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Super Smash Bros. fighters are not chosen by a public vote or by one person applying a single rule. For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, director Masahiro Sakurai described an early planning process that balanced production time, resources, fan feedback and roster variety. The documented process also differed for DLC: Nintendo proposed additions and consulted Sakurai, who then worked out how to incorporate them. Those accounts explain Ultimate; they do not establish a permanent formula for every future Smash game.
How are new Smash characters chosen?
For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, character selection was a staged development decision. Sakurai said fighters were planned early, then evaluated in light of the work and schedule involved, feedback from the Smash ballot, and the need for different kinds of fighters. A character had to be more than popular: the team also needed to be able to build that character into a workable, distinctive part of the game.
In a 2018 Game Informer interview, Sakurai summarized the timing: “We decide on the fighters from the very early planning stage, and from there, we calculate and begin production.” That description points to a practical constraint: choosing a fighter is also committing development resources and time. The public record does not provide a complete scoring system, a fixed number of candidates, or a single checklist that every character had to pass.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIt is also important to separate choosing a character from designing the character. A roster decision determines who will be represented as a playable fighter. Development then requires deciding how that character will work in Smash, including a moveset that feels recognizable while fitting the game. Sakurai has discussed making fighters distinctive and balanced, but the available accounts do not publish a complete internal approval chain for every selection.
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Does Sakurai pick Smash characters, or does Nintendo?
The answer depends on which game and which part of development you mean. Sakurai describes team planning for Ultimate’s main roster, while his account of Ultimate DLC says Nintendo proposed the characters and consulted him on their incorporation.
The Ultimate launch roster
In the Game Informer interview, Sakurai talks about fighters being planned from the early stages and explains factors the team considered. That supports describing the launch roster as a planning process involving development considerations—not as proof that Sakurai alone, Nintendo alone, or a public ballot made every final call. The interview does not provide an exhaustive organizational chart or identify one universal final approver for every fighter.
The Ultimate DLC
For DLC, a Source Gaming English translation of Sakurai’s Famitsu column quotes him saying, “First, Nintendo makes a proposal and I accept that request.” He describes discussing the proposed characters with Nintendo and working out how to bring them into the game. The translated wording should be understood as the English rendering of that column, not as a separately verified English original. It distinguishes Nintendo’s role in proposing DLC characters from Sakurai’s role in their implementation; it does not support the claim that Nintendo designed their movesets without him, or that Sakurai selected every DLC character himself. Read the English translation of Sakurai’s column.
Why accounts about different Smash games can sound different
In an archived Nintendo interview about Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sakurai said Nintendo was comfortable letting him oversee the selection of guest fighters Snake and Sonic. His later description of Ultimate DLC gives Nintendo a proposal role. These are accounts of different games and decision contexts, so they are not necessarily contradictory. They do not establish one selection policy that applies unchanged across the series.
Do Smash Ballot votes decide the roster?
No. Sakurai said the team considered Smash ballot results, but he described ballot feedback as one factor alongside practical development limits and roster variety—not as a binding election.
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A popular request can help show which characters players want to see. It cannot, by itself, settle whether the team can make that character work in the game, whether the rights holders will approve the use, or whether that fighter is the best fit among the possibilities. The available account does not specify how ballot results were weighted against other considerations, so it would be misleading to treat a high level of demand as a promise of inclusion.
Nintendo’s retrospective on King K. Rool acknowledges fan demand in connection with the character’s reveal trailer. That is useful evidence that audience enthusiasm was part of the public conversation, but it is not a full account of the selection decision. A reveal retrospective should not be read as proof that demand alone put King K. Rool on the roster.
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The documented Ultimate discussion points to three linked questions: can the team produce the fighter, will the character add variety, and can the character be represented in a way that fits Smash?
Can the fighter be made on the schedule?
Sakurai described considering labor and release timing, and said roster planning began early. Character selection therefore has production consequences: the work must fit the development plan, not just the fan wish list. He gave Incineroar as a concrete example. The team held a slot open while waiting for more information about a forthcoming Pokémon game, then chose Incineroar after learning more. That illustrates a specific case of forward planning; it does not establish a Pokémon quota or mean that every fighter is selected late.
Does the character add a different kind of fighter?
Roster variety was one of the factors Sakurai named. Familiarity and popularity can matter, but a character’s potential to contribute something distinct matters too. In discussing Piranha Plant, Sakurai pointed to its familiarity and the value of variety rather than presenting surprise as the sole goal. The example shows why a less conventional pick can be considered without implying that every unusual character is automatically favored.
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For a playable fighter, representation also has to translate into a character that can function in the game. Sakurai has discussed making fighters distinctive and balanced. The public accounts do not reveal a formula for how the team compares those design demands across all candidates.
Could a character be represented another way?
A character can be recognizable and beloved without being an obvious fit for direct combat. In a Nintendo interview about Brawl, Sakurai discussed Nintendogs and Mr. Resetti as examples of characters represented as Assist Trophies rather than playable fighters. He said of Assist Trophy choices, “The most important thing was simply whether or not it would make players happy.” That statement concerns those nonfighter appearances; it should not be mistaken for his sole criterion for selecting playable characters.
An Assist Trophy appearance is a way to include a character, not a promise that the character will become playable in a later game. Nor does the Brawl example establish that a character represented as an Assist Trophy can never be a fighter in another installment.
Do Smash fighters have to come from Nintendo games?
No. Snake and Sonic are historical examples of guest fighters from outside Nintendo-owned franchises. Their inclusion shows that Nintendo ownership is not an absolute requirement, but it does not remove the need to obtain permission from the relevant rights holders.
Sakurai has described outside characters as a way to bring qualities into Smash that would not come from an all-Nintendo lineup. In the Ultimate interview, he also said that approval from the involved intellectual-property holders is necessary for a crossover. A character’s popularity or design potential cannot substitute for that approval. Nintendo’s archived Iwata Asks interview about Snake and Sonic offers historical context for those guest appearances.
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That rights question is separate from the creative one. Even if a guest is possible to license, the development team still has to determine whether the fighter fits the game and how to represent the character. The public interviews establish the need for rights-holder approval, but do not spell out the terms or negotiations for individual characters.
What do Incineroar, Piranha Plant and Sora tell us?
These examples illuminate different parts of Ultimate’s process; none provides a universal rule for picking fighters.
- Incineroar: A slot was held open while the team waited for information about a new Pokémon game. The eventual choice illustrates how release timing and new information could affect a specific decision.
- Piranha Plant: Sakurai discussed familiarity and roster variety. Nintendo lists Piranha Plant as a separately available fighter, not as part of either Fighters Pass. Its release arrangement does not establish a general selection rule.
- Snake and Sonic: These Brawl guests show that fighters need not be from Nintendo-owned series. Their inclusion does not mean that rights approval is automatic for other guest characters.
- Sora: Nintendo announced Sora as the final DLC fighter for Ultimate, arriving in Challenger Pack 11. That announcement closes the documented DLC lineup for this game; it says nothing about the roster or selection process of a future Smash title.
Nintendo’s 2021 announcement described Ultimate as having 86 fighters when Sora was revealed. Treat that as Nintendo of America’s figure in that announcement, rather than as a fresh independently recalculated count. Nintendo Support lists Challenger Packs 1 through 11; those are the numbered packs, not a statement that every pack contains only one fighter slot or that the packs come with a physical game card. Nintendo Support’s Challenger Pack listing provides the pack information.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why didn’t a particular character make it into Smash?
Unless Nintendo or the development team has explained a specific decision, the reason for a character’s absence is usually not knowable from public roster information alone. A missing character may have faced production, timing, variety, design, or rights constraints, but attributing any one of those reasons to an individual case without a direct explanation would be speculation.
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Has Nintendo announced who will be in the next Smash game?
The documented endpoint here is Ultimate: Nintendo called Sora its final DLC fighter and lists the game’s Challenger Packs. That is not an announcement of a later Smash game, its release timing, or its character-selection rules. Until Nintendo or the developers make such an announcement, claims about the next roster or a permanent selection formula are speculation.
Where can I find the game and its additional fighters?
Nintendo’s UK product page lists a physical game-card edition of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Nintendo Switch. That establishes the format, not current stock or price in another country. Nintendo lists Piranha Plant separately from the Fighters Passes, and its Support page lists Challenger Packs 1–11; check the relevant Nintendo store or support listing for availability and purchase details in your region.
Nintendo UK’s product page for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate documents the game-card edition and compatibility information. Compatibility of an accessory such as an amiibo or controller should not be confused with unlocking a DLC fighter.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Assist Trophy character ever become playable?
An Assist Trophy appearance in one game does not establish a permanent rule for later games. The public examples discussed here explain choices in Brawl, not a standing eligibility policy for the series.
Does an amiibo unlock a Smash DLC fighter?
Nintendo’s product information identifies amiibo compatibility, but compatibility is not the same as buying or unlocking a DLC fighter. Check the fighter’s listing in Nintendo’s store rather than assuming an amiibo grants access.
Why was Piranha Plant sold separately from the Fighters Passes?
Nintendo lists Piranha Plant separately from the two Fighters Passes. The available accounts do not explain that release decision as a general rule for how Nintendo chooses fighters.
