It’s that wonderful time again where Masahiro Sakurai sits us all down to tell us which character he’ll be including in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. And while it feels like we just got Terry Bogard, the Smash Bros. community is always hungry for more. Today’s Nintendo Direct announced the final DLC fighter for the game’s first Fighters Pass. However, there were other announcements for fans to get excited about. Here’s everything that was announced in the roughly 35-minute-long video.
Byleth Joins The Fight
Byleth, the protagonist from 2019’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses, will be the 6th DLC fighter to join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The decision to include them isn’t surprising. Fire Emblem is one of the most represented Nintendo series in Smash Bros. Byleth will make the franchise’s 8th fighter to join the fray. Also, Three Houses are one of the more critically successful entries. And it became the best-selling game in the series only two months after being released.
Similar to fellow Fire Emblem alums Corrin and Robin, Byleth will be playable as male or female. But what sets them apart from other sword-wielders (and what Sakurai poked fun at while introducing them) is their arsenal. Byleth does use a sword; a weapon called the Sword of the Creator that also acts as a whip a la Ivy’s in Soul Calibur. But they also have access to various heroes’ relics that can be obtained in Three Houses. These are a lance, an ax, and a bow & arrow. Which one Byleth uses depends on the player’s input. Having access to a variety of weapons in Smash Bros. should make for some devastating combos. Though they each come with strengths and weaknesses.
As has been the case with every other DLC fighter, Byleth comes with new music and their own stage. Garreg Mach Monastery, a key location from Three Houses, will come with the purchase. It will cycle through 4 different areas via a floating platform. Parts of the environment will be destructible and each area features different characters from the game. There will also be a new spirit board and a new Classic Mode titled “A Heroic Legacy,” which takes you through different Fire Emblem stages. Byleth will be available on January 28th.
New Mii Costumes
Each DLC announcement also comes with the news of different costumes to dress your customizable Mii fighters in. Altair from the Assassin’s Creed series will be available for the swordfighter Mii. You can dress any Mii fighter up as a Rabbid from Rayman. The gunner is heavily represented this time with X and MegaMan.exe from the Mega Man universe. The best deal is the gunner’s Cuphead suit as it also comes with a new music track. Each will be available for 75 cents on January 28th.
Sakurai also took the time to briefly show new Amiibo for Richter and Dark Samus, which will release on January 17th.
The Future of Smash
After Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was released, Sakurai announced planned DLC. Players could purchase the Fighters Pass for $24.99 to receive them all as they released. Or players could purchase each one individually for $5.99 a piece. Byleth completes the Fighters Pass. However, Sakurai announced in September that they would be including even more DLC characters. And now, we’re one step closer to seeing that come to fruition.
Instead of 5 characters, Fighters Pass Vol. 2 will come with 6. Sakurai gave no word on who these fighters will be. But he did say they have all already been decided. Vol. 2 will also be available to pre-purchase on the 28th, with each individual pack being released before the end of 2021. With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate now the best-selling fighting game of all time, it’s only natural Nintendo wants to keep things going.
