Super Smash Bros. Fighters – Donkey Kong Series – 01 Donkey Kong

Debut

Classic Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong (1981)

Modern Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong Country (1994)

In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. 64 (1999) 

Boxing Ring Title: King of the Jungle

Theme Song: Jungle Level Ver. 2 (Brawl)

Donkey Kong - sometimes referred to as DK for short, or even Donkey on the rare occasion - is the main protagonist of the Donkey Kong series. This big ape is the protector of Donkey Kong Island, fighting to protect the place from King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew, as well as any other baddie who tries to invade. Sometimes he visits the Mushroom Kingdom as well, either to take part in its various events, or to cause mischief. He's also the first antagonist Mario has ever fought in his career... well, sort of.

In the original arcade game titled Donkey Kong, an ape named Donkey Kong was the pet of Mario. Angry at his owner, he would go and kidnap Mario's (at the time) girlfriend Pauline, climbing to the top of a tall building. Mario would chase after him, and every time the carpenter - yes, Mario was a carpenter during this time - got close, the big ape would climb higher and higher. At the very top of the building, Mario would manage to defeat Donkey Kong and rescue Pauline.

In the sequel, titled Donkey Kong Jr., Mario locks Donkey Kong up in a cage as punishment for what he did in the last game. DK's son, Donkey Kong Jr., learns of this and heads off into the jungle to rescue his papa! Just like in the first game, whenever Junior got close, Mario would flee with DK. Their chase would eventually lead into the city, where Junior would succeed in freeing his papa from his prison! Together, they would escape to parts unknown, but not before Donkey Kong gave Mario the boot as he tried to chase after them.

In Donkey Kong 3, DK decides to go and cause some mischief at a greenhouse owned by Stanley. Donkey Kong climbs to the top of the rafters and disturbs some bugs, which cause them to fly down to destroy Stanley's flowers. He then begins to slowly climb down to completely destroy the place, only for Stanley to decide to fight back with his bug spray! Every time DK got hit by the spray, he would slowly get pushed upwards. Stanley would keep at this until he managed to get the ape to the very top, where DK would get his head stuck in a beehive! Unable to get it off of his head, he ends up falling to the floor, where the beehive finally comes off and reveals his swollen head. DK presumably leaves after this.

Donkey Kong would then show up in the American version of NES Open Tournament Golf, where he has turned over a new leaf and now runs a bank. DK keeps track of how much money the player has earned, and informs them of any milestones they manage to reach.

However, he'd return to his antagonistic role in Donkey Kong '94, an enhanced and extended remake of the original Donkey Kong arcade game! Instead of accepting defeat at the end of 100m, Donkey Kong would get back up and grab Pauline, fleeing to new areas like the Big City! His son, Donkey Kong Jr., also tags along, trying his best to hinder Mario's progress however he can! Their chase would end at the Tower, where Mario would manage to lock up Junior and defeat DK, causing the ape to fall off of the building.

Only for the big ape to land near Super Mushrooms, causing Donkey Kong to grow even bigger! He tries once again to get Mario, only to be defeated by the plumber throwing DK's own barrels at his face. Shrunken back down to size, Donkey Kong lands on top of Mario, who's been powered up by a Super Mushroom Pauline gave him. Donkey cries for his son to save him as Mario lifts him into the air. The final scene before the credits shows Donkey Kong and his son posing alongside Mario and Pauline at Rock-Valley, suggesting they've reconciled and become friends.

After that, Donkey Kong, his son, and his (at the time) unseen wife would settle down on Donkey Kong Island, where they would sometimes get involved in battles with the Kremlings, a race of crocodiles who want to conquer their island. As the years went on, Donkey Kong's son would grow into an adult and have a son of his own. Donkey Kong, who had now grown old and bitter, would relinquish his name to his new grandson, and rename himself Cranky Kong. (His wife would change her name to Wrinkly Kong as well, assuming it wasn't already her given name.)

At some point, Donkey Kong Jr. disappears from Cranky's life, though exactly what happened - and when it occurred - is unknown. Regardless, Cranky and his wife Wrinkly would raise Junior's son like their own. Cranky wanted his grandson to follow in his footsteps by capturing beautiful maidens like he used to do, but the young ape was more interested in becoming a hero instead. As Donkey Kong grew, he would make many friends, such as the cool surfing dude Funky Kong, as well as Candy Kong, who's said to be the banana of DK's eye.

And all of that leads us to the modern Donkey Kong we currently know and love! 

In Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong is the well-known protector of both Donkey Kong Island and the Kong's Banana Hoard. One day, DK tasks his little buddy, Diddy Kong, to watch over the Banana Hoard until midnight as part of Diddy's "hero training," so that he can get some rest. The next day, DK is woken up by Cranky Kong, who tells him to check the cave to the Banana Hoard for a "big surprise." Once he enters, DK finds out that not only is Diddy gone, but the Banana Hoard has been stolen by the Kremlings, who are lead by their tyrannical ruler: King K. Rool! Declaring he'll reclaim every last banana stolen, Donkey Kong heads off, but not before freeing Diddy, who was trapped inside a nearby barrel.

Gameplay-wise, Donkey Kong is able to defeat certain foes that Diddy can't, and can even perform the Hand Slap technique. However, he is slower than Diddy, which can make performing certain jumps difficult.

Their journey takes them throughout various locations of Donkey Kong Island, where they battle against many members of the Kremling Krew before arriving at King K. Rool's Gangplank Galleon, where they battle the deranged crocodile. The two emerge victorious and reclaim the Banana Hoard, with King K. Rool vowing revenge against them.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest would turn Donkey Kong from a playable character, into an ape in distress. Donkey Kong was resting at the beach after the events of the previous game. While he was sleeping, the Kremlings ambush and capture him, leaving a ransom note for the other Kongs to find before transporting him to their airship: The Flying Krock. The following the day, the Kong discover the note, and Diddy, along with his girlfriend Dixie, decide to head to Crocodile Island - home of the Kremlings - to save Donkey Kong!

Donkey Kong is first seen at the end of "Stronghold Showdown," where Diddy and Dixie briefly celebrate before he's moved back into the Flying Krock. In the boss level, "K. Rool Duel," DK is shown getting beat up by King K. Rool - who's going by the alias, "Kaptain K. Rool" - before he turns his attention to Diddy and Dixie, with DK getting hoisted towards the ceiling. Whenever K. Rool briefly gets knocked over, DK is lowered for a sec, trying to break free from his binds. Once Diddy and Dixie defeat K. Rool, DK is finally freed and punches K. Rool out of The Flying Krock. The three then escape The Flying Krock before it crashes into the ground.

Donkey Kong is last seen in the 102% ending, where he, alongside Diddy and Dixie, watches Crocodile Island sink into the ocean's depths.

Just like in the last game, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble would see DK once again as an ape in distress, this time with his little buddy Diddy. Both primates decide to head to the Northern Kremisphere to go fishing, with Diddy leaving a note for Dixie saying they'll be back by tomorrow. However, the two end up getting captured by King K. Rool - now going under the alias "Baron K. Roolenstein" - again. K. Roolenstein puts the two inside of his new robot, KAOS, in order to power it up.

Thus, they first "encountered" during the first KAOS boss fight, "Kaos Karnage," where the robot tries to destroy Dixie and her young cousin Kiddy Kong. In the second KAOS boss fight in "Kastle Kaos," Dixie and Kiddy manage to power down the robot, only to discover that Baron K. Roolenstein was behind the scheme. Once they take care of him, DK and Diddy are freed from the robot, with DK expressing how impressed he is that Dixie and Kiddy saved them.

Donkey Kong 64 would be Donkey Kong's first - and so far only - time in a 3D Platformer. King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew have built a massive doomsday weapon, the Blast-O-Matic, and K. Rool intends to use it to destroy Donkey Kong Island entirely! However, due to the incompetence of his minions, they crash the doomsday weapon into a rock, damaging it. Inside Donkey Kong's house, DK was doing pushup until Squaks the Parrot flies in to inform him that not only are his Golden Bananas stolen, four of his friends - Diddy, Lanky, Tiny, and Chunky- have been captured by the Kremlings! After receiving some help from Cranky, DK heads off to reclaim his bananas, save his friends, and stop King K. Rool!

Out of the five playable characters, Donkey Kong is the most balanced member of the team, being equally fast and strong. His personal weapon - which he obtains from Funky Kong - is the Coconut Shooter, which he can fire in spurts. His personal instrument is are the Bongos, which he receives from his girlfriend Candy kong. Donkey Kong is the only one who can enter the various Baboon Blast challenges via his Kong Pad, and can use the Gorilla Grab to pull levers. Donkey Kong is also the only one who can collect yellow-colored Bananas, Banana Bunch Coins, and Blueprints.

After that, the Donkey Kong Country series wouldn't see another installment until 11 years later with Donkey Kong Country Returns. Here, a mysterious group called the Tiki Tribe emerge from the volcano on Donkey Kong Island. The Tiki Tribe get to work hypnotizing the animals to steal DK's Banana Hoard. Diddy is the first to notice this, and chases after them. Donkey Kong is about to follow as well, only to run face-to-face with a member of the Tiki Tribe, Kalimba, who tries to hypnotize him. It doesn't work, DK beats it up, and the then goes off to reclaim his bananas and stop the Tiki Tribe.

Donkey Kong controls much like he did in the first game. However, when Diddy Kong is with him, he'll use his jetpack to help slow their descent for a bit. Diddy also allows Donkey Kong to perform an infinite somersault attack, which can not only help the two go faster, but also defeat most enemies in front of them.

In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Donkey Kong is celebrating his birthday with Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Cranky Kong. However, his birthday gets interrupted by the arrival of the Snowmads. Their leader, Lord Fredrik, uses his enchanted horn to summon an ice dragon, who ends up blowing DK and his friends off the island, allowing the Snowmads to easily conquer the place and send the island into a deep freeze. The Kongs must now traverse across various islands to get back to Donkey Kong Island and defeat the Snowmads!

DK plays much like he did in the previous game, including the abilities he gains with Diddy by his side, but with Dixie and Cranky joining the party, they give DK even more moves! Dixie's ponytail twirl allows her to lift herself and DK into the air, while Cranky can use his cane to fling him and DK into the air, as well as allow them to bounce off of certain dangerous objects like spikes.

Donkey Kong also stars in the Donkey Kong Land trilogy. Donkey Kong Land serves as a direct sequel to Donkey Kong Country, with Cranky challenging Donkey Kong and Diddy to reclaim the Banana Hoard from King K. Rool on the less-powerful Game Boy game. Donkey Kong Land 2 is simply a retelling of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest where the Kremlings kidnap Donkey Kong. Donkey doesn't even show up in Donkey Kong Land III, but the manual mentions that he and Diddy entered a contest to find the Lost World, which is what inspires Dixie and Kiddy to go off on their adventure.

During the absence of the Donkey Kong Country series, Donkey Kong would have some other spin-off adventures, such as Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. While the initial release of the game is simply involves Donkey Kong beating up anyone he comes across to become King of the Jungle, the Wii release would give the game a proper story. Here, Donkey Kong travels to the various fruit kingdoms to free its inhabitants from the tyrannical rule of the Ghastly King.

Donkey Kong also stars in the DK series of games. In DK: King of Swing, the Kongs are about to celebrate the annual Jungle Jam Tournament! Just before the festival can begin, King K. Rool arrives and steals all of the medals for himself. Since they need the medals to hold their festivities, Donkey Kong and Diddy head off to reclaim them!

In DK: Jungle Climber, Donkey Kong is having a vacation at Sun Sun Island, along with Diddy, Dixie, Cranky, Wrinkly, Funky, and Candy. After having some fun, Donkey Kong and Cranky start to become hungry. That's when Diddy arrives to inform them that he sees a giant banana on top of a mountain! DK, Diddy, and Cranky head off to collect the banana, where they briefly see King K. Rool and his Kremlings at the very top before the reptiles escape via a portal.

They then find the banana, only for it to begin attacking them! DK and Diddy defeat it, and find out it's a spaceship piloted by an alien named Xananab, who apologizes for attacking them. He explains that King K. Rool and his Kremlings have stolen his Crystal Bananas to use them to conquer the universe, and now that his spaceship is destroyed, he'll be unable to get them back. Donkey Kong agrees to help him reclaim his Crystal Bananas, and begins his next adventure!

Donkey Kong has also tried his hands in the rhythm genre with the Donkey Konga series! In Donkey Konga, Donkey Kong and Diddy are walking along the beach when they find some a mysterious pair of barrels. Fearing it to be a trap, they take it to Cranky, who reveals that they are bongos. After a bit of practice, DK and Diddy begin imagining becoming world famous for bongo playing, and begin their musical tour.

The game would also get two sequels, though the third one was never released outside of Japan. In the second game, Dixie joins them as well.

Donkey Kong also stars in his own racing game, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. Here, Donkey Kong and his friends race against King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew in the Jungle Grand Prix, where the racers use jet-powered barrels to zip and fly around the courses. Compared to the other racers, Donkey is an all-around racer with three stars on all of his stats, making him perfect for beginners. His rival in this game is a Kremling.

If the player manages to complete all of Candy's Challenges, then they unlock Ultra Barrel DK, who is the best racer in the game with 5 in every stat.

Donkey Kong would also show up in a few games in the Super Mario series like the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong games. In the original Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong was watching TV at his house when he sees a commercial for Mario's Mini-Mario Toys. Interested in getting one, he heads off to the Mushroom Kingdom to find one at the store, only to learn they were sold out. He then noticed that the Mario Toy Company was near the store, and decides breaks in to steal a sackful of Mini-Marios, which results in Mario chasing him to get them back.

At the end of every world, Donkey Kong would battle against the Mini-Mario toys Mario reclaimed, using various strategies against them. Adfter completing World 6, DK notices his sack of toys has become empty, resulting in Mario, the Mini-Mario Toys, and three Toads laughing at him. Enraged, he'd kidnap the Toads and climbs up top of a building! Mario and the Mini-Marios chase him there and defeat him once more, saving the Toads! However, DK happens to land in a truck of Mini-Mario Toys, snatching them up and fleeing once more, with Mario in hot pursuit!

After traveling through 6 more worlds, Donkey Kong would use a giant mech to try and defeat Mario, only to have it get destroyed from Mario throwing barrels at it. As Mario scolds him, Donkey Kong cries in shame and embarrassment at what he's done. Feeling sorry for him, Mario gives him a Mini-Mario Toy to cheer the ape up, which makes Donkey Kong happy.

In the sequel, Mario Vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Donkey Kong is now working at Mario's Toy Company. Mario's old friend, Pauline, comes to visit to help with the premier of Mario's new Super Mini Mario World Theme Park. Upon seeing Pauline, DK falls in love with her and tries to woo her with a Mini-DK toy, only for her to accept Mario's Mini-Mario toy instead. Angered, Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline, with Mario and the Mini-Mario toys chasing after them!

Once again, DK is fought at the end of every floor, where the player has to maneuver the Mini-Marios to attack the big ape. At the end of the game, when Mario and the Mini-Marios make it tot he top, they realize that Pauline is being showered with gifts and even cake! Regardless, Donkey Kong is ashamed at what he's done. However, Mario and Pauline hold nothing against him, with Pauline even accepting his Mini-DK toy from earlier.

Donkey Kong also shows up in the Mario Golf series. He makes his playable debut in Mario Golf 64 as an unlockable character. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour would make him a default character, which future installments would stick with. He also tends to have a few golf courses associated with him, such as Congo Canopy in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, and DK Jungle in Mario Golf: World Tour.

In Mario Golf GBC, Donkey Kong is seen once Kid - or Sherry, Azalea, or Joe - arrives at Mario World. He is one of the participants in the Mushroom Kingdom Tournament. While the player can talk to him, his monkey noises aren't translated, implying that their character can't understand him.

Donkey Kong plays the same role he does in the sequel, Mario Golf: Advance Tour. In the game's Doubles mode, he teams up with Diddy to try and beat Neil and Ella in the Mushroom Kingdom Tournament.

Donkey Kong also shows up in the Mario Tennis series, his first time playing on the courts being Mario Tennis 64. This game would be the first time Donkey Kong would team up with his father, Donkey Kong Jr. As you can guess, DK Jr. served as his default doubles partner, but if he wasn't unlocked yet, Yoshi would serve as Donkey Kong's partner instead. In Mario Power Tennis, Donkey Kong's partner would become Diddy Kong instead. Donkey Kong is classified as a Power character throughout the series, meaning he can hit the ball with great force, but to compensate, he's pretty slow and can't control where the ball will go very well.

In Mario Tennis GBC, Donkey Kong, along with the rest of the Mario Crew, welcome Alex and Harry - or Nina and Kate - to Mario World. Just like with Kid, they weren't able to understand Donkey Kong if they talked to him. Once Alex and Harry accepted to challenge Mario and Peach, Donkey Kong would head to the stands to watch.

In Mario Tennis: Power Tour, he journeys with the rest of the Mario Crew in disguise to the Academy, Factory, Empire, and Union tennis schools to teach the players there about Power Shots. At the end of the game, he's at the stands with the others as Princess Peach welcomes Clay and Ace to their world. When Bowser begins to throw a fit about having to wait and even begins to threaten Luigi when he tries to calm him down, DK decides to defend the green plumber along with Mario until Peach cools down the situation. In Singles Mode, Donkey Kong is never played against, but in Doubles Mode, he serves as the first opponent alongside his unlikely partner Luigi.

Donkey Kong has also done some racing in the Mario Kart games! Donkey Kong made his debut in Mario Kart 64, and has appeared in every other game since. In these games, he's classified as a heavyweight, meaning he can easily push others around, but has poor acceleration.

Donkey Kong tends to have some race tracks based on him, such as D.K.'s Jungle Parkway in Mario Kart 64, DK Jumbo in Mario Kart: Double Dash, and DK Jungle in Mario Kart 7.

Donkey Kong also shows up in the Mario Party series! Donkey Kong was one of the original playable characters in the first Mario Party. He would continue to be playable until Mario Party 5, where he would instead be given his own DK Space on the boards. Unlike Bowser Spaces, landing on a DK Space would have Donkey Kong do something positive for the player, which could range from playing a DK minigame to gain coins, or even receiving a free Star! Mario Party 10 would see the big ape return as a playable character, which - with the exception of Mario Party: The Top 100 - has stuck ever since.

Donkey Kong also popped up in the Yoshi series. In Yoshi's Island DS, Bowser and Kamek travel to the past to look for the Seven Star Children, who's powers may help the Koopa King conquer the universe! Kamek sends his Toadies off to various places to kidnap babies, one such place being Donkey Kong Island, where they snag Baby Donkey Kong! However, during his transportation to Bowser's Castle, Baby DK manages to escape and heads off on his own.

He eventually finds Yoshi and Baby Mario in the first level of World 2, "Baby DK, the Jungle King!" and decides to join them on their quest to rescue Baby Luigi and the other babies. While being carried by Yoshi, Baby DK can perform a powerful DK Dash Attack that allows Yoshi to run into enemies to defeat them. He can also climb and hold on to vines littering the areas. When Yoshi tosses an egg, it'll explode on contact, damaging anything within its radius. However, Baby DK is also the heaviest of the babies, which makes Yoshi run pretty slow.

While not making a personal appearance, Donkey Kong appears as cameos in the various microgames in the WarioWare series. Back when Cranky Kong was Donkey Kong, he made his first appearance in WarioWare Inc.: Mega MicroGame$ in the microgame, "Donkey Kong," in which the player had to make Mario jump over the barrels rolling towards him.

It would take until the microgame "Donkey Kong Country," from WarioWare Gold for the current Donkey Kong to make an appearance, where the player had to press the button at the right time to shoot DK out of a cannon barrel so he can collect the three bananas in the area. WarioWare: Get it Together would follow it up with "Donkey Kong Country Returns," where, if the player was successful at destroying the Tikis, Donkey Kong - or Diddy Kong - would show up to cheer for them.

Personality-wise, Donkey Kong is portrayed as a brave and friendly individual, willing to help others out with his immense strength. He can become easily enraged if his friends are in trouble, or if his Banana Hoard is stolen. Sometimes, he can be prone to throwing tantrums if things aren't going his way, which can lead to him making rash decisions and causing trouble, though he always shows remorse for doing so.

Donkey Kong's intelligence tends to vary throughout the series. While a majority of games show him speaking normally, Donkey Kong 64 has him speak in third person and in broken English. Fortune Street even has Toad comment that DK is the brawn, while Diddy is the brain. On the flipside, DK knew how to pilot a giant robot suit in the first Mario VS. Donkey Kong game, and he was able to repair the robot, E-123 Omega, in the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

In Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong is a powerful character, and somewhat agile to boot. Don't underestimate this big ape; once he gets into battle, it'll be on like Donkey Kong himself! Banana Slamma!

He’s also one of the twelve members of the “Perfect Attendance Crew.”

Special Moves 

Neutral Special: Giant Punch

Donkey Kong begins winding his fist up. Pressing the Special Button at any point will has DK throw out his punch. You can also cancel the charge by shielding or moving left or right, after which you can resume later.

If you charge it up all the way, Giant Punch will turn into a powerful KO move! Better make sure you aim it well. Don't want to waste it, right?

This move is original to Super Smash Bros. Donkey Kong did perform something like this in the "Donkey Kong Country" cartoon series, but that's probably more of a coincidence than anything.

In later games, Donkey Kong would perform something similar to this in "Mario Party 5," as well as in the ending for "Donkey Kong Country Returns."

Side Special: Headbutt

Donkey Kong backs up a bit, then performs a powerful headbutt! Anyone in front of him gets buried in the ground for a bit. The more damaged the opponent is, the longer they stay trapped, so know when to use it and then followup with a powerful move!

Using it in the air will have DK slam opponents downwards. That is, if they’re significantly damaged. Otherwise they simply got knocked back a bit.

This move is original to Super Smash Bros., as Donkey Kong never uses anything similar to this in any of his games. That being said, infrequent headbutting does occur in a few of them now and then.

Up Special: Spinning Kong

Donkey Kong spreads his arms out and begins spinning around. Up in the air, Donkey Kong slowly rises upward, and any nearby opponents are dragged up with him. Doesn’t go very high, but has great horizontal distance.

On the ground, Donkey Kong instead has his his hands clenched, and leans forward a bit to hit people closer to the ground. This one is stronger than the air version. The move has good horizontal direction, but DK can’t go backwards upon using the move.

This move is inspired by Dixie Kong’s Ponytail Spin in “Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest,” though that move allowed Dixie Kong to slowly float down rather than rise in the air. Donkey Kong himself has never used anything like this in his games. 

Down Special: Hand Slap

Donkey Kong begins slapping the ground as hard as he can. Opponents standing nearby get flung upwards.

In the air, Donkey Kong swings both hands below him, one at a time. The last hit will send opponents flying towards the ground if they’re significantly damaged..

Inspired by Donkey Kong’s hand slap move in “Donkey Kong Country,” though he isn’t able to use it in the air in any Donkey Kong game. 

Final Smash: Jungle Rush

Donkey Kong throws a punch in front of him. Anyone who gets hit will then get barraged by a flurry of punches before getting finished off with an uppercut towards the sky. If Donkey Kong doesn’t hit anyone, then the move fails.

Inspired by Donkey Kong’s main method of attack in “Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat,” where he’d attack the enemy with a flurry of punches. When the enemy is about to be defeated, Donkey Kong will deliver an uppercut on them.

Additional Notes

Donkey Kong has a unique gimmick: Kong Karry! By grabbing an opponent and using his forward throw, Donkey Kong will hoist his foe over his shoulder and carry them! He can then follow it up with either a forward, up, backwards or down throw. Be careful, as the opponent will eventually get free from Donkey Kong’s grasp. 

When asked how Donkey Kong got his name, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that he chose "Donkey" to refer to DK's stupidity, as a dictionary he looked at said "Donkey" was a synonym for "idiot." He chose "Kong" because it is considered a generic term to refer to large apes in Japan.

In the past, Nintendo tended to flip-flop a lot on whether or not the current Donkey Kong is the grandson of the original Arcade Donkey Kong, or if the two are the same character. It was only until Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Donkey Kong Country Returns that they've stuck to the former one.

In regards to how the original Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong, aged a lot more than Mario and Pauline have, RareWare - who created the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy, as well as Donkey Kong 64 - explained that perhaps the original Donkey Kong and his son fell into a time warp or something.