It’s getting pretty hard to predictSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateannouncements these days. Usually, fans can count on Nintendo to announce the forthcoming reveal of the next DLC fighter at least a few days in advance of any given event. December 10 was not one of those days. Less than 24 hours after Nintendo revealed there would be aSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatefighter announced at The Game Awards 2020, that fighter made their grand entrance. Before the end of the month,Final Fantasyfans can rejoice asSmashgets its second representative from the RPG series: Sephiroth, the infamous antagonist ofFinal Fantasy 7.
The one-winged angel is certainly a worthy candidate for Nintendo’s all-star fighting game as one of the stars of an RPG classic. However,Sephiroth does play intoa larger problem thatSmashfans have been complaining about for a long time. Some players are of the opinion thatSmash Bros.has far too many sword fighters.Over the years, the game has certainly accumulated a lot of them from all kinds of franchises, including in the DLCs forSmash Ultimate.Sephiroth is only the latest in a well establishedSmasharchetype, yet his inclusion sets a precedent for future DLC fighters that might worry some players and certainly makes everyone wonder what else Nintendo has in store.
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Sword Fighters
It’s impossible to deny that swordfighters make up a majority ofSmash’s roster in just about any entry in the franchise, as it really justshows how much of a variety of sword fighters Nintendo has access to. Among others, there’s three different versions of Link fromThe Legend of Zelda,there’seight distinctFire Emblemrepresentativesthat all use swords, and of course, Cloud Strife himself. For anyone who’s getting intoSmashand interested in playing a sword fighter, there’s definitely no shortage of options in terms of playstyle, weight, and so on.
The problem is that this isn’t always a strength for the game because players have been upset about the quantity of swordfighters for years.Fire Emblem’s representatives are often the subject of mockery since many of them are very similar in both appearance and playstyle, while Link’s variations are also considered very similar despite nuanced differences. Even though fans say they’ve had enough of sword fighters, though, Nintendo has added quite a few more inUltimate.BothFire Emblem’s Byleth andDragon Quest’s Hero meant DLC sword fighters.EvenPersona 5’s Jokerplays rather like a swordfighter with his dagger, andMinecraft’s Steve has some swordplay built in.
The list still goes on from there. Both versions of Pit qualify as sword fighters,Xenoblade’s Shulk wields his signature Monado, and evenCastlevania’s Belmonts are at least cousins of sword fighters with their whips. Even though the archetype is still only one portion ofSmash Ultimate’s titanic roster, the sheer number of sharp edges in the game is impossible to ignore, yet apparently, the dev believes there’s room for a few more swords.
Sephiroth’s Precedent
It’s worth noting thatSephiroth isn’t just another sword fighter. One could argue that he’s about to become the definitive sword fighter inSmash,considering his weapon of choice: the Masamune, a tremendous odachi style sword, often as tall or taller than Sephiroth himself. That means Sephiroth is bound to have unbelievable reach with his attacks. While the details of Sephiroth’s kit have yet to be revealed, his reveal trailer does indicate that he has some vast sweeping attacks bound to have very intimidating hitboxes. One of a sword fighter’s best advantages inSmashis their ability to reach out and hit enemies at a distance, and Sephiroth might do it better than anyone else. Those not keen on sword fighters would probably find that frustrating, but sword lovers will likely adore his Masamune.
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By opting to add Sephiroth in spite of potential controversy, Nintendo has made a serious statement. Invitations toSmash Bros.are not easy to come by, but it’s clear that Nintendo is not anxious about whether or not a chosen guest uses a sword. If the pattern Sephiroth establishes means anything, there’s a good chance that at least one of theremaining DLCs in the second Fighters Passwill include some form of sword fighter. On the one hand, it’s hard to blame Nintendo for that, since swords are really ubiquitous weapons. On the other hand, fans have longed for someone with an axe, a hammer, or some other very different style of weapon. Byleth offered a taste of that, but swords still dominate;Smashis still waiting for something truly new.
Beyond The One-Winged Angel
Even if fans weren’t exactly holding their breath for another fighter with a sword,Sephiroth is certainly bound to bea really unique fighter inSmash Bros. Ultimate.Masahiro Sakurai and his dev studio have constantly managed to come up with unique, surprising designs for the DLC fighters, so Sephiroth is still liable to carve out his own niche within his archetype. Sephiroth’s striking sword might also be a good bit of experience for theSmashdevelopers in preparing a character with a different weapon. Its reach could teach Nintendo some tricks for a spear wielding character likeHorizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy, or its raw power might be helpful in designing a heavy duty axe wielder like Kratos.
Alternatively, Nintendo might decide that it’s had its fill of melee weapons with Sephiroth and turn to something completely different. That could be the gateway to a projectile based character like Doom Marine or Master Chief. As mentioned, though, it’s become a real challenge to predict whenSmashfighters will be announced and just who they’ll be. There were many games at The Game Awards 2020 that were good contestants for a new affiliation withSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,but instead Nintendo revisitedFinal Fantasy.In a way, that return to what’s familiar is reflective of Nintendo’s return to swordfighters. It’s certainly comfortable making this type of fighter. Comfortable or not, though, mastery of the category alone won’t please players.Sephiroth is a very exciting pick, but hopefully, the next DLC’s fighting style is a little more surprising.
