Every Smash Ultimate DLC “fan rule” debunked by Fighters Pass Volume 2 so far

Michael Gwilliam

Through Super Smash Bros Ultimate’s lifespan, many of the theories that fans once believed about the series have been flipped on their heads, especially with the arrival of the most-recent DLC fighters.

The Super Smash Bros franchise has become a massive celebration of gaming as a whole, with characters from many different games showing up in some capacity such as Spirits, Assist Trophies, or full-fledged fighters.

As such, the community has created so-called “fan rules” which dictate if a character has been ruled out as a possible fighter despite the fact they had never even been dismissed by the series creator Masahiro Sakurai.

Amusingly, Fighters Pass Volume 2 has managed to put a bunch of these fan rules to rest with its first three DLC packs. Here is every fan rule debunked by the pass so far, as of Sephiroth’s addition to the roster.

Min Min punches into Smash
Min Min was the Spirit to become a DLC fighter.

Spirits can’t become fighters

One of the earliest fan rules for Smash Ultimate suggested that Spirits, which pay tribute to certain characters by giving others certain abilities, cannot become future fighters.

Spirits basically take the place of trophies found in other Smash games, but with the added benefit of enhancing gameplay.

With Min Min’s addition to Smash as the first DLC of Fighters Pass Volume 2, it was the first time a Sprit was able to graduate to being an actual fighter, further suggesting that any Spirit could be upgraded down the line.

Shirtless Sephiroth in battle
Put a shirt on, Sephiroth.

Antagonists can’t be from third-party developers

Up until Sephiroth’s addition to Smash Ultimate, all of the video game villains the series had were from Nintendo games.

Ganondorf, Bowser, King K Rool, Ridley and even Mewtwo were all from franchises owned by Nintendo. As such, it seemed unlikely that Doctor Robotnik or another villain would be added as DLC, but that all changed once the One-Winged Angel was announced.

Not only did Sephiroth prove that antagonists could be DLC, but they could even be from third-parties, which should open the doors for future fighters down the line.

Bomberman in Smash Ultimate
Assist Trophies can become amazing Mii Fighter costumes.

Assist Trophies can’t become fighters

This one is a little bit strange as it actually applies to Mii Fighter costumes, but the point still stands. When Bomberman received a Mii Fighter costume, many fans were stunned to see how similar it looked compared to his trophy.

Just like with Sans, Cuphead, and Vault Boy, Bomberman was fully modeled and looks extremely impressive in Smash Ultimate.

This could be very good news for fans of Waluigi, as there is a chance that the Luigi doppelganger will be able to keep his Assist Trophy status while graduating to a Mii outfit in the process.

Alex attacks Mario with fair
Steve and Banjo are both technically owned by Microsoft.

Third-parties can’t get two DLC fighters

For a lot of Smash fans, the conception of a third-party company getting multiple fighters in the DLC docket seemed hard to imagine. With Microsoft owning Rare, they felt the chances of Master Chief or Steve was out the window when Banjo was added to Smash. But imagine their shock once Minecraft Steve was revealed.

Steve proved that Nintendo and Microsoft have a very good relationship and ended any possible restrictions on companies only getting one fighter as DLC. Plus, even if Steve never came to Smash, Sephiroth’s addition was the second Square Enix DLC character after Dragon Quest’s Hero.

Fighters Pass Volume 2 is only halfway done and there are three more DLC packs still to come. Considering how things are going, there’s no telling how many more fan rules will continue to break as the characters get revealed.

About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam