Ad hints at imminent Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter 77 announcement
The next fighter may soon enter the fray as part of the Fighters Pass 2.
It's been almost three months since Min-Min was revealed as the first DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as part of the Fighters Pass 2. While Nintendo has not officially announced anything yet, a new advertisement could be a major hint that the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character announcement is imminent in the form of an early October Nintendo Direct.
On Sunday, Twitter user @OnuaUlt discovered a new advertisement for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass 2 in Japan. The ad itself doesn't reveal anything significant outright: We see Min-Min and the five remaining empty spots for new fighters that'll be included as part of the Fighters Pass 2. Still, Nintendo has a history of posting ads like this and having them taken down around the launch of a new fighter. This ad will only be active until Sunday, October 4, 2020.
So, what does that mean? This ad makes it extremely likely that a new fighter will be revealed on or around October 4, ending another lengthy gap between new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighters.
This ad will only run until October 4, so the next DLC fighter could be announced on that day or soon thereafter.
As Nintendo Life notes, there is a precedent for these ads indicating when a new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter will be announced. Specifically, ads popped up for both Dragon Quest's Hero and Banjo & Kazooie with removal dates that were timed surprisingly close to the characters' launches.
October 4 is a Sunday, so it's doubtful that will be the date that Fighter 77 is finally confirmed or released, but Min-Min was revealed on Monday, June 22 in a surprise Nintendo Direct presentation, so the same could happen for the next fighter on October 5. No matter when exactly a reveal may happen, a Super Smash Bros Ultimate ad with a removal date like this drastically increases the chances of an announcement the week before or after October 4.
This announcement should be invigorating for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fans, who have not heard anything about a new fighter since Min-Min's reveal in January. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentations have become independent from traditional Nintendo Directs, and Nintendo has opted for many smaller, game-focused showcases this year anyways.
The gap between the release of Byleth and Min-Min was about five months, and if this ad is accurate, the gap between Min-Min and Fighter 77 will be just over three months. This is much slower than the two-month cadence that Nintendo hit for most of the first Fighters Pass, but these ongoing delays are clearly caused by the work-from-home development changes that came with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Who could the next fighter be? While this ad gives us a window for the announcement of the next Super Smash Bros Ultimate fighter, it does not contain any hints as to who Fighter 77 will actually be. We've theorized that characters like Geno or Pokémon like Kubfu could make the cut, and there are still some highly requested characters that have yet to join like Bandana Waddle-Dee from Kirby, Sora from Kingdom Hearts, and Waluigi from the Super Mario Bros. series.
Min-Min was teased months before her release, but we've had no such luck with Fighter 77. Whether its a classic Nintendo character or a surprising guest character that no one saw coming, Fighter 77 could be just as much of a surprise as Byleth was when they were revealed back in January.
