Donkey Kong

This article is about the character Donkey Kong. For other uses of the name "Donkey Kong", see Donkey Kong (disambiguation). For other uses of the moniker "DK", see DK (disambiguation).

Donkey Kong
Artwork of Donkey Kong for Mario Party Superstars
Species	Kong
First appearance	Donkey Kong (as the original Donkey Kong) (1981) Donkey Kong Country (as the current Donkey Kong) (1994)
Latest appearance	Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) (2024)
Latest portrayal	Takashi Nagasako (2004–present)

“My bananas and my buddy, Diddy Kong, they are gone! The Kremlings will pay! I'll hunt them down through every corner of my island, until I have every last banana from my hoard back!”

—Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong, also known simply as DK, D.K., D. Kong, or rarely Donkey, is a major character in the Super Mario franchise and the main protagonist of the Donkey Kong franchise. He is a powerful and carefree Kong that lives in Donkey Kong Island, and he likes to collect bananas and spend time with his friends, particularly his best friend and sidekick Diddy Kong. However, he has also been portrayed as an antagonist on multiple occasions, mainly in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.

The Donkey Kong Country series establishes that Donkey Kong is something of a title rather than a singular character, and that at least two separate Kongs have bore it. This includes Cranky Kong and the current Donkey Kong. After the 1994 Game Boy Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong retired the usage of the name, passing it on to his grandson to use in Donkey Kong Country and onward. This has caused confusion and continuity issues, with certain games and miscellaneous pieces of media contradicting the identity of Donkey Kong in early titles and his relationship with Cranky Kong.

Creation

Bluto throwing barrels at Popeye in early concept art of the arcade game that would develop into Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong's character design was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the Donkey Kong arcade game, in which Donkey Kong kidnaps Mario's original girlfriend, Lady. Miyamoto says that he chose the name "Donkey" to reflect the character's stupidity, while "Kong" was considered a generic term for large apes in Japan. Miyamoto was later informed by Nintendo of America staff that the word "donkey" is not a synonym for "idiot" in English, but he decided to ignore this because he liked the name "Donkey Kong". However, this is contradicted by the deposition he gave during Universal Studios' lawsuit against Nintendo. He stated that his proposals for Kong's first name were rejected and that he was unaware of who came up with it. Export manager Shinichi Todori's deposition revealed that he came up with the first name after trying to translate「頓馬」(tonma) into English. It was either Gunpei Yokoi or Hiroshi Yamauchi who gave the final approval for the name. Excluding the title, the Japanese arcade instructions and flyer refer to him simply as「コング」(Kong).

The Donkey Kong Jungle Action Special states that Shigeru Miyamoto claims that Donkey Kong's character was inspired by the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, though no further source or statement has been provided. However, it is known that Donkey Kong took over the role of Bluto in a scrapped Popeye arcade game as the primary antagonist.

Donkey Kong's original appearance portrayed him as a villainous or confused ape with unequaled strength. In these games, Donkey Kong did not wear a tie. The 1994 Game Boy Donkey Kong was the first game to feature the tie (a red tie with the letters "DK" printed in white, later changed to yellow. However, with the release of Donkey Kong Country later that year, Donkey Kong was given a new personality. Donkey Kong's newer design by Kevin Bayliss was modeled after the Battletoads, particularly the sunken eyes; additionally, when Steve Mayles had trouble modeling the mouth early on, Tim Stamper folded a flattened sphere and gave it depth, which was a technique reused for most characters such as Enguarde. Shigeru Miyamoto also supervised the development of the design process via fax, reminding Rare to include the tie and correcting the number of digits that should be on the hands and feet. Donkey Kong Country also saw the appearance of the elderly Cranky Kong, who is described as the original Donkey Kong from the older arcade games. While the relationship of Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong has been inconsistent, most sources indicate that the current Donkey Kong is the grandson of Cranky Kong.

History

Main article: 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.

General information

Physical appearance

Donkey Kong's appearance from the SNES era (left) and his current appearance (right)

“She came to have lunch with DK! Big, tall with lots of muscles DK! Not the half-pint version.”

—Diddy Kong, Ape Foo Young

Donkey Kong is a Kong resembling a gorilla who sports a burly physique; in addition to having particularly large pecs, biceps and triceps, he is noted to weigh 800 pounds (363 kg) according to the talking Microphone that serves as the announcer for the fight against King K. Rool in Donkey Kong 64, as well as having the traditional large feet of primates with opposable thumbs. Donkey Kong also has brown fur, with the fur on his head being distinctly shaped to the point of looking like a hairstyle. As of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, his fur has also consistently sported a realistic texture. The shade of brown his fur is colored, however, has been inconsistent between games, being either a lighter shade or its original darker shade. Donkey Kong wears only a single item of clothing: a red necktie with the "DK" logo printed on it in yellow and tied in a Windsor knot from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest onwards.

Within the Super Smash Bros. series, Donkey Kong's appearance has changed. In Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong was somewhat cartoonish in appearance, though his design did not originate from a specific Super Mario or Donkey Kong game. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Donkey Kong gains a darker color scheme, while his design appears to have more details; Donkey Kong is also shown with teeth, which are colored white. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Donkey Kong's fur is lighter in color, but it is further detailed. Donkey Kong's teeth are now yellowish in color. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Donkey Kong's fur receives even more detail, akin to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, though he has a more vibrant color scheme. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Donkey Kong gains a more subdued color scheme, though not to the same extent as Melee or Brawl; additionally, his fur is slightly less detailed, though his necktie has simple detailing.

Throughout the Super Smash Bros. series, Donkey Kong has had eight alternate costumes to choose from; in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, he has 5 costumes; in Super Smash Bros. Brawl , he has 6 costumes; lastly, in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he has 8 costumes. Donkey Kong's first alternate costume gives him black fur, making him resemble his in-game sprite in Donkey Kong '94 and Donkey Kong Land; his second alternate costume gives him red fur, resembling his appearance in the original Donkey Kong; his third alternate costume gives him blue fur, resembling one of his alternate colors from Mario Golf and Donkey Kong 64's multiplayer mode; his fourth alternate costume gives him green fur, having no inspiration. In Melee, Donkey Kong's black costume receives a blue tie, his red costume receives a navy blue tie, and his blue costume receives a purple tie. In Brawl, Donkey Kong's black costume receives a yellow tie with green insignia and his blue costume receives a lavender tie; his green costume is much darker. Donkey Kong also gains a fifth alternate costume with white fur, later inspiring Super Kong's colors. In 3DS / Wii U, Donkey Kong's green costume regains its pre-Brawl color, while his sixth and seventh alternate costumes are introduced: the former gives Donkey Kong a light blue tie and golden brown fur, resembling one of his alternate colors from Mario Golf; the latter gives Donkey Kong a yellow tie and pink fur, resembling Junior (II)'s color in Donkey Kong Jr. Math.

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Donkey Kong has a more realistic look than his previous appearances. According to Shigeru Miyamoto, his design takes inspiration from his depictions prior to Donkey Kong Country in order to give him a more comical personality and design. His body is also more detailed, similar to his appearance from the Super Smash Bros. games.

Speech

In the Donkey Kong arcade game, the original Donkey Kong only spoke in growls as he took Lady (or Pauline) on top of a construction site, as well as when ascending further up the structure upon Mario completing a level (except for 100m). Saturday Supercade depicted him with the ability to speak broken English in contrast to Donkey Kong Jr., his son. While he mainly verbalized realistic ape noises in-game provided by Mark Betteridge, the instruction manuals for the Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Land and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest showed that the current Donkey Kong has the ability to speak rather intelligently, which was also seen during the ending of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. Donkey Kong later spoke intelligibly in a few Club Nintendo comics as well as Super Mario-Kun. Donkey Kong first received voice acting in the 1998 computer-animated Donkey Kong Country television series, where he was portrayed by Richard Yearwood. Donkey Kong next received voice acting in Donkey Kong 64, where he was portrayed by Grant Kirkhope, a composer for Rare Ltd. and the Donkey Kong franchise. Here, Donkey Kong had a few lines where he spoke broken English while referring to himself in the third person. Grant Kirkhope would provide a mixture of cartoonish gorilla noises and actual words, including "Yeah!", "Cool", "Hey!", and "OK!". After 2006, Takashi Nagasako took over as Donkey Kong's voice actor, first heard in Mario Power Tennis, though he mainly provided him with cartoonish gorilla noises, although he is able to say his name, "Let's go!", and "Yeah, hey!" In current games where Donkey Kong is intended to speak in full sentences, there is in-game text to signify what he is saying. In the early Mario Party games, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, as well as the Super Smash Bros. series, Donkey Kong is instead given chimpanzee screams and realistic gorilla roars, respectively, instead of a voice actor; Donkey Kong's voice clips from the N64 era use the Chimpanzee Screeches and Vocalizes from The Hollywood Edge Sound Effects Library. In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Donkey Kong, as all other Kongs, is fully capable of speech and can normally talk to non-Kong characters, where he is portrayed by Seth Rogen.

Personality

LINE sticker depicting an angered Donkey Kong

LINE sticker depicting Donkey Kong relaxing on a beach chair

In the games, despite his carefree lifestyle, Donkey Kong is a brave and friendly hero who highly cares for his friends and banana hoard, and becomes enraged if either are threatened. He is always keen to be helpful and use his strength whenever possible. The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series portray him as prone to temper tantrums if he doesn't get what he wants, which leads to him and Mario clashing when he steals the Mini Mario Toys and even kidnaps Pauline, though he does show remorse once Mario resolves the matter. Donkey Kong is also shown as more aggressive and willing to fight in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

Donkey Kong is inconsistently depicted as somewhat dim-witted; in Fortune Street, Toad remarks that Donkey Kong is the brawn while Diddy Kong is the brains, and he speaks in broken, third-person English for his few lines in Donkey Kong 64; however, in other appearances, particularly during the Donkey Kong Country series, DK speaks fluent English much like the other Kongs. In The Subspace Emissary, Donkey Kong is shown to be more cautious, sensing the danger of the Dark Cannon Bowser wielded and electing to get the impulsive Diddy Kong to safety. In Snake's codec conversation on Donkey Kong in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Otacon claims that Donkey Kong seems "pretty smart" for an ape.

In the TV series, Donkey Kong's personality is largely the same, albeit depicting him as lazy instead of carefree. Donkey Kong is shown to have a somewhat stronger moral back bone, as shown in I Spy with My Hairy Eye with his reluctance to use the Crystal Coconut to wish for more bananas until Diddy manipulated him into doing it. Donkey Kong also seems easier to startle and more sensitive overall, but maintains an aggressive wariness of King K. Rool, Kaptain Skurvy and their goons.

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Donkey Kong is portrayed as a fun-loving, sarcastic, arrogant, and relaxed character who enjoys his popularity, but also suffers from self-confidence issues when it comes to how his father Cranky Kong views him as a joke, as well as being heavily embarrassed at the fact he was defeated in battle and then had his life saved by Mario. He also throws a fit of rage when Mario calls him a "smash monkey", showing his frustration about being seen as nothing more than a mindless brute "who smashes things".

Powers and abilities

Donkey Kong flexing.

Unlike most characters, who have some kind of special power, Donkey Kong relies mainly on his brute strength. He sometimes has the title of "The strongest of the Kongs", in spite of some Kongs like Chunky Kong and Sumo Kong being larger than Donkey Kong. In the original Donkey Kong he had a seemingly unlimited supply of Barrels, and could throw them easily. This carried on to the Donkey Kong Country games, where he can pick up and throw Barrels with ease. Also in Donkey Kong Country, he can defeat certain enemies that Diddy Kong cannot hurt with a single jump. In Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, his strength is shown yet again, it makes him so strong that when he claps, a sound-wave is produced, which is his main attack throughout the game. In the ending of Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong is shown to be strong enough to knock the moon out of its orbit and into the planet's atmosphere with a single punch (though the fact he was falling towards it at an alarming speed may have helped with it).

Donkey Kong also appears to either immune or highly resistant to hypnosis since the Kalimba Tiki was unable to hypnotize him when it was easily able to do so to other animals on the island. In Donkey Kong 64, he has a personal weapon, the Coconut Shooter, and has a special ability called Strong Kong which allows him to become invincible and use up more Crystal Coconuts the longer he maintains the form. Donkey Kong also has some skill with musical instruments, to the point that he can even weaponize music and song in combat. This is demonstrated in Donkey Kong 64, where Donkey Kong is talented in playing bongos and uses it to solve puzzles and attack surrounding enemies; the ability of playing bongos is also shown in the Donkey Konga games. In the Mario Strikers series, Donkey Kong is shown to wield electric powers, exerting bolts of lightning during his Super Strike and Mega Strike.

Though his size and weight may suggest otherwise, Donkey Kong is deceptively fast and agile; in Mario Strikers: Battle League, he break dances after scoring a goal and performs acrobatics while vine swinging in his victory scene. In Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat he is shown to be very proficient in hand to hand combat, delivering a vast amount of fast punches and kicks in a few seconds and is quick in countering the attacks he dodges, enabling him to contend with and defeat master martial artists like Karate Kong and Ninja Kong or physically stronger opponents like Sumo Kong. DK's speed and agility have also been consistently demonstrated throughout his appearances in the Super Smash Bros. franchise.

Identity

Main articles: Cranky Kong#Identity confusion and Donkey Kong Jr.

According to various pieces of official media, starting with Donkey Kong Country, the Donkey Kong that appears in the titles prior to Donkey Kong Country, such as Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3 and the Game Boy Donkey Kong, goes on to age and become Cranky Kong, passing down his name to the current and modern Donkey Kong, his grandson. Some sources would go on to imply that the Donkey Kong that appeared in games after Donkey Kong Country is a grown up Donkey Kong Jr.; this was later contradicted in a 2017 Prima Games book that establishes Donkey Kong Jr. as the father of Donkey Kong and son of Cranky Kong. The relationship between Cranky Kong and Donkey Kong has also been contradicted on occasion, between being his father (as seen mostly in Donkey Kong 64) and being his grandfather.

Relationships

Friends

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in Donkey Kong Country Returns

Diddy Kong is Donkey Kong's "little buddy" who looks up to him. Diddy Kong has gone on many adventures with his best friend (with DK showing excitement at having another adventure with his friend when selected as his ally character in Super Mario Party), and the two often look out for each other, sharing a brotherly bond. In sports, Diddy Kong is often Donkey Kong's default partner. Diddy has rarely been suggested as a relative of DK's, though most sources do not claim that they are related.

Dixie Kong is one of Donkey Kong's closest friends, sometimes hanging out with him and Diddy Kong. She actively helped rescue him when he is kidnapped and joined him in retaking Donkey Kong Island from the Snowmads. Donkey Kong seems to act like a big brother to Dixie, similar to how he is with Diddy. He was very defensive of her when she was antagonized by a Dry Bones in Mario Super Sluggers. Dixie does show minor exasperation with DK when he is rash and stubborn, but they nonetheless have a close friendship.

Funky Kong is another one of Donkey Kong's recurring friends. The two share a good friendship, with Funky referring DK by the nickname "Donkey-dude". Though he prefers not adventuring, Funky does support Donkey Kong by giving him either transportation or weaponry, or acting as a shopkeeper.

Relatives

Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong

Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong's crabby and constantly rambling grandfather. He also originally had the name Donkey Kong until he turned it over to his replacement, and has not resumed the title since (with the sole exception being re-releases such as games in the Game & Watch Gallery series). He finds a way to help DK and his friends in their adventures, though it usually entails giving out advice or valuable items for a price. Although he frequently gets frustrated with DK's slow-witted nature, he does nonetheless look out and care for him. In Tropical Freeze, their relationship is shown in the most friendly; Cranky attends his grandson's birthday party, and their Kong POW shows them doing a fist bump. In the Donkey Kong Adventure, Donkey Kong works with a Rabbid counterpart of Cranky.

In the TV series, Cranky acts as a direct mentor to Donkey Kong, but still gets angry with him easily. Regardless, the two care about each other as family as shown in Message in a Bottle Show where the two hugged each other, although they may be loathe to admit it at times. Despite his low patience, Cranky has high faith in DK and views as the best hope for the well-being of Kongo Bongo and admits when Donkey Kong actually has a good idea.

Love interests

Candy Kong is one of Donkey Kong's closest friends who others believe he will marry one day, although he is not ready to settle down in Candy Kong's opinion. The Rarewhere website suggests that the two have known each other since childhood. According to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the idea of Candy being DK's girlfriend is only a rumor, which may be due to the fact Donkey Kong seems to spontaneously show romantic interest in Pauline. In Rare-developed games, DK tends to keep a framed photograph of Candy in his home. To explain Candy Kong's absence in later games, one official review of Donkey Kong Land 2 states that she broke up with Donkey Kong, although the Donkey Kong 64 manual suggests otherwise.

In the TV series, Donkey Kong and Candy Kong are dating, but their affection tends to be very on-and-off. Donkey Kong is blindly in love with Candy even when she dismisses him, as she often gets angry with him for his foolishness as shown in several episodes. Candy even occasionally expresses romantic interest in Bluster Kong instead.

Rivals

Donkey Kong holding Pauline hostage, an issue that brings him and Mario in conflict.

Donkey Kong and Mario have had a rivalry for some time. The rivalry is witnessed in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. However the rivalry is friendlier in spin-off games, as implied in Super Smash Bros., and in Solid Snake's codec conversation from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Aside from their rivalry, Donkey Kong is good friends with Mario and gets along with him and his friends in some games such as the Mario Party series. Though the current Donkey Kong is large, he is actually quite a bit younger than Mario. Although Mario did fight Donkey Kong's grandfather in the original Donkey Kong game, Cranky Kong admits that Mario is a true video game hero and even looks back at his nostalgic antics with a fond respect. Donkey Kong and Mario do not seem to hold grudges against one another in spite of their occasional conflicts. One of the evident facts about this is whenever a player lands on a DK Space in the Mario Party series, Donkey Kong will reward them with coins and stars. Another sign of Mario and Donkey Kong's friendship is how quickly Mario forgives a remorseful DK in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, even giving him a toy a few times.

Donkey Kong displays good friendships with characters from the Sonic franchise. He has a friendly rivalry with Knuckles the Echidna and Vector the Crocodile. During the opening of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Donkey Kong, as a hockey goalie, thwarts Knuckles' shot. In Adventure Tour, Donkey Kong quickly establishes good rapport with Vector and Silver the Hedgehog. In London, Silver and Donkey Kong compete together in Volleyball, while Donkey Kong, Knuckles, and Vector work together clearing out the fog in the wrestling venues, with Vector offering a detective job to DK. In Rio games, Donkey Kong and Knuckles accuse each other of cheating after being deceived by two Miis dressed as Mario and Sonic. Following their losses in the Boxing Event, they make peace after realizing their misunderstanding. Big the Cat also invites Donkey Kong to outing. Donkey Kong has special victory animations with Knuckles and Vector in Sochi and Rio, as well as being shown flexing with Vector in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Enemies

King K. Rool and his Kremlings are arch-enemies of Donkey Kong and the Kong Family. They have stolen DK's hoard often for unknown reasons and kidnapped him and his friends. However, Donkey Kong was willing to help a Kremling named K. Lumsy when he realized that he did not wish to harm the Kong Family. Even when the king and four colored Kritters join the Kongs to form the DK Wilds, their antagonism still shows. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, King K. Rool's trailer is called "The Rivals" as a reference to the enmity between him and Donkey Kong. In the show, the feud is still the same. Donkey Kong enjoys giving the Kremlings beatings, causing them to have great fear and apprehension of him.

The Tiki Tak Tribe and the Snowmads are other adversaries to Donkey Kong, who has personal grudges with the groups for stealing all the bananas on Donkey Kong Island, including the ones in his hoard, and exiling him and his friends while conquering their home, respectively.

Other relationships

Pauline was kidnapped by both the original Donkey Kong in the Arcade, Game & Watch, and Game Boy games, and the current Donkey Kong in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. The original Donkey Kong's motive was revenge against Mario for not being a good pet owner, while the current Donkey Kong had two real different variations of the kidnapping. In March of the Minis, it was due to his perceived rejection of his feelings in favor of Mario, and took Pauline away to shower her with gifts. In Mini-Land Mayhem!, Donkey Kong just missed having the free Mini Pauline that was given to the first 100 guests of the theme park, so he takes the real Pauline instead. Although the current Donkey Kong has ultimately proven to have harmless intentions, Pauline showed constant fear of his temper and anger in Mini-Land Mayhem!. Despite this, they remain on friendly terms, and Pauline is generally key to soothing his anger issues. They are even known to work alongside each other, first in Minis March Again! where the "kidnapping" was made to test the current model of Mini Marios, and later in Tipping Stars, where Donkey Kong "kidnapped" Pauline to simply to lure Mario to a surprise party.

In the Donkey Kong Adventure story expansion pack for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, after DK, Rabbid Cranky, and Rabbid Peach manage to defeat Rabbid Kong, he turns over a new leaf after seeing the generosity from Rabbid Peach. When Rabbid Peach and Beep-0 leave for the Mushroom Kingdom, the group take multiple selfies together in honor of their newly formed friendship.

Donkey Kong also has had acquaintance with Wario. In Mario Party, they are shown doing poses and both specialize in strength. In Mario Superstar Baseball, they are on the same team. Donkey Kong even tries to give Wario a fist bump for the latter's home run, only to unintentionally pound Wario into the ground. Often, Wario has the same demeanor with Donkey Kong as he does with everyone else, but to some degree sees him as a powerful asset on his side.

Profiles and statistics

See also: List of Donkey Kong profiles and statistics

Donkey Kong's emblems, from Mario Kart 8.

Donkey Kong's official profiles often characterize him as the "king of the jungle" and discuss how he is both a heroic adventurer and the laid-back leader of the DK Crew. In spinoffs he is typically a heavyweight power character with decent speed. His emblem in the spin-offs are his initials.

Portrayals

“When Nintendo asked me for the samples, I couldn't believe it! It was like, what, you wanna use this? Y'know. [...] We thought they were totally shit.”

—Grant Kirkhope on his performance in Donkey Kong 64

• Soupy Sales (1983, the first portrayal of Donkey Kong overall)
• Mark Betteridge (1994–1995)
• Chris Sutherland (1994, when failing a Bonus Level)
• Charles Martinet (1994, Mario in Real Time)
• Stevie Coyle (1994, Mario in Real Time)
• Richard Yearwood (1997-2000)
• Sterling Jarvis (1997-2000, singing voice)
• Grant Kirkhope (1999–2001, voice clips recycled from 2003-2010)
• Takashi Nagasako (2004-present)
• Seth Rogen (2023 film)

Quotes

Donkey Kong Country

All quotes are from the instruction booklets, with some narration.

• ""OK, little buddy," Donkey had said in his patronizing voice. "As part of your hero training, you've got to stand guard tonight over my bananas... I'll relive^[sic] you at midnight, so try and stay awake until then!""
• ""Keep it down!!" he growled."
• "Morning already... I slept through my watch!"
• ""What 'cha do that for?!" Donkey Kong asked, knowing full well that Cranky was prone to cuffing him at every whim."
• ""Diddy... gone... My little buddy..." he murmured to himself."
• ""The Kremlings will pay!" he raged. "I'll hunt them down through every corner of my island, until I have every last banana from my hoard back!""
• "Diddy's obsession with being like me has gone too far! He may be a long way from a true video game hero, but he had the guts, the reflexes, the heart..."
• ""What do you know about adventuring, you flee-bitten old ape?" yelled Donkey Kong, edging closer and closer, braving Cranky's cane, until he was totally in his face. "I'm sick and tired of hearing about your boring, single screen adventures! Diddy's in trouble, my banana horde is gone, and I'm going to get them all back!""

Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle

• "[Squawks the Parrot] always carries a high-powered flashlight. He led us through the caves and tunnels once before. Maybe he can help us again."
• "I can tell you where you're going. Right into that wall!"
• "Time for some masterful monkey maneuvers!"
• "Let the coward go. He's just a big windbag, like his ship!"

Donkey Kong 64

• "Yeah!"
• "Cool!"
• "Hey!"
• "OK!"
• "What did Cranky mean about training? Donkey all confused..."
• "Yes, Donkey will help K. Lumsy!"
• "Ohhh, banana!"

Donkey Kong Country TV Series

• "Banana-slamma!!"
• "Got any Banana Cream Pie?"
• "Hey Inka! Ring-a-ding-ding. It's me, DK, the future ruler of Kongo Bongo. We got business to discuss."
• "I would have called him something else, but you were present."
• "Aye aye, nose nose, throat throat, ablast me hardies, and shiver me tree trunks!"
• "Hmmm, to know everything, I must give up everything... HEY! Little buddy, I'm giving you my tie collection!"
• "Ohh... feels like I got the stuffing knocked out of me... Oh no! I did get the stuffing knocked out of me! Where's my stuffing?!"
• "Arr, you got me confused with someone else. I'm Donkey Kroc the pirate, arr, and I'm looking for Donkey Kong the (mimics monkey) ape."
• "That's not mine! Look, there's still a piece of banana inside! I never leave a banana bit! Can I have it?"
• "I've never known any problem that couldn't be solved with a little nap."
• "Help, Diddy! I've fallen, and I can't get up! Can you pass me a banana, little buddy?"
• "It's hard to believe anybody this cute could have everybody so mad at him."
• "It's the company's fault for making you want it so much."
• "Back off or I'll have to slam you."
• "It's more fun bein' in one of these biplanes than on top of some skyscraper!"
• "And I say HE'S the one with problems"
• "It's the dreaded..daba..blaba..curse of double dabble wa...doo be doo!"
• "Then let's give them something to really listen to."
• "I'll shower you in coconut cream pies!"
• "There there, little buddy."

Mario Super Sluggers

• "Ook! Ook! (I was wondering when you'd arrive.)"
• "Ookity ook! OOOOK! (Bowser Jr. was here a little while back.)"
• "OOK OOK OOK! (He dropped our log bridge and then ran off!)"
• "Ook! Hooo ook! (I wanted to chase him down, but not even I can jump across that gap.)"
• "Oook? Oooo... (This is pathetic! What am I gonna do now?)"
• "Ook ook! (No way I can jump all the way over to that side)"
• "Mmm... Ook? (If only there was some way to cross...)"
• "OOK! Ook ook! (Banana splits! Could it be...)"
• "Ookie ook! (It's a Barrel Cannon! Ook! ...I mean, hooray!)"
• "Oooook! (Looks like Funky Kong has been busy.)"
• "Ook! Ook! (I can use this to get over that gap! See you on the other side!)"
• "OOK! OOK OOK! (I'm coming for you, Bowser Jr.!)"
• "Ook. (Who do you think you are? You'd best stay away from Dixie Kong!)"
• "Ook? (Are you OK, Dixie Kong?)"
• "Ook OOK? (He's going to do WHAT?)"
• "Ook. Ook. (He's trying to take it? This will not stand!)"
• "Ook ook. (It's no use... I'm clueless.)"
• "Harooo! (No! It's my ballpark. I should take care of it myself.)"
• "Hoot hoot ook! (Don't take this wrong, but I need to see what you're made of.)"
• "Oooookie ooo! (It's settled! I'm leaving it up to you!)"
• "Ook ook ook! (If you find barrels or boxes, I'll crush 'em with a hand slap.)"
• "Ooooooooooooook! (Let's send Bowser Jr. packing!)"
• "Ook ook! (There's a vine here. I love vines!)"
• "Ook! (Sure did! Give us the lowdown on the stone tablet!)"
• "Ook! Ook! (Let's go! We have to get the stone tablet back!)"
• "Ook. Ook. (Tiny Kong! You'll pay for this, Bowser Jr.!)"
• "Ooka ooka oooo! (Let's move! We have to help!)"
• "Ook ook! OOOOOOOK! (Coconut thunder! We've picked up every player in the area!)"
• "Ookookook. (Dixie Kong, Tiny Kong, Funky Kong, Baby DK...)"
• "Ook ook! (The Kritters, King K. Rool, and my best pal, Diddy Kong.)"
• "Ook ook! Ooooook! (Nothing! I hate finding nothing.)"

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

• "What do you mean? They like it! It's what they came here for! Dancing pecs!"
• "I don't need anything special to break EVERY BONE in your tiny body!"
• "It is on... like Donkey Kong!"
• "I. AM. MORE. THAN A GUY. WHO SMASHES THINGS!!!"

Voice samples

Donkey Kong Country - Donkey Kong yelling

File infoMedia:Donkey Kong Country DK Yell.oga ​

Mario Kart 64 and the Mario Party series - One of Donkey Kong's chimpanzee vocals

File infoMedia:MK64 DK Sound (Ver. 1).oga ​

Donkey Kong 64 - "Yeah!" (Grant Kirkhope)

File infoMedia:DK64 Donkey Kong Yeah.oga ​

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - Donkey Kong's Tarzan yell-like cry (Takashi Nagasako)

File infoMedia:Donkey Kong Tarzan Yell.oga ​

The Super Mario Bros. Movie - "It is on like DONKEY KONG!" - Donkey Kong before battling Mario (Seth Rogen)

File infoMedia:TSMBM - Donkey Kong.oga ​

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

List of appearances by date

Title	Description	Original release date	System/format
Donkey Kong	Boss	1981	Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System
Donkey Kong	Boss	1982	Game & Watch
Donkey Kong Jr.	Non-playable character (by name)	1982	Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System
Donkey Kong Jr.	Non-playable character (by name)	1982	Game & Watch
Donkey Kong II	Non-playable character (by name)	1983	Game & Watch
Donkey Kong Jr. + Jr. Sansū Lesson	Non-playable character (by name)	1983	Family Computer
Donkey Kong 3	Antagonist	1983	Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System
Donkey Kong Jr. Math	Non-playable character (by name)	1983	Nintendo Entertainment System
Punch-Out!!	Cameo as member of crowd	1984	Arcade
Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū	Antagonist	1984	NEC PC-88, NEC PC-6601, Sharp X1
Donkey Kong 3	Antagonist	1984	Game & Watch
Super Punch-Out!!	Cameo as member of crowd	1984	Arcade
Donkey Kong Circus	Playable character	1984	Game & Watch
Donkey Kong Hockey	Playable character	1984	Game & Watch
Donkey Kong Classics	Boss	1988	Nintendo Entertainment System
Tetris	Cameo	1989	Nintendo Entertainment System
NES Open Tournament Golf	Non-playable character (by name)	1991	Nintendo Entertainment System
Donkey Kong	Boss	1994	Game Boy
Donkey Kong	Boss	1994	Nelsonic Game Watch
Donkey Kong Country	Playable character	1994	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Donkey Kong Land	Playable character	1995	Game Boy
Mario Clash	Cameo at 800,000 points	1995	Virtual Boy
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	Non-playable character	1995	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Donkey Kong Land 2	Non-playable character	1996	Game Boy
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	Non-playable character	1996	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Mario Kart 64	Playable character	1996	Nintendo 64
Mario Party	Playable character	1998	Nintendo 64
Super Smash Bros.	Playable character	1999	Nintendo 64
Donkey Kong 64	Playable character	1999	Nintendo 64
Mario Party 2	Playable character	1999	Nintendo 64
Mario Artist: Paint Studio	Stamp	1999	Nintendo 64DD
Donkey Kong Country	Playable character	2000	Game Boy Color
Mario Party 3	Playable character	2000	Nintendo 64
Mario Kart: Super Circuit	Playable character	2001	Game Boy Advance
Super Smash Bros. Melee	Playable character	2001	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party 4	Playable character	2002	Nintendo GameCube
Donkey Kong Country	Playable character	2003	Game Boy Advance
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour	Playable character	2003	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	Playable character	2003	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party 5	Non-playable character Unlockable playable character (Super Duel Mode only)	2003	Nintendo GameCube
Donkey Konga	Playable character	2003	Nintendo GameCube
Mario vs. Donkey Kong	Boss	2004	Game Boy Advance
Donkey Kong Country 2	Non-playable character	2004	Game Boy Advance
Donkey Konga 2	Playable character	2004	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Power Tennis	Playable character	2004	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party 6	Non-playable character	2004	Nintendo GameCube
DK: King of Swing	Playable character	2005	Game Boy Advance
Yakuman DS	Non-playable character	2005	Nintendo DS
Donkey Konga 3 JP	Playable character	2005	Nintendo GameCube
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat	Playable character	2005	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Superstar Baseball	Playable character	2005	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart Arcade GP	Playable character	2005	Arcade
Donkey Kong Country 3	Non-playable character	2005	Game Boy Advance
Mario Party 7	Non-playable character	2005	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart DS	Playable character	2005	Nintendo DS
Mario Hoops 3-on-3	Playable character	2006	Nintendo DS
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis	Boss	2006	Nintendo DS
Super Mario Strikers	Playable character	2005	Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2	Cameo	2007	Arcade
Mario Strikers Charged	Playable character	2007	Wii
Mario Party 8	Non-playable character	2007	Wii
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast	Playable character	2007	Wii
DK: Jungle Climber	Playable character	2007	Nintendo DS
Mario Party DS	Non-playable character	2007	Nintendo DS
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Playable character	2008	Wii
Mario Kart Wii	Playable character	2008	Wii
Mario Super Sluggers	Playable character	2008	Wii
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis	Playable character	2009	Wii
Punch-Out!!	Non-playable character	2009	Wii
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!	Boss	2009	Nintendo DSi
Donkey Kong Country Returns	Playable character	2010	Wii
Mario Sports Mix	Playable character	2010	Wii
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!	Boss	2010	Nintendo DS
Fortune Street	Playable character	2011	Wii
Mario Kart 7	Playable character	2011	Nintendo 3DS
Mario Party 9	Non-playable character	2012	Wii
Mario Tennis Open	Playable character	2012	Nintendo 3DS
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D	Playable character	2013	Nintendo 3DS
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move	Boss	2013	Nintendo 3DS
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze	Playable character	2014	Wii U
Mario Golf: World Tour	Playable character	2014	Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8	Playable character	2014	Wii U
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS	Playable character	2014	Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U	Playable character	2014	Wii U
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars	Boss	2015	Wii U, Nintendo 3DS
Mario Party 10	Playable character	2015	Wii U
Super Mario Maker	Playable character (Costume Mario)	2015	Wii U
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games	Playable character	2016	Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games	Playable character	2016	Wii U
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge	Playable character	2016	Wii U
Minecraft: Wii U Edition	Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up	2016	Wii U
Mario Party: Star Rush	Unlockable playable character	2016	Nintendo 3DS
Mario Sports Superstars	Playable character	2017	Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Playable character	2017	Nintendo Switch
Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition	Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up	2017	Nintendo Switch
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle	Playable character (Donkey Kong Adventure DLC)	2017	Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Odyssey	Cameo (original Donkey Kong)	2017	Nintendo Switch
Mario Party: The Top 100	Non-playable character	2017	Nintendo 3DS
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze	Playable character	2018	Nintendo Switch
Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition	Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up	2018	New Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft: Bedrock Edition	Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up	2018	Nintendo Switch
Mario Tennis Aces	Playable character	2018	Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Party	Unlockable playable character	2018	Nintendo Switch
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Playable character	2018	Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart Tour	Unlockable playable character	2019	Mobile
Dr. Mario World	Unlockable playable character	2019	Mobile
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020	Playable character	2019	Nintendo Switch
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics	Cameo (playing cards)	2020	Nintendo Switch
Paper Mario: The Origami King	Cameo	2020	Nintendo Switch
Mario Golf: Super Rush	Playable character	2021	Nintendo Switch
WarioWare: Get It Together!	Cameo in microgame	2021	Nintendo Switch
Mario Party Superstars	Playable character	2021	Nintendo Switch
Mario Strikers: Battle League	Playable character	2022	Nintendo Switch
Mario vs. Donkey Kong	Boss	2024	Nintendo Switch

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Donkey Kong.

• 

  Donkey Kong
  (American flier)

• 

  Donkey Kong 3

• 

  Donkey Kong
  (Game Boy)

• 

  Donkey Kong Country

• 

  Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

• 

  Donkey Konga 3

• 

  Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

• 

  Mario Kart 8

Names in other languages

Donkey Kong

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ドンキーコング[?] Donkī Kongu	Donkey Kong
Catalan	Donkey Kong (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)[?]	-
Chinese (simplified)	森喜刚 Sēnxǐ Gāng 咚奇刚 (since December 23, 2022) Dōngqí Gāng	Literally "Forest Happy Kong" Transliteration of the Japanese name
Chinese (traditional)	大金剛 Dàjīn'Gāng 森喜剛 (since Mario Party 9) Sēnxǐ Gāng 咚奇剛 (since December 23, 2022) Dōngqí Gāng	Transliteration of the Japanese name Literally "Forest Happy Kong" Transliteration of the Japanese name
Dutch	Donkey Kong[?]	-
Finnish	Donkey Kong[?]	-
French	Donkey Kong Donkey	-
German	Donkey Kong Donkey[?]	-
Greek	Ντόνκυ Κονγκ[?] Donky Kong	Donkey Kong
Hebrew	דונקי קונג[?] Donki Kong	Donkey Kong
Hungarian	Donkey Kong (Template:Media link)[?]	-
Italian	Donkey Kong[?]	-
Korean	동키콩[?] Dongki Kong	Donkey Kong
Portuguese	Donkey Kong[?]	-
Romanian	Donkey Kong (Template:Media link, The Super Mario Bros. Movie)[?]	-
Russian	Донки Конг[?] Donki Kong	Donkey Kong
Spanish	Donkey Kong[?]	-
Thai	ดองกี คอง Dong-ki Khong	Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong (Gladiator)

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ドンキーコング (戦士)[?] Donkī Kongu (Senshi)	Donkey Kong (Warrior)
Chinese (simplified)	森喜刚 (战士)[?] Sēnxǐ Gāng (Zhànshì)	Donkey Kong (Warrior)
Chinese (traditional)	森喜剛 (戰士)[?] Sēnxǐ Gāng (Zhànshì)	Donkey Kong (Warrior)
French	Donkey Kong (gladiateur)[?]	Donkey Kong (gladiator)
German	Donkey Kong (Gladiator)[?]	-
Italian	Donkey Kong (gladiatore)[?]	Donkey Kong (gladiator)
Korean	동키콩(전사)[?] Dongki Kong (Jeonsa)	Donkey Kong (Warrior)
Portuguese	Donkey Kong (gladiador)[?]	Donkey Kong (gladiator)
Spanish (NOA)	Donkey Kong (gladiador)[?]	Donkey Kong (gladiator)
Spanish (NOE)	Donkey Kong (Gladiador)[?]	Donkey Kong (Gladiator)

Trivia

A large Grinder resembling Donkey Kong.

• A Donkey Kong-like version of Grinder was originally planned for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, but is unused.
• Donkey Kong is one of the four base characters included in the Standard Edition (five in the Collector's Edition) of the Monopoly Gamer board game.