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Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong returns as a veteran from previous installments of the Smash Brothers series. He still bears the same moves and attacks from Melee.

Donkey Kong is one of the heaviest characters in the game. He naturally has a big size, powerful attacks, long range, and great strength, being able to move and jump freely while carrying a heavy item like a crate. However, he doesn't have a projectile. His large size means he will get hit by a lot of things. However, he is known for being one of the fastest heavyweights, with speed to match a middleweight.

DK's ground game dosen't particularly shine. His jab is good for getting your opponents off of you quickly. Your tilts have a lot of range, and your up tilt is useful for juggling opponents. Your dash attack is laggy and dangerous on shield, so avoid using it. Your smash attacks are quite powerful, especially your down smash, which, when hit by the hands, sends opponents flying away.

Donkey Kong has a grab with quite good range. His forward throw makes him carry opponents on his back, and he is free to throw them anywhere he wants while being able to move freely. His up throw and back throw aren't bad KO moves, and his down throw is a chaingrab on some characters.

His air game is great. His neutral air has little startup and covers around him. His forward air is a powerful meteor smash if it's sweetspotted, but it can still knock opponents far from the stage when sourspotted. His down air is another meteor smash and is more reliable. His up air is a great KO move that is fast and powerful. His back air is one of the most useful air attacks in the game. It's fast, has good range, and doesn't leave you open for attack. Approach and defend yourself with this. In fact, try to face the opposite of your opponent just to hit them with back air. It's just a very useful and important part of a good Donkey Kong playstyle.

As for his specials, he has useful ones. His Giant Punch is easily a KO move, with the feared 9-wind punch that is absolutely deadly on high percentages. His Spinning Kong negates all momentum effectively, making him survive normally lethal attacks. His Headbutt plants the opponent into the ground like a Pitfall. His Hand Slap is extremely easy to combo into and is great to tack on some damage.

Standard Attacks[edit]

Wii Remote + Nunchuk Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Classic Controller GameCube Controller Attack Info
A button 2 button A button A button Double Punch Punches two times
Right nunchuk+A button Right dpad+2 button Right lstick+A button Right control+A button Long Punch Punches in front of him. Slightly more range than his AA combo.
Up nunchuk+A button Up dpad+2 button Up lstick+A button Up control+A button Arch Swing Swings his hand in an arch above him.
Down nunchuk+A button Down dpad+2 button Down lstick+A button Down control+A button Low Swat Swats at the ground.
A buttonwhile dashing 2 buttonwhile dashing A buttonwhile dashing A buttonwhile dashing Kong Kick Kicks forwards while dashing. This move is dangerous as it has much ending lag.

Smash attacks[edit]

Wii Remote + Nunchuk Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Classic Controller GameCube Controller Smash Attack Info
Smash Right nunchuk+A button Right dpad+1 button+2 button (Smash Right lstick+A button) or Right rstick (Smash Right control+A button) or Right cstick Big Clap He attacks with a big clap.
Smash Up nunchuk+A button Up dpad+1 button+2 button (Smash Up lstick+A button) or Up rstick (Smash Up control+A button) or Up cstick High Clap He claps upwards.
Smash Down nunchuk+A button Down dpad+1 button+2 button (Smash Down lstick+A button) or Down rstick (Smash Down control+A button) or Down cstick Kongo Punch He pounds enemies next to him.

Pummels and Throws[edit]

Wii Remote + Nunchuk Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Classic Controller GameCube Controller Pummel/Throw Info
A buttonafter grab 2 buttonafter grab A buttonafter grab A buttonafter grab Ape Chop Does a karate chop on the opponents head
Right nunchukafter grab Right dpadafter grab Right lstickafter grab Right controlafter grab Cargo Carry Heaves the opponent on to his back and carries them around.
Left nunchukafter grab Left dpadafter grab Left lstickafter grab Left controlafter grab Backwards Fling Donkey Kong flings opponents backwards.
Up nunchukafter grab Up dpadafter grab Up lstickafter grab Up controlafter grab Upwards Fling Donkey Kong flings his opponents upwards.
Down nunchukafter grab Down dpadafter grab Down lstickafter grab Down controlafter grab Downwards Slam Donkey Kong shoves his opponents down.

Air Attacks[edit]

Wii Remote + Nunchuk Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Classic Controller GameCube Controller Attack Info
A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png 2 buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Arm Spin Donkey Kong spins around, hitting with his arms.
Right nunchuk+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Right dpad+2 buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Right lstick+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Right control+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Fist Smash Donkey Kong clutches his hands together and punches downwards.
Left nunchuk+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Left dpad+2 buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Left lstick+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Left control+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Back Kick Donkey Kong kicks backwards. Donkey Kong's most useful aerial attack.
Up nunchuk+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Up dpad+2 buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Up lstick+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Up control+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Head Bash Bashes his head upwards. Great for vertical KOs.
Down nunchuk+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Down dpad+2 buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Down lstick+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Down control+A buttonArcade-Modifier-(Air).png Donkey Stomp Stomps downwards. Good for knocking foes downwards.

Special Attacks[edit]

Wii Remote + Nunchuk Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Classic Controller GameCube Controller Special Attack Info
B button 1 button B button B button Giant Punch Donkey Kong winds up his hands then punches. It takes ten winds to fully charged his punch. A 9 wind punch is the most powerful but the fully charged one gives you non-flinching frames.
Right nunchuk+B button Right dpad+1 button Right lstick+B button Right control+B button Head Butt He slams things into the ground. It can also be used to spike airborne enemies. You can also KO enemies with a Giant Punch after you bury them.
Up nunchuk+B button Up dpad+1 button Up lstick+B button Up control+B button Spinning Kong He spins into the air attacking things that get in his way. It doesn't gain him much vertical ground, but with it, he can travel great horizontal distances.He cannot be knocked out at the very beginning of this attack.
Down nunchuk+B button Down dpad+1 button Down lstick+B button Down control+B button Hand Slap He creates an earthquake that can be maintained by repeatedly tapping the correct attack button. This move has great range and it's quite useful as a mixup.

Taunts[edit]

Wii Remote + Nunchuk Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Classic Controller GameCube Controller Taunt
1 button A button Up dpad Up dpad He beats his chest.
1 button+2 button (Left dpad or Right dpad)+A button Left dpad or Right dpad Left dpad or Right dpad He shakes as if wet.
2 button Down dpad+A button Down dpad Down dpad He turns toward the camera and shrugs.

Final Smash[edit]

Konga Beat

Konga Beat: Whips out his bongos and plays with a fury that bursts your eardrums. You can play along by pressing button combos. Following the rhythm successfully will result in more powerful, larger blasts, while playing out of sync will result in small, weak blasts. The timing is a bit tricky, so practice!