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This Hero was Headlined on August, 2025. | ||
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This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
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| “ | OKAY! | „ |
| ~ Donkey Kong's most famous quote. |
| “ | 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 in Donkey Kong Country. |
| “ | He's the leader of the bunch, you know him well He's finally back to kick some tail! His Coconut Gun can fire in spurts If he shoots ya, it's gonna hurt! He's bigger, faster, and stronger too, He's the first member of the DK crew! |
„ |
| ~ Donkey Kong's verse of the DK Rap. |
Donkey Kong III, better known simply as Donkey Kong or DK, is a major character in Nintendo's Super Mario franchise, as well as the titular main protagonist of the Donkey Kong franchise.
His grandfather Cranky Kong was once the original Donkey Kong who initially antagonized Mario, who later antagonized him back in Donkey Kong Jr., until he finally retired and became old in the Donkey Kong Country series. Donkey Kong III is the current Donkey Kong who serves as the protagonist of his own series, first appearing in Donkey Kong Country. He often battles alongside his best friend and nephew, Diddy Kong, against the tyrannical King K. Rool and various other villains, who seek to steal his banana hoard.
As of Mario Kart World, he is currently voiced by Kouji Takeda, who also voiced his movie counterpart in the Japanese dub of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He was also voiced by Takashi Nagasako ever since the 2004-2009 GameCube/Wii title Mario Power Tennis, who has voiced Big the Cat from Sonic the Hedgehog series. Charles Martinet and Grant Kirkhope have voiced him as well.
Quick Answers
How did Donkey Kong evolve from Cranky Kong?
What is Donkey Kong's relationship with Mario?
How did Donkey Kong become a hero in his own franchise?
What are Donkey Kong's main abilities in the Donkey Kong Country series?
Appearance[]
Donkey Kong's classic appearance, last seen in Super Mario Party Jamboree
The design of Donkey Kong analyzes him as a big gorilla with huge muscles and wears a red tie monogrammed with two yellow letters, D and K, standing for his name. Most of his body is covered in shaggy brown fur with beige skin showing on his hands, feet, torso, face, and ears. The fur/hair on top of his head curves forwards with some of it parting just behind to point upwards.
Donkey Kong's design has undergone slight changes over the years before receiving a more significant redesign in Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. Initially, in renders for Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong's iconic red tie was not monogrammed and his fur had a smoother texture that ended in a large, jagged pattern around his wrists and ankles. This was likely due to technical limitations at the time. However, in Donkey Kong Country 2, Donkey Kong acquired the yellow initials on his tie and developed fuzzier-looking fur, which he retained in most of his subsequent appearances. Over time, additional features were added to Donkey Kong, including visible teeth, brown irises, and more prominent nostrils. His fixed brow was made a bit more malleable, which allowed him to express emotions more clearly.
With the announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2, it was revealed that Donkey Kong received a major redesign. His facial features were much rounder and less angular, and his brow was no longer in a fixed position. His eyes were made to appear more oval-shaped, which make them seem closer together. Furthermore, his torso was wider, exposing more beige skin on his midsection, and the fur/hair on his head was made to look more jagged. Donkey Kong's feet are also a little more hand-like.
Personality[]
Donkey Kong is a laid back Kong who lives peacefully in the jungles of Donkey Kong Island and enjoys doing fun activities. However, he can also be a loose cannon who does as he pleases and can have a hard time controlling his impulses. A flawed hero, DK is fearless, helpful, and strong, but also temperamental, reckless, and lazy. He is also exceedingly possessive, jealously clinging to his banana hoard, and will personally hunt down whoever robbed it from him, then beat them to a pulp unless stopped. The Donkey Kong Country animated series portrayed him as a big eater who was pretty unintelligent and somewhat big-headed. In the video games, Donkey Kong has been shown to share the gluttonous and witless traits of his animated counterpart, but also has an ill temper which may cause him to go on a rampage if lost. But when it comes to one of his family members getting hurt or severely injured, he will become incredibly ruthless and menacing.
Despite his flaws, he is still a noble, unwavering, and compassionate hero, who would always look out for his friends, especially his nephew Diddy Kong, and adored Cranky Kong, even allowing Cranky to make fun of him at his own expense. He is also fiercely protective of his friends and will risk life and limb for them. He is also consistently shown to be kindhearted and altruistic, as he is always eager to help those who need it. Despite his wrath, DK doesn’t hold grudges (with the exception of King K. Rool) as he was willing to help K. Lumsy despite being a Kremling, and forgave and showed no hard feelings towards Poppy and Grumpy Kong. DK also loves animals, who love him in return and are willing to aid him on his adventures. He'll rescue others in need, and offers support to anyone who needs it. He also appears to love nature and hate industrialism. As such, Donkey Kong feels uncomfortable in big cities and prefers the wilderness of the jungle. He will even put his love for bananas aside for the welfare of others. In Donkey Kong Country, the Kremlings kidnapping Diddy angered him greatly before he realized his banana hoard was missing. And in Donkey Kong Country Returns, he liberated all the hypnotized animals along the way to again reclaim his bananas.
He initially seemed to have some form of a crush on Mario's friend Pauline. However, this relationship is further explored Donkey Kong Bananza which implied that his feelings towards her are platonic; loving Pauline like a close friend or even family member rather than anything romantic. This could also explain why Donkey Kong seems rather possessive of her and his jealousy for whenever Pauline shows Mario affection.
Donkey Kong is inconsistently depicted as somewhat dim-witted, hence his name "Donkey"; in Fortune Street, Toad remarks that Donkey Kong is the brawn while his nephew 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.
It should also be noted that despite sometimes being portrayed as simple-minded he can think smart when needed. This is shown during Subspace when Bowser attacks him and Diddy he launches his pal out to safety knowing that Bowser is a threat.
Despite his obsessive love for bananas, DK is perfectly willing to put that aside to help those who need it, as shown when he helps all the inhabitants of the Underworld layers and he was even willing to set aside his dream to get more bananas to stay with Pauline, even looking saddened when she told him she can continue on her own and wants him to pursue his dreams. At his core, Donkey Kong is a gentle giant with a really big heart.
Overview[]
Donkey Kong is the protector of Donkey Kong Island, defending it from the likes of King K. Rool, the Tiki Tak Tribe, and other villains as well. A strong and powerful ape, Donkey Kong owes his strength to a steady diet of his favorite food bananas, exercising, and going on many adventures. When he isn't adventuring or engaging in other activities, DK is either relaxing or listening to music. He is also the leader of his own crew - known affectionately as the Kongs. However, he is usually seen just hanging out with his eager little buddy Diddy Kong.
History[]
Donkey Kong Country[]
Donkey Kong decided to have Diddy Kong guard his Banana Hoard as part of his "Video Game Hero" training, while DK himself took a nap until Diddy's shift is over. The next day, Donkey Kong realized he had overslept and was then shocked to discover from Cranky Kong that the Kremling Krew had kidnapped Diddy and stolen the entire Banana Hoard. Luckily, it's not long before Donkey Kong is reunited with Diddy and after a big journey across the island, the pair confronted the leader of the Kremlings, King K. Rool, aboard the Gangplank Galleon. The Kongs defeated the royal reptile and return home to find the Banana Hoard completely restored.
In the Game Boy Advance remake of DKC, after Donkey and Diddy defeat K. Rool, the other Kongs board the Galleon to congratulate them. However, K. Rool got back on his feet and threatened to blow up Donkey Kong Island if they don't leave his ship. So DK and the others hop off as the ship sailed away with K. Rool vowing revenge.
Donkey Kong Land[]
Frustrated by the success of DKC, Cranky Kong gave the Banana Hoard back to King K. Rool and challenged Donkey and Diddy to retrieve it again using an 8-bit format, as he believed that no one would buy the video game without the graphics from DKC.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[]
While relaxing on a beach, Donkey Kong is kidnapped by the Kremling Krew and spent most of the game as a captive of Kaptain K. Rool on Crocodile Island. Diddy and Dixie Kong briefly saw DK tied up atop of K. Rool Keep before being raised into The Flying Kroc airship. DK is then tortured by K. Rool until the Kongs arrive and manage to defeat him in battle. Donkey Kong breaks free from his bonds and gets his revenge by uppercutting K. Rool through the roof of the airship. He later joined Diddy and Dixie in watching Crocodile Island sink to the ocean floor.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble[]
The game's plot revolves around Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong trying to find Donkey and Diddy who have both mysteriously vanished at the Northern Kremisphere. DK isn't seen until the end of the game when it's revealed that he and Diddy were brainwashed into powering the Kremlings' new robotic leader KAOS, which was built by Baron K. Roolstein.
Donkey Kong 64[]
Donkey Kong was exercising in his treehouse when Squawks the Parrot alerted him that Chunky Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong and Diddy Kong are missing and his Golden Banana hoard had been stolen. After completing Cranky's training barrels, DK swam to a small nearby island and met a gigantic Kremling name K. Lumsy, who was imprisoned by King K. Rool for refusing to destroy Donkey Kong Island. DK agreed to help K. Lumsy by obtaining keys to his prison while also searching for the missing Kongs and Golden Bananas. However, he also quickly learned from a weasel named Snide that King K. Rool had his Kremlings kidnap the other Kongs and steal the Golden Bananas as a means to distract and keep him busy while he was preparing his new weapon, the Blast-O-Matic, to destroy DK Island. Wanting revenge against K. Rool for kicking him off the team despite playing a pivotal part in creating it, Snide instructs DK, as well as the other Kongs upon being freed, to retrieve his Blueprints, which K. Rool entrusted to his Kasplats/Krushas and will allow him to sabotage the machine. He also rewards them with a Golden Banana for every blueprint they return to him.
Throughout the game, Donkey Kong is tasked with collecting yellow bananas, yellow Banana Coins and yellow Blueprints from any of the Krushas with yellow hair. Like all the other Kongs, who are eventually freed and made available to play as, he can find five Golden Bananas in each of the main levels and around Donkey Kong Island. He learns the Baboon Blast, Strong Kong and Gorilla Grip techniques from Cranky's potions, gets the Coconut Shooter from Funky and a set of bongo drums from Candy when he pays each of them enough Banana Coins. He also fights the boss Army Dillo on two separate occasions, first in Jungle Japes, then in Crystal Caves, where he has to avoid his cannon fire and rolling attacks and throw TNT barrels at him when he sticks his head out to gloat. Like all the other Kongs, he's also available for the fight against King Kut-Out in Creepy Castle. At the end of the game, Donkey Kong and the others finally reach Hideout Helm which causes King K. Rool to quickly try to activate the Blast-O-Matic. However, using the extra time given to them by Snide after collecting his Blueprints, they manage to shut down the machine and foil K. Rool's plot. K. Rool then tries to escape on his airship, but K. Lumsy, who has been freed after the Kongs retrieved all of the keys to his cage, manages to swat it out of the sky after pursuing it for a bit and tripping over. Donkey Kong and the rest of the gang then confront K. Rool inside his ship where he challenges them to a battle in a boxing arena. DK is the first to fight him, during which he must launch himself at him using barrels, but only when K. Rool lets his guard down to appeal to the crowd. After successfully hitting him four times, K. Rool falls unconscious and DK wins the round.
Eventually, after all the Kongs defeat him, Candy and Funky get rid of him for good by devising a plan where the former distracts him with her looks while Funky uses a bazooka that shoots out a boot that kicks K. Rool out of the airship and off into the distance. Afterwards, Donkey Kong is seen waiting for Cranky inside the cave where the Golden Banana hoard is. However, Cranky takes so long to get there that he falls asleep while waiting for him. When Cranky finally makes it, he pokes him with his cane until he wakes up, at which point, DK adds the last Golden Banana to the pile, restoring their collection completely. He then offers to give Cranky a piggyback ride, and though Cranky tries to refuse, he picks him up anyway, runs with him through the cave and presumably jumps into the pool of water just outside, all while the other Kongs are celebrating their victory. He is then seen relaxing with the other Kongs on top of K. Lumsy as he floats through the water into the sunset.
DK: King Of Swing[]
While the Kongs were setting up for the Jungle Jam Tournament, King K. Rool appears and steals all the tournament's prize medals that are then scattered across the land. Donkey Kong must retrieve the medals while dealing with any obstacles that get in his way.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat[]
When various kingdoms are invaded by villainous Kongs, Donkey Kong takes it upon himself to liberate them and prove himself king of the jungle. He is assisted on his journey by some inhabitants of each kingdom and different animal buddies known as Jungle Buddies while collecting large amounts of bananas along the way.
DK: Jungle Climber[]
The Kong Family are on vacation at Sun Sun Island when a giant banana-shaped spacecraft appears above a nearby mountain. Donkey, Diddy and Cranky Kong go to investigate and discover that an alien named Xananab has been searching for Kremlings who have stolen powerful Crystal Bananas from his home Planet Plantaen. DK and crew decide to help Xananab locate the Crystal Bananas before the Kremlings use their power to conquer the universe. Using special devices, the Kongs are able to travel into different dimensions where DK battles the Kremling’s forces and retrieves the Crystal Bananas before confronting King K. Rool on Planet Plantaen. K. Rool swallows the last Crystal Banana and becomes gigantic with new powerful abilities. However, Donkey Kong still manages to defeat him and is rewarded by the planet's people with countless bananas before returning home.
Donkey Kong Country Returns[]
A group of mysterious wooden creatures known as the Tiki Tak Tribe emerge from Donkey Kong Island's volcano and hypnotize the island inhabitants into stealing Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. Immune to the Tiki's hypnotic tunes, Donkey and Diddy track their stolen bananas across the island and eventually discover that the Tikis are using bananas to create more of their own kind. The Kongs then venture inside the volcano's crater and confront the tribe's leader Tiki Tong within his tower. After a tricky battle, the Kongs bested Tiki Tong, causing him to explode with enough force to send the pair flying into orbit. However, the heroes used this to their advantage and knock the moon out from the sky (temporarily) to crush Tiki Tong's Tower, which restores Donkey Kong Island back to normal. Donkey and Diddy Kong later explore the Golden Temple and are transported to a dimension above the clouds.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[]
At the start of the game, Donkey Kong is celebrating his birthday with Diddy, Dixie and Cranky. However, they are suddenly interrupted when Donkey Kong Island is taken over by a tribe of snow Vikings known as the Snowmads, whose leader, Lord Fredrik, uses a special horn to summon an ice dragon to freeze the island, as well as fierce frozen winds that blow the Kongs off the island. However, the Kongs travel across five other islands that the Snowmad's forces are on and manage to defeat all of the foot soldiers and bosses that they encounter before they eventually make it back to Donkey Kong Island. Going through the frozen fortress, the Kongs eventually confront the leader of the Snowmads, Lord Fredrik, in the depths of the frozen volcano. The Kongs defeat Lord Fredrik in a final battle, and Donkey Kong unleashes a flurry of punches, which sends him flying through the roof of his ship. Exiting the ship, the Kongs watch as Lord Fredrik crashes into the remaining Snowmad ships, destroying them and defeating the entire Snowmad tribe. Donkey Kong then notices that Lord Fredrik dropped his horn during his fall, and catches and blows into it. This creates a trail of flowers that transports the Kongs to the bottom of their island and creates a warm breeze that gets rid of the ice and snow created by the ice dragon, reverting the island to its normal state. The Kongs then celebrate the liberation of their island by jamming out together on their instruments.
Donkey Kong Bananza[]
Donkey Kong travels and goes mining on a local island near DK Island called Ingot Isle after hearing the rumors about a mineral called "Banandium." Though while mining, a group of rivals known as VoidCo lead by their president, Void Kong use a mining machine called the Pay-Dirt Piledriver to dig into the planet's core using the power of Banandium Gems and subsequently sinks Ingot Isle underground, taking Donkey Kong down with it. Donkey Kong ends up finding a purple rock in a crater known as Odd Rock and befriends it after whistling some music to it.
After opening up a sinkhole, Donkey Kong and Odd Rock dive into it and end up in the Lagoon Layer where they learn from locals about VoidCo's destructive tendencies in order to mine for riches. They help the Kong Elder there retrieve a record that allows him to put on a performance starring the two. Donkey Kong pounds his chest to the rhythm and ends up cracking and shattering Odd Rock, who is revealed to be a young Pauline to his surprise. Pauline is frightened to sing for a crowd, but with the encouragement of Donkey Kong, she is able to push past her fears and sing, which grants Donkey Kong the ability to harness the powers of Bananza forms. Both Donkey Kong and Pauline learn about each others' motives for unlimited bananas and the desire to return to the surface respectively. The two confront VoidCo, which Void Kong revealed that he turned Pauline into Odd Rock in the first place, and constructs a boss to fight them while he and his lackeys continue underground.
Donkey Kong and Pauline defeat the boss and dive into the next layer. Layer by layer, the two continue to push on through and meet with more of the layers' locals who reveal what VoidCo did to them. They defeat Void Kong's right-hands, Grumpy Kong and Poppy Kong who both become humbled by their defeats which inspires them to leave VoidCo. They also meet with four other Elders to achieve more different Bananza forms, and the Elephant Elder out them reveals the presence of the Banadium Root, an entity that is capable of granting anyone's wishes and resides in the Planet Core.
Sometime during their journey, Pauline is kidnapped by the Great Harmoneel that Void Kong brainwashed and Donkey Kong is arrested by the locals under the assumption of destroying their disco and is imprisoned in the Groove Layer. He meets up with a reformed Poppy Kong who reveals what Void Kong did and she assists Donkey Kong in attracting the Great Harmoneel into the Disco Hall, the main room of the Groove Layer. The Great Harmoneel breaks free from Void's mind control and Donkey Kong jumps into his mouth to free Pauline, who is back in her Odd Rock form. He succeeds, escapes the Great Harmoneel, and frees Pauline who then tells him that she yearns to become a professional singer.
The two continue their journey and eventually confront Void Kong at the Forbidden Layer where the Banadium Root also appears to be at. Void reveals to Pauline that she must sing in order to awaken and stimulate the root. She refuses and Donkey Kong defeat him in a fight, not before Void uses his All-Mine Remote to encapsulate Donkey Kong into an Odd Rock form. Pauline ends up having to sing to free Donkey Kong while also stimulating the root in the process. As the two reunite, Void runs past them to claim his prize, only to unfortunately realize that the "root" he awoken was actually a trapped King K. Rool, as he get uppercut into the Pay-Dirt Piledriver. K. Rool thanks Donkey Kong and Pauline for freeing him from captivity, explains that he was trapped with the Kremling Krew while searching for the real Banadium Root, and dives through the sinkhole into the Planet Core.
The two enter the sinkhole as well to chase after K. Rool and end up in the Planet Core, battling through his Kremling Krew. Donkey Kong and Pauline arrive at the Heart of Gold to confront K. Rool, who intends on using the Banadium Root to transform Earth into a pile of bananium mush for him to eat as he powers up. Donkey Kong defeats K. Rool in a fight and he and Pauline free the root as they use it to wish for both unlimited bananas and to return to the surface. While riding on the Banandium Root Tower, K. Rool awaken and pursues after the two, forcing Donkey Kong to use chunks of the tower in order to fend him off long enough as they reach the surface.
Donkey Kong and Pauline end up in the latter's hometown, New Donk City and discover that K. Rool has stolen the Banandium Root again as he uses it to transform the city into one in his image while flooding the streets of lethal Banadium mush. Donkey Kong and Pauline climb on top of multiple buildings to avoid the lethal Banadium mush and enter a ring where K. Rool is at. K. Rool uses the Banadium Root one last time to power up, transforms again, and then fights the two. Donkey Kong is able to defeat his arch-nemesis after a long fight and end his reign of terror over New Donk City.
Donkey Kong and Pauline soon part ways after figuring out what they want to go after and achieve and Donkey Kong dives back into the sinkhole with Pauline bidding him farewell. Three months later, Donkey Kong reunites with Pauline who is in desperate need for a song inspiration. They meet back with the Elders for help who puts them in their respective rehearsals to improve their skills. Pauline despite this still struggles and Donkey Kong takes her to the Heart of Gold where the Great Harmoneel now resides in. They dive and venture through his windpipe, where Pauline finally envisions a melody and gets her song idea. Donkey Kong and Pauline then use the Banadium Root to return to New Donk City, where the former is seen listening to the latter's performance at City Hall.
DK Island + Emerald Rush[]
In the DLC, "DK Island + Emerald Rush", Donkey Kong takes Pauline back to his island and meet with some of his friends there. He and Pauline discover that Void Kong has also taken up residence at the island as well, trying to get VoidCo back in business after it went bankrupt. Void Kong, despite Donkey Kong and Pauline's suspicions has since rehabilitated as he insisted, and is no longer going after the Banadium Root nor has any intention on antagonizing the duo for now. Instead, he offers to hire them as new employees of the company after claiming to now mine for emeralds and the two agree as they can go treasure hunting.
During many treasure hunts for emeralds, Donkey Kong and Pauline help Void Kong regain his lost wealth and rise up the ranks of VoidCo. After initially completing the DLC, Void Kong now gloats that he is able to take his business internationally using the energy from the emeralds. Though a surprise trip from Poppy Kong and Grumpy Kong reveal to the two that he isn't able to go anywhere since the latter disabled the Pay-Dirt Piledriver that the headquarters is located on. They alongside Donkey Kong's friends reassure them they will be keeping a close eye on Void for any of his future schemes, to the two's relief. Donkey Kong and Pauline can then continue to work for Void in emerald treasure hunts or go back to adventuring the layers. Complete the entire DLC, and Donkey Kong can challenge Void to a fight on DK Island.
Other Media[]
Super Smash Bros.[]
Donkey Kong, alongside Diddy Kong, King K. Rool, and other Nintendo characters, is a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series.
Monster Jam 2007[]
A monster truck based on the character appeared at Monster Jam 2007.
Mario & Sonic[]
Donkey Kong made appearances in most games in the Mario & Sonic crossover series as a playable character.
Mario Kart series[]
Mario Kart 64[]
This game marked Donkey Kong's first appearance in the Mario Kart games. He is a heavyweight alongside Bowser and Wario and is one of the fastest racers in the game. He gets his own track called DK's Jungle parkway.
Mario Kart Super Circuit[]
Donkey Kong returned as a heavyweight in this game alongside fellow heavyweights Bowser and Wario. He does not have his own track this time.
Mario Kart Double Dash[]
Donkey Kong returns in Mario Kart Double Dash with Diddy as his partner. Donkey Kong, like Bowser and Wario, retain their heavyweight classification, which is now also shared with two newcomers, Petey Piranha and King Boo. Donkey Kong's personal course is DK Mountain, while his personal kart is DK Jumbo. Both he and Diddy share a special item, the Giant Banana.
Mario Kart DS[]
Donkey Kong returns as a heavyweight Character in Mario Kart DS. However in this game he is the lightest heavyweight as Wario, Bowser, and ROB are heavier. Donkey Kong has three personal karts, the Standard DK, the Rambi Rider, and the Wildlife, and he has one personal course, DK Pass.
Mario Kart Wii[]
Donkey Kong returns in this game as a large-sized character, along with Wario, Waluigi, Bowser, King Boo, Rosalina, Funky Kong, and Dry Bowser. He has three courses in this game (with two of them being retro courses): DK Summit, N64 DK's Jungle Parkway, and GCN DK Mountain. he is also able to use a small miny boost in the game.
Mario Kart 7[]
Donkey Kong appears again as a playable racer and has a new personal track based off the game Donkey Kong Country Returns called DK Jungle.
Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[]
Donkey Kong is considered the lighter Heavyweight racer in this game compared to others of the class. Advertisements seen in-game show he apparently sponsors a drink call "Burning DK".
Mario Kart Tour[]
Donkey Kong appears as a playable character and uses a Giant Banana as his Special Skill. He also has his own racing cup, Duel Tour, and an alternative Gladiator outfit that first appears in Night Tour. The Gladiator outfit uses the Boomerang Flower as a Special Skill.
Mario Kart World[]
Donkey Kong can be unlocked as a playable heavyweight character by completing the Mushroom Cup. He can also unlock an All-Terrain outfit by collecting Dash Food. His track DK Pass reappears in the game and also has a new track called DK Spaceport. He sponsors advertisements for "DK Booster" and "DK Racing".
Mario Party series[]
Super Mario Party Jamboree[]
Donkey Kong is one of the playable characters in the game and can be unlocked as an ally in Party-Planner Trek. He is found at Goomba Lagoon and the player must win a single rhythm-themed minigame to have him fight against the board's boss. If the player is already using Donkey Kong in Party-Planner Trek, a doppelgänger of Donkey Kong created by Kamek's magic will fill his role instead. As a Jamboree Buddy, Donkey Kong will send the player to a different space on the board.
Donkey Kong Country Animated Series[]
- Main article: Donkey Kong (TV Series)
He appeared as the titular main protagonist of the computer-animated cartoon series Donkey Kong Country from the 90s that was very loosely based on the games.
The Super Mario Movies[]
- Main article: Donkey Kong (The Super Mario Movies)
He appears as a major character in his debut film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023.
Powers and Abilities[]
Donkey Kong is extraordinary strong, even compared to many of other Kongs. In particular, he is capable of punching with great force; he can even knock the moon out of orbit using his bare fists with enough momentum, as seen in the ending of Donkey Kong Country Returns. In the intro of the aforementioned game, it's revealed he is apparently has some immunity to mental assault, as one of the Tikis was unable to hypnotize him, but was brainwashed with Diddy Kong to operate K. Rool's robot KAOS in a previous game. Aside from punching, Donkey Kong has used his strength to perform other feats. He can slap his hands against the ground with enough force to reveal hidden items, stun enemies, and even alter the environments around him. Donkey Kong can also clap hard enough to produce shockwaves, another ability which can stun enemies and find hidden items. In Donkey Kong 64, Donkey Kong can launch himself off pads bearing his face into the sky and use barrels depicting him to become invincible for as long as he has Crystal Coconuts.
Bananza Forms[]
In Donkey Kong Bananza, Donkey Kong can harness the power of Bananza by combining the rhythmic beats of his chest pounding with Pauline's singing voice. This allows him to transform into various animals and utilize their abilities. However, using this power also requires Bananergy, which Donkey Kong can obtain by collecting Gold, eating a Banandium Gem, drinking Melon Juice, or eating from a Banandium Melon.
Kong Bananza[]
In this form, Donkey Kong's strength is further enhanced, which allows him to punch through terrain more easily. He can also perform a charge punch powerful enough to produce a shockwave that can hit obstacles further ahead of him.
Zebra Bananza[]
Turns Donkey Kong into a Zebra, increasing his speed enough to run across weak bridges. He also can perform a drill move to dig through terrain quickly and do a charge that allows him move even faster and produce a shockwave while turning, sending it in the direction he is turning from.
Ostrich Bananza[]
Turns Donkey Kong into a Ostrich, allowing him to achieve flight for a few seconds by flapping his wings before going into a glide. He can use updrafts to gain altitude, enabling him to glide longer, and is able to produce explosive eggs that he can drop from above.
Snake Bananza[]
Donkey Kong becomes a snake that can use his coiled body to spring high into the air and can use a charge jump to spring even higher. He can also perform a double jump by jumping again in midair, slam the ground with a meteor strike to destroy strong terrain, and is able to use his gaze to temporarily slow down time around him.
Elephant Bananza[]
As an Elephant, Donkey Kong can use his trunk to inhale various types of terrain and produce chunks of what was gathered to use when needed. He can even suck up and use materials usually hazardous to come into contact with, such as lava and brambles.
Equipment[]
Donkey Kong possesses a pair of bongos that serve a different purpose depending on the game they are used in. In Donkey Kong 64, he can use the bongos on musical pads to make events occur and play them anywhere to produce shockwaves that harm enemies. In Donkey Konga and its sequels, Donkey Kong finds a set of magical bongos that he and the other Kongs use to perform music for currency. He also armed with a Coconut Gun in Donkey Kong 64 that he can use to fire at enemies, pop yellow banana balloons and activate coconut switches.
Quotes[]
| “ | He's the only ape who still cares enough to wear a tie. DK may not be the most powerful Kong - or the quickest - but he applies a strong blue-collar work ethic to the business of Kremling Crushing. That may be why he's the leader of the Kong Clan. | „ |
| ~ Donkey Kong 64 instruction manual |
Audio[]
Theme[]
Note: The songs don't work on Internet Explorer
|
Track |
Album |
| Donkey Kong Country | |
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest |
Vocals[]
Trivia[]
- Donkey Kong's creation took inspiration from King Kong.
- This Donkey Kong is the Donkey Kong that makes the most Nintendo game appearances.
- In the game Donkey Kong Country Returns, if the player does not make any inputs inside a level, Donkey Kong will eventually pull out a Nintendo DS and plays it. During a similar idle animation in the game Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Nintendo Wii U, he pulls out a Nintendo 3DS. In the Nintendo Switch version of the same game and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Donkey Kong plays a Nintendo Switch, instead.
- Donkey Kong, along with Birdo and a few others, were originally going to appear as playable characters in the game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, but were scrapped before the final product was finished for unknown reasons.
- According to the Ring Announcer in the game Donkey Kong 64, Donkey Kong weighs 800 pounds. His height is 6 feet and 1 inch when on his knuckles (7 ft. and 10 inches when standing fully upright). However, during his appearance in Punch Out for Nintendo Wii, his weight is listed as unknown.
- Donkey Kong is the only captain in Mario Super Sluggers to be recruited by beating him in a scout match.
- The Nintendo Switch 2 announcement trailer features a redesign for Donkey Kong that somewhat resembles his Illumination movie counterpart. Likewise, some other characters from the Super Mario series also have redesigns that resemble their appearances in the game Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
- While it might seem Donkey Kong's design in The Super Mario Bros. Movie served as inspiration for his redesign, it was actually his redesign that his movie appearance was based on, despite not being known to the public at the time.
- The initial response to Donkey Kong's redesign has been mixed to positive, with some stating Donkey Kong looks more expressive while others claiming he looks too goofy. Kevin Bayliss, who did much of the character's redesign in Donkey Kong Country, has stated that he likes Donkey Kong's new appearance.
- It was later revealed that both Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong had also received redesigns, although not as drastic as Donkey Kong's. It is currently unknown if the appearances of other Kong Family members have changed. However, in Donkey Kong Bananza, Cranky Kong retains his usual appearance.
- In a Twitter/X post, Kevin Bayliss revealed that when he made his redesign for Donkey Kong, he gave him what he calls "Battletoad eyes" which made the character appear to be constantly frowning regardless of what facial expressions they had. However, Donkey Kong has managed to overcome this in many of his appearances by moving parts of his brow more.
- Donkey Kong's family relation with Cranky Kong has been inconsistent in the series. In Donkey Kong Country's instruction manual and in following games developed by Rare Ltd., it is stated that Cranky is Donkey Kong's father, with Scribes describing the modern DK as Donkey Kong Jr. grown up, making him the second Donkey Kong. However, in Super Smash Bros Brawl and Donkey Kong Country Returns, he is said to by his grandfather. In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it is mentioned that Cranky Kong is his father, although it's unknown if this reflects on the game continuity. Currently in the games, Donkey Kong is considered Cranky Kong's grandson.
- All of Donkey Kong's artwork for Donkey Kong Country 2 depicts him trapped inside a cage, however, in the actual game he is tied up and struggling to break free.
External Links[]
- Donkey Kong on the Villains Wiki
- Donkey Kong on the Donkey Kong Wiki
- Donkey Kong on the Nintendo Wiki
- Donkey Kong on the Mario Wiki
- Donkey Kong on the Super Smash Bros. Wiki
- Donkey Kong on the Near Pure Good Wiki
- Donkey Kong on Wikipedia
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Bowser | Donkey Kong | Donkey Kong Jr. | Ice Climbers (Popo | Nana) | Kirby | King Dedede | Link | Luigi | Mario | Samus Aran | Palutena | Pit | Princess Peach | Princess Zelda | Toad | Wario See Also | ||
