Sakurai reminds fans that the amount of sword fighters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate is not up to him

Hero Super Smash Bros Ultimate
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Masahiro Sakurai, the director of the Super Smash Bros. series, has recently opened up about the character selection of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - noting that the large number of in-game sword fighters is not up to him. 

In an interview with YouTube channel Washa Live, which has been translated by Nintendo Everything, Sakurai stated “like it or not, it’s not up to me whether another sword fighter goes in the game” after the presenters teased the video game developer about the addition new arrivals Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. 

The presenter then followed up with “you’re right. But even the players talk about it, you know? Like, “Agh! Why another sword fighter?!”” To which Sakurai responded, “Well even if it is another sword fighter, it will be fine as long as we balance them properly.” 

Sakurai continues by giving fans a small insight into how the character implementation process is carried out, noting that sword fighters are easier to implement than previous DLC fighter Steve from Minecraft, before joking that if he continues to give away inside information he “will get something from Nintendo…”

Fans will be able to play as Pyra and Mythra in Super Smash Bros Ultimate from today, as part of the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 DLC. Sakurai showcased the two fighters' move sets in an extended breakdown video of the Xenoblade characters. The pair were first announced to be joining the game in the February Nintendo Direct presentation just 2 weeks ago, and fans can look forward to two more DLC fighters being revealed sometime in the near future. 

Find out who else you should main in Nintendo’s popular brawler by taking a look at our best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters list. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.