Leaked artwork for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate appears to reveal the full roster for the upcoming game; the art features seven unannounced characters including fan-favorites Banjo-Kazooie and Geno.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch is bringing back every character in franchise history, giving it a massive roster of fighters for players to choose from. This of course includes the DLC characters from the last installment and forgotten characters from 17 years ago. The game will introduce at least nine new characters who have been revealed gradually over the past several months. This time around, fans will get to play as the Inklings, Princess Daisy, King K. Rool, Chrom, Simon and Richter Belmont, Dark Samus, and Isabelle.
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New images that originally surfaced from 4chan apparently reveals the completed roster. The fighters are assembled together on a banner. When first unveiled by Nintendo, the banner contained 67 characters, but blank spots were filled in as more characters were officially announced. The leaked image reveals an updated banner that includes Ken from Street Fighter, Banjo-Kazooie, Mach Rider, Geno from Super Mario RPG, The Chorus Kids, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Isaac from Golden Sun. Shadow and Ken will most likely be echo fighters (clones) of Sonic and Ryu respectively.
Ken has been at the center of most leaks for Ultimate, so his inclusion comes as no surprise at this point. Banjo-Kazooie, Geno, and Isaac are highly requested fan-favorites who have been at the top of fans' wishlists for Super Smash Bros. for several years now. Some have argued that the three have low chances of being in Ultimate based on their lack of relevance in the gaming industry, but the addition of classic Donkey Kong Country villain King K. Rool says a lot about the developers' wish to make fan service a priority for Ultimate.
The Chorus Kids and Mach Rider are an interesting left-field addition that may remind players of Wii Fit Trainer from the last installment. Hailing from the Rhythm Heaven series, the Chorus Kids are three singing children drawn in black and white. Mach Rider, the protagonist of the futuristic racing game of the same name, is another surprise. Mach Rider was released back in 1985 for the NES. Every Smash game since Melee has introduced an unusual retro character, so it sounds reasonable that Mach Rider could fill that role in Ultimate.
Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has already said that the new game would feature less new challengers than usual since their focus was on bringing everyone back. However, if this new leak is real, it would mean that Nintendo still has plenty of announcements to make before the game's release.
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches December 7 on the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Resetera