Sheriff (character)

The sheriff is the protagonist of the arcade game of the same name, Sheriff. He is modeled after a typical Western sheriff, and in his game, goes after a group of bandits that have kidnapped a damsel in distress. In every subsequent appearance, the sheriff has always been portrayed with his classic sprite, though his color alternates between yellow and white.

Game Boy Camera
In the Game Boy Camera's credit sequence, the sheriff appears in an homage to his game. Both the intro, where he rides on his horse while the damsel calls for help, and the ending, where the damsel kisses him as hearts appear over them, are shown before the credits begin proper.

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
Decades after his first appearance in a game, the sheriff appears in a microgame called Sheriff in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, a recreation of his game. The microgame is set up exactly like the original, with the sheriff having the same controls as before, though the goal is simply to kill a small amount of the circling bandits rather than to progress through the levels. Getting hit by the bandits' bullets causes the sheriff to get injured and fail the microgame. A minigame of the same name appears as well, though Wario takes the place of the sheriff and the game is otherwise the same.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the sheriff appears in a collectible trophy, though bandits also appear alongside him and the trophy focuses more on his game and not the character. The listed first game also says that Sheriff was Japan-exclusive, even though it was exported to Europe and American regions.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
The sheriff appears as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. He was first announced in a Miiverse post by Masahiro Sakurai. When spawned, he walks around the screen and shoots bullets towards other enemies (though he sometimes fires in a haphazard direction), emulating his attacks from Sheriff. If enough damage is dealt to him, he displays his "injured" sprite from Sheriff before disappearing; otherwise, he disappears after enough time has passed.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The sheriff returns as an Assist Trophy once more as well as a legend support spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Trivia

 * The sheriff is the oldest Nintendo character to have recurring appearances in games.