Alternate costume (SSB)

In Super Smash Bros., each character has at least four palette swaps, one for each of the C Buttons used to select them. Some characters had an extra costume (or two) to accommodate Team Battles if their four costumes lacked 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 colour was inspired by from previous Nintendo games and media prior to the release of the original game, along with some additional names for specific colours. These have been translated below and are considered to be official names for each alternate color, although there are some additional details not on the Dojo and possibly some things overlooked or even unintentional references to previous games.

In Team Battles, if two characters shared the same palette swap, the second player would have a lighter tint in their appearance. A third player uses a darker tint. It is currently unknown how a fourth character appears, though it is not possible to have four players sharing a palette swap through regular gameplay.

Captain Falcon

• Purple: 1P: Default
• Grey: 2P (Commercial Costume: F-Zero X CM) Resembles Captain Falcon in the Japanese commercial for F-Zero X. For visibility reasons, the Smash 64 Backroom does not advise choosing this if playing on Congo Jungle. A player can choose to restart the match because of this.
• Red: 3P & Red Team (Blood Falcon Colors: F-Zero X 64) Based on the appearance of his clone and rival Blood Falcon from F-Zero X on the N64.
• White: 4P No official title given, but seems to be based on the same colors as Jody Summers's outfit in F-Zero X, although her helmet is yellow.
• Green: Green Team Resembles Pico, The Wild Goose in F-Zero. This can only be used in Team Battles.
• Blue: Blue Team An alternate, brighter version of his standard colors that resembles his appearance in original F-Zero SNES boxart. This can only be used in Team Battles.

Donkey Kong

• Brown: 1P : Default.
• Black: 2P No official description for this color, but DK seems to be based on the fur colors of real life gorillas. It may be a reference to Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, which depicted Donkey Kong with black fur, even when played on the Super Game Boy. For visibility reasons, the Smash 64 Backroom does not advise choosing this if playing on Congo Jungle.
• Red: 3P & Red Team Again, no official description, but this was possibly based on his sprite in the original arcade Donkey Kong in 1981.
• Blue: 4P & Blue Team Similiar to the 2P mode in Mario Golf.
• Green: Green Team It resembles a zombie gorilla called 'Zombie Donkey Kong' in original SSB and green palette background palette for Donkey Kong GB and Donkey Kong Land. This can only be used in Team Battles.

Fox

• Grey: 1P : Default.
• Red: 2P & Red Team Resembles Fox's appearance in the original Japanese version of Star Fox.
• Blue: 3P & Blue Team
• Green: 4P & Green Team: Possibly based on James McCloud. It resembles the original Star Fox concept art.

Jigglypuff

• Pink: 1P : Default.
• Red: 2P & Red Team Although Jigglypuff did not wear a bow prior to this game, transferring a Jigglypuff from Pokémon Red, Blue or Yellow to Gold, Silver or Crystal would reveal the Pokémon to be holding a Polkadot Bow, possibly as a reference to this game.
• Blue: 3P & Blue Team This color of Jigglypuff makes it look akin to a Shiny Jigglypuff, although Shiny Pokémon did not exist until after this game's release.
• Green: 4P & Green Team

Kirby

• Pink: 1P: Default.
• Yellow: 2P (aka: Keeby: Kirby Bowl) Based on Keeby, the yellow Kirby that the second player controls from Kirby's Dream Course, known as Kirby Bowl in Japan. Resembles Needle and Beam Kirby from Kirby Super Star and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, without the hat.
• Blue: 3P & Blue Team (Ice Ability: Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe SFC) Based on Kirby's appearance as Ice and Freeze Kirby from Kirby's Adventure and Kirby Super Star.
• Red: 4P & Red Team (Fire Ability: Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe SFC) Based on Kirby's appearance as Fire Kirby from Kirby Super Star, without the hat.
• Green: Green Team (aka: Kusa Mochi Kirby) Kusa mochi, or grass mochi is a type of Japanese rice dumpling made from yomoji, Japanese mugwort. Kirby resembles from a green palette background homeage in the original Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy, and it resembles Spark and Plasma Kirby from Kirby Super Star, without the hat. This can only be used in Team Battles.

Link

• Green: 1P & Green Team: Default.
• Red: 2P & Red Team (Goron Tunic: The Legend of Zelda 64) Based on the Goron Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Also bears similarity to Link's appearance while using the Shield spell in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, or having obtained the Red Ring in the original The Legend of Zelda.
• Blue: 3P & Blue Team (Zora Tunic: The Legend of Zelda 64) Similar to the Zora Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
• Lavender: 4P (Blue Ring Equipped: The Legend of Zelda FC) Based on Link's appearance having obtained the Blue Ring in the original The Legend of Zelda.

Luigi

• Green: 1P & Green Team: Default.
• White: 2P (Old Luigi Colors: Mario Bros. Famicom) Based off Luigi's appearance in Mario Bros.. The colors were also the same in Super Mario Bros. and Mario Bros. (NES), but with the tan body, dungarees and shirt colors reversed. Also resembles Fire Luigi. It is the only color change to change his skin color and gloves entirely to tan.
• Blue: 3P & Blue Team No official mention made, but Luigi does look similar to Mario's appearance on the box art of Mario Bros.. A similar arrangement of colors also appears as part of the flashing animation from a Starman in Super Mario Bros.
• Red: 4P & Red Team (aka: Strawberry Luigi) Comes from the game Wrecking Crew, in which Luigi wears pink.

Mario

• Red: 1P & Red Team : Default.
• Yellow: 2P (Wario Colors) Based on the traditional outfit of Mario's rival, Wario. The M on Mario's hat is colored yellow and the buttons are also colored yellow, compared to the W on Wario's hat which is colored blue and the buttons which are colored white.
• Brown: 3P (Blackie Colors: Wrecking Crew FC) A reference to Foreman Spike, known as Blackie in Japan, a rival to Mario in Wrecking Crew.
• Blue: 4P & Blue Team (Old Mario Colors: Mario Bros. FC) A red/blue reversal of his traditional colors. The specific color tones are taken from Mario Bros., although he actually wore a red hat, blue dungarees and red shirt in this game, much like his traditional appearance. In the original arcade game and official art, he wore a blue hat. In the original Donkey Kong and its sequel, however, he wore a red hat, blue shirt and red dungarees. Therefore this is seen as an amalgamation of his old appearances, with only the color tones specifically taken from Mario Bros., and he did not wear a blue hat, blue shirt and red dungarees in this game. This resembles Balloon Fighter in the arcade in 1984 game, Balloon Fight. This was similar to 2P mode of Wario's colors in Mario Golf. The blue shirt and red dungarees are also similar to what Mario wore in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show cartoon.
• Green Green Team Contrary to popular belief, it is not officially a reference to Luigi. However, it does resemble Luigi's colors from the original Mario Bros. arcade and Famicom box art, albeit with orange instead of brown. A similar arrangement of colors also appears as part of the flashing animation from a Starman in Super Mario Bros. This can only be used in Team Battles.

Ness

• Red: 1P & Red Team: Default
• Yellow: 2P (aka: Hanshin Tigers Fan) This color scheme resembles the merchandise and clothing commonly worn by fans of the Hanshin Tigers, a Japanese baseball team.
• Blue: 3P & Blue Team No official reference is made, although Ness's younger self who appeared in Magicant in Earthbound wore a blue cap.
• Green: 4P & Green Team

Pikachu

• Yellow: 1P : Default.
• Red: 2P & Red Team A Pikachu with a red hue is possible in Japanese Pokémon Stadium 1 and 2 and International Pokemon Stadium (N64) as the game did change the colors of Pokémon if they were given nicknames. Shiny Pokemon did not exist in Generation I.
• Blue: 3P & Blue Team
• Green: 4P & Green Team As mentioned, Pokémon Stadium allowed for alternate coloured Pokémon if they were given nicknames. One of the Rental Pokémon, a Pikachu called a Japanese nickname, Pikachikun, has a green hue.

Samus

• Orange: 1P & Red Team : Default.
• Pink: 2P (Gravity Suit: Metroid SFC) Erronously stated to be based on the Gravity Suit from Super Metroid, when a more likely source is the suit's colour when missiles are selected in the original Metroid.
• Black: 3P For visibility reasons, the Smash 64 Backroom does not advise choosing this if playing on Congo Jungle.
• Green: 4P & Green Team (aka: Production Model Samus) A reference to the mass-produced mechas from the Gundam series, which are almost always green. This is particularly the Zaku models from the original series, which already bear some similarities to Samus' Power Suit in Super Metroid, and resembles the green palette background look for Metroid II: Return of Samus.
• Blue: Blue Team Not officially noted, but bears similarities to Samus wearing her Gravity Suit in official art for Super Metroid, aside from the additional yellow on her shoulders. This color would be modified in later games to specifically represent the Gravity Suit. This can only be used in Team Battles.

Yoshi

• Green: 1P & Green Team : Default.
• Red: 2P & Red Team
• Cyan (or Light Blue): 3P & Blue Team
• Yellow: 4P
• Pink: For COM Only appears as part of the Yoshi Team.
• Blue: For COM Only appears as part of the Yoshi Team.

※Colors taken from Yoshi's Story

While all the colors (including the colors of the boots they wear) are specifically taken from Yoshi's Story, alternate colored Yoshis have appeared in many games since first appearing in Super Mario World and all six colors originated from Yoshi's Island, albeit with different colored boots for some Yoshis.

Stats

• There is a total of 56 palette swaps.
• The average number of costumes per character is 4.66.
• There are 6 fighters with 4 color swaps, 4 with 5, and only 2 with 6.
  • Only one (Captain Falcon) of the two characters with six palatte swaps (the other being Yoshi) can use each one in a Vs. match.

Trivia

• If one lists the number of palette swaps of each character, sorted alphabetically, one will get a palindrome: 654454|454456.