- "Challenger" redirects here. For info on fighters, to whom the title "challenger" is often applied, see List of Super Smash Bros. series characters.
An unlockable character (also referred to as a secret character or hidden character, and in-game as challengers) is one that is not available at the start of the game (unlike a starter character), but instead must be received in-game (unlike downloadable characters) through other means.
Unique criteria must be met in order to unlock each character, as outlined below. Once such criteria are met, the challenger will appear the next time the player returns to the menu. If the player wins the subsequent battle, a message will appear congratulating them for unlocking the new fighter.
In Super Smash Bros., the character select screen displayed placeholders for not yet unlocked characters. This was changed in Melee, where some characters didn't have placeholders prior to unlocking, with their portraits simply appearing afterward. The placeholder slots were completely removed from Brawl onward.
"Challenger Approaching!" screen
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The "Challenger Approaching!" (挑戦者が現れました！, A Challenger has Appeared!) screen is a message that will be displayed after the player has met a criteria required to unlock any of the available characters. Every game has its unique screen.
The original game had a silhouette of the character merely displayed in a blue box in front of a black background, with an exclamation point in a red circle on the top of the screen, and the phrase "Challenger Approaching" next to it. The screen uses similar music to the 1P-Game's intro, with the only difference being the absence of drums for the "challenger approaching" tune.
Melee added the phrase "A new foe has appeared!," and also had a silhouette of the approaching challenger. The poses for the challengers were silhouettes of their renders when selected on the Character Select screen (some, however, like Luigi and Ganondorf's, were their renders from inside the boxes). The game also added animations to the screens, with an undulating matrix effect in the background, while the exclamation point, text and silhouette would be eased in. Original music was also provided solely for the screen, which took the sound of a slow, ominous siren.
Brawl returned to the plain black background (there would be a silhouette of an unlockable character the player would face); but this would only occur if the Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary method was not used. It still had animations that would ease in, and when the player pressed any button, the images would fade to black, while the "Challenger Approaching!" text would scatter all over the screen; the siren is also considerably faster and more panicky in its sound than how it sounds in Melee.
Smash 4 reused Brawl's warning siren, but there are some differences in both versions. The 3DS version added in considerably more colors, including hues of green, black, and violet; the screen also says "A challenger approaches!" instead of its previous quotations. The Wii U version uses a font style similar to the ones in the newcomer trailers, and the background contains a picture of a supernova; the text is nonetheless reused from past games. The unlockable character in both versions of Super Smash Bros. 4 on the screen is still a silhouette that the player would face (just like in the previous three installments).
After the "Challenger Approaching!" screen, the unlockable character will then be fought in an ordinary one stock match with no time limit, on a predetermined stage with predetermined music. The player uses the last character played as, including the last used costume. In the case of multiplayer battles, in the first three Smash games, the player who won the match will fight the challenger; if a CPU wins the match, the challenger will not appear. Super Smash Bros. 4 changed this formula such that if a CPU wins the match, then the human-controlled player with the highest rank will battle the challenger.
By defeating the opponent, the character becomes playable. If the player fails, however, they will not unlock the character, but after the next battle played (or mode completed), they are guaranteed to meet with the challenger again.
The "Challenger Approaching!" screen has become somewhat of a meme in the Smash community. Many digitally manipulated versions of these screens have appeared, often featuring characters who do not appear in the games, mostly using artwork of the character from another game instead of original artwork (which gives away its falseness). The screens became so popular that they were featured as part of the DOJO!!; in earlier updates, whenever a new character was introduced, a banner that said "Warning! Challenger Approaching!" would appear above the entry.
Smash 64's challenger alarm.
Melee's challenger alarm.
Brawl's, Smash 3DS's and Smash U's challenger alarm.
Super Smash Bros.
Characters
| Character | How to unlock | Unlock location |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Falcon | Complete 1P Game in 20 minutes or less. | Planet Zebes |
| Jigglypuff | Complete 1P Game with any character. | Saffron City |
| Luigi | Complete Bonus 1: Break the Targets with all starter characters. | Peach's Castle |
| Ness | Complete 1P Game on Normal with three lives and no continues. | Dream Land |
Gallery
Captain Falcon challenging the player in Smash 64
Jigglypuff challenging the player in Smash 64
Luigi challenging the player in Smash 64
Ness challenging the player in Smash 64
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Super Smash Bros. Melee
Characters
- ^ a b c d If the player had previously used the Erase Data > Hidden Characters option in the Options menu, these characters can be unlocked again if All-Star Mode is cleared under the established conditions.
- ^ The time required is calculated in "player-hours" (e.g. 2 human players gives 2 hours for every hour of game-time, 3 human players give 3, and four players give 4).
Gallery
Jigglypuff challenging the player in Melee
Dr. Mario challenging the player in Melee
Pichu challenging the player in Melee
Falco challenging the player in Melee
Marth challenging the player in Melee
Young Link challenging the player in Melee
Ganondorf challenging the player in Melee
Mewtwo challenging the player in Melee
Luigi challenging the player in Melee
- RoyApproaching.png
Roy challenging the player in Melee
Mr. Game & Watch challenging the player in Melee
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Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Masahiro Sakurai stated that it would be appropriate that third-party, or "guest" characters, like Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog, would be unlockable characters. This became true when Brawl was first released in Japan.
In addition to the challenges and versus match method of unlocking, all unlockable characters can be unlocked by playing through Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. The majority of these characters are unlocked as part of the linear story of SSE. However, Jigglypuff, Wolf, and Toon Link are only unlockable after the main SSE gameplay is completed by finding a secret area while replaying levels. Once a character joins a group of playable characters, the character will be instantly unlocked for normal play (without requiring a "Challenger Approaching" battle). However, some characters, as per the SSE's story, must be battled before they will join the player's party, such as Lucario (depending on the path chosen in The Glacial Peak).
Characters
| Character | How to unlock | Subspace Emissary method | VS matches required | Unlock location (if Subspace Emissary method is not used) | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ness | Reflect 10 projectiles. | Complete Subspace (Part I). | 5 | Onett | Mother (Melee) |
| Marth | Complete Classic Mode. | Complete Battlefield Fortress. | 10 | Castle Siege | Fire Emblem (Melee) |
| Luigi | Complete Classic Mode without using any continues. | Complete Subspace (Part I). | 22 | Luigi's Mansion | Luigi's Mansion Theme |
| Falco | Complete 100-Man Brawl. | Complete The Swamp. | 50 | Lylat Cruise | Area 6 |
| Captain Falcon | Play through Classic Mode on Normal or higher and beat it in 12 minutes or less. | Complete Outside the Ancient Ruins. | 70 | Port Town Aero Dive | Mute City |
| Lucario | Clear all levels of Target Smash!! with any single character. | Complete Glacial Peak. | 100 | Spear Pillar | Victory Road |
| Snake | Play 15 Vs. Matches on Shadow Moses Island. | Complete Battleship Halberd Interior. | 130 | Shadow Moses Island | Encounter |
| R.O.B. | Collect 250 different trophies. | Complete Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II). | 160 | Mario Bros | Mario Bros. |
| Ganondorf | Clear Classic Mode on Hard with Link or Zelda. | Collect both Link and Zelda's trophies in Subspace (Part II). | 200 | Final Destination | Hidden Mountain & Forest |
| Mr. Game & Watch | Clear Target Smash!! with 30 different characters on any single difficulty level. | Complete Battleship Halberd Bridge. | 250 | Flat Zone 2 | Flat Zone 2 |
| Sonic | Complete Classic Mode with 10 characters, or Brawl for 10 combined total hours. | Complete The Great Maze. | 300 | Green Hill Zone | Sonic Heroes |
| Jigglypuff[note 1] | Beat 20 or more events after beating the Subspace Emissary. | After completing The Great Maze, defeat it in a secret room in The Swamp. | 350 | Pokémon Stadium 2 | Pokémon Center |
| Toon Link[note 1] | Complete Classic Mode after beating the Subspace Emissary. | After completing The Great Maze, defeat him in a secret room in The Forest. | 400 | Pirate Ship | Dragon Roost Island |
| Wolf[note 1] | Complete Boss Battles mode with Fox or Falco. | After completing The Great Maze, defeat him in a secret room in The Ruins. | 450 | Lylat Cruise | Star Wolf |
Sonic is the only character who can be unlocked 4 different ways.
Gallery
Ness challenging the player in Brawl
Marth challenging the player in Brawl
Luigi challenging the player in Brawl
Falco challenging the player in Brawl
Captain Falcon challenging the player in Brawl
Lucario challenging the player in Brawl
- Challenger Approaching Snake (SSBB).png.png
Snake challenging the player in Brawl
- Challenger Approaching R.O.B. Brawl.png
R.O.B. challenging the player in Brawl
Ganondorf challenging the player in Brawl
Mr. Game & Watch challenging the player in Brawl
Sonic challenging the player in Brawl
Jigglypuff challenging the player in Brawl
Toon Link challenging the player in Brawl
Wolf challenging the player in Brawl
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Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Characters
The inclusion of Wendy O. Koopa (as one of Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes) and Lucina as unlockable characters makes them the first female characters to be unlockable.
In addition to the characters below, Mii Fighters are not shown on the character select screen until the player has created at least one. However, since the ability to create Mii Fighters is granted from the beginning, the characters cannot truly be called unlockable.
Gallery
Ness challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Falco challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Wario challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Lucina challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Dark Pit challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Dr. Mario challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
R.O.B. challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Ganondorf challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Mr. Game & Watch challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Bowser Jr. challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Duck Hunt challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
- ChallengerApproachingJigglypuff.jpg
Jigglypuff challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Characters
Unlike Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Ness, Jigglypuff, Ganondorf & Bowser Jr. are starter characters. Like the 3DS version, a character is unlocked for every 10 versus matches played. Two exceptions to this are Mr. Game & Watch and Duck Hunt, which they need 20 more versus matches than R.O.B. and Mr. Game & Watch, respectively. Unlike the previous three installments (Melee, Brawl, and the 3DS version), no Super Smash Bros. universe stages are used for challenger approaching battles; instead, all unlockable characters use a stage from their respective universe expect for R.O.B. in which he uses the Wrecking Crew stage due to him not having a stage from his own universe.
In addition to the characters below, Mii Fighters are not shown on the character select screen until the player has created at least one. However, since the ability to create Mii Fighters is granted from the beginning and there is no Challenger Approaching fight, the character cannot truly be called unlockable.
| Character | How to unlock | Vs. Matches Required | Unlock location | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falco | Clear Classic Mode | 10 | Orbital Gate Assault | Theme from Area 6 / Missile Slipstream |
| Wario | Clear 100-Man Smash | 20 | Gamer | Gamer |
| Lucina | Clear Classic Mode on intensity 5.5 or higher | 30 | Coliseum | The Devoted |
| Dark Pit | Clear All-Star Mode on Normal | 40 | Palutena's Temple | Boss Fight 1 (Kid Icarus: Uprising) |
| Dr. Mario | Clear Master Orders on Hard | 50 | Delfino Plaza | Delfino Plaza |
| R.O.B. | Clear Crazy Orders after 10 rounds and defeat Crazy Hand | 60 | Wrecking Crew | Wrecking Crew Medley |
| Mr. Game & Watch | Clear Classic Mode on intensity 2.0 or higher with 5 characters | 80 | Flat Zone X | Flat Zone 2 |
| Duck Hunt | Earn 1 KO in Cruel Smash | 100 | Duck Hunt[note 1] | Duck Hunt Medley |
- ^ Dog and ducks do not appear.
Gallery
Falco challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Wario challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Lucina challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Dark Pit challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Dr. Mario challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
R.O.B. challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Mr. Game & Watch challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Duck Hunt challenging the player in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
| Character | How to unlock | Subspace Odyssey method | VS matches required | Unlock location (if Subspace Odyssey method is not used) | Music |
|---|
It has been implied that the characters from the original Super Smash Bros. will be the starting roster, and all other fighters will be unlockable. This includes:
- Bayonetta
- Bowser
- Bowser Jr.
- Chrom
- Cloud
- Corrin
- Daisy
- Dark Pit
- Dark Samus
- Diddy Kong
- Dr. Mario
- Duck Hunt
- Falco
- Ganondorf
- Greninja
- Ice Climbers
- Ike
- Inkling
- King Dedede
- King K. Rool
- Little Mac
- Lucario
- Lucas
- Lucina
- Marth
- Mega Man
- Meta Knight
- Mewtwo
- Mr. Game & Watch
- Olimar
- Pac-Man
- Palutena
- Peach
- Pichu
- Pit
- Pokémon Trainer
- R.O.B.
- Richter
- Ridley
- Robin
- Rosalina & Luma
- Roy
- Ryu
- Sheik
- Shulk
- Simon
- Snake
- Sonic
- Toon Link
- Villager
- Wario
- Wii Fit Trainer
- Wolf
- Young Link
- Zelda
- Zero Suit Samus
However it is currently unknown if Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, or the Mii Fighters are included as starters or unlockables.
Trivia
- The AI level of unlockable character fights increases with each consecutive character, though the opposite is the case in Melee.
- In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the AI level for all eight characters is high, no matter what order they are fought in.[citation needed]
- The music in challenger encounters may be music that cannot otherwise play on the stage in question, such as the Fire Emblem theme playing on Fountain of Dreams in Melee when Marth is unlocked.
- Masahiro Sakurai originally intended for all the characters in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U to be available from the start, but eventually decided against it.
- Dr. Mario, Pichu, Falco, Young Link, Mr. Game & Watch, Snake, R.O.B., Wolf, Dark Pit, Lucina and Duck Hunt are the only playable characters to remain unlockable in every installment they appear in.
- The Yoshi series is the only franchise to have never had any unlockable characters.
- Roy and Mr. Game and Watch in Melee and Wolf in Brawl are the only unlockable characters to have unlock criteria that involve other unlockable characters.
- In fact, Mr. Game and Watch in Melee is the only character in which all of the other playable characters must be unlocked prior to unlocking him making him the only character that players must unlock last in any Smash game.
- Wario was the first character who debuted as a starter to become an unlockable character afterwards, being a starter in Brawl before becoming unlockable in Smash 4.
- In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, DLC characters have a "(character name) Joins the Battle!" screen that appears once they are purchased, much like the unlockable characters. Unlike with unlockable characters, the last letters of their names are not larger.
- When a player fights a secret character to unlock in Brawl, their character always uses their default costume even if the character was originally using an alternative costume.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate marks the unlockable debut for many characters that debuted as starters, as all characters that debuted from Melee onwards have been made unlockable regardless of their status in previous games.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the first game in the series to feature unlockable characters in its cover artwork.
- In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, each character unlock notification has a different tone depending on the debut game of the character.
- Strangely though, Jigglypuff's unlock notification tone is the same as the Brawl newcomers despite debuting from Smash 64. This is likely because it is unlocked in the post-game Subspace Emissary, as well as its internal ID being right next to Toon Link and Wolf, Brawl newcomers.
- Specifically, the Smash 64 newcomers (except Jigglypuff) have "Rare Trophy" from Melee, used in Brawl when getting certain trophies, the Melee newcomers have the fanfare used in Brawl when unlocking stages, and the Brawl newcomers (and Jigglypuff) have the sound used in Brawl when collecting songs or completing minor challenges.