If you have a Switch, there is a non-zero chance you also own Smash Ultimate. The first season of DLC concluded with the reveal of Byleth from Fire Emblem Three Houses, the totally not controversial and not at all salt riddled choice that was beloved and accepted by all of the Smash community. Let’s look back at all the DLC characters we got in that first season:
**[Joker](https://youtu.be/W4PG9qx9x2s):** The protagonist from Persona 5 was revealed mere hours before the game’s launch at the 2018 Game Awards. This announcement sent shockwaves through the gaming community and got everyone riled up to buy the season pass day 1. On release he brought a killer stage and a ton of killer music, but I personally found his moveset to be underwhelming. He comes off as a “best of” type deal, wherein he incorporates good moves from other fighters to the point where he’s just viable by default.
**[Hero](https://youtu.be/pupll3ON-WA):** While not as much of a mindfuck as Joker here in the West, there is no denying that Dragon Quest has long since left its stamp on gaming. Upon their release, Hero was easily the goofiest wackiest character ever conceived for the series, with RNG bullshit up the wazoo and several instant death moves at his disposal. The competitive community was debating on whether or not to ban him, but if you ask me: if you’re gonna keep Mr. Game & Watch tourney legal, you can keep this guy legal too. I just wish the music we got wasn’t so terrible.
**[Banjo & Kazooie](https://youtu.be/qyJ4djjQOr0):** My most hyped addition from this first pass and one of my mains since they first launched. They’re moveset isn’t all that synergistic, but I enjoy pestering people with grenade eggs and Wonderwings. The stage I wasn’t too fond of, but the music choices were sublime. The remixes were handled with love and care, though I do wish we could’ve gotten Gruntilda’s theme separate. Overall a long deserved inclusion that was somewhat overshadowed by Sans Undertale.
**[Terry](https://youtu.be/lvT-b5y9tsE):** This was the character I was least familiar with. I knew about The King of Fighters but not quite as much about Fatal Fury; apparently the former is a spinoff/AU of the latter. And while I didn’t enjoy playing him myself, I will definitely say that he brought with him the best DLC stage ever and a whopping 50 music tracks from across the entire SNK catalogue. It’s been over 3 years and I still haven’t listened to it all! What a way to introduce a lesser-known character to a broad new audience.
**[Byleth](https://youtu.be/6fwAk1P8TLU):** And here it is, the end of the first season’s run. And boy was it something. The collective meltdown from this announcement was hilarious to behold, and if you follow the Smash community (please don’t just trust me), some are still hung up on it to this day. At least they brought a cool stage and a good selection of music tracks with them, although God Shattering Star didn’t make the cut much to my disappointment. As someone who spent nearly 400 hours in Three Houses myself, I was happy with the inclusion. And pro player MKLeo definitely helped turn fan opinion of the character around in a huge way.
by Asad_Farooqui
35 Comments
If I hand to rank them from most to least favorite, it would go like this:
1. Byleth. Three Houses is my favorite RPG of all time and I have 800 hours in it. Byleth themselves is easily one of the most creative characters the series has ever added and they’re super fun to play as with a multitude of weapons including a lance and an axe which are weapons that aren’t really utilized all that much by other characters. I also love Garreg Mach as a stage with all the neat background cameos and Chasing Daybreak is my favourite piece of music from Three Houses so I’m glad it’s here. Their Final Smash might be a bit underwhelming but Sothis makes up for it.
2. Terry. Never played much KOF/Fatal Fury honestly. But he’s got neat moves and an interesting mechanic that unlocks new moves at 100%. His stage is also great with loads of cameos and music from every major SNK game including Metal Slug which was a favorite of mine in the arcades.
3. Hero. I don’t care much for Dragon Quest at all but Hero’s randomized moves are amazing and added a great skakeup to gameplay.
4. Banjo-Kazooie. I don’t have any nostalgia for Banjo and I don’t really play the character. I’m neutral on them but happy for everyone who wanted them.
5. Joker. His introduction in this game got me interested in Persona 5. Unfortunately I don’t like how he’s represented in Smash. The fact that he only uses one persona when his defining trait in P5 is using multiple is very disappointing because Arsene is just Limit Break on steroids. It’s not very original. I also find Mementos a boring stage with very bad colors and a lacking music selection. The P5 music style isn’t my thing and I wished they had used songs from Persona 1 and 2. Aria of the Soul is technically a song from P1 since it’s the Velvet Room theme that’s used across the series but otherwise, the music selection just isn’t my thing. The P3 and P4 music is much better but there’s still not that many of them. These reasons are why Joker is my least favorite DLC pack. Make no mistake, I’m loving Persona 5 Royal on Switch though.
Overall: A great pass with something for everyone. It all didn’t appeal to me though, which is perfectly fine. Not everyone is going to like everything.
Personally I hated all of them except Byleth who saved it for me. To this day they’re my 4 most hated characters in the game, except for Kazuya at no 1.
My friends and I were all so hyped for Byleth since we’d all recently gotten hooked on FE TH together a month or two before. Infact I still feel that hype somewhat, even after not caring about FE since. Quite possibly my favourite addition to the whole series, other than my main Villager back in the day.
They were all superior to the 2nd round.
Joker, Hero and Banjo were an amazing start.
I was indifferent to Terry as a character but I loved the stage and the music.
The choice of Byleth was so bad it convinced me to not buy the Second Fighter Pass and instead getting the ones I liked separately.
The first 3 characters were pretty good. It went from that to “Why?” And “Go Fuck Yourself” respectively. Looking back, Hero was definitely the best thing to come from the pass. The pass itself was just ok, and yet it somehow was still the better of the two passes.
Enjoyed Joker. Fun character and good songs.
Hero is fun, though I’m no good with the spells (I take too long to look at which ones I have, and so never use them properly). Considering it’s “four characters” in one, it’s kinda fun. Though the silent Final Smash is a bit odd.
Banjo & Kazooie are fun, but it’s not a character (combo) that I really was interested in. I never played any of the games before, and was never that interested in the characters themselves. I was happy to see others happy to see them (something I admittedly cannot say for the launch of Minecraft Steve in the second round…).
Terry is awesome. Being a longtime fan of Fatal Fury/King of Fighters, it was pretty nice to see Terry in the game. He even has the “hidden” Power Geyser attack when he’s taken enough damage!
I also really liked the addition of Byleth. I’ve never been one of those people who lament “Too many Fire Emblem/Anime Swordsmen!” in the game. I also really enjoyed Fire Emblem Three Houses, and felt it was a nice addition to the game.
Absolutely insane pack until Byleth killed all the momentum. I say this having played Three Houses for about 350+ hours, on Maddening, multiple times, and I still hate that Byleth is in Smash even though I love Three Houses. Because everyone before them was insane, very hype, all NEW AND DIFFERENT FRANCHISES. I can see Hero being dull to most but Dragon Quest deserved a spot in Smash, its a long series that unlike Fire Emblem, had no real presence in Smash.
Even still you can’t deny the quality of the first pack. Joker was the absolute most hype, and now that P5R is on Switch his inclusion is even better. Banjo is right up there even tho i have no real connection to the series, but hes a dream character that finally made it in. And then I appreciate Terry for the same reason as Kazuya which is incorporating other Fighting Game characters and retooling them to fit in Smash. It feels appropriate and welcome
I liked the second fighter’s pass more but there were definitely some interesting selections in the first one. It would’ve been more special had the DLC ended with Byleth(and the super exaggerated backlash it received). Banjo & Kazooie still has my jaw dropped to this day. Joker and Hero turned out to be a lot more interesting than I initially thought. And Byleth was fun, plain and simple. Only dud I see is Terry, as he didn’t seem much more different than some already available fighters.
For me, Banjo was THE character I’ve dreamed about in Smash since before Melee came out so nothing could top that. The other four were cheeries on top.
Joker, Banjo, and Terry seem to be the crowd’s favorites. Personally, I don’t mind any of them, but also don’t particularly **love** any of them. That said, the only reason I don’t mind Byleth is due to them being one of three unique and interesting Fire Emblem characters, and that is mostly because they use more than just a sword, have a bow for once, lack a counter, and don’t have a jump up and slash up special. They all do it, some just crash back down. The other two are Robin and Corrin, Robin for reasons that are self-explanitory, and Corrin really just because of their spear fingers and back air.
As for Hero, well Banjo kind of overtook him, and then Banjo was overtaken by Sans. How tragic. Gameplay wise, Hero’s interesting. That down special shines with possibilities, and a special mechanic that requires stratagy? Yes please. Unfortunately, that’s kind of it. The only thing I’m not too fond of is how strong the side special is, oh, and the random crits. Fun and exciting as they are, losing an early stock because the Goku cosplay got *lucky* is demoralizing.
Now for the other three. I do quite like Joker. Stylish and fluid a cool character makes. Swift and smooth moves that sequence together nicely, and a gun? Now that’s good. When first watching the initial breakdown for him, I misunderstood the “Arsene is invincible” part and thought Arsene made Joker invincible. While I’m glad I was wrong about that bit, Arsene does provide a bit more power than I would like. The buffed combos make my Ridley shake in his non-existant boots. Overall, a fun to watch character, for the first or last half of a game, as seeing the same combos over and over again gets a little boring.
Banjo and Kazooie, what a classic character. Unfortunately, I wasn’t alive to experience the games just yet, and by the time I did show up, I wasn’t yet coherent enough to know that anything besides a Wii remote and Mario Galaxy existed. Outside of unfortunate timing, Banjo has a looney tunes-esc charm, which I love. Same goes for Kazooie. Fun moves like a hilarious forward smash, bounce pad, and of course, the almost get out of jail free Wonderwing. Unfortunately, Kazooie’s eggs are easily spammable and thus annoying. Imagine fighting the bear and bird as a character with all the flaws of a heavyweight, and the, well, weight of a midweight. Glad they’re here, but I hope I never run into them.
Finally, Terry. He’s the only one I go out of my way to choose. Fun to play, and I’m sure he is fun to fight, if you aren’t Ridley, because he’s another ***combo character!*** The attacks are cool but expected as he has no weapon. Though he *is* the only one to have a back special, and that kick has a satisfying sound to it. I do like his gimmik. The super specials are just so **satisfying** to pull off. Also, Terry brought like 40 music tracks with him, and almost all of them are bangers. Bonus fact! Since Terry came from the realm of traditional fighting games, he always faces his opponent. Mewtwo’s down special only works when facing the opponent. Meaning that if played correctly, Disable is particularly effective against them. Checkmate, friend who mains Ken…
Overall, I like them, but not a ton. My least favorite is probably Hero, but that’s not really saying much since I like them all in at least one way. My favorite is most likely Terry, though Byleth and Joker are close.
Hero and banjo: superb
Terry and joker: ok
Byleth: why?
I like all of them, except Banjo who I frankly don’t care about at all. The Byleth trailer was definitely the worst, and I say this as a Fire Emblem fan. It was just soooo boring.
Honestly amazing. Love all these as characters except for Terry, and he’s still super fun to play.
I was shocked how much I fell in love with Terry. He was .y least anticipated of tbe 5 of them – when I heard he was released I just thought “eh, another FGC”.
He has become my second favourite character to play!
Byleth was probably the only one I wasn’t thrilled with, and I admit I enjoy playing as him from time to time. I was thrilled to see Banjo finally joining the roster. He’s probably my favorite on the pass. Joker was a fun addition too.
I think most of us who lived through the N64 days are still amazed by the fact that the bear & bird are in Smash Bros.
Joker and Hero were the highlights for me. I like having Three Houses representation, but Hero was definitely the best part about it for me.
Banjo Kazooie was a joy to play when I was younger so I really was excited for them and I actually enjoy their moveset in Smash. Joker and Hero I’m not great with but they’re the MC’s from 2 of my top 5 games so I was stoked they got added to Smash. FE3H was my first Fire Emblem game so it was nice to have a character I was more familiar with in Smash from the series. I never played a KoF game but Terry is a cool character, plus all great music from all the characters’ games so I was really pleased with the season pass.
Living in Brazil (and I assume all latam) Terry was better know than Banjo & Kazooie over here.
Joker is very fun to play and the Persona content is great.
Hero rng makes matches entertaining and I love all the alts.
Banjo is great for nostalgia but I feel like they made him one of the most boring characters in the game based on how he plays which is disappointing.
Terry was such a nice surprise cause I grew up with SNK fighters and never expected to see a KOF/Fatal Fury character in smash. Love all the characters and music they added alongside him.
Byleth is a decent add since I like swordfighters and 3 Houses even though it was a bit underwhelming choice for ending the dlc pass. After seeing all the cool stuff people do with him I’ve grown to like his addition more.
Ive been waiting these DLC packs to go on sale because more than £5 per character is too much IMO… but they never do, so Nintendo doesnt get any money.
I was somewhat miffed that Joker appeared in the game even though P5 had not yet gotten released on the Switch. 2022 changed that and now I welcome his inclusion.
Joker was super hype even though I never played Persona at that time. I’m only just now getting to P5R and appreciating all the details they put in with Joker in Smash.
Hero was cool because it was 4 character skins in one, on top of their gimmick. After the announcement I went and played DQ 1, 3, 4, 8 and eventually 11 after never playing the series before. He’s one of my fav characters in Smash now.
Banjo Kazooie was the most hyped character for me, been dreaming of the day. He’s a bit basic to play but I like that.
Terry I wasn’t at all interested in, but I think he’s very fun to play.
Byleth I didn’t want, even though I love TH. But I also like playing as him and the TH music was great.
Overall wave 1 was the most hype for me between characters I enjoy to play and characters that made sense to add in.
Overall happy. I wish I liked playing as Joker though as I love P5 but just never clicked. I eye rolled at Byleth but ironically is one of my favourite characters to play as. Lots of satisfying hits if you land them – I’m just a casual who plays with friends mind you.
Super happy with Banjo too. Hero isn’t for me, same with Terry but they’re good additions.
Joker made me actually scream with delight and the moveset did not disappoint.
Hero is fun. I don’t play him much but he’s a great addition.
Banjo and Kazooie were long overdue, and also fun.
Terry is one of the most fun additions, but I have no interest in him as a franchise rep. SNK is whatever.
Byleth is… a mixed bag. Fire Emblem is my favorite franchise, and I hate Smash cretins who give it shit. Byleth is also a representative of the most successful and culturally significant FE game, so it feels wrong to not include him. It would be like… Zelda with no Breath of the Wild representation. So I’ll say Byleth needed to happen, while the “too much FE” criticism is the fault of past additions. Like Corrin. No one likes Corrin. As an actual moveset, I think Byleth does cool things on paper, but comes across as bland, somewhat ineffective, and lacking in utility.
Piranha Plant felt like a troll pick.
I literally mumbled “please don’t be Steve” before his reveal so that sums up my thoughts on that.
I am aggressively indifferent to Min Min, as a character and as a moveset.
Sephiroth was my favorite addition from FP2 and very fun to play.
Tekken guy was really fun and feels broke to play, but like Terry, I have no particular attachment to the series. I would have chosen Blazblue and Soul Calibur over Tekken and SNK.
I don’t like Xenoblade 2. So I was never rooting for a rep. But there’s nothing wrong with Pyra/Mythra, they’re fun and overpowered, and Rex getting snubbed was so hilariously deserved that I’m here for it.
Joker and Banjo were obviously everyone’s most wanted, but I play Byleth the most so I’m glad they put them in.
Banjo is the only character I really cared about.
I’ve never played persona or dragon quest. I’d never even heard of King of fighters before Terry was leaked and byleth was byleth.
One thing that people often overlook are the new stages. The King of Fighters stage is one of my favourites as its one of the best for teaching new players.
This is going to be an unpopular take. I was disappointed that most of them had a gimmick. Joker’s Rebellion Gauge, Hero’s critical hits and insta kill specials, Banjo’s Wonderwing charges, and Terry’s GO! moves all detracted from an otherwise fun kit. I didn’t enjoy playing against any of these characters because the gimmicks.
Byleth was disappointing since I’m not a FE fan. While they don’t have a pronounced gimmick like the other 4, their combination or range and shield pressure was obnoxious. Season pass 2 introducing more gimmicks was the nail in the coffin for me to put down smash as a 1 on 1 fighter. I appreciate all the DLC more when playing it as a party game (4-8 players)
It was a pretty great first pass. I’ve wanted Banjo to be in Smash since the days of Melee so to see that finally get worked out was a dream come true. Then to see all the different additions from across gaming and not just Nintendo made it feel like anything could happen. Byleth may have been disappointing due to all the fire emblem reps but it made sense to tie in with the three houses game
I’ve never been able to get all of the characters that even come with the game, so I’ve not considered buying D.L.C. Does it unlock the characters immediately? Usually I have to wait for my son to come over and he plays Donkey Kong and I just push him off the edge of the level to get a new character.
Great roster, couldn’t be happier with it. Banjo making it was a literal childhood dream come true, and the other characters were excellent additions too.
I also wish God-Shattering Star had been included among the new FE themes we got with Byleth, but oh well.
Joker was pretty cool. Not crazy about Persona, but he’s a great character all around.
Hero was one of those characters that in hindsight seems like a no-brainer for Smash, yet wasn’t mentioned any character polls IIRC. His down B is busted to the moon, but he’s great fun.
Banjo was a welcomed surprise and made a bunch of my friends who grew up in the 64 era ecstatic. Of all the DLC characters, though, he feels the least “premium.”
I was the only person in my friend group who grew up playing Fatal Fury in the arcades, and therefore I was the only one of us that was excited for Terry’s announcement. He has become my main since release, and I have an absolute blast playing him. Between he, Ryu, Ken, and Kazuya, I think there’s a fair argument to put more traditional fighting game characters in Smash. Let’s get Sol and Scorpion!
Byleth is an interesting pick. His design is “meh” to me, yet his move set is quite varied and fun. I wish the other Fire Emblem characters were like that.
Byleth made me so sad. Three Houses was amazing and I was excited to see a character in Smash. But Byleth is so boring. Any of the house leaders would have been much cooler.
Joker – Perfect addition. Fun character, stage is fun even though it’s based on Mementos, great music.
Hero – Also a fun character! The extra costumes are a nice touch. The stage is pretty nice but the music is a tad lacking.
Banjo & Kazooie – I was most hyped for their inclusion but I HATE their moveset. So disappointing. I love the stage and music they added, though.
Terry – Pretty much opposite of Banjo. Did not care about Terry, first DLC where I haven’t played any of the series outside of trying a couple of the games. Absolutely awesome moveset though, stage has an interesting mechanic and while I don’t enjoy all of the music, he added a lot.
Byleth – Solid addition gameplay wise, but even though I love Fire Emblem I can agree that he wasn’t too exciting overall, especially being the last in a group that involved Joker and Banjo.