Diddy Kong

Diddy Kong is Donkey Kong's best friend who has gone on countless adventures with him. In the manual of Donkey Kong Country, he is described as Donkey Kong's "wannabe nephew" and a chimpanzee (despite the fact that he looks like a monkey). He is a creation of the British company, Rareware; however, he has a Nintendo logo on his red hat, probably to signify the actual publisher of the DK series. Diddy has also gone on many adventures by himself and has even starred in his own racing game for the Nintendo 64.

The First Adventure
Diddy Kong first appeared in Donkey Kong Country; here, he was still Donkey Kong's apprentice and an in-training video-game star. Wanting to humor an overly-eager Diddy, Donkey told Diddy to guard his Banana Hoard. Unfortunately, when Donkey Kong assigned this duty to Diddy, he hadn't expected the Kremling Krew to attack. Unable to hold off an attack by a Krusha, Diddy was sealed in a DK Barrel. The next morning, Donkey awoke and, realizing his bananas were missing, he found and released Diddy and the two set off to reclaim them and drive the Kremlings off of Donkey Kong Island. Eventually, Donkey and Diddy managed to defeat King K. Rool and the Kremling Krew.

A False Fight
Unfortunately, this victory was short-lived as, shortly afterwards, Diddy and Donkey were tricked into a bet by Cranky Kong in Donkey Kong Land, and the two once again set off to reclaim Donkey's golden bananas from K. Rool. In the end, Diddy and D.K. managed to defeat King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew once more. It wasn't too hard for them, considering it was a similar fight.

From Sidekick to Hero, relationship with Dixie Kong
After the events of Donkey Kong Land, all seemed well for Diddy; he even got a girlfriend by the name of Dixie Kong. Unfortunately, disaster soon struck in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, when the Kremling Krew kidnapped Donkey Kong and whisked him away to their own island, Crocodile Isle. K. Rool threatened to never return Donkey Kong unless he was given the Banana Hoard, which Diddy refused to give because all the trouble that he and Donkey Kong went through to recover it in the previous game. It was up to Diddy and Dixie to venture through Crocodile Isle and rescue Donkey Kong from Kaptain K. Rool. Near the end of Donkey Kong Country 2, Donkey Kong was rescued by Diddy and Dixie and Crocodile Isle sank into the ocean. Diddy had saved the day once more.

The Revival of Crocodile Isle
After DK's rescue, Diddy and the rest of the Kongs once again went back to relaxing in Donkey Kong Land 2. Unfortunately, K. Rool and the Kremlings struck again. After raising their island back up to the surface, the Kremlings kidnapped Donkey Kong once more. Diddy and Dixie had to once again venture to Crocodile Isle and rescue Donkey Kong. After a long journey, Diddy and Dixie rescued D.K. once more.

From Hero to Captive
Diddy ended up captured in the events of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. After the stressing events of Donkey Kong Land 2 Diddy and Donkey decided to go vacationing in the Northern Kremisphere, planning to return to Donkey Kong Island in a few days time. The duo never came back. Dixie, worried about the two Kongs, decided to venture to the Northern Kremisphere to search for them, her cousin Kiddy Kong in tow with her. After Dixie and Kiddy defeated Baron K. Roolenstein, they discovered that KAOS, K. Rool's stand-in leader for the Kremling Krew, contained Diddy and Donkey. It seemed K. Rool had abducted Diddy and Donkey for the purpose of using their brain energy to power KAOS. When rescued, Diddy and Donkey went back to Donkey Kong Island and left Dixie and Kiddy take care of the Kremling Krew.

A Reckless Adventure
A few months after the events of DKC3, Diddy and Donkey, restless, decided to enter a contest to find the recently re-sunken island of Lost World leaving a disgruntled Dixie, Kiddy and K. Rool behind. Dixie and Kiddy set out to prove to Diddy and Donkey that they are both equal to them. Despite having an integral role in Donkey Kong Land III, Diddy and Donkey don't actually appear in the game. Where the two Kongs were during the events of the game is unknown.

Race to the Rescue
In Diddy Kong Racing, while lazing around one day while the rest of the Kong clan was out, Diddy eventually got a letter from his long-time friend Timber. The letter was asking Diddy for help, as an intergalactic bully named Wizpig had invaded Timber's Island and Timber needed Diddy's help to get rid of him. Diddy and Timber, along with a few friends eventually managed to drive off Wizpig and release those who were under his mind-control.

K. Rool's Revenge
Soon after the events of Diddy Kong Racing, trouble once again brewed in Donkey Kong 64. King K. Rool, hungry for revenge, tried to attack Donkey Kong Island. Luckily for the island's inhabitants, K. Rool's weapon, the Blast-O-Matic, was damaged after K. Rool's Ship crashed into a small island. To buy time to repair his weapon K. Rool had Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard re-stolen, and had several Kong's kidnapped, Diddy included.

Diddy was eventually freed from his captivity in Jungle Japes by Donkey Kong early on in the game. From then on Diddy aided Donkey and the other Kongs with shutting down the Blast-O-Matic and getting rid of King K. Rool by collecting red bananas, Banana Coins and using his abilities gained from Cranky, as well as his electric guitar from Candy and his popguns from Funky. Eventually, K. Rool was defeated by the Kongs in a wrestling match. The method for defeating him for good involved a plan by Funky and Candy in which Funky brought a shoe gun to kick him out of the ring.

Musical Fun
Diddy, along with Donkey and Dixie, became a musical star in Donkey Konga and Donkey Konga 2. He also appears in Donkey Konga 3. He helped them earn plenty of money, which was presumably used to buy Bananas.

Saving the Party
In DK: King of Swing Diddy is capable of being played as in the games adventure mode by collecting twenty-four DK Coins in the games adventure mode with Donkey Kong. He along with Donkey Kong, helps to save the Jungle Jam from the Kremling Krew.

Racing Again
Diddy Kong has recently appeared in Diddy Kong Racing DS, a semi-remake of Diddy Kong Racing. In this game, he had to save Timber's Island again from the evil Wizpig, this time with Dixie and Tiny by his side.

Jungle Climber
Diddy Kong appears in DK Jungle Climber as well. In this game, Donkey Kong can use him as a launch to hit objects and reach areas where Donkey Kong can't reach. Diddy is also required to use three powerups: Hammer, Wings, and Torch. The player has to race a low-AI Diddy at the beginning of the game, and in one of the minigames, the Player also has to race a hard-to-beat Diddy. Diddy plays a role in the plot as Donkey Kong's sidekick, as usual.

Barrel Blast
Diddy returned to his racing roots as a playable character in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. Diddy has low speed, but a good boost and handling. His rival is Kip. He is one of the six characters playable at the start of the game.

Stats:
 * Boost: ☆☆☆☆
 * Speed: ☆
 * Agility: ☆☆☆

Lost in the Jungle
Diddy Kong has a non-playable role in Mario Party DS. In the third stage of Story Mode, Donkey Kong was transformed into a statue by a Dry Bones. Mario and friends help him recover Donkey Kong, and soon defeat the Dry Bones. After its defeat, Diddy hands Mario and friends the third Sky Crystal, while Donkey Kong heads off to Bowser's Castle.

Canceled Appearances
Diddy was to star in both Diddy Kong Pilot and Donkey Kong Racing as a main character and a sidekick, respectively, but these games were canceled before they could be released when Rare moved over to Microsoft.

Physical Appearance
Perhaps one of his most famous parts of appearance is that Diddy wears a red cap with the Nintendo logo on it. Other than that, Diddy has a red tank top with stars on it, two big, blue eyes, a long tail that he sometimes uses as an attack, a belly button, and other characteristics of a Spider Monkey.

Donkey Kong
Diddy Kong is Donkey Kong's nephew and friend. Together they have been on countless adventures. Diddy looks up to his uncle in many ways, but Donkey Kong is most of all a leader to Diddy Kong. Together they pair up as an "apish" Mario Bros. They have since usually appeared together in sports games. Diddy kong has always played second banana in games that Donkey Kong is playable in.

Dixie Kong
Dixie Kong, Diddy Kong's best friend and love interest, is another who has been on adventures with Diddy. Dixie has actually saved Diddy once, along with her cousin Kiddy Kong. Dixie has also appeared in a few sports games with Diddy. She was one of the Kongs that Diddy brought with him to help Timber in Diddy Kong Racing DS.

Golf
Diddy Kong was playable in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. He was put into the game to act as a partner for Donkey Kong. This was the very first time Diddy Kong appeared in any traditional Mario series game, and it would not be the last time.

Kart Racing
Diddy Kong later managed to appear in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. He was a light character, and his special weapon was the Giant Banana, which is shared with Donkey Kong. Additionally, his partner is Donkey Kong, and his own personal car is the Barrel Train. Diddy also made a cameo at the end of Banana Ruins of 'Mario Kart Arcade GP''. Diddy returns as a playable character in Mario Kart Wii as a middleweight character, but is unlockable this time. He is unlocked by winning the 50cc Lighting Cup, or by playing 450 races. Also joining the race is Funky Kong; the fourth Donkey Kong character to be playable in Mario Kart.''

Tennis
Eventually, Diddy appeared in the Mario Tennis Series. In Mario Power Tennis, he was a speedy character, and was usually paired with Donkey Kong. His Offensive Power Shot and Defensive Power Shot are Acrobatic Banana and Barrel Jet, respectively. Diddy Kong, however, has yet to appear in another Mario Tennis game.

Baseball
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Diddy Kong was once again a playable character. He was a Team Captain in Exhibition Mode, and a Sub-Captain in Challenge Mode. During Challenge Mode, Diddy played on Donkey Kong's team. His special ball is the Boomerang Ball, which launches the ball out like a Boomerang, to trick the other team. This was also the first traditional Mario game appearance of Diddy Kong's girlfriend, Dixie Kong. He is playable in Mario Super Sluggers.

Basketball
Diddy Kong was playable in Mario Hoops 3 on 3. Diddy Kong is a default player, and is of the Speedy class. His Special Shot is the Jet Shot, which summons a jet pack, which attaches to Diddy Kong's back. He then flies towards the basket. Additionally, Dixie Kong also managed to appear in this, once again, as an unlockable character.

Soccer
He is also an unlockable captain in Mario Strikers Charged, unlocked by beating Diddy Kong in the Crystal Cup. Diddy Kong is a Playmaker Captain, and is very swift and agile. His Super Ability is Red Card!, which summons a beam of light that pulls any player, except for Diddy Kong, into the skies for 15 Seconds. A new trait of Diddy Kong in this game is that he does not smile very often, with the exception of his victory scenes, as do most other players. Diddy Kong gained some new interesting abilities in this game. He is shown to have super natural powers, as seen with Red Card!, which summons a beam of light to take players out of the field, and his Mega Strike. When he uses his Mega Strike, he launches in the air, moves into a Buddha position, and launches the ball towards the goal without even touching it.

In Super Smash Bros.
Diddy Kong joins the Super Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is swift and agile, and is very acrobatic, just like he is in the DK series. His Final Smash, Rocket Barrel Barrage, combines two of his special moves, Peanut Popgun and Rocket Barrel Boost, together. Diddy Kong is the first character to represent the Donkey Kong series in a Super Smash Bros. game since Donkey Kong himself. He is currently placed 3rd on the tier list and is considered a great character. And although he did not appear in Super Smash Bros. Melee or Super Smash Bros., he was mentioned in both games. He also has a significant role in the Subspace emmisary.

Special Moves

 * Standard (B)- Peanut Popgun: Originating from Donkey Kong 64, Diddy can use his Popguns in battle. When charged up, the peanuts fired are much faster, and will have a better chance at hitting the opponents. However, charging it up too long is dangerous, as it might explode on Diddy Kong. The attack occasionally releases Peanuts, which can be eaten for a slight health increase. Diddy Kong also uses two Peanut Popguns when using his Final Smash, the Rocket Barrel Barrage. If Diddy Kong's powers are copied by Kirby, he will also be able to use Peanut Popgun.


 * Side (B →)- Monkey Flip: Diddy Kong leaps forward towards the enemy, latches onto them, and begins attacking. B can be used to pummel while latched on, and A can be used to push off of them, knocking them away. As this sends Diddy forward, it can be used in addition to his Up-B recovery as it does not put Diddy into Helpless state afterwards. If Diddy pressed A while performing this move, he sticks a foot out, and will kick the opponent instead of latching on. However, this kick will prevent you from using his Up-B until the next time he lands. By pressing the jump button after latching onto an enemy, you jump onto their head and push them downwards which performs a spike. The Monkey Flip can also set up a Diddycide.


 * Up (B ↑)- Rocket Barrel Boost: Like the popgun, this device originates from Donkey Kong 64. It allows Diddy to fly upward. Diddy Kong can charge this attack up, and if it is charged, he will be able to fly farther. Tilting the control stick allows Diddy to curve his flight path, allowing him to fly in several different directions. It causes damage to anyone who hits it. However, if Diddy Kong is attacked while flying, he will lose his Jetpack, and fall down. The jetpack will then fly away, and has a chance of hitting another player. The Rocket Barrel Boost is also used during Diddy Kong's Final Smash, Rocket Barrel Barrage.


 * Down (B ↓)- Banana Peel: Diddy Kong will carelessly toss a banana peel behind him for others to trip and fall on. He can only use two of these, and they can also be swallowed or used against him. He apparently pulls the peel out of nowhere.


 * Final Smash- Rocket Barrel Barrage: This attack utilizes both the Peanut Popgun and Rocket Barrel Boost attacks, à la Donkey Kong 64, and fuses them to create a very powerful attack. When the Smash Ball is collected, Diddy Kong gets his Rocket Barrel Boost out, and holds two Peanut Popguns. He then continues to fly around the entire stage, with the player being able to control him. Pressing the attack button will cause him to shoot explosive Peanuts at the opponents. When they hit a player or the ground, they explode with a large blast radius, devastating anyone hit. However, any Peanut that doesn't hit a player will open up, and reveal a Food item, which can be eaten to restore health. When time is up, the Rocket Barrel explodes, hurting anyone nearby. It does not hurt Diddy, however. Notably, it is the only Final Smash able to be used in the Subspace Emissary.

Appearances in Other Media
Diddy Kong was featured as a main character on the Donkey Kong Country cartoon. Here, he was still Donkey Kong's little buddy who went on countless adventures with him.

Diddy was voiced by Andrew Sabiston during the entire run of the Donkey Kong Country cartoon.

He also appeared in the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong Country", serving a similar role to the one in the game of the same name. Diddy's task is to watch over the Banana Hoard, however King K. Rool finds him and puts him into a Barrel. When discovered by Donkey Kong, both start searching for the villain.

During the events of the comic "Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens", published in the same magazine, he lives in a skyscraper in Brooklyn together with many other Nintendo characters. Due to a contract signed by Wario, the skyscraper is invaded by several monsters. One of them, Chuckie, invades the Kongs' room, while Diddy and Donkey are watching TV. They are terrified by the evil doll, but get rescued by Mario, Link, and Kirby.

Diddy makes another appearance in the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24". The Kongs have to save the world from freezing, since a giant U.F.O. is pulling the Earth away from the sun. Together with Donkey, Dixie, Kiddy and Cranky, Diddy enters a space shuttle and flies into space, in order to talk to the aliens. As it turns out, the reason for them pulling away the Earth is that they mistook the planet for a giant coconut. Diddy finds a solution to this problem by giving bananas to the aliens, and in return they promise to return the Earth to its original position.