Super Smash Bros Ultimate Characters Ranked
The new Super Smash Bros characters are mind-blowing, to say the least. Prior to Super Smash Bros Ultimate, third-party characters like Snake, Sonic, and Pac-Man, all made rosters, but it was far from what we’re accustomed to today.
Smash Ultimate has every gamer covered. It includes heavy fan favorites like King K. Rool from Donkey Kong and Ridley from Metroid. And the game also has deep-cuts that no one saw coming like Banjo-Kazooie and Terry from Fatal Fury.
So today, let’s rank all the new Super Smash Bros characters. In doing so, we’ll rank characters by design, how fun each is to play, and the overall hype from their inclusion.
*#11 Byleth (adding another character who looks and sounds like the other 10 makes for a weak addition)
10. Isabelle (Animal Crossing)
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Isabelle was confirmed to be a playable fighter on September 13, 2018. This is Nintendo Switch’s number 68 title. In her reveal trailer, she’s seen working around the mayor’s office while he’s out camping and playing Smash. Pete sends her a letter and she’s shocked to find out it’s an invitation to Smash. In her trailer, she asks for the viewers to cheer her on, which many did. Her semi-clones include Villager, also a confirmed character in Ultimate.
9. Incineroar (Pokémon)
Incineroar made his debut in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a new fighter. The moves it uses include Darkest Lariat, Revenge, and Cross Chop, as well as its signature Z-Move, Malicious Moonsault (renamed Max Malicious Moonsault). ‘Alolan Whip’ is another move that does not draw inspiration from any previous move.
8. Hero (Dragon Quest)
A costume for the Hero (referred to by creator Masahiro Sakurai as “Eight”) appears in Dragon Quest XI, III, and IV. A Dragovian king sword and shield are at his disposal. Eight not only changes palettes to match Hero but also loses his immunity to curses for gameplay purposes.
As a Hero, this costume appears as the main opponent of Stage 5 when playing in Classic Mode. In reference to Munchie, he is fought on the Battlefield version of Gaur Plains (from Xenoblade Chronicles).
There aren’t any bad additions amongst the new Smash Bros characters (except the upcoming Arms character; who the hell greenlit that shit). That being said, somebody has to fall to the bottom tier and we’re going with Isabelle, Incineroar, and Hero.
Isabelle, from the Animal Crossing series, had some serious hype backing her with an endearing announcement video. But once players got their hands on the character, and realized how gimmicky her move-set turned out to be, Isabelle immediately fell in popularity.
Conversely, Incineroar suffers from a much different problem. No one was hyped for the character as a Pokémon representative is expected. But Incineroar himself has a fun, simple move-set that gamers of all levels can appreciate. Additionally, throwing someone off the ropes and duplexing them is always fun.
And now onto the elephant in the room: Hero. Seeing Nintendo partner with Dragon Quest is exciting, but the character himself became the most controversial inclusion in Ultimate. Though we must say, it’s always fun to troll with Hero’s RNG move-set.
7. Inkling (Splatoon),
One of the new characters in Super Smash Bros. is Inkling. Ultimate. There are some unique aspects to this fighter, such as managing an ink meter that must be spent on certain moves. It can be a bit tricky to get the Inkling right, so here’s a list of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Inkling tips are below:
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As an offensive or defensive player, Inkling has very fast movement options.
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By inking your opponents, you can multiply your damage.
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To begin a combo, use the Down Throw.
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Keep your ink meter topped up if you want to inflict good knockback with smash attacks.
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To refill the ink meter, hold Special and Shield.
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It is great for approaching enemies, as it will ground them if it hits them.
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Up Smash will kill you at relatively low percentages from this grounded state.
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A Back Throw can launch an enemy off a nearby ledge and kill them.
6. Simon/Richter Belmont
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate introduces a new character named Richter. It is easy for him to punish at range because he has great fighting skills. Despite his poor recovery, he can easily knock someone out if he is not careful. Here are some key Super Smash Bros. games tips to help you out.
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Richter’s Holy Cross is particularly impressive due to its range.
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To retreat behind a shield wall made from Holy Water is possible.
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The air move has low lag and a high range, so it should be used frequently.
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As often as possible, throw the Holy Cross into the trash.
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As ugly as it might look, the axe throw can be effective in punishing enemies who attempt to return to the stage.
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Taking Holy Water to axe and forward air is a relatively simple combo to accomplish.
5. Ridley (Metroid)
Ridley (リドリー Ridley?) is a character in the Metroid series, who generally appears as a boss in later games. The bloodthirsty leader of the Space Pirates, Ridley is the arch-nemesis of Samus Aran, the protagonist of the Metroid series. As a child, he murdered her parents.
Ridley has appeared in some form in all games in the Super Smash Bros. series, but it wasn’t until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it was an incredible achievement, to make him a playable character. Super Smash Bros. saw him take on a greater role than in the first two.
Moving onto our mid-tier picks for favorite amongst the new Smash Bros characters. Our picks of Inkling from Splatoon, the Belmonts from Castlevania, and Ridley from Metroid prove you don’t have to be the best competitive characters to have a special place in our hearts.
Inkling is one of the best characters in the game from a competitive Smash perspective. However, the character didn’t blow any minds with hype — in fact, Inkling felt like such a mild inclusion that they feel like they’ve always been in the Smash series. The character is fun to play, however, just not one of our favorites.
Now the Belmonts on the other hand had a fantastic debut trailer. Heck, just thinking about all the Castlevania music in Smash Bros got gamers hyped. And when it comes to a truthful adaptation, the Belmonts are some of the best work the Smash Bros devs have ever done.
Closing out this mid-tier section is Ridley, who broke the internet with his announcement trailer. Nobody saw this coming: “He’s too big,” fan boards would always say. Then the madman behind the Smash Bros series, Masahiro Sakurai gave the middle finger to everyone and made it happen.
4. Terry (Fatal Fury)
Prepare for the arrival of the king of fighters! Terry Bogard, one of the characters from the FATAL FURY series, is now playable in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game for the Nintendo Switch system. Director Masahiro Sakurai, who was responsible for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate showcased Terry Bogard and 50 music tracks from a collection of SNK games.
3. King K. Rool (Donkey Kong Country)
Helicopter pack is King K. Rool’s special attack generated by pressing the Up B button in the game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. While it has a small chance to damage an opponent who touches the propeller, its main function is specifically for stage recovery. In his helicopter pack, K. Rool has surprising mobility, making him capable of recovering easily from long distances.
Another Ace-class Spirit of Baron K. Roolenstein is also available, which increases both offense and defense but has no special powers.
2. Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo & Kazooie (バンジョー&カズーイ, Banjo & Kazooie) will be a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and are the first third-party fighter from Microsoft. In the E3 Nintendo Direct on June 11th, 2019, they were announced alongside Hero as the third downloadable fighter from Fighters Pass Vol. The first is. Banjo & Kazooie are Fighter #73 from Challenger Pack 3 and were released on September 4th, 2019.
In Ultimate, Chris Sutherland reprises his roles as both Banjo and Kazooie, with all of his depictions from Banjo-Kazooie repurposed.
Time to talk top-tier.
Starting off with Terry, I think only 1 percent of the internet even knew who the Fatal Fury poster boy was. Personally speaking, I saw the guy in the Fatal Fury movie years ago but had all but forgotten him. Then Smash Bros resurrected the character and made him one of the best in the game.
What makes Terry special is his learning curve. If you’re a Smash newbie you can spam his moves all day and hear him spit off his dope catchphrases. Or, if you’re a pro you can utilize the actual inputs from Fatal Fury and go to town on your opponent.
Then we have two of the craziest inclusions in Smash history…
King K. Rool sent Donkey Kong Country fans to the morgue from all the excitement. And the best part? Sakurai knew what he was doing because he trolls fans in King K. Rool’s announcement trailer.
Masahiro Sakurai is a God.
K. Rool might be a bottom-tier, combo food, noob-type character that only assholes play, but his Smash debut is the stuff of legends.
And if that wasn’t enough… Sakurai said hold my IV because I ain’t done yet. Then he collaborated with Microsoft and brought the pipedream character that is Banjo-Kazooie.
From a hype standpoint, Banjo-Kazooie is Defcon 9-type material. Moreover, they’re fun characters to play.
1. The Best Amongst The New Super Smash Bros Characters: Joker (Persona 5)
Persona 5’s Joker stands atop this list for many reasons, but the most important is that he foretold of great things to come in Smash Ultimate.
Even if you didn’t know who Joker was, you knew his inclusion meant great things for the DLC characters in Smash. Sakurai and team showed that they could bring anyone into Smash, even a character whose game is locked up as a PS4 exclusive.
Once Joker made it into Smash, it solidified the game as the Marvel Universe of video gaming. Every character is welcomed, no matter where they’re coming from.
God bless Sakurai and God bless Smash.