So far, three of the DLC characters from the Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2 have been revealed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch. In the two years since the game’s release, many fan theories have been concocted to figure out how Nintendo picks the game’s DLC fighters, but Vol. 2 has proven that it’s quite difficult to guess which might make the cut. A number of these theories have been debunked over the last year, and it’s making fans realize just how hard it is to figure out director Masahiro Sakurai’s plans for the game!
One fan theory that persisted online is that third parties would not receive multiple DLC fighters. The Super Smash Bros. franchise has expanded over the previous few entries to include third-party fighters, but Nintendo has been careful on how many characters to add from outside publishers. Both Microsoft and Square Enix received DLC fighters in Ultimate, in the form of Banjo-Kazooie and Steve for the former, and Hero and Sephiroth for the latter. Sephiroth’s inclusion also squashed a theory that Nintendo is exclusively focusing on heroic characters from third party publishers, as opposed to villains.
Another fan theory debunked by Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2 was that the presence of a Spirit in the game meant that the character would not appear as a playable fighter. The first fighter revealed for this DLC set was Min Min, a character that debuted in ARMS. Min Min had previously appeared as a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but went on to become a full-fledged fighter, giving hope to other characters currently in the game as Spirits.
While Spirits can’t be seen as a way of debunking playable fighters anymore, it seems that Mii Fighter costumes are still indicative of characters that won’t make it in the game via DLC. ComicBook.com predicted that Geno would not make the cut in the Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2 after the revelation that Sephiroth would be included in the game. A few short days after this article went live, Nintendo revealed a Mii Fighter skin for the character. King K. Rool is a playable character that first appeared as a Mii Fighter skin, but that was in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. The character made the cut in the following game, proving that there is (eventual) hope for those added as Mii Fighter skins.
One theory that has yet to be disproven is the Amiibo theory. Fans have used the release dates for Amiibo figures based on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to correctly guess when the majority of the DLC fighters would be revealed. The theory is not fool-proof, but it does seem fairly accurate. Readers can find out more about it right here.
At the end of the day, it seems that Nintendo and Masahiro Sakurai will always make the call that they feel is right for the game, no matter what fans think will be the case. It’s fun to speculate and create these types of theories, but at the end of the day, it seems that the game’s DLC fighters are much harder to guess than anyone had anticipated!
Are there any theories you subscribe to when it comes to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? What character do you think will be revealed next? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
