‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Features a Callout to the Pokemon Anime

The upcoming Super Smash Bros. game will feature a nod to one of the most powerful Pokemon Ash has ever possessed in the Pokemon anime.

Earlier today, the Japanese Super Smash Bros. account posted its daily update about the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game. Today’s update was about Greninja, the Water-type Pokemon fighter who (as its name suggests) uses a variety of ninja-inspired moves. While the update didn’t provide any video or screenshots, the update noted that Greninja would transform into Ash-Greninja as part of its Final Smash.

Ash-Greninja is Greninja’s souped-up form, the equivalent to a Mega Evolution. While in this form, Ash-Greninja gains a red ridge on its head and a water shuriken on its back.

In the Pokemon anime, Ash’s Greninja was able to assume this form due to its deep connection with Ash. While the Pokemon’s abilities and powers were given a big boost, it came with a price: Ash would share any pain and exhaustion suffered by Greninja while in this form. In its Ash-Greninja form, Greninja could challenge even Mega-Evolved Pokemon and helped Ash almost win his first “official” Pokemon League tournament ever — not counting the Orange League.

The Ash-Greninja form later crossed over into the Pokemon games in Pokemon Sun and Moon. Players could obtain a Greninja with the ability Battle Bond, which could then transform into Ash-Greninja after it made a Pokemon faint in battle. Ash-Greninja had higher Attack, Special Attack, and Speed base stats than a normal Greninja as well as a boosted Water Shuriken attack.

While players can still use Ash-Greninja in the Pokemon games, it seemed destined to be an interesting sidenote in Pokemon history, similar to the spiky-eared Pichu from Pokemon SoulSilver and HeartGold. Maybe Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will give Ash-Greninja some newfound popularity so we can see the special Pokemon in more games in the future.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate comes out on December 7th. The next Pokemon games, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee comes out on November 16th.