Character Sheet: Tiki Tong (DK Main Series)

TIKI TONG

Here we, here we, here we go! So they're finally here, a-smashing for you. If you know their moves, you can join in too. Put your hands together if you want to clap, as we take you through this monkey roster:

1. Donkey Kong (Revision 1)
2. Diddy Kong
3. Dixie Kong
4. King K. Rool
5. Cranky Kong
6. Funky Kong
7. Tiny Kong
8. Lanky Kong
9. Chunky Kong
10. Kiddy Kong
11. Kritter
12. Krusha
13. Klump
14. Tucks
15. Tiki Tong
16. Lord Fredrik

When Retro Studios took over production of Donkey Kong Country, many elements got overhauled and many left out entirely. One such major change was the absence of DK's longtime nemesis, King K. Rool, and his Kremlings, replaced first by the Tiki Tak Tribe in Donkey Kong Country Returns, and the Snowmads in Tropical Freeze. While King K. Rool would go on to resurface in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, some understandable trepidation was held toward these two villains as a result of this. Now however, they seem mostly accepted, so why not include them.

Tiki Tong would act here first as a representative of himself, but also as a representative of the Tiki Tak tribe as a whole. The concept I have in my head is that the main body would be made up of Tong's head and heads, with other Tikis encircling him at all times. Between them all, the Tikis have a number of abilities. Tong himself could spew lava from his mouth and used his hands to attack with all manner of slaps and swipes. His generals frequently used the ability to hypnotize others into doing their bidding. Tiki Buzzes could fly, Tiki Boings could bounce on springs, Tiki Torches and Tiki Bombers could light themselves on fire, Tiki Zings were spinning discs with razor blades around their edges, Tiki Pops could explode thanks to their bombs, and Tiki Seekers could warp around through wormholes and spit razor blades from their mouths.

Here's the moveset I cam up with:

Standard B: Tiki Zing
Tiki Tong will send out a Tiki Zing in a straight line that will extend its blades and spin rapidly, slicing up any enemy caught by it and keeping them trapped for a short period of time.

Side B: Tiki Seeker
Tiki Tong will send forward a wormhole that will go as far as directed by the player (acting much like Zelda's Din's Fire or Ness's PK Flash), and once stopped, will open up to reveal a Tiki Seeker's head that will then spit a blade at the closest opponent it sees.

Up B: Tiki Buzz OR Tiki Boing
Either one of these would probably work well and I just can't decide between them. On the one hand, Tiki Tong could be carried high into the air on ropes pulled by two Tiki Buzzes, or a Tiki Boing could appear on the ground and bounce Tiki Tong into the air. You decide.

Down B: Banana Magma
Tiki Tong will spew a river of burning lava from his mouth just like at the beginning of his boss fight. The lava will then spread along the ground, damaging all it touches.

Final Smash: Hypnotism
Tiki Tong's generals will appear in the air around him and play their song, driving all the opposing characters insane, removing control from the players temporarily, and causing the characters to charge around uncontrollably, sometimes off the edge.

Entrance: A volcano will erupt and they will emerge.

Taunts: Maybe play a little bit of their hypnotism jingle, float around and check each other out, so on.

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Tiki Tong's successor, Lord Fredrik!