Donkey Kong

Alternate Colors

Smash Attacks

SIDE SMASH DAMAGE 19~20%

Donkey Kong pulls his arms back before clapping on anyone in front of him.

DOWN SMASH DAMAGE 14~18%

Donkey Kong raises his arms before slamming them down on both sides of him. The arms are invincible during the downward swing.

UP SMASH DAMAGE 18%

Donkey Kong claps his hand above his head. Covers less horizontal range than you might expect, but both his head and arms are invincible during this attack.

Basic Attacks

Standing Attack DAMAGE 4%,6%

A strong two-punch attack.

Side Tilt DAMAGE 10%

Donkey Kong swipes forward with his impressive reach. You can aim this slightly up or down. The arm used is invincible during this attack.

Up Tilt DAMAGE 9~11%

Donkey Kong swings his arm in an arc over his head to the ground on the other side of him. This hits most of the way through the arc, not just at the destination. The arm used is invincible during this attack.

Down Tilt DAMAGE 6~7%

Donkey Kong ducks while swinging at an opponent’s feet. The arm used is invincible during this attack.

Dash Attack DAMAGE 8~10%

With this new attack, Donkey Kong rolls himself at the opponent.

Edge Attack

Donkey Kong returns to the stage with a clobbering overhead strike.

Air Attacks

Neutral Air Attack DAMAGE 8~11%

A spinning attack that hits opponents away.

Up Air Attack DAMAGE 13%

This headbutt attack knocks opponents up into the air. His head is invincible during this attack.

Down Air Attack DAMAGE 13~16%

A downward strike with Donkey Kong’s foot. Cause a ground bounce when hit in the air.

Forward Air Attack DAMAGE 13~16%

A double axe-handle overhead strike. Also bounces the opponent off the ground when hit in the air.

Back Air Attack DAMAGE 8~13%

This jumping back kick is fantastic. Use it often.

Special Attacks

Giant Punch (Neutral Special) DAMAGE 10~12% MAX DAMAGE 18~28%

Donkey Kong winds up for a massive punch. The more spins on his wind-up, the stronger the punch is. Press the Special button at any point while spinning to release the punch. Use Left or Right to cancel on the ground and use air dodge to cancel in the air. When used in the air, it deals slightly less damage.

Lightning Punch DAMAGE 10~12% MAX DAMAGE 8~15%

Donkey Kong spins his arms faster, generating electrical energy. This charges to maximum power up to four times faster than the regular version, but it deals less damage. The attack is a little quicker but does not give partial invincibility or super armor effects.

Storm Punch DAMAGE 0~8% MAX DAMAGE 0~18%

In this variation, the force of the punch sends out a tornado that blows the opponent back. The more you charge it up, the larger the tornado is. This charges to maximum twice as fast as the regular version.

Headbutt (Side Special)DAMAGE 8~10%

Donkey Kong performs a massive headbutt on his opponent. If the opponent is grounded, that opponent is buried in the ground temporarily. In the air, this performs a meteor smash. This is very damaging to shields.

Jumping Headbutt DAMAGE 5~10%

In this variation, Donkey Kong jumps before headbutting. Opens are buried a shorter duration, and it does not have meteor smash properties in the air.

Stubborn Headbutt DAMAGE 9~13%

Gains super armor when you begin the attack so you don’t flinch from enemy attacks! This is slower but more powerful.

Spinning Kong (Up Special) DAMAGE 2~10% MAX DAMAGE 36% : 8 Hits

Spinning like a tornado with his massive arms outstretched, Donkey Kong can cover a lot of horizontal distance with this Special. You can move him left or right while he uses this attack. This has super armor on the ground before he starts spinning then brief invincibility on his arms as he starts spinning. In the air, you have only the invincibility, not the super armor.

Chopper Kong DAMAGE 0%

For recovery, this version sends you higher faster but does not attack the opponent. You are also limited in how much you can move side to side. This version has no invincibility during its startup.

Kong Cyclone DAMAGE 3~12% MAX DAMAGE 15% : 2 Hits

Draws in opponents as Donkey Kong spins. As opponents are drawn in, you have super armor and do not flinch from their attacks. The arms do not have invincibleity while spinning, and for recovery purposes, this is about the same as the regular version. This version deals more damage on land than in the air compared to the regular version, which does more damage in the air than on land.

Hand Slap (Down Special) DAMAGE 14%

Donkey Kong slaps the ground, creating shockwaves that pop opponents into the air. This doesn’t affect characters already in the air, however. You can continue slapping by repeatedly hitting Special without holding Down any longer after the first slap. You can even do this move in the air!

Focused Slap DAMAGE 7~14% MAX DAMAGE 21% : 2 Hits

Paralyzes opponents with your right hand then knocks them away with the left hand. The impacted area is smaller, but it deals more damage. The paralyzing blow only works on grounded opponents. When used in the air, the damage is higher than the regular version; however, you don’t get any ground bounce or meteor effects.

Hot Slap DAMAGE 4~12% MAX DAMAGE 16% : 2 Hits

Donkey Kong slaps pillars of fire out of the ground! The second pillar rises higher and deals more damage. Unlike other variations, this attack can hit airborne opponents while you are grounded.

Final Smash

Konga Beat

Donkey Kong whips out his bongo drums and bangs them, sending out shockwaves to hit your opponents. This includes a music minigame in which you hit the Attack button when the red-and-white circles cross over the target. You get an indicator saying GREAT, GOOD, or BAD. The better you do, the stronger your shockwaves are. Donkey Kong doesn’t take damage during this Final Smash, and he can’t move once he starts it. Be sure to position yourself close to your opponents, and try to use Konga Beat when your opponents are close to an edge.

Strategy

Being one of the heavier characters in the game, Donkey Kong can withstand some punishment before being in danger of being KO’d. Despite his huge size and weight, his mobility is impressive. Strong KO power, good throws, and a multitude of spikes combined with the excellent range on his attacks make him a threat at all times. His large size, however, makes him an easy target. Couple this with slow recovery on some of his attacks, and you’ll have to make sure your attacks count! His most notable attacks are his Back Air, Forward Smash, and his throws. Back Air’s hitbox and hurtbox make you feel somewhat invincible, so use this where you can to rack up damage. His Forward Smash does a huge chunk of damage, so try not to use it too much, and it’ll catch opponents off guard when they get blasted off the stage! Giant Punch is a great intimidation tactic when fully charged, so be sure to charge it whenever possible. Each arm spin adds an additional 2 points of damage to it, and hitting at the top will net you extra damage.

After burying an opponent with Headbutt, you can immediately charge up at least two spins on Giant Punch. A safer and easier option is to follow up with the two jab attacks. The higher percentage the opponent is at, however, the longer that opponent will be buried, and the longer you can charge up Giant Punch. Alternatively, you can attack with the grounded version of Spinning Kong. Use Hand Slap when you anticipate your opponent might spot dodge or roll, but note this is vulnerable to air attacks. Note when Giant Punch is fully charged, you have super armor and do not flinch from attacks when performing the attack. If it is not fully charged, you do not have super armor, but the arm used is invincible. Down Air, Forward Air, and Headbutt in the air all give you meteor effects or ground bounces with various strengths. Up Tilt is an important tool to cover the area immediately above Donkey Kong as well as behind him.

Donkey Kong’s long arms means increased throw range. Couple this with his good throw game, and it becomes something you should always try to use. During Donkey Kong’s Forward Throw, he can walk around while carrying the opponent! Use the Forward or Down options while carrying to throw opponents farther away from you in those respective directions. At low percentages, use Down Throw instead to set up better follow-up options. Donkey Kong’s Back Throw hurls the opponent a decent distance. Try to use this from the side of a stage, then follow up with a couple of Back Air attacks. You can then use Spinning Kong to knock opponents farther, while also getting Donkey Kong back to the stage.

Recovery

Donkey Kong is limited when it comes to recovery options. His main recovery tool is his Spinning Kong. This is extremely useful for horizontal recovery but gives him very little lift vertically. Donkey Kong will be left in a fall state after this move. So, to maximize your recovery, your best option is to double jump and then Spinning Kong. But if you land on the ground before this move is ready to complete, Donkey Kong will be vulnerable to attacks!