Honestly, it’s still kind of wild that the Super Smash Bros 3DS roster even exists. Back in 2014, when Masahiro Sakurai announced that Nintendo’s massive mascot brawler was coming to a handheld, everyone was skeptical. "The 3DS can't handle it," we said. We were sorta right, but mostly wrong. The game didn't just run; it packed in a roster that was identical to the Wii U version, which is a technical miracle that almost broke the hardware.
If you’ve picked up your dusty 3DS recently, you've probably realized that this roster is a weird, beautiful time capsule. It was the era of the first "modern" Smash. It was before Ultimate brought "everyone" back, which means this specific lineup had a very different energy. It was experimental. It was cramped. And yeah, it was the reason we couldn't have Ice Climbers for a while.
The Technical "Wall" and the Ice Climber Tragedy
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Or rather, the lack of an elephant (and two Eskimos). The Super Smash Bros 3DS roster is famous for what it couldn't do. Sakurai has been pretty transparent in interviews—specifically with Famitsu—about how the 3DS hardware was essentially screaming for mercy.
Because Sakurai insisted that the rosters for the 3DS and Wii U versions had to be exactly the same, the handheld’s limitations dictated the entire game's scope. This is why the Ice Climbers were cut. The 3DS simply couldn't handle two complex AI entities moving together for a single player without the frame rate tanking. It’s also why we lost mid-match transformations. Zelda and Sheik became separate characters. Samus and Zero Suit Samus were split. Charizard went solo.
Basically, the 3DS's hardware forced a design philosophy shift that actually shaped the future of the series. Some people hated it. Others felt it made the characters "fresher" because you didn't have to manage two move sets at once.
Who’s Actually on the List?
The base game launched with a staggering 49 characters if you count the Mii Fighters. By the time the DLC cycle finished in early 2016, that number jumped to 58. That’s a lot for a screen the size of a business card.
The Newcomers (2014 Era)
- The Icons: Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Sonic (returning) gave us the first real "Big Three" of third-party gaming.
- The Weirdos: Duck Hunt, Wii Fit Trainer, and Villager. These were the "WTF" picks that have now become staples.
- The Heavy Hitters: Rosalina & Luma, Little Mac, and Bowser Jr. (with all seven Koopalings as alternate skins).
- The Fire Emblem Surge: This was the game that really leaned into Fire Emblem, adding Robin and Lucina, which started the long-running joke about Smash being a "sword fighter simulator."
The DLC Reinforcements
The Super Smash Bros 3DS roster was the first in the series to embrace the "Fighter Pass" style of growth. We got Mewtwo back (finally), followed by Lucas, Roy, and Ryu. Then came the absolute bombs: Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII and Bayonetta. Seeing Cloud on a 3DS was surreal. It still is.
Unlocking the Hidden Fighters
Back then, you actually had to work for your characters. No "buying" the whole roster from day one (unless it was DLC). To get the full Super Smash Bros 3DS roster, you had two paths: the "Classic Mode" grind or the "VS Match" marathon.
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Most of us did the VS Match method because you could basically "cheese" it. If you set the stock to 1 and just jumped off the stage repeatedly, you could trigger a new challenger every 10 matches.
- Ness: 10 matches or beat Classic Mode once.
- Falco: 20 matches or beat Classic without a continue.
- Wario: 30 matches or finish 100-Man Smash.
- Lucina: 40 matches or beat Classic with Marth.
- Dark Pit: 50 matches or beat Classic with three different characters.
- Dr. Mario: 60 matches or beat Classic with Mario on 4.0 difficulty.
- R.O.B.: 70 matches or collect 200 trophies.
- Ganondorf: 80 matches or beat Classic with Link or Zelda on 5.0 difficulty.
- Mr. Game & Watch: 90 matches or beat Classic with 10 characters.
- Bowser Jr.: 100 matches or beat Classic with Bowser on 6.0 difficulty.
- Duck Hunt: 110 matches or beat Classic with 8 characters.
- Jigglypuff: 120 matches or collect 30 equipment items.
It was a grind, but it felt earned. There was a genuine mystery to seeing that "New Challenger" silhouette on a handheld screen while you were sitting on a bus or in a waiting room.
The Meta: Who Actually Ruled the 3DS?
The competitive scene for Smash 4 (which is what we call the 3DS/Wii U era) was... messy. On the 3DS, the controls were a bit of a nightmare. The circle pad wasn't built for frame-perfect inputs, and "Smash Claw" became a legitimate medical concern for some players.
In the early days, Little Mac was considered a god. People couldn't handle his ground speed on the small screen. But as the meta evolved, the real kings emerged. Sheik was untouchable for a long time due to her frame data. Diddy Kong had the infamous "Hoo-Hah" (down throw to up-air) that haunted tournaments until it was nerfed.
Then Bayonetta arrived.
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Bayonetta effectively broke the Super Smash Bros 3DS roster. Her combo game was so oppressive that it led to "ban Bayo" movements across the globe. If you were playing on 3DS, her Witch Time was even harder to react to because of the lower resolution and frame drops during intense effects.
Why the 3DS Version Still Matters
You might think Smash Ultimate rendered the 3DS version obsolete. Technically, maybe. But the 3DS had Smash Run.
Smash Run was a 3DS-exclusive mode where you spent five minutes in a massive labyrinth killing Nintendo enemies (like Kremlings, Reapers, and Stalfos) to collect stat boosts, then had one final battle. It was the only mode that truly utilized the roster in a "dungeon crawl" setting. The Wii U version got Smash Tour, which... well, we don't talk about Smash Tour.
The Super Smash Bros 3DS roster also felt more personal. You could customize your fighters with "Custom Moves." You could give Mario a fast fire-ball or a high-pressure cape. This was eventually scrapped in Ultimate because balancing 50+ characters with 3 variations of every special move was a logistical nightmare for the dev team. But on the 3DS, it made your version of the roster feel unique.
How to Handle the Roster Today
If you're going back to play now, keep a few things in mind. The eShop is closed. That means if you don't already have the DLC characters like Cloud or Corrin, you're basically out of luck unless you find a 3DS that already has them installed or you venture into the world of "homebrew" (which we won't get into here).
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The base Super Smash Bros 3DS roster is still perfectly playable, though. It’s a great way to see the origins of some of the series' most controversial mechanics—like the "Rage" mechanic where you deal more knockback as your percentage rises.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your version: Make sure you've updated to version 1.1.7 if possible; it contains the final balance patches that fixed some of the more egregious infinite combos.
- Try Smash Run: If you only ever played the Wii U or Ultimate versions, you owe it to yourself to try Smash Run with a high-speed character like Fox or Sonic.
- Calibration: If your 3DS circle pad feels "mushy," don't push it. The Smash 3DS era was notorious for snapping those pads right off the hardware. Use light inputs.
- Unlock everything: Use the "1-stock self-destruct" method in VS mode to fill out the roster in under an hour. It’s the fastest way to get to the "Real" game.
The Super Smash Bros 3DS roster was an ambitious, slightly crazy attempt to fit a colossus into a pocket. It wasn't perfect, and the hardware limitations were visible at every corner, but it proved that Smash didn't need a home console to be a "real" fighting game. It’s the bridge that took us from the chaotic mess of Brawl to the refined polish of Ultimate.