List of regional version differences (SSB)

There are many differences between all releases of Super Smash Bros., which are listed on this page. The North American version in particular received a large number of changes compared to the initial Japanese version, both in terms of aesthetics and gameplay. The regional differences are much more significant than in Melee or Brawl, often resulting in considerable differences in matchups between characters.

Names

 * "Dummy Corps" changed from "Fighting Polygon Team".
 * Vs. Match changed from "Battle Royal" to "Free-for-all".
 * The "New Comers" option in the Backup Clear section of the Option menu was changed to "Newcomers".
 * Some terms in the VS Mode player settings, Item Switch menu, and Training Mode are different:

As a programming oversight, the first line in Peach's Castle Japanese translation is not centered.
 * English translations of the original names of the stages can be seen on the stage select screen in the Japanese version, though some stages gain additional subtitles or have a different translation than those used in international versions:

Menus

 * The "Characters" section of the Data menu mentioned the year and month a game was released in the "Works" section, like in future games, but this was removed; also, the last bracket after the name of a game was thinner in some biographies than it was in others, though they are always thin internationally.
 * Additionally, Luigi's biography mentioned Super Mario USA in that section, but this was changed to Mario Kart 64.
 * Mario's biography mentioned Super Mario 64, but this was also changed to Mario Kart 64.
 * The Nintendo 64 controller shown in the screen which appears when the game starts without any controller connected is slightly darker in the Japanese version. It also uses a pink tone in shaded areas, such as the circle around the D-Pad, that was changed to gray. A small pink circle on top of the A button was removed.
 * The Training Mode menu does not have spacing between the letters in the meaning of the options, and the options themselves are closer to their meanings; the red arrows between the option have much less spacing. Translations of both the highlighted meaning and selected option are shown below the EXIT option.

How to Play
In the Japanese version, the on-screen movements for the "How to Play" tutorial video are less refined than in international versions and are often performed slightly out of sync with the controls shown directly below. International versions made the gameplay sync up more smoothly with the instructions as a result.

Some of the differences in the "How to Play" tutorial video include:
 * Luigi does not fast-fall after jumping in the Japanese version.
 * Luigi fights back more in the Japanese version.
 * Luigi does not taunt after Mario grabs the ledge in the Japanese version.
 * The Fire Flower does not fall off in the Japanese version.
 * Luigi hits Mario by throwing the Fire Flower when they are showing off how to use items in the Japanese version.
 * Mario and Luigi do not face each other when they are showing off how to jump in the Japanese version.
 * Mario and Luigi dash sooner when they are showing off how to move in the Japanese version.
 * Luigi techs while Mario is showing off the power moves in the Japanese version.
 * Luigi does not duck before jumping in the Japanese version.

Saffron City

 * In the Japanese version, the banner in the stage background which says "Got a Catch 'em All!" is missing the second T and has a space there instead, which was fixed in the international versions. The font also appears to have been rewritten to accommodate this.
 * "Silf" on the main building was changed to "Silph".

Break the Targets!

 * At the very top of Link's Break the Targets stage, the platform that Link can stand on with the 3 targets above was placed to be lower in the NTSC release, possibly due to Link's jump height and his up-special height being changed.

Character sizes

 * Mario and Luigi were made a little bigger in the international versions, though Metal Mario remained the same height.
 * Kirby is a little smaller in the international versions.

1P Game

 * In the Japanese version for Stage 1, on any difficulty settings except for Hard, Link would stand and not attack for a few seconds (excluding floor attacks) if his damage was below 21%. This was changed so that he moves and attacks immediately after the match has started.
 * The Japanese version does not have the congratulatory screens shown after completing the mode.

Point yield
The point yield for most of the bonuses were altered between the Japanese and international versions.

Universal mechanics

 * The distance traveled by Smash DI is 40% longer, allowing the defender to get out of combos much easier and making it so multi-hitting attacks are less reliable.
 * All attacks have 1 extra frame of hitlag. The exact formula was changed from  to
 * The shieldstun formula has changed from  (rounded up) to   (rounded down). This essentially means that most attacks have slightly reduced shieldstun unless they deal 1%, 2%, 4% or 5%.
 * The momentum slide has been removed for all characters.

Aesthetics

 * Beam Sword given an altered sound to sound less like a lightsaber, presumably to prevent copyright infringement.
 * Title screen changed from 'Dairantou Smash Brothers' to "Super Smash Bros." and has a brighter logo.
 * The punch and kick sound effects are completely different. The Japanese version has more violent hitting sounds, while the US/PAL versions have Bowling ball-like hitting sounds. Other hit sounds effects such as the "Slash" and Ping sound effects remain unchanged, although some moves had their hit sound effects changed.
 * The narrator has a few re-recorded lines in the Western version; samples such as "Fox", "Board The Platforms", and "Break the Targets" are spoken bolder and clearer. The re-recorded samples have a slightly different echo effect than the Japanese originals.
 * Stage Select screen has a rough English translation for stage names placed over the series icon in the Japanese version, this was removed in the US version.
 * The sign on the side of the Silph Co. headquarters building in Saffron City reads "Silph" in the US version as opposed to the Japanese version's "Silf"; in addition, the banner on the background building to the left, which contained the typo "Got a Catch 'em All!", was corrected to "Gotta Catch 'em All!".


 * In Later Smash games' terms: 138 → 141
 * In Later Smash games' terms: 138 → 141

Aesthetics

 * Kirby Super Star referred to as Kirby's FAN PAK ('FAN' being a typo); Kirby's Fun Pak was the official PAL region title for Kirby Super Star
 * Star Fox referred to as STARWING; Starwing was the game's official PAL region title
 * Star Fox 64 referred to as LYLATWARS; Lylat Wars was the game's official PAL region title

General

 * The language can be set to English, French, or German. When set to French or German, the announcer is replaced with a French/German announcer.
 * When the language is set to German, the German announcer does not have separate voice clips for "Captain Falcon", "Computer Player" or "Team Battle". Instead, the English announcer voice clips “Captain Falcon”, “Computer Player” and “Team Battle” are used.


 * In Later Smash games' terms: 108 → 122
 * In Later Smash games' terms: 108 → 122
 * In Later Smash games' terms: 108 → 122
 * In Later Smash games' terms: 108 → 122
 * In Later Smash games' terms: 108 → 122