4. Joker (Smash Bros. Ultimate)
Joker’s shocking addition to the Smash Bros. echelons is unique from the other entries on this list, because he was the only character whose identity preceded the context in his initial trailer, allowing us to get hyped in a completely different way.
When he came to crash the party at the Game Awards 2018, we could see from the get-go who it was, but as this was not a Nintendo show, we didn’t immediately understand why he was here. Were they about to unveil a new Persona port? Or a spin-off of some kind? Maybe Joker just really wanted to congratulate Epic for attaining the award for best ongoing game?
Once the envelope appeared onscreen, the sharpest minds clicked immediately, for it was the trademark indication that a new fighter had been invited to Smash. Then it flipped over to reveal that circular emblem, and our suspicions were all but confirmed…
Joker had become a mailman, and the long-awaited sequel to Paperboy was finally going to arrive on the current console generation!
Of course, we’re just being funny, albeit not very funny, because even we didn’t laugh at that gag.
Out of all of the characters to ever hit Smash, this was the one with the least amount of Nintendo exposure, having only appeared as a costume in Sonic Forces on the Switch. It was surreal, unexpected, and exquisitely delivered, adjectives that suit the Persona franchise quite well.
