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Aran Ryan is a fictional Irish boxer who appears in the 1994 video game Super Punch-Out!! and the 2009 video game Punch-Out!!. In both games, he holds the lowest-ranked title in the World Circuit. Out of 28 total bouts, Ryan has won 18 matches (16 by knockout according to the 2009 installment) and lost 10 times.
Appearances
Super Punch-Out!! (1994)
In the SNES version of Super Punch-Out!!, he borrows a tactic from Pizza Pasta, which is hugging his opponent; however, this hugging move allows Aran Ryan to regain strength, unlike Pizza Pasta's. Sometimes when he gets punched in the face, he'll hop around the ring (Out of range of the Player's Attacks), growl, spring back into range, and perform a special attack, which is nicknamed, appropriately, the "Irish Jig". It's a fast combo dance that is similar to Piston Hurricane's 'Hurricane Rush', but more is more difficult to handle, as he throws his punches faster, and performs the attack twice, attacking with an uppercut to mark each finished phase. He then finishes the attack with another Uppercut, before returning to his normal fighting stance
Dizzy KD
- When he does his uppercut after the Irish Jig, Rapid punch him when he gets dizzy.
Instant Knockdown
- Punch him before he gets to the center before his "Irish Jig".
In addition, he is weak to KO punches. After taking a KO Punch, he will turn around, raise his arms once, and then after a short pause, he raises his arms again, and then, on his Corner Man's word, he will try to grab Mac. This attack, nicknamed the "Shamrock Squeeze", involves Ryan grabbing Mac, putting a Vice-Like grip on him, shaking him about, and then throwing him back to hit him with an uppercut. This attack restores Aran Ryan's health, and can't be avoided if you don't hit him between the two times he raises his arms. However, If you time a Body Blow (Or Hook) correctly, he'll drop his guard, cancelling the attack, and leaving him open for another KO Punch. Skilled players can use this to string together a sequence of KO Punches, potentially knocking him down without any risk of repercussion. His palette swap is Piston Hurricane.
He is introduced in a similar way to Piston Hurricane except Ryan does four punches before coming to your boxer to start. He tends to have aggressive expressions on his face during the match, but when he is at a corner, he looks calmer.
Punch-Out!! (2009)
Ryan reappears in Punch-Out!! (Wii) holding the #4 position in the World Circuit. Sporting a taller, more slender build this time around, Ryan's looks were updated to give him a vaguely punk, almost psychotic look with a personality to match. In this installment of Punch-Out!!, Aran Ryan is portrayed as being unpopular with the boxing audience (the audience boos at Ryan and his actions), in a similar manner to Super Macho Man, though unlike Super Macho Man he doesn't seem to mind this at all.
He has a shamrock on his belt and speaks with a heavy Irish accent, voiced by Stephen Webster. His bio shows that he is a cruel individual, messing with fellow boxers during their training sessions; for example, he is seen tickling a fellow boxer while he's lifting weights. He is also seen stuffing horseshoes into his gloves, and he vandalizes a poster with Little Mac on it. Ryan also appears to like getting hit and urges Mac to punch him in the middle of the fight. During intermission he comments "Keep hittin' me, I love it!". Whether this is only to intimidate foes or the fact that Ryan is masochistic is unknown; Aran Ryan seems to be as win-berserk as Bald Bull, not caring if he cheats or gets beaten up a lot because he thinks he will always prevail. Additionally, Ryan is fond of taunting his opponents while they're down. If the player loses to him, he will shake the ropes while screaming, then holds the camera, growling and smashing the camera's lens with his head.
In order to stun him, let alone hurt him, you have to counter punch his overhead punch and left hook, as he is quick to recover when Mac dodges one of his punches. If Mac dodges an attack and counters, he'll return the favor with a counter-uppercut, which can be dodged then hit for a star, though you have to be quick to be successful. His fighting style was also completely replaced; he is very quick and can be difficult to hit as he spends most of the match outside of Little Mac's reach, meaning that you'll have to stun him before using a star punch. He tends to bounce off the ropes to add some speed to his moves, and he'll also use headbutting, despite being an illegal move in boxing. This may be a reasonable imitation of Collar and Elbow Wrestling, a traditional form of Irish wrestling. When he first gets up from being knocked down, he'll start using a headbutt where he launches himself from the rope and attempts to hit unsuspecting players for massive damage. There are three remedies for this, however: block and counter it for a star, intercept for a nine-punch stun or block then use a 3-star punch to instantly KO him. However, if you're going to block him, you'll have to time it very precisely, otherwise, he'll break through the block and deal damage to you.
Contender
Stars:
- Counter his right uppercut.
- Dodge his counter-uppercut in the opposite way you hit him and hook/jab him.
- Jab him during his taunt as he speaks. Jabbing too early will not earn you a star.
- Block his headbutt and hit him.
Attacks:
- Overhand: Aran Ryan comes from the center before winding his right fist up followed with an overhead punch. Intercept it for a stun.
- Hook: Aran comes from the player's right with a hook. Intercept it for a stun.
- Uppercut: Aran comes from the player's left with an uppercut. Counter it for a star.
- Counter-Uppercuts: Comes from 2 directions. Dodge semi-early and hook for a star. Only performed if you evade an attack and hit Aran.
- Taunt: Stops to wipe his nose before overbearing Mac, taunting him to come at him. Jab him when he starts talking (when he flashes yellow) for a star.
- Headbutt: Aran jumps back to the ropes in the back of the ring, then launches at the player with a headbutt. Block just before impact and hit Aran for a star, or counter it for a nine-punch stun. It can also be dodged.
Instant Knockdowns:
- Counter his headbutt with an uppercut.
- Use a three-star uppercut on his taunt. This instant knockdown trick is quite useless since he is weak to star punches.
Instant Knockouts:
- Block his headbutt, then use a Three-Star Punch while Ryan tries to regain composure.
- Land 7 Star Punches.
- Duck his hook, then land a Two-Star Punch.
Stun Limits:
- Any Attack: 7
- Hitting him in his headbutt (as fast possible): 9
Title Defense Mode
Aran Ryan returned to challenge Mac and win the Champion's belt. His attire is changed; he now wears green gloves and dark blue trunks. His new bio shows that he wanted to defeat Mac so badly, he resolved in using illegal equipment; more accurately, one of his old purple boxing gloves, presumably stuffed with something and tied to a rope which he swings like a flail during the match. He got the idea in his Title Defense bio after having to replace his old boxing gloves, seeing how they had become so worn his fingers were sticking out through the front of them, and seeing a length of rope in the trash can he was going to throw his gloves away in. During the intermission, the audience throws objects in anger at him after taunting Mac, namely soda bottles, bunches of bananas and pizza at him, while Ryan angrily taunts the audience. The audience will still boo at Ryan if he hits Mac with a headbutt, elbow, or if he attempts to hit Mac with a weapon. If you lose to the TD version of him, he will dance, and screams, "You're...OUT!".
He has become faster and has some new attacks and a completely new attack scheme. He's also the only character who can hurt Little Mac while he falls because he uses his weapon against you unless he's TKO'd. He is slightly easier due to when you punch when he is charging, instead of being stunned, he counters by hitting his head charging for a headbutt attack or scratch his elbow for an elbow smash. You can still block his new headbutt in the same fashion as his old one, then counter for a star, but the timing is even stricter than his old one. He still uses the old headbutts as well, so blocking and dodging becomes a large priority if you want to defeat him more easily. You can counter his elbow attacks before they connect for a star as well.
The trick to dodging his weapon is this. After he backs up and pulls the glove out, he will swing the weapon around his head how many times he is going to go over your head, then he will swing it down how many times to dodge to the side. There are only three combinations that he will do at certain circumstances. The first combination, when his health is at a quarter before he is even knocked-down, you must duck and then dodge. The second combination, right after he comes back from being knocked down once, you must duck twice and then dodge. The last combination, right after he comes back from being knocked down twice, you must duck twice and then dodge twice. He will do the last combination throughout the rest of the battle. Once you dodge his weapon, Ryan will scream in frustration, allowing for a lot of free hits and a star.
Stars:
- Evade all attacks from the Rope Attack and land seven punches.
- Counter his right uppercut.
- Block his headbutt and jab him.
- Counter either elbow smash.
- Counter his counter-uppercut.
Attacks:
- Overhead: Aran Ryan comes from the center with an overhead punch. Intercept it for a stun.
- Hook: Aran comes from the player's right with a hook. Intercept it for a stun.
- Uppercut: Aran comes from the player's left with an uppercut. Counter it for a star.
- Counter-Uppercuts: Come from 2 directions. Dodge semi-early and time a punch well for a star. Performed after Aran is freed from a stun, or if you dodge an attack (besides the normal uppercut) and punch him.
- Headbutt: Aran jumps back to the ropes in the back of the ring, then launches at the player with a headbutt. Block just before impact and hit Aran for a star, or counter it for a seven-punch stun. It can also be dodged.
- Counter-Headbutt: A headbutt that cannot be countered. Block just before impact and hit Aran for a star. Dodge and hit him for a stun. Only used after you counter his attack.
- Elbow Smash: A quick elbow smash that can be countered for a star. Dodge and hit him for a stun. Only used after you counter his attack.
- Delayed Elbow Smash: An elbow smash that can be countered for a star. Dodge and hit him for a stun. Only used after you counter his attack.
- Rope Attack: Aran Ryan steps back pulls out his secret weapon: a boxing glove on a rope, acting as a flail. He swings it around two to four times to show you which the order of his swings. He can swing the flail two different ways: horizontally, which you have to duck, and vertically, which you have to dodge. There are three variations of the attack, depending on how many times he's been knocked down. Before his first knockdown, he will do one horizontal swing and one vertical swing. Before his second knockdown, he will do two horizontal swings and one vertical swing. After his second knockdown, he will do two horizontal swings and two vertical swings. If the player avoids all of the hits, they will be rewarded with a seven-punch stun, and earn a star on the seventh hit.
- Desperate Attack: When knocked down, Aran will use the flail to smack you while heading to the mat. Duck if you finished him with a jab and dodge if with a hook.
Instant Knockout:
- Knock him down with a jab. Then, use a precisely-timed uppercut or Star Punch when he is about to fall down when the weapon is fully extended behind his back.
Instant Knockdowns:
- Counter the Left Elbow-counter with a Star Punch before Ryan lunges forward.
- Counter the Right Elbow-counter with a Star Punch after knocking him back.
Stun Limits
- Any Attack: 7
Glitch: When you precisely use an uppercut on his counter-headbutt, he will not flinch (and if you do it more precisely, neither will you), but both of you will take damage. However, this glitch will not work if your hit would knock him down (so it is impossible that both of you are knocked down this way).
Exhibition challenges
Contender:
- Land 7 Star Punches during the fight!
- TKO or KO Aran Ryan without getting hit!
- Find 4 different ways to earn Stars.
Title Defense:
- Win the fight by TKO...
- Earn a Star from EVERY Rope Attack and still win the fight!
- Defeat Aran Ryan in the 7th minute of the fight!
Gallery
Quotes
Super Punch-Out!! (SNES)
- "Your wimpy little punches won't even faze me." (first match)
- "All I have to do is stop your KO Punches and this match will easily be mine." (rematch)
- "Oooh! You're the first with such heavy punches." (endgame)
- "Augh!" (after being hit by Mac)
- "Ooh!" (after being hit by the KO punch)
- "HUAGGH!!!!" (after being knocked down)
- "Grab him!" (Ryan's corner man, telling him to do the "Shamrock Squeeze")
- "Grr!" (before his Irish Jig move)
- "GRR! GRR!" (Before his Shamrock Squeeze)
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
- "Y' Don't look Irish!" (When selecting him as the opponent in Contender Mode)
- "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Let's go! Let's go!" (before the match)
- "Come on, boy!" (Taunt)
- "Come on boy, come on!" (Taunt)
- "Is that it?" (Taunt)
- "Fightin's like breathin', Mac!" (during intermission)
- "Keep hittin' me! I love it!" (during intermission)
- "If ye lie down with dogs, ye'll rise up with fleas!" (after knocking down Little Mac)
- "You prob'ly got cheeseburgers in those gloves, have ya, Mac?!" (after knocking down Little Mac)
- "You pretty like me sister!" (after knocking down Little Mac)
- "RAAAAAAAAHHAAHAAAAAAAA!!! GRRRRRAAAHH!!!" (after winning the match)
- "Whaddaya ya lookin' at, Little Mac?! Huh!?" (during Title Defense intermission)
- "Me sister hits harder than you, boy!" (during Title Defense intermission)
- "Come on, come on... Grrrr, what are you (the ref) looking at!?" (Title Defense Intermission)
- "Here's one of me favorites, Mac." (before executing his glove on a rope technique with the first combination)
- "You gonna love this, Mac!" (before executing his glove on a rope technique with the last combination)
- "Try this one on for size!" (before executing his glove on a rope technique with the second combination)
- "NOOOOOOOO!" (Rope Attack misses)
- "Huh!? Whozzat!? Let's go! I'll take a piece of you now! Hey! You think you're a man, do ya!? Hey, you think that's funny!? C'mon! Uh! Ah! Uh!" (Title Defense Intermission, during the food throwing)
- "You're... OUT" (after winning the match)
Doc Louis Tips
- "Mmmm... mmm! Don't you just love to hate this guy?"
- "Be first, Mac. I want you to be first. Beat Aran Ryan to the punch!"
- "Mac, it's time to send this joker packing! Hit him so hard he'll see rainbows!"
- "Aran Ryan's luck is about to run out! Knock him out with your Star Punch, baby!"
- "Can you believe this?! This sucka need to use a weapon to take ya down! Duck and weave his attacks and then lay a poundin'!"
- "That's the way, Mac baby. Aran Ryan couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!"
- "Listen up, Mac baby. I've seen this before. Aran Ryan is all bark and no bite. No bite, baby!"
- "Let's go, son! Aran Ryan's fast, but you gotta be faster! Let's beat this chump to the punch! Beat him to the punch, Mac! You got it!"
- "Hey kid, looks like luck is on your side. But you don't need it! Show this sucka your lucky punch!"
Trivia
- In the Wii version of Punch-Out!!, Aran Ryan has a lot to do with the number 7, most likely due to his Irish nationality (the Irish are said to be lucky and 7 is a lucky number).
- Ireland has 7 letters.
- The number of repeated letters in his full name is 7 (all the A's, N's, and R's).
- When Aran smiles, 7 teeth are seen; 4 on his upper jaw and 3 on his lower jaw.
- During his Contender fight:
- You get 7 hearts, which also makes him the fight with the least amount of hearts you can have in the game (excluding Glass Joe in the tutorial video).
- After stunning him, you can get up to 7 hits before he regains consciousness (with the exception of countering his headbutt in Contender).
- He gets up at the count of 7.
- He gives 7 opportunities for stars per round.
- Altogether, there are 7 Knockout and Knockdown windows.
- Counting his 2 counter-uppercuts seperately and his taunt, Aran has 7 moves.
- 7 Star punches instantly KOs him.
- Look carefully, that's 7 points under the "Contender Fight" section. (7 7's)
- During his TD fight (Only new points listed):
- Counting his 2 counter-uppercuts separately, his 3 rope attacks separately, and his desperate attacks, Aran has 7*2=14 moves.
- There are 7 star opportunities. Counter his counter-uppercuts, (1 star) land 7 hits after the rope attack(2), counter the uppercut(3), block both headbutts(5), and countering both elbow smashes(7).
- Two challenges have to do with the number seven:
- Land 7 Star Punches.
- Beat Aran Ryan on the 7th minute.
- His stats:
- He had 28 previous fights, and 28 is a multiple of 7 (7 x 4 = 28).
- With the fight in Contender, the total is 29 (9-2=7).
- His Technical Knockout count is 16 KO (1+6=7).
- After beating Ryan in Contender without losing, his record becomes 18-11 (18-11=7).
- Adding up the numbers of his height (6ft 1in/185m)gives the sum of 7/14.
- Likewise, adding up the digits of his weight (160 lbs) gives the sum of 7.
- He is the 7th opponent to have an Instant KO.
- His age (23) is 23+2+3=28, and 28 is a multiple of 7 (7 x 4 = 28)
- When he wins in Title Defense Mode, the audience seems to be cheering for him. This contrasts with the usual negative reception he is met with.
- In Title Defense mode, it is impossible for you to get knocked down by Aran Ryan's Desperate Attack. Indeed, this attack deals damage based on a percentage of the current Mac's health and not a fixed amount. This applies too in Champion's Mode, so this is the only move that won't instantly knock you down here (excluding Piston Hondo's glitchable jab). This may be because the game was not programmed to handle both the player and the opponent being knocked down at the same time.
- Despite coming from Ireland, Aran Ryan does not speak Gaelic. This is because Dublin isn't part of a region of the country that predominantly uses Gaelic.
- If a Star Punch is executed the moment he presents the gloves for the Rope Attack, the camera angle will glitch, causing it to be stuck in the same camera angle as when the Rope Attack begins. The camera angle is restored when either Aran Ryan or Little Mac are knocked down.
- If you KO or TKO him with a Star Punch, Aran Ryan will be sent flying and get tangled upside-down on the ropes.
- In the Wii version of Punch-Out!!, his is the only fight when Little Mac has to step back while his opponent is knocked down. The reason for this is his desperate attacks, where he falls down on the mat the closest to Mac of all the other opponents.
- In the Wii version of Punch-Out!!, If you lose in Contender, Aran Ryan breaks the screen by slamming his head. In Title Defense, in the mid-round cutscene, the ref saves the screen (getting thrown across the side in the process) when Aran Ryan tries to break the screen by punching it. This features him as one of the few characters in the game to break the 4th wall.
- Aran Ryan, Bald Bull and Super Macho Man are the only fighters who attack the Referee. Coincidentally, all of these fighters are in the World Circuit.
- He frequently mentions having a sister in the Wii version. It is unknown if it is true.
- In the Wii game, Aran Ryan says "You probably got cheeseburgers in those gloves, 'av ya Mac?" This might be a reference to the Big Mac burgers which Little Mac is seemingly named after.
- In Super Punch-Out!!, if you knock out Aran Ryan as he starts his flurry punches while having low health, you will both be knocked down simultaneously. Then the game will freeze and you will only hear the crowd cheering.
- It is likely that Aran Ryan's first name comes from Aran Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Ireland.
- Aran Ryan is one of the few boxers in the Wii version not to block your punches. The others are Great Tiger (Contender version) and Donkey Kong.
- It is implied that he used to have a beard due to the fact that he has a shaved face.
- It is possible, though extremely difficult, to dodge Aran Ryan's entire "Irish Jig" combo in Super Punch-Out!!. The reason for this difficulty is not only the move's high speed, but also the fact that you would have to dodge 24 punches per phase - as opposed to just blocking 6 consecutive punches - in addition to the uppercuts.
- Avoiding the "Irish Jig" in this manner gives no award, however.
- You can hear his heartbeat when you knock him down in the Title Bout.
- If you win by normal TKO in Punch-Out!! Wii (without triggering the special animation), Aran Ryan is so misplaced on the mat while knocked down that the Referee seemingly steps on his head. The camera switches right before this, however, so it's off-screen.
- The camera angle when the Referee steps in to announce the TKO is also slightly different, being slightly to the side and closer to the Ref's face than normal; this is presumably to help cut Aran Ryan out of the picture, as noted above.