Palette Swap (Super Smash Bros. Melee)

Super Smash Bros. Melee added additional Alternate costume options to characters by using the X and Y buttons to cycle through the available list instead of using four C buttons to pick a specific color, this removes the limit as to how many are selectable, so there are no longer any costumes exclusive to Team Battles or computer opponents. As a result, many characters now have five different color schemes, with some having as many as six, though some still only have four.

In Team Melee, if members of the same team use the same character, the second player would have a lighter tint applied to their character. A third player uses a darker tint. If a fourth player is forcibly added to a team with the Name Entry glitch, then the fourth character will be completely black, the game's data suggests that a fifth player, if possible, would be completely grey. A sixth player and afterword, would crash the game.

N/A: Color that is original to Smash and doesn't have any particular reference.

Characters

Dr. Mario

White	W	Resembles his appearance from Dr. Mario 64. Despite wearing white pants in his own game, Dr. Mario wears indigo jeans in Melee.
Red	R	Resembles Nurse Toadstool's color scheme.
Blue	B	Resembles the traditional color of scrubs worn in real-life hospitals, while his violet gloves resemble standard nitrile gloves used by most physicians.
Green	G	Resembles the traditional color of scrubs worn in by real-life surgeons. Also resembles his appearance in Dr. Mario for the original Game Boy.
Black	B	Referred to as "Unlicensed Dr. Mario" by the official Melee website.

Mario

Red	R	Based on his appearance from the Nintendo 64 era and Super Mario 64.
Yellow	Y	Based on Wario, the same as his yellow costume in the previous game. Unlike the original version (and every other iteration in the series), the colored "M" is blue instead of yellow and the buttons are white instead of yellow, as to make him more closely resemble Wario. Additionally, Mario's hat gains a white accent on it's edge.
Black	B	A reference to Foreman Spike from Wrecking Crew '98. Updated from the original version of this swap to be closer to black and white than brown and yellow. It is the only costume where the hat and overalls are changed to be the same color.
Blue	B	A reversal of his traditional colors. This is seen as a partial reference to Mario's varying appearances in games prior to Nintendo's official establishment of Mario's outfit consisting of a red shirt, blue overalls, and red hat. In various earlier games, Mario occasionally also appeared with a blue hat, red shirt with blue overalls, or a red hat with a blue shirt with red overalls. Interestingly, though, Mario never appeared in any game with the particular combination of a blue hat, blue shirt, with red overalls as it appears here, but this color scheme does resemble the Balloon Fighter and it also resembles Mario's outfit from the three DIC cartoons. Also may be based on Mario's appearance in Donkey Kong game (aka Jumpman), but with blue cap.
Green	G	Complimentary colors of his normal outfit. Resembles Mario's appearance on Japanese and European box arts for Wrecking Crew. A similar arrangement of colors also appears as part of the flashing animation from a Starman in Super Mario Bros. Updated from the original version of this swap to be more brown than orange.

Luigi

Green	G	Based on his appearance from the Nintendo 64 era, Mario Kart 64, and in Luigi's Mansion.
White	W	A reference to Luigi's appearance in Super Mario Bros. and the NES version of Mario Bros., It also resembles Fire Luigi. It is the only one to change the color of his gloves.
Blue	B	Resembles the artwork for Mario on the cover for the NES version of Mario Bros., though his sprite does not actually feature such coloring, while his overalls appear in black instead of blue in-game, like in the original Super Smash Bros.
Pink	P	Based on Luigi's appearance in Wrecking Crew. Also referred as "Strawberry Luigi" on official website.

Bowser

Green	G	Resembles his appearance from Super Mario 64.
Red	R	Resembles a Spiny or red Koopa Troopa. It also resembles Roy Koopa's early in-game sprites without the sunglasses, as well as Bowser's Second player costume in Mario Golf. Unusually, while the artwork depicts Bowser with red eyes, they are green in-game.
Blue	B	Came from Bowser's international artwork for Super Mario Bros. Also resembles Iggy Koopa's early in-game sprites.
Black	B	N/A

Peach

Pink	P	Resembles her appearance from the Nintendo 64 era.
Yellow	Y	This costume changes Peach's entire appearance to that of Daisy, including her hair color, earrings, dress style, gloves, tiara, and even skin color. However, later games in the Mario series changed Daisy's design, resulting in the costume only matching games before Melee. When the inside of her dress is looking at the camera, her underwear is light blue which matches her jewelry instead of her dress. This swap is also technically the very first alternate costume in the Super Smash Bros. series, meaning a costume that isn't just a simple recolor and drastically changes the characters design.
White	W	Resembles how she appeared in her first appearance in Super Mario Bros., without the red hair and red trim. Peach uniquely wears pantyhose with this costume, she also wears this costume in the event "Time for a checkup!", even though Nurse Toadstool wears pink.
Blue	B	Based on Daisy's appearance in NES Open Tournament Golf.
Green	G	N/A

Yoshi

All of Yoshi's costumes appear as different variations of the Yoshi species in many of his games, such as Yoshi's Story and Super Mario World.

Green	G	Resembles his appearance from the Nintendo 64 era and Yoshi's Story, it also resembles a Green Yoshi from Super Mario World.
Red	R	Based on the Fire-Breathing Yoshi in Super Mario World.
Blue	B	Based on the Flying Yoshi in Super Mario World.
Yellow	Y	Based on the Stomping Yoshi in Super Mario World.
Pink	P	Based on the Pink Yoshi from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
Cyan	C	Based on the Cyan Yoshi from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Donkey Kong

While all Donkey Kong's costumes show the same skin in the portraits, each one is a different color in the game.

Brown	B	Resembles his appearance from the Nintendo 64 era and Donkey Kong 64.
Black	B	Resembles Donkey Kong's coloration when Donkey Kong '94 and Donkey Kong Land were played under the black-and-white palette on the Game Boy Color and Super Game Boy. "Monkey Smash" mode in Donkey Kong 64 also featured Donkey Kong with blue-black fur and a blue tie.
Red	R	Resembles Donkey Kong's sprite in the original Donkey Kong.
Blue	B	Resembles Donkey Kong's alternate color in Donkey Kong 64's multiplayer mode.
Green	G	Resembles the green palette of Donkey Kong '94 and Donkey Kong Land, due to the Game Boy's native color palette.

Captain Falcon

Indigo	I	Based on his appearance from F-Zero X.
Black	B	Resembles his appearance in a Japanese commercial for F-Zero X. Also resembles Black Shadow.
Red	R	Based on Falcon's rival, Blood Falcon's outfit, even altering the logo on his back to say "Blood Hawk". Betas for the game show that it was originally intended to read "Hell Hawk", the Japanese name of Blood Falcon's F-Zero machine.
White	W	Based on the colors of Jody Summer's outfit. Commonly known as "Captain Fabulous" in the community.
Green	G	Based on the colors of Pico's outfit.
Blue	B	Based on the original, lighter colors of Captain Falcon in F-Zero on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Ganondorf

Brown	B	Based on his appearance from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Red	R	N/A
Blue	B	Based on his original beast-boar form, Ganon.
Green	G	N/A
Purple	P	N/A

Falco

Tan	T	Resembles his appearance from Star Fox 64.
Red	R	Resembles Peppy Hare's flight suit from Star Fox 64.
Blue	B	Resembles Slippy Toad's flight suit from Star Fox 64.
Green	G	Resembles Fox's flight suit.

Fox

White	W	Resembles his appearance from Star Fox 64.
Red	R	Resembles Falco's flight suit.
Blue	B	Resembles Slippy Toad's flight suit from Star Fox 64.
Green	G	Based on his concept art from the original Star Fox.

Ness

Red	R	Based on his appearance from EarthBound.
Yellow	Y	The yellow and black color scheme resembles that of the Hanshin Tigers, a Japanese baseball team. The shirt also bears a very similar color scheme to the Gigantic Ant enemy from EarthBound.
Blue	B	Based on Ness' younger self that he encounters briefly in EarthBound, who was wearing a blue hat.
Green	G	This costume very closely resembles the character, Everdred, from EarthBound, who was dress in green and orange. However, Ness wears a green hat instead of black, which is the color of Everdred's hat. The shorts, also with a color change, are green instead of orange.

Ice Climbers

As can be seen in the image, the Ice Climbers' orange and red costumes will place Nana in the lead, making Popo follow.

Blue	B	Based on their appearance from Ice Climber.
Green	G	Popo's parka color resembles either the cucumber or the cabbage. Nana's parka color resembles her hair color from the PAL and Japanese artworks of Ice Climber.
Orange	O	Could resemble a brief color change that happens when Popo dies in Ice Climber.
Red	R	While Nana's parka is purely red on their portrait in the character selection screen, it is actually maroon in-game. Popo's white parka could also resemble a brief color change that happens when Popo and Nana die in Ice Climber.

Kirby

Pink	P	Based on his appearance from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.
Yellow	Y	This color swap is Keeby, who was Kirby's companion in games that featured co-op mode. It is also the same as when he is Beam Kirby or Needle Kirby in earlier games, but without the hat. It was also an alternative palette for Kirby in the multiplayer for Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Developer Shigeru Miyamoto also reportedly believed Kirby should be yellow in his debut game, while Masahiro Sakurai believed the character should be pink.
Blue	B	The same as when he is Ice Kirby in earlier games, but without the hat. It is also an alternative palette for Kirby in the multiplayer for Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.
Red	R	The same as when he is Fire Kirby in earlier games, without the hat.
Green	G	An alternative palette for Kirby in the multiplayer for Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.
White	W	A reference to his monochrome appearance from the original Kirby's Dream Land for Game Boy. It is also similar to the colors of Kirby's depiction on the North American box cover of Kirby's Dream Land.

Samus

Orange	O	Based on her appearance from Super Metroid.
Pink	P	Based on the appearance of the Varia Suit when missiles are selected in the original Metroid game.
Black	B	N/A
Green	G	In Japan, the original Smash 64 website referred to this alternate costume as "Production Model Samus", often referred to as "Mass Produced Samus" in the community.
Purple	P	Based on the Gravity Suit from Super Metroid.

Zelda

Pink	P	Based on her appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Red	R	Resembles Zelda's first appearance in The Legend of Zelda if Link possesses the red ring, but not the blue ring. Also resembles Zelda's appearance in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
Blue	B	Resembles Zelda's first appearance in The Legend of Zelda if Link possesses the blue ring but not the red ring. Also resembles Zelda's maiden outfit in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Green	G	Resembles Zelda's first appearance in The Legend of Zelda if Link possesses neither the blue ring nor the red ring.
White	W	Resembles Zelda's field sprite in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Sheik

All of these colors go with Zelda's costume and come from the same game as Zelda's.

Navy	N	Based on her appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Also corresponds with Zelda's pink color, hence why it isn't used for team battles.
Red	R	Corresponds with Zelda's red color.
Blue	B	Corresponds with Zelda's blue color.
Green	G	Corresponds with Zelda's green color.
White	W	Corresponds with Zelda's white color. This costume is the only one which changes Sheik's skin tone.

Link

Green	G	Based on his appearance from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Red	R	Based on the Goron Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It also resembles Link with the Red Ring from the original The Legend of Zelda.
Blue	B	Based on the Zora Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Black	B	Based on a color tunic hack from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time which resembles Dark Link.
White	W	Resembles the use of the Blue Ring in The Legend of Zelda.

Young Link

All of Young Link's colors are exactly the same as Link's, except ordered where the black and white costumes are switched.

Green	G	Based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.
Red	R	Based on the Goron Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Blue	B	Based on the Zora Tunic from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
White	W	Resembles the use of the Blue Ring equipped in The Legend of Zelda.
Black	B	Based on a color tunic hack from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time which resembles Dark Link.

Pichu

Yellow	Y	Based on it's appearance from the Pokémon series.
Red	R	N/A
Blue	B	Gives Pichu goggles similar to the "Swimmer" class of the Pokémon series.
Green	G	Similar to the backpacks worn by most Pokémon Trainers throughout the Pokémon series.

Pikachu

Yellow	Y	Based on it's appearance from the Pokémon series.
Red	R	Has Pikachu wearing the hat of Red, the protagonist of the Generation I Pokémon games. The fur color also resembles that of Pikachu's shiny coloration in the Pokémon games.
Blue	B	Has Pikachu wearing a party hat similar to the party hats from the previous game.
Green	G	N/A

Jigglypuff

Pink	P	Based on it's appearance from the Pokémon games.
Red	R	Resembles a hibiscus flower which it wears on it's back left.
Blue	B	Similar to the bows from the original Super Smash Bros.
Green	G	Resembles one of the possible colors for a nicknamed Jigglypuff in Pokémon Stadium. It's headband is reminiscent of the Blackbelt Trainer class.
Yellow	Y	Based on the crown that Jigglypuff wears in this costume is identical to that worn by Peach.

Mewtwo

Purple	P	Based on it's appearance from the Pokémon series.
Red	R	Resembles one of Mewtwo's possible alternate color shades in the Pokémon Stadium games.
Blue	B	Resembles Mewtwo's in-game sprite colors for Pokémon Red & Blue. Also used as an Easter egg in Pokémon Stadium.
Green	G	Based on Mewtwo's shiny color in the Pokémon games.

Mr. Game & Watch

Notably, the 3 alternate costumes are the 3 team colors.

Black	B	Based on the Game & Watch characters from the games Fire and Parachute.
Red	R	Based on depictions of objects and characters on the Virtual Boy.
Blue	B	N/A
Green	G	N/A

Marth

Blue	B	Resembles his appearance from Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem. Also based on the standard color for player units in the Fire Emblem games.
Red	R	Based on the standard color for enemy units in Fire Emblem games. This is the only costume in Melee to change the color of his tiara.
Green	G	Based on the standard color for NPC units in Fire Emblem.
Black	B	Resembles Camus, one of Marth's allies, as he appears starting with Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.
White	W	Based on Leif, the protagonist of Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 and a character from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.

Roy

Purple	P	Resembles his appearance from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade.
Red	R	Based on the standard color for enemy units in Fire Emblem games.
Blue	B	Based on the standard color for player units in the Fire Emblem games. It is the only alternate costume to change Roy's golden trim color. Also resembles Eliwood, Roy's father.
Green	G	Based on the standard color for NPC units in Fire Emblem.
Yellow	Y	N/A

Stats

• There is a total of 123 alternate costumes.
• The average number of costumes per character is 5.
• Captain Falcon, Kirby, and Yoshi share the highest amount of color swaps: 6.
• There are 10 fighters with only 4 color swaps, and 13 fighters with only 5.
• This is the only game in the series were Peach does not have a red version of her costume, instead wearing her default pink one for on the Red Team during Team Battles, though pink is a faded red color.
• There is some costumes that have been changed the color after Super Smash Bros.
  • Mario: Forman Spike color changes from Beige & Brown to Black & White. Green & Orange changed into Green & Brown.