Nintendo, and series creator Masahiro Sakurai from HAL Laboratory, would never have thought that the fun, zany, and wild party fighting game Smash Brothers would become one of the greatest and most competitive fighting game franchises in video game history. All of the characters in the game have thematic moves and are a blast to play. But the characters that really stand out are the ones with the most historic ties to Nintendo and the video game industry. With so many to choose from, and with so much history, you might be wondering who are the top 15 best characters in Super Smash Bros.? Read on to find out!
Pac Man
Namco’s Pac Man is as original and classic as you can get when it comes to arcade and video game history, so it’s a nice surprise to see his character performing so well in Super Smash. The 2D ghost-eating champion made his jump into polygon form with Pac-Man World for PlayStation but hasn’t made as much of an impact in modern gaming as he’s capable of.
Regardless, Pac Man is one of the most iconic and important characters in video game history and he even predates NES and Mario. Many historians consider him to be the first true video game character and mascot that showed what the video game medium was capable of. He also become the first video game character to get licensed across merchandise. Hopefully, the ‘ol Pacster will get more time in the limelight in his own video games, but in the meantime, being a fun and top-tier character in Super Smash Brother Ultimate means he won’t be forgotten. Eat on!
R.O.B
R.O.B, AKA Robotic Operating Buddy, originally dropped as a toy companion to the NES as a gimmick to help keep the company afloat after the video game industry crash in 1983. When used with the original NES, older CRT TVs could send flash signals to R.O.B while he was placed in front of the game while playing. This would activate his movements and gyro-spinning accessories. He had two official games; Gyromite and Stack-Up.
This guy is on the list because not only is he part of Nintendo’s history, he represents the very essence of Nintendo that aims to create innovative experiences that meld video games and toy accessories. If he wasn’t mentioned here, he’d be ROBBED of the credit he deserves.
Pikachu
Pokemon is Nintendo’s most dominant brand across the globe, and fans of the franchise, especially Pikachu fans, can rejoice in this character’s power. Overall, Pikachu is a balance of lightning projectile attacks and quick movement speed allowing him to play from a distance or with a hit and run poke style.
Not only is he a powerful force, he’s also just so cute and is the face of the Pokemon franchise. Even though there is a never-ending amount of new Poke-critters popping up, Mr. Pika Pika will always be the original character that helped start it all along with his trainer Ash. That’s why this little lightning lad easily deserves his spot in this fighting franchise.
Sonic
Sonic, AKA the blue bomber, was the original face of SEGA (aka the Mega Drive) and introduced the world to gaming at fast speeds thanks to their blast processing power! With a heated rivalry against Mario and Nintendo, it was always a gamer’s fantasy to see what would happen if the two mascots stepped into a ring to duke it out.
Especially from an 80s and 90s perspective, it would have surprised any gamer if they were told they’d one day see Sonic and Mario actually fighting in an exclusive Nintendo game. Although SEGA was sadly discontinued after the Dreamcast console, Sonic lives on and has a home on multiple consoles, and crosses over into many Nintendo games. Who would have thought that, “SEGA does what Nintendon’t,” would turn into the two doing it together…
Solid Snake
Although most gamers will know him from Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation and the following PS titles, Solid Snake originally appeared on the NES in the title Metal Gear and introduced gamers to the stealth action-adventure genre. A legendary character in his own right, Snake and his supporting cast of characters and villains have helped craft some of the most unforgettable stories in the world of video games.
Solid Snake is a must have choice because of his contribution to video games and how his roots can be traced to the NES. He has a unique fighting style with a variety of mechanics in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate that adds a more realistic action vibe while still being fun. Snake has earned his place on this list, and if we didn’t add him, he’d probably use stealth to sneak in here anyway.
Samus Aran
Samus made video game history in her own right by surprising gamers at the end of the first Metroid by revealing her identity to be the female intergalactic bounty hunter. Ask almost anyone playing the game, and no one would have told you that they thought “he” was a “she”. Way ahead of its time, Nintendo was already playing on gender stereotypes and showed its appreciated for equality and inclusivity.
Not only is she an awesome-looking character with her space armor suit, but she’s also a fun character to battle with in Smash Ultimate. Samus deserves her place on this list because she’s also come a long way in a franchise that has a devoted following and an overall good track record of solid games to her name. Besides, without Samus’ help, the entire Nintendo universe would have been devoured by metroid space aliens. But thanks to her, “The last metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace. See you next mission!” Yes, indeed.
Fox
Fox McCloud is the red fox hero of the Star Fox series first seen on the SNES Super Nintendo Entertainment System back in February of 1993. Another revolutionary game, Nintendo debuted Star Fox and touted their new “Mode 7” graphics processing for a more 3D immersive experience.
Like much of the 90s, anthropomorphic characters became popular thanks to the cultural phenomenon of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that began in 1987. Star Fox definitely hit the target and became a fun and enjoyable game that would unfortunately not get many other titles to add to its franchise. But worry not, Fox and his comrade Falcon, along with their enemy Wolf are all included in the Smash Bros. franchise and have seen immense popularity in the highest-level play. Although there’s more characters to their team (like good ‘ol Slippy), they’ve truly lived up to the quote, “We’re Star Fox.”
Ryu & Ken
We’re going to put Ryu and Ken together because this pair is the definitive identity of the Street Fighter franchise, and that will never change. These guys are the reason that fighting games even exist, and the 2D format of Smash Bros. is the same plane as Street Fighter. The pair also represent a positive alliance between Japan and the USA, and the legendary Street Fighter II being released on the SNES marked the first time SF ever appeared on a home gaming machine, and garnered so much hype that no one will ever understand if they weren’t from that generation.
What’s also amazing is how easily Ryu and Ken translated into the Smash Bros. gaming world and system. They play almost exactly the way they do in the SF series, but with all the extra fun and goodies of the Smash Franchise. With these two fighting icons in the game, you can definitely be “All you can!”
Princess Peach AKA Princess Toadstool
Ever the damsel in distress, Super Mario Brothers 2 on the NES showed that Princess Peach has the chops and moves to hold her own against Bowser and other enemies when she needs to. She’s the quintessential “princess character” but has enough of Nintendo’s charm and twist to make her more than just a stereotypical type of character.
She’s every bit as important as Mario and Luigi (and Bowser for that matter), and one of the most powerful characters in the Smash Brother series thanks to her move set and ability to fly on a whim. Throughout the numerous Mario games (i.e. Mario Kart, Mario Golf, Mario Strikers, etc.) she’s always by Mario’s side but is just as independent and capable as the plumber. Princess Peach also knows a thing or two about headlining her own games as the main protagonist. She brings girl power and grace all in one with her royalty, hope, and resilience, making her the best person to rule the mushroom kingdom.
Princess Zelda & Sheik
Continuing Nintendo’s awareness of gender equality, Princess Zelda is another princess character and damsel-in-distress that could have easily remained a stereotypical character. But Zelda is anything but! Over the entire Zelda franchise of games, she’s taken on a more prominent role that puts her on the same level as the hero Link, if not more in many cases. She shares all the noble qualities of Peach but with more edginess.
In the Ocarina of Time, she turns out to be Sheik after once again leading players on to this Sheik was a strong male character. If it was not for Sheik’s help, Link might not have saved Hyrule. With more demand for Zelda to be playable in the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, or future games, she’s yet to get a chance to shine solo in her own side story and get some kind of game to herself, in the way the Princess Peach has. Until that time comes, we’ll continue to enjoy learning more about her and her legend.
Link
If you have Princess Zelda, you have to have Link. The two go hand in hand. The main reason by Link and Zelda are separate on this list is because they are wildly different from one another, linked by fate, yet destined to remain tangled in a complex timeline.
Link is just as iconic as the plumber brothers, and arguably might have taken the lead recently thanks to classic games like Ocarina of Time and Windwaker, and the recent revolutionary series Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The Legend of Zelda is one of, if not the first, fantasy adventure-style action games with a top-down perspective, Link is as timeless a hero as the video game genre as a whole. He also has 3 versions in Smash; Young Link, Current Link, and Toon Link, giving fans a choice of their favorite generation. Call it what you want, but this Hylian hero is the missing link that Nintendo and Smash need.
Donkey & Diddy Kong
Donkey Kong first appeared alongside Mario in the 1981 arcade game, making him the first characters ever to have a name-titled game. Although he was sidelined after the released of Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong later came to his own in the Donkey Country series on the SNES and proved he had what it takes to contend with the best platform action stars out there.
The Donkey Kong franchise of games also introduced members of the Donkey Kong family, aka the DK Crew. Diddy was definitely one who made an instant splash with young gaming boys who could see themselves in Diddy’s shoes. In the Smash games, both characters are fun to play, and Diddy has seen his share of pro-level tournament wins. With remakes of DK games on the Switch, Donkey and Diddy need a brand new game, so let’s hope one comes out soon, otherwise, Nintendo fans might go bananas.
Kirby
There’s no way we can forget about the little pink puffball, Kirby himself, in the Smash Brothers franchise. This guy is such a fantastic character to play with, especially since he can swallow other characters and steal their signature move. Kirby first appeared in Kirby’s Dreamland on the Gameboy on April 1992, and recently appeared in the Forgotten Kingdom on the Switch. He’s got a bunch of games in his franchise spanning multiple systems, and even a free-to-play set of games on the 3DS of all consoles.
More popular in Japan, Kirby is an unsung hero for Nintendo who deserves more credit and love than he gets. He still has a long-running Kirby cafe in Japan, with is full of cuteness and yummies. But don’t let that fool you– this guys is a bonafide warrior and hero who’s done his fair share of defending and helping those in need.
Ness & Lucas
Hailing from the Mother/Earthbound series of games, Ness and Lucas are the protagonists of Mother 2 and Mother 3, respectively. Fans have been theorizing if Ness and Lucas are cousins or related in any way, but until we know for sure, they are both amazing characters that once again must be paired up on this list.
There’s nothing quite like the kooky and whimsical RPG games in the Mother series, which reflect much of the 80’s and 90’s radical style and elements. With all of their psychic powers, they’ve translated over to the Smash games in a complex way, making them difficult to play, but they are still fun and represent their Earthbound games in a good way. The Mother / Earthbound games aren’t for everyone, but if you can appreciate a true retro RPG classic taking place in a humorous and wacky urban world, you’ll treasure the series and get what all the acclaim is about. So as Ness once said, “Listen. Free your mind and KNOW what you must do!”
Mario & Luigi – The Super Mario Brothers
If it weren’t for The Super Mario Brothers, you could argue that we might never have gotten the Smash Brothers franchise, or maybe Nintendo might not have succeeded the way it has. The bros are hype characters that prove the magic of timeless charm and good-hearted characters can prevail. Now even more iconic than ever with their blockbuster own movie, Mario and Luigi aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, other than to the top.
They’re both great all-around characters to play in the Smash Bros. game, each with their own uniqueness, much like any Mario Bros. game you’ll play. We gotta give credit where credit’s due; Mario and Luigi have shaped video game history and the industry more than almost any other characters and franchise to date.
These are the top 15 best characters in Super Smash Bros. that represent Nintendo’s brand and history to the fullest. With the exception of Joker, Snake, and Ryu &Ken, they’re all Nintendo-owned characters who bring together the original essence of the Smash Brothers game, which was to bring an enjoyable fighting party of Nintendo characters together with zany items and fun levels. Super Smash Brothers is one of the best gaming franchises bar none, so go grab your friends, select your favorite Nintendo characters (and crossover third-party fighters), and let the crazy items fall and shenanigans ensue on the battlefield!
