Diddy Kong

Diddy Kong in DK: Jungle Climber
Diddy Kong
Species	Kong
Eye color	Blue
Voiced by	Kevin Bayliss (1994-1999) Unknown (2000-2005) Charles Adler (2005) Katsumi Suzuki (2007-Present)
Debut	Donkey Kong Country

Diddy Kong is a supporting character and occasional protagonist of games in the Donkey Kong series, as well as being an occasional guest character in spin-offs of the Super Mario series. He is a small Kong who serves as the loyal sidekick of Donkey Kong and has proven himself as a hero in his own right. As a contrast to Donkey Kong, Diddy is smaller and nimbler, with a number of acrobatic moves and a long tail at his disposal.

Background

Donkey Kong Country

In Donkey Kong Country, Diddy Kong first appeared as a hero-in-training who was taking lessons from Donkey Kong. For his first task, he had to watch over Donkey Kong's legendary banana horde on a dark and stormy night. But when the Kremlings attacked, Diddy could not defend himself and was trapped in a DK Barrel. He made up for this blunder by aiding Donkey Kong in retrieving the banana horde. Diddy was shown to bemore agile and acrobatic than Donkey Kong, but he was not strong enough to take some of the larger foes. Together they chased the Kremlings out of Donkey Kong Island and then fought them again in a similar manner in Donkey Kong Land.

However, Diddy Kong did not truly get his chance to shine until Donkey Kong was apenapped and held for ransom by Kaptain K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2. Diddy set out to prove himself a true hero and defeat K. Rool with Dixie Kong at his side. They traveled to Crocodile Isle and defeated K. Rool in his new guise as a pirate captain. They successfully rescued Donkey Kong and set off a chain reaction that destroyed the entire Crocodile Isle. Diddy had become a true hero, and it was also possible for him to earn Cranky Kong's respect by completing his Hero Coin Challenge.

His time as the hero did not last long. First, he and Donkey Kong were apenapped by Baron K. Roolenstein during Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. The two of them were locked up within KAOS until Dixie and Kiddy Kong saved them at the end of the game. Afterwards, in Donkey Kong Land III, Diddy and Donkey Kong were among the many who left Donkey Kong Island to search for the mysterious Lost World. The details of their journey are unknown, as they did not appear at all within the game.

Diddy Kong later received his own starring adventure independent of the other Kongs in Diddy Kong Racing (and its remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS). In this game, Diddy rushed to the aid of his friend Timber the Tiger, whose island had been conquered by the alien Wizpig. Diddy also called for fellow adventuring friends Banjo and Conker to aid him and the growing roster of racers who competed to challenge Wizpig. Through their efforts, Wizpig was ultimately defeated.

Diddy Kong returned to being Donkey Kong's sidekick in Donkey Kong 64. He was initially captured by the Kremlings and held within a makeshift prison in the Jungle Japes. But he was soon rescued by Donkey Kong and helped him, Tiny Kong, Chunky Kong and Lanky Kong in the ensuing adventure that ended in K. Rool's latest defeat.

Post-Rareware Adentures

In DK: King of Swing, he was playable in the Jungle Jam mode, and the unlockable Diddy Mode which made it possible to play through the entire game as Diddy Kong. In DK: Jungle Climber, Diddy joined up with Donkey Kong after the two met an alien named Xananab, whose crystal bananas had been stolen by King K. Rool. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong worked together again to help Xananab collect his Crystal Bananas, this time with Diddy riding along on Donkey's back. Donkey was able to throw Diddy to far off spots, and Diddy could also use special items like mallets and blowtorches. Eventually, they caught up to K. Rool and defeated him. They were then treated to a banana feast before they returned home.

In Donkey Kong Country Returns, Diddy once more helped Donkey Kong when his banana horde was stolen by the brainwashing Tiki Tak Tribe. Together, they were able to defeat Tiki Tong, and Diddy flew on his jetpack to catch Donkey Kong when he fell down to the island. Alternately, it was possible for Diddy to be the one to deliver the final blow to Tiki Tong. In this case, the ensuing explosion would propel Diddy to the moon, and hitting with his jetpack would cause the moon to fall and land on the volcano, destroying Tiki Tong's tower and presumably his remains. The following eruption returned the moon to the sky and scattered the bananas across the island. Diddy fell helplessly back to the earth, but Donkey Kong was able to catch him safely. Diddy later played a similar supporting role in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, where he worked together with Donkey Kong, Dixie and Cranky to defeat new invaders known as the Snowmads. At the end of the adventure, the four of them celebrated their victory by playing music together, with Diddy playing a set of bongo drums.

In Dr. Mario World. a medical version of Diddy called Dr. Diddy Kong became available through the game's Staffing feature starting at the end of October 2019.

In Other Mario/Donkey Kong-Related Games

Sports, Racing and Party Spin-Offs

Eventually, Diddy started appearing with Donkey Kong in some of the sports and other spin-off games of the Mario series, starting with his appearance in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.

• Golf: Diddy was playable in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Golf: World Tour.
• Kart Racing: Diddy appeared as a playable racer in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (as Donkey Kong's racing partner), Mario Kart Wii (unlocked by completing all 50cc cups), Mario Kart Tour (unlocked through the game's gacha feature) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (as part of the Booster Pass DLC in November 2023). He also made cameo appearances within crowds in Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.
• Tennis: Diddy was playable in Mario Power Tennis, Mario Tennis Open and Mario Tennis Aces (unlocked by participating in a September 2018 online tournament or through a free update the following month).
• Baseball: He was playable in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers.
  • Within the Challenge mode of Mario Super Sluggers, Diddy was found in the DK Jungle area, where he helped Mario and Donkey Kong to rebuild the stone idol. Afterwards, he joined the baseball team in order to help save Tiny Kong from Bowser Jr..
• Soccer: Diddy appeared as a playable captain in Mario Strikers Charged (unlocked by defeating him in the Crystal Cup) and Mario Strikers: Battle League (through a free update in September 2022).
• Olympics: In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and its initial sequels, Diddy did not appear, but there was an unlockable Mii costume based on him. Diddy eventually appeared as a playable guest character for Rugby events in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
• Other Sports: Diddy Kong was playable in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Mario Sports Mix and Mario Sports Superstars.

Diddy also appeared in several spin-off games of the Donkey Kong series. He was featured in all three of the Donkey Konga games, where he worked with Donkey Kong (as well as Dixie and Funky in later games) on building a bongo drum-playing career. In addition to his aforementioned starring role in Diddy Kong Racing, he was also one of the three starting playable Kong characters in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, with his Kremling rival being Kip.

Mario Party

Diddy has made nonplayable appearances in Mario Party DS and Mario Party 9, followed by his first playable Party appearance in Mario Party: Star Rush. In Mario Party DS, Diddy appeared in the third stage of the Story Mode, where he sought the help of Mario and the others after Donkey Kong had been turned into a statue by a Dry Bones. After Donkey Kong was saved, Diddy thanked them by giving them the third Sky Crystal. Diddy was later playable again in Super Mario Party, where he had to be unlocked by completing Chestnut Forest, the second world of the game's Challenger Road.

Cameos and Non-Storyline Roles

• Within the WarioWare series, Diddy has made appearances in some microgames based on Donkey Kong Country]] in WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase and WarioWare: Get It Together!.
• In Yoshi's Woolly World, a Yoshi pattern based on Diddy Kong's appearance could be unlocked by scanning an amiibo of Diddy.
• In Super Mario Maker, an 8-bit version of Diddy Kong's appearance can appear as one of Mario's potential Mystery Mushroom costumes. The costume is unlocked as a random prize for completing a 100 Mario Challenge on Normal or harder, or by scanning his amiibo.
• In Mini Mario and Friends: amiibo Challenge, a Mini Toy counterpart of Diddy appeared. Known as Mini Diddy, this toy's special ability was Ledge Grab, which allowed him to pull himself up from ledges that he starts to fall from.
• In Super Mario Odyssey, a Diddy Kong costume can be purchased for Mario, and there are also advertisements for a store called Diddy's Mart in New Donk City, which is said to be located on Dixie Street.

Abilities

Diddy Kong in action.

Diddy is a small and nimble character. He is faster and more acrobatic than Donkey Kong, with his trademark move being his cartwheel. His main downside is that he is weaker than Donkey Kong, and in most games there are enemies that he is not strong enough to hurt. Later games have introduced the Peanut Popguns as his personal weapon and he has also been shown with his own jetbarrels (usually referred to as the Rocketbarrel despite a different barrel of the same name appearing in '"Returns) which boost him in the air. Both were introduced in Donkey Kong 64, and after being further associated him through the Super Smash Bros. games, have been used during Retro's Donkey Kong Country games.

His full moveset from Donkey Kong 64 consists of:

• Chimpy Charge - A headbutting attack.
• Simian Spring - Allows him to leap high into the air from special Diddy pads.
• Rocketbarrel Boost - A special jetpack, powered by Crystal Coconuts, and activated by special Diddy barrels.

His special musical instrument in Donkey Kong 64 was a guitar, and he also played bongo drums in the Donkey Konga games.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• Diddy Kong appeared in Yakuman DS as one of the nonplayable computer-controlled opponents.
• He was included as a playable character in the crossover game Fortune Street.
• In Skylanders Supercharged, Diddy Kong makes an appearance riding with Donkey Kong in the Supercharged version of his vehicle, and one of Donkey Kong's Soul Gem abilities involves summoning Diddy to fly around with his Rocketbarrel Pack and attack with his Peanut Popguns.
• Diddy Kong was made available as a playable skin for the Nintendo releases of Minecraft as part of the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack.

Super Smash Bros.

Diddy Kong appears as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series, appearing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He uses his rocket jetpack and peanut popguns from Donkey Kong 64 as part of his moveset. He is an unlockable character within Ultimate, where he must be unlocked either by awakening him within Adventure Mode or through the game's variable-based system of unlocking characters.

He has two trophies in Brawl, one being a normal trophy while the second depicts his Final Smash. There are also four stickers of Diddy Kong using artwork of him from Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong 64, Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Hoops 3-on-3. For the 3DS/Wii U installment, he has two trophies in both versions, and the Wii U version has a trophy for his Final Smash. In Ultimate, he has a Fighter Spirit that is unlocked through his completion of Classic Mode.

Abilities

His moveset, mostly based on his special Donkey Kong 64 moves, are the following:

• Standard Special Move: Peanut Popgun- Diddy fires peanuts from his popgun. Holding down the button increases the speed of the shots but also increases the chances of the pogun exploding. The peanuts can also be eaten for health.
• Side Special Move: Monkey Flip- With this move, Diddy leaps onto an opponent and thrashes them wildly.
• Up Special Move: Rocketbarrel Boost- Diddy rockets into the air with his Rocketbarrels from Donkey Kong 64. However, they stand a chance of malfunctioning or falling apart, and they will if Diddy is hit by another player while using them.
• Down Special Move: Banana Peel- Diddy Kong tosses a Banana Peel onto the ground that can slip up other players just as in the Mario Kart games.
• Final Smash: Rocketbarrel Charge- This move combines Diddy's Peanut Popgun and the Rocketbarrel, as he wields both Peanut Popguns while rocketing around above the arena shooting the peanuts straight down. The rocketbarrels explode after time of the Final Smash expires, leaving behind more peanuts that can be eaten.

Brawl: The Subspace Emissary

Within the storyline of Brawl's "The Subspace Emissary", Diddy was first seen aiding Donkey Kong in his pursuit of the Koopas after they took the banana horde. After they reclaimed the bananas, however, Bowser ambushed them with a Dark Cannon. Donkey Kong then punched Diddy to send him flying to safety, being turned into a trophy by Bowser's Dark Cannon in the process. Diddy searched the jungle for help and arrived by a lake just as Rayquaza awoke from its slumber in anger. It grabbed Diddy Kong, but Fox McCloud came to rescue Diddy, and together the two fought off Rayquaza. Diddy then literally dragged Fox into the jungle to help him search for Donkey Kong. They wound up fighting a shadow clone of Bowser, and then the real Bowser attacked them with the Dark Cannon, so Fox grabbed Diddy and retreated.

Later on, Bowser returned suddenly and caught them by surprise, turning Diddy into a trophy. The shadow bugs then transformed into a giant shadow clone of Diddy Kong, but Fox was able to defeat it with the help of Falco, whom had recently arrived. Diddy was then revived from his trophy state, at which point he dragged Falco into helping him in that same matter he had done to Fox. Together they eventually found Donkey Kong being held on a Smash Skiff that was en route to the Island of the Ancients. Falco gave Diddy a ride there on the Arwing. Diddy then boarded the skiff alone and restored Donkey Kong. Captain Falcon then impulsively jumped in with Olimar and helped them to fight off the Subspace Army minions aboard the skiff, which brought them into the Subspace Bomb Factory. After the misadventure in and the subsequent escape from the bomb factory, they joined up with the main party for the final battles in Subspace.

Ultimate: Adventure and Classic Modes

In the Adventure Mode of Ultimate, "World of Light", Diddy Kong first appeared during the opening cutscene, where he tried to flee from Galeem's beams of light by flying with his rocketbarrel jetpack, only to ultimately be caught in a beam. He could then be found in an area of the Light Realm's map that was an homage to Kongo Jungle, the first world from Donkey Kong Country. Diddy was found at the end of the area, where the boss battle would normally be. By defeating him in battle, Diddy would be awakened as his true self and join the playable roster.

In Classic Mode, Diddy Kong's route is called "Hey, Little Buddy!", and the battles within are themed around Diddy Kong acting as sidekicks to protagonists of different series in battles against their respective antagonists. It ends with Diddy working with Donkey Kong in a battle against Master Hand (and Crazy Hand as well on higher intensities).

Other Media

• Diddy Kong was featured as one of the main characters of the Donkey Kong Country cartoon, where he was Donkey Kong's witty sidekick and "little buddy". In this incarnation, he was voiced by Andrew Sabastion (who also voiced Yoshi in the Mario cartoons).
• He appeared in some parts of the Super Mario-Kun manga that were based on the first two Donkey Kong Country games.
• In the 2023 CGI film The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Diddy made a small appearance sitting next to Dixie in a stadium full of Kongs, and he was reprimanded by Cranky for excessively cheering on Donkey Kong. He was voiced by Eric Bauza.

Canceled Appearances

• There were two different follow-ups to Diddy Kong Racing that were canceled when Rare was bought by Microsoft. One of those was Diddy Kong Pilot, which would have been a racing game for the Nintendo DS focusing on the plane vehicle from Diddy Kong Racing. The other was Donkey Kong Racing for the Gamecube, which would have featured the characters racing on animal buddies from the Country games and the return of various characters from Diddy Kong Racing.

Trivia

• Diddy's name comes from English slang that means 'small'.
• The concept of Diddy Kong came from the idea of having a second character with Donkey Kong to act as his second hit (similar to how Mario in his platforming games can take two hits before losing when he has a power-up). Diddy was originally planned as a new version of Donkey Kong Junior, but Nintendo felt that he was too different from the original Junior, so Rare decided to make him a new character.
• Diddy's baseball cap was initially featureless, but starting in Donkey Kong Country 2, it was shown to have a Nintendo logo. Diddy has also been shown to wear a normal blue backpack (possibly concealing his Rocketbarrel) in Donkey Kong Country Returns.
• He is mentioned in the instruction manual for Donkey Kong Land III, but is absent from the actual game. That also marks the only game of the original Country/Land series in which he does not appear at all.