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).

Not to be confused with Donkey Konga, Donkey Konk, or Monkey Kong.

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	Super Mario Party Jamboree (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 as DK (or D.K.), or rarely D. Kong, Donkey, or Kong, 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 who 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 City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. 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). Prior to settling on "Donkey Kong," a variety of other names were considered; court documents for the Universal lawsuit list "Funny Kong," "Kong the Kong," "Jack Kong," "Funky Kong," "Bill Kong," "Steel Kong," "Giant Kong," "Big Kong," "Kong Down," "Kong Dong," "Mr. Kong," "Custom Kong," "Kong Chase," "Kong Boy," "Kong Man," "Kong Fighter," "Wild Kong," "Rookie Kong," and "Kong Holiday." The name "Funky Kong" would later be reused for a separate character in the Donkey Kong franchise who resembles Donkey 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

Donkey Kong series

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong as he appears in various different versions of Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is the main antagonist of his namesake game. He was the pet of Mario, but he escapes and angrily carries Mario's girlfriend, Lady, to the top of a construction site. As Mario tries to get to him, Donkey Kong throws barrels in the first stage. Donkey Kong is eventually chased to the top of the construction site, where Mario causes the girders supporting him to collapse, sending him plummeting to the ground. Later games, starting with Donkey Kong Country, establish the identity of Donkey Kong in his first arcade appearances as actually being Cranky Kong, with the title of "Donkey Kong" being later passed down to his grandson.

Donkey Kong Jr.

Donkey Kong as he appears in various different versions of Donkey Kong Jr.

Donkey Kong Jr. attempting to rescue Donkey Kong in the game Donkey Kong Jr.

Donkey Kong appears in Donkey Kong Jr. He is trapped by Mario as a punishment for kidnapping Pauline and stands guard next to his cage with a whip, and sends various enemies like Snapjaws and Nitpickers to prevent his son, Donkey Kong Jr., from freeing him. In the end, Donkey Kong Jr. defeats Mario and frees Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong 3

Donkey Kong as he appears in Donkey Kong 3

Donkey Kong is the main antagonist of Donkey Kong 3. He goes on a rampage inside a greenhouse, where a local exterminator named Stanley is called in to defeat him. Donkey Kong uses a system of ropes to lower himself to the greenhouse floor. When he reaches the floor, Donkey Kong can destroy the rest of the greenhouse and the game ends. If Stanley sprays Donkey Kong with insecticide three times, he runs away. In the final stage, Donkey Kong gets his head stuck in a beehive while running away. In the arcade version, upon getting his head stuck in a beehive, he tries to get the beehive off, but the beehive breaks in half, revealing his sting-swollen face.

Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

In the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline again. However, instead of it ending at 100m, he instead manages to quickly retake Pauline and force Mario to pursue him for the rest of the game. His son Donkey Kong Jr. also aids his father in preventing Mario from rescuing her. Donkey Kong's mainly attacks by throwing a variety of objects at Mario, although there are sometimes stage hazards Donkey Kong can utilize, such as pressing a switch to make bridges appear and disappear. Donkey Kong is eventually cornered at the Tower, where he falls off upon defeat; however, he is then enlarged by several Super Mushrooms. At this point, only barrels can damage Donkey Kong. After he calls for help, Donkey Kong is assisted by Donkey Kong Jr. The final credits photograph shows Pauline, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Jr. at Rocky-Valley, indicating that they had become friends.

Game & Watch series

Some of Donkey Kong's sprites from the Game & Watch Gallery series

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is the main antagonist in the game Donkey Kong. Similarly to the original, Donkey Kong tries to prevent Mario from releasing Pauline by throwing barrels at him. Donkey Kong falls down when the four wires supporting his platform are loosened.

Donkey Kong Jr. / Donkey Kong II

Donkey Kong appears in Donkey Kong Jr. He is trapped in a cage, from which Donkey Kong Jr. can free him by obtaining four keys. Donkey Kong retains this exact role in the sequel, Donkey Kong II.

Donkey Kong 3

Donkey Kong is the main antagonist in Donkey Kong 3. Donkey Kong sends bees to attack Stanley in a greenhouse, with both of them trying to send the bees to each other's side using a Sprayer filled with insect repellent. If the bees reach Donkey Kong's side, he is stung by them and loses a point. Donkey Kong is taken control of by the second player in the VS mode instead.

Donkey Kong Circus

Donkey Kong appears in Donkey Kong Circus. He is being watched by Mario juggling pineapples while balancing on a barrel. When Donkey Kong makes a mistake, Mario laughs at his performance.

Donkey Kong Hockey

Donkey Kong is an opponent in single-player mode and the second player's character in Donkey Kong Hockey. In both cases, the gameplay involves both Donkey Kong and Mario competing in field hockey.

Donkey Kong (coloring/activity books)

Donkey Kong confronting Mario in Donkey Kong Strikes Again!

In the Donkey Kong activity books released in 1982 and 1983, Donkey Kong is an attraction at the Video Land Amusement Park. Because of his love for Pauline, he breaks free from his cage to kidnap her. This led to his confrontation with Mario, who also loves Pauline.

Saturday Supercade

Promotional photo for Donkey Kong for Saturday Supercade

Donkey Kong received his own show segment in Saturday Supercade. He is a circus escapee who travels across the country while being followed by Mario and Pauline.

Captain N: The Game Master

Donkey Kong as seen in Captain N: The Game Master

Donkey Kong appeared in Captain N: The Game Master occasionally. He is a giant, bestial monster that wears clothes. He likes to be left alone, and seeing people in his part of the jungle of Kongoland makes him violently angry. He is commonly manipulated by Mother Brain and her minions to do their bidding, though he will occasionally help the heroes fight a shared enemy. In the episode "The Lost City of Kongoland," he is shown living in a treehouse and sometimes wears a tie, something his video game counterpart would not be shown doing until four years after the episode aired. Donkey Kong also appears in the comics.

Nintendo Adventure Books

Donkey Kong appears in the sixth Nintendo Adventure Book, Doors to Doom, in a recreation of the original game where Mario and Luigi are trying to rescue Princess Toadstool instead of Pauline. If the Mario Bros. successfully reach the top of the tower, Donkey Kong is sent plummeting out of sight while Toadstool jabs him with her crown.

Mario Golf series

Donkey Kong is a non-playable character in NES Open Tournament Golf. He appears wearing a white outfit and tells the player how much money they have and when they reach certain milestones, as well as keep it. Following this, Donkey Kong appears as a playable character in later games of the Mario Golf series, where he holds a club with one hand, unlike the other characters. Donkey Kong is unlockable in Mario Golf, which gives him a drive of 275 yards. Donkey Kong is a default character in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, which gives him a low height and a high Star Drive. Donkey Kong is playable only in the Quick Play mode of Mario Golf: Advance Tour, in which he has a high Drive and Star Drive. Donkey Kong has a high Drive and Challenge Mode Character Match course, DK Jungle, in Mario Golf: World Tour. Donkey Kong is a playable character of the Power type in Mario Golf: Super Rush, which gives him a Special Shot titled Burly Strike and a Special Dash titled DK Dash.

Mario is Missing!

Donkey Kong appears as a Curator in Mario is Missing! CD-ROM Deluxe, replacing the human ones from the DOS version. He may appear as Curator randomly. Like all other Curators, Luigi can ask him questions or return the artifact. If Luigi chooses to return the artifact, Donkey Kong also gives two questions to Luigi to prove that the item he is holding is authentic. Upon answering all of the questions correctly, he gives money as a token of appreciation.

Donkey Kong Country series

Artwork from Donkey Kong Country

Years after the events of Donkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong relocated to Donkey Kong Island, where he grew old and was renamed to Cranky Kong. His grandson, also named Donkey Kong, forges lasting friendships with many of the other Kongs, including Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Funky Kong, and his girlfriend, Candy Kong.

Donkey Kong Country

The events of Donkey Kong Country begin with Donkey Kong assigning Diddy Kong to guard his banana hoard at night. Later, the Kremling Krew overpowered Diddy and stole Donkey Kong's entire hoard. The next morning, Cranky Kong wakes up Donkey Kong and shows him that his entire banana hoard is missing. Donkey Kong, upset, begins a journey to retrieve the banana hoard. Donkey Kong rescued Diddy just after starting his journey, by opening a DK Barrel in Jungle Hijinxs. Together, the two characters adventure through six worlds, receiving assistance from a few Kongs as well as Animal Friends in certain levels. The final level, Gang-Plank Galleon, involves a boss fight King K. Rool, and defeating him allows Donkey Kong and Diddy to reclaim their entire banana hoard from him.

In gameplay, Donkey Kong can defeat Krushas and Klumps by jumping on them whilst Diddy cannot. Donkey Kong is less agile than Diddy, and one of his attacks is rolling into enemies, to which Diddy's equivalent is cartwheeling. Donkey Kong can perform a Hand Slap, sometimes revealing an item, depending on where he performs the move at. Donkey Kong carries a barrel above him instead of holding it out in front like Diddy.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Artwork of Diddy and Dixie attempting to rescue Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Donkey Kong is a non-playable character in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. The events begin with Donkey Kong relaxing on the beach. Cranky Kong shows up, arguing that Donkey Kong should not take a rest because he is a video game hero, to which Donkey Kong asks Cranky to leave after some discussion and naps on the beach. He is later ambushed by Kremlings, tied up, and carried up into The Flying Krock. K. Rool writes a note demanding the banana hoard as a ransom for Donkey Kong's return. Diddy and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, refuse to oblige and go on a journey to rescue Donkey Kong, mentioning he would "go crazy" if he lost his banana hoard again. Donkey Kong is discovered much later on, tied up in Stronghold Showdown but is shortly carried up into The Flying Krock while Diddy and Dixie are in the middle of celebrating. The two make to make their way up to K. Rool Duel for a final showdown. In their first visit, Diddy and Dixie witness in shock as Kaptain K. Rool angrily beats Donkey Kong with his blunderbuss. Donkey Kong falls into view in parts of the battle when K. Rool is knocked down, still attempting to break free from his ropes and providing a DK Barrel. At the end of the battle, before K. Rool wakes up and attempts to harm Diddy and Dixie once more, Donkey Kong manages to break free from his ropes and lands a powerful punch, sending K. Rool out of his own airship into his own swamp. Donkey Kong is seen in the 102% ending with Diddy and Dixie, watching as Crocodile Isle sinks underwater. In the remake, Donkey Kong does not appear in Stronghold Showdown, featuring a boss fight against Kerozene instead.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

The events of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! begin with Donkey Kong and Diddy going to explore the Northern Kremisphere. After a few days, neither of the Kongs returned, worrying Dixie, so she goes on an adventure to find them with her toddler cousin, Kiddy Kong. Late into their journey, Dixie and Kiddy discover Baron K. Roolenstein to be responsible and defeat both K. Rool and his robot invention, KAOS, whom Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are freed from. Donkey Kong is impressed at Dixie and Kiddy for rescuing them.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Donkey Kong is a playable character and the main protagonist of Donkey Kong Country Returns and its remake. The story similarly centers around the theft of the banana hoard, only this time by the Tiki Tak Tribe. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong witness from their treehouse as the banana hoard gets taken away, and Kalimba suddenly appears and knocks Donkey Kong back into his treehouse. Kalimba tries to hypnotize Donkey Kong, who is somehow unaffected by it, and the first level begins directly after, starting with Donkey Kong beating Kalimba until kicking it out of his tree house. While journeying, Donkey Kong can roll and Ground Pound, similarly to Donkey Kong Country, but when paired with Diddy Kong, he can roll indefinitely and briefly hover when Diddy uses his Barrel Jet. The two Kongs travel throughout the island, being assisted by Cranky Kong and the Tutorial Pigs along the way, before eventually entering the Volcano and battling Tiki Tong. Donkey Kong and Diddy reclaim their banana hoard after defeating him.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Donkey Kong is a playable character and the main protagonist of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its port. He was given an updated appearance in the game, sporting lighter brown fur with more details and added texture and a differently shaped nose. Donkey Kong is controlled almost identically as in Donkey Kong Country Returns. The events begin with the celebration of Donkey Kong's birthday being, all while the Snowmads make their way to conquer Donkey Kong Island. Just as Donkey Kong is about to blow out his candle, a cold wind comes in and blows it out. Donkey Kong and the other three Kongs, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky, go outside the treehouse to investigate, only for the ice dragon to blow them away to the Lost Mangroves. The four Kongs journey through a chain of islands before eventually returning to Donkey Kong Island, which they reclaim from the Snowmads after defeating Lord Fredrik in a boss fight. Donkey Kong blows a horn to melt away all the snow on the island.

Club Nintendo

Donkey Kong as he appears in the comic "Donkey Kong Country"

Donkey Kong is the main protagonist of the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong Country." It chronicles the events of he and Diddy Kong going on a journey to retrieve their banana hoard from King K. Rool, managing to retrieve it eventually.

Donkey Kong lives in a skyscraper in Brooklyn with many other Nintendo character during the events of "Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens." At one point Chuckie invades the Kongs' room while Donkey and Diddy are watching TV, terrifying them, though they are rescued by Mario, Link, and Kirby. Donkey boastfully claims that he and Diddy would have taken half of the time to defeat the monsters.

Donkey Kong is the main protagonist of "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24." The Kongs have to save the world from freezing, since a giant UFO is pulling the Earth away from the sun. Together with Diddy, Dixie, Kiddy, and Cranky, Donkey enters a space shuttle and flies into space in order to talk to the aliens. As it turns out, the reason for them pulling away the Earth is that they mistake the planet for a giant coconut. When the Kongs bring them some bananas, they agree to return the Earth to its original position. In the comic, Donkey appears as the bravest of the Kongs, as he is the one to start talking to the aliens.

Donkey Kong Land series

Donkey Kong Land

Donkey Kong is a playable character in Donkey Kong Land. Taking place after the events of Donkey Kong Country, Cranky believes that the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System's graphical capabilities were the reason for Donkey Kong and Diddy's successful journey, so he bets with Donkey Kong and Diddy that they cannot finish an adventure on an 8-bit handheld. The Kongs accept the bet, so Cranky arranges for the Kremling Krew to steal the banana hoard again. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong travel through four worlds, culminating in a final boss fight against K. Rool in K. Rool's Kingdom, and complete their journey.

Donkey Kong Land 2

Donkey Kong's role in Donkey Kong Land 2 is the same as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest's.

Donkey Kong Land III

Donkey Kong does not appear in Donkey Kong Land III, but both he and Diddy are responsible for the game's events by joining a contest to find the Lost World, which Dixie and Kiddy decide to enter as well.

Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle

Squawks the Parrot discovering Donkey Kong and his friends in a dark cave, from Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle

In Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle, Donkey Kong leaves his treehouse in the jungle with his friend Diddy Kong and grandfather Cranky Kong, after discovering that Funky Kong's plane has mysteriously crashed near Big Ape City. They traverse through the Tree Top Town on the edge of the forest, and Donkey Kong takes the lead in confronting and defeating a large group of Kremlings. Later, Donkey Kong uses his "extraordinary lung power" to cry for help from Squawks the Parrot when they find themselves trapped within a mountain cave. After reaching Big Ape City, Donkey Kong is angered to discover that the Kremlings are rebuilding a large factory which is releasing large amounts of pollution into the air. He finds a way for the Kongs to enter the factory by hiding in a Mine Cart, and they locate Funky within a cell. Donkey Kong uses a mini TNT Barrel to break open the cell door, and later uses a powerful shoulder charge to break open the door to the factory's cargo room.

Just like "climbing vines back in the jungle", Donkey Kong climbs a cable within an elevator shaft to reach the factory's defensive system. He encounters the most powerful Kremling, Krusha, who threatens to bring him to King K. Rool. Knowing that he is unable to defeat Krusha using strength alone, Donkey Kong tricks him into thinking that inside his backpack is a list of where to find all the Kongs on Donkey Kong Island. This gives him the chance to knock out Krusha using a barrel, and he proceeds to destroy the defense system. While escaping the factory in Funky's repaired plane, he and Diddy Kong decide to enter King K. Rool's zeppelin from the air and plant it with time-delayed TNT Barrels. After choosing to allow the "coward" King K. Rool to escape, Donkey Kong and Diddy re-enter the plane, and celebrate a victory as they watch the zeppelin fall and land on the factory, destroying it with an explosion.

Throughout the novel, Donkey Kong uses a range of physical attacks which were originally seen in the Donkey Kong Country game, including Barrel Rolls, Cartwheel Attacks and Hand Slaps. He also carries a large supply of miniature barrels and TNT Barrels in his backpack, which are utilized against the Kremlings and their weapons.

Donkey Kong Country television series

See also: List of Donkey Kong Country episodes featuring Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong in the Donkey Kong Country television series

“Banana slamma!”

—Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong is the main protagonist in the 1996 TV series Donkey Kong Country. In it, Donkey Kong, due to finding the Crystal Coconut in Inka Dinka Doo's temple, is predicted to be the future ruler of Kongo Bongo Island. Ever since, it has been made Donkey Kong's duty to guard the Crystal Coconut until the day it officially proclaims him ruler of the island. However, King K. Rool wants to steal the Crystal Coconut so that he can rule the island, and DK and his pals have to stop him and the Kremling Krew, as well as another villain, Kaptain Skurvy. On this show, Donkey Kong is depicted as somewhat of a slacker who loves bananas above all else, much like his portrayal in recent games. On this show, he is also bipedal as opposed to walking on all fours like he normally does, although he sometimes goes on all fours when running. This would carry over to Donkey Kong 64, though in that game, he stands on all fours when idle.

Mario Kart series

Donkey Kong is a playable character in every game of the Mario Kart series as of Mario Kart 64, replacing Donkey Kong Jr. from Super Mario Kart. Donkey Kong is consistently billed a heavyweight character, except in Mario Kart 7.

Mario Kart 64

Artwork from Mario Kart 64

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart 64. He is classified as a heavyweight character, along with Bowser and Wario. His personal track is D.K.'s Jungle Parkway.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Unlike in Mario Kart 64, Donkey Kong lacks his own course.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! He is partnered with Diddy Kong by default, with both of them having the Giant Banana as a special item. Donkey Kong received a personal course, DK Mountain and a personal kart, DK Jumbo.

Mario Kart Arcade GP

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart Arcade GP. He has four special items: Barrel, the 10T Hammer, the Giant Banana, and the Conga. Donkey Kong was given his own cup, DK Cup, where the two courses are his own, DK Jungle and Bananan Ruins.

Mario Kart DS

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart DS. He was given another personal course, DK Pass. Donkey Kong's three personal karts include the Standard DK, the Rambi Rider, and the Wildlife.

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. He is a power racer, along with Wario and Bowser. The DK Cup from the first game also returns with the same courses.

Mario Kart Wii

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart Wii. He has was given another personal course, DK Summit, in addition to both N64 DK's Jungle Parkway and GCN DK Mountain returning. Donkey Kong receives a small boost of weight, acceleration, and handling, along with a small mini-turbo boost. Additionally, Donkey Kong has a similar in-game model to Funky Kong in the game, with them also using many similar animations due to the developers using Donkey Kong’s model as a base to create Funky Kong.

Mario Kart 7

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart 7. He received another personal course of his own, DK Jungle. Donkey Kong is billed a Cruiser type, and his speed, weight, and off-road stats are given a slightly above average boost.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. The Donkey Kong Cup was changed to the Don-chan Cup.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

LINE sticker of Donkey Kong's kart breaking down in Mario Kart 8

Donkey Kong is playable Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. His fur has a similar texture as in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. While the official website states that he is a heavyweight, Donkey Kong is actually a lighter heavyweight, sacrificing some speed and weight to boost acceleration, handling, and traction. He shares this trait with Waluigi, Rosalina, Roy Koopa and Link in the original game but only Waluigi and Roy in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Donkey Kong is the Staff Ghost for Thwomp Ruins and 3DS DK Jungle. Donkey Kong also owns a brand of sports drink which appears as a sponsor in the game, called Burning DK.

Mario Kart Tour

Artwork of Donkey Kong (Gladiator) in Mario Kart Tour.

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Kart Tour. He is available as a Super driver, with the Giant Banana returning as his special skill. He also has his self-named cup in the game, as well as a duel tour against Bowser. He also has a High-End gladiator-themed variant named Donkey Kong (Gladiator) that debuted in the Night Tour and is assigned the Boomerang Flower special skill.

Mario Party series

Artwork from Mario Party, showing Donkey Kong's first design for the Mario Party series

Donkey Kong is a playable character in every game of the Mario Party series up until Mario Party 4.

The Mario Party 3 instruction booklet claims that Donkey Kong's favorite item is the Reverse Mushroom. His default partner in Duel Mode is Whomp.

Starting in Mario Party 5, he leaves the playable character roster but gains his own space. He is basically the opposite of Bowser, since when a character lands on his space, something good happens. But when a Koopa Kid lands on his space in story mode, he acts surprised and DK punches him, making the Koopa Kid lose half of his coins. He is playable in Super Duel Mode only, where he must be unlocked by beating him in Hard Competition.

In Mario Party 4 and Mario Party 5, just like Peach and Wario, he has two losing animations whilst the others have only one.

In Mario Party DS, Donkey Kong has his own board, DK's Stone Statue. During story mode, Donkey Kong is turned to stone by a Dry Bones while he and Diddy run to Bowser's Castle after being invited to a banquet hosted by him. The player has to win the game and beat the Dry Bones to free Donkey Kong. The Kong then runs away to the castle. Upon arriving, Donkey Kong accidentally bumps into Bowser, knocking the Minimizer out of his hands which DK then destroys by accidentally stepping on it, allowing a shrunken Mario and his crew to revert to their normal size. At the end, he is seen with Diddy enjoying the meals Bowser had prepared as traps for the 8 "party characters".

Artwork from Super Mario Party

In Mario Party 9, Donkey Kong appears as the "boss" of his own board, DK's Jungle Ruins. His boss minigame is called DK's Banana Bonus. During the minigame, Donkey Kong tosses Golden Barrel Cannons into the area, allowing the players to access banana bunches that are higher up.

Donkey Kong returns as a playable character in Mario Party 10, marking his first playable appearance in the series since Mario Party 4.

Donkey Kong is also playable in Mario Party: Star Rush, marking his first appearance as an unlockable playable character (not counting Super Duel Mode in Mario Party 5) and his second appearance as an unlockable playable character in the series since Mario Party 5. He can be unlocked if players earn enough party points to reach level 8 or if they scan a Donkey Kong amiibo. In Toad Scramble, he can break barrels to earn coins. His Brawny Dice Block has a 1 out of 3 chance to roll a 10, but other than that it will return a 0.

Donkey Kong appears in Mario Party: The Top 100 as a non-playable opponent in Jump, Man and Vine Country, both minigames returning from Mario Party 7.

Donkey Kong returns in Super Mario Party as an unlockable playable character, unlocked by completing three different courses in River Survival, then talking to him in the Party Plaza. Every playable character in this game has a unique Dice Block; in Donkey Kong's case, three of its faces display a 0, two of its faces display a 10, and one face gives him five coins (without moving).

Donkey Kong reappears as a playable character in Mario Party Superstars, marking his first appearance as a starting playable character since Mario Party 10.

Donkey Kong returns as a playable character once again in Super Mario Party Jamboree.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. fighter Donkey Kong
Game appearances
Super Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Special moves
Neutral:  Giant Punch Side:  Headbutt Up:  Spinning Kong Down:  Hand Slap Final Smash:  Konga Beat (Brawl, for 3DS / Wii U); Jungle Rush (Ultimate)
Battle entrance
Donkey Kong explodes out of a DK Barrel.

Donkey Kong is a default playable fighter in all games of the Super Smash Bros. series. Being a heavyweight, Donkey Kong is one of the strongest characters. When picking up a character, Donkey Kong can carry them a short distance, something that other fighters cannot do. He retains a regular walking speed while carrying large objects, such as barrels and crates. He is fast for a character of his weight in general. Donkey Kong's neutral special move in Giant Punch, a punch that can be charged to increase its power; his side special move is Headbutt, in which he slams opponents into the ground; his up special move is Spinning Kong, which has him spin and lets him momentarily float; and his down special move is Hand Slap, which has him repeatedly stamp on the ground.

Even though Donkey Kong is a Super Mario franchise character, his emblem is the DK symbol, which represents his own franchise. Donkey Kong is given a gorilla voice for the Super Smash Bros. series, unlike most of his other appearances.

Super Smash Bros.

SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSB)

Donkey Kong appears in Super Smash Bros. He is given a larger-sized counterpart, Giant DK, who is fought in 1P Game by a team consisting of the player and two allies. Donkey Kong weighs 141 units, more than the other fighters, boasts powerful moves, but moves slower.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSBM)

Donkey Kong appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Stage 2 of Adventure Mode involves fighting two Tiny Donkey Kongs and then Giant Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong is one of the possible giant opponents to appear in stage 5 of Classic Mode, similarly as in Super Smash Bros. Donkey Kong's weight is decreased from 141 units to 114, and Bowser was made the heaviest fighter instead. Donkey Kong's moves received a mixture of buffs and nerfs, and Donkey Kong has a decent combo ability.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSBB)

Donkey Kong appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. His special moves are the same as before, in additional to a Final Smash named Konga Beat, where Donkey Kong plays on a pair of bongos, sending shock-waves to damage opponents on contact. An 8-bit Donkey Kong appears on the 75 m stage, and touching him damages the player. Giant Donkey Kong appears in a few event matches but not in the game's Classic Mode equivalent.

The Subspace Emissary

It has been requested that this article be rewritten to have excessive plot details removed for the following reason(s): Consistency with the History of Mario and History of Bowser pages

Donkey Kong's snapshot in The Subspace Emissary

The Koopa Troop and Bowser steal Donkey Kong's banana hoard. As a Hammer Bro drives a car which contains all the bananas of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong watches it from a cliff. Hammer Bro and the Goombas aboard the car spot Donkey Kong and shoot Bullet Bills at him. However, Diddy Kong comes out from a bush, and, with his Peanut Popguns, shoots the Bullet Bills. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong then follow the Hammer Bro to retrieve the banana hoard. After finding their bananas, Bowser appears from behind with a Dark Cannon. As Bowser charges the cannon, Donkey Kong, realizing the danger, charges his Giant Punch. He then launches Diddy to the sky and out of harm's way, sacrificing himself in the process as Bowser shoots him with the Dark Cannon and turns him into a trophy. Later, Diddy Kong, who (forcefully) enlisted the help of Fox and Falco sees a ship carrying Donkey Kong's trophy form to a mysterious floating island. Falco then follows it with his Arwing and takes the little Kong with him. He then drops him, and Diddy gets on his Rocket Barrel, takes out his Popguns, and shoots the ship. After seeing this, Captain Falcon and Captain Olimar decide to help him and jump to the ship. Diddy frees Donkey Kong, and all four fight the Primids and other enemies.

The ship takes them inside a factory producing Subspace Bombs, and they encounter various R.O.B.s that live on the island. They later meet up with Pikachu and Samus and see the Ancient Minister and a plethora of R.O.B.s. After Ganondorf manipulates the R.O.B.s into activating all of the Subspace Bombs, the Ancient Minister is shown to be R.O.B., the leader of all the lesser R.O.B.s who were forced to work for the Subspace Army. R.O.B. then fights alongside the others. Donkey Kong carries R.O.B., who refuses to leave his kind behind to perish, as they all flee to escape the doomed island on Captain Falcon's summoned Falcon Flyer. Meta Ridley then appears and follows behind to impede group's escape, forcing DK and his group to fight him. After that, they all meet up with the other heroes.

Donkey Kong and the other smashers enter Subspace and meet Tabuu, who turns everyone into trophies with his Off Waves. However, King Dedede had anticipated this and created badges that revived certain fighters back into their original forms without having to touch them. With his team, consisting of Luigi and Ness, Dedede rescues Donkey Kong and most of the others, although some of them are rescued by Kirby. They also recruit Bowser, Ganondorf, and Wario after they are informed about Tabuu. At the end of the Great Maze, Sonic the Hedgehog shows up and helps weaken Tabuu's Off Waves so that Donkey Kong and the others are able to beat him.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSB4)

Screenshot from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, showing Donkey Kong perform his neutral special move, Giant Punch

Donkey Kong appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. Donkey Kong received a different forward throw, and the mechanics to his Final Smash were changed. Donkey Kong's weight is also increased from 116 units to 122. Consistent with other fighters in the base game, Donkey Kong's special moves have two variants: Giant Punch has Lightning Punch and Storm Punch; Headbutt has Jumping Headbutt and Stubborn Headbutt; Spinning Kong has Chopper Kong and Kong Cyclone; and Hand Slap has Focused Slap and Hot Slap.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

SmashWiki article: Donkey Kong (SSBU)

Screenshot from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, showing Donkey Kong perform his up special, Spinning Kong

Donkey Kong appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His Final Smash was changed to Jungle Rush, which involves him punching an opponent rapidly, referencing his attack method in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Donkey Kong is more expressive; when he charges his Giant Punch, he starts scowling, and using it in the air no longer makes him helpless. He is heavier, tying with King Dedede in weight. Donkey Kong is given super armor for a short time while using headbutt. Donkey Kong has an extended recovery by the reintroduction of directional air dodge. He can also attack from ladders. Donkey Kong's Giant Punch has more ending lag, and Spinning Kong is weaker. Donkey Kong's down tilt is titled Slouch Slap, while his forward throw is titled Kong Carry. His weight has been further increased; however, he is no longer the second heaviest fighter in the game, instead giving up that title to his arch-nemesis, King K. Rool. Donkey Kong is tied with King Dedede for the third heaviest fighter.

Owing to King K. Rool's ties to Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong appears alongside Diddy Kong in K. Rool's debut trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Specifically, Donkey Kong lounges lazily in his tree house after eating some bananas while watching various video game heroes confronting their respective nemeses on his TV, only to be startled by quakes before looking outside with Diddy to investigate. They then see an ominous and familiar shadow, only for it to be revealed to be King Dedede wearing a cape and King K. Rool's mask, to their surprise. King Dedede then proceeds to laugh at the practical joke he played on them, only for him to be smacked upside the head and knocked away by the actual King K. Rool, much to Donkey and Diddy Kong's horror, with King K. Rool roaring. In the ending of the trailer, Donkey Kong is knocked backwards, only to proceed to charge at his arch-nemesis on all fours, with King K. Rool doing the same in kind before proceeding to have their fists make contact with each other with enough force as to cause a shockwave to be emitted throughout the jungle.

Similarly, Donkey Kong also appears in Banjo & Kazooie's reveal trailer. Much like the King K. Rool trailer, Donkey Kong lounges around in his tree house eating bananas and watching TV, with Diddy Kong and a sleeping King K. Rool also present. A Jiggy bounces past the three, catching the Kongs' attention. After Diddy wakes King K. Rool up, the three look outside and see what appear to be the silhouettes of Banjo and Kazooie, but turn out to be Duck Hunt playing a prank on them, to their surprise. Duck Hunt proceed to laugh at this joke played on the Kongs and Kremling, only for the dog and duck to be knocked away from above by the real Banjo and Kazooie, holding their respective namesake instruments. This causes the Kongs and King K. Rool to celebrate. Near the end of the trailer, Donkey Kong can be seen in the background as Banjo and Kazooie perform a victory pose.

In Adventure Mode: World of Light, Donkey Kong is present when he and other fighters oppose their ultimate enemy, Galeem. Although Donkey Kong is not shown to be hit by Galeem's beams directly, he, like many other fighters, except Kirby, is imprisoned in the World of Light. Donkey Kong is found in the jungle segment of the Light Realm, on a space that looks like the treehouse he lives in. Donkey Kong, upon being defeated, joins the party and fight Galeem.

Donkey Kong's Classic Mode route is titled "Journey to New Donk City". The battles are centered around fighting opponents who live in urban settings. Prior to the version 3.0.0 update, Donkey Kong was the only character who fought Master Hand and Crazy Hand outside of Final Destination, something that was later shared with Joker and Sephiroth, whose final rounds take place in the Ω form of Mementos and Northern Cave, respectively.

Donkey Kong engages in these battles in the following order:

1. Diddy Kong on Kongo Jungle
2. King K. Rool on Kongo Falls, being allied with Diddy Kong from this stage onward
3. Wario and Captain Falcon on Pilotwings
4. Ness and Lucas on Onett
5. Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy on Moray Towers
6. Mario and Luigi on New Donk City Hall
7. Master Hand and Crazy Hand on New Donk City Hall

Donkey Kong 64

“He's the leader of the bunch, you know him well
He's finally back to kick some tail”

—DK Rap

Artwork from Donkey Kong 64, showing Donkey Kong and the other four playable Kongs

Donkey Kong is a playable character and the main protagonist of Donkey Kong 64. While exercising, Donkey Kong is informed by Squawks that all of his Golden Bananas were stolen and his four friends are kidnapped: Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Chunky Kong. Soon after his journey begins, Donkey Kong meets K. Lumsy, who happily creates a big enough tremor to open access to Jungle Japes when Donkey Kong agrees to try and rescue K. Lumsy. Donkey Kong discovers Diddy Kong in Jungle Japes and frees him. Various characters assist Donkey Kong and the four Kongs on their journey, including Funky Kong, Cranky Kong, Candy Kong, Snide, and the duo Troff and Scoff. The journey culminates with the five Kongs engaging in a boss fight against K. Rool, set within a boxing arena.

In gameplay, Donkey Kong is both slow and strong. He is the strongest Kong, next to Chunky Kong. During his adventure, Donkey Kong learns a few unique abilities at Cranky's Lab: Strong Kong, Baboon Blast, and Gorilla Grab. Strong Kong allows him to be invincible, which is necessary for safely crossing stage hazards like lava or quicksand. Baboon Blast allows Donkey Kong to partake in a challenge involving him firing from a series of Barrel Cannons. Lastly, Gorilla Grab allows him to pull levers. The Coconut Shooter is Donkey Kong's personal weapon, given to him by Funky Kong, and it allows him to shoot out coconuts. His personal instrument is the bongos, given to him by Candy Kong. Donkey Kong's corresponding in-game color is yellow, making him the only character who can collect yellow bananas, Banana Bunch Coins, and blueprints. In Monkey Smash mode, aside from his default look, Donkey Kong also has three alternate costumes, including tan fur with a purple tie, orange fur with a yellow tie, and dark blue fur with a light blue tie.

Mario Tennis series

Donkey Kong is a playable character in most games of the Mario Tennis series, replacing Donkey Kong Jr. after Mario's Tennis. Donkey Kong is consistently billed a Power type.

Mario Tennis

Screenshot from Mario Tennis

Donkey Kong is first seen in the intro of Mario Tennis, losing to Mario in a tournament. Donkey Kong is partnered with Yoshi in doubles matches, replaced with Donkey Kong Jr. upon unlocking him.

Mario Power Tennis

Donkey Kong is playable in Mario Power Tennis. His offensive power shot is the Barrel Cannon Blast, and his defensive power shot is the Boomerang Banana Return. In a cutscene from winning the championship, Donkey Kong is given a trophy by Toad and waves it around, shaking Toad with it in the process. Donkey Kong's taunt is showing muscles. His doubles partner was changed to Diddy Kong.

Mario Tennis Aces

Donkey Kong is playable in Mario Tennis Aces, Donkey Kong reappears as a playable character. He also appears in the adventure mode, where he blocks the entrance to Piranha Plant Forest until the player completes the tutorials at Bask Ruins. When the player beats the tutorials, he challenges Mario to a match of tennis. When the player beats him then, he allows the player to pass.

Donkey Konga series

The events of Donkey Konga begin with Donkey Kong discovering a magical set of bongos on a beach. He and Diddy Kong set out to become famous musicians, visiting several locales and performing popular songs through cooperative performances and musical face-offs. The events of Donkey Konga 2 are similar, but Donkey Kong and Diddy go on another tour with Dixie Kong.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Artwork from Mario vs. Donkey Kong, showing Donkey Kong with a bag filled with Mini-Mario toys

Donkey Kong is the main antagonist of Mario vs. Donkey Kong and its remake. He is first seen in the opening scene, channel surfing until stumbling upon a commercial for the new Mini-Mario toy. Donkey Kong rushes to buy them at the local toy store, where they are sold out, so Donkey Kong improvises by breaking into a Mario Toy Company building nearby and steals a sack of Mini-Marios. Donkey Kong is fought at the end of each world, with his tactics changing between battles. Donkey Kong checks the sack towards the end, only for it to be empty. He is laughed at by Mario, the Mini-Mario toys, and three Toads. Donkey Kong grabs the Toads angrily and climbs up a nearby a building with them. After another defeat, Donkey Kong falls off the building and lands on a truck with several Mini-Marios. Donkey Kong steals the Mini-Marios, and he is then fought at the end of each world once more. After Donkey Kong is defeated in the final battle against his robot, he receives a Mini-Mario toy from Mario.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

Donkey Kong, furious at Pauline choosing the Mini Mario

Donkey Kong appears in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. Several of his voice clips originate from Donkey Kong 64, Mario Power Tennis, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Donkey Kong is an employee of the Mario Toy Company. When Pauline chooses Mario's Mini Mario over Donkey Kong's Mini Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong angrily kidnaps Pauline. Donkey Kong is the boss fought at the end of the first eight floors, the final boss fought on the Roof, and the hidden boss fought in B1 and B2 in DK's Hideout. Donkey Kong appears dejected in the Ending movie before he is shown appreciation by Pauline kissing the DK toy he gave her.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!

Donkey Kong appears in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!. He is waiting in a line to buy a ticket for the opening of Super Mini Mario World. Donkey Kong becomes furious when he is faced with the tickets being sold out, so Donkey Kong breaks in while taking Pauline with him. Donkey Kong is chased by Mini Marios through all the theme park's floors. Later, when Pauline is rescued, Donkey Kong turns off the lights and kidnaps Pauline again by escaping through a nearby window. After four more floors are cleared, Mario walks into a room to see Donkey Kong, Pauline, and all the Toads smiling. Pauline reveals that it was all a test for the Mini Marios, who all passed with flying colors, much to Mario's surprise.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!

Donkey Kong appears in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!. He arrives at the newly-opened Mini-Land to get a Mini Pauline. Donkey Kong is infuriated at being the 101st customer, since only 100 Mini Paulines were produced, so Donkey Kong kidnaps the real Pauline, forcing Mario and the Mini Marios to rescue her. After Donkey Kong is defeated in Final Ferris Wheel, a brief reunion occurs between Mario and Pauline before Donkey Kong comes to kidnap her again. After defeating him for a second time in Plus Mode, it is shown Donkey Kong is given a Mini Pauline by Mario and the trio rides the Ferris wheel together.

Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move

Donkey Kong is one of the organizers of the carnival in Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move. He sometimes appears with Pauline to congratulate the player.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars

In the intro of Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, Donkey Kong is shown kidnapping Pauline, which causes Mario and the Mini Marios to chase him. In the end, the kidnapping was revealed to be a plan to lure Mario to a surprise party hosted by Donkey Kong, Pauline and a few Toads.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Donkey Kong using his Sound Wave Attack from Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Donkey Kong is the main protagonist and playable character of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. He travels the Banana Kingdom to take down the possessed Dread Kong who ruled it, and then does the same for the other sixteen kingdoms nearby. Eventually, he fight and defeats the evil Cactus King, freeing the other Kongs of his curse and presumably allowing them to resume their duties.

DK series

DK: King of Swing

Donkey Kong is a playable character and the main protagonist of DK: King of Swing. He goes on a journey to recover the medals for the Jungle Jam that King K. Rool had stolen. After recovering the medals, the Kongs defeat K. Rool, and the festival is celebrated.

DK: Jungle Climber

Donkey Kong is a playable character and the main protagonist of DK: Jungle Climber. He and some other Kongs are resting on the beach when Diddy notices a giant banana. Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Cranky go up to the top and find a Banana Ship. Donkey Kong fights this spaceship and finds Xananab. They find that K. Rool and the Kremlings have escaped with his five Crystal Bananas, and he needs them back. Donkey Kong and friends agree, and the four travel through the islands, going through wormholes and other lands, such as Glass Labyrinth, Toybox, and Veggie Patch. At the end of each island, Donkey Kong fights one of K. Rool's assistant Kremlings and eventually defeats the third Kremling. K. Rool then flees to the King Kruizer IV. Donkey Kong chases him and eventually reaches K. Rool's spaceship. There, he defeats the fourth Kremling as K. Rool goes through a wormhole. Donkey Kong follows, and the group lands on Xananab's home planet. There, they fight K. Rool, which is no easy task. Eventually, the DK Crew once again wins, and Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Cranky get to eat as many bananas as they desire.

Mario Baseball series

Mario Superstar Baseball

Donkey Kong is first seen in the opening cutscene of Mario Superstar Baseball. He and the other team captain each receive a flyer depicting Bowser's face. His team is later seen competing against Wario's team, where at one point, a Chain Chomp stops Donkey Kong from catching the ball. At Mario Stadium, in a match against Mario's team, Donkey Kong is unsuccessfuly at both making a reception at home plate and scoring a home run, thwarted by Mario and Luigi, respectively.

Donkey Kong is a playable character. He is the team captain of the DK Wilds, with Diddy Kong as subcaptain. Donkey Kong's home stadium is the Donkey Kong Jungle. Donkey Kong uniquely uses a boxing glove in place of a baseball bat. Donkey Kong has less range to hit the ball, due to there being a small contact point between the ball and his boxing glove. Donkey Kong has a high pitching stat whilst having low running and fielding stats. Donkey Kong has good chemistry with Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Petey Piranha. Donkey Kong's special ball and bat is called the Banana Ball, giving the ball a banana-like trajectory whether pitching or batting. Donkey Kong's two abilities are Clamber and Laser Beam, allowing him to climb walls and throw a ball to home base quickly, respectively.

Mario Super Sluggers

Artwork from Mario Super Sluggers

Donkey Kong is first seen in the opening cutscene of Mario Super Sluggers. He is shown in two separate scenes in Mario Stadium, the first time as a catcher while Daisy hits the ball and a second time by performing a body check on Luigi, who narrowly catches the ball to make the final out. During the same scene, Donkey Kong saves Diddy from a large barrel headed in his direction. In the penultimate cutscene, Donkey Kong is in the center of the diamond, celebrating with the other characters before they all march to the entrance of the Baseball Kingdom to gaze at the sunset before the lights turn for the night. In the last cutscene, Donkey Kong participates in a game of Bob-omb Derby and sets off fireworks from hitting a Bob-omb into the sky.

Donkey Kong is mostly unchanged as a playable character. His Star Pitch and Star Swing were changed to the Barrel Ball and Barrel Swing, respectively, both involving Donkey Kong throwing a barrel. Donkey Kong does not retain his Laser Ball ability. His batting was improved further, whilst his fielding and running were lowered, as well as his pitching by a point. Donkey Kong's chemistry with Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Tiny Kong, Funky Kong and Baby DK is good whilst having bad chemistry with Kritter and King K. Rool. Donkey Kong has the second highest batting stat, surpassed only by Bowser, King K. Rool, and Petey Piranha.

Mario Strikers series

A replay of Donkey Kong performing his Thunder Wham! Super Ability

Donkey Kong is a default playable character in Super Mario Strikers and Mario Strikers Charged. Donkey Kong plays the same as the other characters, though for Donkey Kong's Super Strikes, it is easier to land the white needle on the dark green zone, but more difficult to land it in the surrounding light green zone.

In Mario Strikers Charged, Donkey Kong is a Power character. While his tackling and his shooting are excellent, his movement and his passing are poor. Donkey Kong's deke involves him beating his chest and knocking away any would-be attackers. His Super Ability is Thunder Wham! He pounds the ground with his fists, creating a shockwave that sends any nearby player away, including his teammates. Alongside Wario, Hammer Bro, Birdo, and Boo, Donkey Kong has a unique way of shooting the ball. He shoots it by picking it up and headbutting it towards the goal.

In Mario Strikers: Battle League, Donkey Kong is a Defensive character, with good Strength and Passing attributes, in exchange for poor Speed and Technique attributes. His Hyper Strike, Banana Blast, involves him eating a banana, before slapping the ball hard enough to cause a shockwave that violently knocks opponents back, potentially sending them flying into an electric fence. Notably, this is the first game where Donkey Kong's teeth become sharp, though this only happens sporadically.

Yoshi's Island DS

Main article: Baby DK

Baby DK helps Red Yoshi to climb vines

In Yoshi's Island DS, Baby DK is one of the seven star children. He is one of the babies kidnapped by Kamek and his Toady army at the start of the game. However, he is found by Yoshi and Baby Mario in World 2, where he helps them save Baby Peach from a Ukiki. After saving her, Baby DK decides to join Yoshi and the babies in their quest to rescue Baby Luigi from Kamek. When riding on a Yoshi's back, Baby DK has a special maneuver called the DK Dash Attack, which can attack enemies and smash open crates. He can also grab onto vines which allow him and Yoshi to swing and climb to certain places.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

Artwork of Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

Donkey Kong is a playable character in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. He and the Kongs compete against the Kremlings in the Jungle Grand Prix, where racers use jet-powered bongos. Donkey Kong has all-around stats, each of them being 3 out of 5. His main rival is Kritter. Donkey Kong has an alternate form, Ultra Barrel DK, whose stats are all maxed out at 5 out of 5, and he is unlocked by completing all of Candy's Challenges.

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Mario & Sonic series

Donkey Kong in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Donkey Kong, along with Birdo, Goomba, and a few others, were originally planned to appear as playable characters in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, but were scrapped prior to the end-product for unknown reasons.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Donkey Kong is a playable character of the Power type in both the Wii version and the Nintendo DS version. In Adventure Tours mode of the latter, Donkey Kong is first discovered in Icepeak, where he is crying because of his bananas had fell into a deep ledge out of his reach. After Donkey Kong receives his banana, he challenges Silver to Moguls, and after losing, Donkey Kong joins the group. Toad tells Donkey Kong of a pole back in Polastraits, as well as obstacles such as ice and bombs. When Donkey Kong Kong presses the button on the pole, a bridge forms. Donkey Kong meets Vector later on and wins against him in a match of Short Track 500m, and Vector joins the team afterward.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Donkey Kong is a playable character in both the Wii version and the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. In the former version, Donkey Kong appears in the opening with the other athletes as well as competing in Beach Volleyball. A Mii outfit based on Donkey Kong can be unlocked in the console version, also including him as an interactable character in London Party for playing minigames and earning stickers. In the handheld version, Donkey Kong is included in the Wild Ones group, alongside Bowser, Knuckles, and Vector, restricting his playability only to Events intended for said group.

In Story Mode of the handheld version, Donkey Kong challenges Omega after he ruins his banana, and in the process manages to remove the chip from him that was causing him to rampage. Tails and Espio then explain to Donkey Kong about Bowser and Dr. Eggman's plan to use the Phantasmal Fog to stop the Olympic Games, and Donkey Kong tells Omega that he will forgive him if he helps stop Dr. Eggman. Omega agrees and heads off with Tails and Espio while Donkey Kong stays behind to keep an eye on ExCeL London. Donkey Kong later appears to support Mario, Luigi, Sonic, and Tails when they face Bowser and Dr. Eggman, having helped Knuckles and Vector clear the fog from Horse Guards Parade, and later appears at the opening ceremony. Donkey Kong also appears in the bonus episode Bowser's Blues, where Magikoopa tricks Donkey Kong into setting up a match for Bowser using some bananas and a Thwomp. After Bowser wins the match, Magikoopa takes Donkey Kong to find some real bananas. A badge of Donkey Kong can also be obtained from the badge machine.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Donkey Kong is a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He billed a Power type.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Donkey Kong is a playable character in both the Wii U version and the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, as well as in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition. He is billed a Power type. In the handheld version, Donkey Kong is playable in Boxing and Beach Volleyball only, including their Plus versions, only. In the arcade version, Donkey Kong has to be unlocked with Aime card functionality, though not in international releases.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Donkey Kong is a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and in the arcade version as of August 5, 2020. He is billed a Power type in both versions. However, unlike most of the playable characters, DK does not wear clothing appropriate to the events he competes in.

Mario Sports Mix

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong playing basketball in Mario Sports Mix

Donkey Kong is a playable character in Mario Sports Mix. He is classified as a Powerful type character, whilst having average technique and low speed. Donkey Kong has his own personal court, DK Dock. His special shot involves slamming the ground and then aiming the ball or puck at either the goal or an opposing player. In Dodgeball, Donkey Kong can spin his body while stretching out his arms to repel dodgeballs, unless the dodgeball has an item equipped.

Fortune Street

Donkey Kong is an opponent in single player mode and a playable character in multiplayer mode of Fortune Street. He is a Rank D opponent, so he invests less in his property than higher ranked characters.

Super Mario series

Super Mario Maker

If the player scans the Donkey Kong amiibo on the Wii U GamePad while the game Super Mario Maker is running, they will be granted access to a Mystery Mushroom that, once collected by Mario, transforms him into Donkey Kong. He can become playable afterwards; much of his animations are based on the ones from Donkey Kong Country, while the sound effects that are heard during some of his actions, such as falling into a pit or clearing the level, are from the arcade version of Donkey Kong.

Super Mario Odyssey

An 8-bit Donkey Kong from the original Donkey Kong appears as an obstacle in Super Mario Odyssey. In A Traditional Festival! of the Metro Kingdom, Mario has to traverse through a lengthy 2D stage while Donkey Kong tosses barrels down slanted beams, similar to 25m. Once Mario reaches him, he can defeat Donkey Kong by hitting all four ? Blocks underneath him. He also appears in a 2D segment in the Darker Side during Long Journey's End. The entirety of Metro Kingdom's city, New Donk City, is meant to be a tribute to the Donkey Kong series, as it features various references to the original arcade title and the Donkey Kong Country games. A graffiti painting of Donkey Kong's original artwork can also be seen in the city.

Mario Sports Superstars

Donkey Kong is a playable character in Mario Sports Superstars. He is classified as a Power type in most sports, giving his shots more power as well as giving him more stamina in horse racing. In golf, DK's default drive is 224 yards, and his shots travel slightly low in a draw trajectory.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Splash Screen featuring Donkey Kong

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle features a boss named Rabbid Kong, a large, apelike Rabbid that strongly resembles Donkey Kong, right down to wearing his signature necktie. A figure of Donkey Kong on a girder appears in the introductory cutscene, as well.

DK himself was added as a playable character in the Donkey Kong Adventure story expansion pack in June 2018. This pack sees DK joining forces with Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Cranky, and taking on Rabbid Kong and his army. As a playable character, he has 280 health points. His dash attack is called Grab & Launch, which allows Donkey Kong to pick up allies, enemies, cover blocks, or sentries, move to another cell and launch them. This also can cleanse an ally overcome by a Super Effect. Donkey Kong's primary weapon is the Bwananarang, which is a mid-range weapon that is capable of hitting multiple targets in a row without cooldown. His secondary weapon is a DK Ground Pound, which is a targeted attack that affects all enemies within the attack's cylindrical area, regardless of cover. His primary technique is Hairy Eye, a mid-range reaction shot that is dealt to the first enemy to move within Donkey Kong's line of sight. His secondary technique is Magnet Groove, which draws enemies towards DK, getting them away from cover.

Dr. Mario World

Donkey Kong's mugshot in Dr. Mario World

Donkey Kong is a character in Dr. Mario World, in which he is known as Dr. Donkey Kong, where he is equipped with a stethoscope and an armband. He was made available as a playable character in Dr. Mario World on October 31, 2019 when World 9 was first available. He is also available as a special stage reward in World 25.

In stage mode, Dr. Donkey Kong's skill is to eliminate objects in a 3x3 range. The way the skill works is that after it is activated, Dr. Donkey Kong will pound his chest and then a target will move around the stage. By tapping the screen, the targeted objects within range will be eliminated with a DK Barrel. Prior to version 2.3.0, the target moves in a predetermined direction in a cycle, but since that version, the target moves slower and in random directions orthogonally. It is possible to hit a target that do not contain any objects. In versus mode, Dr. Donkey Kong's skill is to instead send a row (level 1 and 2) or two rows (level 3 to 5) of viruses to the opponent's play area, in which the current stage objects are pushed down (red arrows act as a warning when this skill is activated by the opponent). This skill is not affected by the opponent's innate defenses, but it has a chance of being blocked by Ant Trooper's effect should the opponent have it equipped.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

In Paper Mario: The Origami King, a papier-mâché model of Donkey Kong's head known as the Jungle King Mask can be seen in the staff room of Shogun Studios among two others of a Goomba Mask and Space Warrior Mask. When worn, Mario will beat on his chest while Bob-omb describes the sound with words that rhyme with "Kong".

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Poster for The Super Mario Bros. Movie featuring Donkey Kong

“I don't need anything special to break EVERY BONE in your tiny body!”

—Donkey Kong, The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Donkey Kong appears in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He lives in the Jungle Kingdom and has a slightly changed design in the movie which, according to Shigeru Miyamoto, is intended to accentuate his comical personality. As a result, he resembles his original design from the Donkey Kong arcade game while also being a combination of his current modern design. The film debuts a Fire form of Donkey Kong (not counting Fire Mini Donkey Kong in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis) when he obtains a Fire Flower. He is voiced by Seth Rogen in the English version of the film and Kōji Takeda in Japanese.

Donkey Kong is first mentioned by Cranky Kong, who challenges Mario to duel against him as a means to decide whether or not he will lend the Kong army to Princess Peach to aid the Mushroom Kingdom in defeating Bowser. During the duel, Donkey Kong heavily excels Mario in combat and almost defeats him before being brought to his own defeat by Mario then turned into a cat. Later, he joins the Kongs' kart-riding army against Bowser's own, and ultimately falls from the Rainbow Road alongside Mario into a body of water below where he almost drowns, but then is saved by Mario. Both are eaten by a Maw-Ray, but are able to escape using a Rocket Barrel from Donkey Kong's wrecked kart. Donkey Kong later advances alongside Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom to reach Bowser and Princess Peach's wedding, and saves the to-be-sacrificed captives from being submerged in lava. In the final act of the film, Donkey Kong exchanges blows with Bowser in Brooklyn alongside Peach. Bowser manages to overpower them and nearly kills Donkey Kong until Mario intervenes. After Bowser and his forces are defeated, Donkey Kong and the others are celebrated as heroes of Brooklyn.

Super Nintendo World

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This notice should be removed after a month has passed since the theme park area was first released.

Donkey Kong serves as the mascot for Donkey Kong Country, a theme park section of Super Nintendo World based on the series of the same name set to debut in Universal Studios Japan in late 2024.

Other appearances

Skylanders: SuperChargers

Donkey Kong appears briefly at the beginning of a commercial for Mario's Cement Factory, where he flings a burning barrel at Mario who narrowly dodges.

Donkey Kong in the Wii version of Punch-Out!!

Donkey Kong has sometimes appeared in the Punch-Out!! series. In the arcade versions of both Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!!, Donkey Kong is among the spectators in the audience, like with Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong Jr., but Donkey Kong uses a different color scheme in Super Punch-Out!!. In Punch-Out!! for the Wii, Donkey Kong appears as a hidden bonus opponent, found initially in the game mode Mac's Last Stand, and if the player fights Donkey Kong in that game mode, they can fight him at any time in Exhibition mode.

The results screen for the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Tetris features Donkey Kong as part of a band composed of himself, Bowser, Link, Pit, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Samus. He is playing the marching bass drum with his fists. Donkey Kong in particular appears when the player has completed height 3 of Game B's ninth level.

In GoldenEye 007, Donkey Kong's face can be seen on a mountain in the Dam. Both this game and its spiritual successor, Perfect Dark have an unlockable cheat called "DK Mode," in which every character is given a similar body shape to Donkey Kong, with a larger head as well as arms extending to the ground so as to resemble Donkey Kong's primal posture.

Donkey Kong appears in the Game Boy Camera as stamps and in Picross NP Vol. 8 as one of the figures to clear.

In Banjo-Tooie, Goggles is playing with a Donkey Kong doll, and Donkey Kong's name is also an answer to one of Grunty's questions in either the Tower of Tragedy or the final battle.

A skeleton named Bink from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga strongly resembles Donkey Kong, although this quirk was not carried over to that game's remake. Bink even throws barrels and eats bananas. While Donkey Kong himself does not appear in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, a pattern based on him, named Donkey Kong Yoshi, is featured via amiibo.

Donkey Kong (in original form) in Pixels

Donkey Kong also appears in Skylanders: SuperChargers under Turbo Charge Donkey Kong. He appears alongside Bowser with a special figurine sold exclusively in the Wii U starter pack. However, due to an agreement between Nintendo and Activision, they are playable only on the Nintendo versions of the game. He also appears in the Wii U and Switch versions of Skylanders: Imaginators.

The Donkey Kong monster truck

Donkey Kong appears as a property in Nintendo Monopoly, taking the place of Marvin Gardens and costing $280.

A monster truck based on Donkey Kong competed in Monster Jam from 2007 until 2010.

Donkey Kong also makes an appearance in the film Pixels. Aside from appearing in gameplay of the Donkey Kong arcade game, he appears on Earth as a clone created by aliens. In the film, the clone throws pixelated barrels at protagonist Sam Brenner (played by Adam Sandler) in a location very much like 25m. Brenner manages to avoid the barrels, defeat Donkey Kong, and rescue the Kong's hostages (who were positioned in the same location that Pauline was in Donkey Kong).

In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, Donkey Kong appears as a playable skin.

Unused appearances

At E3 2001, three Donkey Kong series titles were unveiled: Diddy Kong Pilot, Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers, and Donkey Kong Racing. All three of these games were eventually canceled due to Nintendo selling Rare to Microsoft, causing them to lose the rights to the Donkey Kong franchise.

Diddy Kong Pilot

Donkey Kong was playable in all builds of Diddy Kong Pilot where Donkey Kong used a plane constructed out of a barrel. In the 2000 build shown at Space World, Donkey Kong would have raced alongside Super Mario characters, and he used a brown place. In the 2001 build, Donkey Kong's barrel plane received dark blue wings. In the 2003 build, Donkey Kong was a member of Team Kong, and he had high weight and speed but medium acceleration. His barrel plane's wings and tail were now bright red. Donkey Kong's barrel plane was later inherited by Bottles and his stats were taken by Banjo in the final build of this iteration, Banjo-Pilot.

Donkey Kong Racing

Donkey Kong appears in the trailer for Donkey Kong Racing. where he can be seen racing the other Kongs as well as Taj on Rambi and a Zinger.

Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers

Donkey Kong would have appeared in Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers, in which the player would have been tasked with solving different puzzles. When the game was finalized as It's Mr. Pants, Donkey Kong was replaced by Mr. Pants as the host.

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. In Mario Party 2, he wears a costume on top of the tie in all boards other than Bowser Land, and in Mario Kart Tour, a variant of him wearing a gladiator outfit instead of his tie appears. In most 2D artwork and in 3D appearances beginning around the mid-2010's, Donkey Kong has a more defined snout, sporting pointed nostrils akin to those of a real gorilla, a design change that largely stems from the original Miyamoto design.

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 does not 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

Donkey Kong punching Kaptain K. Rool after being freed at the end of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

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
Crazy Kong	Boss	1981	Arcade
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
Mario is Missing! CD-ROM Deluxe	Non-playable character	1994	MS-DOS
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
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!	Appears in 9-Volt Mini-game - Non-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
Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong Junior/Mario Bros.	Non-playable character	2004	Arcade
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
Tetris DS	Non Playable Character - Appears in Push Mode	2006	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
NES Remix	Boss	2013	Wii U
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
NES Remix 2	Boss	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
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition	Boss	2024	Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Party Jamboree	Playable character	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 JP

• 

  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	Literally "Forest Happy Kong"
	咚奇刚 Dōngqí Gāng	Transliteration of the Japanese name	since December 23, 2022
Chinese (traditional)	大金剛 Dàjīn'Gāng	Transliteration of the Japanese name
	森喜剛 Sēnxǐ Gāng	Literally "Forest Happy Kong"	since Mario Party 9
	咚奇剛 Dōngqí Gāng	Transliteration of the Japanese name	since December 23, 2022
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 [?]	-	2020 Mario Kart Kinder Surprise promotion in Romania and HungaryMedia:Kinder Surprise 2020 Hungarian-Romanian package.png
Italian	Donkey Kong[?]	-
Korean	동키콩[?] Dongki Kong	Donkey Kong
Portuguese	Donkey Kong[?]	-
Romanian	Donkey Kong [?]	-	2020 Mario Kart Kinder Surprise promotion in Romania and HungaryMedia:Kinder Surprise 2020 Hungarian-Romanian package.png, 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.
• A 2002 Burger King advertisement indicates Donkey Kong was born in the United Kingdom.