Super Smash Bros. series director Masahiro Sakurai is still busy sharing excellent screenshots from Smash Ultimate on Twitter, and while his tweets are always on the more popular end of the scale, his latest effort is really doing the numbers.
Why's that? Well, earlier this morning, Sakurai shared a new image that appears to show Ken taking an unfortunate turn for the worse in a pool of lava – the telltale sign is a single thumb sticking out of the fire, a neat reference to the ending of 1991 action movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Check it out:
Now, the most likely explanation for the tweet is that – just like the rest of Sakurai's screengrabs – the staged image is simply a reference to another well-known piece of popular culture. That won't stop Smash fans from starting up the old speculation engine, though, and while you'll find a few jokes about Terminator appearing as the final DLC character for Smash in the replies, things have also started to go a bit further.
You see, it turns out that several popular games have also referenced this particular scene in recent years. The result is a rather humourous string of replies in which fans ponder the possibility of an upcoming DLC cameo for a number of different games, seemingly missing the fact that all of them – including this new screenshot – are referencing something else entirely.
Could it be that DOOM is finally getting some Smash representation?
How about Among Us?
Or perhaps it's Fortnite's time to shine?
All joking aside, we can understand why some fans might be thinking that there's a hint buried in Sakurai's tweets somewhere – he did, after all, once appear on-screen performing a unique hand gesture that turned out to be a tease for an upcoming Fire Emblem: Three Houses cameo.
Maybe he really is trolling all of us, and maybe that last DLC slot will be DOOM, Among Us and Fortnite all rolled into one. It's probably just a reference to Terminator though, isn't it?
Comments 83
That's just because people are dumb.
I'm sick of third party fighters now. Where's my Toad or Waluigi? Would be nice to have a Nintendo character for the final fighter!
This is not a fortnite reference.
Considering that Terminator is also in Mortal Kombat 11 the chances of an MK rep for Smash Bros Ultimate is likely. Also considering that this victim is Ken Masters, a Street Fighter character, depicting a staged fatality and their competitor in the 90s was Mortal Kombat, SF vs MK happening in Super Smash Ultimate incoming. The stage itself is of lava and underground hinting that it could be one of the character from the Netherealm likely yours truly.
That was definitely not done as a fartnite reference.
@Clyde_Radcliffe Yeah but then you also risk it being another Pokemon or Fire Emblem character
This is just people poking fun at other people going wild with speculation. I personally find it quite humorous
This doesn't confirm among us for smash. People forget that sakuraI and Nintendo decided upon the second pass when byleth was being shown. Back then, Among Us wasn't nearly as popular as it is now.
@TheAwesomeBowser True! Part of me wishes there was NO third party fighters... Can you imagine all the random Nintendo characters we might have got if it was all then? We might even have got some WarioWare characters in there!
All this is going is showing how unoriginal games are for thinking they are clever for copying that scene verbatim, worse this makes people think these games came up with that iconic moment from T2 so they think Sakurai isn’t referencing one of the greatest action films of all they time. Another example of this is Call of Duty 4 I’d say 80-95% of its most quoted lines like “I keep this around for close encounters” and “don’t call me Shirley” are blatantly ripped off from films word for word.
@Clyde_Radcliffe Agreed. I'd be happy if we got atleast someone from fire emblem
It’s Rayman. 100%. There’s a terminator 2 reference in Rayman Legends as well.
A gesture referencing Terminator 2 that’s been defended in pop culture dozens of times since.
Adam from Other M.
Any objections lady?
Removed - inappropriate
@Gavintendo lol could be Anthony, after somehow surviving getting whipped off a cliff into lava by clone Ridley
Doom belongs to be in Smash. The other two games are too new to have the historical importance necessary
Two things I think of when seeing that,
1) Obviously Terminator 2
2) Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
But neither are Computer game characters, but a Paranoid Android turning up? HA!
Don’t forget when Scorpion did it in Shaolin Monks!!! One of my favorite random references in a video game ever. My friend and I actually redid the boss fight just to verify we had seen it correctly. Lol.
@Clyde_Radcliffe @Clyde_Radcliffe other than Banjo, I have been "meh" with most third party dlc characters- but a couple of my friends lost their minds with Joker, Sephiroth and Pyra so I'm happy for them.
Part of me is like... Why did Captain Toad, Impa, Skull Kid, Urbosa/champions and other Nintendo characters miss a spot, but characters with games not even on Nintendo systems are here?
Pepsi for TV game guy confirmed
@Jmjfrank mhhh which characters without games on a Nintendo console are you talking about? As far as I remember, everyone in Smash has been on a Nintendo console at some point
Also… don’t even get Fortnite or Among Us near Smash please….
Kazuma from konosuba made that same hand signal in the opening. KAZUMA FOR SMASH!
@Clyde_Radcliffe
....how did I not realize Toad/Toadette were never in Smash. That's a disservice for sure
A while ago, Sakurai posted a picture with Pyra "flying" alongside Gruntilda in Spiral Mountain, and some immediately took it as a hint that the following/final character might be Reimu or Marisa from Touhou. Which CAN still be possible, but only as much as any other "teaser" he has posted.
Bottom line is, let's try not to overthink things too much.
Doomguy being the last fighter feels like a safe enough bet to me.
My Hail Mary would be a surprise two-for of Crash and Master Chief.
But we shall see, I suppose. And it won't be teased by some silly pic coming from Sakurai himself.
I REEEEAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYY hope it's not Among Us..... Or worse, Fortnite. I'm personally "okay" with DOOM just because those games have been on Nintendo systems for what seems like forever. But absolutely 100% not my first choice especially since this will be the supposed last fighter.
@Jmjfrank Pyra and Mythra are first party (or maybe second party?) characters. So far, I think they're my favorite additions! For third party characters, I'm appreciating Sephiroth and Cloud a lot more while playing the FFVII Remake, but Banjo and Kazooie are still the most hype for me.
Glad Sakurai placed that chain link where it is, leaves little space for doubt that it's a Terminator 2 reference
Alex Kidd used hand gestures to fight. I bet it's him.
@Classic603 Toad did appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee as Princess Toadstool's human shield.
Pretty sure these Tweets are just trolling, well-aware that all these games are referencing the same movie scene.
Batista during his WWE run would gesture a thumbs up. So this means one thing that Guardians of the Galaxy is coming to Smash.
People really need to stop reading into these images.
People need to stop thinking too much into what he posts, he made that screenshot because he is a fan of the movie that's all
This Sakurai fella sure does like calling attention to himself.
Imagine thinking showing a direct reference to Terminator 2 means other games who made the same reference will be in Smash. 🙄
@Clyde_Radcliffe Someone asking for Toad is probably the least fun person in a party.
But no, Toad is already Peach's and Daisy's counter move as well as a Mii constume.
Everyone is wrong it’s going to be a Tetris piece.
@SalvorHardin No, it shows how many different people like making a harmless reference to a popular movie.
@Specter_of-the_OLED Technically not a human shield... Doesn't make it any less cruel though.
You see, this is exactly why Sakurai can’t talk about anything. Anything he says or does is a “smash reveal”
If it is Doom, the soundtrack on Smash will be cranked up to 11.... million!!
@Clyde_Radcliffe You must be fun at parties
I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope it's referencing DOOM Marine/Slayer. Would be EPIC
@Specter_of-the_OLED I hope so.
Among Us is virtually a flavour of the month entity. Yes, it’s exploded in popularity in a short space of time, but its longevity remains to be seen.
If a DOOM character is added to the roster, I REALLY hope that it’s one of demons (inspired by the designs from the classic games) as we already have a space marine on the roster.
@Clyde_Radcliffe : Jimmy T would be a great addition to the roster. And the music... kisses fingertips would be among the best in show. A disco-themed stage would also be really cool.
Yeah I'm gonna say right now it won't be a Flavor Of The Month game like fortnight or among us
@Clyde_Radcliffe I agree! Paper Mario would be a good way to round it out as well
@Shambo If it's use to protect a person from any incoming harm then it's a human shield. If the princess got damage from using it then it's not a shield, just another way of blocking/guarding.
Only sigmas thought of Castle Crashers when they see this
@Specter_of-the_OLED Does it count as a meat-shield if you're using a living fungus not made of meat? Although Portobello can be used as a meat alternative....
@RhiannonRune I agree, Paper Mario is a character I'd like to see in Smash. A lot of people don't want him mostly for being another Mario (character), but Paper Mario is hardly the same as traditional Mario.
You know, I once joked that after Sephiroth, the next DLC character was gonna be pixel Mario as part of the SMB35th Anniversary and then we got Steve. After seeing him I kind of wished my joke became true.
The 2nd Fighters Pass has been nothing but characters that don't interest me outside of maybe Kazuya. So my expectations for the last character are a pretty low.
I said it once somewhere and I'll say it again. If it were on me and couldn't decide which characters to include but could decide the release order, I'd have done
Pass 1: Min Min, Pyra/Mythra, Byleth, Hero, Banjo-Kazooie.
Pass 2: Steve, Terry, Sephirot, Kazuya, Joker, unannounced last character.
What I was trying to do was to make Pass 1 mostly Nintendo characters. Min Min and Pyra/Mythra would be the first two characters, just to get the "ARMS/Xenoblade 2 characters that couldn't make it to the base game" out of the way. Hero is the 3rd-party DLC character with most history with Nintendo. Banjo-Kazooie are also here because they were Nintendo characters at one point, if the original copyright of Diddy Kong Racing is anything to go by.
Regarding the last unannounced character, if it's a Nintendo character I'd swap it with Hero.
It's one thumb up. Roger Ebert for Smash COMFIRMED!
Coke Zero confirmed? Oh, that was already confirmed... disregard.
Dude he literally just said in that interview that he feels he can't even do anything in the public eye because people will infer meaning and speculate like hell. Chill
I'm 99% sure there joking, I mean, I hope so bc I don't know were the human race is headed if its legit.
@ChromaticDracula Couldn't be among us, But fortnite maybe?
@BloodNinja Hi Pot! I’m kettle. Nice to meet you.
@RhiannonRune Paper Mario getting in would piss off more people than it would make happy. Knowing Nintendo, his moveset would be a cross-section of all six of his games instead of just the first two with the most vocal fans.
Also, sometimes a reference is just a reference. Honestly, Sakurai could retweet a cute cat pic and people would immediately start dissecting it looking for clues for the next fighter. I think he even complained about this at Harada's Bar.
@Clyde_Radcliffe No disrespect, but I REALLY hope not.
There's no way any first party they add could be worthy of the hype. Especially not Waluigi.
@BloodNinja How? By just posting a dang image?
People need to calm down. Not everything is a hint.
@Browny I could live with either of these.
@TeddyBearSolid You must have missed the prior articles...
I'm mostly cool with either Doomguy, Crash Bandicoot, Master Chief or Chris Redfield and echo Leon, Jill, Claire whatever.
@BloodNinja You know, it's entirely possible.
Sakurai already talked about how careful he was at discussing games, in the interview at Harada's Bar. This is nothing more than a movie reference.
@TeddyBearSolid Yes : )
Sakurai: (Breathes)
Fans: He's referencing something!
...Or maybe it's actually a reference to Castle Crashers!? (Just kidding) Yes, they also did the lava thumbs up there. A boss after you beat him.
How about Wart from super Mario bros 2. Why won’t Nintendo acknowledge his existence
Please don't be anything related to Fortnite.
Yes because the reference to terminator confirms the next dlc character will be from fortnite.
Move along
The Terminator is obviously coming to Smash… duh.
Honestly though I was pulling for a hunter from Monster Hunter.
Let's see now...
(Images shows Lava, Chain, Hand.)
That is not a T2 Refence its possibly a tease for Scorpion from Mortal Kombat...
(Possibly.)
But I would prefer Rayman or Metal Slug, So each to there own & This might just be Sakurai trolling us.
Why does Twitter always think every post is a tease for something? Sakurai was just merely having fun with his debug version of Smash Bro. Ultimate. and decided to share on Twitter. If social media was never a thing, this pic referencing Terminator would not be shared outside Sakurai's home & office except for maybe to close friends of his. His fans should be grateful he shares his pics, but instead they nitpick every detail in hope he his teasing something. No, Terminator is probably not coming to Smash nor is Doom guy. This pic is only referencing that Sakurai is a fan of the film Terminator and nothing more.
I’m trying to think of another movie reference that briefly uses a thumb, compared to that T2 thumbs-up. And then it hit me. It’s gotta be Jafar, specifically from The Return of Jafar. After all, “his thumb is number one on every list!”
@Specter_of-the_OLED I think you misunderstand why it's called a "human shield". Like a "human resource", it's not when it's used FOR a human, it's when it IS a human.
poor Sakurai he can't tweet something, that everyone goes nut and think is a hint for a possible character in a Super Smash Bros game.
Wait a sec, Dying ken...kaioken...GUYS, IVE CONNECTED THE DOTS!
Doom Eternal is based! It is the best game this year too!!
For the next smash please be all nintendo and max 3 third party.
@Brad_Hogan This guy gets it!
look gary there i am!!!!!
dont know how people didnt realize my tweet was satire but nintendo fans will be nintendo fans 👺
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