Believe it or not, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is going to be five years old this week - on Thursday 7th December, to be exact! Since its launch, which was already packed to the rafters with content, the game has been updated with free content and paid DLC via the Fighter Pass Volumes 1 and 2, which added a boatload of brand-new characters from iconic video game franchises.
To introduce each major character addition, CGI trailers were released with but one goal in mind: get you on board the hype train with a one-way ticket to Hypesville. Frankly, they all succeeded with ease, and choosing a favourite from the bunch is a much more difficult prospect than you might think.
But that's exactly what we're asking you to do today, dear reader. We'd like you to choose your favourite character reveal trailer for Smash Ultimate and we'll be posting the results a bit later in the week (along with our personal choices).
So who will it be? Will it be the one-two punch of Ken and Incineroar? The celebratory introduction of Sora? Or perhaps the bait-and-switch reveal of Banjo and Kazooie? Well, if you need a reminder of every character reveal trailer, the compilation below (thanks Gamespot!) should serve as a handy reference while you ponder this crucial decision.
What was your favourite character reveal trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? (3,703 votes)
- Inkling (Splatoon)
- Ridley (Metroid)
- Simon & Richter Belmont (Castlevania)
- King K. Rool (Donkey Kong)
- Isabelle (Animal Crossing)
- Piranha Plant (Super Mario)
- Ken & Incineroar (Street Fighter & Pokémon)1%
- Joker (Persona 5)
- Hero (Dragon Quest)
- Banjo & Kazooie (Banjo Kazooie)
- Terry Bogard (Fatal Fury)
- Byleth (Fire Emblem)
- Min Min (ARMS)
- Steve (Minecraft)
- Sephiroth (Final Fantacy VII)
- Pyra & Mythra (Xenoblade Chronicles)
- Kazuya (Tekken)
- Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Once you've cast your vote, why not leave a comment to elaborate on your choice? What stood out in particular for you? Let us know.
Comments 115
Got to be Banjo, followed closely by Sora
If it's the reveal trailer itself I'd have to go with sephiroths, that one was insane
This is going to require some thought. Be right back...
...OK, so I've reassessed all of them, against the three main things I'm looking for in a Smash reveal: Intrigue/Suspense, and aural and visual stimulation.
For me there's a standout entry...
Hero - the best combination of those three elements.
Inkling, Min-Min and Banjo-Kazooie runners-up.
as a Castlevania fan, I can't not vote for the Belmont one.
It's funny seeing that Luigi is just as frightened of the more gruesome gothic horrors as he is of the cartoony ghosts and Boos from his own game. Couldn't have picked a better concept for a trailer that introduces Castlevania to Smash Bros.
Gotta love that it's also a double reveal - TWO Belmonts for the price of one! How can that be beat?
Pyra and Mythra was the only one that had me jumping out of my seat, I had been waiting for a xenoblade 2 character for YEARS. Easily the peak of all the trailers for me.
Banjo & Kazooie. My brother and I were watching the Digital Event together at the mall, and we were speechless when that Jiggy showed up in the reveal trailer. One of my favorite E3 moments of all time.
Both the game Awards reveals blew my mind (Joker and Sephiroth.) But nothing compared to the brilliant K rook fake out, turning into it's actually really this time! Banjo and Kazooie was so unexpected, impossible and cool!!
Overall sora! It was so hype for me. So think he wins hype factor, but animation wise hero or sephy.
after playing xenoblade 2 though, pyra and mythra are my favorite.
Sephiroth might not be my favorite character that was added, but his trailer was the hypest *****.
Looking at the K. Rool and Banjo trailers
Both? Both. Both is good.
(Or the office “ they are the same picture “ meme, pick your poplin)
I refuse to vote for just ONE trailer from this poll. If I was allowed to choose more than one I would.
Despite not caring for Minecraft, Steve's trailer was pretty funny, King K Rool and Ridley I was just glad they finally made it in.
But I'm voting Piranha Plant just because the reveal cracked me up. lol
Smash Ultimate had a ton of great reveal trailers (with Simon/Richter, Sephiroth and Sora being personal favourites of mine)....but come on, it HAS to be Terry; an incredibly intricate love letter to the Neo Geo/SNK that truly feels unlike any trailer we've had before or since.
And the transition from the sprite to the 3D model?
ABSOLUTE PERFECTION
Favorite trailer was Sora.
Favorite characters were Banjo and Homura.
I wish I could vote for more, but Sephiroth has to take the cake for me. There were some trailers that got me really excited though:
-Simon/Richter
-K Rool
-Hero <3
-Banjo
-STEVE
Steves trailer in particular had no right being as good as it was
I'm not really into Castlevania that much but the Simon and Richter trailer was the winner in my book, that one was just really awesome to watch and the tie-in with Luigi was just perfect. The Sephiroth trailer was a close second for me.
Honestly though none of these trailers were bad. Every trailer had something going for them!
A close one between Pyra/Mythra and Sephiroth with the former taking the win because the trailer pretty much teased XC3.
I’m not like biased or anything so I’m gonna say, Sora!
Gotta be Isabelle bc it also announced a new animal crossing game
Banjo’s reveal was iconic. I really loved the reveal cycle for Smash Ultimate… even if I didn’t buy any of the DLC.
Sephiroth in terms of how the trailer was and the reaction to it in general.
(Bought all the DLC like the sucker I am, LOL)
I think Joker had the best trailer. That was such an awesome surprise, way to go Joker!
I know its technically Super Smash Bros U/3DS, but that Megaman reveal trailer blue my mind (pun intended). but for ultimate I would have to say toss up between Banjo and "Sephiroth!" *sung in the tune of one winged angel.
Steve. The realization that Minecraft was gonna be in smash was crazy, it was also and amazing trailer
Kazuya was my favourite. I found it hilarious him just keeping throwing fighters off the cliff (and Kirby at the end was cool!)
Voted for Terry Bogard because that chasedown for the invitation letter was by far the most entertaining trailer. Sephiroth was the most epic so that's a close second.
Banjo and Kazooie hands down.
Joker cause I really love Persona 5 and would have loved a Switch port
I mean we did eventually get a Switch port but at that point I already had played the original P5 and P5R so I didn't really care once the Switch port released
For this it's definitely King K. Rool. That had me shaking as much as the screen was shaking during the lead up to that. But my actual favourite trailer is "Everyone is Here". Nothing will be able to top the sheer emotion I felt seeing Pichu on the screen.
Sephiroth. Best trailer ever. It blew me away. Specially since I didnt see any leaks beforehand (I dont know if there were any).
Past Smash Bros games had trailers within the game in the movies section. I wish they would add the trailers in Ultimate.
Objectively the best, I'd have to go with Sephiroth. His reveal really showed the powerhouse that he is, was faithful to the source material, and was extremely unexpected on a very large state (TGAs). By the question posed is what is your favorite, and it's impossible for me not to pick Pyra & Mythra's reveal. My favorite characters nabbing a roster spot left me with pure ecstasy.
Sephiroth, no question. Not in a million years would I have thought he'd make the cut given all the weird rights crap, but here we are.
P. Plant easily.
Was not a fan of many of the characters this time around. However, the community response for him was absolutely hilarious to watch.
It broadened the ideas in its potential rosters, while also poopooing on another popular choice theory for what "belongs" or "deserves" to be in Smash.
What would be next? Koopas? Goomba Tower? Or another franchise like a Moblin?
@EarthboundBenjy Same. The reveal was so exciting and the idea of mixing Luigi's Mansion with Castlevania will forever be one of the most memorable moments in gaming trailers for me. And the polish was superb.
King K. Rool for me. I mostly lost interest in the game by the time the DLC rolled around.
I think your hype is determined by A) your love for the character and B) how fun or interesting the trailer was for you.
That said, I had to go with the Belmonts. I was thrilled to see Simon get the invite, and the trailer itself was amusing. Poor Luigi was pretty much scared to death! 😄
While not the most creative of trailers seeing as it was a rehash of King K. Rool's one, the Banjo & Kanzooie trailer still remains my overall favourite as it seemed improbable it would ever happen.
Sephiroth's trailer comes in a close second. It had the best story, graphics and also excellent shock factor during its reveal at the Game Awards in 2020.
My third place is for Sora. Beautiful trailer, in particular Sora coming through the keyhole and the music, as well as the callbacks to game's original reveal trailer with the Inklings.
I really miss the reveal trailers now that development of the game has ended; the Directs are not as exciting. Hopefully more to come when/if SSBU Deluxe is revealed for the Switch 2.
Who voted for Byleth? I’m sending you Gummy Dicks
King K. Rool. It was the culmination of years of fan requests, speculation and votes. I thought the stomping at the end of the Smash Direct might’ve been cannons firing from the Gangplank Galleon but all it took was seeing the Kongs in their treehouse to get hyped. Dedede’s trolling was just an obvious, hilarious red herring. Once K. Rool was revealed, I was just like the Kongs at the sight of his faithful redesign and move set montage complete with the Blast-O-Matic final smash in which we actually SEE DK Isle get destroyed. It was perfection.
It’s always been a shame we could never see these fantastic cutscenes in-game in any update.
What a great trip down memory lane. I remember my mind was blown just by the initial reveal that we were getting a new smash bros. for switch. My favorite character reveals were King K. Rool and Ridley, both long requested characters of big Nintendo franchises. If I had to pick one, I would go with King K Rool. That gang plank galleon remix is awesome!
Sephiroth, no doubt. The Mario "stab" was epic.
Sephiroth’s was so out of left field. I had no idea who it was for until the music started playing. But then the hype train was going full steam ahead.
For me its Simon/richter Belmont and second Sephiroth.
The two TGA ones (Joker and Sephiroth) were my favourite. Both completely unexpected characters that ended up fitting right in.
Didn't vote, because I didn't see half of the trailers, but yeah, Sephiroth's one made me freeze in shock for a moment. "No way, they didn't!"
Ah, I really wish I had irl friends to play this one with, the game's just pumped with potential for the best fun.
Banjo & Sephiroth are gonna be the popular ones, but I'm throwing my hat in on Hero. I loved the whole composition of that entire trailer, especially with the first, fourth, and eighth heroes.
Not only is Banjo and Kazooie the best smash reveal, but its also one of the best gaming reveals period. I'm not one to jump up and start screaming like a lunatic over a video game trailer but the B&K reveal did just that. The only way they could top it is if they somehow added Conker as well
The reveal of King K. Rool in Smash Ultimate single-handedly made me a fan of Donkey Kong Country, which has now become one of my favourite franchises, so I have to go with that. The reveal for Banjo & Kazooie is an extremely close second though! I was screaming and whooping with joy at both reveals! Such good memories...
I was hoping for Kratos to be a reveal.
Sephiroth, definitely, the reveal trailer was super badass and that one moment where we all thought he stabbed Mario, it's so good.
Pyra and Mythra of course!
Pyra and Mythra reveal was hilarious. Best one by far.
I’m of the mind that Smash trailers got better and more elaborate as time went on, to the point where its peak, the Pyra/Mythra trailer was a hilariously great and lengthy Xenoblade side story
Definitely Sephiroth with how badass they made him look in his reveal trailer with him single-handedly slicing Galeem in half and the silhouette of him looking like he stabbed Mario. That trailer was just perfection.
Banjo for me, with King K Rool as a close second. Ridley right behind both of them. The rest were solid, too… but those 3 really got my hyped.
Pyra and Mythra were my treat, but Joker was hype af. I didn’t know the character at the time, but it got me interested in persona. Now SMT and its derivative franchises are my among my favorite
It was Hero for me personally since that was the only character in the DLC that I actually really wanted to be in. Banjo-Kazooie was a close second but just because of the nostalgia.
Terry Bogard without a doubt. One of my favorite fighting video game characters.
Terry Bogard: One word, KOF 94 intro callback.
Squidkids, followed by Noodle Girl
K Rool and B&K for me. The fact that their reveal trailers are connected makes it even better.
If we're going by "surprise factor" alone then I go with Piranha Plant, because it was arguably the most unexpected, and hilarious, character reveal in SSB history yet.
Ridley, Joker and Banjo & Kazooie, in no particular order.
Sephiroth comes in 4th
You know, in today's economic climate it's hard to find any good news or things to happy about, but I think it's great that Nintendolife is giving people the whole month off for the holidays.
The GOAT.
Terry's intro was a love letter to the Neo Geo, and the character's presence in Smash is a love letter to SNK, and that is a beautiful thing.
My favorite character reveal, is the Brawl trailer, where Snake appeared. I nerdjizzed so hard that day, it was the best reveal ever. On Ultimate, I think it's either between the reveal of the Belmonts, or Terry Bogard's.
Sephiroth's was so epic and I've never even played Final Fantasy VII! Everything was executed so perfectly and really showed off his personality in the best light.
Min Min's made me happiest though!
Pyra and Mythra, although Isabelle is a close second.
King K. Rool and Banjo-Kazooie as a single, two-part trailer, followed by Sephiroth just for showing some of my favorite characters of the game in CG, such as Mario, Samus, King K. Rool, Erdrick, Sonic and Banjo-Kazooie. If only they had Pac-Man on it.
Steve by a landslide
It was insane.
I just HAD to go with Piranha Plant…I don’t think I laughed so hard at how out of left field it was. All the others were characters I hoped for or expected like Simon/Richter, Ken, and, of course, Banjo and Kazooie. Some others may have been disappointing, but the ridiculousness of Piranha Plant just brought sheer joy. Never saw it coming.
I think I'd stopped playing by the time the DLC characters started coming out, but they were still a lot of fun to watch. Banjo and Kazooie were my favourite, I'm a huge fan of the originals. Tempted to get them and play more SSBU now.
I had always longed for a Resident Evil character but sadly it wasn't to be.
It should have an option Nobody or None of them, because I will choose that option.
people forgetting how epic K.Rool reveal was.
So well done, such a surprise, and wanted by so many people for so long.
Sephiroth without any doubt in my mind. Thanks in no small part to the music. I just love how up until the song starts there's really nothing that gives away who's about to be revealed.
Even though banjo was my favorite character reveal, my favorite trailer has to go to Sephiroth, because it was very clear that someone loves the crap out of Advent Children! Beyond that, Sephiroth got me hyped for more FF7 tracks to be added to Smash. They could have just added his theme and I would have been happy.
Kazuya tossing characters off the cliff was the funniest
Ridley stabbing Mario is iconic tbh
The Steve Trailer was so incredibly good. I knew exactly what it was when I heard the bat and spider sounds.
Byleth for the salt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X4ZTQhbdAo&t=30s
(but really Sephiroth)
On the other end there’s Hero, who probably faired best in Japan, but has not enough relevance outside to make that Oomph!
Inklings had the additional benefit of announcing the game, and like Joker’s, you had no idea what it was going to be.
@Jaceofbass64 Not as iconic as Seph stabbing Mario.
Terry was my favorite but I would have liked Byleth had it been Female Byleth leading (since that was who I played as). Iori's breakdown was hilarious.
Sora’s trailer was the best. A literal dream come true.
Nothing compares to the revelation of Banjo-Kazooie.
Nothing will ever beat the Duck Hunt trailer for me. Such a fun reveal, and perhaps my favourite music track in the franchise as well. The CD player in my car's been busted for a while, but I used to blast the track during trips.
Out of the Ultimate newcomers, Banjo was a cool reveal, but I'm particularly fond of Isabelle's. The only way they could have made it any better was to make it a double feature with DOOM Slayer introduced as a fighter as well (but at least we got a costume in the end).
My vote was either between Piranha Plant, Min Min or Joker. I decided to vote for Min Min just because they chose her over Spring Man XD. (Many thought Spring Man would be the obvious choice to put in the game back then, and for some reason it felt great when they revealed Min Min being the chosen character from ARMs to be in Smash Bros heheh)
The best TRAILERS are a tie between the Belmonts and Sephiroth. But the one that put the biggest smile on my face was Hero.
Sora. He was the topic of conversation for many years and when he was officially revealed I couldn't believe it.
Huge Banjo & Kazooie fan but we are talking about which reveal trailer was the best and I just can't take Sephiroth's out of my mind
Hard one. Inkling was an amazing moment showing how far splatoon took off and was an amazing tease as it could have been a new work with the franchise but I also rather enjoy Solon in disbelief at the second Byleth.
I took Inkling.
Inkling because we had no idea we were even looking at a Smash Ultimate trailer until the Inkling's eye came in to focus. We had assumed it was a Splatoon related thing, only to get blind sided by it actually being a Smash thing.
Joker is a close second though, because we got this stylish animated trailer with that sudden invitation during a totally unrelated event (Game Awards), and having that suddenly drop was amazing. We weren't even expecting the first DLC trailer at the time. Joker himself also opened the possibilities for potential fighters (at that time, Persona 5 hadn't even been on Switch)
My favorite character is Hero and the Dragon Quest themed trailer was long overdue, but in terms of the reveal itself I may have to give it to Banjo-Kazooie. The B-K trailer built upon the already-excellent K. Rool trailer and made it even crazier and more fun.
Of all the reveals, Richter Belmont actually got me to flip out.
I wanted a Dragon Quest character so I was hoping for Erdrick or a slime at the time so I was happy about the inclusion of Hero. I was also happy about Sephiroth being revealed, closest I will ever get to a good Dissidia style fight between Cloud and Sephiroth on current consoles(since Dissidia NT was just plain awful). And was also hyped about the inclusion of Sora.
Inkling, Joker. Both were amazing in their own ways.
King K. Rool and Banjo were pretty good though.
Terry, Sephiroth and Sora are probably my favorites
i really liked the manga style of min min min's
Sephiroth rules
@thenikdavies Banjo was great, but Sepiroth announcement was far more epic than Sora’s.
Banjo-Kazooie as a character may be a fan favorite, but honestly, I think Sephiroth's reveal was all kinds of epic. It's the only reveal trailer that I ever care to watch over and over again.
That he was able to destroy an almighty transdimensional being with a single slash of his sword, simply because it was in his way, proves just how powerful he truly is.
@MatthewTaranto You wouldn't happen to be THE Matthew Taranto, creator of the webcomic Brawl in the Family, would you? If yes, I'm a big fan.
I always loved that webcomic, and was sad to see it end. But I understood the reasoning behind it: better to end it on a high note than let it fizzle out with subpar jokes.
That being said, it would have been interesting to see what sort of jokes could have been had when Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate came out.
@Matl Plus they are Nintendo characters. I love Sephiroth and Sora but they are not part of Nintendo history (ok Sora a bit maybe in the DS)
The Sora trailer followed closely by the Banjo and Sephiroth ones as they all brilliantly referenced previous trailers/cutscenes (which were already incredible) - the Sora one also being the perfect conclusion to Ultimate which is why I'm choosing it over the others -, but honestly you can't go wrong with practically any of these in one way or the other as shown by this very comment section!
Jokers was mind blowing but Soras was awe inducing. I'm hardly a KH fan but Simple & Clean can make people FEEL things
@AstroTheGamosian That's me! Thanks for the nice comment. I have been making (bimonthly) comics for NF Magazine in the meantime, so there've been a few Smash-themed ones there featuring Rosalina, Bayonetta and a few others.
Min Min got me very hyped. She was the first DLC fighter I’d been advocating for—ARMS deserved a fighter, and her design was the most inspired in the ARMS League. Couple that with how animated her trailer was and her crazy moveset, and you have an exciting reveal.
K. Rool and Banjo were the next best. I’m a huge Donkey Kong fan, and the energy surrounding Banjo was infectious.
@Pres_Shinra Yeahhh, the fact there were so many third party characters wasn't very exciting for me. I have zero connection to them, so give me decent first party characters instead any day.
I LOVE the Min Min trailer, watching Kirby and Captain Falcon stuffing some ramen down their gullets in the noodle shop. This is actually the trailer I replay the most.
Other favorite was Sora. Just so majestic, summing up the entire Smash experience in one emotional cinematic.
But I had to vote for Banjo. EVERYONE begged for Banjo for so many years that when we finally got to see him it just broke the internet.
Favorite trailer was easily for me Sephiroths, it was an intense and badass trailer.
However shout outs also go to Kazuya for how silly it was and Simon and Richter because, come on Castlevania
@Pres_Shinra Technically Sora was GBA (a game and a themed console), DS, 3DS (also games and a themed console) and Switch while Sephiroth was a bit on 3DS and Switch
@MatthewTaranto That's awesome. One of my favorite strips of the comic was when Mega Man was watching Samus in the middle of training, and was crushing on her hard, thinking she was a robot. As Samus walked out of the training room and removed her helmet, Mega Man was horrified, much to Samus' confusion. But I'm sure you remember that.
I don't have a subscription to NF Magazine, but I will consider it! I was a loyal subscriber to Nintendo Power, from April 2004 all the way until its final issue, so any magazine that keeps the spirit of Nintendo Power alive is okay in my book.
I'll also have to remember to download Tadpole Treble when I get the chance. Maybe for the Switch, considering the Wii U eShop is no more.
In any case, best wishes to you and your family! Here's hoping that whatever creative project you have up your sleeve next will be just as amazing as your previous ones! Say hi to Kirby, Jigglypuff, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and the rest of the gang for me!
Min Min, Pyra/Mythra, and Ridley, in that order. The ONLY DLC characters that I was even remotely interested in. Also, I still don't get why the reveal movies can somehow be included in the game, because man oh jeez I'd love to watch them there.
Hero from DQXI.
AKA Trev.
We went through a lot together me and that lad
@FuecocoBoi09 100%. Banjo and K Rool trailers were absolutely epic.
My vote will be for Simon/Richter. Once it starts with the creepy castle and Luigi against Mummies and Medusa, you KNOW its going to be a Castlevania character. So you get that little rush of 'Oh I know what's coming' Then a bit after Simon is revealed, there's the surprise of Richter revealed.
This trailer is the only one that let's you build anticipation knowing the result AND totally shocks you out of left field.
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