It isn’t easy to answer a question like, “Who are our favorite Super Smash Bros. characters?” After all, it depends on the player’s skill level, their demeanor as a fighter, and even how they feel about certain members of the cast. Not to mention in the case of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the roster keeps growing.
But still, we’d like to take a shot at picking some of the characters we consider the “best.”
They call me Jenni “Mashes Up-B All the Time” Lada. No, literally, Lucas White called me that after about an hour of my playing as the Mii Swordfighter. Like I love Corrin from Fire Emblem Awakening a lot and play as her often, but Mii Swordfighter is my main. There’s something about being able to tailor a moveset to my needs. Which means relying way too heavily on attacks like Airborne Assault and Stone Scabbard. (But they both work so well!) The fighter might not be the greatest out there, but it will always be my best Super Smash Bros. character. – Jenni
I’m a one-trick pony in Smash, and by one-trick pony I mean I exclusively play as Ganondorf. This obviously started when he was first included in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but extended to future releases as well. Given that he is one of my favorite The Legend of Zelda characters of all time, how could I not resist making him my main? I’m not good at any Super Smash Bros. title by any means. But sometimes you really just want to manifest the fabled sword while absolutely getting face rolled by your friends in a friendly game of Super Smash Bros. – Kazuma
Okay, so I’m one of those weirdos who most likes to play Smash as a casual Smashdown session with friends, so I don’t have a main so much as a flowchart. Still, sometimes you have to pick one, and for me, that’s Lucina. Is she my favorite Fire Emblem character? Not by a mile. Would I rather be really good at Roy or Robin? For sure. But I find myself connecting more often with Lucina’s critical strikes than Marth’s, and as long as I’m still too bad to use slow or complex characters effectively, I need someone with that mixture of speed and adaptability. – Graham
I’ll be honest. I had to look up the roster of Smash Bros. Ultimate just to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anybody. There are so many characters. Of the newcomers, I think Richter might be my favorite. That could be a bit of a bias (dude is so handsome), but his playstyle is great. All of his special attacks are viable for playing keep-away, and he can really hold his own up-close, too. Otherwise, Princess Peach has been a staple for me since Melee. I’ll never forget the time my friends and I all laughed ’til we cried when I took my driver to Marill’s face during a late night of Melee in High School. Definitely a hole-in-one. Peach’s hover and surprisingly heavy hits are a great balance of agility and strength that always net me an occasional victory. In the same vein, Zero Suit Samus is too much fun not play at least once every session. She’s an excellent aerial fighter with quick attacks, making her a great choice for close combat. She’s basically my Chun-Li of Smash. Next to my favorite wooden doll, Geno, Chun-Li is actually my biggest hope for DLC. – Oni Dino
I used to main Marth when I was a huge Smash Bros. Melee nerd back in high school. However, after trying out Marth for each Smash Bros installment after Melee, it never felt quite the same. There was just something satisfying about landing the perfect wavedash-to-tipper in Melee, and I feel that it’s been missing from his game. With that being said, I’ve been playing Cloud a lot in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, mostly because I think his B moves are fun and versatile. That, and because sword characters are fun. Fight me. – Sato
It’s not the most thrilling choice in the world but my personal favorite fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is Mario. Sure, he may not be the coolest character on the roster by normal conventions, but he is unabashedly himself and his fighting style just jives with me. I like to be a pest from afar with his fireballs while feeling secure in the knowledge that Mario is very capable of handling opponents at melee range with his quick attacks and aerial prowess. I am far from a skilled Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player, but I love to play Mario as though he is Ryu from Street Fighter, even though Ryu from Street Fighter is an actual option I could theoretically choose in Smash these days. I don’t know if that’s the best style of playing him, but it’s fun for me. There’s also just a joy in the way he looks, plays and, most importantly, sounds. –Benjamin
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available for the Nintendo Switch.
