We've talked about sticking to your main. Now let's talk about switching mains.

[LunarWingCloud]

As I only have one real instance of main-swapping, and even then it's in an unofficial slot of the Smash series, I have to ask this question. For those of you who have switched mains between games or even within the same game, what have been your reasons for such? Was it to a random character you didn't really use before, or someone you used a lot before and just ended up liking enough to take the crown from your old main?

For the topic of between games, was it due to changes in the character from between installment they were your main to where they aren't? Is Smash 4 the only game you have switched your main in (if applicable) or have you switched mains in previous games?

Basically just share any information on that as you'd like. After all, the profile bar only tells so much, it doesn't really tell the story of the journey, you know? And I'm actually very curious towards those who have a different main for several games.

Myself, I've always been a Pikachu main, with the only times I've ever questioned it being in Brawl when I briefly used Meta Knight over anyone else (and this is before I knew just how busted he was), and early on in Smash 4 WiiU when I felt like I wasn't improving as Pikachu and switched to Toon Link to take a break, but upon going back to Pikachu I found myself getting better again and realized he never really stopped being my main.

In Project M, the only instance I definitively do not main Pikachu, it's a combination of factors from Meta Knight's concept costume being so damn cool that I can't resist using him to Meta Knight just being really fun to use in P:M to Pikachu not feeling very fun in P:M.

 

[ELITEWarri0r115]

In Smash 64, I used to main Pikachu until I learned more about ness in brawl. He felt more easier to use.
In Melee, Roy was my main, However, I got off of him and wagered over Ice climbers or G&W. Eventually, I came back to roy. He got in my comfort zone of using again.
In Brawl, I used to be ness a lot, however, recently I played as wario in a random battle and he felt more comfortable to use in battle.
In 3ds, I mained one character and that was Shulk. I was comfortable with him except for him being kind of slow... After the amazing reveal for Roy, You know what comes next

 

[Greda]

In 64, my main was Fox. In Melee, Fox never clicked with me, it felt awkward to use him. I switched to Peach/Sheik. In Brawl, Peach felt awful to use. I kept using Sheik a little, but I was mainly using Zero Suit Samus and Ice Cimbers. In Smash 4, Fox, Peach, Sheik, and Zero Suit Samus now feel very awkward to use, I just can't play with them at all. No character really stuck with me or transferred over in any game.

In Smash 4, I mainly use Cloud now, but I just can't find a definitive main. I'll explain, but keep in mind these characters I'm going to talk about, I've used them for at least a month, and some since launch.

I mained Palutena first, but I felt like I couldn't compensate for her weaknesses well, so I went for Wii Fit Trainer. Her range was small and she had considerable end lag for a lot of her attacks which wasn't really okay for me. I tried Lucina/Robin, but they never really went far with me, Robin was far too slow and Lucina was kind of bad in my opinion. I went to Ness, that worked out okay, but I just capped my skill with him in an area I didn't want to stop at. After that, to Zero Suit Samus. I just couldn't use her for the life of me. Shulk was okay but after seeing how I worked with him I just kept him as a secondary for a while. Then Rosalina, which didn't suit my playstyle. I really tried with Sheik, but I couldn't get back into using her.

I could go on and on explaining, but I'll just list all of the other characters I tried for a while but never worked:

Mewtwo, Roy, Villager, Mario, Marth, Lucas, Zelda, Peach, and Jigglypuff.

Smash 4 just isn't my game for having a main, I guess. I'm waiting for Bayonetta or Corrin to see if they help, especially since I voted Bayonetta and play her games a lot. Here's hoping, I guess.

 

[GreenMonkey]

/: Melee was when I was introduced to Smash, and being the amateur I was, all I did was spam Thunder with Pikachu. Once I wanted to learn real techniques, I tried Ice Climbers and spammed Side-B...

//: Brawl was when I really learned that every character has a moveset and special qualities to them. By this time I was just experimenting with Peach's float, Zeik's transforming, and Ivysaur's two other Poke buddies. Peach was predominantly my main, since throwing vegetables at people's faces was fun.

/: PM was rather uneventful. Ivysaur received drastic changes (and Peach got really cool alt palettes), but my Smashing skills were still on the border of casual/competitive... and to be honest, I still think I'm on that line now.

//: 4 was the era of options! So many characters! Aside from the three characters I have the most fun with, I have so many secondaries and pockets in this game. Generally, it still comes down to how fun they are, especially with shenanigans such as Peach's float, Robin's sword/tomes, and Zelda's wind.

 

[Frizz]

In 64, I played . An iconic character and a videogame hero. Simple.
Melee, I played at first, but went to . I didn't know about Fire Emblem or anything since I was somewhat young, but I just liked him. Was it the Falchion that I liked? Or his cape? Not sure.
Brawl, I played a variety of characters. First was , because I didn't know where was, so I figured he was unlockable. Good enough, he was. But before I unlocked , I unlocked . Although I didn't know he was bad at the time, I liked him quite a bit. But his recovery made me think otherwise, so I went with . Underused oddly enough, but still loveable. So I went online with him. Met a couple of here and there, but I did my best to keep up. When Mario wasn't enough, I also noticed a lack of , so I mained him. He was pretty good. His Up Air was deadly, and so was his waft. I think I was involved in the birth of the Online Brawl s at the time. After Smash 4 came out, I dropped Brawl entirely. But after I sold my Brawl disc, I always wanted to play . His Pokemon change mechanic seems quite strategical, with its stamina and type disadvantages, which suited me.
Onto Smash 4. As you can tell, was my main from Day 1. I loved his character in Awakening, and I even played Awakening through the most canonical (, shippings, etc.), so not maining would be a foolish mistake. Granted, I have switched mains to then to then to , but I always pick back up. Let me recite one of my favorite quotes from him.
“We're not pawns of some scripted fate. I believe we're more. Much more... There's something between us all. Something that keeps us together... Like...invisible ties, connecting us.”
Or, 's victory quote with Chrom...
"It seems our fates are joined."
Maybe he means that to Chrom, but maybe he means that to me too. ...This sounds obsessive, doesn't it?

 

[Deleted member]

/: In 64, I main Kirby and Ness. I never grew up with the game personally due to my age, my first Smash game was Melee. Though after I've gotten into competitive Smash 64 recently, playing as the faces of some of my favorite game series just feels great. Kirby is practically "Hitboxes? What are THOSE???: The Character" and Ness has just such awesome throws and I love his DJC nonsense.

: Unfortunately, both Kirby and Ness sucked arse in Melee. I've been playing the Ice Climbers since I was a kid, mostly because I loved the winter and was obsessed with Ice powers back then. They still remain my competitive main in Melee, even if I have and as other characters I'm relatively decent with. It helps they have one of the best wavedashes in the game, I just love the stage maneuverability they have and their sense of teamwork through desyncs and such. Whacking the competition with wooden mallets always feels too good. That, and their victory theme is jammin'!

: I'm a huge fan of the Kirby series. it's my favorite Nintendo franchise barring Smash itself. I was ecstatic when Meta Knight was revealed at E3 '06, and seeing Dedede join the battle was so awesome.

However, I actually mained for years due to the sheer excitement I had at his reveal and for my endless admiration for the series and the character I had at the time. Even with him being near the bottom of early tier lists and my friends making fun of me for playing him, I stuck.

Then when I started to get more into competitive Brawl things changed. I still played all the Kirby characters quite a bit () but then went on to main a combination of and for a couple years. Fast forward to 2013 when Smash 4's hype train begins, my friends and I come to play Brawl online as something to curtail on said hype. The more I played, the more I became attached to Dedede and his playstyle. I loved how massive his hammer was and his disjoints, how good he was at walling out opponents and just his sense of raw power he had. That, and hust how jovial and goofy he is in everything he does. He also has the best announcer call of any character on the CSS. Oh, and his infinite chaingrabs. We can't forget those.

still remains my competitive Brawl main to this day, although I co-main alongside him nowadays. Still holding out for a wide revival of Brawl so I can rock these two in tournament!
I played the for years in this game as well, but ever since I got into competitive Brawl I never found them as satisfying to play compared to Melee. I just secondary them in this game instead even if I still love the adorable little duo.

: Now we're into Project M. For several months I had struggles finding who my main in Project M was because honestly I have tons of fun with everyone on the roster. I stuck with for a couple months and still do play him, but realized I didn't really feel all that safe with him in a competitive environment due to his rather glaring flaws. After that I mained since I do main him in Brawl and Smash 4 after all, and most of the people I play against have said my Dedede was great or had a lot of potential. I ended up gradually disliking the changes made compared to his Brawl incarnation, though I still have a good amount of fun with him. I went over to the after that considering I main them in Melee. I play them much more than Dedede or Bowser and still like them a lot due to how close they feel to their Melee selves compared to Brawl, but then I came across the character who undoubtedly molded with me the most...

Ness. I just adore the way he plays in this game. His combo ability, DJC aerials and PSI Magnet practically being a shine are some of the things I love most about him, not to mention PK Flash is an actual move worth using now! Him getting his down air from Smash 64 back is such an awesome touch too and really helps his juggling and edgeguarding game, another aspect I really enjoy about him. He feels closer to me as a mix of Smash 64 and Brawl Ness rather than Melee Ness, which helps considering he's one of my mains in both games. Match made in heaven.

The little easter eggs such as him doing his "Fuzzy Pickles" pose in front of a camera flash as a taunt and him getting his pajamas as alternate costumes are just outright labors of love. I even edited Ness' victory theme to be his one from Melee, it fits perfectly.

: I've been maining Dedede in Smash 4 since day one, a huge part of it being the fact he was my main in Brawl. Despite me realizing how significantly nerfed he was over the course of this game's year-long life as of far and him gradually becoming one of the worst characters in the game, I'm not dropping him anytime soon. He's far too much fun for me, and I'll still be a royal servant to the King until the very end. Even with all his flaws, his awesome Gordo setups, grab game, recovery and edgeguarding potency are just some of the things he has to offer. His disjoints are still satisfying, particularly in moves like his back air, jab and forward tilt.

Even if I've been tempted to drop Dedede a few times, I've never really have done so. However, I do co-main and aside him. Me liking Wario so much in this game got me into playing him in Brawl and PM, and he covers a lot of Dedede's bad matchups due his great aerial mobility, unconventional combos and having a highly dangerous kill move at his disposal in the form of Wario Waft. Ike I already played a lot in Brawl, but in this game he fits me more due to him feeling noticeably less sluggish. His disjoints and punish game remind me of how I play with Dedede, and it's nice to fight for my friends.

I still play in this game a lot too, even if I still prefer PM Ness. In general I've kept most of my Brawl characters in this game as well.

 

[Ghostly ~]

Smash 64: was the first character that I use because he was my favorite Mario character. Although his movesets were slippery and different compared to who was the "Jack of All Stats" (and still better than ), I still use him as a fun character. however, grows on me because of how simple and easy I was able to control him. His down B and up tilt was quite good which I believed he is a lot better than . Overall, I considered as my main.

Melee: When Melee first came out, I still pick and because of Smash 64. Somehow I notice how the two characters that I use in Smash 64 has some major changes. Especially who was nerfed because was the second best Smash 64 character. Because of this, I dropped . despite that I didn't know he was buffed (with his best wave-dashing and other advanced techniques that I never know) to the point of being viable, was my secondary main. With , I need to find a character that will be my main. This is where I looked upon who was a swordfighter. was also a sword-fighter too. But I began to realized that is better than (I still use as my Melee fun character though). Overall, was my main while was my secondary main.

Brawl: I was bothered how was nerfed in Melee and became the worst character (according to the tier list) in the game. With and remaining in Brawl, I still use those two characters and checked their differences along with . It seems that both and are still good which I'm glad Sakurai made this decision. But was nerfed for unknown reasons. When I looked at the tier list, was the best character in Brawl, which I was interested of picking him because I also like the characters in the Kirby franchise. Oh, and I also forgot . Whom I decided to main him because of me being the Pikmin fan, I'm excited that he was in Brawl. But I still use and as my secondary mains while I use as a fun character to play with.

Project M: To make things short, I was happy that all of my past mains are viable enough. I use and as my mains while and was my secondary mains.

Smash 4: With newcomers coming in the game, I was interested of picking someone like . But as times goes by, most of my mains from the past Smash games are still good as Project M. But I try to use different past characters that I'm not familiar with them. Overall, I use as my main while as my secondary main. The rest of my past mains however, I still use them as something to play for fun.

 

[Zorthax]

So at the start I went through a few short mains trying to figure out the game, but I eventually ended up sticking with Toon Link as my number one main for a really long time (I've never been satisfied with only a single main).

At the time I had a friend who was so much better than me at Smash, I couldn't beat him with anyone, so I eventually decided to try a bit of a dirty tactic and spam Game & Watch's side-b. My first match I took out both his stocks with a 9 each. For a while I only played G&W for the sake of spamming side-b's whenever I got salty, but as my friends learnt to avoid my side-b's, I had to learn to try new stuff with him. Eventually after playing with him for a while I became a lot better and he soon became my main. Now I almost never side-b except for that grimy down-throw combo if I get the opportunity.

FYI: we're still friends, but we're at a much closer skill level now.

 

[Lag Chan]

I really just play whoever fits my needs. I'm always fond of unorthodox power houses, so that's what I go for. is really cool for me because of all the crazy throw things he can do, isn't overly crazy but he feels just so good to play for me, I already loved in Melee but he was actually viable in Brawl, and feels so much better to play in this game than Brawl. It actually pained me to completely abandon in Smash 4, but good god is he garbage in that game.

 

[FamilyTeam]

I'm a one-trick pony.
I've been playing Mario and solely Mario for too embrassingly long.
Yeah, weird, the guy that talks a lot about Lucina, has Lucina in his avatar and in his signature is a solo Mario main.

The reason is simple: I played Mario in 64, which made me play him in Melee, which made me play him in Brawl, which made me play him in Smash 4. I only started branching out after starting to play competitively.
I was never great at 64, so to be honest, whatever character I use makes not much difference. But when I try to play it seriously, I try sticking to Captain Falcon since he seems to be the one I play better as.

Melee was when things got complicated for me to branch out. I'm also honestly not a good Melee player, but unlike 64, I have played Melee for dozens of hours playing no one other than personalityless plumber in red, which meant I was way too used to him for me to use anybody else. After forcing it for a couple of hours, I think I can play Sheik decently, so I'll try to escape to her, now.

I don't play Brawl. I won't bother learning anyone other than Mario, there.

My only experience with PM was some 10 or so hours I played it for a tournament, so of course I picked Mario.

Smash 4 was the one I've had the most "success" branching out. I tried Lucie and Sheik, and both worked out okay, but I don't play them as well as I play Mario, no way. I'm afraid Mario will be my go-to characters for serious fights forever.

...Sadly, it's not like I'm anything special as a Mario or anything. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being someone who doesn't know how to shield, grab, or do any of the smashes, and 10 being someone like Ally or Anti, I'm probably 3, 4 at best. I'm competent, I can do combos, I can make my own combos, I know all my fundamentals, I can beat decently skilled opponents, but that's it. That's as far as my abilities go.

 

[Kapus]

I'm pretty sure at this point I'll be loyal to Peach forever, though that wasn't always the case of course. I was pretty little when I first played 64 and Melee so I didn't really think that much about having mains, nor was I that passionate towards characters.

In 64 I played mostly everyone, but I definitely played Ness above all else. The only real reason I can think of is that I thought his specials were super cool (being able to absorb projectiles was and frankly still is awesome). I didn't really care all that much about Earthbound or Ness himself.

By the time I played Melee, I was very much into the idea of kid heroes, so I would often use Young Link. Aside from him I'd also play Ness and Kirby a great deal, but it was definitely young link over everyone else. He was a kid with a sword and that's all I cared about.

By the time Brawl came about, I was a bit older. I used Toon Link a lot early on since I was still used to Young Link and he was the closest thing, but I eventually shifted over Peach as I had grown fond of her as an actual character and she reminded me of a lot of games I'd fondly play in my childhood (Mario Kart, SMB2, Super Mario RPG, etc.) I truthfully had always been fond of Peach, but I hadn't quite realized it when I was little, probably because I still thought it was weird to like girl characters. Since then I did my very best to be good with Peach in Smash Bros and I started playing as her a lot in other games too.

Long before SSB4 came out I was already sure I'd stick to Peach as my main. Even if some of my most wanted characters came along (Mega Man actually made it!) I'd still use Peach as my primary main character. She's my lead, my captain. Always will be!


Side note: If I ever went back to Melee (my melee disc broke years ago), I'd probably use Peach as a main still.

 

[FamilyTeam]

I truthfully had always been fond of Peach, but I hadn't quite realized it when I was little, probably because I still thought it was weird to like girl characters.

Ah, man... that issue is really something I wish I didn't remember.
Liking Daisy when I was little was really awkward. When my mum found out, she made fun of me for it almost to the point of bullying me.
Honestly, what the **** was she thinking? I'm not much for swearing, but it's needed, here. It didn't affect me liking Daisy in any way, but whenever I remember those times I really liked Daisy as a kid, I remember all the teasing... oh god.
Thank heavens Lucina wasn't a thing back then.

 

[Kapus]

Ah, man... that issue is really something I wish I didn't remember.
Liking Daisy when I was little was really awkward. When my mum found out, she made fun of me for it almost to the point of bullying me.
Honestly, what the **** was she thinking? I'm not much for swearing, but it's needed, here. It didn't affect me liking Daisy in any way, but whenever I remember those times I really liked Daisy as a kid, I remember all the teasing... oh god.
Thank heavens Lucina wasn't a thing back then.

That happened on occasion when I was little and it was enough to scare me from expressing myself for many years. It wasn't even just girl characters, I was very into girly things in general. Nothing would have made me happier than having a dress to wear. I liked female video game characters a lot because it was a form of escapism for me, you could say.

This was long before I figured out what was up with myself and became transgender, though, so there you go.


Always be yourself, people!

 

[GreenMonkey]

That happened on occasion when I was little and it was enough to scare me from expressing myself for many years. It wasn't even just girl characters, I was very into girly things in general. Nothing would have made me happier than having a dress to wear. I liked female video game characters a lot because it was a form of escapism for me, you could say.

This was long before I figured out what was up with myself and became transgender, though, so there you go.


Always be yourself, people!

*monkey hug*

Beautiful speech! I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that in your childhood...

 

[Kapus]

*monkey hug*

Beautiful speech! I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that in your childhood...

lol I still deal with it a lot because my family isn't very accepting or open minded, but thanks.

There are people out there that deal with way worse stuff, though. I'm okay so long as I have friends that understand.

 

[Smashifer]

Well... since Smash 4 is the only Smash game I've ever played (unless you count the 2 seconds of Brawl before it froze at the Menu screen), my list is kind of short.

: When I got the Demo version of Smash 3DS, I silently vowed to main Lucario as soon as I got the game, his unplayable character icon mocking me whenever I opened the game. When I got the full version, I did main him... though not as long as I thought I would. I pretty much solo-mained him for about a month, and not having the slightest idea of how to play the game, I was pretty awful. I ended up... falling out of him on accident I guess. I caught wind of the word "competitive Smash" and decided to drop everyone I used and "restart" by picking my mains. This has happened several times, and I doubt that it won't happen again...
Anywho, I've recently picked him up and I plan on getting better with him as a pocket or something--for old time's sake.

: A small time before Mewtwo was announced, I had picked up Wario after being in deep thought for a while. Unfortunately, I found my Wario very lacklustre and I didn't have as much fun with him as I thought I would.

: After Mewtwo had dropped, I instantly fell in love with him, but I wanted someone else to back him up, so I chose Palutena because I had recently played Kid Icarus: Uprising and I really liked her character. And then I found out that she had several noticable flaws, just like Mewtwo, so I decided to pick one or the other; in the end I dropped Palutena because I have the most fun as Mewtwo.

: After dropping Palutena, I picked up Lucas because I had always wanted to play Mother 3, and I did. Afterwards, I just ended up using him less and less... oops.

: Same issue with Lucas, to a lesser extent.


Now here I am, with ,, and as my favorites as of 1.1.3. I expect myself to redo my mains again once and drop into the eShop. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Idk. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't plan on dropping though. Ever.

 

[FamilyTeam]

I'm glad my mum stopped the teasing. I was really undecided about my sexuality when I was little, and when she did that... it honestly made me scared to be heterosexual. Nowadays, I've decided I'm hetero, but not after a great and long jounrey to discover that, but this thread ain't about that.

 

[Baconbasket]

I'm glad my mum stopped the teasing. I was really undecided about my sexuality when I was little, and when she did that... it honestly made me scared to be heterosexual. Nowadays, I've decided I'm hetero, but not after a great and long jounrey to discover that, but this thread ain't about that.

You made my night. Lol.

 

[Ze Diglett]

Actually, right now, I'm in the middle of transitioning betweenand. I still use them both, of course, but I'm starting to usemore since, even though he's not as easy to pick up wins with, he's definitely way more fun. Besides, I mained him in Melee and held out for a decade since I first played Melee just so I could use him in another Smash game. I feel it's about time I gave him some attention.
Of course, the only reason I had to switch toin the first place was becausewas kind of absent from the smashing scene for 14 years... much to the dismay of my 8-year-old self when he found out his favorite character in Melee wouldn't be returning for another run in Brawl. That's not to say I don't love, of course, but regardless, those were... bad times.

 

[G-Guy]

Oh boy, where to start...

I mainly played and in 64, oh well.

In Melee I ended up maining , while occasionally playing and .

In Brawl, my favorite Nintendo character at the time, , got introduced and he instantly became my main. I did not drop though.

So, with that history, I knew that in Smash 4, the first characters I was going to try were and . While stayed as one of my top 3 Characters in this game, got dropped and I was experementing with tons of characters .
,,,,,,,,,, and were all characters I was interested in trying and I spent some hours using, but out of all of these I decided to stick with .

Didn't care what people thought of him at the time I loved the little 2D man and he's stuck with me ever since.

In early 2015 I finished Mother 3 and when Lucas was announced in April I knew who my top main was going to be.

So, after a hard road of finding my top 3 Characters, I finally ended up with , and . I am extremely happy with all of them and I cannot wait to finalize my decision once Bayonetta and Corrin drop.

 

[FamilyTeam]

You made my night. Lol.

I made your night because of what? Me being undecisive about sexuality is that funny?

 

[DarkAuraful]

Hm... I always pick characters based on personal taste so let's see.

My first game was Melee, and back then I clicked with Link since he's the only one I really knew. I was young back then, so I stayed with him the whole time. I did think Mewtwo and Roy were interesting, but I didn't touch either.

I went to Brawl. Only this time, I recognized Toon Link straight from Wind Waker, one of my favorite games. So not much to say aside from the fact that Toon Link was my to-go main.

For Smash 4 I started picking characters more seriously. I was initially interested in Little Mac because he was a boxer, which was cool. I tested him out, but couldn't pull through because of his recovery. I also considered Robin since I liked the idea of playing a magic swordsman. Though after playing him in Classic Mode, he felt slow and sluggish (at Launch; so before they were getting buffs), so he didn't click with me either. I still use him occasionally.

I've played Awakening prior to Smash 4, and I thought it was a good game. I was also fond of Lucina, so I ended up with her. Since then, she dethroned Link as my new main, sending him down to my secondary. I'm also working on Mewtwo too as a potential pocket, but it looks like he's going to have some competition with Corrin!

Oh yeah. I also played a bit of Zero Suit Samus too back at the game's launch. She had a really fun move-set. I keep forgetting about her, so maybe I should go back to her sometime soon.

 

[ChefKef]

Started playing S4 and played Doc, just to be the prescriber of K.O.'s, friend said Mario was better and I ought to switch to him, fast forward 1 year, and if Corrin is any good, looks like I have a new main.
However, if he ends up being a disappointment, might switch to Peach just because she is underdeveloped and underplayed.

 

[Runic_SSB]

I'm gonna start from when I started being interested in Smash competitively.

64: I don't really have one.

Melee: Originally , now it's

Brawl: Originally , then , now it's .

SSB4: Originally liked because his 3331 moveset reminded me of (RIP), but I didn't like how bad he was vs. shields. I moved on to because he was really fun, but it wasn't really my style. Now I main , but only because I can play him like I played Dedede. I actually like more, but I absolutely hate his grab. looks like exactly what I'm looking for, but I'm lazy and I haven't bought him yet.

 

[Leon Rios]

I was about 9 or 10 when I started in 64, it had just come out. I didn't really have a main. I really just enjoyed the game and played everybody. Though if I had to choose I would say Mario, Kirby and Link. Mario because, come on, it's Mario. Link because I liked how versatile he was (to me) and Kirby because Kirby's Dream Land was actually one of the first games I had ever beaten as a kid.

In Melee, I started getting serious about the game. I had just bought my Gamecube and Melee was my first game. I chose Link as my main, but once unlocked, Young Link was my secondary. I had experience with Link already and Young Link was a speedier (to me) version with fire based arrows that could stop an enemy in their tracks and hold them there. I would switch between the two depending on the circumstance. I dabbled with Mario and Kirby still, but they didn't seem fun to me at the time.

For Brawl, I chose Sonic because I used to love his games and the idea of having a speedier character really enticed me. I dropped him and went back to Link, because his playstyle didn't make much sense to me. Plus, tripping mechanics can go to hell. I tried Toon Link like, once and got so angry they had taken my beloved Young Link out for him. Dropped him and never went back. I didn't have much experience with Brawl.

Smash 4, I'm currently maining Link, Mario, Sonic, and newly released Cloud. Link had never failed me and he certainly hasn't started yet. Sonic blew me away in this game, I feel his playstyle has greatly improved since Brawl. I had always dabbled with Mario in the past and decided it was time to seriously consider him and so far my group says he's as good if not better than my Link... I don't see it but it's still suprising. I was really excited to use Cloud because I have always loved Final Fantasy 7. To this day it's one of my most favorite games.

Unfortunately I've had very limited exposure to Project M... don't get me wrong, I want to play it. Badly. I even have an SD card set up and a copy of Brawl... I just need to get my hands on a Wii.

 

[The Slayer]

/ Since I was pretty young at the time, I didn't have too much focus on who I main, but I tend to pick Mario and Luigi the most.
/ Once I was more dedicated with Melee, I steadily stayed away from Doc Mario and Mario and started working with Samus and Ganondorf with Falcon on the side.
/ Thanks to the game engine change, I played with Mr. G&W a little and decided to stick with him.
/ Didn't like how most of the characters played out in this version and there's no random button, I pick Samus again since she's slightly buffed from the previous game that nerf her to the deepest part of Dante's Inferno but plays as a limbo character.

 

[Khao]

When I first got into Smash, I only really played my favorites. Didn't give a **** about how they played.

That's why my first ever mains were both Mario and Luigi. My childhood was pretty much nothing but Mario.

Eventually I actually started caring about the game mechanics and I kinda figured out that Mario was kinda boring compared to some others. When looking at more fun characters, I found Link. Two projectiles, a sword that gives him more range, a stupidly awesome spin attack that hits opponents on both sides, a long-range grab. Dude could do everything! That was the first time I mained someone for his moveset rather than for his character.

Then came Melee. Link got even more fun to use thanks to yet another projectile (this time charge-able!), a multi-hit Smash attack (but only if you want it to!) and holy **** was his spin attack cool now.

Brawl came out. Link felt wrong. I think it was the massive change in physics from Melee that led to it, but Link just wasn't as fun to use anymore. I moved into Lucas, because after a while of Subspace Emmisary I grew stupidly fond of his moveset. He was pretty much what Ness would be if he wasn't annoying to use! (or that's the way I thought back then =P).

But then I unlocked Toon Link. Huh. I latched onto him in an instant, because he had the moveset I was so familiar with, but with a few changes that I simply loved (back air <3) as well as stats that just felt a lot more fitting for the new physics. The guy became my main the very moment I unlocked him. Just perfect.

Smash 4 came out.

I had a plan before I got the game.

**** every character I ever used.

I wanted to start from scratch, and find a character I truly liked, ignoring past history. After a process of elimination I finally settled for Marth (a nice "rhythm", a fun spacing gimmick, and a fantastic side B that I'll never get tired of), Pit (tons of multihit moves which are always satisfying, stupid good recovery, lots of mid-air stuff) and Mega Man (Stupidly different from everyone else, just learning how to use him decently was fun by itself).

So yah, basically, every time my main changed was due to a change in gameplay. Or even simply noticing something about the gameplay of another character. I force myself to look away from characters I like as characters because I don't want to end up playing someone that doesn't have my favorite moveset even if they're my favorite character. I did have some blind loyalty for Link from the N64 to Melee, and to Brawl to a lesser degree (Toon Link was kind of a compromise more than anything), but today I prefer to focus on characters that are simply fun to play rather than in personalities, or what game they're from. While I got into Smash because it was a compilation of things I liked, I stayed for the gameplay first and foremost, and I think my changes in mains reflect that.

Also when the **** did my post got this long what the heck I just wanted to post about who I mained.

 

[Pippin (Peregrin Took)]

I'm very indecisive when it comes to mains myself, especially in smash 4

64 - started with pikachu because I was 8 years old and Pokemon was the big thing, then switched to Samus because she was female, then Kirby because he was cute and powerful, then Link because he was the only character with a sword, then Mario because he was Italian, then Yoshi because it felt good to spike with his fair, and now jigglypuff because her Japanese name is literally pudding.

Melee - always peach - she was my favorite too , tried to transition to young link after going back to melee from sm4sh and peach felt awkward but eventually settled back in. Played some Zelda and ice climbers too but peach was my constant

Brawl - still my favorite peach design out of any game she's ever been in, but I tried her first and it just didn't work for me. Stuck with Pokemon trainer for awhile only really playing as Squirtle, then Sonic, then ZSS because I liked throwing armor at people, and finally landed on snake and pt, mostly ivysaur this time.

Brawl+ - never got into pm but played this mod quite a bit. Stuck with ivysaur and never looked back but don't particularly care for her in pm

Sm4sh - I've been all over the place. Started with pac-man but couldn't control the hydrants very well. Switched to dark pit and peach but eventually dropped peach. Pit/Dark pit's my main still but it seems like everybody else is my secondary. Really want to use miis more but rule sets concerning them are constantly in flux. Really interested in picking up Corrin

 

[Tino]

Smash 64: Well, and were my top two characters to play as, though I mostly used Link to the point of actually making him as my main character. I did switch over to other characters like , and but to a lesser extent.

Brawl: I grew really fond of and and decided to keep them as my mains. Despite that, I still played as and as my other mains while also picking up and as well. I still messed around with other characters like , , , , and only when I was in the mood.

Sm4sh: Okay, where do I even start? ...let's see...okay... and are my top two mains now and always will be. is still one of my mains, of course, which I also have and , whom I dropped due to not using her as much as I thought I would...only to pick her back up. I did had other characters I used to main such as , , and , whom I dropped in favor of . I used to main as well but I still love to use him from time to time. I also like to **** around with , , /, , and but all to a lesser extent (with the exception of , whom I decided to pick up and switch between him and ).
All in all, it's a **** load of characters I play as but and are my true mains and I will never drop them. Ever. They are irreplaceable. And I would like to add that is the main reason why I completely dropped for good and have not touched him nor the rest of the Mario reps and never will. will be the only Mario rep I'll ever play as.
Now, I'm just waiting for / to come out and add him/her as one of my mains because I'm excited for Fire Emblem Fates...and for the salt.
I'll also be getting as well just cuz I can.

 

[itsmeMOB]

Switched from to because I completely forgot how to use Falcon after all those years lost from not playing the game and me being only around 5-6 around it's release. I did NOT have the technical aspects of Melee down as a 5 year old as I do now being 19, so part of that is from this and I'm still learning how to control his fast air speed when I can. I had to completely relearn Falcon (and still am) in order to get myself back into shape with him, but I probably have more knowledge of Fox right now in Melee than Falcon as well and I can chain together combos and strings with him a lot more accurately than I can CF.

Switched from PM to PM because I find myself doing a lot better with Snake. I chain together my attacks better and I think I have better knowledge of PM Snake than I do PM ZSS. I don't know how to do any bomb setups yet, but I can hold my own as Snake. ZSS is very precise in this game and due to me trying to play like her Brawl and Sm4sh iterations kind of screws it up for me because the mechanics aren't the same in PM. I still play her, but not as much.

 

[sixkami]

Mega Man and Link have been my mains since Day 1. Mega Man is my main because of devotion/brand loyalty/fanboyism, and Link I just like using because I never seem to not do well with him. I always had a third character, but that's the one I never could decide on. It used to be Ganon but at the time, I was never really good at making reads or picking up on opponents habits so I just ended up getting flung around a lot by faster characters, so by the advice of a friend I switched to Captain Falcon for a while because he told me I was more a reactionary kind of fighter.

Eventually while using Captain Falcon I started to get better at paying attention to my opponents and instead of relying more on reacting to what to do, I started rely on a balance of both predictions and reactions, so I thought I would pick up Ganon again after this and I did okay with him. Eventually I decided I wanted an extra sword fighter so I let go of Ganon and started using Shulk, but eventually I started using Ike because I never bothered using most of his Manado Arts besides speed and smash. So I was steady with Ike, but then Roy came out, but after a couple weeks I went back to Ike. I held onto him until Cloud came out and I started using him for the same reason I main Mega Man; Fanboyism.

And I think I'm pretty good with Cloud. I know I said this about everyone else I dropped up til this point, but I'm keeping this one because of the same reason I still use Mega Man. Unlike him, however, Cloud was actually easier for me to play as from the beginning.

 

[the_muffin]

Lets start from the beginning then.

64: I was too young and didn't care about being competitive enough to have a main. Although I remember really liking a lot because he could "shoot fire and lightning" as kid me thought. When I've gone back to 64 I usually stick with because his move set is similar to Ganondorf's, which brings me to...

Melee: I actually played enough of Melee with friends to get competitive and decide to main a character, even though I didn't really know what "to main" meant at the time. became my go-to and is where I solidified my love of heavy hitters in Smash games. At some point I adopted as my co-main.

Brawl: I didn't really play enough of Brawl to really pick a main, but didn't feel good anymore, and sort of took his place.

PM: Didn't come to PM until after I played a lot of Smash 4, but I put equal amounts of time into , , and in my limited (and very casual) play time with it.

Sm4sh: Originally stood out to me in a big way. "A hard hitter who's also fast? PERFECT!" Except not. Eventually Mac's limited recovery and aerial options led to me dropping him and making the hard choice between and the newly-made-awesome (I never liked Bowser in Melee or Brawl, but 4 made him feel good.) Ike won out obviously. In Smash 4 he reminds me a lot of Melee Ganondorf. Hits hard and is surprisingly quick, only now with the added joy of disjoints and range.

 

[Jenna Zant]

I switch my mains between games, but I tend to play Link and Sheik the first time I play a new Smash game, fan-game or not.

 

[ShyGuySaysEpicness]

64: Main Secondary Tertiary
Melee: Main Secondary Tertiary
Brawl: Main Secondary Tertiary
Smash4: Main Secondary Tertiary

 

[OldHapple]

64: I went for as soon as I saw him. I had little to no skill at this game, but something about PK Fire and his grabs were amazing. I had friends who would go for Jigglypuff and use rest on me, which made me main . Picking up Smash 64 and playing it from time to time makes me remind of how I was a noob back then.

Melee: I started out playing . They were cute and I loved how unique they were, fighting together. They got boring and I thought was way cooler, because I had never seen him before and he looked so cool with a sword and stuff. He became my main. Because he was cool. Unfortunately, I haven't played Melee because I sold my GameCube, but if I ever find the chance to play it, Marth all the way.

Brawl: I played again. I beat my friends and stuff. I also managed to mess around with because I thought Rest was still op, but it got nerfed. I messed around with for some time, but Marth ended up as my main, but if I have a chance, I'll play Lucas.

Sm4sh: I wanted to try the new characters out, so I started with . I loved camping with Duck Hunt, and the mindgames with his specials were fun to pull off. Unfortunately, I sucked, so I went for . I had fun. The idea of killing characters with soccer balls and yoga poses seemed like a good idea. I went for and , but I managed to stick with WFT.

 

[ForteX]

Smash 64 came out when I was nine years old. I didn't think anything about the concept of a main back then, or even the idea of competitive video games, it was all foreign to me. I remember playing Link, Pikachu and Luigi because I liked them as characters, but nowadays I list Ness as my 64 main because he's the most fun for me to play... if I can even consider Smash 64 fun to play anymore.

In Melee, the same story sort of applies. I was eleven when I got it, and thought the concept of the game was just the coolest. I stuck with Luigi and felt like such a god at Melee - I beat event match 51, that makes me a total champion, right? None of my friends could stand up to my Luigi, and it wasn't until I played against a stranger at EB Games did I have any idea how much better someone could be than me. He and I talked for a long time after he ruthlessly beat my Luigi with almost every character on the roster, and he asked me if I played anyone else. I had sort of started to be interested in Marth, so I told him, and he told me to try to improve my game with Marth, and maybe to stop by Smashboards. I didn't actually take that advice until around a year or two later, but I did take his general advice to heart, and learned a lot about advanced tech and the real competitive aspects of the game. I really improved with Marth and enjoyed his style of gameplay.

Melee got me so interested in Smash that I was there every step of the way during Brawl's dojo days. I really started to get hardcore into the Mother series (that is to say, beyond Earthbound) around that time, too, so when Lucas was announced, I was gung-ho: there's my main, no matter what. Sorry, Marth. I played Lucas at a launch day tournament at Gamestop, and while the tournament was jank, I enjoyed my time. Lucas felt strangely right - even though I was so used to being offensive with Marth, taking it slow and staying on the defensive in order to pull out a more strategic win felt great. I know a lot of people don't like Brawl, and I understand, but I really appreciated Lucas.

So here we are at Smash 4, and much like with Brawl, I was there every step of the way, not a day went by that I didn't check the website to see what Sakurai was going to bring us today. No matter what, though, nothing beat out day 1 - MegaMan's reveal. I had been waiting for that since Melee - "why not MegaMan", I would ask. Finally, there he was, and that was it, even harder than Lucas, I saw my main. "No matter how bad he is, no matter how awkward he is to play, I'm going to main MegaMan." I would tell virtually anyone who asked. I was excited to experiment with the beefier Ike and Shulk, and Robin, but no one ever made me question whether or not MegaMan would be my focus. It was a much easier decision with Lucas not around, but when he was announced as DLC, I decided that I would just pick him up again, too, I can't just abandon a playstyle I loved so much, and a character I'm really attached to. I consider him a co-main now, but the difference between how much time I've put into MegaMan and how much time I've put into Lucas is really obvious.

It's always boiled down to me playing a character I'm really loyal to in terms of franchise representation, with the exception of Marth who just stood out to me. Switches happen just because someone I'm more interested in comes along... and honestly no one is ever going to beat MegaMan.

 

[Muskrat Catcher]

Well having only played Brawl and Smash4, and having not been competetive until 4, this will be a short list.

First character I picked up in Brawl was . Don't really remember why, but it was probably because I just loved the Kirby games at the time, probably being my favorite series. Kirby had a lot of jumps which allowed a young newbie like me to not SD all the time. Also since I literally never learned to shield and grab, his down-B served as my shield and his neutral-B served as my grab. Also I did learn to use smash attacks to kill with, but his hammer was really powerful and I liked that. I probably spammed it as a matter of fact. Don't ask me how I learned to play like this but I don't remember ever learning to grab or shield or even dodge and roll until smash4.

So after using Kirby for a while I realized that everyone I knew seemed to also play Kirby (Did this happen to anyone else? It seems like all casual or noobish players in brawl used Kirby. Did anyone else feel that way or was literally everyone I knew just really attracted to Kirby for some reason?), so I wanted to try something different and be unique, so I started trying other characters. I ended up knowing how to at least grasp every character in the game (as in knowing what moves to spam), and I ended up liking Lucario . I liked him outright because I liked Pokémon, but he basically had everything that Kirby had to help a noob like me. He had a move that grabbed (side-B) and a move that defended (down-B) so I never had to shield or grab. He only had 1 jump but was floaty, had a wall cling, and had a really good recovery move, so I rarely SD'd. I loved trapping people with neutral-B charging, and I loved his floatiness and staying in the air for long amounts of time with D-air stalling. I never even learned about his aura mechanic until the hype leading up to smash 4! lol! I kept Kirby as my secondary throughout Brawl

Right when smash 4 launched, I was so excited to pick up Lucario again. However, he just didn't feel the same. I don't even know why (this is still before I began to git gud), but I didn't feel like he carried the same power and mobility or something. So I heard good things about bowser, so I tried him, and I really liked him. I was going through all the characters still, and I quickly found that I really liked the heavies in this game, which I didn't in brawl. No idea why, maybe rage? But I always seemed to perform better when I had high damage. So I started focusing on the heavies, and I found out that I really like . I was a gordo spammer, but then I found smashboards which had guides on it, so I started learning how to not be a scrub. I ended up joining the site, and got into the competetive scene over about a year.

I still love to play a variety of characters (as seen in my signature). Lucario and Kirby have dropped quite a bit down the list. I have really changed my opinions on who I like to play since Brawl

 

[Gold Zero]

: I pretty much main these two in every game regardless of how good they are. I love Cap's aggressive style, and Peach's recovery. It also helps that they have the most fun taunts and some satisfying killmoves. Landing a good Knee/Falcon Punch, or in Peach's case, a prefect D-Smash, or lucky Stitchface/Bob-omb is probably the most satisfying thing in the series.

: I used Ness frequently in 64 and Melee, but since Brawl, his usage has been dropping, probably because of more characters coming in to the games, although Ness is about my 5th most played character in PM. I mostly used Ness in 4 just to give him Lucas' custom moves, but dropped again when Lucas actually came out. Lucas I didn't care for in Brawl, but liked better than Ness, mostly because of the easier to use Up-B and dat U-Smash. I'm not a fan of the changes to Lucas in PM, so he's somewhere on the bottom. In 4, Lucas is somewhere in the Top 10.

: Marth was my 3rd main in Melee, but like Ness, he's been dropping as the series goes on. Never liked Roy in Melee, thought he was okay in PM, and now he's my 3rd main in 4, and my favorite DLC character unless ends up being godly. Lucina just feels a lot better than Marth for some reason despite lacking Marth's tip bonuses.

 

[KirbCider]

Hrrrrmmm, this is actually going to be a tough one for me to answer but I shall try my best to. From what I remember...

Super Smash Bros 64 - &
I started Smash when I was seven or eight so it's a little hard for me to remember precisely. I know I never owned it and when renting games from Video stores were still a thing (Wow, I'm already sounding like a geezer) I would constantly bug my parents to rent it for me just about every single time they went. I know I picked Kirby right off the bat because I was a huge fan of him and still am to this day.

Of course, I was also massively into Pokemon at the time hence why I also played with Jigglypuff and Pikachu. I believe I used Kirby and Jigglypuff the most though because they were easiest for me to use due to all the extra jumps they had, because kid logic.

Super Smash Bros Melee - &
Still pretty young at this point and still can't remember too much. I'm sure I stuck with these characters the most in Melee however. Kirby carried over from 64 and I ended up ditching Pikachu and Jigglypuff, although I can't exactly say why I remember. I still loved Kirby and he was still always my number one choice. I got into Dr. Mario specifically because he was just a cooler Mario at the time (because again, kid logic). I also remember loving Peach as well, and I believe she was my second best to the point my friends hated her.

I believe I enjoyed Toon Li-eughmmeeuuff I mean, Young Link because of not only Nostalgia but because he was a smaller and faster version on Link. I didn't use him as much though but he was still one of the characters I always liked going to.

And here we get interesting... Mr. Game & Watch.

At the time I believed I had every single character unlocked. I believe Mr. Game & Watch was the last one I had ever unlocked hence why he took me by such surprise. He was so... Interesting. I had no idea who he even was. His Stage was cool and I thought he himself was cool. He was insanely fun to play as and he would of given Peach a run for her money if I used him just a bit more.

Super Smash Bros Brawl - &
Now we're starting to get into the swing of things. Kirby was still always and forever my number one choice. It took me a while to get used to some of his changes but I never once looked back. Peach was still one of my favorites to use as well although my friends didn't appreciate her as much as I did. No Dr. Mario made me a little upset, but I think I got over him fairly quickly. I guess you can say Zelda replaced him due to him no longer being around. For some reason I hated to use her in Melee but enjoyed her in Brawl.

I liked to stay as Zelda way more than transforming into Shiek, but would do so when I felt like Shiek benefited me more. I guess you can say I stuck with Young Link due to using Toon Link quite often. I didn't use him as much as I used to though; however he was still one of my top choices. This is also a point in time where I started really getting into Mr. Game & Watch. I couldn't stop playing him.

He was climbing up to the top where I believe he was tied with Kirby in "Who was my best". I even remember worrying a lot that he may not be in Sm4sh after Brawl. I'm so glad they didn't take him out. Of course, then I met someone entirely new once again... ROB.

Yet another character I gotten entranced by. Truthfully I didn't start using him a lot at first, but he started to grow on me. I started to really love that little robot. Eventually, I began to lose interest in Toon Link a tiny bit because of ROB. I just considered him to be better.

Super Smash Bros U - & ( At the start: )
Now we get to the point where I really did start ditching and switching mains.

I am still loyal to Kirby because he was my main since the beginning; however as much as it breaks my heart I use him less frequently now to the point he might as well be a secondary. Since Sm4sh I am now finally able to go against new opponents other than just my friends. I'm aware Brawl had an online mode but... Lets face it, it wasn't all that great so I hardly ever used it at all.

People give For Glory a lot of heat, but if it wasn't for that Online mode I never would of discovered who works for me and who doesn't. I still considered Kirby and Mr. Game & Watch my best of the best. None of my friends could ever beat them and truly despised them with a passion; however I discovered on For Glory I can barely do much at all with those two. For Glory literally gave me a slap of reality and made me question if I was as good with them as I thought. It's probably the main reason why I used them less.

Now at the very start of Sm4sh's release I was determined to use Wii Fit and Duck Hunt. I was crazy hyped for these guys but sadly they didn't stick. I'm currently slowly getting back into Duck Hunt but I'm convinced I do pretty terrible with him still. Pac-Man was also one of those "Must mains" and he's the only one that seemed to of stuck, although now I'm starting to use him a lot less as well. I also continued to use Toon Link and Peach at the start before losing interest I suppose. I just sort of dropped them.

I was also excited for Dr. Marios return, but he didn't last more than a week with me.

I'm still with Zelda though and use her more than I ever did in Brawl. In fact, I think I play has her much better now. I don't use her as much, but she's certainly one of my top choices. ROB has proved to be one of my absolute bests in Sm4sh so I'm glad he got to stay.

And one of the biggest surprises waiting for me was King Dedede. I'd be lying if I said I didn't despise him in Brawl. I hated him so much and he was one of the worst possible characters for me. I just couldn't play as him and would never see myself maining him, but look at me now... He is my greatest weapon, tied with ROB. Perhaps it was all the buffs and changes he received in this version but he began to grow on me the more I used him. I still find it crazy how I'm now using someone I despised the absolute most.

It's honestly funny how things can change so much. You may never truly know who you are going to main or stick with in the end.

I'm so sorry for the TL;DR post in advance. Hopefully I answered what was asked okay.

 

[Lady Kuki]

Didn't play Brawl or Melee seriously, so I've got nothing for those two games.

As for Smash 4 though, I've changed mains a lot.

I first played several characters. This was back before I knew that you were supposed to have only one or two mains. I've played ,,,,, and

I eventually dropped ,, and when I realized I actually wasn't that good with them.

Occasionally, I'd play as ,, and as well. I was a mess when it came to choosing characters.

Fast forward to June of 2015 where we got our first batch of DLC characters. I dropped for , because I felt Roy was much better for me to use; he doesn't require nearly as much precision as Shulk does. With Shulk, make one mistake and you'll be comboed pretty badly. Also dropped along the way as well; he just didn't fit me anymore.

December 2015: Picked up DLC and fell in love with him. I'm arguing whether I should use both him or , or drop one of them and replace them with . I still like using , it's just that he feels a lot more risky to use as opposed to . I was planning on to be one of my backup characters. I am planning on using as a potential main or secondary as well if he/she manages to be pretty good.

In summary, I'm still arguing whether to choose or as my main. and are competing each other for the secondary spot. I still go back and use some of my older characters like , but I don't use them seriously anymore.