Fighter

A character is one of the fighters in the Super Smash Bros. series. Characters can be sorted into playable and non-playable, which distinguishes whether characters can be used without the use of a cheat device (like Action Replay) or not. 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.

Playable characters

This is a list of the playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series, commonly known in official sources as fighters.

Key	Starter	Unlockable	Unlockable	Unlockable	Downloadable

Fighter						Universe
Bayonetta						Bayonetta
Bowser	(Intended)					Mario
Bowser Jr.						Mario
Captain Falcon						F-Zero
Charizard	(NPC)	(NPC)				Pokémon
Cloud						Final Fantasy
Corrin						Fire Emblem
Dark Pit						Kid Icarus
Daisy						Mario
Diddy Kong						Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong						Donkey Kong
Dr. Mario			(Intended)			Mario
Duck Hunt						Duck Hunt
Falco						Star Fox
Fox						Star Fox
Ganondorf						The Legend of Zelda
Greninja						Pokémon
Ice Climbers				(Intended)		Ice Climber
Ike						Fire Emblem
Inkling						Splatoon
Ivysaur						Pokémon
Jigglypuff						Pokémon
King Dedede	(Intended)					Kirby
Kirby						Kirby
Link						The Legend of Zelda
Little Mac			(NPC)			Punch-Out!!
Lucario						Pokémon
Lucas		(Intended)				EarthBound
Lucina						Fire Emblem
Luigi						Mario
Mario						Mario
Marth	(Intended)					Fire Emblem
Mega Man						Mega Man
Meta Knight						Kirby
Mewtwo	(Intended)		(Intended)			Pokémon
Mii Brawler						Super Smash Bros.
Mii Gunner						Super Smash Bros.
Mii Swordfighter						Super Smash Bros.
Mr. Game & Watch						Game & Watch
Ness						EarthBound
Olimar						Pikmin
Pac-Man						Pac-Man
Palutena						Kid Icarus
Peach						Mario
Pichu						Pokémon
Pikachu						Pokémon
Pit						Kid Icarus
Pokémon Trainer						Pokémon
R.O.B.						R.O.B.
Ridley			(NPC)	(NPC)		Metroid
Robin						Fire Emblem
Rosalina						Mario
Roy			(Intended)			Fire Emblem
Ryu						Street Fighter
Samus						Metroid
Sheik						The Legend of Zelda
Shulk						Xenoblade
Snake						Metal Gear
Sonic		(Intended)				Sonic
Squirtle						Pokémon
Toon Link						The Legend of Zelda
Villager			(Intended)			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

Non-playable characters

The following characters can fully interact with playable characters in-game, but are normally non-playable. These include boss characters and enemy teams, among others. Hacking, however, may allow these characters to be played to varying degrees of functionality.

Fighter							Universe
Crazy Hand						?	Super Smash Bros.
Dark Emperor						?	Find Mii
Duon						?	Super Smash Bros.
Fighting Alloy Team						?	Super Smash Bros.
Fighting Polygon Team						?	Super Smash Bros.
Fighting Wire Frames						?	Super Smash Bros.
Flying Man						?	EarthBound
Galleom						?	Super Smash Bros.
Giant DK						?	Donkey Kong
Giga Bowser							Super Smash Bros.
Master Core						?	Super Smash Bros.
Master Hand						?	Super Smash Bros.
Meta Ridley						?	Metroid
Metal Face						?	Xenoblade
Metal Mario						?	Mario
Nabbit							Mario
Petey Piranha						?	Mario
Porky Minch						?	EarthBound
Rayquaza						?	Pokémon
Ridley							Metroid
Sandbag							Super Smash Bros.
Tabuu						?	Super Smash Bros.
Yellow Devil							Mega Man

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, Olimar is a newcomer in Brawl, as he did not appear as playable in any previous games, but is a veteran in all subsequent and future 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 are unlockable; however, several 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 new characters whether unlockable or not. 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", terms which refer to the eight starter characters in the original Super Smash Bros. which have been in all subsequent games of the series. 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, Captain Falcon, Ness, and Jigglypuff). Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the first game where all the "Original 12" are starter characters.

Trivia

• Roy is the only "non-native" character to debut in a Super Smash Bros. game before appearing in any other game in their respective series. His inclusion in Melee was intended to promote Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, which was released shortly after Melee.
• Dr. Mario, Ice Climbers, Mewtwo, Pichu, Pokémon Trainer (including Ivysaur and Squirtle), Roy, Snake, Wolf, and Young Link are the only characters to skip an installment.
  • Dr. Mario, Mewtwo, and Roy were playable in Melee but not Brawl, before returning in Smash 4 thirteen years later (Though the latter 2 were not playable in the initial release, only being added later as DLC).
  • Pichu and Young Link were playable in Melee but not Brawl or Smash 4, before returning in Ultimate seventeen years later. This makes them the only characters to skip two installments and multiple installments.
  • Ice Climbers were playable in Melee and Brawl but not Smash 4, before returning in Ultimate ten years later, making them the only characters to be cut after appearing in multiple games.
  • Pokémon Trainer (along with Ivysaur and Squirtle), Snake, and Wolf were playable in Brawl but not Smash 4, before returning in Ultimate ten years later.
• Captain Falcon (in SSB), the Mii Fighters (in SSB4) and Pac-Man (in Ultimate) are the only characters to use head icons that don't portray their faces.
• Smash 4 is the first game to feature playable female swordfighters: Lucina, female Robin, female Corrin, and female Mii Swordfighter.
  • Wendy O. Koopa, who appears as an alternate costume for Bowser Jr., is the first female villain to be a playable character in the series.
• Wario is the only character prior to Ultimate to debut as a starter before becoming unlockable in another game, as well as the only one prior to Smash 4 to have never had fewer than 8 palette swaps.
• Yoshi and Captain Falcon are the sole representatives of their series to appear in all five Super Smash Bros. games.
• Metal Gear and Ice Climber are the only universes to have the entirety of their characters cut from one game to the next, and then both being reintroduced in the next game after that.
• Samus is the only female character to appear in all five Super Smash Bros. games, as Pokémon were not considered gendered at the time of the first game's release.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the first game in the series since Melee to not have any veterans cut from the roster. In honor of the franchise's upcoming 20th anniversary, all the previously cut veterans that haven't appeared since Melee and/or Brawl return with various changes to their appearances and/or movesets including new Final Smashes.
• Lucas is the only character to have been a starter character, unlockable character and downloadable character at one point, as Mewtwo and Roy were unlockable in their debut game as well as Ultimate.
• Currently, Charizard, Little Mac, and Ridley are the only characters to have been made fully playable after major non-playable appearances, excluding transformation characters (Metal Mario, Giant Donkey Kong, and Giga Bowser).
  • Meta Knight, Pit, Wario, Squirtle, King Dedede, Olimar, Villager, Palutena, Bowser Jr., the duck of Duck Hunt, Inkling, and Daisy have also made appearances in previous Super Smash Bros. games prior to their playable debuts in the form of minor representation. These include Trophies, Stickers, Mii Fighter costumes, and cameos in stages and Final Smashes.
• Charizard is the only character who used to be part of a fighter than become a standalone character and be back to part of a fighter.