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A universe is a term used by the Smash Bros. community to collectively refer to all the particular characters, stages, items, music, and other properties appearing in the fighting games that are thematically featured in another game franchise.

Main universes

These are the video game series and franchises that the Super Smash Bros. games classify as major enough that they assign each franchise its own unique "universe symbol" that appears with characters and stages belonging to that franchise. These franchises generally have characters, stages, items, and other properties that all appear in Smash Bros. games as part of their primary content. However, the minimum requirement for a symbol is to contribute one character or stage to the games.

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  • The Super Smash Bros. universe: The "default" universe, this represents the Smash Bros. games themselves and accompanies all appearances of characters and stages that are thematically original to the fighting games themselves. Many original characters have been introduced here, but none thus far have been actually playable, with most serving as enemies and bosses in single-player content. The universe symbol seen here is also used as a "placeholder" by the games to indicate a minor universe without its own symbol. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, the Super Smash Bros. universe gets its own character representation by the Mii Fighter, but officially, they haven't been in any Smash game before their debut as playable in the Super Smash Bros. universe, not to mention that Miis have appeared in various other games, most notably the StreetPass Plaza games, including Find Mii.
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  • The Mario universe: Nintendo's flagship video game franchise. The company mascot at the head of this multi-genre series, Mario, is a primary playable character in Smash Bros. games, and has been accompanied by his brother Luigi (both since Smash 64), his alter-ego Dr. Mario (Melee, Smash 4 and Ultimate), the Mushroom Kingdom princess Peach (since Melee), the villainous king of the Koopas Bowser (since Melee) and his mischievous son Bowser Jr. (since Smash 4), the cosmic guardian Rosalina along with her child Luma (since Smash 4), the dinosaur Yoshi (since Smash 64), the gorilla Donkey Kong (since Smash 64), his chimp nephew, Diddy Kong (since Brawl), and the bellicose anti-hero Wario (since Brawl) as playable characters that heavily identify with Mario. The Mario universe is so expansive that Yoshi and Wario have been given their own sub-universes, while Donkey Kong and Mario started off together and therefore are linked in that way. Brawl also treats Mario Kart as a partially separate universe, containing two stages and a collection of music tracks, though it still uses the main Mario series symbol. Waluigi, Wario's trouble-making brother, appears in every game as an Assist Trophy. A Chain Chomp, a very recognizable enemy in the Mario series, appears in 3DS/Wii U as an Assist Trophy. A Hammer Bro, another famous Mario enemy, has appeared in every game as an Assist Trophy. A Lakitu and its Spinies, appear in Brawl and 3DS/Wii U as an Assist Trophy.
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  • The Yoshi universe: Referred to as the Yoshi's Island universe by PAL versions of Brawl, the Yoshi universe is based on the more colorful and saccharine subset of Mario video games starring the dinosaur Yoshi, who is the main (and thus far only) playable character of the series in the Smash Bros. games. Several properties seen in Smash Bros. games can be identified as strictly belonging to this universe instead of the Mario universe.
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  • The Donkey Kong universe: A franchise which the Mario series was partially spun-off from. The direction of British company Rareware (now known as Rare Ltd.), focusing on Donkey Kong and his many simian relatives and reptilian nemeses. Donkey Kong himself has been a playable Smash Bros. character throughout the entire series, while his monkey-like nephew Diddy Kong has been playable since Brawl. King K. Rool, the leader of the Kremlins and the main antagonist of the Donkey Kong Country series, is now playable in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A Klaptrap, a well-known enemy in the Donkey Kong Country games, appears as an Assist Trophy in Ultimate.
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  • The Wario universe: Referred to in NTSC versions of Brawl as the WarioWare universe, and as the WarioWare, Inc. series by PAL versions, the Wario universe is a sub-series of Mario games whose main character is Mario's ill-mannered and nefarious anti-hero counterpart, Wario. The games in this series are either platforming titles or (more prominently) micro-game collections, and Wario as he appears in both of these two genres of games within his series is the one playable character. Ashley appears in 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate as an Assist Trophy. Kat & Ana appear together in Brawl and 3DS/Wii as an Assist Trophy.
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  • The Wrecking Crew universe: A curious NES puzzle/platform game starring Mario and Luigi as demolition workers, trying to destroy old buildings while avoiding sentient wrenches, Foreman Spike and the infamous Eggplant Man. Previously classified as a Mario game, the sub-series was given its own symbol and stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash bros Ultimate.
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The Legend of Zelda universe: A series of adventure titles portraying several incarnations and continuities of its main characters, primarily the young Hylian hero Link (who is accompanied by Young Link in Melee and Ultimate and Toon Link since Brawl), the eponymous princess Zelda (since Melee), and the dark lord/warlock Ganondorf (since Melee). These, as well as Zelda's ninja-like alter-ego Sheik (since Melee), are playable characters. Ghirahim and Midna appear in 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate as Assist Trophies. Moon from Majora's Mask appears in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy also. Skull Kid appears in 3DS/Wii U as an Assist Trophy. Tingle appears in Brawl and 3DS/Wii U as an Assist Trophy.

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  • The Metroid universe: A science fiction series in either the side-scrolling platforming or the first-person adventure genres. The series' formerly silent protagonist, female bounty hunter Samus Aran clad in a versatile power suit (as well as without it in an alternative guise named Zero Suit Samus), is the primary playable character. In Brawl, another character from the universe appeared as a boss in the form of Ridley, and later as Meta Ridley. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Ridley appears as a stage boss in Pyrosphere. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Ridley appears as a playable character. Additionally, Dark Samus, the main antagonist who made her debut in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, appears in 3DS/Wii U as an Assist Trophy and is now playable as Samus' Echo Fighter in Ultimate. A Metroid appears as an Assist Trophy in every game. Mother Brain also appears as an Assist Trophy in 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate.
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  • The Kirby universe: The game franchise headed by Masahiro Sakurai prior to and alongside his directorial involvement in his Smash Bros. series. The titular pink spherical hero Kirby (since Smash 64), his menacing rival Meta Knight (since Brawl), and the greedy King Dedede (since Brawl) have all been featured as playable characters. Knuckle Joe has appeared in every game as an Assist Trophy. Nightmare, a villain from the Kirby series, appears as an Assist Trophy in 3DS/Wii U.
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  • The Star Fox universe: A series of space shooting games that got its start as among the first games to popularize 3D polygonal graphics in the Super Nintendo era. All the games' characters are anthropomorphic animals. The de facto leader of the "Star Fox" team Fox McCloud has been available for the entire series. Ace wing man Falco Lombardi was added to the list in Melee and has been in every game since. Wolf O'Donnell, Fox's rival and leader of the mercenary group "Star Wolf", has been playable in Brawl and will return in Ultimate. Andross appears in every game as an Assist Trophy. Krystal, who first appeared in Star Fox Adventures for the GameCube, appears in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy.
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  • The Pokémon universe: One of video gaming's most lucrative franchises, this multi-genre franchise emphasizes handheld role-playing games that focus on the training and battling of 719 distinctive species of creatures called Pokémon, from which the series derives its name. Playable characters consist of electric mouse mascot Pikachu (since Smash 64) and its younger form Pichu (Melee and Ultimate), the hypnotic pink puffball Jigglypuff (since Smash 64), psychic feline humanoid Mewtwo (Melee, Smash 4 and Ultimate), the jackal-like Lucario (since Brawl), a generic Pokémon Trainer (Brawl and Utimate) who commands his three Pokémon (Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard, although Charizard reappears by itself in Smash 4) from the background to do battle in the foreground, and the speedy ninja frog Greninja (since Smash 4). It is the most heavily represented universe to date.
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  • The F-Zero universe: A futuristic racing game series featuring anti-gravity racing machines that zoom at extremely fast and intense speeds, with game play emphasizing speed boosts, cornering, and physically ramming each other's machines to lower life meters. The superhero-like bounty hunter Captain Falcon serves as the most recognizable racer and "mascot" of the series and is a playable character throughout the Smash Bros. series. Samurai Goroh appears in every game as an Assist Trophy.
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The EarthBound universe: Also referred to by its Japanese title, the Mother series. A postmodern, satirical, and psychedelic take on role-playing conceived by Shigesato Itoi, with three games in the series. The protagonists of the second and third games, EarthBound's Ness (since Smash 64) and Mother 3's Lucas (since Brawl) respectively, have been playable as characters. Jeff Andonuts has appeared in every game as an Assist Trophy. Starman appears in Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U as an Assist Trophy.

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  • The Ice Climber universe: A classic NES game focusing on a pair of parka-clad mallet-wielding children named Popo and Nana as they infinitely scale platformed mountains to retrieve vegetables from a Condor. The Ice Climbers feature together as one playable character in Melee, Brawl and Ultimate.
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  • The Fire Emblem universe: A long-running series of tactical role-playing games set in sword-and-sorcery medieval fantasy settings and portrayed with numerous anime character designs. Formerly a series released only in Japan, it gained enough popularity in its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee that the franchise turned international from then on, and has proven quite popular as such. Main heroes from the various unrelated installments in the series, including Marth (since Melee), Roy (Melee and Smash 4), and Ike (since Brawl) have been featured as playable characters. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Lucina, Robin and Corrin were also added as representatives of this universe. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Lucina returns as Marth's Echo Fighter. Additionally, Chrom, who was part of Robin's Final Smash in 3DS/Wii U, is now playable as Roy's Echo Fighter. Lyn appears in every game as an Assist Trophy. It is the only series with characters that made their debut in a Smash Bros. game (specifically Roy).
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  • The Game & Watch universe: The Smash Bros. games' representation of one of Nintendo's earliest digital products, which is a series of LCD handheld consoles named "Game & Watch". A previously unnamed black-and-white character in several of these games has been featured as a playable character under the name Mr. Game and Watch since Melee.
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  • The Kid Icarus universe: An old classic NES game released alongside the original Metroid. It is the story of a young angel knight named Pit as he battles to save the goddess Palutena from the forces of the evil Medusa, which was revived by Masahiro Sakurai. Pit appears with a major graphical redesign as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Palutena makes her debut as a playable character in Smash 4. Dark Pit, a major character in Kid Icarus: Uprising, also debuts as a playable character in Smash 4.
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  • The Pikmin universe: A real-time strategy game series that started on the GameCube. The main character, Captain Olimar, and the titular creatures, the Pikmin, cameo as separate, collectible trophies in Melee. The five different Pikmin types, red, blue, yellow, purple, and white, along with Captain Olimar, are combined into a playable character known as Pikmin & Olimar in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Alph, the protagonist of Pikmin 3, appears as a playable character since Smash 4 as one of Olimar's palette swaps. A Burrowing Snagret appears in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy.
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  • The R.O.B. universe: Also known as the Robot universe. Not much is known about this universe, other than the fact that its symbol is a Gyro from Gyromite, and its only contributions are the character R.O.B., R.O.B.-based enemies in the Subspace Emissary, and a piece of music, Gyromite.
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  • The Animal Crossing universe: This is a series of colorful life simulation games where the player's avatar lives in a woodland town featuring anthropomorphic animals as the town's residents and neighbors. It was introduced to the Smash Bros. franchise in Melee, with three trophies — K.K. Slider, Tom Nook, and Mr. Resetti. In Brawl, Animal Crossing was more prominent, with a stage, an item, an assist trophy, and many stickers and trophies that originated in this universe. In Smash 4, it became even more noteworthy, with a Villager added as a playable character, as well as Isabelle tagging along as an Assist Trophy. Kapp'n appears in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy.
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  • The Metal Gear universe: A third-party franchise. A series of stealth and espionage shooting games set on a fictional take of real-world Earth in somewhat apocalyptic time periods in the future where nuclear deterrence and various moral issues are dealt with as social commentary by the games themselves. The series' main star, Solid Snake, is a playable character in Brawl and Ultimate. Frank Jaeger, the Gray Fox, appears in Brawl as an unlockable Assist Trophy and Ultimate as a starter Assist Trophy.
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  • The Sonic the Hedgehog universe: A third-party franchise, one of SEGA's primary franchises, and a longtime rival franchise to Nintendo's Mario in the years before SEGA became a software developer for Nintendo and other companies. This world with anthropomorphic characters is the setting of many games covering multiple genres. Its eponymous mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, is a playable character in Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate and was highly anticipated. Shadow the Hedgehog, a famous character from the series, appears in Brawl and 3DS/Wii U as an Assist Trophy. Michael "Tails" Prower, Silver the Hedgehog, and Knuckles the Echidna appeared in Brawl and 3DS as a stage cameo in the Green Hill Zone stage. Knuckles returns in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy. Eggrobo, one of Dr. Eggman's robots, appears in Smash Run in 3DS as an enemy. Green Hill Zone appears as a stage in Brawl and 3DS while Windy Hill Zone replaces it in the Wii U version.
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  • The Punch-Out!! universe: A series of boxing games, best known for the large cast of colorful (yet stereotypically depicted) characters. The main character of the NES and Wii games, Little Mac, appears in Brawl as an Assist Trophy and as a playable character in Smash 4 and Ultimate.
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  • The Xenoblade universe: A JRPG series with a combat system styled after MMOs. Shulk, the protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles, wields the Monado, a unique sword, in battle against the mysterious "Mechon" enemies. Gaur Plain is a stage in both versions of SSB4.
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  • The Mega Man universe: Capcom's long-running series is another third-party universe with a playable character, the titular Mega Man. A franchise spanning at least five different series, the main concept for each one being the robotic protagonist fighting colorful enemies and taking their powers. Wily Castle appears as a stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Elec Man appears as an assist trophy in Smash 4, while Zero, one of the main protagonists of the Mega Man X series, will appear as an assist trophy in Ultimate.
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  • The Pac-Man universe: A third party franchise, Bandai Namco's long running series about a yellow, spherical creature named Pac-Man, and his many adventures in "Pac-World". The eponymous character appears as a playable character in Smash 4 and Ultimate, accompanied by characters and elements from other Namco Arcade games. The four ghost enemies, Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde, appear together as an Assist Trophy in 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate.
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  • The Street Fighter universe: Announced via a leak as the first ever DLC third-party franchise in Smash history via the introduction of the wandering World Warrior called Ryu and an updated version of his stage from Street Fighter II, this long-running fighting game series tells the many tales of these combatants out to prove themselves as the greatest fighter on the planet. Ryu returns with his stage in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
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  • The Final Fantasy universe: Another new third-party series joining Smash, Square-Enix's long-running RPG franchise tells the stories and legends surrounding a group of heroes who go out on an epic quest to stop supernatural evil forces from taking over their world. Cloud Strife, the main hero of the most popular entry of the franchise, Final Fantasy VII, was announced as a new DLC character along with his stage based on the city of Midgar from the same game. Odin, Leviathan, Ramuh, Ifrit, and Bahamut ZERO appear out of the Summon Materia in the Midgar stage.
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  • The Bayonetta universe: The third DLC/third-party franchise to join the Smash Bros. multiverse. The lead titular character, Bayonetta, as well as the opening scene of the original game, Umbra Clock Tower, enters Smash as a new DLC character and DLC stage respectively. They return in Ultimate along with Rodin who joins as an assist trophy.
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  • The Splatoon universe: A third-person shooter series. The Inkling will appear as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch. The Squid Sisters also appear in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy.
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  • The Castlevania universe: Konami's long-running Action-Adventure series is the latest third-party series to join Smash Bros.. The main protagonist of the Castlevania series, Simon Belmont, as well as his Echo Fighter and the main protagonist of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Richter Belmont, are the new playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Additionally, Alucard, the son of Dracula and the main protagonist of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, will join as an assist trophy. Also, the main location of the Castlevania series, Dracula's Castle, is appears as a stage.
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  • The Nintendo DS universe: Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U dedicate an official universe symbol to what is merely the Nintendo DS platform itself. No characters appear in the game, and the only things that this universe has are two stages named PictoChat and PictoChat 2. Dr. Kawashima appears in 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate as an Assist Trophy.
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  • The Electroplankton universe: Likewise, a stage named Hanenbow is the main and only representation of this "universe" based on the Nintendo DS musical "toy" game, Electroplankton.
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  • The Wii Sports universe: A series of sports games released to demonstrate the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities. It received one music track in Brawl before receiving its own stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
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Secondary universes

These are the various franchises that have not been recognized as primary universes by any Smash Bros. game, and this is indicated by the fact these franchises do not carry their own universe symbols. As a general rule, such universes lack any playable characters or stages in the games, but if any of the following franchises contributes an item, assist trophy, or some other minor element to a given Smash game, the game assigns the property and its respective franchise the default Smash Bros. universe symbol.

Universe Description
Bomberman A strategic, maze-based video game series originally developed by Hudson Soft and currently owned by Konami. The title character, Bomberman, will appear as an Assist Trophy in Ultimate.
Brain Age Music from this game appears as a My Music option in PictoChat and the host, Dr. Kawashima appears as an Assist Trophy in Smash 4.
Clu Clu Land An NES game whose main character, Bubbles, cameos as a collectible trophy in Melee. Additionally, a music track with the same name as the source game appears in the My Music for the stage Summit as well as Unira making an appearance as an item in Brawl and Smash 4.
Color TV-Game A series of early "pong consoles" released by Nintendo, making then it's oldest game series, older than Game and Watch. A representation of Color TV-Game 15 appears as an assist trophy in Smash 4.
Custom Robo Three robot combatants, Ray MK II, Bayonette, and Annie, cameo as collectible trophies in Melee. Ray MK III also appears as an Assist Trophy in Brawl.
Devil World Tamagon, the game's protagonist, appears as a trophy in Melee, though it cannot be obtained unless the game is hacked in the North American version, and it is completely absent from the PAL version. Only in the Japanese version is it fully obtainable. In addition, the Devil from the game is an Assist Trophy in Brawl and Smash 4.
Dillon's Rolling Western A western-styled action/tower defense game with two installments on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. The main character, Dillon, appears as an Assist Trophy in Smash 4.
Drill Dozer Jill, along with her Drill Dozer, appears as one of the Assist Trophies in Brawl.
Excite A side-scrolling racing game whose depiction of a motorcyclist racer is a collectible Trophy in Melee and Smash 4 and an Assist Trophy in Brawl.
Golden Sun A series of fantasy RPGs for Game Boy Advance, developed by Camelot Software Planning and thematically based on the four classical elements. The first game's silent protagonist, the young Earth-based warrior Isaac, appears as an Assist Trophy in Brawl. In addition, the music track Battle Scene / Final Boss (Golden Sun), based on two battle themes from the second game, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, can be unlocked for the My Music selection for Norfair.
Jam with the Band A series of music games released only in Japan and Europe. Barbara the Bat, one of the characters in the game, appears as an Assist Trophy in Brawl, where she plays her guitar that sends out damaging shockwaves.
Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru An obscure Japan-Only Gameboy release. The unnamed main character, the Sablé Prince, appears as an assist trophy in Smash 4.
Kururin Helirin (incorrectly spelled "Heririn") cameos as a collectible trophy in Melee. The Helirin also appears as an Assist Trophy in Brawl, where it acts as a rotating platform that characters can stand on.
Monster Hunter Monster Hunter is a series of fantasy-themed action role-playing games developed and published by Capcom. Rathalos, a giant flying wyvern, will appear as a boss and as an assist tropy in Ultimate.
Nintendo Wars Various soldiers and tanks from the series appear as an Assist Trophy in Brawl and Smash 4 where they fire projectiles at foes.
Panel de Pon A long running series of puzzle games that only saw western release after rebranding with other Nintendo mascots, such as Yoshi or Pokémon, typically under the name Puzzle League. The Lip's Stick item is a tool from this game. Lip's Theme is a music track on PictoChat that is a reference to this universe.
Perfect Dark Sci-fi stealth-based FPS games by former Nintendo developer Rareware (now known simply as "Rare"). The Motion Sensor Bomb and Cloaking Device, featured as items, were listed as based on this series in beta versions of Melee, though they are considered non-universal in later versions.
Rhythm Heaven A series of music games from the same team behind the WarioWare series where the player must tap along to the rhythm of a song while quirky situations play. A character from one of the games "Sneaky Spirit" appears as a Smash Run enemy.
Sheriff A 1979 arcade game whose main character and enemy sprites cameo together in a collectible trophy for Melee. He also appears as an Assist Trophy in his sprite form in Smash 4.
Shovel Knight A 2D side-scrolling indie platform game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. The title character, Shovel Knight, will appear as an assist trophy in Ultimate.
SimCity Dr. Wright cameos as a collectible trophy in Melee. He also appears as an Assist Trophy in Brawl and Smash 4.
Sin and Punishment Saki Amamiya appears as an Assist Trophy in Brawl and Smash 4.
The Legendary Starfy Starfy appears as an Assist Trophy in Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate. He uses spinning attacks to damage his foes, but is also one of the few Assist Trophies that can be knocked out of the arena.
Steel Diver An item based on one of the playable submarines in the first game, the Blue Shark, appears in Smash 4.
The Mysterious Murasame Castle Takamaru appears as a sticker in Brawl and as an Assist Trophy in Smash 4.
Xevious Bacuras appear as indestructible foes in Smash Run.

Minor universes

Main articles: List of minor universes

Many other series are represented in smaller forms, such as trophies, stickers, or music.

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