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2* AccidentalInnuendo:
3** Texas Mac in ''Arm Wrestling'' has the stat screen description of ''Stud-Horse''. Coupled with his shirtless appearance and ten-gallon hat, it just makes him come across as an Old West-themed pornstar.
4** The NES game features a couple lines from Creator/MikeTyson[=/=]Mr. Dream where he talks about Little Mac's finger speed. Between rounds, he can taunt Little Mac with the line "You think the speed of your fingers can match the strength of my fists?" Meanwhile, defeating Tyson/Dream results in him saying that "I've never seen such finger speed before," followed by the boxer winking at the camera. These lines, especially the latter, have long been the subject of bawdy jokes among fans thanks to them sounding less like references to playing an NES game and more like references to, well, sex.
5* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
6** Despite the CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys image that Glass Joe is supposed to portray, some fans portray him as a {{Determinator}}, seeing as he hasn't quit even after taking 99 losses. Doc even acknowledges this, as does Joe's [[http://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_SSB4_trophies_(Punch-Out!!_series) Smash Bros trophy.]] The ''Wii'' version runs with this characterization, portraying him as a SpiritedCompetitor in spite of his appalling fight record.
7** The bottom of [[http://11points.com/11-biggest-assholes-mike-tysons-punch/ this page]] has a theory about Glass Joe.
8---> '''Sam Greenspan:''' He's like a guy who's been forced to box because he somehow got under the mob's thumb and still needs to pay them off to save his family.
9** When you beat Glass Joe in Title Defense, his portrait in the defeated opponent gallery has a disturbed, thousand-yard-stare; barely even moving, just cradling his sore jaw and looking off into the distance. Fans have interpreted this to be him genuinely wondering how he's even still alive after so many beatings. Another, far more depressing interpretation is that after 101 losses, including one with the massive advantage of head gear, he's finally realized that he's a terrible boxer and he's wasted (and endangered) his life in a sport he could never succeed at.
10** When Piston Hondo [[JapanesePoliteness bows to Little Mac before a fight]], he looks to Mac in the eye. Martial arts allow this in Japan when combatants are within striking distance, since this wouldn't be a sign of disrespect more than of cautiousness. That said, is Hondo just trying to be cautious about Little Mac, or is he actually [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen expecting Mac to be polite with him and bow back]] instead of [[CombatPragmatist punching Hondo while he is distracted]]? Adding to this, the Title Defense fight suggests it may be the latter, since after the first time Hondo bows, he no longer expects Mac to be polite and instead [[ScrewTheRulesTheyBrokeThemFirst jumps away from Mac's attack before trying to counterpunch him]].
11** The Referee. Is he simply {{easily distracted|Referee}} and does not see other boxers like Aran Ryan cheating, or does he not rule them out because [[BullyingADragon he feels that'd be dangerous]]?
12* AntiClimaxBoss:
13** Contender Sandman is significantly easier to deal with when you realize that most of his moves can be counterpunched with a hook. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXgbDI-FirQ Demonstrated here.]] Title Defense Sandman improves a bit, thanks to [[ThatOneAttack his new lightning-fast winking uppercuts]]; even then, you can still counter his Dreamland Express to easily land a star punch and instantly knock him down. His Berserker Rage is also not very threatening, since he uses the same pattern every time.
14** Both the minor and major league champions have abusable weaknesses:
15*** Counterpunching or star punching King Hippo's hippo hug attack twice in a row instantly knocks him out.
16*** If you alternate left and right punches to Don Flamenco's head and body while he is staggering from a combo, he will be unable to recover from the blows until he is knocked down.
17* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In the NES game, wins by decision require a fixed score. They are impossible against some enemies, including the champions. But the limit you have to pass to win that way against Tyson himself, who is hard to survive, let alone knock out, is one of the ''lowest'', in spite of him being the TrueFinalBoss.
18* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
19** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpccRdanqEA Soda Popinski's combined themes]] are especially awesome.
20** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndaP9iieaok series' main theme]] is incredibly memorable. Both the NES and Wii versions.
21* BaseBreakingCharacter
22** Narcis Prince. While he does have quite a few fans, and is a common subject for fan artwork, he also has a fair share of detractors —mostly among fans of Aran Ryan— who feel that Narcis tries too hard to be a pretty boy.
23** Heike Kagero. With the {{Bishonen}} 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. Many people have noted that he looks more like a ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' villain than a stereotypical boxer character.
24** Mad Clown. Depending on who you ask, either he's just a lame re-skin of Bear Hugger, or he throws in just enough variations on Bear Hugger's moveset to make him one of the most interesting and challenging bosses from the SNES ''Super Punch-Out''.
25* BreatherBoss:
26** In the Wii game, many people find Super Macho Man much easier than the preceding bouts against Bald Bull or the following bout against world champion Mr. Sandman. This is owed to his heavily telegraphed and announced attacks, lack of attacks that come out fast like the other World Circuit boxers and even his deadliest attack is easy to learn how to dodge. He gets a little more threatening in Title Defense, but even then he is still relatively easy and is especially a pushover next to the infamously hard Title Defense versions of Soda Popinski, Bald Bull and Mr. Sandman. The only major trouble comes from the lack of an InstantWinCondition.
27** Don Flamenco in the NES original is easier than most of the fighters who preceded him, at least the first time you fight him. The rematch can catch you off-guard at first, but his punches are fairly easy to dodge once you know they're coming, and it's fairly easy to at least win by decision. He's also sandwiched between the rematch with Bald Bull and Mr. Sandman.
28** Narcis Prince from ''Super Punch-Out!!'' is quite a bit less challenging than Mad Clown and Super Macho Man and ''much'' less challenging than the rest of the Special Circuit.
29** Disco Kid in Title Defense. After the DifficultySpike in [[WakeUpCallBoss TD Glass Joe]] and the significantly harder TD Von Kaiser with fake-out punches and a one-hit knockdown punch that requires good reflexes to dodge, Disco Kid is somewhat easier in which he doesn't have any fake-out blows or one-hit knockdowns, having only faster but manageable attacks and two new moves that are fairly easy to get around.
30** TD Great Tiger and TD Aran Ryan have easy instant-KO moves that can let you beat them in the first round.
31* CatharsisFactor:
32** These games are all NintendoHard, taking enormous amounts of practice to even just barely eke out a victory against the later challengers let alone delivering a CurbStompBattle against them. But when you do win, you ''will'' feel like a champion.
33** Most of the characters have something about them meant to piss you off slightly, be it bad stereotyping or some other obnoxious personality quirk. This is probably to make it more satisfying when you beat their faces in. The epitome of this is Title Defense Aran Ryan; he has a LastDitchMove when he's about to be knocked down, but if you use a Star Punch while he's using it, [[CheatersNeverProsper you knock him out instantly]].
34* ContestedSequel: The SNES ''Super Punch-Out!!'' is seen as a huge step up from the NES game in the presentation department, with some wonderfully done 16-bit sprite work. However, its gameplay is very divisive, due to largely following the mechanics of the arcade titles as opposed to the more well-known and beloved mechanics from the NES game. Additionally the mostly different set of opponents aren't as well-received as the cast in the NES game since they range from unmemorable (such as Gabby Jay, Aran Ryan before the Wii version redeemed him, and the Bruiser brothers Nick and Rick) to so outlandish that it breaks suspension of disbelief (such as Heike Kagero, Mad Clown, and Hoy Quarlow). Although it is generally regarded as a good game, whether it holds up to ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' is up for debate.
35* CrazyIsCool: Aran Ryan, who, in the Wii game, was recharacterized as a complete lunatic and CombatSadomasochist. In addition to some memorable voice lines, he also cheats quite a bit, incorporating headbutts, boxing gloves lined with horseshoes, and a third boxing glove turned into a flail into his moveset.
36* DracoInLeatherPants: Aran Ryan is often turned from "[[AxCrazy complete lunatic]]" into ''"Irish hottie"''. It doesn't help that Aran's original appearance was nowhere near as mean as the Wii version.
37* EnsembleDarkhorse:
38** Punching bag Glass Joe has strangely endeared himself to the fanbase. It helps that he hasn't ever given up a fight and keeps returning for more.
39** Von Kaiser has a number of fans due to his characterization and design.
40** Soda Popinski is fairly popular as well, thanks to his odd case of {{Bowdleri|se}}zation.
41** Aran Ryan's [[CrazyIsCool insane characterization]] in the Wii version quickly earned him a lot of fans. Being based around an Irish stereotype that ''isn't'' drinking (and being hilarious in doing so) has also earned him plenty of fans from his country as well. Prior to [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]]'s arrival, numerous fans were clamoring to see him added to the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' roster.
42** Super Macho Man thanks to his hilarious [[RichBitch rich and famous]] {{Heel}} characterization and [[MemeticMutation memetic lines, including the botched ones]].
43** The Bruiser Brothers also stand out for being in the top-two of the unique Special Circuit and being left open for additional characterization. It helps that Rick and Nick have contrasting personalities with Rick [[GracefulLoser not taking his loss personally]] in contrast to Nick [[ThisCanNotBe being stunned psychologically.]]
44** Disco Kid, for his enthusiastic DanceBattler routine and being one of the very few boxers who isn't an [[ArrogantKungFuGuy arrogant]] [[{{Jerkass}} asshole]] and/or a [[CombatPragmatist cheater]].
45** Bear Hugger got a boost in popularity from his return in Wii edition, having plenty of amusing lines and even taking a level in badass by earning a spot in the Major Circuit. Being a friend of squirrels and bears helps too.
46* FanNickname:
47** Von Kaiser's [[OneHitKill One-Hit KO]] attack in "Title Defense" mode, the Spin Attack, has been given the name The [[VideoGame/FatalFury Von Kaiser Wave]] by many ''Punch-Out'' and ''Fatal Fury'' (and consequently, [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters KOF]]) fans.
48** Doc Louis is sometimes nicknamed "Dad Louis" because of him acting as a ParentalSubstitute for Little Mac.
49** "Rat man", or any variation thereof, for Aran Ryan, due to his [[AxCrazy feral nature]].
50* {{Fanon}}:
51** A common fanon belief in the ''Punch-Out'' fanbase is Glass Joe [[KindheartedCatLover owning a cat]] and Von Kaiser [[CanineCompanion owning a dog]].
52** Due to him being in his 40s, fanon typically depicts Von Kaiser as having [[FamilyMan a wife and children]].
53** Interpretations of [[TheGhost Aran Ryan's sister]] vary, but if she and Aran aren't portrayed as HalfIdenticalTwins, she is typically the younger of the two. "Shannon" seems to be the most common fanon name for her, but names like Sharonne, Moira, [[Webcomic/AskTheRyans Rory]], Iona, and Brigit have also been used.
54** Glass Joe and Von Kaiser are often thought of as either close friends or a couple. The same is true of Piston Hondo/Great Tiger and Aran Ryan/Soda Popinski.
55** Aran Ryan is typically thought of as being [[TheAlcoholic fond of alcohol]]; not only because he's Irish, but also because he's very reckless, [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy which is a common trait of drunkards]]. He's also commonly thought to be a prankster who constantly plays tricks on the other boxers.
56** Due to one of his quotes in the NES game being "Flamenco strikes back! Return of Don!", Don Flamenco is commonly portrayed as being a ''Franchise/StarWars'' fan.
57** Due to them being from Britain and Ireland respectively, it's very common for fans to depict Narcis Prince and Aran Ryan as bitter rivals.
58** Thanks to his [[{{Guyliner}} Title]] [[PaintItBlack Defense]] appearance, fans believe that Don Flamenco became an {{Emo}} after he first lost to Little Mac.
59** Aran Ryan being smelly is an oddly popular headcanon, particularly on Website/{{Tumblr}}.
60** Based on the fact that Piston Hondo reads manga (specifically, ''Manga/SailorMoon'') in-between rounds during his Title Defense fight, many people interpret Piston Hondo as an {{Otaku}}, usually of the ClosetGeek variety.
61** "Jerome" being Doc Louis's first name is a common headcanon among fans. It's sometimes [[CommonKnowledge mistaken as being official]], but there's nothing in the games indicating that Doc isn't his first name.
62* FanonDiscontinuity: ''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 ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', which made the two playable boxers easier to associate with each other in their eyes, but not all.
63* FirstInstallmentWins: The SNES ''Super Punch-Out!!'' doesn't have anywhere near the legacy that ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' did, and back in its day couldn't even sell more than a million copies, whereas its predecessor sold over 3 million. It's no surprise that when the Wii's modern take on ''Punch-Out!!'' came around, it was based on the NES game, with its gameplay being an updated form of the NES style, having Little Mac be like his NES self with Doc Louis back as his coach, and bringing back the entire NES cast bar Mike Tyson/Mr. Dream, while only two characters from the SNES game (Bear Hugger and Aran Ryan, the former of whom technically originated in the second arcade game, and the latter of which underwent a huge character change) were brought back.
64* FriendlyFandoms:
65** The ''Punch-Out!!'' fandom and the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' fandom are very close, and understandably so. Both are video games featuring an all-male cast, most of which are NationalStereotypes. Fans of Punch-Out often make jokes comparing ''Punch-Out!!'' characters to ''Team Fortress 2'' characters (for example, Von Kaiser is often compared to the Medic, Soda Popinski is often compared to the Heavy, Little Mac is often compared to the Scout, and Glass Joe is often compared to the Spy) and there are several pieces of fanart depicting characters from the two games interacting.
66** Oddly enough, on [=DeviantArt=] at least, a lot of fans of ''Punch-Out!!'' are also fans of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''. This might be attributed to the fact that both franchises have an AllStereotypeCast (though ''Total Drama'' goes for subculture/lifestyle-based stereotypes rather than national ones), and both ''Punch-Out!! Wii'' and the ''Total Drama'' series came from the same place (UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}) and were released at around the same time ([[TurnOfTheMillennium the late 2000s]]).
67* GeniusBonus: After you beat ''Super Punch-Out!!'', every boxer has a message for you. Mad Clown bitterly says, "Go home! The show is over!". This is a slightly fudged translation of the closing line of ''Theatre/{{Pagliacci}}''.
68* GoddamnedBoss:
69** World Circuit Don Flamenco in the NES game, while not the hardest fighter in the game, is generally considered to be the most ''annoying''. The whole fight is basically a marathon/endurance test, since he takes a fairly small amount of damage from your punches and fights at a very slow and methodical pace, often wasting precious time. Your main concern won't be getting (T)KO'd by Flamenco but possibly being ''unable to beat him (or accumulate enough points for a Decision) before time runs out''.
70** Heike Kagero is irritating to fight in the SNES version of ''Super Punch-Out!!''. Why? Because he is extremely fast and he will dodge most of your attacks. While he doesn't hit that hard, he certainly makes up for it with his lightning-fast speed and reflexes.
71** [[spoiler:Franchise/DonkeyKong]] in the Wii version. His style of fighting is similar to Don Flamenco's, where he taunts you, dodges your attack, and then follows up with an attack of his own. However, with him it's not ''one'' attack, but several —up to five in a row— before you can counter punch. And here's the kicker: if you fail to dodge even ''one'' of these attacks, you only get a few counter punches, which won't be enough to damage him. While he's not considered the hardest opponent in the game, he's certainly one of the most annoying due to how he tends to run down the clock with his style.
72** Title Defense Soda Popinski in the Wii version is regarded as having one of the most ridiculous difficulty curve during his match. His new gimmick is that the entire match revolves around "keeping up momentum" so to speak. On the first attack you dodge, you only get two punches during a stun. For every consecutive attack you dodge, you can get an additional hit in. However, getting hit resets this entirely, and every time Soda gets knocked down, his attacks become much faster. In fact, many experienced players say that his attacks get so fast that in later stages of the fight, it's actually ''easier'' to memorise his attack patterns rather than react to his brutally fast attacks.
73* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The series is beloved in the west, but it languished in obscurity in Japan due to both the NES game and ''Super'' having extremely limited releases. An example of this can be seen in the reaction to the reveal of Little Mac being a playable character in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU''. Western fans were excited but not especially shocked, while Japanese players were [[UnexpectedCharacter outright baffled at the inclusion of such an obscure character]].
74* HarsherInHindsight: The Wii game was re-released 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 week of the re-release) would be eligible for registration makes the order to "join Club Nintendo today, Mac" feel like the game's mocking you.
75* HeartwarmingInHindsight: 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.
76* HilariousInHindsight:
77** Princess Peach was originally intended to be the {{superboss}} in ''Punch-Out!!'' Wii until being replaced by [[spoiler: Donkey Kong]] [[DoubleStandard because they didn't like the idea of Little Mac beating up a girl]]. With Little Mac being added as a playable character in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'', both can now duke it out in the ring. Additionally, later in the ''Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games'' series, boxing would be added as one of its games and Peach is able to compete in it against the male characters from Mario and Sonic, so she ended up being able to be punched out by men in a boxing ring anyway.
78** Losing the match against [[spoiler: Donkey Kong]] has the victor sling Little Mac over his shoulder and leave with him. With the release of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'', we now know where they went.
79** Super Macho Man was taking selfies before it was cool.
80** Super Macho Man is the PreFinalBoss in the NES version, the DiscOneFinalBoss in SNES and the PreFinalBoss again in Wii. Someone could say he is the [[MemeticMutation bogus]] final challenge in all three.
81** Great Tiger's contender intro line in the Wii version translates from hindi to "I am [[Series/TigerKing Tiger King]]".
82** One of the sound effects for Great Tiger's magic in the Wii version sounds suspiciously similar to the Discord notification sound.
83** Kabuki from ''Arm Wrestling'' is a dead ringer for [[Franchise/StreetFighter E. Honda]].
84* HoYay: Frank Jr. from ''Arm Wrestling'' looks positively elated to lose the match. Flushed cheeks, drooling smile, the works.
85* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: 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.
86* JerkassWoobie: 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 ProducePelting throughout the fight. Sure he's still a cocky asshole, but it's not hard to see him as sympathetic.
87* JustHereForGodzilla: To some people, the only reason they bought the [=GameCube=] version of ''Fight Night: Round 2'' was because it included the SNES ''Super Punch-Out'' as a bonus game.
88* LoveToHate:
89** Two words: Aran Ryan. The biggest, most blatant cheater and downright insane in the brain in the ''Wii'' version, yet this same personality is what has earned Aran Ryan lots of fans. The CatharsisFactor of beating him helps, too.
90-->'''Doc Louis:''' "Mmmm... mmm! Don't you just love to hate this guy?"
91** Super Macho Man is a self-absorbed, condescending [[RichBitch rich asshole]], and clearly [[LargeHam loves every minute of it.]] As seen elsewhere on this page, this makes him one of the series' most popular characters.
92* MemeticBadass:
93** Amusingly enough, there are a lot of fans [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation who argue that]] ''Glass Joe'' is actually the most hardcore character in the entire series, since [[{{Determinator}} he keeps coming back for more]] despite losing every single match. Think about it: who's braver, the guy who can knock down people with one punch, or the guy who ''gets'' knocked down in one punch [[TheSoCalledCoward and keeps coming back time after time to try again]]? There's also his fight in Title Defense mode that makes him an actual threat, not only because of his headgear, but because of his newfound confidence as well. Gabby Jay's existence only makes Glass Joe better, as he has taught other weaklings to be as determined as himself.
94** Von Kaiser is supposed to be barely better than Glass Joe, and he has been beat up by kids and screams for his mommy. But he earns this status in his Title Defense version of the Wii game, because his only major boost on paper is proper anger and confidence, but in practice he gets a few actually cool boasts and a really dangerous comeback attack, the power of which is sometimes exaggerated by fans.
95** While it's limited to one move, the fandom exaggerates the power of the "BOGUS" for Super Macho Man... even though he only says it when he ''fails'' to hit you.
96* MemeticLoser:
97** Who's an even bigger loser than Glass Joe? The guy whom Glass Joe got his one and only win against. The Official Nintendo Magazine states that it was [[spoiler:Nick Bruiser, actually one of the best boxers, in a freak accident]]. This made the fandom lose some respect for him.
98** Pizza Pasta, who bears the distinction of being the only arcade-originating character to have never been fully revisited in other games (Kid Quick was at least redefined into Disco Kid while Pizza Pasta's moveset was given to SNES Aran Ryan, the latter who got a complete overhaul in the Wii version). The only other notable things about him are his ''[[{{Narm}} awful]]'' name and the fact he has a widow's peak as well as getting replaced by Aran Ryan, who went on to become a fan-favorite in the Wii game.
99* MemeticMolester:
100** Mr. Sandman. ''Especially'' in the Wii version.
101--->'''Mr. Sandman''': "Hey Mac Baby! Brush your teeth. ''(leans in)'' It's bedtime...!"
102** [[spoiler:Donkey Kong]], given how he "kidnaps" Mac if the player loses the match, and his facial expression is... unsettling.
103* MemeticMutation:
104** "[[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ms8v5 Nigga stole my bike!]]", based on the scene where Mac trains by running through the city while Louis is riding away on a bike, but mutation changed the scene's context. The Wii version takes this joke and runs with it; in between rounds, Doc Louis may tell Mac [[AscendedMeme he wants to take a ride on his bike]].
105** "What's your favorite flower, son? Mine's chocolate!", which mutated into every single question being answered the same way.
106** "RELEASE THE- BOGUS!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A line from Title Defense Super Macho Man if you manage to dodge his uppercut, due to him cutting off his previous sentence.[[/labelnote]]
107** "RELEASE THE-DUDE?"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Same as above.[[/labelnote]]
108** Glass Joe needs to watch his mouth.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Glass Joe's line "Oh zut!" is often misheard as "Oh shit!", leading to many a joke about his foul mouth.[[/labelnote]]
109** Website/{{Tumblr}} users are quite fond of [[https://aranryansfaceonthings.tumblr.com/ photoshopping Aran Ryan]] [[https://aranryaninplacesheshouldntbe.tumblr.com/ into increasingly]] [[https://every-album-is-aran-ryan.tumblr.com/ ludicrous places]].
110** "You're gonna love this, Mac..."[[labelnote:Explanation]]One of Aran Ryan's lines before using his Rope Attack. In memes, he uses the line to preface even more flagrant cheating than he already does, such as bringing a gun into the ring.[[/labelnote]]
111* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: It's a testament to how good the character design and writing is that, while ''Punch-Out!!'' for the 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 PlayedForLaughs without being insulting or negative about it. 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.
112* MisBlamed: Some people assume that the ''Mr. Dream'' version of the NES ''Punch-Out!!'' was released to replace the ''Mike Tyson'' version because of the Tyson rape charges. The case happened a year after the ''Mr. Dream'' version was released; rather, Nintendo's contract with Tyson expired and it was not renewed because he had lost his champion status.
113* MorePopularReplacement: Disco Kid is this to Kid Quick, a more generic boxer from the original Punch-Out!! arcade game. Helps that Disco Kid is FunPersonified.
114* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
115** Any of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24tzPrDHro Fight Won]] themes, particularly if it's [[ThatOneBoss Bald Bull's]] or [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Mr. Sandman's]] versions in the Wii version.
116** The sounds that Piston Hurricane, Aran Ryan, and Narcis Prince each make in the SNES version when getting knocked down are wonderfully satisfying.
117* NightmareFuel:
118** Mr. Sandman in the Wii version. Also, Aran Ryan and Bald Bull get downright creepy close-up face shots among other things.
119** You can see your defeated opponents' reactions after beating them in Contender and Total Defense mode. Contender Sandman gives one of the most terrifying [[DeathGlare death glares]] ever seen.
120** Title Defense Sandman's reaction to seeing a poster of Little Mac is to angrily ''punch down an entire building''.
121** Bald Bull and his uncontrollable rage. He isn't only abusing opponents; to name a few things, he violently fends off paparazzis with his glove-clad fist (OK, they ''were'' harassing him constantly, but still), throws a dumbbell into the audience, and headbutts the poor Referee for no apparent reason.
122** In the Wii version, Great Tiger's special K.O. animation has him TeleportSpam before passing out. In Title Defense, at the end he disappears and ''[[UncertainDoom doesn't come back]]''.
123** A milder case, but King Hippo's laugh when he wins in Title Defense mode. Its deep and surprisingly human tone is rather unsettling, especially coming from a character that [[TheUnintelligible largely speaks through grunts and roars]].
124** Another minor case with King Hippo. During his load out info display before the bout, King Hippo would be constantly peering [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou into your screen]]. It wouldn't be surprising to see a few players take a few steps back while they wait for their bout with him to load up.
125** While most of the opponents in the NES game have cartoonish character portraits, Creator/MikeTyson is the only real-life character. Because of this, his character portrait is a digitized image of his actual face. Aside from the intensely uncanny feel of it, his eyes are black hollows with tiny white pupils. Something about this combined with the missing teeth in his smile makes him look ironically... ''inhuman''.
126** Mad Clown, with his [[SlasherSmile enormous smile]] and creepy eyes, he can make anyone coulrophobic.
127** The GameOver screen in ''Super Punch-Out!!'' That sudden [[ScareChord scare chord]] followed by dead silence, the look of horror on the challenger's face as he realizes that he might not be cut out for boxing, and that last bit of light fading away, both literally and figuratively, as someone seems to close the locker room door, leaving the challenger in the dark, alone with the weight of his losing streak on his shoulders, represented by the "game over" text dropping down with a loud thud would've scared many kids.
128* NintendoHard: The series is well-known for this. The last few fights in the NES version (the very last one in particular) are the biggest example. Champion Mode on the Wii version is hard enough to unlock: win 10 random defense fights before losing 3 in Mac's Last Stand. Should you fail, you literally need to create a new save file and climb up the ranks to try again. But you probably don't want it anyway; Champion Mode is an option you can enable in any exhibition fight that turns any attack on Mac into a OneHitKO, '''and''' stops enemies from blinking red before they attack. Then again, should you ''do'' manage to unlock it, winning every fight in said mode is a BraggingRightsReward.
129* OlderThanTheyThink:
130** Title Defense in the Wii version actually originated in the arcade ''Super Punch-Out!!', where winning the title of champion results on the opponents on the second loop gaining new moves and being faster.
131** Those who never played the arcade games might think that Bear Hugger is a parody of [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Zangief]]. In reality, Bear Hugger first appeared in the arcade ''Super Punch-Out!!'', the better part of a decade before Zangief was created.
132** Mac's Last Stand in the Wii version isn't the first mode in a Nintendo boxing game where [[FinalDeathMode losing can retire your file permanently]]. ''VideoGame/{{Teleroboxer}}'' in 1995 has Title Defense mode, which is unlocked after beating all of the opponents and retires your file with only ''one'' loss.
133** While Mr. Dream is considered by many to be a ReplacementScrappy, there are some who think he was created for the rereleases on later consoles such as the Nintendo Online service for Platform/NintendoSwitch. In reality, the altered version has existed since 1990, when the NES was still in production.
134** ''Super Punch-Out!!'' for the SNES was not as well received for how different it was from its NES predecessor, despite the fact that it was much closer to the gameplay and presentation of the original arcade games, including the Super Punch meter and need to block high or low.
135* OneTruePairing: Ships vary between groups of fans (fans either ship Aran Ryan and Narcis Prince or portray them as enemies, Don Flamenco gets tossed from lover to lover a lot, Narcis Prince/''King Hippo'' shippers exist), but most tend to agree on Glass Joe/Von Kaiser.
136* ReplacementScrappy:
137** 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.) This is likely the reason why Mr. Dream is the only one of the opponents from the NES game to be excluded from the Wii version, instead making Title Defense Mr. Sandman a Tyson {{Expy}}. The closest Mr. Dream gets is Mr. Sandman having an attack with Dreamland in its name, which is very easy to overlook due to half of Sandman’s gimmick being...well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin being a sandman]].
138** Gabby Jay in the SNES game, who functionally fulfills the same exact role that Glass Joe did, and seems to only exist just for the sake of having a "new" character. He is even a fellow Frenchman that was explicitly stated to be trained by Glass Joe and has the same exact 1-99 record (with his one win being against Glass Joe), while he has nothing distinguishing about him other than just that he is old.
139* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Aran Ryan and Kid Quick were universally considered to be among the most generic and forgettable boxers in the whole series. The Wii game rectified this by giving Aran Ryan much more personality that turned him from TheGenericGuy to an AxCrazy psychopath, and retooling Kid Quick into the much more memorable, {{Camp}}y Disco Kid.
140* TheScrappy: Even considering the fact that the franchise features a CastOfSnowflakes, there is nearly ''nobody'' who likes Pizza Pasta. His name alone is already [[SpaghettiAndGondolas a lazy Italian stereotype]] without any sort of distinction to make it a PunnyName, but as if that weren't dissuading enough, he's even more of TheGenericGuy than even SNES Aran Ryan[[note]]who, ironically, was designed to replace Pizza Pasta in that game[[/note]] was, so he doesn't have any sort of memorable personality to give Italians a much-needed standout representation.
141* ScrappyMechanic: The Wii title doesn't let you replay career matches or Last Stand mode. Career mode isn't too bad since you can face the boxers again in Exhibition, but the title bouts have exclusive background music that isn't in the sound test. Last Stand is worse, since if you lose 3 times, you can ''never access the mode again'' on that save file. If that happens before you get to fight the {{superboss}}, you can either start the entire game over on a new save file, or resign yourself to the fact that [[PermanentlyMissableContent you will never get to face all boxers in the game]].
142* SelfImposedChallenge: As if the games weren't hard enough already, for the really hardcore there are some popular such challenges for them:
143** Playing blindfolded, where all three games (the ones released on consoles) have been beaten, even being featuring several times at WebVideo/GamesDoneQuick. Yes, people have figured out even how to beat Mike Tyson without being able to see him.
144** Playing without dodging nor blocking. While most opponents in ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' are impossible in this challenge, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoE_mQ5DHfs the SNES game is fully beatable]] and every opponent in the Wii game except for Title Defense Super Macho Man have been proven humanly beatable under this restriction.
145** In the NES game, the 1 heart challenge, where you don't expend any hearts at all except for the one needed to get Don Flamenco 1 to drop his guard. Essentially, you must beat the game without ever getting hit, without ever blocking, ''and'' without your attacks ever getting blocked or dodged. It sounds like something only possible in TAS, but has been [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-NNEQMXKIE pulled off]].
146* SequelDifficultyDrop: ''Super Punch-Out!!'' for the SNES is very much a NintendoHard game, but when compared to the NES' ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'', while a more complicated game, it is quite a bit more forgiving; there is no stamina system to manage, opponents besides [[TrueFinalBoss Nick Bruiser]] generally deal considerably less damage outside of special attacks, the power meter system is powered up by just landing hits and not getting hit yourself so you don't need to hit tricky counters and delayed punches to throw stronger punches, you can recover health whenever you knockdown the opponent instead of just once per a match between rounds, and you can get more than three lives (up to as much as six or seven if you score enough points) before getting a Game Over while you never rank down when you lose. Also the change from the three round system to the one round system with the "three knockdowns in one round for a TKO" rule intact also makes things easier; on the NES against most of the harder opponents you couldn't get up after three knockdowns in one match anyway, while it typically required five or six knockdowns for the opponents before they stayed down (barring special KO conditions being met), so both the player and the opponents having a strict three knockdowns limit is just evening the playing field.
147* SequelDisplacement: ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' for the NES isn't the first game in the series, having been preceded by two arcade games and two spinoffs for arcade and Platform/GameAndWatch. It is still considered the most iconic game of the series and the "beginning" of the franchise by much of the general public, to the point that the Wii reboot largely adapts the NES game's style and mechanics despite also including some elements from the other titles.
148* ShipsThatPassInTheNight: Almost all ships as, despite presumably fighting each other off-screen, none of the boxers interact with anyone but Mac. Glass Joe and Von Kaiser are commonly shipped together.
149* SignatureScene: Doc Louis riding his bicycle and Little Mac chasing after it is not only a [[MemeticMutation memetic]] scene, but a symbol of the franchise itself. It's even been parodied in [[Recap/FamilyGuyS12E4AFistfulOfMeg an episode of]] ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''.
150* SpecialEffectFailure: In the post-[[spoiler:Mac's Last Stand]] credits, Aran Ryan's animation had to be crunched due to him moving from side to side in the ring, and it is noticeably skippy as a result (especially the Title Defense version).
151* SpiritualAdaptation: Stereotypes aside, these are often considered the best ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'' games ever made.
152* SurpriseDifficulty: You wouldn't expect Glass Joe to put up a fight, but once you get to Title Defense...
153* ThatOneAchievement:
154** Defeating Title Defense Soda Popinski while letting him drink as much as he wants. Not only does he fall under ThatOneBoss to begin with, but now he’s guaranteed to self-heal, sending the progress you've made straight out the window.
155** Knocking Title Defense Mr. Sandman down in under 33 seconds. The challenge requires using three-star punches, so perfectly counter-punching his already-quick moves is necessary here, and if you get hit, mistime your star punches or don’t get a star off one of your counter punches, you might as well reset the fight then and there.
156* ThatOneAttack:
157** 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 OneHitKill attack that requires a lot of rapid dodging to avoid it, though unlike with Tyson you do get a lot of time to react as he backs up first and preps the move.
158** 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.
159** Nick Bruiser's jab combo; not only does it go on for a long time (going up to ten jabs before finishing with an uppercut), but unlike against every other opponent in the game you still take some chip damage when blocking his jabs, and while it's possible to dodge every hit of the combo, the timing to do so is VERY tight. So, either play it "safe", block and take a decent chunk of unavoidable damage (with possible risk of unavoidable knockdown if your health was already low), or risk a lot more damage as you risk botching so much as a single dodge in the combo. Your saving grace is at least you don't lose any of your precious power meter from blocking the jabs as long as you had enough health to not get knocked down.
160* ThatOneBoss:
161** ''Super Punch-Out!!'' (arcade):
162*** Dragon Chan. Blocks a lot, is fast, and has that OneHitKill kick. In the rematch, he blocks a lot more efficiently and kicks twice in a row. Not only is the timing for dodging the kicks difficult, he throws those out with random build-up times, and if he ends on the player's right, he can't be countered after missing.
163*** Great Tiger, 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.
164** ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' (NES):
165*** Super Macho Man. Not only is he very fast, he has a OneHitKill that quickly becomes problematic because of how difficult his lariat punches become to dodge. You have to avoid his lariat punches in quick succession, lest you want Little Mac to eat the canvas. Moreover, you better hope that you can get as many Star Punches in reserve, because you're gonna need every last one of them to defeat him.
166*** 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 & brutal attacks really make him a challenge.
167** ''Super Punch-Out!!'' (SNES):
168*** Dragon Chan, the second opponent in the Major Circuit. He's more reliant on speed and agility than the previous opponents. His body blows come after slight sidesteps that can be tricky to telegraph. And his dreaded flying kick returns. Worse, he can sometimes perform three kicks (though less damaging) in succession. He's also capable of healing under instruction from his cornerman, who speaks in Chinese. Chan is an early example of how challenging the SNES game can be.
169*** Heike Kagero, the second opponent in the World Circuit. He relies more on speed and agility not unlike Dragon Chan. But he also has Mirage Dance, which lets him rapidly teleport making him much harder to hit. He also relies on using his hair to attack which can be challenging to dodge and duck. He's definitely a step up from Major Circuit Champion Mr. Sandman and Aran Ryan before him.
170*** Super Macho Man again. He's the World Champion for a reason. He's fast and strong throughout the fight. His clotheslines are just as dangerous as before. But this time, his Exercise Programs are just as problematic if you aren't careful. The programs are a flurry of specific punches that come out in quick succession and can seriously hurt. Program C consists of quick and powerful uppercuts, which make even Mr. Sandman's Dreamland Express seem like child's play.
171*** Hoy Quarlow, the third-to-last opponent, is a huge step up from all the prior opponents. Some players may even have more difficulty with him than Rick Bruiser, due to his incredibly fast and powerful counter-attacks, which allow him to really whale on you if you get careless. Also if you try sneaking a punch through his guard there's a high random chance he'll just dodge it or block it with his cane, where he then proceeds to push you back and leave you vulnerable. Additionally DamnYouMuscleMemory may come into play when you have him stunned, as he is the first opponent you fight (and the only one besides FinalBoss Nick Bruiser) who sways from side to side as you punch him during his stun state, so you must alternate your punches instead of just repeatedly punching from the same side. He's considered particularly hellish for speedrunners, because a ''lot'' of his attacks are randomized to some degree, effectively turning any given speedrun into a LuckBasedMission; even playing perfectly, he can range from lasting ten seconds to twice that.
172** ''Punch-Out!!'' (Wii):
173*** Bear Hugger is notable due to being 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 Title Defense 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.
174*** Soda Popinski in Title Defense. If you don't have quick reflexes, you'll lose, as 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.
175*** Bald Bull in Title Defense is unanimously considered to be ''the'' hardest opponent in the game. Significant damage on every attack, a right uppercut that comes out very quickly, a change in timing on his Bull Charge (his OneHitKill), and most importantly, knockdown immunity unless hit with a Star Punch. It also doesn't help that the Stars are hard to get unless you stop his Bull Charge with a regular attack... which means you have to stop this risky attack at least twice.
176* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: ''Super Punch-Out!!'' received some criticism for introducing mechanics that significantly deviate the gameplay from the original formula, such as changing the match structure from three rounds to a single long round (with victory by decision being impossible), removing the stamina system, the blocking and counterpunching systems being changed up, and replacing the Star Punch system with the power meter system from the arcade games. Fans also didn't like that most of the iconic NES cast did not return (with only Bald Bull, Mr. Sandman, and Super Macho Man returning in significantly nerfed forms), while the SNES cast is generally much less regarded, and the protagonist (whether he is actually Little Mac or not) isn't beloved like NES Little Mac is.
177* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
178** The NES game, with Mac's pink track suit, Soda Popinski being from the USSR, Great Tiger's hometown being named "Bombay" instead of "Mumbai," and Mike Tyson being champ definitely set it in the '80s. If Mac's able to beat Super Macho Man, the player will see a paper that gives the date as April 1, 1987.
179** The Wii game has Doc mention Club Nintendo, which was discontinued a while after the game released.
180* UnintentionallySympathetic: Bald Bull when he is hounded by the paparazzi, to a degree. Especially when the paparazzi goes as far as hounding him in the bath or (in the comics) on the toilet, it's not hard to feel bad for him. It makes his anger make much more sense, at least.
181* UnintentionalUncannyValley: Little Mac's guest appearance in ''Fight Night Round 2'' has his {{animesque}} design clash a little too hard with the otherwise realistic boxers; his wide open eyes in his doughy face just look creepy.
182* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Aran Ryan and Super Macho Man are the only opponents in the Wii game that blatantly get booed by the audience, being given the {{Heel}} treatment for their blatant cheating and narcissistic personality, respectively (even getting ProducePelting in between matches in their Title Defense matches). Fans of the game, however, can't get enough out of their antics.
183* TheWoobie: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chyTo3Y_vTo defeated opponents gallery]] in Title Defense shows King Hippo standing in fear with his lip quivering, Bear Hugger looking like he's about to cry, the crushed looks of Disco Kid, Don Flamenco, or Soda Popinski, and even Super Macho Man's face that could inspire some sympathy. The only exceptions are Mr. Sandman (who just looks absolutely stunned), Great Tiger (who simply looks like he's about to puke), and Aran Ryan... who could [[{{Squick}} perhaps use a smoke]]... Von Kaiser is also shown cowering in the Title Defense review, making him seem all the more pitiful. Glass Joe, while being [[GracefulLoser too good of a sport too throw a fit,]] has a thousand-yard stare that seems to imply he's finally started to rethink his life's choices.

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