Classic Mode (SSBU)

Classic Mode loading screen in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Classic Mode (勝ちあがり乱闘, Survival Smash) is a single-player (optionally 2 players) mode in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Each character now has their own predetermined set of opponents and stages to face in this mode. A unique name is given to each character's path, and there may be special rules or conditions: for example, Ryu's path references Street Fighter II by using only Ω forms and Stamina mode alongside the fighters most closely representing the characters of Street Fighter II. It is different from the Classic Mode versions found in the two versions of Super Smash Bros. 4, shown by the return to the style of Classic Mode that was in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Just like in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Classic Mode can also be challenged by two players. When playing with two players, the route will always be based on Player 1's character. 1v1 battles (aside from Terry and Kazuya's Classic Mode) become 2v2 battles with two of the same opponent (if there is originally only one), one in an alternate costume. If P2 chooses the same costume as an opponent, the opponent will not switch to another costume unless they chose the same character as P1.

Similar to the Classic Modes for the previous entries, players can select an intensity level, indicated by the position of the lengthy mural. The highest allowed starting intensity is 5.0, and it will increase slightly, depending on how well the player does, after each victory, to a maximum of 9.9. Each successful round moves the intensity up by a minimum of 0.1 depending on performance. Winning in fast times or with great dominance awards a "Nice Play!" label for the stage, and an intensity boost ranging from 0.6 to 1.4, depending also on how far along the player is in the game. Otherwise, the game's default intensity boost goes between 0.2 and 0.6, lower scores being awarded to long battles with more damage taken. The layout consists of seven stages plus a bonus stage. Unlike previous entries, the opponent in the last stage is not always Master Hand or Crazy Hand; each fighter has a different encounter at the end. Scores are also present in Classic Mode, which is displayed alongside the player's Global Smash Power.

Players only have one stock, unlike previous installments. To continue, the player can either spend Gold which lowers the intensity by 0.7 points, or use a Classic Ticket to keep the current intensity. Upon continuing, the match will start from where the player left off. Using a continue at any point during the run will stop the intensity from rising to 9.9, making the maximum possible intensity 9.8 for the rest of the run. However, it will not degrade a run already at intensity 9.9 if a ticket is used then. Continuing causes the player's score to go down. When playing with two players, the round does not fail until both players' stocks are lost.

Classic Tickets can be obtained through clearing Classic Mode or from the shop. They may also be used before starting a Classic Mode game to increase the rewards given out when finishing the mode. On a new save file, the player starts with 5 Classic Tickets.

After clearing Classic Mode the player will be able to play a minigame over the Credits and, at the end of said minigame, see a congratulations screen; the music for the minigame and the image at the end are themed to each character. Clearing Classic Mode with a character grants their fighter spirit, much like trophies from previous games.

Types of battles

Regular stage

Regular stages include Smash 1v1, 2v2, and Free-For-All battles where all enemy fighters must be defeated to proceed. Some variations include Giant Battles, where at least one opponent is giant, Metal Battles, where at least one opponent is metal, and Multi-Man Battles, where eight or less enemies are fought three at a time. When playing with two players, the 1v1 battles are replaced with 2v1v1 battles against two copies of the same opponent, and any allies granted by the match are overwritten by the co-op player.

Bonus Stage

Bonus Stage in Ultimate.

This is a challenge in the style of Race to the Finish, but rather than having a standard time limit, the player must run from a black hole that consumes the stage behind them. Glowing orbs are scattered throughout the side-scrolling area which increases the player's score, some behind breakable blocks and bomb blocks that encourage the player to go out of their way as the void closes in. Some scattered physics objects impede progress in a similar manner to Trophy Rush. At the end of the stage, a cannon blasts the player into a portal that ends the Bonus Game. Every fighter goes through this bonus game stage at some point during their classic mode. Every fighter goes through the exact same stage with no differences.

Boss

Most fighters face a predetermined boss fight at the end of their route. The player must deplete the boss's HP in order to defeat them. The most common boss is Master Hand on Final Destination, with Crazy Hand joining if the fight is entered at intensity 7.0 or above, similarly to previous games. Several characters replace Master Hand and Crazy Hand with either Rathalos, Dracula, Giga Bowser, Marx, Galleom or Ganon, and certain others may feature Crazy Hand with Master Hand regardless of intensity, feature Master Hand only with no possibility of an appearance from Crazy Hand, reverse Crazy Hand and Master Hand's roles, or be on an Ω form of another stage. Additionally, there are a few instances where another fighter is part of the final round:

• Both Mario and Captain Falcon fight Bowser in their final rounds before fighting Giga Bowser.
• Both Pikachu and Pokémon Trainer fight Mewtwo in their final rounds before fighting Master Hand (with no possibility of an appearance from Crazy Hand, regardless of the difficulty).
• Jigglypuff fights Giant Donkey Kong, and does not fight a traditional boss at all in its route.
• Bowser fights Rathalos in his penultimate round, but his final round is against Mario, then Metal Mario.
• Zelda fights Ganondorf in her final round before fighting Ganon.
• Mega Man fights Galleom in his penultimate round, but his final round is against Dr. Mario, then Mewtwo.
• Bayonetta fights a giant Palutena, and does not fight a traditional boss at all in her route.
• Hero fights Rathalos in his fourth round, but fights Robin in his blue costume and then a Giant Charizard in its purple costume for his final round.
• Terry fights Ryu, Ken, and another Terry in his final round, and does not fight a traditional boss at all in his route.
• Steve fights a giant Ridley and two tiny Endermen, and does not fight a traditional boss at all in his route.
• Sephiroth fights only bosses in his route, culminating with Master Hand and Crazy Hand.
• Kazuya fights another Kazuya followed by a Metal Kazuya in his final round, and does not fight a traditional boss at all in his route.

After defeating Bowser, Ganondorf or Mewtwo in the boss round, the player is given a Maxim Tomato.

Boss	Fighter Routes		Total
Master Hand			37
Crazy Hand			2
Master Hand & Crazy Hand			12
Giga Bowser			2
Galleom			7
Ganon			4
Marx			3
Dracula			4
Rathalos			6
None			5
All			1

Classic Mode routes

Fighter	Classic Mode title	Description	Inspiration
Mario	Let's-a Go! (世界をまたにかけて, Traveling Around the World)	In a similar fashion to the Classic Modes of past games prior to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Mario's opponents are groups of fighters from various universes fought on a home stage from that universe. The penultimate battle is against Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings. The boss of this route is Bowser, who transforms into Giga Bowser upon defeat.	The English title is one of Mario's catchphrases. The Japanese title and overall concept may be a reference to Super Mario Odyssey, where Mario goes around the world and visits different kingdoms. The penultimate and final battles being against the Koopalings and then Bowser alludes to the Koopalings' appearances as world bosses before the final boss fight with his arch-enemy Bowser in various Super Mario titles (similar to the end of Melee's Adventure), which pays homage to his status as Mario's greatest enemy and final challenge to defeat.
Donkey Kong	Journey to New Donk City (ドンキーコング ニュードンクへ行く, Donkey Kong Goes to New Donk)	Donkey Kong's route depicts a journey by plane from the jungle to more urban locations, including the Onett and Moray Towers stages. From Round 2 onward, the player is teamed up with Diddy Kong. The penultimate battle is against Mario and Luigi. The boss of this route is Master Hand, set on Ω form New Donk City Hall.	The route is named after its final stage, New Donk City Hall. The penultimate battle alludes to Donkey Kong's rivalry with Mario throughout the Donkey Kong series.
Link	A Quest to Seal the Darkness (闇を切り裂く対魔剣, The Blade of Evil's Bane that Cuts the Darkness)	Link's opponents on this route are all affiliated with darkness, including Ganondorf, with the penultimate battle being against Dark Link. The boss of this route is Ganon.	The title references the main plot of most games in the Legend of Zelda series, where Link must defeat dark entities like Ganon. If the player selects the Dark Link costume, default Link appears as the penultimate enemy instead.
Samus	Another Planet, Another Bounty (異星の深淵, The Abyss of Another Planet)	Each battle is set on a Metroid series stage and involves fighting characters that shares similarities with bosses from the series. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	--
Dark Samus	The Great Poison Given Form (仲間に牙剥く精神汚染, The Mental Pollution that Bares Its Teeth at Companions)	Dark Samus's opponents are protagonist characters, and she is teamed up with dark/evil/corrupted variants of characters from their series (for example, Dark Samus is teamed up with Ken in his Violent Ken alternate costume, and together they fight Ryu, or she is teamed up with Luigi in his Waluigi alternate costume, and together they fight Mario, Peach and Daisy). The penultimate round is a Free-for-All against Samus and Ridley. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	The route is named after Phazon, the essence of Metroid Prime and Dark Samus, which is named "the Great Poison" by the Chozo in Metroid Prime. The penultimate round may be a reference to Metroid Prime 3.
Yoshi	Jurassic Journey (ジュラシックアイランド, Jurassic Island)	Yoshi's opponents all resemble older pop-culture depictions of prehistoric dinosaurs. His penultimate battle is against Giant Bowser. The boss of this route is Rathalos.	The fight against Giant Bowser references the final boss fight in the Yoshi's Island sequels, in which Kamek transforms baby Bowser into a giant upon the latter's defeat. As it is a classical draconic wyvern, Rathalos continues the dinosaur theme.
Kirby	Gourmet Clash (激突！グルメバトル, Clash! Gourmet Battle)	Kirby's opponents are characters who, like Kirby, love to eat things, including their enemies, such as Pac-Man, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario and King K. Rool. For each battle, Kirby and his opponent each spawn with 35% damage and several food items appear on the stage as the match begins. Additionally, other food-based items (such as Banana Peels and Superspicy Curry) appear more often. The opponent is giant in even-numbered rounds, and normal size in odd-numbered rounds. The penultimate battle is against King Dedede on Fountain of Dreams. The boss of the route is Marx.	The route both is named after, and contains gameplay elements that resemble, the Gourmet Race mode from Kirby Super Star. Dedede's appearance as the penultimate opponent can be taken as a reference to both the penultimate battle of Kirby's Adventure and to Gourmet Race. The final battle against Marx alludes to his status as the final boss in Kirby Super Star.
Fox	Spaceborne Smash (無限の宇宙, The Infinite Universe)	Fox's opponents in this route are characters associated with space or other planets. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	His penultimate battle with Wolf on Venom can be read as reference to either their battle in Star Fox 64, or to the "No items, Fox only, Final Destination" meme since the battle is fought on an Ω stage against a pseudo clone of Fox without items appearing; Venom is also Team Star Fox's frequent final destination. Master Hand's appearance may be a reference to the battle against Andross in Star Fox 64, in which his disembodied hands guard his face from attack.
Pikachu	I Choose You! (大乱闘ポケットモンスターズ, Great Fray Pocket Monsters)	The opponents are Pokémon characters from all across the Super Smash Bros. series. All rounds take place on Pokémon stages. The final battle is against Mewtwo, immediately followed by Master Hand. Poké Balls are the only items that appear throughout this route.	In English, the route is named after Ash Ketchum's signature catchphrase in the Pokémon anime, which doubles as the title of the first episode and the 20th movie. The Japanese title is a play on Japanese name of the Super Smash Bros. series: 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ, Great Fray Smash Brothers.
Luigi	Luigi's Nightmares (こっちに来ないで、コワい人！, Stay Away, Scary People!)	All of Luigi's opponents are scary characters (such as Ridley), or characters using a scary alternate costume (such as Dark Link). The penultimate battle is against Little Mac in his wireframe costume, followed by a giant Mr. Game and Watch upon defeat. The boss of this route is Dracula.	The route's theme is a reference to the Luigi's Mansion games and Luigi's tendency to be easily frightened. As a paranormal enemy, Dracula continues the Luigi's Mansion theme.
Ness	Home to Onett! (ホームシック！ オネットに帰ろう, Homesick! Let's Go Back to Onett)	Ness's route is themed after the events of most of EarthBound played in reverse, from Magicant to Onett, with opponents and stages that represent key enemies and points in the adventure. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	In Japanese, the route is named after Ness's Homesick status effect from EarthBound. The concept may also refer to the ending of EarthBound, where the game doesn't end until Ness returns to Onett after saving the world.
Captain Falcon	Up Close and Personal (戦いの基本は接近戦, Close Combat is the Basis of Battle)	Captain Falcon fights opponents who specialize in close-range combat, such as Ganondorf and Roy. The boss of this route is Bowser, who transforms into Giga Bowser upon defeat.	Giga Bowser may have been chosen as the boss because he has the fewest projectiles of all the bosses (one).
Jigglypuff	All Original, All 64 (64オールスターズ, 64 All-Stars)	Jigglypuff's route is themed after Super Smash Bros. 64, pitting it against all twelve characters who debuted in that game (including itself), on stages that debuted in that game. The final battle is against Giant Donkey Kong.	Elements of the route resemble the original 1P Game mode: namely, Link as the round 1 opponent, Pikachu as the round 5 opponent, and the presence of Giant Donkey Kong. The penultimate battle is against the original four unlockable characters, (itself, Luigi, Ness, and Captain Falcon).
Peach	No Damsel in Distress (さらわれ姫から卒業！, Graduating from a Kidnapped Princess!)	Peach fights against would-be kidnappers such as Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, Donkey Kong (in his "classic" costume), Ganondorf and King K. Rool, with the penultimate battle against her own captor Bowser. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	If this route is played with two players, Bowser appears with a copy in his eighth costume, referencing Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels.
Daisy	Sarasaland Represent! (戦場のプリンセス, Princess of the Battlefield)	Most of Daisy's opponents are princesses in their respective franchises, such as Zelda and female Corrin. The penultimate battle is against Peach. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	In English, the route is named after Sarasaland, Daisy's kingdom.
Bowser	The Red One. Every Red One! (因縁の赤いヤツ, The Red Guys of Destiny)	Bowser’s opponents in this route are all affiliated with the color red such as Ken, Samus and Diddy Kong, with the penultimate boss battle being against Rathalos. The final battle is against Mario, with Metal Mario being summoned upon Mario's defeat.	The route is named and themed after Bowser's long-standing rivalry with Mario.
Ice Climbers	Duos for Days (ベストパートナー, Best Partners)	The Ice Climbers fight two opponents per stage, all of which are certain iconic duos in their games. The duos they fight are in this order: Link and Zelda, Ryu and Ken, Villager and Isabelle, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, Palutena and Pit and Mario and Peach. The bosses of this route are Master Hand and Crazy Hand, continuing the duo theme.	Much like Ice Climbers, Master Hand and Crazy Hand work together as a duo.
Sheik	Masquerade (仮面舞踏会, Masquerade)	Sheik's opponents are characters who wear masks or other forms of headwear to conceal their identity, such as Meta Knight, Roy Koopa and Captain Falcon. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	--
Zelda	Wisdom Prevails (狙われたトライフォース, The Targeted Triforce)	Zelda's opponents are all antagonists on stages from The Legend of Zelda universe culminating in a penultimate battle with four Dark Links. The final battle is against Ganondorf, who transforms into Ganon upon defeat.	--
Dr. Mario	Colorful Treatment Plan (いろいろ三色大作戦, Tactics of Three Different Colors)	Dr. Mario's opponents are all trios of the same character in red, blue, and yellow costumes. The penultimate battle is against three Warios. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	The concept of the route references the three colored viruses in the Dr. Mario games: Fever, Chill, and Weird. The three-Wario fight could reference either Wario's role as a secondary villain in Dr. Mario 64's story, or his poor diet and hygiene in the WarioWare series.
Pichu	Lightweight Fracas (ふわっとバトル, Floaty Battle)	Pichu's opponents are lightweight characters fought on stages set in the sky, such as Peach's Castle and Skyloft. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	The route is both themed and named after Pichu's status as the lightest character in the game.
Falco	Soar above the Darkness (光あるところに, Where There is Light)	Falco's opponents are "dark" characters, such as Dark Samus and Captain Falcon in his Blood Falcon alternate costume. The penultimate battle is against a giant Mr. Game & Watch. The boss of this route is Crazy Hand.	The Giant Mr. Game & Watch fight references his role as a corrupted character in The Subspace Emissary. Likewise, Crazy Hand's appearance references his status as Master Hand’s chaotic and destructive counterpart.
Marth	A Kingdom of Dragons (竜の王国, A Kingdom of Dragons)	Marth fights draconic characters on fantasy stages hailing from Fire Emblem or The Legend of Zelda. The boss of this route is Rathalos.	The route is themed after the major role that the many antagonistic dragons play in Marth's Fire Emblem games, in which Marth plays the role of a dragon-slayer using Falchion battling the dragon kingdom of Dolhr. Rathalos can be seen as an analog to Medeus, a primary antagonist, head of the aforementioned Dolhr and the final boss of all of Marth's games. Rathalos may also be a reference to Wyverns, enemy dragons in Marth's games.
Lucina	A Path of Heroes (歴代の英雄, Heroes of Many Generations)	All of Lucina's opponents are Fire Emblem characters, fought in reverse chronological order of the release of their games. The penultimate battle is against Marth. The boss of this route is Master Hand.	The reverse chronological order of the fights likely references her traveling to the past in Awakening. A similar concept of fighting characters in reverse of their debuts appears as All-Star Mode in the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. 4.