Recently, the Gaming community has been blessed with exciting news: Nintendo put Sora as their last DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Nickelodeon might have created a contestant to Nintendo’s Smash Bros. Franchise. We will look at the new challenger in Smash Bros. as well as the new challenger to Smash Bros.

Sora
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a celebration of gaming and Sora was no different. Sora was announced to be the last fighter joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being the last DLC character added. One of the most anticipated characters that fans wanted finally takes the last spot.
You may be asking, “Who is Sora?” Sora is a Keyblade wielder from the Destiny Islands. He was sent on a quest to save the Seven Princesses of Heart after his home was destroyed by dark creatures like “Heartless.” Ansem, an evil being, wants to utilize the princesses’ hearts of pure lights to open the Door to Darkness and take full control over all worlds. Sora would meet Donald and Goofy. Throughout their adventure, he would make more friends, and with more friends the power of his heart increases, which also increases his Keyblade’s power.
The Kingdom Hearts series was created by Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. Kingdom Hearts was a beloved series enjoyed by fans all over the world. Sora was so popular and well-loved that he was one of the most anticipated characters to join the roster, being in the top 3 most voted characters in regions like the US, Europe, and Japan. Non-Sora supporters believed that Disney, a company who is notable for being very protective over their characters like Mickey Mouse, would never in a million years give Sora the spotlight in Smash Bros. But, Nintendo knew that for the last spot of DLC for Smash Bros., they had to end it right. And end it right they did! Players are enjoying and playing Sora in Smash Bros., playing them casually and in tournaments. In many hearts, he was the perfect last pick for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Nick All Star Brawl
A new fighting platform enters the scene! Nick All-Star Brawl, Nickelodeon’s version of Super Smash Bros., makes its way onto the scene, and players on Twitter claim that this marks the end of Super Smash Bros. Nick All-Star Brawl, or NASB, has fast movement options and insane combos that would take the controllers of players from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Melee. Twitch, a popular live-streaming platform, would be filled with streams from streamers like HungryBox and Mang0 playing the game at the highest level.
Although NASB would be the closest rival to Nintendo’s Smash Bros., they are actually polar opposites. Ultimate has no quick and fast movement, combos are basic, and the game isn’t exciting to watch. NASB has quick movements and exciting combos to watch. NASB has better online connections unlike Ultimate’s. NASB is playable on all consoles and PC while Ultimate can only be played on the Nintendo Switch. And NSAB has support for its competitive scene, getting the support from its creators, while Nintendo continues to take down its competitive scene.
But with its highs, there are clear flaws. The game is raw unlike Ultimate, where that game is fleshed out. There are clear issues the developers need to address, especially with the characters. Characters like Spongebob and Michelangelo can be unfair: getting caught in a loop where the player can’t even do anything but watch. In the case of Michelangelo, he would be the first character to be banned from tournament play, a decision from the tournament organizers for Super Smash Con 2021. Michelangelo has a loop that anyone can master, making him an easy character to pick up. Nintendo’s Smash Bros. had similar cases where characters have been too overpowered like the case with Meta Knight in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but even Meta Knight wasn’t banned. The fact that Michelangelo’s banning was agreed shows that there are obvious flaws with NASB.
Sure, NASB has its highs and lows, but I would recommend the game if you can oversee the insights and pray to God the creators fix these issues. Personally, I believe the game has high potential with its fun movement and combos but the game needs to be fixed. There is a huge fanbase for NASB but the flaws prevent the game from being better than its current state. The game isn’t fleshed out, it has flaws that the creators need to fix in order to keep the game afloat. Smash Bros. is a fleshed out game because it has the time and development to become the franchise today. NASB is very new and the first of its “franchise.” Undoubtedly, if NASB wants to survive in the market, it needs to be fleshed out, and when that happens, it has a big chance of being an alternative to Smash Bros., something that hasn’t occurred yet but may someday.