Everyone has that one friend. You know the one—the person who picks Kirby, holds down on the joystick, and spams the stone transformation until you want to throw your controller out the window. It’s a rite of passage. Since 1999, the characters of Smash Bros have transitioned from a weird "what if" experiment into the most prestigious museum in gaming history.
But here’s the thing. Most people look at the roster and see a bunch of mascots hitting each other. That's a mistake. If you actually look at the frame data, the origin stories, and the way Masahiro Sakurai (the series creator) interprets these icons, you realize the roster isn't just a list of names. It’s a complex hierarchy of mechanical archetypes. Some characters are built to reward patience. Others are designed to be absolutely obnoxious.
The Evolution of the Roster: From 12 to 89
When Super Smash Bros. first dropped on the Nintendo 64, we had twelve characters. That was it. You had the "Original Eight" and four unlockables. Fast forward to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Switch, and the number has ballooned to 89 if you count the Echo Fighters.
It’s honestly kind of ridiculous.
Think about the technical debt involved in balancing a game where a literal 2D piece of paper (Mr. Game & Watch) has to fight a hyper-realistic soldier with a rocket launcher (Snake). Most fighting games, like Street Fighter or Tekken, operate within a specific "gravity." Smash doesn't. You have floaty characters like Jigglypuff who basically live in the air, and then you have "fast fallers" like Fox McCloud who drop like lead weights the second you let go of the stick.
This diversity is why the characters of Smash Bros are so hard to master. You aren't just learning a move list; you're learning how to fight against 88 different physics profiles.
Why We Keep Picking the "Wrong" Main
Most players pick a character because they like the game they came from. You grew up with Ocarina of Time, so you pick Link. Makes sense, right?
Wrong.
Link is a "projectile zoner." If you’re the type of player who likes to get in someone's face and press buttons as fast as possible, Link is actually a terrible choice for you. You’d be much better off with Roy or Captain Falcon. This disconnect is why so many people hit a "wall" in online play. They love the character's aesthetic but hate their "kit."
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Take Steve from Minecraft. When he was announced, the internet melted. But playing as Steve isn't like playing Minecraft. It’s a resource management simulator inside a platform fighter. You have to mine for materials. You have to craft tools. If you run out of iron in the middle of a stock, you’re basically a sitting duck. It's a high-stress way to play a game that is supposed to be about fun.
The Problem with "Echo Fighters"
Let's be real for a second. Calling Daisy or Dark Samus "new characters" was a bit of a stretch by Nintendo. These are Echo Fighters—essentially glorified skins with minor tweaks to their knockback or speed.
- Peach vs. Daisy: They are functionally identical in Ultimate, though their hurtboxes vary slightly in animation.
- Samus vs. Dark Samus: Dark Samus floats slightly lower to the ground, which actually changes which projectiles can go over her head.
- Ken vs. Ryu: This is the exception. Ken is significantly faster and his Shoryuken multi-hits, making him a completely different beast in high-level play.
The "Tier List" Trap
If you spend five minutes on YouTube, you’ll see a dozen "Ultimate Tier Lists." They usually put characters like Joker, Aegis (Pyra/Mythra), and Steve at the top.
Is it true? Yeah, mostly.
But for 95% of the population, tier lists are a total lie. The characters of Smash Bros behave differently depending on the "lag" of online play. In a local tournament with zero latency, a character like Sheik is a god. She’s fast, precise, and can string together 20-hit combos. But online? If there's even a tiny bit of stutter, Sheik becomes unplayable because you’ll miss your inputs.
This is why "Heavy" characters like Ganondorf or Bowser dominate the lower ranks of online play. They don't need precision. They just need to hit you twice. One well-timed forward smash from Ganondorf can kill most characters at 60%. It’s brutal. It’s unfair. And it’s exactly why people love (and hate) the roster.
The Third-Party Miracle
We need to talk about the "Invite" system. The Smash Bros. invitation letter has become a legitimate cultural icon.
Seeing Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Mario in the same frame was something we thought was legally impossible in the 90s. Then came the "impossible" ones:
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- Cloud Strife: Final Fantasy VII was the game that famously "betrayed" Nintendo for Sony.
- Bayonetta: A character from a M-rated game about demon-hunting witches.
- Sora: Getting Disney to agree to let Kingdom Hearts join was a multi-year legal odyssey.
Each of these characters brought their own mechanics. Cloud has his Limit Break meter. Bayonetta brought "Witch Time," which literally slows down the game's clock for her opponent. These aren't just skins; they are fundamental shifts in how the game is played.
How to Actually Choose a Character
If you’re tired of losing to your younger brother, stop picking who looks cool. Look at your own personality instead.
Are you a "masochist" who likes to practice for hours? Pick a "technical" character like Kazuya or Ice Climbers. Kazuya requires "Electric Wind God Fist" inputs that are straight out of Tekken. If you mess up the rhythm by a fraction of a second, the move fails. But if you land it? You win the game.
Are you "lazy" but want results? Pick a "zoning" character like Samus or Min Min. You can sit on the edge of the stage and force your opponent to play a bullet-hell minigame just to reach you. It's frustrating to fight against, but hey, a win is a win.
Are you a "gambler"? Pick Mr. Game & Watch or Hero. Hero’s "Down-B" move opens a literal menu of random spells. You might get a "Thwack" that kills your opponent at 0%, or you might get "Kamikazee" and just explode. It’s pure chaos.
The Hidden Mechanics: DI and SDI
To truly understand the characters of Smash Bros, you have to understand why they don't die when they should.
Directional Influence (DI).
When you get hit, the angle you hold your control stick determines the trajectory of your flight. If you hold toward the stage, you survive longer. If you do nothing, you die. Expert players are constantly "reading" their opponent's DI to follow up with more hits. It’s a high-speed game of rock-paper-scissors that happens in milliseconds.
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Then there's Smash Directional Influence (SDI). This is when you "wiggle" the stick while being hit by a multi-hit move (like Pikachu's lightning) to physically shift your character's position and escape the combo. If you see a pro player's hands, they are moving at terrifying speeds. It looks like they’re having a seizure, but they’re actually just trying to slide out of a Bayonetta combo.
The Meta-Game of Respect
There is a weird social contract with the characters of Smash Bros.
Picking certain characters is seen as a "lack of respect" in some circles. If you play Little Mac, everyone knows you have no "air game." You are a powerhouse on the ground, but the second someone throws you off the ledge, you're dead. People will "cheese" you. They will "gimp" you. And you can't really complain, because you chose the guy with the worst recovery in the history of the franchise.
Conversely, picking a character like Marth is seen as a mark of "honest" skill. Marth has a "tipper" mechanic. If you hit the opponent with the very tip of his sword, it deals massive damage. If you hit with the middle of the blade, it’s weak. Playing Marth requires perfect spacing. It’s a gentleman’s character.
Actionable Steps for Improving Your Game
Stop hopping from character to character. The "Random" button is the enemy of progress. If you want to actually get good at the game, follow this specific path:
- Identify Your Archetype: Do you prefer Rushdown (Fox), Zoner (Samus), Grappler (Incineroar), or Swordie (Lucina)? Pick one style and stick to it for a month.
- Learn Your "Out of Shield" Options: Most beginners just shield and then drop it. Every character has a specific move (usually Up-B or Neutral-Air) that can be used while shielding to punish an aggressive opponent. Find yours.
- Master the Recovery: Don't just press Up-B. Learn how to "tech" against the stage wall so you don't get stage-spiked. Practice using your double jump sparingly.
- Watch the Pros: If you play Palutena, go watch Nairo. If you play Wario, watch Gluttony. See how they move between the attacks. The "neutral game"—what happens when nobody is hitting anyone—is where the game is actually won.
The roster is a chaotic, beautiful mess of gaming history. Whether you’re playing for the nostalgia of seeing Banjo-Kazooie back on a Nintendo console or you’re trying to frame-trap someone at a local tournament, the characters are the heart of the experience. They aren't balanced, they aren't always fair, but they are never boring.
Pick a main, hit the training lab, and stop complaining about the Blue Hedgehog. He’s been fast since 1991; you should have seen it coming.