Fighter

A character is one of the fighters in the Super Smash Bros. series. Characters can be sorted into playable and non-playable, which distinguishes whether characters can be used without the use of a cheat device (like Action Replay) or not. Playable characters can further be divided into starter and unlockable, which distinguishes whether characters can be played right away, or whether they need to be unlocked.

Playable Characters

This is a list of the playable characters in the Super Smash Bros. series. Shaded cells denote unlockable characters.

Fighter	SSB	Melee	Brawl	Universe
Bowser				Mario
Captain Falcon				F-Zero
Diddy Kong				Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong				Donkey Kong
Dr. Mario				Mario
Falco				Star Fox
Fox				Star Fox
Ganondorf				The Legend of Zelda
Ice Climbers				Ice Climber
Ike				Fire Emblem
Jigglypuff				Pokémon
King Dedede				Kirby
Kirby				Kirby
Link				The Legend of Zelda
Lucario				Pokémon
Lucas				EarthBound
Luigi				Mario
Mario				Mario
Marth				Fire Emblem
Meta Knight				Kirby
Mewtwo				Pokémon
Mr. Game & Watch				Game & Watch
Ness				EarthBound
Olimar				Pikmin
Peach				Mario
Pichu				Pokémon
Pikachu				Pokémon
Pit				Kid Icarus
Pokémon Trainer				Pokémon
R.O.B.				R.O.B.
Roy				Fire Emblem
Samus				Metroid
Sheik				The Legend of Zelda
Snake				Metal Gear
Sonic the Hedgehog				Sonic
Toon Link				The Legend of Zelda
Wario				Wario
Wolf				Star Fox
Yoshi				Yoshi
Young Link				The Legend of Zelda
Zelda				The Legend of Zelda
Zero Suit Samus				Metroid

Non-playable characters

The following characters are considered non-playable. These include boss characters and enemy teams, among others. Hacking may allow some level of play.

Fighter	SSB	Melee	Brawl	Universe
Crazy Hand				Super Smash Bros.
Duon				Super Smash Bros.
Fighting Alloy Team				Super Smash Bros.
Fighting Polygon Team				Super Smash Bros.
Fighting Wire Frames				Super Smash Bros.
Galleom				Super Smash Bros.
Giant DK*				Donkey Kong
Giga Bowser**				Super Smash Bros.
Master Hand***				Super Smash Bros.
Meta Ridley				Metroid
Metal Mario*				Mario
Petey Piranha				Mario
Porky Minch				EarthBound
Rayquaza				Pokémon
Ridley				Metroid
Sandbag****				Super Smash Bros.
Tabuu				Super Smash Bros.

*While Giant DK and Metal Mario were unplayable in the original Super Smash Bros., they are technically playable in Melee and Brawl by picking up a Super Mushroom or a Metal Box, respectively.

**Giga Bowser is playable in Brawl as Bowser's Final Smash.

***Master Hand is playable in Melee through the Name Entry glitch.

****Sandbag is considered an item in Brawl, not a character.

Newcomers and Veterans

A Newcomer is a playable character in the series who has been introduced in a particular game, but did not exist in previous installments. By contrast, a Veteran is a character who returns in new games after appearing as a playable character in previous games. Note that the definition of newcomers is distinct from that of unlockable, or secret characters, which are playable characters who must be unlocked by completing certain tasks.

The term newcomer was used to describe the unlockable characters in the original Super Smash Bros. It was later used in the first trailer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which new characters were introduced with the title "Newcomer" atop the screen. The word newcomer was later used on the Smash Bros. DOJO!! site to classify new characters that were not secret. However, the use of the term has since broadened and is now understood in the context of both Melee and Brawl. For example, Peach is considered a veteran fighter in Brawl, but a newcomer in Melee.

"Perfect-attendance crew"

Less commonly, "veterans" can also denote the "eight regulars", "perfect attendance fighters" or "the original 8", terms which refer to the eight starter characters in the original Super Smash Bros. These fighters are also present as playable characters in both Melee and Brawl. The first two terms originated in the description for the 10th Brawl event match All-Star Battle Regulars, as follows.

The Smash Bros. perfect-attendance crew! Fight the eight regulars in order!

"The original 8", and by extension "the original 12" are fan coined terms, the latter referring to the entire playable cast of the original Smash Bros.

Trivia

• Luigi and Jigglypuff are the only characters who appear as unlockable characters in all of the Super Smash Bros. games.
• Ness and Captain Falcon are the only characters who have been both a starter and an unlockable.