Duck Hunt (character)

Duck Hunt (also referred to as the Duck Hunt Duo in Europe) is the name given to a pair of characters who appear as a fighting team in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, who are originally from the classic NES game Duck Hunt. One character is a hunting dog, and the other is one of the ducks who were hunted in the game.

Background

Within the original Duck Hunt, the two characters do not appear to be friends. The dog hides in the bushes while the player attempts to shoot down as many ducks as possible. The dog retrieves the fallen ducks, but he is also known for popping out of the bushes to chuckle at the player whenever they fail.

The dog also made an appearance in Barker Bill's Trick Shooting in the Balloon Saloon minigame, where the player had to shoot balloons while avoiding shooting the dog.

Super Smash Bros.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, Duck Hunt can be unlocked as a playable character. Despite seeming to have been enemies in the past, the two are very friendly in this game and work together in battle. In the 3DS version, they are unlocked by playing 110 Vs Matches or by completing Classic Mode with 8 characters, while in the Wii U version they can be unlocked by playing 100 Vs Matches or by defeating at least one single fighter in Cruel Smash.

In addition to their playable appearance, they are also represented in 8-bit form in the Wii U version's Duck Hunt stage. The dog appears from the bushes to chuckle and can be used as a platform, and the ducks will also take flight through the area, unaffected by whether or not any of the players are playing as Duck Hunt.

They are also represented by multiple trophies in both games. There are two standard trophies for them in both versions along with a Wild Gunman trophy. The Wii U version also has trophies for their Final Smash, the 8-bit versions of the dog and duck and for the clay pigeon and can.

Abilities

The dog and duck fight with a series of normal attacks, but there are also a variety of special moves that reference other NES games, and Duck Hunt's smash moves involves sending out the cursor for the hunter's Zapper, which will 'shoot' at anyone it hits.

• Standard Special Move: Trick Shot- Duck Hunt tosses an explosive version of the tin can from Hogan's Alley which will detonate after a short amount of time. Pressing the button again makes the hunter shoot at the can to send it further away.
• Side Special Move: Clay Shooting- The dog throws a clay pigeon at opponents, and the player can make the hunter shoot it down by pressing the button again.
• Up Special Move: Duck Jump- The duck takes off while airlifting the dog. The duck flies up to a considerable height before it is fatigued and drops the dog. The normal version of this move has no attack power and is simply used for recovery purposes.
• Down Special Move: Wild Gunman- They summons an 8-bit gunman from Wild Gunman, who will shoot at anyone in his range. This character can be easily defeated, however.
• Final Smash: NES Zapper Posse- Duck Hunt summons 8-bit ducks to entrap opponents. Anyone caught in it gets teleported into a field where these opponents will get caught in a gunfight between characters from Wild Gunman and Hogan's Alley

Trivia

• The dog became infamous over the years due to gamers' frustrations that they could not shoot the dog when he mocked them. It is possible to shoot the dog in the bonus game of the Vs. version as well as in Barker Bill's Trick Shooting, but in both cases there are penalties.
• The ducks were referenced in previous Smash games. There was a trophy for the ducks from Duck Hunt in Super Smash Bros. Melee (with a description mentioning the dog's role) and a sticker of a duck in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Duck Hunt's alternate Smash Bros. costumes involve changing their breeds, including one that makes the dog a dalmatian.