List of Super Smash Bros. series characters

A character is one of the fighters in the Super Smash Bros. series. Characters can be sorted into playable and non-playable, which distinguishes whether characters can be used without the use of a cheat device (like Action Replay) or not. Playable characters can further be divided into starter and unlockable, which distinguishes whether characters can be played right away, or whether they need to be unlocked.

Playable Characters
This is a list of the playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series. Shaded cells denote unlockable characters. Note: * (Part of Pokémon Trainer)

Note: ** (You are able to fight against Mii Fighters In Multi-Man Smash)

Note: *** (Downloadable, only when own both versions)

Non-playable characters
The following characters are considered non-playable. These include boss characters and enemy teams, among others. Hacking and action replay codes may allow some level of play.

Note: * While Giant DK and Metal Mario were unplayable in the original Super Smash Bros., they are technically playable in Melee and Brawl by picking up a Super Mushroom or a Metal Box, respectively.

Note: ** Giga Bowser is playable in Brawl/For 3DS/Wii U as Bowser's Final Smash. Giga Bowser is also considered to be part of the Mario universe.

Note: *** Master Hand is playable in Melee through the Name Entry glitch.

Note: **** Sandbag is considered an item in Brawl, not a character.

Trivia

 * Ice Climbers is the only character included in both Melee and Brawl that has been cut in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
 * Dr. Mario and Mewtwo are the only characters that have returned after being cut in the preceding title.
 * Luigi, Captain Falcon, Ness, Jigglypuff, Ganondorf, Marth, Sonic, Lucario, and Toon Link are the only character that debuted as Hidden Character and went to become a Starter Characters in the later games.
 * Wario is the only character to debut as a starter and appear as a hidden character in the next title.