Donkey Kong (character)

Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong and Mario character
Art from the Donkey Kong 2026 Wall Calendar (2025) by Shigehisa Nakaue
First game	Donkey Kong (1981)
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto
Designed by	Shigeru Miyamoto Kevin Bayliss
Voiced by	See section
In-universe information
Nickname	DK
Species	Gorilla
Family	Kong family

Donkey Kong,^[a] often shortened to DK, is a character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. One of the flagship characters of the Japanese video game company Nintendo, he is the star of the Donkey Kong franchise and also features in the Mario franchise. Donkey Kong is a large, powerful gorilla who leads the Kongs, a family of various primates. He is stubborn and buffoonish, and attacks using barrels. He wears a red necktie bearing his initials and is accompanied by supporting characters such as his sidekick Diddy Kong, girlfriend Candy Kong, and foes such as Mario, the Tiki Tak Tribe, and his archenemy King K. Rool.

Donkey Kong debuted as the antagonist of Donkey Kong, a 1981 platform game. He has appeared in many video games, including the original Donkey Kong arcade games, the Country series of side-scrolling platform games, Mario games such as Mario Kart and Mario Party, and the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games. The original game characterized Donkey Kong as Mario's rebellious pet ape, while games since Country feature him as a protagonist and player character who seeks to protect his stash of bananas. Outside of games, Donkey Kong has appeared in animation, comics, children's books, Super Nintendo World theme park attractions, and merchandise such as Lego construction toys.

Miyamoto created Donkey Kong to replace the Popeye character Bluto after Nintendo was unable to obtain the license. He designed him as a dumb, humorous antagonist, named donkey to convey stubborn and kong to imply gorilla, and drew inspiration from the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 film King Kong. The Rare developer Kevin Bayliss redesigned Donkey Kong as a 3D model for Donkey Kong Country (1994), which served as the basis for his appearance until 2025. Donkey Kong has been voiced by Takashi Nagasako in games since 2004, and was voiced by Richard Yearwood in the television series Donkey Kong Country (1997–2000) and by Seth Rogen in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

Donkey Kong is a pop culture icon and has been listed among the greatest video game characters. He is one of Nintendo's most enduring characters; the Donkey Kong franchise was Nintendo's first major international success, established it as a prominent force in the video game industry, and remains one of Nintendo's bestselling franchises. Donkey Kong has also been the subject of analysis regarding his similarities to King Kong (which sparked the 1983 Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. lawsuit), his gender role, and his transition from villain to hero.
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