The Super Smash Bros. franchise has a bit of a reputation when it comes to secret characters and their reveals, doesn’t it? The fact of the matter is, Sakurai and the team brought it on themselves. As soon as you promise that ‘everybody’s here,’ somebody’s… well, inevitably not going to be there. Which is when the fan requests (and/or demands) start pouring in.
The thing about Smash overlord Sakurai is, he’s a bit of a loose cannon. When it comes to character reveals, then, some are going to hit the mark and some aren’t. Here are our picks for some of the very best (and very worst) Smash character reveals of all time.
10 BEST: Cloud Strife
Ah, yes. The iconic spiky-haired hero of the much-beloved Final Fantasy VII. Cloud Strife’s announcement for the 3DS/Wii U Smash instalment was a sight to behold. From the moment the trailer began, the starry sky was revealed and the music kicked in, we knew this could only be one character.
Of course, Final Fantasy VII isn’t universally popular, as no game ever can be. Square Enix were certainly a little stingy with the content they released along with Cloud himself (a grand total of two songs), too. Even so, though, this was a huge coup for Smash.
9 WORST: Byleth
Now, we can appreciate Byleth, we really can. The fact that the trailer snarkily acknowledged the fact that we’ve seen all this before (“too many swordsmen, are there?”), the fact that Byleth actually plays very differently to any Fire Emblem representative we’ve seen in Smash to date… things could have been a whole lot worse.
Sadly, though, this much-anticipated reveal (the first one that hadn’t been announced prior to Sakurai’s presentation) was a real damp squib for many. Especially considering that Byleth was the last DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s first Fighters Pass. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is indeed one of Nintendo Switch’s finest exclusives, but this is one familiar face we weren’t especially excited to see.
8 BEST: King K. Rool
For many fans, Donkey Kong’s reptilian nemesis has been a must-have in Smash for some time. In 2015, a fan ballot was held to see which characters players wanted to see in the 3DS/Wii U version of the game. K. Rool garnered a lot of votes, and it was probably this that led to his inclusion in Ultimate.
Not only was his reveal trailer super enthusiastically received, but it was a brilliant little bait and switch on Nintendo’s part. In the clip, Donkey and Diddy Kong are sure they saw K. Rool outside. Instead, the silhouette is revealed to be King Dedede disguised as K. Rool, who laughs uproariously at the Kongs (and the viewer). Only then is the true Kremling king revealed, along with a fantastic remix of Gangplank Galleon. Nintendo knocked this one out of the park.
7 WORST: Corrin
As we saw with Byleth, there’s an inherent issue with adding Fire Emblem characters to Smash because there are so many of them already. Sakurai himself has admitted that there’s too much representation of the series, and it’s exactly this fact that caused such a lukewarm response to the reveal of Corrin from Fire Emblem Fates.
Granted, they play very differently to their peers. With their draconic powers, projectiles and unique pinning attack, Corrin is an interesting character gameplay-wise for sure. At the same time, though, they’re a very generic-looking swordfighter, occupying a slot that someone entirely different could have taken.
6 BEST: Inkling
The reveal of Splatoon’s Inkling was perhaps the biggest in Smash history, for several reasons. Not only is it an iconic character from a much-beloved Nintendo series (one that’s entirely new to Smash, to boot), but this was the character with which Nintendo decided to announce a Smash installment for the Switch.
That logo in the Inkling’s eye is an image that’s now indelibly etched on the brains of Nintendo fans around the world. Inkling is an excellent, creative and super fun character to play in Smash, but they also revealed the game that would become Smash Ultimate, which is what makes the reveal truly special.
5 WORST: Piranha Plant
In this rundown, we’ve addressed a lot of the negative reception that seems to meet Fire Emblem characters. However creative the new additions may be, the fact remains that Marth, Roy, Lucina and Chrom are just too similar in terms of their movesets. That’s not always the issue with new additions to the roster, though. Sometimes the reverse is true.
As fans will remember, Piranha Plant was first added to Smash Ultimate as a sort of early-purchase bonus. This proved to be just about the biggest curveball the series has seen yet. Piranha Plant’s moveset is entirely unique, its stumpy little legs both adorable and nightmarish in equal measure, but… Piranha Plant? Had anybody asked for this pugilistic plant to join Smash?
4 BEST: Ridley
Alongside King K. Rool, Samus Aran’s nemesis Ridley was perhaps one of the most-wanted Smash characters. The Space Pirate leader’s frame would pose a problem, but fans really wanted to see him added. It took quite some time, but we were finally treated to that clip of Samus, Mario and Mega Man tentatively crossing that small, futuristic bridge.
Mega Man is pierced by a long, vicious tail. Mario is snatched away too. Samus turns around to see Mario dropped hat, before the long-anticipated Ridley bursts onto the screen. The character that had been thought impossible then strutted his stuff, and has since proved himself as an unconventional, very fun Smash combatant.
3 WORST: Terry Bogard
Terry Bogard’s reveal was rife with nostalgia, that’s for certain. Right from the opening moments, it was clear that we were going back into the archives for this one. That’s exactly the point with regards to this one, though: while Terry might be a big name for fans, he doesn’t have the instant recognizability that a lot of his fellow Smash newcomers did.
Terry Bogard is the hero of the Fatal Fury series, who made a home for himself on the Neo Geo. In his reveal trailer, Nintendo’s classic bait and switch was on show several times over, as multiple characters seemed to be claiming the invitation to Smash before it slipped from their grasp. It was quite funny, but the joke was a little played out by then and we didn’t get to see any of Terry in action at the time (a simple now in development message flashed across the screen and that was all). Given how unfamiliar Terry will be to many, it would have been much better to have seen a bit of how he’ll play.
2 BEST: Solid Snake
When it comes to Smash, a huge name alone is often enough. Nevertheless, though, fans have become used to reveal trailers that do characters justice. In Solid Snake’s case, everything came together to make a perfect reveal.
The Metal Gear Solid legend joined the roster in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a completely different kind of character and another huge coup for the series. Luckily, the announcement was given the gravitas it deserved, in a segment during an E3 trailer for the game itself. Snake’s engaged in a codex conversation with Colonel Campbell, before it’s revealed that he’s hiding in a cardboard box on on a Smash battlefield. He pops out with an “It’s showtime,” and Smash history is made.
1 WORST: Ken
As fans will know, Ryu of Street Fighter fame also joined the fight in Smash 3DS/Wii U. Another welcome third-party sensation. Smash Ultimate, in turn, introduced the concept of Echo Fighters (sort of officially recognised clone characters). Ken, then, would be the Dark Samus to Ryu’s Samus.
The thing is, it’s tough to get quite so enthused for Echo Fighters. Ken’s own reveal was marred by something else: it was shared with that of Incineroar, a truly unique character (albeit another Pokémon) who really stole the show in the match between the two that the trailer presented. It became all about Incineroar, as a result, leaving poor Ken in the dust.