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 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 trapped in a DK Barrel. 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.

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. 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. Along the way, he also completed Cranky Kong's Hero Coin Challenge to earn his respect.

Diddy then missed out on two hero roles. First he and DK were apenapped by Baron K. Roolenstein during Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble until Dixie and Kiddy Kong saved them at the end of the game. In Donkey Kong Land III, Diddy and DK were among the many who left DK Island to search for the mysterious Lost World, although they were not seen again throughout the game.

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.

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 which case the explosion propelled Diddy to the moon. However, hitting the moon with his jetpack caused 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.

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 and in Mario Kart Wii (where he must be unlocked by completing all 50cc cups).
• Tennis: Diddy is playable in Mario Power Tennis.
• Baseball: He is playable in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers.
• Basketball: He is also playable in Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
• Soccer: Diddy is an unlockable captain in Mario Strikers Charged.
• Other: Diddy Kong is playable in Mario Sports Mix.

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.

Within the Challenge mode of Mario Super Sluggers, Diddy was found in the DK Jungle area and 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..

Mario Party

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.

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. The main downside is that he is weaker than Donkey Kong, and in most games there are enemies that he cannot hurt. Later games have introduced the Peanut Popguns as his personal weapon (appearing in Donkey Kong 64, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and within the cooperative gameplay of Donkey Kong Country Returns) and he has also been shown with his own possible jetpack known as the Rocktebarrel.

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

Donkey Kong 64

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.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

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 appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl where he uses his rocket jetpack and peanut popguns from Donkey Kong 64. He has two trophies in the game, one being a normal trophy while the second depicts his Final Smash. There are also stickers of Diddy Kong using artwork of him from Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong 64, Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
  • 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.

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.
• 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.