With over 80 characters from across gaming history to choose from, along with music and stages from all the represented franchises, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is like nothing else. Each and every fighter (not counting "Echo Fighters," or clones) has a distinct feel, meaning there's a lot to learn whether you're a competitive player or a casual one.
It's always exciting to try and predict who will join the roster next. At the tail end of his latest presentation, however, series creator Masahiro Sakurai had a bittersweet message for fans: "[T]he next DLC fighter will be the last one. There won't be any more after that."
So, without a third Fighters Pass on the way, all eyes are now on Smash. Who's the last fighter going to be? Who isn't it going to be? It's impossible to say for sure (though with how common "leaks" are, maybe one of them is right!), but here are five possible and five implausible candidates. Remember, though: with Smash, nothing is truly off the table. (Seriously, take another look at the roster.) These are merely predictions, not meant to be definitive in any way.
Possible: Phoenix Wright
Smash is full of martial artists, swordsmen, and creatures that make plenty of sense on a fighting game roster. Yet Smash isn't afraid to turn characters who don't normally throw hands into formidable opponents, from Animal Crossing's sweetheart secretary Isabelle, to Super Mario Bros.'s one-note cannon-fodder Piranha Plant. That means adding someone like Ace Attorney's ace attorney Phoenix Wright wouldn't be out of left field.
It wouldn't be Wright's first fighting game appearance, either. That honor goes to Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Smash is a platform fighter as opposed to a "traditional" fighting game, however, so the spiky-haired attorney's moveset would work much differently, even if some of the attacks looked similar. He's extremely popular both in Japan and around the world, so his inclusion wouldn't come as a surprise. Ace Attorney music would be just as welcome, suited perfectly to both the courtroom and the battlefield.
Implausible: Spyro
3D platformers were the name of the game in the mid-/late 90s and early 2000s. Fun, easy to learn, and hard to master, it's no wonder every game developer under the sun tried their hand at the genre. Only so many succeeded, of course; you hear about Super Mario 64 a bit more often than Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, right?
Among the most successful were the Spyro games, starring the titular purple dragon and his dragonfly ally Sparx. Though the series arguably peaked with its original PlayStation trilogy, it went on to span many consoles over many years. So it'd make sense for Spyro to glide his way into Smash... wouldn't it?
Well, not exactly. Genres represented in Smash aren't tied to one character each, but the DLC is generally more selective. With Banjo & Kazooie filling out the 90s/2000s 3D platforming character spot, per se, it's hard to imagine Spyro getting in as well before the curtain closes. The same goes for other genre icons like Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper. Anything's possible, though!
Possible: A Generation VIII Pokémon
It's almost shocking that a Gen VIII Pokémon hasn't been added yet, especially since other DLC characters have dipped into franchises already in Smash (like Sephiroth from Final Fantasy, preceded by Cloud). Every generation up to VII is represented, either in the form of a playable Pokémon or a Poké Ball. Pokémon Sword and Shield didn't come out until the year after Ultimate released, but that hasn't stopped Nintendo from including fighters on the roster before their games released in the past, Pokémon or otherwise.
The real question is, were a Gen VIII Pokémon to snag the final spot, which would it be? One of the starters or their evolutions—or maybe three of them, packaged into another Pokémon Trainer? A pseudo-legendary like Dragapult? An out-there pick like Falinks? No matter which made it in, it's certainly not impossible for Nintendo to want a Pokémon to close things out. Gigantamax forms are tailor-made for a Final Smash.
Implausible: 2B/A2
When Zelda was added to the roster in Super Smash Bros. Melee, she had an ability no other character did at the time: Hold down on the left joystick and hit B, and she'd transform into an entirely new (and far better, competitively speaking) fighter—Sheik. The switcheroo mechanic could also be done from the character select screen.
Though you can't freely switch between them in NieR: Automata, it's easy to imagine the androids 2B and A2 taking up a single spot on the Smash menu, what with their similar abilities—only, there are two problems. First, their designs are a bit... risqué, shall we say. Not that that hasn't been fixed before in Smash (see: Bayonetta), but it's still a family-friendly game. Second, there's Pyra/Mythra.
Hailing from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the pair have a lot in common, differentiated mainly by their designs, speed, and special moves. Though Zelda and Samus lost their switching abilities after Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Pyra/Mythra are dependent on it. It's what makes them work as a "single" character, and Nintendo isn't likely to pull the same stunt with 2B and A2. There's still always 9S...
Possible: Monokuma
In 2020, the Danganronpa franchise began its 10th anniversary celebration, making all sorts of announcements that have spilled over into 2021. None of the news had anything to do with Nintendo until June 2021, when Danganronpa Decadence, a collection of the three main games in the series plus a bonus fourth game, was announced for the Switch. That's hardly proof that a Danganronpa character will make it into Smash, but were that to happen, Monokuma seems the most likely candidate.
The black-and-white bear has a bevy of tricks up his (lack of) sleeves, from steel claws to a self-destruct function (which Hero already has in Smash). Indeed, despite being from a visual novel series, he has a wealth of potential "moves" to pull from. Something about his design and small stature also just works for Smash: He's got the cuteness of Pikachu and the fear factor of Meta Knight. A weird combination, but definitely one that would stand out on the roster.
Implausible: Chun-Li
Starting with the 3DS and Wii U iteration of Smash, several traditional fighting game characters have been added to the roster: Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter, Terry from Fatal Fury, and Kazuya from Tekken. Complete with command inputs reminiscent of their own games, these characters feel unique even among Smash's diverse cast.
Why there haven't been any female fighting game characters, however, is a mystery. Were there to be one, Chun-Li is a sensible pick; she's arguably the first lady of not only Street Fighter but fighting games in general. Without a doubt, she's one of the most popular and recognizable characters in gaming. Full stop.
To stick her in now, however, would be somewhat odd. It doesn't matter so much that there are already two Street Fighter reps, yet with Kazuya being the second-to-last DLC, would Sakurai really add another fighting game character right after? Her iconic status and vastly different aesthetic compared to Kazuya's might be enough to override the doubt, but it still doesn't seem likely.
Possible: Tails / Dr. Eggman
If you were around when Melee first came out, you likely heard the rumors: "Sonic is an unlockable character!" It wasn't true, of course, but the rumor mill will churn for as long as humanity walks the Earth. Brawl brought the rumors to life, however, introducing the superfast hedgehog into the fray. Yet two games later, Sonic is still the only playable character from his franchise; Knuckles and Shadow are relegated to mere Assist Trophy status. Licensing isn't easy to obtain, but it seems crazy that Nintendo hasn't gotten hold of anyone else.
That could change, though, and if it did, either Tails or Dr. Eggman could make it in. Sonic the Hedgehog games have fallen by the wayside over the past few years, yet both characters have rich histories with all sorts of interesting abilities to make good on. Dr. Eggman would lean heavily on gadgets and machines (similar to how Boswer Jr. works, possibly), whereas Tails would probably be split between gadgets and physical moves. Adding either character would be a wonderful way to see Ultimate off into the sunset.
Implausible: Kratos
Hero or villain, Smash characters aren't all known for perfect track records in their respective franchises. Ridley is a merciless space pirate; Ike went to war at a young age and didn't shy away from killing; even Mario spends his days stomping on his enemies. Yet, with very few exceptions, all more or less fit the family-friendly tone of Smash.
Kratos embodies the exact opposite of that tone. The vindictive Spartan is rage incarnate; where he goes, blood flows. Few characters in gaming, if any, are more brutal, even accounting for Kratos' relatively calmer depiction in PlayStation 4's God of War. If there's a way to torture or kill someone, he's done it—hell, he probably invented it. His inclusion in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is one thing, but a T rating is probably as far down as the Ghost of Sparta will ever go. Smash is E10+.
It's hard to say where this leaves other M-rated fighters like Master Chief, especially with the likes of Bayonetta and Snake in the game. But with Kratos' reputation being the bloodiest of all, he's likely to remain on his home console.
Possible: Tracer
Myriad genres and subgenres are represented in Smash, from Metroidvanias to exercise games. No playable character, however, originated in a first-person shooter (Duck Hunt doesn't count; that's a light gun shooter). Snake is the next closest thing, equipped with "typical" shooter weapons: grenades, C4, a rocket launcher, all that jazz. Not all FPSs are homogenous, of course, and Overwatch stands out more than any other—and it's on the Switch.
Tracer's not the only Overwatch character that could fit, but if we're talking pure Smash aesthetic, she fits the bill better than any other. Her lighthearted nature would balance out Kazuya's dark one. As far as movesets go, Tracer's agility, speed, and special abilities would be tricky to implement, but far from impossible. There are other characters with time-based and healing abilities in Smash, after all—it's all just a matter of making it feel balanced.
Implausible: Waluigi
Ah, Waluigi. Love him or hate him, it almost feels wrong to have both Mario and Luigi but leave Wario unpaired. Sure, Waluigi's been an Assist Trophy since Brawl, but it's not the same thing. It's not even like being an Assist Trophy excludes a character from becoming playable—just look at Little Mac.
The difference is that Little Mac was an Assist Trophy in Brawl, transitioning to fighter status only when the franchise moved over to the Wii U and 3DS, whereas Waluigi is still an Assist Trophy in Ultimate. Removing that to make him a fighter within the same game doesn't seem likely, and it's early yet for another Smash to be announced.
In a 2018 interview with Waypoint, beloved former Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aimé spoke about fans' insistence that Waluigi join the game for real, ultimately stating it's Sakurai's "decision to make." That being the case, and it being three years later... well, you do the math.