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List of Super Smash Bros. series characters

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A mural featuring the fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which includes every playable character in the series

The fighting game series Super Smash Bros. from Nintendo, launched in 1999, features an assortment of video game characters from 40 different franchises. There are 89 playable characters across the series, mostly sourced from Nintendo franchises but with a number of third-party ones as well. There are also other non-player characters that take the form of enemies, bosses, and power-ups.

Playable characters

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Each game in the series has a number of playable characters, referred to as "fighters", that are taken primarily from Nintendo franchises. There are 89 total fighters across the series.[1] Starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, characters from non-Nintendo franchises began to make playable appearances,[2] Each character has multiple alternate costumes, some, such as Villager, having both male and female costumes.[3] Each game has multiple unlockable characters that can only be used if certain conditions are fulfilled.[4][5][6][7]

All games have featured fighters that largely share their moves and abilities with another fighter on the roster, but with minor differences in their presentation and gameplay. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, all of these characters, known as "model swap characters" according to the Japanese website,[8] were unlockable, but were distinguished from other unlockable characters in that their portrait was added next to the character they were based on instead of filling in one of the placeholder slots at the bottom of the select screen. In Ultimate, several of these characters were officially labeled as "Echo Fighters". They have an option either to be displayed next to or within the character portrait from which they are based on.[9]

Fighter N64 Melee Brawl for 3DS/Wii U Ultimate Franchise
Banjo & Kazooie No No No No DLC Banjo-Kazooie
Bayonetta No No No DLC Yes Bayonetta
Bowser No Yes Yes Yes Yes Mario
Bowser Jr.[a] No No No Yes Yes
Byleth[b] No No No No DLC Fire Emblem
Captain Falcon Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes F-Zero
Charizard[c] No No Yes Yes Yes Pokémon
Chrom[d] No No No No Yes Fire Emblem
Cloud No No No DLC Yes Final Fantasy
Corrin[b] No No No DLC Yes Fire Emblem
Daisy[d] No No No No Yes Mario
Dark Pit[d] No No No Yes Yes Kid Icarus
Dark Samus[d] No No No No Yes Metroid
Diddy Kong No No Yes Yes Yes Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dr. Mario[e] No Yes No Yes Yes Mario
Duck Hunt[f] No No No Yes Yes Duck Hunt
Falco[e] No Yes Yes Yes Yes Star Fox
Fox Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Ganondorf[e] No Yes Yes Yes Yes The Legend of Zelda
Greninja No No No Yes Yes Pokémon
Hero[g] No No No No DLC Dragon Quest
Ice Climbers No Yes Yes No Yes Ice Climber
Ike No No Yes Yes Yes Fire Emblem
Incineroar No No No No Yes Pokémon
Inkling[b] No No No No Yes Splatoon
Isabelle No No No No Yes Animal Crossing
Ivysaur[c] No No Yes No Yes Pokémon
Jigglypuff Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Joker No No No No DLC Persona
Kazuya No No No No DLC Tekken
Ken[d] No No No No Yes Street Fighter
King Dedede No No Yes Yes Yes Kirby
King K. Rool No No No No Yes Donkey Kong
Kirby Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Kirby
Link Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes The Legend of Zelda
Little Mac No No No Yes Yes Punch-Out!!
Lucario No No Yes Yes Yes Pokémon
Lucas No No Yes DLC Yes Mother/Earthbound
Lucina[d] No No No Yes Yes Fire Emblem
Luigi Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Mario
Mario Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Marth No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fire Emblem
Mega Man No No No Yes Yes Mega Man
Meta Knight No No Yes Yes Yes Kirby
Mewtwo No Yes No DLC Yes Pokémon
Mii Brawler[h] No No No Yes Yes Mii
Mii Gunner[h] No No No Yes Yes
Mii Swordfighter[h][f] No No No Yes Yes
Min Min No No No No DLC Arms
Mr. Game & Watch No Yes Yes Yes Yes Game & Watch
Mythra[i] No No No No DLC Xenoblade Chronicles
Ness Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Mother/Earthbound
Olimar[j] No No Yes Yes Yes Pikmin
Pac-Man No No No Yes Yes Pac-Man
Palutena No No No Yes Yes Kid Icarus
Peach No Yes Yes Yes Yes Mario
Pichu[e] No Yes No No Yes Pokémon
Pikachu Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Piranha Plant No No No No DLC Mario
Pit No No Yes Yes Yes Kid Icarus
Pyra[i] No No No No DLC Xenoblade Chronicles
Richter[d] No No No No Yes Castlevania
Ridley No No No No Yes Metroid
R.O.B. No No Yes Yes Yes R.O.B.
Robin[b] No No No Yes Yes Fire Emblem
Rosalina & Luma No No No Yes Yes Mario
Roy[e] No Yes No DLC Yes Fire Emblem
Ryu No No No DLC Yes Street Fighter
Samus[k] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Metroid
Sephiroth No No No No DLC Final Fantasy
Sheik[l] No Yes Yes Yes Yes The Legend of Zelda
Shulk No No No Yes Yes Xenoblade Chronicles
Simon No No No No Yes Castlevania
Snake No No Yes No Yes Metal Gear
Sonic No No Yes Yes Yes Sonic the Hedgehog
Sora No No No No DLC Kingdom Hearts
Squirtle[c] No No Yes No Yes Pokémon
Steve[m] No No No No DLC Minecraft
Terry No No No No DLC Fatal Fury
Toon Link No No Yes Yes Yes The Legend of Zelda
Villager[b] No No No Yes Yes Animal Crossing
Wario No No Yes Yes Yes Wario
Wii Fit Trainer[b] No No No Yes Yes Wii Fit
Wolf No No Yes No Yes Star Fox
Yoshi Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yoshi
Young Link[e] No Yes No No Yes The Legend of Zelda
Zelda[l] No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Zero Suit Samus[k] No No Yes Yes Yes Metroid
Total 12 26 39 51 (+7 DLC) 76 (+13 DLC) 40 different franchises

Roster development

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Originally designed as a prototype using only original characters, a prototype was later developed featuring Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus, and Fox.[10] Another idea considered was to make the roster entirely made up by Kirby characters or dogs. He found Pokémon characters the hardest to get permission for due to how their image is "tightly supervised." Sakurai remarked that part of his aim when creating the game was to ensure that the characters were handled appropriately. According to Sakurai, some people within Nintendo were concerned about the optics of the game, particularly the idea of Mario attacking Pikachu.[11]

Super Smash Bros. Melee features multiple characters that were considered for inclusion but ultimately turned down. During development, Sakurai wanted to include a character from a classic Nintendo game, including the protagonists of Balloon Fight, Excitebike, Clu Clu Land, and Urban Champion, before settling on Ice Climbers. Ayumi Tachibana from the Famicom Detective Club series was also considered, but was not included due to her lack of presence among international audiences.[12] Marth and Roy were both considered to be removed from international versions of Melee. Marth was originally included due to Sakurai's desire to include more sword users, specifically so Link would be able to "cross blades" with someone else. He also campaigned for Roy's inclusion. Sakurai stated that having characters speak Japanese in English releases was rare at the time, and that there was more dispute over Roy. He ultimately succeeded in convincing them to remain in international versions.[13][14] Lucas was considered for Melee as a replacement for Ness, but he was kept out of the roster due to the cancellation of the Nintendo 64 version of Mother 3.[12] Third-party characters, including Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog, were considered as well. Snake's creator, Hideo Kojima, requested it, but it was too late in development. Time restraints similarly affected Sonic's inclusion according to Yuji Naka.[12] Wario was also considered, with Sakurai stating that he would have included him if he had more development time.[12]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U introduced the ability for players to create their own Mii Fighters, which use customizable moves from one of three different fighting styles (Brawler, Swordfighter and Gunner).[15] These Miis can be furhter customized with costume pieces unlocked through gameplay or purchased as downloadable content. Several of these costumes are based on characters and franchises not otherwise represented, such as Sans from Undertale,[16][17] Shantae from the eponymous series,[18] and Doom Slayer from Doom.[19] According to Sakurai, the addition of Miis and Mii costumes was to allow players to simulate playing as characters that would not otherwise be included in the game.[15]

According to Daniel Kaplan, a former business developer for Mojang, discussion about Steve's inclusion began in 2015. Sakurai stated that a Nintendo employee asked at one point about the prospect of including Minecraft in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, at which point he agreed.[20]

Each Super Smash Bros. game features multiple characters who were initially considered for playable inclusion, but were either decided against or omitted due to limited development resources. Some of these characters were later added in subsequent entries; for example, Bowser and King Dedede were originally planned for the roster of the first game, but did not get added to the series until Melee and Brawl respectively.[12]

Competitive use

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Sakurai remarked that it was difficult to balance Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64 due to certain characters being better in four-player matches and others being better in one-on-one matches. He also stated that he heard from tournament players that Kirby and Ness were too strong. He agreed about Ness, and one of Ness' attacks was nerfed in overseas versions to make it weaker.[11]

In competitive Melee, the top characters among the roster tended to include Fox, Sheik, Falco, Jiggypuff, Captain Falcon, Ice Climbers, Peach, and Marth. Yoshi, considered one of the worst fighters in Super Smash Bros. Melee, was used by competitive Melee player aMSa to win the first "super-major tournament" with a Yoshi ever. Donkey Kong, another low tier, was also able to perform better. This, combined with other low-tier picks, inspired other players to use characters like Yoshi and Donkey Kong in competitive play. It has also led to players reconsidering Yoshi and Donkey Kong's placement in the tier list, with competitive Melee player Hungrybox considering Yoshi among the best of the characters.[21]

Some tournaments have banned characters from competitive use in the past due to being particularly imbalanced, such as Meta Knight in Brawl and Steve and Kazuya in Ultimate.[22][23]

Non-playable characters

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In addition to the roster of playable fighters, several non-playable characters appear, several of which were created for the Super Smash Bros. series. These can take the form of summonable characters, bosses, enemies, and other more minor appearances.

Original characters

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Master Hand is a glove-like being that appears in all games to date, frequently serving as the final boss of the games' single player modes.[24] In Melee, Master Hand is playable via a system glitch.[25] He is also playable in Ultimate's Adventure Mode if certain requirements are met.[26]

Super Smash Bros. Melee introduces a left-hand counterpart to Master Hand named Crazy Hand, who appears alongside him in all subsequent games under certain conditions.[24] Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U features a new form, Master Core, a mass of black particles that emerge from Master Hand and Crazy Hand after their defeat and shapeshift into multiple forms.[27] Master Hand and Crazy Hand have gone on to make cameo appearances outside of the Super Smash Bros. series, most notably appearing as bosses in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.[28]

Tabuu is the primary antagonist and final boss of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's story mode, "The Subspace Emissary". He is the humanoid embodiment of Subspace, a void-like alternate dimension, and seeks to consume the world. He takes possession of Master Hand to manipulate others into doing his bidding, with his Subspace Army forces pulling parts of the world into Subspace at his behest. Though he is temporarily able to turn all the fighters into trophies using his "off waves" attack, he is weakened by the sudden arrival of Sonic the Hedgehog, and the revived fighters destroy him, restoring the world to normal.[29]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's story mode, "World of Light", introduces Galeem, an evil entity described as the "Lord of Light". Aided by an army of Master Hand puppets, he destroys the Smash Bros. world and captures the spirits of the world's inhabitants, placing them under his control. Only Kirby is able to escape, exploring Galeem's recreated world to free the other fighters and restore the captured spirits to normal.[30] After Galeem is defeated, its dark counterpart Dharkon emerges, and it uses its Crazy Hand puppets to take control of the remaining spirits, attempting to consume the world in darkness. Upon Dharkon's defeat, it and Galeem escape to a new world, with their forces waging war against one another. Defeating only Galeem or Dharkon individually will result in an ending in which the survivor consumes the universe. However, by defeating an equal amount of light and dark Spirits on the final map, players are able to challenge and destroy both of them, freeing the Spirits from their control.[26][31]

Others

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Other villains from different game franchises have appeared as bosses in the games' single player modes, such as Pokémon's Rayquaza and Castlevania's Dracula.[29][32] Other bosses appear on individual stages to disrupt battles, such as Mega Man's Yellow Devil.[33] One original boss, a more powerful form of Bowser known as Giga Bowser, was created for Super Smash Bros. Melee and has alternately featured throughout the series as a boss and playable character via Bowser's Final Smash attack.[34][35]

Each game includes a group of generic enemy characters fought in large groups in the games' single-player campaigns and "Multi-Man Smash" minigames, known as the "Mysterious Small Fry Enemy Corps" (謎のザコ敵軍団) in Japanese. In English, they are given names that describe their physical form in each game: the Fighting Polygon Team in Super Smash Bros., the Fighting Wire Frames in Melee, the Fighting Alloy Team in Brawl, and the Fighting Mii Team in for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate.[4] Various single-player modes in the series also allow players to battle minor enemies from other games, such as Goombas from the Super Mario series and Octoroks from The Legend of Zelda series.[36] Other characters appear in non-interactive forms that do not affect gameplay, such as collectible trophies depicting their likeness or as spectators watching a battle on specific stages.[37][38] An unseen announcer provides commentary over the game's menus and battles, and frequently narrates promotional videos for the series.[39][40][41]

Notes

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  1. ^ Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes change the character's name and appearance to be one of the Koopalings: Larry, Roy, Wendy, Iggy, Morton, Lemmy, or Ludwig.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Both male and female variants are playable.
  3. ^ a b c In Brawl and Ultimate, Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard are listed together under the name "Pokémon Trainer" on the character select screen. The Pokémon Trainer appears in the background while the player takes direct control of one of the Pokémon, and can switch between them during the battle. In 3DS/Wii U, only Charizard is available as a standalone character.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g In Ultimate, this character is classified as an Echo Fighter.
  5. ^ a b c d e f In Melee, this character is considered a model swap character.
  6. ^ a b There are slight name variations between NTSC and PAL versions. The NTSC characters "Duck Hunt" and "Mii Swordfighter" are referred to in PAL versions as "Duck Hunt Duo" and "Mii Sword Fighter."
  7. ^ Despite the name referring to a single character, the Hero represents four different protagonists from the Dragon Quest series. His default appearance is the Luminary/Eleven from Dragon Quest XI, with Erdrick/Arusu from Dragon Quest III, Solo from Dragon Quest IV, and Eight from Dragon Quest VIII appearing as alternate costumes.
  8. ^ a b c In 3DS/Wii U, Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner are under one character slot labeled simply as "Mii". In Ultimate, they were separated into their own individual slots. However, stacking Echo Fighters also stacks the three Mii Fighters as they were in 3DS/Wii U.
  9. ^ a b Pyra and Mythra share a slot on the character select screen; players can freely switch between the two during battle.
  10. ^ In 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate, half of Olimar's alternate costumes change his name and appearance to Alph, a character from Pikmin 3.
  11. ^ a b In Brawl, Zero Suit Samus is an alternate form of Samus not displayed on the character select screen; players can switch back and forth between the two by using a specific attack. The two were separated and became independent characters beginning in 3DS/Wii U.
  12. ^ a b In Melee and Brawl, Sheik is an alternate form of Zelda not displayed on the character select screen; players can switch back and forth between the two by using a specific attack. The two were separated and became independent characters beginning in 3DS/Wii U.
  13. ^ Steve's alternate costumes change the character's name and appearance to Alex, a Zombie or an Enderman.

References

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  1. ^ Reynolds, Matthew (October 5, 2021). "Super Smash Bros Ultimate character unlock guide and Smash Bros character list". Eurogamer. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  2. ^ Jasper, Gavin (March 7, 2019). "Super Smash Bros. Characters Ranked". Den of Geek. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  3. ^ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (November 20, 2018). "Here's a look at all the costumes for each character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate". VG247. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Mejia, Ozzie (November 20, 2014). "Challenger Approaching: A Super Smash Bros. timeline". Shack News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Casamassina, Matt (March 4, 2008). "Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review". IGN. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Lab, Jesse (February 28, 2024). "Collecting Every Smash Amiibo Was a Nightmare – And I Don't Regret It". The Escapist. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Kuchera, Ben (December 6, 2018). "Smash Bros. Ultimate fans are finding coping strategies for its character unlock system". Polygon. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "速報スマブラ拳!! : ピチュー". Archived from the original on 2021-05-23. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  9. ^ Radulovic, Petrana (June 22, 2018). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Everything we know". Polygon. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  10. ^ "The Man Who Made Mario Fight". Hobby Consoles (202): 22. 2008.
  11. ^ a b "Super Smash Bros. – 1999 Developer Interview". Nice Games. 1999. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e Fontes, Renan (May 31, 2020). "Super Smash Bros. Melee: Every Character Cut From The Roster". Game Rant. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  13. ^ "How Super Smash Bros. Melee Introduced Fire Emblem to Western Audiences". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  14. ^ "Nintendo Feature: Fire Emblem through the ages – Official Nintendo Magazine". April 13, 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-10-10.
  15. ^ a b Corriea, Alexa Ray (June 10, 2014). "You can import your Mii to fight in the next Super Smash Bros". Polygon. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  16. ^ Minor, Jordan. "'Undertale's' Sans Is Basically a Brand New 'Smash Bros.' Fighter". Geek.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  17. ^ Glogowski, Peter (September 4, 2019). "Sans from Undertale is getting a costume in Smash Ultimate". Destructoid. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  18. ^ McWhertor, Michael (28 June 2021). "Dante from the Devil May Cry series coming to Smash Bros. as Mii Fighter". Polygon. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  19. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (5 October 2021). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gets Doom Slayer from Doom as a Mii Fighter". Polygon. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  20. ^ Linhares, Nadia (October 2, 2020). "Talks about Minecraft in the Smash Bros. series began "at least" 5 years ago". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  21. ^ Flynn, Christian (September 30, 2023). "Smash Melee's unique competitive history makes tier lists difficult to track". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  22. ^ George, Richard (2011-10-03). "Meta Knight: Banned From Super Smash Bros. Brawl". IGN. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  23. ^ Pabriga, Cedric (April 5, 2023). "Smash Ultimate event bans Steve alongside another popular fighter". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Richman, Olivia (May 2, 2022). "What is the secret story behind Master Hand in Smash?". InvenGlobal. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  25. ^ Lozada, David (August 7, 2018). "Video Game Secrets That Weren't Discovered for Years". GameRevolution. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  26. ^ a b Mejia, Ozzie (December 12, 2018). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: The World of Light true ending". Shacknews. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  27. ^ Carlson, Alex (October 23, 2014). "Smash Bros. Wii U Brings New Master Core Form". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  28. ^ Latshaw, Tim (May 5, 2015). "Feature: A Fit-To-Burst History Of Kirby Games". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  29. ^ a b Mejia, Ozzie (November 17, 2014). "Re-visiting Super Smash Bros. Brawl's 'Subspace Emissary' story mode". Shacknews. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  30. ^ Carter, Chris (December 2, 2018). "Super Smash Bros. director says there's a practical reason why Kirby survived the apocalypse in the last trailer". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  31. ^ Little, Riley (December 18, 2018). "Super Smash Bros Ultimate: All Three Endings Explained & How To Get Them". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  32. ^ "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Simon Belmont and King K. Rool, Details Stages and Gameplay Modes". Paste Magazine. July 27, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  33. ^ Peeples, Jeremy (April 8, 2014). "Yellow Devil Coming to Super Smash Bros". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  34. ^ Stevens, Jon (October 31, 2016). "From the Archive: Top Ten: Creepiest Nintendo Moments". Nintendojo. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  35. ^ Hinkle, David (July 5, 2007). "Dojo update: Giga Bowser and Smash Attacks". Engadget. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  36. ^ Oloman, Jordan (July 20, 2018). "Adventure Mode Was Super Smash Bros. Melee's Most Underrated Feature". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  37. ^ Wong, Alistair (April 17, 2019). "Sakurai Talks A Few Extra Details Regarding Joker In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate". Siliconera. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  38. ^ Michael, Cale (November 6, 2019). "All cameos on King of Fighters Stadium in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  39. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (October 23, 2014). "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: The Nintendo Direct recap". Shacknews. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  40. ^ Good, Owen S. (November 9, 2014). "Smash Bros.' announcer says 'Banned!' for NeoGAFfers". Polygon. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  41. ^ Bukacek, Jacob (November 21, 2018). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Announcer Explains it All in Overview Trailer". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
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