Punch out has gave us some interesting and funny Characters. Most of them are based off of stereotypes but from the creators own words there is no ill intent. A few have caused controversies. Soda Popinski actually caused a minor controversy when the Punch Out games first came out in the 1980's. Who is Soda Popinski and what was the controversy? Well, I am going to explain in this biography.

First he has appeared in a lot of punch out games. He is one of the more recognizable characters along with Bear Hugger, Don Flamingo, Bald Bull, Super Macho Man, and of course Mr. Sandman. He made his debut in the very first punch out game which was for arcades. His name originally was not Soda Popinski and this is where the controversy started. In the very first game he was known as Vodka Drunkensi. He was a Soviet Boxer that would drink Vodka to restore his health. After he won as his name applied he would get drunk on Vodka. When Nintendo was going to make Punch Out on the NES this meant they had a minor controversy on their hands.

At that time in the mid 1980's alcohol commercials were usually not aired until the evening when children were most likely not watching TV. Nintendo realized that children would be playing this game. A character that drinks and gets drunk on Vodka would cause an outrage. Also keep in mind the United States was a lot more conservative no matter which side you were on back then compared to now. More things have been allowed on TV that would have been restricted for late night back when I was a kid. There would not be a controversy now, but back then Nintendo realized they could have a problem on their hand. Nintendo decided to change his name to Soda Poinski. Instead of drinking vodka he would do drink soda to restore his health and celebrate. They made sure to confirm that the bubbles was carbonated water and not anything alcohol related.

Soda Popinski grew up boxing in the old Soviet Union. It should be noted when these games were made the USSR was still a country. When the USSR folded in 1991 he was listed as being from Russia.

In one scene it shows him training in the harsh winter conditions during Russia. It shows him carrying his soda to his training station. This was to show that Soda was a man who survived on hardships, and was a tough guy.

He proved he was a good boxer and quickly rose up into the ranks. He quickly became a top contender for the championship title. Eventually he won the belt but he lost it to Mr. Sandman. He lost the number 1 contender spot to Super Macho Man.

Soda Popinski is known to be a very tough opponent. He was noted for his difficulty and due to his brutal attacks. He has great offense, defense, and speed. He can easily block the players jabs. He also has a great deal of stamina as regular punches do not hurt him that much. The player (which controls Mac) has to be creative to knock him out. He has speed for a person his size he can jab and throw hooks really fast. His most powerful attack is his devastating right and left hooks. One hit from these can send the player down.

Another thing that is tricky is during his fights he can drink his soda to refill his health. The only way to stop is to hit him and knock the soda out of his hand. However, this comes with a price. Soda will turn red and start punching harder and faster making it more tricky to dodge his attacks and counter.

He does not have that many weaknesses. His only weakness is he can be prone to uppercuts when he is throwing hooks. But the player has to be quick to avoid the hooks.

Personality Wise: Soda is very confident and arrogant. If he knocks the player down he loves to laugh at the player. He believes the hard times he faced growing up in the old USSR has made him tough. He also taunts the players according to translators in what are they saying. He taunts the player by saying I'm going to crush you. If you lose to him he says ready for another crushing defeat or beating. He also is a dirty fighter drinking his soda to refill himself. He is shown to be a good dancer as he does the old Russian dance if he wins. In Championship Mode if you lose to him he laughs at you with his signature laugh. Then he will attempt to juggle his soda bottles

Overall, Soda can back up his confidence due to his record. Even when he does not use soda to refill his health. He is a hard opponent due to his power, speed, and defense.

As I stated in his first scene it shows him walking by steel factories in the cold and blowing snow. It then shows him pulling his soda cases up the hills to his training base. In the second scene it shows doctors analyzing his soda and improving the formula. It is speculated that the soda has some performance enhancer in it.

It also should be noted his soda bottles are shown to be green. This could be a reference to Sprite which at that time had green bottles.

Here are his stats from Punch Out

From: Russia in some games it is stated he is from Moscow Russia others it states he is from Siberia.

Age: 35 years old

Wins: 35 24 of those being knock outs
Loses: 2 he only lost to Mr. Sandman and Super Macho Man

Height: 198 centimeters or about 6'6 ft
Weight: 108 kilograms or 237 pounds

Interesting Despite having a slightly better record than Bald Bull in the latest punch out game he is ranked under Bald Bull. This could be that Bald Bull may have head the championship longer or multiple times compared to Soda.

He was referenced in other games as well. When translated it states: This Russian Boxing Champion and former World Champion is known for his speed, power and offense. Can you dodge his powerful hook attacks.

In conclusion, Soda is a character that originally caused some controversy. Nintendo had to change his name. He has become a popular character in Punch Out and one of the most recognizable characters. He is known for his brutal punches. This concludes the Soda Popinski Biography.