But beyond its brilliance in gameplay lies one of Smash’s most charming qualities: The sheer diversity of its character pool. The Internet was ecstatic to see Sora’s addition to the roster. But what if we ever got some anime characters added into the mix? That’s what we’re looking into in this ranking – we’re considering a variety of characters (besides Pokémon) that could be great additions to the Smash roster.
15. Gon Freecss
Anime: Hunter X Hunter Gon is the ultimate half-cheerful/half-edgy kid. He might not look like much, but don’t be fooled — this kid can kick some major ass. Despite his age, I’ve lost count of how many adults he has straight-up embarrassed in a fight. That includes a certain anthropomorphic cat who I (and some fans) can’t help but feel bad for, even though she was one of the bad guys. Gon’s moveset might be a tad limited to Jajanken. But I’m sure they’ll at least look pretty darn cool if they were added in-game.
14. Yujiro Hanma
Anime: Baki On the topic of absurdly strong “fighter” characters, we have Yujiro Hanma – who’s considered the “Strongest Creature on Earth” in his series. What a title right? Although I do think that he’d be more suited as a character in Tekken – but Yujiro could still be a great addition to the Super Smash Bros. roster. After all, he’ll undoubtedly bring the same thing that very few fighters like Sephiroth, Kazuya, and Snake bring to the game overall. I’m talking about the pure badassery of their character designs.
13. Alucard
Anime: Hellsing Ultimate How could we not talk about the No Life King and the original vampire himself? If we consider his feats in his series, Alucard’s moveset would be so diverse (not to mention they will look frickin’ awesome) if he was ever added in. Before anything else, I do think he should have his immortality nerfed to the ground – or just straight up ban-hammered by the devs. After all, there’s nothing more annoying than an enemy who just won’t die. I mean, all the healing items in the game wouldn’t amount to anything compared to this guy’s healing factor.
12. All Might
Anime: My Hero Academia Very few characters in MHA (yes, even Deku at the moment) are as iconic and revered as the strongest hero — All Might. He’s the “Symbol of Peace” and the mentor to the MC himself. And he is, in my eyes, one of the best conceptually-designed hero characters in anime. But putting All Might’s reputation aside, I think we can all agree that he’s one of the few characters on this list so far who actually looks like they can lay a good smackdown. And I’m not gonna lie, a Detroit Smash would be a hell of an up smash to use in-game. Not to mention that his special moves are all on-theme too. You know, because of the Smash? Okay I’ll see myself out…
11. Kakashi Hatake
Anime: Naruto With the exception of the main characters themselves (e.g. the legendary friends/rivals duo Naruto & Sasuke), there are very few ninjas in Naruto as popular as this guy. He’s also one of the coolest I’ve ever seen in anime. Sure, we’ve already seen how goofy he really acts sometimes. But when it’s time to get serious and fight? Kakashi is no slouch, I’ll tell you that. He’s a shinobi that has fought hundreds (if not thousands) of battles — not to mention he had several fights against terrifyingly powerful enemies. The only problem? I do think Kakashi would be a bit of a pain to add to the game now, since he’s got so many potential moves/jutsus (try over 1000) for the devs to choose from.
10. Sailor Moon
Anime: Sailor Moon Here we have the most prominent (and most powerful) magical girl in anime history. I know she might not have the “rough and tough” character design that many entries in this list have. But like Kirby and Jigglypuff, this cutesy character should not be overlooked. Usagi Tsukino (a.k.a The Guardian of Love and Justice) is arguably the strongest character on this list. And surprise, surprise, she’s the cutest too! I mean, is it really just me who wants to see this pretty magical girl’s power in action against some Nintendo characters?
9. Monkey D. Luffy
Anime: One Piece Luffy wouldn’t be caught dead without his Nakama. But he certainly can hold his own in a one-on-one fight. He might act like a complete dumbo and a stubborn airhead most of the time, but he’s actually quite the genius in battle. I mean, his entire portfolio of defeated enemies just speaks for itself. Crocodile? Doflamingo? Katakuri? No problem! Forget ranged attacks — Luffy can go toe to toe with anyone using only melee (technically) since his Devil Fruit ability allows him to do so. This particular detail about him makes for a hell of a possible Smash moveset.
8. Toriko
Anime: Toriko From one glutton to the next, here we have Toriko (literally nicknamed “The Glutton”) who looks like he could knock around anyone with his physique. Toriko fights just as much as he eats – which is pretty amazing, since he practically eats all the time. And like most characters on this list, he has a ton of special techniques that could be used as part of his moveset. All of which are hilariously food-themed. Go figure!
7. Natsu Dragneel
Anime: Fairy Tail One thing I noticed in Super Smash Bros. (especially in Ultimate) is its utter lack of dragon-themed characters. Sure, Bowser and King K. Rool technically count as dragon characters. But let’s be honest — one is more like a turtle, and the other one is just a croc. What’s more is that Charizard (as of this writing) is no longer a selectable character, and is instead part of the Pokémon Trainer’s team. This is the part where Natsu comes in! His moveset should more or less consist of anything a dragon can do. Which is always fantastic to see in any game, really.
6. Kaneki Ken
Anime: Tokyo Ghoul When it comes to heart-wrenching backstories and character development, very few characters in Smash (and even in anime) have the edge over this legendary edgelord. Kaneki might’ve not looked like much before his life got messed up. But accidentally simping on the wrong waifu made him one of the most terrifying fighters in his series. He became the first half-human/half-ghoul, and has since faced so many dangerous enemies ever since becoming one. I’m sure some of you doubt that the devs could ever add such a dark character into the roster. But you have to keep in mind that they already did it before! After all, Kirby is already there right? Why not Kaneki? Hey, they seem to have lots in common when it comes to eating their friends…
5. Dio
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Yep, the evilest Victorian vampire and the ultimate JoJo hater made the list. It’s him — Dio! Super Smash Bros. is the most memed fighting game of all time. I mean, there’s not even a contest in that tier list. Remember the “Wombo Combo” and “Everyone Joins the Battle” memes? Certified hood classics, all of ’em. Needless to say, JBA has more or less cultivated the same reputation amongst the anime community. And what better character to include into the SSB roster than Dio? He’s arguably the most meme-worthy character in the entire series.
4. Guts
Anime: Berserk I concede that Super Smash Bros. already has a lot of sword-wielding characters. Although I’ll also argue that Guts would be more than worthy of throwing into the roster, despite this caveat. Why? Because he’s frickin’ badass and awesome, that’s why! When I think about it, it’s the same reason why I wanted Doomguy to be included on the roster as well. Too bad that didn’t work out for me and other fans in the end…
3. Edward Elric
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist Versatility is this character’s specialty. And from that, most of you can probably guess why Edward is on this list. Equipped with an alchemy-themed moveset, Edward has the potential to become one of the most fun characters to main in the game. Lore-wise, his qualifications as a fighter check out as well. Edward is strong, fast, and definitely knows his way around alchemy. He’s also a very capable strategist that uses his smarts rather than just out-brawning his enemies. And I would really enjoy more cerebral characters in the game.
2. Saitama
Anime: One Punch Man Yeah, yeah, I know some of you are thinking “Wait, isn’t Saitama a bit of an overkill for Smash?” Well yeah, you could be right. But that’s where the magic of “character nerfing” comes in. After all, a fighter that can run much faster than the speed of sound (Sonic), and another whose stomach can canonically turn into a black hole is already on the roster… One of the many things that makes Smash so great is that it can make everything about any character work in-game. Saitama’s problem is that he’s too OP – but there are also other ways around this, like featuring him in his younger (and less bald) version, for example.
1. Goku
Anime: Dragon Ball When it comes to anime fighting games, you’d rarely see the Dragon Ball franchise being left out as the “GOAT” in the genre. After all, what can you expect from a show that literally revolves around fighting? From common street thugs to gods — Goku has fought them all. That’s why he always gets picked as one of the most battle-hungry anime characters ever. Coincidentally, he’s also one of the strongest. Now I don’t know about you, but having Goku featured in any fighting game ever (much less SSBU) is a massive plus in my book. So… fingers crossed?
