So far, three of the DLC characters from the Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2 have been unveiled before Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch. In the two years since the game’s release, many fan theories have been devised to figure out how Nintendo picks the game’s DLC fighters, but Vol. 2 has proven to be quite difficult to guess which one might make the cut. Some of these theories have been debunked over the past year and it makes fans realize how difficult it is to figure out director Masahiro Sakurai’s plans for the game!
One fan theory that persisted online is that third parties wouldn’t receive multiple DLC hunters. The Super Smash Bros. franchise has expanded to include third-party fighters from the previous few entries, but Nintendo has been careful about the number of characters to be added from third-party publishers. Both Microsoft and Square Enix received DLC hunters in Ultimate, in the form of Banjo-Kazooie and Steve for the former, and Hero and Sephiroth for the latter. The inclusion of Sephiroth also quelled the theory that Nintendo focuses exclusively on heroic characters from outside publishers, as opposed to villains.
Another fan theory debunked by Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2 was that the presence of a Spirit in the game meant that the character would not appear as a playable hunter. The first fighter revealed for this DLC set was Min Min, a character that debuted in ARMS. Min Min was previously in as Spirit Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but became a full-fledged fighter and gave hope to other characters currently in the game as Spirits.
While Spirits can no longer be seen as a way to expose playable fighters, it appears that Mii Fighter costumes are still indicative of characters who will not make it in-game via DLC. ComicBook.com predicted that Geno would not make it in the Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2 after the reveal that Sephiroth would be included in the game. A few days after this article went live, Nintendo unveiled a Mii Fighter skin for the character. King K. Rool is a playable character who first appeared as a Mii fighter skin, but that was in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U / 3DS. The character made the cut in the next game, proving there is (eventual) hope for those added as Mii Fighter skins.
One theory that has yet to be refuted is the Amiibo theory. Fans have used the release dates for Amiibo figures based on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to guess correctly when the majority of DLC fighters would be revealed. The theory is not foolproof, but it appears to be fairly accurate. Readers can read more about it here.
At the end of the day, it seems like Nintendo and Masahiro will always call Sakurai what they think is right for the game, no matter what fans think will be the case. It’s fun speculating and coming up with theories like this, but at the end of the day, it seems that the game’s DLC fighters are a lot harder to guess than anyone expected!
Are there theories you subscribe to when it comes to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Which character do you think will be revealed next? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter @Marcdachamp to talk about gaming!