The upcoming DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be from Nintendo's quirky Switch fighting game, ARMS, and this new challenger has the potential to be the series' first named black character. While several ARMS characters could take the spot on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's roster, Twintelle is both a fan-favorite and one of Nintendo's few canonically black characters, which would make her an important addition to the game.

In a late-March Nintendo Direct, Nintendo revealed the first character Smash's second Fighter Pass will come from ARMS. Speculation about which ARMS character would join Smash soon broke out among fans, weighing the popularity of the game's various fighters, as well as their possible Smash fighting styles. Some suggested the ARMS fighter could follow the Dragon Quest Hero fighter's format, allowing players to choose from multiple character designs via alternate costumes. ARMS' characters have vastly different profiles, however, so the addition of just one or two characters with similar body types is more likely.

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Which ARMS fighter is chosen for Smash, then, will probably come down to popularity, and Twintelle has that in spades. A celebrity in the ARMS universe who fights with her long, curly pigtails, Twintelle's announcement in May 2017 was followed by a fittingly fervent reception. A barrage of fan art celebrated her design, which - besides being a rare inclusion of a playable woman of color - balances athleticism, elegance, and sexuality. Twintelle is clearly toned and strong, but also, as Kotaku's Gita Jackson put it, "a dainty girl who sips tea from china as well as having thighs that could crush a watermelon. She’s literally bad and bougie."

ARMS Super Smash Bros Ultimate DLC Fighter Twintelle Invitation

Nintendo's design choices endeared Twintelle to fans like Twitter user Sam King - so much so that ARMS producer Kosuke Yabuki told Game Informer her popularity surprised him. But it's hard to say whether Twintelle is truly ARMS' most beloved character. Nintendo's 2019 Party Crash Bash Championship pitted ARMS fighters against each other in a single-elimination bracket, which could be seen as a sort of de facto popularity contest. The ramen-haired Min Min came out on top, beating Twintelle to face the ninja-like Ninjara in the championship round. A Nintendo Life poll also found Min Min as the most popular choice for an ARMS Smash character, earning 24% of almost 9,500 votes (compared to Twintelle's second-place 20%).

For fans echoing King's "but I want Twintelle to beat me up," there's still hope. She might not be definitively the most popular ARMS character, but she's probably the second-most, and her design could have practical advantages for Smash Bros. Ultimate's designers. She's the only ARMS character with actual, human arms, meaning it would be easier to animate her holding and throwing items. She also has the ability to slow down incoming attacks, which could be translated into a Smash ability similar to Bayonetta's Witch Time.

Beyond her popularity and ease of design, though, the biggest advantage of adding Twintelle to Smash would be the potential to finally add a named black character to the game. Currently, the only dark-skinned characters playable are alternate costumes for Animal Crossing's Villager and Splatoon's Inkling, along with some medium skin-toned costumes for the Pokémon Trainer. These are all just optional, avoidable outfits for avatar-like characters, and Ultimate has been accused of racist portrayals of black characters in the past, so introducing a named, canonically black, female fighter to Smash's roster would be a big step towards inclusion - especially significant in Super Smash Bros.'s particularly diverse community.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate released on December 7, 2018, for the Nintendo Switch.