It’s still crazy to think that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is made up of a roster consisting of 86 gaming icons. Most of these characters are actually just returning veterans thanks to the title’s “Everyone Is Here” theme, but there are also some really notable newcomers such as Simon Belmont, Joker, Banjo-Kazooie, Steve, and Sora, just to name a few.
In total, there are about 37 different gaming series represented on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s character select screen (counting series like Yoshi, WarioWare, and Dr. Mario as being spinoff series of the Mario franchise). However, it’s interesting to note that there was almost a 38th series as one character was seemingly scrapped from a previous entry who hailed from a game that has yet to see actual representation.
By data mining Super Smash Bros. 4, a Rhythm Heaven character emblem can be found within the programming. Unfortunately, this emblem goes unused within the actual game.
Prominent leakers and insiders at the time suggested that the Chorus Kids from the Rhythm Heaven series was planned to be part of Super Smash Bros. 4’s roster. For unknown reasons, this fighter was seemingly scrapped.
In the Rhythm Heaven minigame “Glee Club,” the player only plays as one of three Chorus Kids. The user is effectively tasked with synchronizing their taps on the screen to “yap” in coordination with the music.
Should the player’s timing with their taps be incorrect, the other Chorus Kids will display disappointed and annoyed looks. Ultimately, the gamer functions as just one-third of the Chorus Kids in this minigame.
It’s been theorized that the Chorus Kids would function similar to the Ice Climbers. Instead of being made up of two fighting bodies, the Chorus Kids would theoretically consist of three, though with a much simpler moveset compared to the Ice Climbers.
If this is truly what was planned, then we might have an idea as to why the Chorus Kids ended up getting cut in Super Smash Bros. 4. Their situation was likely similar to that of the Ice Climbers’.
It turns out that the Ice Climbers were functioning well on the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. 4. However, major technical hurdles arose when trying to implement the hammer-wielding duo into the 3DS version.
Since Masahiro Sakurai was adamant about keeping the rosters the same between the Wii U and 3DS versions of Super Smash Bros. 4, he made the decision to cut the Ice Climbers despite them appearing in the previous two entries. At the time, Sakurai justified this as being fine to do since the Ice Climbers hadn’t had a new game in their franchise for quite some time by that point, so they weren’t seen as being a particularly high priority.
Considering that the developers couldn’t get a duo to work as a playable character in the 3DS, there was probably no hope for a trio either. With this in mind, the roster of Super Smash Bros. 4 would’ve looked a little different if not for the 3DS version, which ultimately would’ve also affected Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with its “Everyone Is Here” theme.
Though the Chorus Kids could’ve worked as a likely concept from the Rhythm Heaven series, it’s never been outright confirmed that they were indeed planned to be playable. Some fans theorize that we could’ve had a character like Karate Joe join instead, but that wouldn’t explain why the Rhythm Heaven rep got cancelled.
Of course, while there are plenty of signs that point towards the possibility of a Rhythm Heaven character being planned at one point. it’s worth noting that Masahiro Sakurai has never once confirmed this. The most compelling evidence supporting this idea is the data mined Rhythm Heaven character emblem and the leakers at the time (who were correct in a lot of instances, but wrong in others).
In previous games, there have been characters like Takamaru, Mach Rider, Ayumi Tachibana, Balloon Fighter, Urban Champion, Bubbles, and the Excitebiker that were considered for playable slots that would’ve hailed from series that are currently unrepresented in Smash, but these characters were never developed to the point of getting a character emblem within the games that they were planned for.
Other characters like Solid Snake and Sonic were actually planned for Super Smash Bros. Melee, but wouldn’t join the roster until later in the series. With that in mind, this mysterious Rhythm Heaven rep is the only instance of a series never seeing representation after development plans had been scrapped.
With the way time has passed, the Rhythm Heaven series has only become more obscure, reducing the chances of this combatant ever making a comeback. Fortunately for fans of Rhythm Heaven, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t still happen some day.
Considering Sakurai’s passion for surprising fans with unexpected characters like Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., Wii Fit Trainer, and Piranha Plant, perhaps we’ll finally see what was planned for that Rhythm Heaven representation in a future entry.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently confirmed plans to unveil the Switch successor sometime during this fiscal year, which concludes on March 31, 2025. We also know that Masahiro Sakurai has been working on a secret game project since April 2022.
Many fans have been speculating that Sakurai could be working on the next entry in the Super Smash Bros. series as either a launch title or a game that will launch early in the Switch successor’s lifespan. If that happens, we’ll be sure to listen out for that all too familiar “yap” sound at the start of every trailer.