Punch-Out!!/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


These things about Punch-Out!! are subjective - not everyone will agree with all of them.

  • Acceptable Targets: The weakest fighter in the series, Glass Joe, is a Frenchman. It's taken to the point where in the Wii version, you can literally punch the croissants out of him.
  • Alternative Character Interpretation: Is Doc Louis actually trying to kill Little Mac?
  • Base-Breaking Character:
    • Narcis Prince. While he does have quite a few fans, and is a common subject for fan artwork, he also has something of a Hate Dom, mostly from fans of Aran Ryan, who feel that Narcis tries too hard to be a pretty boy by comparison.
    • Heike Kagero. With the Bishōnen archetype being itself so divisive among western gamers, Heike correspondingly has just as many people who love him as those who consider him to be just creepy and weird.
  • Breather Boss: In the Wii game, many people find Super Macho Man much easier than the preceding bout against Bald Bull or the following bout against world champion Mr. Sandman.
    • Don Flamenco is also sandwiched between more difficult fighters in the Wii game (Great Tiger and Aran Ryan), and in the NES original is easier than most of the fighters who preceded him, at least the first time you fight him.
    • Super Macho Man is sometimes considered a Breather Boss in the NES game as well, as many consider Mr. Sandman, who comes before him, to be a much harder fight. That said, Macho Man is still quite a challenge in the NES game.
    • Narcis Prince from Super Punch Out also qualifies as this, as he's quite a bit less challenging than Mad Clown and Super Macho Man.
  • Catharsis Factor: These games are all incredibly difficult to win and take enormous amounts of practice to even just barely eke out a victory against the later challengers let alone delivering a Curb-Stomp Battle against them. But when you do win, you will feel like a champion! Aww, yeah!
  • Death of a Thousand Cuts: Arguably, how Little Mac fights, along with being a Fragile Speedster. While most of the other fighters have moves that deal roughly a forth of Macs health bar, Mac uses a flurry of jabs and uppercuts to whittle down his opponents health.
  • Draco in Leather Pants: Take a look in Deviant ART and see Aran Ryan (Yes, that one) turn from "Complete Lunatic" into "Irish Hottie".
  • Ear Worm: Aran Ryan's intro theme, popularly looped in YouTube Poop.
  • Fanon Discontinuity: Nobody expected the SNES player character to be Little Mac, with many assuming him being labeled such in his guest appearance in Fight Night Round 2 just being EA taking artistic liberties. For some fans, this has been partially rectified with the Super NES recolor for Little Mac in Super Smash Bros., which made the two playable boxers easier to associate with each other in their eyes, but not all.
  • Funny Moments: In Doc Louis's Punch Out, knock the Chocolate bar out of his hand, how he reacts is hilarious.
    • How Mac reacts when he "transforms" afterwards is also hilarious.
      • In the NES game, the only attempt at humor any of the characters make that actually is funny is when Bald Bull says, "My barber didn't know when to quit; do you?"
      • From the same game there's also Soda Popinski's "I drink to prepare for a fight. Tonight I am very prepared!"
  • Good Bad Bugs: It's unknown whether the strategy of blocking Soda's uppercuts on the NES was intentional or a glitch, but it makes beating him insanely easy.
  • Harsher in Hindsight: The Wii game was rereleased on the Wii U eShop immediately after a surprise announcement that Club Nintendo would be shutting down in mid-2015, and that no newly-released titles – effective starting the rerelease week of Punch-Out!! Wii – would be eligible for registration. Kind of makes the order to "join Club Nintendo today, Mac" feel like the game's mocking you, huh?
  • Heartwarming Moments: Seeing Doc proudly hoist Mac over his shoulder when he claims a title belt sparks a father and son image that's hard to mistake for anything else.
    • Another one caused by losing, believe it or not. Losing to the Darker and Edgier Title Defense version of Don Flamenco will cause him to swear this victory to his beloved Carmen. As he raises the black rose, it sparkles as it changes to a familiar red.
    • As well, you have to feel for Glass Joe's elation for actually winning a match for once in his Title Defense victory cutscene. It takes the sting out a little from the fact that you just lost to Glass Joe.
    • During the end credits for the SNES version of Super Punch-Out!!, your defeated opponents each have one last thing to say, and it turns out that all but the most stubborn have come to respect you. Even Nick Bruiser manages to say more than three words to you.
  • Heartwarming in Hindsight: One of the things Doc Louis says in Doc Louis's Punch Out!! is, "Thanks for joining Club Nintendo, Mac!" Originally, it was simply congratulatory. With the game returning as part of Club Nintendo's closing sale, however, it can be seen as Nintendo thanking you for registering with and using Club Nintendo as a final farewell.
  • Ho Yay:
    • Frank Jr. looks positively elated to lose the match. Flushed cheeks, drooling smile, the works.
    • In the fandom, Little Mac and Narcis Prince seem to be paired up the most.
  • It's the Same, Now It Sucks: What some people claim about the Wii version compared to the NES version, especially those who have seen but haven't actually played the Wii version. It's even mistakenly called a remake quite often.
  • Jerkass Woobie: It's not hard to view Super Macho Man in Title Defense this way. It's clear how frustrated and bitter he is over losing all his fans to Little Mac and doesn't seem to have any fans of his own anymore, while being booed and subjected to Produce Pelting throughout the fight. Sure, he's still a cocky asshole, but it's not hard to see him as sympathetic.
  • Memetic Molester: Mr. Sandman. Especially in the Wii version.

Mr. Sandman: Hey Mac Baby! Brush your teeth? * leans in* It's bed time...

    • Donkey Kong, given how he "kidnaps" Mac if the player loses the match, and his facial expression is... unsettling.
  • Memetic Mutation: "Nigga stole my bike!"
    • Ascended Meme: In the Wii version in between rounds, Doc Louis tells Mac after the fight, he wants to take a ride on his bike.
    • "Join the Nintendo Fun Club today, Mac!"
      • "Join the Nintendo Fun- I mean, Club Nintendo today, Mac!"
    • Von Kaiser's "Give 'em Ze Uppercut!"
    • Mine's chocolate!
    • Super Macho Man's "Release the-- bogus!"
  • Mexicans Love Speedy Gonzales: It's a testament to how good the character writing is that, while Punch-Out!! Wii has stereotypical characters, they are beloved by fans in their countries of origin (like Super Macho Man, for American audiences) for being portrayed stereotypically, yet Played for Laughs. It also helps that the Canadian devs and the Japanese publisher of the game also took a jab at themselves with Bear Hugger and Piston Hondo respectively.
  • Moment of Awesome: If you've defeated Mike Tyson/Mr. Dream in the NES version, you might as well consider yourself a true champion.
  • Nightmare Fuel: Mr Sandman in the Wii version. Also, Aran Ryan and Bald Bull. All three of them get downright creepy close-up face shots among other things.
    • In the Wii version, Great Tiger's special K.O. animation has him Teleport Spam before passing out. In Title Defense, at the end he disappears and doesn't come back.
  • Replacement Scrappy: Quite a few people feel Mr. Dream is a poor substitute for Iron Mike. Doesn't help that Mr. Dream seems generic and not a lot of originality went into him (same body type Tyson had, same exact dialogue, same exact moves, 99-0-99 record, comes from "Dreamland", etc). At least Nick Bruiser was fairly memorable.
  • The Scrappy: Mad Clown is perhaps the least popular character from the series (not counting Mr. Dream), and is seen as a lazy re-skin of Bear Hugger. While there are many other Palette Swaps in the series, Mad Clown is easily the most blatant of them all.
  • Ships That Pass in the Night: Almost all ships as, despite presumably fighting each other off-screen, none of the boxers interact with anyone but Mac. Punch Joe and Von Kaiser are commonly shipped together.
  • Spiritual Licensee: Stereotypes aside, these are the best Rocky games ever made.
  • Surprise Difficulty: You wouldn't expect Glass Joe to put up a fight, but once you get to Title Defense...
  • Suspiciously Similar Song: The original arcade and NES games had one of the Gilette "Look Sharp, Feel Sharp March" which was played in their ads and on their "Cavalcade of Sports" which included, naturally, boxing.
    • The NES version seemed to have Jimmy Hart versions of La Marseillaise (Glass Joe), Ride of the Valkyries (mainly Von Kaiser but some other fighters as well), Sakura Sakura (Piston Honda), and the Song of the Volga Boatmen (Soda Popinski). The Wii version, in a subversion, has legitimate snippets from these four songs and "Les Toreadors" for Don Flamenco.
  • Tear Jerker: Doc Louis wandering through Little Mac's exhibit in the ending cutscene of the Wii version.
  • That One Attack:
    • Mike Tyson's Dynamite punch/Mr. Dream's Dream Maker in the original definitely counts. For the first ninety seconds in the first round, if they happen to connect with these rapid punches, you're knocked down no matter what. Super Macho Man's lariat punches count too for the same reasons. Like Tyson, it is a One-Hit KO attack that requires a lot of rapid dodging to avoid it.
    • For players new to the Wii game, King Hippo's double side smash and Bear Hugger's Bear Hug can serve as a wake-up call, since it does so much damage early on in the game. Great Tiger's uppercuts are also this, since they're the first instance where you must dodge the right direction to avoid them.
  • That One Boss:
    • In the Wii version, Title Defense Bald Bull is unanimously considered to be the hardest opponent. Significant damage on every attack, a right uppercut that comes out very quickly, a change in timing on his Bull Charge (his One-Hit Kill), and most importantly, knockdown immunity unless hit with a Star Punch. It also doesn't help that the Stars are hard to get. Bald Bull's status as That One Boss is lampshaded in Family Guy when, while praying, Peter asks God for advice on how to beat him.
    • Soda Popinski in Title Defense. If you don't have quick reflexes, have fun losing. Soda moves very quickly and early on takes little damage. Each consecutive time you counter, he'll take more damage, but if you get hit, it resets. And without quick reflexes, you'll be getting hit a lot.
    • Dragon Chan in Super Punch-Out!! (arcade and Super NES). Blocks a lot, is fast, and has that One-Hit Kill kick. Especially in the rematch of the arcade game. He blocks a lot more efficiently and he does two of those kicks in a row. Not only is the timing on dodging the kicks difficult, he throws them with random build-up times, and if he ends on the player's right, he can't be countered after missing.
    • Great Tiger in the arcade Super Punch-Out!!, especially the rematch. He rarely stuns, and even if he does, the player gets at most one or two extra punches out of it. He also uses an annoying low hook attack with an odd build-up time, making it very hard to dodge or counter. Even worse, he'll dodge the player's attack and follow with an easily avoidable attack, allowing the player to dodge that and get in a hit or two. Great, until he suddenly counters instantly and gets a free hit on the player.
    • Bear Hugger is notable in that he's one of the few boxers to not follow a specific pattern after the first knockdown. This makes him extremely difficult to read and anticipate his fakes. For the TD version, considering that the best way to do damage to him requires that you counterpunch his moves, not being prepared for his fakes only serves to aggravate the issue.
    • Despite only being the third-to-last boss in the SNES Super Punch-Out!!, Hoy Quarlow may well be the game's hardest opponent, due to his incredibly fast and powerful counter-attacks, which allow him to really whale on you if you get careless. By contrast, Rick and Nick Bruiser are more Mighty Glaciers, with the difficulty in their fights (especially Nick's) being more in actually taking them down before the timer runs out.
    • Many people will agree that Mike Tyson is the hardest opponent in the entire series, and Mike Tyson is infamous for being one of the hardest bosses in any video game ever. His quick reflexes and brutal attacks really make him a challenge.
    • Donkey Kong comes closest to TD Bald Bull in terms of difficulty. You need good timing to get stars off of his taunts, and if you miss it, he follows up with a string of attacks that is very hard to predict, and unless you dodge them all, you won't be able to get much damage in on him. Not to mention that his damage output is on par with Bald Bull, and his taunting means he has a tendency to run down the clock.
  • Uncanny Valley: The Super Punch-Out protagonist's appearance in Fight Night Round 2. Just look.
  • The Woobie: The Wii version makes you feel sorry for Glass Joe and Von Kaiser (Glass Joe especially).
    • Look at your defeated opponents gallery in Title Defence. It's hard not to feel sorry for King Hippo with his lip quivering, Bear Hugger looking like he's about to cry, the crushed looks of Disco Kid, Don Flamenco, or Soda Popinski -- even Super Macho Man has a face that could inspire some sympathy! The only exceptions are Mr. Sandman (who just looks absolutely stunned) and Aran Ryan... who could perhaps use a smoke... And if you felt bad for Von Kaiser before, look at the mess he's become in Title Defence review and his woobism goes through the roof.
    • Possible exception being Glass Joe, for whom this is just 'business as usual'.
  • Woolseyism: As mentioned in Bowdlerization, changing the Russian boxer's name and drink of choice from vodka to soda pop in the NES version of the game. However, Soda Popinski was every bit as obviously drunk as Vodka Drunkinski. The idea of him being drunk off of soda pop, and the dialogue that resulted, was so funny that in the Wii version, he's actually drinking soda pop in both versions of the game.
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