Nintendo streamed a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate focused Nintendo Direct this morning and revealed the next DLC character as well as plans for what future Smash Ultimate DLC looks like. The next character will be Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and they will be the last fighter from the first Fighters Pass.
The Direct revealed that there will be another DLC pass for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate entitled Fighters Pass Volume 2. Six fighters will be included in the Fighters Pass Volume 2, making for 11 DLC characters in total by the time every one is released. It will be available for pre-order on January 28. When announcing it on the Direct, game director and Smash series creator Masahiro Sakurai confirmed that the decisions for the fighters included in the next Fighters Pass have already been decided and discouraged fans from tweeting at him trying to change his mind.
A bonus is being given to players who purchase the Fighters Pass Volume 2. It will include the Ancient Soldier Gear Mii fighter costume from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This costume is only available through the Fighters Pass and is not going to be sold separately.
Despite confirmation from Devil May Cry voice actors that Dante is coming to Smash, he was not the next announced fighter. Instead fans were likely disappointed by the addition of Byleth, as he was yet another Fire Emblem character. Byleth was the protagonist and Three Houses and, like some the other player avatar characters in Smash, has both a male and female form. It is very much a trend for Super Smash Bros. to add the protagonist from a game to represent it, but series fans had so many other favorite characters from Three Houses its hard to not see this as a little bit of a bummer.
The DLC is adding a new stage from Three Houses as well as new tracks from the game that will be added to the existing Fire Emblem stages in Smash. The game is also adding new crossover costumes from games including Cuphead, Rabbids, Mega Man Battle Network, and an Altair costume from the original Assassins Creed. Each costume costs $0.75 each, and they will all be available to purchase in the game beginning January 28.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The Fighters Pass Vol. 2 will be available for pre-order on Jan 28.