Super Smash Bros: Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai revealed the game’s next DLC fighter, ARMS’ very own Min Min. While this was exciting news for fans of the popular fighting game, Min Min’s reveal was far from the only piece of news which Sakurai had to share.
Five new costumes for the Mii Fighters were also announced as downloadable content. Each will cost $0.75, and they will be available for purchase beginning June 29, 2020, the same day as Min Min’s official debut. Two of the costumes were for the Mii Gunner, while three were for the Mii Brawler – the poor Mii Swordfighter was somewhat shafted in this update, receiving no new content.
The Mii Brawler’s new costumes were Ninjara from ARMS, Heihachi from Tekken, and Callie from Splatoon. The costumes were generally received positively, although Heihachi garnered some disappointed reactions, as fans had hoped to see him as a full-fledged fighter. (Keep in mind, the Heihachi garb does not necessarily mean there will be no Tekken representative at all – both Spring Man and Ribbon Girl from ARMS were available as costumes long before Min Min’s reveal).
One of the Gunner’s costumes was far from surprising – how could we possibly have Callie without her fellow Splatoon Squid Sister, Marie? However, the other came entirely out of the left-field, perhaps even topping Undertale’s Sans or Cuphead’s title character for the honor of “least expected Mii fighter costume.”
Who is this cheerful fellow? Why, it’s none other than Vault Boy of Fallout fame, the ever-grinning, the adorable face of VaultTec propaganda. Blonde, perky Vault Boy, is the mascot of the Fallout series and has become one of developer Bethesda’s most iconic characters.
Reactions to Nintendo’s subsequent announcement on Twitter featured a great deal of “shocked” responses, making use of memes and other images. Also, judging by fan reactions, I look forward to seeing lots of Miis wearing Vault Boy’s head and Sans’ jacket (or vice versa), creating a combination of the two fashionable Mii Gunner outfits.
Become S.P.E.C.I.A.L with the Vault Boy Mii Fighter costume, available for purchase on 6/29! #SmashBrosUltimate pic.twitter.com/x9AsCN7NCN
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 22, 2020
What makes Vault Boy’s appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate so surprising? Simply put, a collaboration between Bethesda and Nintendo was probably not something anyone saw coming. Almost no Fallout titles are available for Nintendo consoles, with the series primarily appearing on PlayStation and Xbox systems. (The lone exception, Fallout Shelter, is a spinoff title in which players are responsible for creating their vault and maintaining the health and happiness of its dwellers.)
However unexpected it may be, this crossover has so far received an extremely positive reception from fans. A Fallout x Smash pairing was seen by many as an impossible pipe dream (although Vault Boy made an appearance as the subject of many fake “leaked fighter” posts on sites such as Reddit). It has already been pointed out that, despite Fallout’s more graphic art style, Vault Boy’s more “cartoony” design helps him fit in well aesthetically among the other Mii Fighter outfits.
Now that Vault Boy is making his appearance as a costume for the Mii Gunner, could this be a hint that a Bethesda representative might be making their debut as part of the second Fighters’ Pass DLC? Fans certainly hope so, with names such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s Dragonborn and Doom’s “Doomguy” being frequently thrown around.
Do you think we could see a playable Bethesda character in Smash Ultimate? Who would you like to see? Are you looking forward to dressing your Mii Gunner up as Vault Boy, or your Brawler as Ninjara or Heihachi? Ready to cause some double trouble with the Squid Sisters? Let us know!
