With the latest announcement that the next fighter to join Super Smash Bros Ultimate will be from the ARMS series, it appears that Nintendo has confirmed that assist trophies can in fact become full fighters.
While the identity of the fighter is unknown, in an official Twitter post, Nintendo posted a picture of the ARMS roster with the caption “who will it be?!”
Among those included was Spring Man, the character many consider to be the face of the franchise. What makes his inclusion so interesting is that Spring Man is already in the game as an assist trophy and Mii Brawler costume.
Spring Man isn’t the only ARMS character with a Mii costume, either: Ribbon Girl also has an outfit and is featured in the Nintendo tweet, as well. This seems to imply that she, too, could be more than just a costume and evolve into a fighter.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that either Spring Man or Ribbon Girl will be the next character, but considering how they’re basically the game’s mascots, they’re certainly candidates.
It’s also possible that Nintendo decides to go the Bowser JR/Koopa kids route, and have the fighter consist of multiple characters in the form of a color change.
Let's get stretchy! The next #SmashBrosUltimate DLC fighter joins from #ARMS – but who will it be?!
The new challenger will be announced and released in June, as part of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass Vol. 2! #NintendoDirectMini pic.twitter.com/p2RWd7IXvP
— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) March 26, 2020
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The key takeaway, though, is that by including Spring Man and Ribbon Girl as options, Nintendo seems to have confirmed the speculation regarding assist trophies and costumes ever becoming full fighters.
This is especially noteworthy, considering how many long-requested characters are currently just trophies. Waluigi especially has been a fan-favorite since before the game even came out, so it’s looking more likely than ever that he could be included as part of Fighters Pass Volume 2.
Other possible assist trophies-turned fighters include: Bomberman, Shadow and Knuckles from the Sonic franchise, Castlevania’s Alucard, Shovel Knight and Skull Kid/Majora’s Mask from The Legend of Zelda.
With five DLC characters left after the ARMS fighter is released, it’s possible that any of those get promoted to full fighter status – though we’ll have to wait and see.
The ARMS fighter release and reveal is currently planned for June.