Smash Advent Calendar - Day 6 - Donkey Kong

He's the leader of the bunch, you know him well! Donkey Kong is another true veteran, appearing in every version of Smash Bros. so far. Coming from humble arcade origins, this monkey has come a long way, now being far more than just a Mario character but more a franchise of his own. He built an incredible following with the Donkey Kong Country games and amused many with his bongo antics on the Gamecube - and he has always been a solid choice in a fight, too!

Donkey Kong has been slap bang near the middle of the tier list in every single game so far.  First things first, his grab is incredible. A forward grab attack initiates the "Cargo Carry" which allows DK to freely run and jump around with the enemy on his back. This means that the enemy can be thrown from a variety of positions, giving the player a great tactical advantage. From this grab it's also fairly easy to get in a quick juggle, racking up some tasty damage.

Added for 90's cheese and nothing more.

His Neutral+B is of course his signature move, one press winding up a punch and with another press has him hurling a gigantic fist at quite some range. This move is fantastic - the charge time is well balanced to the power and the ability to hold the charge and initiate it later means that DK has potentially murderous juggles. It's a given that DK will be keeping this move, and he's all the better for it. His Up+B seems to have gotten some new properties on the ground with a new angle and hits fewer times, which indicates more power per hit - this'll be an interesting little change. His current Side+B is fairly good, a little on the short-ranged side but can help him rack up some fair damage. His Down+B perhaps needs a tweak as it could do with some aerial properties but other than that it can be useful for a surprise attack.

Donkey Kong isn't doing anything wrong... But not exactly doing anything right either. Some people on Smash Boards have suggested some move changes though; changing his dash attack to his Donkey Kong Country roll seems to be the biggest request - it's not just more aesthetically pleasing but also would make the move faster, cover more distance and generally make it more viable. Side+B suggestions have included the likes of a barrel throw, which could give DK a tactical game, but could throw him off balance. All in all though, he's a decent character with the potential to get a little better... But it won't be the worst thing in the world if he doesn't.

What do you guys think of DK? Ever used him in the previous games? Are you with the DK roll crusade? Let me know in the comments below or throw a message on the facebook page here.