Fighter number
- Not to be confused with the Sakurai angle.
The Sakurai numbers are a method of identifying and sorting characters that appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (which happens to be every character that had appeared in the series up to that point).
Definition
As explained by Masahiro Sakurai, the numbers order characters based on "the order in which they joined" the series. This results in the order being somewhat unintuitive, especially given that its logic differs wildly in the earlier games. Here is the list of how newcomers from each game are ordered.
- SSB: The starter characters are ordered by their placement on the character selection screen. The unlockable characters are similar, though they are sorted column-first rather than row-first as the starters are.
- Melee: The starter characters are ordered by their first appearance in Melee's E3 2001 reveal, not counting Zelda's hand during the Triforce sequence. The unlockable characters are ordered by how many Vs. Mode matches are required to unlock them.
- Brawl: The characters first revealed in Brawl's original trailer are ordered first, followed by the remaining newcomers in the order revealed on the official website.
- SSB4 and Ultimate: The order is equal to that in which the newcomers were revealed.
Echo Fighters share number with their "parent" in addition to a superscript epsilon (ε), regardless of which game they joined in.
Order
| Sakurai Number | Character |
|---|---|
| 01 | Mario |
| 02 | Donkey Kong |
| 03 | Link |
| 04 | Samus |
| 04ε | Dark Samus |
| 05 | Yoshi |
| 06 | Kirby |
| 07 | Fox |
| 08 | Pikachu |
| 09 | Luigi |
| 10 | Ness |
| 11 | Captain Falcon |
| 12 | Jigglypuff |
| 13 | Peach |
| 13ε | Daisy |
| 14 | Bowser |
| 15 | Ice Climbers |
| 16 | Sheik |
| 17 | Zelda |
| 18 | Dr. Mario |
| 19 | Pichu |
| 20 | Falco |
| 21 | Marth |
| 21ε | Lucina |
| 22 | Young Link |
| 23 | Ganondorf |
| 24 | Mewtwo |
| 25 | Roy |
| 25ε | Chrom |
| 26 | Mr. Game & Watch |
| 27 | Meta Knight |
| 28 | Pit |
| 28ε | Dark Pit |
| 29 | Zero Suit Samus |
| 30 | Wario |
| 31 | Snake |
| 32 | Ike |
| 33-35 | Pokémon Trainer |
| 33 | Squirtle |
| 34 | Ivysaur |
| 35 | Charizard |
| 36 | Diddy Kong |
| 37 | Lucas |
| 38 | Sonic |
| 39 | King Dedede |
| 40 | Olimar |
| 41 | Lucario |
| 42 | R.O.B. |
| 43 | Toon Link |
| 44 | Wolf |
| 45 | Villager |
| 46 | Mega Man |
| 47 | Wii Fit Trainer |
| 48 | Rosalina |
| 49 | Little Mac |
| 50 | Greninja |
| 51-53 | Mii Fighter |
| 51 | Mii Brawler |
| 52 | Mii Swordfighter |
| 53 | Mii Gunner |
| 54 | Palutena |
| 55 | Pac-Man |
| 56 | Robin |
| 57 | Shulk |
| 58 | Bowser Jr. |
| 59 | Duck Hunt |
| 60 | Ryu |
| 60ε | Ken |
| 61 | Cloud |
| 62 | Corrin |
| 63 | Bayonetta |
| 64 | Inkling |
| 65 | Ridley |
| 66 | Simon |
| 66ε | Richter |
| 67 | King K. Rool |
| 68 | Isabelle |
| 69 | Incineroar |
| 70 | Piranha Plant |
Usage
The Sakurai numbers are used to order characters on Ultimate's selection screen and promotional material. Otherwise, they have no practical application; they aren't used for any other in-game purpose, and their relatively arbitrary nature makes them unsuitable for ordering characters for informational purposes (such as on the SmashWiki). Indeed, many players agree that using this order makes it more difficult to find any particular character for selection, compared to the previous games' series-based sorting.
A similar system is used for ordering stages on Ultimate's selection screen.
It is possible to use similar rules to construct Sakurai numbers for other games in the series. However, because Echo Fighters (a.k.a. clones) must share number with their parent by these rules, and the clone status of some characters has changed between games (for example, Dr. Mario in Melee would be 01ε), many characters would not keep the same number across the series as a whole. As a result, the system is generally not portable across games.
