NWC: Cloud's Inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Could Mean that Anybody's Possible

Nintendo dropped a bombshell on us last Thursday when they announced that Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy fame is coming to Super Smash Bros. as a DLC newcomer, as expected by absolutely nobody. He’s not associated with Nintendo consoles in any significant way, and he certainly wasn’t a popular choice among the fans as far as we can tell—two major factors that people have considered essential for a character to join Smash.

This was one of our talking points on
this week’s episode of Nintendo Week, our Nintendo-themed podcast here at Gamnesia. Check out the discussion video above for our full thoughts on what doors Cloud might open for Smash, or keep reading for a brief, brief summary.

Alex points out that Cloud breaks the final “rule” that fans have believed game characters must fit in order to join
Smash: that they have to be associated with Nintendo. The public shock when Cloud was announced is evidence enough that he’s never been considered a likely candidate, despite the extremely strong legacy of Final Fantasy games on Nintendo consoles, because of his early (and to some extent, continued) PlayStation exclusivity.

While Cloud’s inclusion could suggest any game character is possible, it doesn’t necessarily mean Nintendo outsiders are terribly likely. After all, Nintendo and Square Enix have a great relationship. And though Cloud himself is tied to Nintendo by the loosest of threads,
Final Fantasy has had a profound connection to Nintendo in their early years, and it’s stayed decently strong on Nintendo handhelds as well… And really, if we’re being perfectly honest, Cloud is the only reasonable choice to represent the Final Fantasy series.

If you like this video, you can
subscribe to Nintendo Week on iTunes, where we release new episodes every Wednesday, or you could check out the full episode embedded below. If you don’t like long-form podcasts, you can subscribe to us on YouTube, where our discussion segments are uploaded on Thursdays, and these select snippets from the rest of the podcast—which we call NWC—are uploaded throughout the week. If you like what you hear, we’d love it if you leave us a review on iTunes, where you can find episodes covering tons of other wishful Smash newcomers like Banjo-Kazooie and even Sora, or send us your feedback! We’d love to know what you think of the show, and how you think we can improve it.

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