Diddy Kong is a character and the deuteragonist of the Donkey Kong series. He is a young, friendly, helpful, and adventurous Kong from Donkey Kong Island who is Donkey Kong's best friend and sidekick. Somewhat of a peace seeker, Diddy is kind of an offset to Donkey Kong. He is defined by his energy and gaiety, to the point of childishness, and always shows excitement in various competitions.
Diddy Kong has appeared in multiple crossover titles alongside Sonic the Hedgehog and his cast, including the Mario & Sonic subseries.
Game appearances[]
Mario & Sonic series[]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games[]
In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Diddy Kong does not appear in person. However, a Mii costume based on Diddy Kong can be unlocked in the game by playing against a friend 20 times in Single Event Mode.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games[]
In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Diddy Kong does not appear in person. However, a Mii costume based on Diddy Kong can be unlocked in the game by playing against a friend twenty times in Single Event Mode.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Diddy Kong does not appear in person. However, a Mii costume based on Diddy Kong can be unlocked in the game by completing three areas in Legends Showdown.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Diddy Kong appears as a playable character in the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS version of the game for the first time in the Mario & Sonic series.
In the Wii U version of the game, Diddy Kong is a guest character that is only playable in certain events. To unlock him, the player must defeat him in a Rugby Sevens event when he challenges them to a tournament match on Copacabana Beach. Also, a Mii costume set based on Diddy Kong can be unlocked in the game by completing Diddy Kong's Carnival Challenge. However, it must be collected in two separate parts, each with their own stat changes.
In the Wii U version of the game, Diddy Kong has the following characteristics, description and icons:
| Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Playable Event(s) | Biography | Flag | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Speed | Technique | |||||
|
Technique | 3 | 7 | 8 |
|
Although this simian lacks the brute strength of his buddy Donkey Kong, he makes up for it with keen agility and technique. This skill set makes him particularly well-suited for dodging tackles in rugby sevens. | 
|
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Diddy Kong is an unlockable main roster character that is only playable in certain events. To unlock him, the player must beat him in the 110m Hurdles Plus event on Day 1 of Mario's Story in Road to Rio mode. He also has the following characteristics:
| Artwork | Stats | Playable Event(s) | Challenged in Road to Rio? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
110m Hurdles | Mario's Story Day 1 (unlock challenge) |
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Diddy Kong is a playable character in the Nintendo Switch version of the game.
Diddy Kong meeting Tails and Luigi in Tokyo, from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Diddy Kong is a guest character that is only playable in the Rugby Sevens event. To unlock him, the player must defeat Diddy Kong in Rugby Sevens as Wario in Chapter 15 of the game's story mode. In this mode, Diddy Kong met Tails and Luigi, who were looking to charge the Excitement Battery via the crowds' cheers, at the Tokyo Stadium. Hearing that they were looking to play an event, Diddy Kong offered to be their opponent. In the end, Wario stepped up to take on Diddy Kong. After Diddy Kong was defeated and the Excitement Battery was charged up a little, Diddy Kong recommended to Tails and Luigi's party that they visited the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza next.
In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Diddy Kong has the following characteristics:
| Icon | Skill Type | Biography | Wears unique clothing between events |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Technique | What body part does Diddy Kong have, but not Donkey Kong? Diddy Kong has a tail. Donkey Kong doesn't! | ✗ |
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
- See also: Diddy Kong (SSBB)
Diddy Kong in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Diddy Kong makes his first appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series as a playable fighter. In this game, Diddy Kong is a starter character, making him available from the beginning.
In gameplay, Diddy Kong is a short and middleweight character. He is likewise quick with wall clinging and crawling skills. In addition, several of his attacks have quick speed and possesses decent power, which complements his great combo potential, great agility, grat mobility, and great jump. He also uses many special moves unique to himself, including his Rocketbarrel Boost recovery move, and his Peanut Popgun attacks, both of which are used as a part of his Final Smash technique. He also has his impressive Monkey Flip, which lets him leap forward and pummel (or kick) his opponents. In terms of combat potential, Diddy Kong ranks very high. This is mostly a result of his projectile attack, the Banana Peel, which lets him deploy banana peels for tripping opponents. This move is one of the best projectile moves in the game and gives him more-than-great ground control, along with a great setup and damage-racking potential, namely by attacking tripped opponents. This move provides him with a decent defense too. Additionally, he possesses a powerful down aerial meteor smash technique, a good range for his grab techniques, and powerful throws that work in tandem with his ability to control the battle field. However, his Rocketbarrel Boost is easy to predict. It is also easily to prevent by hogging the edge of the stage, and can be stopped by stage lips. Additionally, his KO moves stale quickly despite being fast and reliable when fresh, and are largely dependent on his banana peels for a setup.
In the Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, Diddy Kong is one of the many characters from the World of Trophies that got caught up in the schemes of Tabuu and his minions, whom they would work to defeat together.
Diddy Kong also appears in the game as a few Trophies and several Stickers.
| ID | Name | Image | Description | Acquisition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | PAL | ||||
| 23 | 154 | Diddy Kong | 
|
Donkey Kong's little buddy. He's famous for his quickness and his long tail. He usually plays second banana to DK, but he teamed up with his girlfriend, Dixie, to rescue DK when he got captured. He's spent some time playing music and competing in races, and he's also an expert at using barrels. | Clear Classic Mode with Diddy Kong. |
| 269 | 155 | Rocketbarrel Barrage | 
|
Diddy Kong's Final Smash. Equipping his rocketbarrels and dual peanut popguns, Diddy can fly around attacking opponents in rapid-fire fashion. He can tilt the barrel jets left or right to control his flight and shoot peanuts straight down, too. This is a technique that tests one's ability to control both movement and attack direction. | Clear All-Star Mode with Diddy Kong. |
| Image | Name | Page | ID | Area of Effect | Effect | User | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | PAL | ||||||
 |
Diddy Kong (Mario Superstar Baseball) | 11 | 28 | Leg | Attack +12 | Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong | |
 |
Diddy Kong (Mario Hoops 3-on-3) | Diddy Kong (Mario Slam Basketball) | 43 | 110 | Leg | Attack +28 | Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
 |
Diddy Kong (Donkey Kong Country) | 46 | 119 | Tail | Attack +28 | Diddy Kong | |
 |
Diddy Kong (DK64) | 49 | 127 | N/A | Launch Power +20 | Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong | |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[]
- See also: Diddy Kong (SSB4)
Diddy Kong in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U., Diddy Kong made his second appearance as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. In both versions of this game, Diddy Kong is a starter character, making him available from the beginning.
In gameplay, Diddy Kong is once again a short, middleweight character. In terms, of combat potential, Diddy Kong still ranks very high. In this title, he possesses high walking speed and mobility, high speed when dashing, great falling speed and strong jumps. He also retains his wall cling and crawl abilities. Diddy Kong's strength, however, lies in his exceptional ability to perform combos, with his attacks flowing well together thanks to his long-reaching moves that have been extended in this title, fast framerate, and low knockback. He possesses as well many attacks with more knockback and a number of efficient and powerful finishers. The latter includes his smash attacks that he can incorporate into his combos. He also performs well against opponents on an equal playfield due to his Banana Peel, Monkey Flip and Peanut Popgun techniques. These moves provide him with great mobility and control of the current stage. Diddy Kong also has several safe and reliable ways to execute KOs thanks to his down tilt, forward air, back air, and throw moves. His back air move and Peanut Popgun also provide him with good options when it comes to keeping foes off the edges of the stages. However, Diddy Kong has his fair share of weaknesses too. Notably, he possesses low air speed, less-than-average air acceleration and high gravity, all of which hinder his aerial mobility. He is also vulnerable to being interrupted when recovering due to the linear and short-ranged qualities of his Monkey Flip technique. His Rocketbarrel Boost up special move is as well unsafe to use, and his overall damage output has been lowered in this title. The latter in particular is exacerbated by his poor aerial mobility when not using special moves which hinders his combos in midair and his lack of reliable combo breakers. In addition, later updates to the game would weaken Diddy Kong's combo ability.
Each version of the game also comes with their own Trophies of Diddy Kong:
| Name | Picture | Category | Trophy Box | Description | Acquisition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | PAL | NA | PAL | ||||
| Diddy Kong | 
|
Fighter | 17: Donkey Kong and His Friends | Donkey Kong's trusty partner. He sports his signature look: red hat, red shirt, Rocketbarrel Pack. In Smash Bros., he's incredibly agile. Charge the Rocketbarrel Pack by holding down the button before launch, and you can steer with left and right. Don't forget to drop banana peels—enemies love it!
|
Red cap? Red T-shirt? Rocketbarrel Pack? Yep, it's Diddy Kong. His agility lets him get attacks in quickly in this game. Fire up his Rocketbarrel Pack and keep the button held down to fly further. You can even steer him in the air! Tip: If you don't mind fighting dirty, make you opponent slip on a Banana Peel, then hit 'em while they're down.
|
Clear Classic with Diddy Kong. | |
| Diddy Kong (Alt.) | 
|
Fighter | 18: Animal Friends and Items | The Banana Peel Diddy throws when you use his down special can be picked up and used against you, so be careful. His Monkey Flip side special is a rolling leap followed by a grab (or a kick if you press the button again midjump). If you grab someone, press the button again to attack or jump off them to go high into the air.
|
Purchase at the Trophy Shop for 1000G, after clearing Classic with Diddy Kong. | ||
| Rocketbarrel Barrage | 
|
Final Smash | 90: Final Smashes 1 | Diddy Kong's Final Smash is an attack on all fronts! Diddy takes to the air with his Barrel Jet, tackling opponents as he fires explosive shots from his Peanut Popguns. His Final Smash is nearing its end when he begins flashing, so get as close to your foes as you can-the Barrel Jet will explode at the end of this Final Smash! | With a Peanut Popgun in each hand, Diddy showers his foes with a hail of explosive destruction. This Final Smash lets him fly freely through the air, dealing damage to anyone in his way. When his body starts to flash, that means the Final Smash is about to end, so try to catch your foes in the Rocketbarrel Pack's explosion! | Clear All-Star with Diddy Kong. | |
| Name | Picture | Category | Description | Acquisition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | PAL | NA | PAL | |||
| Diddy Kong | 
|
Fighter | Donkey Kong's trusty partner. He sports his signature look: red hat, red shirt, Rocketbarrel Pack. In Smash Bros., he's incredibly agile. Charge the Rocketbarrel Pack by holding down the button before launch, and you can steer with left and right. Don't forget to drop banana peels—enemies love it! | Red cap? Red T-shirt? Rocketbarrel Pack? Yep, it's Diddy Kong. His agility lets him get attacks in quickly in this game. Fire up his Rocketbarrel Pack and keep the button held down to fly further. You can even steer him in the air! Tip: If you don't mind fighting dirty, make you opponent slip on a Banana Peel, then hit 'em while they're down. | Clear Classic with Diddy Kong. | |
| Diddy Kong (Alt.) | 
|
Fighter | The Banana Peel Diddy throws when you use his down special can be picked up and used against you, so be careful. His Monkey Flip side special is a rolling leap followed by a grab (or a kick if you press the button again midjump). If you grab someone, press the button again to attack or jump off them to go high into the air. | Clear All-Star with Diddy Kong. | ||
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
- See also: Diddy Kong (SSBU)
Diddy Kong in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Diddy Kong made his third appearance as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. In this game, Diddy Kong must be unlocked by completing any one of following objectives:
- Play VS. matches, with Diddy Kong being the 37th character to be unlocked. Diddy Kong must then be defeated on Kongo Falls.
- Clear Classic Mode with Donkey Kong or any character in his unlock tree, being the 7th character unlocked after Greninja. Diddy Kong must then be defeated on Kongo Falls.
- Have Diddy Kong join the player's party in World of Light.
In gameplay, Diddy Kong is a small low-middleweight character, having become lighter than in previous titles. In this game, Diddy Kong possesses the usual skills associated with those in his weight class; he possesses high dashing, running, and walking speeds. However, his air mobility is mediocre, as his air speed and air acceleration are both below average. He also has a new Final Smash called the Hyper Rocketbarrel. Diddy Kong also benefits from the changes made to the gamepay mechanics: his mobility is even faster than in earlier titles; his short hop timing has been shortened; the landing lag in his aerials is reduced; he can perform directional air dodge; and he can more attack options in different situations. However, Diddy Kong's overall damage output has been lowered further in this title. Lastly, Diddy Kong's Monkey Flip and Rocketbarrel Boost now cover much less ground.
In the Adventure Mode of the game, "World of Light", Diddy Kong was one of the many fighters that stood up to the threat of Galeem and his army of Master Hands. When Galeem began capturing the fighters, Diddy Kong was defeated. Thus, the fighters (aside from Kirby, who had managed to escape) were held captive by Galeem so that he could clone them and create puppet fighters for evil spirits to control. During the Adventure Mode, several puppet fighters of Diddy Kong are used for spirit battles. An evil version of Diddy Kong can be fought and defeated so that the true Diddy Kong can be awoken and join the fight to defeat Galeem and later Dharkon.
In this game, Diddy Kong also appears as a Fighter Spirit with the following characteristics:
| No. | Name | Image | Series | Acquisition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit | Alternate artwork | ||||
| 135 | Donkey Kong |  |
|
Donkey Kong Series |
|
Trivia[]
- The name "Diddy" is a slang word used in some parts of northern England for "small," referencing the short stature of Diddy Kong.
External links[]
- Diddy Kong at MarioWiki, the Fandom wiki of Mario.
- Diddy Kong at Super Mario Wiki, the Super Mario wiki.
| Sega characters | AiAi | AGES | Akira Yuki | Amigo | Alex Kidd | Axel | Baby | B.D. Joe | Beat | Billy Hatcher | ChuBach | ChuBei | Chuih | ChuPea | Dremagen | Gilius Thunderhead | GonGon | Gum | Jacky Bryant | Joe Musashi | MeeMee | Nights | Opa-Opa | Pudding | Puyo | Reala | Ryo Hazuki | Sarah Bryant | Ulala | Vyse |
|---|---|
| Nintendo characters | Bowser | Bowser Jr. | Daisy | Diddy Kong | Donkey Kong | Larry Koopa | Ludwig von Koopa | Luigi | Mario | Mii | Peach | Rosalina | Toad | Waluigi | Wario | Wendy O. Koopa | Yoshi |
| Mega Man characters | Axl | Bass | Dr. Light | Dr. Wily | Mega Man | Proto Man | Roll | Rush | X | Zero |
| Other | Andronic | Danica Patrick | Santa Claus | Xbox Live Avatar |