Piranha Plant is now playable in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and its existence changes the game’s future. One of the biggest aspects of every new Super Smash Bros. game is the speculation cycle that surrounds it. Fans have long-awaited the addition of certain characters to the fray, which is why newcomers like King K. Rool are so appreciated by fans. The arrival of Piranha Plant as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, however, signals a massive pivot in a franchise that’s often filled with iconic gaming characters.

Now, the creator of Super Smash Bros., Masahiro Sakurai, prides himself on surprising fans with unlikely newcomer additions. A glance at the roster makes that fact evident with fighters like Ice Climbers, Duck Hunt, Game & Watch, Wii Fit Trainer, and R.O.B. all making for oddball additions that received absolutely no fan demand leading up to their inclusion. What separates these mascots from Piranha Plant, though, is that they appeal to longtime Nintendo fans.

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In that sense, their inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a logical one. Each character brings with it representation for a different era, franchise, and gimmick from the company’s past. This is where Piranha Plant doesn’t quite line up. Sure, the character is quirky and recognizable – a point that Sakurai himself has brought up when justifying the fighter – but the Super Mario franchise is already widely represented on the roster. What the arrival of this fighter instead signals is a redefinition of what it takes to earn a playable place within the Super Smash Bros. franchise.

Generic baddies have never seriously been considered for a role in Nintendo’s all-star fighting game prior to this point. There are a number of reasons for this, but the largest is likely to stem from ample fan support to see others added to the roster. Standout favorites like of Waluigi, Geno, and Banjo are still missing from Super Smash Bros., but they may be waiting some time yet to get their time in the limelight. Instead, moveset innovation has come to the forefront of this planned add-on, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when everything is said and done.

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Piranha Plant provided the developers with a unique fighter to create on their own, while some of the other more requested characters have a clear selection of attacks laid out for their supposed arsenals. This philosophy of innovation will likely change if the leaked DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ends up being correct, as that pack would see to it that the game is loaded with promotional guest characters with longstanding movesets rather than from-scratch newcomers.

Still, Piranha Plant brings with it the opportunity to see other overlooked characters from across Nintendo’s history given the opportunity to duke it out with icons like Cloud Strife and Sonic the Hedgehog. With no fighter off the table, things have the potential to get very interesting for fans and roster speculation in general. Who knows, maybe a Goomba or Waddle Dee can join the fray in the wake of this character’s inclusion. In truth, adding Piranha Plant to Smash Ultimate changes everything in the series’ community moving forward. From speculation periods to character reveals, fans will be all the better off for this addition as they’re left guessing who will join the fight next.

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Riley Little
(355 Articles Published)

I’ve been writing about video games for over a decade. I enjoy a good rum & Diet Coke, gaming, hockey, and pretty much anything else that other stereotypical Canadians do.

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