Every Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Ranked

SUPER SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE, the fittingly named latest incarnation of Nintendo’s amazing crossover fighting games, is out. It’s got every character who has ever appeared in SMASH, plus a bunch of new ones, with DLC to come. I shall rank all of them (including Echo Fighters), not on their basis of how they play in the SMASH games or even their own games/series, but on who they are as people. Or as animals. Or as animal-people. Or as amorphous pink blobs. You get the picture.

#78 — Mii Brawler

The least appealing of the Mii Fighters, the Brawler has the same issue as his/her counterparts: he or she is just pretty boring, although creating funny Miis can result in some amusing fights.

#77 — Mii Gunner

Evoking Samus or Mega Man with his/her arm cannon, the Gunner is marginally more interesting than the Brawler.

#76 — Mii Swordfighter

Meanwhile, the Swordfighter is the coolest by essentially functioning like a Link or the million FIRE EMBLEM characters.

#75 — Dark Pit

A common thread for many of the characters lower on this list is my general lack of context for them. I have not played KID ICARUS: UPRISING (2012), so I don’t know what Dark Pit gets up to there, but generally, I don’t find a whole lot interesting about evil doppelganger characters. Perhaps besides Link’s Shadow/Dark Link/Shadow Link (all the same concept, different behaviors and appearances in games), but then they’re not playable characters in SMASH.

#74 — Incineroar

Incineroar seems alright. He’s a wrestler I guess? I’m just not a huge fan of fully evolved Pokemon as it is, and I haven’t played a Pokemon game since Gen III.

#73 — Chrom

So Chrom is for sure the least interesting FIRE EMBLEM character in SMASH, at least design-wise. I haven’t played FIRE EMBLEM: AWAKENING (2012).

#72 — Palutena

Palutena’s a goddess. I like godesses. But since my KID ICARUS experience is relegated to the first two games and therefore I have really no context for this particular goddess’ personality, I’m judging Palutena based purely on her appearance and, even though I said I wouldn’t, how much I like to play her in SMASH. Guess I’m shallow.

#71 — Piranha Plant

It’s so bizarre that “Piranha Plant” is in the game and not, like, Petey Piranha. I know he’s the Final Smash! I appreciate Piranha Plant’s little plant feet poking out his pot tho.

#70 — Ken

Surfer dude-ass street fighter.

#69 — Wolf

Wolf is an edgelord. Dude has definitely said “I can be your devil…or your angle.” There’s no one I’d want at #69 less than Wolf.

#68 — Dark Samus

Samus, as you’ll see, is one of my favorite SMASH/Nintendo characters, but there’s not really much about Dark Samus that stands out. She’s Samus, but a dark doppelganger. I mentioned this phenomenon with Dark Pit. It’s cool that Dark Samus keeps showing up like a weird rival.

#67 — Corrin

Dragon-ass FIRE EMBLEM boy/girl. Corrin’s a lean bean (yes I mean bean, not mean. I don’t mean mean.) dragon-transforming machine. As with Robin, female Corrin is the way to go.

#66 — Lucario

Like Wolf, Lucario is a little too edgy for my blood, especially in the context of Pokemon. I like his blue foxman design (as opposed to the reddish Fox man we know so well).

#65 — Ridley

I cannot believe Ridley is finally in SMASH. ULTIMATE is an insane game. His shrunken down form kind of weirds me out, but his general pterodactyl-dragon design is pretty silly. In a good way.

#64 — Joker

I’ve never played a PERSONA game, so I don’t know what’s up with those games in general, but especially PERSONA 5! Joker’s pretty stylish and slick, though, so I can dig it.

#63 — Shulk

This is kind of the “anime boy” section of my list. His sword is super cool, but once again, I’ve never played XENOBLADE CHRONICLES (2010). I totally get the appeal of Shirtless Shulk. Dude just runs around in his swim trunks.

#62 — Pit

Pit’s a fun angel (and now, anime) boy, but I’ve never had much of a connection to the character himself. I still really appreciate his (and KID ICARUS’) revival though, although his 3D redesign takes him away from the original Link/Keebler Elf design Pit I liked from the 8-bit era.

#61 — Ivysaur

I think Ivysaur is the least interesting of of the nine forms across the original three Pokemon starters, so that’s why I have him ranked so low. He’s still just kind of a grown up Bulbasaur, so he’s not without appeal.

#60 — Simon

Simon Belmont uses a whip, so that’s pretty cool. He’s a stiff, pretty serious, cut vampire hunter, so he lacks a certain amount of flair that I appreciate from his relative who ranked higher on this list.

#59 — Ice Climbers

Popo and Nana get too much shit, but truth be told, the two little brothers? Friends? The titular ice climbers are cute. They’re pretty doofy and they climb to a special place in my icy, cold, dead heart.

#58 — Ike

I like Ike! Much more than Eisenhower! But his more brutish, aggressive combat style doesn’t ring as true to me as his more flashy, flamboyant FIRE EMBLEM pals.

#57 — Richter

Richter Belmont debuted in CASTLEVANIA: RONDO OF BLOOD (1993), a phenomenal (and the best?) “old style” CASTLEVANIA game. His outfit is so much more stylish than Simon’s, and just from his main game, he’s also more agile. Richter’s just a more dashing hero.

#56 — Jigglypuff

I do love me some Jigglypuff. Cool little ‘mon. It’s just tremendously hard to divorce how bad I am at playing as the creature in the SMASH games.

#55 — Marth

He’s not the best blue-haired FIRE EMBLEM swordfighter, but Marth’s style is on point, both in terms of clothing and combat.

#54 — Roy

Roy seems like the least serious FIRE EMBLEM protagonist, like he’s having a bit more fun than the rest of them. I dig it.

#53 — Captain Falcon

Some may find it blasphemous that Captain Falcon is so low on my list, but…the dude is just kinda boring. Look, he’s obviously cooler to me than the others who have come before him in this article, but I think he’s overrated. Sorry not sorry! He races cars fast and he’s got the Falcon Punch, but Captain Falcon himself is a little bland.

#52 — Meta Knight

Like a lot of more edgy or dramatic fixtures of otherwise cutesy franchises, Meta Knight is certainly not the element I enjoy most from the KIRBY series. Even still, Meta Knight may be the best “dark doppelganger” character on this list, since apparently he’s just like a blue “Kirby species” that wears armor and uses a sword.

#51 — Villager

I really appreciate that Villager can look so different when you cycle through the character’s costumes, but his/her soulless eyes pierce my mind. Dig the handy nature of the character, though!

#50 — Pichu

Pichu is just a terrible SMASH fighter, but I love the baby Pikachu.

#49 — Ryu

Again, might catch some flak for how low on the list Ryu is. He’s cool. He’s the Mario of STREET FIGHTER but so much less silly.

#48 — Cloud

The prototypical ’90s anime/gaming boy, Cloud’s got goofy shoulder pads and an insane sword. I’m sorry, I haven’t played FINAL FANTASY VII (1997).

#47 — Lucina

You know how I said Marth isn’t the best blue-haired FIRE EMBLEM swordfighter? Well, Lucina is.

#46 — Little Mac

I appreciate Little Mac’s tenacity. He can’t recover for shit in SMASH, but that’s not supposed to be a part of my criteria here. Video games’ own Rocky Balboa. Feel a little weird about how he almost exclusively beats up racist caricatures.

#45 — Greninja

Greninja goes against my aversion to final evolution starter Pokemon. Is his tongue his scarf? Like it. Really radical fashion.

#44 — Bayonetta

Maybe Bayonetta is a great example of how I need to actually play these games before I judge them. She’s definitely higher on the list because I recently played BAYONETTA 2 (2014) and I appreciate her sass! Not her ass, I really don’t like having to explain why video games oversexualize women. Please nerds, get your shit together.

#43 — Snake

I feel a little bad putting Snake at #43, because METAL GEAR is such a great series. I like how the character is modeled after Kurt Russell’s character from the ESCAPE FROM movies, I enjoy David Hayter’s voice performance, and I think he’s actually a pretty decent self-serious video game protagonist. He just can’t compete with the colorful gallery of abominations that make up most of the SMASH roster.

#42 — Inkling

Squid kids! ‘Nuff said.

#41 — Isabelle

I feel very protective of Isabelle. I wish she didn’t have to fight. I support her though.

#40 — R.O.B.

I really like simplistic, old-school, almost ’50s sci-fi robot designs, and that’s R.O.B. in a nutshell! His status as a revived obscurity, a toy that never truly had a presence in video games, only raises him in my esteem.

#39 — Dr. Mario

Is this plumber truly qualified as a doctor!?! It may sound a bit reductive, obvious, or neither, but Dr. Mario’s incredibly straightforward design is precisely what I expect from Nintendo. He’s Mario in a doctor’s outfit. Perfect.

#38 — Daisy

Daisy’s origin as the princess of Sarasaland in SUPER MARIO LAND (1989) has been obscured by sports and minigame presence, for good and bad. Daisy is one of the most marginalized of the main Mario “crew” across various spin-offs, and always one of the most interesting because of that.

#37 — Robin

The best of the FIRE EMBLEM characters in SMASH (especially as a woman), Robin is clearly the most intellectual. Look at that book! I really appreciate the kind of confident floatiness the character moves with too.

#36 — Wii Fit Trainer

I don’t care what anyone says, Wii Fit Trainer is one of the most ingenious additions to the SMASH roster. The character is such a brilliant representation of a very key part of Nintendo’s history, that being the casual market Nintendo really capitalized on during the Wii era. And much more interesting, conceptually and mechanically, than the Mii Fighters.

#35 — Mewtwo

The original edgy, humanoid legendary Pokemon carries a lot of nostalgia for me. But Mewtwo’s design as a test-tube alien of sorts is so interesting, especially as derived from or exported into the Mew design.

#34 — Fox

Fox is a little too typical a protagonist for me, but I can’t resist an anthropomorphized character. Take that as you will. Fox actually delivers some pretty good wisecracks across the STAR FOX games, and I love his jacket.

#33 — Falco

But Falco’s cooler. His sarcasm immediately distinguishes him among the Star Fox crew, and his design, even as a polygonal model in STAR FOX 64 (1997), is much more striking than Fox’s.

#32 — Ness

I love EARTHBOUND (1994) so much, but as a silent protagonist (which incidentally does make up a lot of Nintendo’s heroes and characters higher on my list), Ness himself doesn’t immediately strike me as compelling. Much of EARTHBOUND’s appeal is its world and inhabitants, not necessarily Ness himself. And unlike, say, Mario or Link, Ness only had a presence in one game, so his silence couldn’t even be expanded into iconoclasm.

#31 — Zero Suit Samus

I feel a little uncomfortable about how Samus had to be further sexualized with Zero Suit Samus (although she had always been sexualized from the jump of METROID), but it’s still Samus. I think she’s such a cool, strong character who is very capable with a humanity hinted at by some great games, and hammered into cheesiness by another…*cough cough* OTHER M (2010) *cough cough*.

#30 — Duck Hunt

The character’s name is Duck Hunt. Not Duck Hunt Dog. Because the character’s move set is made up of controlling the dog, the bird, and the hunters. Isn’t that crazy? Another fantastic, off-the-wall addition to the Smash roster, Duck Hunt’s design was beautifully updated to three dimensions from its only 8-bit appearance.

#29 — Sonic

As much as I mock him, Sonic the Hedgehog is a well-designed character, and I have a lot of nostalgia associated with him and his games. Taken at face value and disassociated from his most terrible and memetastic games (and now, potentially, movies), Sonic is a really fun ’90s video game mascot and cartoon character.

#28 — Bowser Jr.

Apparently, Bowser Jr. is actually Bowser’s only kid. The Koopalings are just pals of his, I guess. I really like how Bowser Jr.’s costumes are just the Koopalings, but even by himself, Bowser Jr.’s clown car and accoutrements make him a real wacky little dude.

#27 — King K. Rool

The scaly villain of the simian is masterfully designed. What a gross crocodile man. Those leery eyes and big gold belly legitimately made him a compelling boss enemy in the original DONKEY KONG COUNTRY (1994). Like Ridley, King K. Rool finally gracing a SMASH game really did wake me out of my existential slumber, at least for a bit.

#26 — Mr. Game & Watch

I love minimalist design, and that’s Mr. Game & Watch in a nutshell. The extrapolation of the character from the array of Game & Watch games’ avatars also makes him one of the most unconventional and unique characters in the SMASH roster.

#25 — Ganondorf

More like Ganondork, amirite!?! hahahaha what a loser, only Gerudo-ass man who steals the Triforce and turns into a pig. I love this goofy asshole.

#24 — Pikachu

The lightning rat is an icon. My Pikachu head canon will always represent it as the chubbier incarnation that graced the first POKEMON games and the beginning of the anime series.

#23 — Bowser

I don’t know if I can really pinpoint what I like about Bowser. His design is threatening enough as a villain, but of course he’s in a family friendly series of fun games. So he’s a child’s idea of what would be scary, and the ways various games have played with Bowser’s persona have definitely kept him more relevant in a video game franchise that constantly reinvents its title character across numerous spin-offs.

#22 — Peach

The fighter formerly known as Princess Toadstool is almost always a damsel in distress, so I always appreciate playing as Peach. She’s the best character in SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 (1988), mechanically. I suppose I’ve been conditioned, but I also find Peach an immediately attractive character (not physically or sexually). She’s likable. She makes cake and is nice and, as Mario, you are very basically compelled to save her. Peach has not yet been satisfactorily elevated out of her traditional role, truly, but it’s very difficult to actively dislike the character for me.

#21 — Sheik

The Sheik twist in OCARINA OF TIME (1998) does for Zelda exactly what I wish could be done for Peach, also while playing the Samus card from the original METROID (1986). The ninja Zelda has a really cool costume design and works as a successfully edgy facet of a colorful, lighthearted Nintendo world.

#20 — Wario

Wario’s a sick, sick, greedy, disgusting man. He doesn’t need that much money but he just fucks up a lot of people to get it. Farting around, biting things, screaming his own name at the top of his lungs. He’s perfectly shameless. I respect that.

#19 — Rosalina

Rosalina really comes off as the “alien” Peach, but, no, really, she is. Her melodic voice warblings from the GALAXY games and her kind of detached presence makes her a really compelling character. Lumas are phenomenal little sidekicks too.

#18 — Zelda

The refined Zelda fits the damsel in distress stereotype, sure, but many incarnations of the character have really interesting wrinkles (like, metaphorically). Whether she’s disguising her real identity as Sheik or Tetra or serving as the linchpin to a creation myth mystery (I’m thinking SKYWARD SWORD [2011]), Zelda is infinitely more interesting than her archetype would usually allow her to be.

#17 — Charizard

Look, I’m not one of those people that thinks Charizard is the coolest Pokemon. I think there’s a lot of them. You can see my whole ranking of the original 151 Pokemon here. Even still, Charizard ranks pretty highly. I mean, he’s a dragon! His design is really cool; I like that he walks on two legs. His role in the Pokemon anime really strengthens the appeal of a singular Charizard “character,” rather than the general Pokemon species.

#16 — Lucas

I just love Lucas. The discrepancy between him and Ness on this list may seem too large, unfair, or misguided, but there’s something about Lucas’ journey and his more apparent uncertainty that makes me want to protect my boy.

#15 — Mega Man

One of the greatest and earliest (still surviving) video game characters, the Blue Bomber’s design is so perfectly timeless, thanks in part to its Astro Boy influence. Like a lot of video game characters from the era, there’s not necessarily a lot going with Mega Man’s personality. He’s a cipher. But after all the adventures you take him on, a great fondness for Mega Man enters your heart.

#14 — Pac-Man

Like Mega Man, and more to a certain extent, Pac-Man is incredibly designed and pretty simple. His original appearances in his games, his arcade marquee art, and even the 3D models that show up in SMASH and other games over the past few years make Pac-Man an icon for decades. There’s just something about his soulless optimism, and his weird little legs and boots and gloves, his rotund body, that put him really high on this list.

#13 — Samus

Samus is one of my favorite characters in SMASH, but that’s not necessarily why she’s this high up. Samus, across the METROID games, has been developed into this incredible and tenacious hunter, a woman with a mysterious and tragic background who has had to face incredible odds in various alien locations. Simply put, she’s a badass.

#12 — Mario

Alright, some might think Mario is pretty boring in SMASH and out of it. He’s just the video game character. You know what’s up with Mario. But that’s precisely why he’s at #12. Mario is simply always appealing, a safe bet for fun. Mario is comfort food, I guess, if you were a cannibal.

#11 — Donkey Kong

I’m a big fan of primates, and apes especially, so Donkey Kong has gotta be high up on my list. His solo starring games have been more hit or miss than Mario’s, but the character is just really funny and cool-looking, especially since Rare’s redesign with DONKEY KONG COUNTRY. Like, why is he wearing nothing but a tie with his initials on it!?!

#10 — Olimar

Olimar is a cute tiny elf alien man who comes to a post-apocalyptic Earth (?) centuries into the future and discovers a race of sentient, multi-colored carrots that are easily controlled. What’s not to like!?!

#9 — Diddy Kong

Diddy Kong is only marginally cooler than Donkey Kong because of his hat. I’m not joking. Also DONKEY KONG COUNTRY 2: DIDDY’S KONG QUEST (1995) is the best DKC game.

#8 — King Dedede

God, I love King Dedede. First of all, what’s up with his name? Second of all, he’s a penguin (I don’t know if that’s confirmed but it’s my head canon). He’s got a big royal coat. He carries a huge fuckin’ hammer. He flops around and body slams shit with his big ol’ belly. Where am I, like five things? Those are the five main qualities that make King Dedede #8, but he’s so, so much more.

#7 — Kirby

And King Dedede’s opponent, Kirby, is portly as well. He doesn’t have legs or arms but he’s got hands and feet. He sucks stuff up and has a crazy appetite. And he is my friend. Mostly everything that needs to be said about Kirby can be summed up by a picture of him.

#6 — Squirtle

Squirtle is one of my favorite Pokemon, period, so of course he ranks highly on this SMASH list. I just love his little turtle waddle and curly tail. His self-identifying “Squirtle” call is also just too cute.

#5 — Yoshi

Yoshi was always a favorite of mine as a kid because he was green. But now he’s a favorite of mine because he’s…green, but also really well-designed! He’s just a really cute Nintendo vision of a dinosaur, and I think his strange warble is actually funny. I know some people hate it.

#4 — Toon Link

Ready for Links!?! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA is my favorite video game series of all time, so the icon for the Hero’s Journey theory is a mythical protagonist for me. Toon Link is the protagonist of THE WIND WAKER (2002), the FOUR SWORDS games, and more. I love THE WIND WAKER especially, but compared to the other two Links I’ll soon discuss, Toon Link’s design and games don’t rank as highly. Obviously.

#3 — Link

The main, adult version of Link is a really cool character. I like him a lot, obviously. That’s why he’s #3.

#2 — Young Link

But he’s no Young Link. Young Link, in SMASH, is especially associated with MAJORA’S MASK (2000), my favorite game of all time. I also really love the kid portions of OCARINA OF TIME (1998), and Young Link’s design hearkens back a bit more to the original “Keebler Elf” designs of the NES ZELDA games.

#1 — Luigi

You notice the top five are green characters? Well, Luigi is my lean, cowardly, hilarious, green machine. Luigi is obviously the better Mario Bro, and that feeling is only strengthened by how much Nintendo shits on him. I love the characterization of Luigi that has emerged essentially since LUIGI’S MANSION (2001). He’s the perfect comic foil to Mario’s “straightforwardness,” and for that, I shall always love him.

I used a lot of the same words and concepts but it’s hard to write about 78 characters OK!?! More than anything, I hope I illustrated the great appreciation I have for SMASH, Nintendo, and the video game giant’s characters. The worlds it has created are nearly unparalleled in video games, and SUPER SMASH BROS. games are incredible celebrations of those worlds, and fittingly, ULTIMATE seems to be the ultimate one. Let me know what your favorite SMASH/Nintendo characters are!