Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's next big update will arrive tomorrow, June 29, adding the new standalone character Kazuya Mishima alongside some surprising bonus fighters.
Kazuya's arrival was initially announced during the Nintendo E3 2021 showcase, but we've only just gotten a full breakdown of his kit thanks to a dedicated livestream that aired earlier today. As expected, Kazuya's got some distinctly Tekken tricks up his sleeve, including his devil form and an interesting once-per-stock rage mechanic that boosts his damage and unlocks a powerful throw.
Kazuya is the headliner for Challenger Pack 10, the fifth of six add-ons in the second Fighters Pass for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If you just want Kazuya and don't care about the other characters in the pass – Min Min from Arms, Steve and Alex from Minecraft, Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7, and Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – you can snag his Challenger Pack for $5.99. If you want the whole gang, including the sixth and final DLC character, you can get the whole pass for $29.99 and save $6.
Challenger Pack 10 will roll out alongside four Mii Fighter costumes, one of which has simultaneously realized and buried one of the oldest Super Smash Bros. dreams: Devil May Cry's Dante in Smash. Dante is indeed coming to Smash Ultimate, but as a costume for the Mii swordfighter rather than a full-fat character. The Dante costume is joined by Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia, the Dragonborn from The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (!), and Shantae the half-genie hero from developer WayForward's platforming series. These will be available for $0.75 apiece.
The Smash Ultimate roster is nearly complete, director Masahiro Sakurai reaffirmed in today's broadcast. Challenger Pack 11 will finish the second pass and polish off the fighter updates later this year.
"Up until now, we've created all sorts of fighters and stages," Sakurai says. "Gathering all of these games, new and old, and compiling them into a single product is a task that has meant a lot to me. Now that I think about it, it's been close to 10 years since Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems were in development. I've been working on this for a long time. You could call it my life's work. But finally, the next DLC fighter will be the last one. There won't be any more after that. It'll be a while before that announcement, but it'll be available this year as planned, so please be patient."
Many Smash fans have wondered how the long-rumored Switch Pro might improve the game's performance. Nintendo says it's always looking at new tech, but it's yet to confirm that an upgraded Switch is on the way.
