History EpilepticTrees / SuperSmashBrosUltimate

* Another datamine revealed a line referring to a model file for one of Joker's alts labelled "Jane"[[labelnote:note]][=/Jack6_C06_v01_070925.mb_Jane1_pony_hairSystemShape2.mchp=][[/labelnote]], it was debated whether or not it was an alternate gender option for Joker or perhaps a [[WholesomeCrossdresser female outfit]] for Joker, or if the line was instead referring to an assist character who would appear in his Final Smash. When a teaser for ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 5 Royal]]'' was revealed on March 23rd 2019, it showed a glimpse of the then-unnamed new character Kasumi Yoshizawa. This led to fans speculating that she was the character the "Jane" line was referring to and that she'd be debuting in Smash before her game was released. The "alternate costume" theory was jossed on April 16, 2019, with Nintendo releasing Joker's gameplay trailer and a showcase of him, showing his alternate costume is his school uniform with Kasumi nowhere to be seen, though some fans speculate that Kasumi may be added in as her own fighter at a later date. This gained traction after the announcement that more fighters beyond the Fighters Pass are planned as well as an announcement that the upcoming ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'' has two music tracks that are unlocked [[OldSaveBonus on the Switch version of the game if save data for]] ''[[OldSaveBonus Ultimate]]'' [[OldSaveBonus is detected]], one of which happens to be the battle theme from ''Royal'' (Take Over), which is currently absent from Smash. [[labelnote:Note]]It should be noted that the same bonus tracks are unlocked on the [=PS4=] version of ''Scramble'' if save data for either ''Persona 5'' or ''Persona 5 Royal'' is found.[[/labelnote]]

* Another datamine revealed a line referring to a model file for one of Joker's alts labelled "Jane"[[labelnote:note]][=/Jack6_C06_v01_070925.mb_Jane1_pony_hairSystemShape2.mchp=][[/labelnote]], it was debated whether or not it was an alternate gender option for Joker or perhaps a [[WholesomeCrossdresser female outfit]] for Joker, or if the line was instead referring to an assist character who would appear in his Final Smash. When a teaser for ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 5 Royal]]'' was revealed on March 23rd 2019, it showed a glimpse of the then-unnamed new character Kasumi Yoshizawa. This led to fans speculating that she was the character the "Jane" line was referring to and that she'd be debuting in Smash before her game was released. The "alternate costume" theory was jossed on April 16, 2019, with Nintendo releasing Joker's gameplay trailer and a showcase of him, showing his alternate costume is his school uniform with Kasumi nowhere to be seen, though some fans speculate that Kasumi may be added in as her own fighter at a later date. This gained traction after the announcement that more fighters beyond the Fighters Pass are planned as well as an announcement that the upcoming ''VideoGame/Persona5ScrambleThePhantomStrikers'' has two music tracks that are unlocked [[OldSaveBonus on the Switch version of the game if save data for]] ''[[OldSaveBonus Ultimate]]'' [[OldSaveBonus is detected]], one of which happens to be the battle theme from ''Royal'' (Take Over), which is currently absent from Smash. [[labelnote:Note]]It should be noted that the same bonus tracks are unlocked on the [=PS4=] version of ''Scramble'' if save data for either ''Persona 5'' or ''Persona 5 Royal'' is found.[[/labelnote]]

*** Ultimately, Prya and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 would be added as the fourth fighter for the second fighter's pass seemingly disconfirming Rex for good.

** Lastly, some fans have speculated that even [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Master Chief]] could be within the realm of possibility. While his series targets a mature audience and has been exclusive to Xbox consoles, many argue that the former hasn't stopped Snake, Bayonetta, and Joker from appearing in ''Smash'' and that, much like Cloud and Joker, Nintendo might overlook the latter since ''Halo'' and Master Chief are so iconic (and perhaps the most iconic of Microsoft's characters). Others point out that Master Chief would still need a noteworthy appearance on a Nintendo-related game of some sort before Sakurai can justify including him as a courtesy, even just [[LoopholeAbuse a smaller one]] like Cloud got with the ''[[VideoGame/TheatrhythmFinalFantasy Theatrhythm]]'' games [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake (before his actual first game appearance got released for the Switch years later)]] or Joker got with ''[[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth Persona Q2]]''.

* On April 18, 2020, Creator/{{Ubisoft}}'s survey to collect the input of players [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1251571025244049411 had its Smash-related questions get removed for no apparent reason]], leading quite a few fans to think that the company might have accidentally hinted a character of theirs to be confirmed as upcoming DLC. Later, on the 22nd of April, [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1253147215243218944 it was discovered that Sam (Ubisoft's Siri who responds to DMs) used to respond to mentions of]] ''Ultimate'' with a message talking about the game's latest [=DLCs=] at the time (Byleth and the Altair and Rabbid Mii costumes) that ended with the statement "Here's hoping Rayman will be part of the next Fighters Pass!", but on the 22nd this was replaced with a different set of messages that only mentions ''Smash'' once and doesn't discuss the game or the Fighters Pass at all. The sudden hushing up about ''Smash'' has led to the theory that Ubisoft is trying to avoid breaking an NDA. Fueling this theory even more was the discovery [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1260306314498060289 of this]] [[https://trademarks.justia.com/745/60/rayman-74560812.html Rayman series trademark renewal]], with some pointing out that the same thing happened in regards to Banjo and Kazooie, before they got confirmed. The theory's flames were fanned even further when [[https://twitter.com/RaymanTogether/status/1341200966910140417?s=19 an update for said trademark renewal occurred on April 12, 2020,]] a discovery that was found around the same time [[CueTheFlyingPigs Ubisoft posted a brand-new render for Rayman near the end of his 25th anniversary year, after previously not doing anything to punctuate it]].

* According to [[https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/02/05/new-crash-bandicoot-game-rumoured-for-2019 an insider called Arguile]], there were rumors about Creator/{{Activision}} having initiated a five-year plan for the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series, with a [[https://www.dexerto.com/smash/leak-claims-crash-bandicoot-will-join-smash-ultimate-in-2021-1428075/ leaked document stated by Nintendata]] to have plans for Crash in ''Ultimate''. Due to said plan ending around 2021 (the end of ''Ultimate'' 's DLC support) and the coincidental timing of various ''Ultimate''-related announcements with those of major ''Crash'' news (e.g. ''Ultimate'' itself having been unveiled at the end of the same Nintendo Direct that promoted the Switch port of ''VideoGame/CrashNSaneTrilogy'', Joker and ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' both being revealed at the Game Awards, Hero and Banjo & Kazooie being announced on the same day as ''Nitro-Fueled''[='s=] Grand Prix DLC, Min Min and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' being unveiled a few hours apart from each other), some fans have determined that Activision were [[XanatosGambit secretly preparing negotiations for Crash Bandicoot to arrive as a fighter, during his series revival]].

* At the end of the Pyra/Mythra presentation, Sakurai showed off some of his figure collection, which consists of figures of playable characters. He gives them to the modeling team to make the characters look more accurate in game. Sakurai said that he hides figures of unreleased fighters in a locked drawer. This led to fans searching for figures of potential fighters to see if they have a figure Sakurai might have picked up to reference for future characters.

** Speculation for a Monster Hunter rep cropped up again after a mini-Nintendo Partner Showcase in September 2020 that showed off two new VideoGame/MonsterHunter games (VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise and VideoGame/MonsterHunterStories2WingsOfRuin) exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. While a lot people think that the Monster Hunter will be playable as a fixed character (kind of like Monster Hunter's apperance in VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite), but some are speculating that a hero from one of the Stories spin offs might be playable instead.

* After Pyra and Mythra were revealed as playable, some fans have determined that the rest of the DLC fighters will all be either missing proper representation content in the base game (like Min Min, Sephiroth, and Pyra and Mythra) or finally coming after long-term planning (like Steve), due to how Fighter's Pass Volume 2 mainly featured characters whose series couldn't get their initial plans applied for the base game and followed this pattern up to that point. With such criteria in consideration, this has lead to discussions about possible newcomers like Rayman, Crash Bandicoot, Ryu Hayabusa and even [[VideoGame/FamicomDetectiveClub Ayumi Tachibana]].

* After Pyra and Mythra were revealed as playable, some fans have determined that the rest of the DLC fighters will all be either missing proper representation content in the base game (like Min Min, Sephiroth, and Pyra and Mythra) or finally coming after long-term planning (like Steve), due to how Fighter's Pass Volume 2 followed this pattern up to that point. With such criteria in consideration, this has lead to discussions about possible newcomers like Rayman, Crash Bandicoot, Ryu Hayabusa and even [[VideoGame/FamicomDetectiveClub Ayumi Tachibana]].

* The idea that some of the downloadable Mii costumes in ''Smash 4'' are being PromotedToPlayable here (not just Inklings) became spread across the fanbase due to a 4chan "leak" in July, the fact that this game shows some influence from the ''Smash'' Ballot (some of the Mii Costumes are characters that were popular to vote for in the Ballot), and evidence that Bayonetta was chosen two weeks into the Ballot, making votes later in the Ballot less meaningful. The most common characters speculated to playable from the DLC Mii Costumes are King K. Rool, Chrom, Lloyd, Heihachi, Geno, Tails, Knuckles and Ashley. So far, this is partially correct; King K. Rool and Chrom got PromotedToPlayable characters and their Mii costumes also returned, Ashley returned as an assist trophy along with her Mii Swordfighter costume, Geno appears as a spirit, and Tails', Knuckles', and Heihachi's Mii Costumes have returned, leaving only Lloyd left.

* After Pyra and Mythra were revealed as playable, some fans have determined that the rest of the DLC fighters will all be either missing proper representation content in the base game (like Min Min, Sephiroth, and Pyra and Mythra) or finally coming after long-term negotiations (like Steve), due to how Fighter's Pass Volume 2 followed this pattern up to that point. With such criteria in consideration, this has lead to discussions about possible newcomers like Rayman, Crash Bandicoot, Ryu Hayabusa and even [[VideoGame/FamicomDetectiveClub Ayumi Tachibana]].

* After Pyra and Mythra were revealed as playable, some fans have determined that the rest of the DLC fighters will all be either missing proper representation content in the base game (like Min Min, Sephiroth, and Pyra and Mythra) or finally coming after long-term negotiations (like Steve), due to how Fighter's Pass Volume 2 had been comprised of such cases up to that point. With such criteria in consideration, this has lead to discussions about possible newcomers like Rayman, Crash Bandicoot, Ryu Hayabusa and even [[VideoGame/FamicomDetectiveClub Ayumi Tachibana]].

* After Pyra and Mythra were revealed as playable, some fans have determined that the rest of the DLC fighters will all be either missing proper representation content in the base game (like Min Min, Sephiroth, and Pyra and Mythra) or finally coming after long-term negotiations (like Steve), due to how Fighter's Pass Volume 2 had been comprised of such cases up to that point. With such criteria in consideration, this has lead to discussions about possible newcomers like Rayman, Crash Bandicoot, Ryu Hayabusa and even [[VideoGame/FamicomDetectiveClube Ayumi Tachibana]].

*** Ultimately, Prya and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 would be added as the fourth fighter for the second fighter's pass seemingly deconfirming Rex for good.

* With the full list of Spirits being leaked, people have been combing through them in order to find characters don't have any, under the assumption that having a Spirit is a deconfirmation. The most notable absences are [[VideoGame/MOTHER3 Porky Minch]], [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters Sylux]], and most bizarrely of all, [[VideoGame/YoshisIsland Poochy]] (although [[VideoGame/YoshisWoollyWorld Yarn Poochy]] ''does'' make an appearance). Worth noting is that all these characters have marketing reasons to be included (Mother's 30th anniversary, heavily implied to be the antagonist of ''Metroid Prime 4'', and being heavily advertised for ''VideoGame/YoshisCraftedWorld''), which just makes the speculation even more fueled. It should also be noted that Porky's boss battle is absent. However, it is worth noting that playable fighters ''also'' appear as spirits, mostly as alternate forms of the character. In addition, ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' spirits were added in an update, meaning Sylux and Poochy could also have their spirits added when their new games are released. The fact that there was an event celebrating Mother's 30th anniversary, with no Porky Event Spirit, only strengthens the belief that Porky will be added in the future. The possibility that the missing spirits are simply [[CriticalResearchFailure oversights]] on the part of the game staff's spirits division has also been brought up. Then there are those who point out that spirits are functionally similar to trophies, and that some could be upgraded into playable fighters later, much like Mewtwo and Lucas were for ''4''.

* Some people thought Tracer from Overwatch would be revealed as the third to last fighter of Fighter's Pass Vol. 2 since Blizzcon was happening so close to the February 2021 Nintendo Direct and as mentioned above, Blizzard had previously talked about the possibility of the face of their hit game joining Smash. This was seemingly nipped in the bud however with [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 Pyra and Mythra's]] two for one inclusion instead on February 17th, 2021.

* The year 2021 [[https://twitter.com/ActualAero/status/1344902428550901761/photo/1 having many game-related anniversaries]] led some fans to wonder which of them (such as ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'', ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'') would be capitalized on for a fighter reveal, if any. Others pointed out that anniversaries historically have little to no influence for planned fighters, so it would be coincidental at best.

* On January 5th, 2021, a [[https://twitter.com/SmashBrosJP/status/1346622515804827654 spirit event]] for ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' was announced. Since there wasn't any spirits for the subseries prior to this, this has tipped off some fans to the possibility of [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]] coming as a fighter, since Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have obviously contacted each other at some point prior to the Fighters Pass 2, and the original content for ''Hyrule Warriors'' in general is partially owned by the latter. Adding more fuel to the fire for this theory is Koei Tecmo themselves [[https://media.eventhubs.com/images/2021/01/06_hyrule-breaker01.jpg having retweeted the spirit event's announcement]].

* As the ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' spirit board event requires collaborating with Creator/ArcSystemWorks, this has sparked speculation that a fighter in Fighters Pass 2 will be from them, primarily one of their two flagship fighting games' protagonists, Sol Badguy from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' or Ragna the Bloodedge from ''Franchise/BlazBlue''.

* On January 5th, 2021, a [[https://twitter.com/SmashBrosJP/status/1346622515804827654 spirit event]] for ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' was announced. Since there wasn't any spirits for the subseries prior to this, this has tipped off some fans to the possibility of [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]] coming as a fighter, since Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have obviously contacted each other at some point prior to the Fighters Pass 2, and the original content for ''Hyrule Warriors'' in general is partially owned by the latter.

* Speculation of a ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' rep being added to ''Ultimate'' has been increasing over 2020. Reasons being ''Fortnite'' announcements lined up for The Game Awards 2020, statements from Epic that sound similar to [=Suda51=]'s statements in regards to [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes Travis Touchdown]] being in ''Ultimate,'' and a [[https://www.bestbuy.com/site/nintendo-switch-fortnite-wildcat-bundle-yellow-blue/6436771.p?skuId=6436771&intl=nosplash ''Fortnite'' themed Switch launching in 2020.]] Some are speculating that Jonesy will be a playable rep, though there are others who think that ''Fortnite'' will be represented as spirits or potentially a Mii costume.

* On January 5th, 2021, a [[https://twitter.com/SmashBrosJP/status/1346622515804827654 spirit event]] for ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' was announced. Since there wasn't any spirits for the subseries prior to this, this has tipped off some fans to the possibility of [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]] coming as a fighter, since Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have obviously contacted each other at some point prior to the Fighters Pass 2, and the content for''Hyrule Warriors'' in general is partially owned by the latter.

* On January 5th, 2021, a [[https://twitter.com/SmashBrosJP/status/1346622515804827654 spirit event]] for ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' was announced. Since there wasn't any spirits for the subseries prior to this, this has tipped off some fans to the possibility of [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]] coming as a fighter, since Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have obviously contacted each other at some point prior to the Fighters Pass 2.

* According to [[https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/02/05/new-crash-bandicoot-game-rumoured-for-2019 an insider called Arguile]], there were rumors about Creator/{{Activision}} having initiated a five-year plan for the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series, with a [[https://www.dexerto.com/smash/leak-claims-crash-bandicoot-will-join-smash-ultimate-in-2021-1428075/ leaked document stated by Nintendata]] to have plans for Crash in ''Ultimate''. Due to said plan ending around 2021 (the end of ''Ultimate'' 's DLC support) and the coincidental timing of various ''Ultimate''-related announcements with those of major ''Crash'' news (e.g. Joker and ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' both being revealed at the Game Awards, Hero and Banjo & Kazooie being announced on the same day as ''Nitro-Fueled''[='s=] Grand Prix DLC, Min Min and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' being unveiled a few hours apart from each other), some fans have determined that Activision were [[XanatosGambit secretly preparing negotiations for Crash Bandicoot to arrive as a fighter, during his series revival]].

* On April 18, 2020, Creator/{{Ubisoft}}'s survey to collect the input of players [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1251571025244049411 had its Smash-related questions get removed for no apparent reason]], leading quite a few fans to think that the company might have accidentally hinted a character of theirs to be confirmed as upcoming DLC. Later, on the 22nd of April, [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1253147215243218944 it was discovered that Sam (Ubisoft's Siri who responds to DMs) used to respond to mentions of]] ''Ultimate'' with a message talking about the game's latest [=DLCs=] at the time (Byleth and the Altair and Rabbid Mii costumes) that ended with the statement "Here's hoping Rayman will be part of the next Fighters Pass!", but on the 22nd this was replaced with a different set of messages that only mentions ''Smash'' once and doesn't discuss the game or the Fighters Pass at all. The sudden hushing up about ''Smash'' has led to the theory that Ubisoft is trying to avoid breaking an NDA. Fueling this theory even more was the discovery [[https://twitter.com/RaymanForSmash/status/1260306314498060289 of this]] [[https://trademarks.justia.com/745/60/rayman-74560812.html Rayman series trademark renewal]], with some pointing out that the same thing happened in regards to Banjo and Kazooie, before they got confirmed.

* Out of all the major third-party Japanese publishers/developers, Creator/KoeiTecmo stands out as not having a representative on the playable roster (though they are represented by [[VideoGame/FatalFrame Yuri as an assist trophy]]). Considering that the company has a long and strong history with Nintendo (even collaborating with each other for ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors'', ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', with Koei Tecmo also doing the animation for Byleth's reveal), and that Sakurai and Nintendo have shown preference for Japanese developers, many have theorized that Koei Tecmo would receive a representative on the roster. The most popular choice by far is [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]], who is more or less their {{Mascot}}, and whose franchise has been present on Nintendo platforms since the days of the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, with many saying that he'd fit in right along with other NES icons like Mega Man and Simon Belmont.

* Back in December 2018. There was a [[https://smashboards.com/threads/newcomer-dlc-speculation-discussion.453424/page-4813#post-24211016 post on 5ch]] about supposed leaked development info about Smash Ultimate. When Sephiroth was revealed, the post resurfaced when several things from it ended up being true. Notably that Hero was meant for the base game which Sakurai himself confirmed in Dragon Quest's anniversary stream. Steve and Sephiroth was also mentioned as being in the planning stages in the post but disappeared and they ended up being being in Volume 2 of the Fighter's Pass. And it was even implied by insiders that they were in the talks for a few years prior to Volume 2's initial announcement. This led to some speculators believing that someone from [[VideoGame/TalesSeries Tales Of]] and [[Franchise/StreetFighter Chun-Li]] will be fighters in Volume 2 as they were also mentioned as being in the planning stages around the Base game and Volume 1.

* On December 8th of 2020, [[https://twitter.com/smashbrosjp/status/1336475652401356800 the Japanese Smash Bros. Twitter announced a tourney]] about mushrooms and mushroom-adjacent characters, whose name people translated to get "Beware of Mushrooms!". This name sounds [[SimilarlyNamedWorks very similar]] to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Va25FHP8Ug Beware the Forest's Mushrooms]], a song from ''Super Mario RPG'' heavily associated with Geno due to it being the theme of the Forest Maze, where he meets Mario's party. "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms" was also among several songs that Nintendo took down in 2019; the only other ''SMRPG'' song taken down was "Fight Against an Armed Boss", which is noteworthy as Creator/SquareEnix's characters are [[Memes/SuperSmashBros known for only coming with two songs]]. This immediately led to claims that it was hinting at Geno being next, hinting at Geno ''not'' being next, or, of course, was never a hint at all and people were reading into it too much. With the English name later being revealed to be "[[https://www.ssbwiki.com/Fungi_Fever! Fungi Fever!]]", this appears to have just been an in-joke, and the reveal that Geno's Mii Costume would be returning alongside Sephiroth hampers his chances at playability greatly--although the two SMRPG songs taken down by Nintendo were not bundled with Sephiroth or the Geno costume.

* On December 8th of 2020, [[https://twitter.com/smashbrosjp/status/1336475652401356800 the Japanese Smash Bros. Twitter announced a tourney]] about mushrooms and mushroom-adjacent characters, whose name people translated to get "Beware of Mushrooms!". This name sounds [[SimilarlyNamedWorks very similar]] to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Va25FHP8Ug Beware the Forest's Mushrooms]], a song from ''Super Mario RPG'' heavily associated with Geno due to it being the theme of the Forest Maze, where he meets Mario's party. "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms" was also among several songs that Nintendo took down in 2019; the only other ''SMRPG'' song taken down was "Fight Against an Armed Boss", which is noteworthy as Creator/SquareEnix's characters are [[Memes/SuperSmashBros known for only coming with two songs]]. This immediately led to claims that it was hinting at Geno being next, hinting at Geno ''not'' being next, or, of course, was never a hint at all and people were reading into it too much. With the English name later being revealed to be "[[https://www.ssbwiki.com/Fungi_Fever! Fungi Fever!]]", this appears to have just been an in-joke, and the reveal that Geno's Mii Costume would be returning alongside Sephiroth hampers his chances at playability greatly.