{"id":372502,"date":"2025-10-27T01:42:52","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T01:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/super-smash-bros-ultimate-does-not-have-too-many-anime-sword-users\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T01:42:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T01:42:52","slug":"super-smash-bros-ultimate-does-not-have-too-many-anime-sword-users","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/super-smash-bros-ultimate-does-not-have-too-many-anime-sword-users\/","title":{"rendered":"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Does Not Have Too Many \u2018Anime Sword Users\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Now that Sora\u2019s arrival has sealed the deal on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster for good, I can finally say what I\u2019ve been holding back for years: the game does not have too many \u201canime sword users.\u201d It\u2019s the most screeched complaint about the game, and it drives me up a wall. While I get where it comes from, it\u2019s also completely overblown and inaccurate. I\u2019m not saying you shouldn\u2019t be concerned with such a thing \u2013 variety is the spice of life, and no one wants an overabundance of the same character type. But it isn\u2019t nearly as much of an issue as sword-haters would have you believe, and I\u2019m here to prove it in every scientific and absurd way imaginable.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s break down the term \u201canime sword user.\u201d What does that actually mean? The label \u201canime\u201d doesn\u2019t make sense as none of the characters in Smash come from an actual anime. They\u2019re all original video game characters. There is no anime to be had.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You may now be saying, \u201cYou\u2019re arguing semantics. They look<\/em>\u00a0like anime characters.\u201d I guess? I mean, if you\u2019re saying they look like Japanese cartoons, then news flash: nearly the entire roster falls into that distinction. In fact, the only non-Japanese fighters are Banjo Kazooie, Minecraft Steve, and \u2013 to get super duper technical \u2013 the tie-wearing Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and King K. Rool (because Rare, a British studio, conceived these guys despite Nintendo owning the characters).\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t mind me; I\u2019m just poking fun at this objectively silly part of the complaint. I know the \u201canime sword user\u201d term arose from the perceived abundance of Fire Emblem characters, fighters who best fit the prototypical \u201canime\u00a0look” (whatever that is). What people really seem to mean is that there are too many Fire Emblem representatives in Smash, though even that criticism barely holds water. Has anyone counted the roster? There are eight Fire Emblem fighters in a game of 80+ characters. Really take that in. Out of 82 characters (89 with Echoes, but we\u2019ll stick to the official number), only eight hail from Fire Emblem. Barely 10 percent of the roster is too much?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ultimate\u2019s roster has 11 characters from the Mario series. Twelve when you include Donkey Kong (which he totally counts, but I\u2019m being ultra-specific for the sake of argument). That\u2019s roughly 14 percent of the roster, still very little in the grand scheme, but why does no one flip their lids about this? Not only that, but people were screaming at Sakurai to add Waluigi! Hey, I\u2019m one of them \u2013 I\u2019ve wanted that purple goof in the game for years. But I also don\u2019t complain about any series having too many representatives. I smell some bias against Fire Emblem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Would it be acceptable if Luke Skywalker, an American-made swordsman, joined the roster? That\u2019s a rhetorical question, as I know the main problem lies in the swords themselves. But for those who just hate anyone who uses such a weapon no matter what they look like or where they come from, let\u2019s break down how many pure sword wielders the game truly has.<\/p>\n

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Out of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate\u2019s 82-character roster, only 22 use a sword as their primary weapon. Here they are below:<\/p>\n