Who?: The Balloon Fighter is player 1 of the NES game Balloon Fight. It was originally released in 1984 for the arcades as Vs. Balloon Fight, and was ported to the NES less than two years later.
Importance to Nintendo: The Balloon Fighter was a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and so was the Flipper as well as an item. The fighter himself was considered to be playable in Melee, only to be dropped in favor of the Ice Climbers. The Flipper had not been an item since Melee. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the original Balloon Fight game is a playable stage, and was eventually ported over to Ultimate.
Intro: Balloon Fighter inflates his two balloons posthaste and straps them to his back.
Stance/Idle 1: Balloon Fighter hops up from left to right very shortly.
Idle 2: Balloon Fighter floats in the air for a little bit.
Idle 3: Balloon Fighter nearly trips, floats up, and then gets back on the ground.
Notable Palette Swaps: Player 1, Player 2, Green Enemy, White Enemy, Alice, Urban Champion, Bubbles (Clu Clu Land), Mach Rider
Walk: Balloon Fighter skips and hops shortly up.
Dash: Balloon Fighter dashes with his balloons behind him, using them as brakes when he stops.
Damage: The death animation from Balloon Fight, with an altered version of the accompanying sound effect.
Jump: Balloon Fighter can jump up to seven times, at a relatively short height with each jump.
Crouch: The crouch an enemy does when they inflate their balloons.
Weapon of Choice: The Balloon Fighter is mostly physical, but uses his balloons as well.
Basic Attacks:
Jab: Balloon Fighter bumps forward similar to how he pushes forward to pop balloons in the original game (4%, nonexistent knockback)
Forward+A: Balloon Fighter bobs his balloons in front of him (6%, small knockback)
Down+A: Balloon Fighter pumps down a balloon pump and lets air out (5%, small knockback)
Up+A: Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together very briefly, letting out a small electric shock (8%, small knockback)
Air+A: Balloon Fighter shoots out small bubbles from his mouth (6%, small knockback)
Air Forward+A: Balloon Fighter swings forward (8%, OK knockback)
Air Back + A: Balloon Fighter swings backwards (8%, OK knockback)
Air Up+A: Balloon Fighter spins his balloons together to create a slightly bigger electric shockwave (11%, OK knockback)
Air Down+A: Balloon Fighter lets air out of his balloons and drops down (14% with a meteor effect, medium knockback)
Dash Attack: Balloon Fighter flaps his arms as he floats forward (9%, OK knockback)
Edge Attack: Balloon Fighter lets a little bit of air out and dashes forward, pushing enemies out of the way (no damage, OK knockback)
Smash Moves:
Forward+A: Balloon Fighter tries to stop a Flipper, only to be caught by it (15%, medium knockback)
Up+A: Balloon Fighter charges electricity by rubbing his balloons together, only to be shocked back (18%, medium knockback)
Down+A: Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together, and slams them on the ground (17%, medium knockback)
Grabs:
Neutral: Balloon Fighter grabs with both hands
Grab+punch: Balloon Fighter headbutted the opponent (3%)
Forwards+Throw: Balloon Fighter traps the opponent in a bubble and sends them forward (4%)
Down+Throw: Balloon Fighter spins on the opponent's chest (18%, small knockback)
Back+Throw: Balloon Fighter turns into a Flipper and sends the opponent backwards (9-11%, OK knockback)
Up+Throw: Balloon Fighter whacks his balloons together and shocks the opponent (13%, OK knockback)
Special Moves:
B : Spark; Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together to charge electricity. At small charge, the spark goes a short distance and disappears (5%, small knockback). At medium charge, the spark homes in on a random opponent and zaps them (10%, small knockback). At full charge, the spark travels toward the direction Balloon Fighter is facing until it hits, and zaps multiple times (4% each, 20% total; medium knockback).
B + Forwards : Flipper; Balloon Fighter throws a Flipper a set distance like a boomerang (9-11%, OK knockback). If the control stick is flicked backwards, it will come back automatically (13%, OK knockback). When Balloon Fighter crouches, the Flipper stays in place.
B + Up : Inflate; Balloon Fighter inflates his balloons as he flies up. This increases the height of your normal jumping, but if you let them inflate for too long, they'll pop. Luckily, you have a parachute that can steer you horizontally so you don't fall.
B + Down : Balloon Rush; Balloon Fighter lets a good amount of air out of his balloons and charges into enemies (17%, OK knockback). Of course, you'll need to inflate the balloons again if you want to properly jump, as your jump height will be almost nonexistent when your balloons are deflated.
Final Smash: The Fish; a giant stream appears and Balloon Fighter flies away as fast as he can. A giant fish jumps up and eats anyone in its way (22%) and spits them out towards the other side of the screen (34%, far knockback)
Gimmick: The amount of air left in your balloons is indicated by their size. If there's too little air, they'll be small. If there's too much air, they'll be big (and pop, as mentioned earlier).
Taunts:
1: The balloons come off, but Balloon Fighter jumps up and straps them back on.
2: Balloon Fighter swings back and forth as if he's on swings.
1+2: Balloon Fighter does a twirl around with the balloons on his back.
Winposes:
1: Balloon Fighter is asleep, but then wakes up realizing he's floating away and tries to get back on the ground.
2: Balloon Fighter inflates his balloons to the max, only for them to pop so hard he gets pushed back by the air.
3: Balloon Fighter floats past an array of balloons, smiling in amazement.
Icon: The balloons used for the Balloon Fight stage.
Boxing Ring Title: An NES Pop Star
Victory Music: A combination of the victory themes for normal stages and bonus stages.
Kirby Hat: Balloon Fighter's helmet.