Best Smash Bros. character is Kirby, according to USA TODAY staff

Nintendo recently hosted the live stream of Nintendo Direct during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, revealing several video games coming to the company’s popular video game console.

Among the announcements, the company revealed that the fame Kazuya character “Tekken” is the latest brawler to enter battle as a new character in the Super Smash Bros. fighting game. Ultimate. However, Nintendo did not specify when Kazuya would make his Smash Bros. debut.

In honor of the announcement, we asked the USA TODAY staff members to give us their favorite Smash Bros. main character. Here are the best choices:

Death by a Thousand Cuts sums up my favorite from Smash Bros. : Young Link. It is part of my favorite Legend of Zelda franchise game: “Ocarina of Time” and debuted in Smash in Super Smash Brothers Melee.

Young Link is cute, light, quick, and boring to tackle. YL is my favorite in head-to-head matches because he can control space and tempo. Don your favorite tunic and rain down pain with its trusty bombs, arrows and boomerang to keep your opponents at bay.

Nothing is more satisfying than bombarding projectiles at your opponent, giving them the ancient shattering hyah-hyah attack, and ending with a long sip of Lon Lon Milk. What’s not to love about the clash of the pot, young hero of the time? It’s pure fun, if you’re playing it.

– Lindley Taylor, animated graphic artist

I’m not particularly good at Smash Bros., so having a character that packs a devastating super punch is a given to me.

The first time I played Smash, I chose the Captain because he reminded me of Hannah Barbara’s Blue Falcon. I noticed the absence of Blue Falcon’s sidekick, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, and it made me take a closer look at Captain Falcon’s story.

Captain Falcon hails from Nintendo’s F-Zero series and is a bounty hunter and runner, and sadly never aligned with the Scooby-Doo gang. Personally, I also love the way he screams “Falcon Punch” when he’s doing his super punch thing.

– Robert Lindeman, senior video editor. You can follow him on Twitter @digitalcurios

If you can’t beat them … be them. Kirby, who bravely inhales his enemies and assumes their arguably lesser abilities, is my go-to for Smash Bros.

The soft pink ball wields a hammer and can crash into its competitor like a brick, allowing me to avoid melee fights (which I’m very, very bad at.) Not only is his character most compatible with my horrible “button smashing” playing technique, but it’s also adorable.

Aesthetically, Kirby makes sense. And he gives me an excuse to roam the map swallowing my opponents and foiling their moves before I’m finally killed in melee.

– Alex Connor, Audience Development Editor. You can follow her on Twitter @thealexconnor

I only played Smash on 64 and really enjoyed stopping my friend’s attempts to do something awesome or skillful with a single big swallow!

– Jenna Hecker, video programmer. You can follow her on Twitter @JennaHecker

I grew up playing video games occasionally with my little brother on our Playstation, but I never really wanted to invest in my own console. That is until the pandemic hits. I bought a Nintendo Switch last summer and I like to play games casually.

I don’t really play Super Smash Bros, but I will if that’s what everyone wants to play. I’m more of a push button in this game. I like Kirby All-Stars, and Kirby is in Smash, so that matters, right?

I appreciate his ability to copy the powers of his friends and foes, as well as merge powers because you’re not stuck with just one. Want to wield a sword? What about a flaming sword or flaming chain? I’m also lazy and appreciate Kirby’s ability to float over enemies that I don’t feel like fighting.

– Waldy Diez, video programmer. You can follow her on Twitter @_waldy and on Instagram @waldymdiez

The versatility of this character is unbeatable, and its design is sleek and ready for battle.

Do you need long range attacks? Samus has guns and a side special hit with a whip. Do you need melee power? Her kicks are amazing, and she carries a stun gun. Oh, and his high special move is perfect for hitting opponents on higher ground.

I have to admit that I have never played a Metroid game (where Samus Aran is the protagonist). And before she was introduced as a character, I went for the old reliable link.

Did I abuse Link’s special move? Yes. Did I abuse Zero Suit Samus’ whip attack? Yes. But did I grow up as a gamer and use the blocking feature appropriately? No.

Look, Smash Bros is a great equalizer where non-gamers like me can come in and play a super boring game and win. And with Zero Suit Samus, I can do it in style.

– Josh Rivera, Money and Consumption Editor. You can follow him on Twitter @ Josh1Rivera

Nothing like Pikachu dropping that lightning bolt from above like he’s Thor.

– Tyler Hediger, video producer

I mainly use Sonic because of his speed and special move. I like being able to run away if I need to.

Sonic’s running attack, where he transforms into a ball and spins forward, is one that I particularly like. This allows me to easily attack multiple people at once and quickly access different parts of the field.

I used to switch between him and Meta Knight. However, I’m not a big fan of Meta Knights up special. It’s so unpredictable and I usually fall off a cliff this way. Sonic is more reliable for me.

The main thing I look for in a Smash Bros character is speed and precision.

– Steven Vargas, breaking news intern. You can follow them on Twitter @Steven_Vargas_ and Instagram @ steven.varg

There were no video games in my house when I was young. We barely had a TV. It was in the early ’90s, so instead of looking at screens in the summer, we were pushed outside on the sweltering, swampy summer days to poke around in the yard. It was in central Florida, and I was firmly placed in the heat-resistant children’s camp known as the “Indoors Kids”. I loved Disney books and movies. Being outside was torture, sweaty and dirty.

So when I made a friend in first grade who had a Super Nintendo in her house, I quickly got hooked, making all the excuses to go to her house, begging my parents to take a walk. I could sit inside, eat as many snacks as I wanted in the cool air conditioning while having fun with my friend.

She only had one game: “Mario Kart”. Once we were firmly planted in front of the TV, my friend and I argued relentlessly over which character we were to run with – we both wanted Princess Peach. She was, after all, a princess. I generally did not win these arguments. Guest privileges did not apply in this house. There was no mercy. It was the Mario Kart era, and it was ruthless.

Now that I don’t have to share with my friend anymore, I can play her character whenever I want. To this day, I’m not sure if Princess Peach has any special skills, but she was my choice back then, and she’s my choice on Smash Bros now.

Long live the princess!

– Laura L. Davis, Editor-in-Chief of the Public. You can follow her on Twitter @lauradavis

I love fighting games. I’ve played almost all of them: “Street Fighter”, “Mortal Kombat”, “Tekken”, “Virtua Fighter”, “Samurai Shodown”, “Marvel vs. Capcom”, etc. But I never got into Smash Bros.

The first two times I played, I didn’t understand how you won a match. And before I took the time to learn that, I moved on and never looked back.

What are you saying: how do you say you’re a fan of fighting games without playing Smash? Look, I love pizza, but pineapple isn’t my thing.

– Brett Molina, games reporter. You can follow him on Twitter @ brettmolina23

Posted
11:57 UTC Jun 19, 2021
Update
11:57 UTC Jun 19, 2021