Nintendo’s trademark fighting game has been a beloved option for gamers since the days of the Nintendo 64.
Throughout the generations, it has evolved to Melee, Brawl, and now Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The game has been home for some of the company’s most popular characters. With stages, music, and various tie-ins from the company’s best series, the game isn’t just a fighter – it is a representation of Nintendo’s history.
There are some characters that have been on the roster from the beginning. Mario and Luigi from the Super Mario Bros. series have been mainstays. Metroid’s Samus Aran, The Legend of Zelda’s Link, and the title character from the Donkey Kong series have all been enduring parts of the roster.
Even some of the lesser-known Nintendo titles, and the historic ones of the past, have seen representation on the roster. And with the hype building for Ultimate, which will feature the biggest roster in the game series’ history, the talks about who is coming next have kept the fan community buzzing.
And now we have our answer, the next character to join the roster is – Piranha Plant?
Yes, a generic enemy from the Super Mario Bros. games will be joining the roster as a playable character, fighting from inside its flower pot and not doing much outside of what we’ve seen the relatively simple enemy do in its previous game appearances.
In all fairness, this isn’t the first time Nintendo has done this. Even the original Super Mario Kart had a Koopa Troopa as a playable character, showing the company is not opposed to letting generic enemies get some time in the spotlight.
But in today’s age, and given the reputation the Smash series has garnered, it seems there are a lot of better choices the company could’ve made. For comparison’s sake, they recently added Ridley – the primary antagonist from the Metroid series who has functioned as a boss in multiple games.
They also added King K. Rool, the original antagonist in the Donkey Kong Country series, whose varied roles in games will lend well to a great move set.
While the Piranha Plant does summon Petey Piranha for its Final Smash finishing move, it is still a choice that seems more fit for assist trophy territory than a dedicated spot on the roster. This is especially true when there are a lot of other worthy contenders for the roster who have yet to be officially announced.
One is Geno, a character owned by Square who made his only appearance as a playable game character in the Square/Nintendo collaborative effort Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars from 1996. Geno would be a great way to give Square a spot on the roster, as Sega and Konami have already enjoyed third-party spots of their own.
There’s still time to add more characters, but the Piranha Plant’s spot remains a curious choice in any case. The character will debut around February of next year.
