Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the upcoming fifth Super Smash Bros. game and is set to be released for the Nintendo Switch on December 7, 2018.

Characters
The game currently consists of 68 overall characters. Three characters,, , and are not given their own numbers among the roster due to being Echo Fighters; they instead have the number of the fighter they are based off of along with a sigma symbol (ε). The and  each count as three characters, but only occupy one roster spot each, with the selection of the specific type of fighter coming later.

Every fighter from the previous four games has been confirmed to return for this installment. In turn, the development team has stated that there will not be very many newcomers; there are currently three confirmed so far, with one of them being an Echo Fighter.


 * Number indicates the order of appearance in the series.
 * ε indicates Echo Fighters, fighters that share the same move-sets and traits as another.

Stages
It was announced that all stages would have a Battlefield form and Omega form.

New

 * Great Plateau Tower
 * Moray Towers

Returning

 * 3D Land
 * 75M
 * Arena Ferox
 * Balloon Fight


 * Battlefield
 * Big Blue
 * Boxing Ring
 * Bridge of Eldin
 * Brinstar
 * Castle Siege
 * Coliseum
 * Corneria
 * Distant Planet
 * Dream Land (64)
 * Duck Hunt
 * Final Destination
 * Find Mii
 * Fourside
 * Frigate Orpheon
 * Garden of Hope
 * Gaur Plains
 * Gerudo Valley
 * Green Greens
 * Green Hill Zone
 * Halberd
 * Hyrule Castle
 * Jungle Japes
 * Kalos Pokémon League
 * Kongo Falls
 * Living Room
 * Luigi’s Mansion
 * Lylat Cruise
 * Magicant
 * Mario Circuit (SSBB)
 * Mario Circuit (SSB4)
 * Mario Galaxy
 * Midgar
 * Mushroom Kingdom 2
 * Mushroom Kingdom U
 * Mushroomy Kingdom
 * Mute City
 * New Pork City
 * Norfair
 * Onett
 * Pac-Land
 * Palutena’s Temple
 * Pokemon Stadium
 * Pokemon Stadium 2
 * Port Town Aero Drive
 * Pictochat
 * Pilotwings
 * Princess Peach's Castle
 * Prism Tower
 * Reset Bomb Forest
 * Saffron City
 * Shadow Moses Island
 * Skyloft
 * Skyworld
 * Smashville
 * Spear Pillar
 * Spirit Train
 * Summit
 * Suzaku Castle
 * Temple
 * Town and City
 * Termina: Great Bay
 * Tortimer Island
 * Umbra Clock Tower
 * Unova Pokémon League
 * Venom
 * WarioWare, Inc.
 * Wii Fit Studio
 * Wily Castle
 * Wrecking Crew
 * Wuhu Island
 * Yoshi's Island (SSB)
 * Yoshi’s Island (SSBB)
 * Yoshi‘s Story

Assist Trophies
It has been confirmed that over 50 assist trophies will be featured in the game.

New

 * Burrowing Snagret (Pikmin)
 * Bomberman (Bomberman)
 * Knuckles (Sonic)
 * Krystal (Star Fox)
 * Rodin (Bayonetta)
 * Squid Sisters (Splatoon)
 * Sukapon (Joy Mecha Fight)

Returning

 * Andross
 * Dr. Kawashima
 * Ghosts
 * Jeff
 * Knuckle Joe
 * Lyn
 * Nintendogs (Toy Poodle)
 * Metroid
 * Midna
 * Mother Brain
 * Riki
 * Starfy
 * Starman
 * Waluigi

New

 * Black Hole
 * Healing Field
 * Launch Star
 * Fake Smash Ball

Returning

 * Dragoon
 * Green Shell
 * Fire Flower
 * Maxim Tomato
 * Poké Ball
 * Smash Ball

New

 * Bewear
 * Solgaleo
 * Lunala

Differences from previous installments

 * Damage percentages can now contain decimal numbers. (35.7%, 102.3%, etc.).
 * During timed matches, the fighter in the lead will sometimes flash brightly.
 * Some Assist trophies can now be knocked out, earning the player points.
 * Some characters have more expressive facial animations, more so than any other installment.
 * Dark Pit and Lucina, who were previously considered separate characters in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, are now considered Echo Fighters and appear as alternate costumes for Pit and Marth, respectively. In addition, Daisy appears as an Echo Fighter of Princess Peach.
 * A small map is shown on the screen when a character is knocked out of the field of view.
 * There is a damage increase in 1-on-1 matches as opposed to matches with more characters.
 * Mobility during air dodge has improved. In addition, dodging multiple times in a row causes it to be less effective against attacks (similar to Stale-Move Negation).
 * Short hop attacks have been added.
 * Perfect Shield happens when the player releases the shield at the same time an attack connects to the character's hitbox. This technique now comes with an increased risk.
 * Final Smashes have been described as "fast and ferocious".
 * Mario's hat now reflects Cappy from his adventures in Super Mario Odyssey.
 * Marth's Dancing Blade is now faster. This also applies to Roy and Lucina.
 * Marth is now fully voiced in English.
 * Sonic and Pac-Man's move much faster during their final smashes than before.
 * Fox and Falco no longer use Landmaster as their Final Smash. Instead, they call upon the Star Fox team to unleash a barrage of Arwing lasers.
 * The player can now change between Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard freely during battle. In addition, a female Pokemon Trainer has been added.
 * Dramatic slow-motion effects occur when strong attacks connect with other fighters, such as Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch. These only occur in 1-on-1 fights, however.
 * In 1-on-1 fights, Ryu will always face the opposing fighter.
 * Robin's tome now has a usage meter that appears near their character icon.
 * Cloud's Limit Charge now shows the amount of charge on his character icon.
 * An item that Villager Pockets now appears next to their character icon.
 * Samus' Charge Shot can now be charged in midair. If cancelled in midair, it leaves her vulnerable.
 * Mr. Game & Watch's move-set closely resembles his original appearances from the Game and Watch series.
 * Giga Bowser is no longer a controllable transformation. Instead, Giga Bowser will appear in the background of the stage and attack using his fist, which causes instant Screen KOs.
 * Wolf's design is based on Star Fox Zero and all his moves have received a major overhaul.
 * Kirby has a new appearance during his Stone, which resembles a Sheikah treasure chest from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
 * Shulk's Monado Arts can now be easily selected by holding down the B button and selecting which art to use with the control stick.
 * Ganondorf's design is based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In addition, all his smash attacks now use his sword. His Final Smash was also changed, and he now transforms into Ganon, the Demon King.
 * Mii Fighters now have their proportions adjusted and their move-set tweaked. In addition, there are now several voice options to choose from.
 * Pit's final smash The Lightning Chariot has replaced Three Sacred Treasures.
 * Zero Suit Samus' final smash has changed.
 * When damaged, Olimar's helmet cracks but repairs itself shortly afterwards.
 * Wario's final smash Wario-Man has been overhauled. He no longer uses regular attacks, but instead unleashes a flurry of punches.
 * Donkey Kong no longer uses his drums as a final smash, but instead uses rapid-fire punches, ending with a strong uppercut.
 * Little Mac's final smash transforms him into Giga Mac who then unleashes a devastating combination of punches.
 * Ness's final smash now calls upon the help of Paula and Poo. Likewise, Lucas' now calls upon the help of Kumatora and Boney for his final smash.
 * Wii Fit Trainer's face has received a cosmetic update.
 * Wily Castle now includes all stage hazards from both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS version of the game.
 * Mega Man's final smash now includes Protoman and Bass.
 * Palutena now has a set special attack for each move. Her down special now works as a counter and deflector.
 * R.O.B has a new gauge on his chassis which shows how much fuel he has left for his hover ability.
 * Ridley is a playable character.
 * Link's design is based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
 * Zelda's design is based on her appearance in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Development

 * The game was first revealed on March 8, 2018, at the end of a Nintendo Direct with no word from Masahiro Sakurai or anybody else linked to the Super Smash Bros. series.
 * The teaser trailer released during the Nintendo Direct introduced the Inklings and showed Mario and Link's renders in the shadowy flares, along with a group of several other unidentified characters.
 * The most noticeable silhouettes are possibly Yoshi, Pit, Donkey Kong, Peach, Ness, Marth, Pikachu, Kirby, Sheik, Samus, Zelda, Fox, Captain Falcon, Bowser, and Wario.
 * On March 8, 2018, Masahiro Sakurai tweeted that he was working on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate silently every day, and more info would be released soon.
 * On June 12, 2018, during E3, Nintendo had a video presentation that included more information on the game.
 * In addition, a Super Smash Bros. Invitational tournament for this game was held on the same day, following the Splatoon 2 World Championship finals.

Trivia

 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the second game in the series not to receive any character cuts from a previous installation, with Super Smash Bros. Melee being the first.
 * Characters previously referred to as clones by fans have received the official title of "Echo Fighters". Dark Pit, Lucina, and Daisy are currently regarded as such.
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has the largest roster of any game in the series with a total of 66 playable characters.