35-519: Punch-Out!! is a series of boxing video games created by Genyo Takeda and Makoto Wada, and published by Nintendo . The main protagonist and player character of the series is Little Mac , a short boxer from the Bronx who climbs the ranks of the fictional World Video Boxing Association (WVBA) by challenging various opponents. These opponents come from different countries and feature various ethnic stereotypes associated with their place of origin. In
70-449: A "cow blow" is slang for the highly illegal blow to the kidneys and causes the scratch-off card to be an instant loss. Punch-Out!! extensively utilizes racial and ethnic stereotypes, particularly in the opponents faced by the player character. The stereotypes featured in the games are an important facet of Punch-Out!! 's visual and aesthetic identity and have received substantial recognition and criticism. Graphical advancements in
105-538: A "crude caricature." Brian Lisi of New York Daily Times described him as "a fiery Spaniard with a passion for punches and looks." Since appearing in Punch-Out!! , Aran Ryan has received mixed reception. In their review, GameTrailers bemoaned his inclusion over Super Punch-Out!! character Dragon Chan. In his review, editor Scott Jones criticized Ryan's inclusion in the Wii Punch-Out!! , calling him "one of
140-504: A "no-nonsense strongman who looks like a typical German soldier from World War I ." Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the NES, Don Flamenco has received mostly positive reception. He was described by IGN editor Levi Buchanan to be one of the favourites of Punch-Out!! with Soda Popinski, Bear Hugger and King Hippo. GameSpy editor Ryan Scott suggested that Don Flamenco existed to "cut
175-616: A ' scorched earth ' approach to their stereotyping; every ethnicity was equally lampooned, which pre-empted any accusations of 'singling out' anyone." Punch-Out!! Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 199684588 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:47:36 GMT GameFan Too Many Requests If you report this error to
210-417: A French boxer who is easily defeated in combat , and Pizza Pasta, whose name was described by Wong as "just incredible; a shining testament to just not giving a shit. It’s like naming a Chinese boxer Chop Suey Wonton , or a Thai boxer Pad Thai Curry Puffs . Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! continued the trend of using characters with "distinct stereotypical exaggerations." The 1987 game is widely recognized as
245-545: A landmark of racial stereotyping in video games: Brandon Mendelson described the boxer opponents as "a cavalcade of racial and ethnic stereotypes," and Sam Machkovech described them as "a veritable United Nations of stereotypes." Writing for The Escapist , Sumantra Lahiri detailed the Japan-developed NES game's extensive stereotyping: As you go through the game, you gain an encyclopedic knowledge of ignorant American sentiments: The French are weak and cowardly;
280-421: A stereotype of black Americans by critics such as Kotaku 's Michael McWhertor. An editor for GameTrailers suggested that Nintendo was aiming for a certain segment of people with Disco Kid. GamesRadar 's Brett Elston described Disco Kid as a stereotype due to his appreciation of cars, bass, and clubbing . He believed that these stereotypes were comparatively mild compared to other Punch-Out!! characters, with
315-437: Is not a phenomenon unique to American media, citing the historically turbulent Japan–Russia relations and the predominantly negative image of Russia among Japanese society based on the findings of a Pew Research Center survey in 2015. Schwenkbeck observed that Popinski's continued depiction as a caricature of a vodka-loving Russian, regardless of changing political climates and expectations of improved character development with
350-498: The Street Fighter character Zangief , calling the former "pure stereotype" while the latter is referred to as a "solid character." Despite the generally negative reception to Punch-Out!! 's stereotypes, some critics have also expressed more forgiving views of the stereotypical characters. Brett Elston characterized the depictions as "friendly jabs at everyone’s equal expense," and Wong argued that "the developers took
385-462: The Street Fighter series. The Escapist editor Sumantra Lahiri commented that while Don Flamenco was less pathetic than French boxer Glass Joe , he «radiates an effeminate "pretty boy" persona by making constant references to his perfect hair and starting off each fight with a feisty Latin dance.» He adds that this is a stereotype of Spanish people by much of the world who view Spain's culture. Eurogamer France considered Flamenco's "macho poses" as
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#1732780056697420-566: The Game Over screen of the game Zelda II: The Adventure of Link . Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the NES , Great Tiger has received mostly positive reception. Both Official Nintendo Magazine and GameSpot described him as a favourite of the series. GamePro listed him as one of the characters who most deserve to return in the Wii Punch-Out!! , stating that "may not be
455-496: The "best Indian characters videogames" citing that "he is a memorable Indian character (thanks to the aforementioned stereotypes)". Since appearing in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcades , Super Macho Man has received generally positive reception. He is considered a memorable character of the franchise. Super Macho Man appeared on the cover of an issue of GameFan magazine, GamesRadar editor Chris Antista I include it in
490-542: The 2017 publication 100 Greatest Video Game Characters , Rahima Schwenkbeck analyzed the character's Russian tropes within the context of contemporary international relations in tandem with localized pressures faced by Nintendo in their attempts to penetrate the American consumer market. Noting the pervasiveness of unflattering tropes about Soviet or Russian people in popular culture in the West, Schwenkbeck pointed out that this
525-717: The Germans are ultra-militaristic; the Japanese are sneaky and untrustworthy; the Spanish are flamboyant and vain; Samoans are fat and stupid; Indians skin tigers alive and wear turbans; Russians love their vodka; and black people are ruthless and a bit ignorant. Of particular note in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! is the stereotypical Soviet Russian character Soda Popinski, representing the stereotype of Russians as brutish alcoholics obsessed with vodka . In Soda Popinski's entry for
560-550: The Indian stereotype that they skin tigers alive and wear turbans. In his article on the stereotypes of Punch-Out!! , GamesRadar editor Brett Elston stated that Great Tiger embodies several Indian stereotypes, including the ability to fly on magic carpets , living in Taj Mahal -like structures, and that they wear turbans that grant them magical powers. He described him as an "over-caffeinated Jafar ", adding that he "plays up in
595-603: The Valkyries by Wagner made Von Kaiser's entry one of the most memorable in the entire game, far surpassing his staying power in the ring.» When it was revealed that Von Kaiser would be in Punch-Out!! for the Wii , he was rated a "quirky favorite" alongside King Hippo and Doc Louis by the GameZone website. Posting and Toasting commented that although he is not the worst fighter of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! he claimed that he "is
630-417: The advancement of technology, reflects a larger narrative about long-standing negative stereotypes of Russians prevalent in both American and Japanese culture. The 2009 Punch-Out!! game for the Wii heavily uses ethnic and national stereotypes like its predecessors, largely through the use of recycled boxers from previous games. In addition to old stereotypical characters such as Glass Joe and Soda Popinski,
665-494: The animal sounds he makes and his teleportation abilities." Davey Nieves of Comics Beat commented that "Decent people in India or Pakistan have been seeing much more offensive stereotypes in the media for years." Reason for which he stated that "looking at Great Tiger with his tiger skin robe dangling behind him like he's opening a nightclub is probably not the worst they've ever seen on a screen." Kakuchopurei included it in his list of
700-505: The animations. Many of the characters in the 1984 title Super Punch-Out!! are similar to each other by design because they are variants of the same programming; the code recycling and the lack of character differentiation outside of crude nationalistic stereotypes is a result of the game's limited development time and storage resources. For example, Soda Popinski's obnoxious laughter is also used for Mr. Sandman, Bald Bull, and Super Macho Man, and in other Nintendo games, such as for Ganon in
735-515: The characters returning from previous games, including Craig Harris, Oli Welsh, Ricardo Madeira, and DJPubba. GameSpot 's Tom Mc Shea believed that he lacked the charm of the returning characters but had a flashy style. The Escapist 's John Funk said that more could have been done to make him feel "disco", such as the addition of "sequins on his shorts." 1UP.com 's David Ellis and an editor for ESPN .com compared Disco Kid to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air character Carlton Banks ; Ellis added that he
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#1732780056697770-485: The early-mid 1980s enabled the Punch-Out!! arcade game to display human-like characters with exaggerated features and animation. Writing for Kotaku , journalist Kevin Wong wrote that the 1984 Punch-Out!! "lacks cultural sensitivity, to put it mildly — the characters range from being slightly offensive caricatures to highly offensive caricatures." Notable stereotypical characters in the 1984 arcade game include Glass Joe,
805-686: The exception of Mr. Sandman . One of the Retronauts stated that Disco Kid was a stereotype new to Punch-Out!! , and that it was "unnerving." Topps and Nintendo of America made a series of trading cards featuring characters from the Mario , The Legend of Zelda , Double Dragon , and the NES Punch-Out!! series. The Punch-Out!! cards depict Little Mac's various opponents. The cards have scratch-off spots on them, which determine loss or win. As in real boxing, but not in this video game series,
840-521: The list of the most embarrassing gaming magazine covers. IGN editor Jesse Schedeen named Super Macho Man one of the series' top fighters, describing him as a "thinly veiled parody mash-up of "Superstar" Billy Graham and another famous fighter who goes by the nickname "Macho Man". GamesRadar editor Brett Elston states that Super Macho Man embodies the stereotypes of American celebrities of being "too tanned, narcissistic, materialistic, and obsessed with fame, money, and looks." He added that Super Macho Man
875-413: The most PC character from the original NES classic, but his crazy techniques will fit in well with the outlandish style Next Level Games has been known to apply." Great Tiger has been described as a stereotype of Indian people . Freelance writer Sumantra Lahiri, in discussing the stereotypes of Punch-Out!! , stated that it gives players an "encyclopedic knowledge of ignorant American sentiments," mentioning
910-432: The most banal characters in the game." He questioned why Nintendo included him and called him "forgettable." Complex ranked him as the "sixth-douchiest video game character." In their article of racial stereotypes in Punch-Out!! , GamesRadar editor Brett Elston commented that his uncontrollable rage, his disposition to cheating, his love for fighting, and his penchant for adorning his clothing with four-leaf clovers
945-512: The most forgettable." He further commented that "his look at him, his fighting style and his slapping talk" is "completely unforgettable." The website Paste chose it at the top of their list of "10 video games that let you punch a Nazi." Uproxx rates him as one of the best villains of the series, Cubed3 in their review of the Punch-Out!! for Wii I describe him as a "tough and efficient German." BlockFort listed him at # 7 on their list of "Top 10 Best German Video Game Characters" describing him as
980-466: The mystical side of Indian culture so much we’re surprised they didn’t work in a snake charmer joke in there somewhere." Editor Scott Jones stated that in 2009, "fighting a man from India who flies around on a magic carpet and who telegraphs his punches via a glowing jewel in his turban doesn't feel terribly dramatic." Bit Mob editor Brian Shirk commented that while "Great Tiger looked more human than King Hippo , he still doesn't seem quite human judging by
1015-430: The newest Punch-Out!! game also features the stereotypical boxer Disco Kid, portrayed as a Black American preoccupied with music and clubbing. In contrast with Punch-Out 's mainstream popularity, critical reception to the series' stereotypes has generally been negative. Davey Nieves and Wong condemned Punch-Out!! 's ethnic and national stereotypes as offensive and mean-spirited. John Speerbrecker described
1050-477: The original Punch-Out!! arcade game, the characters were named by Genyo Takeda , who chose names with the intention of appealing to the American market. The developers used the two screens in the cabinet to be able to display the opponents' face, which they intended to ensure that players would have a more vivid recollection of their faces. The characters in this game were animated in conjuntion with Studio Junio , who used art by Shigeru Miyamoto as reference for
1085-450: The players down to size" after easier opponents such as Glass Joe and Piston Honda . In discussing the stereotypes of Punch-Out!! , GamesRadar editor Brett Elston stated that Don Flamenco was a stereotype of Spanish people , citing stereotypes utilized in the character such as being expert bullfighters, always having a rose in his hand, and an obsession with good looks, comparing Don Flamenco to Spanish fighting game character Vega from
Characters of the Punch-Out!! series - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-552: The stereotypes as "much worse" than those featured in Street Fighter II , another popular fighting game whose stereotyping is often compared with that in Punch-Out!! . Machkovech characterized Punch-Out!! 's ethnic and national stereotyping as part of a broader lack of meaningful racial diversity in Nintendo video games and general bias in favor of white characters. Schwenkbeck unfavorably compared Soda Popinski to
1155-415: Was a "flamboyant dancer who uses awkward timing as a distraction" and a greater challenge than other early game characters due to his unique pattern. GamePro ' s Will Herring wrote that his design was "masterfully modeled and animated". GameDaily 's Chris Buffa described him as a "dancing fool" and a humorous character with a distinctive personality. Disco Kid has been described as flamboyant, and as
1190-506: Was a strong stereotype of the Irish people. They added other qualities of Irish stereotypes, which includes red hair and excitability. GamesRadar editor Michael Grimm listed him as one of the six most offensive Irish stereotypes describing him as a "babbling madman". Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh cited Ryan as a "idiotically violent Irishman." Disco Kid has received generally positive reception. Numerous critics said that Disco Kid fit in well with
1225-572: Was not just a parody of celebrities, but "Hollywood and American's fascination with celebrities." In the video game for NES he has two versions of his signature move called Super Spin Punch. One in which he performs a spin after a few seconds to be still and another in which he performs several multiple spins that could instantly knock the player down. The New York Post called him a "memorable character" alongside Bald Bull and Soda Popinski, Brian Lisi of New York Daily News magazine stated that « Ride of
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