Over the years, numerous rumors have circulated about discarded Super Smash Bros characters and ideas. A recently translated interview has uncovered a Pokemon who almost made the cut but ultimately did not.
Over the years, Smash has transformed into a vibrant tribute to gaming, welcoming numerous third-party representatives to join the roster of fighters. This trend was especially evident in Smash 4 and Ultimate, as previously, only Nintendo characters were featured.
The initial installment of the platform fighting series, now known as Smash 64, included Pikachu and Jigglypuff as playable Pokemon. However, it was revealed that series creator Masahiro Sakurai had initially contemplated including another Pokemon in the game.
According to Source Gaming’s video, the discovery was uncovered while examining the recently released archive of 64Dream, an ancient Japanese gaming magazine.
The May 1999 issue of the magazine featured interviews with members of Hal Laboratory, discussing Pokemon Snap, as well as a conversation with series creator Masahiro Sakurai regarding the development of Super Smash Bros.
According to Sakurai, he initially planned to include Clefairy as a hidden fighter, but ultimately chose Jigglypuff because it had a “more intriguing”concept.
Sakurai mentioned that Clefairy was taken into consideration due to the fact that the hidden characters in Smash 64 were selected in part to save resources from the original roster.
Despite initially being considered, Sakurai ultimately chose Jigglypuff over Clefairy to be included in the game. However, Clefairy still made an appearance as one of the Pokemon that could be summoned from a Poke Ball item.
Despite starting as a joke character in the first game, Jigglypuff has been consistently featured in every installment of the series since Smash 64. In the GameCube sequel, Melee, the Pokemon proved to be a formidable fighter, largely thanks to its powerful ‘Rest’ ability that allows it to take out enemies early on.
Despite Sakurai’s hint that he would come out of retirement to work on it, fans are still eagerly anticipating any updates on the upcoming Smash title.
Despite the popularity of Ultimate and its large character selection, it is still uncertain whether Smash 6 will be a complete overhaul or a upgraded version of Ultimate, much like how Nintendo approached Mario Kart 8 for the Switch.
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