Smash or No Class

By Ryan Bright

Photo of Super Smash Amiibos, taken by Flicker

Smash or Pass! Fighters from across the multiverse have been invited to join the greatest brawl game in history. Over the span of “Super Smash Bros Ultimate’s” life, fighter passes introduced many new characters for players to wield in combat. Looking back, there is a lot to talk about. Were these characters as good as they seemed? What characters took the passes beyond the norm?

Fighter Pass 1

Starting off strong, Nintendo released Joker from “Persona 5.” This character really hyped up the fighter pass, being one of—if not the best of—the new champions. Following Joker’s release, Hero was released from “Dragon Quest.” Although this character became a meme for its insane gameplay, it failed to meet the same hype as Joker. 

The next fighter was hit or miss. Banjo-Kazooie was released with excitement from some, but was poorly received by many players. Banjo just seems underwhelming and undeserving of the chance they were given. Choosing to play it safe, Nintendo released Terry from “SNK.” Terry felt good, introducing a new style of play, but with a nice dose of familiarity. Byleth, the fifth and final member of the fighter pass brought with them a hoard of controversy. Many players felt that Nintendo was lacking in variety. Being yet another “Fire Emblem” character as well as a sword user, Byleth was hated even before release. Realistically, a lot of the hate was undeserved as Byleth featured a range of new abilities that were both unique and engaging, rather than the standard sword slash gameplay seen before.

Fighter Pass 2

Min Min, a long range Melee fighter with a weapon swap mechanic, made her debut at the start of the second pass. She was received well; players were appreciative of such a unique and fun character. No one even thought for a moment that following Min Min’s release would come one of the greatest new fighters, Steve. This Minecraft Icon hit the pass with a wave of support. The players of all generations were happy to see his arrival. Unlike a lot of the other fighters, Steve has had unmatched popularity due to the massive success of his mother game. Returning again to the Smash Brothers series was “Final Fantasy” with their new fighter Sepheroth. Although there was overall hesitancy, the community gradually grew into his spell swipe kit, using both arcane and steel to defeat his enemies. Pyra and Mythra, the next champion of the game failed to appeal, as they were found to be quite strong and rather annoying, with little to no counterplay if used well. The most disappointing of the fighters was that of Kazuya, from “Tekken.” This martial arts demon in concept was good, but visually and thematically felt too close to previous characters such as Ryu and Terry, both melee fighters with very similar styles. Finally Sora from “Kingdom Hearts” was added after much request from the community, proving to be a strong and memorable choice for the final member to join the Smash rosters. As a fan favorite, Sora slid right into place among the rest of the cast.

There have always been many choices for new additions to the Smash Bros franchise and although it is certain that one will not surely be able to see them all achieve that feat, the fighters added will surely be strong reminders of pop culture gaming.