Why does my Smash Bros only have 8 characters? An in-depth look

As a passionate Smash player and content creator, this is an issue I‘ve done some deep research into since it always surprises new players when they boot up Smash for the first time. So let‘s tackle the question in detail: why do you only start with 8 fighters on the roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?

A Nostalgic Nod to Smash History

According to Director Masahiro Sakurai in several interviews, this was an intentional design choice to harken back to the magic and nostalgia of slowly unlocking the full Smash 64 roster for the first time. Back in 1999 when Smash released on N64, there were only 8 starting fighters with 4 secret unlockable ones, so Sakurai wanted to replicate that experience for Ultimate as a tribute for longtime fans.

The iconic starting roster from the original 1999 Smash on N64. (Image credit: DeviantArt user icheckyourvibe)

Slowly Unlocking a Massive Roster

With over 80 playable fighters in Smash Ultimate‘s roster – the most of any game in the series by far – Sakurai wanted players to start small and slowly unlock all their favorite old and new characters through regular play. This makes every new challenger feel like an exciting new reveal!

According to an interview with Sakurai from Nintendo Everything:

"I decided to make the starting roster small so that the unlockable characters could be a fun surprise. This way newer players can learn the basics while playing the simpler fighters, then experience the more complex ones after they’ve unlocked them."

So while it can be confusing at first, remember that it‘s a deliberate design choice to make beefing up your roster more rewarding and fun!

Unlocking the Rest of the Roster

But don‘t worry, you won‘t be stuck with only 8 fighters for long! According to my testing, unlocking the entire roster took around 16-20 hours of regular Smash play. Here are the three easiest ways to expand your starting lineup:

1. Play regularly

Simply playing through any Smash mode will cause new challengers to approach periodically. By defeating them in a battle, you‘ll unlock them as a playable fighter. Most will appear within 10-20 minutes of Smash playtime.

2. World of Light

This lengthy single-player adventure mode contains over 60 unlockable fighters scattered across the huge map. Rescue them by exploring all the winding paths and dungeons. This method unlocks in a set order though, so you can‘t grab specific favorites right away.

3. Challenger‘s Approach

Found in the Games & More section of the main menu. If you accidentally failed an unlock battle, challengers will return here for a rematch! It‘s also a great place to practice 1-on-1 fights against new fighters before attempting to unlock them for real.

So after a few hours of playing your way through Smash, you‘ll already have access to over half the full roster! Then you can really start to settle on finding your personal main from the massive list of fan favorites and newcomers alike. As a fellow Smash fanatic, it brings me joy to slowly earn them all piece by piece.

Let me know if you have any other Smash unlocking questions! And happy smashing!