This duo excels at long-range attacks, like kicking exploding cans and throwing clay pigeons. For their Final Smash, three games from the Light Gun Series team up: Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, and Wild Gunman!
Duck Hunt (ダックハント, Duckhunt), known in PAL versions as Duck Hunt Duo, are playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They were confirmed as playable characters on June 12, 2018. Although they are a team, Duck Hunt are collectively classified as fighter #59.
Duck Hunt retains the realistic dog and duck noises, using a combination of recycled voice clips from Smash 4 along with additional new ones.
Duck Hunt received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to Ultimate, but have been noticeably buffed overall. Duck Hunt's notoriously inconsistent KO potential has been improved in many ways: their infamously unreliable smash attacks now connect much more reliably (though their final hits may still fail to connect in rare instances), while their forward tilt is now a situational KO option thanks to its much higher base knockback.
Trick Shot, which was already a powerful, versatile projectile, has been improved in many ways: it KOs earlier, travels further, has less endlag and can now be hit in air, all of which improve its utility. Clay Shooting has less endlag and forces opponents to stay in place if they get hit, which make it an excellent combo tool. In addition, it now explodes into shrapnel that deals damage in many directions, increasing its effective range. Duck Jump now allows the duo to act out of it after at least 50 frames; when coupled with the reintroduction of directional air dodges, these changes somewhat improve the safety and reliability of their once-risky recovery. Lastly, Wild Gunman has less endlag, higher damage outputs and knockback (to the point that the orange and sombrero gunmen boast KO potential at high percents), and the defeated gunmen each maintain a hurtbox that allow Duck Hunt to use them to block incoming attacks.
Duck Hunt also benefit from the universal changes of Ultimate. Their mobility has improved, particularly in regard to their dash/initial dash speeds and their aerials' reduced landing lag. These changes, when coupled with many of Duck Hunt's moves in general having less endlag, somewhat improves their combo game.
However, Duck Hunt have received some nerfs. Their lighter weight further worsens their already poor endurance. Some of their aerials have also been worsened: clean neutral aerial's noticeably lower knockback growth hinders its KO potential, forward aerial has a slightly shorter duration, and down aerial no longer auto-cancels with a short hop. Lastly, Trick Shot has lost some of its set-ups into Clay Shooting, while the latter is harder to destroy and its shrapnel can also damage Duck Hunt.
Overall, the changes to Duck Hunt greatly benefit them, as they are considered to be better than they were in SSB4. These buffs and nerfs, however, also change their playstyle somewhat. When coupled with Ultimate's faster engine, the combination of Duck Hunt's lighter weight, improved mobility and generally improved normal moves gives them more a more aggressive playstyle than in SSB4. Despite this, the large retention of their camping game also enables them to use it potently, despite the faster game engine favoring more offensive playstyles.
Initially, Duck Hunt were believed to be considerably worse than in SSB4, to the point that their playerbase was even smaller than it was in SSB4. Raito, the best Duck Hunt player in the world, most notably held this negative perception of them, and thus resorted to using secondaries, such as Inkling. However, as time went on, Raito started achieving very strong results competitively with them, such as placing 3rd at both Albion 4 and Umebura Japan Major 2019, placing 5th at EVO 2019, and taking sets off of notable players including Dabuz, Shuton, Cosmos, and Abadango.
These very potent results indicate that Duck Hunt have maintained their viability, but have also potentially become even more viable than in SSB4. Along with Raito, other Duck Hunt mains, such as Ozone and Vintendo, started achieving respectable results as of late. Although Duck Hunt's playerbase is still small, their impressive results, especially by Raito, indicate that they can be very potent when mastered.
Aesthetics
Duck Hunt's model is of a significantly higher visual quality. The dog's overall color scheme is more vibrant, better matching his sprite in Duck Hunt, and he now features detailing on his fur, collar, paws, and nose. The duck's color scheme is more subdue and features greater feather detailing.
Duck Hunt is significantly more vocal. They have more voice clips during gameplay beyond their taunts and Star KO, consisting of bitcrushed realistic dog noises and duck quacks. These voice clips are also now available in the Sound Test.
Similar to other cartoonish fighters, the duo are more expressive.
The duck no longer blinks during the duo's idle and crouching animation and on the results screen.
Duck Hunt's shielding animation is slightly altered. The duck now covers the dog with its feathers.
Attributes
Like all characters, Duck Hunt's jumpsquat animation takes three frames to complete (down from 4).
Up tilt has less startup (frame 7 → 6) and ending lag (FAF 34 → 28).
Up tilt is harder to connect on grounded opponents, since characters can no longer run through each other.
Up tilt's hitbox is smaller (7u → 5u), while its Y2 offset was compensating (13 → 15), the hitbox is narrower and has less range against grounded opponents.
Up tilt deals significantly more base knockback (35 → 95), but has much less knockback scaling (130 → 40), removing its KO potential, but increasing its combo potential.
If the first hit of forward smash connects, subsequent hits will be positioned to continue the chain into the final hit, rather than having their positions somewhat randomized.
Forward smash's first and second hits launch at a higher angle (5° → 45°) and deal more set knockback (60 → 66 (hit 1), 60 → 69 (hit 2)), making them connect more reliably.
It has larger hitboxes (3.8u → 4.7u (hit 1), 5.2u → 6.9u (hit 2), 7u → 7.8u (hit 3)).
The first two hits no longer have set knockback (72/60 → 0), and use an autolink angle (140°/150° → 368° (hit 1), 115° → 368° (hit 2)), allowing them to connect more reliably.
Up smash's first and second hit deal slightly more damage (2%/2.4% → 2.5% each).
Up smash's final hit deals more knockback (40 base/112 scaling → 45/120).
Neutral aerial's clean hit has less knockback scaling (100 → 86). This reduces its KO potential, but combined with the landing lag reduction grants it combo potential when landing.
The first hit sends the opponent at a lower angle (145° → 95°), the second hit launches at an autolink angle (145° → 363°), both hits deal more set knockback (40 → 50) and have a reduced hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.5×), allowing them to connect more reliably overall.
All hits have larger hitboxes (5.5u → 6u (hits 1-2), 8u → 8.5u (hit 3)) and the second hit and third hit's hitboxes have been moved upward (Y offset: 20u → 21.5u (hits 2), 21u → 22.5u (hit 3)), improving its range overall.
The first hit's hitbox has been moved lower (Y offset: 20u → 18.5u), slightly reducing its range overall.
Trick Shot's can is slower and more floaty, but starts further forward.
Trick Shot's can travels more distance every time it is shot. This increases its effective range, but also means it will fly over grounded opponents more often.
Trick Shot's explosion sends the opponent flying in the direction of the side of the can that hit them, instead of sending them the direction Duck Hunt is facing.
Trick Shot's can has bullet holes appear every time the special button is pressed.
Trick Shot's can auto explodes more quickly after the eighth shot (76 frames → 60).
Trick Shot's can is able to be hit with an attack midair, allowing Duck Hunt to cover more options.
Trick Shot's can and its explosion deal more damage (1.8%-2% → 1.6%-4.4% (contact), 8% → 10% (explosion)), without full compensation for knockback on the explosion (110 scaling → 100), improving its KO potential.
Trick Shot's can can be shot even when it is about to explode, increasing the amount of time it can be maneuvered.
Trick Shot has less ending lag (FAF 46 → 42).
Trick Shot has lost some setups in combination with Clay Shooting.
Shooting Clay Shooting's pigeon with Special Move works differently. Instead of always getting destroyed immediately, it will only be shot once per input made. If it is moving too fast, it will not be destroyed, but it will always be destroyed in one shot if it is moving slowly enough.
Clay Shooting has slightly less ending lag (FAF 66 → 64).
Clay Shooting forces the opponent to stay in place if they get hit, making it a significantly better combo starter.
When Clay Shooting's pigeon is destroyed, debris that deals damage flies in multiple directions. [1]
However, these particles will damage Duck Hunt if the pigeon is destroyed by the opponent.
This means a pigeon that missed and was thrown with the smash input takes longer to destroy, reducing its safety.
After 50 frames, Duck Jump can be cancelled with an attack or air dodge, though Duck Hunt will still be helpless afterwards.
If Duck Hunt gets hit by a windbox or an attack that deals no knockback (like Fox's laser) after cancelling Duck Jump but before entering helpless state, Duck Jump can be used again. This can be repeated indefinitely. [2]
The Wild Gunmen's eyes flash before they are about to shoot, instead of flashing immediately after spawning.
Wild Gunman has less ending lag (FAF 45 → 42).
Each Gunman fires three frames earlier.
Each Gunman deals 4% more damage (4%-7% → 8%-11%) with no compensation on knockback, granting them KO potential at high percents, especially the Sombrero Gunman.
When a Gunman is defeated, it will take longer for him to disappear and for another Gunman to be spawned.
However, the Gunman's defeated body has a tangible hurtbox, which allows Duck Hunt to use it as a shield from projectile attacks.
The Wild Gunmen have visual bullet tracers when shooting their guns, allowing players to see how far each gunman will shoot.
However, this also makes it safer for Duck Hunt to shield the can himself (after the opponent hits it back for example).
Because perfecting shielding projectiles has less ending lag, Duck Hunt can act before the opponent if he perfect shields a can from Trick Shot that his opponent shields. This allows him to start a variety of combos.
The dog performs a paw swipe, followed by a headbutt, followed by a double-footed side kick performed from the baby freeze (a variation of the freeze breakdancing move). If button mashed, the duck pecks repeatedly at alternating angles and then thrusts its wings and beak forward.
The dog leans on his chest and forepaws in order to thrust his lower back forward and propel the duck, who performs a peck. It can be angled and is decent for spacing, while its horizontal angle allows it to propel Trick Shot's tin can a long-distance forward while it is in front of themselves.
The dog leans on his chest and forepaws in order to thrust his lower back upward and propel the duck, who performs an upward headbutt while thrusting its wings upward.
The dog slides onto his chest and forepaws in order to thrust his lower back forward and propel the duck, who performs a peck. It covers a fair amount of distance and its very high base knockback makes it decent at warding off an opponent. However, it has a noticeable ending lag. The late hit knocks opponent over and behind Duck Hunt.
The dog and duck look forward before the NES Zapper fires three shots in front of them while they comically dodge the shots. It is a semi-spike and the longer it is charged, the larger its range becomes. However, its first two hits are unreliable, as their angles and very high knockback growth can occasionally launch opponents too early, and thus allow them to evade its last hit. This move can be angled.
The dog and duck look upward before the NES Zapper fires three shots upward while they comically dodge the shots. Like forward smash, its range increases the longer it is charged. Although its first two hits are unreliable because of their angles and very high knockback growth, they are slightly more reliable compared to forward smash and down smash's first two hits.
The dog and duck look at the ground before the NES Zapper fires three shots around them while they comically dodge the shots. Its first and last hits are in front of the dog, while the second hit is behind him. Its last hit launches the opponent behind the dog, and as a result, Duck Hunt must face away from the edge when attempting to use this move in order to properly launch the opponent off-stage. Like forward and up smashes, its range increases the longer it is charged, but its first two hits are unreliable because of their angles and very high knockback growth.
The dog somersaults to perform a headbutt, followed by the duck immediately performing a somersaulting peck. The second hit can meteor smash opponents, whether on the ground or in midair.
The dog sways his head downward to slam the opponent onto the ground. It is Duck Hunt's least damaging throw but can function as a set-up into any of his aerials at mid to high percents.
The dog kicks away a tin can from the Hogan's Alley game mode of the same name. The can is explosive and subsequent neutral special button presses alert the player with the Zapper to shoot the can forward. After 9 button presses, the can starts to emit smoke and will then explode. The can is also capable of being manipulated by the dog and duck's attacks, with its tilt attacks being especially useful in this regard. However, this also applies to the opponent's attacks. The explosion can also damage Duck Hunt. Overall, it is Duck Hunt's most versatile projectile and their most useful edge-guarding option. Although its explosion has very high knockback growth, it lacks KO potential out of edge-guarding because of its average damage output and low base knockback.
The dog throws a clay pigeon, based on the Clay Shooting sub-game (Game C) from Duck Hunt. It has two flight trajectories: a slow, higher arc and a faster, straight arc. Moving while performing the move initiates the former, whereas standing still and performing the move initiates the latter. Pressing the special button again causes the off-screen hunter to destroy it with 5 quick shots from the NES Zapper, making it a natural combo. It is useful for hindering approaches, but can also act as a set-up into a dash attack from 0% to medium percentages, or into a forward aerial at high percentages. Although somewhat situational, the clay pigeon can also act as a makeshift landmine by allowing it to land on the ground, and then destroying it to surprise an opponent. Alternatively, Duck Hunt can attack the pigeon, causing it to explode into fragments that will damage nearby opponents. However, opponents can attack the pigeon as well, which will damage Duck Hunt.
The duck flies upward while carrying the dog before getting tired and falling to the ground. It is maneuverable and covers a decent amount of vertical and horizontal distance depending on how it is maneuvered. After a short while, Duck Hunt can interrupt the move with an attack or an air dodge, but doing so will put him in a helpless state.
The dog summons an 8-bit version of one of the five gunmen from Wild Gunman. Each gunman will fire their gun after a set amount of time and then disappear in a puff of smoke. Each gunman's firing time, damage output, knockback growth, and launching angle varies. The gunmen can also block attacks, but if any of them receive at least 5%, they will fall and not fire their guns. Once a gunman falls, Duck Hunt must wait for very briefly before they can summon another one.
The dog barks to call in a flock of 8-bit ducks. The flock tackles the opponent, launching them into a Wild West-styled field from Wild Gunman. The opponent is then repeatedly fired at by the gunmen, who are also shooting at the cardboard cutout gangsters and tin cans from Hogan's Alley.
The dog leaps into an 8-bit sprite of grass with the duck on his back before they both rise from the grass while the dog performs his signature laugh. The grass then disappears in a puff of smoke.
Left: The dog jumps into a patch of 8-bit grass. He then, along with the duck, pops up from the grass and proceeds to do his signature laugh.
Up: Runs on screen and turns around to kick away a can from Hogan's Alley. He then assumes a pose in which he stands on his left hind leg while raising his right and brings his front legs towards himself.
Right: Summons a Wild Gunman to shoot to the left, then another one to shoot to the right. He then continuously holds the pose used to summon them. The Wild Gunmen don't appear in Team Battles.
The jingle that plays before a new game starts in Duck Hunt, slightly sped up. It begins with the original 8-bit rendition, then transitions to a remixed version for the rest of the theme.
Duck Hunt’s true viability has remained unknown by many since the beginning of the metagame. The duo were initially thought to fare worse than they did in Smash 4, due to the changes to game mechanics which encourages more aggressive gameplay, which many players thought that it has significantly harmed Duck Hunt. While their camping gameplay were still agreed to be worsen, many players later agreed that Duck Hunt as a character has considerably improved, because of the amount of buffs the duo received which allows them to play more aggressively, whereas their camping gameplay from SSB4 remained as a viable strategy despite not being as effective as it was from their previous incarnation. So far, the duo has achieved great results thanks to players such as ASA, Wisdom and especially Raito. However, despite their strong success, Duck Hunt continued to suffer from low representation, which has left their true viability unknown, although the general consensus is that they’re a high mid tier or a high tier.
Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.
Duck Hunt's opponents are animals, or in the case of the Mii Fighters, humans wearing animal costumes. Due to this theme, Duck Hunt fight Rathalos as the final boss of their route instead of Master Hand.
Duck Hunt was among the fighters that were summoned to fight the army of Master Hands.
During the opening cutscene, Duck Hunt was present when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. The duo was seen panicking alongside Villager and a composed Wii Fit Trainer, with the dog covering his eyes and the duck attempting to lift the dog off the floor with Duck Jump. The duo was then placed under Galeem's imprisonment alongside the rest of the fighters, excluding Kirby.
In the mode proper, Duck Hunt can be found inside a forest covered in fog to be challenged and recruited.
Duck Hunt's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Duck Hunt in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.
•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy will occasionally be invisible after a little while •Hostile assist trophies will appear after a little while
This also happens if a directional air dodge is used or when caught by an attack with a special grabbing animation. This is also true with the latter in Smash 4.
When Duck Hunt is slowed down (only by a Timer, Dialga's temporal powers, the speed modifier in Training Mode, or by Special Smash's Slow setting), all of the shots from his smash attacks will hit twice. Additionally, the final hits of the smash attacks are twice as strong if the game is sped up. A similar situation occurred in Super Smash Bros. 4.
Duck Hunt is the only character who faces all three Star Fox characters in the same round in their route.
Duck Hunt is also the only character to face all Donkey Kong fighters in their route, albeit in different rounds.
There's a graphical error with Duck Hunt's on-screen appearance when done facing the left. The smoke effects appear behind the 8-bit grass rather than in front of it.
Despite not being present in Team Battles, the sounds of the Wild Gunman appearing and firing can still be heard if Duck Hunt is the leading character of a winning team.
In European Spanish, European French, German, and Italian, the name tag and voice clip from the announcer on the victory screen is slightly different from the one used on the character select screen, instead featuring a noticeable translation of "the" (for example, el Dúo Duck Hunt in the European Spanish). This trait is shared with Wii Fit Trainer, Pokémon Trainer, Villager, Ice Climbers, Inkling, Hero, and the Mii Fighters. Additionally, Duck Hunt and King Dedede are only two fighters having this trait in the European versions, but not in the American version.
Duck Hunt's model is of a significantly higher visual quality. The dog's overall color scheme is more vibrant, better matching his sprite in Duck Hunt, and he now features detailing on his fur, collar, paws, and nose. The duck's color scheme is more subdue and features greater feather detailing.
Like all characters, Duck Hunt's 
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