Editing Duck Hunt

{{forfighter|SSB4=y|SSBU=y}}

|caption      = [[File:DuckHuntSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]

Official artwork of the dog and a couple of ducks, as they appear in the Japanese and European cover of ''{{s|wikipedia|Duck Hunt}}''.

|gender      = Male (Dog)<ref>Various sources, such as the tip for Duck Jump in ''SSB4'', refer to the dog as male: "The duck grabs the dog and carries him through the air. Once started, this move can't be stopped."</ref><br/>Unknown, possibly male (Duck)<ref>The duck has the appearance of a male mallard, but its actual gender is never specified.</ref>

'''Duck Hunt''' ({{ja|ダックハント|Dakkuhanto}}, ''Duckhunt''), known in [[PAL]] regions as '''Duck Hunt Duo''', is the name of a playable tag team composed of the player's hunting dog and a duck from the NES light gun game, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Duck Hunt}}''. After ducks made cameos as a trophy (with a passing reference to the hunting dog) in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and a sticker in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', both the hunting dog and a duck transitioned into playable characters as of ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

The hunter is the playable character in all versions of ''Duck Hunt'' and is supposed to represent the player. Accompanying the player is a non-playable {{iw|wikipedia|scent hound}}, who flushes out the ducks for the hunter to shoot and picks up any ducks that are shot down by the player. If the player fails to shoot down any ducks, the dog infamously laughs at the player's misfortune (in a manner resembling the American cartoon character {{iw|wikipedia|Muttley}}, who has a large following in Japan) before slinking back down into the grass.

Although the home console version of ''Duck Hunt'' does not allow players to shoot the dog, the arcade version, ''[[wikipedia:Duck Hunt#Vs. Duck Hunt|Vs. Duck Hunt]]'', actually allows players to do so in the bonus rounds. However, successfully shooting the dog immediately ends the bonus round and yields no points.<ref>[http://uproxx.com/gammasquad/how-to-shoot-the-dog-and-other-facts-you-probably-dont-know-about-duck-hunt/2/ How To Shoot The Dog And Other Facts You Probably Don't Know About 'Duck Hunt']</ref>

A concept similar to [[Assist Trophies]] was considered for ''Melee'', with one example being the ducks from ''Duck Hunt'' flying around the stage and interfering with characters. Due to developmental circumstances, however, the idea was scrapped.<ref>[http://www.sourcegaming.info/2016/01/31/dufl-sources/ The Definitive Unused Fighter List in Smash - Source Translations]. Source Gaming (January 31, 2016). Retrieved January 31, 2016.</ref>

{{main|List of SSBM trophies (Others)}}

|name=Ducks

|image=Ducks Trophy Melee.png

|desc=These friendly fowl are the targets in the game Duck Hunt, which utilizes the Nintendo Zapper Light Gun. They appear and randomly fly about trying to escape after your faithful (if slightly clamorous) hunting dog flushes them out. Once you drop the ducks, your dog dutifully fetches them by the napes of their necks and grins at you.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|game1=Duck Hunt|release1=10/85}}

''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' marks the second appearance of the ''Duck Hunt'' universe. Instead of a trophy, the universe is represented with a [[sticker]] of a duck. Fittingly, the sticker can only be applied to the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}}, {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}}, {{SSBB|Pit}} and {{SSBB|R.O.B.}}, all of whom debuted in the 1980s like the hunting dog and ducks.

| {{StickerHead|Ice Climbers|Mr. Game & Watch|Pit|R.O.B.}}

[[File:Duck Hunt SSB4.png|thumb|Duck Hunt, as they appear in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''.]]

''Super Smash Bros. 4'' marks both the third appearance of the ''Duck Hunt'' universe (as well as the first appearance of the dog along with the ducks), and the debut of [[unlockable character]]s for said universe. [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]] creator [[Masahiro Sakurai]] stated that their playable inclusion was influenced by that respective game's worldwide sales numbers, and his feeling that the ''Duck Hunt'' universe had not been viable for such representation until ''SSB4''.<ref>[http://www.gamnesia.com/news/sakurai-explains-duck-hunts-inclusion-in-smash Sakurai Explains Duck Hunt's Inclusion in Smash]</ref> Although the hunting dog and a duck fight together as a team,<ref name=Blog>[https://www.smashbros.com/en_US/blog/index.html?category=cat02_fighter_59 Super Smash Blog | 59: Duck Hunt]</ref> they do not truly fall under the tag team archetype like the [[Ice Climbers]], {{SSB4|Olimar}}, and {{SSB4|Rosalina & Luma}}. Duck Hunt were the final [[newcomer]]s to be officially revealed for the base version of ''SSB4''.

Three of Duck Hunt's [[special move]]s also reference other "Light Gun Series" games contemporary to their home game. Neutral special involves a tin can from the "Trick Shot" game mode in ''{{iw|wikipedia|Hogan's Alley|video game}}''. Down special involves the gunmen from the NES game ''{{iw|wikipedia|Wild Gunman}}''. Lastly, their [[Final Smash]] collectively involves a flock of ducks from ''Duck Hunt'', the cardboard cutouts from the ''Hogan's Alley'', and the gunmen from ''Wild Gunman''. Outside of these moves, their smash attacks also make use of the {{iw|wikipedia|NES Zapper}}.

Although [[Duck Jump]] is a maneuverable recovery move that grants a decent amount of vertical and horizontal distance, it is slow and unprotected; this leaves Duck Hunt wide open to edge-guarding, and forces them to use the dog's [[wall jump]] more often than not. Their reliance on projectiles is also highly ineffective against characters who can counteract them, such as those with [[reflect]]ors and especially against Rosalina & Luma, who can completely nullify their projectiles with [[Gravitational Pull]].

{{main|List of SSB4 trophies (Duck Hunt series)}}

{{Trophy

|name-ntsc=Duck Hunt

|desc-ntsc=You could call these two the stars of the NES 1985 launch title Duck Hunt. The goofy dog would chase down any ducks hit by the Zapper. In Smash Bros., these two work as a team to fight. When a can or a clay pigeon is in play, hit the button again to fire at it. Show your foes how the ducks felt!

|desc-pal=Back in 1987, when Duck Hunt came out, these two might not have had the best relationship. That all seems to have changed now, and this unlikely pair are here to fight together. After throwing a can or a clay pigeon, press the button again to have a little helper fire the NES Zapper for extra damage!

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Duck Hunt|release1=10/1985}}

{{clrl}}

|name-ntsc=Duck Hunt (Alt.)

|name-pal=Duck Hunt Duo (Alt.)

|desc-3ds-ntsc=Duck Jump, an up special, has the charming twosome float up in an adorable fashion. It also makes getting back to the stage much easier. Their side smash can hit up to three times at close range, depending on your shooting skills. By charging up the attack, you can increase the range even further!

|desc-wiiu-ntsc=Duck Jump, an up special, has the charming twosome float up in an adorable fashion. It also makes getting back to the stage much easier. Their side smash can hit up to three times at close range, depending on your shooting skills. By charging up the attack, you can increase the range even farther!

|desc-pal=Duck Jump Duo, an up special, has the charming twosome float up in an adorable fashion. It also makes getting back to the stage much easier. Their side smash can hit up to three times at close range, depending on your shooting skills, and by charging up the attack, you can increase the range even further!

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Duck Hunt|release1=10/1985}}

{{clrl}}

|name=Dog

|desc-ntsc=In the NES game Duck Hunt, the dog is your trusty hunting partner. He scares the ducks and then picks up the ones you hit. If you don't hit any, though, he'll laugh at you. So much for man's best friend... In the Duck Hunt stage in this game, he'll occasionally pop up in his 8-bit glory and let you use him as a platform!

|desc-pal=In the NES game Duck Hunt, the dog is your trusty hunting partner. He scares the ducks, then picks up the ones you hit. If you don't hit any, though, he'll laugh at you. So much for man's best friend, eh? In the Duck Hunt stage in this game, he'll occasionally pop up in his 8-bit glory and let you use him as a platform!

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Duck Hunt|release1=10/1985}}

{{clrl}}

|name-ntsc=Duck

|desc-ntsc=In the classic NES game Duck Hunt, you hunt, er...ducks. The dog flushes them into the air, and then you aim and fire. Taking down ducks gets you points in the Duck Hunt stage in this game too. It has no effect on the battle, but the alternative Duck Hunt action might be a refreshing change from constantly punching your friends in the face.

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Duck Hunt|release1=10/1985}}

|gamelist-pal={{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Duck Hunt|release1=08/1987}}

|game=ssb4-wiiu

[[File:Duck Hunt SSBU.png|thumb|Duck Hunt, as they appear in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

Duck Hunt return once again as unlockable characters in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. In the transition to ''Ultimate'', Duck Hunt's once-infamously unreliable smash attacks connect much more reliably (though their final hits may still fail to connect in rare instances), thus significantly improving their once-notoriously inconsistent KO potential.

Each of Duck Hunt's special moves have also gained particular buffs. Trick Shot deals more damage and knockback, travels farther, has less ending lag, and can now be hit while it is in midair. Clay Shooting has improved combo potential, thanks to it keeping the opponent in place upon contact and having less ending lag. Duck Jump can now be canceled with an attack or air dodge after 50 frames, similarly to [[Winged Pikmin]]. Lastly, Wild Gunman deals more damage, fires faster, and has less ending lag.

Although Duck Hunt received some nerfs, most notably to their neutral infinite, clean neutral aerial, and down aerial, they have nevertheless managed to attain great results in competitive play in spite of their small playerbase: Wisdom and Ozone tied for 5th at [[Paradigm Shift 2019]], while Raito and Vintendo placed 5th and 25th, respectively, at [[EVO 2019]]. Despite these results, however, Duck Hunt is ranked much lower than in the current ''Smash 4'' tier list, currently ranking at 65th place out of 82 at the bottom of the C- tier.

*Despite being a tag team,<ref name=Blog/> Duck Hunt's reveal trailer showed an off-screen player using {{iw|wikipedia|NES Zapper}} in order to perform Duck Hunt's [[smash attack]]s, [[Trick Shot]], and [[Clay Shooting]]. This off-screen player makes Duck Hunt the second characters to have a direct connection to the real world, following [[R.O.B.]]

*During {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}}'s reveal trailer, Duck Hunt were used as a bait-and-switch to introduce them a la {{SSBU|King Dedede}} during {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}'s reveal trailer. This was likely done because of Duck Hunt also being a tag team that consists of a bird perched on a mammal's back, as well as in reference to a running gag among the ''Super Smash Bros.'' community in which Duck Hunt were perceived by fans as substitutes for the long-requested Banjo & Kazooie. Duck Hunt also have an [[alternate costume]] that bears a passing resemblance to Banjo & Kazooie's color scheme; this is referenced in the latter's {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} route, where Duck Hunt (using this costume) appear as the first opponents.

*Duck Hunt are the only characters to have a name difference in English between the NTSC and PAL regions.