- This article is about Sora's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Sora.
Sora is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He is the sixth character in Fighters Pass Volume 2 and the twelfth downloadable character overall, as well as the game's final newcomer. Sora's inclusion was revealed on October 5th, 2021 during his own "Mr. Sakurai Presents" presentation. He is the fourth fighter to represent Square Enix, following Cloud, Hero, and Sephiroth, as well as the first and only to represent Disney.
Sora was officially released on October 18th, 2021. He is classified as Fighter #82.
Moveset
Attributes
- Sora's playstyle evokes the one developed for the first Kingdom Hearts, retaining its simplistic combo and magic systems, as well as his wide array of mobility options.
- Much like Bayonetta, Sora's Jab, Side Tilt, Neutral Aerial, and Forward Aerial are 3-Hit Combos, performed by hitting the Attack button three times or holding it. This is meant to emulate a gameplay element from the original games, where all of Sora's Keyblade attacks are all 3-Hit Combos after pressing the X button repeatedly. The combo can be stopped midway by simply shortening the number of button presses, allowing a cancel into another move.
- Its damage and launch power is dependent on how many strikes are dealt; for example, if Sora only attacks with the first hit of the combo, it will simply launch them forward a small distance; but if Sora deals only the first two strikes of the combo, the opponent will stay in place as if they have been hit by a weak attack.
- Much like Bayonetta, Sora's Jab, Side Tilt, Neutral Aerial, and Forward Aerial are 3-Hit Combos, performed by hitting the Attack button three times or holding it. This is meant to emulate a gameplay element from the original games, where all of Sora's Keyblade attacks are all 3-Hit Combos after pressing the X button repeatedly. The combo can be stopped midway by simply shortening the number of button presses, allowing a cancel into another move.
- Also true to his home series' gameplay as well as his namesake, Sora is a very floaty and airy character, possessing very high jumps with slow descents.
- In addition to this, he is one of the lightest fighters in the game, surpassing characters like Isabelle and Young Link.
- Sora can also crawl.
General Moveset
- Jab: A 3-Hit Combo. A downward swing of the Keyblade, followed by a forward thrust, and then a wide swing away from the opponent.
- Grab: Grabs the enemy with his free hand, while holding on to the Keyblade with another.
- Pummel: Bashes the opponent with the hilt of the Keyblade.
- Edge Attack: Thrusts the Keyblade while getting up.
- Floor Attack: Swings the Keyblade around him while spinning.
- Dash Attack: A baseball slide, similar to Mario's own Dash Attack.
- Aerials:
- Neutral Aerial: A 3-Hit Combo. A forward circular swing of the Keyblade, then a reverse of the swing, and then another forward circular swing. Sora will rise upwards with each hit, much like in the original games.
- Up Aerial: A wide overhead backflip slash.
- Forward Aerial: A 3-Hit Combo. A downward swing of the Keyblade, then an upward, and then another downward swing. Similar to his Neutral Aerial, Sora will rise upwards with each hit.
- Back Aerial: A wide reverse-slash of the Keyblade.
- Down Aerial - Hurricane Blast: A stall-then-fall. Sora will moonsault down to the ground while doing multiple circular slashes of the Keyblade.
- Tilts:
- Up Tilt: Spins the Keyblade upwards, dealing continuous hits.
- Forward Tilt: A 3-Hit Combo. An upward swing of the Keyblade, then a forward thrust, and then a wide downward swing.
- Down Tilt: A low sweep of the Keyblade much like Link and Pyra/Mythra's Down Tilts.
- Throws:
- Up Throw: Throws the opponent upward while hopping.
- Forward Throw: Attacks with a downward strike of the Keyblade that launches the opponent forward. The swing can hit multiple opponents.
- Back Throw: Spins twice to throw the opponent backwards, similar to Mario's Throws.
- Down Throw: Slams the opponent to the ground. Visually similar to Terry's Buster Throws.
- Smash Attacks:
- Up Smash - Resembles Magic Flash. Pierces the Keyblade directly above him; the tip of the Keyblade itself will explode with a burst of light. The light has a sweetspot that deals more damage and high launch power.
- Side Smash - A slow but powerful wide horizontal swing of the Keyblade.
- Down Smash - Finishing Leap: Stabs the ground below him with the Keyblade while hopping, causing a shockwave. Sora can also evade low attacks during the hop.
Special Moves
| Sora's Special Moves | |
|---|---|
| Ultimate | |
| Standard Special | Magic |
| Side Special | Sonic Blade |
| Up Special | Aerial Sweep |
| Down Special | Counterattack |
| Final Smash | Sealing the Keyhole |
On-screen appearance
Idle Poses
Taunts
- For his Up Taunt, Sora will perform the spells Stopga, Aeroga, and Curaga in a fixed rotating order each time the button is pressed (similar to Magic). As it is a taunt, it does not have an effect on the battle and is merely for aesthetic purposes. Sora will exclaim "Time!" ("ๆใ๏ผ"), "Wind!" ("้ขจใ๏ผ"), and "Heal!" ("็ใใ๏ผ") for each respective spell.
- Sora's Side Taunt is one of his victory poses after completing a challenge in Olympus Coliseum.
- For Sora's Down Taunt, he will perform an animation he does in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory after hitting a star-marked note.
Victory Screens
- For the first screen, Sora will assume his official render pose at the end, which in turn also resembles his official artwork from the first Kingdom Hearts drawn by series creator Tetsuya Nomura.
- The second screen recreates another victory pose Sora can perform after completing a challenge in Olympus Coliseum, itself a reference to Squall Leonhart's own victory pose in Final Fantasy VIII.
- The third screen is loosely based on Sora's summoning animation in Kingdom Hearts.
Aesthetic
- Sora's fighting stance is taken from Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts III. However, if Sora has picked up an Item, his fighting stance will change into the one he assumes in Valor Form in Kingdom Hearts II when he is holding two Keyblades.
- All of Sora's Keyblade Attacks emit unique star visual effects, which are exclusive to the Kingdom Key in the Kingdom Hearts series. Special sound effects also accompany them, which are taken from the games as well. Both also carryover into certain items Sora has picked up, mainly Beam Sword, Killing Edge, and Death's Scythe.
- When using Sonic Blade to attack an opponent, a reticule will appear on that character. The reticule is taken from the original games' Lock-On mechanic.
- Sora's HUD that showcases what kind of Magic he is equipped with is visually identical to the universal menu design used for both the in-game command selection and on the start-up and pause screens of the Kingdom Hearts series.
- During Stamina matches, if Sora has dealt the finishing blow, the game will do a dramatic slow down in a unique camera angle while fading to white; this is recreating a similar effect in the games when Sora has successfully defeated a boss or any other major enemies.
- Sora uses his Glide ability when Dashing.
- Both of Sora's swimming and climbing animations are directly imported from the Kingdom Hearts games.
Classic Mode: The Light That Clears the Darkness
Sora's congratulatory picture, a reference to the menu screen for Kingdom Hearts III.
All fighters in Sora's Classic Mode are references to various antagonists throughout the Kingdom Hearts franchise. All rounds are Stamina matches. The song "Blast Away! -Gummi Ship II- " will play during the end credits, as the end credits shooting game resembles the Gummi Ship sections of the original games.
| Round | Opponent | Stage | Music | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Link and Young Link | Hollow Bastion | "Fragments of Sorrow" | A reference to the two battles against Riku that take place inside Hollow Bastion, with Adult Link representing Ansem-Riku (Riku possessed by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness). Sora will have 100HP and the two Links will have 50HP each. |
| 2 | Mr. Game & Watch (normal-sized x5, large x2, giant x1) | Skyworld (Battlefield Form) | "Night of Fate" | The Mr. Game & Watch team are meant to resemble the Shadow, Neoshadow, and Invisible Heartless enemies. The normal-sized Mr. Game & Watches will have 20HP each, while the large-sized have 50HP, and the giant will have 70HP. |
| 3 | Cloud | Coliseum | "Shrouding Dark Cloud" | A reference and mimic to Cloud and Sora's duels at Olympus Coliseum during the first Kingdom Hearts. Both will have 100HP. |
| 4 | Robin (male, female, large-sized) | Kalos Pokรฉmon League | "Hollow Bastion" | Analogous to the final moments of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, with the Robin team meant to resemble Organization XIII (specifically the male Robin representing Vexen, the female Robin representing Larxene, and the giant Robin representing Marluxia). Kalos Pokรฉmon League is meant to reference Castle Oblivion. Each Robin has 50HP. |
| 5 | Giant Ganondorf | Find Mii (Omega Form) | "Destiny's Force" | Ganondorf is meant to represent Xehanort, the central antagonist of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Both will have 100HP. |
| 6 | Metal Sora | Hollow Bastion (Sora's Station of Awakening form) | "Destati" | Metal Sora may represent either AntiSora from the first Kingdom Hearts, Vanitas from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts III, or a comatose Sora trapped in Ventus' Keyblade Armor from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Both will have 100HP. |
| 7 | Bonus Stage | |||
| Final | Master Hand and Crazy Hand | Final Destination | "Destati" | Both Hands will be fought regardless of difficulty. |
Palette Swaps
Like with Hero, half of the Soraโs alternate costumes represent his main outfits from across the franchise. The other half are recolors of the first four. No matter which costume is used, Sora's hair and physical appearance will remain the same.
Default |
Based on his appearance in the first Kingdom Hearts game, where he is 14 years of age. Also as he appears in Chain of Memories. According to creator Tetsuya Nomura, Sora's original design was inspired by Mickey Mouse after Square Enix originally requested that he should be the main protagonist of the game. |
|---|---|
Two |
Wears his clothes from Kingdom Hearts II, given to him by Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather which allows him to use Drive Forms. |
Dream |
Wears his clothes from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, secretly given to him by Organization XIII in order to keep track of his whereabouts. |
Three |
Wears his clothes from Kingdom Hearts III and Melody of Memory, gifted by Yen Sid and enchanted to help him hide from the forces of Darkness. |
Grey |
As he appears in the Timeless River world in Kingdom Hearts II, which is based on the original rubberhose Mickey Mouse cartoons (mainly Steamboat Willie). The costume also features unique facial expressions inspired by classic manga artwork (i.e. the late Osamu Tezuka). |
Red |
Based on Sora's Valor Form from Kingdom Hearts II, as well as a visual representation of his teammate Goofy. |
Blue |
Based on Sora's Wisdom Form from Kingdom Hearts II, as well as a visual representation of his teammate Donald Duck. |
White |
Based on Sora's Ultimate form from Kingdom Hearts III, gained after being granted access to the Ultima Weapon and using its Formchange ability. |
Gallery
Sora's splash art
Sora's unlock notice
Videos
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate โ The Last Key-2
Super Smash Bros.โข Ultimate โ Battling with Sora โ Nintendo Switch-2
Trivia
- Sora's codename within the game's files is "trail", presumably due to being the last fighter to join the game.
- According to Masahiro Sakurai, Sora was the undisputed most requested fighter in the history of Smash, revealing him to be the true winner of the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot.
- According to him, his inclusion was made possible due to a chance encouter Sakurai had with a Disney executive at a "certain game awards venue". As a result, Fighters Pass Volume 2 expanded to include six fighters.
- Sora is the first fighter to represent a non-gaming company, being Disney.
- Each of Sora's four poses for his renders are recreations of his official artworks for the respective games his outfits come from; said artwork are used for his Spirits.
- Sora's reveal trailer makes several references to the Kingdom Hearts series:
- The CGI introduction of the trailer can be taken as a literal interpretation of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness' "All worlds begin in darkness" speech to Sora in the first Kingdom Hearts, especially in regards to Sora's rebuttal to him ("That's not true! The heart may be weak, and sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out!").
- After Sora emerges from the Keyhole, he begins to fly around the area. This is him using his Glide ability, a recurring ability in the series which is granted after being sprinkled with Pixie Dust courtesy of Tinker Bell.
- The gameplay section begins with Sora in the Dive to the Heart form of Hollow Bastion. This may be a potential reference to the beginning of the games, as the area serves as a tutorial for the player.
- The shot of Sora falling down the center of the split sky in the stage where the true final battle takes place against Galeem and Dharkon is meant to mimic the opening movie of the first Kingdom Hearts, where Sora sees himself falling into the ocean right by Destiny Islands. It could also be a potential reference to the cover art for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
- Sora running into Cloud in the gameplay section is a callback to their numerous encounters throughout the series. The two being in Great Plateau Tower may also be a mimic to their duels in Olympus Coliseum in the first Kingdom Hearts.
- Sora attacking Shulk with Sonic Blade at New Donk City Hall may reference his encounter with Roxas in The World That Never Was in Kingdom Hearts II.
- Sora's battle against Sephiroth on Find Mii references the latter's infamously difficult boss fights in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II; the scene specifically mimics his boss battle in the latter game, where Sora encounters him inside Villain's Vale in Radiant Garden.
- Additionally, during their battle in the trailer, Sephiroth attacks with Flare, Blade Dash, and Shadow Flare - all of which are moves he can perform in his boss battles. Sephiroth is also in his Winged Form, as all of his appearances in Kingdom Hearts always feature him with his lone wing.
- The fifth image on Sora's page in the Ultimate website also references Sephiroth's boss battle, with the picture taken in Coliseum - another visual callback to his secret fight in the first Kingdom Hearts where it took place in Olympus Coliseum.
- A quick shot of Sora landing on Fountain of Dreams may be a mimic to The Final World in Kingdom Hearts III, where the floor is also a thin body of water.
- Another quick shot features Sora and a female Villager looking at the background of Jungle Japes; this is a recreation of one of the earlier cutscenes in the original Kingdom Hearts, with the Villager meant to represent Kairi.
- Sora feeding the three Kirbys references the Dream Eaters, creatures from Dream Drop Distance that consume the dreams and nightmares of the people living in the Realm of Sleep.
- The brief scene of Sora in Kalos Pokรฉmon League may contain three references:
- The stage being in the Flood Chamber, thus surrounded by multiple Water-type Pokรฉmon, may be a nod to Atlantica, a world that takes place in the film The Little Mermaid.
- Wailord's appearance is a potential nod to another world, being Monstro, the giant whale from Pinocchio that consumes Sora and his party's Gummi Ship in the first Kingdom Hearts.
- Sora is in his Wisdom Form palette swap when he performs his Curaga taunt; this is a direct reference to Donald Duck, as this particular Form represents him and is often assigned as the healer of the party.
- The scene of the two Pichus hatching from a Yoshi Egg references the "Crack the Egg" minigame at the Le Grand Bistrot in Kingdom Hearts III; the two Pichus represent the two egg yolks the player can receive if the minigame has been done perfectly.
- The final shot of the trailer, where Sora and Mario shake hands, not only is symbollic of the two being the last and first fighters of Smash, but is also a reference to the origins of the Kingdom Hearts series itself, as creator Tetsuya Nomura has often stated that Super Mario 64 heavily inspired his design for the gameplay.
- Sora has the most Fighter Spirits, at 5.
- Sora is the only Square Enix character in Smash to retain his English voice actor.
- He is also the third fighter to use repurposed voice clips, following Banjo & Kazooie and Min Min.
- Sora's inclusion in Ultimate has been heavily connected to the numbers 7 and 13, key numbers that play a role in the story to both Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts III:
- Sora was released alongside v13.0.0, and comes with 13 Spirits.
- Sora's release date is 13 days after his reveal in the final Mr. Sakurai Presents presentation.
- Hollow Bastion features 7 different portraits in its Dive to the Heart form.
- If one counts Pyra and Mythra as two separate fighters (due to their numbering), that would make Sora as the 7th character in Fighters Pass Volume 2 and the 13th DLC fighter overall.
 Kingdom Hearts universe
| |
|---|---|
| Character | Sora (Ultimate) |
| Background characters | Riku ยท Roxas ยท Xion ยท Terra ยท Ventus ยท Aqua |
| Stage | Hollow Bastion |
| Music | List of Music (Kingdom Hearts series) |
| Spirits | List of spirits (Kingdom Hearts series) |
| Related universe | Final Fantasy |