Color Changing

In the Super Smash Bros. series, each character can alter his or her outfit's color scheme to avoid confusion if he or she is facing the same character that they are using. Every character has at least 4 alternate colors, including a red, blue and green costume representing the three colors available in Team Battles. Super Smash Bros. Melee introduced characters with more than 4 outfits, and in Brawl, each character has about 6 unique outfits. Pikachu, Pichu, Jigglypuff and Sonic are unique in that their colour changes also incorporate additional accessories along with changes to their hue. In team battles, when two or more people choose the same character on the same team, they are different shades as well

SSB
Super Smash Bros. introduced the basic color changes, the first four that could be changed with the C-Button.
 * Mario:
 * Mario's yellow costume is based on the yellow-and-purple outfit of his rival, Wario.
 * Mario's blue costume is what he originally wore in his first few games, such as Donkey Kong and Mario Bros., an inverted version of his normal color scheme.
 * Yoshi:
 * All of Yoshi's costumes are different variations of the Yoshi species in many of his games.
 * Captian Falcon:
 * Captain Falcon's red costume is nearly identical to his the outfit of his rival, Blood Falcon.
 * Captain Falcon's white costume is the same color as Jody Summer's outfit.
 * Kirby:
 * Kirby's yellow costume is Keeby. It is also similar to his colors scheme when he is Beam Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Kirby's red costume is the same as when he is Fire Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Kirby's blue costume is the same as when he is Ice Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Samus:
 * Samus' pink costume is her Varia Suit. Also, the blue visor indicates that she is using missiles at the time.
 * Samus' blue costume is her Gravity suit.
 * Link:
 * Link's red costume is his Goron Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It is also the same as when he used the Red Ring in the Legend of Zelda, when he used the shield spell in Zelda II, and his Red Mail in A Link to the Past.
 * Link's blue costume is his Zora Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

SSBM
Super Smash Bros. Melee altered the buttons used to change costumes to X and Y.
 * Mario:
 * Mario's yellow costume is based on Wario, the same as his previous yellow costume.
 * Mario's blue costume is what he originally wore in his first few games.
 * Mario's brown and white costume may be construed as a homage to various Gameboy appearances (ie Super Mario Land).
 * Peach:
 * Peach's yellow costume changes nearly her entire appearance to that of Daisy, including her hair color, hair style, earrings, dress style, gloves, crown and even skin color.
 * Peach's white costume imitates her Nurse Toadstool costume from Dr. Mario.
 * Yoshi:
 * All of Yoshi's costumes appear as different variations of the Yoshi species in many of his games.
 * Captain Falcon:
 * Captain Falcon's red costume is nearly identical to his rival Blood Falcon's outfit, even altering the logo on his back. Originally, for the Japanese version, the logo was Hell Hawk.
 * Captain Falcon's white costume makes him wear Jody Summers' outfit.
 * Ice Climbers:
 * The Ice Climbers' orange and red costumes will place Nana in the lead, making Popo follow. The voice samples are swapped to match up with the change.
 * Kirby:
 * Kirby's yellow costume is Keeby. It is also the same as when he is Beam Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Kirby's red costume is the same as when he is Fire Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Kirby's blue costume is the same as when he is Ice Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Kirby's white costume mirrors his appearance in the original Kirby's Dreamland.
 * Samus:
 * Samus' blue costume is her Gravity suit.
 * Zelda:
 * Zelda's red costume is the same color as she was in her first two games, with more detail.
 * Zelda's blue costume is the same color as she was in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
 * Link:
 * Link's red costume is his Goron Tunic. It is also the same as when he used the Red Ring in the Legend of Zelda, when he used the shield spell in Zelda II, and his Red Mail in A Link to the Past.
 * Link's blue costume is his Zora Tunic.
 * Link's white costume is the same as when he used the blue ring in The Legend of Zelda, and his Blue Mail in A Link to the Past.
 * Mewtwo:
 * Mewtwo's green costume is the same as his shiny variation in Pokemon Silver/Gold and onwards.
 * Marth:
 * Marth's white costume is based on Leaf,the protagonist of Fire Emblem Thracia 776.
 * Pikachu:
 * Pikachu's Red costume has him wearing the hat of Red, protagonist of Pokemon Red and Blue.
 * Pikachu's Blue costume has him wearing a blue party hat.
 * Pikachu's Green costume has him wearing a green cowboy hat.

SSBB
Brawl changed the idea with Color Changes just a bit. While Melee added a few extra outfits to some characters, Brawl promises 6 colours each. In fact, only Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Pokémon Trainer, Lucario and Sonic lack 6.

Mario:

 * Mario's blue costume is what he originally wore in his first few games.
 * Mario's yellow costume is based on Wario just as before.
 * Mario's white costume has his shirt white and his overalls red. This is based on Fire Mario.
 * Mario's brown costume is Foreman Spike from Wrecking Crew, which was confirmed on the original SSB Japanese site.

Donkey Kong:

 * Donkey Kong's white costume makes him look like a yeti, perhaps the character Eddie the Mean Old Yeti from the Donkey Kong Country TV series. It also looks like Snowflake, the only albino gorilla known to this day.

Link:

 * Link's red costume is his Goron Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It is also the same as when he used the Red Ring in the Legend of Zelda, when he used the shield spell in Zelda II, and his Red Mail in A Link to the Past.
 * Link's blue costume is his Zora Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
 * Link's white costume is the same as when he used the blue ring in The Legend of Zelda, and his Blue Mail in A Link to the Past.
 * Link's black costume is based of Dark Link.

Samus:

 * Samus' default costume is her Varia Suit.
 * Samus' cyan costume is based off her Fusion Suit.
 * Samus' brown costume is based off of her Dark Suit
 * Samus' blue costume is based off of her Gravity Suit
 * Samus' green costume slightly resembles Samus from Super Metroid before she gains her Varia Armor.

Kirby:

 * Kirby's yellow costume is Keeby. It is also the same as when he is Beam Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Kirby's red costume is the same as when he is Fire Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Kirby's blue costume is the same as when he is Ice Kirby, sans the hat.
 * Kirby's white costume mirrors his appearance in the original Kirby's Dreamland.
 * All these colors are also similar to different Kirby colors in games such as Kirby's Air Ride and Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

Fox:

 * Fox's white costume is based on his outfit in Star Fox Adventures.
 * Fox's red costume resembles Peppy Hare's Outfit in Star Fox Adventures.

Pikachu:

 * Pikachu's red costume is Red's hat, the protagonist of Pokemon Red and Blue. Pikachu's skin color also changes to look akin to a shiny Pikachu.
 * Pikachu's blue costume are the goggles worn by Pichu in Melee or possibly Go-Goggles from R/S/E.
 * Pikachu's green costume is Brendan's headband from Pokemon Emerald.

Marth:

 * Marth's white costume is based on Leaf, the protagonist of Fire Emblem Thracia 776.
 * Marth's blue costume is based on his original appearance in Fire Emblem 1.
 * Marth's red costume is based on the Black Knight's armor from Path of Radiance.

Luigi:

 * Luigi's orange costume is similar to his Fire Luigi appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3. It also looks a lot like Mario's standard costume.
 * Luigi's white costume is based on the normal Fire Luigi.
 * Luigi's purple costume is based on Waluigi's outfit.
 * Luigi's red costume is from Wrecking Crew, in which Luigi wore pink for some reason.
 * Blue Luigi seems to be Mario from the cover of the NES Mario Bros. port.

Diddy Kong:

 * Diddy's pink costume resembles the outfit worn by fellow DK character Dixie Kong.
 * Diddy's blue costume resembles the outfit worn by fellow DK character Lanky Kong.

Zelda:

 * Zelda's pink costume is based off her appearance in Melee as well as Ocarina of Time. Sheik also changes her costume to match said game.
 * Zelda's red costume is based on her appearance in the first two Zelda games.
 * Zelda's blue costume is based on her appearance in A Link to the Past.

Pit:

 * Pit's blue costume is similar to one of his outfits in Kid Icarus
 * Pit's green costume is similar to one of his outfits in Kid Icarus

Meta Knight:

 * Meta Knight's pink costume is similar to an alternate costume in Kirby's Air Ride. His body (feet, skin, etc.) also looks like Kirby's.
 * Meta Knight's blue costume is based off Dark Meta Knight.
 * Meta Knight's green costume is similar to an alternate costume in Kirby's Air Ride.
 * Meta Knight's red costume is similar to an alternate costume in Kirby's Air Ride.
 * Meta Knight's white costume is similar to an alternate costume in Kirby's Air Ride.

Falco:

 * Falco's red costume resembles the outfit he wore in Star Fox: Assault.

Pokémon Trainer:

 * Pokémon Trainer's green costume takes the color scheme of Brendan from Pokémon Emerald.
 * Ivysaur's bulb changes to yellow, which is Ivysaur's shiny color.
 * Squirtle's shell changes to green, which is Squirtle's shiny color.
 * Pokémon Trainer's white costume makes his hat look like the hat Leaf, the female hero (and thus Trainer's female counterpart) of Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen, wears.
 * Pokemon Trainer's red costume makes Squirtle have the colors of its evolved form, Wartortle.

Ike:

 * Two of Ike's costumes make him look like regular soldiers.
 * Ike's white costume is based on his third-tier vanguard class in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
 * Ike's yellow and brown costume resembles the outfit of his father, Greil.

Snake:

 * Snake's green costume makes him wear a forest camoflage.
 * Snake's white costume makes him wear a cloud-like camoflage.
 * Snake's blue costume makes him wear a water camoflage.
 * Snake's red costume makes him wear a fire camoflage.
 * One of Snake's costumes resembles the Animals camo from Snake Eater.

Peach:

 * Peach's yellow costume changes nearly her appearance to that of Daisy, however, unlike Melee, this is entirely a re-colouring. Her earrings, crown and brooch remain unchanged.
 * Peach's white costume imitates her Nurse Toadstool costume from Dr. Mario.
 * Peach's red costume makes her appear similar to Pauline from her later games.

Yoshi:

 * All of Yoshi's Colour Changes appear as colours of Yoshi in Yoshi's Story. Only Black and White Yoshi are missing from Brawl.

Ice Climbers:

 * The Ice Climbers switch positions for their red, black, and white costumes, but they do not switch positions on the selection screen.

King Dedede:

 * King Dedede's Brown costume mirror's Kirby's white costume, making him appear like in Kirby's Dream Land.
 * King Dedede's purple costume features a very ornately decorated belt, similar to one on a formal Japanese Kimono. This costume is also similar to an alternate costume in Kirby's Air Ride.
 * King Dedede's green costume is similar to an alternate costume in Kirby's Air Ride.
 * King Dedede's pink costume is similar to an alternate costume in Kirby's Air Ride.

Wolf:

 * Wolf's white costume makes him wear colors similar to a Wolfen.
 * Wolf's yellow costume with brown fur appears similar to Leon(from F-Zero) or Bill Grey (from Star Fox 64).
 * Wolf's blue costume resembles the outfit worn by Panther Caroso in Star Fox: Assault.

Lucario:

 * Lucario only has 5 colorations, and lacks his Shiny colors.

Ness:

 * Ness's black costume has a Mr. Saturn sprite drawn on the front of the shirt.
 * His white costume features a white T-shirt with red sleeves, the same as the shirt Fuel wears in Mother 3. However, this may not be a reference, as nothing else Ness wears matches Fuel's appearance.

Sonic:

 * Sonic's green costume resembles his alter-ego, Scourge the Hedgehog, as it turns his fur green and his eyes blue.
 * Sonic's yellow costume has him wear the gold bracelets belonging to Silver the Hedgehog.

Bowser:

 * Bowser's white costume resembles Morton Koopa Jr. His muzzle is white, much like Morton's. The spikes on his shell are the same color as Morton's as well.
 * Bowser's blue costume resembles his appearance on the Japanese cover to Super Mario Bros. This can be seen on the sticker Super Mario Bros.
 * Bowser's white costume turns his hair red and his shell, skin and spiked collars to white, resembling Dry Bowser from New Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart Wii.
 * Bowser's red costume resembles a Red Koopa Paratroopa(Spikes are the same color as Wings) or a Red Spiny.
 * Bowser's brown costume resembles how he appeared in his first few games.
 * Bowser's yellow costume gives him a shiny golden appearance.

Wario:

 * Wario has a "special" outfit, his classic overalls, that effectively doubles his alternate costume choices.
 * Overall Wario's red costume resembles the color scheme of Mario's outfit, albeit with the shirt and overall color swapped, similar to one of Mario's alternate costumes. This somewhat mirrors the way that Wario's "classic" outfit appears as one of Mario's alternate costumes. Two of Wario's other alternate colors for his "classic" look appear similar to alternate costumes for Mario and Luigi (specifically, Mario's green costume and Luigi's blue costume).
 * Overall Wario's white costume makes him look like his appearance in Wario's Woods for the NES.

Toon Link:

 * His black costume is based off a toon-version of Dark Link.
 * His red costume is based off of Red Link from Four Swords
 * His blue costume is based off of Blue Link from Four Swords
 * His purple costume is based off of Violet Link from Four Swords
 * One of his outfits resembles Link as he was depicted back in the NES days (brown hair included).

R.O.B.:

 * R.O.B.'s grey costume makes him look like North American versions of R.O.B. Even the words on his base changes from Family Computer Robot to R.O.B. Robotic Operating Buddy, the same as the American Version of him.
 * R.O.B.'s purple costume resembles the SNES color scheme.
 * R.O.B.'s blue costume resembles NAV-COM, a submarine co-pilot from the game Startropics.
 * R.O.B.s green color change is the R.O.B launcher from SSE

Pikmin & Olimar:

 * Olimar's blue costume makes him look like Louie.
 * Olimar's black and yellow costume makes him look like the president of Hocotate.

Ganondorf:

 * Ganondorf's brown costume has the same colors as his Ocarina of Time/Spaceworld/Melee design, slightly darkening his red hair and using the same design of cape.

Captain Falcon:

 * Captain Falcon's red costume is nearly identical to his rival Blood Falcon's outfit, even the writing on his back changes to say 'Blood Falcon'.
 * Captain Falcon's white costume makes him wear Jody Summers' outfit.
 * Captain Falcon's blue costume makes him look like his Super Smash Bros. Melee appearance.
 * Captain Falcon's black costume is his costume from the F-Zero X Expansion set, as well as the F-Zero X commercial in Japan.

Jigglypuff:

 * Jigglypuff's white costume gives her a hat like the hat Leaf, the female hero of Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen, wears.
 * The Jigglypuff with a straw hat is Shiny Jigglypuff. The difference is her green eyes.

Lucas:
ciLn6cFxA2k
 * Lucas has an outfit that resembles his brother Claus.
 * Images (Smash Bros. DOJO)
 * all costumes