Nintendo is holding another Direct this September, so this might be when the final DLC character of theSuper Smash Bros UltimateFighter Pass Vol 2 will be revealed, here are some predictions on which iconic Japanese games character can make it.
We’ll take a look at several characters who can make it, and explain the reasons why they could be the final DLC fighter inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. And don’t forget, Masahiro Sakuraididn’t pick the finalSmash Bros UltimateDLC character.Nor any of the others. Nintendo decided everything.
Laala Manaka from Takara Tomy franchisePriPara(Pretty Series)
PriParais pretty obscure outside Japan but it was by far one of the biggest arcade games in the 2010s decade.PriParalaunched in July 2014 in Japan, and reached one million accounts in 6 months. It had over 4.4 million accounts in January 2018, a few months before it was replaced by its successor game.
PriParais initially an arcade rhythm game for kids, but it managed to attract a huge audience of all ages and horizons. Players could customize their own idol and exchange physical tickets of their character with their friends.
Laala is the protagonist of thePriParagame, and of thePriParaanime adaptation by Tatsunoko, aired from July 2014 to March 2018, with several movies.
PriParais part of the biggerPretty Seriesfranchise by Takara Tomy, which also containsPretty Rhythm, King of Prism, Kiratto Prichan,and the newWaccha PriMagilaunching this October 2021. Lastly, Takara Tomy is one of the few Japanese historical game companies with no playable fighter inSuper Smash Bros Ultimateyet.
Phoenix Wright from Capcom seriesAce Attorney
This year was a big one for the lawyer, as the adventures of his ancestor were finally localized for the first time withThe Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if Capcom finally announcedAce Attorney 7on the Nintendo Direct September 2021, and that Phoenix Wright is joiningSuper Smash Bros Ultimate.
Sora from Square Enix seriesKingdom Hearts
This is a no-brainer. TechnicallyKingdom Heartsis owned by Disney so you could argue it’s an US series. Disney might also be hard to negotiate with for these kinds of game crossovers. Maybe Square Enix could announce a newKingdom Heartsgame on Nintendo Switch together with Sora joiningSuper Smash Bros Ultimate. Tetsuya Nomura alreadyteased developments for the 20th anniversary in 2022.
Reimu Hakurei from doujin seriesTouhou Project
TouhouProjectis initially a series of doujin games, Japanese independent games, made by Team Shangai Alice, a “group” solely composed of ZUN. TheTouhougames are danmaku / manic shooters, but the biggest and most popular aspect ofTouhouis the music, also composed by ZUN. Many consider each newTouhougame with its brand new OST as a new ZUN album release.
Some often saySuper Smash Bros. Ultimatelacks indie representation. ZUN is possibly the most popular indie game developer in the world, together with Toby Fox, whoseUndertalewas greatly inspired byTouhou.AddingTouhou’s main protagonist Reimu toSuper Smash Bros Ultimatewould be the biggest nod possible to the indie scene.
Touhouis one of the biggest icons of Japanese culture, and it was definitely one of the Japanese franchises with the biggest fandom ever. Though it’s undeniableTouhou' popularity has slightly declined since the early 2010s. With the emergence of social games / gacha games and phenomenons such asKancolleand later onFGO, Azur Lane,or nowGenshin Impact.
Since the series launch in 1996, and thanks to ZUN’s full acceptance of any kind of derivative work, theTouhoufandom has strived through billions of fanarts, OST remixes, anime productions, memes, and games of any genre frommystery dungeon RPGsto3D battle arena.
MultipleTouhougames are regularly released by various studios around the world.Touhouis so rich beyond the original danmaku games by ZUN, it’s far easier to find someone who knowsTouhoumusic than someone who actually knows about the original game series.
Adol Christin from Nihon Falcom seriesYs
Adol is the one character missing from the gathering of legendary heroes inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nihon Falcom celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 and is pretty much the sole Japanese game company that’s been around for so long and yet has absolutely no representation inSuper Smash Bros Ultimate.(Besides the fact that singer Kanako Kotera, who regularly sings Falcom games' theme songs, sung the new version ofPsycho Soldierby Yuzo Koshiro that was added with Terry Bogard.)
Nihon Falcom has currently two main series, theYsseries, and theTrails / Kisekiseries. Adol is the protagonist of theYsseries and is the most iconic Nihon Falcom character by far.
Nihon Falcom had a huge influence on gaming history, most notably on the RPG and action RPG genre. I actually already explained why I believe Falcom needs to be represented inSmash Brosin a detailed story.With several more arguments.
What kind of Japanese games' character do you think could be the finalSuper Smash Bros UltimateDLC character? Other characters I could imagine joining areDark Souls' knight as the series is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Or Sakura Shinguuji fromSakura Taisen, as the series is also celebrating its 25th anniversary. Chrono fromChrono Triggeris also a good choice. Note that I focused on third parties, but another Nintendo character could definitely be added instead. You can always tell me your guesses on Twitter@A_iyane07.
