After three and a half years after its initial tease, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is set to have its final fighter revealed in less than a week. With over 20 million copies sold, Masahiro Sakurai’s latest cross-over extravaganza has cemented itself as a core pillar of the Nintendo Switch and its fans. It is treated like a big event every time a new character receives an invitation, so to have the hype train reach its final destination is sure to be bittersweet for many.
That means that now is our last chance to have some good ol’ speculation until the next entry in the series, whenever that may be. But even then, there will never be a roster quite like Ultimate’s ever again, making this final addition even more special! So, who do I think can make it in as the game’s very last slot? And more importantly: who should the final fighter be?
Predictions
Well, like the game itself, there are a lot of options. One main factor that many fans bring up is whether or not the character is first or third-party. Personally, I couldn’t make heads or tails over this attribute, but I would lead more to the fighter originating from a non-Nintendo series. These characters typically have the biggest appeal, since they bring seemingly impossible requests into reality, such as Banjo and Kazooie or Joker. I can imagine they would like to end Ultimate’s roster with a big bang, so to end the game’s roster with another industry icon is certainly more than likely.
If I was to narrow it down further, I will predict this will be a Japanese character as well. Of course, there are big names in West too, with characters such as Crash and Master Chief dominating the discussion in this regard. However, with so much of Smash’s roster coming from Japan, the chances are leaning towards Nintendo’s homeland being the origin of the final fighter, in my opinion.
Koei Tecmo has not had one of their own characters on the game’s roster yet, unless we were to count Byleth due to the company having developed Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Speaking of, this fact speaks to the close relationship Koei Tecmo and Nintendo have, which is only shown further by the success of the Hyrule Warriors line of games. Because of this, I could see Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu Hayabusa as a real possibility. His invitation will only help to bolster the representation of classic retro characters, much like how the Belmonts were introduced to Smash Bros..
There are many potential picks from Capcom that I could see resonating with a majority of the fans. Even with their characters seemingly being rejected by having Mii costumes instead, there are still many options. Chun-Li could be a fun pick given her bigger emphasis on her legs. Phoenix Wright has been long requested fighter, and it would be nice to see the goofy adventure series be put in the spotlight following the localisation of the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Okami’s Amaterasu could bring a unique visual style into the fray, and the iconic Resident Evil is surely deserving of a character too. Despite the vast array of choices from this company, I’m predicting that the final fighter will not be from this company. Mii costumes may not discount anything, but given how many have been included already, I’m not feeling like it will be.
Square Enix is in a similar position, although they happen to hold onto the character that I am seriously predicting: Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Oh, what a fool I am to predict such an outlandish decision. But does that not describe Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in a nutshell? This title brought back every single fighter that has ever been playable in the history of Smash, alongside over a hundred stages and over a thousand music tracks. The game almost encompasses what it means to have ambition, so having the big finale be something that fans still see as an impossibility is sure to be a possibility. I may be biased because Sora is one of my most anticipated picks, but this is genuinely where my mind is at right now. And I can’t wait to be let down.
There are plenty of other characters Square can pull from its catalogue too, of course. 2B has seen great popularity amongst fans for being a strong female pick (as well as just a strong pick in general). Chrono Trigger is seen as an all-time classic by many fans of the genre, and so its protagonist could make it too. Speaking of classics, Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft is sure to be on the cards, or if you want to go a more modern route a character from Bravely Default could be likely as well.
The range of Japanese characters for Smash is far grander than what I’ve just discussed, although I’m not sure who else I could specifically mention. I will say that despite already having a Mii costume, it could be in character for Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes to join the fight regardless. Who knows! What I do know is that there is still a big possibility that the last fighter will be from a first-party franchise. I realise that I have heavily leaned towards the other side so far, but one could argue that there is an equal chance for it to be a pick from Nintendo’s own roster.
The common thread between all of the first-party additions throughout the Fighter Passes is that they all debuted on Switch. Min Min, Pyra and Mythra all had their games release on the Switch back in 2017, and Byleth had theirs launch in 2019. The typical reason amongst fans always seems to be that Nintendo is simply ‘advertising’ their latest titles, which may not be totally untrue. But for me, I see it as a way of celebrating the Switch. The hybrid console has been immensely successful, and I believe it has already proven itself as an essential part of Nintendo’s history. To that end, if this character really is going to be from a Nintendo-based IP, I’d wager they would be representing one of the Switch’s biggest titles. I’d also wager that you can see where I’m taking this.
Like it or not, the possibility that the final fighter will be yet another Pokémon, specifically from Sword and Shield, feels much higher compared to any other Nintendo franchise. The main game’s eighth-generation certainly brought about a lot of bitterness and bickering within the fandom, but I found the actual Pokémon found in the Galar region to be top-tier, so to speak. Because of this, I don’t think I would mind too much if this were to be the case, even if it would be somewhat deflating. Cinderace seems to be the most likely choice, seeing as they look like the most popular and prolific out of the three starters, having a starring role in the anime as well as the recent Pokémon Unite. The reveal trailer could easily involve the Striker Pokemon kicking the massive Smash logo made of fire, so come back here when this happens. I could see Inteleon sleuthing their way in due to the potential of a spy-like gimmick as well. Other than those two, I’m not entirely too sure on which ‘mon I would bet on.
Other Nintendo characters still have a shot, albeit perhaps not as big as a Pokémon. Finally giving into the internet’s wishes by unveiling Waluigi would be a fun send-off, and 9-Volt could showcase a lot of the company’s history right on the battlefield. A rep from the Legend of Zelda is more than due, but I feel like if they really had a shot now, they would already have been featured by now. You could make the same argument with Pokémon, which I would retaliate by saying the latest Zelda title already has decent representation (perhaps not great) compared to Pokémon’s brand-new generation. Whilst big anniversaries could be a nice tie-in, I don’t think they’re always intentional to coincide with a character in Smash, so I’m not predicting a character from Donkey Kong or Kirby.
To sum it up: there are a lot of possibilities! Heck, you could make a top 100 fan poll and the final fighter may not even place on that list! This just goes to show the limitless potential of Smash’s roster, so it will be rather sad that this is the last big reveal for a game that has played a huge part in the Nintendo Switch era. On the flip side, finally having a break from these types of discussions will be much appreciated. I’m not stopping here for now; after all, this will be my last chance to put out my wishlist for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s final choice!
Hopes
As previously stated, I’m rooting for Sora from the absolutely bonkers series that is Kingdom Hearts. Similar to how Ridley was too big, or how Banjo-Kazooie was owned by a rival company of Nintendo’s, the impossibility of Sora’s inclusion makes it an actual possibility in my eyes. Sora may be another plucky swordfighter, but I think he is deserving of a spot given just how long he has been requested for. Kingdom Hearts continues to connect with the hearts of many fans around the world, and Sora’s inclusion could help to bring about some magic the series is known for. Besides, don’t deny that having more music from Yoko Shimumura’s exceptional soundtracks wouldn’t be hype.
Whilst we’re on the topic of Square Enix, I’ve recently become enamoured with the world of, well, The World Ends With You. Its distinct sense of style and gameplay is simply hard to ignore, and NEO TWEWY is currently my favourite game of 2021. Having this cult-classic series, especially one with roots in Nintendo platforms, would be zetta interesting to see! Neku is the most obvious choice to represent TWEWY, and there is a wide array of pins to pull from for his attacks. I would love the sequel to be represented too, just for its stellar soundtrack alone.
One company that I’m admittedly shocked hasn’t had more of a part in the entire Smash Bros. franchise is Level-5. Sadly, given how the company is doing these days (spoilers: not good), I doubt they would be so lucky to have one of their fighters make it in. Nevertheless, I am still holding out hope for Professor Layton. Despite their monster-collecting series having been a phenomenon that rivalled even Pokémon, the puzzle-solving adventure games felt like a core series of the Nintendo DS thanks to its wide appeal. I can imagine that the moveset would be incredibly tough to create, but the good professor means a lot to me, so it would be rather special to have an icon of the classic handheld be the final addition.
One thing that has been nice to see in Ultimate has been better indie representation with an assist trophy and ‘deluxe’ Mii Costumes. We may not have a proper indie fighter yet (since Minecraft seems to be too big to even be considered as such anymore), but there are many options for the role to be fulfilled. A good friend of mine is wishing for the Knight from Hollow Knight, whilst I’m personally rooting for Zagreus from Hades. The god-like rogue-like swept the gaming scene back in 2020, and I think it’s fair to say that it is regarded as one of the stars of its genre, if not the star. Zagreus could utilise a randomised moveset that calls open the gods and goddesses of Olympus for different effects. For example, Poseidon’s effect pushes opponents back further, and Athena’s would reflect attacks towards its user. Zagreus may be too recent to be considered since I imagine the roster for this wave of DLC was decided long before Hades blew up in popularity, but let a mortal dream.
Finally, I thought I should end this piece on a very on-brand choice of mine. Given the source game’s contents, I’m not expecting this to turn up at all. But man, it would be hysterical if Monokuma from Danganronpa made it in. Admittedly, the slot for a text-based adventure rep may need to go towards someone more prolific/requested, such as the aforementioned Phoenix Wright. However, this is my list, and the despair-filled murder mystery series is a big favourite of mine. I imagine that Monokuma’s unique bizarreness (for lack of better phrasing) could resonate with many players. Like Professor Layton, a moveset could be rather tricky to conjure up, especially due to the risk of spoiling parts of Danganronpa’s twist-heavy stories, but I’d be extremely interested in seeing it a reality regardless.
And so, my final piece of speculation for the final addition to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is finally over… finally. In all honesty, I’m just ecstatic to see who it will be. This massive crossover has been a grand celebration of the industry we all love, and so for the title’s content to finally be complete is a weird feeling. Let’s hope that we can all enjoy Sakurai’s last presentation, and maybe we can all just finally play what awaits.
Mindless Wander 