For kicks and giggles, and 'cos all the cool kids are doing it, I'm gonna go right back to the beginning and detail my top five favourite characters in each Smash.
This is based on how much I enjoy them in Smash, as well as inherent hype / satisfaction, so let's get this proverbial show on the metaphorical road~
64
64 main. As I got a bit older and started experimenting with new characters, I discovered my love of the good Captain. That he's incredibly satisfying to play and feels so tight and responsive to control is just cool icing on the delicious burning cake.
I've got a soft spot for Mario, whom I've always regarded as something of an underdog in Smash. His moveset is fun and accessible, and his cheerful attitude never gets tiresome.
Similar to Mario, but sometimes I just like to live dangerously and go against the grain. Green is cool, everybody loves green.
While I'm ambivalent towards him in Smash, his 64 incarnation has a simple charm about it that I just can't resist. Similar to Cap, he's a cool standout fighter in a cute and wacky setting.
Playing as a giant smiling ape never gets dull. And he rounds out the cast with his slow, heavy style, which I appreciate.
Honourable mentions:
Melee
Melee main. As mentioned above, I have a bit of a soft spot for Mario, and he's even more adorable and charming in his doctor getup. Doc is a hilarious and bizarre addition to the roster, and the sheer audacity of his presence in a game as competitive and intense as Melee makes me happy.
I've long since grown out of playing Kirby, but he was my first ever Smash main and his Melee incarnation still holds a lot of meaning to me. Even if I don't play him anymore, on sheer principle, he has to be here. He got me into Smash and I owe the little guy a huge debt of gratitude.
The Great King of Evil himself. As much as I love Cap, there's something viscerally appealing about crushing skulls as the Dark Lord - pure, brutal satisfaction.
While I admittedly never played him in Melee, the fact that he got my brother and I interested in
Fire Emblem is something worth crediting. My experience with him is limited, but he represents something truly wonderful for both of us.
I only very recently realised I like Pichu, but...yeah, I kinda do. He's just so adorable, like a tiny electrified kitten that hurts itself as it fights! How can you not swoon over that? If I was to go back and play Melee today, I'd definitely try this little fellow out again.
Honourable mentions:
Brawl
Brawl main. I was always a fan of R.O.B. since I discovered him in
Mario Kart DS, and my childhood love of robots and quirky characters made him an instant favourite for me. That he's a clunky mess in Brawl only endears me towards him even more. A real underdog in every sense, he captured my heart in his stubby rotor arms and spun me around and never let go.
I grew up with the
Wario Land games, so seeing him in Brawl was a dream come true. I still remember seeing that trailer for the first time: the hype was unreal. I've stopped playing him recently, but he's still got a special place in my heart. That, and I spammed the hell out of his Final Smash when my brother and I first got the game, and briefly became an object of resentment and terror amongst our friends. They even teamed up on me to get me to play nice - and, like a good Wario player, I never did. Good times!
I honestly never expected this, especially since I hadn't even heard of
Mother 3 at the time. I played him one day out of curiosity and found that, much to my delight, I actually had a lot of fun! As my brother is a competitive Ness player, our PK duels were always good fun. He'd always beat me, but playing as the crybaby kid turned legendary hero was always a blast.
This shocked me most of all - not because he was in the game, but because I actually realised I like to play him! At the end of Brawl's lifespan, I tried experimenting with the roster, and stumbled upon Wolf almost by pure chance. Although I always said I'd never play him to any great degree, I ended up playing him almost non-stop for the rest of the game's duration. He's great fun and endeared me to a moveset I had otherwise no interest in whatsoever.
I was a huge Sonic fan when the game came out, and while I quickly lost interest in the character and the series, the hype his presence created was enormous. Along with Snake, he paved the way for third-party characters in Smash - so for that alone, if nothing else, I feel like he deserves his credit.
Honourable mentions:
Smash 4
Smash 4 main (first of two).
Uprising is my favourite game of all time and I absolutely love Pit in it, and when I saw the full potential of his moves in Smash 4, I knew I'd main him instantly. He's got a fun and varied toolkit, and he feels so good to play. Considering he went from one of my least favourite characters in Brawl to my favourite Smash character ever, I'd say that's good work for the little angel!
Smash 4 main (second of two). Likewise, Palutena's personality in
Uprising endeared me to her massively, and she was always my most wanted newcomer - in fact, the only newcomer I really hoped for. I always said I'd be content with the game if Palutena was revealed. The day she was revealed at last was the day my hype reached maximum potential. In spite of controversy and doubt, she pulled through in the end. I'll always love my fair goddess, and the satisfaction for playing well with her challenging and diverse moveset is immense.
I never expected this as, like most people in the speculation days, I fully expected Chrom to be the new
Fire Emblem character following
Awakening's breakout success. I was shocked and delighted when she showed up, though. In spite of my initial disappointment of her clone status, I quickly got over it and realised that I got what I always dreamed of: a Marth-like character that I feel connected to on a playstyle and emotional basis. Not what I expected, but damn happy that that's what we got.
Like Lucina, I wasn't expecting Robin to show up. Though I was always open to the possibility and thought it'd be cool, I thought Chrom was the hot pick for sure. When Robin showed up in all his magical glory, I knew Gematsu had been killed, and the hype returned in full swing. The post-trailer stinger featuring female Robin only served to solidify my immense hype.
R.O.B. has always been one of my favourite Smash characters, and I was amazed at how dynamic and impressive he feels in this game. Pure delight.
Honourable mentions:
Favorite Kirby character. Very hyped for him.
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