Alternate costume (SSB)

NOTE: Every claimed source needs a cross-reference link; claimed sources need to be plausible, not horrendously obscure; default costumes usually don't need descriptions since they are not alternate costumes.

File:SSB Ness alts.jpg

A battle showing Ness's alternative colors.

In Super Smash Bros., each character has at least four alternate costumes, one for each of the C Buttons used to select them. Some characters have an extra costume (or two) to accommodate Team Battles if their four selectable costumes lack a red, blue, or green variation; these particular colors cannot be selected outside of Team Battle.

The original Smash 64 website in Japan listed what each specific color was inspired by from previous Nintendo games and media prior to the release of the original game, along with some additional names for specific colors. These have been translated below and are considered to be official names for each alternate color, although there do exist some inconsistencies between the source material of the costume and the official explanation.

In Team Battles, if two identical characters share the same color scheme, the second player will have a lighter tint in their appearance. A third player uses a darker tint, which technically means that each character has 4 more costumes for Team Battles. A fourth player would appear the exact same way as the first player, though it is not possible to have four players on the same team through regular gameplay.

Due to the dark lighting of the formerly tournament-legal Congo Jungle, the Smash 64 Backroom recommended avoiding the use of certain grey or black costumes when the stage was in use. If such a costume was used on the stage, any players in the match could reset the match so that the offending player could select a different costume. In the lists below, these costumes are marked with a black "!" in the team column.

Captain Falcon

Purple			1P
Grey	!		2P (Commercial Costume: F-Zero X CM)	Based on his appearance in the Japanese commercial for F-Zero X.
Red	R		3P & Red Team (Blood Falcon Colors: F-Zero X 64)	Based on Blood Falcon, Captain Falcon's clone and rival.
White			4P	Resembles Jody Summer.
Green	G	—	Green Team
Blue	B	—	Blue Team	Resembles his appearance in F-Zero X.

Donkey Kong

Brown			1P
Black	!		2P	Resembles a real-life gorilla.
Red	R		3P & Red Team	Resembles the original D.K. from Donkey Kong.
Blue	B		4P & Blue Team
Green	G	—	Green Team	Resembles his in-game sprite from Donkey Kong Land.

Fox

Grey			1P	Based on his appearance in Star Fox 64.
Red	R		2P & Red Team
Blue	B		3P & Blue Team
Green	G		4P & Green Team	Resembles concept art of him for the original Star Fox.

Jigglypuff

Pink			1P
Red	R		2P & Red Team
Blue	B		3P & Blue Team	Resembles one of the possible colors for a nicknamed Jigglypuff in Pokémon Stadium.
Green	G		4P & Green Team	Resembles one of the possible colors for a nicknamed Jigglypuff in Pokémon Stadium.

Kirby

Pink			1P
Yellow			2P (aka: Keeby: Kirby Bowl)	Based on and directly referred to as "Keeby" from Kirby's Dream Course.
Blue	B		3P & Blue Team (Ice Ability: Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe SFC)	Based on Ice Kirby in Kirby Super Star.
Red	R		4P & Red Team (Fire Ability: Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe SFC)	Based on Fire Kirby in Kirby Super Star, but does not really resemble it.
Green	G	—	Green Team (aka: Kusa Mochi Kirby)	The original Super Smash Bros. website referred to this costume as "Kusa-mochi Kirby".

Link

Green	G		1P & Green Team	Based on Adult Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Red	R		2P & Red Team (Goron Tunic: The Legend of Zelda 64)	Based on the Goron Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Blue	B		3P & Blue Team (Zora Tunic: The Legend of Zelda 64)	Based on the Zora Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Lavender			4P (Blue Ring Equipped: The Legend of Zelda FC)	Based on his tunic with the Blue Ring equipped in The Legend of Zelda.

Luigi

Green	G		1P & Green Team	Based on his appearance in Mario Kart 64.
White			2P (Old Luigi Colors: Mario Bros. Famicom)	Based on his in-game sprite from the original Super Mario Bros.
Blue	B		3P & Blue Team	Based on Mario's appearance in North American box art in Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Pink	R		4P & Red Team (aka: Strawberry Luigi)	The original Super Smash Bros. website referred to this costume as "Strawberry Luigi". It resembles his appearance in Wrecking Crew.

Mario

Red	R		1P & Red Team	Based on his appearance in Super Mario 64.
Yellow			2P (Wario Colors)	Based on Wario, Mario's rival, although the "M" on his cap and the buttons are yellow instead of blue and white, respectively.
Brown			3P (Blackie Colors: Wrecking Crew FC)	Based on Foreman Spike from Wrecking Crew.
Blue	B		4P & Blue Team (Old Mario Colors: Mario Bros. FC)	Based on his appearance in promotional artwork for Mario Bros., with the colors of the overalls and shirt swapped.
Green	G	—	Green Team	Resembles his appearance on the Japanese boxart for Wrecking Crew.

Ness

Red	R		1P & Red Team
Yellow			2P (aka: Hanshin Tigers Fan)	Based on the uniforms of the Hanshin Tigers, a Japanese baseball team. The shirt's pattern is reminiscent of the Gigantic Ant enemy from EarthBound.
Blue	B		3P & Blue Team	Resembles his younger self that he encounters in Magicant.
Green	G		4P & Green Team

Pikachu

Yellow			1P
Red	R		2P & Red Team	Resembles one of the possible colors for a nicknamed Pikachu in Pokémon Stadium.
Blue	B		3P & Blue Team
Green	G		4P & Green Team	Resembles one of the possible colors for a nicknamed Pikachu in Pokémon Stadium.

Samus

Orange	R		1P & Red Team	Based on the Varia Suit as it appears in Super Metroid.
Pink			2P (Gravity Suit: Metroid SFC)	Based on the Gravity Suit's in-game sprite from Super Metroid, but more closely resembles the color scheme of the Varia Suit of the original Metroid when missiles are selected.
Black	!		3P
Green	G		4P & Green Team (aka: Production Model Samus)	The original Super Smash Bros. website referred to this alternate costume as "mass-produced Samus", a reference to the MS-06 Zaku II from the Gundam franchise.
Blue	B	—	Blue Team	Resembles artwork of the Gravity Suit from Super Metroid.

Yoshi

All of Yoshi's costumes appear as different variations of the Yoshi species in Yoshi's Story.

Green	G		1P & Green Team	Based on a Green Yoshi and his appearance in Super Mario 64..
Red	R		2P & Red Team	Based on a Red Yoshi.
Cyan	B		3P & Blue Team	Based on a Light Blue Yoshi.
Yellow			4P	Based on a Yellow Yoshi.
Pink		—	For COM	Based on a Pink Yoshi. Only appears as part of the Yoshi Team.
Blue		—	For COM	Based on a Blue Yoshi. Only appears as part of the Yoshi Team.

Stats

• There are a total of 56 alternate costumes.
• The average number of costumes per character is four and two thirds (~4.67).
• There are 6 fighters with 4 color swaps (Link, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Ness and Jigglypuff), 4 with 5 (Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus and Kirby), and only 2 with 6 (Yoshi and Captain Falcon).
  • Only one (Captain Falcon) of the two characters with six alternate costumes (the other being Yoshi) can use each one in a Vs. match.
• The only way a Blue Yoshi or Pink Yoshi can be controlled by a human player is by hacking.