Super Smash Bros. Ultimate certainly isn’t short on options for who you want to play as, with over 70 characters already in the game, 4 more unconfirmed fighters on the way in a wave of DLC, and potentially even more for years to come.
With the promise of an ever-growing roster (and, no doubt, an even bigger one in the inevitable sequel), we’re looking at some of the characters that might just be our next challengers – based not only on fan demand, but also on Nintendo’s past picks.
Here we have our assortment of 17 characters we reckon we’re most likely to see added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – and our guess as to how much of a chance they actually have of showing up.
Waluigi
Let’s just get this one out of the way first, shall we?
Just as fans were finally rewarded after begging for the inclusion of Ridley for so long, it’s only a matter of time before Nintendo add Luigi’s lanky nemesis – and rope in those delicious DLC dollars.
Having first joined the Nintendo ranks as Wario’s double’s partner in Mario Tennis, there’s no way Waluigi doesn’t come packing a tennis racquet.
Chance of appearing: 10/10
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Sonic’s friends (or enemies?)
Sonic the Hedgehog has a cast of friends and enemies to pick from with abilities that would translate perfectly to Super Smash. Tails can hover huge distances, Knuckles can glide around and punch things, Amy Rose can belt things with a hammer, and Shadow can… dual wield sub-machineguns?
Maybe the best choice, though, would be for Sonic’s nemesis Dr. Eggman / Robotnik to join the fight. Employing an army of robotic minions, he’d boast an extremely flexible moveset – and with Jim Carrey playing him in the upcoming (and slightly creepy-looking) Sonic The Hedgehog live action movie, he might be about to enjoy a new bump in popularity.
Chance of appearing: 8/10
Crono
When you think of the Super Nintendo, you think of amazing JRPGs – and there were few more amazing than Chrono Trigger. As the hero of the turn-based gem, Crono would be a great choice, and would come packing plenty of time-altering moves.
The crossbow-wielding princess Marle would be another great pick, with ice-based magic attacks. Bring them both, we reckon!
Chance of appearing: 6/10
Pauline
From ape captive to Mayor of New Donk City (and killer jazz singer), Mario’s original damsel in distress is now bossing it, becoming one of the best surprises in the beloved Super Mario Odyssey.
It’s time to spin her out into a bigger character, and as she’s heading to Mario Tennis Aces next year, she deserves a spot on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster as well – not just in the background of the New Donk City stage.
Chance of appearing: 6/10
Toad & Toadette
He may appear as a mere prop in Princess Peach’s defensive repertoire, but it’s about time he joined the ranks properly – along with his more feminine counterpart Toadette.
Working against him is the fact that the Mario series already boasts a tonne of characters clogging up the roster, but in his favour is that the adventurous little guy has recently struck out on his own as Captain Toad – giving him a nice point of difference.
Chance of appearing: 7/10
Sora
When Kingdom Hearts 3 drops, it’s going to be a massive hit. And, with Square Enix’s biggest Final Fantasy icon Cloud Strife already in Smash, it makes sense that he’s joined by another big name.
Sure, we don’t really need another hero with an over-sized sword in the Smash canon, but Sora is such a natural fit that it’s bound to happen. All it’s going to take is to convince Kingdom Hearts’ co-conspirators Disney to let its characters appear in a Nintendo property. Fingers crossed.
Chance of appearing: 8/10
Rayman, Spyro or Crash Bandicoot
Three of the most recognisable platforming stars outside of Mario himself, all three have had a resurgence in popularity in recent years off the back of some well-received new or remade entries in their respective series.
All three would fit in perfectly, and while Rayman Origins and its follow-up Legends are some of the greatest platformers of all time, our money would be on Spyro, based off the success of his Skylanders franchise and the enjoyment everyone’s getting from the recent remasters.
Chance of appearing: 6/10
Rabbid Peach
Of all the Rabbid variants, the peach version captured everyone’s hearts with her sassy, selfie-taking ways. Throw in an arsenal of explosive weapons, and this bunny is a natural inclusion.
Another option is to have a single Rabbid fighter with different costumed variants, but we’d love to see Nintendo double down on just the one instead.
Chance of appearing: 9/10
Chun-Li
Ryu and Ken make great additions to the roster, and we wouldn’t be surprised if another OG joined them. Our money’s on Chun Li, with her Spinning Bird Kick making for a great traversal option.
The biggest challenge would be diversifying her moveset away from what Ryu and Ken already offer, but by leaning into her repertoire of kicks, she could definitely be a worthy addition.
Chance of appearing: 5/10
K.K. Slider
Isabelle is a delightful, quirky presence on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate lineup, managing to take names despite her slight clumsiness. The lineup is still missing another beloved pooch, though: K.K. Slider.
The only reservation we have about K.K. Slider heading to smash is that he’s such a stone-cold chiller, and would rather play his music than fight. It’s not a character trait that has held other peace-loving characters from enjoying a bit of biff, however, so let’s see him break that guitar over someone’s head.
Chance of appearing: 3/10
Hero (Dragon Quest)
It’s one of the biggest RPG series of all time, so it’s only right the unnamed hero of one of the series’ entries gets recognised with a Smash Bros. roster slot. With variations wielding magic and weapons in equal measure, there’d be the potential for all sorts of directions to be taken.
The only roadblock we see here is the fact that the roster is already crammed with sword fighters from other JRPG series, leaving little room for another. Still, they’d be a perfect fit.
Chance of appearing: 5/10
Funky Kong
Fans are loving the addition of Donkey Kong’s nemesis King K. Rool to proceedings, so why not add in surfboard-toting cool dude mate Funky Kong too?
He’s already shown his talent in the Mario Kart series, becoming the go-to for Mario Kart Wii time trials, and shown up in a stack of other Kong titles too. Smash Bros. seems like only a matter of time!
Chance of appearing: 7/10
Shovel Knight
A beloved indie icon, Shovel Knight appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an Assist Trophy, and even has an Amiibo – but he really deserves a fully-fledged position on the Smash roster, being the star of one of the most successful crowd-funded titles of all time.
There’s one problem, though: Shovel Knight is getting its own multiplayer game, Shovel Knight Showdown, next year, and may not want to cross over. But we can hope.
Chance of appearing: 5/10
Goku
Okay, disclaimer: there are definitely a few reasons against Goku ever making his way to Smash Bros.
For one, he’s already tearing it up in the hugely popular Dragon Ball FighterZ and the anime brawler Jump Force, so he may be a bit busy at the moment. And while Dragon Ball distributor Funimation is actively campaigning Nintendo to include Goku in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, they’re not the only ones who would have to sign off on his inclusion.
Going one step further, Smash godfather Sakurai actually swore off the inclusion of any “manga” fighters – although that did happen a decade ago. And sure, perhaps the biggest argument against Goku’s inclusion is that he’s not technically a video game character… But he just seems too perfect not to include.
After all, what a moveset he’d bring with him! It’s hard to see how Goku couldn’t translate into an amazing Smash fighter, with martial arts skills, energy balls galore, and the power of flight. In fact, he’d probably be completely OP – and we’re fine with that! Just give us a Vegeta skin as well.
So, forgive us just a little bit of wishful thinking on this list, before we get to our last entry.
Chance of appearing: 2/10
A starter Pokemon from the 2019 game
Let’s be honest, this is probably the most sure-fire bet.
When the new Pokemon title hits next year, it’ll almost certainly come with a new starter monster that everyone immediately falls in love with, and is added to the Smash roster immediately just as Greninja once was.
After all, Super Smash Bros. has always been one thing above all else: cross-promotion at its very, very best.
Chance of appearing: 10/10
Who’s your pick for a character that’s guaranteed to make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at some point? Let us know in the comments below!
