Launched in 2018,Super Smash Bros. Ultimatehas truly become a powerhouse fighting game for the Nintendo Switch, driven by director Masahiro Sakurai’s vision. With more characters, stages, and content than ever before,Ultimateis now easily the biggest entry in the franchise. To increase its offerings, Nintendo has offered not one, but two DLC Fighters Passes that bring additional video game characters toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Fighters Pass Vol. 1 wrapped up last year, and brought new characters to the game likePersona’s Joker, and Banjo & Kazooie.
Now, Fighters Pass Vol. 2 is winding down, and so far players have gotten to play as Min-Min fromARMS, Steve fromMinecraft, and Sephiroth fromFinal Fantasy VII. With the recent addition ofPyra and Mythra asSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s newest fighters, that leaves only two more spots to be filled in the second Fighters Pass. There have been numerous rumors about new fighters for the game since it was announced, but some games have popped up more than others.
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Crash Bandicoot
Perhaps the most rumored, and most likely, character to get added toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis the titular character from theCrash Bandicootseries. With other platforming characters like Sonic and Banjo,Crash Bandicoot would fit right in toSuperSmash Bros. Ultimate. Plus, Crash seems to be a worthwhile inclusion from the PlayStation roster, and would help expandUltimate’s range. Crash has been rumored on and off for years, but two recent leaks help make his addition seem inevitable.
A while ago, a supposed “Crash Bandicoot5-Year Plan” leaked, which outlined a roadmap of anticipated Crash content over the next few years, including the release ofCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. As part of the 5-year plan, there would be a “Crash Bandicootcrossover forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate” in 2021. Next, the mostcredible leak comes from an upcomingSuperSmash Bros. Ultimateconcert, which features theme songs for every character. The last two songs for the concert are believed to reference the last two DLC fighters. One song, “N. Sanity Beach,” is the theme for Crash Bandicoot’s home, and the starting level for the original game.
Monster Hunter
The second song leaked from theSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateconcert is titled “Proof of a Hero,” from theMonster Huntergames. If the concert rumor is to be believed, then the addition of a character fromMonster Hunterseems like the next likely option. Especially consideringthe Switch-exclusivity ofMonster Hunter Rise, it seems like Nintendo would want to deepen its bond with the franchise.
Technically,Monster Hunterhas already made an appearance in the game. A fewnewMonster HunterMii costumeswere added toUltimatewith the addition of Pyra/Mythra, but that hasn’t crushed a character’s chances to become a fighter before. Like Crash Bandicoot, rumors have swirled for years that someone fromMonster Hunterwould be included in the game. A Hunter has been a highly-desired fighter by fans, too, as there would be several unique fighting styles it could have inspired by the weapons in theMonster Hunterseries.
Halo
TheHaloseries will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2021, andHalo Infinitedevelopersare planning to release the newest game in the franchise later this year. The series' main character, and Xbox’s biggest mascot, has had his fair share ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate-related rumors before. Master Chief is more of a fan-favorite requested fighter though, and previous leaks about him have not come true as of yet. With the addition of Steve fromMinecraft, the chances of another Microsoft property to appear inUltimateare up in the air.
Devil May Cry
Another character that has seen rumors for a while is Dante from theDevil May Cryseries. Even before the release ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,leakers supposedly reported thatDante would be a playable fighter. The current director for theDevil May Cryseries eventually addressed the rumor, saying that the series would have to come to the Nintendo Switch before Dante would be considered as a fighter. Now thatDevil May Cry1, 2,and3are available on the Nintendo Switch, rumors are resurfacing about Dante.
DOOM
Doomguy has been rumored for a long while, and has often accompanied “leaks” that have turned out to be partially correct. For example, he has appeared in a leak alongsideDragon Quest’s Hero, and a leak about Steve fromMinecraft,both fighters that would be included inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
However, in January 2020,the director forDOOM Eternalsaid that theDOOMteam had not been approached by Nintendo regarding the character’s inclusion inUltimate.While things can change, if Doomguy was to be included in Fighters Pass Vol. 2, then discussions would have probably started by that time. The response could very well have been a diversion, but the slayer fromDOOMmight just stay a rumor forUltimate.
Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars
Fans have been hoping forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateto add Geno, a party member fromSuper Mario RPG,for a long time. While some rumors about him have either been inaccurate or brought around by a misunderstanding, it’s not impossible for him to end up as one of the final Fighter Pass characters.
In a previous interview, Sakurai stated how he considered including Geno as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, but that plan fell through for unknown reasons.Geno was a Mii Fighter costume inSmash 4, which returned inUltimate,so he is technically in the game in some form. As a long requested character, and one previously considered by Sakurai, there’s no doubt his inclusion in the game would please many fans.
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Ninja Gaiden
The next character that has been rumored as a fighter forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis Ryu Hayabusa, fromNinja Gaidenfame. Even though theNinja Gaidenreboot director thinks Ryu would be a greatSmash Bros.Ultimateaddition, any time Ryu appears in a leak, it turns out to be false. On the bright side,Ninja Gaiden: Master Collectionis coming to the Switch this summer, which could add support to the ninja’s addition inUltimate.
Rayman
The titular character fromUbisoft’sRaymangameshas been a long-speculated addition toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. The most recent game in the franchise,Rayman Legends, is available on the Switch, so the game at least has a presence on the system. In the end, previously leaks have turned out to be false or faked, so it might not be very likely that Rayman is one of the final two fighters.
One rumor has come out of left field, and that is for the addition of Arthur Morgan fromRed Dead Redemption 2. A Twitter user posting the leak earlier this year claimed that Dante and Arthur Morgan will be the next two DLC fighters. Previously, the account accurately predicted Sephiroth’s inclusion in the game, as well asMonster HunterMii costumes. However, this"leak" for the next DLCSuperSmash Bros.fighterneeds to taken with a grain of salt. Other people believe the user is just using a Twitter trick where the account tweets out several guesses, but then goes back and deletes the inaccurate ones.
Overwatch
Pretty much since Fighter’s Pass Vol. 1,fans have speculated at the inclusion ofOverwatch’s star character, Tracer, getting added to the game. Jeff Kaplan, the director forOverwatch, has also said that Tracer would be his number one pick for a hero crossover forUltimate. While Tracer’s inclusion would certainly expand the range of gamesUltimatefighters come from, signs point to her just being fan speculation.
All in all, there are numerous characters that fans are hoping to be included inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. While someolderSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateleaks have been debunked, it doesn’t necessarily mean those rumored characters won’t show up. However, rumors about characters fromLeague of Legends, the Dragonborn fromSkyrim, or even Waluigi, can generally be attributed to fan speculation.
There obviously isn’t enough room in the second Fighter’s Pass for all of these rumored characters to make an addition. While Crash Bandicoot might have the most believable leaks surrounding his inclusion inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, there is a very real chance he won’t appear. Unfortunately, some fans will end up being disappointed with the final two fighters. However,a third Fighter’s Pass has also been rumored, which would truly make this game even moreUltimate. Whatever Nintendo and Sakurai decide to do, this game will be remembered as an enormous achievement for years to come.
