The Super Smash Bros series is one of the most iconic video game series of all time. Featuring many of the most recognizable characters in Nintendo history, such as Mario, Pikachu, and Bowser, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the latest game in the series. On top of having many of these well known characters, Ultimate has added 12 DLC fighters which can be purchased for $5.99 each (or together in the Fighter Pass and Fighter Pass Vol. 2). Since these characters are expensive, it is understandable if you only want to buy one or a few of them rather than all of them, so to help you understand which one’s you should buy and which ones you shouldn’t, we are ranking all twelve of them based on how good they are.
12: Piranha Plant
Piranha Plant is one of the few DLC characters that can actually be considered bad. That doesn’t mean he has no advantages and you won’t enjoy playing with him though. He is very heavy, making him relatively difficult to kill. Along with this, he has a great recovery, which is very advantageous. On top of this he has some cool moves that can make him very fun to play with. He has the ability to summon a spiked ball like the one that King Dedede uses which can do a lot of damage to opponents. He also has incredible edge guarding abilities with his down special that can be tilted. Overall though, he is not a very good character when compared to many characters on the roster. This doesn’t mean he isn’t worth using, as many players find him enjoyable to use, but if you are looking for a strong character to main, Piranha Plant is not your best option.
11: Banjo & Kazooie
Banjo & Kazooie is definitely one of the worst overall characters to come to Smash in a DLC, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth playing. Their move set combines both long-range and close-quarters combat, allowing players to adapt to various play styles. Their arsenal includes a range of egg-based projectiles, powerful ground pounds, and aerial attacks that can surprise and overwhelm opponents. They also have the ability to use the Wonderwing move, which can be done five times per stock. Wonderwing grants them temporary invincibility and serves as an excellent defensive tool. There is no doubt that many players have fun playing with Banjo & Kazooie, so if that is your goal with Smash then they are definitely a good character, but if you are looking to become the best player in the world then there are certainly better options.
10: Byleth
If you enjoy sword characters and love juggling your opponents in the air, Byleth is the perfect character for you. His up smash and up air are both powerful and simple to use. His other smash attacks, tilts, and air attacks have incredible range, making him a great matchup for characters do not have as much range or strong projectiles. His bow and arrow is also one of the best projectiles for killing in the game. The downside to Byleth though is that his moves are incredibly slow. He can often be out matched by speedy characters, and if you miss-time a move, you are likely going to be punished as a result. Because of this, you need to time your moves very precisely in order to use him successfully, other wise you will likely not see much success with him.
9: Hero
Many characters have the ability to use their down special as a way to choose which move they are going to use. Hero takes this to another level. His 16 different spells are the dream of those who enjoy magic characters, some of them being incredibly powerful. Thwack is one example. It has the possibility to kill an enemy automatically if it his them. Besides the massive amount of spells he can cast, he is pretty much just a standard sword character. Though he does have one of the best move sets of any character in the game, it can be very difficult to master quickly moving between them in a way that makes them effective while playing. So while he can be really good and really fun to play with, this does come at the cost of him being difficult to use.
8: Sora
If you’re a fan of floaty characters with powerful air attacks, you will love Sora. The newest character on the roster, Sora is very good when used correctly, but can be frustrating if you don’t like how long he stays in the air. He has a unique set of projectiles that cycles between ice, fire, and thunder. His recovery is one of the best in the game. Though he doesn’t have an insane amount of range for a sword character, his tilts have the strength to make up for it. Combining them with his aerials and specials can make for dangerous combos that are hard for opponents to get out of. Overall, he is a strong choice for anyone who enjoys fighting in the air, but can be annoying for those who don’t.
7: Terry
Terry is one of many fighter style characters in Smash, coming from the game series “The King of Fighters.” He is relatively fast for a character that has a weight stat of 108, but that is not all that he has up his sleeve. Terry takes advantage of input commands, which allow characters to have more moves than standard characters. This allows him to have some of the most complex and skillful combos in the game. If you don’t want to use him for combos though, he has the ability to charge up moves to do immense amounts of damage, such as with his Power Wave. Between his ability to combo, damaging moves, and his heavy weight, its hard to go wrong when using Terry.
6: Sephiroth
If you like sword characters who can utilize their range to win games, then Sephiroth is the character for you. Featuring the longest sword in the game, Sephiroth is a light weight that has relatively quick movement. His attacks are on the slower side for sword characters, but that’s made up for by their range. What makes him exceptional though is not just his incredible range, but also his Winged Form, which increases all of his abilities, including an increase in damage output by 1.3x. Some professional players, such as TSM Tweek, even consider Sephiroth to be top tier, though he requires a lot of skill to use. If you decide to purchase Sephiroth, you definitely will enjoy him.
5: Min Min
Min Min is the epitome of using range to your advantage. Her long arms allow her to both attack and grab her opponents from a comfortable distance. She is on the heavier side and the slower side, so players who are used to fast characters may not find her the most appealing, but there is no denying how good she is regardless of skill level. For a relatively new player, her reach can make it easier to hit opponents than other characters. For experienced players she caters to a unique play style that can take on almost any other character. Her amazing recovery is also difficult to edge guard, making her a challenging for other players to kill. Whether you are new to the game or a seasoned veteran, you’re going to love playing with Min Min.
4: Kazuya
Anyone who has faced a skilled Kazuya player knows the incredible power that he holds. He is both hard to kill and kills his opponents easily. This is due in part to his incredible size, having a weight stat of 113, just three points behind Incineroar and Charizard. One of the difficulties with playing Kazuya is also one of his greatest strengths: he has the most moves of any character in the game. His 38 moves can be hard to use and pull off consistently due to them being command inputs, but once you begin to master them, you can pull off some of the most dangerous combos in the game. He can easily dish out more than 50% with some of his simpler combos, and even zero-death his opponents with some harder combos. If you enjoy heavy characters, or like to combo when you play, there is no doubt you’ll love Kazuya.
3: Joker
For a long time, Joker stood on top of the competitive smash scene. MkLeo dominated with him, and it is no coincidence why. Joker is a very hard character for other players to solve. He is fast with a good recovery, and can play both on the ground and in the air. One of his most defining characteristics is the one that makes him so strong, his Arsene Persona. Joker has what’s called a Rebellion Guage, and once it is full, it allows Joker to become stronger in every way, even replacing his specials. It allows him to build damage on his opponents and kill them very easily. His down special helps him fill up his Rebellion Guage when he isn’t in Arsene by negating all knock back and halving the damage he takes, and once he has Arsene, it is replaced with the ability to reflect all damage and knock back. Overall, he is just as fun as a character to play as he is good of a character.
2: Pyra/Mythra
Pyra/Mythra are similar to the Pokémon trainer in the sense that you can switch between characters strategically in the middle of a match. To effectively do this, you should start the match by playing Mythra. Myrtha is an incredibly fast character with amazingly smooth movement. Her attacks come out fast, but they don’t do a whole lot of damage and knock back. Because of this, it is easy to use her to get your opponent to around 70% or 80%, without getting hit too much yourself. Once you do this, you can switch over to Pyra. Though Pyra doesn’t have the same quickness of movement or attack, she does significantly more damage and knock back than Mythra. Because of this, she will be able to kill opponents relatively easily once they get to a high percent. This duo of a fast character that easily deals damage and a slow character that easily kills makes Pyra/Mythra one of the best characters in the whole game, while also being very fun to play with. Players who enjoy the likes of Sheik or Zero Suit Samus will love playing with these two, and will likely see a lot of success doing so as well.
1: Steve
Steve is undoubtably one of the most unique characters in smash. Because of this, some people find him hard to play and not very good at first. Once you begin to learn how to utilize some of his unique characteristics though, you’ll start to see why so many players believe him to be not only the best DLC character, but also the best character in the game. One the cool aspects of playing Steve is that you can build blocks. Doing so can help you in many ways, such as helping you with land longer and more damaging combos, putting a shield up for yourself so that you can mine, and even making recovery harder for your opponents. His ability to mine is also important, as it allows you to upgrade your sword so that it will do significantly more damage, and kill your opponents really early. Additionally, Steve has very powerful smash attacks, with his up-smash being one of the most dangerous in the game. This is all on top of the fact that he has strong throws, specials, air attacks, and tilts that easily lead into true combos. Once you learn how to use all of his attacks well, you too will agree that Steve is one of the best characters in the game.
We hope you found this list helpful, but do not let this list be the end all be all for which Smash DLC characters you choose to buy. Some characters may be better than others overall, but what is most important is that you have fun playing them and that they fit your play style. If you like fighting style characters, it might be better to get Kazuya, even though Steve or Pyra/Mythra are generally better. At the end of the day, the best character is the one that suits you.
