Olivia Richman is a seasoned esports journalist who has worked with Inven Global, Esports Illustrated, Esports.gg, and more. As an editor and writer at Esports Insider, she loves telling unique esports stories, especially within the FGC. When not working and gaming, Olivia loves collecting Kirby plush, eating sushi, and driving her cars at the track.
Image Credit: CEO/XRINGLEADER The art of the pop-off has been perfected in Super Smash Bros. Melee . A grassroots scene known for its grit and passion, the sets can get quite intense, leading to some intense celebrations once someone beats a longtime rival or wins an incredibly difficult match.
One of the most iconic pop-off-ers in Smash is Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma . The raw emotion of the Jigglypuff main collapsing on the Evo stage has remained with the community. But he has also taken the art of the pop-off much further than that.
Two incidents in August have some wondering whether it has surpassed entertainment and become a real concern.
Over the past few years, there have been some very memorable Hungrybox pop-offs that have torn the community.
Five years ago, Hungrybox was streaming an online tournament with pretty low stakes. After a win, Hungrybox unleashed a super long and loud scream. It almost seemed staged. As he said, Yeah motherf-,” his eyes rolled back and he fell out of his chair. Hungrybox reacted to the moment later on his YouTube channel, seemingly unconcerned.
Fans immediately joked that Hungrybox had been “rested” by Jigglypuff, a pretty big meme-worthy moment. But others were scared for his health. It’s not like it’s normal to pass out from screaming. Was Hungrybox getting too hype for his own good?
A year later, Hungrybox competed in the Grand Finals of Get On My Level 2022 against long-time rival Cody Schwab, known as IBDW at the time. After eliminating Cody’s final stock, Hungrybox immediately jolted out of his seat.
But Cody seemed prepared for Hungrybox’s usual antics. He jumped up right along with him, jumping up and down while staring him in the face. It was clear that Cody was salty about Hungrybox’s over-the-top celebrations, especially after beating him. But the Jiggly main seemed unthreatened, staring at him coldly from behind sunglasses before patting him on the cheek.
However, Cody clearly doesn’t have what it takes to do an epic pop-off and started to appear unstable on stage. Later, he admitted he was feeling dizzy from the burst of energy. In the video, you could see him holding on to Hungrybox for support.
Even though Cody later said the moment was all in good fun between the two frenemies, the Smash community is full of extreme haters. Many felt the moment was “cringe” and “salty,” causing Cody haters to come out of the woodwork to keep attacking him. Wrote one gamer on Reddit: “I mean you can’t just create a very unusual and unexpected social situation and then just say ‘bro chill.’ People are gonna have just as unusual and unexpected responses.”
Either way, it was yet another incident where Hungrybox’s notorious pop-offs created drama in the community.
Then, there was the time he threw a chair. After an intense Jigglypuff mirror in the Grand Finals of Get On My Level X, Hungrybox jumped up from his seat, screaming in victory. His chair fell over in the process and his initial reaction was to pick it up and slam it…