@zallard1
  @zallard1
zallard1 | Punch Out!! (Wii) - Title Defense King Hippo [1:08.03] @zallard1 | Uploaded September 2021 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
Finally giving this irritating fight a shot again. The new TAS/WR time for this fight is a 1:07.97 and my previous PB sat at a 1:08.09, which at that time beat the then TAS time of 1:08.21 (which was later found to be due to the getup timing being more nuanced than was used in that TAS). I ended up finding this strategy completely randomly when I was looking for buffers for Pottoww since he was on a grind to get this to match the TAS time. I found that you can take an extra knockdown off of his counter-attack jab while simultaneously canceling his overhead punch that we would skip anyways.

I improved my PB by a single frame, but I have a bad feeling that I'm going to be stuck with this time for a while, as this fight is very drawn out, similar to TD Joe, which makes it very time consuming and tedious to do attempts on. Because of this, I figured it would be best to upload this PB time just incase this ends up being a struggle to match.

Let's get into the fight itself. The fight is played in Champion's Mode, which is an option you can unlock from lasting 10 fights in Mac's Last Stand. This mode removes red flashing tells from opponents, and makes any attack that they throw instantly knock you down. This is used to minimize game time by manipulating more favorable patterns from opponents in some fights.

In this fight, Hippo throws a lot of overhead punches that need to be countered extremely fast in order to get enough stunned punches in for this strategy to work. Hippo opens the fight with one of these punches, and I always time my first jab right around when the "rumbling" noise is ending.

In order to take off the manhole cover optimally, you want to buffer punches on the same side, which can be tricky if you aren't familiar with how it works. Basically, you want to be re-pressing the punch button during the brief window where Mac is pulling his punch back from the previous punch. If you mistime this, then Mac won't do anything. After the first jab of the fight, do 3 same sided punches to knock off the first layer of tape.

You want to start a buffer for the attack he does when he comes back to the center of the ring. There are 2 buffer strategies that set up 2 frame perfect punches in the fight. You're able to throw attacks and dodges during the cutscenes where Hippo's manhole cover is coming off, and since the sounds are very quiet by comparison to other Punch Out games, it's kind of difficult to determine the buffer from watching.

The buffer for the 2nd phase of the manhole cover is to buffer 5 more alternating punches after the punch that takes his tape off, then duck and jab. From here, buffer a jab on the opposite side, then do 3 more same sided punches to knock off layer #2 of tape. When Hippo returns, he will do a kind of "hug" attack, along with a "double axe handle" attack. Ducking and dodging respectively will let you evade both, and punching him just as he looks up is how you know you've hit this optimally. From this jab, remove the final bit of tape with 3 more same sided punches, and you'll finally be done with the manhole cover section.

You want to immediately go into a buffer for the cancel/provoke for the immediate self knockdown after the last bit of tape is punched off, which is a same sided punch compared to the jab, then do 7 more alternating gut punches from there (8 total at this point), then duck and jab.

When getting up, you *need* to start to get up as "1" completely disappears from the screen from the ref count, because you want Hippo to be either in the middle of the screen, or slightly beyond the middle during his dance so he attacks as soon as possible. Immediately counter his overhead, and throw 9 stunned punches. Then throw a jab as soon as his stun ends naturally (I use the left pineapple being vertical as a cue to throw).

Start getting up when 1 disappears, and counter Hippo's overhead for 9 more stunned punches. For the counter to gather a star from his next overhead punch, I use a pseudo duck buffer when the right pineapple just barely touches Hippo's shoulder. Then counter his next overhead for 9 more stunned punches and let the stun end naturally. For the final overhead that Hippo does, he's going to delay it extra long, and it kind of sounds like there's 2 rumbling sounds as opposed to the usual 1, so I try to throw as the "2nd" rumble ends. From here, land 3 stunned punches, and Hippo will be at the HP level where he changes pattern and does his hug/axehandle like before. I use a pseudo buffer to start ducks/dodges when the pineapple just passes the left side of his eye, and if timed right, will be an instant KO!

I'm going to be jumping around fights a lot at this point and won't be hesitating to upload even small 1 frame improvements now, since that'll serve as a good incentive for me to want to improve them to WR quality. This is currently 1 frame from Nolan414's record, so I'll likely be stuck on this PB for a while.

Anyways, thanks for watching!
Punch Out!! (Wii) - Title Defense King Hippo [1:08.03]Punch Out!! (Wii) - Soda Popinski [0:42.90]Super Punch Out!! - Narcis Prince (No face punches) [03431]Punch Out!! (Wii) - Bald Bull [0:32.29]Super Punch Out!! - Super Machoman [00931] (PAL WR)Mike Tysons Punch-Out!! - Speed Run [15:34.08]Splatterhouse Part 2 (JP) - No-Damage Hardest Difficulty Speed Run [15:42] (WR)Punch-Out!! (Arcade) - 1 Loop Speedrun [3:12 RTA; 2:16 In-Game Time]  (Default Settings)Deltarune Chapter 2 - No Damage Final Boss FightPunch Out!! (Wii) - Von Kaiser [0:18.93] (WR)Super Punch Out!! - Dragon Chan [00730] (NTSC WR)Doc Louiss Punch-Out!! - Sparring [0:39.32]

Punch Out!! (Wii) - Title Defense King Hippo [1:08.03] @zallard1

SHARE TO X SHARE TO REDDIT SHARE TO FACEBOOK WALLPAPER