Disco Kid

Disco Kid is a black American boxer in the Nintendo-produced video game Punch-Out!! for Wii. He has an affinity for disco dancing and a variety of exercise called "boxercising". He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas. He is described as flamboyant, with a penchant for clubbing. He is the only new character introduced into the Wii Punch-Out!!, which was otherwise comprised of only characters from Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES respectively.

Since appearing in Punch-Out!!, Disco Kid has been met with positive reception. He has been referenced as fitting in very well with the other Punch-Out!! boxers, with editors from both Kotaku and The Escapist commenting as such. Though, the latter editor commented that he did not seem to have much disco to him. He has been compared to Carlton Banks of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air by both 1UP.com and ESPN.com, the latter having made the comparison twice. GamesRadar noted Disco Kid's affinity for tricked-out cars with loud bass as a black stereotype, though commenting that his stereotypes were mild compared to others in the series, citing Glass Joe's as an example. They added that Mr. Sandman was a counterbalance to him, featuring no eccentric qualities.

Concept and appearances
Disco Kid is the only new character to appear in the Wii video game Punch-Out!!, appearing as the third boxer after Von Kaiser. He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas. He was one of the first characters revealed in the Wii Punch-Out!!, alongside Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, and King Hippo, though he was revealed on the box art separately from the Punch-Out!! trailer reveal for the above mentioned three. He is characterized as being flamboyant, featuring a high-pitched voice and an affinity for dance. In the cutscenes from Punch-Out!!, he is depicted as having a tricked-out car with a loud bass and going clubbing. In another cutscene, he is seen feeling down until he discovers a "boxercising" program, causing him to utilize the exercise in his fighting style. Whereas he is typically seen in standard boxing attire, his Title Defense incarnation features him in purple spandex. Senior Product Specialist Nate Williams states that Disco Kid has his own attacks, and is unique in his own way to other boxers in the game.

Reception
Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the Wii, Disco Kid has received positive reception, one of the specific reasons being that he fit well with the characters who returned from earlier games in the series. IGN editor Craig Harris stated that Disco Kid fit in the Punch-Out!! series "like a glove", citing the developer's attention to detail for this. GameSpot editor Tom Mc Shea stated that while he lacks the charm of returning characters, his flashy style makes him "fun to pop". Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh called him "camp", stating that he was memorable enough compared to the returning characters to "not let the side down". Eurogamer Portugal editor Ricardo Madeira praised the developers, Next Level Games, for making Disco Kid fit in well with the other characters. Similarly, Hardcore Gamer editor DJPubba stated that while the developers played it safe for the most part, they went against this by introducing Disco Kid. He states that his goofy attacks and awkward appearance help him to fit in with the rest of the characters. Fellow Kotaku editor Mike Fahey stated that Disco Kid looks like he came straight out of the arcade game. The Escapist editor John Funk agreed, adding that he did not know what made him disco. He commented that he could have used "more sequins on his shorts". University Chronicle editor Joe Brown described Disco Kid as a "pushover."

In his preview of Punch-Out!!, 1UP.com editor David Ellis compared Disco Kid to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air character Carlton Banks, describing Kid as a "flamboyant dancer who uses awkward timing as a distraction". He further states that the returning characters seemed like pushovers due to their patterns being similar to the patterns from previous games, while Disco Kid features a unique pattern, making him a more challenging opponent. ESPN.com made a similar comparison on two separate occasions; editor Jon Robinson commented that he dances like Carlton, and again in another article. Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod described him as the most annoying character added to the Punch-Out!! franchise, citing his annoying voice and taunts. GamePro editor Will Herring praised his appearance, stated that Disco Kid was masterfully modeled and animated. Escapist editor Jordan Deam commented that the visuals of Punch-Out!! for the Wii were a joy to watch, stating that Disco Kid's poses added to the "visual lexicon" of the series. Nintendo World Report editor Neal Ronaghan stated that he, along with Glass Joe, barely poses a threat. GameDaily editor Chris Buffa described him as a humorous character with a distinctive personality, describing him as a "dancing fool". In discussing the improvements made to the characters' designs in the Wii Punch-Out!!, N-Sider editor Brandon Daiker commented that he was a "walking caricature of a super-cool LA self-lover."

Flamboyance and stereotyping
He has been described as both a stereotype of black people, as well as being flamboyant. Kotaku editor Michael McWhertor, while commenting on the stereotypes of Punch-Out!!, begins to speak about Disco Kid, but stops and states "let's just call him flamboyant". Escapist editor Greg Tito commented that Disco Kid's encouragement for Little Mac to "boxercise", along with other characters' eccentricities, made him giggle. Fellow NWR editor Aaron Kaluszka described him as a "flamboyant, black, party-going fighter". In discussing the choice and number of characters in the game, GameTrailers stated that Disco Kid's inclusion indicated what segment of the market they're aiming for. In his discussion of racial stereotypes in Punch-Out!!, GamesRadar editor Brett Elston described Disco Kid as a stereotype of black Americans, stating that the black stereotypes utilized in his character included a love for "tricked-out cars with huge rims and insane bass", as well as clubbing. In spite of this, he states that his stereotypes are comparatively mild to other stereotypes in the game. He adds that fellow black American character Mr. Sandman balances him out, due to having no eccentric behavior.