Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is arguably the definitive iteration of Smash, including every past character from previous games, adding long awaited characters like Ridley and Banjo & Kazooie, and even bringing some unexpected surprises like Minecraft's Steve and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7. Now, with 3 more slots to be filled in Super Smash Bro Ultimate's Fighters Pass Vol. 2, there are more questions than ever as to who will join the all-star roster.
The latest iteration of Smash introduced a new feature known as Spirits, the battle-aiding power-ups which have given representation to many series in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. While characters like the Mach Rider and Shantae may not make it into Smash as playable fighters, at least they live on in the celebration of video games in some form as Spirits. However, Spirits have also introduced some new fan rules to many, potentially deconfirming many fan-requested characters, and a new Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Spirit Board event has deconfirmed one highly-requested Zelda character as DLC in the eyes of many.
Spirit Fan Rules Explained
Over the years, fan rules have dictated speculation, completely ruling out playable characters like Geno due to the inclusion of his Mii Costume in Smash Ultimate or even Shadow the Hedgehog and Golden Sun's Isaac due to being Assist Trophies. However, newer fan rules have to do with Spirits and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Spirit Board events.
Many fans have decided two things when it comes to Spirits, the first being that if a character not yet available as a playable fighter already has a Spirit in Ultimate, that Spirit is their representation in Smash and thus rules them out from being added as DLC. The second Spirit fan rule is that since Ultimate seems to hold off on releasing series' Spirit Board events for when a particular series' DLC fighter is added to the game, a character whose series has already had a Spirit Board event is also ruled out.
The release of Min Min last June disproved the fan rule that characters who already have Spirits won't be made playable, giving some fans hope that a character like Paper Mario could still be added to the game. However, many considered Paper Mario to be deconfirmed when a Paper Mario: The Origami King Spirit Board event was held last August, since many assume it means the developer wasn't holding off on releasing a Paper Mario Spirit Board for the character's playable release. Now, many fear that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity's Impa may suffer the same fate.
The Character in Question: Impa
It would be an understatement to say that fans want Impa in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with some going as far as creating entire movesets for the character to mod her into past Smash games. However, there's no denying that Zelda characters are complicated, with there being more than several iterations for characters like Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, and Impa is no different. In almost every Zelda game, Impa has appeared as either a village elder, a nursemaid to princess Zelda, or a younger, agile protector and aid to the princess. It goes without saying that the latter is the iteration of Impa that many fans have requested to see in Smash, and a new young Impa in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity seemed to increase the character's likelihood of making it in as DLC.
While many of Ultimate's DLC characters have come from series that are new to Smash, DLC fighters like Byleth and Sephiroth have shown that characters from series that already have playable fighters can still be added to the game, which led many to note that it has been quite a while since a new Zelda representative was added to Smash.
Initially, many fans thought that Zelda from Breath of the Wild was the most likely choice for a DLC character from the series, being that a sequel to the game is already on the way, and multiple versions of the same character in Smash is not unheard of, especially when it comes to Link. But recently, the introduction of Impa's latest iteration drew fans to advocate even stronger for the addition of the princess' loyal protector instead.
Impa's Chances
Impa's representation in the Smash series has been rather scattered, not even receiving anything so much as an Assist Trophy in the series. In Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, different iterations of Impa from Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time appeared as trophies in the game, essentially ruling out the character from being added as DLC. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Impa from Ocarina of Time was added as a Spirit, and while that initially deconfirmed the character for some fans, hope was restored when Min Min gracefully broke that first Spirit fan rule. But now it seems that Impa's chances may once again take a big blow thanks to the second Spirit fan rule.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's most recent Spirit Board event, an Impa (Age of Calamity) Spirit was added to the game along with Master Kohga and Diminutive Guardian Spirits. While the latter two characters aren't highly requested for Smash, Impa's inclusion as a Spirit came to the dismay of many fans, since if the Impa from Age of Calamity were to be added to Ultimate as a DLC fighter, it is highly likely that an Age of Calamity Spirit Board event would have been saved for her playable release. Now, with two different Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Impa's chances of being added to the game seem lower than ever.
Where Impa Stands Now
If fans of the series have learned anything, it is that Super Smash Bros. is anything if not surprising. Time and time again, fan expectations have been blown out of the water, especially with Ultimate. So, while Impa's chances of being added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a DLC fighter seem rather dire, there is always a chance that Sakurai makes an exception for the popular Zelda character, but how could that play out? Of course, there are the chances that Ultimate breaks the second Spirit fan rule by adding Impa from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity anyway, but for now, while an Age of Calamity Spirit Board event may rule out the character from Smash's roster, it's important to note that there are other iterations of Impa that could be added to the game.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate made a big change to many Zelda characters in the game, altering some of their appearances to represent different games in the franchise. While some characters' appearances didn't change, Link was changed to represent Breath of the Wild, Zelda was changed to represented A Link Between Worlds, and Ganondorf was changed to represent Ocarina of Time. These changes made it clear that Smash is focused on representing the diversity of the series, so adding Impa from another Zelda game as a DLC fighter could play into this as well.
Although Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has held different Zelda-themed Spirit Board events, there have not yet been events focusing on either Ocarina of Time or Skyward Sword specifically. Min Min breaking the first Spirit fan rule could prove helpful for Impa here, having her join the Ultimate as her Ocarina of Time iteration. What may be even more likely though is the addition of Skyward Sword's young Impa. Not only does this version of Impa have no representation in Smash yet, but still lends itself to an agile moveset and would also represent a new Zelda game in the Smash roster. What's more is that a Skyward Sword Impa could tie-in to the release of the long-rumored Skyward Sword Switch port.
Although everything seems up in the air when it comes to which characters are added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as playable fighters, it is always fun to speculate. For now, whether fans cope with the loss of Geno or discover wild new combos for characters daily, it seems likely that more surprises await fans of the game this year.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Switch.