Duck Hunt

Duck Hunt
In-game sprite of the dog and a duck as they appear in Duck Hunt.
Universe	Duck Hunt
Debut	Duck Hunt (1984)
Smash Bros. appearances	Melee (Duck only) Brawl (Duck only) SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase (2010)
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo Entertainment System
Species	Dog (dog) Duck (duck) Presumably human (hunter)
Gender	Male (dog) Unknown (duck) Varies (hunter)
Article on Wikipedia	Duck Hunt

Duck Hunt (ダックハント, Duckhunt), known in Europe as Duck Hunt Duo, is a name used for the playable group of the dog, a duck, and the fourth-wall hunter from the NES light gun game, Duck Hunt.

Origin

The hunter is the playable character in all versions of Duck Hunt. The hunter is never seen, as he/she is supposed to represent the player.

Throughout Duck Hunt, the goal is to shoot all of the ducks with a limited amount of bullets and time. By plugging a controller into the player 2 slot on the NES, a duck can be controlled to a limited extent by a human player.

The player also owns a non-playable scent hound who picks up any ducks that are shot down by the player; the opening cinematic of the game also shows that the dog is the one who finds the ducks in the first place. If the player failed to shoot down any ducks, the dog will infamously laugh at the player's misfortune before slinking back down into the grass; while the home version of the game did not allow players to shoot the dog, arcade versions of the game, as Vs. Duck Hunt, allows the player to shoot the dog in the bonus rounds. However, they would receive no points from the round if they did so.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Ducks trophy in Melee

While not an official universe and lacking significant representation, Duck Hunt did receive some recognition in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The Ducks from the game appear as a collectible trophy, and its description makes reference to both the hunter and the dog from Duck Hunt.

Ducks
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.

• Duck Hunt, 10/85 (NES)

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

A duck from Duck Hunt appears as a sticker in Brawl.

Stickers

Name	Game	Effect	Characters
Duck	Duck Hunt	SpecialLaunchResistance+020 +20	Ice Climbers Mr. Game & Watch Pit R.O.B.

Duck (Duck Hunt)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Duck Hunt as they appear in Super Smash Bros. 4

Duck Hunt is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. It consists of the dog with a duck on his back who fight together. Their special moves include gunmen from the NES title Wild Gunman and cans from Hogan's Alley, both of which were also light gun games contemporary to Duck Hunt. Their smash attacks are shots fired from the fourth wall by a "hunter". They were the final newcomer to be officially revealed.

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 (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!

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

• DuckHuntAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

Trivia

• Duck Hunt is the only newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4 not to appear as a significant character in any games featured on Nintendo's seventh and eighth generation consoles other than the Super Smash Bros. series. The duck made a cameo in Wii Play and the pair appeared in a microgame in WarioWare: Smooth Moves.
  • Adding to the above, SSB4 is Duck Hunt's first non-cameo appearance in a game since their titular game, released 30 years prior, making it the longest gap for a character to have debuted in the Super Smash Bros. series after their initial debut.
• In the GameCube preview issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, the Super Smash Bros. Melee article comments that Nintendo originally tried to implement Assist Trophies in Melee. The only trophy concept they gave details on was one that would release the ducks from Duck Hunt to fly around the stage and interfere with the fighters.^{[citation needed]}
• The dog, Palutena and Wii Fit Trainer are the only playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series that do not have a playable appearance in any other video game.
  • The duck and the hunter are the only playable characters from the trio, as the duck was playable by a second player in Game A of Duck Hunt, while the hunter was playable regardless.
• The duck, Little Mac, Palutena, Villager, Mii, and Bowser Jr. made non-playable appearances in Brawl before being upgraded into playable characters in SSB4. The duck also made a non-playable appearance in Melee, and was the only Super Smash Bros. 4 newcomer to do so.
• The text in trophies implies the off-screen hunter does not count as part of the character Duck Hunt; the English language PAL version makes this more clear by calling the character Duck Hunt Duo instead.
  • However, in Palutena's Guidance, Palutena points out that while they appear to be a duo, they are technically a trio due to the off-screen hunter.