'Smash Ultimate' DLC Leaks: New Character Rumors Boosted by Top Leaker

The Super Smash Bros. community is firing on all cylinders this week after a leak claiming to reveal the full lineup of post-release downloadable content (DLC) characters surfaced on a Japanese online forum. The list includes some surprising additions (Doomguy! Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden!) along with a few expected additions, but can it be trusted? If anyone knows, it’s probably reliable Smash Bros Ultimate leaker Vergeben, and in recent comments, the tipster seems to throw their support behind at least some parts of this blockbuster leak.

First, in case you missed the initial news, here’s the full list of alleged Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters that leaked (in addition to the already-confirmed Joker from Persona 5:

• Erdrick (Dragon Quest)
• Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden)
• Steve (Minecraft)
• Doomguy (Doom)

Adding a bit more credibility to this alleged leak is the fact that it was actually posted back in December 2019 and also mentioned the upcoming Project 5 R, which game developer Atlus only confirmed later that month. Of course, this doesn’t mean these Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters are guaranteed, but according to another reliable source, they may not be totally unrealistic.

Leading up the release of Smash Bros Ultimate, a leaker going by the name Vergeben managed to predict most of the new characters added to the game’s roster at launch (though they also got a few wrong). Since the release, Vergeben hasn’t been quite as active in online forums like Reddit and GameFAQs, but in recent posts he’s responded to the latest flurry of DLC-related leaks.

In one GameFAQs forum thread, Vergeben essentially confirmed that Erdrick will be coming to Smash Bros. Ultimate, citing both their own sources along with other “confidants.” They add that the DLC reveal could also herald new ports of older Dragon Quest games, presumably to the Nintendo Switch.

“I will say one big thing that connects to what is already believed to be Erdrick by myself cuz of how much I have heard his name come up as being the Square Enix character…. and now there are more leakers outside of my sources & confidants that are publicly saying they have heard Erdrick too…. That is I have been told by two different sources that there are plans to announce a port / ports of previous Dragon Quest games which should come this year.”

In another comment on the same thread, Vergeben, shot down suggestions that Shadow from the Sonic games (not mentioned in the latest leak) could be coming to Smash Bros. Ultimate as a DLC,

“I never once said Shadow was in,” they wrote. “I had heard the opposite.”

While Vergeben doesn’t go as far as confirming the entire list of Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC leaks, they do seem to suggest that there’s nothing offensively wrong about it. Of course, we won’t know for sure until Nintendo makes the announcements, but for the time being this new leak seems to pass the Vergeben sniff test. That’s got to count for something.