Super Smash Bros is quickly becoming one of the most popular tournament fighting series. Sporting a cast of beloved characters mainly from Nintendo games, but of course a few from some others as well, the Smash Bros roster is quite impressive. We all have our favorites to play as, and I’m no different. So here are my top 20 favorite Smash Bros characters to use in combat. Keep in mind I’ll be considering how each individual entry plays in their games and also counting each appearance as a slot. So, for example, Mario appears in Super Smash Bros, Melee, Brawl, and 3DS/Wii U so he would take up four slots if I picked them all. Also, to keep it simple, I’ll be referring to Super Smash Bros as (N64), Super Smash Bros Melee as (Melee), Super Smash Bros Brawl as (Brawl), and Super Smash Bros for 3DS and Super Smash Bros for Wii U as (3DS/Wii U) since those two have the same core gameplay. It’s just easier than writing them all out every single time and saves some space. Last but no least, keep in mind these are MY top 20 FAVORITE Super Smash Bros character, not necessarily the top 20 BEST characters. I’m not a tournament player so I wouldn’t know anyway.

#20 Zelda (Brawl)

Zelda might not be the best fighter in this game, but very few characters are all that great. I also wasn’t a fan of turning her into Sheik, as novel as the idea was. However, I DID enjoy blasting enemies from long range with her side special and some of her attacks were decent. I also like her because she’s from my favorite series of games and… she’s beautiful!

#19 Link (Melee)

Again, I’m a big fan of The Legend of Zelda series so characters from there trigger a bit of a soft spot. Plus, I enjoy fighting with a sword and a shield. Link not only looks great here but plays competently too. He’s one of the few characters I actually liked to play as in Melee… though he certainly wasn’t my favorite there. Read on.

#18 Marth (Melee)

I’ve got no connection to the Fire Emblem series since I’ve never played any of the games, but Marth become my main in Melee. He’s got the sword and the swiftness. He does decent damage and knockback while not being slow or short-ranged. Plus, he has a counter! That thing was so cool.

#17 Pit (Brawl)

I’ve not played any Kid Icarus, though I’m interested in the NES title. Still, Pit is pretty good. He can fly, glide, beef up the damage and send people flying as well. He’s quite versatile, sporting good close range swipes and long range arrow shots. The thing that really made him a favorite of mine is his shield, which can not only protect him from damage but also reflect it back. He was my go-to guy in boss battles. Good luck moshing in THIS Pit… or something clever instead.

#16 Meta Knight (Brawl)

Go ahead. Say he’s broken. I don’t get why, but I’m no tournament player. All I know is he’s pretty fun to play as. You can fly and glide with decent speed and some wicked sword attacks. His tornado is no joke either. His only real downside is that he’s small so he’s easy to launch. Maybe I’m only decent with him because he’s broken… but… whatever, he’s fun god damn it!

#15 Charizard (3DS/Wii U)

Charizard was my favorite part of Pokémon Trainer from Brawl. Well now he’s back without the baggage and better than ever. He’s a powerhouse with a few extra jumps and some surprising speed for a big guy. Plus, the nostalgia of gen one Pokémon doesn’t hurt either.

#14 King Dedede (Brawl)

By now it’s probably obvious that I’ve played a ton of Brawl but just didn’t care for most of the cast. King Dedede isn’t the best, being a terribly slow tub, but he packs a wallop and can fly through the air. It’s just fun to play as a punching bag that can launch people with a giant hammer. So satisfying.

#13 King Dedede (3DS/Wii U)

He’s roughly the same here as he was in Brawl, so it makes sense he’d make the cut in such manner. However, he’s just a bit more balanced and well-rounded this time around. No, that’s not a fat joke. And it’s still satisfying to launch those fucks with your big fuckin’ hammer!

#12 Bowser (3DS/Wii U)

The king of the koopas himself, Bowser is another one of those big punching bag powerhouses that can pack a real punch. He has some already speed and jumping too. Definitely the best incarnation of turtley terror to date. Rawr.

#11 Toon Link (Brawl)

Another incarnation of Link from the Zelda series, it’s not exactly a shocker to see this cartoon character on my list now is it? He sports a similar moveset to the hero of time, but he has a few other tricks up his sleeve. He makes up for a lessened range with some extra speed to close those gaps. And you get a sword and shield so… I like it.

#10 Toon Link (3DS/Wii U)

Oh, the price we pay for including each game’s cast as a separate entry. This Toon Link is just a wee bit better than the one in Brawl. Nothing especially stands out as being that different. It’s more or less just some minor tweaks that balance him better. That’s it. Still like it.

#9 Captain Falcon (N64)

It’s about time we brought the first game into the mix! Captain Falcon is very fast with a powerful punch… literally! He also has an up special that latches onto foes, hurts them, and THEN allows him to do it again for even more jumps. Now that’s some pretty crazy shit right there. No wonder he’s an unlockable. But where did this racing bounty hunter get super powers?

#8 Fox (N64)

Another swift fighter from the first installment, Fox fights mainly with his fists and feet. What makes him cool are his specials. He has a fiery recovery special, a laser pistol, and a deflector that can send projectiles back at enemies. He’s one cool cat… fox… whatever, scroll to the next one.

#7 Lucina (3DS/Wii U)

She’s basically Marth. I like Marth, but Lucina is so god damn similar that there’s no reason to include them both from this game. Lucina has the few slight advantages of her sword doing equal damage throughout rather than doing more at the tip and… she’s hot, alright? When has that ever been a BAD thing?

#6 Link (N64)

Oh hey, another Link entry? I’m shocked. But at least this original appearance acts a bit differently. I really like his moves with the sword, boomerang, hookshot, and bombs. You can set up some wicked combos and he’s still got that sword and shield going for him. Besides, he’s the N64 Link I grew up with. How could I NOT like him?

#5 Mii Swordfighter (3DS/Wii U)

Being able to create and customize characters out of your Miis is one of my favorite things about these games. I’m so glad it was introduced. I found myself falling in love with the swordfighter template for the Mii Fighter. Sure, I got to pick most of the moves, gear, outfits… all of that. But that just makes this character all the more impressive to remain balanced. Plus, how can you NOT get attached to a character you get to create from the ground up? It’s awesome. Trust me.

#4 Donkey Kong (Brawl)

He’s fast, he’s powerful, and he can take a hit. DK blasts into the Brawl scene as my main in the game. He may not have the best vertical, but he makes up for it in his use in other areas. I found myself constantly playing as him. I guess I have the lack of other fun character in the game to thank for finding out how fun it is to be DK.

#3 Donkey Kong (3DS/Wii U)

Well he’s basically the same here so my transition was an easy one. He has been tweaked a bit to keep up with the times and have him continue to be a great player. I wish I had more input there but… I guess not. Sorry. Here. Have a banana.

#2 Kirby (N64)

He flies. He copies the abilities of other characters. And he’s downright vicious in the right hands. Kirby was my very favorite fighter in the first Super Smash Bros. I got so good that I was able to beat the game on very hard AND beat two level 9 computers on a team against just myself. It may not sound like much these days, but for, especially back then when I was generally even more terrible at video games, it was such a great feeling. But you have to play as red Kirby. There’s no other way.

#1 Link (3DS/Wii U)

That’s right, you probably guessed it by now. Link is a real easy sell for me anyway. Put him in this game, clean up his moves and mobility, give him a new running slash, and BOOM! You have yourself a character I just can’t get enough of. He’s just so damn fun to play as and cool as shit to boot! Not to mention the customization you can include in this version to even further tweak him to your liking. He’s absolutely my favorite to play as yet.

Maybe once more Smash games come along I’ll have some re-evaluating to do, but for now I’m happy with this list. What are your favorites? Leave it in the comments why don’t ya. And check out my video below of my top ten considering each character across all of their appearances. It’s a thing that could be interesting. If nothing else, I hope you enjoyed thinking about the subject as I did. Thank you for reading.