Over the weekend, fans discovered that some intriguing information was being presented on the official Nintendo UK website. Specifically, a page referencing the currently unnamed fourth Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character contained the following copyright notice: ©SNK CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This has led some to believe that an SNK character will join the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster as a DLC fighter, and some may be wondering exactly who that SNK character could be.
For full clarity, there has been no official confirmation that the fourth Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character will be from an SNK franchise. While Nintendo UK has removed the page with the aforementioned copyright notice, this could simply be the company's correction of an error rather than the admission of the rumor's accuracy. That said, if an SNK character is to be added to Smash Ultimate, here are five possible options:
Terry Bogard
When it comes to SNK characters that could appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Terry Bogard is perhaps the most obvious choice. Indeed, Terry Bogard has appeared in every entry in the SNK fighting game series Fatal Fury and King of Fighters, which makes him well established in the genre. Additionally, Bogard is very likely the character that is most closely associated with SNK, as he often represents the company in crossover appearances and on merchandise.
Kyo Kusanagi
As the main protagonist of the King of Fighters series, Kyo Kusanagi is another SNK character that could be set as the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Challenger Pack 4 fighter. While not as iconic as Bogard, Kusanagi's role as a lead King of Fighters character makes him a sensible pick for Smash Ultimate, and it would certainly not be the first time the he's made a cameo outside of the KoF franchise.
Geese Howard
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Kusanagi is Geese Howard, the primary antagonist of the Fatal Fury series and a consistent troublemaker in King of Fighters. Notably, Howard was added as a Tekken 7 DLC character at the end of 2017, and if SNK is interested in diversifying its representation in these types of crossover scenarios, this fact may bump him down the list of SNK characters that could appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Nakoruru
Often appearing alongside Terry Bogard in material connected to SNK's social action program, Nakoruru is another SNK character that could be headed to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nakoruru company's Samurai Showdown fighting game series, so, like Bogard Kusanagi, and Howard, she already has a connection to the genre, and certainly many Smash Ultimate fans would appreciate her as a female DLC character amidst the currently male-focused lineup.
Mai Shiranui
Mai Shiranui is another very popular female SNK character, and her appearances in the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters franchises makes her another reasonable pick for Smash Ultimate Challenger Pack 4. Joining the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character roster would also not be the first time that Shiranui has appeared in a franchise outside of her mainstays, as players have taken her into combat in both Dead or Alive 5 and Dead or Alive 6.
Ever since the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there have been frequent rumors about who the DLC characters will be. For example, another recent rumor suggests that Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa will be in Smash Ultimate. However, if ultimately an SNK character does come to Smash, it is very possible that one of the fighters listed above, or perhaps even a character from the Metal Slug franchise, is the one that has been selected as Smash Ultimate DLC.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
