Super Smash Bros. Ultimatehas accomplished some incredible things and managed to create moments that seem like they should be impossible. There aren’t many other games where players can watchFinal Fantasy 7’s Cloud duke it out with Mario, or now thatSteve fromMinecraftis coming toSmash, see Mewtwo battle Steve. The most recent entry in the franchise took things further by promising every playable character in the history of the franchise to return, yet despite this massive roster, there is not a single Black playable character available across the over 70 options in the game.
It’s worth saying thatSuper Smash Bros.Ultimatehas always been focused on collecting popular and iconic characters in one place so players could duke it out with their friends. Even so, if this oddity isn’t reflective of an issue withSmash Bros., it at the very least points out a huge flaw in modern gaming as a whole. There’s a severe lack of representation for people of color in terms of video game characters, and that’s an issue thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis in a position to do something about. There are plenty of great Black characters in gaming that could be added.
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Alternate Costumes
Before getting into popular and iconic Blackvideo game characters that would fit great withSmash, it’s important to keep in mind that there are many alternate colors of characters that show more representation. Cycling through the color options on Villager will let the player be both male and female versions of a Black character, and the same holds true for Inkling. Alex has an alternate costume that gives her much darker skin, and a handful of other characters have slightly darker options. Though this is a good gesture, it doesn’t fix the issue, as these are simple, alternate costumes, and there are several legitimate characters who deserve to appear.
Barret Wallace - Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Barret would be an interesting addition toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatefor a number of reasons. For starters, it’s uncommon for a third party franchise likeFinal Fantasyto get two DLC characters. However,Final Fantasy 7is popular enough that it could happen, andBarret isn’t just Cloud’s sidekick. Barret’s heavy emphasis on ranged attacks would make for an interesting character, though it comes with a drawback as well. More likely than not, if Barret were added toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, it would be as a costume for Mii Gunner, as that character’s moveset matches Barret well.
Lifeline/Bangalore - Apex Legends
With all this talk ofOverwatchinSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s possible that another popular FPS character could make their way in. Both Lifeline and Bangalore would make great choices, with Lifeline featuring more healing and support abilities when compared to Bangalore’s explosive play style. Lifeline in particular would make an interesting choice, as there aren’t many characters inSmashthat would be considered support characters. Regardless, fans ofApex Legendswould no doubt love to see either of these characters make the cut forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Zasalamel - Soul Calibur
Zasalamel from theSoul Caliburfranchise represents one of the biggest problems when discussing adding a person of color toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Most dark-skinned representatives in video games tend to be side characters rather than leads, and this holds especially true forSoul Calibur. If this franchise were to be represented inSmash Bros., it’s more likely that fans would see Siegfried, as he often acts as the series' mascot. Zasalamel could certainly bring a lot to the table with his scythe and unique moveset from the original game, but he isn’t high up on the list ofpopularSoul Caliburcharacters.
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Alyx Vance - Half-Life
Alyx from theHalf-Lifefranchise is described as being of Afro-Asian descent, and she is featured as themain character ofHalf-Life: Alyx. Her fighting style would certainly be interesting, as though she specializes in hand to hand combat and ranged weaponry, her most iconic tool is the Gravity Gloves, handheld versions of the classic Gravity Gun used by Gordon Freeman in the otherHalf-Lifegames. How exactly these would translate over toSuper Smash Bros.Ultimateis difficult to say, Alyx herself would be a good fit for the game.
Tyrael - Diablo 3
Tyrael was not the main character ofDiablo 3, but he was featured prominently in it. What makes this idea especially cool is thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatecould allow him to use some of his angelic powers. Whether that takes the form of an Up B attacj similar to Pit’s or simply sweeping great sword attacks, Tyrael would be a unique addition. What’s more, he’s one of the few characters on here that would be most likely to join from their franchise, as there aren’t very many othericonicDiablocharactersaside from the custom character that players can create.
Black Characters in Video Games
What this analysis shows more than anything is the lack of Black characters in gaming as a whole. Often games will give players the option to make their own character Black or include a Black character, but these characters rarely take the spotlight. Instead, Black characters anddiversity in gamingin general tend to be relegated to the sideline, and as a result seem more like an afterthought than an intentional action taken by developers.
There are likely otherprominent Black video game characters, but it is difficult to find ones that would fit well withinSmash Bros.Though the franchise has been lowering its requirements for new additions, there are still some pretty strict rules in place for who can and can’t be featured as a playable character. In any case, hopefullySuper Smash Bros. Ultimateworks towards creating a more inclusive environment in the future by adding characters to represent all types of players.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis available now on Switch.
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