Japanese Super Smash Bros Ultimate pro and top Snake main ‘Hurt’ has been banned from competing after using Nintendo Switch mods to improve the Wi-Fi experience.
It’s no secret that Smash Ultimate’s Wi-Fi gameplay leaves a lot to be desired, and many players have tried to fix the experience themselves by installing mods on their consoles.
One mod in particular makes the game’s input delay closer to how it is offline, which helps make practicing for live tournaments much better.
ENTER FORCE.36’s Snake star ‘Hurt’ was one such player who installed a mod to help deal with the input delay, but after the mod showed up on stream, it sparked backlash in the Japanese community, leading to his ban.
Smash pro ‘Hurt’ banned for Nintendo Switch mod
On March 26, footage of Hurt using an input delay mod surfaced, with the mod’s text popping up on his broadcast.
Two days later, Hurt’s org, ENTER FORCE.36, issued a statement along with the Smash pro, apologizing for the incident.
“Upon internal investigation, it was confirmed that one of the two Nintendo Switch consoles owned by Hurt had indeed been modified with an unofficial mod,” a translation read.
“The player stated that the modified console was used solely for private online matches with acquaintances and denied using it in official or public matches. However, the footage from the March 26 stream, which included multiple public matches using the modified setup, directly contradicts this.”
スマブラSP部門所属 Hurt選手の規約違反行為について、チーム公式としての謝罪並びにご説明をさせていただきます。 pic.twitter.com/r7564U5WaM
— ENTER FORCE.36 (@ENTERFORCE_36) March 29, 2025
They further pointed out that use of mods “violates Nintendo’s Network Service Guidelines” and as such, Hurt would be banned from competing in tournaments from April 1 to May 31.
This is significant because it means Hurt will miss the most stacked Ultimate tournament of all-time in Kagaribi#13, which begins on May 4.
Across the Smash community, there have been mixed responses to the ban with most North American players opposing it while Japanese players don’t think it’s strict enough.
“Cheating should have been terminated, but instead they gave him a 2 month suspension, which is a ridiculously lenient punishment,” one Japanese fan wrote.
“There are a lot of tweets defending Hurt about this incident, but I think it’s important to follow the rules,” someone else commented. “Japan is a country with a relatively good level of public safety thanks to the rules.”
Another fan called the incident the “fakest controversy of all time.”
#FreeHurt this is bullshit there is nothing wrong with using delay mod @Nintendo are the ones at fault for making a terrible online experience and being absolutely unfair and disgustingly strict with their view on modding and fan content. Hurt is absolutely innocent 😡
— Glizzy | DreeGon (@vDREEGONv) March 29, 2025
“Nintendo are the ones at fault for making a terrible online experience and being absolutely unfair and disgustingly strict with their view on modding and fan content. Hurt is absolutely innocent,” someone else chimed in.
Those opposing the ban started using the hashtag “FreeHurt” in support of the Snake main.
Hurt has been one of the most elite Smash Ultimate players for some time now, having won Genesis X2 back in February and finishing 2024 as LumiRank’s 12th-ranked player in the world.
Talk about being a Punished Snake.
