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As fans await the arrival of Mewtwo in Super Smash Bros., it’s not hard to imagine that consumers would be equally as amped up by the potential for more characters to join the fray. While the return of the psychic Pokemon has been a long time coming in the eyes of veteran Smash players, there are a number of other Nintendo favorites that have yet to make a debut – with one of them being none other than Takamaru.
After initially being confirmed as an Assist Trophy within the latest games, many diehard fans were disappointed to learn that the legendary swordsman Takamaru wouldn’t be making a playable debut. As it turns out, however, the creator of Super Smash Bros., Masahiro Sakurai, originally planned to make the character a newcomer in the Wii U and 3DS installments of the series.
During the same interview where Sakurai revealed that the aforementioned Mewtwo DLC would be arriving “pretty soon,” it was confirmed that Takamaru was going to be playable but was axed due to the fact that many Nintendo fans simply wouldn’t know who he was.
Many won’t recall that the oft-forgotten mascot made his debut on Nintendo’s Famicon system (better known as the NES in most regions) in a game called Murasame’s Mysterious Castle. The title never made its way outside of Japan during its initial run, but was later released in Europe and North America as a Virtual Console title on the 3DS.
Admittedly, while Takamaru would have made for an interesting addition, it’s nice to see that Sakurai and his team opted to give other characters a chance. It’s already known that Bowser Jr. only just barely made the cut this time around, and newcomers like Duck Hunt fill the need for an onslaught of additional retro mascots. That said, the return of the Ice Climbers would have been appreciated, especially considering that the duo were up and running in the Wii U version of Smash Bros..
As consumers progress through the spring season, it’s possible that the Big N could have plans to add even more fighters to the mix through paid add-ons. Still, it should also be noted that Takamaru could make the cut in future games despite many not knowing the character – it certainly didn’t hold back Fire Emblem’s Marth.
Would you have liked to see Takamaru made playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U? What other newcomers would you have liked to see added to the games?
