History of Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong debuted in the titular game, Donkey Kong as the antagonist who kidnaps Lady (later renamed Pauline). Becoming a reoccurring character, he appears as a protagonist, antagonist or a supporting character. He made appearances as the antagonist in Donkey Kong video game adaptations and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong appears as a protagonist in his titular franchise with Diddy Kong as his ally. In Mario spin-offs, Donkey Kong appears either as a playable character or an ally.
Donkey Kong series[edit]
Donkey Kong[edit]
Donkey Kong debuts in the arcade game of the same name, where he is the main antagonist. In the game, Donkey Kong was the pet of Mario,[1][2] but he escapes and angrily carries Mario's girlfriend, Lady, to the top of a construction site. He is pursued by Mario and attacks him by throwing barrels and creating living Fireballs. He is eventually chased to the top of the construction site, where Mario causes the girders supporting him to collapse, sending him plummeting to the ground. Later games, starting with Donkey Kong Country, establish the identity of Donkey Kong in his first arcade appearances as actually being Cranky Kong, with the title of "Donkey Kong" being later passed down to his grandson.
Donkey Kong Jr.[edit]
In Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong is trapped by Mario as a punishment for kidnapping Pauline and stands guard next to his cage with a whip, and sends various enemies like Snapjaws and Nitpickers to prevent his son, Donkey Kong Jr., from freeing him. In the end, Donkey Kong Jr. defeats Mario and frees Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong 3[edit]
In Donkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong returns as the main villain. In this game, Donkey Kong goes on a rampage inside a greenhouse, where a local exterminator named Stanley is called in to defeat him. Donkey Kong uses a system of ropes to lower himself to the greenhouse floor. When he reaches the floor, Donkey Kong can destroy the rest of the greenhouse and the game ends. If Stanley sprays Donkey Kong with insecticide three times, he runs away. In the final stage, Donkey Kong gets his head stuck in a beehive while running away. In the arcade version, upon getting his head stuck in a beehive, he tries to get the beehive off, but the beehive breaks in half, revealing his sting-swollen face.
Donkey Kong (Game Boy)[edit]
In the 1994 Game Boy rendition of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline again. However, instead of it ending at 100m, he instead manages to quickly retake Pauline and force Mario to pursue him for the rest of the game. His son Donkey Kong Jr. also aids his father in preventing Mario from rescuing her. Donkey Kong's mainly attacks by throwing a variety of objects at Mario, although there are sometimes stage hazards Donkey Kong can utilize, such as pressing a switch to make bridges appear and disappear.
Eventually, he is cornered at the Tower and falls off upon defeat; however, he is then enlarged by several Super Mushrooms, forcing Mario to defeat him by throwing barrels at his face. Donkey Kong then begs for help, with Donkey Kong Jr. rushing to his father's aid. The final credits photograph shows Pauline, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Jr. at Rocky-Valley, indicating that they had become friends.
Game & Watch series[edit]
Donkey Kong[edit]
In the Donkey Kong game, Donkey Kong attempts to stop Mario from releasing Pauline by throwing barrels at him. He falls down when the four wires that are supporting Donkey Kong's platform are loosened.
Donkey Kong Jr.[edit]
In the Game & Watch version of Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong is trapped in a cage and must be freed by his son by obtaining four keys.
Donkey Kong II[edit]
Donkey Kong II is a direct follow-up to Donkey Kong Jr. Like the aforementioned game, Donkey Kong is trapped in a cage and must be saved by his son.
Donkey Kong 3[edit]
In the Game & Watch version of Donkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong sends bees to attack Stanley in a greenhouse, and both Donkey Kong and Stanley try to send the bees to each other's side with a Sprayer filled with insect repellent. If the bees reach Donkey Kong's side, he is stung by them and loses a point. Donkey Kong can be controlled by the second player in the VS mode of the game where the second player's goal is to send the bees over to Stanley's side of the greenhouse.
Donkey Kong Circus[edit]
In Donkey Kong Circus, Mario watches Donkey Kong juggle pineapples while balancing on a barrel. When Donkey Kong makes a mistake, Mario laughs at his performance.
Donkey Kong Hockey[edit]
In Donkey Kong Hockey, Mario and Donkey Kong compete in a game of field hockey. In the game, Player 2 or the CPU is Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong (coloring/activity books)[edit]
In the Donkey Kong activity books released in 1982 and 1983, Donkey Kong is an attraction at the Video Land Amusement Park. Because of his love for Pauline, he breaks free from his cage to kidnap her. This led to his confrontation with Mario, who also loves Pauline.
Saturday Supercade[edit]
Donkey Kong received his own show segment in the television cartoon series, Saturday Supercade. His Donkey Kong segment of the show received two seasons, and he starred alongside Mario and Pauline. In the show, Donkey Kong is a circus escapee and travels across the country with Mario and Pauline on his tail.
Captain N: The Game Master[edit]
Donkey Kong makes occasional appearances on Captain N: The Game Master. He is a giant, bestial monster that wears clothes. He likes to be left alone, and seeing people in his part of the jungle of Kongoland makes him violently angry. He is commonly manipulated by Mother Brain and her minions to do their bidding, though he will occasionally help the heroes fight a shared enemy. In the episode "The Lost City of Kongoland," he is shown living in a treehouse and sometimes wears a tie, something his video game counterpart would not be shown doing until four years after the episode aired. Donkey Kong also appears in the comics.
Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]
Donkey Kong appears in the sixth Nintendo Adventure Book, Doors to Doom, in a recreation of the original game where Mario and Luigi are trying to rescue Princess Peach instead of Pauline. If the Mario Bros. successfully reach the top of the tower, Donkey Kong is sent plummeting out of sight while Peach jabs him with her crown.
NES Open Tournament Golf[edit]
In NES Open Tournament Golf, Donkey Kong appears wearing a white outfit. His role is to tell the player how much money they have and when they reach certain milestones, as well as keep it.
Donkey Kong Country series[edit]
Years after the events of Donkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong relocated to Donkey Kong Island, where he grew old and was renamed to Cranky Kong. His grandson, also named Donkey Kong, forges lasting friendships with many of the other Kongs, including Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Funky Kong, and his girlfriend, Candy Kong.
Donkey Kong Country[edit]
In the backstory for Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong assigned Diddy Kong to guard his banana hoard at night. Later, the Kremling Krew overpowered Diddy and stole Donkey Kong's entire hoard. The next morning, Cranky Kong wakes up Donkey Kong and shows him that his entire banana hoard is missing. Donkey Kong is upset, also noticing that Diddy is missing, and goes on an adventure to find retrieve the banana hoard and rescue Diddy, who he rescues from a DK Barrel in the first level, Jungle Hijinxs.
Donkey Kong and Diddy adventure through six worlds, and are assisted by three other Kongs along their way: Cranky, Candy, and Funky. In some of the levels, Donkey Kong and Diddy are assisted by an Animal Friend, such as Rambi.
In gameplay, Donkey Kong can defeat Krushas and Klumps by jumping on them whereas Diddy cannot. Donkey Kong is less agile than Diddy, and one of his attacks is to roll into enemies (Diddy's equivalent to the move is performing a cartwheel). Donkey Kong can perform a Hand Slap on the ground to sometimes unearth a hidden item. Donkey Kong carries a barrel above him instead of holding it out in front like Diddy.
Donkey Kong and Diddy eventually reach the final destination, Gang-Plank Galleon, where they engage in a final boss battle against King K. Rool. The Kongs manage to defeat K. Rool and reclaim the whole banana hoard, thus ending their adventure.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong does not appear as a playable character. The main plot involves Diddy and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, having to rescue Donkey Kong from the Kremlings and Kaptain K. Rool on Crocodile Isle.
In the intro of the game, Donkey Kong is relaxing on the beach. Cranky Kong shows up, arguing that Donkey Kong should not take a rest because he is a video game hero. After some discussion, Donkey Kong asks Cranky to leave. During the day, the Kremlings ambush Donkey Kong, tie him up, and carry him up into The Flying Krock. K. Rool writes a note demanding the banana hoard as a ransom for Donkey Kong's return. On the beach, the Kong family discuss the incident. Diddy refuses to give up the banana hoard to the Kremlings, so he and Dixie go on an adventure to rescue him.
At the end of K. Rool's Keep, in Stronghold Showdown, Diddy and Dixie find Donkey Kong tied up in the chamber. As they celebrate over finding Donkey Kong, he gets carried up into The Flying Krock, and Diddy and Dixie rush after him (the entire event was replaced with a boss fight against Kerozene in the Game Boy Advance version).
During the boss level K. Rool Duel, Diddy and Dixie manage to enter inside the airship. They witness in shock as Kaptain K. Rool beats Donkey Kong, still tied up, with his blunderbuss. In parts of the battle, when K. Rool is knocked down, Donkey Kong falls into view, still attempting to break free from his ropes. At the end of the battle, Donkey Kong manages to break free, and he punches K. Rool out of the airship. In the Game Boy Advance version, a cutscene is shown of the Kongs escaping the Flying Krock just before it falls into the water.
Donkey Kong also appears in the 102% ending, after Diddy and Dixie defeat Kaptain K. Rool in the Lost World. He, Diddy, and Dixie witness as Crocodile Isle sinks underwater.
The plot for Donkey Kong Land 2 is the same as Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest's, although a simplified version.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble![edit]
In the backstory for Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Donkey Kong and Diddy go on a fishing trip in the Northern Kremisphere. After a few days, neither of the Kongs returned, causing Dixie to become worried, so she goes on an adventure to search for them with her toddler cousin, Kiddy Kong.
After a long adventure, Dixie and Kiddy discover that Baron K. Roolenstein (an alter-ego of K. Rool's) was behind the plot. She and Kiddy manage to defeat K. Rool and his robot invention, KAOS, which Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are held captive inside. The two Kongs are freed, and Donkey Kong is impressed at Dixie and Kiddy for rescuing them.
Donkey Kong 64[edit]
- “He's the leader of the bunch, you know him well
He's finally back to kick some tail” - —DK Rap
In Donkey Kong 64, King K. Rool develops a doomsday machine, the Blast-o-Matic, inside Crocodile Isle and plans to destroy DK Isles with it. Due to the incompetence of his Kremling underlings, Crocodile Isle crashes into a rock, severely damaging the Blast-o-Matic. Squawks alerts Donkey Kong that all of his Golden Bananas were stolen and his four friends are kidnapped: Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Chunky Kong, all of whom are locked behind cages throughout the island.
Donkey Kong discovers an isle attached to Crocodile Isle. Inside he meets K. Lumsy, an enormous Kremling who was locked up for not destroying the island. When DK promises to free him, K. Lumsy jumps for joy, opening up a pathway to the first level, Jungle Japes. In there, Donkey Kong finds Diddy Kong and frees him. Donkey Kong and his friends receive help from various characters during his adventure, including Funky Kong, Cranky Kong, Snide, Troff and Scoff. Starting with Angry Aztec, Candy Kong also joins in helping Donkey Kong and his friends.
Donkey Kong is a heavyweight, which makes him slow and strong. He is the strongest Kong, next to Chunky Kong. During his adventure, Donkey Kong learns a few unique abilities at Cranky's Lab: Strong Kong, Baboon Blast, and Gorilla Grab. Strong Kong allows him to be invincible, which is necessary for safely crossing stage hazards like lava or quicksand. Baboon Blast allows Donkey Kong to partake in a challenge involving him firing from a series of Barrel Cannons. Lastly, Gorilla Grab allows him to pull levers. The Coconut Shooter is Donkey Kong's personal weapon, given to him by Funky Kong, and it allows him to shoot out coconuts. His personal instrument is the bongos, given to him by Candy Kong. Donkey Kong's corresponding in-game color is yellow, making him the only character who can collect yellow bananas, Banana Bunch Coins, and blueprints.
As the other Kongs are rescued, they help Donkey Kong find his Golden Bananas and the Boss Keys to unlocking K. Lumsy's cage. At the end of their adventure, the five Kongs get in a final boss battle against K. Rool, set within a boxing arena.
Like all of the playable Kongs, Donkey Kong has four colors that the player can select in Monkey Smash mode. By default, DK has brown fur and a red tie; his other costumes include tan fur with a purple tie, orange fur with a yellow tie, and dark blue fur with a light blue tie.
This game also reveals that his weight is 800lbs.
Donkey Kong Country Returns[edit]
Both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong return as playable characters in Donkey Kong Country Returns and the 3DS remake Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.
Like Donkey Kong Country, the story also centers around Donkey Kong's banana hoard being stolen, this time by a different group of villains, the Tiki Tak Tribe. After being released from the Volcano, the tikis hypnotize the animals of Donkey Kong Island to steal the bananas. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong witness from their treehouse as the banana hoard gets taken away, and Kalimba suddenly appears and knocks Donkey Kong back into his treehouse. Kalimba unsuccessfully attempts to hypnotize Donkey Kong, who is somehow immune to its hypnosis.
The first level, Jungle Hijinxs, is followed right after the cutscene. In the start of the level, Donkey Kong repeatedly beats Kalimba, kicks it out of his tree house, and starts his adventure.
Donkey Kong controls much like how he did in the earlier Donkey Kong Country games, being able to roll and Ground Pound. When paired with Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong can roll indefinitely and briefly hover when Diddy uses his Barrel Jet.
Together, Donkey Kong and Diddy travel throughout the island. They are assisted by Cranky Kong and the Tutorial Pigs during their adventure. The Kongs eventually enter inside the Volcano and battle the main villain, Tiki Tong. After defeating him, Donkey Kong and Diddy reclaim their banana hoard.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]
Donkey Kong also returns as the main protagonist of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port of the same name. In the introduction cutscene, the Kongs are in the treehouse celebrating Donkey Kong's birthday. Meanwhile, an arctic group of vikings, the Snowmads, make their way to conquer Donkey Kong Island. Just as Donkey Kong is about to blow out his candle, a cold wind comes in and blows it out. The Kongs go outside the treehouse to investigate and get blown away by the ice dragon to the Lost Mangroves. The ice dragon covers Donkey Kong Island in a freeze, and the Snowmads conquer it for their own. The four Kongs go on an adventure to return to Donkey Kong Island and reclaim it from the Snowmads.
Donkey Kong was given an updated appearance in the game (due to the Wii U's and Nintendo Switch's higher quality visuals). Donkey Kong's fur is a lighter brown, with more details and added texture, and the shape of his nose is different. In the game, Donkey Kong can be paired with Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong, aside from Diddy Kong. He also retains his rolling ability from Donkey Kong Country Returns.
After traveling through a chain of islands, the Kongs eventually return to Donkey Kong Island. They engage in a final boss battle against Lord Fredrik, set inside a volcano. The Kongs manage to defeat Lord Fredrik, and afterwards Donkey Kong blows a horn to melt away all the snow on the island.
Club Nintendo[edit]
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 have taken only "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 Land series[edit]
Donkey Kong Land[edit]
Donkey Kong reappears in Donkey Kong Land, which takes place after the events of Donkey Kong Country. In the backstory, which is told in the game's instruction manual, Cranky Kong admits that Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's previous adventure was more successful than he expected. Cranky, breaking the fourth wall, believes it was due to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System's graphical capabilities, so he bets with Donkey Kong and Diddy that they cannot finish an adventure on an 8-bit handheld, the Game Boy. The Kongs accept the bet, so Cranky arranges for the Kremling Krew to steal the Kongs' bananas again.
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong travel through four worlds. At the end of the fourth world, Big Ape City, the two Kongs engage in a final boss fight against K. Rool in K. Rool's Kingdom. They manage to defeat K. Rool and thus complete their adventure on an 8-bit handheld.
Donkey Kong Land III[edit]
Donkey Kong does not appear in Donkey Kong Land III itself, making it the only Donkey Kong title that he does not appear in. However, he and Diddy are mentioned during the game's backstory, where they join a contest to find the Lost World. Dixie and Kiddy also hear about of the contest and decide to enter as well.
Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle[edit]
In the 1995 novel Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle, Donkey Kong leaves his treehouse in the jungle with his friend Diddy Kong and grandfather Cranky Kong, after discovering that Funky Kong's plane has mysteriously crashed near Big Ape City. They traverse through the Tree Top Town on the edge of the forest, and Donkey Kong takes the lead in confronting and defeating a large group of Kremlings. Later, Donkey Kong uses his "extraordinary lung power" to cry for help from Squawks the Parrot when they find themselves trapped within a mountain cave. After reaching Big Ape City, Donkey Kong is angered to discover that the Kremlings are rebuilding a large factory which is releasing large amounts of pollution into the air. He finds a way for the Kongs to enter the factory by hiding in a Mine Cart, and they locate Funky within a cell. Donkey Kong uses a mini TNT Barrel to break open the cell door, and later uses a powerful shoulder charge to break open the door to the factory's cargo room.
Just like "climbing vines back in the jungle", Donkey Kong climbs a cable within an elevator shaft to reach the factory's defensive system. He encounters the most powerful Kremling, Krusha, who threatens to bring him to King K. Rool. Knowing that he is unable to defeat Krusha using strength alone, Donkey Kong tricks him into thinking that inside his backpack is a list of where to find all the Kongs on Donkey Kong Island. This gives him the chance to knock out Krusha using a barrel, and he proceeds to destroy the defense system. While escaping the factory in Funky's repaired plane, he and Diddy Kong decide to enter King K. Rool's zeppelin from the air and plant it with time-delayed TNT Barrels. After choosing to allow the "coward" King K. Rool to escape, Donkey Kong and Diddy re-enter the plane, and celebrate a victory as they watch the zeppelin fall and land on the factory, destroying it with an explosion.
Throughout the novel, Donkey Kong uses a range of physical attacks which were originally seen in the Donkey Kong Country game, including Barrel Rolls, Cartwheel Attacks and Hand Slaps. He also carries a large supply of miniature barrels and TNT Barrels in his backpack, which are utilized against the Kremlings and their weapons.
Donkey Kong Country television series[edit]
- For a complete list of the episodes of Donkey Kong Country that History of Donkey Kong has appeared in, see List of Donkey Kong Country episodes featuring History of Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong is the main protagonist in the 1998 TV series Donkey Kong Country. In it, Donkey Kong, due to finding the Crystal Coconut in Inka Dinka Doo's temple, is predicted to be the future ruler of Kongo Bongo Island. Ever since, it has been made Donkey Kong's duty to guard the Crystal Coconut until the day it officially proclaims him ruler of the island. However, King K. Rool wants to steal the Crystal Coconut so that he can rule the island, 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. On this show, he is also bipedal as opposed to walking on all fours like he normally does, although he sometimes goes on all fours when running. This would carry over to Donkey Kong 64, though in that game, he stands on all fours when idle.
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart 64[edit]
Like Wario, Donkey Kong first appeared in the Mario Kart series in the Nintendo 64 game, Mario Kart 64 (replacing Donkey Kong Jr. from the previous installment). 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[edit]
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!![edit]
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, Petey Piranha and King Boo also appear as heavyweight characters. Donkey Kong also gets his own personal course, DK Mountain. He and Diddy share a special item, the Giant Banana. Donkey Kong's kart is the DK Jumbo.
Mario Kart Arcade GP[edit]
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, DK Jungle and Bananan Ruins.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
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 is 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 course, DK Pass.
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2[edit]
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. The DK Cup from the first game also returns with the same courses.
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
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): DK Summit, N64 DK's Jungle Parkway, and GCN 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[edit]
Donkey Kong appears as a racer again in the Nintendo 3DS title, Mario Kart 7, and has his own personal course, 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.
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX[edit]
Donkey Kong also appears as a racer again in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. He is once again a heavyweight racer and the Donkey Kong Cup becomes the Don-chan Cup.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Donkey Kong is once again a playable character in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. His fur has a similar texture as in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. While the official website states that he is a heavyweight, Donkey Kong is actually a lighter heavyweight, sacrificing some speed and weight to boost acceleration, handling, and traction. He shares this trait with Waluigi, Rosalina, Roy Koopa and Link in the original game but only Waluigi and Roy in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Donkey Kong is the Staff Ghost for Thwomp Ruins and 3DS DK Jungle.
Donkey Kong also owns a brand of sports drink which appears as a sponsor in the game, called Burning DK.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart Tour as a playable character. He is available as a Super driver in said game, with the Giant Banana returning as his special skill. He also has his self-named cup in the game, as well as a duel tour against Bowser. He also has a High-End gladiator-themed variant named Donkey Kong (Gladiator) that debuted in the Night Tour and is assigned the Boomerang Flower special skill.
Mario Party series[edit]
Donkey Kong is a playable character in all of the Mario Party games up until Mario Party 4.
The Mario Party 3 instruction booklet claims that Donkey Kong's favorite item is the Reverse Mushroom. His default partner in Duel Mode is Whomp.
Starting in Mario Party 5, he leaves the playable character roster but gains his own space. He is basically the opposite of Bowser, since when a character lands on his space, something good happens. But when a Koopa Kid lands on his space in story mode, he acts surprised and DK punches him, making the Koopa Kid lose half of his coins. He is playable in Super Duel Mode only, where he must be unlocked by beating him in Hard Competition.
In Mario Party 4 and Mario Party 5, just like Peach and Wario, he has two losing animations while the others only have one.
In Mario Party DS, Donkey Kong is the primary feature of his own board, DK's Stone Statue. During story mode, Donkey Kong is turned to stone by a Dry Bones while he and Diddy run to Bowser's Castle after being invited to a banquet hosted by him. The player has to win the game and beat the Dry Bones to free Donkey Kong. The Kong then runs away to the castle. Upon arriving, Donkey Kong accidentally bumps into Bowser, knocking the Minimizer out of his hands which DK then destroys by accidentally stepping on it, allowing a shrunken Mario and his crew to revert to their normal size. At the end, he is seen with Diddy enjoying the meals Bowser had prepared as traps for the 8 "party characters".
In Mario Party 9, Donkey Kong appears as the "boss" of his own board, DK's Jungle Ruins. His boss minigame is called DK's Banana Bonus. During the minigame, Donkey Kong tosses Golden Barrel Cannons into the area, allowing the players to access banana bunches that are higher up.
Donkey Kong returns as a playable character in the Wii U title Mario Party 10, marking his first playable appearance in the series since Mario Party 4.
Donkey Kong is also playable in Mario Party: Star Rush, marking his first appearance as an unlockable playable character (not counting Super Duel Mode in Mario Party 5) and his second appearance as an unlockable playable character in the series since Mario Party 5. He can be unlocked if players earn enough part points to reach level 8 or if they scan a Donkey Kong amiibo. In Toad Scramble, he can break barrels to earn coins. His Brawny Dice Block has a 1 out of 3 chance to roll a 10, but other than that it will return a 0.
Donkey Kong appears in Mario Party: The Top 100 as a non-playable opponent in Jump, Man and Vine Country, both minigames returning from Mario Party 7.
Donkey Kong returns in Super Mario Party as an unlockable playable character, unlocked by completing three different courses in River Survival, then talking to him in the Party Plaza. Every playable character in this game has a unique Dice Block; in Donkey Kong's case, three of its faces display a 0, two of its faces display a 10, and one face gives him five coins (without moving).
Donkey Kong reappears as a playable character in Mario Party Superstars marking his first appearance as a starting playable character since Mario Party 10.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
 History of Donkey Kong |
|
| Game appearances |
|---|
| Super Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Super Smash Bros. Ultimate |
| Special moves |
| Standard: Giant Punch Side: Headbutt Up: Spinning Kong Down: Hand Slap Final Smash: Konga Beat (Brawl, for 3DS / Wii U); Jungle Rush (Ultimate) |
| Battle entrance |
| Donkey Kong explodes out of a DK Barrel. |
Donkey Kong is playable in all five Super Smash Bros. games. Donkey Kong is always, as expected from a heavyweight, one of the strongest characters in the games. 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.
Donkey Kong's special moves are Giant Punch, a punch that can be charged to increase its power, Headbutt, which has him headbutt his opponents into the ground, Spinning Kong, which has him spin and lets him momentarily float, and Hand Slap, which has him repeatedly stamp on the ground. For his Final Smash, he uses Konga Beat, pulling out two bongos and tapping them in time to the beat of Donkey Kong Country's first level, with each tap sending shockwaves that deal damage to opponents.
Donkey Kong is unique from other heavyweights; though he is unsurprisingly strong, he is also fast for a character of his weight. His combination of power, speed, and good range from his size and long arms contributes to making him arguably a versatile character to use throughout the Smash games.
Even though Donkey Kong is a Super Mario franchise character, his emblem is the DK symbol, which represents his own franchise. 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.
Super Smash Bros.[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSB)
In Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong is a default character. In Classic Mode, the player must fight Giant Donkey Kong (shortened in-game to Giant DK), where they are provided two partners to help. It is the only match where the player is assisted by two fighters instead of one. As with other giant characters, Giant Donkey Kong is more resistant to knockback and can withstand around 350% damage before being knocked off the stage. Donkey Kong is the heaviest character in this game, weighing 141 units; however, he is somewhat sluggish, though his moves boast very high power.
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSBM)
Donkey Kong 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 become larger briefly, before reverting to normal. In Giant Melee, the player can play as Giant Donkey Kong or fight against him. Similar to Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong is one of the possible giant opponents who appears in stage 5 of Classic Mode, and is fought at Jungle Japes.
Giant Donkey Kong appears in two events of Event Mode:
- In Event 2, the player plays as Giant Donkey Kong, whose objective is defeating Tiny Donkey Kong
- In Event 25, the player must defeat Giant Donkey Kong using Giant Bowser.
Donkey Kong's weight is decreased from 141 units to 114, no longer making him the heaviest character in the game; instead, that title goes to fellow heavyweight Bowser. As compensation, however, Donkey Kong's movement and attack speed are both much faster, while his moveset receives a mix of buffs and nerfs. Starting from Super Smash Bros. Melee, Donkey Kong is a speedy heavyweight with decent combo ability.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSBB)
Donkey Kong reappears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. His moves are carried over from Super Smash Bros. Melee, and he, like other characters, is given a Final Smash, his being the Konga Beat, most likely 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 cannot be used in any boss battles). Donkey Kong also gets a new white recolor. Donkey Kong's weight is slightly increased to 116 units from 114.
An 8-bit Donkey Kong appears on the 75 m stage (which is based on the third level of the original Donkey Kong). Touching him will harm the player.
Donkey Kong appears in several events, usually in giant form.
- In Event 9: "The Monster beneath the Earth", Giant DK is a hidden opponent. If the player does not KO the two Diddy Kongs fast enough, Giant DK must be fought as well.
- In Event 22: "Monkeys Unite", Giant Donkey Kong is Diddy Kong's partner in a fight against Sheik and Lucario.
- In Event 27: "Three-Beast Carnage", Giant Donkey Kong is among the three giant opponents fought by R.O.B., along with Giant Bowser and Giant Charizard.
Like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Donkey Kong briefly turns larger from using a Super Mushroom. In Giant Brawl, the successor to Giant Melee, the player can either play as Giant Donkey Kong or fight against one.
Ironically, despite his common appearances in Super Smash Bros.'s 1P Game as well as Super Smash Bros. Melee's Classic Mode, Donkey Kong does not appear in Classic Mode as a giant opponent. He shares this trait with the Zelda characters and Diddy Kong.
The Subspace Emissary[edit]
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 finding their bananas, Bowser appears from behind with a Dark Cannon. As Bowser charges the cannon, Donkey Kong, realizing the danger, charges his Giant Punch. He then launches Diddy to the sky and out of harm's way, sacrificing himself in the process as Bowser shoots him with the Dark Cannon and turns him into a trophy. Later, Diddy Kong, who (forcefully) enlisted the help of Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi, sees a ship carrying Donkey Kong's trophy form to a mysterious floating island. Falco then follows it with his Arwing and takes 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 alongside the others. Donkey Kong carries R.O.B., who refuses to leave his kind behind to perish, as they all flee to escape the doomed island on Captain Falcon's summoned Falcon Flyer. Meta Ridley then appears and follows behind to impede group's escape, forcing DK and his group to fight him. After that, they all meet up with the other heroes.
Donkey Kong and the other smashers 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.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSB4)
Donkey Kong returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. His moveset has remained largely intact, but has nevertheless received a few noticeable changes, most notably his unique forward throw and Final Smash; Donkey Kong's weight is also increased from 116 units to 122. Like the majority of the cast (DLC fighters notwithstanding), each of Donkey Kong's special moves now possess two variants. Giant Punch has Lightning Punch and Storm Punch; Headbutt has Jumping Headbutt and Stubborn Headbutt; Spinning Kong has Chopper Kong and Kong Cyclone; and Hand Slap has Focused Slap and Hot Slap.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSBU)
Donkey Kong appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He has a new Final Smash, Jungle Rush, which involves him rapidly punching an opponent, as a reference to his attack method in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Donkey Kong is more expressive; when he charges his Giant Punch, he starts scowling, and using it in the air no longer makes him helpless. He is heavier, tying with King Dedede in weight, and Headbutt now gives Donkey Kong super armor for a short time. His recovery is also extended by the reintroduction of directional air dodge, can use any ground attack out of a run, and use any aerial attack while holding on the ladders officially called a "ladder attack". However, Giant Punch has more ending lag and Aerial Spinning Kong is weaker. His Classic Mode is titled "Journey to New Donk City". Donkey Kong's down tilt is officially nicknamed the Slouch Slap while his forward throw is referred to as Kong Carry. His weight has been further increased; however, he is no longer the second heaviest fighter in the game, instead giving up that title to his arch-nemesis, King K. Rool. Donkey Kong is tied with King Dedede for the third heaviest fighter.
Owing to King K. Rool's ties to Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong appears alongside Diddy Kong in K. Rool's debut trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Specifically, Donkey Kong lounges lazily in his tree house after eating some bananas while watching various video game heroes confronting their respective nemeses on his TV, only to be startled by quakes before looking outside with Diddy to investigate. They then see an ominous and familiar shadow, only for it to be revealed to be King Dedede wearing a cape and King K. Rool's mask, to their surprise. King Dedede then proceeds to laugh at the practical joke he played on them, only for him to be smacked upside the head and knocked away by the actual King K. Rool, much to Donkey and Diddy Kong's horror, with King K. Rool roaring. In the ending of the trailer, Donkey Kong is knocked backwards, only to proceed to charge at his arch-nemesis on all fours, with King K. Rool doing the same in kind before proceeding to have their fists make contact with each other with enough force as to cause a shockwave to be emitted throughout the jungle.
Similarly, Donkey Kong also appears in Banjo & Kazooie's reveal trailer. Much like the King K. Rool trailer, Donkey Kong lounges around in his tree house eating bananas and watching TV, with Diddy Kong and a sleeping King K. Rool also present. A Jiggy bounces past the three, catching the Kongs' attention. After Diddy wakes King K. Rool up, the three look outside and see what appear to be the silhouettes of Banjo and Kazooie, but turn out to be Duck Hunt playing a prank on them, to their surprise. Duck Hunt proceed to laugh at this joke played on the Kongs and Kremling, only for the dog and duck to be knocked away from above by the real Banjo and Kazooie, holding their respective namesake instruments. This causes the Kongs and King K. Rool to celebrate. Near the end of the trailer, Donkey Kong can be seen in the background as Banjo and Kazooie perform a victory pose.
In the Adventure Mode, World of Light, Donkey Kong is present when he and other fighters oppose their ultimate enemy, Galeem. Although Donkey Kong is not shown to be hit by Galeem's beams directly, he, like many other fighters, except Kirby, is imprisoned in the World of Light. Donkey Kong is found in the jungle segment of the Light Realm, on a space that looks like the treehouse he lives in. Donkey Kong, upon being defeated, joins the party and fight Galeem.
A giant Donkey Kong based on the one from the original Super Smash Bros. also appears as the final opponent of Jigglypuff's route, due to its route being a callback to the original game.
Classic Mode route[edit]
By completing Donkey Kong's Classic Mode route, it is possible to unlock Bowser, Pokémon Trainer, Rosalina & Luma, King Dedede, Sheik, Greninja, Diddy Kong, and Duck Hunt.
Donkey Kong's Classic Mode route initially has him fight Diddy Kong, who joins him as a partner in all subsequent battles. Together, they fight opponents who live in urban settings, with their penultimate battle being against the Mario Bros. The penultimate battle alludes to the rivalry between Donkey Kong and Mario.
On a side note, before the version 3.0.0 update, Donkey Kong was the only character to face Master Hand and Crazy Hand as their Classic Mode route's final boss on the Ω form of a stage different from Final Destination. As of version 3.0.0, however, this trait is now shared with Joker and Sephiroth, as their final rounds take place in the Ω form of Mementos and Northern Cave.
| Journey to New Donk City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponent(s) | Rule | Stage | Song |
| 1 | Diddy Kong | Kongo Jungle | Jungle Level (64) | |
| 2 | King K. Rool | Team Battle (Ally: Diddy Kong) |
Kongo Falls | Gang-Plank Galleon |
| 3 | Wario, Captain Falcon | Team Battle (Ally: Diddy Kong) |
Pilotwings | Gear Getaway |
| 4 | Ness, Lucas | Team Battle (Ally: Diddy Kong) |
Onett | The Map Page / Bonus Level |
| 5 | Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy | Team Battle (Ally: Diddy Kong) |
Moray Towers | Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley |
| 6 | Mario, Luigi | Team Battle (Ally: Diddy Kong) |
New Donk City Hall | New Donk City |
| Final | Master Hand, Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher) | Team Battle (Ally: Diddy Kong) |
New Donk City Hall (Ω) | Master Hand Master Hand / Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher) |
Victory Photo
Donkey Kong's stock icon
Mario Golf series[edit]
Donkey Kong is playable in several Mario Golf games. Unique to Donkey Kong, he swings his golf club with one hand in the series. In Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64, Donkey Kong is an unlockable character, and he has a drive of 275 yards. In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Donkey Kong is now playable by default, and he has a low height and a high Star Drive. In Mario Golf: Advance Tour, Donkey Kong is also playable, although only in the Quick Play mode, and he has a high Drive and Star Drive. Donkey Kong is also playable in Mario Golf: World Tour, in which he has a high Drive, and his Challenge Mode Character Match course is DK Jungle. In Mario Golf: Super Rush, Donkey Kong is a playable character of the Power type, and his Special Shot is Burly Strike, while his Special Dash is the DK Dash.
Mario Tennis series[edit]
In the Mario Tennis series, Donkey Kong appears as a playable Power-type character in most titles, the only exception being Mario's Tennis where Donkey Kong Jr. is playable.
In Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64's intro, Donkey Kong participates in the tournament, where he loses to Mario (allowing the latter to advance to a semi-finals match against Yoshi). His doubles partner is Donkey Kong Jr., but if he is not unlocked yet, Donkey Kong's doubles partner is Yoshi instead.
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 Donkey Kong scratches his head. Donkey Kong's taunt is showing muscles and his doubles partner is Diddy Kong.
In Mario Tennis Aces, Donkey Kong reappears as a playable character. He also appears in the adventure mode, where he blocks the entrance to Piranha Plant Forest until the player completes the tutorials at Bask Ruins. When the player beats the tutorials, he challenges Mario to a match of tennis. When the player beats him then, he allows the player to pass.
Donkey Konga series[edit]
Donkey Konga[edit]
In 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[edit]
In 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 series[edit]
Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit]
In the opening for Mario vs. Donkey Kong and its remake, Donkey Kong is channel surfing when sees a commercial for the new Mini-Mario toy. Desiring one for himself, Donkey Kong rushes to the local toy store, only to find that they are sold out. However, he notices the Mario Toy Company building nearby, and he breaks in and steals a sack full of the Mini-Marios, which makes Mario chase him to get the toys back. Donkey Kong is fought at the end of each world, after Mario has collected all of the Mini-Marios in the world. Depending on the world, Donkey Kong uses several tactics during his battles.
After a while of being chased, Donkey Kong checks the sack, only to see that it is entirely empty. Mario, the toys, and three Toads laugh at him. Enraged, Donkey Kong grabs the Toads and climbs up a nearby a building with them. After Donkey Kong is defeated again, he falls off the building, only to land on a truck containing several Mini-Marios, which he decides to steal. Donkey Kong is then fought at the end of each world once more, though his arenas are variants of their original versions. After Mario defeats Donkey Kong in the final battle against his robot, Mario gives Donkey Kong his own Mini-Mario toy.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis[edit]
In the sequel, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Donkey Kong is an employee of the Mario Toy Company. Pauline, Mario's VIP guest for the opening of Super Mini Mario World, chooses Mario's Mini Mario over Donkey Kong's Mini Donkey Kong. This enrages Donkey Kong, leading him to kidnap Pauline. Donkey Kong appears as the boss fought at the end of the first eight floors of the game, as well as the final boss fought on the Roof and the hidden boss fought in B1 and B2 in DK's Hideout. In the Ending movie, Donkey Kong appears dejected before Pauline shows Donkey Kong her appreciation by kissing the DK toy he gave her.
Several of Donkey Kong's voice clips in this game are recycled from Donkey Kong 64, Mario Power Tennis, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again![edit]
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, Donkey Kong is waiting in a line to buy a ticket for the opening of the Super Mini Mario World theme park. However, by the time he reaches the ticket booth, the tickets are sold out. Donkey Kong becomes furious over this, and therefore decides to break in while taking Pauline with him. Mario brings out his Mini Marios and chases Donkey Kong through all the theme park's floors. Later, when Mario rescues Pauline, Donkey Kong turns off the lights and escapes with Pauline through a nearby window. After four more floors are cleared, Mario walks into a room to see Donkey Kong, Pauline, and all the Toads smiling. Pauline reveals that it was all a test for the Mini Marios, who all passed with flying colors, much to Mario's surprise.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem![edit]
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, Donkey Kong arrives at the newly-opened Mini-Land to desperately get a Mini Pauline, only to find out that he is the 101st guest to arrive and it sold out after 100. Donkey Kong gets incredibly mad and, in his rage, kidnaps the real Pauline, forcing Mario and his force of Mini Marios to rescue her. After Donkey Kong is defeated in Final Ferris Wheel, Pauline welcomes Mario and is ready to give him a hug, but Donkey Kong suddenly appears and kidnaps her again. After defeating him for a second time in Plus Mode, it is shown Donkey Kong is given a Mini Pauline by Mario and the trio rides the Ferris wheel together.
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move[edit]
In Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, Donkey Kong is one of the organizers of the carnival and sometimes appears with Pauline to congratulate the player.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars[edit]
In the intro of Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, Donkey Kong is shown kidnapping Pauline, which causes Mario and the Mini Marios to chase him. In the end, the kidnapping was revealed to be a plan to lure Mario to a surprise party that is hosted by Donkey Kong, Pauline and a few Toads.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat[edit]
In Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Donkey Kong travels to the Banana Kingdom to take down the possessed Dread Kong who ruled it, and then does the same for the other sixteen kingdoms nearby. Eventually, he fight and defeats the evil Cactus King, freeing the other Kongs of his curse and presumably allowing them to resume their duties.
DK series[edit]
DK: King of Swing[edit]
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[edit]
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 Ship. 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 Kruizer 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.
Mario Baseball series[edit]
Mario Superstar Baseball[edit]
Donkey Kong appears as a fully playable default character in Mario Superstar Baseball as the team captain of the DK Wilds with Diddy Kong as subcaptain and his home stadium is the Donkey Kong Jungle. Unlike most batters, Donkey Kong uses a boxing glove to punch the ball. There is a small contact point between the ball and the glove, making it more difficult for Donkey Kong to land a hit, but Donkey Kong has great hitting power. Donkey Kong has also above-average pitching. Donkey Kong has below average running and fielding stats, however. In this game, DK has good chemistry with Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Petey Piranha.
Donkey Kong's special ball and bat is called the Banana Ball. This makes the pitched or hit ball have a banana-like trajectory. Donkey Kong's player abilities include Clamber, which allows him to climb walls and catch high-flying balls that would otherwise be fair or home-runs. He also has Laser Beam, which makes his throws from outfield to home quick, potentially preventing runners from scoring a point.
During the opening cinematic, Donkey Kong is seen receiving a flyer with Bowser depicted on it as other known team captains receive the same method. As Donkey Kong's team faces off against Wario's team, Donkey Kong climbs the wall in an attempt to fetch a fly ball, but a Chain Chomp attacks him, foiling his plans. Donkey Kong is in league with Wario's team against Mario at Mario Stadium, where Donkey Kong is seen trying to make a reception at home plate, but Mario evades and scores. Donkey Kong later hits the ball with his boxing glove, only for Luigi to rob his chance of a home run.
Mario Super Sluggers[edit]
In Mario Super Sluggers, Donkey Kong is mostly unchanged. He still uses a boxing glove to bat. His Star Pitch and Star Swing are also altered to Barrel Ball and Barrel Swing, which involve him throwing a barrel. He has also lost his Laser Ball ability. As for his stats, Donkey Kong has better batting, but with worse fielding and even worse running. His pitching also lost one point, but it remains above-average. In this game, DK has good chemistry with Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Tiny Kong, Funky Kong and Baby DK, and his chemistry with Kritter and King K. Rool is bad, which is odd considering that they are on DK's team. Donkey Kong has the second highest batting stat in this game, only surpassed by Bowser, King K. Rool, and Petey Piranha.
During the opening cinematic, Donkey Kong is shown as a catcher when Daisy hits the ball to get things started. At DK Jungle, Donkey Kong destroys a barrel that nearly hits Diddy. Back at Mario Stadium, Donkey Kong performs a body check on Luigi, who narrowly catches the ball to make the final out. In the third of four cinematics, after defeating Bowser in Challenge Mode, Donkey Kong is seen in the center of the diamond, celebrating with the other characters. Afterwards, the crew marches to the entrance of the Baseball Kingdom to gaze towards the sunset before the lights come on for the night. In the fourth and final cinematic, Donkey Kong is seen hitting a Bob-omb into the sky that set off fireworks at Mario Stadium during a Bob-omb Derby freestyle show. After Bowser hits a Bullet Bill from the sabotaged cannon, Donkey Kong watches off, feeling that Bowser should not have been spared for his misdeeds he and his son committed across the kingdom.
Yoshi's Island DS[edit]
- Main article: Baby Donkey Kong
In Yoshi's Island DS, Baby DK is one of the seven star children. He is one of the babies kidnapped by Kamek and his Toady army at the start of the game. However, he is found by Yoshi and Baby Mario in World 2, where he helps them save Baby Peach from a Ukiki. After saving her, Baby DK decides to join Yoshi and the babies in their quest to rescue Baby Luigi from Kamek. When riding on a Yoshi's back, Baby DK has a special maneuver called the DK Dash Attack, which can attack enemies and smash open crates. He can also grab onto vines which allow him and Yoshi to swing and climb to certain places.
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast[edit]
In Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, which marks his debut in a Donkey Kong series racing title, Donkey Kong and the Kongs compete against the Kremlings and King K. Rool in the Jungle Grand Prix, where racers use jet-powered bongos. Similar to Mario, Donkey Kong has all-around stats, each of them being 3 out of 5.
Donkey Kong has average stats, and his main rival is a Kritter. If the player completes all of Candy's Challenges, they unlock Ultra Barrel DK, whose stats are all maxed out at 5 out of 5.
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Mario Strikers series[edit]
Donkey Kong appears in both Super Mario Strikers and Mario Strikers Charged as a default playable character. Donkey Kong plays the same as the other characters; the only difference is that in Super Strikes, it is easier to land the white needle on the dark green zone, but more difficult to land it in the surrounding light green zone.
In Mario Strikers Charged, Donkey Kong is a Power character. While his tackling and his shooting are excellent, his movement and his passing are poor. Donkey Kong's deke involves him beating his chest and knocking away any would-be attackers. His Super Ability is Thunder Wham! He pounds the ground with his fists, creating a shockwave that sends any nearby player away, including his teammates. Alongside Wario, Hammer Bro, Birdo, and Boo, Donkey Kong has a unique way of shooting the ball. He shoots it by picking it up and headbutting it towards the goal.
In Mario Strikers: Battle League, Donkey Kong is a Defensive character, with good Strength and Passing attributes, in exchange for poor Speed and Technique attributes. His Hyper Strike, Banana Blast, involves him eating a banana, before slapping the ball hard enough to cause a shockwave that violently knocks opponents back, potentially sending them flying into an electric fence. Notably, this is the first game where Donkey Kong's teeth become sharp, though this only happens sporadically.
Mario & Sonic series[edit]
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.[3]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games[edit]
Donkey Kong makes his Mario & Sonic debut in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, where he is a Power-type playable character in both the Wii version and the Nintendo DS version.
In the Nintendo DS version's Adventure Tours mode, Donkey Kong is first found in Icepeak by Mario, Sonic, and Toad. Here, Donkey Kong crying due to one of his bananas having fallen in a deep ledge which he can't reach. Silver then comes and uses his psychic powers to bring the banana back to him. Donkey Kong thanks Silver and challenges him to Moguls. When Silver finally defeats him, Donkey Kong joins the group. Toad tells him that there's a pole back in Polastraits. There are also obstacles on the pole, such as ice and bombs. When the Kong presses the button on the pole, a bridge forms. Later in Icepeak, Donkey Kong meets Vector, who challenges him to a match of Short Track 500m. After beating Vector, Donkey Kong wants him to join the group, to which Vector agrees.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games[edit]
Donkey Kong returns as a playable Power-type character in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he appears in the opening with the other athletes as well as competing in Beach Volleyball. A Mii outfit based on Donkey Kong can be unlocked, and Donkey Kong also appears as a character that can be spoken to in London Party mode in order to play minigames and earn stickers.
In the Nintendo 3DS version, Donkey Kong is included in the Wild Ones group, alongside Bowser, Knuckles, and Vector, meaning that he is only playable in certain Events. In the story mode, Donkey Kong challenges Omega after he ruins his banana, and in the process manages to remove the chip from him that was causing him to rampage. Tails and Espio then explain to Donkey Kong about Bowser and Dr. Eggman's plan to use the Phantasmal Fog to stop the Olympic Games, and Donkey Kong tells Omega that he will forgive him if he helps stop Dr. Eggman. Omega agrees and heads off with Tails and Espio while Donkey Kong stays behind to keep an eye on ExCeL London. Donkey Kong later appears to support Mario, Luigi, Sonic, and Tails when they face Bowser and Dr. Eggman, having helped Knuckles and Vector clear the fog from Horse Guards Parade, and later appears at the opening ceremony. Donkey Kong also appears in the bonus episode Bowser's Blues, where Magikoopa tricks Donkey Kong into setting up a match for Bowser using some bananas and a Thwomp. After Bowser wins the match, Magikoopa takes Donkey Kong to find some real bananas. A badge of Donkey Kong can also be obtained from the badge machine.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[edit]
Donkey Kong returns in the fourth installment as a Power-type playable character once again.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games[edit]
Donkey Kong returns in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and is once again a power-type. In the Nintendo 3DS version, he is exclusive to Boxing and Beach Volleyball, as well as their Plus versions.
In Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition, he is also a Power-type playable character, having excellent power, average speed, and below average technique. In the Japanese version, he must be unlocked with Aime card functionality.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[edit]
Donkey Kong once again returns as a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. He is once again a Power type. However, unlike most of the playable characters, DK does not wear clothing appropriate to the events he competes in.
He also appears in the arcade version, where he is also a Power-type playable character, added on August 5, 2020. He retains his statistics from the arcade version of the previous installment.
Mario Sports Mix[edit]
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.
Fortune Street[edit]
Donkey Kong appears as an opponent in single player mode in Fortune Street, but he is playable in multiplayer. He is a Rank D opponent, which means he spends less investing in his property than most characters spend on their properties.
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Maker[edit]
If the player scans the Donkey Kong amiibo on the Wii U GamePad while the game Super Mario Maker is running, they will be granted access to a Mystery Mushroom that, once collected by Mario, transforms him into Donkey Kong. He can become playable afterwards; much of his animations are based on the ones from Donkey Kong Country, while the sound effects that are heard during some of his actions, such as falling into a pit or clearing the level, are from the arcade version of Donkey Kong.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
An 8-bit Donkey Kong from the original Donkey Kong appears as an obstacle in Super Mario Odyssey. In A Traditional Festival! of the Metro Kingdom, Mario has to traverse through a lengthy 2D stage while Donkey Kong tosses barrels down slanted beams, similar to 25m. Once Mario reaches him, he can defeat Donkey Kong by hitting all four ? Blocks underneath him. He also appears in a 2D segment in the Darker Side during Long Journey's End. The entirety of Metro Kingdom's city, New Donk City, is meant to be a tribute to the Donkey Kong series, as it features various references to the original arcade title and the Donkey Kong Country games. A graffiti painting of Donkey Kong's original artwork can also be seen in the city.
Mario Sports Superstars[edit]
Donkey Kong appears as a playable captain character in Mario Sports Superstars. In most sports, he is classified as a Power type character, giving his shots more power (and thus speed), as well as giving him more stamina in horse racing. In golf, DK's default drive is 224 yards, and his shots travel slightly low in a draw trajectory.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle[edit]
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle features a boss named Rabbid Kong, a large, apelike Rabbid that strongly resembles Donkey Kong, right down to wearing his signature necktie. A figure of Donkey Kong on a girder appears in the introductory cutscene, as well.
DK himself was added as a playable character in the Donkey Kong Adventure story expansion pack in June 2018. This pack sees DK joining forces with Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Cranky, and taking on Rabbid Kong and his army. As a playable character, he has 280 health points. His dash attack is called Grab & Launch, which allows Donkey Kong to pick up allies, enemies, cover blocks, or sentries, move to another cell and launch them. This also can cleanse an ally overcome by a Super Effect. Donkey Kong's primary weapon is the Bwananarang, which is a mid-range weapon that is capable of hitting multiple targets in a row without cooldown. His secondary weapon is a DK Ground Pound, which is a targeted attack that affects all enemies within the attack's cylindrical area, regardless of cover. His primary technique is Hairy Eye, a mid-range reaction shot that is dealt to the first enemy to move within Donkey Kong's line of sight. His secondary technique is Magnet Groove, which draws enemies towards DK, getting them away from cover.
Dr. Mario World[edit]
Donkey Kong makes his Dr. Mario series debut in Dr. Mario World, in which he is known as Dr. Donkey Kong in that game, where he is equipped with a stethoscope and an armband. He was made available as a playable character in Dr. Mario World on October 31, 2019 when World 9 was first available. He is also available as a special stage reward in World 25.
In stage mode, Dr. Donkey Kong's skill is to eliminate objects in a 3x3 range. The way the skill works is that after it is activated, Dr. Donkey Kong will pound his chest and then a target will move around the stage. By tapping the screen, the targeted objects within range will be eliminated with a DK Barrel. Prior to version 2.3.0, the target moves in a predetermined direction in a cycle, but since that version, the target moves slower and in random directions orthogonally. It is possible to hit a target that do not contain any objects. In versus mode, Dr. Donkey Kong's skill is to instead send a row (level 1 and 2) or two rows (level 3 to 5) of viruses to the opponent's play area, in which the current stage objects are pushed down (red arrows act as a warning when this skill is activated by the opponent). This skill is not affected by the opponent's innate defenses, but it has a chance of being blocked by Ant Trooper's effect should the opponent have it equipped.
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]
In Paper Mario: The Origami King, a papier-mâché model of Donkey Kong's head known as the Jungle King Mask can be seen in the staff room of Shogun Studios among two others of a Goomba Mask and Samus's helmet. When worn, Mario will beat on his chest while Bob-omb describes the sound with words that rhyme with "Kong".
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
- “I don't need anything special to break EVERY BONE in your tiny body!”
- —Donkey Kong, The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Donkey Kong appears in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He lives in the Jungle Kingdom and has a slightly changed design in the movie which, according to Shigeru Miyamoto, is intended to accentuate his comical personality. As a result, he resembles his original design from the Donkey Kong arcade game while also being a combination of his current modern design. The film debuts a Fire form of Donkey Kong (not counting Fire Mini Donkey Kong in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis) when he obtains a Fire Flower.[4] He is voiced by Seth Rogen in the English version of the film and Kōji Takeda in Japanese.
Donkey Kong is first mentioned by Cranky Kong, who challenges Mario to duel against him as a means to decide whether or not he will lend the Kong army to Princess Peach to aid the Mushroom Kingdom in defeating Bowser. During the duel, Donkey Kong heavily excels Mario in combat and almost defeats him before being brought to his own defeat by Mario then turned into a cat. Later, he joins the Kongs' kart-riding army against Bowser's own, and ultimately falls from the Rainbow Road alongside Mario into a body of water below where he almost drowns, but then is saved by Mario. Both are eaten by a Maw-Ray, but are able to escape using a Rocket Barrel from Donkey Kong's wrecked kart. Donkey Kong later advances alongside Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom to reach Bowser and Princess Peach's wedding, and saves the to-be-sacrificed captives from being submerged in lava. In the final act of the film, Donkey Kong exchanges blows with Bowser in Brooklyn alongside Peach. Bowser manages to overpower them and nearly kills Donkey Kong until Mario intervenes. After Bowser and his forces are defeated, Donkey Kong and the others are celebrated as heroes of Brooklyn.
Other appearances, cameos, and references[edit]
Donkey Kong appears briefly at the beginning of a commercial for Mario's Cement Factory, where he flings a burning barrel at Mario who narrowly dodges.[5]
Donkey Kong has sometimes appeared in the Punch-Out!! series. In the arcade versions of both Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!!, Donkey Kong is among the spectators in the audience, like with Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong Jr., but Donkey Kong uses a different color scheme in Super Punch-Out!!. In Punch-Out!! for the Wii, Donkey Kong appears as a hidden bonus opponent, found initially in the game mode Mac's Last Stand, and if the player fights Donkey Kong in that game mode, they can fight him at any time in Exhibition mode.
The results screen for the NES version of Tetris features Donkey Kong as part of a band composed of himself, Bowser, Link, Pit, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Samus Aran. He is playing the marching bass drum with his fists. Donkey Kong in particular appears when the player has completed height 3 of Game B's ninth level.
Donkey Kong makes some cameos in Rare-produced games for Nintendo 64. In Banjo-Tooie, for the Nintendo 64, Goggles is playing with a Donkey Kong doll. His name also appears as an answer to one of Grunty's questions in either the Tower of Tragedy or the final battle. In GoldenEye 007, another game developed by Rare, Donkey Kong's face can be seen on a mountain in the first mission of the game, the Dam.[6] In both this game and its spiritual successor Perfect Dark, there is an unlockable cheat called "DK Mode". This cheat will make it so that all characters in those games will have a similar body shape to Donkey Kong, with a larger head and arms extending all the way to the ground so as to resemble Donkey Kong's primal posture.
Donkey Kong makes a cameo as a stamp for photos in the Game Boy Camera peripheral.
Donkey Kong also appears in Picross NP Vol. 8 as one of the figures that must be cleared.
A skeleton named Bink from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga strongly resembles Donkey Kong, although this quirk was not carried over to that game's remake. Bink even throws barrels and eats bananas. While Donkey Kong himself does not appear in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, a pattern based on him, named Donkey Kong Yoshi, is featured via amiibo.
Donkey Kong also appears in Skylanders: SuperChargers under Turbo Charge Donkey Kong. He appears alongside Bowser with a special figurine sold exclusively in the Wii U starter pack. However, due to an agreement between Nintendo and Activision, they are playable only on the Nintendo versions of the game. He also appears in the Wii U and Switch versions of Skylanders: Imaginators.
Outside of video games, Donkey Kong appears as a property in Nintendo Monopoly. He takes the place of Marvin Gardens and costs $280. Also, a monster truck based on Donkey Kong competed in Monster Jam from 2007 until 2010.
Donkey Kong also makes an appearance in the film Pixels. Aside from appearing in gameplay of the Donkey Kong arcade game, he appears on Earth as a clone created by aliens. In the film, the clone throws pixelated barrels at protagonist Sam Brenner (played by Adam Sandler) in a location very much like 25m. Brenner manages to avoid the barrels, defeat Donkey Kong, and rescue the Kong's hostages (who were positioned in the same location that Pauline was in Donkey Kong).
In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, Donkey Kong appears as a playable skin.
Unused appearances[edit]
At E3 2001, three Donkey Kong series titles were unveiled: Diddy Kong Pilot, Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers, and Donkey Kong Racing. All three of these games were eventually canceled due to Nintendo selling Rare to Microsoft, causing them to lose the rights to the Donkey Kong franchise.
Diddy Kong Pilot[edit]
Donkey Kong was playable in all builds of Diddy Kong Pilot where Donkey Kong used a plane constructed out of a barrel.
In the 2000 build shown at Space World, Donkey Kong would have raced alongside Super Mario characters. In this build, Donkey Kong's plane was colored brown.
In the 2001 build of the game, the Super Mario characters were removed and Donkey Kong raced alongside other Donkey Kong Country characters. Donkey Kong's barrel plane now had dark blue-colored wings.
In the 2003 build of Diddy Kong Pilot, DK was a member of Team Kong and had high weight and speed but medium acceleration. His barrel plane's wings and tail were now bright red. His barrel plane was later inherited by Bottles and his stats were taken by Banjo in the final build of this iteration, Banjo-Pilot, where his groaning sound effect even remained intact with Mumbo Jumbo.
Donkey Kong Racing[edit]
Donkey Kong was intended to be playable in Donkey Kong Racing. In the trailer, he can be seen racing the other Kongs as well as Taj on Rambi and a Zinger.
Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers[edit]
Donkey Kong was going to be the host of the puzzle game Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers , where the player would have solved a variety of different puzzles with Donkey Kong Country characters and stages as the backdrop.
The game was later turned into It's Mr. Pants, with Mr. Pants replacing Donkey Kong as the host.
References[edit]
- ^ Shigeru Miyamoto Interview. The Mushroom Kingdom. (Retrieved July 1, 2012)
- ^ https://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic/donkey-kong-developer-interview
- ^ Ripped character IDs for Mario & Sonic. (Retrieved on July 12, 2008)
- ^ Illumination (March 9, 2023). The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Final Trailer. YouTube. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ Nintendo - Mario's Cement Factory Video Game Commercial - 1983. YouTube. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ DK's cameo in Goldeneye 007
| Histories | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Bowser • Bowser Jr. • Donkey Kong • Kamek • Luigi • Mario • Princess Daisy • Princess Peach • Wario • Yoshi |
| Species | Boo • Koopa Troopa |
| Groups | Koopalings |
| Items | Coin |
