Just about every gamer has fond memories of Super Smash Bros. The series has been bringing people together since 1999 and introduced players to a whole new style of fighter. There are few games as fiercely competitive in Nintendo’s catalogue and the dedication of fans has created worldwide tournaments revolving around the game, as well as a massive mod that refined its gameplay elements and aesthetics.

As the series is almost twenty years old and spans four generations of consoles, it has a rich history. The vision of the game originally pictured by Satoru Iwata and Masahiro Sakurai has evolved considerably, and has ventured into places both of their imagining and beyond it. Design elements of the game have been ever shifting and many ideas in each entry were left behind or used in future titles. As a show of their love for the series, fans have taken the game to unforeseen places, both within the programming and outside it. The years and fanservice have given the Smash Bros. series a host of factoids and secrets, and we at TheGamer have uncovered fifteen of the most intriguing. With these facts you can impress your friends and find new ways to appreciate some of the greatest fighting games ever made.

15 Bill Nye The Science Guy And Brawl Have The Same Announcer

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One of the most entertaining aspects of Brawl is its epic tone, and the deep, powerful voice of its announcer. The way he proclaims each character’s name is ingrained in our minds, especially the mysterious intonation given to our main man Luigi. But did you know that this iconic announcer is none other then Pat Cashman, the very same announcer from Bill Nye the Science Guy?

Pat Cashman has had quite the career, one that revolves mainly around his distinctive voice. His career in television and radio was based out of Seattle, where he established his own radio show, made commercials for the Seattle Mariners and acted on the sketch comedy show Almost Live! He was brought in without an audition to play the announcer for Brawl. Nintendo simply knew he’d be the perfect man for the job, and boy were they right.

14 Smash Bros. First Incarnation Was Very Different

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Way back in 1998, Masahiro Sakurai and Satoru Iwata came together with the desire to create a unique fighting game for the N64. What they produced was code-named Dragon King: The Fighting Game, and had four colour-coded figures fighting each other on multi-tiered stages. It had the percentage system that Smash Bros. has become known for, but the two felt that something was missing in their creation.

As a result, Iwata and Sakurai appealed to Miyamoto, hoping he would allow them to use his characters in their new game. He was skeptical at first, but once a demo was shown of Mario, Link, Samus and Fox duking it out, Miyamoto was convinced and Smash Bros. became the game we know it as today. Supposedly, Captain Falcon’s move set was taken from the original prototype and is an homage to the demo that started it all.

13 Sheik’s Design in Brawl Was Based Off Unused Twilight Princess Concept Art

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Sheik is one of the most beloved characters in the Zelda universe and for good reason. The revelation of her identity was a fantastic twist back in the days of Ocarina Of Time and though it’s not shown, Shiek would have to be a serious badass to survive in a world overrun by Ganondorf. Smash Bros. Melee confirms this suspicion and reveals Sheik as the all-out ninja she truly is.

Sheik returned once more in Brawl, though her design got an upgrade. She now has a tightly bound ponytail, a dagger, bandages on her legs, and a more crisp looking outfit. This design is based off of concept art for Twilight Princess, but sadly Sheik’s inclusion in the game was scrapped well before its release. This is a shame, for seeing Sheik in the world of Twilight Princess would have been a real treat.

12 Marth Brought Fire Emblem To The West

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Before Smash Bros. Melee, Western audiences had no idea about Fire Emblem. Marth was an unlockable character alongside Roy, and the two hailed from a series that had yet to get enough attention to warrant a Western release. The popularity of Marth’s character in Melee changed all that and Fire Emblem for the GBA was the first game in the series to be localized for Western audiences.

Fire Emblem found a cult following in the West, but each new entry did little to expand upon the already small audience. Fire Emblem looked as though it would be going the way of the dinosaur and Fire Emblem Awakening was planned as a swan song for the series. But things took a different route than expected and Awakening was a huge success, re-popularizing Fire Emblem and making it one of Nintendo’s most valuable IPs.

11 Sakurai’s Wife Designed Menus And Stages

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Masahiro Sakurai is one of the masterminds behind Smash Bros., and is the driving force behind many of its innovations. At the beginning, he worked closely with Iwata, but also had another compatriot: his wife to be, Michiko Takahashi.

The two worked together at HAL Laboratories on the original Smash Bros. and Michiko designed the menus in the game, as well as three of its stages, including Yoshi’s Island. They would continue to work together on future projects and Michiko designed the menus for both Melee and Brawl, giving the games a large part of their artistic identity. When Sakurai left HAL Laboratories to form Project Sora, Michiko went with him and together they developed Kid Icarus: Uprising. The two were married in 2008 and have since continued to be a power couple in the game development scene.

10 Mentioning Project M Can Ban You From The Miiverse

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Project M, the fan-made mod of Brawl, is a household name among Smash Bros. die-hards. It takes all the best parts of Melee and Brawl and mashes them together, adding a whole new set out costumes, stages and moves that Nintendo ought to have thought of in the first place. Fan service, such as Fusion Suit Samus and Mewtwo’s armor from the first Pokémon movie, is abundant, and characters are more balanced and responsive than ever.

Naturally, such a well-received mod garnered the attention of Nintendo’s legal team and Project M called it quits before any serious charges could be laid against them. Still, Nintendo doesn't like to admit that a team of dedicated nerds outdid them, and happily ban any user who mentions the term “Project M” on Miiverse forums, citing an illegal discussion of “criminal activity.”

9 Final Smashes Were Originally Supposed To Be In SB64

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The team at HAL Laboratories had big plans for the original Smash Bros. They wanted to include more characters than they could develop (more on that later) and also wanted final smashes, the grandiose finishing moves from Brawl and Smash 4 we have come to know and love. The team envisioned a brilliant spectacle for each of these moves, but sadly the hardware limitations on the N64 prevented their inclusion.

Development was underway on final smashes when they were cut, however, as the team recorded audio for many of the characters when they performed their moves. All can be played though the system debug menu, where you can hear the original Smash Bros. cast giving it their all. Many of these recorded voices would return when the final smashes were finally brought to life in Brawl.

8 You Can Make Some Characters MASSIVE

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One of the best glitches in the series can be found in Smash Bros. 3DS. Select multi-man smash and play as Yoshi. The large Yoshi that appears at the end of the fight can be eaten and will emerge from his egg much larger than before. In un-patched versions of the game, this can be done again and again until Yoshi is so massive he blocks out the screen!

In Brawl, a similar glitch can be performed with Jigglypuff on Eldin Bridge. After Jigglypuff has broken a Smash ball, wait for King Bublin to blow up the bridge, then perform your final smash in the gap as the portal appears to fix it. If done correctly, Jigglypuff will clip through the fixed bridge when her move is complete and retain her massive size.

7 You Can Create A Black Hole

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To create the enigmatic black hole, you must have four players select Fox, Falco, Peach, and a fourth character. Fox, Falco and the fourth character must be on the same team.

Spawn a superscope gun in Hyrule Temple. As the fourth character, shoot four sets of three small shots, followed by two charges, then on the third charge have Peach slap the character. This will give you unlimited shots. Next, have Peach stand in the ditch in the middle of the stage, and position Fox and Falco on the ledges above it. With the fourth character, fire through Fox towards Falco, and have both reflect, until a stream of orbs forms between them. Have Peach jump into the stream a few times, then throw 15 turnips into it, and initiate the glitch by disrupting the reflects. What should remain is a spinning mass of turnips that will destroy you upon contact. 

6 There Are Many Unused Fighters Across The Games

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Unused characters are a reality in fighting games and Smash Bros. is no different. Since the beginning, characters have been cut due to time restraints, legal issues or hardware limitations. Here’s a look at the some of the most notable.

The original Smash Bros. considered Marth, King Dedede, Bowser, and Mewtwo. Rumors of Meowth are unfounded, but his inclusion would have been amazing. In Melee, retro characters from Balloon Fight, Urban Champion, Clu Clu Land and Excitebike were ousted for the Ice Climbers. Banjo Kazooie was also discussed, but could not be accessed due to legal constraints. In Brawl, characters such as Dixie Kong, Plusle and Minun and Toon Zelda can be found in the files. Krystal from Star Fox Adventures and Geno from Super Mario RPG were also considered, but were let go.  Finally, Smash 4 considered Heihachi, Takamaru and Chrom as fighters before ultimately dismissing them.

5 Kojima’s Son Is The Reason Snake Is In The Game

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Many players were taken aback when Solid Snake was announced in Brawl. Until that point, no non-Nintendo character had entered the fray, especially not one as left-of-field as Snake. Despite this, the prospect of including Snake began during Melee’s development, when Kojima practically begged his friend Sakurai to put the character in the game.

Kojima’s desire to have Snake in Nintendo’s brawler didn't just stem from egotistical reasons (though he did notice a lack of Metal Gear Solid games on Nintendo consoles, which eventually led to The Twin Snakes). In fact, it was Kojima’s son who prompted the ask. The two would often play Smash Bros. together and young Kojima wanted to see one of his father’s characters in the game. Thus, with the right amount of nagging, Snake was implemented, and he has since become one of Brawl's most popular fighters.

4 There is Hidden Dialogue Across The Games

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Some characters in Smash Bros. have a lot to say, but these conversations can only be accessed through certain conditions. Mewtwo is usually the strong silent type, but in the Japanese version of Melee he is much more chatty. In his victory fanfare, he quips in Japanese “I cannot lose,” “why am I here…?” and “Foolish.”

Several characters also have special taunts that can be performed to access hidden dialogue. In Melee, Brawl and Smash 4, activating the secret taunt as Fox, Falco or Wolf on their home stages will instigate a conversation between their squad members. If the secret taunt is performed by Snake on Shadow Moses Island, he will begin a conversation with the Colonel about whatever character he is facing, often to hilarious results.  In Smash 4, a similar type of conversation between Pit, Viridi and Palutena can be accessed on Palutena’s Temple.

3 Iwata Personally Debugged Melee

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The late Satoru Iwata began his career at HAL Laboratories as a programmer and eventually worked his way up to president of the studio. From there, he joined the corporate-planning division at Nintendo and once again worked his way up to president. He helmed the development of the DS and Wii, and brought great financial success to Nintendo through his creative marketing strategies.

Despite his corporate success, Iwata always knew what mattered most: the games. During his early days at Nintendo, Iwata proved his merit and humility like few other managers could. Near the end of its development cycle, Melee was well off schedule and Iwata stepped in to become the acting head of debugging. For three straight weeks, he managed code review and fixed countless bugs himself. This ensured the game was released as a launch title for the GameCube, and helped it become to system’s best selling game.

2 The Longest Work Of Fan Fiction EVER Is About Smash Bros

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Writers of fan fiction have the wildest imaginations and often put our favourite characters into bizarre and fantastic situations. Some examples of fan fiction are just plain bad, while others attempt to outdo the universe from which they are inspired. The most recognized homage to Smash Bros. falls into the latter category and it harbours a truly impressive merit: it is the longest work of fan fiction ever written.

Clocking in at 3.5 million words (and counting), The SubSpace Emissary’s World Conquest by AuraChannelerChris  is longer than the entire Lord Of The Rings trilogy, trumps the Bible, and is six times longer than the Infinite Jest. The story revolves around the relationships between Smash Bros. characters as they journey to the real world in an attempt to stop the Subspace Army (or something like that). Venture forth with an open mind and a whole lot of spare time.

1 You Can Play As Master Hand In Melee

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Ever since his evil laugh was first heard, players have dreamed of playing as Master Hand. And now, thanks to a simple glitch, you can!

The glitch is most easily accomplished with two players and Master Hand can only be controlled though port 3. In Melee’s character select screen, have the first player choose a character, then move their cursor over the “back” button, while player 3 hovers over “new entry” in name select. Both players must then press A at the same time. If done correctly, you will be brought to the stage select screen, and can control Master Hand on whatever stage you choose! He can only be defeated in stamina mode and all his famous moves are mapped to the D-pad. Master Hand is a blast to control, but be wary, as he has been known to freeze the game while in play.