Background character
Background characters are cameo characters that appear in a stage that corresponds to their home universe (e.g. King Dedede appears in the Super Smash Bros. stage Dream Land). Note that background characters should not be confused with stage hazards, since background characters do not directly affect gameplay.
From Super Smash Bros.
Peach's Castle
A Lakitu Bro. can sometimes be seen flying in the background. It does not appear in SSB4 and Ultimate.
Lakitu Bro. in Super Smash Bros.
Kongo Jungle
Necky appears flying in the background.
Necky soaring in Ultimate.
Dream Land
King Dedede and Bronto Burt appear flying in the background; in rare instances, two King Dedede sprites may be visible at once. In SSB4 and Ultimate, when King Dedede is participating, he will not appear in the background.
King Dedede as a background character in Dream Land.
Bronto Burt in Super Smash Bros.
Bronto Burt in Melee.
Mushroom Kingdom
Many classic enemies from Super Mario Bros. are seen in the background, including Koopa Troopas and Buzzy Beetles.
Koopa Troopa in Super Smash Bros.
A red Koopa Troopa in Ultimate.
Planet Zebes
Ridley and Waver sprites ripped directly from Super Metroid can be seen flying around.
Ridley in Super Smash Bros.
Waver in Super Smash Bros.
Saffron City
Several flying-type Pokémon, including but not limited to Pidgey, Fearow, Moltres (rarely), and Butterfree, fly across the skyline.
Butterfree sprite from Super Smash Bros.
Fearow sprite from Super Smash Bros.
Pidgey sprite from Super Smash Bros.
Moltres in Super Smash Bros.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Yoshi's Island
Propeller Shy Guys appear in the background. A Goonie, in its Yoshi's Story design, occasionally flies in the background.
Propeller Shy Guy in Super Smash Bros.
From Super Smash Bros. Melee
Brinstar
A Chozo Statue on the main platform comes to life and briefly walks before settling down into its original position, much like the Torizo in Super Metroid; it does not move in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. There is a large brain-like organism in the far background that shakes constantly, though it is not based upon any specific creature from the Metroid series.
Chozo Statue in Melee.
Fourside
Porky Minch indirectly appears in his helicopter.
Porky Minch's helicopter in Melee.
Porky Minch's helicopter in Ultimate.
Great Bay
After three minutes have passed, the Four Giants appear on the hillside to push the falling Moon back into the sky.
The Four Giants pushing back the moon in Ultimate.
Jungle Japes
Cranky Kong is seen walking back and forth in his cottage, sometimes also rocking in his chair at some points. Flocks of Neckies can also be seen in the far background.
Cranky Kong in Melee.
Yoshi's Island
A Fishin' Lakitu and a Banzai Bill fly around in the background.
Fishin' Lakitu in Melee.
Banzai Bill in Melee.
Yoshi's Story
Pak E. Derm can be seen walking behind the scenery.
Pak E. Derm in Ultimate.
From Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Regardless of stage and game mode, using Pokémon Trainer will have the Trainer himself stand on a platform in the background. As with the previous games, there are stage-specific background characters as well.
Distant Planet
A Red Bulborb appears in the background; it is always sleeping in Brawl and for 3DS, and occasionally walks across the grassy terrain in Ultimate. A Cloaking Burrow-nit can also be seen in Brawl, and four more can be seen with it in Ultimate.
A sleeping Red Bulborb in Brawl.
Frigate Orpheon
The Parasite Queen, the first boss of Metroid Prime, appears in the background in Frigate Orpheon.
Parasite Queen in Brawl.
Parasite Queen artwork from Ultimate.
Parasite Queen in Ultimate.
Green Hill Zone
Tails, Knuckles, and Silver can be seen running up and down the shuttle loop.
Luigi's Mansion
Boos briefly appear from the rubble of the mansion when it collapses.
Boo in Wii U.
New Pork City
The Porky Statue appears as an inanimate statue on the far right side of the city.
The Porky Statue in Ultimate.
Pokémon Stadium 2
Electivire, Magnezone, Snorunt, Snover, Drifloon, Hoppip, Skarmory, Cubone, and Dugtrio all appear in the background of the various elemental transformations of the stage.
Electivire in Brawl.
Skarmory, Drifloon, and Hoppip in Brawl.
Dugtrio and Cubone in Brawl.
Shadow Moses Island
Occasionally, Metal Gear REX, Metal Gear RAY, or two Gekko appear in the background of the stage.
Metal Gear REX in Brawl.
Metal Gear RAY in Brawl.
Gekko in Brawl.
Metal Gear REX in Ultimate.
Smashville
Villagers from Animal Crossing appear in the background, depending on actual time of day and date, including Blanca, Blathers, Booker, Brewster, (behind a counter, serving coffee) Celeste, Copper, Cornimer, Crazy Redd, Dr. Shrunk, Gracie (with her car), Gulliver (flying in his UFO), Harriet, a human villager (both male or female, the former of which has three variants while the latter as two), Kapp'n (in the crowd and driving his taxi to the town hall) Kaitlin, Katie, Katrina, Lyle, K.K. Slider (on Saturdays at 8 PM, the same as Animal Crossing), Mabel, Pascal, Pete (flying in the background), Phyllis, Rover, Sable, Saharah, Joan, Timmy and Tommy, Tom Nook, Tortimer and Wendell.
Spear Pillar
Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit may occasionally appear on the stage at random.
Uxie in Brawl.
Close up of Mesprit in Brawl.
Close up of Azelf in Brawl.
Uxie during gameplay in Ultimate.
Mesprit during gameplay in Ultimate.
Azelf during gameplay in Ultimate.
.jpg)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
WarioWare, Inc.
Jimmy T. and various Fronks appear in the background during several microgames.
Jimmy T. in Brawl.
Yoshi's Island
For a third time, Fly Guys appear in the background, with Support Ghosts, Chain Chomps and Goonies also occasionally appearing.
Support Ghost aiding Meta Knight in Brawl.
Chain Chomp roaming below the stage in Brawl.
Goonies taking flight in Brawl.
Fly Guy in Brawl, when items are turned off.
From Super Smash Bros. 4
Super Mario Maker
Various Mario objects and enemies sometimes fly by in the background, including Bullet Bills; a Hammer Bro, a Koopa Troopa, a Lakitu flying by in clouds, and a Goomba riding a Koopa Clown Car (replaced with a Galoomba when in the Super Mario World style).
Lakitu, Hammer Bro and Koopa Troopa riding Lakitu Clouds in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
3 Bullet Bills in Ultimate.
Galoomba riding a Clown Car in Ultimate
Umbra Clock Tower
The angels Affinity and Inspired only appear and fly around in the background of Purgatorio, and occasionally the enormous Fortitudo comes close to the playing field and lets out a powerful roar, shaking the screen.
Affinity and Inspired in Wii U.
Fortitudo in Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS exclusive
Spirit Train
Toon Link, in his Spirit Tracks incarnation, appears as a background character in the Spirit Train stage, where he drives the train. If Link, Toon Link or Young Link are selected as fighters on this stage, then Alfonzo will drive the train instead.
Toon Link in 3DS. Note that this is a pre-release image, as Link cannot appear alongside Spirit Tracks Toon Link in the final game.
Alfonzo in 3DS.
Toon Link in Ultimate.
Alfonzo in Ultimate.
.jpg)
Find Mii
A Mii appears in the cage in the background, like the player's Mii in the original game Find Mii. In 3DS, this Mii is the Mii assigned to the player's console. In Ultimate, one of the Miis from the player's system is randomly selected instead.
Caged Mii in Ultimate.
Tomodachi Life
Miis appear in the background hanging out in the apartments.
Mii in 3DS.
Mii in Ultimate.
Living Room
A few Nintendogs or a calico cat can appear as background characters in this stage.
Beagle in 3DS.
Toy Poodle in 3DS.
The calico cat in 3DS.
Toy Poodle in Ultimate.
- SSBU-Living Room 3.PNG
The calico cat in Ultimate.
Tortimer Island
Kapp'n appears occasionally in his boat. Leila, Leilani, Grams, or Tortimer can also appear beside the shop depending on the variant.
Kapp'n in 3DS.
Reset Bomb Forest
Prior to the Reset Bomb's landfall, Viridi appears for a moment. In 3DS, she is a still frame, but in Ultimate she has an animated model. She is one of few background characters with voice clips.
Viridi in 3DS.
Prism Tower
Multiple Magnemite appear behind the tower. Zapdos, Emolga and Yveltal occasionally appear flying around the tower. Helioptile sometimes appears in the bushes on the ground.
Zapdos in 3DS.
Unova Pokémon League
Occasionally, a Milotic, a Shaymin, or a Whimsicott will appear in place of Reshiram or Zekrom.
Shaymin (Land Forme) in Ultimate.
Shaymin (Sky Forme) in Ultimate.
Mute City (Ω form)
Captain Falcon can be seen riding the Blue Falcon in the background.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U exclusive
Garden of Hope
A Red Bulborb wanders around in the background; while it will not interrupt the battle proper, its presence stops Pikmin from reconstructing anything until it leaves.
Red Bulborb in Wii U.
Pilotwings
Miis appear on this stage, flying through the sky riding jetpacks. Unlike most Mii appearances, these Miis are pre-modeled and do not use the faces of Miis from the player's system.
Wii Fit Studio
The living Wii Balance Board that is seen upon starting up Wii Fit is seen in the gym. In Ultimate, silhouettes of various people exercising appear as well.
Wii Balance Board in Wii U.
An exercising person in Ultimate.
Mario Galaxy
Lubba, along with several other Lumas, appears on Starship Mario in the background.
A close-up of Starship Mario, revealing Lubba and some Lumas, in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Mario Circuit
A Blue Toad can be seen filming the race from a cliff in the background.
A Blue Toad filming the race on Mario Circuit in Ultimate.
Town and City
Gracie, Dr. Shrunk, Lloid, and Redd can be seen in the City variation, while Wendell, Pelly, and Sahara can be seen in the village variation.
Kalos Pokémon League
In the Dragonmark Chamber various Dragon-type Pokémon can appear, including Garchomp, Hydreigon, Axew, and Dragonite appear. In the Flood Chamber, Water types Piplup, Wailord, Blastoise, and Clawitzer appear. In the Ironworks Chamber, Steel types Klinklang, Steelix, Scizor, and Honedge appear. Finally, in the Blazing Chamber, Fire types Infernape, Tepig, Blaziken, and Pyroar appear.
The aforementioned Pokémon may not appear if Rayquaza, Manaphy, Registeel, or Ho-Oh appear in their respective chambers as stage hazards.
Garchomp, Hydreigon, Axew, and Dragonite in Wii U.
Infernape, Tepig, Blaziken, and Pyroar in Wii U.
Klinklang, Steelix, Scizor, and Honedge in Wii U.
Honedge in Wii U.
Skyloft
Loftwings can be seen flying around.
Wuhu Island
Crowds of Miis can be seen watching the fight in various sections of the stage, such as Sugarsand Beach, Wishing Fountain and Swordplay Colosseum. Additionally, a single Mii playing frisbee with their dog can be seen on Sugarsand Beach, while at the boating gate it is possible to see a bunch of Miis competing in a water scooter race.
Windy Hill Zone
Seven Animal friends (Flicky, Pecky, Picky, Pocky, Cucky, Ricky, and Rocky) from Sonic the Hedgehog can be seen in the background.
Pac-Land
Mother Fairy appears during the Fairy Land section, where she rewards the fighters with Flying Boots. When a round is completed, Ms. Pac-Man can be seen waving to the fighters as they return to Pac-Man's house. Buttercup appears at the start of every round and at Fairy Land with her family.
Mother Fairy and her fairies in Wii U.
Ms. Pac-Man in Ultimate.
From Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
New Donk City Hall
The members of the band, including Pauline, appear on floating platforms, and on the ground in front of City Hall. Interacting with the band members causes them to begin performing "Jump Up, Super Star!" or "Ground Theme (Band Performance)". Captain Toad and the Odyssey can be seen in the background as well.
The Bassist in Ultimate.
The Brass Player in Ultimate.
The Drummer in Ultimate.
The Guitarist in Ultimate.
Pauline in Ultimate.
The musicians and Pauline in Ultimate.
Captain Toad in Ultimate.
Great Plateau Tower
The Old Man from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild periodically floats onto the stage on his Paraglider.
The Old Man in Ultimate.
Moray Towers
Judd and Li'l Judd appear on the stage, indicating who is in the lead by holding up a flag that corresponds to the player's color.
Judd and Li'l Judd in Ultimate.
Dracula's Castle
Shadows of Dracula and Kid Dracula appear occasionally, illuminated by flashes of lightning. Other enemies make an appearance, each with an entrance based on how they appeared during their original boss battle in the Castlevania series: the Creature with Flea Man, Mummy, Medusa Head, Werewolf, Carmilla, and Death. With the exceptions of Dracula and Kid Dracula, all Dracula's Castle background characters received new original artwork for Spirits mode in Ultimate.
Dracula in Ultimate.
Medusa Head artwork from Ultimate.
Medusa Head in Ultimate.
Mummy artwork from Ultimate.
The Creature and Flea Man artwork from Ultimate.
Death artwork from Ultimate.
Carmilla artwork from Ultimate.
Werewolf artwork from Ultimate.
Mementos
Morgana, as the Morganamobile, will occasionally drive in the background of the stage, dropping off members of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. These include Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Niijima, and Haru Okumura. They'll react to the battle whenever a fighter is KOed. At times, a platform will lower down onto stage as well, which has a cracked screen on it. This screen has a chance of showing either Morgana running or Teddie, referencing the loading screens of Persona 5 and Persona 4 respectively.
Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, and Noir in Ultimate.
- Takamaki Onstage.png
Panther in Ultimate.
Yggdrasil's Altar
As the stage begins to rise from the ground to the skies, Cetacea can be seen flying with it shortly. Once airborne, the stage will occasionally feature Slimes or Tockles appearing to watch the battle for a while before exiting via leaping off or vanishing respectively. Very rarely, a Liquid Metal Slime will appear in the background of the stage for a very short amount of time, before quickly fleeing and jumping off similarly to Slimes.
Liquid Metal Slime in Ultimate.
Catacea, Tockle, and Slime in Ultimate.
Slime in Ultimate.
Spiral Mountain
Randomly-selected flocks of 1-5 Jinjos fly around the mountain in circular patterns. Bottles pops out of various molehills around the mountain or on its summit, scratching himself often as he did in Banjo-Kazooie, as well as waving at the fighters. Mumbo Jumbo magically appears in various locations (including the mountain's summit, the entrance to Gruntilda's Lair, or the cliffs in the background), and juggles his eyeballs much like he did in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. When the stage stops rotating and Gruntilda's Lair is visible, Gruntilda rides her broomstick around the mountain while cackling. Tooty constantly runs along the path going through the Mountain's various landmarks (occasionally stopping to wave at the fighters above). Numerous Buzzbombs fly around as well. Unlike other characters, Tooty and Buzzbombs can be seen even while the camera is rotating. With the exception of Mumbo Jumbo, all Spiral Mountain background characters received new original artwork for their Ultimate Spirits.
Gruntilda in Ultimate.
Mumbo Jumbo in Ultimate.
Bottles artwork from Ultimate.
Bottles in Ultimate.
Jinjos artwork from Ultimate.
Jinjos in Ultimate.
Tooty artwork from Ultimate.
Tooty in Ultimate.
Gruntilda artwork from Ultimate.
Buzzbomb artwork from Ultimate.
King of Fighters Stadium
A number of characters from various SNK franchises appear in the background watching the fight, akin to how selected fighters would "wait for their turn" in The King of Fighters '94-'98. It is random which characters will appear, but selecting specific music to play will sometimes guarantee the appearance of a character. For example, selecting the "Pasta - FATAL FURY 2" song will guarantee that Andy Bogard appears on the stage. A total of 20 different characters may appear in the stage, from several series such as Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters, Art of Fighting, Psycho Soldier and Ikari Warriors.
Andy Bogard in Ultimate.
Athena Asamiya in Ultimate.
Billy Kane in Ultimate.
Blue Mary in Ultimate.
Chang Koehan in Ultimate.
Choi Bounge in Ultimate.
Clark Still in Ultimate.
Geese Howard in Ultimate.
Goro Daimon in Ultimate.
Iori Yagami in Ultimate.
Joe Higashi in Ultimate.
Kim Kaphwan in Ultimate.
King in Ultimate.
Kyo Kusanagi in Ultimate.
Ralf Jones in Ultimate.
Rock Howard in Ultimate.
Ryo Sakazaki in Ultimate.
Ryuji Yamazaki in Ultimate.
Tung Fu Rue in Ultimate.
Yuri Sakazaki in Ultimate.
Garreg Mach Monastery
A number of characters from Fire Emblem: Three Houses appear in the background watching the fight. The house of affiliation of the characters in the background depends on the phase of the stage; characters from the Blue Lions will appear in the Marketplace, along with the Gatekeeper standing near the main gate, characters from the Black Eagles will appear in the Reception Hall, characters from the Golden Deer will appear on the Bridge, along with a Pegasus Knight flying in the background, and finally characters from the Church of Seiros will appear in the Cathedral.
Dimitri and Dedue in Ultimate.
Ingrid in Ultimate.
Edelgard in Ultimate.
Dorothea in Ultimate.
Petra in Ultimate.
Claude in Ultimate.
Lorenz in Ultimate.
Hilda in Ultimate.
Rhea in Ultimate.
Seteth in Ultimate.
Flayn in Ultimate.
Gatekeeper in Ultimate.
The Pegasus Knight in Ultimate.
Spring Stadium
Numerous fans can be seen on the stands of Spring Stadium, similarly to how they appear in ARMS. While they appear to be Min Min fans, they sport a slightly different attire than they do in the original game, with Super Smash Bros. themed shirts and caps instead of shirts with Min Min's emblem and her signature beanie.
Additionally, a jumbotron on the stadium displays promotional images for all the 15 playable fighters in ARMS. However, the characters themselves do not make a physical appearance on the stage.
Fans in Ultimate, next to the jumbotron displaying an image of Dr. Coyle.
Minecraft World
Two of a randomly selected farm animal will appear as soon as the stage starts. These include cows, sheep, and chickens. Some biomes may feature Villagers that perform farmwork during the day. They can be seen occasionally turning to fighters and watch the battle when close. At nighttime, Villagers retire to their homes and two different types of monsters will appear. These include a Zombie, an Enderman, a Skeleton, and a Spider; they do not affect gameplay. When morning starts, the monsters will either catch fire and burn up or simply retreat depending on the monster, repeating the cycle.
Cow in Ultimate.
Sheep in Ultimate.
Chicken in Ultimate.
Plains Butcher Villager in Ultimate.
Plains Farmer Villager in Ultimate.
Snow Butcher Villager in Ultimate.
Zombie in Ultimate.
Enderman in Ultimate.
Skeleton in Ultimate.
Spider in Ultimate.
Cloud Sea of Alrest
One pair of characters will randomly be selected to appear during the match, appearing as a Driver and Blade pair. These pairs include Nia and Dromarch, Tora and Poppi α, Mòrag and Brighid, and Zeke and Pandoria. The selected pair can be in one of three locations, being either to the left, the front or on top of Rex's house, either standing together in one spot or apart in multiple spots. They will perform various actions taken from their idle animations in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Additionally, several Titans will appear in the background, which includes Goldmouth (the Argentum Titan) with the Maelstrom following behind, Gormott, Uraya, Mor Ardain, Genbu, and Indol. All six Titans will appear in a random preselected order; after all have appeared the cycle repeats for the rest of the match.
Nia in Ultimate.
Dromarch in Ultimate.
Tora in Ultimate.
Poppi α in Ultimate.
Mòrag in Ultimate.
Brighid in Ultimate.
Zeke in Ultimate.
Pandoria in Ultimate.
Goldmouth and the Maelstrom in Ultimate.
Gormott in Ultimate.
Uraya in Ultimate.
Mor Ardain in Ultimate.
Genbu in Ultimate.
Indol in Ultimate.
Mishima Dojo
Heihachi Mishima, in his older appearance, makes a cameo in the background of the Mishima Dojo. He initially sits down with his back turned to the fight, and will stand up once a fighter is KO'd, and later react to following KOs.
Heihachi in Ultimate.
Trivia
- So far, Northern Cave is the only non-Smash original new stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that does not feature at least one background character.
See also
