Super Smash Bros. Melee/Donkey Kong

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SSBM Portrait Donkey Kong.png

Standard Attacks[edit]

Button(s) Description/notes
A button A quick jab.
A button A button A one-two punch. Low knockback, high lag, easily punishable even if you connect.
Forward + A button A backwards slap. High range, somewhat quick. Due to it's range and above-average knockback, it is quite effective at spacing. Of course, can be angled.
Dash + A button DK does a running kick. Knocks enemies up, otherwise unremarkable, and high ending lag.
Down control + A button A quick slap to an opponent's feet. Fast, low knockback, good range.
Up control + A button Swings his hand above his head 180 degrees. Poor range, but can be used as a juggle.
Smash Forward + A button Slams his hands together in front of him. A little more powerful than most smashes, yet is pretty fast. Good range.
Smash Down control + A button Slams two fists onto the ground on either side of him. OK range, fast, and delivers a lot of knockback.
Smash Up control + A button Claps hands above his head. Limited to the area directly above DK, but good move if it connects. But,it's quite slow. Buuttt, DK's arms can't be hit during this.

Aerial Attacks[edit]

Button(s) Description/notes
A button Kong swings around, hitting enemies on either side of him. Low range and bad startup time for a neutral air.
Forward + A button DK swings both hands down. Spikes if enemy is in front of and below DK. Very bad startup time.
Backwards + A button He swings his feet behind him. Fast, DK's best aerial.
Down control + A button He rams his feet downward sending opponents downward. Slow slow slow.
Up control + A button DK headbutts enemies above him. Good kill move, easily led into with throws.

Special Attacks[edit]

Button(s) Attack Description/notes
B button Giant Punch DK charges up a giant punch. If he swings his arm around ten times, he returns to a neutral state and his head begins smoking. Tapping B button after this, or while charging, releases a giant punch. However, if he is hit while charging or punching, he loses the charge. Faster, longer ranged, and more powerful than his forward smash, this is DK's low-% killing weapon of choice.
Up control + B button Spinning Kong DK spins rapidly for a few seconds. This allows for a large horizontal gain, but little vertical gain. The initial hit is much stronger than subsequent hits.
Down control + B button Hand Slap On the ground, DK slaps his hands on the ground, damaging enemies on the ground nearby. Great for dealing with pesky wireframes, not so good for human enemies; it's easily punishable by the newly-airborne foes. It is only one of two moves (the other being Peach's Down control + B button) that has no effect in the air.
Forward + B button Headbutt DK slams his head down. Enemies hit by it will be stuck in the ground temporarily, and then pop out. It can also be used as an ineffective spike against airborne foes. Very slow, bad range, and easily punishable.

Throws[edit]

Button(s) Description/notes
Down control He throws the opponent on the ground, who then bounces forward.
Forward The famous DK Grab-carry. After grabbing you, DK can move as if he was carrying a crate; he can walk and jump, and throw the opponent in any direction. A typical setup is to grab, grab-carry, jump, throw the enemy up, double-jump, and hit the enemy with an up-air. Or you can jump off the edge and hope your opponent doesn't break out and recover before you both fall to your doom.
Up control DK simply throws the enemy up.
Back DK throws the enemy behind him. A respectable kill move at mid-upper percentages.

Advanced Techniques[edit]

Start with a Forward throw (grab-carry) and walk up to a ledge on the stage. Execute a Down control + throw. This will cause the opponent to be thrown horizontal to DK like a bowling ball. As the opponent tries to jump back up to hang on the ledge, do a quick B button + forward. If done correctly, this is an easy spike and a great KO.

Kidnapping[edit]

With DK's forward throw you can grab someone, hold on to them, then walk off the edge to kill you both, or you can throw him after you've fallen a little then try to get back yourself. This can be done with Kirby as well: when an opponent is near a ledge, simply jump off the ledge and on the way down, inhale them.

Stronger Giant Punch[edit]

Press B button and in the middle of the punch move the Neutral control to where your opponent is to hit them a lot harder.