Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Donkey Kong vs Marth is difficult when DK accepts a flat mid-range sword war, because Marth’s walk speed, down tilt, fair, bair, and uair all interact very well with DK’s large body and can turn one stopped approach into a long juggle or ledgetrap.
That problem gets worse because Donkey Kong’s defense and recovery are fragile, so losing neutral by swinging first at sword tip range often snowballs all the way offstage.
But Marth has no projectile and is much less overwhelming once DK actually reaches close range, so walk shield into one real opening lets Donkey Kong play the higher-reward game. As the table shows, Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, dair, Neutral B, and Side B are all punishable through OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), or OOS Bair (10f).
Down tilt, nair, fair, bair, and uair are mostly not in-place punish spots, so Donkey Kong should keep advancing with walk and shield, then hit the retreat or landing with bair, up tilt, or grab on the second beat. The win condition is to take every real punish, carry Marth to the ledge once, and keep pressing on his lighter weight and shorter horizontal recovery with bair and stable ledgetraps.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Donkey Kong OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
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| Jab 1 | 5 | -16/-14 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -19/-18 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -16/-14 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -21/-18 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -9/-6 |
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| Dash Attack | 13 | -22/-20 |
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| Forward Smash | 10 | -32/-29 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -41/-36 |
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| Down Smash | 6/21 | -43/-41/-26/-23 |
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| Neutral Air | 6/15 | -5/-4/-4/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 6 | -6/-5 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -6/-5 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -4/-3 |
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| Down Air | 9/11 | -9/-9/-9 |
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| Neutral B | 19—79 | -23 to Shieldbreak |
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| Side B | 9 | -26/-16 |
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| Up B | 5 | — | ||
| Down B | 6 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not jump into tipper range early. Use walk and shield to close the space on down tilt, fair, and bair instead of giving Marth the easy whiff-punish structure he wants.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, dair, Neutral B, or Side B, always answer with OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), or OOS Bair (10f) so Marth cannot run the matchup on only his unsafe pressure resets.
- Do not force in-place punishes on down tilt, nair, fair, bair, or uair. Track the retreat step, landing, or next grounded re-entry and put bair, up tilt, or dash grab on that second beat instead.
- Once DK gets in, do not send the game back to center-stage spacing immediately. Use grab, bair, up tilt, and uair to keep pushing Marth upward and toward the ledge, where his lighter weight and shorter sideways recovery matter more.
- At the ledge, prefer stable ledgetrapping over a deep chase. Hold space with bair, grab, and patient stage coverage so Dolphin Slash and air dodge recoveries are both still under pressure.
Actions to Avoid
- Forcing dash-ins straight into the tip of down tilt or fair and repeatedly giving Marth the exact sword spacing he wants.
- Swinging immediately after every blocked down tilt, nair, fair, bair, or uair and handing Marth easy whiff punishes because the in-place punish never truly existed.
- Pressing sloppy aerials or big swings onto Marth’s shield and losing the close-range turn to Up B or Counter.
- Chasing too deep offstage and risking Donkey Kong’s own weak recovery while Counter or a returning Up B flips the position.