Duck Hunt (SSB4)

This article is about Duck Hunt's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the characters in other contexts, see Duck Hunt. For other uses, see Duck Hunt (disambiguation).

Duck Hunt in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Duck Hunt
Other playable appearance	in Ultimate
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	NES Zapper Posse
Tier	D (30)

“	Duck Hunt Takes Aim!	”
—Introduction tagline

Duck Hunt (ダックハント, Duck Hunt), rendered in-game as Duckhunt in the Japanese version and known as Duck Hunt Duo in the PAL version, are playable characters in Super Smash Bros. 4. After initially being leaked on August 19th, 2014 as part of the ESRB leak, and then being hinted at in a Director's Room Miiverse post on October 22nd, 2014, Duck Hunt were officially announced during a Nintendo Direct on November 5th, 2014. Like Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, the dog and duck use realistic vocalizations derived from their respective species.

Duck Hunt are currently ranked 30th out of 55 on the tier list; in addition to placing them at the top of the D tier, this renders them as the highest ranking mid-tier characters. Duck Hunt have a very capable zoning game thanks to their three versatile projectiles, with the remote controllable Trick Shot being especially useful.

Duck Hunt's fast air speed and useful aerial attacks also grant them a decent air game, which in turn syncs well with their projectiles' ability to maintain stage control. Duck Hunt's frame data is also quite good: nearly all of their moves have less than 10 frames of start-up lag and very high knockback growth, which enable Duck Hunt to ward off opponents quite well in close quarters combat.

However, Duck Hunt's most glaring flaw is their KO potential, as their moveset's overall very high knockback growth is offset by their overall low damage output and overall very low base knockback. By extension, their smash attacks are infamously unreliable: despite having multiple hitboxes, respectable overall damage outputs, and the ability to increase their ranges via charging, their initial hitboxes' knockback and launching angles can result in opponents inadvertently evading their last hitboxes.

Due to Duck Hunt's above-average falling speed and being among the lightest middleweights, their endurance is also unimpressive. By extension, their recovery's overall mediocrity compounds this flaw: although the dog is capable of wall jumping, Duck Jump's maneuverability and decent travel distance are offset by its slow travel speed and lack of protection.

Although Duck Hunt's flaws have resulted in them attaining minimal tournament representation, they have achieved respectable tournament results regardless, thanks to You3, Dandy Penguin, ImHip, Raito, Brood and Ozone each achieving top 10 placings at the regional level. In addition, Raito, Dandy Penguin and ImHip have achieved top 10 placings at the national level, while Brood has taken a set off of ZeRo. As a result of Duck Hunt achieving better results in comparison to a number of characters that are considered much better than them, their current tier placement is debatable.

How to unlock

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• Play 110 VS Matches.
• Complete Classic Mode with 8 characters.

After completing one of the two methods, Duck Hunt must then be defeated on Battlefield, even if their home stage of the same name is present in the game's system as of update 1.1.1.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• Play 100 VS Matches.
• KO 1 opponent in Cruel Smash.

After completing one of the two methods, Duck Hunt must then be defeated on Duck Hunt.

Attributes

Duck Hunt are middleweights, being tied with Palutena as the third lightest members of that weight class. Duck Hunt have slightly above-average walking and dashing speeds, as well as above-average air and falling speeds. However, they have average air acceleration, as well as below-average gravity and traction. As a result, Duck Hunt's overall mobility fairly average. Aside from these general attributes, the dog and duck each possess specific traits: the dog can crawl and wall jump, while the duck has a hurtbox just like the dog.

As their name in the PAL version suggests, Duck Hunt is not a single character, but actually a tag team like the Ice Climbers and Rosalina & Luma. In Duck Hunt's case, their team consists of the dog and a duck from Duck Hunt. In addition to using spins, paw swipes, headbutts and pecks, the dog and duck each partake in special moves. The dog initiates their neutral and down specials, Trick Shot and Wild Gunman, whereas the duck performs their up special, Duck Jump. However, Duck Hunt also have five moves that reference the NES Zapper: their smash attacks; the remainder of Trick Shot; and their side special, Clay Shooting.

Duck Hunt's offensive special moves are oriented at zoning and stage control. Trick Shot is useful for not only playing mindgames, but also helping Duck Hunt with edge-guarding. However, the explosion also damages Duck Hunt, which forces careful spacing between them and the tin can. Clay Shooting's long range makes it useful for luring opponents from a distance, and especially for hindering an opponent's approach. Wild Gunman is best suited for mindgames like Trick Shot, and both moves can synchronize rather well with each other.

Unlike Trick Shot, however, Wild Gunman has minimal offensive use because of its varying damage outputs, unimpressive knockback, and each gunman being unable to fire if they are dealt at least 5%. Another perk that each of Duck Hunt's offensive special moves is their inherent defensive capabilities: Trick Shot's tin can, Clay Shooting's clay pigeon, and Wild Gunman's gunmen are each able to block an opponent's projectiles, similarly to Link and Toon Link's Bombs. Lastly, Duck Jump is a maneuverable recovery option that covers a decent amount of vertical and horizontal distance.

Duck Hunt's air game is perhaps the strongest aspect of their offense after their projectiles, and typically synchronizes well with the latter's suitability for stage control. Duck Hunt's neutral aerial is useful for edge-guarding thanks to its minimal start-up lag and sex kick properties, while its clean hitbox is strong enough to reliably KO even on-stage opponents at reasonable percentages. Both their forward and back aerials are useful for edge-guarding, while the latter's sweetspot and their up aerial are also strong enough to KO reliably. Lastly, Duck Hunt's down aerial is their most damaging aerial and is able to meteor smash.

Although Duck Hunt's grounded attacks are less effective than their aerial attacks, they still have their uses. Their neutral attack is their most useful grounded attack, thanks to a number of perks. Its second and third hits have disjointed hitboxes; its neutral infinite is reliable for damage racking even at high percentages; and its last hit and infinite's finisher are reliable for spacing, thanks to their very high knockback growth.

Despite having very minimal horizontal range, Duck Hunt's up tilt is perhaps their second most useful grounded attack. It is a reliable combo starter against middleweights, heavyweights and fast-fallers, yet its very high knockback growth and fairly minimal start-up lag also allow it to function as Duck Hunt's most consistent KOing option. Their forward tilt, down tilt and dash attack are decent for spacing, yet are also useful for launching Trick Shot's tin can back into the line of fire. Lastly, all of Duck Hunt's smash attacks have respectable power, and can increase their ranges via charging.

However, Duck Hunt possess glaring weaknesses. The most notable one is their KO potential: even though almost the entirety of their moveset has very high knockback growth, this is offset by their overall low damage output and overall very low base knockback. To compound this, Duck Hunt's smash attacks are infamously inconsistent: due to their initial hitboxes' very high knockback growth and unfavorable launching angles, it is possible for opponents to inadvertently evade their concluding hitboxes, even with minimal smash directional influence. Duck Hunt's aerials do not fare much better: only their clean neutral, clean back, and up aerials have KO potential, while all of their aerials are best suited for edge-guarding because of their short ranges.

Duck Hunt's endurance is also unremarkable. In addition to their above-average falling speed and fairly unimpressive weight, Duck Hunt's overall recovery is mediocre at best, owing to Duck Jump's slow travel speed and lack of protection often forcing the dog to wall jump. These traits also make Duck Hunt susceptible to rushdowns and combos, although their neutral aerial, Trick Shot, and Clay Shooting can somewhat help alleviate these types of pressure.

While it is not as burdensome as their KO potential and recovery, Duck Hunt's grab game is nevertheless very polarized. Their grabs have deceptively long ranges; their pummel is among the most damaging in the game; and their forward and back throws can help them launch an opponent into Trick Shot's trajectory if they initially dodged the tin can. Forward throw can also combo into a dash attack beginning at 0%, and into a dashing, short hopped forward aerial from low to medium percentages. However, none of their throws possess KO potential; down throw is extremely ineffective at starting combos; and their pummel is tied with Mega Man's as the fifth slowest in the game.

Duck Hunt possess a few notable custom moves. Zigzag Shot is very unpredictable and travels an impressive distance upward. When the shots are timed correctly, it functions as a capable, albeit gimmicky, KOing option. Super Duck Jump covers more vertical distance and has a windbox that pushes away nearby opponents, but has more start-up lag and covers almost no horizontal distance. The variations of Wild Gunman are the most promising, however: Quick Draw Aces makes Duck Hunt's zoning game more powerful and even more difficult to counter at the cost of covering less distance, whereas Mega Gunman's improved defense and larger hurtbox grant them a way to ward off pressure at the cost of weakening their zoning and stage control games.

Overall, Duck Hunt's projectiles make them very capable at maintaining a strong defensive presence and playing mindgames. However, due to relying heavily on their projectiles in order to maintain an offensive presence, Duck Hunt can be very vulnerable to characters that can counteract them, such as those capable of reflection. As a result, players must also properly synchronize their projectiles with their useful air game in order to maintain a precise, varied, and pressuring offensive presence on the ground and in the air.

Update history

Duck Hunt have received a handful of buffs via game updates. Update 1.0.8 made their neutral aerial safer by decreasing its landing lag. Update 1.1.0 improved the utility of their neutral attack's last hit, and slightly improved their forward smash's reliability by increasing the sizes of its second and last hitboxes. However, this same update also slightly toned down their neutral infinite's damage racking potential. Lastly, update 1.1.5 slightly improved Duck Hunt's KO potential by marginally increasing the knockback growth of their smash attacks' last hits.

1.0.8

• Neutral aerial's landing lag decreased: 22 frames → 17.

1.1.0

• Neutral attack's first and second hits have received two hitboxes with differing angles.
• Neutral attack's third hit deals 1% more damage: 4% → 5%; its knockback increased: 40 (base)/125 (growth) → 50/130; its hitbox size increased: 5u → 5.8u; and its vertical displacement increased: 4.5u → 5.5u. Altogether, these changes improve its spacing potential.
• Neutral infinite's finisher's hitbox no longer stretches vertically.
• Forward smash's second and third hits' hitbox sizes increased: 4.5u (second)/5.1u (third) → 5.2u/7u.

1.1.5

• Forward smash's third hit has higher knockback scaling (123 → 125).
• Up smash's third hit has higher knockback scaling (110 → 112).
• Down smash's third hit has higher knockback growth (153 → 155).

Moveset

• Duck Hunt can crawl and wall jump.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	The dog performs a paw swipe, followed by a headbutt, followed by a double-footed side kick performed from the baby freeze, a variation of the freeze breakdancing move. If button mashed, the duck pecks repeatedly at alternating angles, and then thrusts its wings and beak forward. It is one of Duck Hunt's most useful moves, thanks to its damage racking and spacing potentials.
			3%
			5%
			0.8% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt			8%	The dog leans on his chest and forepaws in order to thrust his lower back forward and propel the duck, who performs a peck. It can be angled and is decent for spacing, while its horizontal angle allows it to propel Trick Shot's tin can a long distance forward while it is in front of themselves.
Up tilt			7%	The dog leans on his chest and forepaws in order to thrust his lower back upward and propel the duck, who performs an upward headbutt while thrusting its wings upward. It can combo into itself from 0%-28% on middleweights (and up to 35% on heavyweights and fast-fallers); into an up smash and into a short hopped neutral aerial at low percentages; and into a short hopped up aerial at medium percentages. In addition to its combo potential, its very high knockback growth and fairly minimal start-up lag make it Duck Hunt's most consistent KOing option. It KOs middleweights at 157%/149% (3DS/Wii U) from anywhere on Final Destination. However, it has very minimal horizontal range, which forces Duck Hunt to practically stand next to a grounded opponent in order to land it.
Down tilt			8%	The dog swings his lower back forward to propel the duck, who performs a turning peck. Due to being a semi-spike, it is very useful for moving Trick Shot's tin can while it is in front of themselves, especially since it launches the can faster than pressing the special button does. It is also decent for spacing and shield stabbing. Despite being a semi-spike, its average damage output and below-average knockback growth make it unsuitable for edge-guarding.
Dash attack			10% (clean), 7% (late)	The dog slides onto his chest and forepaws in order to thrust his lower back forward 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.
Forward smash			4% (hits 1-2), 9% (hit 3), 17% (all hits connect)	The dog and duck look forward before the NES Zapper fires three shots in front of them while they comically dodge the shots. 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. As a result, it is preferable to space accordingly in order to simply use the last hit when attempting to score a KO. Its last hit KOs middleweights at 102%/91% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination.
Up smash			2% (hit 1), 2.4% (hit 2), 10% (hit 3), 14.4% (all hits connect)	The dog and duck look upward before the NES Zapper fires three shots upward while they comically dodge the shots. Like forward smash, its range increases the longer it is charged. Although its first two hits are unreliable because of their angles and very high knockback growth, they are slightly more reliable compared to forward smash and down smash's first two hits. Its last hit KOs middleweights at 124%/112% (3DS/Wii U) from anywhere on Final Destination.
Down smash			5% (hits 1-2), 6% (hit 3), 16% (all hits connect)	The dog and duck look at the ground before the NES Zapper fires three shots around them while they comically dodge the shots. Its first and last hits are in front of the dog, while the second hit is behind him. Its last hit launches the opponent behind the dog, and as a result, Duck Hunt must face away from the edge when attempting to use this move in order to properly launch the opponent off-stage. Like forward and up smashes, its range increases the longer it is charged, but its first two hits are unreliable because of their angles and very high knockback growth. Its last hit KOs middleweights at 118%/108% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination.
Neutral aerial			11% (clean), 5% (late)	The dog performs an aerial cartwheel. It functions like a sex kick and hits on frame 6, which ties it with up aerial for the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Duck Hunt's aerials. When coupled with its clean hitbox's decent damage output and very high knockback growth, it is one of Duck Hunt's most viable KOing options, and is decent at breaking out of combos and juggles. Its clean hitbox KOs middleweights at 133%/121% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination. Although its late hitbox is useful for locking at low percentages, it lacks KO potential.
Forward aerial			6.5% (duck), 10% (duck's beak), 7.5% (late duck's beak)	The dog thrusts his lower back forward to propel the duck, who performs a corkscrew peck. It hits on frame 7, which ties it with back aerial for the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Duck Hunt's aerials. It also has the lowest amount of landing lag out of Duck Hunt's aerials. When coupled with its range and the duck's beak functioning as a sweetspot, these traits make it useful for spacing, edge-guarding, and combos. However, its sweetspot's average damage output and knockback growth make it unsuitable for KOing outright.
Back aerial			10% (duck), 12% (duck's beak), 10.5% (late duck's beak)	The dog thrusts his lower back backward to propel the duck, who performs a turning peck. It hits on frame 7, which ties it with forward aerial for the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Duck Hunt's aerials. Like forward aerial, the duck's beak is a sweetspot, though it is much stronger in comparison, to the point that it actually possesses KO potential. Sweetspotted back aerial KOs middleweights at 133%/126% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination. However, its other hitboxes have much lower KO potential, and it has the second highest amount of landing lag out of Duck Hunt's aerials.
Up aerial			3% (hits 1-2), 6% (hit 3)	The duck pecks upward three times while carrying the dog in tow. It hits on frame 6, which ties it with neutral aerial for the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Duck Hunt's aerials. Its last hit has the highest knockback growth out of Duck Hunt's aerials, which makes it one of Duck Hunt's most viable KOing options. Its last hit KOs middleweights at 117%/105% (3DS/Wii U) while near the upper blast line of Final Destination. It also auto-cancels with a short hop.
Down aerial			5% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)	The dog somersaults to propel the duck, who performs a somersaulting peck. It has an excellent auto-cancel window, which allows it to auto-cancel even after fast falling at the peak of their double jump. Its second hit can also meteor smash airborne opponents. However, landing before the second hit comes out results in Duck Hunt enduring very high ending lag, which makes it unsafe to use before landing.
Grab			—	The dog bites the opponent and holds them with his mouth. Despite their animations, Duck Hunt's grabs have deceptively long ranges, especially their pivot grab.
Pummel			3%	The duck performs a headbutt. It is one of the most damaging pummels in the game, but is tied with Mega Man's pummel as the fifth slowest in the game.
Forward throw			8%	The dog rears his head back and sways it forward to throw the opponent. It can combo into a dash attack or Clay Shooting from 0% to very low percentages, and a forward aerial from low to medium percentages. It can also be used to throw an opponent toward Trick Shot's tin can if the tin can is still on-stage.
Back throw			9%	The dog spins around to throw the opponent. It is Duck Hunt's most damaging throw and, like forward throw, it can be used to throw the opponent into the trajectory of Trick Shot's tin can if it is still on-stage.
Up throw			6%	The dog performs a handstand kick. It can lead into an up aerial at low percentages. Despite having the highest knockback growth out of Duck Hunt's throws, it lacks KO potential because of its low damage output.
Down throw			5%	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 up aerial at high percentages for a potential KO combo. Outside of this, it can combo into Trick Shot and a forward aerial at low to medium percentages. However, these combos are largely ineffective, as the former is risky because of Trick Shot's explosion also being capable of harming Duck Hunt, whereas the latter requires a hard read.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	The duck pecks on either side of the dog.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	The duck headbutts behind the dog and then in front of the dog.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	The duck pecks behind the dog and then in front of the dog.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	The dog climbs up and leans on his chest and forepaws in order to thrust his lower back forward to propel the duck, who performs a peck.
Neutral special	Default	Trick Shot	8% (explosion), 1.8%-2% (contact)	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 alert the player with the Zapper to shoot the can forward. After enough 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. Like Link and Toon Link's Bombs, the can is also capable of blocking incoming projectiles. However, this also applies to the opponent's attacks, while the explosion will also hurt the dog and duck if it hits them. Overall, it is Duck Hunt's most versatile projectile, and their most useful edge-guarding option. 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.
	Custom 1	High-Explosive Shot	7%/12% (explosion), 1% (contact)	The tin can is kicked only once upon its initial activation. It covers greater distance, travels faster, and can potentially deal more damage than the default version. However, pressing the special button again at any time will make the tin can explode immediately, making it less suitable for edge-guarding.
	Custom 2	Zigzag Shot	6% (shot), 6% (explosion), 2% (contact)	The tin can's direction alternates in the air for each special button press. Getting hit by the explosion launches the opponent directly upward, while the tin can's contact hitbox can lead into juggling combos that can potentially KO them near the upper blast line. However, the explosion deals less damage.
Side special	Default	Clay Shooting	2% (hit 1), 1.8% (hits 2-4), 5% (hit 5)	The dog throws a clay pigeon, based on the Clay Shooting sub-game (Game C) from Duck Hunt. It has two flight trajectories: a slow, higher arc and a faster, straight arc. Moving while performing the move initiates the former, whereas standing still and performing the move initiates the latter. Pressing the special button again causes the off-screen hunter to destroy it with a barrage of shots from the NES Zapper, making it a natural combo. It is useful for hindering approaches, but can also act as a set-up into a dash attack from 0% to medium percentages, or into a forward aerial at high percentages. Although somewhat situational, the clay pigeon can also act as a makeshift landmine by allowing it to land on the ground, and then destroying it to surprise an opponent. Like Link and Toon Link's Bombs, it can also block incoming projectiles. However, it is overall quite laggy.
	Custom 1	Rising Clay	2%-8%	The clay pigeon slowly rises into the air and deals more damage the farther it travels. However, it is thrown slower and cannot be shot at. It retains Clay Shooting's trajectory influence.
	Custom 2	Clay Break	7% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2), 13% (hit 3)	The clay pigeon is thrown faster and can be shot at three times, with each shot being stronger than the default version's. However, each shot has varying accuracy. It retains Clay Shooting's trajectory influence.
Up special	Default	Duck Jump	—	The duck flies upward while carrying the dog before getting tired and falling to the ground. It is maneuverable, and covers a decent amount of vertical and horizontal distance depending on how it is maneuvered. However, it is unsafe because of its slow speed and lack of protection.
	Custom 1	Duck Jump Snag	1% (hits 1-6), 2% (hit 7)	The dog bites any nearby opponents repeatedly as the duck carries him upward, which can potentially gimp an opponent's recovery. However, it covers much less vertical distance, and somewhat less horizontal distance.
	Custom 2	Super Duck Jump	—	Covers more vertical distance and has a strong push effect upon ascending, thanks to a gust generated by the duck flapping its wings. The dog and duck ascend faster as well, making it less susceptible to being gimped from above. However, it has more start-up lag and covers noticeably less horizontal distance.
Down special	Default	Wild Gunman	4%-7%	The dog summons an 8-bit version of one of the five gunmen from Wild Gunman. Each gunman will fire their gun after a set amount of time and then disappear in a puff of smoke. Each gunman's firing time, damage output, knockback growth and launching angle varies. The gunmen can also block attacks, but if any of them receive at least 5%, they will fall and not fire their guns. Once a gunman falls, Duck Hunt must wait for very briefly before they can summon another one.
	Custom 1	Quick Draw Aces	6%-9%	The gunmen have less start-up lag, while their damage outputs and base knockback are slightly higher. However, their shots' ranges are shorter and their knockback growth is lower. The gunmen also have much less durability, as they will fall if they receive 1%.
	Custom 2	Mega Gunman	3%-6%	The gunmen are much larger and much more durable, as they are able to receive 40% before falling. However, their damage outputs are slightly lower, and they will only fire after a considerable delay if nothing hits them.
Final Smash		NES Zapper Posse	45%	The dog barks to call in a flock of 8-bit ducks. The flock tackles the opponent, launching them into a Wild West-styled field from Wild Gunman. The opponent is then repeatedly fired at by the gunmen, who are also shooting at the cardboard cutout gangsters and tin cans from Hogan's Alley. It is quite powerful, as it KOs middleweights at 46% while near the edge of Final Destination in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

On-screen appearance

• The dog leaps into an 8-bit sprite of grass with the duck on his back before they both rise from the grass while the dog performs his signature laugh. The grass then disappears in a puff of smoke.

Taunts

• Up taunt: The dog performs a handstand and barks before the duck, while perched on one of his hindpaws, quacks at him to stop.
• Side taunt: The dog lays on his side and does his signature laugh while the duck flaps its wings tauntingly.
• Down taunt: The dog stands on his hindpaws and dances.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• The dog and the duck sniff the ground.
• The dog scratches his ear.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Duck Hunt!	Dakku Han-to!
Pitch	Group chant	Female

Victory poses

A remix of the jingle that plays before a new game starts in Duck Hunt. It begins with the original 8-bit rendition, then transitions to an orchestral rendition for the rest of its duration.

• The dog uses Wild Gunman to the left and then immediately to the right while the duck either looks at the dog, or looks at the Gunman.
• The dog dashes on-screen, turns around to kick a tumbling tin can similarly to Trick Shot, and then strikes a pose alongside the duck.
• The dog leaps into an 8-bit sprite of grass, and then rises from the grass while performing his signature laugh as the duck flies out and either looks off into the distance, or looks at the camera. It is almost identical to their on-screen appearance.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Duck Hunt	3121	3123	3122	1121	1123
	3132	1132	3111	3221	3323

Notable players

Active

•  Brood - Placed 13th at Smash of the Titans 15; 25th at GENESIS 4; and achieved several top 10 placings at Umebura tournaments. He is the seventeenth player to take a set off of ZeRo.
•  Dandy Penguin - Placed 5th at Glitch; 9th at Tipped Off 11; 13th at Super Smash Con 2015; and 33rd at CEO Dreamland.
•  ImHip - Placed 5th at 2GGT: The False Awakens and 2GGT: Mexico Saga, and 9th at Final Battle and 2GGT: Fatality Saga.
•  Ozone - Placed 9th at Midwest Mayhem 7: Mexico Invasion and 17th at Midwest Mayhem 8: North American Tour. He has wins over falln and JJROCKETS.
•  Raito - The best Duck Hunt player in the world. Placed 4th at Umebura 26; 7th at Umebura 23; 9th at CEO Dreamland; 13th at 2GGC: Nairo Saga and CEO 2017; 17th at Umebura Japan Major 2017; and 49th at GENESIS 4. Ranked 23rd on the Panda Global Rankings v5.
•  Tamushika - Placed 17th at GENESIS 5 and 33rd at EVO Japan 2018. Has Taken sets off of players such as Raito, MVD, and T.
•  You3 - Placed 3rd at Smash of the Titans 15; 4th at Sumabato 11; 7th at Hyper Sumabato, Sumabato 6 and Sumabato 15; and 33rd at GENESIS 4.

Inactive

•  DunnoBro - Placed 9th at Glitch and achieved several top 10 placings at Smash @ Xanadu tournaments before switching to Mario.
•  MVD - Placed 17th at Final Battle and 7th at Apex 2015 before switching to Diddy Kong.

Tier placement and history

Duck Hunt's viability has been among the most contentious throughout SSB4's lifespan. They were initially considered to be among the best characters in the game, largely thanks to their zoning game offering them excellent set-ups and stage control. Later, it would become clear that Duck Hunt's overall average mobility, smash attacks' awkward hitboxes, handful of KOing options, and over-reliance on set-ups collectively hindered them in competitive play. As a result, their playerbase in the Western scene declined dramatically, even in light of the nerfs to Diddy Kong and Sheik, two of their most challenging matchups.

Despite this, Duck Hunt managed to achieve respectable tournament success in Japan, thanks to Brood, Raito and You3. These players also expanded Duck Hunt's metagame by employing even smarter set-ups, frame traps and pressure options. Western players that continued to main Duck Hunt, such as Dandy Penguin and ImHip, would also achieve decent success in tournaments. These instances of success somewhat improved Duck Hunt's perception: they were tied with Little Mac for 42nd/43rd on the first tier list, and then ranked 42nd on the second tier list.

However, Duck Hunt's perception continued to improve following GENESIS 4: Brood, You3 and Raito placed 25th, 33rd and 49th, respectively, while Brood scored an upset against ZeRo, who was the best SSB4 player in the world at the time. This upturn resulted in Duck Hunt being ranked 37th on the third tier list, which saw them reassessed as mid-tier characters. Thanks to Raito's consistently high placings since GENESIS 4, Duck Hunt's perception has improved even further. To reflect this, they were ranked 30th on the fourth and current tier list, which rendered them as the highest ranking mid-tier characters. However, some players, such as Dabuz, view Duck Hunt as underrated and deserving of high-tier status.

Reveal trailer

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Trophies

Duck Hunt

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!

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!

: Duck Hunt (10/1985)

Duck Hunt (Alt.)

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!

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!

: Duck Hunt (10/1985)

NES Zapper Posse

In this Final Smash, three games from the Light Gun Series team up: Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, and Wild Gunman. A flock of ducks fly by, warping anyone they hit to the Wild West. There, a posse of gunmen will use foes for target practice! If the ducks don't hit anyone, though, nothing happens besides some birds passing through.

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  NES Zapper Posse

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• Duck Hunt!: Duck Hunt must defeat ten background ducks in a row on Duck Hunt while several Falcos try to interfere.
• Guardian of the Jungle: As Donkey Kong, the player must defeat three Duck Hunts.
• New Challengers 1: Duck Hunt are among the opponents fought in this event, alongside Rosalina & Luma, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Villager, Bowser Jr., and Lucina.

Co-op Events

• Secret Smash: Duck Hunt and Mr. Game & Watch must defeat another Duck Hunt and Mr. Game & Watch.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Duck Hunt-inspired artwork.

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  Duck Hunt's splash art.

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  Duck Hunt's amiibo.

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  The Pic of the Day featuring a teaser of Duck Hunt's trailer.

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  On Onett.

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  Using their side taunt after using Wild Gunman.

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  Using Duck Jump alongside Mega Man using Beat.

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  Two Duck Hunts alongside Kirby after he copied one of them.

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  Charging a smash attack.

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  Using their up smash.

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  Using their forward tilt alongside three Falcos.

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  Using their up taunt alongside another Duck Hunt.

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  Their on-screen appearance.

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  The dog laying supine with the duck perched on his stomach and while alongside Falco.

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  Duck Hunt being attacked by Takamaru.

Trivia

• Duck Hunt make a few references to their home game:
  • The dog performs his signature laugh during their on-screen appearance, side taunt, and one of their victory poses.
  • The dog's tiptoeing animation is almost identical to his animation seen in the beginning of each round of Duck Hunt.
  • The dog and duck dodging the NES Zapper's shots during their smash attacks is a reference to the fact that players can shoot the dog during a bonus round in VS. Duck Hunt.
  • When they are rendered helpless after using Duck Jump, the sound effect used when a duck falls after being shot in Duck Hunt is played.
• The dog is the third playable canid character, with Fox, Wolf and Isabelle being the first, second and fourth ones, respectively. He is also the second quadrupedal character after Ivysaur. In comparison, the duck is the third playable avian character, with Falco and King Dedede being the first and second ones, respectively.
  • However, the dog is also capable of being bipedal. He stands on his hind legs during their down taunt and defeated/No Contest animation, and while swinging the Home-Run Bat or carrying a heavy item.
• Duck Hunt and Dark Pit are the only newcomers to not appear in the opening movie. Unlike Dark Pit, however, Duck Hunt are also the only newcomers to not have footage from their reveal trailer in the movie.
• Duck Hunt, Pac-Man and Villager are the only characters who have special moves based on a series other than their home series.
• Duck Hunt are the only unlockable newcomers who are the sole representatives of a new universe.
  • They are also the only unlockable newcomers in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U who are not clones.
• Duck Hunt are among the few characters who lack voice clips in Sound Test. Despite this, the dog barks during some of his attacks; laughs during their side taunt, on-screen appearance, and one of their victory poses; yelps during their star KO; and whines if NES Zapper Posse misses. The duck quacks during their up taunt, and each of the gunmen yell before firing. This could be because they are registered as sound effects instead of voice clips. Because of this, some, if not all, of these sounds can still be heard, even if Duck Hunt are metal.
• When the game is slowed down via Training, Special Smash or the Timer, the number of hits for Duck Hunt's smash attacks will double from three to six if all of their hits connect, which results in their smash attacks dealing twice as much damage. Conversely, the last hit of each of their smash attacks will be more powerful when the game is sped up. These quirks technically make Duck Hunt's smash attacks the most damaging and among the most powerful in the game.
• Duck Hunt are the only characters whose facial expressions change when their trailer's tagline is displayed.
• Due to their home stage being downloadable content in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, unlocking Duck Hunt in that version of SSB4 involves fighting them on Battlefield, instead of on their home stage of the same name. Despite this, they are fought on their home stage in Classic Mode in both versions of SSB4.

External links

• Duck Hunt's moveset