Super Smash Bros. Ultimate announced its final character on October 5, to be added to the roster. In the great finale, none other than Sora from Kingdom Hearts has made it into the game. The community and MeinMMO author Lena were moved to tears.
Hundreds of thousands sat excitedly in front of their screens and followed the livestream from Nintendo about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In recent years, numerous new fighters have been added to the roster that could be purchased as DLC. On October 5, the very last character was announced: Sora.
What is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the most well-known games in the fighting game genre, where you can compete with characters from various game series.
Many characters come from the Nintendo universe. But also heroes like Sephiroth from Final Fantasy and Steve from Minecraft are included.
What is Kingdom Hearts as a game? The Kingdom Hearts series originated from the collaboration between Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. In the action RPG, you travel through various Disney worlds to protect them from darkness and enemies known as Heartless and Nobodies.
There are currently 9 main series entries and 3 HD remasters. This is complemented by 2 games alongside the main games.
Who is Sora? Sora is the likeable protagonist from Kingdom Hearts, with whom you travel through the Disney worlds and wield his Keyblade, which is the weapon that defeats enemies.
Alongside him are the iconic characters from Disney: Donald and Goofy. Mickey Mouse also makes occasional appearances, helping the group or giving them new missions.
The fans’ reactions were overwhelming
What does the community say about Sora in Smash? The community was overwhelmed and completely ecstatic. Many of them grabbed their chairs or nearby objects and threw them in joy around the room. Others could hardly believe it, screaming or bursting into tears.
We would like to share some tearful, joyful, and absolutely beautiful reactions with you:
SarahKey, who is a YouTuber and streamer, is a big fan of the Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy series. Her reaction was a mix of screaming, pure joy, tears, and disbelief:
The YouTuber Hungrybox cheers: “They actually did it!”, and then sits down for a moment before his dam breaks (via YouTube).
And for those who like mashups – meaning many reactions played simultaneously – there is also something here (via Youtube).
That’s why Sora in Smash is such a big deal: Sora is the character that most fans wished for – this was also confirmed by Sakurai in the Smash livestream. However, many did not expect Sora anymore, as they suspected that the creators of Smash and Disney could not reach an agreement or that Disney did not want to give up Sora.
Although Sora and his companions were developed by Square Enix, they belong to Disney. Hoeg Law summarizes well in his YouTube video who owns what and how to recognize it (via YouTube).
This is how I experienced the reveal
This is how the livestream went for me: I was in a Discord call with one of my best friends while watching the livestream. Since the release of the first DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I had been hoping for Sora as a playable character. So you can imagine what kind of hot coals I was sitting on when the livestream started.
It was all or nothing – the last character appears: if this isn’t Sora, I won’t touch the game anymore – that’s how I decided. The first light particles sparkled, and I made fun of both of us: “That’s Sora!” I called out while laughing.
But when the Keyblade appeared, I could hardly believe my eyes. Is that Sora? Really? Or is Sakurai pulling our leg? Then he flew out of the keyhole – the dam broke. I have no idea what kind of sounds we were grunting into each other’s headphones, but it was amazing!
Even when I watch reactions like the ones above today, tears of joy well up in my eyes.
That’s why I’m so excited about Sora: Although I’ve invested some hours in Smash, I never found THE character for me. Pikachu and Greninja are great fighters, but for me, they were still not the highlight.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has no character that could keep me in the game. Therefore, no one could motivate me to really learn the game and get better. In Smash, there are naturally tricks, tips, and the best moves at the right time. Learning that? No, not interested.
That is changing now with Sora. Kingdom Hearts is my absolute favorite game and has been with me forever. I’m eagerly waiting for every part and every little piece.
Sora has breathed new life into the game for me, and I am extremely excited to soon start my Switch and download the DLC.
Did you also watch the reveal and cheer along, or are you not interested in Smash? What do you think about Sora as the final fighter? Feel free to share in the comments.
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