All kill %s are based off of Mario in training mode, from his starting position on Final Destination for convenience of testing. Discuss potentially viable custom move sets and uses for Diddy's custom moves.
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Neutral Special 1 | Peanut Popgun
"Diddy's trusty peanut shooter. Don't charge it for too long, or it'll blow up in your face!"
Uncharged: Shoots a peanut that will travel roughly 4/10ths of Final Destination. Peanut moves slowly through the air. 3% damage. Peanut can be caught like an item by the opponent. Controls a lot of space, but the peanut is easily destroyed by other projectiles and moves.
Fully charged: Shoots a peanut that will travel from one end of the stage to well beyond the other edge. 11% and travels very fast. Peanut still easily destroyed and can be caught, although more difficult. Slightly less than 2 seconds to fully charge.
Exploding: At full charge, Diddy's popgun will explode. Deals 23% to the opponent. Kills at 59%. Only use would be to punish a shield break, missed rest, or severely confused opponent. Takes about 2 seconds to fully charge.
Verdict: The most straightforward of Diddy's neutral specials. Has the best range of his three popguns and is a much safer projectile than Jumbo Peanut. Probably the best choice is most situations.
Neutral Special 2 | Exploding Popgun
"Charges quickly and explodes, damaging nearby enemies. Doesn't actually fire any peanuts."
Uncharged: Does 1%. Shoots a small puff of air out of the popgun. Not very good.
Fully charged: Does 25%. Takes 1.5 seconds to charge? Kills at 74%.
Verdict: Somehow the fully charged version kills later than regular Peanut Popgun. Uncharged attack is not worth using. Near useless, very poor choice.
Neutral Special 3 | Jumbo Peanuts
"Shoot giant peanuts that don't travel as far but pack a real punch."
Uncharged: 7%. Has decent vertical knockback. Shoots in a slight arc before falling straight down. Will land about 3 character lengths in front of you. Because of the angle and size, it can create a dangerous edge guarding situation. Potential to be comboed from. The peanuts can be caught and are still very easily destroyed.
Fully charged: 11%. About the same knockback. Shoots straight forward. Can traverse 3/4ths of Final Destination before hitting the ground. Not able to be comboed from.
Explosion: 18%. Kills at 90%
Verdict: Almost unusable as a projectile on stage. Only really shines as an edge guarding move.
Side Special 1 | Monkey Flip
"Leap forward to grab whoever you contact, or press the button again to kick."
Speed and distance depends on tilting or smashing the stick. Tilted travels roughly 4/10ths of Final Destination, while smashed travels about 1/2 of Final Destination with a noticeable increase in speed.
Grab: Diddy will automatically do 1% pummels until you either attack, jump, or they break free. Attack does 12%. Jumping off the opponent does 10%.
Kick: Has good range and a very long lasting hitbox. Able to beat out many projectiles and still hit opponent. Smashed does 14%. tilted does 12%. Smashed kills Mario from his starting position on FD's training mode at 147%. Tilted kills at 157%.
Verdict: This is a staple to Diddy Kong's game. I don't believe this move is replaceable. Great recovery option, great grab, and great way to keep camping enemies on their toes.
Side Special 2 | Back Flip
"A backward leap that switches to a flying forward kick if you press the button again."
The backwards leap travels upwards and similar lengths to the default Monkey Flip. 4/10ths of Final Destination on tilt, 1/2 on smash. There is no grab ability on this side special. Has potential use as recovery due to angle and length if used facing away from the ledge.
Kick: Deals 17% on sweetspot, right where he starts the kick. Kills at about 91%. 12% hitbox during most of the rest of the move, kills at 155%. 8% even later in the move.
Verdict: A tricky move that can potentially catch people off guard. The kick is very fast and deals respectable damage. Losing the grab of the default Monkey Flip is a big loss. Fun, but I don't believe it's ever a better option than Monkey Flip.
Side Special 3 | Flying Monkey Flip
"A higher jump with a weaker kick, but the grab attack is stronger."
Grab: Deals 1% pummels until you attack, jump off, or they break free. Attack does 8%. Jump does 15%.
Kick: Deals 10% on sweet spot, 8% otherwise. Low kill potential.
Verdict: The jumping attack out of the grab of this variant does a ton of damage. Very difficult to hit with though. Kick is near useless here. Can potentially be tacked onto low percent u-air strings. Less horizontal recovery than the other side specials, but can be used to recover vertically.
Up Special 1 | Rocketbarrel Boost
"Rocket through the air and tackle opponents. Can be charged for extra distance."
Recovery: Uncharged hardly goes anywhere. Takes about 2 seconds to fully charge. Fully charged can recover from more or less anywhere. Fully charged reaches top magnifier of Final Destination if used purely vertical from the ground.
Tackle: 8% if directly ontop of them when it starts. 6% otherwise.
Detached Rocketbarrels & Explosion: Deals 20% and kills at 148%. Detatched Rocketbarrels will fly and curve at random angles, at an almost lazy speed. Explosion can be triggered by angling your up-b into the ground, which will do 5% to Diddy.
Verdict: Rocketbarrel Boost travels the most distance when fully charged of his up specials. The halfway charges cover respectable distance too, and can help counteract the long charge time. Of the up specials, this is probably his best move for recovering. The exploding attack is generally best left alone, but it is possible to use effectively and does do a lot of damage.
Up Special 2 | Rocketbarrel Attack
"Hits harder than the Rocketbarrel Boost, but doesn't fly quite as well."
Recovery: Uncharged hardly goes anywhere, again. Can only be very slightly angled, regardless of charge. Full charge goes approximately 3/4ths the vertical distance of Rocketbarrel Boost and takes approximately 2 seconds to charge. Uncharged actually takes slightly longer to start-up than Rocketbarrel Boost.
Tackle: 18% if directly ontop of them when it starts. Kills at 91% from the ground. 15% otherwise.
Detatched Rocketbarrels & Explosion: Jetpack flies straight up before going down at a slight angle to either side. Otherwise is the same as Rocketbarrel boost. Cannot be angled into the ground to trigger explosion.
Verdict: Distance is pathetic if uncharged. Fully charged still gets respectable distance, but losing the horizontal distance is very bad. Kills incredibly early and is a viable option for this alone. Many ways to set up early kills with this.
Up Special 3 | Rocketbarrel Kaboom
"Charges faster and steers better, but you'll explode if you hit terrain."
Recovery: Uncharged has nearly no vertical distance. Fully charged goes about the same vertical distance as Rocketbarrel Attack. Takes about 1 second to fully charge and can be angled and curved to make sharp turns. Bumping into any terrain will almost certainly cause you to die.
Tackles: 7% if right ontop of them when it starts. 5% otherwise.
Detatched Rocketbarrels & Explosion: Explosion has a sweetspot of 17%, and a surrounding hitbox of 11%. Kills at 160%. Very easy to trigger explosion by angling it into the stage, which will deal 10% to yourself. Detatched Rocketbarrels will choose angles and curves randomly. Flys around the stage very fast. It's pretty scary and could lead to some very bad situations for your opponent.
Verdict: Lower max recovery distance than Rocketbarrel Attack, but is much faster. A low tolerance on exploding against terrain makes this a scary choice for recovering. The detatched Rocketbarrels for this variant is very sporadic and dangerous. Fun to watch and use. Usable up-special, but I wouldn't want to rely on it.
Down Special 1 | Banana Peel
"Throw a banana peel behind you to trip foes. Only one peel can exist at a time."
When pulled, the peel goes up and behind you at a slight angle. Damage varies based on strength of throw, and how close you are to opponent. Point blank toss or smash throw does 6%. Smash throw does 4% from longer range. 3% Regular toss. 7% from the actual down-b pulling animation, right next to opponent. 0% if walked on. Trips a grounded opponent. Aerial opponents simply flinch.
Verdict: Tripping is very strong. Can easily lead into grabs, smashes, tilts, monkey flips and some aerials. All of this is major damage. Will probably be the most useful Banana a majority of the time.
Down Special 2 | Shocking Banana Peel
"A banana peel that paralyzes foes. More effective if stepped on."
When pulled, Diddy tosses this peel much further behind him than the regular Banana. This can make is very difficult to collect and control, but can function as a good angle to toss at the opponent anyways. Generally does 1% more than the regular Banana Peel. Deals 1% if walked onto. Stuns the opponent, air or ground. Longer stun time if walked onto.
Verdict: Stun is affected by the opponent's mashing, making it inconsistent and you generally have less time to get a punish with this banana. Angle of the initial toss also makes this banana difficult to keep. Benefit is that you can stun an airborne opponent, unlike regular banana peels. Probably not worth it.
Down Special 3 | Battering Banana Peel
"Throw a banana peel straight up. The peel launches foes straight up as well."
When pulled, Diddy throws the peel straight up. Generally deals 1% more than default Banana Peel. Deals 1% if walked onto. Launches the opponent upward.
Verdict: A very good alternative to the default Banana peel. You won't be able to connect a grab or smash attack off this banana, but it sets up for aerial combos very well. Very usable.
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I think that Diddy's best specials are generally his defaults, but one particular set of custom moves I've been using is: 1123, or Peanut Popgun + Monkey Flip + Rocketbarrel Attack + Battering Banana Peel. Battering Banana Peel and Rocketbarrel Attack combine to create earlier kills and add depth to Diddy's juggling game. Punishing a baited airdodge or laggy landing onto a platform with Rocketbarrel Attack can kill at about 70%, depending on how high you catch them. You can also combo a Battering Banana Peel into Rocketbarrel Attack to kill similarly early. Both these moves can be used offstage as well to create kills very well too. Battering Banana Peel into U-air kills earlier than normal due to the increased height. I feel that just due to how threatening and strong these moves are that this is a viable alternative set to mix it up.
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Neutral Special 1 | Peanut Popgun
"Diddy's trusty peanut shooter. Don't charge it for too long, or it'll blow up in your face!"
Uncharged: Shoots a peanut that will travel roughly 4/10ths of Final Destination. Peanut moves slowly through the air. 3% damage. Peanut can be caught like an item by the opponent. Controls a lot of space, but the peanut is easily destroyed by other projectiles and moves.
Fully charged: Shoots a peanut that will travel from one end of the stage to well beyond the other edge. 11% and travels very fast. Peanut still easily destroyed and can be caught, although more difficult. Slightly less than 2 seconds to fully charge.
Exploding: At full charge, Diddy's popgun will explode. Deals 23% to the opponent. Kills at 59%. Only use would be to punish a shield break, missed rest, or severely confused opponent. Takes about 2 seconds to fully charge.
Verdict: The most straightforward of Diddy's neutral specials. Has the best range of his three popguns and is a much safer projectile than Jumbo Peanut. Probably the best choice is most situations.
Neutral Special 2 | Exploding Popgun
"Charges quickly and explodes, damaging nearby enemies. Doesn't actually fire any peanuts."
Uncharged: Does 1%. Shoots a small puff of air out of the popgun. Not very good.
Fully charged: Does 25%. Takes 1.5 seconds to charge? Kills at 74%.
Verdict: Somehow the fully charged version kills later than regular Peanut Popgun. Uncharged attack is not worth using. Near useless, very poor choice.
Neutral Special 3 | Jumbo Peanuts
"Shoot giant peanuts that don't travel as far but pack a real punch."
Uncharged: 7%. Has decent vertical knockback. Shoots in a slight arc before falling straight down. Will land about 3 character lengths in front of you. Because of the angle and size, it can create a dangerous edge guarding situation. Potential to be comboed from. The peanuts can be caught and are still very easily destroyed.
Fully charged: 11%. About the same knockback. Shoots straight forward. Can traverse 3/4ths of Final Destination before hitting the ground. Not able to be comboed from.
Explosion: 18%. Kills at 90%
Verdict: Almost unusable as a projectile on stage. Only really shines as an edge guarding move.
Side Special 1 | Monkey Flip
"Leap forward to grab whoever you contact, or press the button again to kick."
Speed and distance depends on tilting or smashing the stick. Tilted travels roughly 4/10ths of Final Destination, while smashed travels about 1/2 of Final Destination with a noticeable increase in speed.
Grab: Diddy will automatically do 1% pummels until you either attack, jump, or they break free. Attack does 12%. Jumping off the opponent does 10%.
Kick: Has good range and a very long lasting hitbox. Able to beat out many projectiles and still hit opponent. Smashed does 14%. tilted does 12%. Smashed kills Mario from his starting position on FD's training mode at 147%. Tilted kills at 157%.
Verdict: This is a staple to Diddy Kong's game. I don't believe this move is replaceable. Great recovery option, great grab, and great way to keep camping enemies on their toes.
Side Special 2 | Back Flip
"A backward leap that switches to a flying forward kick if you press the button again."
The backwards leap travels upwards and similar lengths to the default Monkey Flip. 4/10ths of Final Destination on tilt, 1/2 on smash. There is no grab ability on this side special. Has potential use as recovery due to angle and length if used facing away from the ledge.
Kick: Deals 17% on sweetspot, right where he starts the kick. Kills at about 91%. 12% hitbox during most of the rest of the move, kills at 155%. 8% even later in the move.
Verdict: A tricky move that can potentially catch people off guard. The kick is very fast and deals respectable damage. Losing the grab of the default Monkey Flip is a big loss. Fun, but I don't believe it's ever a better option than Monkey Flip.
Side Special 3 | Flying Monkey Flip
"A higher jump with a weaker kick, but the grab attack is stronger."
Grab: Deals 1% pummels until you attack, jump off, or they break free. Attack does 8%. Jump does 15%.
Kick: Deals 10% on sweet spot, 8% otherwise. Low kill potential.
Verdict: The jumping attack out of the grab of this variant does a ton of damage. Very difficult to hit with though. Kick is near useless here. Can potentially be tacked onto low percent u-air strings. Less horizontal recovery than the other side specials, but can be used to recover vertically.
Up Special 1 | Rocketbarrel Boost
"Rocket through the air and tackle opponents. Can be charged for extra distance."
Recovery: Uncharged hardly goes anywhere. Takes about 2 seconds to fully charge. Fully charged can recover from more or less anywhere. Fully charged reaches top magnifier of Final Destination if used purely vertical from the ground.
Tackle: 8% if directly ontop of them when it starts. 6% otherwise.
Detached Rocketbarrels & Explosion: Deals 20% and kills at 148%. Detatched Rocketbarrels will fly and curve at random angles, at an almost lazy speed. Explosion can be triggered by angling your up-b into the ground, which will do 5% to Diddy.
Verdict: Rocketbarrel Boost travels the most distance when fully charged of his up specials. The halfway charges cover respectable distance too, and can help counteract the long charge time. Of the up specials, this is probably his best move for recovering. The exploding attack is generally best left alone, but it is possible to use effectively and does do a lot of damage.
Up Special 2 | Rocketbarrel Attack
"Hits harder than the Rocketbarrel Boost, but doesn't fly quite as well."
Recovery: Uncharged hardly goes anywhere, again. Can only be very slightly angled, regardless of charge. Full charge goes approximately 3/4ths the vertical distance of Rocketbarrel Boost and takes approximately 2 seconds to charge. Uncharged actually takes slightly longer to start-up than Rocketbarrel Boost.
Tackle: 18% if directly ontop of them when it starts. Kills at 91% from the ground. 15% otherwise.
Detatched Rocketbarrels & Explosion: Jetpack flies straight up before going down at a slight angle to either side. Otherwise is the same as Rocketbarrel boost. Cannot be angled into the ground to trigger explosion.
Verdict: Distance is pathetic if uncharged. Fully charged still gets respectable distance, but losing the horizontal distance is very bad. Kills incredibly early and is a viable option for this alone. Many ways to set up early kills with this.
Up Special 3 | Rocketbarrel Kaboom
"Charges faster and steers better, but you'll explode if you hit terrain."
Recovery: Uncharged has nearly no vertical distance. Fully charged goes about the same vertical distance as Rocketbarrel Attack. Takes about 1 second to fully charge and can be angled and curved to make sharp turns. Bumping into any terrain will almost certainly cause you to die.
Tackles: 7% if right ontop of them when it starts. 5% otherwise.
Detatched Rocketbarrels & Explosion: Explosion has a sweetspot of 17%, and a surrounding hitbox of 11%. Kills at 160%. Very easy to trigger explosion by angling it into the stage, which will deal 10% to yourself. Detatched Rocketbarrels will choose angles and curves randomly. Flys around the stage very fast. It's pretty scary and could lead to some very bad situations for your opponent.
Verdict: Lower max recovery distance than Rocketbarrel Attack, but is much faster. A low tolerance on exploding against terrain makes this a scary choice for recovering. The detatched Rocketbarrels for this variant is very sporadic and dangerous. Fun to watch and use. Usable up-special, but I wouldn't want to rely on it.
Down Special 1 | Banana Peel
"Throw a banana peel behind you to trip foes. Only one peel can exist at a time."
When pulled, the peel goes up and behind you at a slight angle. Damage varies based on strength of throw, and how close you are to opponent. Point blank toss or smash throw does 6%. Smash throw does 4% from longer range. 3% Regular toss. 7% from the actual down-b pulling animation, right next to opponent. 0% if walked on. Trips a grounded opponent. Aerial opponents simply flinch.
Verdict: Tripping is very strong. Can easily lead into grabs, smashes, tilts, monkey flips and some aerials. All of this is major damage. Will probably be the most useful Banana a majority of the time.
Down Special 2 | Shocking Banana Peel
"A banana peel that paralyzes foes. More effective if stepped on."
When pulled, Diddy tosses this peel much further behind him than the regular Banana. This can make is very difficult to collect and control, but can function as a good angle to toss at the opponent anyways. Generally does 1% more than the regular Banana Peel. Deals 1% if walked onto. Stuns the opponent, air or ground. Longer stun time if walked onto.
Verdict: Stun is affected by the opponent's mashing, making it inconsistent and you generally have less time to get a punish with this banana. Angle of the initial toss also makes this banana difficult to keep. Benefit is that you can stun an airborne opponent, unlike regular banana peels. Probably not worth it.
Down Special 3 | Battering Banana Peel
"Throw a banana peel straight up. The peel launches foes straight up as well."
When pulled, Diddy throws the peel straight up. Generally deals 1% more than default Banana Peel. Deals 1% if walked onto. Launches the opponent upward.
Verdict: A very good alternative to the default Banana peel. You won't be able to connect a grab or smash attack off this banana, but it sets up for aerial combos very well. Very usable.
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I think that Diddy's best specials are generally his defaults, but one particular set of custom moves I've been using is: 1123, or Peanut Popgun + Monkey Flip + Rocketbarrel Attack + Battering Banana Peel. Battering Banana Peel and Rocketbarrel Attack combine to create earlier kills and add depth to Diddy's juggling game. Punishing a baited airdodge or laggy landing onto a platform with Rocketbarrel Attack can kill at about 70%, depending on how high you catch them. You can also combo a Battering Banana Peel into Rocketbarrel Attack to kill similarly early. Both these moves can be used offstage as well to create kills very well too. Battering Banana Peel into U-air kills earlier than normal due to the increased height. I feel that just due to how threatening and strong these moves are that this is a viable alternative set to mix it up.
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