Editing Gematsu leaks

[[image:Gematsu.jpg|300px|thumb|Fanart parodying the claims of the Gematsu leaks and the general reactions and debates surrounding them. This fanart was also used in the original post to the now-locked Gematsu thread on [[Smashboards]]. [[Shulk]], [[Palutena]], a [[Mii]] identical to [[Reggie Fils-Aimé]]'s Mii, [[Pac-Man]], [[Chrom]], and {{H2|List of SSB4 trophies (Others)|the Chorus Kids}} are seen in the background, and a faded drawing of [[Greninja]] is present near the top.]]

The '''Gematsu leaks''' were a series of [[leak]]s discussing ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''{{'}}s playable roster, made by Sal Romano of the gaming site [http://gematsu.com/ Gematsu] after being given information from an anonymous tipster. Starting from the initial [[E3 2013]] reveal trailer, they subsequently correctly predicted the coming newcomers without getting any definitively wrong, for over a year, before the reveal of [[Robin]] showed [[Chrom]], a character implicated in the leaks, in his Final Smash, seemingly disproving the leak.

 

The leaks dominated ''Smash 4'' roster discussion and speculation throughout this time, with the disconfirmation of Chrom, and the publishing of the [[ESRB leak]] in the following month, causing it to subside. Considerable debate surrounded their seeming infallibility, particularly when its statements became more vague. Though the leak would be incorrect about Chrom and the Chorus Kids from ''Rhythm Heaven'' being playable, later information shows that Chrom was indeed considered to make it onto the roster before being scrapped, while datamining shows that a ''Rhythm Heaven'' character was planned as well, suggesting that this was indeed a true leak from earlier planning stages.

Before E3 2013, Romano claimed to have received an email from an anonymous source claiming to know which [[newcomer]]s would be introduced at E3 2013. Initially doubting the veracity of the letter, Romano jokingly posted the list to NeoGAF as an "unlikely prediction". Among the predicted newcomers were "Animal Crossing Guy" (turning out to be the {{uv|Animal Crossing}} {{SSB4|Villager}}); [[Capcom]]'s {{SSB4|Mega Man}}; the [[Wii Fit Trainer (SSB4)|female trainer]] from {{uv|Wii Fit}}; {{SSB4|Little Mac}} from ''[[Punch-Out!!]]''; [[Nintendo]]'s [[Mii Fighter (SSB4)|Mii]]; and [[Namco]]'s {{SSB4|Pac-Man}}.<ref>http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/633202-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/66442330</ref>  

During the Nintendo Direct on 18 December 2013, {{SSB4|Rosalina & Luma}} was revealed as a playable character, but the character was not implicated in the leak. While this caused some suspicion of the leaker's legitimacy, a common theory was that the leaker only knew the E3 2013 plans, or simply knew some but not all of the games' newcomers, as the leak did not claim the characters listed were the only newcomers for the upcoming game.

A few hours before the ''Smash 4''-centered [[Nintendo Direct]] on 8 April 2014, the leaker reportedly sent another email to Romano; the contents of the email continued to claim that Pac-Man and a Mii would still be playable, as well as adding predictions for {{SSB4|Shulk}} from ''{{s|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles}}''; {{SSB4|Palutena}} from ''{{S|icaruspedia|Kid Icarus: Uprising}}'' (tying in with [[List of rumors#Palutena rumor|another rumor]]); [[Chrom]] from ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Awakening}}''; [[wikipedia:Rhythm Heaven|the Chorus Kids from ''Rhythm Heaven'']] (referred to by their Japanese name of Chorus Men in the leak); and an unknown [[Pokémon]] from ''{{s|bulbapedia|Pokémon X and Y}}'' (referred to as "Pokemon from X/Y" in the leak).  

While the Chorus Kids were not announced in any capacity, a [[Sneaky Spirit]], an enemy from the {{uv|Rhythm Heaven}} series, was spotted during a [[Smash Run]] demo during E3 2014. This made it the first and, at the time, only representation of the ''Rhythm Heaven'' series in ''Smash''. As noted by some fans of the series, all Smash Run enemies came from franchises represented with characters or stages, or else from ''Brawl''{{'}}s [[Subspace Emissary]], suggesting the possibility of other ''Rhythm Heaven'' representation, and strengthening the prospect of the Chorus Kids. No other ''Rhythm Heaven'' representation had been revealed at the time.

The reveal of two newcomers never implicated by the leak, the disconfirmation of Chrom, and the sudden silence of the leaker brought even more discussion on the leak's seemingly-shattered credibility. Defenders of the leak argued that the leak, as commonly theorized, was outdated information obtained from the early stages development, and that Chrom was intended to be included in the game, but was replaced with Robin and/or Lucina mid-development. Indeed, in a Famitsu column after the reveal, Sakurai stated that he considered adding Chrom, but decided to add Robin instead, as he saw the former would just be another ''Fire Emblem'' swordsman having nothing unique to differentiate him from {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Ike}}, while the latter provided a plethora of unique moveset options and better represented ''Fire Emblem''.<ref>http://www.gonintendo.com/s/233268-sakurai-talks-lucina-s-inclusion-in-smash-bros-wii-u-3ds-why-chrom-didn-t-make-the-cut</ref> Lucina was initially conceptualised as an alternative costume for Marth, and then, ironically, got upgraded to a separate playable character when Sakurai decided to change her attacks and physics to distinguish her from Marth. With the continued silence of the leaker, the leak was later considered dead, and major discussion of it ceased.

It remains ambiguous whether the leaker had legitimate information in the first leak, with the information in the subsequent leaks being severely outdated or outright invented, or if the leaker's claims had merely been lucky guesswork. The leaker's identity is also unknown, though some have postulated that the leaker was merely an employee at E3 who happened to give Gematsu the information right before the event began.

Shulk's playability would be confirmed in the [[ESRB leak]] the following month. Though the Chorus Kids are not playable and appear only as a collectible [[trophy]], a filename for a ''Rhythm Heaven'' icon was found in the game's data.<ref>[https://sourcegaming.info/2015/01/26/smash-4-wii-u-data-discoveries/]</ref> Although Lucas was not on the initial roster of the game, he was later announced in a Nintendo Direct on 1 April 2015 to be DLC for the game. In addition, in the same Direct, it was announced that ''SSB4'' would receive a schedule of DLC (which ended on February 3rd, 2016), including not only Mii Fighter costumes, but additional characters. What all of this means in regards to the assertions of the Gematsu leaks, however, is uncertain.

*[[List of leaks]]

**[[Vergeben leaks]]

[[Category:Leaks]]