Sabertooth
Smash Ace
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2018
- Messages
- 621
One of my favorite categories of characters in Smash has always been the Rogues Gallery. With a roster of dozens of goody two-shoes, you know we've gotta have some villains to balance it out. But who are these villains? In this essay post I will list every known playable villain in Super Smash Bros Ultimate and group them each into a sub-category depending on their circumstances.
Grade-A Indisputable Villains
There's no budging on this bunch. They're the scum of the earth and we love them for it.
*Bowser. Probably the most iconic villain in gaming barring maybe the ghosts from PAC-MAN. He's pretty goofy sometimes and he's teamed up with Mario before, but he knows when to dial up the intimidation factor.
*Ganondorf. He's canonically the King of Evil, and his beast form embodies that even better. Unlike Bowser he's never teamed up with the heroes. A real threat.
*King K Rool. He wants to kill the Kongs and take over their island. He only teamed up with them once, during a baseball tournament, and other than that he's been a straight heel. He even hid for ten years just to give the Kongs a false sense of security! That big oaf.
*Ridley. He straight-up murdered Samus's parents and he continues to terrorize her as the leader of the Space Pirates. He's a lot smarter than he looks.
*Wolf O'Donnell. Even though he's usually just a hired gun, he's a really bad dude even disregarding that. I'm pretty sure he would kill Fox if he had the chance.
*Bowser Jr. Since he's Bowser's son, he's literally growing up submerged in a villainous environment. This brat will grow up to be just like the other guys listed here, or maybe even worse since he's got King Koopa himself as a dad.
*Dark Samus. The embodiment of Phazon and Metroid Prime itself, this parasitic space virus took the form of Samus. It knows no emotions, only corruption.
*Piranha Plant. Every gamer who's ever played a Mario game knows not to screw with this weed. Usually all you have to do is touch the pipe it emerges from, and the plant will stay put; however, this particular Piranha Plant seems much more aggressive. It's the first Mook rep in the series, and the little guy is ready to put on for his species. Series staple Petey Piranha even hits the scene when his little buddy breaks the Smash Ball!
Debatable Villains
These guys are much less cut-and-dry than their peers in the above section. They can be seen as villains, antiheroes, rivals, or even heroes depending on how you look at them. What do they really want?
*Meta Knight. Meta Knight was a villain maybe once, but since then has been more of an antihero who helps out Kirby when necessary. His gallant demeanor paints him as more of a pragmatist than a full-on bad guy, so I'd strongly hesitate to put him in this group.
*King Dedede. The King of Dream Land is in very much the same situation as Meta Knight, except he's been portrayed as much more selfish and greedy even to this day. He's definitely been an ally more often than an enemy, but if Kirby had a Bowser, this would be the guy.
*Wario. Mario's doppelganger is in Smash representing his own series, so at face value, he's not a villain. However, he was the main antagonist in his very first appearance, and most casual Mario spin-off fans label him as "the evil Mario", so he's still got that stigma attached to him. Whether or not he actually wants that reputation is unknown, but he's definitely not a nice guy regardless.
*Dark Pit. I know very little about the Kid Icarus series, but he's straight-up got "Dark" right in his name, so I assume he's a villain. Apparently he's more of a troublemaking renegade though? Asking for a friend.
*Mewtwo. There's no such thing as an evil Pokemon, said Ekans in the first season of the cartoon. Personally I think it all depends on which incarnation of Mewtwo we're looking at; since Smash mainly focuses on the video game side of things, let's go that route. His two biggest appearances so far have been the original games and Pokemon X & Y, both of which featured him as a bonus boss of sorts. Since you fight him and he doesn't get much of a backstory until the movie, I think it's fair to leave this one up to the player's interpretation. Technically every Pokemon can be considered an enemy!
*Incineroar. Okay, this one is REALLY debatable, especially since the wrestling Pokemon never actually serves as an antagonist in Pokemon Sun & Moon, at least no more than any other Pokemon does. But just look at him! He's a heel wrestler who thrives off the bad feelings of others. When the final evolution for Litten was first leaked, nobody liked the design, as many were tired of the cute quadrupeds growing up to become bipedal fighting types. Even now that we know he's really a Dark-type, folks were still displeased when he was leaked for Smash, many even calling his reveal "ending on a low note". The guy lives to displease, and I think he fits in great with the other villains of Smash.
Skins
-These characters only show up as skins for another character. Some of them are officially recognized while others require a bit of imagination. Regardless, they're here and ready to smash for the side of evil!
*The Koopalings. Larry, Wendy, Lemmy, Roy, Morton, Iggy, and Ludwig have been minions of Bowser since his third appearance. Once thought to have completely retired, who knew these guys would all show up in Smash Bros one day?
*Dark Meta Knight. While Meta Knight himself might be an enigma, his doppelganger is much less ambiguous--this double from the Mirror World is an objectively bad guy. He's a skin for Meta Knight, and as a result, he simply takes the name of his more honorable counterpart. Send this scum back from whence he came!
*Dark Link. He's a villainous reflection of Link using shadow magic, and he shares all of Link's abilities and strength. The Zelda games often feature him as a particularly difficult boss fight, and he dates all the way back to the second ever Zelda game. He's a real Video Game Null-Star!
**Dark Toon Link. This is an evil version of the Hero of Winds, and he shows up as the final challenge of an enemy rush minigame in Spirit Tracks.
**Dark Young Link. Presumably, this is a version of the Dark Link we see in Ocarina of Time back in his pre-pubescent years. We never actually see this form of Dark Link in the games.
*Team Aqua Pichu. This Electric-type baby Pokemon might be cute, but anything that purposefully aligns itself with terrorists is not okay in my book. Approach this Pichu with extreme caution and always bring a Ground-type to subdue the expansion of the world's oceans.
*Team Skull Pichu. Although not terrorists, Team Skull is a now-disbanded rowdy group of thugs who are not to be trusted. This Pichu might not be as bad as its Team Aqua contemporary, but it's still on my watch list. I don't care if Guzma was "redeemed"--he's still a bad role model.
So I think I've covered just about everyone who can be considered a villain in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. That's a total of 27 villains in all, or 28 if you count the Final Smash Petey Piranha! I can't wait to duke it out against and alongside this bunch of disgusting blokes when the game finally releases. What other villains should be added to Smash? And did I miss any? Let me know and stay on the path of virtue!
Grade-A Indisputable Villains
There's no budging on this bunch. They're the scum of the earth and we love them for it.
*Bowser. Probably the most iconic villain in gaming barring maybe the ghosts from PAC-MAN. He's pretty goofy sometimes and he's teamed up with Mario before, but he knows when to dial up the intimidation factor.
*Ganondorf. He's canonically the King of Evil, and his beast form embodies that even better. Unlike Bowser he's never teamed up with the heroes. A real threat.
*King K Rool. He wants to kill the Kongs and take over their island. He only teamed up with them once, during a baseball tournament, and other than that he's been a straight heel. He even hid for ten years just to give the Kongs a false sense of security! That big oaf.
*Ridley. He straight-up murdered Samus's parents and he continues to terrorize her as the leader of the Space Pirates. He's a lot smarter than he looks.
*Wolf O'Donnell. Even though he's usually just a hired gun, he's a really bad dude even disregarding that. I'm pretty sure he would kill Fox if he had the chance.
*Bowser Jr. Since he's Bowser's son, he's literally growing up submerged in a villainous environment. This brat will grow up to be just like the other guys listed here, or maybe even worse since he's got King Koopa himself as a dad.
*Dark Samus. The embodiment of Phazon and Metroid Prime itself, this parasitic space virus took the form of Samus. It knows no emotions, only corruption.
*Piranha Plant. Every gamer who's ever played a Mario game knows not to screw with this weed. Usually all you have to do is touch the pipe it emerges from, and the plant will stay put; however, this particular Piranha Plant seems much more aggressive. It's the first Mook rep in the series, and the little guy is ready to put on for his species. Series staple Petey Piranha even hits the scene when his little buddy breaks the Smash Ball!
Debatable Villains
These guys are much less cut-and-dry than their peers in the above section. They can be seen as villains, antiheroes, rivals, or even heroes depending on how you look at them. What do they really want?
*Meta Knight. Meta Knight was a villain maybe once, but since then has been more of an antihero who helps out Kirby when necessary. His gallant demeanor paints him as more of a pragmatist than a full-on bad guy, so I'd strongly hesitate to put him in this group.
*King Dedede. The King of Dream Land is in very much the same situation as Meta Knight, except he's been portrayed as much more selfish and greedy even to this day. He's definitely been an ally more often than an enemy, but if Kirby had a Bowser, this would be the guy.
*Wario. Mario's doppelganger is in Smash representing his own series, so at face value, he's not a villain. However, he was the main antagonist in his very first appearance, and most casual Mario spin-off fans label him as "the evil Mario", so he's still got that stigma attached to him. Whether or not he actually wants that reputation is unknown, but he's definitely not a nice guy regardless.
*Dark Pit. I know very little about the Kid Icarus series, but he's straight-up got "Dark" right in his name, so I assume he's a villain. Apparently he's more of a troublemaking renegade though? Asking for a friend.
*Mewtwo. There's no such thing as an evil Pokemon, said Ekans in the first season of the cartoon. Personally I think it all depends on which incarnation of Mewtwo we're looking at; since Smash mainly focuses on the video game side of things, let's go that route. His two biggest appearances so far have been the original games and Pokemon X & Y, both of which featured him as a bonus boss of sorts. Since you fight him and he doesn't get much of a backstory until the movie, I think it's fair to leave this one up to the player's interpretation. Technically every Pokemon can be considered an enemy!
*Incineroar. Okay, this one is REALLY debatable, especially since the wrestling Pokemon never actually serves as an antagonist in Pokemon Sun & Moon, at least no more than any other Pokemon does. But just look at him! He's a heel wrestler who thrives off the bad feelings of others. When the final evolution for Litten was first leaked, nobody liked the design, as many were tired of the cute quadrupeds growing up to become bipedal fighting types. Even now that we know he's really a Dark-type, folks were still displeased when he was leaked for Smash, many even calling his reveal "ending on a low note". The guy lives to displease, and I think he fits in great with the other villains of Smash.
Skins
-These characters only show up as skins for another character. Some of them are officially recognized while others require a bit of imagination. Regardless, they're here and ready to smash for the side of evil!
*The Koopalings. Larry, Wendy, Lemmy, Roy, Morton, Iggy, and Ludwig have been minions of Bowser since his third appearance. Once thought to have completely retired, who knew these guys would all show up in Smash Bros one day?
*Dark Meta Knight. While Meta Knight himself might be an enigma, his doppelganger is much less ambiguous--this double from the Mirror World is an objectively bad guy. He's a skin for Meta Knight, and as a result, he simply takes the name of his more honorable counterpart. Send this scum back from whence he came!
*Dark Link. He's a villainous reflection of Link using shadow magic, and he shares all of Link's abilities and strength. The Zelda games often feature him as a particularly difficult boss fight, and he dates all the way back to the second ever Zelda game. He's a real Video Game Null-Star!
**Dark Toon Link. This is an evil version of the Hero of Winds, and he shows up as the final challenge of an enemy rush minigame in Spirit Tracks.
**Dark Young Link. Presumably, this is a version of the Dark Link we see in Ocarina of Time back in his pre-pubescent years. We never actually see this form of Dark Link in the games.
*Team Aqua Pichu. This Electric-type baby Pokemon might be cute, but anything that purposefully aligns itself with terrorists is not okay in my book. Approach this Pichu with extreme caution and always bring a Ground-type to subdue the expansion of the world's oceans.
*Team Skull Pichu. Although not terrorists, Team Skull is a now-disbanded rowdy group of thugs who are not to be trusted. This Pichu might not be as bad as its Team Aqua contemporary, but it's still on my watch list. I don't care if Guzma was "redeemed"--he's still a bad role model.
So I think I've covered just about everyone who can be considered a villain in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. That's a total of 27 villains in all, or 28 if you count the Final Smash Petey Piranha! I can't wait to duke it out against and alongside this bunch of disgusting blokes when the game finally releases. What other villains should be added to Smash? And did I miss any? Let me know and stay on the path of virtue!
