Donkey Kong (SSB): Difference between revisions

'''Donkey Kong''' ({{ja|ドンキーコング}}, ''Donkey Kong''), written as '''DK''', is a [[starter character]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' He has slow,yet powerful attacks, with his trademark move being the [[Giant Punch]], which, when fully charged, deals 36% damage.

Donkey Kong is ranked 9th on the [[tier list]]. He has powerful moves and an infamously abusable [[grab release]]; however he is somewhat slow, and is the largest and heaviest character in ''Super Smash Bros.'', making him an easy target for combos. Donkey Kong was indirectly [[buff]]ed in the international release thanks to the changes to the [[smash DI]] system as well as the decreased shield stun. As a result, Donkey Kong is ranked 12th in the Japanese tier list, having a losing matchup vs. every character in the game, especially vs. Kirby, which is considered to be virtually unwinnable.

Donkey Kong is the [[weight|heaviest]] and largest character in ''Super Smash Bros.'' This means he gets hit quite easily, and he also has a poor [[shield]] cover, making him vulnerable to [[shield break]] combos such as {{SSB|Yoshi}}'s Z-canceled [[DJC]] neutral aerial performed repeatedly. However, he can take many hits and high [[damage]] before being [[KO]]'d. Like most heavyweights, Donkey Kong has attacks that deal lots of damage and have strong [[knockback]]. He also has two [[spike]]s (forward and down aerials), and he has some extremely powerful finishers, including his forward smash and Giant Punch when fully charged or close to fully charged. However, his attacks are generally slow and laggy, and most of his KOs still require setup.

Contrary to popular belief, Donkey Kong has slightly above-average [[dashing|dash]] speed (although he does have a relatively slow [[air speed]]). Donkey Kong has a great [[grab]] and [[throw]] game due to having the longest non-tether [[grab]]bing horizontal range, terrific throw combos (especially when there are walls), and the infamous [[infinite throw trap]] that allows him to rack up damage and easily and effectively. He also has a KO throw in his back throw. Donkey Kong has good [[reach]], which allows for decent [[combo]]s despite slow attack speed, but he lacks a [[projectile]] and a reliable way to deal with them, making his [[approach]] poor and unvaried. His Up B however also breaks projectiles, outside of [[Fox (SSB)|Fox]]'s laser.

For recovery, Donkey Kong's up special move, [[Spinning Kong]], travels great horizontal distance, but has poor vertical gain, with no options to extend it. This makes him very vulnerable to [[meteor smash]]es. It should be noted that Donkey Kong is extremely vulnerable to [[combo]]s due to being very large, very heavy, and falling somewhat quickly. It is however quite powerful for how fast it is, being a reliable get out of danger move.

In high level play, Donkey Kong is known for his incredible Spinning Kong and back throw gimps. On platforms, it is possible for DK to [[platform cancel]] up airs into Giant Punch or up smash. His Up B, Spinning Kong, is an amazing gimping move, with strong knockback as well as being able to out-prioritize every recovery in the game. It also has some invincibility (at the edge of his fists) which makes it quite useful to out-space opponents in the neutral game. Donkey Kong is a hard counter to {{SSB|Jigglypuff}}, as he can grab, forward throw, cargo release, and re-grab into a Giant Punch for a low [[percentage]] KO. With good timing, it is also possible to cancel his Down B after one hit, allowing him to combo into a forward air as well as a fully charged Giant Punch on all characters except for Falcon, Fox, and Yoshi. Donkey Kong however has problems with [[projectile]]s, and the top characters in the game (including {{SSB|Pikachu}}, {{SSB|Kirby}}, {{SSB|Fox}}, and {{SSB|Captain Falcon}}) combo him too heavily for him to rise on the tier list. His poor mobility also gives him a disadvantage against fast characters like Fox and Captain Falcon. Donkey Kong is usually considered to be among the best low tier characters in [[low tier tournament]]s due to his Giant Punch combos and the fact that there are not many projectile users in the low tiers (as well as his Up B being able to out-prioritize all of their projectiles.) In short, DK's main strategies in competitive play are gimps using throws, outspacing with Spinning Kong, Down B combos, grab combos into spikes and otherwise, and up air chains.

Donkey Kong is considered to be slightly better for doubles than singles, mainly because he is better at KO'ing as some characters are forced to approach. His great reach also helps. Another good thing is that if he has a fast partner, they will be able to easily save him from large combos. He is one of the few characters with relatively good recovery. Donkey Kong is also excellent at [[edgeguard]]ing and [[gimp]]ing, especially on {{SSB|Dream Land}}. However, his problem matchups, especially with Kirby and Pikachu, hinder many doubles matchups.