Funky Kong

Funky Kong is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Battle Royale. He aids Donkey Kong and friends in some of the Donkey Kong Country games. While not playable, he still assisted them by giving them free transportation throughout the several areas in the game. In Battle Royale, Funky is a relatively straightforward character; hit 'em hard and get in fast. While he's mobile, he lacks a proper approach option (his approach is the second worst overall, ahead of only Luigi).

Taunts

 * Utaunt: Funky puts down his surfboard and uses the trademark "thumbs up".


 * Dtaunt: Funky jumps a very short distance twice, while saying, "Hawhaw!".


 * Ltaunt: Funky spins around in several circles, screaming, "Yaaaaahooooooooooo!".


 * Rtaunt: Funky pounds his hands on the ground, then makes a goofy grin.

Ground Game

 * Jab: Funky quickly smacks the opponent with his surfboard. It's a fast and surprisingly damaging attack. Like most jabs, it's primary usage is to land a hit, rather than start, continue, or end a combo. Still, being a jab, it does what it needs to do and gets it done well. A move you'll be using often, but not in a combo. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is questionable. The attack deals 9%.


 * Dash Attack: Funky Kong spins in a circle while running forward. This move has a vacuum effect, but like most Dash Attacks, is pretty slow. It's a punishable move, although unlike most Dash Attacks, this one actually acts as a natural combo, so if the first hit lands, you're safe. Landing it is hard, though, being a Dash Attack. Don't use it unless you're sure it'll land. The attack deals 13%.


 * Ftilt: Funky Kong punches forward. The range on this move is stellar, but it's incredibly slow. Funky takes a fairly long time to recover from this move; about 10 frames (a bit more than half of the amount of time it takes Mario to use his Forward Air attack... in Brawl). It isn't invincible on start-up, but it doesn't take a while to start, so that's not much of an issue. It's good as a combo ender, thankfully, so it's not a totally useless move. The attack deals 15%; make sure you land this move.


 * Utilt: Funky quickly claps his hands upward. The move acts as a great anti-air, with solid range and damage. It can also be put into some combo's; for an Up tilt, it deals surprisingly good damage. This is definitely one of the better anti-airs in the game, although it has the glaring problem that it can't hit grounded opponents. Still, you wouldn't be using this move if the opponent was on the ground. It has a fair bit of start-up, which can make using it tricky, but time it right and you'll be okay. The attack deals 10%.


 * Dtilt: Funky trips (not that tripping, just in animation style) the opponent with his surfboard. It's a move with nice range and speed, so it makes for a good poking tool. However, it's not very powerful. Unlike most weak moves on power characters, though, this is really weak. It can combo into itself, even at high %s, although after 3 consecutive hits the opponent is sent farther than normal. Chalk off that infinite. The attack deals 5%.


 * Fsmash: Funky Kong stretches backwards, surfboard in hand as always. He then swings forward with all his might. He doesn't spin when he uses this move, so it doesn't hit behind him. The hitbox is very big, though, as Funky Kong (and his surfboard) are both very large. It covers about the same amount of distance that Wolf's Fsmash does, although Funky doesn't travel forward like Wolf does, for better or worse. The damage is very good, like those of most Fsmashes are, although if your opponent isn't hit, it's fairly punishable. Not as punishable as the Ftilt, ironically, but still punishable. The attack deals 18% uncharged, and 24% charged.


 * Usmash: Funky looks upward and points his surfboard up. He then thrusts his surfboard upward and attacks the opponent. Like Funky's Utilt, this works as a very good Anti-Air, although the move has some start-up to it, hindering its uses. You can still probably fit it into combo's, and most importantly, it isn't very punishable. The priority is very good, which is a nice departure from most of Funky's other moves. One of the better Anti-Airs in the game, one that should be used along with the Utilt for some great Anti-Air mixups. Uncharged, the attack deals 16%; charged, it deals 21%.


 * Dsmash: Funky Kong smacks his surfboard on the ground in front of him. A very straightforward attack; no tips or tricks to make this move "difficult" or "unpredictable". Despite the major drawback of being predictable, it is still a fairly solid attack. The range is nice, and a small aftershock on the ground is formed, which can also hurt your enemy. It's pretty fast, and while it's also weak, you can combo two of these into eachother at low %'s if you're careful. With the bad comes the good for this move, making it a decent attack overall. The inital attack deals 13% uncharged and 17% charged, while the aftershock deals 4% uncharged and 6% charged (17%-23% total).

Air Game

 * Nair: Funky spins in a single circle. This move has absolutely pitiful range, and the damage isn't very good. It is incredibly fast, and this move can be used in one jump three times (if you don't use another move, of course). Each use of the move affects Stale-Move Negotiation, so this move is insanely useful for Funky Kong. It essentially negates any serious effects of SMN, making for a move thst is strangely useful. The attack deals 8%.


 * Fair: Funky swings forward with a punch. This move covers some decent horizontal distance, and it can be used to boost Funky's horizontal recovery. It's a very slow move, however, that simply cannot be fit into any combo's at all, without the help of hitstun. Unlike the Nair, this move isn't helpful for ridding of Stale-Move Negotiation, but at least it's strong. The attack deals a whopping 17%.


 * Uair: Funky performs a fast, upward kick, while leaning back. This is, of course, Funky's weakest normal attack by a fairly long shot. The speed is tremendous, and the priority is not half bad. It can juggle in itself, and can even combo into some of Funky's other moves. The damage is really the only drawback to this move. Yes, it isn't the best move to use several times in one combo, but it's still a fairly good move, nonetheless. The attack deals 6%.


 * Dair: Funky smacks the opponent downward with his surfboard. This move has the stupidest mechanic in how it's not a meteor smash. It is a very powerful move, however; even stronger than Funky's Fair. It almost never KO's, but it can actually be put into combo's and still deal insane damage. Is it a baffling move? Yes, but it's also a good move that should be used. The attack deals a whopping 19%. That's almost as much as a fully charged smash attack!


 * Bair: Funky Kong attacks behind him with his surfboard. Amazing range, not much start-up, and decent knockback are the good aspects of this move. Poor damage, mediocre recovery, and an on/off hitbox are the downsides of the move. It isn't a bad move overall, though, and even with the awkward hitbox it tends to hit its mark for the most part. The attack deals 7 - 8%.

Throws

 * Grab: Funky slowly grabs the opponent. Dash grab is also slow but pivot is fast.


 * Pummel: Funky bonks heads the opponents. Fast and deals 2%.


 * Fthrow: Funky chucks the opponent forward with his surfboard. Great knockback that KO's at a surprisingly low 170%. The throw deals 10%.


 * Bthrow: Funky performs a reverse version of his Fthrow. The elements and damage (10%) remain the same, although it KO'd at 171%, for some reason.


 * Uthrow: Funky Kong throws his opponent upwards. They stay in hit stun until they land. Can be combo'd out of, but it affects damage scaling. Deals 1%.


 * Dthrow: Funky throws the opponent to the ground and bops them with his surfboard. A fairly goofy throw with good damage and combo potential. Deals 8%.


 * Air Grab: See Funky Moves.


 * Air F/B/U Throw: Funky spins around the opponent and whacks them to the ground. The throw deals 9%.


 * Air Dthrow: Funky Kong gets a meteor smash! ...A throw meteor smash. What an odd character Funky is. Anyway, the throw deals 12%.

Specials

 * Special: Rock On!. Funky kong points at his opponent with a "snarcy" grin on his face. If the opponent attacks Funky during this state, he will bop them on the head, as if he was playing a bongo. This move, being a counter, does not beat out projectiles. If Funky is hit by a projectile, regardless of location, will not counter the opponent. Most physical moves are fair game, however. Some, such as Bowser's Fsmash (which breaks through several counters) eats right through it, though.

Aside from the fact that this is one of the few moves that can cause resets, it isn't very useful. Of course, resets are very good ways of building damage, so that isn't a bad thing, necessarily. Do know that your options will be limited while using this move, so be careful to not use the move improperly. As stated before, physical moves can break through this, although the armor on this move is pretty strong. Only moves that deal over 30% can break this (obviously aside from projectiles).

Overall, this is a very good move for building damage. It's what makes up for Funky's complete lack of an approach tool, and it's the primary reason one should pick Funky Kong over Luigi (see above for comparison reasoning). The attack deals 9%; if Funky eats an attack stronger than 30%, Funky will take 110% of the damage originally dealt.


 * Side Special: Surfin' Swing. Funky Kong holds his surfboard out in front of him and spins/swings in several circles. If you hold the Special button while using the move, Funky will keep swinging. After 5 swings, Funky willstop spinning and become dizzy. Funky doesn't get dizzy on the fifth swing, but if you try to keep goping after that, he does get dizzy. Yellow birds will fly around his head to show how dizzy he is, in "dizzy fashion". This move has a vacuum effect to it, so it will pull in opponents. The move is also a Natural Combo, meaning that if you land the first hit and manage to keep swinging five times, you will get the combo. Funky remains in the dizzy state for three or four seconds. It is random whether or not he stays dizzy for three or four seconds.

The fifth hit is the only one with knockback, so if you spin four times, you can combo out of this. This makes the move very good for combo's, but there is a downside. When Funky Kong stops spinning, the limit does not reset. So if Funky Kong spins five times, stops, and tries to use the move again, he will become dizzy. The ideal time to become dizzy, aside from never, is when your opponent is either KO'd or trying to recover. Funky stays dizzy for a while, but it's still the safest time to become dizzy. Doing this, however, will make it so you can't use Funky's Nair to remove Stale-Move Negotiation from his other moves.

Overall, this is a very good move, albeit an extremely risky one. For a character who lacks approach options (terrible in projectile wars), riskiness isn't the best option. Still, the move is solid, and should be used carefully, wisely, and properly (in combo's). The first four hits deal 2%, and the fifth hit deals 5%, for a total of 13%. The fifth hit KO's Mario at 160%.


 * Down Special: Funky Moves. Funky Kong performs one of several "Funky dance" moves. The move Funky uses depends on the button the player presses next. If the player does not press anything, Funky will keep on dancing. This... does nothing. He just dances. But it is pretty cool to watch. If the player presses Down Special, Funky will stop using this move. Think of it as "cancelling", only Funky can't really take advantage of it.

If the player presses Special, then Funky will dive forward on his head and spin. Not only is it insanely cool, but it's also very useful. Funky Kong extends his legs while he does this, so the range is incredible. It also beats out most weak projectiles, such as Hat Toss and Blaster. Really weak projectiles (such as the Blaster) are actually reflected by Funky Kong's feet. Final Smashes and strong projectiles (such as Knuckles' Emerald Beam) eat right through this, though. Funky stays in this state for five seconds, no matter what.

If the player presses Up Special, then Funky will jump into the air and grab. Funky will not stay in the air if this lands, however; with his regular falling speed (which is pretty fast) he will fall to the ground. When Funky lands, you obviously can't use your air throws. To see what the air throws are, read them under the "Grabs" category. Funky cannot pummel in the air.

Definitely a strange move that takes time to get used to, but it's not as bad as, say, Knuckles Charge. Practice the move and toy around with it, see the results you get, and work from there. The Special version of this move deals 10% with every hit.


 * Up Special: Flyin' Surfboard. Funky Kong jumps on his surfboard. Hover jets appear from underneath, which glide Funky throughout the air. The hover jets will run out after three seconds, making for a fairly short recovery. You can maneuver in any direction you want, and you can even attack out of it. This move doesn't leave you in a helpless state, after all. To re-charge this move, you must be on the ground for 6 seconds. The circumstances do not change no matter what.

Unless, of course, you're playing something such as Lightning Melee. Then it's a different story. As a recovery, this move is pretty good, and it is a good way to get away from your opponents. It's a terrible approach option, though, so don't use it as that. This is Funky Kong, though, so that's to be expected.

Final Smashes

 * Final Smash: Funky Tunes. Funky takes out a beatbox, and it starts playing the tune from Funky's Flights in the original Donkey Kong Country. The beat from the beatbox will push enemies away from Funky Kong, although they won't deal any damage. This is a good way to get opponents off of Funky Kong. After about 10 seconds, the beatbox stops and Funky puts it away.

Imagine this: This Final Smash belonged to Mega Man. Or Fawful, maybe Kamek, possibly even Mario. It wouldn't be a useless Final Smash. But alas, it belongs to Funky Kong. A Final Smash that pushes characters away from a character with no way to handle projectiles, or any ways to take advantage of the fact that his opponent is far away from him. The usages of this move are extremely limited, making it a fairly bad Final Smash.

It's amazing for edgeguarding, though. If you really feel that Funky Kong should use his Final Smash for edgeguarding, then by all means, use it for that. Using a Final Smash solely for edgeguarding (which doesn't even work against characters like Meta Knight) is an extremely limited use. Overall, it's pretty bad, but it isn't useless, and for what it does, it does well enough. It's a bit better in 3/4 player matches, too, but not by much.


 * Battle Attack: Funky Dancin' Time. Funky Kong takes out a beatbox, in the exact same fashion as his Final Smash. The music from Funky's Flights II from Donkey Kong Country 2 Diddy Kong's Quest plays. Funky will then begin to dance, while also attacking. He will furiously punch, kick, headbutt, and body slam the opponent while still pulling off some "gnarly moves". He will then bop the opponent on the head, similar to his Special, and then swing his surfboard like a baseball bat on the opponent. Funky then cheers like he does in Mario Super Sluggers when he gets a Home Run.

This is better than his Final Smash, as it actually supports what Funky does: Rushdown. The process of taking out the beatbox is entirely animation, so this starts right away. The damage isn't bad, and similar to a lot of Funky Kong's moves, the entire process of the move is simply awesome. It isn't great, namely since the hit detection isn't the best, but at least it acts as a natural combo, so there's no worrying about the move missing once it hits.

A decent Battle Attack that doesn't suffer the ill fate of most decent Battle Attacks, namely since Funky's other Final Smashes are both pretty bad. The move deals a minimum of 40% (if the hit detection is really off) and a maximum of 70% (if the hit detection is spot-on).


 * Ultimate Smash: Blast Away!. Performed by holding Special, and pressing the Shield button when you let go.

Funky Kong takes out a Rocket Launcher, similar to Donkey Kong 64. He then aims at his opponent (auto, not manual), and fires away. The blast fires at high speeds at the opponent, and then a huge explosion occurs. A very basic Ultimate Smash. Is it good, or bad? Well, the Battle Attaashck kind of spoiled the answer, but is it that bad?

Well, starting with the good. The speed of the blast itself is very good. You can fire whenever you like, making it hard to avoid and punish. It's nearly impossible to bait, as the blast itself is so fast. It also breaks through moves like Stone. It breaks some invincibility armor moves, such as Pikmin Order, as well. It's also fairly safe, so don't expect to be punished.

And now, the bad. The blast itself is extremely fast, as stated before, so if your opponent is careful enough, they can just air dodge once and the blast will go right past them. Super Sonic is a similar case of this. There's also the issue of other Ultimate Smashes. Funky Kong has pretty bad priority, so this move doesn't beat out other Ultimate Smashes. Not to mention counters, such as Puzzle of the Family, eat right through this. Some Final Smash/Battle Attacks even eat right through this; even Captain Falcon's. It's also an Ultimate Smash, so it's one use. Do you really want to waste five Smash Meters on something that's easy to avoid?

Overall, it's really not that bad, but that does not save it from being bad. It's definitely better than his Final Smash, but overall, it's really just a lackluster attack with very few uses. The damage dealt is nice, though; the Ultimate Smash deals 130%. Poor Pichu.