Super Smash Bros. (universe)

Super Smash Bros. (universe)
Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory Intelligent Systems Sora Ltd. Game Arts Monolith Soft Paon Bandai Namco
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Masahiro Sakurai
Genre(s)	Fighting
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo 64
First installment	Super Smash Bros. (1999)
Latest installment	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)

The Super Smash Bros. universe (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ, Great Fray Smash Brothers) refers to the collection of characters, stages, and properties that are original to the Super Smash Bros. series. It is featured alongside other non-original licensed game characters and properties within Smash games. It is the universe of the Smash Bros. series in-and-of itself. The iconic Super Smash Bros. logo represents both the series and universe.

Franchise description

During 1998, Kirby series creator Masahiro Sakurai, working at Nintendo second-party developer HAL Laboratory, pursued interest in making a fighting game for four players. From the outset, he did not have any ideas and used exceedingly basic character designs. When he presented the concept (provisionally called Dragon King: The Fighting Game) to his superior, Satoru Iwata - then the president of HAL Laboratory - Iwata helped Sakurai find ways to make the game original since many fighting games did not sell well, and Sakurai's first idea was to insert a wide variety of popular characters from different Nintendo franchises and have them fight in a crossover. Sakurai knew he would not receive permission to do this by asking, and therefore secretly created a prototype of the Nintendo 64 fighter in advance and only informed his superiors of it after carefully balancing his first four character inclusions: Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus Aran, and Fox McCloud. Fortunately for him, the idea was approved, and Sakurai developed the game, Super Smash Bros., as a low-budget crossover fighter that was intended to be released exclusively in Japan. The finished product's nearly-unique spin on free-roaming, multi-directional fighting on two-dimensional platform-filled planes is said to have been inspired by an obscure 1994 arcade fighting game by Namco titled The Outfoxies.

Super Smash Bros. was released in Japan on January 21, 1999, and despite little promotion, the game was a surprise and breakout hit, ultimately selling nearly 2 million copies domestically, and after it was decided to localize the game, it was commercially successful internationally as well, selling nearly 3 million copies in the United States. Despite some criticism toward its single player, it received praise for its unique take on fighting games; its simple-to-learn, accessible, and responsive gameplay; and above all else its mix of fan-favorite aesthetics, characters, and music, particularly with Pokémon, which had then reached the height of its initial explosion of worldwide popularity.

Following the success of Super Smash Bros., Sakurai became the head of production for a sequel that was intended as a borderline launch title for the next Nintendo system, the GameCube. Sakurai described his lifestyle during this period as "destructive", working on the game for 13 straight months with no holidays and short weekends, and he found it to be the biggest project he worked on up to that point. Unlike the first game, which was an experimental venture, Sakurai felt great pressure to deliver a quality sequel that would be lauded as one of the system's premier titles. The game would also exhibit an enormous graphical advancement beyond the Nintendo 64, and to this end, the game's opening FMV was developed by HAL in conjunction with three separate graphic houses in Tokyo. The game was released shortly after the GameCube's launch in both Japan and the United States near the end of 2001 as Super Smash Bros. Melee, and received critical acclaim as both a strong fundamental improvement and a massive expansion of content over its predecessor. The game became the best-selling GameCube game, with more than seven million copies sold worldwide. By this point, the series' relevance as a potent advertisement vehicle for all of Nintendo's IPs represented within it, past and present, was apparent; the representation of two characters from the then-Japan-exclusive Fire Emblem series, who were nearly cut out from international versions of Melee, prompted Nintendo's future decision to release almost all subsequent installments of the series worldwide.

During what became a seven-year hiatus for the Smash Bros. series, Sakurai left HAL Laboratory in 2003 to start his own company, Sora Ltd., so that he could create games separately from the sequel-heavy schedules of HAL. Meanwhile, Satoru Iwata succeeded Hiroshi Yamauchi as Nintendo's fourth president in 2002. At a pre-E3 2005 press conference, Iwata announced that the next installment of Super Smash Bros. was soon to be in development for its next console and would be a launch title that utilized the console's Wi-Fi based online capabilities. The announcement came as a surprise to Sakurai as he was not informed of Nintendo's intent to release another Smash Bros. game, and was only asked after the conference by Iwata to again serve as director; Sakurai agreed, and development began in October 2005. What followed was a development project handled by roughly 100 individuals working full time. The game was officially showcased at the E3 2006 conference as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but its actual release dates, set for early 2008, were well over a year after the Wii console's launch. Prior to release, among the most noteworthy and publicized inclusions in the game were a vastly redesigned Pit, representing a revival of the long-dormant Kid Icarus series, and the first-ever inclusions of third-party characters in the series: Solid Snake from Metal Gear, which rumor claims series director Hideo Kojima had asked to be included in Melee, and Sonic from his respective series, satisfying a long-awaited crossover with historical rival mascot Mario. Brawl had also encouraged an enormous amount of pre-release hype and speculation by regularly posting blog updates five days a week, detailing new features, characters, and other elements of the game on the official website, the "Smash Bros. DOJO!!", for over eight months straight.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl was critically and commercially successful upon release, garnering praise for its new focus on improved single-player content, an expanded and more varied cast, and what was then one of the largest video game soundtracks in history, and became the fastest-selling game in Nintendo of America's history and a seller of over 10 million units total. However, the game garnered criticism for its long loading times, its borderline unplayable online mode, and, among competitive players and even a few established ones, the general slower pace of the game compared to Melee, with the absence of some advanced movement and attack mechanics and the introduction of mechanics such as hitstun canceling resulting in much more defensive gameplay. The game's Adventure Mode, The Subspace Emissary, was also a major point of contention between those who found it to be a repetitive slog that took much away from what Brawl could have been and those who found it to be grand and the best part of the game, the latter of which became a particularly common viewpoint in the years following the game's launch. The introduction of random tripping, however, was near universally despised due to it being a non-negotiable element of randomized chance that could singlehandedly dictate the outcome of a match. In an interview two-and-a-half years after the release of Brawl, Sakurai revealed that he himself retrospectively considered Melee to be "the sharpest game in the series".

Immediately after Sakurai employed his redesign of the Kid Icarus series' aesthetic in the 3DS title Kid Icarus: Uprising, released in March 2012, he announced the beginning of development of the fourth installment in the Smash Bros. series, which would be a joint venture between Sora and Namco Bandai Games and would be co-directed with Yoshito Higuchi, who had previously directed and produced several games in Namco's Tales series. The first showcase of the project took place at the Nintendo Direct presentation preceding E3 2013, where it was shown that the series would, for the first time, develop and release a pair of titles simultaneously for separate platforms: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Prior to the showcase, Sakurai indicated that the games would receive a different development approach for measuring character balance, and after the showcase, Sakurai confirmed the removal of randomized tripping while dashing. In contrast to Melee and Brawl, the game would not feature an Adventure Mode, as Sakurai felt the massive workload he undertook to develop the SSE was invalidated by people reuploading the cutscenes online: with this in mind, newcomers to the series from this point on would receive stylized video trailers announcing their introduction, a method that Sakurai found would benefit from being shared online.

The games received praise for building off of what was established by the series further, while helping to bridge the gap between Melee and Brawl players, on top of being able to be taken on the go for the first time with the 3DS version of the game. Both games were criticized for a perceived lack of content, and though being able to play Smash anywhere was praised, the 3DS' limited controls setup was not. Owing to being on less successful platforms, both games were less successful than Brawl, with the Wii U version selling less than the 3DS version despite the former being preferred for tournament play.

A year after the release of the Nintendo Switch console, Sakurai started work on the next game in the series. His goal was to "make the impossible possible," by including all characters from the past games. When he announced his intentions to the boardroom of directors, the room fell silent. In March 2018, a teaser trailer was released in the middle of a Nintendo Direct presentation, featuring the Inklings from the Splatoon franchise. The game was formally announced as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during E3 of the same year, showcasing all the previous fighters and the "Everyone Is Here" tagline, and revealing that Namco Bandai would again be the co-developer. The game was shown to have an increased focus on competitive play, while keeping it accessible for newcomers as well. During a Smash Direct showcase in October, Sakurai announced that trophies, which otherwise would have taken up much development time, they were being removed in favor of spirits, equippable items that augmented fighters, similar to stickers and equipment in previous games. Spirits also replace Event matches, by augmenting opponents in ways similar to the depicted character, and the focus of the returning Adventure Mode. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ended up becoming not just the best selling title in the series and the fastest selling Nintendo game (the latter until Pokémon Sword and Shield a year later), but the single best selling fighting game of all time at over 22 million copies worldwide as of 2020.

The Super Smash Bros. series is a large departure from the traditional fighting game formula: instead of having two characters trade and block each other's blows until one's health meter is depleted, knock-outs in these games are strictly achieved by sending opponents hurtling away far enough off the stage that they cannot avoid coming into contact with one of the four linear boundaries surrounding the stage. Instead of a life bar that decreases, each character has a percentage-based damage meter that raises each time they are hit by an attack, which translates into all subsequent attacks incurred by that character sending them away farther than before. Every character is designed and intended to feel and play uniquely from the rest in terms of the different moves and movements they are capable of, among many other things about them, and when a character is sent flying away from the stage horizontally, they have the opportunity to return to the stage without falling below out of the stage with both a mid-air double jump and a special move that constitutes a third jump. Many options are available to diversify gameplay, such as items that may be picked up and used, selectable stages that may feature their own dynamic hazards in their designs and layouts, and a large variety of different modes and settings for customizing matches.

Many players and groups in the competitive playerbase and community for the series choose to play each game with very specific settings and disallow much of the available content in order to minimize luck as a factor. This leads to developed metagames for each installment where top-tier players, often playing for prizes and prestige under accepted professional rulesets defined by players that organize Smash Bros.-centered tournaments around the world, and regularly use precise skill and exploit game physics in order to compete. Like many games that allow for competitive play, such as Pokémon, each character in each game's cast of playable characters is graded by the community on how much inherently "better" or "worse" it is in comparison to other characters in competitive environments, and these "tier lists" spawn much community debate of their own. A further point of contention is the practice of creating and distributing unofficial modifications that fix perceived flaws and degenerate aspects with the core game design and character balance. However, the most publicized mod for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Project M, has since been featured alongside the official games themselves at national video gaming tournaments and events.

Every game adds new franchises, either published by Nintendo or involved with a third-party company closely associated with the history of Nintendo as a company, that may be represented with at least one playable fighter, and may additionally be represented with stages, items, and collectibles themed after that franchise. Meanwhile, existing franchises and modes receive new and expanded content with each additional installment of Smash:

• Super Smash Bros. (1999), for the Nintendo 64, introduces the Super Mario franchise and designates two of its recurring characters, Donkey Kong and Yoshi, as representatives of their own respective "subfranchises". It also represents The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Star Fox, and Pokémon as primary franchises from the outset, and unlockable characters additionally represent the F-Zero series and EarthBound. The game features 12 playable characters total, and for each character, single-player content includes both a target-smashing stage and a platforming stage that may be completed for setting time records.

• Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001), for the GameCube, introduces representation for the 1984 NES game Ice Climber as an example of a defunct "retro" franchise, and unlockable characters introduce characters of the formerly-Japan-exclusive Fire Emblem series and the historically-significant Game & Watch handheld line. A total of 25 character choices on the select screen effectively allows a total of 26 playable characters in the game, due to the interchangeable characters Sheik and Zelda. A vast amount of new content is debuted, such as special modes and scenarios and an overarching collection aspect in the form of hundreds of trophies that may be earned and viewed at any time, complete with descriptions and a selection of games the basis for the trophy appeared in.

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008), for the Wii, adds Wario and identifies him as from another subset of the Mario universe, while debuting a massive redesign of Pit and the Kid Icarus series and featuring the recent Pikmin series as well. Unlockable characters introduce the first characaters from third-party franchises in the series, Solid Snake from Konami's Metal Gear Solid franchise and Sonic the Hedgehog from SEGA's series of the same name, and also recognize the historically-significant R.O.B. peripheral and give it a playable role. A total of 35 character choices on the select screen allows for a total of 39 playable characters in the game, and every character has an all-new "super attack" called a Final Smash that is typically made unavailable in competitive play. In addition to more of everything, such as another collection aspect in the form of stickers, the game introduces a lengthy single player adventure mode titled The Subspace Emissary, which is the first instance of a Smash Bros. game telling a complete crossover narrative with its extensive cast.

• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U (2014) is the first instance of the series releasing two separate versions of the game for different platforms on the 3DS and Wii U, and there are content differences between versions such as stages. New franchises that have primary representation are Animal Crossing, which previously received a great deal of content in Brawl but no playable character, the Wii Fit line of fitness hardware and software, Punch-Out!!, Monolith Soft's Xenoblade Chronicles series, the well-known NES classic, Duck Hunt, the third-party Mega Man franchise by Capcom, and the third-party Pac-Man franchise by Namco. Furthermore, the Mii avatars that became available for use in Nintendo hardware and software in 2006 with the release of the Wii are playable as characters representative of the Smash Bros. series. After the game's release, additional downloadable content became available and brought back Mewtwo from Pokémon and Roy from Fire Emblem, as well as Lucas from EarthBound. In addition, three more third-party franchises joined the series, including Capcom's Street Fighter, SEGA & PlatinumGames' Bayonetta and in a move that shocked the gaming industry, Square Enix's flagship series, Final Fantasy. The 3DS version was released on September 13, 2014 (Japan), October 2, 2014 (Germany (stores only)), October 3, 2014 (Americas and Europe), and October 4, 2014 (Australia), while the Wii U version released on November 21, 2014 in the Americas, November 28, 2014 in Europe, November 29, 2014 in Australia, and December 6, 2014 in Japan.

• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) is a title for the Nintendo Switch released on December 7, 2018. This game features all previous veterans and also added the Splatoon and Konami's Castlevania universes to the list of universes with playable characters, including - for the first time ever in any Nintendo game - Ridley from Metroid; for the first time after a decade-long absence, King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong Country series, Isabelle - who appeared in the previous game as an Assist Trophy - from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and Incineroar from Pokémon Sun & Moon as playable fighters. In addition, fighters who were previously known as clones were now given the new official name of echo fighters, with Princess Daisy from Super Mario, Chrom from Fire Emblem Awakening, Ken Masters from Street Fighter and Dark Samus from Metroid Prime being added to the roster as Echo Fighters of Peach, Roy, Ryu, and Samus, respectively. It will also have five DLC fighters featured as part of the Fighters Pass, with a separate sixth character in the form of a generic Piranha Plant from the Mario franchise. At the 2018 Game Awards, Joker from the smash hit JRPG Persona 5 was announced to be the first new downloadable challenger in the Fighters Pass, to be followed up at E3 2019 with the announcements of Hero in their many incarnations from the Dragon Quest series (with 4 in particular being playable) and Rare's iconic bird & bear duo, Banjo & Kazooie. At the September Direct, it was revealed that not only would SNK's unofficial mascot, Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury and King of Fighters join the battle as the 4th challenger pack in the Pass but also that more individual DLC fighters beyond the pass were now in development. During a January livestream, Byleth from Fire Emblem Three Houses was revealed as the final member of what is now referred to "Vol. 1" of the pass with confirmation of a second season dubbed Vol. 2 which will have six more fighters added by the end of 2021. During the March 2020 Nintendo Direct Mini, it was formally revealed that the first new challenger of Vol. 2 would be a character from ARMS but did not say which fighter would be chosen to appear in Ultimate. In a Mr. Sakurai Presents video on June 22nd, Min Min was revealed as the official fighter from ARMS and the opening newcomer of the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. 3 months later on October 1st, it was announced that Steve (along with Alex, Zombie, and Enderman as alternate skins) from Minecraft, the best selling video game of all time would join as the second newcomer of Vol. 2, with a Mr. Sakurai Presents presentation to go live two days afterwards on the 3rd. At the Game Awards 2020, it was announced that Cloud’s archenemy, Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII fame, would be joining the roster sometime before the end of December 2020 with his own Mr. Sakurai Presents presentation on the 17th. At the beginning of the February 2021 Nintendo Direct, Rex's 2-in-1 partner from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Pyra and Mythra would be entering the battlefield, eventually releasing on March 4, 2021. At E3 2021, it was announced that Tekken 's poster child and on-again/off-again hero/villain of the series, Kazuya Mishima will dropkick his way into the action before the end of July with a special Mr. Sakurai Presents showcase on June 28th. Finally, on October 5, the final Mr. Sakurai Presents video was broadcast, revealing Kingdom Hearts protagonist Sora as the final challenger.

In Super Smash Bros.

The first game in the series, Super Smash Bros., can be said to feature much more than a standard universe's worth of content based on the universe introduced in the game itself, compared even to the Mario universe - despite its lack of a playable character or a stage selectable in multiplayer.

Boss

• 
  Master Hand: A giant floating right-hand glove and the narrator, this entity is described as the imaginary link between the real world and the Smash Bros. tournaments and can be considered the be-all, end-all host of the series. He features a voice that is heard calling out the names of fighters on the character select screen, as well as calling the status of matches before, during, and after matches, so he can be considered the narrator of the series as well, sharing his voice actor with said announcer in order to drive that point home. He functions as the "final boss" of the game in that the final match of the single-player mode pits the player's character against Master Hand in a 1-on-1 duel. He fights with a variety of unique movements and motions, and instead of a percentage meter, he carries a "traditional" health meter that lowers when taking damage from opponents. Reducing it to zero will defeat him and end the 1P Game in success for the player.

Fighting Team Characters

• 
  Fighting Polygon Team: The "generic fighter grunts" of the game; these are purple, untextured, blocky entities whose shapes and motions are modeled vaguely after the proper fighters in the game. They appear only in the game's single-player mode in two stages: The Race to the Finish stage, in which three of them are obstacles in the player's path to the finish, and in the subsequent Fighting Polygon Team stage, where the player must battle a total of 30 of them as easy-to-KO opponents in a match similar to the Multi-Man Melee/Brawl/Smash of later games. There are twelve varieties of Fighting Polygons, just as there are twelve distinctive fighters in the game.

Stages

The first Smash game features a lot of environments thematically original to the game itself, and none of these are selectable in the game's multiplayer mode (hacking aside); they are only available as single player content. The following stages would work as multiplayer stages if they were available in the multiplayer mode:

• 
  Meta Crystal: A small and simple stage consisting of a big platform with a small platform above it, this is the single-player stage where the battle against Metal Mario takes place. It is based on the part of Hazy Maze Cave from Super Mario 64 where Mario would find the Green ! Switch.
• 
  Duel Zone: As with Final Destination above, Battlefield is not referred to as such yet, but rather is known as "Duel Zone" or "Fighting Polygon Stage" in-game. Likewise, it has the same four-platform layout as later Battlefield stages and serves the same purpose, as the home to the Fighting Polygon Team in the penultimate single-player battle.
• 
  Final Destination: Known as "Master Hand's Residence" in-game, this prototypical Final Destination otherwise serves the same purpose as its successors in later games. It is a flat, featureless platform laid against a space background and is where the player fights Master Hand in the final battle of the game's 1P Game.

The following stages are more "mini-game"-centric stages featured as single-player content:

• Break the Targets!: Twelve separate maze-like stages are accessible as single-player Target Test challenges in the Target Test mode. There is one stage for each character, and it is specifically constructed to test the character's ability to attack all ten targets in the stage as fast as possible in the time limit. The character will be required to go through their respective Target Test stage early in the game's main single-player mode.

• Board the Platforms!: Likewise, twelve separate maze-like stages are accessible as single-player Board the Platform challenges in the Board the Platform mode. There is one stage for each character, and it is specifically constructed to test the character's ability to jump onto all ten yellow platforms in the stage as fast as possible in the time limit. The character will be required to go through his respective Board the Platform stage later on in the game's main single-player mode.

• Race to the Finish!: This five-story stage is a single-player mini-game where the character must race from the upper left to the lower right of the stage and reach the end as fast as possible within the time limit, while avoiding obstacles such as floating bumpers, rolling bombs, and three computer-controlled Fighting Polygon opponents.

Items

A large proportion of the game's items are original to the game itself.

• Beam Sword: A powerful energy sword, this bludgeoning weapon carries sound effects similar to a Lightsaber in the Star Wars movie franchise in the Japanese version of the game, but they was changed for the U.S. release, possibly to avoid copyright trouble.
• Home-Run Bat: This bludgeoning item is the most potentially deadly offensive measure in the game; while normally featuring unremarkable power with standard attacks, a smash attack with the Bat carries so much knockback that it often causes a one-hit KO to the target, regardless of how healthy the opponent is. Some consider it a property native to the EarthBound franchise, but Melee's Trophy Gallery identifies the bat as having made its first game appearance in the original Smash and not EarthBound.
• Fan: The polar opposite to the Home-Run Bat and the Hammer, the Fan is weak enough that picking it up may be considered a handicap. While it can attack extremely quickly, it does tiny damage and offers no knockback, so it is generally not considered a helpful item. However, it deals considerable damage against shields, and can quickly lead to a shield break if the opponent is not careful.
• Bumper: A unique item not seen in the sequel (but spiritually replaced by the Flipper), the thrown Bumper creates an obstacle on the ground that knocks back any opponent that touches it. The bumper, in response, slides in the opposite direction. If another opponent gets in its way, the process repeats. The Bumper returned in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and all subsequent games.
• Ray Gun: This item is the standard projectile weapon, firing laser beams that do good knockback. Melee describes it as having originated in this game, contrary to the popular belief that it originates from the Star Fox universe.
• Motion-Sensor Bomb: An item that sticks to the surface it is thrown on. It will detonate if a player steps on it. Despite being labeled as an original item, it is based on the Proximity Mine from GoldenEye 007.
• Crate: One of the game's four item containment units, the crate is by far the biggest. It is a giant wooden box with the Smash symbol on it, and it can be picked up, carried, and hurled at opponents as a projectile. When it crashes into the ground, it splinters and up to three items contained inside can appear.
• Barrel: Another item that can contain items within, the Barrel is somewhat less large and may contain fewer items than the Crate, but as a hurled weapon, it can roll on its side before breaking. Some consider it a property native to the Donkey Kong franchise, but Melee's Trophy Gallery identifies the barrel as having made its first game appearance in the original Smash and not Donkey Kong. It is not to be confused with Melee's Barrel Cannon item.
• Capsule: This pill-shaped item contains a single item inside. It can be thrown as a fast projectile.
• Egg: This is a white egg that acts just like a Capsule. Some consider it a property native to the Pokémon franchise, especially considering that Eggs are scattered about by the appearance of the Pokémon Chansey, but Melee's Trophy Gallery identifies the Egg as having made its first game appearance in the original Smash and not Pokémon. All four of the game's item-containment units have a chance that they contain an explosive rather than an item, so these units can sometimes be used as Bob-ombs.

Music

These are the main musical tracks unique to the game found within the Sound Test:

• 1: Opening: The music heard during the game's opening cinema movie, this is fast-paced music interspersed with parts of track 45.
• 2: How to Play: Low-key music heard during the How to Play segment.
• 3: Character Introduction Stage: Very discrete music heard in the Characters and VS Records sub-menus.
• 4: Menu Screen: Extremely discrete "music" heard on the game's main menu screen.
• 25: Battle Results: This music plays on the match complete screen after one of the 10 character victory fanfare tracks plays for the winning character.
• 28: Training Mode: Low-key music heard while playing the Training mode.
• 32: Ending Point: Climactic battle music heard in the final battle against Master Hand.
• 33: Bonus Game: Music heard on any of the Break the Targets, the Board the Platforms stages and Race to the Finish stage.
• 35: All Clear: Discrete, low key music played at the score display screen following the Master Hand battle.
• 38: Duel Zone: Synthesized battle music heard on the battle against the Fighting Polygon Team.
• 39: Meta Crystal: Heavy techno music that plays when battling Metal Mario in Single-player mode.
• 45: Staff Roll: An original composition that is one of the main themes of both the game and the overall Smash Bros. series. It is heard throughout the ending credits.

There are also many short pieces counted as "music" heard in response to in-game occurrences. These tracks original to the game itself include 29: Meta Crystal (Intro), 30: Ending Point (Intro), 31: Ending Point (Master Hand Appearance), 34: Duel Zone (Victory), 36: Bonus Game (Clear), 37: Lose Bonus Game, 40: A Character Appears, 41: The Prize, 42: Ending, 43: Continue, and 44: Game Over.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

The sequel to Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, is noted for being an immensely larger game than its predecessor. The number of original properties featured in the game is seemingly increased proportionally.

Bosses

Like in the previous game, none of the game's characters are considered true "characters" in that they cannot be selected for play without hacking. These all make specific appearances as single-player opponents.

• 
  Master Hand: The "master of ceremonies" and "narrator" of the series returns in Melee as a "final boss" enemy like before, but it is no longer the only one. With a slightly redesigned look and some new moves, Master Hand is otherwise not much different as a final boss of the game's "Classic" (Single-Player) Mode, though he can perform some two-on-one moves with his newly introduced "twin", Crazy Hand.
• 
  Crazy Hand: The "twin brother" of Master Hand, Crazy Hand is a left hand and is a "hidden boss" in the game. It is described as the embodiment of a child who derives pleasure from destroying his creations, as opposed to Master Hand's will to play around. In the final bout of Classic mode on Normal, Hard, or Very Hard difficulty, when Master Hand has had over half of his hit points depleted, Crazy Hand will erratically enter the battle and join the fight against the player, making it a tougher two-on-one battle. Crazy Hand features at least three of his own unique attacks, and the two Hands will occasionally perform a special two-hand super attack together. If the player can beat both enemies in the match, the Crazy Hand KO bonus will be awarded. Both Hands can also be fought at Event 50: Final Destination Match.
• 
  Giga Bowser: A gargantuan, powered-up version of the Mario universe character Bowser, himself the heftiest fighter in the standard Melee roster. Giga Bowser, whose body is proportionally different to Bowser, has larger horns, and a frenzied expression on his face, is a hidden final boss in the game's Adventure Mode. At Normal difficulty or above, if the player gets to the final battle against Giant Bowser and defeats him in under 18 minutes, he will "revive" as Giga Bowser to rematch the player; defeating him will yield the Giga Bowser KO bonus and the Giga Bowser trophy. Giga Bowser receives an enormous handicap in his Adventure Mode appearance; he also appears in Event 51: The Showdown, with less of a handicap.

Fighting Team Characters

• Fighting Wire Frames: The spiritual successors to the Fighting Polygon Team, pink wire-frame models of fighters without special talents. Their insides feature a vague skeletal and organ system, however, and a red Smash-universe symbol resides where each Wire Frame's face should be. Unlike the Fighting Polygons, however, the Wire Frames come only in two varieties: Male and Female. Male Wire Frames feature the body structure and movement/attack style of Captain Falcon/Ganondorf while the females are the same with Zelda. They appear in Adventure Mode, Multi-Man Melee, and some Event matches.

Other NPCs

The Sandbag from the Home-Run Contest mode might be considered a character because it registers damage as an opponent, and can even be played as when the game is hacked, though it has no moveset past movement and a single jump.

There is also a character named NONE which can be selected when the games debug mode is selected. It is most likely a removed testing character, as the game crashes upon its selection.

Stages

The game contains more environments thematically original to the game itself than the previous game. The two Multiplayer-friendly stages that follow, however, are indeed unlockable for selection.

• 
  Battlefield (Unlockable): The Fighting Polygon Stage from SSB returns with its popularized name of Battlefield. It is the site of many stages and events such as the Multi-Man Melee competitions and is where Fighting Wire Frames are always fought. Due to its basic and standard layout, the stage is very popular. Interesting to note: the emblem for this stage is not the normal Smash Bros. Emblem.

• 
  Final Destination (Unlockable): The Master Hand's Residence arena returns as the "final battle arena" of the game. The flat, featureless platform is where many single-player boss encounters take place, and it is also among the most popular stages for use in tournaments. It floats through outer space, then seems to travel through a wormhole where it will then appear in an earth-like world where landscapes are visible in the background.

The following stages are more "mini-game"-centric stages featured as single-player content:

• Target Test: Like in the previous game, each character has their own separate maze-like stage that is accessible as a single-player Target Test challenge in the Target Test mode. There is one stage for each character, and it is specifically constructed to test the character's ability to attack all ten targets in the stage as fast as possible in the time limit. The character will be required to go through his respective Target Test stage early in the game's Classic mode. A total of 25 target test stages reside in the game for normal play; a 26th is locked away, however, available only through hacking. This stage belongs to Sheik, but it was cut, likely to encourage strategic transforming.

• Race to the Finish!: The successor to the previous game's Race to the Finish, this stage is laid out very differently; it is now a left-to-right path dotted with potential exits, and the aim is to get as close to the end as possible in the time limit.

• Snag trophies!: This bonus stage in Classic mode is a minigame in which a platform has a container of sorts in the middle, and three trophies will fall down from the sky. The character is to try and attack the falling trophies so they will fall into the container, in order to earn them, and collecting all three will yield the Collector bonus.

• All-Star Rest Area: This grassland environment is the hub between matches in the All-Star Mode. It contains three Heart Containers and a portal in the center that transports the player to the next bout. In the background the progress of the All-Star Mode is displayed; trophies of the opponents defeated thus far stand on the ground, while portraits of the next opponents are displayed in the air above. This features music from the Kirby series.

• Home-Run Stadium: This baseball stadium is the site of the Home-Run Contest mini-game. On an elevated platform, the Sandbag resides, and in ten seconds the character must damage it without knocking it off the platform, then use the nearby Home-Run Bat to send Sandbag flying east, where the distance traveled is recorded. The stage seems to stretch on endlessly to the east.

Like the previous game, there are some environments that can be seen only through hacking. TEST is a very wide white-ground stage with several aerial platforms shaped differently, with the background being a photo of a bar used as a test for rendering graphics. The name indicates that it was used for testing, like the previous Kirby Beta Stage 2. Hidden in the game's debug menu are the titles of two other stages that crash the game when selected: 10-2 and DUMMY. DUMMY can be opened up with a special hack, however, and the stage reveals itself to be completely empty, black space without any death-line borders. For fun, some players like to hack in death lines and activate an infinite double-jumping hack to allow for a completely aerial bout.

Items

Bold italics denote an item new to the Smash Bros. series.
Compared to the characters and stages, Melee's collection of original items is not much different at all from its predecessor.

• Beam Sword: Returns from Smash 64 as a bludgeoning weapon, but the length of its blade now changes based on the power of the attack swinging it. Its power and knockback have been degraded to a large degree.
• Home-Run Bat: Returns from Smash 64 essentially unaltered.
• Fan: Returns from Smash 64 essentially unaltered.
• Ray Gun: Returns from Smash 64 essentially unaltered.
• Motion-Sensor Bomb: Returns from Smash 64, essentially unaltered. Curiously, its design changes depending on the version. In Japanese versions, the item uses its design from Perfect Dark, while other versions retain its GoldenEye 007 appearance.
• Crate: Returns from Smash 64 essentially unaltered.
• Barrel: Returns from Smash 64 essentially unaltered.
• Capsule: Returns from Smash 64 essentially unaltered.
• Egg: Returns from Smash 64 essentially unaltered.
• Food: A new item that randomly spawns as tiny health-replenishers. There are 27 varieties of food in the game, and they restore usually 3% or so health per item.
• Party Ball: A new containment unit, this is a big yellow ball that can be carried and hurled like the other containment units, but after it is thrown it will float up, make a noise, and open up to drop a bunch of stuff. Sometimes it drops random items, sometimes it drops a load of Food, and sometimes it drops Bob-ombs.

Music

• Opening: The music heard during Melee's opening FMV, this is the official theme song of the game, orchestrated with slight bits of a chorus. It is Song 0 in the Sound Test.
• Metal Battle: Fast and heavy music that plays whenever the player confronts a metal opponent in single-player modes. It is Song 51 in the Sound Test.
• Battlefield: A techno remix of the Menu 1 music, this is heard as the primary track on the Battlefield stage outside the Multi-Man Melee mode, and in the Race to the Finish mode. It is Song 52 in the Sound Test.
• Final Destination: This is a climactic orchestration of the ending credits music of the original SSB, used as primary "final match" music only on the Final Destination stage. It is Song 53 in the Sound Test.
• Menu 1: The epically orchestrated music heard as the primary track in Melee's menu screens. This has been remixed as stage music for Battlefield in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is Song 54 in the Sound Test.
• Menu 2: A more laid back track heard as the secondary track in the menu screens of Melee. It is a medley of the official Super Smash Bros. Melee opening theme and Menu 1. It is Song 55 in the Sound Test.
• How to Play: Music heard during the How to Play video within Melee's Archives section. It is Song 56 in the Sound Test.
• Targets!: The techno music heard in almost all characters Target Test stages, as well as the Home-Run Contest. It is Song 57 in the Sound Test.
• Multi-Man Melee 1: Synthesized rock variant of the opening theme, heard half the time in the Multi-Man Melee mode, and also as the secondary track of Battlefield in Vs. mode. It is Song 58 in the Sound Test.
• Multi-Man Melee 2: A more fast-paced rock variant of the opening theme, heard half the time in the Multi-Man Melee mode, and also as the secondary track of Final Destination in Vs. mode. It is Song 59 in the Sound Test.
• Tournament 1: Heavy music heard half the time outside of battle during a Tournament Melee. It is Song 61 in the Sound Test.
• Tournament 2: Heavy music heard half the time outside of battle during a Tournament Melee. It is Song 62 in the Sound Test.
• Trophy: Soft synthesized menu music heard at the Trophy Lottery and the Trophy Collector. It is Song 63 in the Sound Test.
• Warning Siren: Troubling music heard during the part of the Adventure mode that occurs in the Brinstar Escape Shaft. It is Song 78 in the Sound Test.

In addition, a lot of tracks original to the Smash Bros. series are listed as "music", but do not loop and are merely short pieces meant to signify occurrences. These include Classic Intro (64), Adventure Intro (65), Stage Clear 1 (66), Stage Clear 2 (67), Continue? (68), Game Over (69), New Trophy! (70), Rare Trophy (71), Challenger! (72), New Feature 1 (73), New Feature 2 (74), New Feature 3 (75), Trophy Fall Ending (SFX) (79), Ending (80), Master Hand Intro (SFX) (81), Crazy Hand Intro (SFX) (82), Giga Bowser Intro (SFX) (83), and Giga Bowser (84) plays only when battling Giga Bowser in Final Destination.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

There were plenty of things introduced in the Smash Bros. series not introduced elsewhere appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Most prominent among them is a major single-player mode of the game called The Subspace Emissary, a side-scrolling Adventure Mode game where characters contend with the machinations of an interdimensional force called the Subspace Army. None of the unlockable characters (if the Subspace Emissary method is not used) are unlocked on the stages Battlefield or Final Destination (as they are not considered home stages) except Ganondorf, Super Smash Bros. universe stages on Classic Mode only occur on the final two stages, and Battlefield and Final Destination are never fought in All-Star Mode.

Characters

The following distinctive entities who are original to the series make big appearances:

• 
  Sandbag: Sandbag reprises its role in the Home-Run Contest, as well as appearing in the Online Practice Stage, sometimes unofficially dubbed the "Wi-Fi Waiting Room". In both modes, it acts as it did in Melee: immobile and living up to its name as a punching bag. In addition, it appears in the main modes of play as an item, which releases other items when hit - a property exploited in "CD Factories". Like all returnees, it has a more detailed model than it did in Melee.
• 
  Master Hand: Reprises his role as the boss of the Classic Mode, as well as making an appearance in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. Also serves as the "narrator" during matches.
• 
  Crazy Hand: Reprises his role as Master Hand's partner in classic mode, though he does not appear in the Subspace Emissary.
• 
  Tabuu: The final boss of the Subspace Emissary.

Bosses

Of the ten bosses in Brawl (all fought in the Boss Battles Mode), five are original characters while the other five hail from other game franchises:

• 
  Duon
• 
  Galleom
• 
  Master Hand
• 
  Crazy Hand
• 
  Tabuu

Common Enemies

In The Subspace Emissary, characters are to contend with all sorts of common enemies, with many classes and distinctive builds of generic enemies and obstacles new to the Smash Bros. universe seen in screenshots and trailers. The most notable example is a type of dark robot that was shown on Super Smash Bros. DOJO!! in a mini-trailer and was later identified as the Primid. R.O.B.s are also seen as henchmen whose purpose is to detonate weapons of the Army called Subspace Bombs. However, the R.O.B. is a part of the R.O.B. universe.

Fighting Team Characters

• 
  Fighting Alloy Team: The spiritual successors to the first game's Fighting Polygon Team and Melee's Fighting Wire Frames. This time around, they come in four distinct types: Red Alloy, Blue Alloy, Yellow Alloy, and Green Alloy. Red and Blue Alloys have limited movesets taken from Captain Falcon and Zelda respectively, like the Fighting Wire Frames, while Yellow and Green Alloys have limited movesets taken from Mario and Kirby respectively. They only appear in the Multi-Man Brawl mode.

Stages

• 
  Battlefield (Starter): The earliest stage revealed for this game is a newly visually designed version of the Battlefield stage from Melee, with natural and architectural elements and floating above an expansive canyon below. It goes through a day and night cycle.
• 
  Final Destination (Starter): Like Battlefield before it, Final Destination has been visually redesigned for Brawl. It still serves as the location of the battle against Master Hand. Unlike the previous game, this and Battlefield are considered starter stages.

The following stages appear in Classic Mode & other single-player or co-op modes. Target Smash!: There are 5 difficulty target smash stages in all, in lieu of character-specific Target Test stages.

• 

  Level 1

• 

  Level 2

• 

  Level 3

• 

  Level 4

• 

  Level 5

Home-Run Stadium returns in Brawl, now with a barrier around the initial platform for the 10 seconds player have to increase Sandbag's damage, in order to prevent it falling off the platform prematurely.

All-Star Rest Area returns in Brawl, and also in Boss Battles Mode, with a new background and floating platforms for Heart Containers.

Midair Stadium is the first stage in the Subspace Emissary and is home to Petey Piranha, recurrent enemy boss and occasional playable character of the Mario series.

Tabuu's Residence is the final part of The Great Maze in the Subspace Emissary and is home to Tabuu.

Items

Bold italics denote an item new to the Smash Bros. series.

• Beam Sword: Returns from Melee seemingly unaltered.
• Home-Run Bat: Returns from Melee, although the windup time for the smash attack is much longer.
• Fan: Returns from Melee seemingly unaltered.
• Bumper: The classic bumping item from the original Super Smash Bros. finally makes a return appearance with the same functionality and the added function of being able to be placed in midair like Melee's Flipper.
• Ray Gun: Returns from Melee seemingly unaltered.
• Crate: Returns from Melee, although it comes in several varieties now, any of which may be on wheels.
• Motion-Sensor Bomb: Returns from Melee with an original design.
• Barrel: Returns from Melee seemingly unaltered.
• Food: Returns from Melee seemingly unaltered.
• Party Ball: Returns from Melee seemingly unaltered.
• Smash Ball: Likely the most important item of all, the Smash Ball can be picked up by a character, and that character will be able to perform a spectacular move unique to that character called a Final Smash.
• Assist Trophy: A special trophy that, when grabbed, brings a random helper into the battle for a short period of time. While technically a Smash Bros. item, its main purpose is to summon characters from various other Nintendo and third-party franchises.
• Sandbag: The Sandbag from Home-Run Contest also appears as an item. Players can hit it to release other items, as well as CDs.
• Gooey Bomb: A spherical explosive encased in a gooey bubble. It is a variant on the old Motion-Sensor Bomb in that it is an explosive that can be thrown at something, it will stick to it, and explode after a certain period of time. The Gooey Bomb, however, can now stick to characters the bomb is thrown at, and it has a chance to transfer between characters when characters pass by each other.
• Cracker Launcher: A large cylindrical cannon that launches firework projectiles. Unlike most projectile items, it can be aimed vertically.
• Smoke Ball: A non-damaging device that emits thick smoke to distract and disorient combatants. It can be picked up and thrown again while it's emitting its contents. It can also be stuck to players.
• Blast Box: Very poor throwing distance. Explodes upon taking 30% damage or a flame attack.
• Rolling Crate: When thrown, struck, or landing on a hill, it will roll across the stage and damage what it hits without breaking, though it will break with enough force. Can be stood on.
• Team Healer: Heals teammates when thrown at them. When thrown at opponents, can heal or damage them at random. Only appears during team battles.
• Timer: Slows down all opponents. Can backfire and slow down the user, or slow down the entire game.

Music

Original Tracks

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl Main Theme: The game's main theme, composed by Nobuo Uematsu and the lyrics in Latin and it is translated into English and lyrics appear on screen during the ending part of the Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary movie. Is used on the menu and opening movie.
• Menu (Super Smash Bros. Melee): A rearranged version of Melee's Menu 1 music is used on the stage Battlefield.
• Menu 1: The default Main Menu theme.
• How to Play: Plays exclusively during How to Play movie.
• Battlefield: Plays on the stage Battlefield.
• Battlefield Ver. 2: Plays on the stage Battlefield.
• Final Destination: Plays on the stage Final Destination.
• Credits (Super Smash Bros.): Plays on the stage Final Destination.
• Opening (Super Smash Bros. Melee): Plays on the stage Final Destination.
• Adventure Map:
• Master Hand / Crazy Hand: Plays during the player facing against Master Hand & Crazy Hand on the stage Final Destination in Classic Mode where it's intro is replaced by the SFX of the Hands entering.
• Step: Plains
• Step: Caves
• Step: Subspace
• Step: Subspace Ver.2
• Step: Subspace Ver.3
• Boss Battle: A remixed version Menu 1 theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee and it plays during Boss Battles Mode.
• Boss Battle Song 1: A remix of the main theme. Plays during Boss Battles Mode.
• Boss Battle Song 2: The theme that plays when fighting Tabuu.
• Target Smash!!: Plays during 5 Target Smash! stages and during Classic Mode.
• Cruel Brawl: Plays during Cruel Brawl mode in Multi-Man Brawl.
• Ending: A remix of Melee's Ending theme. Plays during short movies for every fighter.
• Coin Launcher:
• Trophy Collection:
• Stage Builder:
• Sticker Center / Album / Chronicle:
• Online Practice Stage: Plays when waiting for an opponent online.
• Home-Run Contest: Plays during Home-Run Contest.
• Results Screen Display: Plays after announcing the winner of a Brawl.
• All-Star Rest Area: Plays during All-Star Mode & Boss Battles Mode.
• Credits: Plays during the credits for Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary.
• Tournament Registration
• Tournament Grid
• Tournament Match End
• Classic: Results Screen
• Save Point

Returning Tracks

• Menu (Melee): Plays on the Main Menu.
• Menu 2: Taken from Melee with minor alterations. Plays on the Main Menu.
• Battlefield (Melee): Plays on the stage Battlefield.
• Final Destination: Plays on the stage Final Destination.
• Giga Bowser (Melee): Plays on the stage Final Destination. This song also plays during Bowser's Classic Mode credits.
• Multi-Man Melee 1 (Melee): Taken from Melee. Plays on Battlefield.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Aside from Classic Mode's final stage unchanged, in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS the unlockable character Duck Hunt is the only unlockable character whose unlock battle takes place on a Super Smash Bros. universe stage in that game, being Battlefield.

Fighters

• Mii Fighter: The Mii Fighters are Miis which are revealed during the Nintendo Digital Event during E3 2014. There are three versions of the Mii Fighter: the Mii Brawler, the Mii Swordfighter, and the Mii Gunner. While not created for the Smash universe, Mii Fighters use the Smash Bros. symbol and a new victory theme based on a remix of the Smash 4 theme, making them the first playable fighter of the Super Smash Bros. universe.

• 
  Mii Brawler (Customizable): The close combat specialist, Mii Brawlers fight with not only their fists but use their feet, knees, elbows and even heads to inflict damage on their foes. They have one projectile attack in the form of Shot Put.
• 
  Mii Swordfighter (Customizable): The weapon specialist, Mii Swordfighters not only use their swords but a variety of classical weaponry like shurikens and chakrams to skillfully deal with enemies.
• 
  Mii Gunner (Customizable): The ranged specialist, Mii Gunners use their arm cannon to utilize all sorts of ranged attacks to the point where even some of their smash attacks are ranged.

Bosses

• 
  Master Hand: The "grand master" of Smash Bros. returns mostly unchanged but with some new moves added to his arsenal including summoning card "floors" to lift the player up and out of the arena.
• 
  Crazy Hand: returns mostly unchanged from his Brawl counterpart.

• 
  Master Core: A brand new secret true final boss to Classic Mode made for this game. It takes on many forms, including a group of swords, a scorpion monster, and finally a shadow clone of the player's own character. In the Wii U version, a further transformation into an exploreable maze can potentially be encountered.

• 

  Master Giant

• 

  Master Beast

• 

  Master Edges

• 

  Master Shadow (of Little Mac)

• 

  Master Fortress

Fighting Team Characters

Fighting Mii Team: A team of Mii characters that appear in Classic Mode as well as Multi-Man mode. The Mii's appear as Mii characters that are registered in the game and in the player's personal Mii Maker. They appear in Stage 5 of the 3DS version, and in Stage 6 of the Wii U version. The Mii's can appear as any type of Mii Fighter. All Mii's appear wearing a black version of the default Mii Fighter outfit, however with some changes, such as a large white "M" in the center of the shirt. Like every other Multi-Man character, the Mii's can not grab ledges or use special moves, except with the added ability to use smash attacks.

Stages

• 
  Battlefield (Starter): Battlefield returns in both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of the game. It has slightly different aesthetics and a completely different background from the Brawl version, while it maintains the day to night transitioning. Compared to the Wii U version, the 3DS version has simpler, less detailed textures and a different background.
• 
  Final Destination (Starter): Final Destination also returns in both versions, complete with the usual psychedelic background imagery and single futuristic platform. A new feature is that Final Destination can take on the form of other stages in the game, adopting their overall aesthetics and music while retaining its basic single-platform layout.

for Wii U

• 
  Big Battlefield (Starter): a largely expanded version of this game's rendition of the series ever-famous Battlefield stage is precisely designed for the all-new 8-Player Smash mode used for the Wii U edition of Smash 4. It can still be used for standard matches.

Single player mode stages are In both versions of Smash 4.

Target Blast is a brand new mode that the player can smash a small bomb in both rounds in Stage 1 in the 3DS version, and in the Wii U version, there are two target blast stages and the bomb is bigger.

Home-Run Stadium returns in both versions of Smash 4 rather than their appearance in Brawl.

All-Star Rest Area returns in both versions of Smash 4, the teleporter is on the ground in the 3DS version, and the teleporter is on the platform in the Wii U version.

Trophy Rush is a brand new mode can bet how many coins, the maximum of time is 2 minutes.

Items

Bold italics denote an item new to the Smash Bros. series.

• Beam Sword: Has a new design and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Home-Run Bat: The Home-Run Bat returns and has been redesigned, now being a black aluminum bat.
• Bumper: The bumper returns with a red redesign.
• Ray Gun: Like other returning Smash items, the Ray Gun has been redesigned as well, sporting a noticeably less realistic look.
• Motion-Sensor Bomb: Has a new design and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Crate: Has a new design and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Barrel: Has a new design with a prize sticker and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Capsule: Has a new design, being shorter in height with a greater width.
• Food: The Food returns and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Party Ball: The Party Ball returns and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Smash Ball: The Smash Ball returns and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Assist Trophy: The Assist Trophy returns. The roster for Assist Trophies has changed somewhat from Brawl; some have returned, while new ones were introduced and some old ones were removed from the roster. One former Assist Trophy became a playable fighter in Smash 4. Furthermore, the capsule that holds the Assist Trophies has been redesigned and is now multicolored.
• Sandbag: Sandbag returns as an item, working identically to Brawl. He also returns to his role as Home-Run Contest Target and waiting room training dummy.
• Gooey Bomb: The Gooey Ball returns with a new design and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Smoke Ball: The Smoke Ball returns and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Blast Box: The Blast Box returns and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Rolling Crate: Has a new design and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Team Healer: The Team Healer returns and it can be only used in team battles.
• Timer: The Timer returns and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Drill: Allows the wearer to fire a large drill.

Mii Costumes

Mii costumes original to the Super Smash Bros. series.

Outfits

Standard Outfit Tracksuit Vampire Garb Cybernetic Suit Ninja Suit High-Tech Armor Wild West Wear

Biker Gear Fighter Uniform Mecha Suit Protective Gear Neon Suit Plate Armor Pirate Outfit

Samurai Armor Fancy Suit Mage Robe Steampunk Getup Dragon Armor SSB T-Shirt (DLC) Cat Suit (DLC)

Monkey Suit (DLC) Hoodie (DLC) Bear Suit (DLC) Business Suit (DLC) Bionic Armor (DLC)

Headgear

Dragon Helmet Fancy Pirate Hat Ninja Headband Pirate Hat Samurai Helmet

Wild West Hat Cat Hat (DLC) Monkey Hat (DLC) Bear Hat (DLC) Bionic Helmet (DLC)

Music

Original Tracks

Tracks and remixes unique to SSB4.

• Menu: The default menu music for Super Smash Bros. 4. There are differences between the this song for the 3DS and Wii U versions, and the latter is featured on Disc 1 of A Smashing Soundtrack.
• Battlefield: The main theme of the Battlefield stage, and the main theme of the game. It is featured on Disc 2 of A Smashing Soundtrack.
• Final Destination: Another remix of the main theme. Plays on Final Destination.
• Final Destination Ver. 2: An electric guitar remix of the main theme. Available only in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, this theme plays on Final Destination.
• Menu (Melee) Ver. 2: An orchestral and choral remix of the Menu 1 theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee, which also contains some specific parts and sequences of both the Melee Battlefield theme and the Brawl Boss Battle theme. Plays on Final Destination.
• Multi-Man Smash: An electronic remix of the game's main theme song. It plays during Multi-Man Smash matches. It is featured on Disc 1 of A Smashing Soundtrack.
• Credits (Smash Bros.): Ver.2: A remix of the credits theme from the original SSB. It is featured on Disc 2 of A Smashing Soundtrack
• Master Hand: The track that plays while fighting Master Hand and Crazy Hand. It is featured on Disc 2 of A Smashing Soundtrack.
• Master Core: The track that plays while fighting the Master Core, excluding the Master Fortress and the Core itself.
• Master Fortress: First Wave: The track that plays during the first half of the Master Fortress fight.
• Master Fortress: Second Wave: The track that plays during the second half of the Master Fortress fight
• Online Practice Stage
• Classic: Map (3DS)
• Classic: Map (Wii U)
• Classic: Results Screen
• Classic: Final Results
• Classic: Fail
• Master Orders: Ticket Selection
• Master Orders: Reward
• Crazy Orders: Ticket Selection
• Crazy Orders: Final Battle Victory
• Crazy Orders: Final Battle Defeat
• Events
• All-Star Rest Area
• Target Blast: A 10-second tune used for the Stadium game Target Blast.
• Gallery/Hoard
• Trophy Shop
• Trophy Rush
• Replay/Album/Records
• StreetSmash
• Smash Tour: Map
• Results Display Screen: A remix of the character selection theme from the original SSB. It plays after a winner is announced at the end of a match. It is featured on Disc 2 of A Smashing Soundtrack.
• Tournament: Registration
• Tournament: Final Results
• Tournament: Spectating
• Credits: The credits theme of the game plays after the player finished Classic or All-Star mode. It is featured on Disc 1 of A Smashing Soundtrack.

Returning Tracks

Tracks and remixes from previous Smash titles.

• How to Play: Taken from Melee. This tune is played during the How to Play movie.
• Menu (Melee): Ported directly from Melee, this song plays in the menu of Smash for Wii U.
• Menu 2 (Melee): Ported from Melee. This music will play on the menu after unlocking all playable characters. It is featured on Disc 2 of A Smashing Soundtrack.
• Final Destination (Melee): The Final Destination theme taken from Melee.
• Multi Man Melee 2 (Melee): An alternative track used for Final Destination and Multi-Man Melee, taken from Melee.
• Metal Battle (Melee): This track played when fighting metal characters in Classic Mode and Adventure Mode, taken from Melee.
• Giga Bowser (Melee): The track when fighting Giga Bowser in Adventure Mode, taken from Melee.
• Trophies!/Lottery (Melee): Taken from Melee, this tune played while using the Trophy Lottery, and in the Trophy Tussle event matches.
• Credits (Super Smash Bros.): The Brawl remix of the staff credits of Super Smash Bros.
• Menu (Melee): A remix of the main menu theme from Melee, taken from Brawl. Plays on Battlefield.
• Boss Battle (Melee): A remix of the Menu theme from Melee, played during Boss Battles Mode in Brawl.
• Challenger Approaching Siren (SFX): The challenger approaching siren sound effect theme, taken from Brawl.
• Menu (Brawl): The menu theme taken directly from Brawl.
• Battlefield (Brawl): The Battlefield theme taken from Brawl.
• Battlefield Ver. 2 (Brawl): The second version of the Battlefield theme from Brawl.
• Online Practice Stage (Brawl): The song that plays while waiting for an online match to begin in Brawl.
• Final Destination (Brawl): The Final Destination theme taken from Brawl.
• Cruel Smash (Brawl): The theme that plays during a Cruel Brawl, taken from Brawl.
• Continue?: A remix version of the continue theme from Melee, taken from Brawl.
• Ending: A remix version of the ending theme from Melee, taken from Brawl.
• New Feature 1: A remix version of the new feature 1 theme from Melee, taken from Brawl.
• New Feature 2: A remix version of the new feature 2 theme from Melee, taken from Brawl.
• Boss Battle Song 1 (Brawl): The song played while fighting Galleom and Duon in Brawl.
• Boss Battle Song 2 (Brawl): The song that plays while fighting Tabuu in Brawl.
• Trophy Gallery (Brawl): The song that plays while viewing trophies in Brawl.
• Home-Run Contest: A tune taken directly from Brawl during the Home-Run Contest.

Victory Theme

• Victory! Super Smash Bros. Series: The victory theme for the Mii Fighters. It is based on the first few notes from the main theme of the game.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Fighters

• 51-53.
  
  Mii Fighter: The Mii Fighters return, and can now be played in online matches. Previously, their online usage was restricted to playing with friends in Smash 4. Also unlike in Smash 4, their sizes are no longer variable. All three types now have fixed sizes. In addition, they now have 12 different voice options, 6 male and 6 female. They also are now the only characters to have customization in their move sets.

• 51.
  
  Mii Brawler (Customizable): Return with different proportions and 12 voice options.
• 52.
  
  Mii Swordfighter (Customizable): Return with different proportions and 12 voice options.
• 53.
  
  Mii Gunner (Customizable): Return with different proportions and 12 voice options.

Bosses

• 
  Master Hand: The "grand master" of Smash Bros. returns with new and old abilities. A large number of characters' Classic Mode stages have a final battle with Master Hand, and he is also encountered in Adventure Mode: World of Light.
• 
  Crazy Hand: Returns with new and old abilities, appearing alongside Master Hand in many characters' Classic Mode fights at certain intensities, as well as occasionally fighting solo in Adventure Mode: World of Light.
• 
  Giga Bowser: Returns as a boss for the first time since Melee in Adventure Mode: World of Light and certain characters' Classic Mode fights like Mario, Captain Falcon, and Sephiroth.
• 
  Galleom: Returns from Brawl as a boss in Adventure Mode: World of Light and certain characters' Classic Mode fights like R.O.B., Wolf, Snake, Dark Pit, King K. Rool, Min Min, and Sephiroth.
• 
  Galeem: One of the two main bosses in Adventure Mode: World of Light.
• 
  Dharkon: The dark counterpart of Galeem in Adventure Mode: World of Light.

Stages

• 
  Battlefield (Starter): Battlefield returns once again, with the aesthetics of the stage being updated and the background including waterfalls and ice pillars.
• 
  Final Destination (Starter): Final Destination also returns, with a revamped background that sends the stage hurtling through a black hole into darkness before a spacey background with voxel-based shapes appears, which eventually transitions back to the beginning.
• 
  Big Battlefield (Starter): Big Battlefield once again returns, having the same aesthetics as Battlefield.
• 
  Small Battlefield (DLC): A new version of Battlefield, with the same aesthetics but lacking a top platform. This stage is free DLC included with the 8.1.0 update.

Home-Run Contest returns as a single player mode stage. While it wasn’t present at launch, it was added back in Version 5.0.0.

Home-Run Stadium returns in Ultimate with several new changes, including the camera following Sandbag into outer space.

Items

Bold italics denote an item new to the Smash Bros. series.

• Beam Sword: The Beam Sword returns.
• Home-Run Bat: The Home-Run Bat returns.
• Bumper: The Bumper returns.
• Ray Gun: The Ray Gun returns.
• Motion-Sensor Bomb: The Motion-Sensor Bomb returns.
• Crate: The Crate returns.
• Barrel: The Barrel returns.
• Capsule: The Capsule returns.
• Egg: returns in Ultimate after it has been absent from both Brawl and Smash 4.
• Food: The Food returns.
• Party Ball: The Party Ball returns.
• Smash Ball: The Smash Ball returns and functions the same as in Brawl.
• Assist Trophy: The Assist Trophy returns. Two former assist trophies Dark Samus and Isabelle became playable fighters in Ultimate.
• Sandbag: returns in Ultimate even better in Home-Run Contest, the player hits the item out of this world.
• Gooey Bomb: The Gooey Bomb returns.
• Smoke Ball: The Smoke Ball returns.
• Blast Box: The Blast Box returns.
• Rolling Crate: The Rolling Crate returns.
• Timer: The Timer returns.
• Drill: The Drill item returns.
• Banana Gun: Ejects the banana out of the peel and the player is left with the banana peel after using it.
• Beastball: Reappears near an opponent after being thrown and targets them, covered in flames.
• Black Hole: Creates a massive black hole, dragging all items and players nearby in. Throws the opposite side of user's orientation.
• Healing Field: Can be thrown on the ground. Once thrown, it will open up and will heal anyone standing on it.
• Healing Sprout: Sticks to fighters and gradually heals them. Can be transferred on contact like the Gooey Bomb.
• Rage Blaster: Fires a blast of energy. The higher the percent a user has, the more damage it does.
• Fake Smash Ball: A new item that looks nearly identical to a Smash Ball. When broken, it produces an X-shaped explosion that deals high damage and knockback to everyone caught in the blast.

Mii Costumes

Mii costumes original to the Super Smash Bros. series.

Outfits

Standard Outfit Tracksuit Vampire Garb Cybernetic Suit Ninja Suit High-Tech Armor Wild West Wear

Biker Gear Fighter Uniform Mecha Suit Protective Gear Pirate Outfit Steampunk Getup Dragon Armor

SSB T-Shirt Cat Suit Monkey Suit Bear Suit Business Suit Bionic Armor Butler Outfit

Maid Outfit Astronaut Outfit Special Forces Outfit

Headgear

Ninja Headband Wild West Hat Pirate Hat Dragon Helmet Cat Hat

Monkey Hat Bear Hat Bionic Helmet Astronaut Helmet Special Forces Helmet

Music

Original Tracks

Tracks and a remix unique to Ultimate. There are 30 original tracks and one new remix.

• Lifelight (JP): (3:46) The Japanese version of the main theme, sung by Erina Koga.
• Lifelight: (3:46) The English version of the main theme, sung by Abby Trott.
• Main Theme Piano Solo: (3:15) The piano version of the main theme without the orchestra or lyrics. It plays after beating Classic Mode and during the Adventure Mode: World of Light's ending credits.
• Menu: (2:47) The menu theme. A version of Lifelight without lyrics with some muffling.
• Battlefield: (2:44) Plays in Battlefield. Another version of Lifelight similar to the menu with no muffling and no lyrics.
• Final Destination: (2:54) Plays in Final Destination. A remix of Lifelight.
• Mob Smash: (3:04) Plays during the Century Smash, All-Star Smash, and Cruel Smash game modes. Another, less apparent, remix of Lifelight.
• Classic Mode: Mural: (1:13) Plays on the intensity level adjustment screen before entering Classic Mode. A calmer, more downbeat version of Lifelight without lyrics.
• Classic Mode: Defeat: (1:08) Plays upon being defeated in Classic Mode. A slower version of Lifelight without lyrics.
• Classic Mode: Final Results: (1:01) Plays after the player fails or completes Classic Mode. A more upbeat version of Lifelight without lyrics.
• Classic Mode: Bonus Stage: (1:49) Plays during the bonus stage in Classic Mode. A fast paced version of Lifelight.
• Master Hand: (1:45) Plays during the fight with Master Hand. An intense, orchestral remix of Lifelight's first verse.
• Crazy Hand: (1:57) Plays during the fight with Crazy Hand. An intense, orchestral remix of Lifelight's second verse.
• Master Hand / Crazy Hand: (3:03) Plays during the fight with both Master Hand and Crazy Hand. An amalgamation of their aforementioned solo themes.
• Free the Spirit!: (1:08) Plays while freeing a spirit after defeating it on the Spirit Board. A dramatic song akin to a climax.
• Spirits: Collection: (1:34) Plays in the Spirit Collection menu. A remix of Lifelight that has a guitar as the main instrument.
• Spirits: Inventory/Items: (1:32) Plays in the items menu of Spirits Mode. Another remix of Lifelight.
• Tourney: Battle List: (0:53) Plays when seeing the next competitors in Tourney Mode. An original piece.
• Tourney: Winner Announcement: (1:16) Plays when after a Tourney Battle and announcing the winners. A unique opening with a dramatic remix of Lifelight.
• Training: (2:43) Plays inside of a training match. An upbeat version of Lifelight with a string instrument as the main instrument.
• Shop: (1:04) Plays in the shop. A laid back remix of Lifelight.
• Practice Fights: (1:09) Plays between online quickplay matches and while waiting for a tourney to begin. A remix of Lifelight, similar to Shop.
• Spectate: (1:00) Plays while spectating a match. A dramatic original piece.
• Galeem: (3:09) Plays during Galeem’s boss fight. An intense, dramatic remix of Lifelight.
• Dharkon: (2:50) Plays during Dharkon’s boss fight. An intense, dramatic remix of Lifelight.
• Galeem / Dharkon: (2:50) Plays during all three phases of the final battle between Galeem, Dharkon, and the fighters. An intense, dramatic remix of Lifelight.
• How to Play - Super Smash Bros. Melee (Remix): (2:31) A dramatic remix of the How to Play theme from Melee.

Returning Tracks

Tracks and remixes from previous Smash titles. There are 68 returning tracks and 8 returning remixes.

• Menu - Super Smash Bros. (1:20)
• How to Play - Super Smash Bros. (1:40)
• Fighter Selection - Super Smash Bros. (1:40)
• Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. (1:39)
• Credits - Super Smash Bros. (1:19)
• Bonus Game - Super Smash Bros. (1:06)
• Meta Crystal (1:11)
• Duel Zone (0:54)
• Training Mode (0:54)
• Opening - Super Smash Bros. Melee (1:31)
• How to Play - Super Smash Bros. Melee (1:33)
• Menu - Super Smash Bros. Melee (1:52)
• Menu 2 - Super Smash Bros. Melee (2:12)
• Battlefield - Super Smash Bros. Melee: (1:33) Interestingly, it actually uses the Brawl rendition of Battlefield from Super Smash Bros. Melee.
• Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. Melee (1:39)
• Giga Bowser (1:43)
• Multi-Man Melee (1:52)
• Multi-Man Melee 2 (1:37)
• Metal Battle (1:01)
• Targets! (0:55)
• Trophies (1:39)
• Tournament (0:54)
• Tournament 2 (0:54)
• All-Star Intro (0:58)
• Main Theme - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (1:56)
• Menu - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (1:44)
• Battlefield - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (1:39)
• Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (1:39)
• Cruel Smash (Brawl) (1:23)
• Credits - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2:14)
• Adventure Map (1:05)
• Target Smash! (0:50)
• Stage Builder (1:41)
• Step: The Plain (1:31)
• Step: Subspace (1:38)
• Step: Subspace Ver. 3 (2:04)
• Boss Battle Song 1 (2:03)
• Boss Battle Song 2 (1:47)
• Home-Run Contest (0:15)
• Trophy Gallery (2:40)
• Sticker Album / Album / Chronicle (0:59)
• Coin Launcher (0:56)
• Tournament Registration (0:50)
• Tournament Grid (0:53)
• Tournament Match End (0:53)
• All-Star Rest Area - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (1:01)
• Online Practice Stage - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (1:03)
• Credits - Super Smash Bros. (Brawl): An electronic remix of of the credits theme from the original Super Smash Bros. Returns from Brawl.
• Opening - Super Smash Bros. Melee (Brawl): (1:48) A remix of the main theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Returns from Brawl.
• Menu - Super Smash Bros. Melee (Brawl): (1:54) A remix of the menu theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Returns from Brawl.
• Boss Battle - Super Smash Bros. Brawl: (2:16) A dramatic remix of the menu theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Returns from Brawl.
• New Feature 1 - Super Smash Bros. Melee (Brawl): (0:05)
• New Feature 2 - Super Smash Bros. Melee (Brawl): (0:05)
• StreetSmash (1:09)
• Menu - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U (2:10): While the track says it's from both versions, the version used is from the Wii U version, which has an extra instrument.
• Battlefield - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U (2:09)
• All-Star Rest Area - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U (0:26)
• Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U (2:09)
• Final Destination Ver. 2 (2:13)
• Multi-Man Smash (2:32)
• Classic: Results Screen (1:07)
• Classic: Final Results (1:21)
• Classic: Fail (0:55)
• Master Hand - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U (2:09)
• Master Core (3:23)
• Master Fortress: First Wave (2:02)
• Master Fortress: Second Wave (2:45)
• Master Orders: Ticket Selection (2:12)
• Trophy Rush (2:23)
• Trophy Shop (0:50)
• Gallery/Hoard (2:53)
• Replay/Album/Records (2:09)
• Online Practice Stage - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U
• Events (1:17)
• Smash Tour: Map (1:52)
• Results Screen - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U: (1:02) Plays on the results screen, it's a remix of the character select screen theme from the original Super Smash Bros. Returns from Smash 4.
• Credits - Super Smash Bros. (for 3DS / Wii U): An orchestral arrangement of the credits theme from the original Super Smash Bros. Returns from Smash 4.
• Battlefield - Super Smash Bros. Melee (for 3DS / Wii U): (2:23) An orchestral remix of the Battlefield theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Returns from Smash 4.

Victory Theme

• Victory! Super Smash Bros. Series: A remix of a portion of "Lifelight".

Other

• An orchestral version of Lifelight known as Main Theme (E3 2018 Version) is present in several trailers (including the intial reveal trailer advertisements for downloadable content), and was used as the main theme prior to the official reveal of Lifelight, but is not playable in the actual game.

Trivia

• Super Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing are the only universes with a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series to have a stage before a playable character.