How did Sora end up in Smash?

Sora ended up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate due to a chance meeting between Masahiro Sakurai, the director of the Smash Bros. series, and a Disney higher-up at a game awards show, which led to negotiations between Nintendo, Disney, and Square Enix to include Sora in the game. This meeting sparked the possibility of Sora’s inclusion, despite Sakurai initially feeling that it was impossible due to the character’s ownership by Disney and Square Enix.

Background and Inclusion Process

The inclusion of Sora in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate marked a significant milestone in the series, as it partially broke the long-standing barrier of only featuring characters from video games owned by video game companies. Sora’s addition was the result of a complex process involving licensing agreements and negotiations between the involved parties.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

1. How did Nintendo get the rights to Sora?: Nintendo, Disney, and Square Enix began negotiations to include Sora in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate after Sakurai met a Disney executive at an awards show.
2. When did Sora join Smash?: Sora was officially announced as the sixth and final downloadable character from Fighters Pass Vol. 2 on October 5th, 2021, and was released on October 18th, 2021.
3. Why is Sora in Smash a big deal?: Sora’s inclusion in Smash is significant because it breaks the barrier of only featuring characters from video games owned by video game companies.

Character Background

4. How old is Sora in every game?: Sora’s age varies across the Kingdom Hearts series, starting as a young teenager around 14 years old and estimated to be between 15-16 years old by the time of KH3.
5. How old is Sora in the first game?: In the first Kingdom Hearts game, Sora is noted to be 14 years old.
6. Was Sora the most requested Smash character?: Sora was the most requested “new fighter” during the Smash Ballot, according to Sakurai.

Licensing and Negotiations

7. Did Disney approve Sora in Smash?: Disney approved Sora’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate after negotiations with Nintendo and Square Enix.
8. How hard was it to get Sora in Smash?: The process involved high hurdles and many guidelines to follow, with Disney and Square Enix supervising Sora’s inclusion.

Game-Related Information

9. How much did it cost for Sora to be in Smash?: Sora’s addition to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate cost $5.99 USD as a standalone character or was included in Fighters’ Pass Volume 2.
10. What number fighter is Sora?: Sora is classified as Fighter #82 and is the fourth fighter to represent Square Enix in the series.

Character Relationships and Abilities

11. Who has a crush on Sora?: Sora and Kairi have a close relationship, with hints of childhood crushes on each other.
12. Does Sora love his sister?: Sora is protective of his sister, but his feelings towards her are more brotherly love, and he has a separate love interest in Kairi.
13. Why does Sora have 3 hearts?: The three hearts within Sora are Ventus, Roxas, and Xion, as revealed in Dream Drop Distance.

Miscellaneous

14. Is Sora weak?: Sora’s weakness is due to having little darkness in his heart, making him less powerful compared to characters with more darkness.
15. Who hits the hardest in Smash?: Captain Falcon is considered one of the most effective heavy hitters in Super Smash Bros., with powerful moves like the Falcon Punch.