing DS
Diddy Kong has recently appeared in Diddy Kong Racing DS, a remake of Diddy Kong Racing. In this game, he had to save Timber's Island again from the evil Wizpig, this time with Dixie and Tiny by his side.

''Donkey Kong 64
Trouble once again brewed in Donkey Kong 64. King K. Rool, hungry for revenge, tried to attack Donkey Kong Island. Luckily for the island's inhabitants K. Rool's weapon, the Blast-O-Matic was damaged after K. Rool's Ship crashed into a small island. To buy time to repair his weapon K. Rool had Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard re-stolen, and had several Kong's kidnapped, Diddy included.

Diddy was eventually freed from his captivity in Jungle Japes by Donkey Kong early on in his journey. From then on Diddy aided 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 was defeated by the Kongs in a wrestling match. The method for defeating him for good involved a plan by Funky and Candy in which Funky brought a shoe gun to kick him out of the ring.

''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Even though he had always been connected to Mario through Donkey Kong, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour was the first-ever game to feature both Mario and Diddy Kong. He was a playable character in the game, appearing as Donkey Kong's partner.

Mario Kart series
Diddy Kong later managed to appear in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. He was a light character, and his special weapon was the Giant Banana, which is shared with Donkey Kong. Additionally, his partner is Donkey Kong, and his own personal car is the Barrel Train. Diddy also made a cameo at the end of Banana Ruins of Mario Kart Arcade GP.

Diddy returns as a playable character in Mario Kart Wii as a middle sized character, but is unlockable this time. He is unlocked by winning the 50cc Lighting Cup, or by playing 450 races. Diddy featured a small acceleration and drift bonus, while getting a strong mini-turbo bonus.

Also joining the race is Funky Kong; the fourth Donkey Kong character to be playable in Mario Kart.

Donkey Konga series
Diddy, along with Donkey and Dixie, became a musical star in Donkey Konga and Donkey Konga 2. He also appears in Donkey Konga 3. He helped them earn plenty of money.

Mario Tennis series
In Mario Power Tennis, he was a speedy character, and was usually paired with Donkey Kong. His Offensive Power Shot and Defensive Power Shot are Acrobatic Banana and Barrel Jet, respectively.

''DK: King of Swing
In DK: King of Swing Diddy 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 along with Donkey Kong, helps to save the Jungle Jam from the Kremling Krew.

''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 a low-AI Diddy at the beginning of the game, and in one of the minigames, the Player also has to race a hard-to-beat Diddy. Diddy plays a role in the plot as Donkey Kong's sidekick, as usual.

Mario Baseball series
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Diddy Kong was once again a playable character. He was a Team Captain in Exhibition Mode, and a Sub-Captain in Challenge Mode. During Challenge Mode, Diddy played 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 was also the first traditional Mario game appearance of Diddy Kong's girlfriend, Dixie Kong.

Diddy Kong also appears as a captain in Mario Super Sluggers. Funky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Baby DK also appear in that game.

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

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

''Mario Strikers Charged Football
He is also an unlockable captain in Mario Strikers Charged Football, unlocked by beating Diddy Kong in the Crystal Cup. Diddy Kong is a Playmaker Captain, and 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 15 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 gained some new interesting 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 Party DS
Diddy Kong has a non-playable role in Mario Party DS. In the third stage of Story Mode, Donkey Kong was 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.

Super Smash Bros. series
Diddy Kong joins the Super Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is swift and agile, and is very acrobatic, just like he is in the DK series. His Final Smash, Rocketbarrel Barrage, 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. And although he did not appear in Super Smash Bros. Melee or Super Smash Bros., he was mentioned in both games.

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

Solid Snake Codec Conversation

 * Snake: Otacon, there's a chimpanzee here wearing a Nintendo hat.
 * Otacon: That's Diddy Kong. He's Donkey Kong's partner. Not only is he lightweight, he can use a wide range of weapons as well. He can fly using those barrel jets on his back, and he can shoot nuts with his Peanut Popgun.
 * Snake: Peanuts? As in the ones in the little shells? Are you serious?
 * Otacon: Wait, here's the best part. You see them lying on the ground after he shoots? If you pick up some of those peanuts, they'll restore your health a little.
 * Snake: Hmm. Edible ammunition, huh... Times sure have changed.

Role in 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. 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 and clones him into False Diddy Kong. 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 off in order for the little Kong to rescue him. After receiving help from Captain Falcon and Captain Olimar to fend of 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, along with help from Sonic the Hedgehog.

Peanut Popgun
The Peanut Popgun appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as an attack for Diddy Kong. It is Diddy Kong's standard special move, and can be charged up. When charged up, the peanuts fired are much faster, and will have a better chance at hitting the opponents. However, charging it up too long is dangerous, as it might explode on Diddy Kong. The attack occasionally releases Peanuts, which can be eaten for a slight health restoral. Diddy Kong also uses two Peanut Popguns when using his Final Smash, the Rocketbarrel Barrage. If Diddy Kong's powers are copied by Kirby, he will also be able to use Peanut Popgun.

Monkey Flip
Monkey Flip is Diddy Kong's Side Special Move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Diddy Kong leaps forward towards the enemy, latches onto them, and begins attacking. B can be used to pummel while latched on, and A can be used to push off of them, knocking them away. As this sends Diddy forward, it can be used in addition to his Up-B recovery as it does not put Diddy into Helpless state afterwards. If Diddy pressed A while performing this move, he sticks a foot out, and will kick the opponent instead of latching on. However, this kick will prevent you from using his Up-B until the next time he lands. By pressing the jump button after latching onto an enemy, the player must jump onto their head and push them downwards which performs a spike. The Monkey Flip can also set up a 'Diddycide' (a term that many professional Smash players use).

Rocketbarrel Boost
The Rocketbarrel Boost (labeled Rocketbarrel Blast in the instruction booklet) is Diddy's Up special move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Rocketbarrel Boost allows Diddy to fly with only his Jet Pack. Diddy Kong can charge this attack up, and if it is charged, he will be able to fly farther. Tilting the control stick allows Diddy to curve his flight path, allowing him to fly in several different directions. It causes damage to anyone who hits it. However, if Diddy Kong is attacked while flying, he will lose his jetpack, and fall down. The jetpack will then fly away, and has a chance of hitting another player. The Rocketbarrel Boost is also used during Diddy Kong's Final Smash, Rocketbarrel Barrage.

Banana Peel
Banana Peel is Diddy Kong's down special move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In this, he brings a Banana Peel out of nowhere, and throws it randomly onto the ground. If opponents trip on the said banana peel, they will take a minor amount of damage. Although up to two banana peels can be on the ground at once, if there are any more, they will disappear. Diddy can use this move, even if he's already holding an item.

Rocketbarrel Barrage
Rocketbarrel Barrage is Diddy Kong's Final Smash, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It utilizes both the Peanut Popgun and Rocketbarrel Boost attacks, from Donkey Kong 64, and fuses them to create a very powerful attack. When the Smash Ball is collected, Diddy Kong gets his Rocketbarrel Boost out, and holds two Peanut Popguns. He then continues to fly around the entire stage, with the player being able to control him. Pressing the attack button will cause him to shoot explosive Peanuts at the opponents. When they hit a player or the ground, they explode with a large blast radius, devastating anyone hit. However, any Peanut that doesn't hit a player will open up, and reveal a Food item, which can be eaten to restore health. When time is up, the Rocketbarrel explodes, hurting anyone nearby. It does not hurt Diddy, however.

Canceled 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 moved over to Microsoft.

Physical Appearance
Diddy Kong shares several traits to a Spider Monkey. He has brown-colored fur; while his face, ears, hands, feet, belly and belly button (in the original Donkey Kong Country he had no visible nostrils or belly button) are exposed, showing Diddy's pale skin. 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 has big eyes and a less frowned space between the eyebrows, covered in fur, as opposed to DK's. His ears are a bit big, the same size of his eyes. Diddy's eyes are usually depicted as black, although in Diddy Kong Racing reveals blue eyes. On the other hand, Super Smash Bros. Brawl gives him brown eyes.

Diddy'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. In Donkey Kong Country, an alternate Diddy'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 appeared with another alternate costume as well. In the sequel, Diddy wore a purple costume. For the recent edition of Super Smash Bros. series, Diddy has a wider selection of alternate color costumes. In Mario Strikers Charged Football Diddy wears an armor, protecting him against hazards set in the game. He wears a pair of wristbands, shoulderpads, 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 wore a similar color scheme.

Donkey Kong
Diddy Kong is Donkey Kong's best friend. In fact, Diddy Kong has even been described as a nephew wannabe. Together they have been on countless adventures. Diddy idolizes him and will usually help him whenever he needs it. Together they pair up as an "apish" Mario Bros. They have since usually appeared together in sports games.

Dixie Kong
Dixie Kong, Diddy Kong's girlfriend, is another who has been on adventures with Diddy. Dixie has worked with her cousin Kiddy Kong to free him and Donkey from K. Rool's control in DKC3. Dixie has also appeared in a few sports games with Diddy. She was one of the Kongs that Diddy brought with him to help Timber in Diddy Kong Racing DS.

Cranky Kong
Cranky is somewhat of a fatherly figure to Diddy, calling himself a "grandfather" of sorts despite no direct relation. In DKC2 Cranky often complains about Diddy getting a starring role while he is stuck in a gloomy shed with no chair. If Diddy collects all the hero coins Cranky will call Diddy a true video game hero and comments that he must take after him and Donkey.

''Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Information

 * Partner: Donkey Kong
 * Class: Light
 * Personal Kart: Barrel Train
 * Special Item: Giant Banana
 * Bio: You've never seen a monkey drive like this. Diddy Kong is a free-wheeling, banana-chucking, chest-thumping ball of jungle fire!

Mario Superstar Baseball

 * Challenge Mode Captain: Donkey Kong
 * Team Captain: Yes
 * Player Type: Speed
 * Star Swing: Boomerang Ball
 * Star Pitch: Boomerang Ball
 * Special Skill: Clamber, Super Catch

Good Chemistry

 * Goomba
 * Donkey Kong
 * Dixie Kong

Bad Chemistry

 * None

Stats

 * Batting: 3
 * Pitching: 6
 * Fielding: 7
 * Running: 7

Bios
"DK’s partner and buddy. Diddy’s trademark is his red baseball hat. While Donkey Kong boasts incredible power, Diddy’s forte is his nimbleness. Using his prehensile tail to great effect, Diddy Kong is a natural fielder who won’t ever boot routine balls."

Mario Strikers Charged Football

 * Type: Playmaker
 * Super Ability: Red Card!
 * Deke: Jumps over players.

Stats

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

Mario Kart Wii

 * Size: Medium
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Acceleration: +1
 * Drift: +1
 * Mini-Turbo: +2

Prima Rating
Offense: 8 Defense: 7 Projectile: 8 Final Smash: 7 Throwing Ability: 6 Speed: 10 Overall: 8

Trivia

 * Diddy Kong also starred in Nintendo Monopoly. He costs $260, and took the role of Ventnor Avenue.
 * It is likely he has more different colored hats, according to Mario Golf: Advance Tour.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Solid Snake refers to Diddy as a chimpanzee. However, chimpanzees don't have tails, and he's been described as a monkey since his debut.
 * Ever since Diddy Kong began appearing in the Mario spin-off titles, Bowser Jr. also appeared with him. However, for some odd reason, while Bowser Jr. does appear in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Diddy is completely absent from that game (however he does appear only as a character costume for the player's Mii). Likewise, while Diddy is playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Bowser Jr. is absent from that game (unless players count the trophies and stickers as appearances).
 * 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's creation as a character by Rare contributes to why he is both an intellectual property of both it and Nintendo. During Donkey Kong Country's original development, Rare designed Diddy Kong as an updated look for Donkey Kong Jr. However, Nintendo hated the extreme changes that Rare made to Donkey Kong Jr.  They asked Rare to keep Donkey Kong Jr. the way that he was or to make a new character out of their reincarnation.  Rare decided, ultimately, to make a new character, and thus, Diddy Kong was born.