Ever sinceSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewas shown during Nintendo’s showcase at E3 2018, several of the newcomers being added to the forthcoming fighting game have been taking out characters left and right in various CG trailers. For instance,Metroidvillain Ridley nixed both Mario and Mega Man,Castlevania’sDeath separated Luigi from his spirit, and King K. Rool knocked King DeDeDe out cold after theKirbyvillain impersonated theDonkey Kong Countrybaddie.
This particular pattern has ledSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatefans to begin crafting a theory about what Nintendo is planning to do with all of these characters who appear to be dying, and it seems as if it could have something to do with a new mode coming in the game. As it so happens, director Masahiro Sakurai placed a mosaic censor over a mode inSSBU’s menu during the most recent Nintendo Direct, which led to the Twitter user known as “noctulescent” being able to make out the word “Spirits” from the menu button.
As seen in the tweet directly above, it appears as if the Twitter user known as “Than_Kyou” was then able to decipher that the aforementioned image without pixelation looks like a Japanese wisp, which can also be called an Onibi. For those unware, an Onibi is often represented as a little spirit that resembles a flame, and indicates a ghostly presence. Should the menu button actually be depicting an Onibi, then it makes sense as to why most of theSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatetrailers so far have focused on villains taking out heroes and relegating them to wisps of their former selves.
Taking all of this into consideration, there’s no telling exactly what this specificSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatemode will contain, or if it will indeed relate to spirits in some way. Thankfully, though, Masahiro Sakurai has promised he will explain how the mode works in due time. And with the director having also said thateven more new charactersare on the way, there’s a good chance that with all of the content coming to the next iteration ofSmash, the fighting game sequel live up to itsUltimatenamesake.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis set to launch on June 08, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
