Diddy Kong (ディディーコング, Diddy Kong) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018 alongside Olimar and the rest of the returning roster. Unlike his previous appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, Diddy Kong is now an unlockable character instead of a starter character. Diddy Kong is classified as Fighter #36.
Diddy Kong once again retains his realistic chimpanzee screeches that were used in both Brawl and Smash 4 instead of being voiced by Katsumi Suzuki.
Diddy Kong is a small middleweight with typical attributes for his weight class; he has very fast dash, run, and walk speeds, which allows him to move on the ground very well. In contrast, his air mobility is rather lacking, as his air speed and air acceleration are both below average. Overall, while Diddy outspeeds many characters on the ground, his air game is rather clunky due to his lackluster air attributes.
Similar to other characters of his weight and size, Diddy Kong has very fast frame data, which allows him to throw out a flurry of moves at his opponent while still being able to chase them with his strong grounded mobility. In fact, nearly all of his moves, with the exception of his forward smash, down aerial, and special moves, come out before frame 10, with many of them also having low endlag. Thanks to these attributes, Diddy has a strong, flexible combo game, allowing him to use multiple different moves to string into each other and continually pressure his opponent even if they escape his combos, as he has multiple ways to keep them in a disadvantageous position.
Another important aspect of Diddy's combo game is his excellent selection of combo starters, which lets him start combos reliably both in the air and on the ground and also lets him create mix-ups and play unpredictably. One of his main combo starters is from a grab, as both his down and up throws have low endlag and send at great angles for immediate follow-ups, as down throw can lead into a forward or back aerial and up throw can lead into any of his aerials except for down aerial. Up throw also has potential KO setups into up aerial, although these are inconsistent and unreliable. His dash attack has a long duration and extremely low endlag and sends the opponent upwards, which lets Diddy follow up with an up, back or forward aerial. His neutral aerial has a long lasting hitbox and can lead into another aerial from low to high percents, with the late hit being particularly useful at high percents due to its lower knockback. Diddy's up and down tilts are both excellent combo starters themselves, with the latter having the ability to KO confirm into an up-smash at high percents. Additionally, all of Diddy's aerials except for neutral and up aerial can lead into a grab when landed on grounded opponents thanks to their low knockback and landing lag.
Diddy's special moveset also comes with several unique options. His neutral special, Peanut Popgun, is a small projectile with low range and knockback when uncharged. It is useful for pestering the opponent in the neutral game and can be charged, giving it extreme power when fully charged, although it has extremely high lag, doesn't shoot at a distance, and its charge cannot be saved like other chargeable projectiles(such as Samus' Charge Shot). He can also cancel charging the move by shielding, dodging, or spotdodging. His side special, Monkey Flip, has Diddy leap forward and will act as a command grab when landed on the opponent or will be a fast kick if the player presses the attack button again during the duration of the move. Due to its fast speed and decent distance, low endlag, and ability to edge-cancel off platforms or the ledge of the stage, it can be used as both a movement option and a way to approach, as its speed can compensate for his poor air mobility. It can also be used for horizontal recovery. His up special, Rocketbarrel Boost, is Diddy's main vertical recovery option. Uncharged, the move has unremarkable distance, but when fully charged, it moves much faster and travels much further. However, this requires Diddy to stay in place while charging the move in the air, leaving him highly vulnerable to gimps or edgeguards. The move also has a unique property in that if the opponent hits Diddy while using the move, the barrels will fly off and will irregularly move around, with the player having a small amount of control over their trajectory before they lose control. This gives him a useful, although niche stage-controlling option and the barrels will deal high damage and knockback when landed on an opponent. Lastly, Diddy's down special, Banana Peel is his most useful special and one of his best moves. It has him pull out a Banana Peel over himself, which can be picked up and thrown by both Diddy and his opponent. If Diddy places it down before the opponent could grab it, then they will be tripped by it if they attempt to pick it up. This lets Diddy land almost any attack he wants on his opponent if he times it before the tripping animation is done and allows for a plethora of combo options and even KO confirms into his smash attacks. Thanks to its ease of use and low commitment due to him only having to throw it at the opponent for it to work, it is integral to his kit and lets him punish missed attacks, have a strong advantage in the neutral game, create extremely long combos, and take control of the stage. He can also use a held banana as an excellent out-of-shield option when thrown. The only true downside to his Banana Peel is that the opponent can also catch and throw it just like he can, which allows them to use it against Diddy and take away one of his most important tools. Additionally, only one Banana Peel can be used at a time and it disappears when hit by an opponent or thrown twice.
Despite very strong strengths, Diddy isn't without his weaknesses. His two main flaws are a lackluster disadvantage state and predictable recovery. Monkey Flip, while fast, can be extremely predictable when used in a disadvantagous position, as it is Diddy's main way of getting out of juggle situations, due to his horrbile air mobility. Diddy especially suffers when the opponent is able to consistently keep him in disadvantage state, not allowing banana to be pulled. This can snowballl in some matchups, making it extremely hard to catch up to the opponent if diddy is not able to get his gameplan started. Diddy's other main weakness, his recovery, is arguably worse however. Monkey Flip has respectable distance and safety when the kick version is used, but has some endlag and also doesn't allow him to use Rocketbarrel Boost afterwards. Rocketbarrel Boost itself grants Diddy a relatively long ranged recovery option, the drawback being that it leaves Diddy wide open for attacks. If diddy is hit out of the Rocketbarrel boost with a weak move he will become helpless and slowly fall to his death, making it easy to gimp him. Diddy Kong also suffers from a lack of range, though this is somewhat offset by his banana, which provides him with a fast and trancendent projectile.
Diddy Kong falls into a quick, bait and punish heavy playstyle. He must control the neutral game with his banana and great ground moves, capitalising on his opponents' mistakes by repeatedly getting them offstage or juggling them to rack up damage. Diddy can use his fast and non-committal down tilt to set up for kills at high percent or use his banana to set up for a smash attack, ending the opponents' stock even earlier. However, players must be smart in how they use his Banana Peel, as the opponent could potentially hinder his options by taking it away from him and also exploiting his linear recovery. Overall, his strengths outweigh his weaknesses and is generally considered to be a solid high tier-, or even top tier character. Diddy has also seen great results and representation in competitive play, indicating that he is still a very viable character, although not to the same extent as in Smash 4.
Likely due to his top tier status in Super Smash Bros. 4 (3rd out of 58), Diddy Kong has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to Ultimate but he was nerfed overall. His staple moves have all been worsened in various ways, hindering his once excellent neutral game; the most notable example is his Banana Peel, which cannot be grabbed as quickly due to him releasing it at a higher arc, and although it can now be thrown twice at opponents before disappearing, this also gives them more opportunities to use it against him. Some of his moves also have reduced range, most notably down tilt, up tilt, up aerial, forward aerial's late hit, and down smash all of which were a staple part of Diddy's gameplay making it harder for him to take advantage of them. Additionally, Rocketbarrel Boost travels a drastically shorter distance when fully charged, and the charge time itself was reduced by a third worsening his already vulnerable recovery when hit very far offstage. Further exacerbating these nerfs, the universal changes hinder Diddy overall, as the reduced shieldstun for items and increased lag on grabs weaken his approach and defensive game with Banana Peel, while the faster knockback physics reduce his up throw's combo potential, no longer having reliable combos or KO setups at high percents. He also suffers from the universal increase in jump speed, as he can no longer reliably hit small characters with his back aerial from a rising short hop. Lastly, Diddy's weight has been lowered, making him even easier to KO.
Diddy Kong did receive notable buffs, however. His neutral attack no longer has an infinite portion, which decreases its damage potential but allows it to connect much more reliably, improving its overall consistency and utility as a close range option. Some of his moves also have more range and/or reduced lag that increases their combo ability, namely forward aerial's clean hit, dash attack, up tilt, down aerial, and down throw, the latter working better as an alternative to his up throw at lower percents. His special moveset has also been improved in a number of ways, namely Monkey Flip has reduced startup lag and much more range, which when coupled with the changes to jostle mechanics greatly improve its utility as an offensive tool, Peanut Popgun has less startup lag, deals more damage and charges significantly faster and Rocketbarrel Boost goes further when uncharged and makes Diddy Kong fall much slower during the charge period, slightly improving his recovery overall. Game updates have further enhanced various aspects of Diddy's moveset: his up smash, down smash, and up aerial have increased KO power, his neutral aerial (previously his most situational aerial attack) is considerably more useful due to auto-canceling much earlier and having increased range. However, these buffs do not fully compensate for the nerfs to more crucial aspects of Diddy's moveset.
Overall, Diddy Kong's nerfs outweigh his buffs, making him worse than his iteration in Smash 4. During Ultimate's early metagame, his overall perception was negative, since notable Smash 4 Diddy Kong players such as MVD, Zinoto and Nietono dropped him in favor of other characters, and he suffered from minimal tournament representation at the time. However, game updates (most notably patch 3.1.0 and 8.0.0) have meaningfully buffed Diddy to a more substantial degree; furthermore, Diddy has started to show signs of competitive success thanks to the efforts of Dakpo, who placed 13th at Low Tier City 7 and 25th at GENESIS 7. Other players such as Tweek, Aaron, Rivers, and Twinkle have also shown that Diddy still has potential to be a strong pick for tournaments. As a result, Diddy Kong is considered to be a high or even top-tier character.
Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Diddy Kong's model features a more subdued color scheme. Like Donkey Kong, fur is less detailed and appears flatter. The fabric of his hat and shirt have subtle detail, and his facial proportions have been tweaked.
Diddy Kong faces the foreground at an angle, instead of facing directly forward. In addition, most of his animations are mirrored while some are slightly altered. However, he reverts to his previous idle animation while holding a small item.
Diddy Kong is more expressive, he appears angry during his up and down throw as well as grabbing onto a ledge.
Diddy Kong's hat has greater independent physics; it appears to be "looser" around his head, popping off slightly while performing many actions.
Up taunt has an altered ending animation. Diddy Kong now fixes his hat as it lands crooked on his head.
The first and second hits have significantly less ending lag (FAF 34 → 20 (hit 1), 37 → 21 (hit 2)), no longer being among the slowest to interrupt.
The first and second hits have altered angles (105°/78°/45° (hit 1), 100°/78°/45° (hit 2) → 361°/180°) and knockback (16/18/24 set/100 scaling → 25/20 base/25/15 scaling (hit 1), 20 base/25/15 scaling (hit 2)) to keep opponents on the ground and closer to Diddy Kong, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and jab lock.
The first hit transitions into the second hit faster (frame 9 → 6), which transitions into the third hit faster (frame 9 → 7). The third hit also has less startup lag (frame 9 → 5).
The first hit can be held for a consecutive jab.
The infinite portion has been removed; the third hit instead launches at a different angle (90°/85°/60° → 361°) and no longer deals set knockback (25/37 set/100 scaling → 60 base/80 scaling).
This makes the neutral attack much more consistent, no longer risking opponents escaping it before the final hit and punishing Diddy Kong. The third hit also has less ending lag compared to the previous neutral infinite's finisher (FAF 39 → 35).
However, the move deals much less damage overall as a result, despite all three hits having their damage values increased (1.2% → 2% (hit 1), 1.2% → 1.5% (hit 2), 2% → 4% (hit 3)). The third hit is also weaker compared to the previous neutral infinite's finisher, no longer KOing under 300% from the center of Final Destination.
All hits have a shorter hitbox duration (2 frames → 1 frame).
All hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.6× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2), 2× (hit 3)).
The third hit has an altered animation, being a side kick rather than a back kick.
Forward tilt's arm hitboxes have a longer duration (1 frame → 2 frames), and the hand hitboxes retain full damage for longer before transitioning to sourspots (1 frame → 3 frames), improving the consistency of both the range and damage output of the move.
The late hit has a longer duration (11-13 → 13-16).
The hitboxes on Diddy Kong's fists are larger (2.7u → 3.8u).
It sends opponents at a lower angle (361° → 35°), improving its ability to set up tech chases and edgeguards.
Forward tilt has more base knockback (10 → 60), but less knockback scaling (100 → 60). This increases its safety on hit at low percents, but more drastically reduces its KO potential, and removes its ability to lock.
Up tilt has less ending lag (FAF 33 → 30), improving its combo potential.
It has an altered animation where Diddy Kong does not leap as high, decreasing its vertical range. It can no longer hit opponents on the middle platforms in Battlefield.
Dash attack has less startup (frame 9/18/24 → 8/16/22) and ending lag (FAF 46 → 41), improving its combo potential.
Due to the changes to jostle mechanics, it can no longer whiff if initiated too close to an opponent.
The first and second hits have lower hitlag multipliers (1× → 0.5× (hit 1), 0.8× (hit 2)) and an additional hitbox, as well as different launch angles for aerial opponents, with the second and hit's also being larger (3.5u → 4u). The second hit also uses different set knockback values (55/40/70 → 45/45/70) and the third hit has a larger hitbox (4.5u → 5.5u), allowing the move to connect more reliably.
The second and third hits have a longer hitbox duration (1 frame → 2 frames).
The third hit launches at a slightly higher angle (78° → 83°).
Diddy Kong sports an angry expression at the third hit.
The first hit uses different angles (90°/60°/30° → 10°/45°/80°/22° (clean), 0° (late)) and set knockback values (28/35/42 → 20/35/25/42 (clean), 20 (late)), as well as weight-independent knockback, allowing it to connect more reliably into the second hit.
The second hit has one frame less startup (frame 22 → 21).
However, its total duration remains unchanged, giving it one frame more ending lag.
The first and second hits have received various changes to their angles and set knockback, and the second hit uses weight-independent knockback like the first, allowing the move to connect more reliably.
The third hit deals more knockback (50 base/129 scaling → 55/131).
Down smash deals more knockback (40 base/72 scaling → 46/77 (hit 1), 35 base → 38 (hit 2)).
The second hit has less startup (frame 16 → 12).
However, it has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 16-18 → frame 12), with its total duration not fully compensated, giving it more ending lag (FAF 53 → 51).
Both hits have two hitboxes instead of three, which are smaller, significantly reducing its range (4u/4u/5u → 3.9u/3.3u).
The first hit has slightly more startup (frame 6 → 7).
Neutral aerial has regained its much faster auto-cancel window from Brawl (frame 59 → 27), allowing it to auto-cancel in a short hop fast fall once again.
Up aerial has less ending lag (FAF 39 → 36), matching its ending lag from Smash 4 prior to update 1.0.8. This allows it to combo slightly better into itself.
It deals more damage (6% → 7%) with only base knockback compensated (64 → 57), slightly improving its KO potential.
The animation at the beginning of the move has been sped up with its hitbox duration unchanged, creating a blind spot in front of Diddy Kong.
Pummel deals more hitlag (4 frames → 11), but has less startup (frame 2 → 1) and significantly less ending lag (FAF 17 → 7), shortening its effective duration.
It deals less damage (2% → 1%).
It has an altered animation where Diddy Kong no longer hops off the ground while pummeling.
However, the faster knockback physics hinder up throw's combo potential at high percents despite this, no longer having a KO setup into up aerial unless initiated at the top platform of Battlefield.
Diddy Kong releases opponents from down throw later (frame 19 → 22). While this does make it easier to DI, this also improves its combo potential, as its total duration was unchanged.
Peanut Popgun has less startup lag (frame 18 → 16) and charges much faster (frame 120 → 94 (full charge), 123 → 97 (explosion)).
However, its total duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
It has gained a melee hitbox that deals 3%, increasing its utility at point blank range by allowing it to rack up more damage and negate reflectors.
The peanuts deal more damage (3.6%-12% → 4.8%-13.8%).
Diddy Kong's animation for Peanut Popgun is mirrored, and he can fire with either his left or right hand.
Peanuts bounce once upon hitting the ground, and float upwards before exploding upon hitting an opponent, although these animations are only aesthetic.
The grab has more horizontal range (Z offset: 3u/2u → 4.5u/4u).
The jump attack now immobilises the opponent for a minimum of 20 frames if the hitstun is less than 20 frames, improving its gimping potential and its safety when used onstage.
It has more ending lag (FAF 44 → 48).
The grab's automatic pummel has Diddy Kong repeatedly scratch the opponent instead of simply latching onto them.
Rocketbarrel Boost's clean hit has larger hitboxes (3.5u → 4u).
It grants slightly more distance when uncharged.
Its maximum charge time has been significantly reduced (90 frames → 60), to the point the fully charged version barely grants more distance than the uncharged version if used while falling, greatly hindering Diddy Kong's recovery.
The Banana Peel can hit opponents twice before disappearing rather than only once, bouncing off in a high arc on the first hit. This allows Diddy Kong to pick it up and throw it again, but shielding opponents can likewise punish Diddy Kong and steal the Banana Peel, leaving him more disadvantaged. However, it drastically improves the moves combo potential, even allowing for an infinite combo on platforms.
The Banana Peel now has transcendent priority making it phase through other hitboxes. This allows it to be used much more effectively for spacing and edgeguarding, as it can combo into down air when z dropped at the ledge.
Diddy Kong throws the banana in a higher arc, causing it to take longer for him to pick up.
Diddy Kong has a new Final Smash, Hyper Rocketbarrel, which functions differently from Rocketbarrel Barrage. Diddy Kong flies through the stage in an erratic fashion to punch his trapped opponents. The final hit is where Diddy Kong does a delayed, aimed punch, dealing heavy knockback. Diddy Kong then lands and deactivates his Rocketbarrel Pack at the spot where he first used the move.
Due to the engine changes and the direct nerfs to his most useful tools in the transition from Smash 4 to Ultimate, which overall significantly hindered his viability, Diddy Kong has been buffed significantly via game updates. However, he has also received two nerfs to his Banana Peel, making it take longer to respawn another Banana. As a result, all of his infinite banana combos are obsolete, though this change is negligible to his gameplay outside of the infinite.
However, they deal less damage at full charge (15% → 13.8%).
Diddy Kong falls slower while charging Rocketbarrel Boost. This only applies for the first charge, Diddy will not stall using it repeatedly without landing.
Rocketbarrel Boost travels more vertical distance when charged.
The glitch that resulted Rocketbarrel Boost to disappear instantaneous when hit by a certain move (ex. Palutena's neutral aerial) during the release has been fixed.
The move launches at a lower angle (45° → 35°), improving its ability to set up tech-chases and edgeguards.
The hitboxes on Diddy Kong's fists are larger (2.7u → 3.8u).
The late hit has a longer duration (frames 13-14 → 13-16).
Dash attack:
The second hit has more consistent set knockback (55/40/70 → 45/45/70), allowing it to link more reliably into the third hit.
The third hit has a larger hitbox (4.5u → 5.5u).
Down smash:
The move has less startup (frame 9/14 → 7/12), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 52 → 50).
The second hit has a longer duration (frame 14 → frames 12-13).
Forward aerial's clean hit has larger hitboxes (4u → 5u).
Rocketbarrel Boost no longer launches Diddy Kong at an unusually high speed if he is hit during the charge frames.
The time until Diddy Kong can produce another Banana Peel after releasing the previous one has been significantly extended (12 frames → 61), removing his "pyramid scheme" infinite combo.
Diddy Kong does two alternating inward slaps, followed by an outward sidekick. Holding the attack button will have Diddy Kong repeat the first hit. The first 2 hits can lock.
Diddy Kong swats in the air above him with a slap in a similar fashion to an uppercut. Hits quite quickly and can combo into most of Diddy Kong's aerial attacks at low to mid percent ranges. It can also kill at around 160%.
Diddy Kong claps in front of himself while crouching. An extremely versatile combo starter, as it can combo into a variety of moves at nearly any realistic percentage, including down tilt to up smash as a KO confirm.
Diddy Kong performs his signature Cartwheel attack from Donkey Kong Country, concluding with a double-handed ground-slap. The final hit has largely vertical knockback and can combo into aerials at low to mid percent ranges.
Diddy Kong jumps forward while spinning, and performs an open-handed slap followed by a spinning back fist with his opposite arm. The first hit combos into the second, which has good knockback and KO power. However, it is easily punishable if whiffed or on shield. Often only used in combination with his banana peel.
Diddy Kong leaps upward and performs a stationary cartwheel, attacking upwards with an open-handed slap, a reverse heel kick, and an uppercut. It is the fastest up smash in the game, coming out on frame 5. However, it is somewhat weak, not KOing until around 130%. It is mostly used as a follow-up from down tilt or as a close-range out-of-shield option.
Diddy Kong performs a flare, kicking in front and then behind himself. A fast smash attack with respectable power, KOing opponents at around 110% at the ledge. The back hit is stronger than the front hit KOing around 10% sooner.
Diddy Kong does an aerial cartwheel similar to his dash attack. Very high ending lag, so much so that Diddy Kong should avoid using this move offstage. However, it does a low amount of vertical knockback, which makes it an excellent combo starter on landing. It can combo into all of Diddy's aerials (even down aerial, which can KO at around 50% if done by the ledge). Additionally, it has a very generous autocancel window, being able to do so in a short hop fast fall.
Diddy Kong does a dropkick while spinning. Comes out very fast with a long hitbox duration, generous autocancel window and great range, making it one of Diddy's core spacing tools. It is moderately powerful, KOing at around 145% at the edge. However, it has a bit of ending lag, making it unable to combo into itself unless landing with it. It is often considered one of the best forward aerials in the game due to its combination of speed, range, power and safety.
Diddy Kong does a reverse spin kick behind himself. Has very low start-up and ending lag, allowing it to be used twice in one short hop and combo into itself at low to mid percents. It also has decent range and KO power killing at around 130% at the edge, although it is somewhat weak compared to other moves of its type.
Diddy Kong performs an overhead kick in an arc. Tied for the fastest in the game (frame 4 startup) with good coverage above and behind Diddy. However, it posseses a blindspot in front of Diddy, making it unable to hit most characters in a rising up air. Despite its hitbox issues, it is a great juggling tool, as it has above average base knockback, giving it strong combo potential at low percents and KO Potential at higher percents.
Diddy Kong swings both arms downward in a double ax-handle punch. A strong meteor smash and Diddy Kong's strongest aerial overall, though it is also his slowest. It has a large auto-cancel window at the beginning of the attack before the hitbox starts, which makes it a good tool for landing provided that the move is inputted shortly before touching the ground. It can also jab lock opponents at low percent ranges. It also combos into his other aerials on landing.
Diddy Kong tosses his opponent forwards. The throw is based on Diddy Kong's barrel toss animation from Donkey Kong Country. Diddy Kong's second strongest throw, KOing middleweights around 156% at the edge of Final Destination. It also has low ending lag, which allows it to combo into dash attack, forward- and back aerial at very low percentages.
Diddy Kong tosses his opponent backward. Diddy Kong's strongest and most damaging throw, KOing middleweights around 140% at the edge of Final Destination .
Diddy Kong throws his opponent up and handstand kicks them. It works as a good combo starter at a wide range of percents and can even potentially set up KO confirms into up aerial in specific circumstances. However, it deals low damage and knockback, being unable to kill even at very high percent.
Diddy Kong throws the opponent onto the ground and hops over them. This is among his best combo starters, as it has extremely low ending lag and low knockback. It can set up into back aerial, forward aerial and up aerial very reliably depending on the opponent's DI, and can continue this string, especially on platforms. It can be used as a kill confirm into back air at the edge at around 110%, and into up aerial for the "Hoo Hah" KO confirm at around 90%-145% depending on weight, rage, and DI. However, the timing is somewhat strict.
Diddy Kong shoots a peanut from his Popgun. A safe projectile attack that is rather useful in neutral. It can also be canceled in the air if the shield button is held before inputting the special button, which is useful for B-reversing to make Diddy Kong's movement harder to predict. The peanuts have the property of items and can be caught and thrown. The peanuts also bounce off of opponents and solid surfaces, but they lose their hitbox afterward. The longer Diddy Kong charges the attack, the farther and quicker the peanut will fly. If Diddy Kong overcharges the attack, however, it will cause a very powerful explosion that leaves him vulnerable but possesses massive knockback.
14% (clean mid-air kick), 12% (mid midair kick), 10% (late midair kick), 1% (grab loop), 3% (grab attack, hit 1), 7% (grab attack, hit 2), 3% (jump attack, hit 1), 8% (jump attack, hit 2)
Diddy Kong performs a back-flipping forward leap that has him cling onto an opponent. Inputting the move as a smash attack increases the distance of the jump. Once he has clung onto the opponent, he will continuously scratch them. During this time, he can perform an action depending on what button is pressed: pressing the attack or special move button will cause Diddy Kong to attack them with a double-handed chop them and then leap away while pressing the jump button will cause him to perform a pseudo footstool jump, which can meteor smash at high percentages. If the attack or special button is pressed during the jump, Diddy Kong will attack with a flying kick instead of latching on to his opponent. However, if Diddy Kong chooses to use the flying kick he will not be able to use his rocketbarrel pack unless he touches the ground first, making it a risky option offstage. This move is very useful in the neutral to pressure shielding opponents alongside the Banana Peel.
Diddy Kong charges his rocket barrel pack from Donkey Kong 64 in a powerful attack. Can potentially fly very far and very fast when charged, however hitting a surface, or being hit, will make Diddy Kong lose his rocket barrels before falling a huge distance while being unable to perform any action, often falling too far to survive. Diddy Kong will also take recoil damage for hitting a surface. It travels significantly more horizontal/diagonal distance than it does vertically.
Diddy Kong tosses a Banana Peel over his shoulder and into the air to have it fall onto the ground. Grounded opponents who touch the peel while on the ground or are hit by the peel when thrown will slip and trip on the floor. An integral part of Diddy Kong’s kit, as it allows him to take control of the stage, extend and create combos, set up KOs, easily punish missed attacks from his opponents even if they are spaced properly, and otherwise dominate the neutral game. A held banana also serves as one of the best out of shield options in the game when thrown. Only one banana peel can exist at one time, and it disappears when hit by an opponent or when thrown twice.
Diddy Kong activates his Rocketbarrel Pack and flies up. He then dashes across the screen in multiple directions, doing damage to whoever he touches. After a while, he will lock on to whatever opponent has taken the most damage and unleash one final dash attack that launches the targeted opponent, as well as any other nearby opponents. After this last attack, Diddy Kong descends back to his original position. His Rocketbarrel Pack explodes before he lands, which damages nearby opponents.
Up taunt: Tosses his cap in the air and has it land on his head. This is a reference to his victory pose in Donkey Kong Country after he defeats a boss or wins in a Bonus Area.
Side taunt: Angrily does a playful fighter's stance while growling, trying to assert his dominance.
Down taunt: Claps his hands above his head four times, switching feet in the process.
Left: Shoots 3 times with his Peanut Popguns (first with the right, then with the left, then the right again). Afterwards rolls towards the camera, and fires one more shot from his left Peanut Popgun.
Up: Rises from the ground with his Rocket Barrels. After doing a spin, he dismounts from them, causing them to fly away. Upon landing, he then faces the screen, dancing with hands on his head and chin.
Right: Performs an inverted spin kick, followed by a slap, and then he slams both of his hands on the ground, performing a front flip. He ends up balancing on his hand in a breakdance-like pose, clapping his feet together.
A cover of the short track that plays in Donkey Kong Country and subsequent games whenever a playable Kong defeated a boss or completed a bonus game.
Diddy Kong's role in Ultimate competitive play has fluctuated over its lifetime. On release, top professionals immediately noticed his weaknesses, which include inconsistent KO'ing at higher percent and his greatly nerfed recovery. Many of Diddy Kong's top players, such as MVD and Zinoto, dropped him in favor of other characters. In the early months of Ultimate, Diddy was perceived as a mid-tier character.
When update 3.1.0 dropped, Diddy received a multitude of buffs to his kit to compensate for his main problem of KOing as well as his previously weak recovery. Some players further optimized Diddy's moveset, such as an infinite being discovered on platforms, which was named the Pyramid Scheme. In addition, several dedicated mains, including Aaron, Dakpo, Rivers, and Legit, started to see better and more consistent results at nationals. Because of this, the general opinion of Diddy Kong started to improve, with some players, such as Samsora, Maister, and Dabuz viewing him as a solid high-tier character.
During the online metagame, patch 8.0.0 removed Diddy Kong's Pyramid Scheme infinite. However, due to the additional buffs received, players such as Tweek and Aaron continued to achieve impressive results. Tweek especially won Get On My Line 2020 and TNS: Pandemic Monthly 5.5 with the character.
Following the return of offline play, both players continued to see high placements with Diddy Kong, with Tweek notably winning Smash Ultimate Summit 3. As such, the current view on Diddy Kong has improved further compared to before the pandemic, with some players believing that he might reassess himself as a top-tier character, albeit still weaker than his previous incarnations. Dabuz in particular has come out and said that he believes that Diddy Kong is top 10. However, some other players such as ESAM and even Tweek believe that he is overrated and is a high tier at best.
Regardless, Diddy Kong is still seen as a strong character and is one of the seven top tier characters along with Mario, Sonic, Sheik, Fox, Cloud and Zero Suit Samus) to place well in Ultimate despite his nerfs from Smash 4, although it is still widely agreed that he is slightly worse than in Brawl and Smash 4.
Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.
In Diddy Kong's path, he serves as the "little buddy" to the hero of various Nintendo franchises and fights the respective villains or final bosses. In the penultimate stage he finally teams up with his true partner, Donkey Kong, to defeat their nemesis King K. Rool. Donkey Kong is also Diddy Kong's partner for the final fight against Master Hand and Crazy Hand. The title originated from the manual of Donkey Kong Country and was popularized by the Donkey Kong Country TV series; Diddy Kong is also referred to as Donkey Kong's "little buddy" in games such as Brawl and Donkey Kong Country Returns.
Diddy Kong was among the fighters that were summoned to fight the army of Master Hands.
During the opening cutscene, Diddy Kong was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed its beams of light. He attempted to fly away with Rosalina & Luma using his activated Rocketbarrel Pack, but a beam of light hit him and he was vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment along with the other fighters, excluding Kirby.
To find Diddy Kong, the player must access the DK Island sub-area reminiscent of the first Donkey Kong Country game, where he's found right at the end.
Diddy Kong's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Diddy Kong has been unlocked. Unlocking Diddy Kong in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in Ultimate.
Diddy Kong's blog mentions his Final Smash utilizing his popguns. However, his new Final Smash, Hyper Rocketbarrel, no longer utilizes the popguns he wielded like in Rocketbarrel Barrage.
Diddy Kong's Classic Mode route is vaguely similar to Zelda's, as both characters fight villains and/or final bosses of various series for opponents.
Diddy Kong and Toon Link are the only characters who gain a CPU ally in every round of their Classic Mode (excluding the Bonus Game).
Barring a few small differences, Diddy Kong's Ultimate artwork is essentially a mirrored version of his artwork for Brawl.
Oddly, Diddy Kong's stock icon does not change his fur color to match the costume.
Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Diddy Kong's model features a more subdued color scheme. Like 
Like all characters, Diddy Kong's 
Diddy Kong is 
Monkey Flip release glitch has been fixed.
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