Twelve years later and we’re still talking about it. The ssb wii u roster—or "Smash 4" if you’re nasty—is a weird time capsule of Nintendo’s most experimental era. It was the bridge between the floaty, controversial chaos of Brawl and the "Everyone is Here" madness of Ultimate. But honestly? People remember the roster for all the wrong reasons. They remember the Bayonetta nerfs (or lack thereof) and the Cloud dominance. They forget how genuinely gutsy some of these additions were.
Think about it. This was the game that gave us a yoga instructor as a top-tier threat.
The Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. launched with a core group of fighters that felt like a love letter and a marketing plan mashed into one. You had your staples, of course. Mario, Link, and Pikachu aren't going anywhere. But then you had the "WTF" picks. Duck Hunt? PAC-MAN? The roster eventually swelled to 58 playable characters if you count the DLC, which was a massive jump at the time.
The Numbers Game: How Many Fighters Exactly?
There is always an argument about the "actual" number of fighters in the ssb wii u roster. If you just look at the character select screen without any extra purchases, you’re looking at 51 characters. That includes the three types of Mii Fighters—Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner—which Nintendo treated as separate entities.
Wait.
If you didn't buy the DLC, you were stuck at 51. Once you added the seven downloadable legends (Mewtwo, Lucas, Roy, Ryu, Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta), the total hit 58. It’s a respectable number. It felt infinite back in 2014. Especially compared to the 39 we had in Brawl.
Here’s the breakdown of how the roster actually sat on your disc:
- 37 Returning Veterans: These were the "safe" picks.
- 14 Newcomers: This is where things got spicy. This group included Rosalina & Luma, Little Mac, and the Villager.
- 7 DLC Additions: The wallet-drainers that eventually broke the competitive meta.
The most controversial part? The "clones."
Lucina, Dark Pit, and Dr. Mario. People were furious. They felt like wasted slots. In reality, Masahiro Sakurai (the series creator) has explained multiple times that these were basically "bonus" characters. They were added at the very end of development because they used existing assets. If they weren't clones, they wouldn't have been in the game at all. It wasn't "Lucina or Ridley." It was "Lucina or nothing."
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Why the Newcomers Mattered
The ssb wii u roster newcomers were designed around unique "gimmicks" to keep the game from feeling like a re-skin of Melee.
Take Shulk. He wasn't just a guy with a sword. He had the Monado Arts. You had to cycle through Speed, Buster, Shield, Smash, and Jump in real-time. It was a high-skill ceiling character that felt totally different from Marth or Link. Then you had Robin from Fire Emblem Awakening. Robin introduced durability. If you used your spells or your Levin Sword too much, they broke. You had to wait for them to recharge.
It was a risky design choice.
And then there was Little Mac. On the ground? He was a god. Fast, heavy armor, and that terrifying KO Uppercut. In the air? He was a wet paper bag. Most players spent the first six months of the game’s life complaining that Mac was "broken" until they realized you could just throw him off the stage once and he was dead.
The Third-Party Explosion
Before the Wii U era, third-party characters were a rare treat. We had Sonic and Snake in Brawl, and that felt like a miracle.
Smash Wii U blew the doors off.
- Mega Man: Every move was a reference to a different boss ability from his NES days.
- PAC-MAN: He turned into his 8-bit form for his dash and used "Bonus Fruit" that had completely different flight patterns.
- Ryu: The first character to use actual fighting game inputs. Doing a literal quarter-circle forward for a Hadouken in Smash was mind-blowing.
- Cloud Strife: Final Fantasy in Smash. Enough said.
- Bayonetta: The winner of the "Smash Ballot." She was so complex (and arguably overpowered) that she basically defined the end of the game's competitive life.
The "Cut" Characters: Who Didn't Make It?
You can't talk about the ssb wii u roster without talking about the heartbreak. The transition from Brawl to Wii U wasn't kind to everyone.
The biggest loss? The Ice Climbers.
This wasn't a "balance" choice. It was a technical one. The Wii U could handle Nana and Popo just fine, but the 3DS version couldn't. Because Sakurai insisted on the rosters being identical between the handheld and the console, the Ice Climbers were axed.
We also lost Wolf (from Star Fox), Snake (Metal Gear), and the Pokémon Trainer’s "swap" mechanic. In the Wii U version, Charizard was a solo fighter. Squirtle and Ivysaur were gone. It felt like a step back for some, even as the roster grew elsewhere.
Unlockable Characters (The Old School Way)
In 2026, we're used to everything being available instantly or via a season pass. But the ssb wii u roster still required a bit of work to complete the base 51. You had to actually play the game to see everyone.
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To get the full squad, you had to unlock:
- Falco: 10 matches in Smash mode.
- Wario: 20 matches.
- Lucina: 30 matches.
- Dark Pit: 40 matches.
- Dr. Mario: 50 matches.
- R.O.B.: 60 matches.
- Mr. Game & Watch: 80 matches.
- Duck Hunt: 100 matches.
Alternatively, you could beat Classic Mode or various "100-Man Smash" challenges. It gave the game a sense of progression that's often missing in modern titles. There was nothing like that "A New Foe Has Appeared!" screen popping up after a long session with friends.
The DLC Legacy: A Double-Edged Sword
When Mewtwo was announced as the first DLC character for the ssb wii u roster, the internet lost its collective mind. It was a "thank you" for fans who bought both the 3DS and Wii U versions. But as the DLC cycle continued, the power creep became real.
Cloud and Bayonetta weren't just "cool additions." They were monsters.
At the final EVO tournament for Smash 4, the grand finals featured two Bayonetta players, and the crowd actually booed. It was a messy end for a roster that started with so much promise. But that's the thing about Smash—the roster isn't just a list of names. It's a living, breathing ecosystem that changes every time a patch drops or a new character is downloaded.
Actionable Steps for Returning Players
If you’re dusting off your Wii U to revisit this roster, keep these things in mind:
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- Check your DLC: Nintendo shut down the Wii U eShop in 2023. If you didn't buy Cloud, Ryu, or Bayonetta before then, you’re unfortunately locked out of the full roster unless you buy a console that already has them installed.
- Amiibo Training: The Wii U was the first Smash game to use Amiibo. You can actually "teach" your AI fighters to play like you. It's a great way to lab against specific characters in the roster.
- Custom Moves: Don't forget that the ssb wii u roster had custom special moves. Most characters have three variations for every B-move. You have to unlock these through Trophy Rush or Classic Mode, and they completely change how the characters play.
- The Mii Factor: You can still create Miis and bring them into the fight. In the Wii U version, Miis were surprisingly viable if you gave them the right equipment.
The ssb wii u roster might not be the "Ultimate" collection, but it was the laboratory where Nintendo figured out what Smash could be. It was messy, it was unbalanced, and it was glorious. Whether you’re a Wii Fit Trainer main or a Ryu specialist, that roster represented a unique moment in gaming history that we likely won’t see again.