Duck Hunt (SSBU): Difference between revisions

Duck Hunt is ranked 65th out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing them in the C- tier. This is a considerable drop from their 30th out of 54 placement in ''SSB4''.

Duck Hunt are a duo that fight collectively as if they were a single character, much like {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}}. They are lightweights, and specifically weigh as much as {{SSBU|Sonic}}, which places them among the bottom 20 in that category. Duck Hunt also have below-average height, above-average [[walk]]ing/[[dash]]ing speeds (being the 25th and 36th fastest, respectively), a slow [[initial dash]] (tied for the 12th slowest with {{SSBU|Incineroar}}, {{SSBU|Snake}}, {{SSBU|Bowser Jr.}}, and {{SSBU|Ryu}}), low [[traction]] (the 15th lowest), above-average [[air speed]] (tied for the 20th fastest with {{SSBU|Bowser}},  {{SSBU|Sheik}}, {{SSBU|Lucas}}, and {{SSBU|Mega Man}}), average [[air acceleration]] and [[falling speed]], and low [[gravity]] (the 14th lowest). Duck Hunt can also crawl and wall jump. These traits make Duck Hunt a character who, while lacking strong burst movement on the ground due to their slow dash, does a good job at maintaining aerial presence with their air speed and fairly high jumps. Collectively speaking, their overall mobility is average.

Due to having three unique projectiles for special moves, Duck Hunt excel in zoning and stage control with an emphasis on setups. [[Trick Shot]] generates a tin can that explodes on contact, and the fact that it can be maneuvered by the player with a press of the special button makes it a key component of Duck Hunt's pressure, setups, and stage control. Additionally, the fact that the can is generated on frame 1 gives it utility as a combo breaker. [[Clay Shooting]] involves throwing a clay pigeon that can be detonated with a press of the special button. It not only has use as a zoning tool, but it also functions as Duck Hunt's most potent combo starter, as the fact that they can act out of the move before it detonates allows them to chain the move into itself, aerials, or a combination of the two. [[Wild Gunman]] summons a gunman that shoots from their respective gun after a delay. This further supplements their zoning and setup-centered playstyle, since they can act out of the move before the gunshot. In addition, the gunmen possess their own hurtboxes, giving it occasional use for blocking attacks.

Duck Hunt's air game also has decent utility courtesy of their good air speed. Back aerial is a fast and powerful finisher that comes out at frame 7 and KOs middleweights as early as 120% from the edge of Final Destination, making it even deadlier in the context of [[edgeguarding]]. Neutral aerial also compliments their edgeguarding abilities, as it comes out fast at frame 6 and has lingering hitboxes that make it useful for gimps while the strong hit also functions as a passable KO move, KOing middleweights at 135% from the edge of Final Destination. Finally, up air is a good vertical finisher that starts KOing middleweights at around 135% near the blast zone, plus it comes out fast at frame 6 and has a decent amount of active frames.

Unfortunately, Duck Hunt's main weakness is that, outside of some of their aerials, the aspects of their kit that don't revolve around their versatile projectiles are rather lackluster. For example, while their aerials are undeniably the best parts of their kit outside of their special moveset, some aren't without their flaws. Although forward aerial is fairly fast at frame 7 and has decent [[range]], it has atrocious KO power; even with the sweetspot, the move doesn't start KOing middleweights until around 180% from the edge of Final Destination, and the fact that the move has sourspots adds a layer of inconsistency to its already poor KO power. In addition, down aerial has some inconsistencies of its own, as while it is a decent spike on paper, the two hits don't always connect into each other. Duck Hunt's endurance also leaves more to be desired due to their low weight and exploitable [[recovery]]; while [[Duck Jump]] covers good horizontal and vertical distance, its unremarkable speed and lack of protection make it prone to edge guards. While their recovery fares better than in ''SSB4'' due to it being able to be canceled into attacks and air dodges, the fact that Duck Hunt can only cancel their recovery 50 frames later still makes it fairly exploitable.

However, the flaws of other aspects of Duck Hunt's kit are most apparent in their ground game, as their grounded normals are mediocre at best and well below average at worst. While their rapid jab is a good damage racking option, neither it nor the standard jab start KOing middleweights until 190%. Forward tilt, while being disjointed and having passable startup at frame 8, lacks range in comparison to other disjoints and doesn't start KOing middleweights until 150%. Up tilt, while in theory being a frame 7 combo starter into neutral and up aerial at low and mid percentages, isn't that consistent in practice due to the fact that its narrow hitbox struggles to hit grounded opponents even at point blank range. Even down tilt, which is among their best grounded moves due to being their fastest grounded poke (at frame 6) and being capable of starting tech chases, suffers from being an even worse disjoint than forward tilt in terms of both range and KO power.

While the aforementioned moves are simply mediocre, the same cannot be said for their dash attack, a move that is genuinely below average; it has slow startup at frame 10 while also having abysmal KO power, as it can't even KO middleweights past 200%. On top of having slow startup, Duck Hunt's poor initial dash further hinders its use as a burst option, a role that dash attacks are generally meant to fulfill. Duck Hunt's smash attacks don't do their ground game many favors either, as while they have good KO power and are disjointed for utilizing the NES Zapper, their startup is rather subpar and they have awkward hitboxes that prevent all the hits from connecting at times. Their grab game is also a contributor to their less than stellar strength on the ground; their standing and pivot grabs have deceptively good range, but the reward they get from a grab leaves more to be desired due to none of their throws leading to consistent combos or KOing at reasonable percentages.

Overall, Duck Hunt excel at controlling the neutral by simultaneously controlling both the duo and their assortment of projectiles in order to generate setups, frame traps, and pressure whether the opponent is onstage, at ledge, or offstage while their good air mobility and fair share of fast aerials also give them a slight emphasis on offstage edgeguards. In exchange for these strengths, they have a notable lack of flexibility in other aspects of their kit due to their overall average recovery and ground game, meaning they have to be more reliant on crafty use of their projectiles in order to get things going compared to other zoners.

 

Essentially, Duck Hunt are solid characters, yet other characters of a similar archetype simply have more flexibility in parts of their kits that don't revolve around their projectiles. For example, while {{SSBU|Link}} is good at zoning and creating setups with [[Boomerang]] and [[Remote Bomb]], he is considered to be a better character because he has notable strengths all across the board, such as a strong out of shield option in the form of [[Spin Attack]], safe and potent aerials in the form of his neutral and forward aerials, and an overall better ground game than Duck Hunt due to the greater reach and power of his disjoints, as well as his more combo-friendly grab game. While it is not entirely certain whether Duck Hunt's strengths outweigh their flaws or vice versa, Duck Hunt are generally considered to be viable.

Duck Hunt received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to ''Ultimate'', but have been buffed significantly overall. Duck Hunt's notoriously inconsistent KO potential has been improved in many ways: their infamously unreliable smash attacks now connect much more reliably (though there are rare instances where their final hits may still fail to connect), while their forward tilt is now a situational KO option thanks to its much higher base knockback.

[[Trick Shot]], which was already a powerful, versatile projectile, has been improved in many ways: it KOs earlier, travels further, has less endlag and can now be hit in air, all of which improve its utility. [[Clay Shooting]] has less ending lag and forces opponents to stay in place if they get hit, which make it an excellent combo tool. In addition, it now explodes into shrapnel that deals damage in many directions, increasing its effective range.

[[Duck Jump]] now allows the duo to act out of it after at least 50 frames; when coupled with the reintroduction of directional air dodges, these changes somewhat improve the safety and reliability of their once-risky recovery. Lastly, [[Wild Gunman]] has less ending lag, higher damage outputs and knockback (to the point that the orange and sombrero gunmen boast KO potential at high percents), and the defeated gunmen each maintain a hurtbox that allow Duck Hunt to use them to block incoming attacks.

Duck Hunt also benefit from the universal changes of ''Ultimate''. Their mobility has improved, particularly in regard to their dash/initial dash speeds and their aerials' reduced landing lag. These changes, when coupled with many of Duck Hunt's moves in general having less endlag, somewhat improves their combo game.

However, Duck Hunt have received some nerfs. Their lighter weight further worsens their already poor endurance. Some of their aerials have also been worsened: clean neutral aerial's noticeably lower knockback growth hinders its KO potential, forward aerial has a slightly shorter duration, and down aerial no longer auto-cancels with a short hop. Lastly, Trick Shot has lost some of its set-ups into Clay Shooting, while the latter is harder to destroy and its shrapnel can also damage Duck Hunt.

 

Overall, the changes to Duck Hunt greatly benefit them, as they are considered to be better than they were in ''SSB4''. These buffs and nerfs, however, also change their playstyle somewhat. When coupled with ''Ultimate''{{'}}s faster engine, the combination of Duck Hunt's lighter weight, improved mobility and generally improved normal moves gives them more a more aggressive playstyle than in ''SSB4''. Despite this, the large retention of their camping game also enables them to use it potently, despite the faster game engine favoring more offensive playstyles.

 

Initially, Duck Hunt were believed to be considerably worse than in ''SSB4'', to the point that their playerbase was even smaller than it was in ''SSB4''. {{sm|Raito}}, the best Duck Hunt player in the world, most notably held this negative perception of them, and thus resorted to using secondaries, such as {{SSBU|Inkling}}. However, as time went on, Raito started achieving very strong results competitively with them, such as placing 3rd at both {{Trn|Albion 4}} and {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}}, placing 5th at {{Trn|EVO 2019}}, and taking sets off of notable players including {{sm|Dabuz}}, {{sm|Shuton}}, {{sm|Cosmos}}, and {{sm|Abadango}}.

 

These commendable results indicate that Duck Hunt have maintained their viability, but have also potentially become even more viable than in ''SSB4''. Along with Raito, other Duck Hunt mains, such as {{sm|Ozone}} and {{sm|Vintendo}}, started achieving respectable results as of late. Although Duck Hunt's playerbase is still small, their impressive results, especially by Raito, indicate that they can be very potent when mastered.

Aside from glitch fixes, Duck Hunt have received a mix of buffs and nerfs from game updates. Version 2.0.0 made Trick Shot more safe to use, but also made Clay Shooting less safe, forcing players to prioritize Trick Shot in zoning. Version 3.0.0 impacted Duck Hunt more than a majority of the roster with its universal shield damage nerf to projectiles, though it also made it safer for Duck Hunt to shield its own Trick Shot can. Wild Gunman was also buffed to hit targets more effectively. Version 3.1.0 made up aerial more consistent, allowing easier kills off the top blast zone. Version 7.0.0 gave Duck Hunt the near-universal shield size increase and made neutral attack more consistent. Version 8.0.0 made teching slightly worse as a homogenization effort. Version 10.1.0 made forward smash connect more consistently, significantly increasing its KO potential.

|neutralname=Scratch ({{ja|ひっかき|Hikkaki}}) / Headbutt ({{ja|頭突き|Zutsuki}}) / Double-Footed Kick ({{ja|両足蹴り|Ryōashi Geri}}) / Woodpecker Rush ({{ja|キツツキラッシュ|Kitsutsuki Rasshu}}) / Duck Finish ({{ja|ダックフィニッシュ|Dakku Finisshu}})

|dashdesc=The dog slides forwards and propel the duck, who performs a peck. It covers a fair amount of distance and its very high base knockback makes it decent at warding off an opponent. However, it has noticeable ending lag. The late hit knocks the opponent over and behind Duck Hunt.

|fsmashdesc=The dog and duck look forward before the {{s|wikipedia|NES Zapper}} fires three shots in front of them while they comically flail around frightened. It is a semi-spike and the longer it is charged, the larger its range becomes. However, its first two hits are unreliable, as their angles and very high knockback growth can occasionally launch opponents too early, and thus allow them to evade its last hit. It is the slowest of Duck Hunt's smashes at frame 17. This move can be angled.

|nairname=Bow-Wow Wheel ({{ja|ワンワン車輪|Wanwan Sharin}})

|bairname=Rear Duck Shoot ({{ja|後方ダックシュート|Kōhō Dakku Shūto}})

|uairname=Wild Duck ({{ja|暴れダック|Abare Dakku}})

|grabdesc=The dog bites the opponent and holds them with his mouth.

|pummeldmg=1.2%

|pummeldesc=The duck headbutts the opponent.

|bthrowdesc=The dog spins around to throw the opponent. It is Duck Hunt's most damaging throw, but has lower knockback than forward throw, failing to KO Mario below 200% from the edge of Final Destination, and is mostly useful for setting up edgeguards or throwing opponents into Trick Shot.

|uthrowname=Double-Footed Bow-Wow Throw げ({{ja|両足ワンワン投|Ryuashi Wanwan Nage}})

|dthrowname=Bow-Wow Slam ({{ja|ワンワン叩きつけ|Wanwan Tatakitsuki}})

|dthrowdmg=5%

|dthrowdesc=The dog sways his head downward to slam the opponent onto the ground. It is Duck Hunt's least damaging throw, but can function as a set-up into any of their aerials at mid to high percents.

|nsdesc=The dog kicks away a tin can from the ''Hogan's Alley'' game mode of the same name. The can is explosive and subsequent neutral special button presses cause the NES Zapper to shoot the can forward. After 9 button presses, the can starts to emit smoke and will then explode. The can is also capable of being manipulated by the dog and duck's attacks, with its tilt attacks being especially useful in this regard. However, this also applies to the opponent's attacks. Overall, it is Duck Hunt's most versatile projectile, and their most useful edge-guarding option. It is active starting on frame 1, making it useful for interrupting combos, though the explosion can also damage Duck Hunt. Although its explosion has very high knockback growth, it lacks KO potential out of edge-guarding because of its average damage output and low base knockback.

Duck Hunt NA Announcer SSB4-SSBU.wav|North American/Japanese/Chinese

Duck Hunt EU Announcer SSB4-SSBU.wav|European

*'''Side taunt''': The dog lays on his side and does his infamous laugh, while the duck flies next to him.

|{{NTSC}} [[File:Duck Hunt Cheer English NTSC SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Duck Hunt Cheer English PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Duck Hunt Cheer Japanese SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Duck Hunt Cheer Italian SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Duck Hunt Cheer Dutch SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Duck Hunt Cheer French NTSC SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Duck Hunt Cheer French PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]

|Duck - Hunt! {{NTSC}} <br> Duck - Hunt Duo! {{PAL}} || Duck Hun - to! || Duo - Duck - Hunt! || Duck! *clap* Hunt! *clap* || Duck - Hunt! {{NTSC}}

|[[File:Duck Hunt Cheer German SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Duck Hunt Cheer Spanish NTSC SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Duck Hunt Cheer Spanish PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Duck Hunt Cheer Russian SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Duck Hunt Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

|Duck - Hunt - Duo! || Duck - Hunt! Rah - Rah - Rah! {{NTSC}} <br> Duo - Duck - Hunt! Duo - Duck - Hunt! {{PAL}} || Duet - Duck - Hunt! ||

*'''Up:''' Runs on screen and turns around to kick away a can from ''Hogan's Alley''. He then assumes a pose in which he stands on his left hind leg while raising his right and brings his front legs towards himself.

*'''Right:''' Summons a Wild Gunman to shoot to the left, then another one to shoot to the right. He then continuously holds the pose used to summon them. The Wild Gunmen don't appear in Team Battles.

*{{Sm|embo_z|USA}} - One of the best Duck Hunt players in the United States. Placed 9th at {{Trn|Daddy’s Den X Supreme}}, 13th at {{Trn|MAJOR UPSET}}, and 13th at {{Trn|Back in Blood 5}} with wins on the likes of {{Sm|Big D}}, {{Sm|BassMage}}, and {{Sm|JDV}}. Currently ranked 4th on the [[Washington Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|fawn|USA}} - One of the best Duck Hunt players in the United States. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Xanadu Homecoming - Xanadu 500 Edition}}, 5th at {{Trn|Peabnut and the Cacophonous Clash with the Cantankerous Canines!}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Collision 2023}} with wins over the likes of {{Sm|quiK}}, {{Sm|Samsora}}, and {{Sm|skittles}}. Currently ranked 3rd on the [[New York City Power Rankings]].  

*{{Sm|Ozone|USA}} - One of the best Duck Hunt players in the United States when he was active. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Paradigm Shift}}, 7th at {{Trn|Guardian I}}, 9th at {{Trn|Midwest Arena}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 5}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, {{Sm|Myran}}, and {{Sm|Mr. E}}. Currently ranked 7th on the [[Michigan Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|Michigan Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Raito|Japan}} - The best Duck Hunt player in the world. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Albion 4}}, {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}} and {{Trn|Umebura SP 7}}, as well as 5th at both {{Trn|EVO 2019}} and {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Abadango}}, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, and {{Sm|Shuton}}. Ranked 17th on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]].

*{{Sm|Sekai Doggo|Chile}} - The best Duck Hunt player in South America. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Ultra Hard}}, 4th at {{Trn|Royalty 3}}, 7th at {{Trn|Iwanna Torneo Nacional!}}, 9th at {{Trn|Smash Chile - Civil War}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Glitch 8}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|ApolloKage}}, {{Sm|Keen}} and {{Sm|PeW}}. Currently ranked 10th on [[Chilean Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|SkWiirrel|Austria}} - The best Duck Hunt player in Europe. Placed 25th at both {{Trn|Temple: Hermès Edition}}, {{Trn|VCA 2021}} and {{Trn|Ultimate WANTED 3}} and 33rd at {{Trn|Albion 4}} and {{Trn|VCA 2019}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Elexiao}}, {{Sm|Jaka}}, and {{Sm|yetey}}. Currently ranked 3rd on the [[Austrian Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Wisdom|USA}} - One of the best Duck Hunt players in the United States in the early metagame. Placed 5th at {{Trn|LEVELUP Arena 2}}, 7th at {{Trn|Standoff 2019}}, 9th at {{Trn|Smash Out 2019}}, 13th at {{Trn|Heartland Showdown 2020}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Riptide}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, {{Sm|Fatality}}, and {{Sm|SKITTLES!!}}.

Duck Hunt's opponents are animals, or in the case of the {{SSBU|Mii Fighter}}s, humans wearing animal costumes. All the stages are grass and nature-themed stages, except for round 6, which instead references Duck Hunt being a dog like the Nintendogs. Due to being an animal, [[Rathalos]] also fits this theme and is fought as the final boss of their route.

|1||{{CharHead|Donkey Kong|SSBU|hsize=20px}} and {{CharHead|Diddy Kong|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||{{SSB|Kongo Jungle}}||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Swinger Flinger}}''||

|5||{{CharHead|Mii Brawler|SSBU|hsize=20px}} (x2), {{CharHead|Mii Gunner|SSBU|hsize=20px}} (x2), and {{CharHead|Mii Swordfighter|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Green Greens]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Kirby|Floral Fields}}''||Horde Battle.

|6||{{Head|Duck Hunt|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Black}}{{Head|Duck Hunt|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Black}}{{Head|Duck Hunt|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}}{{Head|Duck Hunt|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Brown}}{{Head|Duck Hunt|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=White}}{{CharHead|Duck Hunt|SSBU|hsize=20px|color=Tan}} (x6)||[[Living Room]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Nintendo|Duck Hunt Medley (for 3DS / Wii U)}}''||Horde Battle.<br>If any of these costumes are being used by the player, the {{Head|Duck Hunt|g=SSBU|s=20px}} default Duck Hunt takes their place.

Duck Hunt's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}}. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Duck Hunt has been unlocked. Unlocking Duck Hunt in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Their fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

**They are also the only characters to face all of the {{uv|Donkey Kong}} fighters in their route, albeit in different Rounds.

*There's a graphical error with Duck Hunt's [[on-screen appearance]] when done facing the left. The smoke effects appear behind the 8-bit grass instead of in front of it.

*In European Spanish, European French, German, and Italian, the name tag and voice clip from the [[Announcer]] on the victory screen is slightly different from the one used on the character select screen. Instead, a noticeable translation of "the" is featured ('''el''' Dúo Duck Hunt, '''le''' Duo Duck Hunt, '''das''' Duck Hunt Duo, '''il''' Duo Duck Hunt). This trait is shared with {{SSBU|Wii Fit Trainer}}, {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}}, {{SSBU|Villager}}, {{SSBU|Ice Climbers}}, {{SSBU|Inkling}}, {{SSBU|Hero}}, and the {{SSBU|Mii Fighter}}s. Additionally, Duck Hunt and {{SSBU|King Dedede}} are the only fighters to have this trait in the European versions, but not in the American version.

*Duck Hunt, the Ice Climbers, {{SSBU|Daisy}}, {{SSBU|Ken}}, {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} and {{SSBU|Cloud}} are only non-DLC characters who do not appear in more than one spirit battle from their respective home universes. {{SSBU|Dr. Mario}} does not appear in any {{uv|Mario}} universe spirit battles at all. This is not counting Olimar, who appears only in Mockiwi spirit battle as himself, but is fought in other spirit battles with Alph taking his place.

*Unlike in ''SSB4'', the duck does not blink in any animations that the dog does. This is similar to a situation in ''SSB4'' where R.O.B. does not emote in the Wii U version's Versus Mode.

**However, if Duck Hunt are trapped in a bind pose, the duck can be seen blinking.

*Unlike other Sound Tests with multiple characters in them (such as Popo & Nana, Pikmin & Winged Pikmin, and Banjo & Kazooie), Duck Hunt's voice clips are not split between the dog and duck, nor are their clips given specific designations. The Sound Test first lists the dog's four barking clips, followed by the duck's two quacking clips, followed by the dog's star KO voice clip.