After it was announced that every fighter ever in the Super Smash Bros. series would be returning for the fifth installment, it was easy to assume that those characters would be all of them.
However, when a Nintendo Direct for Ultimate was announced at EVO, this was suddenly thrown into question.
The Direct was… well, let’s just get into it.
https://clips.twitch.tv/PrettiestColorfulSnailSSSsss
It started off insane enough with an announcement of Simon Belmont. Minutes later, they also mentioned that Richter Belmont would be his Echo Fighter. Their attacks have a lot of range, but are a little on the slow side. True to the games, you can set the whip limp and control it with the control stick, similar to Sheik’s side-special “Chain” from Melee.
Their stage, Dracula’s Castle, also has some bosses from the Castlevania franchise appear while Stage Hazards are turned on. These bosses include Carmilla, Death, and Dracula himself.
That would have made for a stellar Direct on its own, but Sakurai then announced more characters for Ultimate.
https://clips.twitch.tv/AuspiciousHedonisticFerretHoneyBadger
As Echo Fighters of Ike and Samus, Chrom and Dark Samus will also be in Ultimate. Their differences are slight, but they should be quite interesting to play as and learn.
At the end of the clip, Sakurai also mentions that there are more characters yet to be announced, which was perhaps a little bit of a tease for what was to come after Sakurai officially signed off.
https://clips.twitch.tv/SuccessfulDignifiedSnailVoteYea
In a legendary bait, the Direct teases King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong series, just to show that it was a disguised King Dedede. As he’s laughing at Donkey Kong and Diddy’s reactions, the real King K. Rool suddenly shows up and smacks Dedede off to the side. That’s right–King K. Rool is in Ultimate.
At this point, there’s no character announcement that will surprise anybody. This Direct held so many surprises that it’s hard to be surprised, though excitement is guaranteed.
