Current Roster
This is a list of the characters announced thus far for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Full Roster
This is the full cast of Super Smash Bros. Brawl... At least, the full cast of characters that have been confirmed thus far.
Mario
Super Mario Bros.
His trademark red cap and blue overalls recognized the world over, Mr. Video Game himself clears the way for the Brawl. His attacks consist primarily of basic kicks and punches, his special moves drawing from the various abilities he has used through many of his adventures.
The official mascot for Nintendo, Mario has starred in dozens of games spanning three decades. The humble plumber is the Mushroom Kingdom's primary defense against the schemes of Bowser, the Koopa King, and often finds himself on yet another quest to save a princess in distress.
Link
The Legend of Zelda
The hero of legends, here in his Twilight Princess incarnation. With sword and shield in hand, he uses the items found in his quest to battle his opponents. This time, however, his items are heavily influenced by Twilight Princess and behave a bit differently than they did in Melee.
Link is the bearer of the "Triforce of Courage" and a new Link is destined to appear whenever trouble befalls the kingdom of Hyrule. His trademark Master Sword cuts through his enemies like a knife through hot butter and he presses ever on to battle the evil king Ganon and save the Princess Zelda.
Pit
Kid Icarus
This young angel is a much-requested addition from the classic NES title Kid Icarus. Pit hails from Angel Land and is the captain of the guard in the service of the goddess Palutena.
Pit's attacks center around the three sacred treasures he received in his adventure: the Pegasus Wings, the Mirror Shield, and the Light Arrows. He can fly using his wings, and his bow can be broken in two and used as dual swords.
Kirby
Kirby
It's everyone's favorite pink marshmallow! Hailing from the realm of Dream Land on the planet Pop Star, Kirby is a star warrior that can inhale nearly everything in his path. Once eaten, he can attack by spitting the enemy back up as a star, or digest them and copy their abilities! He carries this ability over to the Smash Bros. series, wearing a "hat" to imitate the character that he has mimicked.
Kirby is Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai's baby, and no doubt holds a very special place in the man's heart.
Pikachu
Pokémon
Love him or hate him, Pikachu is the face of Pokémon to the world. This little electric rat seems to have shrunk a bit in the wash since Melee.
Quick and agile, Pikachus (#25 in the original Pokédex) store electricity in the cheeks that they can use to attack with. "The" Pikachu in most people's minds is the one who stars alongside Ash Ketchum (known as "Satoshi" in Japan) in the anime adoption.
Fox McCloud
Starfox
Son of the legendary James McCloud, leader of the Starfox mercenary group, and ace pilot in his own right, Fox is not one to be trifled with. Piloting his Arwing starship, or the Landmaster Tank, Fox is a force to be reckoned with.
Although he seems to have gotten a serious nerf since Melee, Fox is still an agile KOing machine.
Samus Aran
Metroid
Proof that a woman can fight just as well as any man. The bane of Space Pirates everywhere, bounty hunter Samus Aran prowls the galaxy. Her Alien-inspired missions always seem to involve the deadly organism "Metroid" from planet SR-388. Her first adventure took her to the planet-fortress Zebes, and face-to-face with her archenemy, the reptilian abomination Ridley.
Her moves are based around her abilities from the game, namely her arm canon, missiles, and the ever-curious "morph ball" where she curls her entire body up into a sphere.
Zero Suit Samus
Metroid
When Samus uses her Final Smash, her power suit falls off and she becomes "Zero Suit Samus". By using another Smash Ball, she can get her power suit back.
The Zero Suit is named for the game it appeared in: Metroid Zero Mission, an enhanced remake of the original Metroid. At one point in the game, she loses her armor and must sneak around in the Zero Suit and make do with a petty stun pistol. Her pistol has gotten a major buff for Brawl, allowing her to use it as a sort of whip.
Wario
WarioWare
This freak of nature is the most vile, loathsome, greedy beast to wander the face of the Earth. He eats raw garlic day and night and attacks using his own gas. If spotted contact your local authorities; do not approach.
Although he is most well known as the anti-Mario, he has recently made a name for himself in the WarioWare mini-game collections (which is where his Brawl costume originates). His buddy Waluigi appears as an assist trophy.
Princess Zelda
The Legend of Zelda
Bearer of the "Triforce of Wisdom", the magical Princess of Hyrule makes her second Smash Bros. using her Twilight Princess design (though lacking blonde hair). Though she often remains little more than a damsel-in-distress, lately she has been taking on a stronger role in the series, even assisting Link in the final battle of The Wind Waker.
She uses the three magic powers that Link learns in Ocarina of Time as well as a few tricks of her own created especially for the Smash Bros. series.
Sheik
The Legend of Zelda
The alterego of Princess Zelda from Ocarina of Time. Zelda had to hide herself from Ganondorf as a child and thus grew up under the guise of a sheikah, a dying warrior clan. When Link returned to the world as an adult, Sheik helped him progress in his adventure by giving him clues and teaching him melodies on the Ocarnia of Time.
Zelda can transform into Sheik (and vice-versa) by using her down-special. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, although in Melee Sheik was more or less the more potent of the two. Considering Brawl's balancing changes, it is not unlikely that the two will be more equal, giving the player more reasons to switch instead of picking one and sticking with them.
King Bowser Koopa
Super Mario Bros.
Said to be the "biggest and heaviest of fighters" by Sakurai himself, Bowser has been given a miraculous boost in Brawl. Even Sakurai notes that he has "a different flavor" in this game.
Bowser is the undisputed King of the Koopas and will stop at nothing to have his beloved Princess Peach at his side. Unfortunately for him, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom doesn't exactly care for him, and his plans are always spoiled by the heroic victories of his eternal rival, Mario.
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong
He's the leader of the bunch, you know him well. He's finally back to kick some tail! Or so the song says, anyway. Although he first appeared as Mario's enemy in the arcade title that started it all, Donkey Kong, DK has long since been replaced by Bowser as Mario's archrival. However, the ape made a comeback in the 90's starting with titles like Donkey Kong Country and now appears in many of his own games.
Donkey Kong uses his powerhouse moves to force his opponents to submit. He can even grab an opponent and cart them off the stage on his back!
Yoshi
Yoshi's Island
He may look cute, but this strange dinosaur continues to baffle scientists. If it's a male, how can he lay eggs? The world may never know. The world may never want to know. In any case, the Yoshis have assisted Mario in his adventures ever since Super Mario World on the SNES, though he plays a much smaller part in the mainline Mario games these days, sticking to spinoff titles and a few of his own outings.
In Brawl, Yoshi's egg toss move gives him just a bit of lift off in the air, so it can be used as a recovery move (he didn't have one in the last two, although the egg roll attack could be used if he was high enough).
Ike
Fire Emblem
Nothing says "I can kick your butt without breaking a sweat" than wielding the two-handed blessed blade Ragnell with a single hand. Although he shares a couple of moves with Marth and Roy, make no mistake, Ike is a very different bowl of soup. He's also a very slow bowl of soup as his moves require a great deal of time before they actually hit. He seems to be balanced with four-for-alls in mind.
In Path of Radiance, Ike took over command of the Greil Mercenaries and took part in a chain of events that would eventually spread over two Fire Emblem titles (similar to Final Fantasy, only a few Fire Emblem games are actually connected). He has pledged to avenge his father Greil by defeating the enigmatic Black Knight.
Princess Peach Toadstool
Super Mario Bros.
"We're sorry Mario, but our princess is in another Castle." She may be King Bowser's true love, but the feeling isn't exactly mutual. So he kidnaps her to win her heart... Wouldn't flowers get the job done better?
In Smash Bros. her moves are inspired by her dainty nature, although she has a few of her skills from the NA rendition of Super Mario Bros. 2.
Pokémon Trainer
Pokémon
This brave young adolescent, like many others, has set out on a personal quest to wander the world, exploring, capturing, and training the creatures known as Pokémon. This trainer has caught a Squirtle, an Ivysaur, and a Charizard.
The Pokémon Trainer is actually three characters in one: like a good team coach he waits in the background giving orders and can switch between his three Pokémon at will. However, changing too often or not enough apparently isn't good for the Pokémon, so it adds a little strategy to the mix.
Diddy Kong
Donkey Kong
Though he's not even the same species of ape that Donkey Kong is, Diddy is the big guy's nephew. (He's probably adopted.) Diddy Kong was another highly-requested newcomer and his appearance was no surprise.
His move set is straight out of his appearance in Donkey Kong 64. His verse in the DK Rap sums him up best: "He can fly really high with his jetpack on, with his pistols out, he's one tough Kong!" (The ammunition for his pistols are, of course, peanuts.)
Meta Knight
Kirby
The mysterious rival of Kirby. Meta Knight can't stand slothfulness, so it's just his luck that he happens to reside in the laziest place in the universe: Dream Land. He is the perfect model of honor, however, throwing a sword to Kirby before their duels. Often, he works for King Dedede, although he seems to have his own agenda.
Meta Knight's moveset is taken straight from his appearances in the Kirby games, right down to his cape that transforms into a pair of bat wings. When defeated, his mask falls off and he is revealed as a blue Kirby!
Ice Climbers
Ice Climber
Featuring Nana in the pink and Popo in the blue. This duo may not pack a punch, but they make up for it by teaming up against their opponents. Their goal in life is to recover their stolen vegetables from a giant Condor that resides at the top of an ice-covered mountain. To each their own, I suppose.
In Smash Bros. the player controls one character (usually Popo, although you can change it by swapping colors) while the AI backs you up. Even if the AI character dies, so long as the player is alive they can fight on alone (although they're at a disadvantage without their partner). They're a real pain in sudden death.
Solid Snake
Metal Gear
A complete surprise for every Smash Bros. fan was the sudden announcement of a special guest that would be present for Brawl, the most unexpected playable character imaginable: Snake from Konami's Metal Gear series. In his games, he must rely on stealth to take on paramilitary forces and battle odd mechanical creations, the bipedal Metal Gears.
Sakurai has avoided introducing actual firearms to the Smash Bros. series, instead opting to equip Snake with over-the-top munitions, including remote-controlled missiles and land mines.
Lucas
Mother
This boy with a soft serve ice cream haircut and a small planet for a head originates from the Japanese-only RPG release Mother 3, sequel to the game known here in the states as "Earthbound". In the course of his bizarre adventure, he gains some meager psychic powers. Like Ness, most of his moves are taken from other characters in his party.
Lucas casted much doubt on Ness's return, despite the fact that Ness was one of the original twelve from Super Smash Bros. 64. Although Lucas's physical moves are quite different, his special moves are all very much like Ness's.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog
It took two decades, but at last the time has come for the two greatest rivals in gaming history to face off against each other. Sonic was the flagship for SEGA's Genesis console in direct competition with Nintendo until the bitter end. The blue hedgehog battled against the evil genius Eggman in order to free his friends from remaining the power sources of Eggman's robotic legions.
In Brawl, Sonic moves very quickly on the ground. His special moves center around his spindash. His recovery move summons one of the famous spring boards that appeared in the Sonic games.
King Dedede
Kirby
The Kirby series was greatly underrepresented in Melee. Sakurai has returned to fix this Brawl, making it a point to include all three of the main characters from the Kirby series. And seriously, who doesn't love a giant, gluttonous penguin who's declared himself the king of Dream Land? He generally functions as an enemy to Kirby, though he's often shown as simply misguided and naive instead of evil.
In Brawl, he plays the perfect villain, tossing his underlings to fight for him. He also appears to have installed a jet engine in his mallet specifically for this game!
Pikmin & Captain Olimar
Pikmin
There was much debate leading up to his fateful Dojo entry concerning Olimar's chances of actually appearing in Brawl. "He's too small!" the naysayers declared. But, in the end, he proved them all wrong by showing up with his army of Pikmin in tow ready to kick some Mario butt.
In the original Pikmin for the Nintendo Gamecube, Captain Olimar of the Hocotate Freight Company comes across the Pikmin after he crashlands on their planet. Desperate to see his wife and kids again, he works with the pikmin (whom he names after the "pikpik carrots" he believes they resemble) to rebuild his spaceship, the Dolphin.
Lucario
Pokémon
The ninja-looking fighting/steel-type Pokémon Lucario has always been highly popular, even though he is not a "legendary" like Mewtwo. He first appeared in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Lucario is #448 in the National Pokédex, and bears a strong resembelance to the ancient Egyptian go Anubis, who had the head of a jackal.
Lucario was confirmed by accident when Nintendo posted a video of Brawl on their Japanese site. Lucario was one of the character icons that one of the stickers in the video could be applied to in Adventure Mode.
Jigglypuff
Pokémon
"Jigglypuff~Jiggly!" One of the most popular pokémon in Japan, Jigglypuff (known as "Purin" over there) can put her opponents to sleep by singing to them. In the anime, she grows frustrated that no one can stay asleep to hear her song and writes on their faces with a marker! Jiggly is #039 in the National Pokédex.
Jigglypuff was confirmed by accident when Nintendo posted a video of Brawl on their Japanese site. Jigglypuff was one of the character icons that one of the stickers in the video could be applied to in Adventure Mode.
Ness
Mother (Earthbound)
"...Up until now..." These words from the Dojo put tears in the eyes of many a fan. Everyone knew cuts were very much possible, but few seriously expected one of the original twelve to fall! Turns out that Sakurai, being the cunning trickster he is, was pulling a fast one on us.
Ness appears in Mother 2 (released in North America as "Earthbound") where he must seek out eight melodies in order to defeat the alien being Giygas. Although he is a silent protagonist in the game, his appearance is dear to many, especially since Lucas's game never made it out of Japan.
Ness was confirmed by accident when Nintendo posted a video of Brawl on their Japanese site. Ness was one of the character icons that one of the stickers in the video could be applied to in Adventure Mode.
Veterans
These characters are returning from Super Smash Bros Melee. Here's who we have back from the old roster thus far. Non-confirmed characters are grayed out.
| Name | Franchise | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Bowser | Super Mario Bros. | YES |
| Captain Falcon | F-Zero | |
| Donkey Kong | Donkey Kong | YES |
| Dr. Mario | Super Mario Bros. | |
| Falco | Starfox | |
| Fox | Starfox | YES |
| Ganondorf | The Legend of Zelda | |
| Ice Climbers | Ice Climber | YES |
| Jigglypuff | Pokémon | YES |
| Kirby | Kirby | YES |
| Link | The Legend of Zelda | YES |
| Luigi | Super Mario Bros. | |
| Mario | Super Mario Bros. | YES |
| Marth | Fire Emblem | |
| Mewtwo | Pokémon | |
| Mr. Game & Watch | Game & Watch | |
| Ness | Mother (Earthbound) | YES |
| Peach | Super Mario Bros. | YES |
| Pichu | Pokémon | |
| Pikachu | Pokémon | YES |
| Roy | Fire Emblem | |
| Samus | Metroid | YES |
| Sheik | The Legend of Zelda | YES |
| Yoshi | Super Mario Bros. | YES |
| Young Link | The Legend of Zelda | |
| Zelda | The Legend of Zelda | YES |
OBSERVATIONS:
- Thus far, the only veterans to be revealed are ones that were not unlockables in either of the previous games.
- A video released on Nintendo' Japanese website accidently showed off Ness, Jigglypuff, and Lucario's icons as characters that certain stickers can be applied to.