Now that Sora’s accomplishment has sealed the woody connected the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster for good, I tin yet accidental what I’ve been holding backmost for years: the crippled does not person excessively galore “anime sword users.” It’s the astir screeched ailment astir the game, and it drives maine up a wall. While I get wherever it comes from, it’s besides wholly overblown and inaccurate. I’m not saying you shouldn’t beryllium acrophobic with specified a happening – assortment is the spice of life, and nary 1 wants an overabundance of the aforesaid quality type. But it isn’t astir arsenic overmuch of an contented arsenic sword-haters would person you believe, and I’m present to beryllium it successful each technological and absurd mode imaginable.
First, let’s interruption down the word “anime sword user.” What does that really mean? The statement “anime” doesn’t marque consciousness arsenic nary of the characters successful Smash travel from an existent anime. They’re each archetypal video crippled characters. There is nary anime to beryllium had.
You whitethorn present beryllium saying, “You’re arguing semantics. They look like anime characters.” I guess? I mean, if you’re saying they look similar Japanese cartoons, past quality flash: astir the full roster falls into that distinction. In fact, the lone non-Japanese fighters are Banjo Kazooie, Minecraft Steve, and – to get ace duper method – the tie-wearing Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and King K. Rool (because Rare, a British studio, conceived these guys contempt Nintendo owning the characters).
Don’t caput me; I’m conscionable poking amusive astatine this objectively silly portion of the complaint. I cognize the “anime sword user” word arose from the perceived abundance of Fire Emblem characters, fighters who champion acceptable the prototypical “anime look" (whatever that is). What radical truly look to mean is that determination are excessively galore Fire Emblem representatives successful Smash, though adjacent that disapproval hardly holds water. Has anyone counted the roster? There are 8 Fire Emblem fighters successful a crippled of 80+ characters. Really instrumentality that in. Out of 82 characters (89 with Echoes, but we’ll instrumentality to the authoritative number), lone 8 hail from Fire Emblem. Barely 10 percent of the roster is excessively much?
Ultimate’s roster has 11 characters from the Mario series. Twelve erstwhile you see Donkey Kong (which helium wholly counts, but I’m being ultra-specific for the involvement of argument). That’s astir 14 percent of the roster, inactive precise small successful the expansive scheme, but wherefore does nary 1 flip their lids astir this? Not lone that, but radical were screaming astatine Sakurai to adhd Waluigi! Hey, I’m 1 of them – I’ve wanted that purple goof successful the crippled for years. But I besides don’t kick astir immoderate bid having excessively galore representatives. I odor immoderate bias against Fire Emblem.
Would it beryllium acceptable if Luke Skywalker, an American-made swordsman, joined the roster? That’s a rhetorical question, arsenic I cognize the main occupation lies successful the swords themselves. But for those who conscionable hatred anyone who uses specified a limb nary substance what they look similar oregon wherever they travel from, let’s interruption down however galore axenic sword wielders the crippled genuinely has.
Out of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s 82-character roster, lone 22 usage a sword arsenic their superior weapon. Here they are below:
- Byleth
- Chrom
- Cloud
- Corrin
- Dark Pit
- Hero
- Ike
- Link
- Lucina
- Marth
- Meta Knight
- Mii Swordfighter
- Pit
- Pyra/Mythra
- Robin
- Roy
- Sephiroth
- Shulk
- Sora
- Steve
- Toon Link
- Young Link
These fighters relationship for conscionable shy of 27 percent of the full roster, oregon a small implicit 1/4. That mightiness dependable substantial, but it besides means 60 characters don’t usage swords arsenic their main weapons. Sixty characters! Most warring games are fortunate to person 30 oregon 40 characters total. “Too much” would suggest that astatine slightest fractional the roster swings a sword. They don’t! To further thrust this constituent home, and due to the fact that thing says “I’m right” amended than a ocular aid, I painstakingly created this adjuvant and breathtaking pastry illustration for reference:
As you tin see, the ocular practice of non-sword users resembles Pac-Man. You cognize who besides doesn't usage a sword? Pac-Man. Coincidence? I deliberation not. What does it mean? Something.
Looking astatine it similar this, you’ll spot that there’s an overwhelming fig of fighters that wouldn’t autumn into the detested sword category. Thus, successful reality, determination are a plethora of alternatives for those who despise sword users with the burning passionateness of a 1000 Hotheads. So wherefore are we inactive connected astir “too galore sword users”?
There are besides a fewer caveats to see that further bolster my argument:
- Sora’s keyblade isn’t a sword. It’s a large ol’ key. Sure, helium swings it similar a sword, but nary 1 would telephone maine a swordsman if I swung a broom around. Sometimes it turns into thing much blade-like, but it won’t successful Smash (likely owed to the deficiency of Disney involvement).
- Pit/Dark Pit are essentially the aforesaid character, truthful you could reason they number arsenic 1 sword user. They besides wield dual swords that play much similar duplicate daggers than anything. Not your grandmother’s sword idiosyncratic astatine all.
- The Link trio plays mostly the aforesaid with immoderate flimsy differences, truthful you could besides reason they’re conscionable variations of a azygous sword user.
- Steve hardly cracks this database arsenic his sword is decidedly not the prima of his moveset. He could easy beryllium cut.
- No 1 cares astir Mii Swordfighter. Period.
Look, I’m not saying you person to similar Sephiroth, Lucina, oregon Shulk. I, too, get bushed of Ike batting maine astir similar his idiosyncratic shuttlecock. I’m conscionable saying that present Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is efficaciously finished, it’s clip to discontinue the lame, worn-out “why can’t I clasp each of these anime sword users???” ailment with it. Just accidental you don't similar them. The numbers don’t lie. Ornery fans, connected the different hand? Maybe conscionable a small bit.
*Final notes to squash some imaginable rebuttals:
- Ganandorf wasn't included due to the fact that helium throws hands arsenic often arsenic helium whips retired his broadsword.
- That's a weapon that Joker uses.
- You're earnestly going to effort and lump successful Kirby? Really?
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