Donkey Kong

Move Guide

Basic Attacks

A basic but strong one-two punch

DK lunges forward with a good reach.

DK swipes his hand over his head.

DK crouches and swings his massive hand at the opponent's legs.

Dash Attacks

DK will roll towards the target in front of him.

Smash Attacks

DK claps both of his massive hands. When fully charged up, this move can deal high damage and launch the enemy farther.

DK claps upwards instead. When fully charged up, this move can deal high damage and launch the enemy farther.

DK slams both of his clenched fists on the ground beside him.

Special Attacks

DK winds up to release a powerful punch. You can cancel this move by evading or moving. After winding up, you can press the special button again to release the punch.

DK headbutts the target. If it hits an enemy on the ground, it will temporarily bury the opponent on the ground, rendering it immobile and helpless. If this move hits an enemy in mid-air, it will cause a meteor effect.

Spinning Kong (Up Special)

Dk spins with his arms outstretched, capable of covering a lot of ground and hitting multiple enemies at once. When used in the air, DK will spin like a helicopter blade, capable of uplifting him a few feet off the ground. This is one of his recovery moves.

DK will start slamming the ground with both hands, dealing small AoE (area-of-effect) damage around him.

Air Attacks

DK performs a short-range spining punch attack

DK headbutts the enemies in mid-air

DK will strike enemies with his double-clasped fists

DK will kick an enemy to the side while in the air.

A mid-air stomp that can bounce enemies on the ground.

Final Smash

This special will activate a small rhythm minigame while DK is playing his drums. You need to press the attack button in time to hit the circular notes appearing above him. The shockwave produced by the drums can push enemies back and damage them. The timing on the notes are crucial in making this attack stronger and better. Landing "GREAT" hits will make the shockwave stronger.

Recovery

Dk's only reliable recover move is the Spinning Kong. While this allows him to cover more ground horizontally, it doesn't give him much lift vertically. That said, DK must be very careful when timing his double-jumps and Up Special moves.

Gameplay

Dk is one of the heavier but sturdier fighters in SSSB. He can endure a considerable amount of damage before being in danger of being launched off. His attacks are kind of slow but they all pack a punch. His large arms and hands give him a slight reach advantage when attacking. One good combo is by Headbutting an enemy on the ground then followed up with a charged Giant Punch. The higher the opponent's damage, the longer it stays buried, and the higher the chance that you can deliver a fully wound up punch to your helpless opponent. DK's aerial attacks are not to be ignored either. These attacks have good reach and considerable damage per hit.

Being a heavy hitter, expect a lot of openings that fast opponents can exploit after DK finishes his attacks. DK can particularly excel in Final Form stages since his default reach is already wide, allowing him to dish heavy damage to multiple enemies in almost any direction. Like what was mentioned in the Recovery section of this page is that DK has poor aerial recovery capability. That said, don't do risky moves that may force you off the stage and prevent you from climbing back up.