In ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Only A Select Few Fighters Take Water Damage

Some of the stages in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate feature water, and if you’re playing as a few type of fighters: that will be a problem for you.

That’s right, while most fighters don’t take any damage while in the water, there’s a select few who do, such as Charizard. And that makes sense since he’s a fire-type Pokemon, and thus weak to water. And the same goes for Incineroar, who also takes damage when taking a dip.

In addition to the two fire-type Pokemon, Inkling — the new fighter from Splatoon — also doesn’t fare very well in the water, because, as you may know, water is deadly to Inklings.

And then there’s Sonic, who will also take damage if he finds himself in some water. Why? Because he’s Sonic. While hedgehogs can swim in real-life, Sonic has notoriously never been able to. In fact, you could say he’s terrified of water, something he likes to keep himself. He doesn’t even like getting wet. So it makes sense he takes damage and quickly drowns in the game.

As for why Sonic can’t swim, it all had to do with a misunderstanding by Yugi Naka, one of the creators of the blue hedgehog.

“He assumed that hedgehogs can’t swim, so that’s why he made it that Sonic can’t swim,” said a translator for Naka while speaking to Videogamer in 2009. “But then recently he saw a photograph in Germany of a hedgehog swimming, so that isn’t quite accurate!

“Apparently hedgehogs can swim, but they can’t climb out of water. This picture he saw was a guidance thing showing that you should help the hedgehog back up onto a branch, so he can get out. And he [Naka] was thinking, ‘Oh, nobody is helping Sonic!’”

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available exclusively for Nintendo Switch. If you’re one of the many playing it this weekend, make sure not to choose Charizard, Incineroar, Inkling, and especially Sonic if you’re playing on a stage with water.

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