Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features a cast consisting of 86 characters following the release of all DLC. Though there were plenty of guests added to the game as post-launch content, Castlevania was the only new third party franchise that had representation within the base roster.
Simon Belmont and Richter Belmont were chosen to be playable characters, but Masahiro Sakurai had apparently considered another challenger to represent the Castlevania series before settling on the Belmonts. According to Sakurai, a Castlevania rep was highly requested during the Smash Ballot (from the era of Super Smash Bros. 4), but it wasn’t entirely clear at first who it should’ve been.
“After Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS and Wii U, we conducted the fighter ballot and the series was highly requested,” stated Sakurai according to a translation by Source Gaming. “In addition, when I went to decide new content for Smash Ultimate, my options were quite limited.”
“The problem with Castlevenia is that that the protagonists change quite often. If anything, there are probably more people who are familiar with Alucard.” — Masahiro Sakurai
Castlevania isn’t like the Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda series in which there’s a consistent protagonist like Mario or Link. Within this franchise, the protagonist tends to change going from one game to the next.
“The problem with Castlevenia is that that the protagonists change quite often,” continued Sakurai while laughing. “If anything, there are probably more people who are familiar with Alucard.”
It’s interesting to note that Alucard actually made his debut appearance within the Castlevania series in Castlevania 3. He was one of the three supporting characters to that game’s protagonist, Trevor Belmont.
Of course, a player may only have one supporting character alongside Trevor at a time. Most players tend to favor one of the other two, Sypha Belnades and Grant Danasty, as being superior choices over Alucard.
“If I had went with [Alucard], then there wouldn’t have been any connection to the Belmont lineage.” — Masahiro Sakurai
Alucard’s role within Castlevania would be greatly elevated in Symphony of the Night when he was made the protagonist. Though this wasn’t the first attempt to turn Castlevania into the “Metroidvania” game style it’s now generally perceived to be, it is the game that really transformed the series.
For a lot of fans of Castlevania, Alucard might have actually been more recognizable than Simon and Richter. However, choosing Alucard over them would’ve presented a couple of different problems in Sakurai’s mind.
“If I had went with [Alucard], then there wouldn’t have been any connection to the Belmont lineage,” continued Sakurai while apparently laughing again.
It’s also worth noting that the weapon typically utilized by the Belmont clan is known as the Vampire Killer. As a dhampir (half-human, half-vampire), Alucard would be unwilling to wield such a weapon.
Needless to say, Sakurai felt that it would be a little bizarre to not have the Vampire Killer represented in this way considering that Castlevania is a series that’s essentially about hunting vampires. Indeed, the weapon is just too iconic to not include.
Being that Simon and Richter are the first whip users in the Super Smash Bros. series, we can also see how them getting in offered players a brand new playstyle. Even compared to most sword users, the Belmonts’ reach ranks among the highest in Smash.
Additionally, we also have to note that Alucard probably wouldn’t have a suitable Echo Fighter like the relationship between Simon and Richter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. So choosing Alucard would’ve actually resulted in us getting one less character (even if Simon and Richter do effectively function identically).
Ultimately, Alucard was relegated to being an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Considering that characters like Little Mac, Dark Samus, and Isabelle have since been promoted from Assist Trophies to being playable, there’s still hope for Alucard fans in terms of his potential in the future.
As it turns out, Nintendo has recently unveiled the Switch 2. For now, only a new Mario Kart has been revealed for the mysterious new console, but we suspect that Super Smash Bros. will likely make its way there at some point considering its reported sales.
Incidentally, Sakurai has been working on a secret game project since April 2022. Could this be the next iteration of the Super Smash Bros. series on the Switch 2?
Though Simon and Richter were chosen over Alucard, it does seem like Alucard does have a lot to offer as a potential character alongside the Belmonts. Overall, Alucard feels like he has a decently high chance of becoming playable in the future.
With the Nintendo Switch 2 focused Direct set for April 2025, there’s at least a decent possibility that Sakurai’s secret game project gets announced then. We’ll just have to see what happens when that time rolls around.
Source: Event Hubs
