How the most recent DLC characters in SSBU faired in competitive play

Released almost three years ago, Super Smash Bros Ultimate sported the most extensive base roster of any games in the franchise. Many of which had minor tweaks to their gameplay but generally resembled their older counterparts. On the other hand, 11 new characters have been released since, with Tekken’s Kazuya the latest addition and only one more character to go, as said by director Masahiro Sakurai.

The development team working under Sakurai are incredibly experienced with bringing the uniqueness of each character to live in the super Smash Bros stage. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is with Steve, from the indie game turn cultural sensation Minecraft, which was acquired by Microsoft at the tune of 2.5 billion dollars in 2014.

With every new playable character in the game, tiers have been changing over time. Interestingly enough for most players, the new characters have not been overtly overpowered, something many feared after the disaster that was the introduction of Bayonetta in Super Smash Bros Wii U/3DS.

So how did all these new characters fair in the competitive world of Super Smash Bros Ultimate? Did they secure a safe place in the mid-tier levels of play, sank to the bottom of the rankings due to poor mechanics, or did they break through the game’s conventions and proved influential but balanced rivals to some of the game’s most potent characters?

Piranha Plant

When initially released, Piranha Plant was very much underpowered. The constant butt of many jokes in the scene was a weird choice to add to the game. But over time and through various patches, Piranha Plant became just as underwhelming, but not as much as before. The carnivorous villain received its most significant buff in update 8.0.0 but even, so it remains on the lower end of the standings. Its heavyweight and bad recovery tools certainly put it there. Nevertheless, it can see some competitive play in today’s SSBU events, if only as a specialist pick.

Joker

From the underwhelming to the nearly broken, Joker provided a pretty hefty whiplash, coming in as a super-strong character that continues to see extensive use in the competitive world of SSBU. His dynamic playstyle around Arsène gives its players an excellent strategy to trigger it at the best time while also becoming a menace for its opponents. Since its introduction, it has been nerfed many times, but even today, it is believed to be among the best characters.

Hero

The first of many so-called anime sword fighters, Hero has enjoyed a pretty balanced existence. Its heavyweight and tall stature meant that he was very vulnerable to combos, but his robust KO options gave players more than enough tools to get the stock advantage when it mattered.

Banjo & Kazooie

The first appearance of the due since a horrible release with nuts and bolts a few years back, Banjo & Kazooie is one of the many beloved late 90s franchises for Nintendo fans. They did well for their first appearance in Super Smash, bringing in a feeling of classic character for the fighting franchise like Mario with their all-around good playstyle. The duo has barely changed since its release in June 2019.

Terry

Melee focus characters in smash generally do farewell. Still, intense combo options and his ability to apply shield pressure put Terry in a nice place compared to other characters of the same cloth. Overall, he can be conceived as a glass-cannon-type character that excels at the game in the right hands.

Byleth

From the latest entry in the Fire Emblem series, Byleth came in as the second DLC sword character for Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Their slow mobility proves quite a challenge for players to masters, but they were rewarded by their high damaging attacks and extensive KO options. All in all, Byleth sits solidly in the mid-field of characters.

Min Min

The First DLC character from the new generation of Nintendo IPs is the mildly successful ARMS. Interestingly enough, Min Min herself is not the game’s protagonist but one of the fan-favorite opponents. She landed at a pretty un-opportune time for the game. The Covid pandemic began to set in competitive play. It moved from offline spaces to the much less enjoyable online experience, which halted all of the potentials from high-level players. A prospect that would be seen as soon as the character came back to the offline scenes.

Steve/Alex

Thought to be primarily a meme, Minecraft Steve and its female counterpart Alex made their way into the Super Smash Bros stage, no small feat as it included some impressive bespoke mechanics that pushed the development team to their limit, all while working from home.

Sephiroth

Not much to say, an absolute classic character that came in with one of the most extended ranges for a sword fighter in Smash and incredible speed. Though Sephiroth never captured the top of the rankings, he is undoubtedly a pretty solid pick for specialists players.

Pyra/Mythra

Starting with these two, the current standings in competitive Super Smash Bros Ultimate begin to become a lot harder to parse. For one, this is just a single character with the ability to switch between them. Pyra is the harder hitting but, the slower and heavier option, while Mythra fills the percentile building, faster character.

Kazuya

According to Sakurai, Kazuya was a surprisingly tricky character to implement from the Tekken series into Smash. One look at the plethora of moves the character can perform should be enough to see why. Right now, we can’t say where Kazuya stands, but those who will put hours into the surface will be rewarded by a powerful close-range fighter with lots of setups and combos.