Vault Boy
| Vault Boy | |
|---|---|
 
Artwork of the Vault Boy from Fallout: New Vegas promotional material. | |
| Universe | Fallout |
| Debut | Fallout (1997) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Fallout Shelter Online (2020) |
| Console/platform of origin | MS-DOS Microsoft Windows |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Created by | Leonard Boyarsky |
The Vault Boy (Vaultボーイ, Vault Boy) is the mascot of the Fallout franchise.
Origin
The Vault Boy is the mascot of the company Vault-Tec from the Fallout franchise by Interplay Productions (later Bethesda Softworks). Vault-Tec designed post-apocalyptic shelters called Vaults to enable humanity to survive in the aftermath of a worldwide nuclear war, though the majority of these Vaults were in reality controlled, often unethical human experiments. The Vault Boy illustrates character statistics and selectable attributes, and from Fallout 3 onward, models wearable equipment. Various trailers and animations starring Vault Boy have also been made over the years to advertise different Fallout games. Vault Boy should not be confused with the Pip-Boy, the wearable computer used by the player to access their inventory.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
As a costume
A DLC costume for Mii Gunner based on the Vault Boy was announced on June 22nd, 2020, and was made available for purchase on June 29th, 2020. Like Sans and Cuphead before him, Vault Boy appears as a fully modelled character. His "mask" is just his head instead of a mask with the Mii's head visible. His gun appears to be based off the generic gun he is depicted with on the Energy Weapons bobblehead, a collectible item in the Fallout games. His Vault Suit is labeled '111' on the back, a reference to the Sole Survivor's vault in Fallout 4. Unlike Sans and Cuphead, Vault Boy does not come with a music track, possibly due to most of the music in the Fallout series being licensed music.
In his reveal trailer, the opening features Mario performing his thumbs-up taunt. This is a reference to a thumbs-up being Vault Boy's signature pose. Later, Vault Boy fights Dark Samus, referencing various mutant enemies seen in the Fallout series; he is later been KO'd by a grenade, a running gag of how in every S.P.E.C.I.A.L trailer, Vault Boy was killed in the end. Finally, Vault Boy stands besides Duck Hunt. This is a reference to Dogmeat, a recurring dog companion throughout the Fallout series.
Trivia
- Vault Boy is the first time Bethesda has been represented in Super Smash Bros.
- Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda on September 21, 2020, Vault Boy is now retroactively the first Microsoft Mii Costume, and Fallout the second Microsoft franchise to be represented in Smash.
- Unlike other regions, the logo for Fallout, the series Vault Boy hails from, is absent in the American version of his Mii Costume reveal trailer, being replaced with a wordmark featuring the character's name. This is also the case with Altaïr and Travis Touchdown. There has not been an explanation for this, though it is worth noting all 3 characters come from series that consist of M-rated games.
- Despite this, Fallout is mentioned by name in the North American version via the “News” section, also the case with Altaïr and Travis.
- The introduction to Vault Boy's Mii Costume references the "SPECIAL" rule-set (which is spelled out in-game as "S.P.E.C.I.A.L.") from the Fallout series by abbreviating "Smash" similarly.
External links
- Article at Fallout Wiki: Nukipedia + The Vault
