A fighter, also known as a playable character or simply character, is a character (or in some cases, multiple characters simultaneously) in the Super Smash Bros. series roster that can be controlled by players in Versus Mode and other modes. These characters are located on the character selection screen and can be used without a cheat device (e.g. Action Replay). Playable characters can further be divided into starter, unlockable, and downloadable, which distinguishes whether characters can be played right away, whether they need to be unlocked, or whether they need to be downloaded.
List of fighters
This is a list of the fighters in the Super Smash Bros. series.
The following does not include some bosses who can be playable on occasion, such as in the World of Light.
For characters who were considered or intended to be fighters, see Unused content (SSB), Unused content (SSBM), Unused content (SSBB), Unused content (SSB4), and Unused content (SSBU).
| Key | Starter | Unlockable | Unlockable in  , Starter in 
|
Downloadable | Customizable[1] | Transformation[2] |
|---|
Notes
- ^ Mii Fighters are automatically unlocked upon creation in the Mii Fighter menu, or, in Ultimate, upon unlocking them in World of Light.
- ^ Some characters are accessible through others' movesets. Transformation characters share a slot on the character selection screen, but in most situations players can start the match as whichever form they wish. In Ultimate, transformation characters may appear independently as enemies in single-player modes.
- ^ Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes also allow players to control any of the Koopalings instead.
- ^ a b c d e f g h This fighter’s alternate costumes have male and female variants. Only the default gender’s stock icon is shown on the table.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pokémon Trainer's moveset allows the player to switch between Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard using their shared down special, Pokémon Change.
- ^ Known as Duck Hunt Duo in PAL regions.
- ^ Half of Hero’s costumes represent 4 different protagonists from across the franchise: Luminary, Erdrick, Solo, and Eight. Luminary is the default, and only his stock icon is shown on the table.
- ^ Known as Mii Sword Fighter in PAL regions.
- ^ a b Pyra and Mythra can transform into each other using their shared down special, Swap.
- ^ a b In Smash 4 and Ultimate, half of Olimar's costumes allow players to control Alph instead.
- ^ a b R.O.B.’s default appearance in Smash 4 and Ultimate changes depending on the language the game is set to. His Famicom design is his default appearance in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean languages, while all other languages use his NES design.
- ^ a b Samus can transform into Zero Suit Samus by rapidly using the up and down taunts or by using her Final Smash. Zero Suit Samus can transform into Samus with her own Final Smash (but not through taunting). They were split into separate characters starting in Smash 4.
- ^ a b c d Both Zelda and Sheik can Transform into each other using their down special. They have new special moves starting in Smash 4, thus they can no longer transform.
- ^ Alex, Zombie, and Enderman appear as alternate costumes.
- ^ a b Pokémon Trainer is not counted because he isn’t controlled by the player and he lacks a fighter number in Ultimate. Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard are counted instead.
Newcomers and veterans
A newcomer is a character who appears as playable for the first time in the series in a given game. A veteran is the opposite: a character who has been playable in a previous game. For example, Diddy Kong is a newcomer in Brawl, as he did not appear as playable in any previous games, but is a veteran in all subsequent games. Note that the definition of newcomers is distinct from that of "unlockable" or "secret" characters, which are playable characters who must be unlocked by completing certain tasks; Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4 all had starter veterans, starter newcomers, unlockable veterans, and unlockable newcomers. Ultimate is the first game in which all newcomers to the base game are unlockable; however, most veterans are also unlockable.
The term newcomer was originally used to describe the unlockable characters in the original Super Smash Bros. by the data deletion menu. It was later used in the first trailer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which new characters were introduced with the title "Newcomer" atop their name. The word newcomer was later used on the Smash Bros. DOJO!! site to classify characters who made their debut in Brawl and are starters in there, in addition to third party characters Snake and Sonic. This use of the term has become the community-preferred usage for other games in the series.
"Perfect-attendance crew"
Less commonly, the term "veteran" can also denote the "eight regulars" or "perfect-attendance fighters", which are the eight starter characters in the original Super Smash Bros. which have been in all subsequent games of the series. The "perfect attendance" part of the term is a reference to the fact that these eight fighters have always been available from the start of every game without needing to be unlocked. The terms originated in the description for the 10th Brawl event match All-Star Battle Regulars, reading: "The Smash Bros. perfect-attendance crew! Fight the eight regulars in order!" A popular, unofficial term referring to this group is "The Original 8" (Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu), which may also be called "The Original 12" if including the four unlockable characters (Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, and Jigglypuff). The 29th Brawl event match All-Star Semifinal Regulars states: "Four hidden characters from the past game! They're secret perfect attendees." Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the only installment where all the "Original 12" are starter characters. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate refers to the concept of the perfect-attendance crew by making the only starter characters the aforementioned "Original 8".
Trivia
- Dr. Mario, Ice Climbers, Lucas, Mewtwo, Pichu, Pokémon Trainer's Squirtle and Ivysaur, Roy, Snake, Wolf, and Young Link are the only fighters to have ever been cut in an installment.
- Pichu and Young Link are the only fighters to have been absent from two consecutive installments.
- Ice Climbers are the only characters to have been a fighter in more than one game before being cut.
- Pokémon is the only universe to have multiple cut fighters, being Mewtwo, Pichu, and Pokémon Trainer’s Squirtle and Ivysaur.
- Lucas is the only fighter to have been a starter character, unlockable character, and downloadable character in three separate games. He is also the only fighter to be cut from a roster without skipping an installment.
- Roy is the only playable character to debut in Super Smash Bros. before appearing in any other game. His inclusion in Melee was intended to promote Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, his debut in his home series, which was released shortly after Melee in Japan.
- According to Super Smash Bros. series director Masahiro Sakurai, The Binding Blade was originally scheduled for release before Melee.[1]
- While Corrin debuted as DLC for SSB4 before Fire Emblem Fates was released in most territories, the game had already been released in Japan several months prior, making them more similar to Marth and Lucas in this regard.
- Captain Falcon (in SSB), the Mii Fighters, and Pac-Man (in Ultimate) are the only fighters to use head icons that don't portray their faces.
- Wario is the first fighter to debut as a starter before becoming unlockable in another game.
- Prior to Ultimate, the only unlockable characters whose playable status was not kept a secret prior to release were Snake and Sonic in Brawl, and Lucina in Smash 4.
- Yoshi and Captain Falcon are the only characters who appear in all five Super Smash Bros. games as the sole fighters from their series, not counting the Yoshi universe as the Mario universe.
- They are also the only characters who debuted the same day but in different games.
- Metal Gear and Ice Climber are the only universes to have the entirety of their characters cut from one game to the next, and be reintroduced in the next game.
- Samus is the only female character to appear in all five games in the Super Smash Bros. series, as Pokémon were not considered gendered at the time of the first game's release.
- Currently, Charizard, Little Mac, Ridley, Dark Samus, and Isabelle are the only characters to have been made fully playable after major non-playable appearances, excluding characters that are playable via items (Metal Mario, Giant Donkey Kong, and Giga Bowser). These include Poké Ball Pokémon, Bosses, and Assist Trophies.
- Charizard is the only character who was part of a transformation character, became a standalone fighter, and then returned to being part of a transformation character.
- Inversely, Samus is the only character who was initially a standalone character before being able to transform into Zero Suit Samus, before the two were split in their next appearances.
- Alph and the female Pokémon Trainer are the only alternate costume characters who were added after their base fighter debuted.
- In Smash 4, Alph was intended to be a clone fighter of Olimar. Rock Pikmin were even considered for use. However, this was scrapped presumably due to time constraints and he was incorporated as Olimar’s last four alternate costumes.
- The Koopalings and the Heroes from Dragon Quest III, IV and VIII are the only alternate characters who debuted before their base fighter in their home series.
See also
References
| Fighters in Super Smash Bros. | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Captain Falcon · Donkey Kong · Fox · Jigglypuff · Kirby · Link · Luigi · Mario · Ness · Pikachu · Samus · Yoshi |
| Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Melee | |
|---|---|
| Veterans | Captain Falcon · Donkey Kong · Fox · Jigglypuff · Kirby · Link · Luigi · Mario · Ness · Pikachu · Samus · Yoshi |
| Newcomers | Bowser · Dr. Mario · Falco · Ganondorf · Ice Climbers · Marth · Mewtwo · Mr. Game & Watch · Peach · Pichu · Roy · Young Link · Zelda (Sheik) |
| Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl | |
|---|---|
| Veterans | Bowser · Captain Falcon · Donkey Kong · Falco · Fox · Ganondorf · Ice Climbers · Jigglypuff · Kirby · Link · Luigi · Mario · Marth · Mr. Game & Watch · Ness · Peach · Pikachu · Samus · Yoshi · Zelda / Sheik |
| Newcomers | Diddy Kong · Ike · King Dedede · Lucario · Lucas · Meta Knight · Olimar · Pit · Pokémon Trainer (Charizard · Ivysaur · Squirtle) · R.O.B. · Snake · Sonic · Toon Link · Wario · Wolf · (Zero Suit Samus) |
| Fighters in Super Smash Bros. 4 | |
|---|---|
| Veterans | Bowser · Captain Falcon · Charizard · Diddy Kong · Donkey Kong · Dr. Mario · Falco · Fox · Ganondorf · Ike · Jigglypuff · King Dedede · Kirby · Link · Lucario · Lucas · Luigi · Mario · Marth · Meta Knight · Mewtwo · Mr. Game & Watch · Ness · Olimar · Peach · Pikachu · Pit · R.O.B. · Roy · Samus · Sheik · Sonic · Toon Link · Wario · Yoshi · Zelda · Zero Suit Samus |
| Newcomers | Bayonetta · Bowser Jr. · Cloud · Corrin · Dark Pit · Duck Hunt · Greninja · Little Mac · Lucina · Mega Man · Mii Fighter (Mii Brawler · Mii Gunner · Mii Swordfighter) · Pac-Man · Palutena · Robin · Rosalina & Luma · Ryu · Shulk · Villager · Wii Fit Trainer |