Smash Advent Calendar - Day 26 - Little Mac

Day 26 is Boxing Day and that can only mean one thing: Little Mac join the fight! This guy is very popular in the west, starring in the NES "Punch Out!" game wit Mike Tyson and going on to star in the SNES sequel and the recent Wii sequel as well. Mac is a small guy with a lot of heart, fighting up the ladder against super heavyweights like King Hippo and always comes out on top, and he would be perfect for the Smash bros. roster!

His attacks would have to be fairly original as he has barely any named moves in his games. However, boxing is a great fighting sport and can easily serve as inspiration for the character, so a moveset would be easy to dream up. I imagine Little Mac to be a fast character with some powerful attacks as in "Punch Out!", but to balance him out I could see him being extremely light, flying far and having predictable recovery options. Again, this would be true to his origins, wherein he would suffer badly after only a few received punches.

For his standard attacks and tilts, Little Mac would make use of his speed. Standard A attacks would be punches much like Mario's, with the third shit being a slightly slower but stronger punch, and this could combo from the previous two. Side tilts would be a slower but longer range outstretched punch similar to Bowser, down tilt would be a low punch that would have edgeguarding uses and up tilts would be a quick spiraling uppercut that would be useful to start juggles with.

Smash attacks would all be slower but powerful attacks with some KO potential at medium percentages. They would mostly all be directional punches with the exception of his down smash. I think a unique attribute that Little Mac could use would be a down smash with short reach like a solar plexus strike of Ryu fame that would stun opponents like Zero Suit Samus does with her down smash. This could allow Little Mac to establish great combos and KO setups whilst not being overpowered due to short range and longer recovery than other smashes.

Aerial moves would be effective punch moves, with back attacks being slower but with good KO potential, Forward+A and Neutral+A being fast but effective, Down+A being a meteor where Mac smashes both fists down and Up+A would be a three punch combo with the last hit blasting opponents skywards. These attacks would allow Mac to be an effective juggler and his light frame would make chasing down enemies for a KO a breeze.

Giga Bowser move over, Giga Mac is here!

Special moves are a bit more tricky to think about. Neutral+B would be a short step followed by a very fast series of punches. This would hook multiple opponents in and a full hit would do great damage and end the combo with a punch that knocks opponents a decent distance. Obviously this is balanced with the high risk factor as he would not be able to stop the move mid-animation. Up+B would be his signature "Star Uppercut" taken straight from the "Punch Out!" games and would function as a vertical recovery move much like Luigi's Up+B, but with a tiny bit more horizontal distance. I also envision a critical sweetspot at the beginning of the attack, making it a viable smash option.


Side+B would be chargeable, and on release would see Little Mac fly forwards and deliver a terrific strike in a move similar to Ike's own Side+B in Brawl. This would allow Mac to cover some good distance both on the ground and in the air, and if the move were to have a hit of super-armour in its duration then approaching would be possible with him as well, something many brawlers lack in the Smash Bros. series. Final Smash is easy; Giga Mac was a state that Mac could reach in the recent Wii game in multiplayer battles and would be great to see as a Final Smash form, making all his attacks much more powerful and he would gain super armour like Giga Bowser in Brawl.

Ultimately, I think Little Mac's chances of making it to Smash Bros. are fairly high, as he was an assist in Brawl and is currently heavily rumoured to achieve playable status this time around. Currently, we are lacking in characters with true fighting experience and boxing has had no representation thus far, making Mac a perfect fit.

What do you guys think of Little Mac? Perfect for the game? Ever even played "Punch Out!"? Leave a comment about him or his potential moveset below or on the facebook page.