Diddy Kong (SSBU): Difference between revisions

|ranking = 12

Diddy Kong is currently ranked 12th out of 82 characters on the current ''Ultimate'' tier list, ranking him in S- tier. This is a sizeable drop from his ranking in ''Smash 4'', where he was tied with {{SSB4|Cloud}} at 2nd/3rd out of 54, and is technically his worst placement in the series.

Diddy Kong was one of the most dominant characters in [[Diddy Kong (SSBB)|both of his]] [[Diddy Kong (SSB4)|first appearances]] thanks to his useful moves and the ability to produce items, namely {{b|Banana Peel|move}}s, which grant him an amazing control of the neutral game. Even after receiving nerfs in game updates in ''SSB4'', Diddy would continue dominating other characters, ending his run in top tier (3rd out of 58 characters). Most likely owing to his overwhelming success, Diddy Kong was nerfed significantly in the transition to ''Ultimate'', though he would later receive significant buffs in various updates to compensate. Ultimately, he is considered to be moderately nerfed overall.  

Further exacerbating these nerfs, the universal changes hinder Diddy Kong overall. The reduced [[shieldstun]] for items and increased lag on [[grab]]s weaken his approach and defensive game with Banana Peel; the latter change is compounded by the nerfs to his grabs' range. 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]].

His special moveset has also been improved in a number of ways. [[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 faster startup, deals more damage and charges significantly faster. Rocketbarrel Boost goes further when uncharged and makes Diddy Kong fall much slower during the charge period, slightly improving his recovery overall. Finally, Banana Peels benefit from the item's tweaked natural properties: they now possess transcendent priority, making them unable to trade with attacks and thus riskier to pick up; and they can now be thrown twice at opponents before disappearing (though this does potentially give opponents more opportunities to use the item against Diddy). Finally, in terms of gameplay changes, the universal increase in mobility benefits Diddy, as his already fast mobility has been further improved, allowing him to keep up with the rest of the cast.

Overall, Diddy Kong's nerfs outweigh his buffs, even accounting for game update changes. Diddy must now take more risks in order to win the neutral game with his standard moves, and his Banana Peels have been nerfed to be less spammable. However, he has been slightly compensated in terms of moveset utility and power, and still possesses an oppressive factor courtesy of his fast frame data and movement speed, and Banana Peels remaining a strong tool in the neutral game. General optimizations and shifts in the metagame, combined with his changes from game updates, have also been benefitial to him. Because of this, Diddy performs overall worse than his ''SSB4'' iteration, but remains a noticeably strong pick in the recent metagame, being considered an "anti-meta" pick despite this being his worst iteration in the series so far.

|bthrowdesc=Diddy Kong tosses his opponent backward. Diddy Kong's strongest and most damaging throw, KOing middleweights around 140% at the edge of [[Final Destination]] .

|ssdesc=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 cho 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 Boost|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.

*'''Side taunt''': Angrily does a playful fighter's stance while growling, trying to assert his dominance.

*Scratches his rump, gets down on all fours, and shakes his fur.

*Jumps in place twice.

*{{Sm|Ryuoh|Japan}} - One of the best Diddy Kong players in Japan. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Wave 1}}, 7th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 28}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 29}}, and 13th at {{Trn|Kagaribi 7}} and {{Trn|JAPAN 24}}. Has wins over players such as {{Sm|HIKARU}}, {{Sm|Kome}}, and {{Sm|Sigma}}.

*{{Sm|Tweek|USA}} - The best Diddy Kong player in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2023}}, {{Trn|Port Priority 7}} and {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 3}} as well as 2nd at {{Trn|Mainstage 2022}} and {{Trn|Collision 2022}}. Ranked 8th on [[OrionRank 2022]] and [[UltRank 2022]].

SSBUWebsiteDonkeyKong3.jpg|With D.K. on Great Bay.