'Smash Ultimate' DLC Leaks: Alleged Insider Says Sora Is in Development

The beauty of Super Smash Bros. is that it’s a blank canvas where Nintendo’s best characters can battle other video game icons in a context-free environment. In the lead up to Smash Bros. Ultimate, we saw some pretty outrageous requests for new characters, and with five more downloadable content (DLC) fighters on the way there’s still plenty of room for speculation. One fan-favorite request continues to be Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series, but could the Disney-owned character actually make it into Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC? Well, it’s complicated.

Beyond pure fan speculation, the possibility of Sora in Smash Bros. Ultimate stems from the all but confirmed rumor that a Square Enix character will appear in the new game. That follows the addition of Cloud from Final Fantasy VII in Smash 4, which was well received by fans. So why not try again?

The question, then, is which Square Enix character will join Smash this time. Recent leaks make a strong case for Erdrick from the Dragon Quest games, while earlier reports hinted at Geno from the Square Enix-developed Super Mario RPG. However, one recent leak suggests it could actually be Sora, the protagonist from Square Enix’s Disney themed video game series.

The leak comes from 4chan, so definitely treat it with a grain of salt, especially since the source claims to be a Nintendo product tester who hates their job and decided to get revenge. You can read the entire thing on 4chan but here’s the important part:

There are three characters that we are currently testing in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, those being: Joker, Erdrick, and Steve. I would love to get you guys picture proof, but considering how tight security is, and the fact that I don’t want to get sued, I am not gonna do that. Anyways, there have also been rumors that the last two DLC characters are going to be Sora, and Doomguy, but I can not confirm or deny this.

Ok, so Joker is already confirmed. Erdrick also seems like a strong possibility, and Steve from Minecraft is a popular leak as well. We’ve also seen Doomguy pop up in recent reports. Sora, however, is the biggest surprise. It’s not the first time we’ve seen the Kingdom hearts hero show up in Smash leaks, but is there any validity to it?

Unfortunately, a scan of the latest updates from more trustworthy Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC leakers doesn’t reveal much. Vergeben, an anonymous tipster with an impressive track record, hasn’t said anything about Sora at all.

So is it even possible? The short answer is: Yes, but it’s complicated. Last year, YouTuber HMK had an opportunity to interview the vice president of Disney Japan, who confirmed that Disney (not Square Enix) owns the rights to Sora and would be open to putting him in Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, he added that both Square Enix and Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura have direct input over how the character gets used. So for anything to happen, Nintendo, Disney, Square Enix, and Nomura would all need to agree. It might be a longshot, but hey, at least it’s not impossible.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available for Nintendo Switch.

Related video: Joker joins the Smash Bros. roster.