Editing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''}}

{{articleIcons|ultimate=y|protected=preemptive|featured=y}}

{{redirect|''SSBU''|the Wii U version of ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''|Super Smash Bros. for Wii U}}  

|developer = [[Bandai Namco]]<br>[[Sora Ltd.]]

|released = December 7, 2018

|modes =  

|platforms = [[Nintendo Switch]]

|ratings = {{vgratings|ESRB=E10+|PEGI=12|OFLCA=PG|USK=12|CERO=A}}

'''''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''''' ({{ja|大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ SPECIAL|Dairantō Sumasshu Burazāzu Supesharu}}, ''Great Fray Smash Brothers Special'') is a fighting game for the [[Nintendo Switch]]. It was first teased on March 8th, 2018 at the end of the [[Nintendo Direct]] released the same day, and fully revealed on June 12th at E3 2018. It is the fifth installment in the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series (sixth if both versions of ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' are counted as two games). The game was released worldwide on December 7, 2018.

The [[opening movie]] of ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is comprised of the cutscenes from [[World of Light]] and gameplay footage from the game, featuring all the characters in the game barring DLC.

<youtube>yA-oD5hen4I</youtube>

==Characters==

All 63 characters<!--THIS REFERS ONLY TO VETERANS. DO NOT ADD THE NEWCOMERS!--> (65 if counting the {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}}'s Pokémon<!--MII FIGHTERS ARE ALWAYS COUNTED SEPARATELY. DISCUSS BEFORE CHANGING.!-->) from all previous ''Smash Bros.'' games return as playable characters. As well as the returning cast, 11 newcomers have been confirmed as of November 1st, 2018, with at least six characters (two known and four unknown) planned as [[downloadable content]]. In total, this ensures that at least 74 characters (76 if counting the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon<!--MII FIGHTERS ARE ALWAYS COUNTED SEPARATELY. DISCUSS BEFORE CHANGING.!-->) are playable in the game at launch and 80 (82) characters are playable overall, the most for any ''Smash Bros.'' game. Each character is numbered in the order from when they first joined the series.

{{SSBU|Inkling}}, with various Girl and Boy designs from the original ''{{s|inkipedia|Splatoon}}'', was the first character confirmed to appear in the game as a playable character. {{SSBU|Ridley}}, a central villain from the {{uv|Metroid}} series, was also confirmed to be playable, with [[Meta Ridley]] as an alternate costume. {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}, arch-enemy of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong from the {{uv|Donkey Kong}} series, was confirmed to be a playable newcomer as well, with his move-set drawing on his appearances as a boss in the ''Donkey Kong Country'' games onward. {{SSBU|Isabelle}} from the {{uv|Animal Crossing}} series, who previously appeared in ''Smash 4'' as an [[Assist Trophy]], makes her playable debut as the second ''Animal Crossing'' representative. Finally, in the November Direct, {{SSBU|Incineroar}} from ''{{s|bulbapedia|Pokémon Sun & Moon}}'' was announced as the title's last base roster newcomer.

{{SSBU|Simon}} of the {{uv|Castlevania}} series was been announced as the game's first third-party newcomer, while {{SSBU|Piranha Plant}} from the {{uv|Mario}} series has been announced as the game's first DLC character. It has been confirmed that five more unique newcomers will be added as DLC by February of 2020, with {{uv|Persona}}'s {{SSBU|Joker}} being the first revealed DLC fighter.

Playable [[clone characters]] are now described as "Echo Fighters" and are marked with an epsilon symbol (ε). Returning characters {{SSBU|Dark Pit}} and {{SSBU|Lucina}} have been retroactively given this title, while new characters {{SSBU|Daisy}}, {{SSBU|Richter}}, {{SSBU|Dark Samus}}, {{SSBU|Chrom}}, and {{SSBU|Ken}} are confirmed to be Echo Fighters of {{SSBU|Peach}}, {{SSBU|Simon}}, {{SSBU|Samus}}, {{SSBU|Roy}}, and {{SSBU|Ryu}}, respectively. The character select screen in ''Ultimate'' gives players the option to display Echo Fighters in their own character slots, or stack Echo Fighters with the character they are based on together in a single slot.

As was the case in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', a further eight "characters" exist as alternate costumes for other preexisting characters. Specifically, [[Alph]] as a palette swap of {{SSBU|Olimar}}, and each of the seven [[Koopalings]] as palette swaps of {{SSBU|Bowser Jr.}}

Only the starting characters from the first game are available from the start. Like in ''Smash 4'', the [[Mii Fighter (SSBU)|Mii Fighters]] are also available via customization. The rest of the roster must be unlocked, however the unlocking process and conditions are comparatively quick and easy than before: requiring players to simply play enough VS. matches or clear arcade mode with the fighters.

With the exception of the ''Super Smash Bros.''-original stages, all stages are ordered in chronological appearance and for the first time ever, all stages are available immediately from the start. It was also stated that all stages can be played with up to 8 players. All stages have both a [[Battlefield form]] and [[Ω form]]. ''Ultimate'' will feature 103 stages at launch. An additional five planned stages will be added to the game via downloadable content, which will bring the number of stages up to 108.

{{SSBU stage table}}

:''For the entire confirmed list of items, see [[Item#List_of_items|Items]] page.''

!Item!!Type<ref name="Item Types">[[Item#Types_of_items|Types of items]]</ref>!!Heavy<ref name="Item Types" />!!Notes!!Universe

|[[Banana Gun]]||Shooting||{{n}}||Ejects the banana out of the peel and the player is left with the [[banana peel]] after using it.||{{symbol|ssb|26px|}}{{uv|Super Smash Bros.}}

|[[Beastball]]||Throwing||{{n}}||Reappears near an opponent after being thrown and targets them, covered in flames.||{{symbol|ssb|26px|}}{{uv|Super Smash Bros.}}

|[[Black Hole]]||Throwing||{{n}}||Creates a massive black hole, dragging all items and players nearby in. Throws the opposite side of user's orientation.||{{symbol|ssb|26px|}}{{uv|Super Smash Bros.}}

|[[Bomber]]||Special||{{n}}||Explodes in the player's hand when used, which only affects enemies. Will also explode after a short amount of time or if it falls off a ledge, affecting everyone.||{{symbol|kirby|26px|}}{{uv|Kirby}}

|[[Death's Scythe]]||Battering||{{n}}||Instantly KOs opponents at high percentages.||{{symbol|castlevania|26px|}}{{uv|Castlevania}}

|[[Fake Smash Ball]]||Special||{{n}}||Flies around the stage, similar to the Smash Ball. Characters can break it in order to activate. Once broken, it will explode.||{{symbol|ssb|26px|}}{{uv|Super Smash Bros.}}

|[[Healing Field]]||Throwing/Recovery||{{n}}||Can be thrown on the ground. Once thrown, it will open up and will heal anyone standing on it.||{{symbol|ssb|26px|}}{{uv|Super Smash Bros.}}

|[[Healing Sprout]]||Throwing/Recovery||{{n}}||Sticks to fighters and gradually heals them. Can be transferred on contact like the [[Gooey Bomb]].||{{symbol|ssb|26px|}}{{uv|Super Smash Bros.}}

|[[Killing Edge]]||Battering||{{n}}||Will occasionally glow, causing it to do more damage.||{{symbol|fe|26px|}}{{uv|Fire Emblem}}

|[[Rage Blaster]]||Shooting||{{n}}||Does more damage the higher the user's [[damage]] is.||{{symbol|ssb|26px|}}{{uv|Super Smash Bros.}}

|[[Ramblin' Evil Mushroom]]||Shooting||{{n}}||Emits spores that, when they hit an opponent, cause a mushroom to grow on that opponent's head, reversing their controls.||{{symbol|earthbound|26px|}}{{uv|EarthBound}}

|[[Staff]]||Shooting||{{n}}||Fires a laser which deals increased damage the greater its distance from the user.||{{symbol|kidicarus|26px|}}{{uv|Kid Icarus}}

|[[Super Launch Star]]||Throwing||{{n}}||Can be set in midair, where it will attract and launch any characters that get too close to it. The launch has the potential to KO fighters.||{{symbol|mario|26px|}}{{uv|Mario}}

|}

Towards the end of ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'''s post-launch development, [[Masahiro Sakurai]] announced that his next project had been decided and that he would be taking a small vacation following the end of development.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://sourcegaming.info/2016/01/06/famitsu-news-sakurai-catching-a-breather/|title="Famitsu News — “Sakurai Catching a Breather”" - Source Gaming}}</ref> Unlike previous Smash titles, which had their development studios built from the ground up, [[Bandai Namco]] returned to help game development. Prior to starting development, the team had a choice between completely overhauling the game's system and feel or working off of what was established in the last game. The team ultimately went with the latter. Had the team gone with the former, the game would have likely only had a third of its characters.<ref name="special">{{citeweb|url=https://sourcegaming.info/2018/07/02/smash_special_complete/|title="“Smash is Special” COMPLETE Translation" - Source Gaming}}</ref> Despite deciding to base the game off of the previous installment, Sakurai still increased the overall speed of the game, but only by an amount that wouldn't be too alienating to people unfamiliar with the series.<ref name="special" /> Sakurai notes that he had wanted to make these changes in previous titles, but was unable to because it was easy for one to lose track of their character's position on screen, especially on the [[Nintendo 3DS]].<ref name="special" /> When Sakurai had revealed to his development team that he intended to bring back every previously playable character, he was met with silence.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/12/17453214/super-smash-bros-ultimate-nintendo-switch-masahiro-sakurai-e3|title="Why Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was such a daunting game for its creators to build" - The Verge}}</ref> The project plan was later finished by December 2015. <ref>https://twitter.com/AllSourceGaming/status/1062725619270762496</ref> Prior to leaving Bandai Namco, presumably sometime in 2016, Tiago Sonobe, then a software engineer and graphics programmer for the company, [[Leak#Rendering engine leak|started development]] on the game's rendering engine. On November 12th, 2017, [[Nintendo]] filed a number of trademarks, notably including a [[:File:JapaneseSmashTrademark.jpg|Japanese ''Super Smash Bros.'' logo]].<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.japanesenintendo.com/post/167397863114|title=“Nintendo Apply for a Number of Trademarks” - Japanese Nintendo}}</ref>

A ''Super Smash Bros.'' title for the Switch was later officially revealed on March 8th, 2018 via a [[Nintendo Direct]]. Shortly after, Sakurai confirmed in a tweet that he had been working on the game "in silence, day after day".<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/971885028245307392|title=Sakurai announces that he has been working on ''Smash for Switch''}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb|url=https://twitter.com/AllSourceGaming/status/971901365826940928|title=Translation of Sakurai's ''Smash for Switch'' tweet}}</ref> On March 22nd, 2018, Nintendo announced the {{Trn|Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018}}, a tournament taking place on June 12th where invited professional players will play the upcoming game. Later, in volume 542 of his Famitsu article, Sakurai revealed that his work schedule had been cut down significantly, citing strict regulations regarding work hours.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://sourcegaming.info/2018/05/02/compliance-and-labor-vol-542/|title="“Compliance and Labor” – Sakurai’s Famitsu Column, Vol. 542" - Source Gaming}}</ref> On April 18th, 2018, Nintendo again filed a number of trademarks for several game logos, including the [[:File:SmashTrademark.jpg|''Super Smash Bros.'' logo]]. Most of these game logos originate from games with some relationship to the ''Smash'' series, including {{uv|Pikmin}}, {{uv|Star Fox}}, and {{uv|F-Zero}}. These trademarks were approved on May 14th, 2018.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://twitter.com/trademark_bot/status/996151177099333637/|title=Several trademarks from Nintendo are approved for use}}</ref>

The game was finally unveiled at E3 2018 via a [[Nintendo Direct]]. The 25-minute trailer featured in the Nintendo Direct confirmed the title of the game as ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', revealed that every previously playable character would return, with {{SSBU|Daisy}} and {{SSBU|Ridley}} as new playable characters, and showcased new and returning gameplay features. Following the end of the presentation, a Nintendo Treehouse event went live. During the Treehouse event, several matches were streamed and some new features were revealed and discussed. In addition to the Treehouse livestream, a playable demo of the game was opened to the public at E3 2018 and at the Nintendo Store in New York. Following the end of the Splatoon 2 World Championships, the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 began. During the match pitting {{Sm|MkLeo}} as {{SSBU|Bayonetta}} against {{Sm|Plup}} as {{SSBU|Ridley}}, Masahiro Sakurai reportedly shook his head after MkLeo had performed a successful ladder combo on Plup.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://twitter.com/BearUNLV/status/1006667538900512769|title=Bear witnessing Sakurai shaking his head}}</ref> At the end of the invitational, the Nintendo Treehouse livestream resumed, further showcasing more gameplay elements and matches. In addition to this, the [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site|official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website]] was published. This would serve as the primary source for new details about the game.

A demo of the game would later be playable at certain tournaments and events in Japan and the United States, including Rage 2018 Summer, Next Generation World Hobby Fair ’18 Summer, {{Trn|CEO 2018}}, Jump Victory Carnival 2018, and [[Tournament:EVO 2018|EVO 2018]], along with events in other countries such as FestiGame Chile 2018, and ''Insomnia 64'' in the United Kingdom.

A [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Gt42kVgCw first teaser trailer] at the end of a [[Nintendo Direct]] presentation on March 8th, 2018 revealed that a new ''Super Smash Bros.'' title was in development for the [[Nintendo Switch]], planned for release before the end of 2018. Without explicitly confirming the playable status of any characters, the teaser trailer hinted the Inklings would be debuting in the game as newcomers, while also suggesting that Mario, Link, and several other series veterans would be returning.

The first extended look at the game came at [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83o Nintendo's E3 2018 presentation]. Series creator and game director [[Masahiro Sakurai]] introduced the coverage, which kicked off with an extended video showing new incarnations for veteran characters. After confirming the return of previously cut characters such as Ice Climbers and Snake, the tagline "Everyone Is Here" was introduced, and the video revealed that all playable characters from previous ''Smash Bros.'' titles would be returning to the new game, including the formerly cut Ice Climbers, Pichu, and Young Link from ''Melee'', as well as Pokémon Trainer, Wolf, and Snake from ''Brawl''. The trailer also confirmed the Inklings as the game's first newcomers, while concluding with a reveal of the game's final title: ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.  

Later in the E3 presentation, new information on the ''Ultimate'' incarnations of characters was revealed, including the presence of Cappy in Mario's taunts and other moves, that Zelda would be based on her ''Link to the Past'' design, all the DLC fighters from ''Smash 4'' would return as part of the launch roster, Ike would have his ''Path of Radiance'' and ''Radiant Dawn'' designs from the two previous games and much more. The presentation introduced "Echo Fighters", which Lucina and Dark Pit are now marked as, while Daisy was revealed as a new Echo Fighter. The presentation also confirmed returning elements, items, and stages, which would receive revamped Ω forms and Battlefield forms. The presentation concluded with a final trailer in which Ridley from ''Metroid'' - long requested by fans for inclusion in the series but rebuffed by Sakurai due to his large size - finally "hits the big time" as he joined the roster of playable characters as a newcomer.

At the [[Tournament:EVO 2018|EVO 2018]] fighting game tournament, Nintendo revealed that a new [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-kQWJrjRV4 ''Ultimate''-focused Nintendo Direct] presentation would be released on August 8, 2018. The presentation opened with a trailer confirming the inclusion of content from Konami's ''Castlevania'' franchise for the first time in the series. The trailer revealed the presence of new fighters, Simon Belmont and his Echo Fighter, Richter Belmont; a new Assist Trophy, Alucard; a new stage called Dracula's Castle, and more. The Direct also covered two new Echo Fighters, Chrom and Dark Samus, as well as new music, modes, stages, and items. The presentation concluded with a trailer introducing a new playable character: King K. Rool, leader of the Kremlings and nemesis of the Kong family from the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Donkey Kong Country'' series.  

In a [https://youtu.be/CRuHg1dv8MI Nintendo Direct presentation] shown on September 13th, 2018, a ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' Nintendo Switch console bundle was unveiled, featuring a specially designed dock and Joy-Con controllers along with the download code for the game. Isabelle, from the ''Animal Crossing'' series was also revealed as a newcomer.  

The final pre-release [https://youtu.be/fccgHnBQ0YM ''Ultimate''-focused Nintendo Direct] presentation aired on November 1, 2018. This revealed Ken and Incineroar as new playable characters, as well as the inclusion of DLC fighters - Piranha Plant appearing shortly after launch, followed by five other unannounced characters, which have been selected in advance by Nintendo as future additions, and have yet to be developed.<ref>[https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1059958604818657282?s=19]</ref> It also took a deeper look at the game's modes and online infrastructure, and revealed Spirits mode and [[Adventure Mode: World of Light]], before finishing with the mode's opening cutscene and the reveal of the game's vocal theme, [[Lifelight]].

An [https://youtu.be/WLu7e8RZoYc overview trailer] narrated by Xander Mobus (The [[Announcer]]) covers the game in more detail, with every fighter shown along with playable stages, items, Pokémon, Assist Trophies, Spirits, modes and more.

At the 2018 Game Awards, the Phantom Thieves from ''Persona 5'' interrupted the broadcast to announce that their leader, codenamed "Joker", would be joining the roster as the first DLC fighter of the [[Fighters Pass]] in ''Ultimate''.

After the game's reveal, an [https://www.smashbros.com/ official site and information blog] was launched as an official platform to provide information on the game. Available in a variety of languages, the site is continually updated to provide details on new and returning fighters, stages, items, music, and other ''Ultimate''-related information.

*In Vs. mode, the stage selection screen now appears before the character selection menu, making players select a stage before selecting characters.  

*All stages now have a [[Battlefield form]]. [[Ω form]]s are also standardized to have the same underside shape akin to [[Final Destination]], with none of them having vertical walls.

*[[Stage hazard]]s can be turned off for the first time in the series, allowing players to remove intrusive elements, such as "environment changes or enemy appearances" from gameplay.

*The new [[Stage Morph]] option allows two stages to be selected at once; the two stages will transition into one another either at random or on specified time intervals.  

*[[Alternate costume]]s are now shown at the bottom of the player's portrait, with at least eight small stock icons representing each palette swap. Additionally, each color is now listed with a name from the numbers 1-8 (e.g. Color 5).

*In [[match timer|timed matches]], characters in the lead will occasionally flash with a gold sparkle.

*While a Smash Mode match is loading, an intense [[versus splash screen]] will appear, showing the combatants. [[Tips]] still appear regularly on loading screens in other modes, and can appear on the splash screen when loading takes long enough.

*In one-on-one stock fights, the stock count of both fighters will be briefly displayed onscreen whenever a stock is lost.

*The character select screen is now similar in appearance to the original ''Super Smash Bros.'' menu when starting the game, with the other fighters unlocked later on.

*While a fighter is knocked off the stage, a minimap which shows the character locations, [[blast zone]], and camera zoom will appear on the corner of the screen.

*The closer a fighter is to a blast zone, the smaller their "magnifying glass" camera becomes. It will start flashing when they are almost touching the blast line.

*Like {{SSB4|Little Mac}}'s [[Power Meter]] in ''Smash 4'', several characters now sport additional UI elements next to their damage meter, such as {{SSBU|Villager}}'s [[Pocket]]ed item, {{SSBU|Robin}}'s durability counters, or {{SSBU|Inkling}}'s Ink Tank gauge.

*Stages that once shared names now have been renamed. For example, the ''Smash 64'' version of Yoshi's Island is now Super Happy Tree and the ''Brawl'' version of Mario Circuit is now Figure-8 Circuit.

*Tracks in [[My Music]] are now organized by series rather than by stage, such that all music from a given series will be available across the stages corresponding to that series.

*[[Sound Test]] can be used to create music playlists, which can be played in handheld mode while the screen is off like a music player.  

*Echo Fighters can either be displayed in their own character slots, or share their slot with the character they are based on, depending on user preference.

*The main text font from ''Melee'', ''Brawl'' and ''SSB4'' does not appear to be used anymore.

*To increase gameplay speed, all damage taken in one-on-one fights with no items is multiplied by 1.2×.

*While [[knockback]] itself might be unchanged, the physics of launch movement are different from all previous games — characters have a much higher initial speed and deceleration, resulting in being launched at very high speeds yet slowing down to nothing very quickly.  

*[[Rage]] has had its knockback increase reduced to a maximum 10% boost, down from 15%. Additionally, it no longer applies to hits that use [[set knockback]], preventing linking moves with high set knockback from KOing at disproportionately early percentages.

*[[Shield]]s deplete faster when held, now being closer to ''Melee''{{'}}s shield depletion.

*[[Perfect shield]]s are performed in reverse: instead of pressing the shield button a few frames before an attack connects, players have to ''release'' the shield button when an attack connects on their [[shield]] instead. The window for the technique is also larger, lasting 5 frames instead of 3. A successful perfect shield causes the screen to pause briefly, with the fighter's eyes flashing to signify a perfect shield, and no shield damage being taken as a result. This updated mechanic makes perfect shielding a riskier tactic, and less likely to be performed unintentionally, but allows fighters to retaliate much faster against attacks when successful.

*Shield dropping incurs 11 frames of lag, up from 7 in ''SSB4'', making the game less defense-focused.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/8rgc3i/did_a_framebyframe_breakdown_of_the_invitational/?st=jii2wdxz&sh=4cc5fc06</ref> However, the minimum time the shield must be held for before it can be dropped has been reduced from 11 frames to 3, assisting in the new perfect shield mechanic.

*Hitting a [[shield]] now contributes to [[stale-move negation]].

*[[Edge sweet spot]]s have become smaller, and recovery moves take longer to snap on ledges in general. This makes [[recovery|recovering]] more difficult.  

*The window to [[tech]] has increased from 8 frames to 11 frames, and teching in general has mostly been restored to its state in ''Brawl'' (but the added leniency while already making contact with a wall or ceiling is retained), removing all of the untechable situations from ''Smash 4''; however, sustaining too much knockback from a certain distance from a surface can prevent characters from teching, making stage spikes guaranteed at high enough percents. The threshold is also much smaller for characters that hit the ground, making meteor smashes more effective on-stage on aerial opponents.

*[[Footstool jump]]s have been nerfed, as opponents footstooled in midair can tech on the ground during the animation. However, footstools now also grant the user a few frames of intangibility upon leaping off the opponent.

*[[Meteor smash]] attacks can no longer be teched when grounded, regardless of their properties, making them more reliable for starting combos.

*[[Lock]]s can now only be performed twice in a row.

*Characters can no longer run through other characters and instead push them backwards, preventing [[cross-up]]s or mixups revolving around moving through an opponent. This also seems to affect several momentum-based moves, which now stop on shield (such as [[Fox Illusion]] and [[Heel Slide]]).

*[[Screen KO]]s are much faster, making them once again faster than [[Star KO]]s.

*[[Sudden Death]] consists of the screen slowly zooming in, making the blast zones gradually shrink. It also appears to have a fixed camera angle, and the screen progressively gets covered in aesthetic flames, starting with the corners. If the screen has finished zooming in, [[Bob-omb]]s will start falling after a while.

*The length of a Timed Battle can be adjusted in 30-second increments.

*[[Stamina Mode|Stamina]] battles are now part of the basic rule selection, allowing for combinations such as stamina with [[Stock|stocks]].

*The [[Final Smash Meter]] is a new [[Rules]] option that enables fighters to charge up their [[Final Smash]] over time for use without a [[Smash Ball]]. When this option is turned on, a gauge will appear under each fighter's [[damage]] display. The more damage the player takes, the more the meter is filled. When it is filled, the player can use a weaker version of their Final Smash.

*The new [[Custom Balance]] menu allows assigning [[handicap]]s to individual characters. Intended for leveling the field between players of different skills levels, each character can be assigned a Custom Balance value between -3 and +3, with negative numbers reducing [[damage]] dealt, and positive numbers increasing damage dealt. These values are only applied when the Custom Balance [[rule]] option is enabled, which is not available in multi-console wireless or online play.

*Purposely [[self-destruct]]ing in online matches with stocks can take away two stocks instead of one.

*The [[jumpsquat]] timing of every character has been standardized to 3 frames.

*Run speeds have been increased by about 10% for a majority of the cast, with some having larger increases, while [[walk]] speeds have had a similar 5% increase.

*Full hops and midair jumps are sped up across the cast. However, this does not apply to extra midair jumps (such as Kirby's or Pit's).

*[[Rolling]] and [[sidestep]]ping repeatedly now penalizes the user with increased lag and less [[intangibility]] frames, leaving them more vulnerable.

**Backward rolls have more ending lag overall, hindering their utility further for retreating safely and making them practically different from forward rolls again, while sidesteps conversely have less ending lag overall.

*[[Air dodge]]s now contain elements from all previous incarnations of the technique: air dodging while holding in a direction grants fighters a quick momentum boost towards it like in ''Melee'', but without making them [[helpless]]. However, fighters can only air dodge once before landing or getting hit, and the directional version has roughly a full second of ending lag. Additionally, standard air dodges have more ending lag, but incur noticeably less landing lag.

**[[Wavedashing]] has made a return from ''Melee'', but has been nerfed due to the new mechanics added to directional air dodging as well as increased landing lag. Techniques associated with wavedashing, like wavelanding, are also back, but to what extent is unclear.

*Initial dashes seem to have been lengthened, allowing some aspects of [[dash-dancing]] to return. They have also been significantly increased across the cast and have much less range in variance, with the slowest being slightly above {{SSB4|Mario}}'s in ''SSB4'' and the highest being slightly above {{SSB4|Fox}}'s.

*Being sent into hitstun by any attack from behind will preserve the direction the character is facing, like with [[Back Slash]] in ''Smash 4'', having the effect of preserving the positions of their forward and back aerials.

*Characters can now perform any ground attack out of a run, including their [[neutral attack]], [[tilt attack]]s, and all [[smash attack]]s. In previous games, only [[dash attack]]s, [[up smash]]es and [[special move]]s could be performed out of a run. Characters can also instantly turn around to input any grounded attack in the other direction.

*Short hop aerial attacks can be performed by pressing the jump and attack buttons at the same time. However, this makes full hop aerial attacks more difficult to perform.

*The linking hits of all [[neutral attack]]s have had their angles and knockback altered to drag opponents close to the user, in addition to not lifting them off if they are on the ground. This allows for neutral attacks to connect much more reliably than before, and gives all of them the ability to [[jab lock]] (with the exception of a few characters like {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}. However, this removes guaranteed [[jab cancel]] setups.

**Neutral infinites are faster overall and inflict less [[freeze frame]]s, making them harder to escape. Their pushback from hitting opponents can also no longer drop the user off edges.

*[[Smash attack]]s can be charged three times longer than previous games. However, their damage still caps at one second.

*Smash attacks can be cancelled by jumping during the first 3 frames of the animation. Cancelled smash attacks will always follow up with an aerial.

*[[Up smash]]es and [[up special]]s can be used [[out of shield]] without jumping.

*[[Pummel]]s have been universally sped up, but deal less damage.

*Weight dependency for [[throw]]s has been removed: all throws now execute at their usual speed against the entire cast.

*[[Edge attack]]s have been buffed, dealing 9% damage on average (up from 7%), and now granting intangibility until the hitboxes cease rather than until 2 frames before the hitboxes come out, allowing them to beat out opposing attacks.

*Most [[charge]]able neutral specials that can't be stored are now reversible, whether for the duration of the charge or right before they are unleashed.

*[[Taunts]] can be [[interrupt]]ed much quicker, with most of them having faster animations.

*[[Final Smash]]es are quicker, with versions granting a controllable transformation being removed, so players can return to fighting quickly. As a result, many fighters have either new Final Smashes altogether, or returning Final Smashes with altered functionalities, such as [[Landmaster]] being replaced by [[Team Star Fox|an Arwing cutscene]], and [[Octopus]] dragging opponents offstage immediately after transforming.

*The particle effects of the game are significantly more cartoony, with a solid-color or cel-shaded aesthetic. Compared to ''Smash 4'', hits are signified by spark-like blows instead of colorful stars, while attack [[effect]]s appear visually longer-lasting or possess far larger particle effects.

*Most returning fighters feature a more subdued color scheme, but with slightly more detail in their models than from previous games.

*Time slows down substantially and the camera zooms in with a colorful blue background at significant moments during a match, such as when landing a highly damaging special move (such as a fully charged [[Giant Punch]]) or when breaking a [[shield]]. The camera also does this for potential final hits of a match, dramatically pausing gameplay with intense sound effects and red lightning/background, while zooming in. These are referred to as "Special zoom" and "Finish zoom" by [[Masahiro Sakurai]] and the development team.

*If two fighter's bladed weapons clash, they now produce a metallic "clanging" noise, reminiscent to a similar effect in ''Melee''.

*Fighters sent flying now leave a colorful, lingering trail of solid-colored smoke behind them. If dealt enough knockback, they will also play a whistling sound while flying, akin to a jet plane.

*Grab immunity after a character is thrown or released from a grab is visually indicated by their model flashing yellow until it wears off.

*When [[mash]]ing out of an inactionable state such as being grabbed or [[stun]]ned, characters display wind blade-like particles around them that increase in quantity depending on how fast they mash.

*[[Star KO]]'d characters now use a tumbling animation similar to ''Brawl''{{'}}s Screen KOs, rolling away from the screen as they fly away.

*Phantom [[footstool]]s now play the footstool sound effect to indicate one being performed.

*[[Final Smash]]es now cause a segment of the screen to show the upper portion of the summoner's face (in Mr. Game & Watch's case, the close up is of where his eyes would be), which is taken entirely from the summoner's official artwork, before the move begins, similar to Chrom's appearance in [[Pair Up]].

*Any characters standing too close to a Final Smash will visibly react to it.

*While [[rage]] is in effect, smoke will constantly come out of the damage meter.

*Many [[Assist Trophies]] and Final Smashes now affect the background of the stage.

*On the [[results screen]], the announcer now says "(Character name/Team color) wins!" ("(Character name/Team color) win!" in the Japanese version), instead of saying "The winner is... (character name/team color)!" (''Brawl''/''Smash 4''} or "This game's winner is... (character name/team color)!" (''Smash 64''/''Melee''). Additionally, after Team Battles, all teammates will perform their complete victory animation instead of only the player with the highest score/stock count, much like the first three installments.

**In ''Smash 64'', the announcer did say "(Team color) wins!", but this was changed in ''Melee''.

*Even more characters now face the screen regardless of direction they turn towards, such as Villager and Ness.

*[[Name]]s now override some instances of character names, such as underneath the damage meter.

**If the player enters a name, any Poké Ball Pokémon or Assist Trophy character summoned by the player will be indicated by the player's name.

*The [[Flower]] effect's Flower appearance was changed and now resembles the pink flowers seen on the title screen of ''[[Panel de Pon (universe)|Panel de Pon]]''.

*[[Fake Smash Ball]]s were introduced, with inverted lines as their design. When broken, these explode into a colorful X-shaped explosion, causing heavy knockback and damage to nearby fighters. Unlike the standard Smash Ball, Fake Smash Balls tend to drift towards players and general action instead.

*[[Smash Ball]]s and Fake Smash Balls have a chance of spawning with [[Soccer Ball]] physics, rolling around the stage and respawning once they drop offstage. These despawn after a set time.

*The [[Boss Galaga]] causes a black background to cover the screen when it catches an opponent, complete with pixel stars. Additionally, if the Boss Galaga Star KOs a character, it can now be seen with the character in the distance. The star also becomes larger.

*The {{b|Hammer|item}} and [[Golden Hammer]] have a unique 8-bit-styled hit particle, resembling the particle effect used when Mario destroys a barrel in the original ''Donkey Kong''. The corresponding sound effect is also taken from the original game.

*The [[Warp Star]]'s descent can now be stalled by the user.

===Miscellaneous===

SmashUltimateTitleScreen1.2.0.jpg|English title screen

===Characters===

Inkling poster.jpg|Official illustration of Inkling.

Mario and Rathalos artwork.jpg|Official illustration of Mario and Rathalos.

Simon and Richter artwork.png|Official illustration of Simon and Richter.

Villager and Isabelle artwork.jpg|Official illustration of Villager and Isabelle.

Link Kirby Mario and Cloud artwork.png|Official illustration of Link, Kirby, Mario, and Cloud.

Kirby Artwork.jpg|Official illustration of Kirby.

Sonic artwork.jpg|Official illustration of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Pokémon Smash Bros.png|Official image of all playable Pokémon characters, and the many Poké Ball Pokémon.

The Legend of Zelda artwork.png|Official illustration of the playable ''Zelda'' cast.

Fire Emblem Heroes Smash.png|Official illustration of all playable ''Fire Emblem'' characters and Assist Trophies.

Fire Emblem Smash Bros.png|Official image of all playable ''Fire Emblem'' characters on Arena Ferox.

Bayonetta Ultimate artwork.png|Official illustration of Bayonetta, Rodin, and Madama Butterfly.

Snake Ultimate artwork.png|Official image of Snake.

Pit Ultimate artwork.png|Official image of Pit.

Inkling artwork.jpg|Official illustration of Inkling.

Mega Man Ultimate artwork.jpg|Official illustration of Mega Man.

Lucas Ultimate artwork.jpg|Official illustration of Lucas.

SmashUltimateReleaseDayAllCharactersArtwork.jpg|Official illustration of all of the playable fighters.

Ridley Hits the Big Time.png|Splash art of Ridley.

Simon Lashes Out.png|Splash art of Simon.

Richter Crosses Over.png|Splash art of Richter.

Chrom Joins the Battle.png|Splash art of Chrom.

Dark Samus Joins the Battle.png|Splash art of Dark Samus.

King K. Rool Comes Aboard.png|Splash art of King K. Rool.

Isabelle Turns Over a New Leaf.png|Splash art of Isabelle.

Ken Turns Up the Heat.png|Splash art of Ken.

Incineroar Enters the Ring.png|Splash art of Incineroar.

Piranha Plant Pipes Up.png|Splash art of Piranha Plant.

*This is the first ''Super Smash Bros.'' game since the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' to not be announced alongside new hardware. ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' was revealed alongside the final retail version of the Nintendo GameCube at E3 2001; ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' was announced alongside the Wii itself, then-codenamed Revolution at E3 2005; and ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' was announced alongside the Wii U at E3 2011. Moreover, unlike the latter two games, this is the first time since ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' that a ''Smash Bros.'' game is not announced years in advance, as ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' was announced in 2005 and revealed a year later, and ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' was announced in 2011 and revealed two years later, with both released in 2008 and 2014 respectively.

*This is the first ''Super Smash Bros.'' game to:

**Have no veteran characters cut since ''Melee''.

**Have a planned simultaneous worldwide release.

**Have the [[announcer]], [[Master Hand]], and [[Crazy Hand]]'s English-language voice actor unchanged, with Xander Mobus reprising his role from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

**Have none of its newcomers as starter characters.

**Feature a [[Sonic (universe)|third-party universe]] with more than one stage in the same game.

**Feature [[Sonic (universe)|third-party]] [[Mega Man (universe)|universes]] with more than one Assist Trophy.

**Have an Assist Trophy character originating from an [[Shovel Knight (universe)|indie game]].

**Not introduce a new Fighting Team, with the Fighting Mii Team returning from ''Super Smash Bros. 4''.

**Not introduce a new type for a playable Pokémon (as both [[Charizard|Fire]] and [[Greninja|Dark]] were used in previous games).

**Have a [[Lifelight|theme song]] in both English and Japanese.

**Have a generic enemy ([[Piranha Plant]]) be playable.

**Have the characters and stages ordered on their respective select screens by the order they were added into the series (with the exception of Mii Fighters and Echo Fighters) instead of being placed next to the characters from the same universe.

**Depict all of the [[Original 8]] fighters on the front cover of the boxart in their entirety.

**Feature fewer total newcomers (including [[DLC]]) than its [[Super Smash Bros. 4|predecessor]].

*Because of the size of the USK icon on the game's box art, the German version has a slightly different variation of said box art: [[Pikachu]] is moved upwards, [[Yoshi]] is completely missing, and the logo is off-centered.<ref>https://twitter.com/ZeldaUniverse/status/1009908072205160450</ref>

*The ''Ultimate'' logo features the same curved line under the game title as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'', though it is no longer hidden behind the series name.

*''Ultimate''{{'}}s release date falls one day after the late Satoru Iwata's birthday, December 6 (which was also the release date of {{forwiiu}} in Japan).

*''Ultimate'' is currently the only ''Super Smash Bros.'' game to not feature collectible [[trophies]] since their introduction in ''Melee''.

*This is the second ''Super Smash Bros.'' game to feature hand-drawn artwork on the box art, with the first being the original ''Super Smash Bros''.

*This is the second ''Super Smash Bros.'' game that has been rated E10+ by the ESRB, the first being ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U''.

*This is the third ''Super Smash Bros.'' game that has been rated 12 by PEGI, the first being ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' and the second being ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U''.

*When not including DLC, ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' has the lowest number of:

**Newcomers at 11, beating ''Smash 64'''s [[original 12]].

**New character-based universes introduced, with only two ({{uv|Splatoon}} and {{uv|Castlevania}}), beating ''Melee'''s three ({{uv|Ice Climber}}, {{uv|Fire Emblem}}, and {{uv|Game & Watch}}).

*This game marks the first appearance on the [[Nintendo Switch]] for [[King K. Rool]], [[Samus]], [[Zero Suit Samus]], [[Ridley]], [[Dark Samus]], [[Pichu]], [[Greninja]], [[Incineroar]], [[Ness]], [[Lucas]], [[Ice Climbers]], [[Roy]], [[Ike]], [[Pit]], [[Palutena]], [[Dark Pit]], [[Olimar]], [[R.O.B.]], [[Wii Fit Trainer]], [[Little Mac]], [[Duck Hunt]], [[Snake]], [[Simon]], and [[Richter]].