All the way back in January of 2019, a big Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leak claimed to reveal upcoming DLC fighters for the ambitious crossover fighting game. The leak originated on a Japanese site called 5Channel, and claimed to reveal four characters that would be coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC. Fast forward to October 2020, and two of the four leaked characters are now official, lending far more credibility to the leak than it had previously.
For those unfamiliar with this particular Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leak, it claimed that Erdrick from Dragon Quest, Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden, Doomguy from Doom, and Steve from Minecraft were all coming as DLC. Eventually, Nintendo confirmed Erdrick from Dragon Quest, and then it just recently announced Steve from Minecraft is also coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as its next DLC fighter.
It stands to reason, then, that Ryu Hayabusa and Doomguy could very well be the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighters. And in fact, they seem to be the most likely third-party characters for a few different reasons.
Ninja Gaiden
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster is comprised of some of the most iconic video game characters in history, and while the bulk of it is made up of Nintendo-owned characters, there are some third-party faces as well. This includes characters like Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid and Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7, proving that characters don't even need to have a prominent presence on Nintendo consoles to make the cut.
But while Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden may be more associated with Xbox in recent years, the Ninja Gaiden series originated on the Nintendo Entertainment System with the critically-acclaimed original trilogy. More recently, the Wii U received a port of Ninja Gaiden 3 called Razor's Edge that is widely considered to be the best version of the game. And currently, rumors are swirling that a Ninja Gaiden Sigma collection is in the works that would bring all three games in the reboot trilogy to modern platforms, including the Switch. If such a collection actually exists, Ryu coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate seems like it would be the perfect way to advertise it.
Doom
The other DLC character from the leak is Doomguy, also known as Doom Slayer. Doomguy has always been a major possibility, especially when one considers Nintendo's strong relationship with Bethesda, which has already seen content from its games added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Bethesda has also made it a point to release its games on Nintendo Switch as well, with a Doom Eternal Switch port in the works.
Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda may make it seem like Doomguy appearing in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would be less likely now, but that's not necessarily true. Microsoft also has a positive working relationship with Nintendo, allowing its characters like Banjo-Kazooie and Steve from Minecraft appear in the game. Since Microsoft clearly has no problem lending its characters to Nintendo for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there's no reason why it would suddenly be stingy when it comes to Doomguy.
And not only that, but Microsoft is honoring Bethesda's deals it made prior to the acquisition. This includes releasing some Bethesda-published games as PlayStation 5 timed-exclusives. Since the rest of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters have already been decided on, if Doomguy was coming to the game, it's quite likely that the deal was already in place prior to Microsoft buying Bethesda.
Coincidence?
Of course, it can't be ruled out that this is all just a coincidence. After all, the leaker could have just made lucky guesses based on the fact that the characters they listed are all iconic video game characters and Nintendo has made it a point to include third-party characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Not only that, but Ryu Hayabusa and Doomguy are both from hyper-violent video game franchises. While Nintendo has included characters from M-rated games in the past, like Solid Snake, the extreme violence in Ninja Gaiden and Doom may be a bit too much for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's family-friendly image.
Plus, there have been plenty of other Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "leaks" that have claimed to reveal upcoming DLC characters, like Overwatch's Tracer, for instance. Until Nintendo makes some official announcements, though, the rumors will persist and fans will keep speculating. Until then, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fans can look forward to more information on the game's Minecraft DLC later this month.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.