Honestly, it’s kinda wild to think that the most successful fighting game franchise in history started as a project called Dragon King: The Fighting Game. It had no Mario. No Link. Not even a pixel of Pikachu. If you look at the Super Smash Bros background, you realize the whole thing was basically a "skunkworks" project built on a shoestring budget by a guy who was just bored and wanted to see if he could make a four-player fighting game that actually felt good to play.
Masahiro Sakurai, the mastermind at HAL Laboratory, wasn't trying to change the world. He just wanted a 3D fighter that didn't feel like Street Fighter or Tekken. He teamed up with Satoru Iwata—who would later become the legendary president of Nintendo—to code the prototype on a weekend. It was just faceless, purple polygonal dudes punching each other.
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Why the Nintendo Characters Weren't Even Invited at First
A lot of people think Nintendo sat down and said, "Let’s make a crossover." Nope. That’s not what happened at all. Sakurai knew that his "original" characters in Dragon King lacked personality. He felt the game wouldn't sell on its own. So, he took a massive risk. He put Nintendo characters into the prototype without asking for permission first.
He basically "stole" Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus, and Fox McCloud to show Nintendo what the game could be. It was a gamble that could have gotten him fired. Instead, it became the foundation for everything.
The Philosophy of "Damage Percentage"
Unlike every other fighter from the late 90s, the Super Smash Bros background is rooted in physics rather than health bars. Sakurai hated the idea of "memorizing combos." He wanted a game where the more you got hit, the further you flew. It sounds simple now, but in 1999, this was radical. It turned a fighting game into a platformer where the floor was your biggest enemy.
The N64 was struggling to keep up with the PlayStation’s sales back then. Nintendo needed a "hook." This weird party-fighter was that hook, even though the marketing department in America didn't even know how to sell it at first. Remember that weird commercial with the people in mascot suits beating each other up in a meadow? That was pure desperation. It worked.
How the Competitive Scene Accidentally Ruined (and Saved) the Game
Sakurai has always been vocal about one thing: Smash is a party game. He wants you to use items. He wants the stage to kill you. He wants randomness. But the fans had other ideas.
When Super Smash Bros. Melee dropped on the GameCube in 2001, it was an accident of perfect coding. The game was rushed—developed in only 13 months—which led to "glitches" like wavedashing and L-canceling. These weren't intended features. They were physics quirks.
- Wavedashing: Sliding across the ground while remaining in a standing state.
- DI (Directional Influence): Shifting your trajectory while being launched to survive longer.
- Frame Data: The literal 1/60th of a second timing required to pull off high-level play.
The community turned a "casual" game into a hyper-competitive esport. This created a rift. Sakurai spent the next two decades trying to slow the game down (see: Super Smash Bros. Brawl and its infamous "tripping" mechanic), while the fans spent that same time trying to keep Melee alive in basements and convention centers. This tension is a huge part of the Super Smash Bros background that most casual players don't see. It's a tug-of-war between a creator who wants everyone to win and a player base that wants the best player to win.
The DLC Wars and the "Everyone is Here" Miracle
Fast forward to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Switch. The tagline "Everyone is Here" wasn't just marketing fluff. It was a logistical nightmare.
Negotiating with companies like Konami (Snake), Square Enix (Cloud/Sora), and Microsoft (Banjo-Kazooie/Steve) is basically like trying to get world leaders to agree on a border treaty. Each company has strict rules on how their characters can look, move, and even get hit. Sora from Kingdom Hearts was the most-requested character for years, but the rights were tied up in a messy web involving Disney. When he finally made it in as the final DLC, it felt like a miracle.
The scale is staggering. We are talking about 89 fighters. Over 100 stages. Thousands of music tracks. The Super Smash Bros background evolved from a tiny project with two guys to a massive museum of gaming history.
The Development Toll
We have to talk about Sakurai’s health. It’s well-documented that the man worked himself to the bone. During the development of Smash 4 and Ultimate, he was often on IV drips. He used two mice simultaneously to code when his arm calcified. It’s a bit dark, honestly. This isn't just a "fun game"; it's a project that took a physical toll on its creator. That’s why the "finality" of Ultimate feels so heavy. There might not be another one quite like this.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Stages
Everyone focuses on the fighters, but the Super Smash Bros background stages are where the actual storytelling happens. Each stage is a love letter.
Take the Great Plateau Tower from Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If you look closely at the background, the landmarks are geographically accurate to the actual Wii U/Switch game. Or look at the Terry Bogard stage (King of Fighters Stadium). The cameos in the background change based on who is winning. It’s that level of obsessive detail that keeps the game relevant. It’s not just a crossover; it’s a celebration of the medium.
Actionable Steps for Exploring Smash History
If you really want to appreciate the depth of this series, don't just play the newest version. You have to see how it evolved.
- Watch "The Smash Brothers" Documentary: It’s on YouTube. It covers the early Melee scene. It's gritty, low-budget, and captures the spirit of the early 2000s perfectly.
- Try "No Impact Landings": If you're playing Melee or Ultimate, look up how movement works. Understanding the "physics" of the game changes how you view the screen. It stops being a button-masher and starts being a game of spacing.
- Read the "Sakurai Says" Columns: These were translated from Japanese gaming magazines. They give you a direct look into his brain. You'll realize how much he actually cares about the "casual" player who just wants to play as Kirby and eat their friends.
- Check the "Vault" in Ultimate: Most players ignore this. Don't. The Spirit descriptions and the music player are essentially an encyclopedia of gaming from 1980 to today.
The Super Smash Bros background is more than just a list of characters. It’s a story of a weekend project that got out of hand, a creator who pushed himself too far, and a community that refused to let an old game die. Whether you're a "No Items, Fox Only, Final Destination" type of person or someone who just likes the chaos of Pokéballs, the history of this game is why it feels so special. It has a soul that most corporate crossovers just can't replicate.