Super Smash Bros. series

Unlockable character

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"Challenger" redirects here. For info on fighters, to whom the title "challenger" is often applied, see Fighter.
The eight starter characters in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64.
Character selection screen in Super Smash Bros. indicating the unlockable characters.

An unlockable character (also referred to as a secret character or hidden character, and in-game as challengers, or newcomers in the N64 game's Backup Clear menu) is one that is not available at the start of the game (unlike a starter character), but instead must be received in-game (unlike downloadable characters) through other means.

Unique criteria must be met in order to unlock each character, as outlined below. Once such criteria are met, the challenger will appear the next time the player returns to the menu. If the player wins the subsequent battle, a message will appear congratulating them for unlocking the new fighter.

In Super Smash Bros., the character select screen displayed placeholders for not yet unlocked characters. This was changed in Super Smash Bros. Melee, where the clones didn't have placeholders prior to unlocking, with their portraits simply appearing afterward. The placeholder slots were completely removed from Super Smash Bros. Brawl onward.

Whenever a character is unlocked, a screen telling the player that the character is now playable will be displayed:

  • In Super Smash Bros., the screen says that "you can now use" the character, featuring a unique title for each of them.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the screen displays a sentence that is unique to each character and features the unlocking timestamp.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the screen says that the character, with their unique title too, "has joined the brawl", and also features a portrait of the character.
  • In Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the screen says that the character "joins the battle!" while playing Rare Trophy from Melee, before archiving their corresponding milestones. This also applies to downloadable content characters once they are downloaded, or when the game is booted after a character's release date in case of being purchased via Fighters Pass in the latter game.

"Challenger Approaching!" screen[edit]

The Challenger Approaching! screen which Captain Falcon challenges the player in Super Smash Bros. 64
The Challenger Approaching! screen which Inkling challenges the player in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The "Challenger Approaching!" (挑戦者が現れました!, A Challenger has Appeared!) screen is a message that will be displayed after the player has met a criteria required to unlock any of the available characters. Every game has its unique screen.

Super Smash Bros. had a silhouette of the character merely displayed in a blue box in front of a black background, with an exclamation point in a red circle on the top of the screen, and the phrase "Challenger Approaching" next to it. The screen uses similar music to the 1P-Game's intro, with the only difference being the absence of drums for the "challenger approaching" tune. As a result, this is the only game where the challengers' silhouettes are animated, showing them in their fighting stances while rotating (like in the character select screen), rather than just shadowed versions of their official illustrations.

Super Smash Bros. Melee added the phrase "A new foe has appeared!," and also had a silhouette of the approaching challenger. The poses for the challengers were silhouettes of their renders when selected on the character select screen (some, however, like Luigi and Ganondorf's, were their renders from inside the boxes). The game also added animations to the screens, with an undulating matrix effect in the background, while the exclamation point, text and silhouette would be eased in. Original music was also provided solely for the screen, which took the sound of a slow, ominous siren.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl returned to the plain black background (there would be a silhouette of an unlockable character the player would face); but this would only occur if the Subspace Emissary method was not used. Also, Brawl removed the word "Warning" and the circle explanation point logo from the challenger approaching screen. It still had animations that would ease in, and when the player pressed any button, the images would fade to black, while the "Challenger Approaching!" text would scatter all over the screen; the siren is also considerably faster and more panicky in its sound than how it sounds in Melee.

Super Smash Bros. 4 reused Brawl's warning siren, but there are some differences in both versions. The 3DS version added in considerably more colors, including hues of green, black, and violet; the screen also says "A challenger approaches!" instead of its previous quotations. The Wii U version uses a font style similar to the ones in the newcomer trailers, and the background contains a picture of a supernova; the text is nonetheless reused from past games. The unlockable character in both versions of Super 4 on the screen is still a silhouette that the player would face (just like in the previous three installments).

As in Smash 4, the warning siren from Brawl is used in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This time there is a dark pink background with a white/pink light shining behind the silhouette of the unlockable character. The text about unlocking characters remains the same from prior games.

After the "Challenger Approaching!" screen, the unlockable character will then be fought in an ordinary one stock match with no time limit, on a predetermined stage with predetermined music. The AI difficulty of the duel depends on the game, usually at low difficulty for the first fighter, then it gradually increases with every fighter unlocked, however, it is reversed in Melee, and always high in the Wii U version of Smash 4. The player uses the last character played as, including the last used costume. In the case of multiplayer battles, in the first three Smash games, the player who won the match will fight the challenger; if a CPU wins the match, the challenger will not appear. Super Smash Bros. 4 changed this formula such that if a CPU wins the match, then the human-controlled player with the highest rank will battle the challenger.

By defeating the opponent, the character becomes playable. If the player fails, however, they will not unlock the character, but in the next battle they win, they are guaranteed to meet with the challenger again.

The "Challenger Approaching!" screen has become somewhat of a meme in the Smash community. Many digitally manipulated versions of these screens have appeared, often featuring characters who do not appear in the games, mostly using artwork of the character from another game instead of original artwork (which gives away its falseness). The screens became so popular that they were featured as part of the DOJO!!; in earlier updates, whenever a new character was introduced, a banner that said "Warning! Challenger Approaching!" would appear above the entry.

Challenger Approaching Screens[edit]

Challenger Approaching Alarms[edit]

Super Smash Bros.[edit]

Fighters[edit]

Character How to unlock Unlock location
Luigi's head icon from SSB. Luigi Complete Bonus 1: Break the Targets with all starter characters. Peach's Castle
C. Falcon's head icon from SSB. Captain Falcon Complete 1P Game in 20 minutes or less. Planet Zebes
Ness's head icon from SSB. Ness Complete 1P Game on Normal or higher with three lives or less and without using any continues. Dream Land
Jigglypuff's head icon from SSB. Jigglypuff Complete 1P Game with any character. Saffron City

Gallery[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

Fighters[edit]

Melee introduces a alternate method for unlocking each fighter, by completing a certain number of VS matches, in intervals of 100.

Character How to unlock VS matches required Unlock Location Music
JigglypuffHeadSSBM.png Jigglypuff Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] with any character. 50 Pokémon Stadium Pokémon Stadium
DrMarioHeadSSBM.png Dr. Mario Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] with Mario without using any continues. 100 Princess Peach's Castle Dr. Mario
PichuHeadSSBM.png Pichu Complete Event 37: Legendary Pokémon. 200 Pokémon Stadium Battle Theme
FalcoHeadSSBM.png Falco Complete the 100-Man Melee. 300 Battlefield Corneria
MarthHeadSSBM.png Marth Use all 14 starter characters in Versus Mode, Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode.[note 1] A complete playthrough is not required for the single-player modes. 400 Fountain of Dreams Fire Emblem
YoungLinkHeadSSBM.png Young Link Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] with 10 different characters. 500 Great Bay Saria's Theme
GanondorfHeadSSBM.png Ganondorf Complete Event 29: Triforce Gathering. 600 Final Destination Great Bay
MewtwoHeadSSBM.png Mewtwo Play Versus Mode for a combined total of 20 hours.[note 2] 700 Final Destination Poké Floats
LuigiHeadSSBM.png Luigi Complete Adventure Mode when the second on the time limit in the first stage gets a "2". For example: XX:X2:XX. Afterwards, defeat Luigi and Peach within 1 minute and clear the rest of the mode. 800 Mushroom Kingdom II Mushroom Kingdom II
RoyHeadSSBM.png Roy Unlock Marth, then complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode[note 1] as him without using any continues. 900 Temple Fire Emblem
MrGame&WatchHeadSSBM.png Mr. Game & Watch Complete Classic Mode, Adventure Mode, All-Star Mode[note 1], or Target Test with all 24 other characters. 1000 Flat Zone Flat Zone
  1. ^ a b c d e f Because All-Star Mode is itself unlocked by unlocking all characters, it is only possible to unlock a character via All-Star Mode if the player had previously used the Erase Data > Hidden Characters option after unlocking All-Star Mode.
  2. ^ The time required is calculated in "player-hours" (e.g. two human players gives two hours for every hour of game-time, three human players give three and four players give four).

Gallery[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the first game to feature third-party characters, both third-party characters (Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog) are unlockable characters.

Fighters[edit]

Character How to unlock VS matches required Unlock location Music
NessHeadSSBB.png Ness Reflect ten projectiles. 5 Onett Mother (Melee)
MarthHeadSSBB.png Marth Complete Classic Mode. 10 Castle Siege Fire Emblem (Melee)
LuigiHeadSSBB.png Luigi Complete Classic Mode without using any continues. 22 Luigi's Mansion Luigi's Mansion Theme
FalcoHeadSSBB.png Falco Complete 100-Man Brawl. 50 Lylat Cruise Area 6
CaptainFalconHeadSSBB.png Captain Falcon Play through Classic Mode on Normal or higher and beat it in 12 minutes or less. 70 Port Town Aero Dive Mute City
LucarioHeadSSBB.png Lucario Clear all levels of Target Smash!! with any single character. 100 Spear Pillar Victory Road
SnakeHeadSSBB.png Snake Play 15 Vs. Matches on Shadow Moses Island. 130 Shadow Moses Island Encounter
ROBHeadSSBB.png R.O.B. Collect 250 different trophies. 160 Mario Bros. Mario Bros.
GanondorfHeadSSBB.png Ganondorf Clear Classic Mode on Hard with Link or Zelda. 200 Final Destination Hidden Mountain & Forest
MrGame&WatchHeadSSBB.png Mr. Game & Watch Clear Target Smash!! with 30 different characters on any single difficulty level. 250 Flat Zone 2 Flat Zone 2
SonicHeadSSBB.png Sonic Complete Classic Mode with ten characters, or Brawl for ten combined total hours. 300 Green Hill Zone Sonic Heroes
JigglypuffHeadSSBB.png Jigglypuff Have 20 or more events cleared after beating The Subspace Emissary. 350 Pokémon Stadium 2 Pokémon Center
ToonLinkHeadSSBB.png Toon Link Complete Classic Mode after beating The Subspace Emissary. 400 Pirate Ship Dragon Roost Island
WolfHeadSSBB.png Wolf Complete Boss Battles mode with Fox or Falco. 450 Lylat Cruise Star Wolf

The Subspace Emissary[edit]

The Subspace Emissary features its own storyline and character selection screen, with characters met and joining the mode's roster as part of the story. (For example, Wario is a starter character, but he cannot be played as in the SSE until he is 'unlocked' in the SSE.) Characters can also leave The Subspace Emissary's roster as part of the story, and cannot be played as until they are met again.

Unlocking any non-starter character in The Subspace Emissary will also unlock them for play in other modes. This occurs instantly, without requiring a "Challenger Approaching" battle. Thus the Subspace Emissary serves as a third method for unlocking characters, in addition to the challenges and versus match methods. All characters can be met in The Subspace Emissary; however, Toon Link, Wolf, and Jigglypuff are only unlockable after the main story is completed by finding a secret door while replaying certain levels.

Below is a chart of when each fighter is unlocked, removed, or changes or combines teams; stages with none of these are omitted.

Every level numerically ordered:
1: Midair Stadium
2: Skyworld
3: Sea of Clouds
4: The Jungle
5: The Plain
6: The Lake
7: The Ruined Zoo
8: The Battlefield Fortress
9: The Forest
10: The Research Facility I
11: The Lake Shore
12: The Path to the Ruins
13: The Cave
14: The Ruins
15: The Wilds I
16: The Ruined Hall
17: The Wilds II
18: The Swamp
19: The Research Facility II
20: Outside the Ancient Ruins
21: The Glacial Peak
22: The Canyon
23: Battleship Halberd Interior
24: Battleship Halberd Exterior
25: Battleship Halberd Bridge
26: The Subspace Bomb Factory I
27: The Subspace Bomb Factory II
28: Entrance to Subspace
29: Subspace I
30: Subspace II
31: The Great Maze

The Subspace Emissary consists of 31 different stages. As some stages share the same name, the earlier stage is denoted with an I while the later-appearing stage is followed by a II.

Icon Stage Fighters available Unlocked fighters Lost fighters Recovered fighters Total fighters Teams
SSE-Midair Stadium.png Midair Stadium Mario (the battle with Kirby if he was chosen, and the battle with Subspace army), Kirby (all phases, except the battle with Mario if he was not chosen), Peach, Zelda (both only in the battle with Subspace army) Kirby, Peach/Zelda (Mario is sent flying and Wario kidnaps either Zelda/Peach when the other princess is freed from Petey) 2 1, new team: Kirby, Peach/Zelda
SSE-Skyworld.png Skyworld Pit (all phases), Mario (the last sidescrolling section after Pit rescues him) Mario, Pit 4 2, new team: Mario, Pit
SSE-The Jungle.png The Jungle Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong Diddy Kong (Bowser captures Donkey Kong) 5 3, new team: Diddy Kong
SSE-The Lake.png The Lake Diddy Kong, Fox Fox 6 3, Fox joins Diddy Kong
SSE-The Ruined Zoo.png The Ruined Zoo Lucas (all phases), Ness (only the battle with Porky), Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle only) (only after defeating Porky) Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle) (Wario kidnaps Ness; Ness will not be unlocked in any mode) 8 4, new team: Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle)
SSE-The Battlefield Fortress.png The Battlefield Fortress Marth (all phases), Meta Knight (second and third phases), Ike (third phase only) Marth, Meta Knight, Ike 11 5, new team: Marth, Meta Knight, Ike
SSE-The Forest.png The Forest Link, Yoshi Link, Yoshi, Toon Link [1] 13 6, new team: Link, Yoshi
SSE-The Research Facility pt1.png The Research Facility I Zero Suit Samus (all phases), Pikachu (all phases starting with the second) Zero Suit Samus, Pikachu 15 7, new team: Zero Suit Samus, Pikachu
SSE-The Lake Shore.png The Lake Shore Mario, Pit (entire level if Zelda was rescued, only the last section if Peach was rescued), Link, Yoshi (entire level if Peach was rescued, only the last section if Zelda was rescued), Kirby (only the last section) Peach/Zelda (Bowser captures her) 14 5, the groups of Mario and Pit, Link and Yoshi, and Kirby combine.
SSE-The Ruins.png The Ruins Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (with Squirtle for all phases and Ivysaur after Pokémon Trainer finds it) Ivysaur, Charizard, Wolf[1] 14 5, Ivysaur and Charizard now are in Pokémon Trainer's team
SSE-The Ruined Hall.png The Ruined Hall Lucas, Pokémon Trainer 14 4, the groups of Marth, Ike and Meta Knight, and Lucas, Pokémon Trainer combine.
SSE-The Swamp.png The Swamp Diddy Kong, Fox (all phases), Falco (all phases except the first) Falco, Jigglypuff[1] 15 4, Falco joins Diddy Kong and Fox
SSE-The Research Facility pt2.png The Research Facility II Zero Suit Samus (all phases, transforming from Samus by taunting whenever possible), Pikachu (all phases), Samus (after defeating the False Samuses) Samus Zero Suit Samus (Samus replaces her; playing as Zero Suit Samus is still possible by taunting or pressing C on the nunchuck) 15 4, Samus replaces Zero Suit Samus
SSE-Outside the Ancient Ruins.png Outside the Ancient Ruins Olimar, Captain Falcon (both all phases), Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong (both only in the battle with Subspace army) Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, Olimar Fox, Falco (they did not become trophies, but Diddy Kong leaves their group, and they all go their separate ways) 16 4, Diddy Kong leaves Fox and Falco and joins Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon and Olimar
SSE-The Glacial Peak.png The Glacial Peak Ice Climbers (only the sidescrolling section), Meta Knight (the sidescrolling section and the battle with Lucario if the player chose him), Lucario (only if the player chose it in the battle with Meta Knight) Ice Climbers, Lucario 18 5, new team: Meta Knight and Lucario. Ice Climbers replace Meta Knight in Marth, Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard) and Ike's group
SSE-The Canyon.png The Canyon Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi, Kirby 18 4, the groups of Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi and Kirby, and Ice Climbers, Marth, Lucas, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard) and Ike combine
SSE-Battleship Halberd Interior.png Battleship Halberd Interior Snake (all phases), Meta Knight, Lucario (after they meet Snake) Snake 19 4, Snake joins Meta Knight and Lucario
SSE-Battleship Halberd Exterior.png Battleship Halberd Exterior Peach, Sheik/Zelda Zelda/Peach Fox, Peach/Zelda 22 5, new team: Fox, Peach, Zelda
SSE-Battleship Halberd Bridge.png Battleship Halberd Bridge Snake, Lucario, Fox, Falco, Peach, Sheik/Zelda Mr. Game & Watch Falco 24 4, the groups of Fox, Peach and Zelda, and Meta Knight, Lucario and Snake combine, along with adding Falco and Mr. Game & Watch
SSE-The Subspace Bomb Factory pt2.png The Subspace Bomb Factory II Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, Olimar (all phases); Samus, Zero Suit Samus (by taunting as Samus), Pikachu, R.O.B. (second section onwards) R.O.B. 25 1, all three teams combine into one
SSE-Entrance to Subspace.png Entrance to Subspace Captain Falcon, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Falco, Fox, Ice Climbers, Ike, Kirby, Link, Lucario, Lucas, Mario, Marth, Meta Knight, Mr. Game & Watch, Olimar, Peach, Pikachu, Pit, Pokémon Trainer, R.O.B., Samus, Snake, Yoshi, Zelda (only four chosen characters can be played as) All current characters (Tabuu turns them into trophies) 0 0, All characters were turned into trophies
SSE-Subspace pt1.png Subspace I King Dedede (all phases), Ness, Luigi (only in the sidescrolling sections) Luigi, Ness, Bowser, King Dedede Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus, Fox, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, Falco, Pit, Olimar, Lucas, Diddy Kong, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), Ike (only if rescued by King Dedede, Ness, and Luigi; fighters not rescued can still be found when replaying the level) From 4 to 19 1, new team: King Dedede, Ness, Luigi, Bowser, and any recovered fighters
SSE-Subspace pt2.png Subspace II Kirby Ganondorf (if Kirby found Link and Zelda, who rescue him), Wario (If Kirby found him) Kirby (guaranteed), Link, Yoshi, Peach, Zelda, Ice Climbers, Meta Knight, Lucario, R.O.B., Snake (only if Kirby rescues them; fighters not found can be rescued upon replaying the level) From 5 to 31 1, Kirby, and any recovered fighters, alongside Ganondorf if Link and Zelda are found, and Wario if he is found, will join the previous group.
SSE-The Great Maze pt1.png
SSE-The Great Maze pt2.png
SSE-The Great Maze pt3.png
SSE-The Great Maze pt4.png
The Great Maze Bowser, King Dedede, Kirby, Luigi, Ness (guaranteed), Captain Falcon, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Falco, Fox, Ganondorf, Ice Climbers, Ike, Link, Lucario, Lucas, Mario, Marth, Meta Knight, Mr. Game & Watch, Olimar, Peach, Pikachu, Pit, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), R.O.B., Samus, Snake, Wario, Yoshi, Zelda (only if they were rescued in Subspace Parts 1 and 2), Sonic (only in the battle with Tabuu) Sonic From 6 to 32 1, Sonic joins

Gallery[edit]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[edit]

Fighters[edit]

The inclusion of Lucina and Wendy O. Koopa (as one of Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes) as unlockable characters makes them the first female characters to be unlockable. After every tenth VS. match, the player gets to challenge an unlockable character, starting with Ness and finishing with Jigglypuff when 120 matches are played.

In addition to the characters below, Mii Fighters are not shown on the character select screen until the player has created at least one. However, since the ability to create Mii Fighters is granted from the beginning, the characters cannot truly be called unlockable.

Despite Duck Hunt having a stage of the same name added into the game in the 1.1.1 update, they will be fought on Battlefield for their unlocking battle regardless of which version of the game is being played.

Character How to unlock VS Matches Required Unlock location Music
Ness's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Ness Clear Classic Mode on any difficulty 10 Magicant[note 1] Magicant / Eight Melodies (Mother)
Falco's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Falco Clear Classic Mode without using any continues 20 Corneria Corneria
Wario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Wario Complete 100-Man Smash 30 WarioWare, Inc.[note 2] WarioWare, Inc.
Lucina's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Lucina As Marth, clear Classic Mode without any continues 40 Arena Ferox Id (Purpose)
Dark Pit's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Dark Pit Clear Classic Mode with three different characters 50 Reset Bomb Forest Wrath of the Reset Bomb
Dr. Mario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Dr. Mario As Mario, clear Classic Mode on intensity 4.0 or higher 60 Mushroomy Kingdom Ground Theme (Super Mario Bros.)
ROBHeadGreySSB4-U.png R.O.B. Collect at least 200 different trophies 70 PictoChat 2 PictoChat
Ganondorf's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Ganondorf As Link or Zelda, clear Classic Mode on intensity 5.0 or higher 80 Gerudo Valley Gerudo Valley
Mr. Game & Watch's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mr. Game & Watch Clear Classic Mode with 10 different characters 90 Flat Zone 2 Flat Zone 2
Bowser Jr.'s stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Bowser Jr. As Bowser, clear Classic Mode on intensity 6.0 or higher 100 3D Land Super Mario 3D Land Theme / Beach Theme
Duck Hunt's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Duck Hunt Clear Classic Mode with 8 different characters 110 Battlefield Battlefield
Jigglypuff's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Jigglypuff Collect at least 30 different equipment items 120 Unova Pokémon League N's Castle Medley
  1. ^ Flying Men do not appear.
  2. ^ Microgames do not occur.

Gallery[edit]

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]

Fighters[edit]

Unlike Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Ness, Jigglypuff, Ganondorf and Bowser Jr. are starter characters. Like the 3DS version, a character is unlocked for every ten versus matches played starting with Falco. Two exceptions to this are Mr. Game & Watch and Duck Hunt, which they need 20 more versus matches than R.O.B. and Mr. Game & Watch, respectively. Unlike the previous three installments (Melee, Brawl, and the 3DS version), no Super Smash Bros. universe stages are used for challenger approaching battles. Instead, all unlockable characters use a stage from their respective universe except for R.O.B., in which he uses the Wrecking Crew stage due to him not having a stage from his own universe.

In addition to the characters below, Mii Fighters are not shown on the character select screen until the player has created at least one. However, since the ability to create Mii Fighters is granted from the beginning and there is no Challenger Approaching fight, the character cannot truly be called unlockable.

Character How to unlock VS Matches Required Unlock location Music
Falco's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Falco Clear Classic Mode 10 Orbital Gate Assault Theme from Area 6 / Missile Slipstream
Wario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Wario Clear 100-Man Smash 20 Gamer Gamer
Lucina's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Lucina Clear Classic Mode on intensity 5.5 or higher 30 Coliseum The Devoted
Dark Pit's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Dark Pit Clear All-Star Mode on Normal 40 Palutena's Temple Boss Fight 1 (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
Dr. Mario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Dr. Mario Clear Master Orders on Hard 50 Delfino Plaza Delfino Plaza
ROBHeadGreySSB4-U.png R.O.B. Clear Crazy Orders after ten rounds and defeat Crazy Hand 60 Wrecking Crew Wrecking Crew Medley
Mr. Game & Watch's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mr. Game & Watch Clear Classic Mode on intensity 2.0 or higher with five characters 80 Flat Zone X Flat Zone 2
Duck Hunt's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Duck Hunt Get at least one KO in Cruel Smash 100 Duck Hunt[note 1] Duck Hunt Medley
  1. ^ Dog and ducks do not appear.

Gallery[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

The starting roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate comprises the eight starter characters from the original Super Smash Bros. game, with all other fighters being unlockable or downloadable. With the vast majority of the roster being unlockable, unlocking characters is advertised as a core feature of the game; no characters are left "secret" like in previous games, and character unlocks are designed to occur at a more streamlined and consistent pace than in previous games.

Unlockable characters no longer have unique criteria to unlock them. Instead, Challenger Approaching fights take place after completing Classic Mode with any character, and as timed encounters.

As in Smash 4, Mii Fighters can be unlocked by creating a custom Mii Fighter of that type, and do not have a standard Challenger Approaching match.

The player may also unlock characters by awakening them in the World of Light.

Classic Mode[edit]

When the player completes Classic Mode with a given character, a new character will challenge the player to a Challenger Approaching duel. All of the eight starter characters have their own character unlock trees, each with eight characters to unlock, except for Pikachu, who has seven. The challenger is determined by the first player character, and will be the next character below them on the tree who has not already been unlocked or issued a Challenger Approaching duel. For example, completing Classic Mode as Marth with Ryu already unlocked (or met in Challenger Approaching) will cause the challenger to be Ganondorf, even if Lucario has not yet been unlocked or met in Challenger Approaching.

If the bottom of a tree is reached, the search resumes from the top of Mario's tree, then Donkey Kong's, and so on. Completing Classic Mode with downloadable fighters will also start from the top of Mario's tree, as these characters are not assigned an unlock tree. For example, completing Classic Mode as Duck Hunt will receive a challenge from Sonic, even if some characters in Donkey Kong's tree have not been unlocked or met in Challenger Approaching yet.

Notably, all clones, semi-clones, and pseudo-clones except for Ganondorf, Roy, and Chrom are in the same tree as the character they are based on.

Unlock Order MarioHeadSSBU.png DonkeyKongHeadSSBU.png LinkHeadSSBU.png SamusHeadSSBU.png YoshiHeadSSBU.png KirbyHeadSSBU.png FoxHeadSSBU.png PikachuHeadSSBU.png
1st SonicHeadSSBU.png BowserHeadSSBU.png KingKRoolHeadSSBU.png InklingHeadSSBU.png LucarioHeadSSBU.png NessHeadSSBU.png CaptainFalconHeadSSBU.png VillagerHeadSSBU.png
2nd BayonettaHeadSSBU.png PokémonTrainerHeadSSBU.png IceClimbersHeadSSBU.png WiiFitTrainerHeadSSBU.png MarthHeadSSBU.png JigglypuffHeadSSBU.png ZeroSuitSamusHeadSSBU.png ShulkHeadSSBU.png
3rd LittleMacHeadSSBU.png Rosalina&LumaHeadSSBU.png SimonHeadSSBU.png PitHeadSSBU.png RyuHeadSSBU.png Pac-ManHeadSSBU.png PeachHeadSSBU.png ROBHeadGreySSBU.png
4th IkeHeadSSBU.png KingDededeHeadSSBU.png MetaKnightHeadSSBU.png IncineroarHeadSSBU.png GanondorfHeadSSBU.png ZeldaHeadSSBU.png FalcoHeadSSBU.png MegaManHeadSSBU.png
5th LuigiHeadSSBU.png SheikHeadSSBU.png SnakeHeadSSBU.png DarkSamusHeadSSBU.png LucinaHeadSSBU.png RobinHeadSSBU.png DaisyHeadSSBU.png IsabelleHeadSSBU.png
6th RoyHeadSSBU.png GreninjaHeadSSBU.png YoungLinkHeadSSBU.png CloudHeadSSBU.png RidleyHeadSSBU.png CorrinHeadSSBU.png BowserJrHeadSSBU.png MrGame&WatchHeadSSBU.png
7th DrMarioHeadSSBU.png DiddyKongHeadSSBU.png RichterHeadSSBU.png WarioHeadSSBU.png ChromHeadSSBU.png LucasHeadSSBU.png WolfHeadSSBU.png PichuHeadSSBU.png
8th OlimarHeadSSBU.png DuckHuntHeadSSBU.png ToonLinkHeadSSBU.png DarkPitHeadSSBU.png KenHeadSSBU.png PalutenaHeadSSBU.png MewtwoHeadSSBU.png None

Timed encounters[edit]

When the player finishes a VS. match, a Mob Smash, a Home-Run Contest round, a Spirit Board fight, or exits the World of Light, a new character may challenge the player to a Challenger Approaching duel. This character will be the one closest to the top of the list below who has not already been unlocked or issued a Challenger Approaching duel. However, the player must have performed enough in-battle stick inputs and, in most cases, have waited at least 10 minutes since the previous Challenger Approaching duel. (Quitting a match/mode other than World of Light will not cause a challenge, and neither will VS matches that only consist of CPUs or that are themselves Challenger Approaching matches.)

The in-battle stick input count considers the total since the save file was started. Its mechanics appear to be similar to how Gold in VS matches is counted (for example, dash-dancing, Sudden Death, other Challenger Approaching matches, and jumping with the X Button do not count, but jumping with the Control Stick does count). However, unlike Gold, actions made in a VS match that is quit still count (they will not cause a challenge but will still contribute toward the total behind the scenes). If a controller disconnects during a VS match and it is still disconnected by the time the match ends, actions made by that player do not count (even though they count for Gold). Actions made during Classic Mode and World of Light count, excluding any Gold modifiers (e.g. due to difficulty level). Notably, the 5th through 30th characters in the list all have the same action count requirement, so meeting the requirement for any one of them will unlock all of them with no further in-battle actions required, provided that the wait time requirement is met between each one. Unlike the time requirements, the action count requirements cannot be changed. For example, unlocking Palutena through a timed encounter will always require approximately 8,100 actions, regardless of if any other characters have already been unlocked through any method.

The 10-minute delay requirement does not apply to the first five Challenger Approaching fights specifically. For example, if the player unlocks all but five characters through World of Light, then no time delay requirements apply to the remaining five regardless of who they are. However, Challenger Approaching fights initiated through Classic Mode will count toward the five despite Classic Mode not having a time delay requirement. For example, if the player's first Challenger Approaching fight is a character below Inkling on the list (regardless of if the player wins or loses), and then the player attempts to unlock the rest of the characters through timed encounters, then Inkling will require a 10-minute wait.

The player can bypass any wait time by closing the game and reopening it. (Note that changing the Language setting causes the game to automatically close and reopen.) The wait time applies regardless of if the previous Challenger Approaching fight was won or lost. Time spent idling on the title screen or loading screens counts, but time spent idling during a Challenger Approaching fight does not count (the time starts after the Challenger Approaching fight ends). Wait times do not carry over (if the player waits 20 minutes between one pair of Challenger Approaching fights, all future wait times are still 10 minutes).

Fighter table[edit]

Classic Mode and timed encounters result in the same Challenger Approaching fights.

The values listed under "Theoretical cumulative wait time" apply only if the player exclusively attempts to unlock characters through timed encounters, never closes the game after challenging Inkling, and never spends longer than the minimum time between Challenger Approaching fights.

Order Character Actions required
(approx.)
Theoretical
cumulative wait time
Stage Music
1st NessHeadSSBU.png Ness 200 0 minutes Onett (hazards off) Bein' Friends
2nd ZeldaHeadSSBU.png Zelda 400 0 minutes Temple Ocarina of Time Medley
3rd BowserHeadSSBU.png Bowser 700 0 minutes Mushroom Kingdom U King Bowser - Super Mario Bros. 3
4th PitHeadSSBU.png Pit 1,100 0 minutes Skyworld Underworld
5th InklingHeadSSBU.png Inkling 1,400 0 minutes Moray Towers Splattack!
6th VillagerHeadSSBU.png Villager 1,400 10 minutes Smashville Title Theme - Animal Crossing
7th MarthHeadSSBU.png Marth 1,400 20 minutes Castle Siege Story 5 Meeting
8th YoungLinkHeadSSBU.png Young Link 1,400 30 minutes Great Bay Saria's Theme
9th WiiFitTrainerHeadSSBU.png Wii Fit Trainer 1,400 40 minutes Wii Fit Studio Main Menu - Wii Fit
10th IceClimbersHeadSSBU.png Ice Climbers 1,400 50 minutes Summit Ice Climber (Brawl)
11th CaptainFalconHeadSSBU.png Captain Falcon 1,400 1 hour Port Town Aero Dive F-ZERO Medley
12th PeachHeadSSBU.png Peach 1,400 1 hour & 10 minutes Princess Peach's Castle Rolling Hills A
13th RyuHeadSSBU.png Ryu 1,400 1 hour & 20 minutes Battlefield Ryu Stage
14th IkeHeadSSBU.png Ike 1,400 1 hour & 30 minutes Coliseum Eternal Bond
15th JigglypuffHeadSSBU.png Jigglypuff 1,400 1 hour & 40 minutes Saffron City Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (64)
16th KingKRoolHeadSSBU.png King K. Rool 1,400 1 hour & 50 minutes Jungle Japes Gang-Plank Galleon
17th SonicHeadSSBU.png Sonic 1,400 2 hours Green Hill Zone Green Hill Zone
18th SimonHeadSSBU.png Simon 1,400 2 hours & 10 minutes Dracula's Castle Vampire Killer (Remix)
19th ZeroSuitSamusHeadSSBU.png Zero Suit Samus 1,400 2 hours & 20 minutes Brinstar Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior
20th LittleMacHeadSSBU.png Little Mac 1,400 2 hours & 30 minutes Boxing Ring (Punch-Out!!) Jogging / Countdown
21st IsabelleHeadSSBU.png Isabelle 1,400 2 hours & 40 minutes Town and City Plaza / Title Theme - Animal Crossing: City Folk / Animal Crossing: Wild World
22nd ShulkHeadSSBU.png Shulk 1,400 2 hours & 50 minutes Gaur Plain Xenoblade Chronicles Medley
23rd LucinaHeadSSBU.png Lucina 1,400 3 hours Arena Ferox Id (Purpose)
24th WarioHeadSSBU.png Wario 1,400 3 hours & 10 minutes WarioWare, Inc. WarioWare, Inc.
25th RidleyHeadSSBU.png Ridley 1,400 3 hours & 20 minutes Norfair Vs. Ridley
26th PokémonTrainerHeadSSBU.png Pokémon Trainer 1,400 3 hours & 30 minutes Pokémon Stadium Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)
27th LucarioHeadSSBU.png Lucario 1,400 3 hours & 40 minutes Spear Pillar Battle! (Team Galactic)
28th DaisyHeadSSBU.png Daisy 1,400 3 hours & 50 minutes Figure-8 Circuit Mario Tennis / Mario Golf
29th RoyHeadSSBU.png Roy 1,400 4 hours Castle Siege Beyond Distant Skies - Roy's Departure
30th KingDededeHeadSSBU.png King Dedede 1,400 4 hours & 10 minutes Fountain of Dreams King Dedede's Theme (Brawl)
31st ROBHeadGreySSBU.png R.O.B. 1,600 4 hours & 20 minutes Wrecking Crew Stack-Up/Gyromite
32nd FalcoHeadSSBU.png Falco 1,700 4 hours & 30 minutes Corneria Star Fox Medley
33rd LuigiHeadSSBU.png Luigi 1,900 4 hours & 40 minutes Luigi's Mansion Main Theme - Luigi's Mansion
34th PichuHeadSSBU.png Pichu 2,000 4 hours & 50 minutes Pokémon Stadium 2 Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley
35th RichterHeadSSBU.png Richter 2,200 5 hours Dracula's Castle Divine Bloodlines
36th LucasHeadSSBU.png Lucas 2,300 5 hours & 10 minutes New Pork City Unfounded Revenge / Smashing Song of Praise
37th DiddyKongHeadSSBU.png Diddy Kong 2,400 5 hours & 20 minutes Kongo Falls Stickerbush Symphony
38th MetaKnightHeadSSBU.png Meta Knight 2,600 5 hours & 30 minutes Halberd Meta Knight's Revenge
39th SnakeHeadSSBU.png Snake 2,700 5 hours & 40 minutes Shadow Moses Island Encounter
40th GanondorfHeadSSBU.png Ganondorf 2,900 5 hours & 50 minutes Bridge of Eldin Death Mountain
41st CorrinHeadSSBU.png Corrin 3,000 6 hours Coliseum Lost in Thoughts All Alone (Remix)
42nd MegaManHeadSSBU.png Mega Man 3,200 6 hours & 10 minutes Wily Castle Mega Man 2 Medley
43rd BayonettaHeadSSBU.png Bayonetta 3,300 6 hours & 20 minutes Umbra Clock Tower Let's Hit The Climax!
44th ToonLinkHeadSSBU.png Toon Link 3,500 6 hours & 30 minutes Pirate Ship Dragon Roost Island
45th Rosalina&LumaHeadSSBU.png Rosalina & Luma 3,600 6 hours & 40 minutes Mario Galaxy Egg Planet (Remix)
46th IncineroarHeadSSBU.png Incineroar 3,700 6 hours & 50 minutes Boxing Ring (Super Smash Bros.) The Battle at the Summit!
47th SheikHeadSSBU.png Sheik 3,900 7 hours Gerudo Valley Gerudo Valley (Remix)
48th OlimarHeadSSBU.png Olimar 4,000 7 hours & 10 minutes Distant Planet Main Theme - Pikmin (Remix)
49th Pac-ManHeadSSBU.png Pac-Man 4,200 7 hours & 20 minutes Pac-Land PAC-MAN
50th DarkSamusHeadSSBU.png Dark Samus 4,300 7 hours & 30 minutes Frigate Orpheon Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
51st WolfHeadSSBU.png Wolf 4,600 7 hours & 40 minutes Lylat Cruise Star Wolf (Brawl)
52nd MrGame&WatchHeadSSBU.png Mr. Game & Watch 4,900 7 hours & 50 minutes Flat Zone X Flat Zone 2
53rd RobinHeadSSBU.png Robin 5,200 8 hours Castle Siege Prelude (Ablaze)
54th DarkPitHeadSSBU.png Dark Pit 5,500 8 hours & 10 minutes Reset Bomb Forest Dark Pit's Theme
55th CloudHeadSSBU.png Cloud 5,800 8 hours & 20 minutes Midgar Fight On!
56th DuckHuntHeadSSBU.png Duck Hunt 6,100 8 hours & 30 minutes Duck Hunt Duck Hunt Medley
57th KenHeadSSBU.png Ken 6,400 8 hours & 40 minutes Boxing Ring (Punch-Out!!) Ken Stage
58th GreninjaHeadSSBU.png Greninja 6,700 8 hours & 50 minutes Kalos Pokémon League Battle! (Trainer Battle) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y
59th ChromHeadSSBU.png Chrom 6,900 9 hours Arena Ferox Id (Purpose) (Remix)
60th MewtwoHeadSSBU.png Mewtwo 7,200 9 hours & 10 minutes Spear Pillar Battle! (Dialga/Palkia) / Spear Pillar
61st BowserJrHeadSSBU.png Bowser Jr. 7,500 9 hours & 20 minutes Delfino Plaza Delfino Plaza (Remix)
62nd DrMarioHeadSSBU.png Dr. Mario 7,800 9 hours & 30 minutes New Donk City Hall Fever
63rd PalutenaHeadSSBU.png Palutena 8,100 9 hours & 40 minutes Palutena's Temple Destroyed Skyworld

Challenger's Approach[edit]

If the player loses any Challenger Approaching fight, that character will not appear again either from Classic Mode or as a timed encounter. However, the character will later reappear under Challenger's Approach on the Games & More menu.

World of Light[edit]

In the World of Light, only characters that have been awakened in the current World of Light save file can be used, with only Kirby initially being available. However, awakening a fighter in the World of Light that is not a starter character also unlocks them for the regular roster.

Awakening a Mii Fighter in the World of Light automatically creates a custom Mii Fighter of the awakened type.

Each fighter must be unlocked through a fighter battle, with a few exceptions:

KirbyHeadSSBU.png Kirby is always available from the beginning.
BowserHeadSSBU.png Bowser is unlocked after defeating Giga Bowser within the Molten Fortress sub-world in The Light Realm.
PiranhaPlantHeadSSBU.png JokerHeadSSBU.png HeroHeadSSBU.png Banjo&KazooieHeadSSBU.png TerryHeadSSBU.png BylethHeadSSBU.png MinMinHeadSSBU.png Steve's stock icon. Sephiroth's stock icon. PyraMythraHeadSSBU.png KazuyaHeadSSBU.png SoraHeadSSBU.png Downloadable fighters become available after freeing a total of 10 fighters. If the player has already freed 10 fighters on a file, any characters downloaded afterwards will immediately be available.

The fighter battles all feature the same single condition: Win the battle to awaken the fighter

No. Image Name Type Power Stage Music Location
01
Mario SSBU.png
Mario
Neutral
Neutral
2,500 Final Destination Final Destination In The Light Realm (right at the beginning)
02
Donkey Kong SSBU.png
Donkey Kong
Grab
Grab
3,300 Kongo Jungle Ω Jungle Level (64) In The Light Realm (middle of the western jungle)
03
Link SSBU.png
Link
Shield
Shield
3,600 Great Plateau Tower Ω Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild In The Light Realm (the Sheikah Tower in the south)
04
Samus SSBU.png
Samus
Shield
Shield
7,500 Brinstar Ω Title Theme - Metroid In The Light Realm (just beyond the light breach)
04ε
Dark Samus SSBU.png
Dark Samus
Grab
Grab
12,500 Frigate Orpheon Ω Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes In The Final Battle area (dark side)
05
Yoshi SSBU.png
Yoshi
Grab
Grab
3,600 Super Happy Tree Ω Obstacle Course - Yoshi's Island In The Light Realm (in the ribbon hills)
07
Fox SSBU.png
Fox
Shield
Shield
3,700 Corneria Ω Star Fox Medley In The Light Realm (before the red button in the heart pond)
08
Pikachu SSBU.png
Pikachu
Attack
Attack
3,300 Pokémon Stadium Ω Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Melee) In The Light Realm (the rapids above the wall)
09
Luigi SSBU.png
Luigi
Grab
Grab
10,600 Luigi's Mansion Ω Main Theme - Luigi's Mansion In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, in the flames)
10
Ness SSBU.png
Ness
Attack
Attack
7,500 Magicant Ω Magicant (for 3DS / Wii U) In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, in the pink clouds)
11
Captain Falcon SSBU.png
Captain Falcon
Attack
Attack
3,300 Port Town Aero Dive Ω F-ZERO Medley In The Light Realm (race track east of the starting area)
12
Jigglypuff SSBU.png
Jigglypuff
Shield
Shield
3,300 Mushroom Kingdom U Ω Road to Viridian City - Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue In The Light Realm (forest north of the starting area)
13
Peach SSBU.png
Peach
Grab
Grab
7,500 Mushroom Kingdom U (Slide Lift Tower) Fortress Boss - Super Mario World In The Light Realm (in the Molten Fortress sub-world)
13ε
Daisy SSBU.png
Daisy
Attack
Attack
10,600 Mushroom Kingdom U (Slide Lift Tower) Underground Theme - Super Mario Land In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
15
Ice Climbers SSBU.png
Ice Climbers
Grab
Grab
7,500 Summit Ω Ice Climber (Brawl) In The Light Realm (bottom of the icy mountain)
16
Sheik SSBU.png
Sheik
Shield
Shield
2,500 Final Destination Final Destination In The Light Realm, one of the 3 starter routes (north route)
17
Zelda SSBU.png
Zelda
Shield
Shield
10,100 Temple Ω Ocarina of Time Medley In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, in Kakariko Village)
18
Dr. Mario SSBU.png
Dr. Mario
Shield
Shield
3,400 Mario Bros. Ω Fever In The Light Realm (north of the city towards the ribbon hills)
19
Pichu SSBU.png
Pichu
Attack
Attack
7,500 Prism Tower Ω Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley In The Light Realm (in the Power Plant sub-world)
20
Falco SSBU.png
Falco
Attack
Attack
7,500 Lylat Cruise Ω Space Armada In The Light Realm (the space area, on the yellow planet)
21
Marth SSBU.png
Marth
Attack
Attack
2,500 Final Destination Final Destination In The Light Realm, one of the 3 starter routes (west route)
21ε
Lucina SSBU.png
Lucina
Attack
Attack
10,000 Arena Ferox Ω Id (Purpose) In The Dark Realm (south-eastern path)
22
Young Link SSBU.png
Young Link
Grab
Grab
10,300 Temple Ω Saria's Song In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, in the Lost Woods)
23
Ganondorf SSBU.png
Ganondorf
Attack
Attack
10,700 Bridge of Eldin Ω Death Mountain In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, in the Gerudo Fortress)
24
Mewtwo SSBU.png
Mewtwo
Grab
Grab
12,000 Spear Pillar Ω Battle! (Dialga/Palkia) / Spear Pillar In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, in the red-leafed trees)
25
Roy SSBU.png
Roy
Attack
Attack
12,500 Castle Siege Ω Beyond Distant Skies - Roy's Departure In The Final Battle area (light side)
25ε
Chrom SSBU.png
Chrom
Attack
Attack
10,600 Castle Siege Ω Id (Purpose) (Remix) In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, by jumping into a treasure chest in the Lost Woods)
26
Mr. Game & Watch SSBU.png
Mr. Game & Watch
Shield
Shield
7,500 Flat Zone X Ω Flat Zone 2 In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, in the maze)
27
Meta Knight SSBU.png
Meta Knight
Attack
Attack
11,800 Halberd Ω Meta Knight's Revenge In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world)
28
Pit SSBU.png
Pit
Shield
Shield
3,300 Skyworld Ω Underworld In The Light Realm (in the Temple of Light sub-world)
28ε
Dark Pit SSBU.png
Dark Pit
Shield
Shield
11,200 Reset Bomb Forest Ω Dark Pit's Theme In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world, through a fireplace)
29
Zero Suit Samus SSBU.png
Zero Suit Samus
Grab
Grab
7,500 Brinstar Depths Ω Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, on the volcano)
30
Wario SSBU.png
Wario
Attack
Attack
10,100 WarioWare, Inc. Ω WarioWare, Inc. In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
31
Snake SSBU.png
Snake
Grab
Grab
9,000 Final Destination Encounter In The Light Realm (in the Base sub-world)
32
Ike SSBU.png
Ike
Attack
Attack
11,200 Coliseum Ω Eternal Bond In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world)
33-35
Pokemon Trainer SSBU.png
Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard)
Attack
Attack
7,500 Battlefield Ω Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl) In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, east of the coastal town)
36
Diddy Kong SSBU.png
Diddy Kong
Grab
Grab
9,000 Kongo Jungle Ω Stickerbrush Symphony In The Light Realm (in the DK Island sub-world)
37
Lucas SSBU.png
Lucas
Shield
Shield
6,600 New Pork City Ω Unfounded Revenge / Smashing Song of Praise In The Light Realm (in the western village)
38
Sonic SSBU.png
Sonic
Attack
Attack
9,800 Green Hill Zone Ω Green Hill Zone In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, between Kakariko Village and the Lost Woods)
39
King Dedede SSBU.png
King Dedede
Attack
Attack
9,000 Fountain of Dreams Ω King Dedede's Theme (Brawl) In The Light Realm (in the Gourmet Race sub-world, after obtaining a score of 11)
40
Olimar SSBU.png
Olimar
Grab
Grab
3,300 Distant Planet Ω Main Theme - Pikmin In The Light Realm (the mushroom forest)
41
Lucario SSBU.png
Lucario
Attack
Attack
3,300 Spear Pillar Ω Battle! (Team Galactic) In The Light Realm (along the wall, near the light breach)
42
R.O.B. SSBU.png
R.O.B.
Shield
Shield
10,500 Wrecking Crew Ω Stack-Up/Gyromite In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, eastern optional path)
43
Toon Link SSBU.png
Toon Link
Attack
Attack
7,500 Wuhu Island Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes In The Light Realm (in the Forest Hill sub-world)
44
Wolf SSBU.png
Wolf
Attack
Attack
11,800 Lylat Cruise Ω Star Wolf (Brawl) In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, on the crashed plane)
45
Villager SSBU.png
Villager
Grab
Grab
2,500 Final Destination Final Destination In The Light Realm, one of the 3 starter routes (east route)
46
Mega Man SSBU.png
Mega Man
Shield
Shield
7,500 Wily Castle Ω Mega Man 2 Medley In The Light Realm (near the Base entrance)
47
Wii Fit Trainer SSBU.png
Wii Fit Trainer
Shield
Shield
3,300 Wii Fit Studio Ω Yoga In The Light Realm (northern part of the city)
48
Rosalina & Luma SSBU.png
Rosalina & Luma
Shield
Shield
10,000 Mario Galaxy Ω Egg Planet In The Dark Realm (northern path, 2nd path from the left)
49
Little Mac SSBU.png
Little Mac
Attack
Attack
3,300 Boxing Ring Ω Jogging / Countdown In The Light Realm (in the city's stadium after clearing Power Plant)
50
Greninja SSBU.png
Greninja
Shield
Shield
10,600 Kalos Pokémon League Ω Battle! (Trainer Battle) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world)
51
Mii Brawler SSBU.png
Mii Brawler
Attack
Attack
10,000 Final Destination Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, in Kakariko Village after setting the clock to 4:40)
52
Mii Swordfighter SSBU.png
Mii Swordfighter
Shield
Shield
3,300 Final Destination Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U In The Light Realm (north of the eastern town)
53
Mii Gunner SSBU.png
Mii Gunner
Grab
Grab
7,500 Tortimer Island Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, on the southern island)
54
Palutena SSBU.png
Palutena
Attack
Attack
12,500 Palutena's Temple Ω Destroyed Skyworld In The Final Battle area (light side after beating Crazy Hand)
55
Pac-Man SSBU.png
Pac-Man
Grab
Grab
3,300 Pac-Land Ω PAC-MAN In The Light Realm (between the mushroom forest and Base)
56
Robin SSBU.png
Robin
Grab
Grab
10,700 Castle Siege Ω Prelude (Ablaze) In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
57
Shulk SSBU.png
Shulk
Attack
Attack
8,200 Gaur Plain Ω Xenoblade Chronicles Medley In The Light Realm (beyond the light breach, atop the waterfall)
58
Bowser Jr. SSBU.png
Bowser Jr.
Grab
Grab
12,500 Mushroomy Kingdom Ω Fortress Boss - Super Mario Bros. 3 In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, on top of a pyramid in the Gerudo Desert)
59
Duck Hunt SSBU.png
Duck Hunt
Grab
Grab
3,300 Duck Hunt Ω Duck Hunt Medley In The Light Realm (in the shrouded forest)
60
Ryu SSBU.png
Ryu
Attack
Attack
9,000 Suzaku Castle Ω Ryu Stage In The Light Realm (in the World Tour sub-world)
60ε
Ken SSBU.png
Ken
Neutral
Neutral
10,600 Boxing Ring Ω Ken Stage In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
61
Cloud SSBU.png
Cloud
Attack
Attack
11,200 Midgar Ω Fight On! In The Dark Realm (in the Sacred Land sub-world, before the Master Sword)
62
Corrin SSBU.png
Corrin
Shield
Shield
10,700 Castle Siege Ω Lost in Thoughts All Alone In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, on white clouds)
63
Bayonetta SSBU.png
Bayonetta
Shield
Shield
12,500 Umbra Clock Tower Ω Let's Hit the Climax! In The Final Battle area (dark side after beating Master Hand)
64
Inkling SSBU.png
Inkling
Attack
Attack
3,300 Moray Towers Ω Splattack! In The Light Realm (southern part of the city)
65
Ridley SSBU.png
Ridley
Attack
Attack
10,600 Brinstar Depths Ω Vs. Ridley (Brawl) In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world)
66
Simon SSBU.png
Simon
Grab
Grab
7,500 Dracula's Castle Ω Vampire Killer In The Light Realm (in the Temple of Light sub-world)
66ε
Richter SSBU.png
Richter
Grab
Grab
11,800 Dracula's Castle Ω Divine Bloodlines In The Dark Realm (in the Dracula's Castle sub-world, after killing all evil ghosts)
67
King K. Rool SSBU.png
King K. Rool
Attack
Attack
10,600 Pirate Ship Gang-Plank Galleon In The Dark Realm (in the Mysterious Dimension sub-world, the pirate ship optional path)
68
Isabelle SSBU.png
Isabelle
Grab
Grab
3,900 Town and City Ω Plaza / Title Theme - Animal Crossing: City Folk / Animal Crossing: Wild World In The Light Realm (east of the town by taking the bus from the western village)
69
Incineroar SSBU.png
Incineroar
Attack
Attack
12,500 Spear Pillar Ω The Battle at the Summit! In The Dark Realm (south-western path)

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • In each of his unlockable appearances outside of Smash 64, Ness has always been the first one unlocked through Vs. Mode matches.
  • Super Smash Bros. 64 is the only game in the series in which playing VS. Mode matches cannot trigger a "Challenger Approaching" battle, and the only game in which each unlockable character only has a single unlock criterion.
  • When a player fights a secret character to unlock in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the character they used always uses their default costume even if the player was originally using an alternative costume. As Brawl mods often if not always make the entire roster available by default (regardless of if they were unlocked in the vanilla game) and the player can still trigger Challenger Approaching fights, using the same character as the one the player is trying to “unlock” will make both participants use the same palette swap.
  • Starting in Super Smash Bros. 4, no items appear at all during the unlocking battle.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, each character unlock notification has a different tone depending on the debut game of the character.
    • Strangely, Jigglypuff's unlock notification tone is the same as the Brawl newcomers despite debuting in Super Smash Bros. 64. This is likely because it is unlocked in the post-game Subspace Emissary, as well as its internal ID being right next to Toon Link and Wolf, Brawl newcomers. The other Smash 64 newcomers use "Rare Trophy" from Melee, Melee newcomers use the stage unlock fanfare from Brawl, and Brawl newcomers (alongside Jigglypuff) use the sound effect in Brawl when collecting songs or completing minor challenges.
  • In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, unlock matches are treated as VS. Mode matches - that is, they count towards the total number of VS. Mode matches, and all statistics accumulated during unlock matches are saved.
  • Masahiro Sakurai originally intended for all the characters in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U to be available from the start, but eventually decided against it.
  • In Super Smash Bros. 64, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the AI level of unlockable character fights starts out very low, but increases with each consecutive character unlocked.
    • In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the opposite is the case.
    • In Ultimate, the difficulty of the AI was lowered in patch 1.2.0, after notorious reports of the level of difficulty for each match.
  • Counting Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U separately, Jigglypuff, Falco, and Mr. Game & Watch are tied for the most unlockable appearances, with five each.
    • Of the three of them, Jigglypuff is the only one to be a starter character at any point, which was in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • Wario was the first starter character to become an unlockable character in a later installment. He is also the only character to have this distinction from Brawl to Smash 4.
  • Pokémon Trainer is the only character whose moveset involves transforming into another character to become unlockable.
  • Prior to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the only unlockable characters whose playable status was not kept a secret in official material prior to release were Snake and Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Lucina in Super Smash Bros. 4.
    • Out of all of these, Lucina is the only one who is not a third-party character.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the first game to have more unlockable characters than starter characters, and the first game to feature unlockable characters on the box art.
  • While Sephiroth is a downloadable fighter rather than unlockable, from 17 December to 22 December 2020, defeating him through the limited-time Sephiroth Challenge enabled access to him, Northern Cave and his music if the player had purchased Challenger Pack 8 or Fighters Pass Vol. 2 prior to his official release.
  • In Ultimate, Villager and Isabelle can have different music play during their regular unlock battles. Specifically, when they're unlocked between 8:00pm and 12:00am on Saturday, K.K. Slider will perform.

See also[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Toon Link, Wolf and Jigglypuff appear after completing story mode and revisiting the stage to find a hidden door. Entering the door intiates a one stock match against the character. Win and the character joins the team.