Super Smash Bros. Ultimate finally completed its first Fighter’s Pass, with all five characters now playable. While Ultimate is getting six more DLC characters, this was originally planned to be the only Fighter’s Pass, so it’s worth looking back on each character and how they stack up.
We’ll be ranking the characters based more on how unique they are and what they bring overall to the game, rather than their potential for tournament play.
5. Byleth
Byleth drew plenty of criticism when they were announced, as they’re the eighth Fire Emblem character to join the roster. They do make sense, however, as Fire Emblem Three Houses is one of the biggest original games on Switch, not featuring established characters.
While Byleth certainly has some similarities to other Fire Emblem characters, their special moves help make them unique. Byleth brings the weapons of the three house leaders into battle, letting them use an axe, spear, and bow.
This gives Byleth a unique set of skills for medium and long range combat, in stark contrast to the close range of other Fire Emblem characters.
Byleth also brings the Garreg Mach Monastery stage, which is a fun albeit basic addition. Flying through the different areas of the monastery and seeing the students watch is great fun, even if it is just a flat stage.
4. Banjo & Kazooie
Undoubtedly one of the most highly requested characters, Banjo & Kazooie finally joined the franchise with Smash Bros. Ultimate. The duo works in tandem as one character, and Banjo feels like a completely natural addition to Smash.
Banjo is a semi-heavyweight character that falls somewhere in between the likes of Bowser and Wario, providing a unique option for anyone that wants a heavyweight with a little more speed.
A host of unique special attacks, like the incredibly powerful shoulder charge, also gives Banjo a wealth of options.
While Banjo is a fantastic, natural addition to Ultimate, they’re simply not as unique as the other three remaining DLC characters. On the other hand, the Spiral Mountain stage is one of the best new ones added.
3. Joker
Joker was a megaton announcement at the Game Awards in 2018, and a huge surprise as the first DLC character. He also remains one of the best yet, with his combination of quick speed and special attacks.
Joker’s unique gimmick is, of course, his ability to summon his Persona, Arsene. As you battle a gauge builds and when full you can summon Arsene to boost all of Joker’s stats as well as power up his special moves.
This creates an interesting mechanic for Joker as a comeback character, who gets more powerful for a short time. Joker is one of the fastest characters in the entire game, and he’s an absolute blast to play, even if he can’t take much damage.
As if Joker wasn’t enough on his own, the Mementos stage is brilliantly stylish, and it shifts and changes as you fight. There’s also a nice touch where the stage changes color if music from Persona 3 or 4 is playing.
2. Terry Bogard
Terry Bogard is the poster boy of the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters franchises, and it’s neat to see him fighting alongside Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter. Just like the latter, Terry has a moveset based around his own series, and boy is he a powerhouse.
Terry’s damage can be strengthened by using the proper button inputs, rather than just pressing a button, and he’ll always face the opponent he’s nearest.
Terry is technically a heavyweight character, but he has better speed than most. His aerial game is weak, but his ground game is absolutely incredible, perhaps even better than Little Mac.
He can cause serious damage with combos, and easily launch opponents at even half health. His special moves are also incredibly powerful, and really help mix up his combos to keep things unpredictable. When he’s at 100 percent damage Terry can use a super special move, making him even more dangerous when he’s at high damage.
Smash Bros. Ultimate managed to effortlessly adapt Terry into its formula, while still remaining entirely faithful to the character’s origin. The cherry on top is the staggering 50 music tracks Terry adds onto the game.
1. Hero
Dragon Quest is one of the most prolific RPG series out there, and it’s kind of amazing we haven’t seen anything from the franchise in Smash until now.
Hero works as a love letter to the entire franchise, with different costumes appearing as different heroes from across the series. He’s also one of the most unique characters in the entire game.
Hero’s main attacks are all comparable to the other sword-wielding characters in the game, although his dash and attack speed are way high. Where things really get interesting, though, is with the Hero’s special attacks.
The character has an MP gauge that depletes as you use special moves, and the down special will bring up an attack menu like in a JRPG. There are a host of options that’ll randomly appear on the menu each time you open it, making for a layer of unpredictability, both for you and your opponents.
It’s a brilliant mechanic that adapts another genre into Smash Bros, and pays homage to Dragon Quest in more ways than one. Hero shows Smash Bros at its very best when adapting prolific franchises into its formula.
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