'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' Roster: Blame Kirby For Lack of New Characters

In a way, Nintendo really delivered with its Super Smash Bros. Ultimate announcement, revealing the biggest roster of characters ever. But in another, much more real way, the company really dropped the ball by announcing a new Smash Bros. game with barely any new characters.

If you’re still angry that your favorite video game character didn’t make it into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate you’re not alone. But before you blame Nintendo, know that the company has a pretty good excuse: Kirby.

You might have missed it. Nintendo snuck this timid explanation for the lack of new fighters into a single soundbite in its 25-minute-long Super Smash Bros. Ultimate preview. But, basically, the issue is that every new character means extra work for the game developers in charge of designing Kirby.

“He has a copy ability for every fighter,” the company said. “So the more fighters we have the more challenging he comes to develop.”

This is followed by a subtle pause to drive the point home before Nintendo moved onto the next “new” character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. At the same time, we also got this handy visual to really emphasize just how much effort it takes to keep Kirby updated.

Of course, since Nintendo is really only adding one new character (Ridley) in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it shouldn’t take that much effort to update Kirby. It’s also still unclear exactly how the little pink puffball will transform when it copies the giant purple dragon from the Metroid series, though one fan already has a pretty good idea of what that will look like.

So what’s the solution? The simple answer is just to be patient. I have a feeling Nintendo’s still not done announcing new Smash Bros. fighters, and at the very least we’ll probably get a few post-release additions designed to coax even more money from your wallet. However, I have another, better fix: Ditch Kirby.

Before you start making death threats on Twitter, hear me out. First of all, Kirby is a terrible character. He’s basically just a crutch for mediocre players so they can fly safely above the action and then come crashing to earth with that annoying B Down move. Combine this with the fact that Kirby is apparently slowing down the Smash Bros. development process and the answer is clear as day.

Get rid of Kirby and add Waluigi instead.