Diddy Kong (SSBB)

Diddy Kong (, Diddy Kong) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, confirmed on August 22, 2007. He is unique, distinct among the cast for his charm and gaiety. Unlike in most Donkey Kong games and Mario spin-offs, where Diddy Kong has a cartoonish voice, Brawl has him using a realistic high-pitched chimpanzee voice (sampled from the commonly used "Chimpanzee Screeche PE026201" stock sound effect) rather than being voiced by, who first voiced Diddy in Mario Power Tennis. He is also the first playable character to be introduced from the Donkey Kong universe since the original game.

He ranks 4th on the tier list. This is mainly because of his ability to throw s that give him great control of the ground and great setup and damage-racking potential (by attacking opponents that have slipped on them), as well as providing good defense, making them one of the best projectiles in the game, giving him a very strong control of the ground. Additionally, he has quick attack speed, good mobility, a solid down aerial meteor smash, good grab range, and powerful throws, which aid in his ability to control the stage. However, his primary recovery move, Rocketbarrel Boost, travels in a predictable fashion, is easily edgehogged, and can be stopped by stage lips. Additionally, his few KO moves, while fast and reliable when fresh, stale quickly and are largely dependent on his Banana Peels for a setup. Diddy Kong has excellent matchups, having only three slightly unfavorable, and has very strong tournament results.

Attributes
Diddy Kong is a quick, middleweight character. He is capable of wall clinging and crawling. Many of his attacks have good speed and have decent power to back them. His KO power is low due to his few KO moves and a general weakness in his smashes, which stale very quickly if he uses them too much for racking damage, which forces a reliance on meteor smashes for early KOs.

Diddy also has two projectiles: his Peanut Popgun and s. Peanut Popgun, while not particularly strong, is a decent mid-range move for racking up easy damage. In comparison, his Banana Peels, which have the property of tripping opponents, form a much more integral part of his metagame, as they combo well into his other moves, and allow him to setup KOs. The glide toss option provided by the Banana Peels is invaluable, as it allows Diddy to rapidly approach and retreat. If an opponent is tripped by a thrown Banana Peel, Diddy can follow up with another glide tossed Banana to continue the combo, and end with a down or forward smash for a KO. In conjunction with his quick dash attack, large grab range, and powerful throws, Bananas provide Diddy with excellent ground options and stage control. Banana Peels can also help him escape certain chaingrabs, such as 's, and certain grab releases. However, as Banana Peels are items, they can be used against Diddy even by opponents without reflectors.

Diddy's other special moves Monkey Flip and Rocketbarrel Boost contributes to his above average recovery. Besides being a useful move to rack up damage, Monkey Flip can be used as a meteor smash if Diddy uses its grab option in midair (it can also be used as a sacrificial KO, but this is not useful because the meteor smash is much more reliable and safer); it also can be used to gain horizontal distance in tandem with Rocketbarrel Boost to make up for Diddy's poor air speed. Diddy will not be able to use Rocketbarrel Boost if he uses Monkey Flip's attack option in midair, but he will retain his midair jump. The former move provides great vertical distance if sufficiently charged, but it leaves Diddy vulnerable while charging, and he needs to charge to move left or right at all. Potential edgeguarders will still have to watch out for the meteor hitbox on the bottom of Rocketbarrel Boost, as well as the rocketbarrels themselves, which function as powerful explosive projectiles if the attack is interrupted after releasing the charge. Diddy's barrel jump can also improve his recovery, acting like a second midair jump while Rocketbarrel Boost can still be used.

Diddy possesses a decent aerial game. His forward aerial has above average knockback and surprising range, making it a viable KO move and useful for edgeguarding, though it has the most landing lag out of all of his aerials. His back aerial, up aerial, and neutral aerial are all relatively fast, with the former being another decent option for edgeguarding and a very quick way to grab bananas in midair, though the latter is rarely used in competitive play. His down aerial is a solid meteor smash (similar to 's down aerial) with some startup lag.

In summary, Diddy Kong is a fast, medium-weight character with agile moves that combo well from his versatile Banana Peels. His KO power is poor, forcing a reliance on racking up a very large amount damage in order to KO, and he generally relies on his bananas to set up KOs. On counterpick stages, his Banana Peels are not as useful as on neutral stages, making it more difficult for a Diddy player to win a set if they do not win the first match.

Moveset
For a more detailed information regarding Diddy Kong's moveset and attack hitboxes, see this page.

Notable players

 * See also: Category:Diddy Kong players (SSBB)


 * - One of the most nationally dominant players since Brawl's inception, famed as one of and 's most difficult opponents.
 * - The best Diddy main and one of the best players in Europe.
 * - Although he rarely traveled, he became known for his 3rd place finish at MLG Raleigh 2010.
 * - A nationally dominant player in his prime, won the largest-ever Brawl prize check and the largest in the entire Smash series at the time at MLG Dallas 2010 ($12,500).
 * - A top Diddy player in Europe.
 * - One of the best Diddy players in Japan.
 * - Famed for being the first player to defeat in a tournament set.
 * - One of the best Diddy players in Japan.
 * - A top Midwestern Diddy player with a 5th place finish at SKTAR 2, famed for his usage of banana infinites.

Tier placement and history
Diddy Kong was initially a high tier character, ranked 11th on the first tier list (September 2008). However, Diddy Kong players such as and  showed how powerful his Banana Peels were, utilizing them to create damage-racking combos, defense, and stage control, bringing Diddy Kong into the top tiers, with him rising to 7th on the second tier list (January 2009), 5th on the third (June 2009), then 3rd on the fourth and fifth lists before surpassing long-time #2 character  by the sixth tier list (July 2011). Though and the  have since surpassed him, he still remains at 4th place on the eighth (current) tier list, as of April 2013.

Role in The Subspace Emissary
When has three Bullet Bills fired at him by the vehicle escaping with his banana hoard, Diddy Kong leaps from behind Donkey Kong and unleashes his Peanut Popguns onto the Bullet Bills, destroying them. He then joins Donkey Kong in pursuit of their stolen bananas. At one point, after getting their bananas, they encounter, who aims the Dark Cannon at the two. Donkey Kong, realizing what is about to happen, then Giant Punches Diddy Kong, sending him flying away and star KO'd (but he didn't turn into a trophy as Mario and Luigi did). Donkey Kong is shot instead and captured.

Then, Diddy Kong comes out of a forest into The Lake. When he gets to the lake where a crashed Arwing is seen, Rayquaza comes out of the water and grabs Diddy Kong. Then jumps out of the Arwing which is now on fire due to an attack from Rayquaza. Fox uses his Fox Illusion and Reflector to send Rayquaza back into the lake and save Diddy Kong. Fox then makes a hand signal for Diddy to come with him to fight Rayquaza until it faints. After Rayquaza's defeat, Fox begins to leave, but Diddy drags him along to help rescue DK. They battle a Shadow bug clone of Bowser, but upon defeating it, the real Bowser attacks them and Fox flees, dragging Diddy to safety.

Later, Fox and Diddy get ambushed by Bowser again, who fires a shot at both of them from his Dark Cannon. Diddy is hit and cloned by Shadow bugs, while Fox dodges the shot. arrives just in time and destroys the Dark Cannon, but Bowser gets away in his Koopa Clown Car while the Shadow bug Diddy grows several times its normal size. Fox revives Diddy, who is shocked at what has happened. Diddy Kong and the two Star Fox pilots then fight the Giant Shadow bug Diddy Kong Clone. After the fight, Diddy drags Falco along with him and Fox as they continue through the jungle. Eventually they see Donkey Kong's trophy on a ship in chains. Diddy is mad at this as he, Fox and Falco board the Great Fox.

After, Diddy Kong is ejected out of Falco's Arwing and shoots peanuts at the Primids on the skiff that has DK's trophy on it. He lands on the skiff while Captain Falcon and Olimar jump to the aid of the little chimp. They revive Donkey, then the Kongs and Captains fight a horde of Primids on the little platform. After they have defeated them, Diddy and Donkey Kong do a little dance as Captain Falcon and Olimar watch. As Falco gives a thumbs-up to Diddy, Diddy waves "thank-you". The four then head into the Subspace Bomb Factory. Diddy, DK,, and then attempt to infiltrate the Bomb Factory where they fight their way through various armies of Primids, R.O.B. units, and other enemies, they reach where all the bombs are and where the Ancient Minister is standing in melancholy and coincidentally meeting  and  there, where they earlier entered the Bomb Factory another way.

After meeting up with Samus and Pikachu, Diddy Kong tries to stop the R.O.B. Squad members who are setting off Subspace Bombs. He shrieks at R.O.B. to do something, but just slumps in sadness. Captain Falcon calls his Falcon Flyer to escape the doomed factory. They all pile into the ship while Meta Ridley appears. Diddy can be chosen to fight this boss. After Meta Ridley is defeated, Diddy helps the heroes as the continue their journey into Subspace.

At the entrance to Subspace all the characters (except, , , , , , and, to a lesser extent, ,  and ) are all preparing to invade the subspace. After Ganondorf and Master Hand are defeated by Tabuu, Diddy and the rest of the heroes catch a glimpse of the evil power among them. In a single blow Tabuu defeats all of the characters and turned them into trophies. He is later revived by Kirby, Ness, King Dedede and Luigi and joins them to defeat Tabuu, with help from Sonic. After Tabuu's defeat, the World Of Trophies returns to its original place (except for The Isle Of The Ancients, the huge Subspace explosion combined by the huge number of Subspace Bombs has taken it beyond repair).

Playable appearances

 * The Jungle
 * The Lake
 * The Swamp
 * Outside the Ancient Ruins
 * The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II)
 * Entrance to Subspace
 * The Great Maze (if rescued in Subspace (Part I)

Exclusive stickers
These stickers can either only be used by Diddy, or by a select few who include him.
 * Barkle: [Tail] attack +32
 * Blathers: [Tail] attack +7
 * Bowser Jr. (Super Mario Sunshine): [Tail] attack +25
 * Chihuahua: [Tail] attack +12
 * Chunky Kong: [Throwing] attack +31
 * Diddy Kong (Donkey Kong 64): Launch power +20
 * Diddy Kong (Donkey Kong Country): [Tail] attack +28
 * Diddy Kong (Mario Hoops 3-on-3): [Leg] attack +28
 * Diddy Kong (Mario Superstar Baseball): [Leg] attack +12
 * Dixie Kong: Launch resistance +39
 * DK: [Head] attack +27
 * DK Barrel: Launch power +53
 * Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Jungle Beat): [Arm] attack +22
 * Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Country): [Electric] resistance +10
 * Donkey Kong Jr.: [Arm] attack +14
 * Enguarde: [Body, Spin] attack +15
 * Fairy: [Tail] attack +7
 * Funky Kong: [Leg] attack +13
 * Karate Kong: [Battering] resistance +25
 * Lanky Kong: [Throwing] attack +6
 * Manky Kong: [Arm] attack +10
 * Party Monkey: [Head] attack +6
 * Pauline & Donkey Kong: [Arm] attack +18
 * Rouge the Bat: [Tail] attack +10
 * Spitz: [Tail] attack +12
 * Stafy (Densetsu no Stafy): [Tail] attack +7
 * Tiny Kong: [Arm] attack +4
 * Wrinkly Kong: [Battering] resistance +4

In Classic Mode, Diddy Kong can appear as an opponent or ally in Stage 2 along with and  on, Rumble Falls, or 75m (with the latter available if it has been unlocked). Diddy Kong can also appear as an opponent in Stage 11, but only if he hasn't appeared in Stage 2.

All-Star Mode
In All-Star Mode, Diddy Kong is fought in Stage 3 alongside on Rumble Falls or 75m (with the latter available if it has been unlocked).

Solo Events

 * Event 7: Diddy Kong Panic: The player controls and must defeat 15 tiny Diddy Kongs on Mario Circuit.
 * Event 9: The Monster Beneath the Earth: must defeat two Diddy Kongs before the reaching the underground section of Castle Siege. Failing to do so makes the player also face a giant.
 * Event 20: All-Star Battle x1: Diddy Kong is one of the eight opponents fought in this event along with, , , , , , and the.
 * Event 22: Monkeys Unite: The player controls Diddy Kong, who is aided by a giant, and must defeat and  on Rumble Falls.

Co-Op Events

 * Co-Op Event 4: The DK Tag Calamity: Both and Diddy Kong are tiny and must defeat one Donkey Kong and four Diddy Kongs on Mario Circuit.
 * Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle: Two players select a character and take on the entire roster on Battlefield

Trophies
Diddy Kong's main and Final Smash trophies can be obtained by clearing and All-Star mode respectively with Diddy Kong.

Trivia

 * Diddy Kong,, , and  are the only characters who use a Final Smash in the Subspace Emissary (when he attacks the skiff carrying 's trophy after ejecting from 's Arwing).
 * He is one of the few characters (the others being, and ) to have a "Defeated/No Contest" pose different from the traditional hand clapping. Instead, in a reference to his defeated pose from Donkey Kong Country, he removes his cap and shakes his head while scratching the back of his scalp. However, he has a "Defeated/No Contest" pose that has him clap for the winner in the next game.
 * In the Subspace Emissary, the Giant False Diddy Kong uses his third costume (which resembles Dixie Kong), unlike the other false characters which have their neutral colors.
 * In the Subspace Emissary, the peanut shells fired from the Peanut Popgun do not release edible peanuts upon breaking open unless the player shoots the peanuts at jet bursts of flame.
 * Diddy Kong's voice borrows some sound clips from  in  .
 * Diddy Kong,, , and  are the only characters in the Subspace Emissary to fight more than two bosses (excluding boss recreations in The Great Maze). Diddy Kong can be chosen to fight Rayquaza at The Lake, Meta Ridley at The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II), and Tabuu in the final battle at Tabuu's Residence.
 * Going frame-by-frame on Diddy's up-inputted victory pose, one can see that the Rocketbarrel Pack simply shrinks down to nothing, rather than flying away.