Super Smash Bros. All-Time Merit Ranking (Finale in Issue 194!)

ALL CHARACTERS LOCKED IN!

Wario and Olimar will be featued in the Shroom and Inkling joins Peach & Toon Link as non-shroom sections

Wario 36
Olimar 30
Inkling 20
Peach 18
Toon Link 14
 
TOON LINK
ToonLink_SSBU.png

Fighter Number: 43
Fighter Group: Brawl Veterans
Franchise: Legend of Zelda
Game of Origin: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (Nintendo Gamecube, 2002 (JP), 2003 (US/EU)​

While naturally the Link that was already covered is given the full brunt of the merit. Where just about most incarnations of Link are merged into consideration to the point that only the red plumber himself outranks Link. That does admittedly get a little sketchy when you talk about the individual reincarnations of Link. If you considered the different Links their own characters they're probably a bit all over the place. When I get to covering Young Link, that will be when it gets a little obvious since despite perhaps being a major part of Ocarina of Time and especially Majora's Mask. Young Link may have the lowest merit of any Zelda character currently playable in Smash. I believe I've mentioned it before, but technically we don't have Everyone is Here if you consider all the reincarnations of Link as different. We had the Ocarina of Time Link in SSB64 and Melee, Twilight Princess Link in Brawl and maybe Smash 4 as well (Though Smash 4 Link is slightly merged with Skyward Sword at least in terms of coloration), and we have Breath of the Wild Link in Ultimate. Individually they'd be lower on the list, but as is the Link in Smash has the combined legacy of at least 4 generations of Link and the legacy of the Zelda series in it's own right.

Though there is one Link that has sort of carved out his own sort of legacy since the days of the Gamecube that have remained the same to this day. That being the Link we're covering this time. As after all, the more cartoony Link from Wind Waker has actually returned quite a few times. As there's Phantom Hourglass, Four Swords (And Four Swords Adventures), Minish Cap, Spirit Tracks, and Triforce Heroes. Toon Link is arguably perhaps appeared in more Zelda games then any individual Link. Which was probably a big reason why he was included in Brawl and Young Link was left behind. They both serve the same purpose of being a smaller and faster link. But Toon Link appeared more then 1 in a half out of of 2 N64 games.

Sakurai's also somewhat on record on saying he sees a kid-aged Link as the "true" Link which may be why he insists on having both an Adult and Child Link on the roster. I do feel like that's a bit unfair to the Adult Link but I can understand that there is an appeal to Link being just a kid who slays the evil. Easier to pull in the target audience with a kid being the one to save the day.

Though we know Wind Waker kinda had it's controversies with the Zelda fandom with it being in a cartoony art style after the more realistic… or well… as realistic as N64 graphics could really get had people thinking Zelda was going to remain in this style after the successes of the N64 games and probably especially after a Zelda cutscene that people seemed to have been fooled into believing was for the next Zelda game on the Gamecube. Though since then I think things have healed from that time, especially since the fans who like the more realistic-looking Zeldas have Breath of the Wild and it's upcoming sequel. While those who do like the cartoony style of Wind Waker have had games every now and then to look forward to.

Being not much of a Zelda fan, I have even less of an experience with Toon Link then I do regular Link outside of Smash. But I will say if it must stay that an adult and child link are to be playable together in Smash. I would prefer it to stay with Toon Link, as opposed to the Young Link. As much as I know Ultimate needed to bring literally every playable character back, I just don't know if I want to see 3 Link's on a Roster again like this unless the different Link's are alternate costumes.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Being a recurring Zelda character with multiple games starred in, Toon Link should have a fair bit of merit. Though definitely still a decent amount of levels below our regular Link. I think putting him behind recent recurring Mario characters and above Snake might be a fair place to put this incarnation of Link

1. Mario
2. Link
3. Donkey Kong
4. Kirby
5. Luigi
6. Bowser
7. Pac-Man
8. Diddy Kong
9. Banjo & Kazooie
10. King K. Rool
11. Mr. Game & Watch
12. Sonic the Hedgehog
13. Bowser Jr.
14. Rosalina & Luma
15. Toon Link
16. Snake
17. Shulk
18. Pit
19. Ness
20. Jigglypuff
21. Duck Hunt
22. Steve
23. Lucas
24. Mythra
25. Min Min
26. Byleth
27. Wii Fit Trainer
28. Chrom
29. Dr. Mario
30. Dark Pit
31. Piranha Plant
 
Peach and Inkling's sections will be up in the coming days, and Olimar & Wario in the Shroom too. But for now, time to begin voting for the July issue. We start with a three-way tie for 5th. With King Dedede having priority

ROB 14
Captain Falcon 12
Mewtwo 12
Ridley 12
King Dedede 10
Simon Belmont 10
Mii Fighters 10
Little Mac 8
Mega Man 8
Joker 6
Greninja 6
Zero Suit Samus 6
Ice Climbers 6
Ike 4
Bayonetta 4
Robin 4
Wolf 2
Fox 2
Ganondorf 2
Sora 2
Villager 2
 
PEACH
PeachSSBU.png

Fighter Number: 13
Fighter Group: Melee Veterans
Franchise: Mario
Game of Origin: Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1985 (US/JP), 1987 (EU)​

The fair princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. Once again, as with any Mario character I shouldn't have to say too much about Peach herself. We have the article right here at the wiki. So this will once more be more about personal thoughts on the character, and/or their place in Nintendo's history.

So Peach I may say…. is a bit mixed. She obviously deserves credit as one of the most well-known female characters in Video game history. The problem there gets into… just how much of the Mario series is spent just trying to save her yet again. It brings up many a question of how this just keeps happening at least in-universe. Obviously the real reason is just Nintendo wants to keep the story of the platformers relatively simple. Save the girl from the clutches of a fire-breathing monster. Practically a tale as old as old as we humans learned how to write. With stories of brave knights of the medieval age saving a princess from a dragon. Which makes for an action packed story just from the premise.

Though when it's gotten to the point where that same dragon keeps coming back and kidnapping the same princess over and over again you get into questions like. Why isn't Peach doing anything to make sure to stop this from happening. Is Bowser just too powerful for any security measures she's ever tried, or… is there perhaps a chance Peach allows this to happen to herself because it's more exciting then actually running the Mushroom Kingdom. Which either way it drops, has real concerns about Peach's ability to rule.

Not to mention the… implications that Nintendo's most recurring female character is known as pretty much THE damsel-in-distress of Video games. Games such as the RPGs, the Strikers series (With her sassy attitude and pop star-esque theme in Charged, and how she's pretty useful in Battle League thus far. Her hyper strike sometimes doesn't have to be perfectly timed to work, as Boom Boom may just put the ball in the goal himself due to Peach's heart magic), and Smash to an extent at least portray Peach as more powerful then she seems, or at the very least willing to try her hardest to help Mario under some limited capacity as she's still captured by Bowser. But the powers she has just adds more questions like why isn't she using those to at least try to fight being kidnapped by Bowser which puts more fuel to the fire that Peach actually is letting this happen in some fashion. Though Peach in the RPGs certainly rank as her best portrayals of the series.

Peach did at least get one game where the shoe was on the other foot with Bowser capturing Mario and Luigi in Super Princess Peach. I've never played it myself, but I've heard it goes some weird directions. And maybe slightly controversial that a core mechanic of the game seems to be based on Mood swings. Said controversy just part of how in a world that's still fighting for women's rights to be treated as equal to men. The pretty pink, damsel-in-distress princess that needs a man like Mario (Or Luigi for that matter) to save her constantly may not exactly… age well.

There's a reason some gravitate more towards Daisy who's only been on record to be kidnapped once and just became a spin-off regular showing her excitable tomboy personality and much more to Rosalina in that while Bowser does shrink her effectiveness in the beginning of Galaxy. She's not kidnapped and is actively there to help Mario in the adventure. Both Rosalina and Daisy mesh better in terms of showing girl power in the mushroom kingdom. That's not to say Peach doesn't have "girl power" vibes of her own. Just sometimes you have to wonder if in the early games where Peach was like the only female character in the roster, some girls might not have wanted to play as the token girl of the group known for needing Mario to save her all the time.

And I don't mean to rag on Peach too much, she's a pretty sweet character in the end. Just it feels like she may always be fighting her reputation as a damsel-in-distress, which only comes up yet again with every Mario game where the goal of the game is to save her. With all the spin-offs and the RPGs, we know there's more to Peach then meets the eye. But you can't help a fandom for wondering if there's something going on there after so many times.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Being a unique and major Mario character obviously Peach is guaranteed a high spot. She's above Pac-Man, but I'm putting Peach lower then her recurrent kidnapper. Fighting bowser that many times to me feels a tad more on the memorable side then of the reward of having saved the Princess. And Peach didn't really get too much depth on her until the Mario RPGs showed up. Where by then, even if Peach always appeared as the reward afterward. There were many iconic encounters with Bowser before then. I will also say in advance that while Peach is THE most well-known female Nintendo character. She isn't the most merited female character overall, I'll get into it when we get to some character(/s) in mind I feel are higher then her

1. Mario
2. Link
3. Donkey Kong
4. Kirby
5. Luigi
6. Bowser
7. Peach
8. Pac-Man
9. Diddy Kong
10. Banjo & Kazooie
11. King K. Rool
12. Mr. Game & Watch
13. Sonic the Hedgehog
14. Bowser Jr.
15. Rosalina & Luma
16. Toon Link
17. Snake
18. Shulk
19. Pit
20. Ness
21. Jigglypuff
22. Duck Hunt
23. Steve
24. Lucas
25. Mythra
26. Min Min
27. Byleth
28. Wii Fit Trainer
29. Chrom
30. Dr. Mario
31. Dark Pit
32. Piranha Plant
 
HALF-WEEK WARNING

Heading into the half week, the Mii Fighters and Mewtwo are our current top 2 (Albeit Mewtwo's tied in points with ROB). But it's Captain Falcon who will be 5th if nothing changes by Sunday

Mii Fighters 20
Mewtwo 14
ROB 14
Ridley 12
Captain Falcon 12
King Dedede 10
Simon Belmont 10
Villager 10
Little Mac 8
Mega Man 8
Ike 8
Greninja 6
Zero Suit Samus 6
Ice Climbers 6
Pikachu 6
Joker 4
Bayonetta 4
Robin 4
Wolf 2
Fox 2
Ganondorf 2
Sora 2
 
INKLING
Inkling_SSBU.png

Fighter Number: 64
Fighter Group: Ultimate Newcomers
Franchise: Splatoon
Game of Origin: Splatoon (Wii U, 2015 (US/JP/EU)​

When people envision Smash Bros., we often think of iconic franchises we've known nearly all our lives duking it out in a fun-filled fighter with so much gaming history wherever you look in the game. The battles between characters people grew up with are the main sell of Smash Bros.

That said, Smash Bros. tends to leave room for any potential new hit characters and hit new IPs from Nintendo to make their mark by getting into Smash. Granted there is a line in the sand that Smash must be careful in crossing of not putting too much emphasis on advertising the new where it could end up getting in the way of longtime requests.

Though sometimes, a new IP hits it big enough so quickly that a good majority of fans would welcome them to Smash. And that's where Splatoon comes in. It's hard to make a new IP instantly wanted in a game like Smash, but it seems Splatoon managed to do well enough that it felt like they had decent support for Smash 4's fighter ballot. Naturally, it was still too late to get them in Smash 4. But I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo noticed how much love the Inklings may have gotten in the ballot to make them our first newcomer reveal for Ultimate. Of course, I don't think the Inklings were even Top 10 in the ballot (Though we'll never know for sure) but I wouldn't have been surprised it they were somewhere in the Top 30.

The franchise Splatoon itself has pretty much taken Nintendo fans by storm since it debuted on the Wii U. The team-based gameplay of trying to spread your ink and splat opponents getting in your way have made a great number of fans addicted. Along with the pretty pleasing character designs for the Inklings themselves and the Splatfests where people take sides on a subject and fight for which side wins in intense online matches. It kind of harkens back to the 90s era of Nickelodeon with all the kids being slimed and a general 90s kid tone overall. (On a quick side note, I know of a fun joke theory that Splatoon is what happened after Mario failed in Super Mario Sunshine)

I have tried Splatoon a little via renting the first game on the Wii U though mainly just did a few levels into the game's campaign. Didn't get very far, so I'm not exactly experienced with the franchise. Though in Smash Ultimate, I will say the Inklings are perhaps my favorite newcomer to play as out of them. They're not my favorite inclusions overall as I feel Banjo and Sephiroth are both greater inclusions on the grand scheme of things. But in terms of how they play, I have more fun zipping around and spraying foes with the ink as the Inkling then with any other new moveset introduced in Smash Ultimate. Probably helps that as someone who uses Sonic, the Inklings themselves are pretty fast.

Splatoon even seems to definitely be in for a bright future what with the success of Splatoon 2 and the soon-to-be released Splatoon 3 (Which funnily enough releases straight on my birthday, though I'm not big enough of a fan of the franchise to want it. I appreciate the franchise though). The franchise very much embodies some of the fun of online shooting games but adds a family-friendly atmosphere and cartoon graphics that can make all ages enjoy their time with the games.

_____________________________________________________________________________

As for the rankings, Inkling being a relatively new franchise means they can't go too high. That said we have to acknowledge the bright future it has. I feel the current place of Splatoon's rise is enough to put the Inklings above Snake. Though just less then Toon Link who's still a sub-section of the much more historic Legend of Zelda franchise. That said, I could easily see the Inklings rise above Toon Link in the near future. I think should we get more Smash games in the future, even under a heavy-cut scenario. We should see the Inklings back. Splatoon has made that much in-roads into the general Nintendo fanbase and usage by Nintendo that it feels like they are very much here to stay.

1. Mario
2. Link
3. Donkey Kong
4. Kirby
5. Luigi
6. Bowser
7. Peach
8. Pac-Man
9. Diddy Kong
10. Banjo & Kazooie
11. King K. Rool
12. Mr. Game & Watch
13. Sonic the Hedgehog
14. Bowser Jr.
15. Rosalina & Luma
16. Toon Link
17. Inkling
18. Snake
19. Shulk
20. Pit
21. Ness
22. Jigglypuff
23. Duck Hunt
24. Steve
25. Lucas
26. Mythra
27. Min Min
28. Byleth
29. Wii Fit Trainer
30. Chrom
31. Dr. Mario
32. Dark Pit
33. Piranha Plant
 
Olimar and Wario now covered in the Shroom!

Also tomorrow decides the next locked in character in the #5 spot, currently that is Zero Suit Samus

Captain Falcon 22
Mii Fighters 20
Mewtwo 14
ROB 14
Zero Suit Samus 14
Ridley 12
King Dedede 10
Simon Belmont 10
Villager 8
Little Mac 8
Mega Man 8
Ike 8
Greninja 6
Ice Climbers 6
Pikachu 6
Joker 4
Bayonetta 4
Robin 4
Wolf 2
Fox 2
Ganondorf 2
Sora 2
Marth 2
 
ZERO SUIT SAMUS IS LOCKED IN!

Now it's ROB who will be locked in next week should nothing else come up

Captain Falcon 22
Mii Fighters 20
Mewtwo 14
ROB 14
Zero Suit Samus 14
 
HALF-WEEK WARNING

There's been no change since the last update. It's still ROB who will be locked in next if that stays that way by Sunday
 
1. King Dedede
2. Greninja
3. Robin
4. Pikachu
5. Ganondorf
 
LAST CALL

Tomorrow, #4 is locked in. Currently, that is still ROB as Dedede has one more person voting for him then ROB does.

Captain Falcon 22
Mii Fighters 20
King Dedede 16
ROB 16
Zero Suit Samus 14
Mewtwo 14
Simon Belmont 10
Mega Man 10
Pikachu 10
Robin 10
Villager 8
Little Mac 8
Ike 8
Wolf 8
Greninja 8
Ice Climbers 6
Sora 6
Ridley 4
Joker 4
Bayonetta 4
Fox 4
Ganondorf 2
Marth 2
 
ROB IS LOCKED IN!

Now next week decides the July shroom characters. Currently that is still Captain Falcon and the Mii Fighters. With Dedede being the last non-shroom section of this batch.

Captain Falcon 22
Mii Fighters 20
King Dedede 16
ROB 16
Zero Suit Samus 14
 
HALF WEEK WARNING

King Dedede and Captain Falcon currently hold the Top 2. While Mewtwo's currently slated to be the final non-shroom section of this batch. This Sunday finalizes the July issue characters

King Dedede 32
Captain Falcon 30
Mewtwo 26
ROB 16
Zero Suit Samus 14
Robin 10
Mega Man 10
Pikachu 10
Mii Fighters 8
Simon Belmont 8
Little Mac 8
Ike 8
Wolf 8
Greninja 8
Pyra 8
Fox 8
Marth 8
Ice Climbers 6
Sora 6
Bayonetta 6
Ridley 4
Joker 4
Ganondorf 2
 
Burn it to the ground
1. ROB
2. Zero Suit Samus
3. Ganondorf
4. Ice Climbers
5. Bayonetta
 
LAST CALL

Some... interesting votes in the past 24 hours. Because of how things have gone down. Falcon has come out of the pack as #1. Though what's very interesting is the 3rd spot. Megaman and Mii Fighters have the same amount of points. But Mega Man had 3 people voting for him, while the MiI Fighters had 2. Which gives Mega Man priority. Tomorrow finalizes things. And it's even still generally close enough to decide who is the 2nd character in the Shroom too.

Captain Falcon 36
King Dedede 20
Mega Man 18
ROB 16
Zero Suit Samus 14
Mii Fighters 18
Mewtwo 14
Ice Climbers 14
Robin 12
Pikachu 12
Simon Belmont 8
Little Mac 8
Ike 8
Wolf 8
Greninja 8
Pyra 8
Joker 6
Sora 6
Bayonetta 6
Ridley 4
Fox 4
Zelda 4
Ganondorf 4
Sheik 2
Marth 2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back