Smash Bros. Ultimate Last DLC Sparks Kingdom Hearts Debate

An image of Kingdom Hearts hero Sora pointing at something while standing in the snow.

Are you pointing at the Smash invitation you shouldn’t get, Sora?
Impression: Sq. Enix

If you’ve used any time on Twitter a short while ago, you may well have discovered Kingdom Hearts’ Sora has been trending. That is many thanks to the ever-vocal Super Smash Bros. Supreme local community at the time once more debating the opportunity of Sq. Enix’s huge-shoed hero signing up for the previously-packed preventing video game as its final new combatant.

This isn’t a new music and dance for the game’s community, of program. The dialogue goes back again to at least 2016, when modders Nibrock.Rock and KTH set Sora in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate using Shulk as the foundation. Hell, even pro Smash player Tyrell “Nakat” Coleman instructed Kotaku above Twitter DMs that he’s been begging for the character’s inclusion for “over 10 years.” That is a prolonged time for just one ask for.

The discussion resurfaced this earlier 7 days for two primary motives: Sora’s received as quite a few haters and as he has stans, and on October 5 match director Masahiro Sakurai will reveal Smash Bros. Greatest’s prolonged-awaited ultimate DLC character. Pointless to say, there’s loads of speculation about who it could be. And the game’s community is incredibly substantially torn when it will come to Sora.

Some fans, like Twitter person 2xDana_, don’t want Sora in the sport due to the fact of the character’s Disney ties. 2xDana_ explained to us that although they dislike Disney’s business enterprise practices, they also anxiety the enterprise “would have also massive of an affect in their characters’ layout in Smash, using absent from Sakurai and the style and design team’s vision.”

The Disney relationship was a contentious point amid admirers, but so as well was Sora’s glimpse. IGN senior editor Kat Bailey echoed that sentiment, telling Kotaku over Twitter DMs she “dislikes his design—the massive shoes, the hair, all of it.” Bailey also discovered Sora to be “the minimum appealing factor of Kingdom Hearts,” nevertheless she did enjoy the myriad Disney references and Final Fantasy callbacks.

On the other aspect of the discussion are Sora-loving diehards who would potentially destroy to see the character sign up for a Smash roster. An artist who goes by the Twitter deal with Caehum, who occurred to post a super-popular render of Sora in front of the Smash brand, informed Kotaku that Sora was a single of their preferred people at any time, and explained they’d straight-up acquire Tremendous Smash Bros. Top if Sakurai included Sora. (They don’t very own the recreation, but have entry to it via game sharing on Nintendo Change.)

And of course, there’s pro Smash participant and Joker/Pichu most important Tyrell “Nakat” Coleman. Nakat, sporting #Sora4Smash in his Twitter identify, advised Kotaku that Kingdom Hearts followers have been “suffering” though waiting around for the up coming mainline entry. (The very long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3 eventually launched in 2019.)

“Sora is my preferred online video sport character and I have been begging for his inclusion for over 10 several years now,” Nakat explained more than DM. “I imagine he matches in [Super Smash Bros. Ultimate] as an thrilling character not only lore-smart, but gameplay as well. With how big he is as a gaming icon I assume it is the right sendoff to Sakurai’s many years of operate and possessing most of the planet content with his inclusion is a reward.”

As a Kingdom Hearts supporter myself, I can not declare to be an unbiased observer. I assume Sora would be a interesting addition to the Smash roster. He’s acquired a deep moveset that spans a number of game titles, so there’s loads of content to pull from, with copious keyblades and outfits to opt for from.

That said! To be straightforward, I basically don’t want to see Sora in the activity, in portion simply because there are much too several damn sword characters currently. By my count, and according to Screen Rant, Super Smash Bros. Top has 20 bladed fighters. If Sora were being additional, that would mean some 25% of the 82 combatants use swords. Which is way much too several! Pair this with the glut of echo fighters, and Sora begins to feel a little redundant in the roster.

So if not Sora, then who? Well-liked theories array from Jill Valentine to Tifa Lockhart, with dark horses including Dr. Eggman and Phoenix Wright. But Kingdom Hearts and Tremendous Smash Bros. Greatest YouTuber HMK, who’s released several videos about why Sora should be in the match, has 1 particular selection.

“While I experienced some intensely preferred picks that finally turned Mii Costumes these types of as Travis and Dante, when it will come to one more large character, I would want…It would undoubtedly be Learn Chief from Halo,” HMK explained to Kotaku over email.” Time to Finish the Fight!”

And of course, as regular, around fifty percent the world wide web is nonetheless holding out hope for Goku.

All will be unveiled on Tuesday, though, when Sakurai-san will debut the game’s 82nd, closing character, which will be the last part of the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 DLC. What could well be the last Smash Direct will start on October 5 at 10 a.m. ET.