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Nintendo Wii Specs, Nintendo Wii Info, Nintendo Wii News, Nintendo Wii Games

Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a never-before-seen roster size of 35 characters, including some that you would have least expected to see show up. Join us for a brief look at each of the characters and find out about some of the ones that didn't make the cut. Make sure to skip the two Secret Characters pages if you don't want to see spoilers!

Here are a couple definitions to keep in mind during the character discussions: Weight directly affects how easy it is to be KO'd (the heavier you are, the more damage you can take), and a third jump is an up special that can be used after your jump and double jump for some extra lift. Charged attacks are special moves, like Mario's F.L.U.D.D., that you need to charge up over time to really be effective, and a character's strength directly affects their ability to KO their enemies. Finally, please note that this is meant to be a primer for beginners and intermediate players, and is by no means a comprehensive guide. Visit our Super Smash Bros. Brawl forum or our sister site GameFAQs for more in-depth character analysis.

Mario
It's-a-me, Mario!

Strengths: Most balanced character
Weaknesses: Doesn't stand out in any category
F.L.U.D.D.: No longer a D.U.D.D.

Nintendo's mascot character Mario is back for his third foray in the world of Smash Bros. He sets the standard as the most balanced character in the game, but while he doesn't excel in any particular area, he has an attack for every situation. The most noticeable change to his arsenal is his new down special, F.L.U.D.D., which comes from Super Mario Sunshine. F.L.U.D.D. is a charged attack that deals absolutely no damage, but comes with a heavy knockback if it connects. Use it to knock your foes straight off an edge!

Yoshi
Keep that thing to yourself!

Strengths: Huge double jump (highest in the game)
Weaknesses: Doesn't exactly have a third jump
Fun fact: Yoshi in English means "Yes!"

Yoshi still has the highest double jump in the game, and this is still countered by his lack of a true third jump. This time around, though, his up special actually does sort of function as a third jump by slowing his rate of fall and moving him a bit horizontally, and it can be used like this twice for that extra recovery range. His Egg Lay special is as embarrassing as ever--and as dangerous as ever near an edge. Finally, watch out when using his side special, as it's easy to roll off a cliff.

Peach
Overdressed for a fight?

Strengths: Can float with her double jump
Weaknesses: Some of her moves are unpredictable
Weight: None of your business!

As in Super Mario Bros. 2, Peach is able to float during her jumps, which when combined with her parasol glide can make recovering from a seemingly fatal knockout a cinch. She also never leaves home without Toad, whom she can magically produce on demand and who is always ready to take a bullet for her. Perhaps her greatest weakness is her unpredictability. Her side smash randomly retrieves one of the sports instruments she's used over the years--each of which produces a different type of hit--and when she pulls out a vegetable to toss, she'll
occasionally find a dangerous bob-omb!

Bowser
Grouchy as ever.

Strengths: Heaviest contender
Weaknesses: Slow; huge size means he's easy to hit; no projectile attack
Most played by: Dennis Hopper

King Bowser is the biggest, heaviest competitor, which makes him the most difficult one to knock out. Unfortunately, he pays for this, as usual, in the speed category. His fire breath will stun anyone caught in its path, but it loses effectiveness over time and leaves him open from behind. His down special is powerful and great for clearing a group, but it's easy to dodge and leaves him stunned for a moment upon landing. His nastiest move, however, is his side special, the Flying Slam. Watch out for
it in a stock match, because he can take you off an edge with him for the win!

Wario
Running people over!

Strengths: Powerful stench overwhelms enemies
Weaknesses: Slow; if used incorrectly his specials will stun him; no projectile attack
Tip: Don't use Wario's gas attack against girls unless you're already going out with them

Mario's bizarro-world clone Wario has entered the battle and brings with him his amazing power of flatulence. His down special, the Wario Waft, is a fart joke in and of itself; over time, Wario will automatically charge this special and your patience will be rewarded by an explosive release that deals huge damage to anyone around him. But if you use it without a charge, it doesn't do much besides leave you wide open with an embarrassing grin. Likewise,
if you lose your motorcycle and try to pull another one out too soon, Wario will be stunned momentarily while he looks around for his ride.

Donkey Kong
Ties are always classy.

Strengths: Very strong; heavy
Weaknesses: Easy to hit because of his size; slow to jump; no projectile attack
Tie: But no pants...

The king of the jungle returns and is more powerful than ever. Donkey Kong is not only much faster than he used to be, but his Giant Punch special takes much less time to fully charge (it's also super powerful, so keep one ready at all times). His down special is great when multiple enemies are around, as it hits on all sides and tears through shields as if they were paper. Pretty much all of DK's smash attacks are deadly, and of course, he can still lift his opponents with ease and carry them to an edge
for a good toss!

Diddy Kong
Shameless self-promoter!

Strengths: Fast; banana peels are very useful
Weaknesses: Not too strong; very light; Peanut Popgun special can backfire
Bonus: One of the most embarrassing characters to lose to

Donkey Kong's lil' buddy Diddy has entered the fray and augments his low strength with some intriguing jungle technology. His down special, which causes him to casually toss a banana peel behind him, is perhaps his most useful, strategic attack. Up to two peels can be active at once, and any enemies that walk over one will slip and fall, leaving them wide open for attack. These peels don't affect you, and can also be picked up (even midrun!) and tossed for repositioning or damage.

Birdo

Strengths: Eggs!
Weaknesses: ...Eggs.
Favorite saying: Eggs.

Birdo's rejection from this group of Super Smash Bros. brawlers is hardly a surprise. After all, Birdo is neither the star nor main villain of any Nintendo classic, and he wasn't even intended to be a Mario character in the first place. But he does have one highly unusual thing going for him: He is a woman trapped in a man trapped in a pink dinosaur's body.

Or, as the Super Mario Bros. 2 instruction booklet says, "He thinks he is a girl and spits eggs from his mouth." While it's true that in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he'll show up in the Mushroom Kingdom stage and spit some eggs here and there, we can't wait for the day Birdo steps onto the main stage and wins glory for transgendered egg-spitting dinosaurs everywhere.



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609 Comments

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MarioLinkGenofa

suprised geno didn't get on this list

Posted May 8, 2008 1:50 pm PT
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djburnzy1

Oh i play pichachu heaps. Me jerk. =D

Posted May 6, 2008 5:27 pm PT
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sbjedi

I think they should do a massive one with characters from all over the place like Master Chief, Batman ETC

Posted Apr 26, 2008 1:52 pm PT
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Moniique-xx

im glad birdo isnt in it what would you do besides spit out eggs and chuck them??

Posted Apr 24, 2008 9:06 pm PT
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Die-Hard-Hippie

Isn't it weird that Fox, Falco, and Wolf are so very similar? I mean, c'mon, why would ALL the Star Fox characters have almost the exact same specials and final smash?

Posted Apr 24, 2008 8:42 pm PT
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darkrogue87

Corrections:

Mario-
F.L.U.D.D.: Now is a D.U.D.D.

Yoshi-
Fun Fact: 'Yoshi' means 'Yes!' in Japanese.

Ice Climbers-
Weaknesses: Desynch, anyone?

Arthur-
For even being mentioned. Also, Ice Climbers can kick his ***.

Ike-
Weaknesses: None. :]

Wolf-
What: More Landmasters?!

Ganondorf-
Weaknesses: Slow. Slow. More Slow.

Solid Snake-
Strengths: He's just awesome.

Posted Apr 16, 2008 6:45 pm PT
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EdwardoMario16

Poor Sonic. How the mighty have fallen...

Still waiting for the phoenix to rise from the ashes. Maybe Unleashed can do it.

Kickass game by the way. Good as advertised.

Posted Apr 14, 2008 9:34 pm PT
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/ (+1)
Wima5ter-134

If they make another one they should put in another metroid character like Sylux and also ameratsu would be awesome.

Posted Apr 14, 2008 5:12 pm PT
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dudesanddudets

lolz i hate birdo! meta knights the best character! Galaxia Darkness -_-

Posted Apr 14, 2008 1:55 pm PT
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shadowl1nk

lol

Posted Apr 13, 2008 5:08 pm PT
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haloman60

Master Chief would have been good in Brawl,maybe they will put him in the next SSB game,^.^.And i like that they would put Godzilla in it too!WTF??????It said posted Jan 1,1970 12:00am GMT WTF???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Posted Apr 11, 2008 9:00 pm PT
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haloman60

Master Chief would have been good in Brawl,maybe they will put hin in the next SSB game,^.^.And i like that they would put Godzilla in it too!

Posted Apr 11, 2008 9:00 pm PT
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SFCU

Actually, Nana, despite the pink clothes and feminine name, is a boy. This game has some serious gender deciving skills. Samus, Nana, and Birdo. Wierd!

Posted Apr 11, 2008 8:17 pm PT
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EnozmeH

This game is absolutley amazing! Some of the possible characters were hilarious Wonder if the celebs really use those characters?!?

Posted Apr 9, 2008 8:21 pm PT
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URError

after all these years..... i found out that birdo is a boy

Posted Apr 6, 2008 10:10 pm PT
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moosejaws

Pit and kirby rock

Posted Apr 6, 2008 5:13 am PT
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ExtremeGamer11

That'd be awesome!

Posted Apr 5, 2008 1:55 pm PT
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ExtremeGamer11

Yeah, Naruto should've been in it.

Posted Apr 5, 2008 1:54 pm PT
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kryptn

naruto shoudved been in it

Posted Apr 5, 2008 9:08 am PT
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kryptn

poor birdo, also deoxis should be in and play only as the purple, red, white, blue, yellow and make pikmin 3 with green pikmins. wonder if there will be other super smash bros. in the future.

Posted Apr 5, 2008 9:04 am PT
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BK90

It would be awesome to play as my Mii in Brawl!
Personally, I believe Ike really rocks: his side-A attack beat the heck out of anyone in the way and up-A on the ground will produce an upward swing with your sword that will cover you on all sides. If your left wide open from after attacking, nailing a perfectly-timed Counter will make anyone think twice before trying to hit you. His standard B attack can be predictable, but if you get knocked up and your opponent is waiting below to hit you again, charge up an Eruption and bring it down on an opponent's head like a ton of bricks!
But Ike aside, all of the characters are awsome for their uniqueness but balance of strengths against weaknesses making you try characters you need played before.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 2:54 pm PT
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pkpower

i wish mewtwo was in the brawl,even though i have not unlocked him on SSBM also i like roy.
.does any one like pit?i do

Posted Apr 3, 2008 4:28 pm PT
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/ (+2)
mastermind1177

Link fanboys...rabid? They haven't seen the Marth fanboys!

Posted Apr 2, 2008 5:15 pm PT
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/ (+1)
kahoony

i think that this game is going(i say going because of f***ing media delays in AUS) to be one of the best games of the year.. although i would've liked to have seen someone like say Wolf Link instead of Toon Link, and maybe even oo i dunno, say another pokemon friend? i know i know, there are probably enough pokemon in the game now that pokemon trainer is a contestant, but i think it would've been nice to have put in a pokemon that had the ability to evolve and revert back to it's original form.. now that'd be cool..

Posted Mar 28, 2008 5:53 pm PT
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Jealousy-2k8

id only wish roy was in it (sigh)

Posted Mar 28, 2008 5:35 pm PT
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Mario-Sonic

This is by far the best Nintendo game ever!!!! ( Other than The Legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time. If you don't believe me check the rating. Lots of game sites have 10 out of 10 as a rating and so do I!!!) In any case, I've unlocked every character and level. All I need to do is get all stickers, beat all challenges, get all CDs, and get all trophies. Trust me, if you don't have this game you need it. Everything is a thumbs up!!!! 9 out of 10!!! Perfect game!!!!!!!!! PC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Posted Mar 28, 2008 3:02 pm PT
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BeastOfMyth

hmmm i already unlocked all levels and people......when nintendo makes another ssb, it would be cool to be able to unlock special skins for people. I love games wher the unlockables never end.

Posted Mar 27, 2008 4:24 pm PT
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SMR-Venom

My favorite to use in order

Snake
Sonic
Meta Knight
Wolf
Toon Link

Did you know if you play classic mode 3,459,123 times, you unlock Chuck Norris

Posted Mar 27, 2008 8:25 am PT
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SmashBros-King

Marth and Ike are the best characters in the game!

It's true!

Posted Mar 27, 2008 8:21 am PT
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SmashBros-King

Super Smash Brothers Brawl is the BEST game ever created!!!

Posted Mar 27, 2008 8:20 am PT
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SmashBros-King

Ike is not a noob character!

Marth and Ike are the BEST characters in SSBB!!!! That's a fact!

Posted Mar 27, 2008 8:19 am PT
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Azz123098

Ike is the noobiest character on the game, anyone who chooses ike is an amature....

Posted Mar 27, 2008 7:30 am PT
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path_of_hope

=O

Posted Mar 27, 2008 1:21 am PT
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/ (+3)
Akbip

CD-i Link
Strengths: I can't wait to bomb some dadongos...

Posted Mar 26, 2008 9:15 pm PT
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thegoods470

Wow this is the best game ever. I have been playing it non-stop. Ike is the most powerful, Snake is the most versatile, Sonic is the fastest, and Pit is REALLY annoying. IMO, Snake is the best in the game....

Posted Mar 26, 2008 7:43 pm PT
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NoKuA

This look really great I want that game now!!
.
.
. Brb. going to the nintendo store...

Posted Mar 26, 2008 12:13 pm PT
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brianack96

what i do want to know is why is Roy not in Brawl. Roy was amazing. I guess Ike took his place. Ike and Roy are bassicly the same thing except that Ike is slow. right?

Posted Mar 26, 2008 7:53 am PT
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firefox10210

the newest addition to the SSB series....VENOM!!!

Posted Mar 25, 2008 2:48 pm PT
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BeastOfMyth

this game is tight! i think it would be cool to be dark samus and maybe another bounty hunter. and man it would be funny if youcould be slippy XD

Posted Mar 25, 2008 12:08 pm PT
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game_buddy64

why did they both Pikmin & Olimar that guy is soooo weak

Posted Mar 25, 2008 11:59 am PT
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lobster-man44

If I were the game review guys, I would give this game a big ol' 10 even before I played it.

Posted Mar 24, 2008 8:17 pm PT
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lobster-man44

Ya, that's what I wanted to hear!

Posted Mar 24, 2008 8:15 pm PT
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Mike0193

lobster-man 44, you can't be right enough with all your comments! i really agree with all your comments!

Posted Mar 24, 2008 8:02 pm PT
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lobster-man44

Black Shadow should have been in Brawl.... same with one of the hunters on Metroid Prime Hunters.

Posted Mar 24, 2008 7:48 pm PT
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roemdawg

if u use c-stick with gamecube controller he is godly

Posted Mar 24, 2008 6:56 pm PT
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roemdawg

dude pit is top 3 best characters in the game

Posted Mar 24, 2008 6:53 pm PT
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thekashif

i got a friend who is a pit abuser

Posted Mar 24, 2008 5:30 pm PT
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/ (+1)
basal1sk

ha no one likes pit

Posted Mar 24, 2008 12:44 pm PT
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/ (-1)
supersmashbros6

dude birdo sucks

Posted Mar 24, 2008 12:14 pm PT
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/ (+2)
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