Has a Character Ever Been Removed from Smash?
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Yes, characters have absolutely been removed from the Super Smash Bros. franchise across its various iterations. While every new installment typically expands the roster, offering a bigger and more diverse cast, some characters are cut for a variety of reasons, ranging from development constraints and balancing issues to licensing problems and design choices. This ebb and flow of fighters is a natural part of the series’ evolution.
Why Characters Get the Boot: A Deep Dive
Several factors can contribute to a character’s removal from the Super Smash Bros. roster:
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Development Time: The most common reason is simply a lack of time. Creating and balancing a character, designing their moveset, and ensuring they function seamlessly within the game’s engine is a monumental task. King Dedede and Marth were, at one point, considered for the original roster, but, due to lack of development time, they were not added. As the quoted article states, “King Dedede was playable at one point, but was scrapped due to lack of development time. Marth was considered to join the original roster as a different type of sword-wielding character, but because of the limited development time he wasn’t added in.”
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Balancing Issues: Some characters prove difficult to balance within the game’s competitive ecosystem. If a character is deemed either too powerful or too weak, and the developers cannot find a suitable solution, they might be cut. Pichu’s removal from later installments, despite being in Super Smash Bros. Melee, stemmed from the character being a fundamentally broken Pikachu clone, with the development team admitting they never properly balanced him in the first place.
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Hardware Limitations: On less powerful consoles like the Nintendo 3DS, limitations on system resources can affect which characters are included. The transformation of Squirtle was cut, as 3DS Limitations led to transformations being cut.
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Popularity and Character Focus: Sometimes, a character might be removed if they are deemed less popular or if the development team wants to focus on other characters. The cited article also shares “He was a low priority character back in Brawl, hence why he was optional in SSE, alongside Jigglypuff and Toon Link. And he was very hated when he was announced in Brawl. That’s why he wasn’t base roster.
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Licensing and Legal Considerations: Licensing agreements play a significant role in which characters are available. If a licensing agreement expires or cannot be renewed, the character must be removed. While rare, this is always a possibility for third-party characters.
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Design Choices: The development team might decide that a character doesn’t fit the overall aesthetic or gameplay style of a particular installment. Characters must possess that iconic weapon (a whip) as stated in the following quote, “Unlike Simon and Richter, he does not use a whip in his arsenal against the undead. Creator Masahiro Sakurai thought that the Castlevania character(s) he featured should have the iconic weapon because of how known it is in the vampire hunting franchise.”
Notable Examples of Characters Cut From Smash
Several characters have been cut from the Super Smash Bros. series over the years:
- Pichu: As mentioned, Pichu was present in Melee but was removed from subsequent installments until being reintroduced later. The development team axed him, because he was never balanced.
- Wolf: Wolf was a returning fighter from Brawl who was cut from Smash 4, and later returned in Ultimate. “He was a low priority character back in Brawl, hence why he was optional in SSE, alongside Jigglypuff and Toon Link. And he was very hated when he was announced in Brawl. That’s why he wasn’t base roster.”
- Squirtle: Squirtle was a part of Pokemon Trainer in Brawl, but Squirtle was cut from the roster. “3DS Limitations led to transformations being cut, and these two were unfortunately lost in the shuffle”.
- Lucas: Lucas was cut from Smash 4, but was brought back through DLC.
FAQs: Character Cuts and Competitive Bans
1. What is a character ban in the Super Smash Bros. competitive scene?
A character ban is when a character is restricted from being used in competitive matches or tournaments. This can happen if a character is perceived to be overpowered, to have glitches that break the game, or for other reasons that disrupt the competitive balance. Steve was banned in smash, because the “chaos and unpredictability combined with being the best character in the game, the disproportionate results, and the ability to cancel hitstun was seen as too much for the NA players.”
2. Why are some characters banned in Super Smash Bros. tournaments?
Characters are banned for various reasons including:
- Overpowered movesets: They might have an unfair advantage due to their moveset.
- Glitches: They might have exploitable glitches that give them an unfair edge.
- Disruptive gameplay: Their playstyle might be deemed too disruptive to the competitive scene.
3. Has Steve from Minecraft been banned in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments?
Yes, Steve from Minecraft has been banned in some Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments.
4. Why was Steve banned?
Steve was banned due to concerns about his combo potential, large amount of ranged attacks, and the perception that he was the best character in the game, and therefore frustrating to fight against. The quoted article specifies, “Steve’s chaos and unpredictability combined with being the best character in the game, the disproportionate results, and the ability to cancel hitstun was seen as too much for the NA players.”
5. Is Sora banned in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments?
Based on the article, Sora is not mentioned as being banned in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments.
6. Why would a character’s move randomness lead to a ban?
Characters with highly random movesets can be banned because randomness introduces an element of luck that undermines the skill-based nature of competitive play. Olimar, Game & Watch, and Luigi are examples of characters whose random moves are problematic.
7. Was Sephiroth banned in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments?
According to the article, Sephiroth has been indefinitely banned from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments in Spain because it is believed that “Sephiroth is too strong for players to use.”
8. What is the Coinbox, and why did they ban Steve?
The Coinbox is likely referring to an online Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament series. Steve is banned officially “for the foreseeable future”.
9. What factors determine if a character is “low priority” for inclusion in a Smash game?
A character’s priority for inclusion in a Smash Bros. game depends on their popularity, relevance to their franchise, ease of implementation, and the overall vision the development team has for the game’s roster.
10. What is the relevance of licensing agreements to character inclusion in Super Smash Bros.?
Licensing agreements determine whether characters from other franchises can be included in Super Smash Bros. If an agreement expires or can’t be reached, the character cannot be included in the game.
11. What are some of the hardest characters to master in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?
According to the article, some of the hardest characters to master in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate include: Samus, Luigi, Ness, Zelda, Zero Suit Samus, Pichu, Meta Knight and Toon Link.
12. Why was Roy considered “bad” in Super Smash Bros. 4?
Roy’s flaws are significant, which include “poor flexibility in his combo game, attacks that are difficult to properly land, generally possessing significantly laggy attacks, having few moves that can KO reliably and only one of which (forward smash) that is an adequate finisher, and one of the worst.”
13. How do hardware limitations impact character inclusion in Super Smash Bros. games?
Hardware limitations on consoles like the Nintendo 3DS can restrict the number of characters, complexity of their movesets, and graphical fidelity. 3DS limitations caused the transformation of Squirtle to be cut.
14. What role does balancing play in determining whether a character is cut or banned?
Balancing is crucial. If a character is either significantly overpowered or underpowered and the development team struggles to find a solution, they may be cut from the game entirely or banned from competitive play.
15. Why wasn’t Rex in Smash?
Rex was not included in Super Smash Bros. due to time constraints and technical limitations. It would be better if we can change between Pyra and Mythra. “So this is why Rex didn’t make the cut as a DLC fighter.”
The ever-changing roster and competitive bans in the Super Smash Bros. series are a testament to the ongoing effort to create a balanced, engaging, and enjoyable experience for all players. The Games Learning Society provides further insights into the intersection of games, learning, and culture. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more.