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Glass Joe first appeared as the first opponent in the arcade classic Punch-Out!! in 1984. He made his next appearance on the Nintendo Entertainment System game Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! in 1987; once again as the very first opponent in the minor circuit. His name is a pun on the phrase "glass jaw," indicating a boxer with a weak jaw that can be easily broken. Glass Joe has also appeared as a Hasbro Action Figure and in a Topps trading card series and on a Punch-Out!! Garbage Can. When Nintendo's license with Mike Tyson ran out, they remade the game and called it Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream. In the game Glass Joe once again reclaimed is position as the easiest character to defeat.

Glass Joe is the easiest character to beat in any version of Punch-Out. He has poor defensive skills and takes quite a while to mount any offense. In Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, his lone signature maneuver is his "Taunt Punch" in which he takes a few steps back, shakes his gloves, mumbles a few words and then rushes forward to unleash his right hook. He is also known as 'France's Glass Jaw'.

The theme music played for Glass Joe is taken from "La Marseillaise", the national anthem of France. Glass Joe trained boxer Gabby Jay who appeared in the Super Nintendo game Super Punch-Out!! Glass Joe later made an appearance in the pages of the Nintendo Comics System in the story of "The First Fight" against Little Mac. He also makes a cameo appearance in the Captain N story "The Happy Zone".

Punch-Out!! (Wii)[]

Glass Joe returned in the Wii game Punch-Out!!. In the game, he is the first opponent that the player will take on to keep with tradition. Like the other characters in the game, Glass Joe is cel-shaded.

Because he's the first opponent you'll fight in the game, defeating Glass Joe is very simple. He won't even attack you until after he's taunted you, which is a simple indicator as to when to dodge and counterattack. In the game he only has two attacks, which consists of a left punch after he crouches down and a right punch when he steps backwards.

Glass Joe's challenges in the game include:

  • Knock Glass Joe down 3 times and let him win…by decision!: Knock Glass Joe out three times without any of the knockouts resulting in a TKO.
  • Find the one-punch-knockdown weak spot.: Must knock Glass Joe out with a single punch. You can do this after he taunts you. When he's returning to his original position, this is your chance.
  • Win the fight without dodging, ducking, or blocking a punch!: Simply beat Glass Joe without dodging, ducking or blocking. An easy way the player can do this is to get a one punch knockdown.

KO Trick: When Glass Joe does the Vive la France taunt, use a 3 star uppercut.

Title Defense[]

During the Title Defense mode, Glass Joe is required to wear a boxing helmet, due to losing 100 times. This means that during the rematch with him, Little Mac cannot make blows to the head, under normal circumstances. However, if Glass Joe is stunned, Little Mac can star punch Glass Joe and jab him in the head repeated times. Glass Joe also moves quicker and even fakes out some punches this time around.

Title Defense Glass Joe's challenges include:


  • Win the fight and land EVERY punch thrown!
  • Land 50 jabs...
  • Defeat Glass Joe in only 4 punches!!!!

KO Trick: When Glass Joe does the Vive le France or Liberte taunt, use a 3-star uppercut. Also, you'll have to land 50 jabs (appears as a challenge).

Appearances in other media[]

Glass Joe in the comics

Little Mac battling Glass Joe in the comics.

  • Glass Joe has a cameo in the Captain N: The Game Master episode "Videolympics". At the Punch-Out gym where Mother Brain's minions are training for the titular event, Joe is seen shadow-boxing with his own shadow... and naturally losing. This makes him the only other Punch-Out!! character (alongside King Hippo) to appear on the show.
  • In the Nintendo Comics System comic books, Glass Joe appears in the Punch-Out!! prologue short, "The First Fight", in which he actually manages to beat Little Mac in a match at the beginning, After Doc Louis begins training Mac, he beats Glass Joe in their rematch.
    • Glass Joe also had a cameo at the beginning of the Captain N comic "The Happy Zone", which oddly depicts him as part of Mother Brain's spring offensive. He is shown being punched by Kevin.
  • In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a photo of Glass Joe can be seen hanging on the wall of the Punch-Out Pizzeria.

Quotes[]

Main article: Glass Joe/quotes
  • "This is my last match! I'm too old for fighting!"
  • "Make it quick... I want to retire!"
  • "Do I have time to take a nap before the fight?"
  • "Watch the jaw!! Don't hit my jaw!"

External links[]

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