With Nintendo’s newest console on the horizon, speculation about a newSuper Smash Bros.game has started to mount. Even after releasing the franchise’s biggest entry yet on the Switch,Super Smash Bros.remains one of Nintendo’s most popular and in-demand games across the board. With how highSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateset the bar, it’s certainly worth wondering where the hypothetical next entry in the franchise would go.
As is commonplace withall discussions related toSuper Smash Bros., questions will certainly arise surrounding what new characters will be playable in this crossover fighting game.Super Smash Bros. Ultimatebrought back every character from the previousSmash Bros.games, but it also made waves with its inclusion of several fan-requested characters and new franchise representations. The next game could likely feature the first playable character from a venerable fighting game franchise:Virtua Fighter.
A Virtua Fighter Character In Smash Bros. Feels Inevitable
Smash Bros. Could Cash In On The Next Virtua Fighter Game
AVirtua Fightercharacter would make sense forSuper Smash Bros.not only because of its standing as a fighting game, but also because a new game is on the way. At The Game Awards 2024, Sega announced thata brand-newVirtua Fightertitleis on the way, being headed byLike A Dragondeveloper Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. With this new game looking to bringVirtua Fighterback in a big way, it wouldn’t be surprising to seeSuper Smash Bros.add to the hype.
After all,Smash Bros.has never been afraid to jump in on recently released (and even upcoming) projects with its content before. Severalcharacters from theFire Emblemseriesdebuted inSmash Bros.right around - or even before - the release dates of the games they appeared in, and certain character announcements have been timed to tie into the release of a new game in a franchise. If the nextSmash Bros.title is announced and released anywhere close to the nextVirtua Fightergame, fans could see the Sega franchise receive a playable fighter in Nintendo’s flagship fighter.
Virtua Fighter’s Been In Smash Bros. Before
Virtua Fighteris not entirely new to the world ofSuper Smash Bros., as previous entries in the series have received content from the franchise. Characters such as Akira Yuki and Jacky Bryant have appeared in the form of wearable costumes for the Mii Fighters in multiple games, whileAkira also appeared as an Assist TrophyinSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. There’s already a familiarity factor at play here, increasingVirtua Fighter’s chances of earning a playable character.
Seeing a character like Akira become playable wouldn’t be surprising, as several characters who are currently playable inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewere Assist Trophies in previous games. Characters like Little Mac, Dark Samus, and Isabelle were previouslyAssist Trophies in their first major appearancesbut would go on to become playable characters. Even though each of those characters are first-party examples, it wouldn’t be surprising if Akira became the first third-party character to jump from being an Assist Trophy to being a playable character.
If the nextSmash Bros.title is announced and released anywhere close to the nextVirtua Fightergame, fans could see the Sega franchise receive a playable fighter in Nintendo’s flagship fighter.
Smash Bros. Loves Its Fighting Game Characters
It also helps that series creator Masahiro Sakurai is no stranger to adding fighting game characters toSuper Smash Bros.. Beyond Nintendo’s fellow Switch fighting game inARMS, recentSmash Bros.titles have featured characters fromStreet Fighter,Fatal Fury, andTekken. AsSmash Bros.continues to become an even larger museum of gaming,Virtua Fightercould be the next fighting franchise represented in Nintendo’s title.
No matter when the nextSuper Smash Bros.title is ready to go, there will be rampant speculation about who will be the game’s big playable newcomers. Considering its past history with the franchise along with the upcoming release of a new game, a playable character fromVirtua Fighterseems very likely. Here’s hoping the glad tidings forVirtua Fighteralso contribute to the nextSmashgame’s hype, whenever it manifests.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
WHERE TO PLAY
Gaming icons clash in the ultimate brawl you can play anytime, anywhere! Smash rivals off the stage as new characters Simon Belmont and King K. Rool join Inkling, Ridley, and every fighter in Super Smash Bros. history. Enjoy enhanced speed and combat at new stages based on the Castlevania series, Super Mario Odyssey, and more!Having trouble choosing a stage? Then select the Stage Morph option to transform one stage into another while battling—a series first! Plus, new echo fighters Dark Samus, Richter Belmont, and Chrom join the battle. Whether you play locally or online, savor the faster combat, new attacks, and new defensive options, like a perfect shield. Jam out to 900 different music compositions and go 1-on-1 with a friend, hold a 4-player free-for-all, kick it up to 8-player battles and more!
