Don Flamenco
Encyclopedia
is a Spanish
boxer from the Nintendo
-produced Punch-Out!!
series of video games. He first appeared in Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
, where he was designed by Makoto Wada. He appears twice in this game, with his first appearance cited as being a pushover. He made another appearance in Punch-Out!!
for the Wii
, where he was illustrated by Eddie Viser and voiced by Juan Amador Pulido. He hails from Madrid
, Spain
. The Wii version expands upon his character by making him a Matador
, as well as his hair being a toupee
. This incarnation of him is described as being much more difficult than the NES incarnation, with Kotaku
citing the guesswork involved in figuring out how to defeat him.
Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the NES, he has received mostly positive reception, being included in a series of Topps
trading cards as well as being listed as one of the favourites of the series by IGN. He has been viewed as a racial stereotype of Spanish people; GamesRadar
editors Brett Elston and Mikel Reparaz commented on his stereotype. Elston stated that some of the stereotypes that are utilized in the character are him being an expert bullfighter, always having a rose, and an obsession with good looks. Freelance editor Sumantra Lahiri described Don Flamenco as utilizing several stereotypes of Spanish's rich European culture from the 80's by Americans. He has also been viewed as effeminate, particularly by IGN
and Cracked, the former describing him as more of a lover than a fighter.
, where he was designed by Makoto Wada. At the beginning of the fight, he dances toward the middle of the ring to the March of the Toreadors from the opera Carmen. He relies mostly on his "Flamenco Punch," in which he briefly dances in place before swinging a right at Little Mac's jaw. However, if Little Mac dodges this punch, it severely disrupts his timing, leaving him vulnerable to a left-right flurry that can occasionally be enough to finish him. He is both cocky and effeminate, noted as a pushover in his initial fight while becoming more difficult in his second encounter.
He would not make another appearance until Punch-Out!!
for the Wii
, where he was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Juan Amador Pulido. To date, he has only appeared in these two games. This incarnation shows him as a bullfighter, as well as revealing that he is balding and has a toupee
; when knocked off, this sends him into a rage.
, Don Flamenco has received mostly positive reception. He has been featured in a series of Topps
trading cards based on the Punch-Out!!
series. He was also described by IGN
editor Levi Buchanan to be one of the favourites of Punch-Out!!. IGN
editor Mark Bozon commented that it was awesome to "beat the hell out of smug-nosed Don Flamenco". IGN editor Jesse Schedeen listed him as one of the top fighters in Punch-Out!!. He stated that though he was more of a lover than a fighter, his second appearance in Punch-Out!! is less one-sided. The Daily Telegraph
editor Tom Hoggins described the collective cast of Punch-Out!!
as deliriously hilarious creations, specifically citing Don Flamenco. Computer and Video Games
editor Matthew Castle praised Punch-Out!! for its ability to make him smile, specifically citing how Don Flamenco drops a rose on Little Mac when Mac is defeated.
GamePro
editor Will Herring described Don Flamenco as "unquestionably cocky", citing him as an example of why the characters in the Wii Punch-Out!! feel like they did in the NES Punch-Out!!. GameSpy
editor Ryan Scott stated that characters like Glass Joe and Piston Hondo
lull players into a false sense of familiarity, allowing for boxers such as Don Flamenco to cut the players down to size. He also describes him as a "notorious former-pushover". Operation Sports editor Matt Gagnon stated that beating on Don Flamenco was soothing, describing him as a ninny. Fellow Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod stated that the years have been good to him, going from a "complete pushover" in the NES Punch-Out!! to the Major Circuit champion in the Wii Punch-Out!!. Kotaku
editor Michael McWhertor criticized the Wii Punch-Out!! for having some guesswork involved in fights, resulting in increased difficulty. He specifically cited Don Flamenco as an example for this. Humour web site The Onion
wrote an article about a series of interviews with Mike Tyson
and other Punch-Out!! characters, including Don Flamenco. In a humour article, ESPN created several parodies of Punch-Out!! characters based on real-life "punch-worthy palookas", including one of Don Flamenco called "Don Trumpoco," based on Donald Trump
.
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 his obsession with his good looks, comparing him to Spanish fighting game character Vega
from the Street Fighter
series. Fellow GamesRadar editor Mikel Reparaz stated that Don Flamenco is "the latest example of a stereotype Spaniards have struggled against for centuries – namely that we’re all fiery-blooded, severe-nosed flamenco dancer/matadors who trill every “R” and clench roses between our teeth at every opportunity." The Escapist
editor Sumantra Lahiri commented that while Don Flamenco was less pathetic than French Punch-Out!! 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 Americans
who viewed Spanish's rich European culture as such.
MeriStation described him as being "Spanish stereotypical as they come," adding that he is one of the most "acute fighters of Punch-Out!!." He cites either "by being Spanish or his extra speed to string hits when he gets angry." They also discuss him in an article about Spanish in video games, stating that little has been done to change the character over the years. They described him as a narcissist, adding that the Wii version has "deepened the stereotype," stating that it provides an "even more cocky Don Flamenco, with slick hair and combat trousers in which proudly wears the colors of the Spanish flag." IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas described Don Flamenco as well as other boxers from the series as the "most flashy and funny rogues' galleries of heavyweight opponents to ever appear in any game", specifically describing him as effeminate. The Online editor Tony Frenzel described Flamenco as "flamboyant." An IGN description for the video game Cho Aniki
, a video game with several homosexual undertones, made reference to Don Flamenco to demonstrate these undertones, stating that "you might have looked away from Don Flamenco's Spanish dancing". Cracked, in discussing the six most politically incorrect video games, listed Punch-Out!! for the NES as the second most. They cited several boxers for this, including Don Flamenco, who they called an "effeminate Spaniard". Eurogamer Spain
stated that each boxer was representative of its region, describing Don Flamenco as a bullfighter and seductive. Eurogamer France described the boxers as crude caricatures of ethnic and national stereotypes, commenting on the "macho poses" by Don Flamenco.
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
boxer from the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
-produced Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!!
is a 1983–1984 boxing arcade game by Nintendo. It was the first in a series of successful Punch-Out!! games that produced an arcade sequel known as Super Punch-Out!!, a spin-off of the series titled Arm Wrestling, a highly popular version for the NES originally known as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!,...
series of video games. He first appeared in Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, where he was designed by Makoto Wada. He appears twice in this game, with his first appearance cited as being a pushover. He made another appearance in Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, where he was illustrated by Eddie Viser and voiced by Juan Amador Pulido. He hails from Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The Wii version expands upon his character by making him a Matador
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
, as well as his hair being a toupee
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
. This incarnation of him is described as being much more difficult than the NES incarnation, with Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
citing the guesswork involved in figuring out how to defeat him.
Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the NES, he has received mostly positive reception, being included in a series of Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
trading cards as well as being listed as one of the favourites of the series by IGN. He has been viewed as a racial stereotype of Spanish people; GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
editors Brett Elston and Mikel Reparaz commented on his stereotype. Elston stated that some of the stereotypes that are utilized in the character are him being an expert bullfighter, always having a rose, and an obsession with good looks. Freelance editor Sumantra Lahiri described Don Flamenco as utilizing several stereotypes of Spanish's rich European culture from the 80's by Americans. He has also been viewed as effeminate, particularly by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and Cracked, the former describing him as more of a lover than a fighter.
Concept and appearances
Don Flamenco made his first appearance in Punch-Out!! for the NESNes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
, where he was designed by Makoto Wada. At the beginning of the fight, he dances toward the middle of the ring to the March of the Toreadors from the opera Carmen. He relies mostly on his "Flamenco Punch," in which he briefly dances in place before swinging a right at Little Mac's jaw. However, if Little Mac dodges this punch, it severely disrupts his timing, leaving him vulnerable to a left-right flurry that can occasionally be enough to finish him. He is both cocky and effeminate, noted as a pushover in his initial fight while becoming more difficult in his second encounter.
He would not make another appearance until Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, where he was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Juan Amador Pulido. To date, he has only appeared in these two games. This incarnation shows him as a bullfighter, as well as revealing that he is balding and has a toupee
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
; when knocked off, this sends him into a rage.
Reception
Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Don Flamenco has received mostly positive reception. He has been featured in a series of Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
trading cards based on the Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!!
is a 1983–1984 boxing arcade game by Nintendo. It was the first in a series of successful Punch-Out!! games that produced an arcade sequel known as Super Punch-Out!!, a spin-off of the series titled Arm Wrestling, a highly popular version for the NES originally known as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!,...
series. He was also described by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Levi Buchanan to be one of the favourites of Punch-Out!!. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Mark Bozon commented that it was awesome to "beat the hell out of smug-nosed Don Flamenco". IGN editor Jesse Schedeen listed him as one of the top fighters in Punch-Out!!. He stated that though he was more of a lover than a fighter, his second appearance in Punch-Out!! is less one-sided. The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
editor Tom Hoggins described the collective cast of Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
as deliriously hilarious creations, specifically citing Don Flamenco. Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
editor Matthew Castle praised Punch-Out!! for its ability to make him smile, specifically citing how Don Flamenco drops a rose on Little Mac when Mac is defeated.
GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
editor Will Herring described Don Flamenco as "unquestionably cocky", citing him as an example of why the characters in the Wii Punch-Out!! feel like they did in the NES Punch-Out!!. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
editor Ryan Scott stated that characters like Glass Joe and Piston Hondo
Piston Hondo
, originally known as in the Nintendo Entertainment System Punch-Out!! video game, is a Japanese boxer from Tokyo, Japan. He was originally designed by Makoto Wada for the NES Punch-Out!!, and then later by Eddie Viser in the Wii Punch-Out!!. He is portrayed by Kenji Takahashi in the latter game...
lull players into a false sense of familiarity, allowing for boxers such as Don Flamenco to cut the players down to size. He also describes him as a "notorious former-pushover". Operation Sports editor Matt Gagnon stated that beating on Don Flamenco was soothing, describing him as a ninny. Fellow Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod stated that the years have been good to him, going from a "complete pushover" in the NES Punch-Out!! to the Major Circuit champion in the Wii Punch-Out!!. Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
editor Michael McWhertor criticized the Wii Punch-Out!! for having some guesswork involved in fights, resulting in increased difficulty. He specifically cited Don Flamenco as an example for this. Humour web site The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
wrote an article about a series of interviews with Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
and other Punch-Out!! characters, including Don Flamenco. In a humour article, ESPN created several parodies of Punch-Out!! characters based on real-life "punch-worthy palookas", including one of Don Flamenco called "Don Trumpoco," based on Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
.
Effeminacy and stereotyping
Don Flamenco has been described as a stereotype of Spanish people, as well as effeminate. In discussing the stereotypes of Punch-Out!!, GamesRadarGamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
editor Brett Elston stated that Don Flamenco was a stereotype of Spanish people
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
, citing stereotypes utilized in the character such as being expert bullfighters, always having a rose in his hand, and his obsession with his good looks, comparing him to Spanish fighting game character Vega
Vega (Street Fighter)
Vega is a fictional character from the Street Fighter fighting game series. Vega is a masked, claw-wielding warrior from Spain who uses a personal fighting style combining Japanese Ninjutsu and Bullfighting, earning him the nickname the "Spanish Ninja".Vega first appears in the original Street...
from the Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
series. Fellow GamesRadar editor Mikel Reparaz stated that Don Flamenco is "the latest example of a stereotype Spaniards have struggled against for centuries – namely that we’re all fiery-blooded, severe-nosed flamenco dancer/matadors who trill every “R” and clench roses between our teeth at every opportunity." The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
editor Sumantra Lahiri commented that while Don Flamenco was less pathetic than French Punch-Out!! boxer Glass Joe
Glass Joe
is a fictional boxer from Nintendo's video game series Punch-Out!! He first appeared in the arcade game Punch-Out!! in 1984, and three years later made his home console debut with the Nintendo Entertainment System game of the same name. His most recent appearance was in Punch-Out!! for the Wii...
, 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 Americans
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
who viewed Spanish's rich European culture as such.
MeriStation described him as being "Spanish stereotypical as they come," adding that he is one of the most "acute fighters of Punch-Out!!." He cites either "by being Spanish or his extra speed to string hits when he gets angry." They also discuss him in an article about Spanish in video games, stating that little has been done to change the character over the years. They described him as a narcissist, adding that the Wii version has "deepened the stereotype," stating that it provides an "even more cocky Don Flamenco, with slick hair and combat trousers in which proudly wears the colors of the Spanish flag." IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas described Don Flamenco as well as other boxers from the series as the "most flashy and funny rogues' galleries of heavyweight opponents to ever appear in any game", specifically describing him as effeminate. The Online editor Tony Frenzel described Flamenco as "flamboyant." An IGN description for the video game Cho Aniki
Cho Aniki
is a Japanese video game series originally developed by the Masaya and published by NCS Corp. The first game debuted in 1992 for the PC Engine system. The game's sequels and spin-offs later appeared on the Super Famicom, Wonderswan, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and PlayStation 2...
, a video game with several homosexual undertones, made reference to Don Flamenco to demonstrate these undertones, stating that "you might have looked away from Don Flamenco's Spanish dancing". Cracked, in discussing the six most politically incorrect video games, listed Punch-Out!! for the NES as the second most. They cited several boxers for this, including Don Flamenco, who they called an "effeminate Spaniard". Eurogamer Spain
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
stated that each boxer was representative of its region, describing Don Flamenco as a bullfighter and seductive. Eurogamer France described the boxers as crude caricatures of ethnic and national stereotypes, commenting on the "macho poses" by Don Flamenco.