For fighter info, see Min Min (SSBU).
Min Min
minmin
ARMSSymbol.svg
Official artwork of Min Min from ARMS.
Universe ARMS
Debut ARMS (2017)
Smash Bros. appearances Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance Karaoke JOYSOUND for Nintendo Switch (2017, cameo)[1] Japan
Console/platform of origin Nintendo Switch
Species Human
Gender Female
Place of origin Mintendo Noodle House
Designed by Masaaki Ishikawa
Voice actor Haruna Takatsu
Article on ARMS Institute Min Min

Min Min (ミェンミェン, MinMin) is a character from the 3D fighting game ARMS. After making a cameo as a spirit in the base version of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Min Min transitioned into a playable character in Ultimate as the first character of Fighters Pass Vol. 2.

Origin

 
Min Min fighting against Ninjara on the Ramen Bowl in ARMS.

Min Min is one of fifteen fighters from the Nintendo Switch fighting game ARMS. She is one of a select few people in the world to be born with a gene that grants ARMS, a phenomenon where the person's arms (or, in rare cases, other body parts) transmute into extendable helixes. In Min Min's case, her ARMS heavily resemble ramen noodles, fittingly in reference to her family operating the Mintendo Noodle House.

Unlike the other fighters, Min Min's left ARM can transform into a dragon ARM (regardless of whatever type of ARM is equipped) when her ARMS are fully charged for longer than usual, or upon successfully throwing an opponent. This effect increases that ARM's size significantly and causes it to remain charged indefinitely. However, this effect can be deactivated if Min Min is hit with a charged punch, knocked down, or if her left ARM is disabled. In addition to her ARMS, Min Min is a talented martial artist, and utilizes kicks that enable her to deflect an opponent's punches.

Min Min participates in the ARMS League Grand Prix with the goal of winning the championship in order to promote her family's restaurant. Her Grand Prix ending depicts her serving ramen to many people wearing replicas of her hat, including Biff, indicating that the publicity stunt was a success.

Standard ARMS

In addition to their extendable ARMS, all of the fighters in the ARMS League have equipment also referred to as ARMS, which are worn over their fists and serve as their primary weapons. Different ARMS have different types (referring to how they act when used to punch), attributes (usually an elemental effect inflicted on any opponents hit when the ARM is charged), and weight classes (determining what will happen if two ARMS collide; heavier ARMS will beat out lighter ones, while ARMS of equal weight will cancel each other out). Each fighter comes with three standard ARMS, although all ARMS can be unlocked for all fighters via the ARM Getter. Min Min uses her standard ARMS in Super Smash Bros., which are as follows:

  • The Ramram (ホットリング, Hot Ring) is a medium-weight Curve-type and has the Fire attribute.
  • The Megawatt (メガボルト, Megavolt) is a heavy-weight Heavy-type and has the Electric attribute.
  • The Dragon (ドラゴン, Dragon) is a medium-weight Beam-type and has the Fire attribute.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a playable character

Main article: Min Min (SSBU)
 
Min Min, as she appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Prior to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's launch, playable fighters from ARMS and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 were considered for inclusion in the base roster. However, these potential fighters were passed over because their respective games had been announced long after planning and production of Ultimate began.[2] A little over a year following Ultimate's launch, a Nintendo Direct Mini on March 26, 2020 announced an ARMS fighter as the first DLC character of Fighters Pass Vol. 2. Although the entire playable cast of ARMS was shown in the Direct, the identity of the playable fighter would not be revealed until their release in June.[3]

On June 22nd, an installment of Mr. Sakurai Presents was released and ultimately revealed that Min Min was the playable ARMS fighter, and that she would be released on June 29th. According to Super Smash Bros. series creator and director Masahiro Sakurai, he narrowed down the choices to Min Min and Ninjara, but ultimately chose the former following a request from Kosuke Yabuki, the producer of ARMS.[4] On a related note, Sakurai responded to the widespread notion of Spring Man being the main protagonist of ARMS by saying that, according to Yabuki, "Everyone's the protagonist!"[4]

Min Min's ARMS give her a unique control scheme: the A button and B button control her left and right ARMS, respectively; by extension, they result in her special moveset technically consisting of only an up special move (ARMS Jump / ARM Hook) and a down special move (ARMS Change). Min Min wields her standard ARMS (Ramram, Megawatt, and Dragon), which she can freely cycle between via ARMS Change. In addition to her ARM-based attacks, Min Min uses various types of kicks; her up smash is particularly notable due to being a reflector, which is a reference to her ability to deflect an incoming punch in ARMS.[4] Due to her very long-ranged, yet laggy punches, Min Min's playstyle encourages playing on the ground from a distance, but leaves her at a disadvantage in the air and at close range.[4]

As a background character

 
Min Min on the screen behind herself in the background of Spring Stadium.

Min Min appears on the screen in the background of Spring Stadium.

Spirits

Fighter spirit

Primary spirit

No. Image Name Type Class Slots Base   Max   Base   Max   Base   Max   Ability Series
1,289 Min Min
 
★★★ 2 2838 8558 1561 4707 1277 3851 No Effect ARMS

Names in other languages

Language Name
  Japanese ミェンミェン, MinMin
  English Min Min
  French Min Min
  German Min Min
  Spanish Min Min
  Italian Min Min
  Chinese (Simplified) 面面, MinMin
  Chinese (Traditional) 麵麵, MinMin
  Korean 미엔미엔, MinMin
  Dutch Min Min
  Russian Минь Минь

Trivia

  • Min Min is the first DLC newcomer in any Super Smash Bros. game to come from a new first-party series; Corrin, Byleth and Piranha Plant are from preexisting series.
  • Min Min's default right ARM in ARMS is the Megawatt, whereas in Super Smash Bros., it is the Ramram.
  • Min Min is the fifth female DLC fighter introduced in the Super Smash Bros. series, following female Corrin, Bayonetta, Kazooie, and female Byleth.
    • Technically, she is the second exclusively female DLC fighter after Bayonetta, due to female Corrin and female Byleth being alternate characters of their respective male counterparts, and Kazooie being paired with Banjo.
  • Min Min is the fourth fighter to originate from a fighting game, following Ryu, Ken Masters, and Terry Bogard, then later, Kazuya Mishima.
    • She is also the first female and first-party character to come from this genre, as well as the first to debut in a 3D fighting game.
  • Min Min's playable inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate marks the first time a newly included franchise's fighter is not the flagship character or mascot in some form (such as one who is the main protagonist) or prominently featured in official media in some form (such as box art).
    • According to ARMS producer Kosuke Yabuki, this is because every fighter in ARMS is the protagonist.
    • In addition, Min Min was the champion of the online Party Crash Bash ARMS event that took place from November 2018 to June 2019, in which Ninjara was also the runner-up.
      • She also won six Party Crashes in ARMS.
  • Min Min, Mewtwo, Lucas, Pyra, and Mythra are the only fighters to already have appeared as collectibles prior to being added as playable characters within the same Super Smash Bros. game.
  • Min Min is the first fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series to speak Chinese.
    • She is also the only fighter to speak a real-life language other than English or Japanese in all regions of Ultimate.
  • Min Min is the second fighter whose system of origin is the Nintendo Switch, following Byleth (discounting Fire Emblem Heroes).
  • Perhaps coincidentally, Min Min's rapid jab bears a slight resemblance to Chun-Li's Hyakuretsukyaku in Street Fighter. Like Chun-Li, Min Min hails from a fighting game, and is a practitioner of Chinese martial arts.
  • Min Min, Ness, Lucas, and Kazuya are the only fighters to have a reflector that is not a special move.
    • Three of these reflectors are smash attacks. However, Min Min's reflector is her up smash instead of her forward smash, unlike Ness and Lucas.
  • Interestingly, while Min Min's name is spelled identically to English in the Japanese ARMS official website, the Japanese, Chinese and Korean versions of Ultimate spell it as a single word ("MinMin").

References