Diddy Kong

Diddy on his Go-Kart in Diddy Kong Racing DS
Diddy Kong
Species	Kong
Eye color	Blue
Debut	Donkey Kong Country

Diddy Kong was a small Kong who served as the loyal sidekick of Donkey Kong. As a contrast to Donkey Kong, Diddy was smaller and nimbler, with a number of acrobatic moves. He was also aided by his long tail.

Background

Adventures with Donkey Kong

In Donkey Kong Country, Diddy Kong first appeared as a hero-in-training, taking lessons from Donkey Kong. For his first task, he had to watch over DK's legendary banana horde in the blackness of a stormy night. But the Kremlings attacked, Diddy couldn't defend himself and was schooled. He made up for this blunder by aiding Donkey Kong in retrieving the banana horde. Diddy was more agile and acrobatic than Donkey Kong, but he wasn't strong enough to take some of the larger foes. Soon he chased the Kremlings out of Donkey Kong Island with Donkey's help and then again in Donkey Kong Land. But Diddy didn't really get to shine until Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

Then Donkey Kong was apenapped and held for ransom by Kaptain K. Rool, Diddy set out to prove himself a true hero and defeat K. Rool with his girlfriend Dixie Kong at his side. The plan was successful- DK was freed, Crocodile Island went up in flames, and Diddy had become a true hero.

Diddy then missed out on two hero roles. First he and DK were apenapped by Baron K. Roolenstein during Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble until Dixie and Kiddy Kong saved them. In Donkey Kong Land III, Diddy and DK were among the many who left DK Island to search for the mysterious Lost World. But they must've taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque, as he and Donkey missed out on both the Lost World and a chance to get back at K. Rool.

Diddy Kong finally broke off from the others in his own solo adventure with Diddy Kong Racing. 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. It was only a matter of time until Wizpig was overthrown, and the racers all celebrated.

Diddy Kong returned to being Donkey Kong's sidekick in Donkey Kong 64 and lent a hand in smacking down K. Rool again after he was rescued from a makeshift prison in the Jungle Japes area. 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 joins up with Donkey Kong after the two meet up with an alien named Xananab who had his crystal bananas stolen by King K. Rool. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong team up together to help Xananab collect his Crystal Bananas. The two work together, this time with Diddy riding along on Donkey's back. Together Donkey was able to throw Diddy to far off spots, or 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.

Sports

Recently, Donkey seems to have convinced Diddy to accompany him on trips to the Mushroom Kingdom to play sports.

• Golf: Diddy is playable in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.
• Kart Racing: Diddy appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as Donkey Kong's racing partner.
• Tennis: Diddy is playable in Mario Power Tennis.
• Baseball: He is playable in Mario Superstar Baseball.
• Basketball: He is also playable in Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
• Soccer: Diddy is an unlockable captain in Mario Strikers Charged.

Diddy also moved towards a musical career with DK in the Donkey Konga games. He was also one of the three starting playable Kong characters in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, with his Kremling rival being Kip.

He also had a nonplayable appearance 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.

Powers

Diddy learns several special powers in Donkey Kong 64. They are:

• 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 is a guitar, and he also plays bongo drums in the Donkey Konga games. His weapon is the Peanut Popguns.

In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Diddy is lightweight class. His personal car is the Barrel Train, and his personal item is the Giant Banana.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, 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.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• Diddy Kong is playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl where he is known to use his rocket jetpack and peanut popguns from Donkey Kong 64.

Other Media

• Diddy Kong also appeared in 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).

Trivia

• He is mentioned in the instruction manual for Donkey Kong Land III, but is absent from the actual game.
• Diddy makes a cameo appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP, where he is seen cheering from the sidelines in the first stage of the Donkey Kong Grand Prix.