Donkey Kong (DK) is a character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. A flagship character 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 Kong family of simians. 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, rival Mario, and 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 Donkey Kong 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, while games since Country feature him as a player character protecting his stash of bananas. Some games include Cranky Kong, an alternate, elderly incarnation who breaks the fourth wall. 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 he was redesigned for Donkey Kong Bananza (2025). Donkey Kong has been voiced by Takashi Nagasako and Koji Takeda in games, 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 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.

Donkey Kong, also known by his initials DK, is the star of Donkey Kong, a video game series and media franchise owned by the Japanese video game company Nintendo. One of Nintendo's flagship characters, he also appears in the Mario franchise as a playable character in Mario Kart and Mario Party games. He is playable in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games and makes cameos in other Nintendo franchises, such as Punch-Out!!.

Donkey Kong first appeared as the antagonist of Donkey Kong, a 1981 arcade game; he is Mario's rebellious pet gorilla who kidnaps his girlfriend Pauline and climbs a construction site. He appears as Mario's captive in the sequel Donkey Kong Jr. (1982), in which he must be rescued by his son Donkey Kong Jr., and returns as the antagonist in Donkey Kong 3 (1983) and Donkey Kong (1994). Beginning with Donkey Kong Country (1994), Donkey Kong games were developed by the British studio Rare until its acquisition by the Nintendo competitor Microsoft in 2002. He was recast as a protagonist starting with Country, though he occasionally appears as an antagonist, such as in Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2004).

Donkey Kong is a large and powerful gorilla who leads the Kongs, a family of various simians. He resides in a city in early Donkey Kong games, but the Rare games moved his residence to Donkey Kong Island, an idyllic isle. Donkey Kong weighs 800 pounds (360 kg), and since 1994, has been depicted wearing a red necktie bearing his initials. Although Donkey Kong was introduced as an antagonist, he is not evil. Nintendo World Report's Pedro Hernandez wrote that, unlike the Mario villains Bowser and Wario, Donkey Kong's villainous acts are the result of jealous temper tantrums rather than malice. He is stubborn, buffoonish, and innocent. He strives to help others and be accepted. Donkey Kong is depicted as lazy and sleeping when he is not adventuring. He protects his stash of bananas from enemies such as the Kremlings, a crocodile army led by his archenemy King K. Rool, and the Tiki Tak Tribe, a group of floating masks. Donkey Kong is frequently accompanied by his nephew and sidekick Diddy Kong, and his girlfriend, Candy Kong.

In his playable appearances, Donkey Kong is a heavyweight. He throws barrels to impede the player's progress in the original game. This trait is retained in his playable appearances, whereby he uses barrels as weapons or to uncover power-ups. Donkey Kong's other abilities include slapping the ground, rolling, clinging onto and climbing surfaces, and swinging on vines. He rides vehicles such as minecarts and barrel-shaped rockets, and animals such as Rambi the Rhino and Enguarde the Swordfish. In Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong has slow but powerful attacks such as a chargeable punch and a headbutt, with IGN's staff likening him to Street Fighter's Zangief.