Super Smash Bros. Poll

Not to be confused with Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot

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Poll results page

After the release of Super Smash Bros. in Japan, the official website asked players to send in a questionnaire, detailing their favourite characters in Smash 64 and those they wished were in the game. As the internet was still in its infancy, from a modern perspective, not many votes were submitted. The voting was open until 31st May 1999, with the results being released the next day. The overall total votes were not publicly released.

Favourite character

Captain Falcon's Stairway to Heaven, one of many possible zero-to-death combos the character can utilise.

The first poll would arrange characters by series, showing further candidates.

Given the popularity of Metal Mario, and the rest of the polls being based on things players want to see in the future, the poll could have influenced the Metal Box and Super Mushroom's appearances in Melee.

Name	Votes Received	Summary of Reasons
Kirby	252	Copy ability, multiple jumps makes SDs rare, can use the same controls as those in Kirby Super Star, cute appearance, familiarity.
Ness	203	Unique moveset, particularly referring to PK Thunder; fans of EarthBound, cute appearance.
Link	140	Easy to play as, up and down aerials, Bombs, fans of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Captain Falcon	98	Falcon Punch, numerous zero-to-death combos, easy to handle, no use of weapons, fans of F-Zero.
Pikachu	95	Quick movements, strong attacks like Thunder, easy to use, cute appearance - particularly with its taunt.
Samus	85	Strong woman, Charge Shot, Screw Attack, fans of the Metroid series.
Luigi	70	"It wouldn't be a Nintendo game without Luigi," unmotivated but cool character, strong appeal with suspicious eyes.
Mario	68	Face of Nintendo, easy to use, moveset that's easy to get used to.
Fox	60	Fast moves, Reflector, voice actor, looks the coolest, closest character to Slippy Toad.
Yoshi	47	Hip Drop, unique double jump, appreciation for his strange maneuverability, easy to use despite his strength, down aerial, Egg Throw.
Jigglypuff	42	Strong movement, strong in the air, using weakness to win.
Donkey Kong	38	Looks slow, but is quick; up smash. One person refers to "Michizure," meaning forcing someone to take part in something, which could refer to the infinite throw trap.
Metal Mario	24	None
Fighting Polygon Team	17	None
Master Hand	11	None
Giant Donkey Kong	3	None

Aggregate results

These results were released second.

Name	Series	Votes Received	Current status
Bowser	Super Mario	169	Playable since Melee.
Princess Peach	Super Mario	66	Playable since Melee.
Wario	Super Mario	65	Cameo as a trophy in Melee, referenced by Mario's alternate colours, playable since Brawl.
King Dedede	Kirby	46	Cameo as a trophy in Melee, cameo in Dream Land in Smash 64 and Melee, playable since Brawl.
Ganondorf	The Legend of Zelda	36	Playable since Melee.
James Bond	GoldenEye 007	35	Indirect cameo via the Proximity Mine item in the PAL and NTSC releases of Melee.
Mewtwo	Pokémon	35	Playable in Melee and Ultimate, DLC in Smash 4, intended for Brawl but was reduced to sticker and trophy cameos.
Banjo & Kazooie	Banjo-Kazooie	33	DLC in Ultimate, in part thanks to the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot.
Toad	Super Mario	27	Cameo as a trophy since Melee, cameo as sticker in Brawl, cameo as part of Peach's moveset, basis of a well-known hoax.
Mew	Pokémon	24	Cameo as a Poké Ball Pokémon since Smash 64, cameo as trophy since Melee, cameo as sticker in Brawl.
Marth	Fire Emblem	21	Playable since Melee.
Mr. Saturn	Mother	18	Usable as item since Melee, cameo as a trophy since Melee, cameo as a sticker in Brawl.
Satoshi ("Ash" in Western countries)	Pokémon	18	Pokémon Trainer acts and sounds similar to the character in Brawl. Ash has historically been referenced in Pokémon games through preset player names, even at the time. Has been vaguely referenced through Greninja transforming into Ash-Greninja during Secret Ninja Attack in Ultimate.
"Character from Fire Emblem"	Fire Emblem	18	Individual votes for Fire Emblem characters that weren't for Marth were consolidated to this sample. Fulfilled by Roy in Melee, Ike since Brawl, and Robin and Lucina in Smash 4, though all appeared in games after Smash 64; white palette swap of Marth makes him resemble Leaf of Tharcia 776, blue palette swap of Ike makes him resemble Sigurd from Genealogy of the Holy War. Numerous cameos by Fire Emblem characters since Brawl, via stickers, trophies, and spirits.
Gooey	Kirby	17	Cameo as trophy in Melee, cameo as sticker in Brawl.
Diddy Kong	Donkey Kong	15	No cameo in Melee, playable character since Brawl
Sukapon	Joy Mech Fight	15	Intended to be an item in Melee, cameo as a sticker in Brawl, Assist Trophy in Ultimate
"Someone from Pokémon"	Pokémon	12	Individual votes for Pokémon that weren't for Mew, Mewtwo, or Lugia were consolidated into this sample; possibly fulfilled by Pichu, Lucario, and Greninja being playable in later games, though all appeared in games after Smash 64's release. Numerous cameos by the characters since Melee, via trophies, stages, and stickers.
Meta Knight	Kirby	11	Cameo as trophy in Melee, playable since Brawl.
Lugia	Pokémon	11	Usable Pokéball Pokémon since Melee, cameo as trophy since Melee, cameo as sticker in Brawl.

Notes

• The website claimed that, at the time, Super Smash Bros. Melee was not planned. However, Masahiro Sakurai would later admit that he was drafting the design document for Melee while the poll was active and lied to make the reveal a surprise and keep pressure off everyone involved.
• In the case of multiple characters being listed in a vote, only the first was counted.
• Ganon and Ganondorf were counted as a single character.
• "Fire Emblem" and "Pokémon" were votes that didn't specify a specific character; in other words, they did not note a character like Marth or Mewtwo.
• In the case of Lugia, Pokemon the Movie 2000 was just about to release in Japanese cinemas, being released on July 17th, 1999. In Japan, it was known as "Revelation: Lugia".
• The end of the page notes that Bowser, King Dedede, and Mewtwo were intended to be in the game, but were cut for "circumstances here and there".

Results by series

A third poll would arrange characters by series, showing further candidates.

Super Mario

Name	Votes Received	Current status
Bowser	169	Playable since Melee, featured on the front cover!
Princess Peach	66	Playable since Melee.
Wario	65	Trophy in Melee, playable since Brawl.
Toad	27	Numerous cameos across the franchise, featured as Peach's down special.
Koopa Troopa	9	Enemy in Adventure Mode, The Subspace Emissary, and Smash Run, numerous cameos.
Kamek	8	Sticker in Brawl, stage element, Smash Tour element, and trophy in Smash 4, spirit and stage element in Ultimate.
Goomba	7	Enemy in Adventure Mode, The Subspace Emissary, and Smash Run, numerous other cameos.
Mallow	5	Spirit in Ultimate.
Geno	5	Mii Fighter Costume DLC in Smash 4 and Ultimate, and a spirit in the latter.
Baby Mario	2	Trophy in Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4. Spirit in Ultimate.

Pokémon

Name	Votes Received	Current status
Mewtwo	35	Playable in Melee and Ultimate, DLC in Smash 4, and cameos in Brawl.
Mew	24	Poké Ball encounter since Melee.
Satoshi/Ash Ketchum	18	Referenced through Ash-Greninja in Greninja's Secret Ninja Attack in Ultimate. Adjacent references through Pokémon Trainer in Brawl and Ultimate.
"Someone from Pokémon"	12	Too general and unspecified
Lugia	11	Poké Ball encounter since Melee.
Meowth	8	Poké Ball encounter in Smash 64, then Brawl onwards; trophy, sticker, and spirit appearances across the franchise.
Raichu	7	Mentioned in trophies and Palutena's Guidance until Ultimate, where Alolan Raichu is a Poké Ball encounter.
Marill	5	Poké Ball encounter and trophy in Melee, spirit in Ultimate.
Bulbasaur	5	Trophy in Melee and Brawl.
Togepi	5	Poké Ball encounter since Melee; various trophy, sticker, and spirit appearances.

Notes

• Satoshi is referred to as "Protagonist" in these results, implying that Red was counted as well.
• Lugia can be attributed to Pokemon the Movie 2000 being scheduled for release in Japanese cinemas that year, on July 17th, 1999. In Japan, the movie was known as "Revelation: Lugia".
• Pokémon Gold and Silver would not be released until the following year; however, Marill was revealed at the November 1997 SpaceWorld event and had seen multiple anime appearances. Likewise, Togepi would serve a role on the main cast of the anime.

The Legend of Zelda

Name	Votes Received	Current status
Ganon/Ganondorf	36	Playable since Melee; Ganon is a boss in Ultimate
Young Link	8	Playable in Melee and Ultimate.
Princess Zelda	8	Playable since Melee.
Sheik	8	Playable since Melee.
Darunia	2	Master spirit in Ultimate.

Kirby

Name	Votes Received	Current status
King Dedede	46	Cameos in Smash 64 and Melee, playable since Brawl.
Gooey	17	Trophy in Melee, spirit in Ultimate.
Meta Knight	11	Trophy in Melee, playable since Brawl.
"One of Kirby's Friends"	10	Too general and unspecified
Waddle Dee	3	Trophy in Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4, part of King Dedede's Waddle Dee Toss and Waddle Dee Army in Brawl, enemies in Smash Run, spirit in Ultimate.

EarthBound

Name	Votes Received	Current status
Mr. Saturn	18	Item since Melee, possible pull from Peach's Vegetable.
Poo	6	Trophy in Melee, sticker in Brawl, cameos on Magicant in Smash 4, spirit and part of Ness's PK Starstorm attack in Ultimate.
"Other EarthBound Characters"	4	Too general and unspecified
Paula	4	Trophy in Melee, sticker in Brawl, cameos on Magicant in Smash 4, spirit and part of Ness's PK Starstorm attack in Ultimate. Implied to have taught Ness PK Fire and PK Thunder in Melee.
Starman	3	Trophy in Melee and Smash 4, sticker in Brawl, Assist Trophy since Smash 4.
Jeff	2	Trophy in Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4, sticker in Brawl, Assist Trophy since Smash 4.

Star Fox

Name	Votes Received	Current status
Falco Lombardi	7	Playable since Melee.
Slippy Toad	5	Cameos on Corneria, Lylat Cruise, and Shadow Moses Island across the series. Appears in an Adventure Mode cutscene. Trophy in Melee, Brawl, and Smash 4. Sticker in Brawl and spirit in Ultimate.
Wolf O'Donnell	4	Playable in Brawl and Ultimate.
Peppy Hare	2	Cameos on Corneria and Lylat Cruise across the series. Appears in an Adventure Mode cutscene.

Fire Emblem

Name	Votes Received	Current status
Marth	21	Playable since Melee
"Someone from Fire Emblem"	18	Too general and unspecified
Ogma	8	No appearances.
Seliph	4	Spirit in Ultimate
Sigurd	2	Spirit in Ultimate
Leif	2	Referenced via one of Marth's alternate costumes since Melee, being considered for the game alongside Marth. Spirit in Ultimate.

"Rare company related"

Name	Series	Votes Received	Current status
James Bond 007	James Bond	35	Vaguely referenced through the Proximity Mine in PAL/NTSC Melee releases.
Banjo & Kazooie	Banjo-Kazooie	18	DLC in Ultimate.
Diddy Kong	Donkey Kong	15	Playable since Brawl.
Robot from Blast Corps	Blast Corps	2	No appearances.
006 Trevelyan	James Bond	2	Vaguely referenced through the Proximity Mine in PAL/NTSC Melee releases.

Notes

• Blast Corps had released 2 years prior and had received widespread acclaim in Japan.

"NES / SNES properties"

Name	Series	Votes Received	Current status
Sukapon	Joy Mecha Fight	15	Intended to be an item in Melee, cameo as a sticker in Brawl, Assist Trophy since Smash 4
Lip	Panel de Pon	9	Referenced through Lip's Stick since Melee.
Prince Richard	Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru	8	Referenced through Prince of Sablé.
Metroid	Metroid	6	Assist Trophy since Brawl
Foreman Spike	Wrecking Crew	6	Vaguely referenced through Mario's black alternate costumes since Melee, used in Event Matches such as Wrecking Mario and Wrecking Bros.
Pit	Kid Icarus	5	Playable since Brawl
Donbe	Shin Onigashima	5	Trophy in Melee alongside Hikari
Dion, Max or Jack (Main Characters)	Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima	5	Dion, Max and Jack are spirits in Ultimate.
Samurai Goroh	F-Zero	4	Trophy in Melee, Assist Trophy since Brawl.
Ice Climbers	Ice Climber	4	Playable since Melee.
Balloon Fighter	Balloon Fight	4	Trophy in Melee, Sticker in Brawl, spirit in Ultimate, Music in various titles, Masterpiece in Brawl, referenced through Villager's up special.

Notes

• Metroid votes include the Baby Metroid from Super Metroid.

"That's not Nintendo!"

Name	Series	Votes Received	Current status
Chocobo	Final Fantasy	9	DLC Mii Fighter Costume in Smash 4 and Ultimate.
Doraemon	Doraemon	7	No appearances.
Bomberman	Bomberman	5	Assist Trophy in Ultimate.
Crash Bandicoot	Crash Bandicoot	4	No appearances, but has been the source of multiple rumours.
Sonic	Sonic the Hedgehog	3	Intended for Melee, playable since Brawl.
Mega Man	Mega Man	3	Playable since Smash 4.

Impact

All but 3 characters in the poll results — Ogma, a Blast Corps robot, and Doraemon — would later appear in the Smash franchise in some capacity; if not as playable fighters, they would appear through cameos, such as as items, trophies, stickers, or spirits. Even James Bond, a character largely seen as out of Smash's reach, has seen representation in the Proximity Mine from GoldenEye 007 in the PAL and NTSC releases of Melee, and Ash Ketchum has been indirectly referenced through Pokémon Trainer and Secret Ninja Attack.

A similar poll, the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot, would be launched in 2015, 16 years later; this poll would be used to determine the final DLC character for Super Smash Bros. 4, and influence the roster choices in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Out of all realisable characters for Smash 4, Bayonetta won, but the true winner was revealed to be Sora after he was revealed to be the final DLC character for Ultimate.