Super Smash Bros. series

Unlockable character

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Revision as of 21:54, May 13, 2023 by Zowayix (talk | contribs) (→‎Fighters: not a useful number - the value "10 hours and 20 minutes" appears nowhere in the game's code, and it is inaccurate to suggest a statement like "Palutena takes 10 hours and 20 minutes to unlock")
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"Challenger" redirects here. For info on fighters, to whom the title "challenger" is often applied, see Fighter.
Character selection screen in Super Smash Bros. indicating the unlockable characters.

An unlockable character (also referred to as a secret character or hidden character, and in-game as challengers, or newcomers in the N64 game's Backup Clear menu) 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 Super Smash Bros. Melee, where the clones didn't have placeholders prior to unlocking, with their portraits simply appearing afterward. The placeholder slots were completely removed from Super Smash Bros. Brawl onward.

Whenever a character is unlocked, a screen telling the player that the character is now playable will be displayed:

  • In Super Smash Bros., the screen says that "you can now use" the character, featuring a unique title for each of them.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the screen displays a sentence that is unique to each character and features the unlocking timestamp.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the screen says that the character, with their unique title too, "has joined the brawl", and also features a portrait of the character.
  • In Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the screen says that the character "joins the battle!" while playing Rare Trophy from Melee, before archiving their corresponding milestones. This also applies to downloadable content characters once they are downloaded, or when the game is booted after a character's release date in case of being purchased via Fighters Pass in the latter game.

"Challenger Approaching!" screen

The Challenger Approaching! screen which Captain Falcon challenges the player in Super Smash Bros. 64
The Challenger Approaching! screen which Inkling challenges the player in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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.

Super Smash Bros. 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. As a result, this is the only game where the challengers' silhouettes are animated, showing them in their fighting stances while rotating (like in the character select screen), rather than just shadowed versions of their official illustrations.

Super Smash Bros. 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.

Super Smash Bros. 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 Subspace Emissary method was not used. Also, Brawl removed the word "Warning" and the circle explanation point logo from the challenger approaching screen. 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.

Super Smash Bros. 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 4 on the screen is still a silhouette that the player would face (just like in the previous three installments).

As in Smash 4, the warning siren from Brawl is used in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This time there is a dark pink background with a white/pink light shining behind the silhouette of the unlockable character. The text about unlocking characters remains the same from prior games.

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 AI difficulty of the duel depends on the game, usually at low difficulty for the first fighter, then it gradually increases with every fighter unlocked, however, it is reversed in Melee, and always high in the Wii U version of Smash 4. 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 in the next battle they win, 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.

Challenger Approaching Screens

Challenger Approaching Alarms

Super Smash Bros.

Fighters

Character How to unlock Unlock location
Luigi (SSB) Luigi Complete Bonus 1: Break the Targets with all starter characters. Peach's Castle
Captain Falcon (SSB) Captain Falcon Complete 1P Game in 20 minutes or less. Planet Zebes
Ness (SSB) Ness Complete 1P Game on Normal or higher with three lives or less and without using any continues. Dream Land
Jigglypuff (SSB) Jigglypuff Complete 1P Game with any character. Saffron City

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Super Smash Bros. Melee

Fighters

Character How to unlock VS matches required Unlock Location Music
Jigglypuff (SSBM) Jigglypuff Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] with any character. 50 Pokémon Stadium Pokémon Stadium
Dr. Mario (SSBM) Dr. Mario Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] with Mario without using any continues. 100 Princess Peach's Castle Dr. Mario
Pichu (SSBM) Pichu Complete Event 37: Legendary Pokémon. 200 Pokémon Stadium Battle Theme
Falco (SSBM) Falco Complete the 100-Man Melee. 300 Battlefield Corneria
Marth (SSBM) Marth Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] with all 14 starter characters, or use all starter characters at least once in VS. mode. 400 Fountain of Dreams Fire Emblem
Young Link (SSBM) Young Link Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] with 10 different characters. 500 Great Bay Saria's Theme
Ganondorf (SSBM) Ganondorf Complete Event 29: Triforce Gathering. 600 Final Destination Great Bay
Mewtwo (SSBM) Mewtwo Play Versus Mode for a combined total of 20 hours.[note 2] 700 Final Destination Poké Floats
Luigi (SSBM) Luigi Complete Adventure Mode when the second on the time limit in the first stage gets a "2". For example: XX:X2:XX. Afterwards, defeat Luigi and Peach within 1 minute. 800 Mushroom Kingdom II Mushroom Kingdom II
Roy (SSBM) Roy Unlock Marth, then complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] as him without using any continues. 900 Temple Fire Emblem
Mr. Game & Watch (SSBM) Mr. Game & Watch Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, All-Star Mode[note 1], or Break the Targets with all 24 other characters. 1000 Flat Zone Flat Zone
  1. ^ a b c d e f Because All-Star Mode is itself unlocked by unlocking all characters, it is only possible to unlock a character via All-Star Mode if the player had previously used the Erase Data > Hidden Characters option after unlocking All-Star Mode.
  2. ^ The time required is calculated in "player-hours" (e.g. two human players gives two hours for every hour of game-time, three human players give three and four players give four).

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Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the first game to feature third-party characters, both third-party characters (Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog) are unlockable characters.

Fighters

Character How to unlock VS matches required Unlock location Music
Ness (SSBB) Ness Reflect ten projectiles. 5 Onett Mother (Melee)
Marth (SSBB) Marth Complete Classic Mode. 10 Castle Siege Fire Emblem (Melee)
Luigi (SSBB) Luigi Complete Classic Mode without using any continues. 22 Luigi's Mansion Luigi's Mansion Theme
Falco (SSBB) Falco Complete 100-Man Brawl. 50 Lylat Cruise Area 6
Captain Falcon (SSBB) Captain Falcon Play through Classic Mode on Normal or higher and beat it in 12 minutes or less. 70 Port Town Aero Dive Mute City
Lucario (SSBB) Lucario Clear all levels of Target Smash!! with any single character. 100 Spear Pillar Victory Road
Snake (SSBB) Snake Play 15 Vs. Matches on Shadow Moses Island. 130 Shadow Moses Island Encounter
R.O.B. (SSBB) R.O.B. Collect 250 different trophies. 160 Mario Bros. Mario Bros.
Ganondorf (SSBB) Ganondorf Clear Classic Mode on Hard with Link or Zelda. 200 Final Destination Hidden Mountain & Forest
Mr. Game & Watch (SSBB) Mr. Game & Watch Clear Target Smash!! with 30 different characters on any single difficulty level. 250 Flat Zone 2 Flat Zone 2
Sonic (SSBB) Sonic Complete Classic Mode with ten characters, or Brawl for ten combined total hours. 300 Green Hill Zone Sonic Heroes
Jigglypuff (SSBB) Jigglypuff Have 20 or more events cleared after beating the Subspace Emissary. 350 Pokémon Stadium 2 Pokémon Center
Toon Link (SSBB) Toon Link Complete Classic Mode after beating the Subspace Emissary. 400 Pirate Ship Dragon Roost Island
Wolf (SSBB) Wolf Complete Boss Battles mode with Fox or Falco. 450 Lylat Cruise Star Wolf

The Subspace Emissary

In addition to the challenges and versus match method of unlocking, all unlockable characters can be unlocked by playing through The Subspace Emissary. The majority of these characters are unlocked as part of the linear story of SSE. However, Toon Link, Wolf, and Jigglypuff are only unlockable after the main story is completed by finding a secret door while replaying certain 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). Below is a chart of when each fighter is unlocked, removed, or changes or combines teams; stages with none of these are omitted.


Every level numerically ordered:
1: Midair Stadium
2: Skyworld
3: Sea of Clouds
4: The Jungle
5: The Plain
6: The Lake
7: The Ruined Zoo
8: The Battlefield Fortress
9: The Forest
10: The Research Facility I
11: The Lake Shore
12: The Path to the Ruins
13: The Cave
14: The Ruins
15: The Wilds I
16: The Ruined Hall
17: The Wilds II
18: The Swamp
19: The Research Facility II
20: Outside the Ancient Ruins
21: The Glacial Peak
22: The Canyon
23: Battleship Halberd Interior
24: Battleship Halberd Exterior
25: Battleship Halberd Bridge
26: The Subspace Bomb Factory I
27: The Subspace Bomb Factory II
28: Entrance to Subspace
29: Subspace I
30: Subspace II
31: The Great Maze

The Subspace Emissary consists of 31 different stages. As some stages share the same name, the earlier stage is denoted with an I while the later-appearing stage is followed by a II.

Icon Stage Fighters available Unlocked fighters Lost fighters Recovered fighters Total fighters Teams
SSE-Midair Stadium.png Midair Stadium Mario (the battle with Kirby if he was chosen, and the battle with Subspace army), Kirby (all phases, except the battle with Mario if he was not chosen), Peach, Zelda (both only in the battle with Subspace army) Kirby, Peach/Zelda (Mario is KO'd and Wario kidnaps either Zelda/Peach when the other princess is freed from Petey) 2 1, new team: Kirby, Peach/Zelda
SSE-Skyworld.png Skyworld Pit (all phases), Mario (the last sidescrolling section after Pit rescues him) Mario, Pit 4 2, new team: Mario, Pit
SSE-The Jungle.png The Jungle Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong Diddy Kong (Bowser captures Donkey Kong) 5 3, new team: Diddy Kong
SSE-The Lake.png The Lake Diddy Kong, Fox Fox 6 3, Fox joins Diddy Kong
SSE-The Ruined Zoo.png The Ruined Zoo Lucas (all phases), Ness (only the battle with Porky), Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle only) (only after defeating Porky) Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle) (Wario kidnaps Ness; Ness will not be unlocked in any mode) 8 4, new team: Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle)
SSE-The Battlefield Fortress.png The Battlefield Fortress Marth (all phases), Meta Knight (second and third phases), Ike (third phase only) Marth, Meta Knight, Ike 11 5, new team: Marth, Meta Knight, Ike
SSE-The Forest.png The Forest Link, Yoshi Link, Yoshi, Toon Link [1] 13 6, new team: Link, Yoshi
SSE-The Research Facility pt1.png The Research Facility I Zero Suit Samus (all phases), Pikachu (all phases starting with the second) Zero Suit Samus, Pikachu 15 7, new team: Zero Suit Samus, Pikachu
SSE-The Lake Shore.png The Lake Shore Mario, Pit (entire level if Zelda was rescued, only the last section if Peach was rescued), Link, Yoshi (entire level if Peach was rescued, only the last section if Zelda was rescued), Kirby (only the last section) Peach/Zelda (Bowser captures her) 14 5, the groups of Mario and Pit, Link and Yoshi, and Kirby combine.
SSE-The Ruins.png The Ruins Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (with Squirtle for all phases and Ivysaur after Pokémon Trainer finds it) Ivysaur, Charizard, Wolf[1] 14 5, Ivysaur and Charizard now are in Pokémon Trainer's team
SSE-The Ruined Hall.png The Ruined Hall Lucas, Pokémon Trainer 14 4, the groups of Marth, Ike and Meta Knight, and Lucas, Pokémon Trainer combine.
SSE-The Swamp.png The Swamp Diddy Kong, Fox (all phases), Falco (all phases except the first) Falco, Jigglypuff[1] 15 4, Falco joins Diddy Kong and Fox
SSE-The Research Facility pt2.png The Research Facility II Zero Suit Samus (all phrases, transforming from Samus by taunting whenever possible), Pikachu (all phases), Samus (after defeating the False Samuses) Samus Zero Suit Samus (Samus replaces her; playing as Zero Suit Samus is still possible by taunting or pressing C on the nunchuck) 15 4, Samus replaces Zero Suit Samus
SSE-Outside the Ancient Ruins.png Outside the Ancient Ruins Olimar, Captain Falcon (both all phases), Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong (both only in the battle with Subspace army) Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, Olimar Fox, Falco (they did not become trophies, but Diddy Kong leaves their group, and they all go their separate ways) 16 4, Diddy Kong leaves Fox and Falco and joins Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon and Olimar
SSE-The Glacial Peak.png The Glacial Peak Ice Climbers (only the sidescrolling section), Meta Knight (the sidescrolling section and the battle with Lucario if the player chose him), Lucario (only if the player chose it in the battle with Meta Knight) Ice Climbers, Lucario 18 5, new team: Meta Knight and Lucario. Ice Climbers replace Meta Knight in Marth, Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard) and Ike's group
SSE-The Canyon.png The Canyon Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi, Kirby 18 4, the groups of Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi and Kirby, and Ice Climbers, Marth, Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard) and Ike combine
SSE-Battleship Halberd Interior.png Battleship Halberd Interior Snake (all phases), Meta Knight, Lucario (after they meet Snake) Snake 19 4, Snake joins Meta Knight and Lucario
SSE-Battleship Halberd Exterior.png Battleship Halberd Exterior Peach, Zelda/Sheik Zelda/Peach Fox, Peach/Zelda 22 5, new team: Fox, Peach, Zelda
SSE-Battleship Halberd Bridge.png Battleship Halberd Bridge Snake, Lucario, Fox, Falco, Peach, Sheik/Zelda Mr. Game & Watch Falco 24 4, the groups of Fox, Peach and Zelda, and Meta Knight, Lucario and Snake combine, along with adding Falco and Mr. Game & Watch
SSE-The Subspace Bomb Factory pt2.png The Subspace Bomb Factory II Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, Olimar (all phases); Samus, Zero Suit Samus (by taunting as Samus), Pikachu, R.O.B. (second section onwards) R.O.B. 25 1, all three teams combine into one
SSE-Entrance to Subspace.png Entrance to Subspace Captain Falcon, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Falco, Fox, Ice Climbers, Ike, Kirby, Link, Lucario, Lucas, Mario, Marth, Meta Knight, Mr. Game & Watch, Olimar, Peach, Pikachu, Pit, Pokémon Trainer, R.O.B., Samus, Snake, Yoshi, Zelda (only four chosen characters can be played as) Everybody (Tabuu turns them into trophies) 0 0
SSE-Subspace pt1.png Subspace I King Dedede (all phases), Ness, Luigi (only in the sidescrolling sections) Luigi, Ness, Bowser, King Dedede Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus, Fox, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, Falco, Pit, Olimar, Lucas, Diddy Kong, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), Ike (only if rescued by King Dedede, Ness, and Luigi; fighters not rescued can still be found when replaying the level) From 4 to 19 1, new team: King Dedede, Ness, Luigi, Bowser, and any recovered fighters
SSE-Subspace pt2.png Subspace II Kirby Ganondorf (if Kirby found Link and Zelda, who rescue him), Wario (If Kirby found him) Kirby (guaranteed), Link, Yoshi, Peach, Zelda, Ice Climbers, Meta Knight, Lucario, R.O.B., Snake (only if Kirby rescues them; fighters not found can be rescued upon replaying the level) From 5 to 31 1, Kirby, and any recovered fighters, alongside Ganondorf if Link and Zelda are found, and Wario if he is found, will join the previous group.
SSE-The Great Maze pt1.png
SSE-The Great Maze pt2.png
SSE-The Great Maze pt3.png
SSE-The Great Maze pt4.png
The Great Maze Bowser, King Dedede, Kirby, Luigi, Ness (guaranteed), Captain Falcon, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Falco, Fox, Ganondorf, Ice Climbers, Ike, Link, Lucario, Lucas, Mario, Marth, Meta Knight, Mr. Game & Watch, Olimar, Peach, Pikachu, Pit, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), R.O.B., Samus, Snake, Wario, Yoshi, Zelda (only if they were rescued in Subspace Parts 1 and 2), Sonic (only in the battle with Tabuu) Sonic From 6 to 32 1, Sonic joins

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Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Fighters

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. After every tenth VS. match, the player gets to challenge an unlockable character, starting with Ness and finishing with Jigglypuff when 120 matches are played.

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.

Despite Duck Hunt having a home stage of the same name added into the game in the 1.1.1 update, they will be fought on Battlefield for their unlocking battle regardless of which version of the game is being played.

Character How to unlock VS Matches Required Unlock location Music
Ness (SSB4) Ness Clear Classic Mode on any difficulty 10 Magicant[note 1] Magicant / Eight Melodies (Mother)
Falco (SSB4) Falco Clear Classic Mode without using any continues 20 Corneria Corneria
Wario (SSB4) Wario Complete 100-Man Smash 30 WarioWare, Inc.[note 2] WarioWare, Inc.
Lucina (SSB4) Lucina As Marth, clear Classic Mode without any continues 40 Arena Ferox Id (Purpose)
Dark Pit (SSB4) Dark Pit Clear Classic Mode with three or more characters 50 Reset Bomb Forest Wrath of the Reset Bomb
Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario As Mario, clear Classic Mode on intensity 4.0 or higher 60 Mushroomy Kingdom Ground Theme (Super Mario Bros.)
R.O.B. (SSB4) R.O.B. Collect at least 200 different trophies 70 PictoChat 2 PictoChat
Ganondorf (SSB4) Ganondorf As Link or Zelda, clear Classic Mode on intensity 5.0 or higher 80 Gerudo Valley Gerudo Valley
Mr. Game & Watch (SSB4) Mr. Game & Watch Clear Classic Mode with 10 or more characters 90 Flat Zone 2 Flat Zone 2
Bowser Jr. (SSB4) Bowser Jr. As Bowser, clear Classic Mode on intensity 6.0 or higher 100 3D Land Super Mario 3D Land Theme / Beach Theme
Duck Hunt (SSB4) Duck Hunt Clear Classic Mode with 8 or more characters 110 Battlefield Battlefield
Jigglypuff (SSB4) Jigglypuff Collect at least 30 different equipment items 120 Unova Pokémon League N's Castle Medley
  1. ^ Flying Men do not appear.
  2. ^ Microgames do not occur.

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Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Fighters

Unlike Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Ness, Jigglypuff, Ganondorf and Bowser Jr. are starter characters. Like the 3DS version, a character is unlocked for every ten versus matches played starting with Falco. 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 except 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 (SSB4) Falco Clear Classic Mode 10 Orbital Gate Assault Theme from Area 6 / Missile Slipstream
Wario (SSB4) Wario Clear 100-Man Smash 20 Gamer Gamer
Lucina (SSB4) Lucina Clear Classic Mode on intensity 5.5 or higher 30 Coliseum The Devoted
Dark Pit (SSB4) Dark Pit Clear All-Star Mode on Normal 40 Palutena's Temple Boss Fight 1 (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario Clear Master Orders on Hard 50 Delfino Plaza Delfino Plaza
R.O.B. (SSB4) R.O.B. Clear Crazy Orders after ten rounds and defeat Crazy Hand 60 Wrecking Crew Wrecking Crew Medley
Mr. Game & Watch (SSB4) Mr. Game & Watch Clear Classic Mode on intensity 2.0 or higher with five characters 80 Flat Zone X Flat Zone 2
Duck Hunt (SSB4) Duck Hunt Get at least one KO in Cruel Smash 100 Duck Hunt[note 1] Duck Hunt Medley
  1. ^ Dog and ducks do not appear.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The starting roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate comprises the eight starter characters from the original Super Smash Bros. game, with all other fighters being unlockable or downloadable. There are two ways to unlock characters: by defeating them in a Challenger Approaching fight, or by awakening them in the World of Light. With the vast majority of the roster being unlockable, unlocking characters is advertised as a core feature of the game; no characters are left "secret" like in previous games, and character unlocks are designed to occur at a more streamlined and consistent pace than in previous games.

In the World of Light, only characters that have been awakened in that mode can be used, with only Kirby initially being available. However, awakening a fighter in the World of Light that is not a starter character also unlocks them for the regular roster as well.

Fighters

Below is a table listing the stage and music for each character's unlock battle. It also includes the order they are unlocked in as time-based challenges.

Order Character Stage Music
1st Ness (SSBU) Ness Onett (hazards off) Bein' Friends
2nd Zelda (SSBU) Zelda Temple Ocarina of Time Medley
3rd Bowser (SSBU) Bowser Mushroom Kingdom U King Bowser - Super Mario Bros. 3
4th Pit (SSBU) Pit Skyworld Underworld
5th Inkling (SSBU) Inkling Moray Towers Splattack!
6th Villager (SSBU) Villager Smashville Title Theme - Animal Crossing
7th Marth (SSBU) Marth Castle Siege Story 5 Meeting
8th Young Link (SSBU) Young Link Great Bay Saria's Theme
9th Wii Fit Trainer (SSBU) Wii Fit Trainer Wii Fit Studio Main Menu - Wii Fit
10th Ice Climbers (SSBU) Ice Climbers Summit Ice Climber (Brawl)
11th Captain Falcon (SSBU) Captain Falcon Port Town Aero Dive F-ZERO Medley
12th Peach (SSBU) Peach Princess Peach's Castle Rolling Hills A
13th Ryu (SSBU) Ryu Battlefield Ryu Stage
14th Ike (SSBU) Ike Coliseum Eternal Bond
15th Jigglypuff (SSBU) Jigglypuff Saffron City Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (64)
16th King K. Rool (SSBU) King K. Rool Jungle Japes Gang-Plank Galleon
17th Sonic (SSBU) Sonic Green Hill Zone Green Hill Zone
18th Simon (SSBU) Simon Dracula's Castle Vampire Killer (Remix)
19th Zero Suit Samus (SSBU) Zero Suit Samus Brinstar Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior
20th Little Mac (SSBU) Little Mac Boxing Ring (Punch-Out!!) Jogging / Countdown
21st Isabelle (SSBU) Isabelle Town and City Plaza / Title Theme - Animal Crossing: City Folk / Animal Crossing: Wild World
22nd Shulk (SSBU) Shulk Gaur Plain Xenoblade Chronicles Medley
23rd Lucina (SSBU) Lucina Arena Ferox Id (Purpose)
24th Wario (SSBU) Wario WarioWare, Inc. WarioWare, Inc.
25th Ridley (SSBU) Ridley Norfair Vs. Ridley
26th Pokémon Trainer (SSBU) Pokémon Trainer Pokémon Stadium Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)
27th Lucario (SSBU) Lucario Spear Pillar Battle! (Team Galactic)
28th Daisy (SSBU) Daisy Figure-8 Circuit Mario Tennis / Mario Golf
29th Roy (SSBU) Roy Castle Siege Beyond Distant Skies - Roy's Departure
30th King Dedede (SSBU) King Dedede Fountain of Dreams King Dedede's Theme (Brawl)
31st R.O.B. (SSBU) R.O.B. Wrecking Crew Stack-Up/Gyromite
32nd Falco (SSBU) Falco Corneria Star Fox Medley
33rd Luigi (SSBU) Luigi Luigi's Mansion Main Theme - Luigi's Mansion
34th Pichu (SSBU) Pichu Pokémon Stadium 2 Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley
35th Richter (SSBU) Richter Dracula's Castle Divine Bloodlines
36th Lucas (SSBU) Lucas New Pork City Unfounded Revenge / Smashing Song of Praise
37th Diddy Kong (SSBU) Diddy Kong Kongo Falls Stickerbush Symphony
38th Meta Knight (SSBU) Meta Knight Halberd Meta Knight's Revenge
39th Snake (SSBU) Snake Shadow Moses Island Encounter
40th Ganondorf (SSBU) Ganondorf Bridge of Eldin Death Mountain
41st Corrin (SSBU) Corrin Coliseum Lost in Thoughts All Alone (Remix)
42nd Mega Man (SSBU) Mega Man Wily Castle Mega Man 2 Medley
43rd Bayonetta (SSBU) Bayonetta Umbra Clock Tower Let's Hit The Climax!
44th Toon Link (SSBU) Toon Link Pirate Ship Dragon Roost Island
45th Rosalina & Luma (SSBU) Rosalina & Luma Mario Galaxy Egg Planet (Remix)
46th Incineroar (SSBU) Incineroar Boxing Ring (Super Smash Bros.) The Battle at the Summit!
47th Sheik (SSBU) Sheik Gerudo Valley Gerudo Valley (Remix)
48th Olimar (SSBU) Olimar Distant Planet Main Theme - Pikmin (Remix)
49th Pac-Man (SSBU) Pac-Man Pac-Land PAC-MAN
50th Dark Samus (SSBU) Dark Samus Frigate Orpheon Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
51st Wolf (SSBU) Wolf Lylat Cruise Star Wolf (Brawl)
52nd Mr. Game & Watch (SSBU) Mr. Game & Watch Flat Zone X Flat Zone 2
53rd Robin (SSBU) Robin Castle Siege Prelude (Ablaze)
54th Dark Pit (SSBU) Dark Pit Reset Bomb Forest Dark Pit's Theme
55th Cloud (SSBU) Cloud Midgar Fight On!
56th Duck Hunt (SSBU) Duck Hunt Duck Hunt Duck Hunt Medley
57th Ken (SSBU) Ken Boxing Ring (Punch-Out!!) Ken Stage
58th Greninja (SSBU) Greninja Kalos Pokémon League Battle! (Trainer Battle) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y
59th Chrom (SSBU) Chrom Arena Ferox Id (Purpose) (Remix)
60th Mewtwo (SSBU) Mewtwo Spear Pillar Battle! (Dialga/Palkia) / Spear Pillar
61st Bowser Jr. (SSBU) Bowser Jr. Delfino Plaza Delfino Plaza (Remix)
62nd Dr. Mario (SSBU) Dr. Mario New Donk City Hall Fever
63rd Palutena (SSBU) Palutena Palutena's Temple Destroyed Skyworld

Challenger Approaching

In a Challenger Approaching fight, the character must be fought in a one-on-one fight, with the stage and music being specific to that fighter. The difficulty of Challenger Approaching fights start out at being very low, but progressively increases with each character unlocked. If the player loses the fight, they can redo the Challenger Approaching fight via Challenger's Approach on the Games and More menu after a few minutes pass.

All characters except Mii Fighters can be unlocked in a Challenger Approaching fight. Instead, each Mii Fighter can be unlocked by creating a custom Mii Fighter of that type. However, Mii Fighters may also be unlocked by awakening them in the World of Light.

Timed encounters

When the player finishes a VS. match, a Mob Smash, a Spirit Board fight or exits the World of Light, a new character can challenge the player to a Challenger Approaching duel. However, the player must then wait 10 minutes before a new Challenger Approaching challenge will be issued. This 10 minute cooldown can be bypassed by closing the game and reopening it.

Time-based Challenger Approaching challenges are issued in a specific order, skipping any characters unlocked in the World of Light or whose Challenger Approaching fight has already been triggered due to Classic Mode.

Classic Mode

When the player completes Classic Mode with a given character, a new character will challenge the player to a Challenger Approaching duel. All of the eight starter characters have their own character unlock trees, each with eight characters to unlock, except for Pikachu, who has seven. The challenger is determined by the 1st Player character's assigned tree, and will be the next character from the top of their tree down (as indicated on the table below) who has not already been unlocked or issued a Challenger Approaching duel.

When all the characters in a tree are unlocked, completing Classic Mode with those characters will unlock the next available character in Mario's tree, then Donkey Kong's, and so on. Completing Classic Mode with downloadable fighters will also unlock fighters in this order, as these characters are not assigned an unlock tree.

The Challenger Approaching duels are the same as those issued on a timed basis, this is simply another way to trigger them. Notably, all clones, semi-clones, and pseudo-clones except for Ganondorf, Roy, and Chrom are in the same tree as the character they are based on.

Unlock Order Mario (SSBU) Donkey Kong (SSBU) Link (SSBU) Samus (SSBU) Yoshi (SSBU) Kirby (SSBU) Fox (SSBU) Pikachu (SSBU)
1st Sonic (SSBU) Bowser (SSBU) King K. Rool (SSBU) Inkling (SSBU) Lucario (SSBU) Ness (SSBU) Captain Falcon (SSBU) Villager (SSBU)
2nd Bayonetta (SSBU) Pokémon Trainer (SSBU) Ice Climbers (SSBU) Wii Fit Trainer (SSBU) Marth (SSBU) Jigglypuff (SSBU) Zero Suit Samus (SSBU) Shulk (SSBU)
3rd Little Mac (SSBU) Rosalina & Luma (SSBU) Simon (SSBU) Pit (SSBU) Ryu (SSBU) Pac-Man (SSBU) Peach (SSBU) R.O.B. (SSBU)
4th Ike (SSBU) King Dedede (SSBU) Meta Knight (SSBU) Incineroar (SSBU) Ganondorf (SSBU) Zelda (SSBU) Falco (SSBU) Mega Man (SSBU)
5th Luigi (SSBU) Sheik (SSBU) Snake (SSBU) Dark Samus (SSBU) Lucina (SSBU) Robin (SSBU) Daisy (SSBU) Isabelle (SSBU)
6th Roy (SSBU) Greninja (SSBU) Young Link (SSBU) Cloud (SSBU) Ridley (SSBU) Corrin (SSBU) Bowser Jr. (SSBU) Mr. Game & Watch (SSBU)
7th Dr. Mario (SSBU) Diddy Kong (SSBU) Richter (SSBU) Wario (SSBU) Chrom (SSBU) Lucas (SSBU) Wolf (SSBU) Pichu (SSBU)
8th Olimar (SSBU) Duck Hunt (SSBU) Toon Link (SSBU) Dark Pit (SSBU) Ken (SSBU) Palutena (SSBU) Mewtwo (SSBU) None

World of Light

In World of Light, each fighter must be unlocked through a fighter battle, with a few exceptions:

Kirby (SSBU) Kirby is always available from the beginning.
Bowser (SSBU) Bowser is unlocked after defeating Giga Bowser within the Molten Fortress sub-world in The Light Realm.
Piranha Plant (SSBU) Joker (SSBU) Hero (SSBU) Banjo & Kazooie (SSBU) Terry (SSBU) Byleth (SSBU) Min Min (SSBU) Steve (SSBU) Sephiroth (SSBU) PyraMythra (SSBU) Kazuya (SSBU) Sora (SSBU) Downloadable fighters are directly available once finished downloading them, after freeing a total of 10 fighters. If a file is loaded where those conditions have been already met previously before downloading them, they will be made instantly available.

The fighter battles all feature the same single condition: Win the battle to awaken the fighter

No. Image Name Type Power Stage Music Location
01
Mario SSBU.png
Mario
Neutral
Neutral
2,500 Final Destination Final Destination In The Light Realm (right at the beginning)
02
Donkey Kong SSBU.png
Donkey Kong
Grab
Grab
3,300 Kongo Jungle Ω Jungle Level (64) In The Light Realm (middle of the western jungle)
03
Link SSBU.png
Link
Shield
Shield
3,600 Great Plateau Tower Ω Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild In The Light Realm (the Sheikah Tower in the south)
04
Samus SSBU.png
Samus
Shield
Shield
7,500 Brinstar Ω Title Theme - Metroid In The Light Realm (just beyond the light breach)
04ε
Dark Samus SSBU.png
Dark Samus
Grab
Grab
12,500 Frigate Orpheon Ω Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes In The Final Battle area (dark side)
05
Yoshi SSBU.png
Yoshi
Grab
Grab
3,600 Super Happy Tree Ω Obstacle Course - Yoshi's Island In The Light Realm (in the ribbon hills)
07
Fox SSBU.png
Fox
Shield
Shield
3,700 Corneria Ω Star Fox Medley In The Light Realm (before the red button in the heart pond)
08
Pikachu SSBU.png
Pikachu
Attack
Attack
3,300 Pokémon Stadium Ω Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Melee) In The Light Realm (the rapids above the wall)
09
Luigi SSBU.png
Luigi
Grab
Grab
10,600 Luigi's Mansion Ω Main Theme - Luigi's Mansion In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, in the flames)
10
Ness SSBU.png
Ness
Attack
Attack
7,500 Magicant Ω Magicant (for 3DS / Wii U) In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, in the pink clouds)
11
Captain Falcon SSBU.png
Captain Falcon
Attack
Attack
3,300 Port Town Aero Dive Ω F-ZERO Medley In The Light Realm (race track east of the starting area)
12
Jigglypuff SSBU.png
Jigglypuff
Shield
Shield
3,300 Mushroom Kingdom U Ω Road to Viridian City - Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue In The Light Realm (forest north of the starting area)
13
Peach SSBU.png
Peach
Grab
Grab
7,500 Mushroom Kingdom U (Slide Lift Tower) Fortress Boss - Super Mario World In The Light Realm (in the Molten Fortress sub-world)
13ε
Daisy SSBU.png
Daisy
Attack
Attack
10,600 Mushroom Kingdom U (Slide Lift Tower) Underground Theme - Super Mario Land In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
15
Ice Climbers SSBU.png
Ice Climbers
Grab
Grab
7,500 Summit Ω Ice Climber (Brawl) In The Light Realm (bottom of the icy mountain)
16
Sheik SSBU.png
Sheik
Shield
Shield
2,500 Final Destination Final Destination In The Light Realm, one of the 3 starter routes (north route)
17
Zelda SSBU.png
Zelda
Shield
Shield
10,100 Temple Ω Ocarina of Time Medley In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, in Kakariko Village)
18
Dr. Mario SSBU.png
Dr. Mario
Shield
Shield
3,400 Mario Bros. Ω Fever In The Light Realm (north of the city towards the ribbon hills)
19
Pichu SSBU.png
Pichu
Attack
Attack
7,500 Prism Tower Ω Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley In The Light Realm (in the Power Plant sub-world)
20
Falco SSBU.png
Falco
Attack
Attack
7,500 Lylat Cruise Ω Space Armada In The Light Realm (the space area, on the yellow planet)
21
Marth SSBU.png
Marth
Attack
Attack
2,500 Final Destination Final Destination In The Light Realm, one of the 3 starter routes (west route)
21ε
Lucina SSBU.png
Lucina
Attack
Attack
10,000 Arena Ferox Ω Id (Purpose) In The Dark Realm (south-eastern path)
22
Young Link SSBU.png
Young Link
Grab
Grab
10,300 Temple Ω Saria's Song In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, in the Lost Woods)
23
Ganondorf SSBU.png
Ganondorf
Attack
Attack
10,700 Bridge of Eldin Ω Death Mountain In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, in the Gerudo Fortress)
24
Mewtwo SSBU.png
Mewtwo
Grab
Grab
12,000 Spear Pillar Ω Battle! (Dialga/Palkia) / Spear Pillar In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, in the red-leafed trees)
25
Roy SSBU.png
Roy
Attack
Attack
12,500 Castle Siege Ω Beyond Distant Skies - Roy's Departure In The Final Battle area (light side)
25ε
Chrom SSBU.png
Chrom
Attack
Attack
10,600 Castle Siege Ω Id (Purpose) (Remix) In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, by jumping into a treasure chest in the Lost Woods)
26
Mr. Game & Watch SSBU.png
Mr. Game & Watch
Shield
Shield
7,500 Flat Zone X Ω Flat Zone 2 In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, in the maze)
27
Meta Knight SSBU.png
Meta Knight
Attack
Attack
11,800 Halberd Ω Meta Knight's Revenge In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world)
28
Pit SSBU.png
Pit
Shield
Shield
3,300 Skyworld Ω Underworld In The Light Realm (in the Temple of Light sub-world)
28ε
Dark Pit SSBU.png
Dark Pit
Shield
Shield
11,200 Reset Bomb Forest Ω Dark Pit's Theme In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world, through a fireplace)
29
Zero Suit Samus SSBU.png
Zero Suit Samus
Grab
Grab
7,500 Brinstar Depths Ω Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, on the volcano)
30
Wario SSBU.png
Wario
Attack
Attack
10,100 WarioWare, Inc. Ω WarioWare, Inc. In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
31
Snake SSBU.png
Snake
Grab
Grab
9,000 Final Destination Encounter In The Light Realm (in the Base sub-world)
32
Ike SSBU.png
Ike
Attack
Attack
11,200 Coliseum Ω Eternal Bond In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world)
33-35
Pokemon Trainer SSBU.png
Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard)
Attack
Attack
7,500 Battlefield Ω Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl) In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, east of the coastal town)
36
Diddy Kong SSBU.png
Diddy Kong
Grab
Grab
9,000 Kongo Jungle Ω Stickerbrush Symphony In The Light Realm (in the DK Island sub-world)
37
Lucas SSBU.png
Lucas
Shield
Shield
6,600 New Pork City Ω Unfounded Revenge / Smashing Song of Praise In The Light Realm (in the western village)
38
Sonic SSBU.png
Sonic
Attack
Attack
9,800 Green Hill Zone Ω Green Hill Zone In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, between Kakariko Village and the Lost Woods)
39
King Dedede SSBU.png
King Dedede
Attack
Attack
9,000 Fountain of Dreams Ω King Dedede's Theme (Brawl) In The Light Realm (in the Gourmet Race sub-world, after obtaining a score of 11)
40
Olimar SSBU.png
Olimar
Grab
Grab
3,300 Distant Planet Ω Main Theme - Pikmin In The Light Realm (the mushroom forest)
41
Lucario SSBU.png
Lucario
Attack
Attack
3,300 Spear Pillar Ω Battle! (Team Galactic) In The Light Realm (along the wall, near the light breach)
42
R.O.B. SSBU.png
R.O.B.
Shield
Shield
10,500 Wrecking Crew Ω Stack-Up/Gyromite In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, eastern optional path)
43
Toon Link SSBU.png
Toon Link
Attack
Attack
7,500 Wuhu Island Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes In The Light Realm (in the Forest Hill sub-world)
44
Wolf SSBU.png
Wolf
Attack
Attack
11,800 Lylat Cruise Ω Star Wolf (Brawl) In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, on the crashed plane)
45
Villager SSBU.png
Villager
Grab
Grab
2,500 Final Destination Final Destination In The Light Realm, one of the 3 starter routes (east route)
46
Mega Man SSBU.png
Mega Man
Shield
Shield
7,500 Wily Castle Ω Mega Man 2 Medley In The Light Realm (near the Base entrance)
47
Wii Fit Trainer SSBU.png
Wii Fit Trainer
Shield
Shield
3,300 Wii Fit Studio Ω Yoga In The Light Realm (northern part of the city)
48
Rosalina & Luma SSBU.png
Rosalina & Luma
Shield
Shield
10,000 Mario Galaxy Ω Egg Planet In The Dark Realm (northern path, 2nd path from the left)
49
Little Mac SSBU.png
Little Mac
Attack
Attack
3,300 Boxing Ring Ω Jogging / Countdown In The Light Realm (in the city's stadium after clearing Power Plant)
50
Greninja SSBU.png
Greninja
Shield
Shield
10,600 Kalos Pokémon League Ω Battle! (Trainer Battle) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world)
51
Mii Brawler SSBU.png
Mii Brawler
Attack
Attack
10,000 Final Destination Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, in Kakariko Village after setting the clock to 4:40)
52
Mii Swordfighter SSBU.png
Mii Swordfighter
Shield
Shield
3,300 Final Destination Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U In The Light Realm (north of the eastern town)
53
Mii Gunner SSBU.png
Mii Gunner
Grab
Grab
7,500 Tortimer Island Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, on the southern island)
54
Palutena SSBU.png
Palutena
Attack
Attack
12,500 Palutena's Temple Ω Destroyed Skyworld In The Final Battle area (light side after beating Crazy Hand)
55
Pac-Man SSBU.png
Pac-Man
Grab
Grab
3,300 Pac-Land Ω PAC-MAN In The Light Realm (between the mushroom forest and Base)
56
Robin SSBU.png
Robin
Grab
Grab
10,700 Castle Siege Ω Prelude (Ablaze) In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
57
Shulk SSBU.png
Shulk
Attack
Attack
8,200 Gaur Plain Ω Xenoblade Chronicles Medley In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, atop the waterfall)
58
Bowser Jr. SSBU.png
Bowser Jr.
Grab
Grab
12,500 Mushroomy Kingdom Ω Fortress Boss - Super Mario Bros. 3 In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, on top of a pyramid in the Gerudo Desert)
59
Duck Hunt SSBU.png
Duck Hunt
Grab
Grab
3,300 Duck Hunt Ω Duck Hunt Medley In The Light Realm (in the shrouded forest)
60
Ryu SSBU.png
Ryu
Attack
Attack
9,000 Suzaku Castle Ω Ryu Stage In The Light Realm (in the World Tour sub-world)
60ε
Ken SSBU.png
Ken
Neutral
Neutral
10,600 Boxing Ring Ω Ken Stage In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
61
Cloud SSBU.png
Cloud
Attack
Attack
11,200 Midgar Ω Fight On! In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, before the Master Sword)
62
Corrin SSBU.png
Corrin
Shield
Shield
10,700 Castle Siege Ω Lost in Thoughts All Alone In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, on white clouds)
63
Bayonetta SSBU.png
Bayonetta
Shield
Shield
12,500 Umbra Clock Tower Ω Let's Hit the Climax! In The Final Battle area (dark side after beating Master Hand)
64
Inkling SSBU.png
Inkling
Attack
Attack
3,300 Moray Towers Ω Splattack! In The Light Realm (southern part of the city)
65
Ridley SSBU.png
Ridley
Attack
Attack
10,600 Brinstar Depths Ω Vs. Ridley (Brawl) In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
66
Simon SSBU.png
Simon
Grab
Grab
7,500 Dracula's Castle Ω Vampire Killer In The Light Realm (in the Temple of Light sub-world)
66ε
Richter SSBU.png
Richter
Grab
Grab
11,800 Dracula's Castle Ω Divine Bloodlines In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world, after killing all evil ghosts)
67
King K. Rool SSBU.png
King K. Rool
Attack
Attack
10,600 Pirate Ship Gang-Plank Galleon In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, the pirate ship optional path)
68
Isabelle SSBU.png
Isabelle
Grab
Grab
3,900 Town and City Ω Plaza / Title Theme - Animal Crossing: City Folk / Animal Crossing: Wild World In The Light Realm (east of the town by taking the bus from the western village)
69
Incineroar SSBU.png
Incineroar
Attack
Attack
12,500 Spear Pillar Ω The Battle at the Summit! In The Dark Realm (south-western path)

Gallery

Trivia

  • In each of his unlockable appearances, Ness has always been the first one unlocked through Vs. Mode matches.
  • Super Smash Bros. 64 is the only game in the series in which playing VS. Mode matches cannot trigger a "Challenger Approaching" battle, and the only game in which each unlockable character only has a single unlock criterion.
    • Conversely, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the first game which does not have unique unlock criteria to unlock unlockable characters.
  • When a player fights a secret character to unlock in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, their character always uses their default costume even if the player was originally using an alternative costume.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, each character unlock notification has a different tone depending on the debut game of the character.
    • Strangely, Jigglypuff's unlock notification tone is the same as the Brawl newcomers despite debuting in Super Smash Bros. 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.
    • Super Smash Bros. 64 newcomers (except Jigglypuff) use "Rare Trophy" from Melee, Super Smash Bros. Melee newcomers use the stage unlock fanfare from Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl newcomers (and Jigglypuff) use the sound effect in Brawl when collecting songs or completing minor challenges.
  • In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, unlock matches are treated as VS. Mode matches - that is, they count towards the total number of VS. Mode matches, and all statistics accumulated during unlock matches are saved.
  • 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.
  • In Super Smash Bros. 64, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the AI level of unlockable character fights starts out very low, but increases with each consecutive character unlocked.
    • In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the opposite is the case.
    • In Ultimate, the difficulty of the AI was lowered in patch 1.2.0, after notorious reports of the level of difficulty for each match.
  • Counting Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U separately, Jigglypuff, Falco, and Mr. Game & Watch are tied for the most unlockable appearances, with five each.
    • Of the three of them, Jigglypuff is the only one to have an appearance as something other than an unlockable. This appearance was in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • Wario was the first starter character to become an unlockable character in a later installment.
  • Pokémon Trainer is the only character whose moveset involves transforming into another character to become unlockable.
  • Prior to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the only unlockable characters whose playable status was not kept a secret in official material prior to release were Snake and Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Lucina in Super Smash Bros. 4.
    • Out of all of these, Lucina is the only one who is not a third-party character.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the first game to have more unlockable characters than starter characters, and the first game to feature unlockable characters on the box art.
  • While Sephiroth is a downloadable fighter rather than unlockable, from 17 December to 22 December 2020, defeating him through the limited-time Sephiroth Challenge enabled access to him, Northern Cave and his music if the player had purchased Challenger Pack 8 or Fighters Pass Vol. 2 prior to his official release.
  • In Ultimate, Villager and Isabelle can have different music play during their regular unlock battles. Specifically, when they're unlocked between 8:00pm and 12:00am on Saturday, K.K. Slider will perform.

See also

  1. ^ a b c Toon Link, Wolf and Jigglypuff appear after completing story mode and revisiting the stage to find a hidden door. Entering the door intiates a one stock match against the character. Win and the character joins the team.