Joker Announced For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Last night during The Game Awards 2018 on December 6th, it was announced that Persona 5’s Joker is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable newcomer!

Joker is sure to have come as a surprise to many of us, and supposedly this isn’t even where the surprises end, as Reggie Fils-Aimé said that all of the DLC characters will be unexpected choices at The Game Awards right after Joker was revealed. Currently nothing is known about how Joker will play, as no gameplay footage of the character has been shown yet, however what we do know is that he is part of the first challenger pack, which will contain Joker, one new stage and additional music tracks. This challenger pack will be available to purchase both on its own and as a part of the Fighters Pass, which comes with the five confirmed challenger packs and grants the buyer access to a special Mii Costume made in Rex from Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s likeness.

If you want to see the trailer for yourself, check out the video below!

Author’s Note: Did you see this coming? Are you excited to play as Joker? Please let us know in the comments below!

 

It doesn't get more "literally who?" than this.

I truly wonder when we'll start seeing this "must-have" DLC Nintendo talked about, because we've seen two of the six DLC characters for this game so far and both of them are trash.

If the main character of Persona 5, a game that received considerable praise and both critical and commercial acclaim, is a "literally who" to you, you're just out of touch, I think.

 

I've seen his name thrown around as a request, but I know next to nothing about him. He's very new and AFAIK he only has one game.

 

lmao the salt of many here is hilarious to read. Just as fun as it was reading the salt when Cloud got in. Good thing these people are a minority who are simply the ones that won't stop crying when their specific wishlist doesn't get confirmed and they rant about other people's favorites, specially majorities' favorites.

 

I've never played persona. Never been interested. But i'm actually excited for the people who are happy.

I'm so relieved about the statement regarding the DLC to come. Sounds like it's not going to be about the same faces from every YT leak video thumbnail.
And Even more relieved to hear they'll be from series not yet present in the game.

 

I've seen his name thrown around as a request, but I know next to nothing about him. He's very new and AFAIK he only has one game.

Joker himself only starred in Persona 5 and some dancing game spin off, I believe.

Persona itself, however, has been around since 1996 on the PlayStation. And Shin Megami Tensei, Persona's parent series, goes as far back as 1992 on the Super Famicom. And the first Shin Megami Tensei is a re-imagining of Megami Tensei, released in 1987.

So yes, while Joker isn't one of the earlier protagonist of the series (kinda like Ness or Cloud), the series he is from is quite the long runner, influential series, and one that has a massive following.

 

The reaction to Joker definitely echoes the reaction to Cloud. "WHAT?!" "THEY ACTUALLY DID IT" "MEMES ARE REAL" "ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN" "WHY AN ANIME JRPG PROTAGONIST" "WHY NOT A BALLOT CHARACTER"

I'm a fan of the Persona series so I'm pretty happy with this inclusion (haven't played 5 yet but that will change), as far as third party characters go this one is a lot more interesting to me than most choices. The idea that characters like King K. Rool and Joker, characters and series of origin who couldn't be any more different, were newcomers in the same Smash is blowing my mind. While I would still like to see some Nintendo characters like Dixie Kong and Bandana Dee, in my mind, about 95% of the Nintendo cast who should be in is. All I ask for DLC at this point is the bear and bird, but even if they don't make it, if the other characters are as quality as Joker, I'll definitely buy the Fighter Pass.

At the end of the day, Ultimate is already a truly fantastic product, and any DLC will just be a bonus.

 

They better release Persona 5 on the Switch right now! They did it for Final Fantasy VII so it’s very possible

 

Joker himself only starred in Persona 5 and some dancing game spin off, I believe.

Persona itself, however, has been around since 1996 on the PlayStation. And Shin Megami Tensei, Persona's parent series, goes as far back as 1992 on the Super Famicom. And the first Shin Megami Tensei is a re-imagining of Megami Tensei, released in 1987.

So yes, while Joker isn't one of the earlier protagonist of the series (kinda like Ness or Cloud), the series he is from is quite the long runner, influential series, and one that has a massive following.

Joker is in Persona Q2 which is on the 3ds.

 

If the main character of Persona 5, a game that received considerable praise and both critical and commercial acclaim, is a "literally who" to you, you're just out of touch, I think.

He's a literally who to anyone who isn't a wall-scroll collecting otaku.

 

He's a literally who to anyone who isn't a wall-scroll collecting otaku.

This ain’t it chief.

Considering how big of a cultural impact the game has made, how well it’s ranked on best games of all times lists, and how well it’s sold, all in a little over two years, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

He earned it fair and square.

 

He's a literally who to anyone who isn't a wall-scroll collecting otaku.

Newsflash, millions of people around the world consume Japanese media, including the Japanese game series this website is centered around that you're posting on.

The idea that anime or anime-based media is niche is such a silly, outdated concept. This isn't 1995 where people still call Sailor Moon by the name "Serena."

 

He's a literally who to anyone who isn't a wall-scroll collecting otaku.

Must be ****loads of "wall-scroll collecting Otaku" out there then considering the impact Persona 5 had.

By the way, you support Lip so I wouldn't go around saying a character is "literally who?" If I were you. You might break your glass house.

 

And Even more relieved to hear they'll be from series not yet present in the game.

That worries me more than anything else. Unless of course crash bandicoot, Shantae, or Spyro is in for dlc.

He earned it fair and square.

Then would you care telling me why Dixie Kong or Crash Bandicoot aren’t in? As far as I know those two are both highly regarded, Crash for basically jump starting PlayStation, and Dixie for being a pretty high choice for a lot of people (also being pretty important to Nintendo history). With your logic, literally hundreds of characters have “earned a spot” but will never get a chance because of Sakurai bias.

 

Then would you care telling me why Dixie Kong or Crash Bandicoot aren’t in? As far as I know those two are both highly regarded, Crash for basically jump starting PlayStation, and Dixie for being a pretty high choice for a lot of people (also being pretty important to Nintendo history). With your logic, literally hundreds of characters have “earned a spot” but will never get a chance because of Sakurai bias.

Because not every character can get in and so many factors are involved for why characters get included besides what internet forum posters pontificate.

 

Must be ****loads of "wall-scroll collecting Otaku" out there then considering the impact Persona 5 had.

By the way, you support Lip so I wouldn't go around saying a character is "literally who?" If I were you. You might break your glass house.

As much as I will hate myself for admitting this as a Lip fan, you're absolutely right on that.

 

Then would you care telling me why Dixie Kong or Crash Bandicoot aren’t in? As far as I know those two are both highly regarded, Crash for basically jump starting PlayStation, and Dixie for being a pretty high choice for a lot of people (also being pretty important to Nintendo history). With your logic, literally hundreds of characters have “earned a spot” but will never get a chance because of Sakurai bias.

I think that you’re really overthinking this whole thing and I honestly don’t know what your trying to prove.

He got in on his own merits because he’s made a huge impact cuturally as a whole, was that not clear?

Also you have to look outside of internet message boards for answers, otherwise it’s a really dangerous thought-process to follow because it can result in things such as echo chambers and circular logic.

 

This ain’t it chief.

Considering how big of a cultural impact the game has made, how well it’s ranked on best games of all times lists, and how well it’s sold, all in a little over two years, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

He earned it fair and square.

Must be ****loads of "wall-scroll collecting Otaku" out there then considering the impact Persona 5 had.

By the way, you support Lip so I wouldn't go around saying a character is "literally who?" If I were you. You might break your glass house.

You know I really can't help but notice the overwhelming presence of anime avatars around here. Admittedly, I'm a bit of an otaku myself, but saying that Joker is well-known to people outside of anime fandom circles is a straight up lie. There is no one at all that this character appeals to outside of those groups, nor is he well known outside them. How easy it is for you to point to his popularity within this group as evidence for his overall popularity, ignoring the fact that you happen to be standing in one such circle right now.

 

You know I really can't help but notice the overwhelming presence of anime avatars around here. Admittedly, I'm a bit of an otaku myself, but saying that Joker is well-known to people outside of anime fandom circles is a straight up lie. There is no one at all that this character appeals to outside of those groups, nor is he well known outside them. How easy it is for you to post about his alleged "popularity" ignoring the fact that you happen to be standing in one such circle right now.

Let me ask this, do you know where Smash bros is made? I'll give you a hint, its not America, and its not the EU.....

Would it surprise you if I said where this game is made, Joker is recognizable?

 

Would it surprise you if I said where this game is made, Joker is recognizable?

So is Lip, what's your point? That didn't stop people from calling her a "literally who" character here in an attempt to disprove me.

I'm talking about how well known he is here.

 

So is Lip, what's your point? That didn't stop people from calling her a "literally who" character here in an attempt to disprove me.

My point is, that you are claiming it is a "who" to anyone whos outside of Japan, or an "otaku" , as if they have to cater to everyone outside. It will sell well, game and pass, without doing so. Besides you act like people who like anime or Japanese media are some kind of fringe group of 50 people, A LOT of people over the years have increasingly become interested in anime etc. He doesn't need to be well known "here".

 

You know I really can't help but notice the overwhelming presence of anime avatars around here. Admittedly, I'm a bit of an otaku myself, but saying that Joker is well-known to people outside of anime fandom circles is a straight up lie. There is no one at all that this character appeals to outside of those groups, nor is he well known outside them. How easy it is for you to point to his popularity within this group as evidence for his overall popularity, ignoring the fact that you happen to be standing in one such circle right now.

Did you literally read what we said? He's well known because his game made a cultural impact and is well-known as one of the greatest games of all time, it makes a ton of sense chief.

 

I'm going to be honest, I'm not enthralled by Joker, especially if the Switch isn't getting Persona 5, especially since no gameplay came with the announcement and frankly I'd rather have more Nintendo characters over more third parties anyway.

But I have a simple solution to this issue: I just won't buy him.

That's the beauty of DLC; unless you suffer from crippling OCD, you can vote with your wallet and only bother purchasing what you actually want.

 

You know I really can't help but notice the overwhelming presence of anime avatars around here. Admittedly, I'm a bit of an otaku myself, but saying that Joker is well-known to people outside of anime fandom circles is a straight up lie. There is no one at all that this character appeals to outside of those groups, nor is he well known outside them. How easy it is for you to point to his popularity within this group as evidence for his overall popularity, ignoring the fact that you happen to be standing in one such circle right now.

Persona 5 was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards last year, and The Game Awards is heavily focused on western interests. To say Persona 5 is only acknowledged by the anime crowd is absurd. I don't watch anime or read manga at all, and save for the Pokémon anime and Yu-Gi-Oh when I was younger, and a couple of episodes of MHA since it was requested by a friend, I really never have. But even then I recognize the impact that Persona 5 had. It's not nearly as niche as you're proclaiming.

 

idgaf about Persona, it's characters, or it's music. It all kinda blends together for me in some teen drama with weird yokai stuff and music that I only rarely find enjoyable.

However, that doesn't mean it has no place in a giant crossover franchise like Smash. Even if I don't have any plans on enjoying Joker as a fan of his franchise, I can always look forward to see how he'll actually play. It might be a rad time.

Tbh the main surprise for me is that we got a DLC announcement so soon. I hope people won't take this as some sort of indication that we'll get these announcements at a rapid pace and then throw a fit when it doesn't happen as fast as expected.

 

https://youtu.be/eFVj0Z6ahcI?t=45

 

This made me curious: if Joker stole the Smash invitation, I wonder who the invitation was intended for.

It was for Waluigi, Duh

 

I know who the invitation was for: Banjo & Kazooie!

 

Prepare for Bayonetta 2.0: another character who because of their original abilities will be broken af

...Huh?

Bayonetta is broken because she was copied over from her source game which is a fast-paced action game, Joker is completely balanced in his source game so there wouldn’t be much of an issue there.

I don’t understand the thought-process.

 

...Huh?

Bayonetta is broken because she was copied over from her source game which is a fast-paced action game, Joker is completely balanced in his source game so there wouldn’t be much of an issue there.

I don’t understand the thought-process.

In all fairness we have no clue how Joker will stack up at current as we haven't even seen a single piece of gameplay footage. He could be Bayonetta level or he could be Pac-Man level. Who the heck knows at this point?

 

In all fairness we have no clue how Joker will stack up at current as we haven't even seen a single piece of gameplay footage. He could be Bayonetta level or he could be Pac-Man level. Who the heck knows at this point?

I mean just knowing the character (it’s my favorite game of all time guys trust me) he doesn’t at all feel like he’d be a Bayonetta repeat.

But on another note you have a point that we really know nothing atm.

 

Persona 5 was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards last year, and The Game Awards is heavily focused on western interests. To say Persona 5 is only acknowledged by the anime crowd is absurd. I don't watch anime or read manga at all, and save for the Pokémon anime and Yu-Gi-Oh when I was younger, and a couple of episodes of MHA since it was requested by a friend, I really never have. But even then I recognize the impact that Persona 5 had. It's not nearly as niche as you're proclaiming.

It just sounds to me like you're unable to see past your own bias since you are clearly a fan of it. The Game Awards is an absolute joke of a show and people only watch it for game reveals anyways. He is not nearly as popular as you think he is, and his design is very much a niche anime design that's only appreciated by anime fans. It gets muddied up here because this is an echo chamber of Persona fanboys but once you step outside of it you can see that he's not nearly as popular as you're making him out to be. Even among Persona fans I personally talk to they agree that he is a niche pick and doesn't have the same broad appeal as the other third party mascots we see in the game.

We'll see in the end how popular he really is. But I really hope the majority of the DLC isn't like this. We already have enough generic anime protagonists that look like they're from the same game. Joker is probably going to be a repeat of the Corrin situation where he turns out to be the worst-selling character due to being so niche, unless they're all like this, in which case, the fighters' pass is a write-off.

...Huh?

Bayonetta is broken because she was copied over from her source game which is a fast-paced action game, Joker is completely balanced in his source game so there wouldn’t be much of an issue there.

This... isn't really how game design works. At all. Being "balanced" in one game (and I don't see how this applies to single-player RPGs) doesn't mean you're going to be balanced in all future game appearances, especially in games that are in completely different genres.

He's well known because his game made a cultural impact and is well-known as one of the greatest games of all time, it makes a ton of sense chief.

This is nothing more than a delusion. Games like Undertale and God of War had cultural impacts. Persona remains a niche anime JRPG played by fans of niche JRPGs. I'm not disparaging the game's quality because I haven't played it but there is NOTHING to indicate it had a "cultural impact". Being well-loved by its fans and having a "cultural impact" are two completely different things.

 

in which case, the fighters' pass is a write-off.

To you, to you it would be a write off, but I'm sure they are selling a lot of those passes. You sir are not the majority opinion, or the arbiter in what is, and isn't a "write off" for anyone but yourself. Even on this forum, and on other smash forums in general, we are a very small slice of the pie that is the overall sales of this game, so no matter what echo chamber your about to point out to prove yourself, it doesn't matter. The internet tends to be where most whining gathers, and people tend to get a false sense of what the majority is.

Also, I'd like to point out their are more then a few characters in smash that not a lot of people knew about till smash, if anything, this will give Persona more interest.

Congratulations to the Joker/Persona fans, this is pretty big for you guys.

 

It just sounds to me like you're unable to see past your own bias since you are clearly a fan of it. The Game Awards is an absolute joke of a show and people only watch it for game reveals anyways. He is not nearly as popular as you think he is, and his design is very much a niche anime design that's only appreciated by anime fans. It gets muddied up here because this is an echo chamber of Persona fanboys but once you step outside of it you can see that he's not nearly as popular as you're making him out to be. Even among Persona fans I personally talk to they agree that he is a niche pick and doesn't have the same broad appeal as the other third party mascots we see in the game.

We'll see in the end how popular he really is. But I really hope the majority of the DLC isn't like this. We already have enough generic anime protagonists that look like they're from the same game. Joker is probably going to be a repeat of the Corrin situation where he turns out to be the worst-selling character due to being so niche, unless they're all like this, in which case, the fighters' pass is a write-off.



This... isn't really how game design works. At all. Being "balanced" in one game (and I don't see how this applies to single-player RPGs) doesn't mean you're going to be balanced in all future game appearances, especially in games that are in completely different genres.



This is nothing more than a delusion. Games like Undertale and God of War had cultural impacts. Persona remains a niche anime JRPG played by fans of niche JRPGs. I'm not disparaging the game's quality because I haven't played it but there is NOTHING to indicate it had a "cultural impact". Being well-loved by its fans and having a "cultural impact" are two completely different things.

Dude, I've never even played Persona lol. I'm not the one "unable to see past my own biases" here.

Also, for "an absolute joke of a show," it sure does have a lot of clout. You not enjoying it doesn't change that. Reality doesn't bend to your whims.

 

Very nice, 2B when?

 

I know nothing about Persona, but from a business perspective this was a smart move.
A DLC character like Waluigi, Geno or Dixie is not going to win people over to Smash; most who support those characters have gotten the game already.
An addition like Joker makes sense because it is very likely to attract a new crowd that aren't entirely into Nintendo games. Nintendo knows that a lot of video game fans also have a PS4, so this is a chance to create some overlap, get this people to buy their game and even pay for the DLC. A similar effect was achieved with Ryu and Cloud for Smash 4. This is also behooves Nintendo and Atlus since they have the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei V coming exclusively for the Switch, and for those who don't know, SMT is the parent series of Persona. As some people have pointed out, both Persona and SMT are niche series so this might serve as an opportunity to gain some exposure. And that's alright. Smash has never been exclusively about All Stars.

Joker also didn't steal [insert your favorite character here]'s spot. If they saw a profitable opportunity to add one of those characters, they would have likely done so already. Joker's presence does little to change that; I'm sure that even if he was never announced, Nintendo would still not bother with someone like Waluigi as DLC.
Banjo and Kazooie might depend on several factors, if there is a new game coming soon then they might be considered to be a profitable choice... for Microsoft, but not necessarily for Nintendo. Depending on how much they would have to spend on licensing money and splitting the profits, adding Banjo and Kazooie may not be in their best interest. And that's assuming if it's even possible. I know that Phil Spencer said it was ok, but he is not in complete control over that.

 

I'm happy that Joker got in. If a character like him is going to be DLC, then I can't wait to see what other newcomers Nintendo and Sakurai chose!

Nintendo logic: We can't please everyone, so let's only aim for characters that 2% of people wanted....and watch our ******* fans eat it up anyway! >:D

I'm gonna stop giving Nintendo money anymore at this rate. And I live for Nintendo. What do I live for now?

Yikes. I can taste the salt in this comment. And for the people writing off Persona 5 as "niche", it really isn't. Its main battle theme became a meme for crying out loud.

 

Wow. Persona as a series can sell about 10 million units.... totally a high-grossing cultural impact.... more like a bunch of die hard fanboys. Can we get more reps from series that have completely destroyed this number? Something like I don’t know, Tekken with over 46 million units sold? Crash Bandicoot sold more than persona as a whole with just the second and third games in the series combined, and as a whole goes over 5 times persona, yet is anyone gonna say it made a cultural impact?

 

Crash Bandicoot sold more than persona as a whole with just the second and third games in the series combined, and as a whole goes over 5 times persona, yet is anyone gonna say it made a cultural impact?

Obviously we would. We aren’t stupid. You guys need to settle down. Joker is in Smash. Deal with it.

 

Meanwhile I’m just sitting here patiently waiting for the other four characters to be confirmed for DLC.

At this point, literally anyone can be in Smash, whether it’s a “generic anime” or a cartoonish or a “who” character. Either way, I don’t care who else gets in because I’m still getting the Fighters Pass anyways.

 

Meanwhile I’m just sitting here patiently waiting for the other four characters to be confirmed for DLC.

At this point, literally anyone can be in Smash, whether it’s a “generic anime” or a cartoonish or a “who” character. Either way, I don’t care who else gets in because I’m still getting the Fighters Pass anyways.

Same. Joker may not get my fanboy blood going, but I have faith at least one will be of mild interest.

If not, at least I got Piranha Plant.