Fighter

A fighter, also known as a playable character or simply character, is a character (or in some cases, multiple characters simultaneously) in the Super Smash Bros. series roster that can be controlled by players in Versus Mode and other modes. These characters are located on the character selection screen and can be used without a cheat device (e.g. Action Replay). Playable characters can further be divided into starter, unlockable, and downloadable, which distinguishes whether characters can be played right away, whether they need to be unlocked, or whether they need to be downloaded.

List of fighters

This is a list of the fighters in the Super Smash Bros. series.

The following does not include some bosses who can be playable on occasion, such as in the World of Light.

For characters who were considered or intended to be fighters, see Unused content (SSB), Unused content (SSBM), Unused content (SSBB), Unused content (SSB4), and Unused content (SSBU).

Key	Starter	Unlockable	Unlockable in , Starter in	Downloadable	Customizable	Transformation

Fighter	Universe
Banjo & Kazooie	Banjo-Kazooie
Bayonetta	Bayonetta
Bowser	Mario
Bowser Jr.	Mario
Byleth	Fire Emblem
Captain Falcon	F-Zero
Charizard	Pokémon
Chrom	Fire Emblem
Cloud	Final Fantasy
Corrin	Fire Emblem
Daisy	Mario
Dark Pit	Kid Icarus
Dark Samus	Metroid
Diddy Kong	Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong
Dr. Mario	Mario
Duck Hunt Duck Hunt Duo	Duck Hunt
Falco	Star Fox
Fox	Star Fox
Ganondorf	The Legend of Zelda
Greninja	Pokémon
Hero	Dragon Quest
Ice Climbers	Ice Climber
Ike	Fire Emblem
Incineroar	Pokémon
Inkling	Splatoon
Isabelle	Animal Crossing
Ivysaur	Pokémon
Jigglypuff	Pokémon
Joker	Persona
Kazuya	Tekken
Ken	Street Fighter
King Dedede	Kirby
King K. Rool	Donkey Kong
Kirby	Kirby
Link	The Legend of Zelda
Little Mac	Punch-Out!!
Lucario	Pokémon
Lucas	EarthBound
Lucina	Fire Emblem
Luigi	Mario
Mario	Mario
Marth	Fire Emblem
Mega Man	Mega Man
Meta Knight	Kirby
Mewtwo	Pokémon
Mii Brawler	Super Smash Bros.
Mii Gunner	Super Smash Bros.
Mii Swordfighter Mii Sword Fighter	Super Smash Bros.
Min Min	ARMS
Mr. Game & Watch	Game & Watch
Mythra	Xenoblade Chronicles
Ness	EarthBound
Olimar	Pikmin
Pac-Man	Pac-Man
Palutena	Kid Icarus
Peach	Mario
Pichu	Pokémon
Pikachu	Pokémon
Piranha Plant	Mario
Pit	Kid Icarus
Pokémon Trainer	Pokémon
Pyra	Xenoblade Chronicles
R.O.B.	R.O.B.
Richter	Castlevania
Ridley	Metroid
Robin	Fire Emblem
Rosalina & Luma	Mario
Roy	Fire Emblem
Ryu	Street Fighter
Samus	Metroid
Sephiroth	Final Fantasy
Sheik	The Legend of Zelda
Shulk	Xenoblade Chronicles
Simon	Castlevania
Snake	Metal Gear
Sonic	Sonic the Hedgehog
Sora	Kingdom Hearts
Squirtle	Pokémon
Steve	Minecraft
Terry	Fatal Fury
Toon Link	The Legend of Zelda
Villager	Animal Crossing
Wario	Wario
Wii Fit Trainer	Wii Fit
Wolf	Star Fox
Yoshi	Yoshi
Young Link	The Legend of Zelda
Zelda	The Legend of Zelda
Zero Suit Samus	Metroid
Newcomers		12	14	18	21	24
Veterans		0	12	21	37	65
Total Fighters		12	26	39	58	89

Newcomers and veterans

A newcomer is a character who appears as playable for the first time in the series in a given game. A veteran is the opposite: a character who has been playable in a previous game. For example, Diddy Kong is a newcomer in Brawl, as he did not appear as playable in any previous games, but is a veteran in all subsequent games. Note that the definition of newcomers is distinct from that of "unlockable" or "secret" characters, which are playable characters who must be unlocked by completing certain tasks; Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4 all had starter veterans, starter newcomers, unlockable veterans, and unlockable newcomers. Ultimate is the first game in which all newcomers to the base game are unlockable; however, most veterans are also unlockable.

The term newcomer was originally used to describe the unlockable characters in the original Super Smash Bros. by the data deletion menu. It was later used in the first trailer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which new characters were introduced with the title "Newcomer" atop their name. The word newcomer was later used on the Smash Bros. DOJO!! site to classify characters who made their debut in Brawl and are starters in there, in addition to third party characters Snake and Sonic. This use of the term has become the community-preferred usage for other games in the series.

"Perfect-attendance crew"

Less commonly, the term "veteran" can also denote the "eight regulars" or "perfect-attendance fighters", which are the eight starter characters in the original Super Smash Bros. which have been in all subsequent games of the series. The "perfect attendance" part of the term is a reference to the fact that these eight fighters have always been available from the start of every game without needing to be unlocked. The terms originated in the description for the 10th Brawl event match All-Star Battle Regulars, reading: "The Smash Bros. perfect-attendance crew! Fight the eight regulars in order!" A popular, unofficial term referring to this group is "The Original 8" (Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu), which may also be called "The Original 12" if including the four unlockable characters (Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, and Jigglypuff), who have likewise appeared in every game in the series. The 29th Brawl event match All-Star Semifinal Regulars states: "Four hidden characters from the past game! They're secret perfect attendees." Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the only installment where all the "Original 12" are starter characters. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate refers to the concept of the perfect-attendance crew by making the only starter characters the aforementioned "Original 8".

Trivia

• Pokémon is the only universe to have multiple fighters cut throughout the series, being Mewtwo, Pichu, and Pokémon Trainer's Squirtle and Ivysaur.
  • However, it is also the only universe to have newcomers in all games.
• Metal Gear and Ice Climber are the only universes to have the entirety of their characters cut from a game.
• Pichu and Young Link are the only fighters to have been absent from multiple consecutive installments.
• Ice Climbers are the only characters to have been a fighter in multiple games before being cut.
• Lucas is the only fighter to have been a starter character, unlockable character, and downloadable character in separate games. Lucas is also the only playable character who has never appeared in a non-Smash game released outside Japan.
• Roy is the only playable character to debut in Super Smash Bros. before appearing in any other game. His inclusion in Melee was intended to promote Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, his debut in his home series, which was released shortly after Melee in Japan. According to Masahiro Sakurai, The Binding Blade was originally scheduled for release before Melee.
• Charizard, Little Mac, Ridley, Dark Samus, Isabelle, Chrom, and Piranha Plant are the only characters to have been made fully playable after major non-playable appearances, excluding characters that are playable via items such as Metal Mario. These include Poké Ball Pokémon, Bosses, Assist Trophies, stage hazards, or part of another character's moveset. Of these characters, Chrom and Piranha Plant are the only ones to retain their non-playable roles even after becoming playable.
• Charizard is the only character who was part of a transformation character, became a standalone fighter, and then returned to being part of a transformation character.
  • Inversely, Samus is the only character who was initially a standalone character before being able to transform into Zero Suit Samus, before the two were split in their next appearances.
• Captain Falcon (in Smash 64), the Mii Fighters in both of their appearances, and Pac-Man (in Ultimate) are the only fighters to use head icons that don't portray their faces.
• Prior to Ultimate, the only unlockable characters whose playable status was not kept a secret in official sources prior to release were Snake and Sonic in Brawl, and Lucina in Smash 4.

See also

• Mii Costume
• Starter character
• Unlockable character
• Non-playable character
• Background character