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)
Place of origin	Unknown, presumably Earth
Article on Wikipedia	Duck Hunt

Duck Hunt (ダックハント, Duckhunt), known in PAL regions as Duck Hunt Duo, is a name of a playable trio composed of the dog, a duck, and the off-screen hunter from the NES light gun game, Duck Hunt.

Origin

The hunter is the playable character in all versions of Duck Hunt. The unseen hunter 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 in 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 fails to shoot down any ducks, the dog infamously laughs at the player's misfortune before slinking back down into the grass; while the home version of the game does 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 receive no points from the round if they do so.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Ducks trophy in Melee

The Ducks from the game appear as a collectible trophy, and its description references both the hunter and the dog from Duck Hunt.

A Super Smash Bros. Melee article in a GameCube preview issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly stated that Assist Trophies were planned to be implemented in Melee, a specific example being the ducks from Duck Hunt flying around the stage and interfering with fighters.^{[citation needed]}

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 as a duo, along with an unseen "hunter" who fires shots from the NES Zapper, technically making Duck Hunt a trio. Their special moves include the 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. The "hunter" fires shots for their smash attacks, as well as for their Trick Shot and Clay Shooting special moves. Duck Hunt was the final newcomer to be officially revealed.

Duck Hunt are tied with Little Mac for 43/44th place on the current tier list, in G tier. Their multiple projectile specials allow for good spacing options, with Trick Shot being the most useful due to its remote controllable property. They also have a good air game, though in terms of KO potential, it is quite mediocre due to problematic KOing options; their smash attacks, despite having passable power, reach, and a total of three hits each, have awkward hitbox placements, making them liable to fail at connecting the hits together. Their recovery, Duck Jump, is slow moving and does not allow the pair to defend themselves in any way, leaving them wide open to edge-guarding. Their reliance on projectiles is also highly ineffective against characters who possess reflectors, and especially Rosalina & Luma, who can completely shut down their projectiles with Gravitational Pull. As a whole, their weaknesses are fairly detrimental, and with their bad matchups against characters who can reflect or in any other way negate their projectiles. As such, Duck Hunt have seen unremarkable tournament results.

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)

Dog

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!

: Duck Hunt (10/1985)

Duck

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.

: Duck Hunt (10/1985)

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

• DuckHuntAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Dog

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  Duck

Trivia

• 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.