Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2 speculation

With the announcement of a character representing Nintendo’s ARMS franchise as the first contender in the 2nd fighter pass of Super Smash Bros, everyone is “up in arms” to know who this character is and which characters will follow suit.

The game’s developer Masahiro Sakurai has stated that their will be six new contenders in the 2nd Fighter Pass. This is one more than the first pass, which held a total of five spots for new characters which included Joker (Shin Megami Tensei), Hero (Dragon Warriors), Banjo & Kazooie (Banjo-Kazooie), Terry (Fatal Fury), and Byleth (Fire Emblem).

The question remains: Who is going to come next?

I work in marketing, and I have given a lot of thought on who will appear in Super Smash Bros. as a playable fighter. DLC is released to increase profit on a game, so those characters would need to inspire fans to purchase them. Generally these DLC characters are tactically placed to cross-market with the release of another game, unless the majority fans are already begging for the character such as Banjo-Kazooie or Bayonetta.

There are also plenty of characters left to be used, but Sakurai isn’t about to drop every Nintendo character into a game. It wouldn’t be profitable if there was not anyone new for the future of Super Smash Bros. titles.

Thus, I have taken the time to break down rumors of the future playable fighters for Super Smash Bros., applying my knowledge of marketing to these characters. I have also thrown in a few predictions of my own. Remember, in order for a character to join the roster of playable fighters for Super Smash Bros., they need to have some kind of relation to Nintendo. This is all speculation, so let’s just go for the ride!

I’ve broken this down into three categories: Characters most likely to appear as Super Smash Bros Ultimate DLC, characters most likely to appear in a future Super Smash Bros game, and characters least likely to appear in a Super Smash Bros. game.

Characters Most Likely to Appear as Super Smash Bros DLC

Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden)
The most obvious contender to join Super Smash Bros. is from Tecmo’s classic title character from Ninja Gaiden, Ryu Hayabusa. Ryu appeared in several games during the era of the Nintendo Entertainment System. While he eventually made his way to the world of SEGA and other consoles, he has always found a home back with Nintendo. When I think of classic Nintendo games, Ninja Gaiden always comes to mind.

Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes)
Travis is a character people having pining over to appear in Super Smash Bros. since his appearance in the release of the gritty and fun No More Heroes for the Wii. This game had a sequel both for the Wii and then later on the Nintendo Switch. If I had to place a bet on a character who absolutely appear as DLC on Fighter Pass 2, I would put it down on Travis.

Arthur (Ghosts ‘n Goblins)
Capcom’s Ghosts ‘n Goblins made several appearances on the Nintendo consoles. While the first game was originally produced for arcades, it was quickly ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. This eventually led to it’s sequel appearing on the Super Nintendo, including spin-off games such as Gargoyle’s Quest. Arthur would be a great addition to the mix of famous Nintendo characters, with an array of weapons he could wield similarly to Simon Belmont. Plus, he has already made a fighting appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom.

Crash Bandicoot
While Crash initially had made his home on the Sony Playstation, he has since made his appearance with a full remake of his original trilogy on the Nintendo Switch. Crash deserves a place on the Super Smash Bros. roster to complete the circle of iconic console video game characters of Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Pac-Man.

Chun-Li (Street Fighter)
If we can get both Ryu and Ken as playable characters in Super Smash Bros., there is no reason why Capcom can’t strike a deal with Nintendo to get the most famous female leading fighter of video games into the game. I strongly believe Chun-Li will be in the second fighter pass, and she would make a pretty penny in DLC downloads. Hell, she would be one of my mains in two seconds flat.

Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)
Back when the Nintendo DS hit the market, Ace Attorney was one of the first games that took the spotlight. It was also a very early introduction to this particular genre of point and click games for home consoles. Phoenix Wright became a meme for a very long time. I couldn’t go to a single convention without someone in a suit and a huge sign screaming “OBJECTION!” Not only do I think Phoenix Wright is a likely candidate for the second fighter pass, but I think he will borrow some of his moves from Marvel vs. Capcom.

Jill Valentine (Resident Evil)
It would be such a smart marketing move for Nintendo and Capcom to include a character from Resident Evil while the franchise has undergone a huge resurrection. I was genuinely surprised when Leon Kennedy was not announced as DLC in the first Fighter’s Pass! While Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy have become more common characters for recent Resident Evil games and films, Jill Valentine had actually been the face of Resident Evil for a very long time. Her uniform as a member of S.T.A.R.S. and her blue top with a mini skirt were two costumes that were iconic. Now with the release of Resident Evil 3, it would be a genius move to include Jill as a playable character in the second Fighter’s Pass.

Euden (Dragalia Lost)
Ya’ll are going to think I am crazy for including Euden in here as possibility for DLC in the next Fighter’s Pass, but here’s my thought: Dragalia Lost is Nintendo’s mobile property that isn’t based on a previously successful franchise. The game is still active and adding missions every day. For a mobile game, it’s a pretty good dungeon crawler. If Nintendo wants to play their marketing cards right, they will throw him in as DLC now to get more people to download the game while it’s still relevant and popular enough on mobile devices. Also, his final smash would be evolving into a dragon form.

Rayman
Rayman is one of those weird characters that fans of Super Smash Bros. has a weird fascination with as a playable character. Rayman himself has had series of games on pretty much every console imaginable. He has never been held down to just a Nintendo console. Yet there is something oddly charming about this character and his gaming franchise. While he is not my first pick as a character I would want in Super Smash Bros., I understand the huge calling for him by his fans, and I don’t think Sakurai or Nintendo are going to miss out on that opportunity to include him in the game.

Geno (Super Mario RPG)
Ever since the first Super Smash Bros. game was released for the Nintendo 64, fans have been clamoring for the inclusion of this original character from Super Mario’s first RPG in the Super Nintendo. While he appeared as a Spirit in Ultimate, Geno was once again not a playable character. Sakurai has stated in numerous interviews that he has wanted to include this RPG veteran in a game, and after he stated that he wanted to include as many characters as possible in Ultimate, I believe Geno finally has a strong fighting chance at making it into the DLC roster.

Waluigi (Super Mario Bros.)
My final guess for the 2nd Fighter’s Pass is Waluigi. In fact, I think the reason why there are 6 fighters in the second pass is specifically for the inclusion of Waluigi. While he may already be an assist trophy in Ultimate, I would not put it past Sakurai to also have him be the final reveal as a playable fighter. At this point the hype for Waluigi to appear as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. is so high that Nintendo could make serious bank off of his DLC. I am here for you, Waluigi! You have my vote.

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
Hear me out: Final Fantasy VII is dropping dropping in April of 2020. This is a huge event Square Enix, fans and the industry have been hyping for years. Sephiroth is probably the most famous video game villain aside from Bowser. Similar to when Bayonetta dropped into Super Smash Bros. Wii U just in time for her sequel game to be released on the Wii U, it would be a brilliant marketing stunt to include Sephiroth as DLC for the second fighter’s pass.

Characters most likely to appear in a future Super Smash Bros. game

Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
While I have been championing Dixie Kong as a playable character since Diddy Kong first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I have come to accept that this hair-twirling monkey is not going to appear in Ultimate. Sakurai had said in previous interviews that he had wanted Dixie to be a playable character, including a team-up between Dixie and Diddy in which they would swap characters. He wants her there, and if we are patient enough, her time will come.

Mike Jones (Startropics)
Startropics was a forgotten gem that was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. A small pool of loyal Nintendo fans were always loyal to this game, similar to the original fans of Earthbound. With the help of the internet, the Nintendo eShop, and the NES Classic, Mike is finally in the spotlight with his baseball bat, yo-yo, and fireballs — And no, he will not be an echo of Ness.

Impa (The Legend of Zelda)
It’s interesting how Link, Zelda and Gannondorf are always the center of attention of The Legend of Zelda franchise, yet Impa is always left behind. Unlike most characters from the franchise, Impa has appeared in almost every title in a different incarnation. She is well known as being the protector of Zelda. It’s time that Super Smash Bros. brings us a new character from The Legend of Zelda franchise, that is not another variation of Link. Impa could utilize her own moveset with her sword from Skyward Sword, or she could easily be an echo fighter of Sheik (She did teach Zelda all of her moves after all!).

Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog)
This was a tough call for me to make. While I would really love to see Tails make his fighting debut as a DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I don’t think Sakurai will be using one of his six precious spaces on Tails. Instead, I expect Tails to fly in with his spinning double tails in a future Super Smash Bros. title.

Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
The back and forth between Disney, Square Enix and Nintendo to get Sora into Super Smash Bros. is actually kind of bonkers. Whether it be a rights or money issue, they haven’t quite worked it out. I think it’s too late for our favorite keyblade wielding Disney representative to make his way into Ultimate, but I keep my fingers crossed that they can figure things out for a future Super Smash Bros. title.

Isaac (Golden Sun)
It’s actually completely bonkers that Isaac still isn’t playable in a Super Smash Bros. title. I could feel the groans and moans of the disappointed Golden Sun fans when Isaac was revealed as an Assist for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I don’t think this will be forever. Sakurai is a smart guy, and he has said in the past that he doesn’t want to drop every Nintendo character into each installation of Super Smash Bros. because he doesn’t want to run out of characters. So we will be patient and wait, but he really ought to be playable in the next game.

Paper Mario
With so many variations of Link in Super Smash Bros., you would think there would more options of Super Mario. Paper Mario was the first official Nintendo title to put Mario into a RPG setting since Super Mario RPG by Square Enix. This franchise really has taken off and had many titles on Nintendo consoles since the Nintendo 64. I am not sure how exactly Paper Mario would play as a platform fighter, but I imagine it would be something similar to Super Paper Mario for the Wii.

Ring Fit Trainer
The rise of popularity for Ring Fit Trainer really came out of nowhere. The game itself is actually a lot of fun, and a little less broken than the Wii Fit games. I don’t expect Ring Fit Trainer to appear in the second fighter pass, but I do expect her to show up in the next Super Smash Bros. title in a similar to Wii Fit Trainer in Super Smash Bros. Wii U.

Captain Toad
It’s totally bonkers that Toad hasn’t appeared in Super Smash Bros. further than a decoy for Princess Peach. Toad was one of the four original characters of the Super Mario Bros. franchise. While there have always been multiple Toads through the Super Mario Bros. games, there has always been one that has been a little bit more loyal to his Princess and more adventures than the rest — and that’s Captain Toad. Hell, he even had his own title! Plus, Toadette would be an easy skin, similar to Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings.

Meowth (Pokemon)
Meowth has not made the cut as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. multiple times. It’s actually kind of a bummer that he has only appeared popping out of a pokeball. Meowth has been a starring character of Pokemon from the very beginning alongside characters Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Clefairy, Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. Did you know that Meowth was supposed to get his own weird guitar playing game for the Gamecube? Honestly he keeps getting the shaft, which I suppose is in character for a member of Team Rocket. Sakurai has stated that he has wanted Meowth as a playable character quite a few times in the past, so be patient fellow Pokemon fans. A future Super Smash Bros. game will finally give him the chance to shine!

Elma (Xenoblade)
Elma is one of those few wildcards that I don’t know too much about, mostly because I haven’t yet found my way to playing a Xenoblade game. From what I’ve read, she is actually a very good candidate for joining the Super Smash Bros. roster as a representative of Xenoblade. I don’t think she will be enough to merit her own DLC, but I suspect we’ll see her in the future of Super Smash Bros. titles.

Bomberman
Bomberman totally got shafted in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by being reduced to an Assist. This bombtastic hero has been around since the NES era, and has made an appearance in multiple games on nearly every Nintendo console. Bomberman deserves a spot on the Super Smash Bros. fighting roster, and it is a matter of time before graduates from being a glorified assist hero. Plus, he was a playable fighter in the knock off game of Smash, DreamMix TV.

Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark)
Back in the late ’90s, there were two games that were hailed as the N64’s best first-person shooters — Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. Fans of first-person shooters really loved Perfect Dark, even more so than Goldeneye for many different reasons, including the games better controls and graphic designs. What really appealed to players was playing as the female super spy action hero, Joanna Dark. In many ways, Perfect Dark and Joanna inspired the Metroid Prime games. While I don’t think she would appear as a character in the upcoming Fighter’s Pass, I do see her having a chance at being dropped into a future Super Smash Bros. title as a nice little nostalgic shout out to the N64.

Takamaru (The Mysterious Murasame Castle)
I actually had no idea this game existed until Takamaru appeared as an Assist in the Super Smash Bros. franchise. After hearing Sakurai say for the past two titles in the franchise that he wanted Takamaru to be a playable character. I have since gone back and played the original game. It’s painfully difficult, but addicting and fun. I agree with Sakurai that Takamaru should have his chance to fight as a retro player in Super Smash Bros.

Billy Lee (Double Dragon)
Double Dragon was one of the first beat-em-up side-scrolling platform games for the NES. Based on the hit arcade game, the franchise had several sequels, until it tapered off after the SNES. Double Dragon has had a resurgence in recent years with a remake of the original game. Billy Lee and his brother Jimmy could be interchangeable skins like Robin, Byleth, and Corrin. I would love to see a beat-em-up representative, and Double Dragon is a classic.

Ms. Pac-Man
The fact that Ms. Pac-Man hasn’t appeared in a Super Smash Bros. title since Pac-Man appeared is very strange to me. Ms. Pac-Man seems like a very easy character to design, whether she be an echo fighter of Pac-Man or a different character skin for him (similar to Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings). Either way, it’s likely she will get her shining moment similar to Princess Daisy in future Super Smash Bros. title.

King Hippo (Punch Out!!)
I am actually surprised King Hippo has not yet made his way into a Super Smash Bros. game to represent the main antagonist of Punch Out!! I would imagine he would play similarly to Mac, just slightly slower with a harder punch. Considering my mains currently including Gannondorf, King K. Rool and Bowser, I bet King Hippo would be a bad ass player to add to my fighting team.

Goemon (Mystical Ninja)
I never thought I would see Goemon be playable in Super Smash Bros., but as soon as I saw that he had a downloadable costumer for a Mii, my dreams for this character changed. Mystical Ninja was a game series that was almost exclusively on Nintendo consoles. While I don’t think he will be playable in this Super Smash Bros. title, I expect that he will make an appearance in a future one. And he better be throwing coins as a weapon!

Mega Man X
While I don’t think Mega Man X will make his appearance as DLC in this game, I do think we will see him in a future Super Smash Bros. title. Unfortunately, I think he will be reduced to an echo fighter of Mega Man, even though his power set would be radically different. But hey! This is just my prediction.

Steve (Minecraft)
I never really got into Minecraft. I did a short month using the free building option of the software, but this weird survival game never stuck with me. That being said, millions upon millions of people love Minecraft, and it’s actually a great educational tool. With Nintendo and Rare working out their kinks lately, I think it’s a fair guess that we will see Steve in a future Super Smash Bros. title, and I honestly think seeing little pixels flying around the stage would be pretty cool.

Characters Least Likely to Appear in a Super Smash Bros. Game

Master Higgins (Adventure Island)
While technically Adventure Island is an adaption of the arcade game Wonder Boy, Master Higgins made a brief splash in the retro gaming world on the NES, SNES, and GameBoy. Armed with a boomerang, axes, skateboards, and dinosaurs, Master Higgins would be a great addition to the Super Smash Bros. roster.

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)
I am probably going to get a lot of slack for this, but I don’t think Shadow will ever be playable in a Super Smash Bros. title. While conceptually he would be a fun character, and an easy echo fighter of Sonic the Hedgehog, the most we will ever see of him as playable is as a bad color swap skin for Sonic.

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
Lara Croft is probably my favorite video game hero. That being said, I am going to squash the rumors that Lara will be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. While she’s had a few titles on a Nintendo console here and there, Lara’s success has been due mostly to platforms like Playstation, Xbox, and PC. I could be completely wrong about that, and I hope I am, because Lara Croft would absolutely be my main!

Funky Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
How cool would it be to play as Funky Kong? Well, I wouldn’t have thrown this in here as a possibility until he became playable in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Still, I don’t think he will ever be playable in Super Smash Bros., even as an echo fighter to Donkey Kong (Which really honestly doesn’t work, considering he uses his skateboard to perform action stunts). I wouldn’t put it past Sakurai to include him in a future Super Smash Bros. title as an Assist.

Shantae
Shantae is one of those characters that fans have been clamoring to see in Super Smash Bros. While I do think her move set would be unique and fun, her fame as a character is actually a small percentage. While I would love for her to rise up in the same light as Shovel Knight of recognition, I don’t think she will quite reach that level. Plus Shovel Knight has already been put on the sidelines as an Assist, so I don’t think it’s likely we will see this magical genie being playable in a Super Smash Bros. title anytime soon.

Dante (Devil May Cry)
I’m not sure how the rumor of Dante being in a Fighter Pass came about beyond Devil May Cry getting re-released for the Nintendo Switch, but I’m into it. Dante is sexy, charming and total bad ass. I would play as him in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I don’t see him joining the roster any time soon. But hey, if Bayonetta can make it in, anything is possible!

Bandanna Dee (Kirby’s Dream Land)
I’ve actually been advocating for Bandana Dee to make an appearance as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Why? Because there are few representatives left to join the roster from the Kirby franchise. Unfortunately, he’s not nearly as big as Kirby, Dedede, or Meta Knight to merit is inclusion as a playable fighter, but I do think we will see him as an Assist in a future Super Smash Bros. title.

Cuphead
I want Cuphead in Super Smash Bros., badly. I even bought the DLC costume for Gunner Mii because the idea of Cuphead in this kind of game is actually perfect. Unfortunately, I think Cuphead will never be an actual player in Super Smash Bros. UNLESS there is a sequel, which there very well may be, and that would up the chances of seeing these characters making an appearance as a playable fighter in the game.

Dragonborn (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
I’ve seen a few rumors floating around that the Dragonborn of The Elder Scrolls series would be playable in Super Smash Bros. While it would be fantastic to have a representative of The Elder Scrolls series (especially with Skyrim being on the Nintendo Switch), I don’t see him joining the roster. If he does though, I fully expect there to be a female counterpart and even an Argonian to be a selectable skin.

Tracer (Overwatch)
I actually thought Tracer had a fighting chance of joining the Super Smash Bros. roster, that was until the political climate changed for Blizzard. Unfortunately, due to that I think Tracer may be shelved for the future of Super Smash Bros. titles, which is sad given how cool of a character she is.

2B (Nier: Automata)
This is actually a fairly recent rumor, based on a screenshot that had floated it’s way across message boards as a “leak.” Unfortunately, I think this leak is very fake, and also not a game that Nintendo would be spotlighting in the near future. Cool concept, though!

Hades (Kid Icarus)
While I think Hades would be an incredibly cool addition to Super Smash Bros., I don’t think this incarnation of the Greek god is well known enough to merit a place on the fighting roster. Plus with Castlevania in the mix, I think it’s far more likely that we will see Dracula as a playable character in a future Super Smash Bros title.

Chorus Kids (Rhythm Heaven)
The Chorus Kids are one of those concepts for Super Smash Bros. which really took off and bounced around the internet at lightning speed. While the concept for this idea is adorable at best, I don’t find it likely that we will see the Chorus Kids as anything beyond an Assist in a future Super Smash Bros. title.

Sans (Undertale)
Sorry everyone, I think what we currently for Sans is all we are going to get in Super Smash Bros….a glorified Mii Gunner costume. It’s okay, the costume is cute. Unfortunately, the game is too similar to Earthbound and isn’t an official Nintendo product. While Undertale is critically acclaimed for it’s fan following, in the larger scope of things it’s not big enough of a title to merit a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros.

Mach Rider
Fans have been clamoring to have Mach Rider be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. as a retro addition to the roster. I’m also one of those people. Realistically, he will not be anything more than an Assist if he has plopped into a Super Smash Bros. title. While he sports a weapon in the above photo, his game is almost entirely based on riding on a motorcycle while whipping a chain around.

Cooking Mama
Cooking Mama had a short-lived time in the spotlight during the Wii era. I can understand completely why fans want her in the game, but I doubt she will ever making a fighting appearance. I still hold out hope that they do away with Chef Kawasaki from Kirby’s Dream Land, and replace him with Cooking Mama as an Assist.

Peter Pepper (Burger Time)
There really haven’t been any rumors floating around Peter Pepper joining Super Smash Bros., this is just wishful thinking for me that he would be a playable character because I love Burger Time. But let’s be real, we will never see him in a game. Not even as an Assist. Or maybe…

Neku Sakuraba (The World Ends With You)
While I think Neku would be a great addition to the Super Smash Bros. roster, this one hit wonder for the Nintendo 3DS and Switch is still a really obscure game. But I wouldn’t put it past Sakurai to drop him in as an Assist.

Conker (Conker’s Bad Fur Day)
You know, I actually do think it’s possible to put Conker into Super Smash Bros. as a playable character and get away with it…as long as he can keep his mouth shut. But let’s not forget the days of Diddy Kong Racing where he was a steet cart racer. I guess as long as he’s not totally wasted, he can be nice…maybe. Anyway, we aren’t going to see him in a Super Smash Bros. game, but we can certainly dream!

Blaster Master
While it would be incredibly cool to see Blaster Master make an apperance as a playable character in Super Smash Bros., I don’t think that concept will see daylight. Not only would it be a complicated character to design between a character who can hop in and out of a massive tank, but that tank would be huge. If anything, Blaster Master would make a great Assist.

Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog)
It pains me to say this (as Knuckles is my favorite character), but I don’t think Knuckles will ever be playable in Super Smash Bros. While he plays an important role in the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, he hasn’t had his own title and he’s probably too busy protecting the Master Emerald from Dr. Eggman. His move set would be cool as hell, though.

Crono (Crono Trigger)
Don’t ask me how Crono came into the mix of characters that I think will eventually be playable in Super Smash Bros. Too many nights of whiskey and Smash theories. But given that Dragon Quest is now represented by Hero, I feel like it’s only right to have Crono appear in a Super Smash Bros. title. But I don’t think that will ever happen.

Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)
While it would be really cool to have a representative of Mortal Kombat in the Super Smash Bros. games, I don’t think Nintendo or Sakurai are about to drop a character who rips his face to reveal a skull that blows fire to melt another players face off.

Doomguy (Doom)

I don’t know how this rumor started, but having the protagonist of Doom as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. just doesn’t make sense. The Doom franchise is fun as hell, but they are graphically violent. Super Smash Bros. has players using star wands and poke-balls against each other. A gory killing machine of a character is not going to appear in Super Smash Bros. Just no.

One Last Thing…

Captain N
I don’t know where to place Nintendo’s iconic cartoon from the late ’80s and early ’90s. I don’t think he will appear as DLC, I don’t know when he would appear in a Super Smash Bros. title, but I don’t think he is ruled out of the picture. At this point, his entire entourage of Simon Belmont, Pit, and Mega Man are playable in Super Smash Bros. This would be a great option for a nostalgic character, and if we can have R.O.B. in a game, we can have Captain N.

Final Thoughts

We never know which characters Sakurai will bring us in Super Smash Bros. The hype, leaks, and guessing game of who will come is unreal in comparison to other fighting games. I enjoy speculating about this as much as the next person, and try to make calculated guesses based on my experience in marketing.

Who do you think will be in the next Fighter’s Pass? Let me know down in the comments.