History VideoGame / PunchOut

* GuestFighter: Three. [[spoiler: Mask X in Arm Wrestling is Bald Bull]], Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson's Punch Out, and [[spoiler: Donkey Kong]] in the Wii game.

*** Accompanied by a message which serves as a CrowningMomentOfFunny:

** Not only that, he's a dirty fighter, bringing good luck horseshoes into the ring (within the knuckles of his gloves) and eventually making a boxing glove whip, which is as ironic as anything when you consider that he was one of the few boxers in Super Punch-Out who generally fought clean, as his gimmick in that game (clinching) is common in RealLife boxing, though ThatOtherWiki's article on boxing says it is "technically against the rules" (though it obviously isn't as ridiculous as what Aran Ryan does in the Wii game); however, ThatOtherWiki continues saying that professional boxing (which the WVBA presumably is) rarely deducts points for it.

* TheJimmyHartVersion: 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.

* BeyondTheImpossible / CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Some of the training methods the opponents put themselves through for their rematch in Title Defense mode qualify as at least one of these. Piston Hondo's is the most prominent example. In it, he...
** [[BarehandedBladeBlock Stops a katana from cutting him in half]]
** [[BigEater Devours several times his own weight in sushi]], and
** ''[[SuperSpeed Runs alongside - and is able to keep up with - a BULLET TRAIN]]''
*** ALSO Mr. Sandman, who ''punches out '''a building'''.''
** A better example would be the premise of the game since the NES. You have Mac who is in his late teens and weighs only a little over 100 lbs. go on to fight and defeat Mike friggin' Tyson!

* RoguesGallery: Several boxers, most notably Glass Joe, Mr. Sandman, Bald Bull and Super Macho Man, have been recurring antagonists from the very early arcade game in the 1980s.

* BeyondTheImpossible/CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Some of the training methods the opponents put themselves through for their rematch in Title Defense mode qualify as at least one of these. Piston Hondo's is the most prominent example. In it, he...

* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: The last opponents in all the console version of Punch-Out. Not only are they literally undefeated, but they are usually made out to be flat out unstoppable. The final opponent in Punch-Out Wii's Contender mode explicitly invokes this, by having his slideshow show every single opponent you've faced previously getting overwhelmingly waylaid in order.

* BeyondTheImpossible: Some of the training methods the opponents put themselves through for their rematch in Title Defense mode qualify as this. Piston Hondo's is the most prominent example. In it, he...

The series made its debut on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. The initial version released in North America was titled ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'', in which the final opponent was the infamous real-life champ himself. The 1990 reissue of the game, simply titled ''Punch-Out!!'', replaced him with a fictional champ named "Mr. Dream" (actually a white [[HeadSwap head swap]] of Tyson, more reminiscent of [[{{Rocky}} Rocky Balboa]]). Many people assume that this stems from Tyson being convicted of rape, causing Nintendo to ditch him, but since Tyson was dropped from the game a year ''before'' he was arrested on the rape charges, this is clearly not the case. In reality, Nintendo's contract with Tyson expired, and since Tyson was no longer the heavyweight champion of the world having lost the title earlier to Buster Douglas, Nintendo opted not to renew the contract (since Sega signed a licensing deal to use Buster's likeness in a pair of boxing games for the MasterSystem and [[SegaGenesis Genesis]] in order to spite Nintendo).

* CaptainErsatz: Mac is definitely based on {{Rocky}} Balboa. Hell, his miniscule size may be a jab at Sylvester Stallone's below average height.

* XMeetsY: The Wii version has been described as the ''{{Rocky}}'' franchise as a SaturdayMorningCartoon.

** The Wii version's ''Title Defense'' mode is hard because of this. Glass Joe wears ''cushioned headgear''. Realizing that his stomach is a weakness, King Hippo wears a ''manhole lid over it''. They're even worse cheaters than before!

* WeHaventLearnedAnythingYet: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bow821jprpw&p=1060DA44275834AC&index=10&playnext=9 at the end:]]
---> ''Doc Louis:'' "Alright, Mac, listen up! Great job, son, I'm very proud of you. But I need you to understand: keep it in the ring. You don't wanna be a bully outside the ring."

** The new release for the Wii has several of these in addition to King Hippo. While none quite to his extent, you will likely not win (even by decision) unless you figure them out. For example, TD Glass Joe and his helmet, as well as Aran Ryan in both of his fights.

** [[DontExplainTheJoke Which apparently references Mc Donalds, hence a burger called "Big Mac", having the name similar to "Little Mac"]].

* GonnaFlyNowMontage: In the NES and Wii versions. Well remembered for Mac's bright pink track suit, which [[CallBack caps off the end of the montage in the Wii version]].

* RealMenWearPink: Little Mac wears a pink tracksuit when jogging, as seen in the GonnaFlyNowMontage in the NES and Wii versions.

** Looking at FridgeBrilliance, this was a ForegoneConclusion. Also the game's entry for FridgeBrilliance eases the pain a bit.

** The Wii version's Soda Popinski will get very angry if you punch out his...er..."soda" bottles.[[hottip:* :But you can actually uppercut him if you delay it ever so slightly.]]
*** He also gets equally pissed if you manage to land a star punch on him.[[hottip:* :Which if you managed to get a star from doing that, only by landing an uppercut right after he finishes drinking, you can land an uppercut on him before he even does the first one.]]
*** And if you knock him down.

** In fact, the only one who doesn't speak a real language is King Hippo, and that's probably only because his home country is fictional as well.
*** Granted, he doesn't appear to speak any kind of language period. He mostly just grunts and roars, not unlike [[MeaningfulName a hippo]].

* {{Bowdleri|se}}zation: Changing the Russian boxer's name and his drink of choice from Vodka Drunkenski to Soda Popinski. Even worse, his between round dialog ("I can't drive, so tonight I'm gonna walk all over you!", etc.) ''clearly'' makes references to alcohol as his drink of choice.
** This carries over into the Wii version, as one of his between-round taunts translates to "I am Soda Popinski! I will run over you!"
** [[RuleOfFunny This makes his taunts even funnier, really.]]
*** This is sort of an odd case since it wasn't a translation issue - his name was legitimately changed in all regions.

** Also, Aran Ryan if he wins the contender match.
*** He also tries to during mid-round cutscene in the Title Defense Match, and the Ref stops him.

** Von Kaiser even more so, having been beaten up by his own pupils and cowering behind his gloves whenever he gets hit with a star punch. At least Joe takes his beating like a man.
*** It's especially humiliating when you consider that Kaiser's pupils are ''children''. In the NES game Kaiser is much bolder and more confident; Glass Joe, on the other hand, is afraid of you, and constantly talks about how he just wants to retire, yet he still doesn't cower from you.
*** The referee himself in the Wii version, mostly noticeable if you lose to someone in Title Defense mode. Bald Bull will literally chase the referee around and headbutt him like a bull. Mr. Sandman lifts the referee up with just one arm.

*** Don Flamenco in the world circuit rematch in the NES game, who will constantly force you to punch at him as he just stands there blocking until you're tired and unable to hit him back when he unloads on you.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar One of Great Tiger's taunts in the Wii version is telling Little Mac to suck his mother's teat.
** In Hindi, of course.
** Aside from "soda" "pop"inski, the name Aran Ryan is a play on ordering a "rye and air" ([[DontExplainTheJoke in other words, just rye]]).

** Though it should be noted that it's all relative. Little Mac lives up to his name; in the NES version his official height is 4'8. For the Wii it has been upped to a slightly more realistic 5'7. Most real boxers genuinely would dwarf him.
* [[spoiler:GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere]] / [[spoiler:GuestFighter]]: [[spoiler:DonkeyKong is a secret contender]] in the Wii version.

*** Don Flamenco MOST especially took a level in badass in the NES version when you fight your rematch with him on the world circuit. If you're expecting it to be anything * like* the pushover your major circuit match with him was, think again.

*** He's also a BigEater, as his intro in Exhibition mode shows him eating tons of bacon, eggs, and pancakes.

*** Don Flamenco also turns red after you knock off his toupee.

*** Aran Ryan is this in two separate games: in ''Super'' he's the first boss you need to use the super-punches on and in Wii he's the first boss you have to use counter-punches against.

*** And then you see Don as the Major Circuit Champion... wait, ''Don Flamenco''? The second-easiest fight in all of NES Punch-Out once you figured out his gimmick? Well... it might seem like his gimmick is the same here... and then you find out just why he's a champion in this game.

*** I suspect it's because of the car brand; Doc makes cracks about Hondo being a "lemon", in reference to the Piston portion of his name, which the Honda Car company might not appreciate.

* ReTool

* RecycledInSPACE: The NES game's sequel was going to be ''Mike Tyson's Intergalactic Power Punch'', but then Tyson's controversy erupted and the game was changed to drop all ties to the series as it is. ''Super Punch-Out!!'' for the Super NES, which is not set in space, was the true sequel.

* {{Scotireland}}: Aran Ryan.

** This is perhaps the driving premise behind the Title Defense mode in the Wii version.

*** Mostly because he has a toupee which comes off after he suffers 2 knockdowns and takes enough damage afterward.

* NobodyTouchesTheHair: Don Flamenco has a battle quote telling you not to touch his hair. In the Wii version, [[spoiler:it's a wig you can punch off him, which angers him.]]