Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, succeeding Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014). The game follows the series' traditional style of gameplay, in which players control one of the various characters and use attacks to weaken their opponents and knock them out of an arena. It features a wide variety of game modes, including a single-player campaign and multiplayer versus modes. Ultimate features 89 playable fighters, including all characters from previous Super Smash Bros. games as well as newcomers. The roster ranges from Nintendo characters to those from third-party franchises.
Planning for the game had begun by December 2015, with full development starting after the completion of 3DS/Wii U's downloadable content (DLC). Series creator and director Masahiro Sakurai returned along with Bandai Namco Studios and Sora, the studios that developed 3DS/Wii U, with their return speeding up the preparation process. Sakurai's goal with Ultimate was to include every character from previous games in the series, despite the various development and licensing challenges this would present. Several well-known video game musicians contributed to the soundtrack, with Hideki Sakamoto writing the main theme "Lifelight".
Nintendo first teased Ultimate in a Nintendo Direct in March 2018 and fully revealed it at E3 2018 the following June. It later received two additional Directs prior to its release on December 7, 2018. The game received universal acclaim, with some critics calling it the best game in the series; they praised its large amount of content and fine-tuning of existing Smash gameplay elements, although its online mode received criticism. Ultimate is the best-selling fighting game of all time and the third best-selling Nintendo Switch game, having sold over 34 million copies as of March 2024. It is also a popular competitive fighting game, and has commonly been ranked as one of the best fighting games ever made and one of the greatest video games of all time. The game won ten Game of the Year awards and received thirteen nominations. The game received downloadable content adding new fighters, stages, and other content from its release until October 2021.
Note that Mario, Zelda, Kirby, F-Zero, Mother, Pikmin, Punch-Out, Final Fantasy, Splatoon, Arms, Dragon Quest, Fatal Fury, Tekken and some Pokémon characters are not listed due to them having been voiced pre-lay, and are the same between both the Japanese and English version.
Cast[]
| Character | Seiyū | Dub Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Princess Zelda | Ayumi Fujimura | Brandy Kopp (one line in World of Light cutscene) |
| Red | Tomoe Hanba | Billy Bob Thompson |
| Leaf | Wakana Minami | Kate Bristol |
| Squirtle | Rikako Aikawa | Michele Knotz |
| Ivysaur | Inuko Inuyama | Justin Anselmi |
| Incineroar | Unshō Ishizuka | Tyler Bunch |
| Fox McCloud | Takashi Ohara | Mike West |
| Falco Lombardi | Kōsuke Takaguchi | Mark Lund |
| Wolf O'Donnell | Jay Ward | |
| Marth | Hikaru Midorikawa | Yuri Lowenthal |
| Roy | Jun Fukuyama | Ray Chase |
| Ike | Michihiko Hagi | Greg Chun |
| Chrom | Tomokazu Sugita | Matthew Mercer |
| Byleth (Male) | Yusuke Kobayashi | Zach Aguilar |
| Byleth (Female) | Shizuka Itō | Jeannie Tirado |
| Pit | Minami Takayama | Antony Del Rio |
| Palutena | Aya Hisakawa | Brandy Kopp |
| Pyra | Shino Shimoji | Skye Bennett |
| Mythra | ||
| Ken | Yuji Kishi | Reuben Langdon |
| Simon Belmont | Hideo Ishikawa | Keith Silverstein |
| Richter Belmont | Kiyoyuki Yanada | David Vincent |
| Ren Amamiya | Jun Fukuyama | Xander Mobus |
Additional Voices[]
- Justin Anselmi - Venusaur
- Sean Barrett - Azurda
- Simona Berman - Marshadow
- Kate Bristol - Pyukumuku
- Dayci Brookshire - Viridi
- Johnny Yong Bosch - Zero
- Robert Clotworthy - Black Knight
- Dave Fennoy - Rodin
- Sam Haft - Scizor
- Erika Harlacher - Ann Takamamki
- Laurie Hymes - Abra
- Xanthe Huynh - Haru Okumura
- Michele Knotz - Bewear, Latias, Latios
- Mela Lee - Tiki
- Cherami Leigh - Makoto Niijima
- Erica Lindbeck - Futaba Sakura
- Yuri Lowenthal - Alucard
- Matthew Mercer - Yusuke Kitagawa
- Max Mittelman - Ryuji Sakamoto
- Cassandra Lee Morris - Morgana, Sophis
- Sarah Natochenny - Chansey
- Erica Schroeder - Ditto
- Billy Bob Thompson - Charmander
- Marc Thompson - Alolan Exeggutor
- Al Weaver - Rex