Sora’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a perfect send-off to the series for the game’s creator.

Sora’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate It is much more than just another fighter: it is director Masahiro Sakurai’s farewell to a franchise he created decades ago.

Sakurai revealed yesterday that Sora will be the 82nd (technically 89th if Echoes are counted) and the last fighter to join the roster. It was a momentous occasion for all games, something the director hinted at in a tweet he made the day before Sora’s reveal.

With room for just one more fighter on the roster, who might turn out to be the last fighter Sakurai ever designed, this character had to represent more than just another pick on the roster. They had to represent everything Super Smash Bros. is about as a franchise, and if there’s one thing Sakurai has made clear, the series is about celebrating the games.

Sora represents the celebration of the games present in Ultimate in, well, the most Ultimate form (Form). There is a good chance that if you are not a fan of Kingdom Hearts, someone you know is, and even if you are not a fan of the series, it is highly unlikely that you are not familiar with Sora.

He is not a Mario, but it is clear that Sakurai understands that for some players, Sora is their Mario. Listen to me: Mario first appeared in 1981, which means he is roughly 40 years old. For gamers who grew up in the ’80s and’ 90s, Mario was their boy and Mario’s popularity has continued to grow since then. He is one of the most recognized video game characters of all time.

For many, Sora was their first introduction to games and Square Enix’s collaboration with Disney in Kingdom Hearts helped make that happen. Sure, Kingdom Hearts seemed like a fun video game on its own, and for those who were already interested in RPGs, it would surely be a game to learn. However, for those who are not into video games yet, or for those who simply dip their toes in the water, Kingdom Hearts’ heavy reliance on Disney characters and worlds surely attracted attention.

When Kingdom Hearts was first released, I was 7 years old. I loved Mario and other classic games, but RPGs weren’t my thing yet (although they are now!). As a Disney fan like any other 7 year old, all it took was to see this cool character with lots of zippers and a key shaped sword fighting alongside Mickey, Donald and Goofy to quickly plead with my parents for Kingdom. Hearts

And I loved everything about the game. I played it over and over again, not wanting my time with him to end. And then more Kingdom Hearts games were released and even more after that and now, at the age of 26, I have enough Kingdom Hearts to cover hundreds of hours of playtime. Sora, in a way, is my Mario and it seems that Sakurai knew it. I knew that for many, Sora is a Mario and all one needs to see is Sora’s reveal trailer to acknowledge that.

When the trailer starts, is a clear callback to the first “Everyone is here!” Smash Bros. Ultimate trailer revealed. We see the Smash logo fall into a single flame (We all thought this was something from Dark Souls, right?), and then we see our beloved fighters sitting on their Amiibo stands like toys. Like the antagonistic minions in Kingdom Hearts, these fighters are heartless. I don’t necessarily think Sakurai is trying to say that, per se, but it’s a callback to the original Smash Bros idea – these fighters are toys, doing whatever we wish via our Nintendo 64 controller.

However, a character awakens: Mario. He then proceeds to pull a Keyblade out of the fire, and if we follow the Kingdom Hearts rules, he can do it because he has a heart. Throw the Keyblade through the air and Sora appears. It’s no coincidence that Mario is the one who can wield a Keyblade. It’s the heart and soul of Super Smash Bros., and really, everything Nintendo stands for.

There are those who don’t like Kingdom Hearts and that’s fair, but I’d be surprised if you found someone whose problem with the series is Sora. She is a pure, naive, innocent, and ultimately good person, who serves as our continuous window into other characters and worlds that we will always love. Such as Mario serves as our tour guide through the Mushroom Kingdom. and the person we meet beloved characters like Luigi, Peach and Toad over and over again, Sora is our guide in Kingdom Hearts, its worlds and its characters. It always will be.

Sora needed to be the final character in Smash. This could very well be Sakurai’s final Smash – although he says that every Smash is his last, but something in this day and age feels more real. How do you beat Ultimate? I’m not so sure you can and I think Sakurai knows.

If Mario, the plumber who started it all, opened the door to Super Smash Bros., it feels good that Sora, the kid who became the Mario to so many, is the one to close it (and lock it with his Keyblade).

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Are you excited for Sora to be the latest fighter added to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster? Let us know in the comments below!