5 of the Best Character Inclusions in Smash Bros.

Because some characters were just great choices.

If there is one thing that’s guaranteed to get people riled up and excited, it’s the character roster for a new Super Smash Bros. game. Count me amongst the many who eagerly await new reveals and announcements as Director Sakurai-san drip feeds us them until the game’s eventual release. While some characters are less than surprising, such as now mainstays such as Zelda and Bowser, other inclusions have been a bit more, well, unexpected. Some characters have brought with them greater ramifications than just being a fighter in Smash Bros. however.

Certain characters have seen their own franchises resurrected, or expanded across the globe, their popularity exploding overnight. Such is the power of Smash Bros. Some characters are merely perfect choices because they so very well encapsulate Nintendo and its legacy, or even that of a rival company’s. Here and now, I bring you five of the best character inclusions in Smash Bros – not necessarily because everyone wanted them in the game, but because of what their inclusion in Super Smash Bros. achieved.

Pit

Being something of a younger Nintendo fan, when Pit was revealed during Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s first ever trailer, I was admittedly stumped as to who he was. However, as time went on, Pit became a well-known face amongst not just Smash Bros. players, but gamers in general. Often the butt of jokes about his overly skilled move set and updated teenage voice, nonetheless, Pit’s completely overhauled design heralded the resurrection of the Kid Icarus series, with Sakurai himself taking over the helm.

And so, thanks to Smash Bros. and its enormous influence, Kid Icarus returned a mere 21 years after its last game, back on the Game Boy. The 3D shooter, Kid Icarus: Uprising, was met with almost critical acclaim and as the series’ newfound popularity grows, supporting character Palutena has found her way into the newest Smash Bros. A good choice if I say so myself, though not as major as Pit!

Solid Snake

While I myself am not a fan of Snake’s inclusion in Brawl, as I feel his combination of stealth-infused attacks such as sleeper holds and the more realistic arsenal of weaponry he possesses clash with the overall look and feel of the Smash Bros. world, it’s undeniable the effect his inclusion had on the game and the series itself.

Certainly nobody saw it coming – it was a fantastic reveal at the end of the trailer. Yet it did more than just shock – Snake, being a third-party character, paved the way for other third-party characters to be included. His inclusion meant the list of potential candidates suddenly sky-rocketed. Now, Smash Bros. is host to all manner of characters, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man and even Pac-Man.

I still kind of hope he doesn’t return though.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Now this guy, I did recognise. Despite his annoying, attitude-laced tones and supposed ‘cool’ image, Sonic the Hedgehog is an undeniable icon of the gaming world. He’s perhaps most famous though for being SEGA’s flagship warrior in the crusade against Nintendo.

So really, his inclusion into Super Smash Bros. just shows us how far the gaming industry has come. To see Sonic duke it out with Mario in the same game was truly an incredible thing, unheard of even. Sure, they had appeared together for the first time in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games in 2007, but this was Smash Bros, perhaps Nintendo’s biggest series. To get a spot in the character roster of Smash Bros. is an enormous deal. Sonic appearing there cemented the future friendship between Nintendo and SEGA and sure enough, he’s already been confirmed for the next iteration of Smash.

Sonic’s inclusion has been replicated by the inclusion of Mega Man and Pac-Man. With Mario, Sonic, Mega Man and Pac-Man in Smash Bros, we now have four of the biggest gaming companies of all time battling for the crown that is Smash Bros. glory. And it is glorious indeed.

Marth

When I first unlocked Marth (and Roy) in Super Smash Bros. Melee, I had never heard of him. Why should I have? I was incredibly young, didn’t keep up to date with the gaming industry per se, and his series of games, Fire Emblem, had never been released outside of Japan.

However, thanks to Marth’s enormous popularity in Super Smash Bros, subsequent Fire Emblem games have been released across the world, ensuring the series’ huge growth – and rightly so. The strategy series has been lauded many times, especially its most recent title, 3DS game Fire Emblem: Awakening and Marth continues to be a popular mainstay of the Smash Bros. series thanks to his speedy movement and swift, but reasonably strong attacks.

Unfortunately Roy was cut from future instalments, but has been replaced by Ike and many people hope to see Chrom in the newest game also. For a character to ensure the release of a previously isolated series across the world? Marth definitely makes this list.

Mr Game & Watch

Pictured here with Pac-Man during the latter’s reveal for Smash Bros, Mr Game & Watch is the perfect way for Nintendo to encapsulate their history. Confirming his age as being one of the oldest gaming icons (alongside Pac-Man), Mr Game & Watch is even older than Mario himself.

This odd, 2D fellow brings with him a vast array of attacks taken from his many mini-games, many of which are completely memorable even today. Mr Game & Watch is not only the perfect representation of Nintendo’s history, but why Smash Bros. is such a fantastic series. It’s a love letter to Nintendo, and nowadays not just Nintendo, but gaming itself. Including Mr Game & Watch in the character roster proves his timelessness and shows us that it’s where it all began.

That’s my list. Who do you think are some of the biggest character inclusions in Smash Bros and what kind of an effect has their inclusion had? Let me know in the comments!