Bear Hugger
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| Bear Hugger | |
| Species | Human |
| Affiliation | WVBA |
| Hair color | Red |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Age | 32 |
| Weight | 330 lbs. |
| Origin | Salmon Arm, BC, Canada |
| Voiced by | Richard Newman |
| Debut | Super Punch-Out!! |
Bear Hugger is a heavyweight Canadian boxer who appears as an opponent in several Punch-Out!! games.
Backgrounds
Bear Hugger was originally a carpenter who grew up beating up all the animals in the forest. His favorite was a grizzly bear whom he used as a sparring partner and was his greatest rival until he started his boxing career. The giant lumberjack thrives on syrup, which he believes makes him as strong as a bear. The Bear Hug is his most powerful move, as it is a one-hit KO in its first appearance despite being reduced in power in his later appearances.
He first appears in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcade as the first opponent and the Champion of Canada. Despite having a one-hit KO move and being immune to body blows, he attacks very little and can be somewhat easily be defeated with a combination of ducking his Bear Hug technique and uppercutting him in the face. He also appears in the Super NES Super Punch-Out!!, where he is the rank #2 combatant in the Minor Circuit as well as being the second overall opponent battled in the game. His Bear Hug is less dangerous, and his lower body is vulnerable to blows during a certain taunt only.
Bear Hugger reappears in Punch-Out!! for the Wii as the #2 opponent of the Major Circuit. The accompanying slideshow shows him drinking maple syrup and making a bear into his training partner (possibly the same from his backstory). He also has a habit of napping in between rounds. During battle, his body is now vulnerable to blows, and his Bear Hugger is even more powerful than in the Super NES game despite not being a one-hit KO again. He returns in Title Defense mode, with a new attack pattern and a squirrel partner.
Trivia
- In the Wii game he shouts "Timber!" when he is knocked out, in reference to his lumberjacking profession.
- Also in the Wii game he claims a love for raw fish, and indeed raw fish appear around him when he is defeated.
- His birthplace was originally listed as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in the Super Nintendo game, but the Wii game changed it to Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada due to game developer Next Level Games being based in British Columbia.
- His patch of chest hair forms the shape of an evergreen tree.