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He's finally back... to kick some tail! Donkey Kong in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Quillion

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Donkey Kong is the leader of the DK crew and one of the original 12. Also provides a vital role as the archetypical "fairly fast but slow-attacking" heavy of the roster. Discuss anything about him.

----

You know what would be cool for DK? Giving him a projectile.

He has two great options for such: Barrel Throw and Coconut Gun.

Barrel Throw would utilize DK's most iconic weapon and could be distinct from the item Barrel by being a bit weaker. However, it could be too powerful and/or impractical since I imagine it would be slow.

Coconut Gun would give him his counterpart to Diddy's Peanut Popgun, and it seems much more practical as a faster zoning tool. However, it hasn't made any appearance since DK64 as far as I know.

Not saying they absolutely should do this, since most of his animations are carbon copies of those in DKC and thus he's pretty faithful as is, but it still would be cool.
 

Strong DK

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I think he should be a little stronger with a little less running speed. He's a true powerhouse who can punch moon out of it's orbit and has send heavy enemies flying great distances with his punches/throws.
Also he could have counter move because he's a great hand to hand fighter as seen in jungle beat. Also sorry about my rusty english... :D
 
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Morbi

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As usual, I just want them to take the cartoon-esque approach rather than the realism, it is MOSTLY a voice problem, but I would not mind if he actually looked more like how he looks in his series. Other than that, he was perfect in Smash 4. I suppose they could replace one of his specials for a projectile. But it is not necessary.
 

Quillion

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As usual, I just want them to take the cartoon-esque approach rather than the realism, it is MOSTLY a voice problem, but I would not mind if he actually looked more like how he looks in his series. Other than that, he was perfect in Smash 4. I suppose they could replace one of his specials for a projectile. But it is not necessary.
Gotta agree with the voice problem. It doesn't even fit the art style anymore now that Smash is going for a brighter and less-detailed approach to character models. Otherwise, yes, he's probably the most faithful to his character of the pre-Brawl cast thanks to the level of detail to his animations, and getting his roll made him even better.
 

domozilla777

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I think that DK would benefit having a different dash attack. His current one seems clunky and very punishable. perhaps he could have some kind of dash attack that does less damage and bounces opponents in front of him. this could lead to some grab combos or arial combos if done correctly. either way I'd love to see DK have some more combo options.
 

Quillion

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I think that DK would benefit having a different dash attack. His current one seems clunky and very punishable. perhaps he could have some kind of dash attack that does less damage and bounces opponents in front of him. this could lead to some grab combos or arial combos if done correctly. either way I'd love to see DK have some more combo options.
Same can be said for practically all Dash Attacks, TBH.

Except maybe Link's. That one's pretty cool.
 

domozilla777

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Same can be said for practically all Dash Attacks, TBH.

Except maybe Link's. That one's pretty cool.
IDK about all Dash Attacks. Captain Falcon's and Samus have pretty good ones as well as most of the Sword characters (especially Link)
 

Wyoming

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Think he needs another meteor smash or two if you ask me. :yeahboi:
 

RomanceDawn

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Give DK a barrel throw/roll and I would flip out! As far as move sets are concerned thats pretty much all I really want anymore. Well maybe that and some sort of clapping shock wave.

One thing thats purely cosmetic that I don't think anyone cares about but me is DK's running animation. In the country games, especially the newer titles, DK has this heavy yet graceful gallop to his run that isn't done nearly as well in Smash. Not to mention he runs on flat hands in Smash Bros, I really want him to run on his knuckles.
 

Minch

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I don't think the dong needs a whole refresh of his special moves.
The ground pound is iconic Donkey Kong.
Giant Punch and the spin have become Smash staples.

If anything were to change I'd hope it would be the head butt.
This just seems like a random move thrown in because Melee introduced a new side-b move.
Maybe instead he hits you with a barrel? Or rolls one at you?

My biggest gripe with DK is his lack of personality.
He has been made into an emotionless gorilla.
At least Smash 4 tried some personality by making his eyes pop out.
But I want him to be modelled after Tropical Freeze.
He has never looked better than in that game.
I really hope they give him that look, voice and demeanour.
 

Quillion

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I don't think the dong needs a whole refresh of his special moves.
The ground pound is iconic Donkey Kong.
Giant Punch and the spin have become Smash staples.

If anything were to change I'd hope it would be the head butt.
This just seems like a random move thrown in because Melee introduced a new side-b move.
Maybe instead he hits you with a barrel? Or rolls one at you?

My biggest gripe with DK is his lack of personality.
He has been made into an emotionless gorilla.
At least Smash 4 tried some personality by making his eyes pop out.
But I want him to be modelled after Tropical Freeze.
He has never looked better than in that game.
I really hope they give him that look, voice and demeanour.
Agreed. I definitely want that grin.
 
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Normally, I post my moveset suggestions for characters after I go over them in the Revamp a Veteran Thread, but since there's no way I'll finish before E3, I decided to just share the stuff I still have early.

DK’s moveset is perfectly fine to me, like with most of the characters not named Wario. I don’t really get why so many people think he is one of the people the most poorly representative of his series; there are plenty who need attention more than he does, and he has plenty of moves from his own games (Forward tilt, dash attack (in SSB4), forward aerial, forward throw, down special, and his neutral special has been retroactively made canon by Donkey Kong Country Returns), most of his animations for general stuff are ripped straight from his games, and his moveset generally fits his style well (plus, the biggest issue, dash attack, was finally fixed in SSB4). All in all, he’s probably the most faithful character right now from the Smash 64 era (debatably, of course).


Not to say there’s nothing I’d change, though. First off, I’ll go with aesthetics. The problem many people seem to have with DK in Smash, his realistic gorilla grunts, doesn't really bother me, for some reason, even though it bothers me a helluva lot more with Bowser. I like his current voice, because it sorta reminds me of his more aggresive portrayal in Jungle Beat, which I really liked. I made him feel more aggressive, his personality being based off his portrayal in the aforementioned Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, which I felt fit great for Smash. (He still maintains some of his cartoony elements, like his eyes bugging out when getting launched, and he sports happier expressions during his victory poses). I also blended this with some aspects of his portrayal in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze. His standing animation now has him scowling and furrowing his brow, and a few of his attacks are changed from flimsy swats/slaps to punches. He also frowns angrily during multiple attacks and the visuals/sfx on some of his moves have more of an impact. Some of his moves have also been made a little stronger/faster. He’s a strong man in Smash, sure, but for a guy who punched the ****ing MOON out of orbit, it’s not quite there for me; plus, it will make him a bit less centered on his Ding Dong.


L,DR: I buffed him overall. I kept his general idea the same, but added some extra stuff to make him feel more like his portrayal in Jungle Beat and the Donkey Kong Country Returns series, while also rebalancing his moveset to make him less reliant on the Ding Dong. To make up for the Ding-Dong being less effective, I made his attacks faster and stronger overall, and I replaced many of his dumb swats with punches similar to his down smash and forward air.

Attributes and general animations

  • Slower dashing speed, 1.7022, rather than 1.7031. This is to compensate for his slightly increased kill power. He now scowls slightly when running, as if ready to pick a fight, which also applies to his idle pose.
  • Donkey Kong now has unique sound effects when hitting an opponent, being more forceful overall.
  • His backwards jump animation is the same as in Jungle Beat. Speaking of jumps, he can now wall jump, like in said game. Just a cool feature, I guess.

Ground Attacks

  • Neutral combo is faster (Frame 5 → 4) and now launches the opponent at a better angle for comboing (70 → 80). DK also now sports an angered expression upon punching, and it has more intense visuals.
  • Forward tilt has been replaced with his forward tilt from Smash 64, which was a slow punch forwards rather than a swat with his hand. Compared to his previous one, it is slower (Frame 9 → 12) but stronger, dealing 2 more damage (10 → 12), and it’s damage is the same regardless of it’s angle. Unlike Smash 64, DK’s teeth are gritted and the sfx has more of an impact.
  • U-tilt received a slight speed increase (Frame 5 → 4).
  • D-tiIt was reverted back to his Brawl d-tilt, so it has more damage (7/6% → 8%) and base knockback (10 → 20). It’s animation was altered a bit to look more like a punch.
  • Like in Project M, dash attack now goes over nearby ledges, and can be cancelled with a jump in midair. It also travels noticeably faster, like in Donkey Kong Country Returns.
  • F-smash now has a small shockwave come out. This is a reference to his main attack from Jungle Beat. The shockwave is a seperate hitbox that is weak (5% damage) and only lightly knocks the opponent back, but gives the move more range.
  • Like forward smash, up smash causes a blue shockwave to appear upon clapping, and it is also a seperate hitbox with the same properties as the forward smash shockwave (except it launches opponents at a 90 degree angle, not sideways). He also sports an annoyed expression.
Air Attacks

  • The lag of neutral aerial has been increased (Clean hit: 10-13 → 11-14), but it deals more damage (11% → 11.5%).
  • The meteor of forward aerial is now stronger than down air via damage (13% → 14%) and knockback scaling (100 → 110) boosts, now giving you a real, actual reason to use it over d-air in some circumstances.
  • Up air has faster start up (Frame 6 → 5)
  • Donkey Kong now uses both feet to stomp during his down air, making it look virtually identical to an attack from Jungle Beat and the original animation from Smash 64.

Throws

  • The animation of pummel is changed; instead of slapping the opponent, DK holds them off the ground with one hand and violently punches them in the face with an infuriated look, causing them to gasp in pain. This is aesthetic, based off his punches in Jungle Beat.
  • Cargo up throw has less damage (10% → 6.6%), something the devs seemingly forgot to do when they made it into a combo throw.
  • Back throw's damage is increased (11% → 12%).
  • Down throw has an animation change; rather than slamming the opponent into the floor, DK scowls while putting them on the floor and punching them in the gut.
Specials

  • Giant Punch: It no longer leaves him helpless in midair. I never really knew why this feature was added in the first place. It also takes a bit more time to charge, and the blow is a little slower at full charge and one swing before full charge (Frame 17 → 20)., but it’s even stronger (Base knockback: 10 → 20). He also looks pretty damn pissed when unleashing the full or almost full blow, like his appearance on the boxart of Jungle Beat. The hitlag is also slightly increased.

Also, Donkey Kong now has his outfit from his appearance as a secret boss in Punch Out Wii.




 
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Spinosaurus

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Looks like FAir can autocancel now. That's really good.
 

Luigi player

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It looks like fair and dair also have really low landinglag. That's amazing! Could we really see combos of of fair, lol? That's crazy and I love it! That's how you make DK more fun.

People have also been saying Ding Dong is still in... eh. I never liked it that much but he needed it. I just wish they would've buffed him differently. Can't wait to see how he'll turn out when the game's here.
 
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Big O

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I'm glad he finally got a real final smash. Jungle Beat beatdown >>> lol bongos that have probably stopped more KO's than they've earned. It also seems like his punch got a lot stronger and charges faster the longer you charge it.
 

itsaxelol

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It's weird so many of you want his ******** Scooby Doo voice. Keep him feral and intimidating!!
 

Diddy Kong

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Jungle Beat, honestly. I do like Angry Kong more than Goofy Kong of Smash 4. Yet still think his Brawl design was overall the very best. Had that classic Rare feeling to it.

Funky Kong is probably gonna inherit some of the laidback goofy attitude of DK in Smash 4 I feel.
 

Culex

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DK looks pretty cool. I like his face expressions. Glad they've changed his final smash. The old one was too easy to avoid.
 

itsaxelol

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Since when has DK ever been feral and intimidating?
64- original powerhouse
Melee, brawl, smash 4 - feral and intimidating grunts

If you mean his main games, it's less so, but jungle beat1 and 2 are pretty vicious. But yes, as we know, smash takes it own liberties sometimes. Sometimes it does it good, dk, Mario being pissed off all the time, sometimes it doesn't... Melee Bowser
 

Quillion

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64- original powerhouse
Melee, brawl, smash 4 - feral and intimidating grunts

If you mean his main games, it's less so, but jungle beat1 and 2 are pretty vicious. But yes, as we know, smash takes it own liberties sometimes. Sometimes it does it good, dk, Mario being pissed off all the time, sometimes it doesn't... Melee Bowser
You do realize that in Jungle Beat, DK still had his Takashi Nagasako voice, right?
 

Strong DK

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I'm glad he finally got a real final smash. Jungle Beat beatdown >>> lol bongos that have probably stopped more KO's than they've earned. It also seems like his punch got a lot stronger and charges faster the longer you charge it.
The punch is stronger? If so, that's great!
 

Runic_SSB

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I cannot tell you how happy I am that his Final Smash is his Ora-Ora from Jungle Beat. I just played that game (the Wii version) last month and I absolutely loved it. I loved its intense but still colorful aesthetic, and beating the piss out of giant monsters and edgy martial arts gorillas was so much fun. It was the first DK game that made me feel like I was playing as a gorilla (Returns and Tropical Freeze do this too, but not as well IMO). I was just telling my friend how we needed more Jungle Beat stuff, and this is perfect.
 

dahuterschuter

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Donkey Kong is pretty much the bottom of Sakurai's interest list, but I would really really love a big change to his character here:

1. Side-B command grab. Donkey Kong is already pretty much the Zangief of Smash with his big furriness, spinning lariat, heavy grappling focus in every game with cargo throw shenanigans. I'd really love to see a true command grab in the arsenal for his side-b, as much as I love the shieldbreaking properties of his current headbutt. Banana Slamma neutral b charge punch should work as enough of a shield breaker, and a command grab also bypasses shielding.

2. Down-B rhythm back to 64, because it was the best one.
 

RomanceDawn

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I'm hearing that mid air down B combos into itself when you land on the ground. Hopefully thats true!

Do we know DK's voice yet? I want that wonderful DKCR/TF voice that really took off in Jungle Beat!
 

meleebrawler

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I think I may have noticed Headbutt having armour at one point, like the Stubborn variant with with normal speed.
 

Arthur97

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I don't like how the FS is supposedly from Jungle Beat. Why not just make it from DKC Returns? I may be mistaken, but I don't think Jungle Beat was exactly a fan favorite.
 

Spinosaurus

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I don't like how the FS is supposedly from Jungle Beat. Why not just make it from DKC Returns? I may be mistaken, but I don't think Jungle Beat was exactly a fan favorite.
Nah, it's got a cult following.

It's also lowkey top 3 DK games.
 

Koopaul

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In Returns and Tropical Freeze, DK's pummel includes him slapping and kicking in addition to punching. This Final Smash is just a fury of punches so it looks like it is Jungle Beat inspired.
 

Arthur97

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In Returns and Tropical Freeze, DK's pummel includes him slapping and kicking in addition to punching. This Final Smash is just a fury of punches so it looks like it is Jungle Beat inspired.
That may be, but I don't get the weird need to have it come from the bongo game.
 

Koopaul

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The pummel from Jungle Beat is admittedly animated more realistically while the one from Returns/Tropical Freeze is more comical and disjointed. They probably went with the Jungle Beat pummel for that reason.
 

Koopaul

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In this fighting game I think he want the attacks to move fast and connect well. It seems like only Game & Watch has those missing frame s in his animation.
 
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