Hanky Panky - The Greatest Melee Player Nobody Knows

[@Mitchell555100]

Hanky Panky is literally the guy who realizes that the best spot to grind is the beginning areas due to the efficiency of it

[@isiss3659]

He did do accounting

[@jaylenpeoples6517]

I was laughing so hard the entire video. Bro WHAT A LEGEND

[@LumiLunar]

The forgotten Robot of Melee

[@vollrathfgc]

Nascar had a similar guy in Dick Trickle Dude made so much at short tracks he didn't move to Nascar until he was in his 50s

[@whitesugar486]

VollrathFGC please tell me that’s not his real name

[@joezenta2548]

Westballz: ima disrespect this scrub Hanky Panky: I don't even know who you are

[@lonelyest701]

Talk bout being humble.

[@pabloescobedo738]

(

[@spenpinner]

He is the antithesis of a top melee player. In other words, the most powerful casual you could ever face.

[@Geneolgia]

Now i'm scared of casuals.

[@Valkenhyne]

The ultimate mid-boss

[@DesertEagleSeven]

So basically a gatekeeper..

[@tenslein8977]

He's practiced way too much to be a "casual." He's the most efficient pro player in terms of time and money.

[@cdose]

Antithesis - a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.

[@cise3895]

Ah yes, Hanky Panky, my favorite of the 5 gods.

[@lucasfrancisco4058]

Rensi Armada is actually bootleg Hanky Panky

[@CaptainShenanigans42]

Tim Kim Hanky Panky getting down with Dr. PeePee

[@inheritedwheel2900]

i started ROLLING at that part hahahaha

[@twotwoisfive]

I assume borp is among those 5.

[@undeniablySomeGuy]

Ever Peak comedy is random accountant Hanky Panky being above PLUP, SFAT, and LEFFEN???

[@PuppetMasterIX]

I genuinely envy Hanky for his love for accounting. Given how almost no one wants to do it themselves, that's like being handed a free career.

[@Scorpio3002]

Yeah, accounting is less about math than it is about navigating tax code, and knowing which rules apply to which situation.

[@Gage-bk7cn]

I live in California could a stoner possibly be an accountant or do I need to be drug tested

[@JavaIsnom]

@@Gage-bk7cn following this thread

[@novatare]

@Ryan Lockwood Well, of course an accountant would say that. I really don't see the appeal of accounting.

[@Youre_dumb]

@@Gage-bk7cn I’m an accountant and I smoke on occasion but we mostly drink 😉

[@GimR]

your mini-docs are amazing

[@robo-rex0239]

Gimr UwU

[@ZachStarAttack]

Hello gimr. Glad to aee youre enjoying this too

[@Kmart3535]

I see you’re a fan of Prince Abu documentaries too

[@chrispo7610]

Nice to see gimr enjoying these too!

[@sanik1177]

Gimr hi

[@Forged4War206]

There's something so fascinating and admirable about someone like Hanky who knows his skill and potential, yet only competes in a way that's the most fun and comfortable to him. It makes you wonder how good he could have been if he grinded really hard and went to majors instead of focusing on locals. He could have potentially made a huge name for himself, gaining tons of fans and clout, but none of that mattered to him. He just wanted to play melee at his own pace, something that he does for fun but also in a way that benefited him without taking too much time away from his other commitments. Gotta respect a man for that.

[@jaybee3960]

Honestly, he might of burned himself out doing that. Taking something like Melee at your own pace is really important, and he prolly got Way more $$$ from grinding out his local scene anyway

[@MrCguy24]

Not really clout when the community is full of people who dont shower

[@water5000]

He's permanent smurfer

[@MrCguy24]

​@Unbox and Destroy Idk I was goin gto say something about how it doesn't really matter because it isn't something valuable, but I guess to the people inside the circle it could be valuable. However he's a man of statistics and a very high level scholar I don't think he caers about melee popularity

[@jmarvins]

im glad to see melee stats has pivoted totally to content about prince abu lore

[@eu4um]

I really hope we get a “Prince Abu, Savior of 20XX” vid soon

[@Kmart3535]

All hail Prince Abu

[@AmbisinisterSSBM]

Wow this prince abu guy is pretty interesting I bet he's played some pretty weird sets

[@wobblesthephoenix]

Ik I wonder who this guy is

[@saltytea7367]

Sounds like the kinda guy to play the weirdest set in fact.

[@PigsSSBM]

Just a few

[@BigmanJesusECDJ]

Oh you ain't getting away with this one

[@andybear6617]

Sorry to break the joke but ive been following melee for quite a bit but idk anything abt prince abu. Can anyone fill me in?

[@nial1396]

i actually love this guy so much. the "who are you?" from the other player is what sold it to me this man is straight up just above the ego and the status. filing his winnings to the IRS is the final letter that spells that playing melee is a fun job and nothing more

[@namebrandlabel]

It's a game

[@Copyright_Infringement]

I think you'd understand if you had a Raising Canes where you live

[@pjm-zu7jw]

he put Peach Toadstool as his spouse

[@btf_flotsam478]

Some do it for the fame, others do it for the respect and others do it for the love of the game. Hanky Panky, not being one for such sentimental ideas, does it as a ruthlessly optimized side gig.

[@wwhammy1721]

god what a gangster. 24000 in two years is honestly nutty for a smasher strictly from prizes. hanky panky on the grind of a lifetime

[@heartdyedpurple]

Impressive, but to me highlighted how unrealistic it is to be a full time pro gamer.

[@wwhammy1721]

@@heartdyedpurple only the few who make it to the top can actually survive full time in melee. It ends up coming from streaming and sponsorships more than cash prizes anyway lmaoo

[@goodiesohhi]

@@heartdyedpurple Smash is famously low profit tho. There's almost no money in Smash because big N doesn't really sponsor it like other companies and their pro scenes.

[@YoungFranco]

Considering this guy attends small events only, HP is a cash cow

[@IAm-zo1bo]

@@puckered6036 and in ultimate

[@thunderbolt1213984]

Melee Stats - "the greatest smash player no one knows" Me remembering getting my ass handed to me sundays at mass in Columbus - "im damn well aware of hanky"

[@Diembee]

What a brutal melee player, being a hidden boss who takes mad advantage of prize pools rather than caring about some arbitrary ranking. What a legend.

[@sweetshoez]

As someone who came from this exact scene (sitting to the left of hanky at 17:47) this was 100% spot on. To this day hanky is one of the hardest to fight people I’ve ever played

[@nocturnaloop]

Every OSU Melee player remembers the first time they lost to Hanky

[@IETass]

That's a great name

[@JtCoronaOnTheMic]

Hi Scar!

[@papasitodonkey9749]

@@nano1 Ya, when I saw the username I knew it was true.

[@rpotts]

Incredible. I clicked this thinking, "Ha, jokes on them, I know Hanky Panky beat scar at Big House 3 or something." Little did I know...

[@EnginoJuushichi]

"No one, not even their mutual friend Prince Abu could bring themselves to watch the whole set." I was definitely there watching the whole thing, let's gooooo

[@bruceU]

Wow sounds like you were fucking bored

[@ManaketeGaming]

Wait whose this guy???

[@FreeHectic]

@Ryan Lockwood if im correct Juushici was one of the first players I played against in Unist. Akatsuki iirc

[@KD8_NotTheShoes]

i love that all the facebook pictures have hanky wanting canes lol, he went so much they have his picture up on the wall

[@francylawcesaranoDragon]

He is the yoshikage kira of meelee, he just wants to live a quiet life

[@seishonagon8468]

BITEZ ZA TURNIP

[@Thuli]

My first tournament ever I walked in and saw Hanky and Drephen playing friendlies and as a brand new player at the time I immediately felt an aura of power around them. I knew right off the bat I was looking at grands and they knew it too. What an incredibly well done video, good shit to everyone involved.

[@Thuli]

@Ryan Lockwood Thanks homie, I appreciate your kind words. :)

[@charlesbaker1200]

Hanky Panky is going to claim your video, just for the ad revenue

[@AmbisinisterSSBM]

If that’s all it takes for youtube to allow us to monetize this stupid channel hanky can have the next videos revenue too

[@DarkLeviathan8]

I'm dead

[@Zyrdalf]

We don't need to worry, the video wasn't made in Ohio.

[@prototypex9094]

@@Zyrdalf lmfao

[@JtCoronaOnTheMic]

HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THIS: You made Drephen, Cal, Free Palestine, and Boyd Hanky’s Dependents on the Tax Return you Savage

[@ovadyarachman7243]

hes their daddy

[@btf_flotsam478]

Also, his wife is Peach Toadstool and his home is Cane's. 10/10.

[@dengold009]

incredible vid, suprprised you didn't mention that hanky also held link's awakening speedrun world records for a while though some people are just nutty at games

[@bestboyfreddy7105]

Hey can you give me a link from the run didn't find it

[@dengold009]

@@bestboyfreddy7105 www.twitch.tv/videos/124824303

[@bestboyfreddy7105]

Thx mate

[@piranhaplantgang]

So basically he's a top player that remained a casual at heart

[@ARMTOAST]

disappointed y'all didn't mention how absurdly fast he can navigate melee's menus. it's inhuman how quickly he can change your settings to rumble. the menu almost never finishes loading by the time he's at the next one. edit: here's the only example I could find on YT, and it's not even him in top form. he's only gotten faster. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGqrn2CZp8-GnZo

[@jigglypuffdude]

I want to see this

[@salender4683]

WE WANT TO SEE THIS :O

[@Appletank8]

Setting change speed eun

[@guzel_games]

just a comment to get a notify once someone links it

[@HeavenBomber]

Guzel yup same

[@LANBobYonson]

Armada has the second highest win percentage of any player. LMAO

[@SufferDYT]

If you don't weigh the value of wins based on the competition, sure.

[@sillybearhours]

Ricky Johnson if you do he’s still 5th lmao

[@mugananonymous7388]

@@sillybearhours n o s h i t ?

[@lgachaboyyt]

second highest peach player LOL

[@Mondester]

Literally the secret final boss of melee.

[@turndownforwalt]

Amazing work yet again! Really loved this!

[@saltytea7367]

Wow I had no idea you watch this channel.

[@SSB_Seal]

God I love Melee history and storytelling, especially when it’s this well-written and organized. Thank you guys for continuing to educate the community about incredible, lesser-known Melee stories through these videos!

[@Pine2142]

I love your comments on Silvagunner videos

[@Katakuri]

9:16 Scar: Did you plan this too, Hanky?! Tell me! Hanky: Why are you even asking!? I set a forward air and you walked right into it! All of this went down like clockwork! (thinking) I just got lucky, but thinking I outsmarted him will drive Scar nuts!

[@abbacchio2502]

Underrated comment lol

[@woode77able]

Some say Scar is still floating somewhere out there among the stars of the melee universe.

[@TheMushyPotato1]

:0 tda

[@ninjacell2999]

Berry naicu

[@Mufflin]

Imagine if Prince Abu entered every local tournament Hanky Panky entered just to make him mad.

[@fridaynightpizza7158]

remember the very beginning of the video where hanky finishes 4th and smash stats talks about how hanky doesn't care as long as he gets paid? you think it'd matter to him if he lost to abu?

[@Mufflin]

@@fridaynightpizza7158 I mean yeah? 3:35 basically says that hanky hates Abu's shit talk lol.

[@joeschmoe4376]

God I can't believe he slideoff faired him in 2012 LMAO

[@bradydoyle7470]

Man they really just made another prince abu video but in disguise this time

[@josephcastle3872]

Wow, what an interesting story. Hanky Panky is probably one of the most down to earth Smash players I have ever heard about. Never thought someone would go to locals just to make money as a side hobby. His smash career is the kind of smash career I would dream of having later in life if I still enjoyed playing Melee.

[@EZDoodles]

When I was just learning how to play peach, I looked up peach videos on KZbin and saw a few Hanky Panky clips. My boyfriend asked me who my favorite player was, and I said Hanky Panky to which he said - "who even is that?" This video is extremely validating to me xD

[@koth_harvest_final]

this man grinds locals more than every socal pr player combined also, rest in peace, michael brooks. the majority report wont be the same without you

[@nonah60]

r0se my guy. RIP.

[@33kappa1]

this man is the embodiment of "EEEEAAAASSYYYYY MOOOONNNEEEYYYYYYYY"

[@void9938]

To have an order named after you at canes, where there are less options than an in n out, alone is monumental

[@justinr8957]

There’s a very good Luigi at my local melee tournament and one day dizzkidboogie came in. It was grand finals between boogie & the Luigi. Dizzkidboogie lost

[@anvi7572]

Eric Cartman : There's lots of computer-generated boars in Warcraft that die with just one blow... Kyle : [trying to convice Cartman to give it up] Dude! Boars are only worth two experience points a piece. Do you know how many we would have to kill to get up 30 levels? Eric Cartman : [pulls out a piece of paper] Yes. 65,340,285, which should take us 7 weeks, 5 days, 13 hours and 20 minutes, giving ourselves 3 hours a night to sleep. What do you say, guys? You can jus... you can just hang outside in the sun all day tossing a ball around. Or you can sit at your computer and do something that matters...

[@alejandror765]

Niceeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[@chupathingiy]

Its cuz most good melee players want the fame, not the money. He just wants the money not the fame. Which is why he doesn't need to travel.

[@leaffinite2001]

Cant blame him! If i was that good id love to make bank on it

[@itsyaboi1245]

Just like boss

[@radreviewz9482]

I think a lot of melee players wanna be the best or find the traveling to be fun. I don't think it's just for the fame.

[@TapDat52K]

@@radreviewz9482 but having an order named after you at restaurant because you eat there with your winnings so often is incredible.

[@nahometesfay1112]

Well the famous players make more than $24000 through sponsors and streams, but that requires commitment. I'd say he wants the same things every one else wants, but puts his career and day to day life first.

[@pic0des]

never thought i would admire a peach player other than armada but this guy is so classy he even likes cane's probably more than i do!

[@mekoleko3942]

Hanky Panky doesn't have a mindset, he has a grindset

[@Cousin_Greg]

It's hilarious how high he ranks in the algorithms

[@Zetts]

You guys KILLED it! What a joy seeing such a great telling of this story. Thanks for your hard work, Melee Stats

[@sweetshoez]

This was 100% facts lol insane

[@Bradyy.]

3:25 Lmao Michigan vs OSU is so intense its even a rivalry in Melee

[@tokisuno]

this is literally one of my favourite smash videos of all time. how the simple editing guides the story telling helps so well, along with the fitting music.

[@Grgrqr]

He’s the guy that appears randomly and beats everyone

[@jenschneider305]

We should make a category called “demigods” were we showcase good players

[@eastskyresting]

I once entered a local with Hanky in Dayton, OH (got bodied by him lmao), which has a pretty small scene. We usually had, like, $40 prizes for first place. Dude probably profited about $10 after paying for gas lmao

[@joetheseventeenth]

stonks 📈📈📈

[@vxel]

the intentional 480p is kinda hot ngl

[@jak1165]

I know what I must do. But I dont know if I have the strength to do it

[@Duck-de9dw]

@@jak1165 YOU CAN'T YOU MUSTN'T

[@3nvy248]

Prince Abu: ayo hanky, it has this tourney comin up. You should join Hanky Panky: das crazy n all but how much it pays😐

[@sp1nda]

Hanky's reign in Ohio was crazy to see and live through at tournaments. Playing against him was addicting because of how good he was at everything, he never seemed to make any mistakes.

[@tokisuno]

im still watching this every 2-3 months

[@LSparkzwz]

Finally someone who's smart enough to not throw their job away for something that can't last forever and will probably bite you back career-wise when you get older

[@JavaIsnom]

eh, maybe if your main goal in life is career & capital

[@Izanna3]

Facts

[@klammyvagikarp7578]

Hbox can be best in the world while having high paying engineering jobs to go back to. It's incredibly tough but a stable and financially satisfying career and Melee aren't mutually exclusive. Showering and melee on the other hand . . .

[@moosesues8887]

@@klammyvagikarp7578 shower

[@alfiealfie35]

i think it depends on how much you enjoy and care about the game compared to your full-time job

[@MilkJugA_]

The 480p resolution really gives off a 2009 vibe... Fits well with such an old game as melee

[@nutinurmacaroni]

Hanky is one of the best players I've had the opportunity to interact with.. he's a god in Break the Targets too.

[@seanb3226]

I love this, this ordinary dude's quiet and humble journey in and out of the world of competitive Smash, taking out top players, making bank, finding some fame and glory. But at the end of the day he doesn't even care about it, just some guy who's an accountant and eats Raising Cane's. Just awesome.

[@lambopokemon9568]

This was one of the most incredibly interesting melee videos ive ever happened upon. Great work.

[@btf_flotsam478]

12:44 that IRS form is 10/10 with the details.

[@thatspoonybard8013]

I can really sympathize with Hanky's line of reasoning. This is an awesome doc. Thank you for your hard work and telling his story.

[@zLucci.]

Tyler is definitely the protagonist of his own anime, this was the first season, he can only get stronger.

[@mattdotzeb]

@6:42 wow you guys went deep to find this out LOL

[@TheEssentialHughJazz]

It probably went into the long list of times Matt Dot Zeb's sheer presence alone altered the internal processes of Super Smash Brothers Melee

[@galaxian23]

makes me think that there's 2 dudes in a basement somewhere who've been playing melee 20 years against each other for fun and could defeat anyone... if only they knew or cared there were actual tournaments

[@iAmAbsoluteFilth]

There are many many complex characters in anime. A very underrated example would have to be Hanky Panky from the hit anime Melee.

[@Scorpio3002]

This might seem bizarre for smash, but isn't "farming locals" a staple of how other e-sports players make a living?

[@nerrvous1]

yes, dabuz used to farm our locals in LI and when it wasnt him it was vinny or Mr E (this was during smash 4 a few years ago)

[@JayAreAitch]

But those players then go and actually compete properly

[@Justpassingby204]

@@nerrvous1 I can confirm this

[@Punkqurupeco]

Yeah but e-sports players not only grind locals and call it a day they go for the big tournaments, yes Armada, ZeRo, MKLeo, Salem, S2J all dominate(d) and win money by attending locals but also show up on bigger tournaments.

[@anthonyb8069]

As someone who watched the groundshattering set of ORLY vs Hanky Panky live at The Big House 3 (my first ever melee tournament) I had no idea until 20 minutes ago that people didn't know who he was. I regularly think about the guy screaming "HANKUS, YOU CAN DO IT PANKUS"

[@TheSLATEcleaner]

The five gods can fight it out for the crown. Hanky Panky's cool just being the local warlord and meme'ing whoever comes to his turf.

[@gravityvertigo13579]

This is easily one of the top five greatest Melee videos I've ever seen. I really love it. Terrific subject, and a story well told.

[@vsauce4678]

Winning sometime requires setting your own limits. This is inspiring. Gettin the bag over the fame.

[@correadoggsten]

I feel so proud that I went to OSU and got to be a part of this scene

[@chichechich99]

Commenting to push the video up the YT analytics! Just found the channel and I'm already binging every video. Good stuff

[@lordzevallos]

This was amazing man. Never knew about Hanky until today. Just subbed 👏

[@Dr_Mel]

This is an example of someone who would have been a bigger part of the scene if it weren't so profoundly underground. Prize pools being so low and the skill ceiling being so high means you need very strong financial support OUTSIDE of competing to do well, and streaming/content creating wasn't an option back then. Sponsorships barely cover the bills if you're among the best in the world, and for anyone else it's just all time and money out of pocket. Hanky Panky is probably one of those guys we would have seen a lot more of if the scene had more official support.

[@GamerTowerDX]

Considering Hanky's love for accounting,it could a less likely what if than you might expect.

[@LacedWithOreos]

What absolutely floored me was the way he analyzed matches?? He really had a notepad of just 'dsmash spotdodge spotdodge dsmash' wat, so commited

[@AbsolBlogsPokemon]

Fantastic video. I love learning about hidden boss players like this

[@water0000]

Don’t know how this was recommended to me, but I’m glad it was

[@BigGhoul53425]

I love this videos, they show such expansive knowledge about the games competitive history and shines light on some of the most interesting stories in the history of Melee that are so under watched, keep up the good work!

[@InterloperBob]

You thought I wouldn't notice that you listed Drephen as one of his dependants. You thought an accounting joke would go over my head. But you were sadly mistaken.

[@chainsawninja4581]

Only time I have been ok with a video putting on lots of ads. Great content dude

[@MeleeStats]

Thanks, appreciate it! We'll look into why you're getting so many ads

[@Bradyy.]

Hes like the Nicola Jokic of Melee. Has the most fun job in the world that many people only dream of, yet still just treats it like a job

[@ThePharphis]

Hell ya, great calculator choice at 2:05

[@wuteverfloats]

Alternate title: Hanky Panky the Greatest player that knows nobody

[@joeschmoe4376]

This is awesome lmao You're right too, there're just so many things in the melee scene that you could absolutely make minidocs about. There were at least 5+ name/event drops I saw in the video that made me think "Yo, a vid about X would be sick"

[@ohssbm]

This needs to go in the Melee vault. Loved every second. Bravo 👏 👏

[@alexanderaceves5457]

I was scared you weren’t ganna make another video like this. This is great

[@veoh8095]

This is one of the greatest videos I’ve ever watched

[@somenobody3478]

They should just set up a small tournament in his local scene and then make all the big names join after hes joined

[@hubris_ssb]

Bro i just realized Edwin Budding narrated this. Ps. Mr Budding i love your book "The Book of Melee" its amazing i made a playlist with all the sets you talked about in the book.

[@yurtle1851]

So much respect for the tribute to Michael Brooks at the end ❤️❤️❤️

[@sigurdtheblue]

He might be playing all safe bets, but he is definitely a great player at heart. He is always using the right methods to improve and even with playing against a small pool of weak players at first, he was still comparable with Prince Abu. The time it took to improve sounds insanely fast.

[@marginis]

9:13 "Who the fuck are you man?" Best compliment I've ever heard.

[@matthewzakrzewski1797]

Its incredible. he will never make any impact besides an occasional blip in someone else's career and in the hearts and minds of weirdos interested in the little oddities of the melee community, even though he has potential to be among the best. And yet, he is entirely satisfied with his lot in life, and seeks no more than to maintain the status quo. For every two days I want to be someone like mang0, I have a day where I wish I was Hanky Panky.

[@Luke-th9fk]

I thoroughly enjoyed every second on this documentary! Never heard of this player before so thank you! Your work is amazing

[@nathanwashington9784]

This is a fucking great video glad it’s being recommended to people

[@Adantenshi]

wish i knew the song titles, the music sources have massive song libraries

[@Eanakba]

Rest in peace Michael Brooks.

[@LucyPero]

RIP Michael Brooks but why is this here

[@Eanakba]

@@LucyPero end of the video

[@LucyPero]

@@Eanakba ohhhh I'm sorry.

[@Eanakba]

@@LucyPero hey no problem at all 👍🏾

[@scMarth]

Rip Michael Brooks

[@humbletreestump8134]

Oh my gods it just gets better

[@WillToWinvlog]

6:00 That was kind of Slox to mention me haha! I am SOLAR

[@fetchyryu]

Wasn't expecting that at the end but RIP Michael Brooks